Heracin

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 !

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Too predictable and bland, where is the needed angst ?!

This harem (?) BL was super average overall and brought nothing new to the table. I was overall happy with the endgame because the chosen guy was my fave among the suitors but too be honest the competition was quite bland and it is mainly because I enjoy the trope of the "main" relationship that I rooted for the endgame pair.

It lacked surprise overall, with the main character Do Ha being a super innocent pushover... The series tried to show his progress and growth but overall, it felt very flat and easy, with him being super passive, dragged from one guy to another before finally "deciding"...But the choice lacked angst and passion, even if I still think it was the only one making sense given the relationships dynamics and what was shown from the four main protagonists.

Acting was average, I liked a lot Cha Se Jin (very charismatic) as well as Cha Yu Hyun but I found Jung Su Bin and Lee Do Han too meek and monotonous in their expressions...It might be because their parts were the less interesting ones but for sure it would not have hurt to see them demonstrate more variety in their approaches of their respective roles. Production felt very standard for a South Korean BL, very proper and colorful, without anything really outstanding.

I would not recommend this to people because overall it is just a basic run-of-the-mill BL. I also feel that the harem factor was not exploited well enough to make it interesting, which is a shame. However, it is an easy watch, with some hot actors, so you might want to give it a shot if you have run out of option in the genre or if you are looking for something harmless that will put your brain at rest...

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Sluggish plot saved by strong world building, production, characterization and my love for the cast.

Let's face it : this series is not without flaws : the main one being its lethargic pace. It felt so slow at times that I am pretty certain that putting the show in speed ×2 would make the dialogs seems to be at regular speed....The scenario is not dense enough for the duration of the drama and the story could have been covered in 8 episodes of 1 hour rather than 12 episodes of 1h10 to 2h. Despite me loving the main cast that I first encountered in DoMunDi Friendship reality show, I couldn't help feeling their acting was also a bit unequal depending on the individuals.

Having said that, I LOVED the atmosphere, the world building, the soundtrack. This series has its own color with a real artistic vision. Its esthetics felt very cohesive and the various special effects, costumes and make-up were solid. It is really setting itself apart from other BLs I have seen and felt fresh. The overall story was really interesting even if slow-paced : for once, I felt that redemption when offered was deserved as it was the outcome of well-written ill-fated relationships. The karmic burden, the white and black magic, the previous lifes : it was captivating. The opening generic as well as the soundtrack were work of art in themselves, setting up perfectly the small traditional village and fantasy atmosphere.

The chemistry between the main couple Peem/Khem (played by Keng and Namping) as well as the secondary couple Chan/Jet (played by Tle and FirstOne) was also great, with the secondary couple being my fave of the series. I feel the characters of Charn and Jet were the heart of the drama, they were animated and charming : their bounds really made me swoon so much. I cannot wait to watch Tle and FirstOne as main leads in another work : both their chemistry and acting was super convincing ! Peem and Khem had also some very nice and hot moments but I was less invested in them than in the secondary couple. It is partially due to their characters being more closed off but also unfortunately to some less convincing acting, mainly by Namping. He felt sometimes bland here, which is a bit of shame because I expected more of him from the previous title I saw him in. It might be linked to the role/directing, so I will definitely keep an open mind for his future performances.

I would recommend this to people looking for a dark fantasy BL drama. While slow-paced, it takes the viewer into a well-rounded journey featuring characters with motivations that made sense. The romances were very well-built as well, with a lot of fiery chemistry, angsty slow-burn and butterflies inducing moments.

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Toxic and painfully romantic road trip between two Yakuza

I loved this BL drama featuring twisted and broken characters. I did expect nothing from it and I found myself completely immersed in the journey of the protagonists. Especially Odajima character who is played by Takahashi Hiroto and took my breath away at multiple points of the series. His cast counterpart Wada Masanari, playing the role of Kataoka Kinji, did also a solid job. I truly believed in the feelings shared by both their characters and the evolution of those...In the mere span of 6 episodes, it is quite astonishing how much they managed to convene, proof of a solid storytelling. The series definitely left me simmering in a bath of angst and pondering quite a bit over the course of my watch.

The opening generic song and art is really good. You feel the road trip / slice of life vibe in the scrap booking effects. It is done tastefully and very much fitting into the series. Overall the directing of the series was quite good, except in one of the action sequence that felt a bit cheap and artificially dramatic in its overuse of slow motion and its setting. It is of course minor details and did not decrease my overall enjoyment of the show.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a quite dark BL story with some toxicity and power balance. The ray of light and hope the two main characters find in each other despite the dire circumstances in which they met, really tugged at all my heartstrings. It is certainly not withouth flaw as I felt the ending was a bit too easy and plot armor a bit too much at time. I would not have minded a longer epilogue but I am quite astonished at how much the script and actors manage to communicate, especially on the psyche and mental space of the characters in such a short length.

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From entertaining to super bland... Disappointing...

This drama was so entertaining with its first arc : it had everything for a fun watch...
- Cold office manager aka hidden Yakuza-Boss? Checked.
- Unhinged and entertaining moments with an overall cheesy vibe? Checked.
- Entertaining story with a cheating boyfriend and devilish colleague? Checked.
- Hot shower scene showcasing a tattoo as well as glasses and office tailored suit fashion? Checked.

But then....Past the halfway mark, it became super bland... While the heroine was kinda a Mary Sue / blank canvas from start, the male lead became super tamed. From being a spicy and domineering Yakuza boss to a standard basic male lead from any average middle-of-the-road romance... I would have loved for the hero to remain on the ruthless outlaw side of Yakuza night life and to bring the (bland) heroine into the dark side...But the script decided to remove any darkness from the main lead and to absolve him with a conclusion that felt really too easy, which was really disappointing.

I would not recommend this to people as I found it to be so bland past its half-way mark. The heroine is kinda a wet towel of nothingness but it could have worked if the hero would have maintained a dark and unhinged yakuza side. Unfortunately, he became tamed and his hotness did not manage to save the series which became boring.

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Unfortunately, totally missed the mark on friends-to-lovers trope I adore...

Friends-to-lovers might be one of my all time favorite trope in fiction. On paper, this BL had everything to seduce me but it failed miserably in doing so.

Why ? Simply because it failed in its execution of one of the most important part of friends-to-lovers series : the set up and build up of the relationship. It flied so fast that there were not enough angst to make the romance compelling, not enough time to establish the stakes...The deal was done much too quick. The story should have been constructed very differently in my opinion and the repetitive flashback with very average kids acting did not help at all...

Once I mourned the fact the relationship in the drama was not going to be as I wanted it to be, I must admit that I enjoyed the series more in its second half, it was quite average and expected in terms of storyline but I still wanted to watch the conclusion.

I would not recommend this drama as I have very lukewarm feelings about the series. Chemistry was good overall and some of the NSFW scenes were hot. However, the writing failed at establishing properly the stakes of the romance and the acting was a mixed bag without any memorable outstanding emotional moments. On paper : it had everything to hit me right...In reality : I had to mourn what could have been...

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