WingedBean

Expectations unfortunately not met

Dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole

🕺🏻OK. Let's start with the good🕺🏻
The acting - The guys killed it. I have seen Keita before in Cherry Magic & Alice in Borderland and was excited to see him back in the BL realm. I knew he was good and my man; he did not disappoint. No notes
Ryoma is a new face to me, but he was amazing too. He expresses emotions so freaking well. It just grabs you. I could feel how much he hated Sugiki in the beginning, when he started wanting him; I was there with him—in that desire, denial, and confusion. And when Sugiki broke his heart, I felt that too. When he cried, when he made the choice to go back to competing after the heartbreak, when he struggled to walk away from Sugiki's honor dance, when he finally faced him on that floor. I felt it all. Hat's off to the man

The chemistry - My God!! It was palpable. Everyone has mentioned it, but that scene in the train... *fans self*. And the kiss scene towards the end. Also, I was mesmerised every time they danced together

Their type of dance matched their personalities beautifully - Sugiki does ballroom. Idk much about dance, but from what I saw in this, it's a very controlled type of dancing. Beautiful to look at, but rigid in its execution.
On the other hand, Suzuki is a free spirit. He also walks, breaths, moves like sex, and so is his dance style. It's fun and sexy, while Suguki's is very restrained.
Suzuki wants to have fun in his life, but Sugiki is very controlled and by the book. He knows what he wants, sees the goal, and will stick by it, everything else be damned.
How they dance spills into their personalities. Or is it vice versa?

The cinematography and the grandeur of it all - Are we surprised though? It's a Netflix production. You know the production budget be budgeting

🕺🏻What I didn't like🕺🏻
The title says it all. The movie did not match the expectations set by the trailer
When you watch the trailer, you expect the movie to be very sensual, very sexy. You expect their relationship to be very emotionally charged. A love that stems from hate, passion (for dance and Suzuki's hatred for Sugiki), desire, and an unwitting respect for each other's craft. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for such a story

Unfortunately, when you get to the story, this all kinda... fades away? A lot of the story is told in silence (?). There are a lot of looks to the other person, facial expressions, but very little in the way of actual communication. As the audience, you kinda have to connect the dots and guess what they are feeling and thinking. That removes the 'punch' of what this story could be

Their romance — if you could even call it that — doesn't progress much, and so by the end, everything feels unfinished. They kissed on the train. I thought things would get steamier, but they went their separate ways. Only to meet 2(?) months later in the UK with Suzuki thinking about how he wants Sugiki's eyes on him.... And then they break up

Girl... What?? What happened in the 2 months??? I have read some comments by the Manga readers that allude to what happened after the train, leading up to the breakup, and after, but if you're going to make a movie, shouldn't you include what happens in the source material in the show? I feel like cutting out major details does a disservice not only to the viewers who may not have checked out the book, but also to the readers who may want a better portrayal of a story they love

The ending was also very.... Ugh. It's open-ended. Not a fan of those. I hear it's because the manga isn't complete. Perhaps the manga shall end n we'll get a sequel. Hopefully, a better installation than this one

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For The Reverse Harem, Sub ML Loving Girlies

There's always something that draws me to a drama. For this, it was an edit I saw on Twitter. I saw Jianglai on his knees, looking up at Shanbao with those pleading puppy dog eyes, and they had me. Hook, Line & Sinker. Then I found out there was a reverse harem element to it and... Yeah, there was no hope for me. I was going to see this to the end. And that, I did.

🫖What I Liked🫖
🥰The Female Lead - They told me that I was getting a cold and cunning female lead, and they delivered. Throughout the show, Shanbao remains clever (and manipulative), maneuvering not only the men seeking to woo her, but also the tea business, and her very complicated family dynamics. Not once did I feel like she fell back and let the ML run the show. True to her family's traditions, the women are at the helm. And that's where she stayed till the end.

🥰 The Male Lead - Now, if we start talking about my love for male submissives, we'd spend all day here. All you should know is that they have a very special place in my heart. And my 'God, when?' prayer is still very much alive and well in this aspect.
Aside from the perfectly submissive man that Jianglai is, he's also smart and useful. My fear going into this was that he'd 'hide behind her skirts', always waiting for her to save him. Not only can he stand on his own, but he's also clever, ambitious, loving, dedicated, and cares about her business. Lu Jianglai's puppy-dog eyes may have brought me into this show, but his taking the time to learn about the tea business and help out where needed, without having to be told, won me over.

🥰The 5th Sister - Would I say I loved YunShu? No. But she was by far the most interesting of Shanbao's sisters. Miss Ma'am had me suspicious and freaking out for like 22 episodes. A true definition of a snake in the grass. She was also really smart. I respect smart characters, regardless of whether they are the villain or not.

🥰The sisters' relationship - In the beginning, it was tumultuous, at best. Over time, however, it evolves into what true sisterhood is. All the ladies grow, understand each other, and change, leading to a united Rong family. The kind that their ancestors had created and hoped for, for their future generations.

🥰The tea tidbits that were shown at the end of some episodes - I'm from a predominantly tea-drinking country but we have NOTHING over China. I mean, I didn't think we had anything close to them, but those tidbits showed me just how vast the difference is. The history of tea in China is truly vast and rich. Incredible

🫖Things I Didn't Like/Appreciate🫖
👵🏻Grandmother - Listen, I am all for respecting your elders, but this woman.... Yo! She had me heated. She was out here, increasing my blood pressure from how utterly horrible she was. YunShu and I might not have agreed on a bunch of things, but I was squarely on her side when she mentioned that their grandmother was basically the root of all evil. At least in their family.

She was supposed to guide the sisters. Help foster their relationships not just for their good but also for the good of the family legacy and traditions. But no, she made 1 mistake back when she was young, and her embarrassment over that became every generation's problem after that. Not only did she become like those rich snobby nobles, but she, a woman from a matriarchal home, becomes patriarchal - the biggest sin of all IMO. Believing that the man, the match between her daughters and some man determines their success as a family. She had zero faith in her family members

That person who called granny a 'dusty bag of bones' was on to something. She's entirely horrible, callous, and so judgmental towards her family. Let's not even start on how loudly she insulted a child of 4/5 years. I'm too young for a blood pressure medication prescription.

📚The story from episode 26, but largely from ep 30 - I would try to leave a note after every episode or every 2 episodes. However, after episode 25, I stopped. Clearly, that's where my excitement for the show started waning. But I think the biggest letdown was from ep 30. I don't quite know what the point of Jianglai's 2nd (and apparently OG) family was for.
At 1st, I thought they wanted to highlight the sad reality of the women from this time. The Rong family is obviously the exception, being matriarchal in a patriarchal society.

A quote that stuck with me from this arc was said by the duke's wife. It partly states
"Even if her father committed a grave mistake and disobeyed her grandmother's orders, as a daughter, she should kneel and beg again and again. Even if it meant not eating or drinking, starving to death. She should have sought her grandmother's forgiveness."
It clearly shows how the women of this time were expected to pay for the sins of the men in their lives. And were even punished for them. I thought that this was the point. To show the stark difference in how the Rong family treated both their men and women, and how the rest of the world did.

However, as the arc unfolds, things get weird, with the biggest issue being that Shanbao and Jianglai no longer work together. She seemed to be making decisions for him, doing that whole 'I'm hurting him to protect him from him/myself'. I fucking hate that trope. And then it was a family drama/murder mystery.... It was a lot, and for what?

All in all, I didn't appreciate those last 7 episodes. It felt like they used it to increase the viewer's anxiety about whether Shanbao and Jianglai would make it to the end together. Instead of all that, we should've gotten the final ACTUAL wedding, and a glimpse into the sisters' stories with their men. Namely, Yunshu & Bai Yi Sheng, Xiang Ling & Zhu Sheng (Jiang Lai's deputy. I'm making the executive decision that they belong together), as well as YunXi & her baby daddy ( I forget his name)

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They had me for the 1st 13 episodes, then they lost me, and never got me back.

I am sorry to anyone who chooses to read this review. I do not think I'll be very coherent.

The best way to explain this drama from my experience watching it would be 'Pretty Aesthetics, Boring Plot.'
Here's how I watched this show -
🍉I consumed the 1st 13 episodes in one day like a woman starving.
🍉Watched episodes 14 -23 with the feeling that something was missing.
🍉Skipped episodes 24 - 28 to watch episodes 29 and 30.
🍉Skipped episodes 31 - 34, fast-forwarded through episode 35, and the finale

My thoughts about the characters
🌞NXG - I think she was a decent character. There's nothing about her that's particularly outstanding. She's a simple girl just trying to navigate life and find where she truly belongs. Her only 'fault' is that she comes from an extremely rich family. This inadvertently makes life harder for her, largely due to the jealousy of those whom she unfortunately considers friends. There's also her terrible taste in men (one man), but more on that later.

🧑🏻‍⚕️LYS - He is perfect, which makes him boring. IMO, he was the most interesting when he was in basically one-sided conflict with NXG. I genuinely disliked him and wasn't rooting for him till the balcony to hospital arc with NXG.

His beautiful face and long legs were not enough to make me disregard his bullying and abuse of power towards NXG. His reasoning - which held no water btw - be damned. Once he apologized and changed for the better, I did forgive him for it. But I never forgot. He eventually became the perfect textbook boyfriend. Fantastic for NXG, a snoozefest for me

😤ZX - He was draining, OMG. Self-pitying, self-hating, insecure, and so, so mean to the supposed love of his life. I spent most of my time on this show wondering why NXG liked him in the 1st place. Was it all because he was tall and (they thought) he had a pretty face? Coz, honestly, he had no redeeming qualities.

When they were in college, he would insult her with every word that came out of his mouth. He didn't believe her when she got wrongly accused, nor did he stand up for her. Let's not forget how he made her walk in heels coz he didn't want to pay taxi fare for both of them. She could've simply paid him back.

He also never said 'sorry,' not that it'd have made up for anything, but that's the bare minimum he could've done. For example, when he found out the truth about the interview call situation, he sent her good research materials for her thesis. Thoughtful, yes, but where was the actual 'sorry'?

Here's a note I wrote about ZX after ep 12

"Ep 12: Now we finally get the back story of why he was always so mean to her. I feel sad for him that he's this heartbroken because of his unwavering trust in Ye Rong. However, I'm not that sorry for him.
I cannot forget how cutting his words were. How they've always been. And sure, Ye Rong lied to him and those around him coz of her insecurity, but that doesn't negate the fact that
1. He liked NXG but never made a move to ever ask her about her side of the story. His blind belief and willingness to stand on the sidelines as she was insulted and slandered is his fault
2. He also never made his stand clear. He knew both Ye Rong and NXG liked him. But he was always in the middle like an idiot. Never outrightly choosing one. He'd side with Rong, but never quite enough to fully claim her. Never correcting her when she loudly claimed him b4 everyone, but never giving her the security she needed

Sorrows, sorrows, prayers to him."

Clearly, I hated the man, but found him interesting. No other character elicited such strong emotion from me.

😒Ye Rong - All I'll say about her is that jealousy truly makes you such an ugly person. I mean this literally because I only realized how pretty the actress playing Ye Rong was in ep 35. I hope that she became a better person after moving to Shenzen. That she never found some other poor, innocent girl to cut down with her words, simply because she never felt like she was enough. Like she couldn't measure up to whatever one-sided goal she had in her head.

About the story in general
I really loved the story in those first 13 episodes. I think the pacing and conflict were great, plus NXG's new experiences from college, moving on to adult work-life, and friendships kept things interesting. However, once the conflict with LYS takes a back seat, the plot loses its momentum.

They are pretty, they communicate, work together seamlessly, and their immediate families love them - they are perfect, and I was bored out of my mind. My mind couldn't help wandering as nothing about the story was holding my attention anymore.

Random Thoughts:
🤔One gripe in other overall sensibility of the plot...: What do you mean that someone went to school, got a degree in finnace and you move them to administration?? Why was everybody okay with that? I know it's a drama, and forced proximity had to be applied to make the romance grow.
However, my brain refuses to compute that no one found it odd or complained about the blatant misuse of power. I'd rather they'd fired her than that. Like, would you move a marketing graduate to engineering? Someone from procurement, to admin, or HR? Engineering to sales? Finance to the legal department? That shit pissed me off the entire show.

🏂🏾Oh, another thing, did anyone think that the Changbai Mountain arc felt like a super drawn-out AD? Lowkey, I felt like it was a govt sponsored AD. Something interesting about that arc is how they incorporated a 2024 trend in that episode where LYS & NXG's cousin were competing. The editing style showing how cool they were is very much reminiscent of a video I saw back in 2024 on Chinese netizens taking pics on snowy mountains

🍊That juice they (mostly the women) kept drinking during gatherings, which was another very obvious AD, reminded me of Minute Maid. I don't even like those juices, esp the orange flavour, but now I'm craving some

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Would've Likely Been Great with Better Pacing

When working with a thriller/mystery drama, you have to keep your pacing really tight; otherwise, you risk losing your audience. If you solve the cases too quickly, you lose the impact and risk plot holes. Too slow and the audience gets bored/frustrated.

Unfortunately, this story falls in the latter half. Cases took too long to conclude (one case literally took 4 and a half episodes to solve). Honestly why? Some cases would keep going around and around themselves (like they were trying to be really smart), and when you finally got to the conclusion..., the payoff wasn't worth it.

The plot does get some points in telling stories, largely about the plight of women, but the message gets swallowed up by the aforementioned bad pacing. Also, I would've appreciated it if our main characters emoted a bit more. It's not fun watching a show where the characters only move between 2, maybe 3 facial expressions, traumatic background be damned.

I did enjoy the subtle romance, though. It wasn't loud, but it was really sweet and caring—especially from his side.

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It was great, but it's not without faults

👻What I Enjoyed/Liked👻
1. A1 cinematography & production - So incredibly well done that I can confidently say that it's among the best that I've seen this year. Also, the village setting was so well done.

2. The inclusion of Thai culture, outfits, shamanic practices, etc. They were all so grand and beautiful. I haven't seen another Thai show that includes this (granted, all I watch from Thailand is BLs), so this was super interesting to see

3. The overall story - This doesn't get a 10/10, but for the most part, the story was well done. Throughout the 12 episodes, they gave us a lot of background info on the characters and how they all connected to each other, making everything feel cohesive. By the end of the story, there aren't many loose ends

4. The acting - I think the cast, the main 4, are largely rookies, and they did a really good job. I have seen cringeworthy acting in the BL scene. These four, they deserve their flowers. I hope to see them get even better in the future

5. The NC scenes in eps 7 & 8 - Aside from the fact that they were so very hot, I feel like they suited the couples perfectly. Chan & Jet are more playful, and so was their scene. Peem & Khem are more angsty and slowburn, and their scene reflected that beautifully.

👻What I Didn't Like/Areas That Could've Been Worked On👻
1. Ramphueng should've received an apology. From her backstory, we see that they wronged her 1st. Her revenge - crazy as it was-, was justified. What that family did to her was horrible. In episode 12, they make her apologize, but why didn't they apologize to her, too? For over 200 years, no one ever said 'sorry' for playing a part in the unjust death of her and her son. Khem and his mother should've apologized to her for the parts that their past selves played in that

2. Does anyone know if Ramphueng went after all the people in that family (including the 1st wife and polygamous husband), or was it just Khem and his mother? I mean, Khem testament (as Krongkhwan) was the one who put the nail in the proverbial coffin of her death but... what happened to the other people throughout the years?

3. Khem/Namping's crying scenes - When he has to sit and cry silently, it works. It's great. But when more emotions are needed, like he needs to be on the floor sobbing, it doesn't work. IDK if this makes sense, but during these intense crying/emotional scenes, as a viewer, I can tell that he's acting (and that it's not going well)

3. Khem & Peem don't have much in the way of facial expressions - Peem is stoic, and Khem is either sad, faking a smile or on the verge of crying. I don't want to judge too harshly since perhaps this worked because that is who the characters were. However, in the future, I'd love to see Keng and Namping use their facial muscles more in whatever show they'll be on. As per the latter half of the last episode, we see that they are clearly capable of it, so let them use them.

4. Khem was always the damsel in distress, and surprisingly, doesn't have much vigor to stay alive - This might be the thing that pissed me off the most. We started the show with Khem wanting to find a way to survive past the age of 21, then his friends suggested that Peem might like him, and suddenly, all he could care about was whether Peem liked him back?! Sir?!?!?!?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PLOT??? Listen, I understand that this is a BL. That they are meant to fall in love but... Priorities man. Vengeful ghosts 1st, romance later. Also, him up and leaving after Grandma Si died.... Come on now

5. The timeline - I might be horrendously bad at math, but I believe that the mid-1700s were at most 275 years ago. Where did the 400 years that they kept talking about come from?

6. Peem should have had a longer chasing arc - He was so mean for so long. He should've had to struggle and prove himself for longer to win Khem's affection and trust

👻Random Thoughts👻
a. Those villagers were so cool with all the ghosts. If it were me, I'd have left and never gone back😂

b. We largely saw Khem interact with ghosts that wanted him ☠️. I wish we saw his interactions with nice or at least neutral ghosts. Like the ghost mama in ep 1, who simply wanted to save her son

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Put Your Phone Away & Pay Attention

You know those shows that you can watch while scrolling through your phone? The kind you can easily look away, and even without understanding the language, look up again and be able to piece everything, or at least most of it, together? This isn't one of those.

This is a show that demands your attention, which was fantastic for me since I really needed a good reason to put my phone away.

This is a beautifully written revenge story with brilliant characters. Such stories often fail because they are filled with dumb characters who risk the plans and lives (both their own and others') in their stupidity. No one here is like that. They know what the plan needs, and they stick to it, executing it as needed.

Xie Huai An's smarts are something to be admired and feared. I totally understood why his enemies were afraid of him. He will not face you on the battlefield with a sword. But he'll plan your defeat and your death, largely from the shadows, and you'll never see it coming.

I loved watching the growth of Xiao Wen Jing / Zhang Mo. From a spoilt, angry puppet emperor to a worthy young man. One who not only understood the plight of his people but was also able to make lifelong friends. Unfortunately, the Tiemo arc (more on that later) ruined his character growth a bit for me.
He'd grown so much as a person & come to trust Huai'an, but the plot throws away all this character growth, turning him back into his former cowardly self for shock value. I admit, I was shocked, as they wanted, but also felt disappointed

I commend all the actors for their effective portrayal of emotions. This show is heavy, and it always has this feeling of death and sadness hanging in the air. I loved that whenever the characters had to express their emotions, I, as the viewer, could connect with them

The story gave us two main villains, Yan Feng Shan & the King of Tiemo. Yan Feng Shan's arc was much more interesting to me. The amount of maneuvering and cleverness used in this arc was... breathtaking, for lack of a better word. The Tiemo arc wasn't bad per se, however, I did feel that as from ep 21 (or there about) the script relied a lot on plot armour to keep Huai'an alive.
There were so many times that he could've died in this arc, specifically from ep 21 to 24/25, yet he miraculously survived. I mean, he did survive while facing Yan Feng Shan, but here his escapes were less believable in their overall 'miraculousness'.

I'm not sure about the ending; it looked like he died. Idk how he'd have survived that explosion, unless more plot armour was applied. And while I would have loved for him to stay alive, I think that part of me was prepared for his death.

Xie Huai An was clever and brave, but also angry and incredibly sad. He rarely smiled, and when he did, it was always a sad smile. It always felt like his heart, his very soul, were very sad and very heavy. If he died, I'd take consolation in the thought that he finally got to rest

Points To Note
1. The rewatch value isn't that high. Not because the story isn't worth rewatching, but because I feel like this is one of those stories that works best the 1st time. A rewatch could work to help you pick up on a few factors that you may have missed in the 1st round, but the suspense and intrigue will no longer be there. Because of that loss, I wouldn't find myself rewatching this.

2. About 30 minutes after completing the Netflix version, I found out that this show has a special episode. The special episode very clearly insinuates that Huai'an is alive, just staying hidden in Yulong Ridge. We don't see his face, but the alcohol given to his friends and the voice of the guy in that cell belong to Huai'an. I'm sure he's still busy plotting and strategizing in there for the good of the realm.
But part of me wishes that he would've, instead, fulfilled the wish that his sister had for him. To sit under a (what I believe) plum blossom tree with a fat cat in his arms. With Ye Zheng & Zhang Mo bickering around him (This last bit is purely my wishful thinking)

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Is this how sports fans usually feel? I hate it

If the title wasn't clear enough, my faves didn't win.

💪🏾Next time, contestants from all the countries should be chosen fairly. Some countries were very obviously more stacked than others. It's like they were setting some of them up to fail. I mean, I know you have to fill the numbers, but the differences in strength were so glaring

🇹🇭Thailand & 🇵🇭Philippines - I rooted for them since they had black contestants. Namely, James & Robyn. Did I think these teams would win? No. But as Issa Rae said, 'I'm rooting for everybody black. '

PS. I wanna add a note here that representation truly matters - I'm speaking about James. I've been watching Thai BLs for about 3 years now, and in all this time, I've only seen 2 black characters in these shows.
The first time was in 'Triage', and the other time was in 'I Will Knock You'. Seeing James on such a huge show -and killing it btw, heels and all - felt so good. I hope all the black and dark-skinned Thai pple out there saw themselves in him. I mean, I think he's a pretty big deal over there already, but he deserves this, too

💪🏾Australia - I liked them coz they were strong. I've seen pple hating on them, saying they were loud and rude coz of all the cheering and cursing, but to me, they looked like any other Westerners. I'm not a sports person, but they acted like what regular sports pple that I'm exposed to act like. They fumbled really badly in that rope game - I think that they should've replaced Eddie with Katelin. Had they strategized better, I genuinely think they'd have been in the final match. N probably would've won. Also, Dom, my favorite of all the Aussies. I need him to give me just 5% of his positivity

💪🏾Mongolia - Before this, I knew very little about this country and its people. Truthfully, I still don't. However, I started rooting for them after perhaps ep 2(?). They are definitely the opposite of Australia, but that quietness hid such strength. They were reserved and respectful, and so incredibly smart and strong. Their sportsmanship is truly one to be admired. While some teams ( I won't be mentioning names👀) were busy posturing and being rude to other contestants in the name of the game, they largely minded their own and stayed real nice throughout. I hope to see them again in the future. where they'll win. I'm genuinely so sad that they didn't win😭

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This was Incredible. I'll Never Do It Again

Let not the rewatch value fool you, I will NEVER rewatch this. Once was simultaneously perfect, but also too much. I cannot handle sitting through this story a second time.

When I saw Netflix add this to the 'coming soon' line-up, I expeditiously added it to 'my list' simply because of Tseng Ching Hua. So far, I've seen him in 5 shows, and he hasn't once let me down with his incredible acting skills. The man is incredibly talented — and the fact that he's beautiful to look at doesn't hurt either.

Moon Lee is also another actor that I wanted to watch. Just coming from binging both seasons of 'The Victim's Game', I wanted to see more of her acting. Who knew that her character, Chiang Hsiao Tung, would rip my heart out the same way that Chiang Hsiao Meng did in the previous shows? Ok, why do her characters have such similar names?
PS. I also just realized that I've seen her before in the movie 'I Am the Secret in Your Heart'. But seeing that I chose to wipe that entire story from my brain —because what the hell was that ending?—, I should be excused for forgetting her.

As for the plot in it's entirity, it's hard for me to write a proper review.

All I know is that my heart felt heavy throughout the 10 episodes. As the other reviews say, this isn't an easy story to get through. I went in thinking that it was a simple run-of-the-mill serial killer plot, and 2 episodes in, I knew I had to pace myself. This wasn't a story I could sit and binge in one or two nights. It took me almost 2 weeks to complete this 1st instalment, as all I could handle in a go was one or two episodes.

I literally finished watching 2 animated movies, one anime, and 2 seasons of 'How to Train Your Dragon' in the time it took me to complete these 10 episodes. I needed some palate cleansers after them.

When my heart wasn't feeling like someone was ripping it out and tap dancing on it, I was angry. Save for Chiang Hsiao Tung and Li Jen Yao, I was angry at everyone. From Li Jen Yao's mother (there's a special place inhell for mothers like her) to his dad (he should've been burned at the stake, to the teachers, the corrupt cops, plus other law enforcers, some of their schoolmates, and the parents of those disgusting boys. Everyone made me angry.

No matter how many times Li Jen Yao tried to save himself from drowning in the mess that was his life, they found ways to keep him down. To push him further in and suffocate him. And then they did the same to Hsiao Meng, all because she fell inlove with someone they deemed less than. Trash that they could bully, play around with, and throw away. Honestly, episodes 8 and 9 hurt in ways that I cannot begin to describe.

All in all, this is an incredibly well-done story, albeit a hard one to get through. The topics highlighted are important, and in a way, I have a deep respect for the actors, screenwriters, directors, and everyone who worked on this story. They did not pull any punches, and my heart and soul are black and blue from it.

PS. Some scenes made me sit and wonder how the actors, especially the two main ones, got into and out of the headspace required to express those emotions. Yoh....🙆🏾‍♀️

Now, I'm off to part 2. A part of me feels like it'll be cathartic, the other part feels like they'll just hurt me more. I feel like they aren't done wringing my heart out just yet

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I Should've Watched This Sooner

Were it not for those last 2 episodes, I think I'd have rated this higher.

I think if someone went into this hoping for a lot of romance, they'd be disappointed. Most of this story is spent navigating the issues the characters face to find their way to the love (and lives) they want/deserve, rather than on their romance.

Watching them navigate those issues is what made me binge the first 9 episodes. Only to be disappointed by the 3rd-act breakup scene. I say this about both romance books and romantic movies & TV shows, we don't always need the 3rd-act breakup. More often than not, like in this case, it disrupts the fantastic momentum of a story that the reader/viewer is invested in.

The Characters
👩🏻‍🏫Manami - I saw her jump into the sea in the 1st like 2 minutes of the show and got immediately invested. I thoroughly enjoyed her growth throughout the series. She starts very timid, passive, and clumsy — I'm still confused by why she was constantly stumbling on air — and slowly grows into a more confident version of herself. Able to make her own decisions and mistakes and own them. In the latter episodes, she rarely stumbles, so perhaps that was to signify a growth in her confidence? Or maybe I'm just reading too much into things🤔

Her personality is largely shaped by her upbringing. On one hand, her mother is passive and suffers in silence. On the other hand, her dad is a very sexist, misogynistic, and controlling father, who constantly speaks down to her mother both in private and in front of others. I hated that man.

Manami is the good girl. Never stepping a toe out of line (you know, aside from the whole stalking her ex and yeeting herself into the sea thing). She does everything right and is soft spoken, kinda like her mother. But she's clearly bursting at the seams, and the chance meeting with Kaoru slowly helps her break out of her shell.

Had Kaoru not come into her life, I think she'd have become another version of her mother — angrily chewing basil leaves at the sink whenever her overbearing husband did or said anything hurtful.

🕺🏻Kaoru - I knew he was the main lead, but I did not like him for perhaps 6 or 7 episodes. During this time, he remains very much a 'host' and doesn't show any prospects as a love interest. At least not one that Manami deserved. However, his backstory shows you how life has shaped him into the smooth-talking asshole that he is.

His dyslexia has crippled his life outside the club, and his mother is — as Kaoru calls her— a tick who's constantly sucking him dry to feed her 2nd deadbeat baby daddy. His insecurity over the fact that he can neither read nor write, coupled with the need to make money to feed the never ending blackhole that is his mother, pushes him to ignore what he and Manami could be.

Luckily, as the story progresses, Manami's steadfast belief in him and her assurance that he is not stupid help him try to see himself as more than. More than just a host with nothing else to give to the world. More than the dumb kid that everyone, including his mother, insulted and were frustared by. More than a pretty face. His character growth was beautiful to watch, especially once we started spending less time at the host club. He is truly a pure soul who wants someone to see him, value him, and be more.

Unfortunately, this is tainted by the 3rd act break-up. I know he was frustrated by the exam, but him bodily throwing Manami and her bag out of his house left a bad taste in my mouth. It reminded me too much of how Manami's father treated her mother, and that's just.... Ew.

The two also get back together at the very end of the show, without a proper conversation or anything. I'd have loved to have spent more time with them as a couple rather than those scenes of them away from each other.


🌸🌸PS. Something that made me uncomfortable(?) with Manami and Kaoru's relationship is how she reacted when teaching him. She used this baby voice and reacted like one would when teaching a baby. Like I expect that behaviour when teaching someone like Yuki, Kaoru's brother. He's a literal child, unlike Kaoru.
I understand that there's a 12-year age difference between the two, and that Kaoru was rather insecure about his inability to read. Kaouru is also a golden retriever personality who thrives under praise. However, he's an adult. The baby voice and overthe top rections when he got something right were not needed IMO. It made things weird.


🧑🏻‍🏫Sakura - I wish the story gave us more about his life and experience with love in Japanese society. He mentions to Manami that he's gay and that's why he has a lens into society's view of 'forbidden/taboo relationships'. This story focuses on the 'taboo' of Manami and Kaoru's relationship, which has to overcome their age-gap, social standing and financial differences, as well as the fact that Kaoru works as a host. However, I wish we had gotten a mini side story or something about him.

👴🏻Manami's father - He got a sort of redemption arc. I didn't think he deserved one. That's all I have to say about that

🪴Manami's mother - When she smacked her husband with a ladle on the back of his head, I stood and clapped. I'm happy that she eventually got a life outside the house (coz of the new job). I'm sad that she never went through with the divorce.

💼Kawahara - The story tells us that he eventually fell for her, and that's why he let her go. I, unfortunately, did not see this love they tried telling us about. When exactly did this love bloom? In the middle of all the stalking and the telling on her to her father? Let's not forget that he only wanted her because of who her dad was and what the union could do for his career. Plus, the cheating in the beginning. The man was literally planning to keep his side chick after the two were married! I just....🤦🏾‍♀️

🏫The School - I was flabbergasted by how this school was run. Maybe it's a difference between Japan and my country, but...
1. How is it a teacher's responsibility to go fetch a girl from the red light district? Isn't that the parents' job? Or at least people in the parents' direct employ? Like a domestic worker or a driver, perhaps?

2. When that one girl made Manami fall and hurt her head, and then everyone laughed, I was just...*mouth to the floor*. They would have murdered us if we ever did that. Maybe not the school, but a combination of the school and parents. We don't act like that where I'm from

3. Why does a school dictate a teacher's love life? I think, unless the situation directly affects the running of classes or the school in general, I've never heard of principals or parents telling a teacher who they can or cannot date or interact with. And I say this as someone who went to an all-girls Catholic high school where we had mass EVERY Thursday.

4. I also fail to understand the need to call Manami back to the school—after they forced her to resign—, only to have the girls insult her

All in all, I think it was a rather well-paced story that unfortunately faltered in the end. I am a fan of noona dramas, so this was a delight to watch. Despite the few issues pointed out, I enjoyed the progression of the story, the characters, and the relationship between Manami and Kaoru. It was a nice slow burn that tackles societal issues that many age-gap romances face

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If Only The Latter Half Was Different

When I started this, I was convinced that it would get a 10/10 from me. I remember thinking, "Wow. This!! This right here is why I disagree with many in the BL fandom when they say that teen shows are a bore. Shows like this prove that these pple are so wrong."

And part of me still stands by this thought. The 1st half was really cute, well-acted, and the issues were very real and well handled. It also helps that the actors really did look and act like teens. *insert heavy side eye at Thai companies that keep making older actors play high schoolers or college students*

However, once we get into the 2nd half, things get very frustrating, very quickly. The series had enough drama to keep it going. Developing a relationship during the pandemic, their two clashing personalities (Tsundere x Golden retriever + Flirty x Shy boy), Cai's dad in the hospital, and the one meddling ex, all that was enough. But they just kept adding more. Plus, the characters refused to communicate. It all made the watching experience rather frustrating, taking away from the excitement of the first half.

Had they not added all those frustrating dramatics, I'd have truly rated this much higher.
PS. I never knew that hearing one word repeated over and over and over again would make me wanna yeet myself off a roof. The word 'baby' in this show should be classified as auditory torture and psychological abuse😭
Also, yaay to my 1st Filipino show💃🏾🙌🏾

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Moody, Sensual, Messy & Thought-Provoking

When this story starts, it presents itself as social commentary with a side of romance. 10 episodes later, and this is, in fact, romance with a side of social commentary. It is a slower type of romance as a large part of the story is spent on Jira trying to pick between the two men, Pheem and Koh.

The Characters
🎨Jira - He's indecisive in the romance department, stringing two men along for far longer than it was necessary IMO. On one hand, there's Pheem. The seemingly good guy, who, according to the synopsis, is physically Jira's type to a T. On the other hand, lies Koh. An unapologetically capitalistic arsehole, who, if you listen to Ing, is Jira's type, personality-wise.

Jira is also an artist down on his luck and broke. He wants to keep doing art in a world that is slowly being taken over by AI. And worse, he now works for a tech bro whose world is AI. He hates the tech bro for his values, which clash with his own. He's also attracted to tech bro but tries to deny it

💻Pheem - The seemingly good guy. While he may look like the better option at first, he wasn't the right choice for multiple reasons, the biggest being that he's fake AF. He only pays attention to what Jira likes because it'll increase the likelihood that Jira will sleep with him. He's also in a one-sided beef with Koh, which didn't do him any favours, if we're being honest.

💼Koh - The unapologetic asshole with debilitating social anxiety. He's unlikable, and I think that's the point. I don't quite think that we, as the audience, are meant to really like him. Only Jira is, and so we like him or give him a chance because Jira likes him. And because, as the story progresses, he changes parts of his life to make space for Jira. Does he become the perfect man? No. But parts of him are softer because of Jira.

Ing & Mawin also made rather interesting side characters and friends to both Jira and Pheem

The Relationships, Specifically the Romances
🌹🥀PheemJira - The chemistry between the characters was undeniable, but they'd have never worked for multiple reasons. Noteably,
1. As previously stated, he's fake - From changing his taste in music to getting that new tattoo on him. He never fell inlove with the things Jira liked enough to make them his own. He simply co-opted them to make himself look good in front of his conquest.

2. He's very pushy, especially in the sex department - All he knew how to do was flirt and insinuate that the two should sleep together. A note I wrote in ep 5 stated as follows 'Almost all their interactions end with him suggesting that they go home together. Jira is sometimes willing n other times doesn't seem into it. Like in ep 5, I feel like he took him home coz Pheem asked. Had he not, I don't think he'd have brought it up.'

3. He never made a good muse - Remember when Jira finally asked him to sit so he could paint him, and the man couldn't do that. He kept moving around and once again, resorted to flirting with Jira. I don't paint, but that seemed disrespectful AF to me.

I was never quite convinced that Pheem loved Jira. Even in that emotional and very well done scene in ep 7 in the rage room. Pheem only seemed to care that he won Jira and Koh lost him. Eventually, in all his scheming and jealousy, he fell in love, but it was too late.

🌹🖥️KohJira - I like to refer to love stories like theirs as 'the heart wants what it wants.' They shouldn't work. Actually, they'd probably thrive better if they went their separate ways and never crossed paths ever again. Yet, they choose to remain together. To try and forge ahead even when their circumstances and even values show that they likely will not work long-term.

Something keeps pulling them together. Such love stories always scratch a very special itch in my brain. I love them. They are human in such an interesting way. It's like they scream at you 'Hey, humans and love aren't black and white. They are very much shades of grey.'

They fall for each other partly in the bickering and partly in the silence. I think that Koh made a more interesting love interest because

1. Jira actually liked him. - I found it most interesting and hilarious how Jira was always so physically unresponsive to Pheem. However, with Koh, the man just needed to look at him, and bro would be hard. Jira would try to transfer those horny feelings to Pheem, but it never worked.
He looked like a ragdoll every time Pheem kissed him. So stiff with little emotion across his face. However, with Koh... Refer to the bedroom scene in ep 1, the painting scene in, I believe, ep 8 in Koh's house with the flowers, and the kiss scene on the rooftop.

2. Koh willingly changes to better suit Jira - Not fully, of course. But where Pheem's changes felt manipulative and held an ulterior motive, Koh felt genuine. And the changes were never extravagant.
Simple things like going to get him from his house coz he knows his commute is long, getting breakfast in the morning when Jira slept over, even if he himself said he never liked breakfast, or even braving that club environment to go get Jira.
All these were sincere, and I think they speak to romance better than a tattoo.

3. A clash in values vs attraction - Koh has the personality of a lemon. He's also a ruthless capitalist who only cares about the bottom line. Jira thinks that everything should be above board and humans should care for each other. Koh is also a pro AI fellow, and Jira is an artist at heart. Jira cares about human-made art, and his main source of income is being threatened by the very thing Koh is pushing for. Bruh, when I heard 'input Jira preset' in ep 9, I died. I simply passed away.

However, despite all this, they continue to be attracted to each other. Jira fell 1st, although he tried to deny it, but Koh fell harder. But Koh doesn't seem quite interested in changing. How the hell does such a relationship survive? I like that their relationship ended on a 'happy for now' note, because honestly, I wonder how they'd survive long-term.

🎭🧑🏻‍🎨The Social Commentary⚙️👨🏻‍💻
The story posed an interesting question in the AI vs Human debate. I think once on Twitter, I saw Nunchy say that they weren't really looking to answer if AI was good or not. Whether it should be shunned or remain. Rather, they were asking the audience to ask themselves if and how these two things can co-exist side by side. The story doesn't give us a conclusive answer. If you think about Koh as the 'AI' and Jira as the 'Human', you see them work together, clash, diverge, then come together once more.

They end on an uncertain future at the end of the plot. Can the two truly walk and work side-by-side?

I think this is an interesting and real position that reflects where society and technology are today. You cannot escape AI, no matter how much you want to. While people online are loud and angry about AI, the tech bros are still making strides to incorporate it in everything. Job postings are demanding that applicants have the knowledge and willingness to use AI. Many people are also losing jobs to automation. It's maddening, and a lot of fields feel uncertain, especially the creative ones.

Just like Koh and Jira don't know if they can truly work, neither do we, the general population, know what the future holds

💭Random Thoughts💭
a. Some BL ships work incredibly well in darker, moodier stories, and OffFun are squarely on that list. FirstKhao are another. Both excel in grittier plots that make you think, confront feelings and emotions you'd rather not face, and push the envelope in what human relationships are.

b. I find their (OffGun's) fade-to-black NC scenes rather interesting in the BL landscape. I've watched this ship in 4 stories: Not Me, The Trainee & Burnout Syndrome (I dropped Cooking Crush, so we're not counting that). They always have such good chemistry, and their kissing is so good, but their NC scenes are always so short.

I don't quite follow ships outside of TV shows, so I often wonder if this is something they've chosen for themselves. To always go with fade-to-black scenes. I'm not saying they should adopt the scenes in shows like 'Don't Say No', 'My Stubborn', or the currently airing 'Peach Lover', but I'd like more. Unless they don't want to do it, in which case, I'll respect it

c. I'm glad the show introduced me to Dew both as an artist and an actor. I added 'Mr. Kill' to my 'plan to watchlist' because of him. A show I'd originally ignored since bromance is not my jam

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Beautiful Fight Choreography

Every now and then, I get tired of all the romance and want to immerse myself in some violence, mind fuckery, and death. This doesn't provide mindfuckery, but it has the violence and death thing down pat.

What I Liked
⚔️The fight choreography - Every time you watch a show, there's something that stands out the most. In this one, the fight scenes were it for me. They were phenomenal. I remember rewinding multiple times within episodes, with the thought 'How did they do that' being prominent in my mind.

⚔️The overarching story - Yes, the story does initially remind one of Squid Game. I don't think that comparison is a bad thing tbh. After all, Squid Game is the most recent and most popular show with this concept. However, this goes beyond poor people being forced to die for money and the entertainment of some rich bastards. It's a fight not just for the country, but for the characters themselves

⚔️Interesting characters - Saga is not your ordinary hero. Bro has some severe PTSD in the beginning. It's shown so well that I was seriously wondering how he'd survive the entire show, fighting all these people without unsheathing his sword. When he finally drew that sword.... Holy Shit. *standing ovation, my dude* The name 'manslayer' wasn't wasted on him
🌸Futaba - She adds an interesting layer to Saga, who sees her as his daughter. She increases the stakes of this game. You don't want her to die, even when you know that her being with Saga is a liability. It's also nice how she helps soften these seasoned killers
🌸⚔️The Kyohachi Siblings - I'm so happy that they're all headed toward each other. I cannot wait for them to eventually meet. The tension.... Oh boy. Plus, I can just imagine them fighting together. It's going to be beautiful, I just know it. I hope we see all four together in the coming 2nd season
🏹🌸⚔️Others - Kyojin, what's up with this Njinja fellow? Whose side is he truly on? Why did he send Gentosai to the other siblings? And how the hell does he know who everyone is and where they are and what makes them tick? I know he says he's a strategist, but bro knows way too damn much. I need to know how he knows it
🏹Kamuikocha - Consider me deathly afraid of anyone with arrows from now on. They highlighted him several times in the show and also in the last ep, so I think he'll play a bigger role in the coming episodes. I'll be sat for that
⚔️Gentosai - Hell no. Absolutely not😭. He's hella scary, but watching him fight is beautiful. Can't wait to see him in season 2, even though he scares the shit out of me
🔪Kanjiya - I'm sorry, but I'm glad bro's dead. He stressed me out the entire story
🔫Kawaji - I need the backstory on this scheming, cold man. I have to know where all this hate for the samurai comes from
⚔️Now, who was the guy who was introduced in the very last episode? Close to the end? The guy who killed like 5 people in seconds and proceeded to hop around like a bunny to collect tags? I really need to know what's up with this unhinged self

What I Didn't Like
It's only one thing, and that's the lack of self-preservation of the 'villagers'. Can someone explain to me why they simply stood around to watch as pple were swinging swords and at times, arrows were flying around? Especially when Kanjiya was around? He goes around stabbing and slashing any and evryone in his way, and the folks just stood there or stupidly ran towards him to escape instead of away... I🤦🏾‍♀️. I need to know who told the extras to do that so I can slap them upside the head

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Honestly, Eat The Rich

After watching 'The Elixir', I was hella sceptical about watching another zombie film. I mean, 'All of Us are Dead' and 'Kingdom' (both seasons) and 'Happiness' are some of my holy grail zombie shows, and 'The Elixir' was gonna do me like that? Nah, I was traumatized.

I didn't wanna see another non-Korean zombie show. My trust was broken. That, coupled with the fact that I've been disappointed by some of the main character's acting chops in BLs b4.... my expectations were on gasping for breath on the floor. Despite all that, I was genuinely impressed by this.

What I Liked
🧟The overall story is what carries this. As a fan of zombie shows, I love how fresh (and sciency) this concept is. IDK who worked on the script, but hats off to them. They honestly made this story so very interesting to watch. If some things were done differently, I genuinely would have rated this as highly as I did 'All of Us are Dead.'

What I Didn't Like
🧟The acting - I'll not be naming names but yoh...! I was right. Some of these BL boys.... Please send them to acting school. My two cents are these: we know that actors can get by with good looks. It's been done over and over and over again. BUT!! With Netflix investing so heavily in Thailand, and companies obviously wanting to get themselves a piece of that pie, wouldn't it be better to have their actors do better so they can represent them - and Thailand - well on the global stage? Some of these guys have been acting for years, and they are still so stiff. HOW???? How can you not express more than 2 facial expressions? Oi🤦🏾‍♀️

🧟‍♀️We lost Lilly too early - She was one of the better actors in this (one of the best TBH), and I hate that we lost her to Zombieism when we did. IMO, she should've had a bigger role.

🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️ - Why were the girlies written like that? - If it wasn't Fah with the phone, it was Mook(?) who let's an obviously unstable friend out, leading to unnecessary deaths. And let's not forget about little miss horrible, Prao. Seriously, does anyone know why she was so mean to literally everyone? Good Lord! Oh.... Also, Ning, I don't like a know-it-all. I just... If I rant about her, I'll never go to sleep, and it's already 1:20 am

🧟All the anger management issues and dumb decisions - I understand that it is a high-stakes, high-stress situation. But did we need to keep arguing that much? Not only did it waste time, but it also cost lives. In terms of dumb decisions, the pple in this show acknowledge that they've seen zombie movies before. Now, with that in mind, why would you
1. Start running after a friend who's been bitten in the name of saving them?
2. Ditch the survivor group to go find your bitten friend to apologize to them?
3. Start a fucking cheer routine in the name of trying to get your friend back? Isn't silence the ONE cardinal rule of any zombie world?
Bro... The number of times these pple made me want to punch my TV. Lawd Jesus *rubs temples*

🧟Continuity Issues - Some of those scenes needed better consistency

Random Thoughts
a. Tutor, I did not know the power that you hold. You beautiful, beautiful man. Whoever styled his hair, tell him to keep it like that, always
b. I kept expecting to see Noeul. Zee&Nunew were present, so were Keng&Namping as well as Max&Nat, so whenever I saw Boss, I expected Nouel to pop out, even though I'd gone through the cast list and seen he wasn't in it😅
c. I really would like a 2nd season. The final ep ended at a really incredible point - Full zombie son, half zombie mother, and human daughter... That is such a cool place to start the 2nd season from. Plus, let's not forget the pple on the roof. It's been a month since they were left there. Clearly, they were able to restrain Non, but how have they survived (if at all) for an entire month? What have they been eating? Will the Patron be exposed for his misdeeds? His secret is known by a lot more pple now, so I'd love to see what they'd do with the info.
Basically, there's so much good content they could give us in season 2, but... Will we ever get that 2nd season, or will Netflix make it another 'All of Us are Dead' situation?

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If you're here for JD flirting, congratulations. You win.

If you're here for some semblance of plot..., just turn back now. For your sanity, go find something else.

As a person who genuinely enjoys thrillers, I have several questions

1. Where's the urgency? Can someone explain to me why they were strolling everywhere? People were dying, falling like flies, and they never rushed to anything. They just be casually strolling everywhere

2. Why did they always speak in front of the suspects' door? Every. Single. Fucking. Time!!!

3. Did the person behind the camera know that this was supposed to be a crime thriller show? Why did we spend 97% of the time watching them flirt and be hot n' cold with each other as people were quite literally dying?

4. Seriously, what even was this????

OK, I'm done yelling. I came into this largely because

a. This is the 1st Thai bl to ever air on Netflix in my region. I wanted to support. You know, show Netflix that yes, license more Thai shows, Thai BLs, and air them in my part of the world

b. Joong was hilarious with his marketing. I'd have supported because of that alone

c. Joong & Dunk had impressed me in The Heart Killers. I'd previously dropped 'Hidden Agenda,' but the acting in THK gave me hope.

But now, after all those hours and episodes, my hopes were crushed, and I'm left disappointed. As I said in the title, anyone who came here to support JoongDunk simply because they are JoongDunk will have a fun time watching them flirt and banter. However, anyone like me who's here hoping for an actual plot with the mystery aspect... *sigh* don't do it. I'm so fucking let down

PS. I'm back to complaining again

i. Why does this feel like a 'Here, Damn!' type release?

ii. I lowkey think they (GMMTV) licensed this on Netflix as a way to promote JASP.ER, not really to promote Thai BL, Thai actors, or even Thai storytelling. This is not worldwide Netflix release quality. Maybe they also did that to follow in Dumondi's footsteps with Zomvivor. They didn't want to be left behind and just slapped some shit together real quick.

iii. This release made me think, 'Kpop companies🫱🏾‍🫲🏾Thai BL companies'. They both take their fans fi eediat. They give us the bare fucking minimum—sometimes even less than that— because, unfortunately, most people in the fandom will eat it up and praise it. Why would they need to do better?

iv. I'm giving this CP 1 more chance before giving up. I genuinely want to like them, but it's so hard to watch one of them try to act. The people said he'd gotten better, but I somehow think that he got worse from their last installment together.
I am on my knees praying to the Lord that the acting in the upcoming 'How to Survive my CEO' be better. Otherwise, I'll be throwing in the towel

v. I DESPERATELY need the pple in GMMTV's makeup department to do better with their tattoo work. When I saw First's tattoo in THK, I literally laughed outloud. It was so glaringly obvious that it was some cheap temporary tattoo. Something that bad on a tattoo artist was just...*sigh*. Like Khaotung has a tattoo. Use that as fucking reference on how tattoos should look like!

But the laugh that I laughed back then was nothing compared to the laughter I experienced in EP 9. What do you mean Joong's tattoo started running and fading coz of the water, and YOU PUT THAT IN THE FINAL CUT?!?!?!?!? They didn't even bother to try fixing it in post-production or nothing😭😭😭

I beg the pple in this company's make up departement to go to Dumondi and find the person/people who did Keng's tattoos for KhemJira. Get that person and have them train your people on how to do better work. You cannot keep insulting your viewers, tattoo artists, and tattooed people like this

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