Blkittykat

What can you do in 4Minutes?

You can listen to Why Don't You Stay by Jeff Satur.
You can watch an episode of Back to Seventeen.
You can drink a Thai Milk Tea.
The things that happened in four minutes here though..

Saying anything would spoil something, in essential, that would mean I can say nothing about the story.
But even this statement is an indicator of how mind bending the plot is, it keeps you on your toes, makes you come up with theories and you're invested throughout, just waiting to get all the answers to the tens and hundreds of questions that will inevitably pop up in your mind.
The synopsis is basis enough to go off on, at least according to me, since that way, there's no ideas on what you can expect, you can just let the complexity and intrigue of the story surprise you.

What you can expect though, in addition to the above, is great acting, NC scenes and brilliant cinematography. You'll want to rewatch the episodes over and over again to see if you missed any details and with eight episodes, it's a series you can watch quickly and revisit as many times as you want.

So grab your notebooks and pens, grab someone to discuss theories with, and just go for it. If you're not in the mood for something this complex and confusing, set it aside and come back to it later, because it is so worth it.

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Perfect

I've kind of spoiled my feelings on the series with the tagline, but we'll.. it was perfect.

I've done this review in four parts almost, one section each for each of the main couples (they each had eight episode arcs and have recurring appearances in the episodes where they're not leads), and a final section at the end with some encompassing thoughts about the series as a whole.

♡ Arm and Arc
I loved it.
Everything about it. A perfect score to start this off because honestly, it doesn't deserve anything less than that from me.

The story - so simple, yet effective. Just two people falling in love after starting off on the wrong foot, but not just that. It was the losers in love energy that absolutely sold me on them. The way everyone but the two of them could see they were head over heels for each other. Seriously, even guest characters figured it out two seconds after their appearance, took Arm and Arc eight episodes.

I exaggerate, of course, but that dynamic they brought, being unbelievably in love with each other but at the same time not being able to acknowledge it (for very good reasons actually, I was impressed), it made it so much more real and romantic. The initial animosity never really went away either, it just translated into a lot of flirting and misplaced feelings. They argued like children and flirted like teenagers, and even this had me swooning and waiting for them to get together. And the wait was worth it.

The anticipation, the pushing and pulling, the tiny jealousy flaring, and so much flirting was all worth it. Because even when they weren't together, they were together. And the chemistry between Force and Book?! Click - Click - Click!!! They brought it. The perfect mix of excitement and safety, you could feel that with every one of their interactions.

Not just them though, everything was amazing. The little glimpses of the other two couples, the supporting characters with their adorable and funny quips, the comedy, the guest characters and best of all, the side couple. Sand and Pond have interactions that make you want to sigh in happiness and wrap yourself tighter in your blanket because their relationship is like a warm hug.

I have no complaints about this one, they wanted to tell us the story of how Arm and Arc began dating (they actually said this in the series), and they did.

And I, for one, am incredibly satisfied with how they did it. I just love Arm and Arc.

♡ Gun and Yotha
I loved it too.

Imagine your first love. Imagine how full your heart felt everytime you just as much as saw them. Or heard their name. You feel butterflies and you're giddy and sure, it may be a bit angsty, but those feelings are still amazing. That's what Gun and Yotha's arc felt like.

On paper, these two are.. not your ideal pair. I mean, the Sunshine of the World (in Gun's own words) isn't who Yotha himself would've pictured as his partner, but wow. They made the perfect pair. This show is very aptly named by the way, you go into it wondering why they're perfect and after eight episodes, you can see why.

The sunshine/sunshine protector energy in this arc was HIGH, but it was also so much more than that. There was a lot to unpack in this arc, it turned out to be more complicated than I anticipated. The general theme without spoiling too much was 'will I be able to love?', and it was an emotional ride. This was not a simple love story, there was a ton of angst, a lot of uncertainty but also so much love.

Yotha was a complicated character and Gun was as straightforward as one can be, and that in itself makes for an interesting pairing, but you've also got a complex plot that plays out as tiny little obstacles to their love story, and that's when you realize that both of them are also such endearing characters, you can't help but fall in love with them falling in love with each other. Gun and Yotha not only brought out different sides and emotions in each other, they brought each other new experiences. Good or bad, they went through a lot together and it was the way they were always there for each other, so protective of the other person, constantly taking care of them. There were ups and downs (so many), but they always went back to each other and it turns out, he could love.

We also got to see more of Arm and Arc (who are still adorable together), some incredible supporting characters, one of whom is a lead as well.. and just a ton of adorableness from Gun and Yotha. The acting was incredible, the chemistry was SIZZLING, the comedy and the friendship were once again top notch and it was genuinely such an enjoyable love story. It was not simple, no way, but at the end of the day, their love for each was never a complicated concept.

Gun and Yotha are adorable together, and I love them.

♡ Faifa and Wine
You know how everyone has that one drama (or several) that they have a rating of infinity for? Because it's beyond a numerical rating, it's touched your heart in such a way that nothing can quite explain how much you love it? Their story is one of those for me, and I'm going to try my very best to describe why.

Fai and Wine have the 'I need to pick up my broken pieces before I love again' storyline going pretty strong for them, but they don't expect someone else to do it for them. They ask for help and accept it when offered, but they never put each other in the position where the other person has to pick up their pieces. They supported, uplifted and inspired each other in so many different ways and so many times, it was hard to keep track.

They each had their personal issues to deal with, but those two being around each other truly brought out the best in them. Fai said it best, that they never had to try too hard with each other. Fai and Wine's issues with giving someone the love they had, on one hand way too much and on the other, not knowing how were built up bit by bit until it came to a head and then taking a step back you could just see how much they'd been there for each other.

Such green flags too both of them. They communicated, therefore had no silly misunderstandings, they always made sure the other was comfortable around them and took care of each other - I have nothing negative to say.

The best thing ever - they were ADORABLE. Watching them fall in love with each other.. I believe my exact reaction to every one of their romantic and cute scenes went a little something like dhebuvdeubtrcfydkk!!!!!!!

♡ Final Thoughts
Initially I had this entire system set up for how I would rate the series but honestly, that doesn't matter now because it's a 10 from me. I talked myself into giving that score as I watched the finale because Perfect10 Liners deserves nothing less.
I've watched this for 24 weeks, I started watching when it started airing and never for a second was I bored. Watching all the romance, and friendships and shenanigans they pulled off has been a great part of my Sundays and I full on sobbed during the closing credits of the series realising that it was actually the finale I was watching. And this may be my emotional brain talking but nothing less than a 10 from me, but then again, maybe it's not me being emotional, it's just the series being perfect.

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Oh.. nooooo..

Oh I did not like this.

As a psychological thriller - it was neither of that for me. I don't know if I wasn't in the right mood to appreciate this or.. no I just didn't appreciate it.

The story was incredibly simple - no complications of any sorts and relied completely on jump scares and gore to coast through. It wasn't scary but it was incredibly gross, so there. They tried to build this suspense by casting the lead as this extremely unlikeable character (more on that later) but the intrigue you want to build doesn't work when almost every detail of the story is revealed early on, and you don't do anything after that to develop it into something complex.
I waited and waited for it to get a bit more exciting or a even confusing but it every "twist", you can see coming clear as day, and those you don't see, rely on making you want to throw up.

And. Every. Single. Character. SUUUUUCKED. Not that the focus shifted from the female lead much but I just grew to dislike them all because they were basically terrible humans or became terrible humans through the course of the movie. There was maybe one character who was decent? Debatable even then, you just don't care about any of them at any point. In that regard though, acting was good because all of the actors were super convincing and I can appreciate that.

I just wanted a good psychological thriller - I didn't sign up for a borderline offensive, gore fest that couldn't keep my attention.

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Keep Holding On

I always find that with dramas or movies based on real life, no matter how dramatised they may be, there's no room to distinguish between fiction and fact. We're watching an event of someone else's life play out, and whatever emotions they elicit in the one watching, I imagine they felt every single one of those emotions magnified to a thousand going through it. And how much of the events were adapted and changed to be made feasible as a series, I don't know, but it also doesn't matter because this was a raw, emotional and hard hitting look at the Tham Luang Cave Rescue.

And while we could examine the narration or the acting in the series, I didn't feel any need to do that because at the end of the day, it was powered by emotion. The panic, the desperation, the loneliness, the tragedy, the sorrows, the joy, the relief, the companionship, the overwhelming wave of emotions that hit you while watching are incredibly powerful. They didn't cut corners showcasing those emotions, they were palpable and they pierced you. In a matter of life and death, you truly feel powerless, like fate is tossing you around and you have no control, and the narration made that incredibly clear.

It is in moments like these though, that you can see what the human spirit is actually capable of, and how human nature which can rear its ugly head more often than not, can sometimes be the best thing ever. This was the most beautiful thing about a story that was brutal and tragic, watching human beings put aside all other matters to come together for the 13 Wild Boars.

The people in charge of the rescue had to make difficult choices, sacrifices. They were sometimes put in situations where they essentially had to weigh the life of one person to another's, and I cannot begin to understand the torment they must have felt.

The thirteen team members who were trapped in the cave had no choice but to keep holding on, with no contact to the outside world and no way out, just waiting to see if someone would come to their rescue.

But they held on. All of them hold on. To whatever it was they had. Faith, trust, conviction, and hope. They held on with every fiber of their being, and it moved me to tears.

There was a quote in the series, by one of the kids on the team who said "Bravery doesn't mean you're not afraid, it just mean you keep moving forward despite your fear."
I've seen and heard that so many other times before I did here, but coming at the moment it, and the magnitude of the statement, no others were more meaningful than this one.

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I guess they tried..

After 80 episodes of repetitive storylines, frustrating characters, one - dimensional villains, and dramatic,  cliché writing, I began to wonder if this series was actually necessary. Technically, they did leave us with an almost unsatisfactory ending to Senior High, but eh-

⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS ⚠️
The show contains depictions of violence, SA, murder and much more. I found it pertinent to include this because the depictions are rather explicit, and caution may be exercised before watching.

There was nothing quite innovative about this series story wise, sure it had a few good plot twists and several tense and thrilling moments, but this was essentially a rinse and repeat of the Senior High formula. Only difference, the audience knows who the villains are all along. There's no mystery and suspense, and even though this kind of story has it's own appeal.. 80 episodes? It's too much. Everything just kept repeating itself over and over again, and at one point it gets predictable and boring.. and the exact same thing happened with Senior High. The longer they went on, the more the quality declined.

But thank goodness for character development huh, because that aspect pretty much carried the show here. Naturally, some characters remained consistent in their recklessness and irrational behaviour, but it's the way all these characters stood by each other that got to me. New and old, it felt so satisfying to see characters who weren't painted in the best light previously get the kind of development they deserved and then witness the bond they developed be strong enough that they would run towards danger for one of their friends was amazing.

The acting was great, every single member of the cast had the chance to showcase their skills and where the story let me down, this and the character writing really impressed me.

Yes, this was over the top and kind of frustrating to watch, but I have to admit, I did enjoy some of it. Despite the fact that a lot of storylines didn't have satisfying endings, the actual ending was just as rushed as Senior High's was and.. it was series that I went hot and cold on, but for the most part it was entertaining and I guess that's something.

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A fast paced, quick watch

I'm a huge fan of variety shows like Busted, and I've been craving more content like it. As if right on cue, Agents of Mystery came out, and just from the preview, I knew this would be something I would enjoy.

For the most part, the mystery actually worked for me, which did take me by surprise. Some of the twists within the actual cases were definitely jaw dropping, and I did not anticipate them. The cases themselves were quite basic, what actually made them interesting was the cast.

This is my favourite part of mystery variety shows, the chemistry between the cast. And not only did the six participants have great dynamics, it was also incredible to watch each of their individual strengths. They also managed to create some moments of comedy despite being in very serious settings and I appreciated that.

When it came to solving each case, they had to rely on teamwork and trust each other, and the mix of solving the cases to the puzzles they had to solve to crack the cases was very well balanced. I do wish that there were more episodes though, I would have loved to see them get closer as teammates, and solve more cases.

If shows like Busted or The Devil's Plan is your cup of tea, give this a try as well. It's an easy and quick binge that will keep you on your toes with the mystery and delight with the teamwork

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I'm not talented.. but I'll try

I may have misjudged this show based on the trailer and the fact that only Off and Gun are listed as the leads, but make no mistake, none of that took away from how much I loved it.

I understand this may not be a common sentiment, but I genuinely loved this show. I don't need complex writing that's itching to create conflicts, or a plot that's completely out of the ordinary to enjoy a drama, sometimes I'm happy with a basic story with good emotional depth.
A tight story that's character driven, yes please!

And though I got a little fussy that Off and Gun, despite being billed as the leads, didn't have as much screentime as I expected them to, after a while I didn't think it was a bad thing. Sure, I'm still allowed to be mad that it was marketed one way and we got like a third of what they promised, but the fact that all the other characters got their time to shine is a good thing. I got to understand them better, I felt some of their stories and experiences on a personal level, I witnessed good character growth, not just for the support characters. The fact that Ryan and Jane also had time to grow into themselves, follow their dreams and figure out what they wanted, I think they handled that extremely well.
For what it's worth, even with the limited screentime, the Off Gun chemistry was amazing.

But, despite all my praise, I did find myself dissapointed with some things they did, actually one thing. The Tae - Ba Mhee - Judy love triangle.
*Sigh*
Not all growth is personal or work related, it can be romantic, but did it have to be this way? I don't think so.
All that push and pull, the kiss and the breakup, the tears and the arguments, it wasn't worth the eventual turn this triangle took. This is the one thing that genuinely frustrated me, all I could do was watch and rant.

Most of my review stems from the fact that this was a very personally touching story for me, and though you may not have experienced the same watching it, or though you may not have the same feelings watching it, I can say that this is worth a try.
Sometimes getting invested like I did is nice though, you may discover depths that even the creators didn't think about when making the show, and that's kind of wonderful ♡

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