Heracin

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

Features convincingly a variety of love interests with interesting and different storylines

This Chinese Xuanhuan drama focus on the destiny of Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan as they evolve in a very tense political context because of their families history. I liked a lot the overarching story, especially when it focused on the links between both of those characters and their fight for power and to protect each other. There are some pacing issues though, especially in the middle of the series.

In addition to offer an interesting fight for the throne tale, the scenario depicts a proper reverse harem. The heroine has various love interests, some that have really my preference and some that I really do not like. In terms of characters, Cang Xuan and Xiang Liu have my heart. I truly enjoyed the fact that each of the love interest storyline are so different : the most compelling one for me is the one of Cang Xuan who is my favorite character. I'm afraid that he will not be endgame, so if not him, I hope it will be Xiang Liu as my second choice. Unfortunately, one of the suitor candidate, Tushan Jing, was much less my cup of tea...He annoyed the hell of me at multiple points of the series. I understand why the heroine likes him but it is more rooted in trauma than in any real love (at least to me).

The acting is pretty good, especially for the actors playing my favorites characters: Zhang Wan Yi (in the role of Cang Xuan) and Tan Jian Ci (in the role of Xiang Liu). The soundtrack and the production were overall good despite some cringey CGI and green screen.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a Chinese historical and fantasy tale with a reverse harem trope pretty well done. It is very difficult after watching season 1 to guess with who the heroine is going to end up, which I found super interesting (even if I have my preferences).

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

Dazzled by the filmmaking, hopefully there is a sequel to develop more the compelling lore

As Long as We Both Shall live is a historical / fantasy movie about a mistreated young woman going through an arranged marriage in a fictional Meiji Era where powerful families have inherited magical gifts. The set up and context of the story is really intriging and captivating, there are a lot of lore and the movie does a good job in exploring it. Could it have been better in terms of exposition and settings? Yes. But at the same time it does make you very curious to know more about it.

The casting did a good job overall portraying charismatic characters and despite a script sometimes feeling too rushed to really allow a lot of emotional development. The two main leads relationship evolution is beautiful but it felt a bit quick to me because of the movie format. The emotional scenes were very good, especially a couple of them involving at the same time powers and fights.

What I loved the most about this film is the very high production value. The decors and accessories seem super expensive and are truly beautiful to look at...I was dazzled by the magnificence of the numerous kimonos, so so pretty. I really enjoyed as well the visual effects during the fights: there were a myriad of details making the watch super compelling.

The main regret that I have relates to the scenario and the speed at which each of the narrative arc is developped. There are so many elements in the politics of the empire that I would have liked to be better explained and more expanded on...I hope there will be a sequel because the richness of the lore leave room for so much more stories.

I would recommend this to people looking for an historical / fantasy movie with amazing production value and captivating lore. If you enjoy beautiful kimonos, meticulous decors with a lot of details as well as romance involving fantasy elements, this one is for you.

Read More

Sinked because of poor editing & writing, despite steamy looks of hot ML

This short Chinese web series was entertaining in its first half but fell halfway through completely apart. There were some hot and exciting scenes and I liked the enemies-to-lovers trope the script was going for at first. It took a turn that I did not dislike in the second half but there was clearly not enough time to make it make sense and to be interesting overall. I especially do not understand why they decided to come back on past elements from the timeline in the two last episodes of the series rather than to incorporate it as flashback in the main story.

In addition to those very strange storytelling choices, the editing was all over the place. It can be expected from that short format series but I still think that it could have been better. The introduction song was alright but overall the soundtrack was overpowering in most of the scenes. There were also some jarring sound issues (especially if you watched the series on YouTube where it was sensibly worse).

Acting-wise, I admit I somewhat enjoyed the performance of Richard Li but mostly because of a strong eye-candy factor. Overall I liked the steamy looks he was throwing at the FL but he was still lacking in the most emotional part. Ming Jia Jia as the FL did not impress me at all. It might be linked to her role and the script but I did not care that much about her character which is problematic as you want to be able to root for the heroine. Last but not least Patrick Quan delivered an over-the-top performance but given the scenario, he had clearly little room for nuances.

I would not recommend this to people as I feel the series fell apart mid-way through. The most exciting part of the drama can be seen in the intro generic, so honestly if you watch it, you have seen the best of what the show has to offer. I did not mind the choice they made regarding the romance, it was interesting but what was really disturbing is the way it was edited with the couple of last episodes coming back on past elements of the story.

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

This is a fever dream, with incredible visuals : artsy, obscure, lenghty

This movie was quite an incredible cinematic experience. It was really thought-provoking but also quite lengthy and difficult to digest in one sitting, which I did.

The story in itself felt like a fever dream, jumping the viewer from vignette to vignette with some striking visuals. Each story had its own graphic palette of colors and tones, its own way of filmmaking...The care on the esthetics, the meticulous attention to details, was the best part of the film. However, while the craft being outstanding, there was also a lack of clarity in the storytelling that felt a bit frustrating to me, making the viewing experience also somewhat tiresome. I wish they would have done the set up and the ending in a less conceptual way, to brought together better the whole movie.

Acting was really good with the minimalist cast doing a solid job. Especially Jackson Yee, who I didn't know and who was incredible in this. I am astonished at how good he is and the range he demonstrated. I will definitely be looking forward to watching him in more roles.

I would recommend this movie to people that enjoy artsy, conceptual and experimental movie. If you want a good brain scratch, this is the movie for you. It is for sure not without flaws in its storytelling and pacing, but it really leaves a strong lasting impression on the viewer who is bound to be left with many questions and thoughts.

Read More

Deliciously torturous and angsty : Baek A Jin is a predator you don't want to cross the line with !

This drama, full of angst and passion, is centred around Baek A Jin, cruel heroine, femme fatale using men as pieces of chess, beaten by life and that decided very early that people are tools to be used to elevate herself from her misery. As her journey unfold, full of unhealthy relationships and oozing toxicity, I couldn't help myself to be captivated and root for her until a breaking point. It was like watching a dangerous predator on top of the food chain, fighting all nails out but with a layer of charm and some cracks in the armor that even more entrapped me into her craziness. The main appeal to me was to see how she navigated her relationships as well as her place in the world : sometimes ascending and sometimes failing.

The story took my breath away at several point in time, there were real peak and valleys and it was impossible to look away from the magnetic female lead.There were some madness and brutality to the story that made it utterly fascinating. When the show ended, I felt exhausted having lived through a rollercoaster of emotions. Do I wish there had been a bit more time for the ending as well as even more room for some of my faves relationships? Certainly but I found this super satisfying and audacious.

The casting of this drama was really good. Acting was on point. Watching the performances, I cried, I was upset, I was happy, I even got the butterflies...and I also crashed hard. The three main roles (Kim You Jung, Kim Young Dae, Kim Do Hoon) did an incredible job at portraying their broken characters. From the get go, their triangular relationship felt twisted, full of thorns and manipulation...and therefore extremely interesting. In addition to the main characters, the support cast was excellent with some shining guest stars : Hwang In Youp (for whom I started the series), Kim Ji Hoon, Hong Jong Hyun and Jung Woo to name a few that really impressed me. Honestly, not sure how fair it is to consider them as guest roles given their importance depending on the arc.

The production value was really good, with some masterfull directing and striking visuals for some of the most brutal scenes. The dramatic scenes were properly filmed, and even if I think some of them could have been even more worked on, the intensity of the story felt properly translated for sure. I loved the OST, daunting (especially for the end generic) and very fitting for the series.

I would strongly recommend this to people that enjoy twisted tales featuring very dark character. If you are looking for fluffy and heart warming romance, this is not the drama for you. Neither if you are looking for a regular "heroic" revenge arc. This is not the point of the series. It is about manipulation, survival and I could not help myself to feel fascinated by the charming predator that is the heroine. As the male leads, I felt under her trap and until the end was properly enthralled by the drama. If you enjoy thriller, psychological titles, revenge series, this is an excellent pick !

Read More

Never got tired of watching Tada worship the ground Armin is walking on ~ So swoony & precious

This BL melted me into a puddle because of how swoony the main couple is. It features the romance between newcomer actor Armin and deeply enamoured sponsor Tada, the latter literally worshiping in the best way the former. The romance is the most successful part of the series. All the romantic scenes are worth being watched and re-watched (again and again). They are beautifully filmed and the chemistry between the two main actors is sizzling with the camera loving them and capturing every bit of their longing eyes for each other. They were just magnificent and memorable together.

The revenge part of the series is definitely less good. Armin behavior is devoid of any plan despite all the knowledge he should have, given his specific circumstances. He seems to get by his second chance at life more by luck and thanks to the support of Tada than any real thinking. The enemies characters sucked overall, most of them were painfully over-the-top and even childish in their actions, making it very difficult to take any of them seriously, with a threat level feeling weaker and weaker.

The acting from the main leads (Pond and Peterpan) is definitely another strong point of the series. It is my first time seeing Pond in a drama and I found him mesmerizing. Peterpan was a solid counterpart to him. Unfortunately, the acting from the remainder of the cast, especially for the ones playing the antagonists, was really unconvincing. Most of the worst might be linked to the writing, but even so, it was really distracting to see a character supposed to be a threat stomping his foot like a child and laughing maniacally in an absurd way.

The production of the series was good overall : the best of it being once again related to the romance and the way they filmed the caring gestures of the main leads, all their gentle gestures were framed in a very beautiful way. Next to them, everything faded away and was more average. The soundtrack was not the best. It was quite an overkill, especially on the NC scenes, they could clearly have made more subtile choices than all those jazzy tunes and classical violins to set the mood. It was unneeded as the actors were really able to carry their scenes without any of those crutches.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a BL with an amazing and epic romance. It has quite a bit of soap opera vibe with some over-the-top acting from the villains and melodramatic moments that can feel too much but the romance at its core is really worth it!

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

Would have benefited of a longer runtime

The idea behind this BL story is really good with the fantastic twist that allows the main character to grow out so much. Unfortunately, if I like the concept in itself and I was pretty convinced by the arc of the main character and the office environnment/issues, I think the romance aspect would have benefited from a longer runtime to feel more fully-fleshed.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an original BL office story. It lacks a bit in terms of romance but the main character arc, which is full of hope and life lesson is really well made.

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