Heracin

Good last episode but same defaults as 1st part, boring with a lot of fillers and flashbacks.

The part 2 of this drama suffers from the same defaults as its part 1. There are some big issues again with the pacing of the show. The last episode is pretty great but it is honestly very boring to get there. Most of the episodes leading to the finale contain too much flashbacks as well as "false" tension. Indeed, each time that a big moment happens it is counterbalanced and slowed-down. The lack of script content and strange screenplay choices are clearly the culprits in the show being so dull and anti-climatic.

It is a shame that the screenwriter and director chose to spend time on what feel as "fillers" narrative arcs and repetition of the same scenes from the past rather than moving the plot forward in the present and building and developing the mythology of this universe. For example, the various powers of the trio of characters are cool but would have benefited of more explanations to properly onboard the viewer when they were revealed.

It would also have been better to spend more time with the three main leads in order to deepen realistically the relationship between them. As in part 1, it was very difficult to be emotionally invested in those characters. I'm still not blaming the actors, they clearly do their best despite the lackluster and empty scenario.

Despite the strangely paced story and odd directing choices, I found the photography beautiful, the visual FX very good and the overall production value pretty high; the scenery, the clothes, the weapons, the props and decors: everything is clearly high quality.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless they have seen part 1 and like one of the main actors or the main actress (though the three of them have surprisingly what felt like little screen time).

Read More

A curse to lift to be able to live : a very meaningful BL

I loved this BL drama. It features one of the most wholesome and touching grumpy-sunshine trope with one of the male lead being quite closed off and the other one really cheerful. It can sound a bit classical but it showcases a beautiful romance, much more deep than I would have guessed from the poster alone. The background of the characters and the evolution of their relationship broke my heart several times, in the best way.

I liked a lot the production value as well as the directing choices. There are a myriad of little signs, indicators, gestures that characters are doing and that in fact have a meaning, are relevant to the story. It is full of details and it was a joy to grasp at the clues and to understand the mindset in which the protagonists were across events and time passing. The soundtrack and opening/ending generics were totally fitting the bittersweet vibe of the romance.

I liked a lot the casting. The two main male leads Kim Nu Rim and Lee Seon had a great chemistry together and were totally believable in their respective roles. Jang Yeon Woo was a great addition and complement to the story. Maybe the three of them felt a bit too mature to play the highschoolers parts but it was not shocking, especially that the heavy context in which the characters evolved required gravitas.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an angsty BL story. There are some sweet moments but there are also quite a bit of darkness and trauma through which the characters are evolving. The directing and production was really on point and the writing pretty solid with a lot of little interesting details.

Read More

Really suffered from the comparison with Road To Kingdom S1 and from lackluster storytelling

Finally !!! Road to Kingdom Season 2 made it to our screen, almost 4.5 years after its amazing Season 1 released in April 2020. Season 1 was excellent, its sequel Kingdom Legendary War was properly legendary as stated in its name...That's why my expectations for this Season 2 were pretty high: unfortunately, too high for the show.

There are some big flaws to this season that prevented me to enjoy it as much as I would have wanted. One of the big factor being the lackluster storytelling. There were very few "real" moments following the various teams, there were not enough sequences of them preparing for the show, training, facing issues together. There were even less moments of interactions between the various teams. It clearly prevented the viewer to get attached to the participants (unless you knew them from before the show of course). I wish the episodes (other than the finale) would have been longer (or that there would have been more missions/rounds) in order to get to know them more and to see more of the creative process.

I also wish the show focused more on vocals, I love strong performances emphasizing dance in KPOP but I also like impressive rap sections, amazing vocal parts...and here there were too few of them. It lacked LIVE vocals, there has always been backtrack music in most KPOP world but here it was so overwhelming that I could not hear the live singing (except for a few people). I also found the Mnet editing of the various performances quite bad...A lot of cut of the performances to see the reactions of the participants but not as well done as in their other survival shows that I have seen. The stages they did in front of an audience had also a much less creative camera work than when there was no audience, which is a bit of a shame.

I like a lot Taemin as an idol : he is absolutely the epitome of "idol's idol" and he seems super sweet in addition to have some real banger songs and impressive performance skills. Unfortunately, his soft-spoken demeanor was not the right choice for an MC role. It lacked attitude and punch, which for a show with kind of long sequences explaining voting rules and also announcing results, is a bit of a downer. He is totally a newbie in terms of MC jobs and he admitted during the program several time that he was anxious about his skills. I find his candor about it touching but at the same time I cannot help to think that indeed he was too green to make it interesting or exciting. I wish him well and hope he get the chance to improve in future MC roles.

I still appreciated some parts of Road To Kingdom 2, it is not all gloom fortunately. Except of a few individuals participants (like Geonu, Bain, Han Bin seen in other shows) and ONEUS (which participated in Road To Kingdom 1 but which I did not really follow afterwards), I knew very little about the teams participating : 8TURN, YOUNITE, CRAVITY, TEMPEST, THE NEW SIX and THE CREWONE. I really appreciated to have discovered them, even if it felt too little (for all the reasons I explain above). I also truly enjoyed the Ace concept put in place during this season. My fave performances were actually a couple of the ones done by the aces...It is probably the only ones I would want to rewatch if I am honest. I also felt that the various aces were the ones we get to know the most as an audience and to whom I got attached the most (probably to the detriment of interactions within groups and between teams). If they keep the concept (which I hope they do), the production team need to find a way to make it more balanced between highlighting the aces but also featuring enough of all the members relationship and evolution to make the viewer care about the groups and the ensemble picture.

I will recommend this to people that are avid fan of KPOP because despite all the flaws I found in it, it still features teams that I found interesting to discover and also because I am still hopeful that Kingdom War Season 2 which will follow up will drastically raise the bar and correct the flaws of Road To Kingdom Season 2. Maybe once again, I am excepting too much from this type of TV Show but I want to believe that we can see again iconic performances carried by emblematic groups and that it was not an anomaly to have that quality (in terms of way the cast is featured and production value) linked to the fact of the first seasons of 2020 and 2021 being done during COVID time when the idols, producing crew and staff had much more means and time to participate and go all in.

Read More

Disappointed by main storyline, stayed for characters, cast and some great shonen action moments

The season 2 of this drama was a bit disappointing to me compared to season 1. The scenario was quite a miss for me as its defaults outweigh its qualities. I foremost found the pacing of the show really not good: it took so much time to get to the point, when it was very clear from start what was going to happen. The fact that the series is centred around one particular storyline (with the fireman) did a disservice to the drama. It was not surprising and rather expected, so it felt a bit of a shame to spend so much time on it rather than to develop more secondary storylines.

There was still some nice elements to the story. I really enjoyed to meet again those characters which I found super likeable as a group. I even appreciated the new addition to the team, as it added some novelty to their dynamics and despite the fact that he might be at some point kind of annoying. Another aspect of the story I appreciated is to have an overpowered hero: after being beaten pretty thoroughly in season, I found really satisfying to see him doing so good and some of his fights gave me all the feel of a shonen manga. I also enjoyed the cartoonish atmosphere with the super villains, they really bring intensity and craziness to the show and made it overall more fun.

The casting was still doing a good job as in season 1. I think they were a bit let down by the script but they did what they could with the material given. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Kang Ki Young and Kim Hi Eo Ra, I'm pretty sure that without them the show would have been less colourful and tamer...I am also strongly hoping to see Cho Byeong Kyu as a main lead again, he did so well!

The production was good. There were some pretty great action sequences with a lot of fun and variety in the scenes. They manage to not make the fights too redundant while still keeping some common framework to be consistent with the mythology of the show (with the developments of some powers as well as the territory concept and so on). The soundtrack was quite good and catchy, it hyped the action scenes well.

I would recommend this to people that enjoyed the 1st season and want to see more of the "counters". I think if you like the characters and the mythology of the story, you might enjoy it. However, the story is clearly weaker than in season 1, if you do not find interesting the main storyline followed through this second season (like it was my case), you might be disappointed.

Read More

The scenario was such a disappointment for so many reasons !!!

I'm so disappointed with this series that I'm not sure where to start with this review...Given the title, poster, generic itself, I was expecting a BL romance with a lot of fantasy elements, even maybe some sci-fi trope... Instead, I was served a very classic university BL with friends being used as comical resort and trauma-induced by family members...

Despite the drama not fulfilling any of my expectations, the biggest issue I have with it is the lack of plot and the slow pacing...It took more than half the series to get to somewhat a narrative direction...Then it introduced an interesting element toward the last quarter but it was done in such a superficial way, without digging into what could have been otherwise very interesting...It slightly raised back my expectations before crushing them even more...

The main actors Boss and Noeul have a great chemistry together, and they delivers fiery NSFW scenes in a credible way. I also think their acting overall has been improving since I saw them in "Love In The Air". Given the poverty and lack in the scenario they were playing with, I give them a lot of flowers for managing to do as well as they did even if it was far from perfect. I cannot say the same for some of the side characters : most of the antagonists ones were played in such a caricatural way that I was totally disconnected from their performances.

The strongest point of the series resides in its production value. I thought that the hot scenes were beautifully directed and the overall making was very good. I enjoyed a lot the opening generic as well as the background music. It was very cohesive with hint of sorrowness and longing that I found lovely. Honestly, what a waste to have the writing annihilating all those positive aspects.

I would not recommend this to people unless you are a huge fan of Boss and Noeul. I think they deserved a better scenario for sure. I liked the opening generic and its esthetic with the good overall production value. I wish that the whole series would have had that vibe...Unfortunately, it was a classic university Thai BL kind of show rather than a mysterious and dark fantastical story...In a nutshell, what a let down !!!

Read More

Sometimes entertaining but missed the mark completely in terms of writing

Full transparency here, I had no clue what was "Omegaverse" when I decided to watch this series. And honestly, I'm still not sure after watching the series to fully understand what encompasses this new (to me at least) genre/concept. I thought at first it was wolf related as there is mention of alpha, then they lost me totally at enigma...I think I understood from what was hinted by the show (and also some comments) that men are able to be pregnant as well, but the logistic behind it went completely over my head. All of it was a bit disconcerting but the viewer needs to roll with it without a lot of support from the script.

Therefore, my main complaint for the drama is really the lack of proper explanation regarding the lore of the universe. The power of the alphas are never really addressed in a way that make complete sense...My thought process behind that as a viewer, I should not feel the need to do extensive research on the supernatural elements that the shows try to explain to grasp what's really at stake behind the relationships between the characters. That honestly tempered my enjoyment of the watch.

The plot is totally bonkers and feels for its most part like a fanfic fever dream. There are some griping moments in the story and some hot scenes that are pretty good. But for the majority of the show, I oscillated between being entertained because it was so bad that it was good in a way...And then being totally over-it and frustrated because of the characters (often) stupid choices. None of their "plans" felt very prepared and there were a lot of undeserved / too quick forgiveness for some protagonists.

Casting-wise, the actors did an okay job...There were a lot of weaknesses (especially regarding the villains that felt super caricatural) but as none of the cast was helped by neither the scenario neither the production, I will not fault any of the actors for what was offered here. The best relationship was the secondary one but I still will be willing to watch another show featuring the main pairing Pooh - Pavel as their chemistry was pretty good. A lot of their scenes were super cringy and they went for it...That's an achievement in itself.

Production-wise, I wish the action scenes were better filmed and that the music was less basic. There were mainly one song repeating at nauseum when characters were having sex and I don't know, it set the mood with the jazzy beat but got very repetitive as well. Most of the soundtrack felt generic and not good. Product placement was not well done as well.

I would not recommend this to people unless you already know/like the "Omegaverse" genre/concept. It missed the mark for me because I don't know anything about it and even after watching the series, I'm still totally perplexed. I must admit though that there were some entertaining parts to the overall trainwreck provided by the series and I will probably try to watch season 2 by curiosity...Hoping for the writing, filmmaking, soundtrack and acting to be better now that they have soft-launched the "Omegaverse" in Thai dramas.

Read More

Office Japanese BL with a friends-to-lovers trope that could have been exploited better

This Japanese BL set in an office settings depicts the romance between 2 former friends that find each other back working for the same company. Even though the premise of the series does not seem particularly original, I really liked the first half of the show which provided the context and the background to the beginning of the relationship between the two main leads, back to when they were in middle school. It gave a very painful and real feel to the friends-to-lovers trope as there are a lot of trauma and social pressure faced by the characters at a pretty young age as they are trying to figure themselves out.

However, I was less enticed by the second half of the show which focalised a bit too much on an external conflict with an office manager villain...I'm really not sure if it brought any additional value to the relationship. Given the shortness of the show, I would have preferred the adults version of the characters to spend more time on dealing with their past trauma and handling the internal conflicts than on all the office drama. For me, there was a bit of a missed opportunities in terms of romance, passion, pining and as well as mental health conversations.

Overall, the chemistry between the two main lead was quite average even though they share some relatively noteworthy scenes. I found myself being much more interested by the performance of the actors playing the part of the characters younger. Maybe because that was the part of the story that I found the most compelling...In any case I think they did a good job and were more convincing than their adult counterparts.

The production value was pretty standard for a BL Japanese office drama. Nothing stands really out but it does the job. Similarly, the music was not very present and not that noticeable neither in a good or bad way.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL office romance. It has some defaults in its storytelling and does not exploit all of its potential but it is still a pretty compelling watch if you like friends-to-lovers trope.

Read More

Side Ep with the "villain" point of view: totally dispensable and less interesting than main series

I'm currently enjoying so much my watch of the taiwanese BL series "Kiseki: Dear to Me" that I was compelled to watch this side episode of 20 minutes centred on the story of Zhang Teng. He is the weakest part of the origin drama, so I was hoping that this special episode would allow some development and nuance regarding this character and his "villain" arc.

Unfortunately, this special episode did not exactly meet my expectations...It is totally dispensable and it did not make me be more convinced by the character of Zhang Teng. I kept also being unconvinced by the performance of the actor playing that part. He is for me the weakest point of the cast but I must admit that the script and filmmaking are particularly cheesy when relating to him and that the issue might be more relating to storytelling than to the acting.

I would recommend this to people that like the main series. It is totally dispensable and you will not miss anything by skipping this. But still, if you are finding yourself wanting more from those characters and their universe, it is a relatively satisfaying watch (despite the repetitive aspect of of some scenes). To be noted, this side episode should be watched after viewing episode 8 of the origin series.

Read More

Interesting journey of the main character trapped in toxic relationship(s) : a wild ride!

This BL drama features the intricated relationships between Da On, a young and handsome salaryman and Seong Hyeon, Jae Min and Su Hyeon all connected differently to him. It is quite a dark series with a lot of toxicity in the various bonds between the characters themselves. The main character is trapped in his past and present feelings and there are a lot of craziness happening, which I found very exciting to follow as the story progressed.

There are some strong psychological elements underlined in the scenario and I would have loved to dig further into the layers of the various characters as the series progressed. It could have been even more complex and nuanced but overall given the drama's length, I found the overall main character development and narrative around the evolution of his feelings very believable and gripping. There are a couple of elements in the storytelling and choices made by the characters that convinced me less but nothing dithering my interest for the drama as it unfolded.

The acting was quite solid, especially Kim Jun Seo who played Da On. He was the center part of the story and it is him making his character so attaching and touching that made the series so compelling to follow. Next to him, the three others actors did a good job showcasing properly real range of emotions : from sunshiny to batshit craziness. There were a few instances were I felt they were a bit strained / rigid in their acting but they all fully committed to their parts which I appreciate.

There was clearly not a huge production budget and sometimes the sets felt a bit lacking and poor. But there were some interesting ideas in terms of directing to effectively display the main focus point of the romance(s): the best metaphor for me being the scenes with the ring(s). Such a statement of what worked and what did not work in the relationship(s). The background music could also have been better, it was a bit too heavily handled on top of some scenes. I enjoyed some of the songs but I did not find any of it memorable.

I would recommend this to people looking for an intense BL featuring toxic relationships coupled with some crazy twist and turns. I wish some parts would have been developed more, and that the ending would have been as captivating as the build up to it, but overall, I think this watch is a wild ride well-worth the time.

Read More

Enjoyed the ride but will not make it into my top favorites rom-com if I'm honest

This rom-com series features one of my favorite trope: "friends-to-lovers". I really enjoyed the romance and all the build up that was made around the main couple, they successfully managed to make convincing the shift from friendship to romance. In terms of writing, the first half of the series is the most substantial one and clearly the most heavy.

There are a lot going on in the life of the various characters and I think that some stories have a strong resonating power and will not leave the viewer indifferent for sure. I enjoyed to dip my toes into slice-of-life territory with the characters but I regret also some shortcuts taken by the writing regarding some storylines. Despite that feeling, I think that pacing could have been tighter (with definitely shorter episodes) and that the overall drama could have benefited from some streamlining. I feel that the mix of genre between rom-com and slice-of-life elements could have been better balanced and spread through the duration of the series.

The acting was very good with solid chemistry from the two main leads. I really loved Jung Hae In and Jung So Min pairing, I will keep catching up on their respective works. The ensemble cast was pretty great as well: the actors and actresses playing the parents and neighbors really insufflated life in all the family background of the main characters. In terms of production and filmmaking, it is quite standard for a rom-com. I found it pretty and colorful but not really impactful. I have similar feeling regarding the OST, it is already fading away from my memory.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a rom-com with substance and good acting. If you enjoy slice-of-life stories, this might as well be a good fit for you. It is more heavy in terms of topics it approaches than the poster and title would left supposed. So if you are looking for simple fluff and light romance, it might not necessarily the one to pick. In my opinion, it is definitely worth a try despite some weaknesses in the writing.

Read More

Very bingeable and gripping series ! Loved the friendship and the growth!

This very bingeable series took me by surprise. I was not expecting that intricate level of psychology and mind games from what started as a pretty classical bullying story, between rich and poor high schoolers. But once the Pyramid Game revealed itself : I was hooked ! The friendship between some of the girls was the most memorable part of the series. There was a lot of variety in the characters and their motivations, it never felt repetitive.

Where the writing hit the hardest was on putting the focus on the bystanders, sharing the blame not only on the active bully but on the herd mentality that can be so damn damaging. If the script sometimes felt a bit bland for the adult characters, it really stood out in highlighting the relationships between the teens, with all the social dynamics and the hierarchy and power imbalance at play. Despite wishing for a longer epilogue, I enjoyed the conclusion, the pay off of the story made a lot of sense.

The ensemble cast did a very good job. I got very attached to Myung Ja Eun, portrayed by Ryu Da In. This character was incredibly touching, being a mix of good heart and social awkwardness. Despite her being so heavily bullied and ostracized, she managed to build bridge with the heroine Seong Su Ji (played by Bona) and the external world.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an angsty school drama. If you enjoy psychological thriller, I feel this is a great pick. It is a quite short series, well paced. Once you start, you are in for a brutal ride!

Read More

Did not know a thing about MMA but was properly entertained!

This series was really fun as it follows the journey of misfit high schooler Suzuki Aoba as he develops an interest into MMA in order to defeat his long lasting childhood Nemesis, last champion of the MMA highschooler tournament. Main character is a clear underdog, learning various techniques, increasing in strenght as he faces various opponents...All those elements are clear characteristics of shonen manga genre from which this series is an adaptation. It is rather well done, with a good pacing...However, it lacks a proper ending and feel like just an arc of the journey of the main character was adapted leaving the viewer without a convincing closure.

The acting was alright, a bit caricatural sometimes, especially for some of the most colourful opponents of the hero. But it is expected as it is an adaptation of a manga. I particularly enjoyed the bromance between the hero Suzuki Aoba and his first friend Iwase Sannosuke who bullied him at first and grew to admire and respect him as Aoba skills improved out of sheer will.

The production was okay : it is clearly low budget drama with not enough figurants to really amp up the fights during the tournament but the camera work while filming the fights make it not that noticeable. I truly enjoyed the fighting scenes : there was a lot of variety in the techniques showcased and it never felt repetitive despite the mecanics of the scenario remaining the same for most of the competition. I really enjoyed the opening song but the remainder of the soundtrack will not leave me a lasting memory.

I will recommend this to people that are looking for a shonen series. If you enjoy underdog story and misfit character growing through a journey, as well as fight scenes, this will be a good pick for you. I was a bit disappointed by the fact that the story does end on an open note rather than a fully satisfying conclusion, as it feels like the drama just addapted an arc of the manga rather than the complete story. However, I still found the series very entertaining and fun to follow despite its clear budget constraint and over the top acting.

Read More

A story about connection and intimacy : I wish it would have been longer to amp the angst <3

I quite enjoyed this Japanese BL which features an unconventional relationship between two characters suffering in their respective love life and finding comfort and solace in each other. Their pathway to happiness is a muddy one and the script does a good job at making the viewer understand their pain. There are some points where I feel the scenario could have been better, more specifically regarding the support roles and their motivations. I feel that some of their choices (especially the reason behind the attitude of Fujisawa Kazuaki) was a cope out to absolve the character and explain quickly his behavior.

The acting was good overall. Muto Jun (who plays Hagiwara Kazuaki, one of the main leads) has eyes that emotes so well. I was pretty impressed by him. I found the acting of Ito Asahi (who plays Nakarai Sei, the other main lead) suitable for the much more closed off role he has to play...But I think he could have done more in the emotional part to amp the angst, especially toward the ending.

Regarding the more intimate moments, they were okay but I would have wanted the tension and the passion to be even more palpable. Given the need the main characters had for each other and the lack of intimacy being such a central part of the plot, the directing of those scenes felt a bit too tame. The production value overall felt relatively low-budget and minimalist, but it managed to create some impactful moments (the museum scenes, all the rain sequences referring to the title).

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a BL with a more mature story. The series is not without flaws as I feel the conclusion was a bit too quick and I think an epilogue would allow to better round up the drama. But I truly loved how the characters connected despite being already committed in relationships and how the story focused on the intimacy issues in established couples. I enjoyed the murky and painful aspects of the the relationship, but you might want to check the triggers if you have any.

Read More

Impressive cinematography, too short for the romantic relationships to really feel fully fleshed out

Full disclosure, I have not seen the South Korean drama nor read the Webtoon from which this Japanese series is an adaptation. Nevertheless (no pun intended), I did like it for what it was : a beautiful visual object with an enticing soundtrack and a masterfully lighting work. I also relished in the way the drama showcased various art styles as the background of the story is at an Art College. The opening generic of the episodes is in itself a beautifully crafted piece as well.

Is it a bit more appearance than substance ? Maybe but the series features various relationship with interesting romantic storylines. Some relationship as well as character background do not feel as fully fleshed out as I would have wanted...Which I can only assume might be linked to the fact that adapting in only 8 episodes of 30 minutes a South Korean drama of 10 episodes of more than 1 hour is revealing to be an arduous task.

The pacing felt rather slow despite all the beats of the various storylines being hit quite quickly. I did not hate though that slow feeling and almost languid camera work because it felt like a purposeful directing choice. Acting was overall pretty good, especially Yokohama Ryusei whom I found particularly mesmerizing in his role. Cast acted well in a nuanced manner, even if I wish that the intensity level and emotions would have been pushed higher for some scenes.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an artsy series more atmospheric than plot-driven. It is beautifully made even if I wish the story in itself felt more complete and written in a more gripping way.

Read More