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This review may contain spoilers
Bringing the heat!
Very mature KDrama. Plot wise, it was refreshing to see a more open and mature discussion around sex and what that looks like for different types of people.Some of the sex scenes (not the main lead scenes but small side character sex scenes) honestly dragged a bit too much so it just felt gratituous at times.
Overall, I enjoyed it. I liked that it was short and really enjoyed watching our two main couples and their HOT kisses and sex scenes. Gave a lower rating due to the last episode - the ending appears open ended but it pretty much leans on a HEA for the main couple which is good but then why did the writer have Hani's character end her FWB relationship with the writer over the excuse of wanting "time" for herself if that time just ended up being a mere month? Idk, it just seemed unecessary to have had the dramatics of her ending their friendship if she was just gonna get back with him so quick. But again, I took the ending as a HEA with her and In-chan getting back together so it's not certain.
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Formulaic
It's a bit hard to rate this cos i liked the drama for some parts and hated it for others.Main things I hated were the writing and overarching plot line. The way things progressed just didn't make sense and there were too many loose ends that weren't resolved. So many things brushed under the rug to just progress the plot in the direction the writer wanted (i.e. bad guy getting his way). I'm so tired of seeing this in xianxias.
Things I liked were the fun action/fantasy elements, the main couple and their romance story, Ryan's portrayal of all his different characters, and a few of the supporting characters (Red Thread Master, Fate Writer, Emperor's Loyal Subordinate). Early on in the series, I wasn't really feeling the main couple and how they were quickly, but steadily, starting to like each other but midway through the series, I started to enjoy their scenes and relationship more. I'm not a fan of the whole mortal realm tribulation plotline we see in these xianxia dramas, but I enjoyed some of the tribulations here. The only ones i really enjoyed were the 2nd to the last tribulation and the very last one.
Honestly, I skipped through a ton of the scenes because I could already predict how the story would flow and there was nothing necessarily unique enough about the story to grab my full attention. Overall, it's not a terrible drama, I just wouldn't watch it if I had other dramas lined up to watch. If you're bored and don't mind seeing the same recycled plot but with different characters/acting performances, give this a go. At the very least, Ryan is sure to amuse you with his performance in this drama.
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I knew you'd be worth it.
I've been waiting for this drama a while and it didn't dissapoint at all.I enjoyed all the arcs in this series. From watching Xu Yan create a whole fake persona, finding out about Hao Ming's own secret orchestrations, XY's professional development, the family dynamics, the cooling off period, the groveling, the romancing, the personal and professional challenges and how the characters overcame all this; there really wasn't a boring point.
There are some parts that seem too incredulous, my main one being: Xu Yan being way too well rounded of a person, she was just tooooo good at EVERYTHING and perfect in every way, idk, it was just too convenient. There were other smaller things here and there, but this one made me roll my eyes a bit especially in the beginning. I just couldn't believe how many professional hurdles surrounding Jinda, Hao Ming's families/friends were able to be solved through XY's actions. Anyway, not a major gripe, but there was that.
The romance was so mature and intimate. ZLS and WC both look the part as ADULT experienced people, they give off such big dick power couple vibes, none of that innocent/virgin/shy romance dynamics you know? So it was really refreshing watching their relationship.
Plot wise, I actually REALLY enjoyed the business aspects and all the talks surrounding it lol. Which is surprising cos I'd typically tune out of those stuff, but here I really was into the business and politics and it felt like I as a viewer had a vested stake in both Jinda and Yan Studio's success, so I couldn't help but pay attention to the business parts, and found it enjoyable.
Family dynamics and friendships were handled so well, side characters and their plots too were good. Overall it was an amazing drama.
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Let him cook!
Whew! What a ride!!I feel high on andrenaline watching this drama. The story, pacing and main good characters were well done and written.
For most of the drama, Jian dissapointed me as the main lead of the show. I felt her abilities lacking giving the upbringing she had. I don't expect her to be the most badass fighter or cold killer immediately, but i was expecting her to be a little bit more street smart/hard whereas she came across as being soft (though she definitely had moments where she used her brain), which was a letdown after seeing how her uncle brought her up, the various training she was fortunate to get, and the experiences she's been through from a young age. Aside from her, every other character was great. Minhye - bestest most badass girl ever, Pasin - coolest muay thai soldier, Brother - adorable but highly capable computer genius, Honda - Mother! Loyal, Warmest heart ever, and last but not least Jinman - if only he was my real life uncle gahh.
In terms of the villains, I actually enjoyed the whole setup of it all! I absolutely loved seeing the backstory on why they were so against Jinman and hell bent on coming for him. Although their reasonings for doing so were frustratingly hypocritical!
I hope a Season 2 is in works because I definitely will be interested in seeing a sequel that focuses on Jinman's point of view!
Overall, this was a highly entertaining and to-the-point short thriller drama.
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A love transcending time
There's truly nothing I can say in my review that will do this series justice, but I will try to relay my feelings.We don't often get BL that's a complete package. Either the plot is lacking or the chemistry is lacking or the actors aren't great or there's too many clichés and loopholes in the story that don't make sense and other factors. However, with I Feel You Linger In the Air, we got a complete package and I couldn't be more satisfied.
The love story between Jom and Yai is one that transcends time. You can tell it is one of those epic romance stories. Like true ROMANCE. BL sometimes can come across as this light and cutesy fluffy thing we watch; it can come across as being unserious sometimes. I Feel You Linger in the Air was a true romance story. Something for us to actually watch with focused intent and take seriously and I so much appreciated what a fresh breath of air this series was. Not trying at all to discount other BLs out there because I enjoy them all regardless, but IFYLITA 100% stands out in the top 1%.
We get a beautiful love story full of sincerity, devotion, passion, desire, patience and a lot more between our main leads. I love the set up of Jom and Yai's story because it is one that can be told in so many different ways and I truly hope we can get more sequels or prequels showing their love story in various timelines.
I highly highly recommend you watch this.
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Family is the essence.
Blossoms in adversity, this drama was aptly named.The main theme and plot line that carried us through all 40 episodes of this drama was well done. Watching the Hua family's fall from grace and their eventual comeback through hardwork, preseverance, trust was so uplifting. The relationships between the women of the Hua household and how they worked together was the best part of the series and that is truly the main essence of the drama. This whole aspect was well done, so I rate the drama highly for that mainly.
In terms of the romance, the love between Hua Zhi and YanXi was the healthy and romantic type. Although I didn’t really feel amazing chemistry between the actors, the romance between the characters was great to witness. I loved how they both started out as friends and their relationship grew deeper. It was beautiful to see them be each other's confidants, with HZ feeling safest talking with YX and seeking his opinions on things she wanted to do, especially early on in their relationship.
My main disappointment with the drama is specifically the main lead, Yanxi's, attitude(?). To put it short, he did not stand on business. Despite how physically strong he was and how many times he protected HZ and her family, his character/state of mind/personality as his own person just fell so flat. In terms of personality, I even preferred the Second Male Lead's attitude and how he carried himself. YX acted in ways that went against his own beliefs/desires/morals all because the Emperor ordered it and that was dissapointing. He came across as a weak willed man and that is definitely not a trait I'd like to see from a ML, especially when you compare with the FL who is courageous enough to speak out when she sees something wrong and SML who spoke out honestly without fear for the consequences. This also feeds into why I felt a bit dissatisfied with how the end to all the adversity played out, I wish it was more directly through the hands of the main leads' actions than that of third parties. The fact that at the end of the drama I was rooting for one of the villains to accomplish their revenge plot and was pissed at our main leads for trying to stop them was a new feeling I experienced watching a drama, lmao.
Overall, the main story line being the rise of Hua family was enjoyable and very well done, there are also so many lovable side characters and romantic story lines (ShaoYao x Shen Huan, Uncle Pingyang x Aunt Yu Niang, Empress Dowager x Grandma iykyk lol, etc) that made this very enjoyable, so I still had a good time watching this drama.
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A Simple Second Chance Love Story
Jack O'Frost is yet another Japanese series that shows you can deliver an in-depth, engaging, well written, concise story without having the largest budget or a complex plot line.Honestly, there is really not much to the story. The drama synopsis literally tells you everything you need to know. It's a simple second chance love story between a couple that obviously still love each other and just need to learn to communicate their feelings in order to keep their relationship going strong.
We are introduced to Ritsu and Fumiya, an established couple, who appear to be in the middle of a breakup when a sudden accident happens. The way the drama starts up, it feels like we are brought in to play detective to figure out what happened that led up to the current state of their relationship, judge who was at fault for the breakup and accident, and cast our votes on whether or not we agree with how things eventually unfold. However, by the end of this I left the series understanding that both Ritsu and Fumiya are just regular flawed human beings like the rest of us. Even if you might not agree with the character decisions, you see their perpectives and understand why they make those decisions and you just root for them to work things out.
It's a simple story that is told very well. The pacing was great and chemistry between the leads was good as well. I had one small nitpick that I thought was a plothole - I find it hard to believe that Ritsu wouldn't have found out much earlier about him and Fumiya given he must have had pictures of them on his phone or idk have electronic drawings of Fumiya on his personal drawing tablet and other devices? Anyway, just a small plothole I noted. The rest of the story, dialogue and acting was really well done. I think because of how simple the story is, you get to really focus on and pay notice to the acting, line delivery and expressions from the characters. They did a terrific job which made it easier to really sink into the story.
Overall, it's a short, well written, very low-steam second chance love story that I enjoyed.
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This review may contain spoilers
Devastatingly realistic.
This is such a devastating drama, which is sadly so representative of many a people's life experience. It's all about timing.Seeing Kijima and Kido's backstory was very enlightening. The development of their relationship from being old university classmates to friends to sort of lovers and back to acquaintances was interesting to watch. I found it interesting that each initial development in their relationship was never intentional, but as a result of the circumstances around them. They had undeniable chemistry and were so passionate as lovers, but the somber ost, depressing tone/theme and dimmed lighting would make you feel dissatisfied about their relationship because you could just feel like it wasn't going to end on a positive note, regardless of whether you'd previously watched the Novelist or not.
Overall, I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a romance. It's more about showing the relationship between two people who all of a sudden developed a relationship as lovers but due to poor timing, fear of society, and lack of courage, ultimately weren't able to realize the full potential of their relationship. What it lacked in romance it had in passion and lust. You could probably watch the drama and blame Kido for things ending the way they did, but my personal takeaway was that there really wasn't one person to blame as I understood Kido's actions as well. Some relationships are just not meant to be, and this way Kijima has the opportunity to find someone else that will choose him and love him.
Big kudos to the actors. They were so committed to their roles and expressed themselves wonderfully and had amazing chemistry. Kijima had such a sensuality to him that kept pulling me to him and Idk how the actor was able to create that kind of atmosphere around his character, but he did and it was amazing to watch.
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Exciting plot, sweet romance, but wasn't enough
Quick thoughts:This drama was full of lots of political scheming and fighting, it was very exciting to watch all the powers at play; The romance aspect was a bit lacking. Although the couple were so devoted to eo and sweet, they weren't very intimate so it was a bit of a waste/let down. However, I really appreciated how understanding and respectful the main couple was. They were such a healthy couple to watch, similar to the main couple in Sweet Life Begins; Lastly, the bad guys' ending wasn't satisfying enough.
Overall, it was an okay drama with common faults.
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Cliche, but romantic
This drama was a great rom-com to pass time and give you a little bit of happiness and fun while escaping from your daily lives. There were cliches and cheesy moments sprinkled throughout the drama, but at its core I believe this drama is meant to be light-hearted so you can easily disregard all those cliches and just enjoy the beautiful couple GuWon and Sarang and their romantic love.If you're here for romance, you'll 100% have a great time. Although I say the drama is cliché, this is more about the main character's roles (chaebol ML and kind "lower class" FL), side characters and their story lines, and to an extent, the overarching plot line of this drama - chaebol family dynamic (within a hotel management setting). For the romance enthusiasts out there, GW and SR's love story was cheesy but quite refreshing, despite the overused chaebol-regular kind girl dynamic we've seen MULTIPLE times before. What was refreshing to me was the fact that the couple actually stood by each other despite their "class difference" (as their society would put it); and even more importantly, I loved that SR had a lot of self-respect for not just her position in her relationship with GW, but also in her life in general. However, I did feel like JunHo and YoonA were acting like they were in love a lot of times, so the chemistry didn't 100% click for me, but you'll get lost in their visuals and JH's intense gazes so most people will probably not notice the unnatural acting.
So, for people looking for romance specifically, you will have a great time (9-10 stars). I care a little bit more about the plot line so some aspects of this drama - mainly the unreasonable obsession GW's sister had against him, the unprofessional nature in which coworkers treated each other, and GW's questionable management style made this drama difficult to watch. Latter one is not as serious, I just didn't necessarily believe GW to be a really competent hotel manager. His whole methods to managing the hotel were nice to see but really only seemed feasible in an "in-a-perfect-world" situation, and it felt more like he was just solving whatever issues his girlfriend had mentioned about the hotel rather than actually working on his own to look into the hotel and finding what needs to be improved. Anyway this was more of a nit-picky observation.
Overall, I don't think this drama is meant to be deep or realistic, so as long as you can watch it light-heartedly and want to be swept into the world of a visually appealing couple being sweet and in-love together, then you'll have a good time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Fun drama, but why does my heart feel uncomfortable?
This was a really good drama. Our main squad of characters were a great bunch to watch. Loved all their antics and how relatable they were.Things I liked:
1. Amazing sibling bonds - loved the beautiful bond between our two sisters who, despite living completely different lives, were so loyal to eachother and protective of one another. Also loved the bond between the Heavenly Realm Siblings. They were so responsible, respectful and caring about eo.
2. Relatable characters - I loved how real the characters felt. They would make comments that I would make and speak their mind which really made me feel refreshed when I was watching some scenes that was getting my blood boiling.
3. Humor - The humor is on point. The whole squad had amazing chemistry. Everyone bounced off of eo so well and I had a TON of laugh out loud moments throughout the drama.
4. Romance - The romance between our main leads was soo sweet to watch. Although I didn't like how QK and CF's relationship was built on manipulation I eventually really grew to like them together. YT and SH were so good together. I liked how forward YT was in the beginning, they were such a funny pair to watch. The whole human realm bit was really nice too as we got to see their dynamics play out in different ways. Huge shoutout to my adorable boy LaMu, bestest boy ever. Speaking of good boys, Di Lan Jue was adorable too - I wish we got to see more of him in his cute puppy form. His budding romance with Zi Wu was very cute.
5. Badass female character - I loved how badass our girl YT was. Loved seeing her exact her revenge by the end of the drama, I wish we got to see more of her that way early on kicking some ass. But even without the amazing powers that she had towards the end of the drama, she was still so confident, independent and cool from the get-go and I loved how she could always take care of herself or at least hold out long enough before someone else came to save her/her people.
Things I didn’t like:
1. Acting - The acting was a bit awkward at times, I felt this especially in the beginning. Once I got used to the characters and plot lines, I didn’t really care about it anymore but it was definitely something I noticed at the beginning and took me out of being immersed in the story initially.
2. Clichés - Sigh, I mean...this is always a given so not going to expand too much as the Clichés are always just recycled in cdramas. Just to highlight them - stupid misunderstandings by ancient lords that result in unecessary feuds (but we have to have a drama, amiright?), 'Heavenly' Realm actually being more devilish than the 'bad' guys in the Void Realm, bad guys getting forgiven/let go in the end, dumbest leaders of all holding high positions in each Realm making you wonder just how they could have gotten such power etc.
3. Loser Emperor - I don't even have enough words to write about my absolute HATE for the Heavenly Emperor. Garghhh! His treatment of XS, his cowardice, his lack of one single brain cell. What a complete loserrrr. 90% of the reason I didn't like this drama is prolly tied to this man.
I really enjoyed the drama and had so much fun watching it but ultimately gave a lower rating due to my personal frustrations. Also I reallyy skipped a lotttt of scenes. I normally do this, I'm just too impatient even when I like a drama, but my skipping was just too much this time around as I couldn't be bothered to watch some of the scenes (mainly due to clichés) and could surmise the gist of what went on without watching it in-depth.
Overall, it's a really fun drama. The humour keeps you locked in in the beginning then you stay because of the amazing sibling chemistry, awesome squad chemistry, cute romances, and funny and relatable side characters. Definitely a good time, I just don't completely feel satisfied.
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Passionate Romance
Gosh, this was such a beautiful love story. So much passion between He Ran and Xiao Han. Their chemistry was so natural and they always looked so intimate, I felt I shouldn't be watching them.Stuff I liked:
1. Chemistry between the leads - HR was an innocent/cute looking seductress. I loved how she broke down XH's walls. Speaking of XH, watching that man try to hold back from going after HR in the 'courting' period of their relationship was getting me so hot and bothered. It was so intense. You could just feel the lust lingering in the air between the two. I'm off to scour the internet for the deleted scenes right after this review.
2. Locations - Loved the location where this was filmed. Specifically XH's salon residence and his hometown. Getting a small glimpse of the Qiang people and their customs was a huge delight! The salon residence too was such a pretty spot, it all looked so homey and cozy and relaxing. I got lots of healing watching the beautiful scenery.
3. OST - The music was superb. That is all.
Few things i didn't like about this were:
1. HR breaking up/ghosting XH and then getting back with him again only to then do it all over again. Like girl, be consistent with your decision.
2. HR undermining Hu Yun's feelings for her to try to play them down as nothing. I dont like when people do this. Just tell the guy you don't love him in the same way, don't say what he feels for you isn't love... you don't know his heart.
3. Even I want to crucify myself for saying this, but there were just so many slow motion shots of Jerry Yan. Honest to Christ, the man is a work of art to be admired endlessly but i just kept laughing everytime the OST would all of a sudden pick up and we see Jerry Yan in various lighting and angles all in one scene.
Overall, really good show with sad ending, imo. People say the ending credits are canon but I don't think so. I'm not one for sad endings but really, it's the journey that matters not the goal and that's definitely my takeaway from this drama. The love journey between HR and XH matters more than how it ended.
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Realistic and mature
Loved Yu Tu, our High IQ King, and Jingjing, our High EQ Queen, together. They had such a beautiful, respectful and mature relationship full with mutual understanding for each other. The couple was so domestic and intimate, it was so fun watching them together.I wish we got more scenes of them at the end such as starting a family and taking care of their kids etc.
Overall, I really loved the pacing of the drama and how we got to see adult characters behave their age and communicate with one another. Their relationship was so healthy and I hope we get to see more of these types of characters in other dramas.
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This review may contain spoilers
I understand what they were going for but the execution was poor
Poor execution, but I get what story the writer was trying to tell.....at least I think I do.The acting, lack of chemistry, poor writing (specifically characterization), editing or directing or whatever production work needed to be done just did not do the subtext plot justice, imo. But to be fair, they probably didn’t have much of a budget which would explain why this film was a mess.
This was just a bit short of a 90minute film, yet it feels like we did not get as much information as we were supposed to for the amount of run time. I couldn't really understand Shima and how exactly his attraction for Togawa formed. I couldn't understand his character exactly, because what do you mean your gay office romance gets outed in the most ridiculous way possible, you quit that job, find a new job and then decide to get into another office relationship with a man whose sexuality you're not even sure of??? Like, it was giving zero self love/ lack of self preservation on Shima's character. But again, I feel like if only Shima's feelings or head space was better conveyed, his decisions would have been better received by the viewers, or at least me. It would have been so much better if we were shown more of what Shima felt, he came across as so stilted and just plain strange.
Honestly, my issues with this film seem like a hallmark of the Japanese filmaking/watching experience. Idk if that makes sense, but watching this film gave me similar feelings of confusion, strangeness and discomfort in the way that only Japanese films do. It's the reason I don't watch much J-drama, so maybe it's just a personal thing and the Japanese filmaking style doesn't match with me. Though this is not my universal experience with J-media. I have enjoyed many a series, movies etc. Its just most of them are misses like this one, but it probably comes down to a low budget reason.
Anyway, I cannot recommend this if you're looking for something romantic to watch. It's more like a slice of life movie with a 'learning to love again after heartbreak' kind of theme but even that sounds more optimistic than this film made me feel. Give it a shot, if you want, but don't expect much.
P.S-So I see this was a 2014 movie which explains things more. My review still stands but is probably too harsh considering the time this came out, the BL space didn't have much quality to go off of. So yeah, *with my 2025 lens,* it wasnt a great film, but I understand what the story was trying to tell.
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Refreshing, and really adorable
Yul was a bit of a hard character to like, but he has good character development by the end. Yechan is the cutest golden retriever fluffball I've ever seen; not that Yul is terrible for Yechan, but I just sorta think Yechan deserves someone that's utterly in love with him as he is with Yul. Or at least more expressive? Idk, the chemistry (both acting wise and character wise) was there and okay, but it also felt awkward a bit and the dynamic was a bit off for me. Yul and Yechan were cute but I just loved Yechan's character more so I can't help but want more than the best for him. Honestly, I've been laying here trying to think of another BL character that I'd prefer to match up with Yechan, but I can't decide — so maybe I'm just a selfish bish that wants to pocket Yechan for myself xD.I really liked the setting of this drama with all the calm and healing aesthetics that come with country side living, so that was refreshing to watch. The main plot is really light hearted (country boy falling in love with a city boy) so there isn't a lot going on with the plot. Most of the drama comes from side characters having to do with Yul's life back in the city.
Some specific things I really liked:
1) HIGHLY appreciated how little of an "issue" was made about two guys being in love. I noted that not once did anyone have to explain that they were gay. There was no conversation like "oh you're into guys?" Neither was there any denial of feelings like, "oh you like men? Well I'm 'normal'" You know what I mean? There are these small remarks/comments that people make in shows whether its the characters themselves or the side characters around them that highlight the fact that being gay is "different". So it was truly refreshing how normal it was for Yul and Yechan to like each other. No hesitations and no explanations necessary, loved that.
2) Small point, but I love how Yul stood up for himself to his dad. Instead of continuing to go with what his dad wanted or hide away from him forever without expressing himself, I love that Yul took the reigns on his own life.
Overall, it's a good drama if you're looking for something uber light but filled with a ton of sweetness. It's not making my list of greatest BL of the year, but the story and execution was satisfactory and there are unique tidbits in this drama that differentiate it from other BL. Also, at the very least, I promise Yechan will have you smiling like an idiot whenever he is on screen and that in itself was good enough for me lol.
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