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BL office romance: platonic and cute, with a cohabitation trope and some amusing bickering
The story is quite simple but effective: the two main male leads find themselves forced to cohabitate and work together. Despite the short length of the drama, the script manage to make the viewer care about the characters and be invested in their relationship and professional successes. The plot is not really original but it is a compelling watch with some very cute moments.The main actors were pretty good. I found their acting totally believable and they had a good chemistry together. Maybe some of the more comedic scenes or dramatic ones were a bit overacted, but overall they did a good job conveying the feelings of their characters. The performance of the supporting cast was also quite solid even if the side characters were a bit caricatural and not super developed given the shortness of the series.
The soundtrack was really pleasant with some catchy songs even though quite forgettable. In terms of directing, I was happy that the director did not shy away from the couple of kisses, it remains rather chaste but it has the merit to exist and to be visibly showcased.
I would recommend this to people looking for a cute BL office romance. If you like cohabitation trope, bickering and secret relationship in an office setting, this one is for you!
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Such a fun and thrilling ride with an amazing cast!
This action movie is set in 1988, a period providing an undoubtedly interesting background story-wise with its dark political situation and at the same time its bright context with the start of the Seoul Olympics. The plot is quite simple and not that original but it is for sure really fun to follow. It starts fairly light with some humour and as the story progress, the tension and the stakes increase, providing a lot of captivating and thrilling moments.The casting is amazing with a lot of known faces. The alchemy between the leads is totally believable: the friendship and family spirit within this group of hot-heads is immediately obvious to the viewer. Despite the film not digging very far in the characters' past and links, the performance of the actors made it very easy for me to grow attached to this band of misfits and to root for them.
The film making and production value are really great. The fashion and style of this era, the details on the sets, everything is superb and totally immersive. The cars are fabulous and the movie has some truly beautifully made car chase sequences. The OST with its hip-pop vibes and old school South Korean songs is absolutely on point and such a nice throwback, completing the immersion.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a good action movie and/or that are searching for a story set in this crucial period of time for South Korea. If you enjoyed the context of Reply 1988 and if you like car chase scenes, this one is for you!
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Short, addictive and disturbing BL story
This drama showcases a disturbing BL story. It is not that graphic at all but somewhat dark and twisted, as it is centred around the romance between a bully and his "stalker". Their relationship is almost a master-servant one, with one of the guy being apparently ready to do anything for the other. There are also hints of S&M undertones as the most subservient of the character seem to be looking forward some of the abuse as a way to get closer to his classmate who fascinates him.It is a short drama (6 episodes of 20 minutes) but it is addictive: even though the pace can feel a bit languishing at time, it is clearly done with purpose. There are some quite dark intentional directing choices in parallel of some more poetic and quiet instants. However, one of the consequence of the shortness of the show is that it is difficult to have huge characters development as well as complex plotlines.
The cast does an OK job, and Hagiwara Riku (as the disturbed and bullied protagonist) is carrying the show. The alchemy between the main leads is primarily driven by the intensity of the script and the directing decisions taken.
I would recommend this to people looking for an addictive dark short BL story and who do not mind romanticised toxic relationship. Be aware that the show can be triggering and mind the tags.
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Enemies-to-lovers BL story! Very cute despite some nonsensical plotlines
A BL story providing a refreshing take on the well-known enemies-to-lovers trope. The drama manages to stay interesting during its 12 episodes but some storylines are less inspired than others. There are a few plot elements that are quite nonsensical in terms of conflicts making the show feel a bit too soapy for some of its narrative arcs. The show remains however highly entertaining to follow.The pairing of the two leads is super cute with an exciting premise to their romance as both their families and their friends from university are at odds with each other. There are some thrilling moments (especially at the beginning) with some tension build up between the characters as the feelings become more prominent. Their relationship stays mostly platonic and focus more on cuteness than on spiciness but the alchemy is there between the actors for a winning recipe.
Except for the female characters (friend and sister) who are rather likeable, the secondary characters are frustrating (particularly the parents of both leads and some of their male friends) and behave at some points very immaturely. The acting job for those roles is acceptable but could have been better.
The overall directing of the show is quite generic, clearly the budget was not there and production value is rather low. What was overly present though is the product placement: I rarely saw so much of it within one series, it was all over the place and hyper obvious. It was totally "in your face" and I would have appreciated more subtlety.
I would recommend this to people looking for a fun and light BL romantic story with a nicely executed trope of enemies-to-lovers and who do not mind some childish plot elements.
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Over-the-top cringy, I completed it out of sole stubborness
Full disclosure, I have not seen the original Japanese drama from which this series is an adaptation. I unfortunately really disliked this BL drama centered around "Heng", a real estate agent (with the IQ of an oyster) that discovers that his boss is in love with him. Strangely enough (because the main character is not that appealing in all his dumbness glory), "Boss" is not the only one pursuing intently "Heng", as "Mo" (one of his colleague) also declare his feelings to him... It could have been interesting but the writing, the over-the-top acting (for sure a directing choice) and the comedic aspects really did not made it work for me !There were so many elements intrinsic to the core of the story that I found very cringy, especially because of the power imbalance in the office setting. Indeed, the "boss" character irked me so much : he clearly uses his hierarchical position in the company to take advantage of the main character's naivety. In addition to the boss that uses coercion to make his employee literally date him, the evolution of "Heng" is so slow that until almost the end, it seems that he has not progressed on anything and still make the same mistakes until the conclusion. Last but not least, "Mo"'s character might have been my fave despite me having issue with some of his choices as they were based on noble idiocy and miscommunication tropes that I loathe.
My main issue is with the directing that made actors like Mix and Earth, whom I both liked a lot in other titles, acting in such an over-the-top / comedic manner that I did not bought the relationship between their characters. The acting was not atrocious but I truly feel it is not a very strong point because of the writing and directing leaving them with nothing impressive to do. I also was annoyed quite a bit by the soundtrack : mainly the opening song that I found absurdly annoying.
It is not all negative of course. In terms of production value, it is quite classical for a Thai BL, nothing outstanding but it good enough for the story. I found the set when they travel in the North of Thailand pretty nice. I had fun discovering some actors that I love playing cameos in the series. I also found the last 15 minutes of the last episode pretty enjoyable.
I would not recommend this to people unless over-the-top comedic BL in an office setting is in your alley. If you are a fan of "Middleman's Love" (-which I also disliked), you might want to give it a try as it is pretty comparable with the directing choices, dumb main character and cringy aspects. Overall, it was a miss for me but I think I might not be the right public for that kind of BL drama.
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A repetitive tale of lies and deceptions
This Xianxia drama focus on the intertwined fate of Tantai Jin, the demon Lord and and Li Su Su who goes on a quest into the past to destroys him while he is still in human form. I found the premise of the series very interesting as the main lead is almost a "Cinderella" weak hero at first before becoming more and more cunning. It is almost a character study about wickedness and how a jinxed fate can entrap someone into the way of evil. I also loved the heroine from start: a strong and intelligent female lead which does not sound or act like a child: a real breath of fresh air.Unfortunately, the drama was not able to keep me interested all across its 40 episodes. There are some narrative arcs that I found less exciting. Some of the plotlines felt repetitive to me even if the timelines are different. There were always lies and deceptions between the main leads, conducting to so many misunderstandings. Some could have been easily avoided by communicating and trusting each other...It really frustrated me to see what felt as very low progress on that side as mistakes were repeated and repeated again.
The acting was quite good overall. Sometimes I felt that a few characters were a bit heavy-handed in terms of acting. Other than the main lead, the actors playing "villains" roles made it so obvious from scratch that they were bad guys, I would have appreciated a bit more subtlety in the acting and in the writing for those parts. Bai Lu and Luo Yun Xi carried the show on their backs, when I felt a bit bored during some arcs, it is their charisma that brought me back to care about the fate of their characters.
The production value was quite good, I like the variety in the costumes depending on the realms in which the characters were evolving. The special effects were not that great, especially the CGI animals. Some of the decors could have been better as they felt a bit plastic to me. I quite enjoyed the OST: there were a few good songs balancing well with the epic part of the story.
I would recommend this to people that love Xianxia drama. Even if it is a recent one, it certainly feels like a staple in the genre. There is a lot of qualities to the series overall but it unfortunately did not work enough for me to enjoy it all throughout my watch. There were a lot of things repetitive in the story that either frustrated me or bored me. The noble idiocy trope is a pet peeve of mine and I must say there was clearly too much of it for me in this show.
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A good conclusion to the story with some predictability but impactful with its great cast
This is the second part (and conclusion) to the drama Death's Game in 4 episodes. I quite enjoyed the story, it took some very interesting turns with once again the incarnations being the main stars of the series. There was some predictability with the ending and I wish as a viewer to have been treated to a longer epilogue but there is a certain beauty in ending the series like that.The cast remains fabulous with some of the new incarnations shining through in various ways depending on their backstories. I particularly enjoyed the 8th and 9th reincarnations which were the most developed with the expected 12th reincarnation as well. Kim Ji Hoon really once again impressed me, so far I have seen him playing extreme characters and I'm curious to see him in other type of roles because he was crazily impactful here.
The production value is as stated in my review of Part 1 quite outstanding and I still enjoyed a lot the ending song for each episode (which was kinda the unique music of the series). I loved the titles of each episodes, super insightful and I found the gore and violence really well done with some truly horrific and frightening sequences.
I would recommend this to people that have seen Part 1 of course. It is a proper conclusion to the story, it does not aim for subtlety but is impactful. The performance of the cast (from both Part 1 and Part 2) makes it a very good watch even if there are some little things I wish would have been a bit more developed regarding the lore itself. As Part 1, be aware that this series is super violent and graphic, so you might want to check the tags if you have any trigger.
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Solid 2nd season of a series that wrecked me with its gut-wrenching youth drama in season 1 !
Even if the series does not reach the same level of incredible turmoil of emotions that "Weak Hero Class 1" made me live end of 2022, it is a relief to be able to say that "Weak Hero Class 2" is worth the hype (and the long wait) !Once again, the story is portraying strong friendships amidst school bullying and violence. Despite some overlapping thematic, the series is quite different from its first season. Indeed, the main character must handle traumatic event from its past, leading him to almost take a backseat in some situations letting the light shine much strongly on his entourage. It is not necessarily a default, but the "weak hero" trope is less exploited here than previously, as the hero is not as much an underdog as before.
In addition to the very different narrative arcs, this season feel also less indie: clearly Netflix budget is now there and very noticeable. There are some really beautiful and striking images, some impressive fighting sequences, very brutal. The reverse of the medal is that there is also less contemplative moments and that the production while feeling more refined, lost part of its gritty charm. The soundtrack remains one of the strongest point : the opening song but also and foremost every songs ending the episodes, with some impressive raps is worth a listen while the generic are going by.
What stays the same is that the acting is top-notch ! The ensemble cast does an excellent job : among them, Park Ji Hoon and Ryeo Un are outstanding. The first one has eyes that tell deep and sorrowful tales without saying a word ! The latter, who definitely bulked up for the part, delivers a really solid performance as well. He clearly took some inspiration from a character played by Choi Hyun Wook and it is an excellent choice given his role in the scenario.
I would recommend this to people that have seen the season one. It really provide a true closure with the hero undergoing an emotional inner journey. It is a story about growth in the middle of traumatic events. If you like baston manga, this is clearly a series for you !
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Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu
3 people found this review helpful
Impressive and memorable BL that wrecked my heart and took my breath away in the best way ~~~
This BL drama manages to do so much over the course of its 11 episodes of about 30 minutes. It portrayed the relationship of two highschoolers in a very worthwile and touching way. It made so much sense why they grew closer, despite (or rather because of) their difference in social class and personality. Their family background was instrumental in bringing them together and nurturing their connection. The writing of the series was very solid in getting to the point, without too much fioriture and creating a clear picture of the story for the viewer in very limited time.The chemistry between the two main leads was very good. The evolution of their relationship felt very credible in their feelings as well as the way the intimacy naturally increased between the characters. There was a brilliant progression over time in the skinship moments and the way the kisses got more an more passionate as the series progressed took my breath away. It felt very real but poetic as well. There are a myriad of gestures, little touches that gave life to the characters and their romance in a meaningful way. Some scenes will definitely stays into my memory for a very long time.
The production was really good with water being a common thread in the making and a key element for the storytelling. I loved the OST with the un-skippable opening song and the emotional and sorrowful music which was inserted purposefully in the background of some of the scenes.
I would strongly recommend this stellar and emotional BL to everyone looking for a poetic romance with gut-wrenching storytelling. I wish they had a bit more time to even further develop some elements but it is also because I loved it so much ! Do yourself a favor and don't miss episode 11 who serves as a beautiful epilogue to the story with a strong and important activist point of view ! Far from being preachy, it opens the door in a mindful way to reflection on the place of gay relationship in Japanese society.
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Very disappointed by the writing and pacing, too many secondary couples without substance
This BL is about the encounter of dentist Jin Xun An and restaurant-bar owner Bai Lang who suffer from a serious tooth ache and is terrified by having to go to the dentist. I found the story interesting at first in a slice-of-life way...Unfortunately, it felt apart very quickly because of big issues in terms of pacing as well as in the writing itself. At the end of each episode, I realised how slow the development of characters went, and how little happened in each episode.In addition to the main couple, there were also 3 storylines around 3 secondary couples which were unispired and not really developped in any purposeful or meaningful way. It felt like random fluff but without any substance or care and details for the characters. I really think the series overall would have benefited for the script to focus solely on the main couple and only one additional couple. Preferably on the bartender and apprentice one. That's the one that was the most exciting and cute....and sadly enough there was almost no screen time for them.
The acting was quite average. The main actors had some cute moments but nothing really exciting. The chemistry was cute but not flaming hot. I think I wanted more from it but the script was not helping at all.
The production was standard with nothing really noticeable here, except for the various meals which looked very good (lunchboxes and cocktail from the resto-bar that looked really appetizing, characters cooking tantalizing dishes...). The OST was relatively ordinary and left no memories at all on me. The ending sequence with the cute dance was fun but I did not like the main song.
I would not recommend this BL as I felt there was pacing issues and the writing was really not strong enough to have interesting elements during the full duration of the drama. There are not enough good ideas and plot points for the length of the series, the screenwriter could have taken some shortcuts on some repetitive developments and focus a bit more of her energy in building one secondary couple (-just one of them) to improve pacing. I enjoyed much more comparatively the two other BLs that I have seen from the same screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (namely "We Best Love" and "Kiseki Dear to Me"): those two were not without flaws in the writing but were really nice to watch despite of it. In the case of "My Tooth Your Love", the acting and the production are not strong enough to compensate the issues in the storylines itself and make it exciting enough.
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A really nice and heartwarming youth romance - a stand-out in this genre <3
This movie is about the development of the relationship between two highschool students, through an exchange of a diary. The premise of the story is super simple and worked very well. It was just a super cute and heartwarming youth romance featuring some lovely friendship as well. The pacing of the plot was good and the evolution of the relationships between the protaganists felt very natural.The acting was very good: the female lead was a really sweet chipmunk and the male lead was handsome with a lively personnality. Both worked very well together as well as with the secondary cast acting as their friends. I will for sure be looking for more dramas / movies with Takahashi Fumiya because he was really charming and gave a lot of charisma to a role that could otherwise have felt very flat.
The production value was pretty great: the decors are colorful and warm with a lot of details. The soundtrack is really diverse and in line with the story and the love of music of the main characters.
I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet highschool romance. It is pretty classic for the genre but it is really well done and was able to brought me a lot of feelings when I watch it. The filmmaking, the directing and the acting combined to a well-conceived scenario will provide you all the feels.
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Found family and friendship matter far more than blood ties, series brought up a lot of emotions
This is simply a great family drama. A story where found family and friendship matter far more than blood ties. I loved-to-bits the relationship between the three youngsters as they grow up, between themselves and with their father figure. The various arcs of the series were well-built and developed, with maybe a less inspired last act which could have been better balanced than a succession of misfortunes.I loved the main characters and the actors and actress really brought likeability into their roles. They had a good chemistry together and you felt the change and shift in their relationships over time. It was very pure and satisfying with a lot of looks and attentions from both boys toward the girl. The cast playing the older generation did also a good job, I really disliked some of their characters which mean they did a good job portraying them. The "villain(s)" of the series are really enemies you hate, I could not manage to gather an ounce of sympathy for them as they were (or at least one of the "antagonist") unredeemable in my eyes and not worth of any redemption. Some of the secondary roles were more averagely played but it was ok in overall.
I enjoyed a lot the production value. There are a lot of cooking scenes that are very appealing as well as some striking and memorable moments for many of the relationships. The OST is beautiful: it is sad and nostalgic but very pretty at the same time, it is tugging your heart strings. The opening and ending generics are great and un-skippable but you really need to listen to it without watching the images in order to avoid spoiling yourself (which I managed to avoid fortunately).
I would recommend this to people looking for a great family drama. There are quite a lot of characters and they take their time to develop each of them. It is a very satisfying watch which can brought a lot of emotions. The ending was a bit tiring in terms of scenario for the last arc and a bit too quick at the same time. I would have loved a smoother landing but I was not disappointed in any case.
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BL story with an original cute concept but not fleshed enough
I found the concept of the pets coming back to life as humans super interesting and cute. It was a chance to have a lot of fish-out-of-water moments and to have the characters act out all the stereotypical sides of their inner dog/cat. Unfortunately even if there was such scenes, it was not enough for me and I would have liked to see this aspect of the story more developed. Overall this interesting and fresh idea for the show's plot was not fleshed out enough. It required a lot of suspension of disbelief (which I was up for) but did not take enough advantage of the trope to make it totally fulfilling for the viewer.Despite the short episodes, the drama was kind of slow-paced and a bit missing in terms of feelings and passion because of the focus of the directing being more ambiance-based rather than scenario-driven. The atmosphere of the series was soothing but it still felt at some point a bit as a waste of potential for both the concept and the actors. Indeed, the acting was good overall (especially knowing that the main leads are rookies) and the dramatic scenes were well pulled off. It could have been better in terms of romantic chemistry but the friendship was very believable and sweet.
I would recommend this to people looking for a short story with a fresh concept giving off an healing vibe with very cute characters and who do not mind relatively slow-paced and platonic relationships.
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Unrequited love with a lot of miscommunication issues : deeply flawed but I liked it...
Usually I'm not a big fan of clueless characters and of miscommunication issues...Here though, despite its many many flaws, I quite enjoyed this series. Could it have been better ? Certainly. Did I like my experience watching the drama ? Yes.The writer took a beloved trope of mine : "friends-to-lovers", and mixed it with another painfully enjoyable one "unrequited love". This mix is an enticing one to me, pretty fitting for my angsty preference in terms of romance. Unfortunately, the writing never managed to really hit the mark with its storytelling. There were so many missed opportunities in terms of narrative arcs, as the writer seemed to not know what to do and kept the characters stuck in the same place for most of the series.
In addition to featuring beloved tropes, the drama made me discover Jung Je Hyeon who played Ji Hun, one of the main three characters. It was his debut role and he is clearly the main reason I enjoyed that much a series that otherwise could have made me mad of frustration. Here, I was fully onboard, even with the character being seemingly pretty obtuse. He played him in a smart and layered way, and I'm very curious to see what's next for this actor.
The biggest flaws of the series to me was not even the lacking writing but the bad and very repetitive editing. There were so many repetition of scenes. The production crew seem to think that the viewer had a goldfish memory, making them repeat ad nauseam the exact same filmed sequences already showed in previous episodes. It is a shame because a series of 8 episodes of about 25 minutes does not require that many flashbacks and repetition in the editing. Using the episode time better, either by developing more the characters, or just adding angst / fluff / jealousy, would definitely have been a wiser choice.
I would recommend this series to people that enjoy unrequited love stories and that have a high tolerance for communication issue and painful unnecessary longing. I honestly enjoyed myself quite a bit despite the big writing and editing issues thanks to the beloved central tropes of the story and my fondness for one of the character.
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Such a guilty pleasure : short vertically filmed South Korean series with a lot of steamy kisses !
This vertically filmed series took me by surprise at how much entertaining I found it. It was an enjoyable trashy show : the plot could be written on a (small) napkin, the dialogs are right out of pretty average fanfic...and still, it takes you in a so fun ride as the viewer follow the heroine participating in a dating reality show and literally going from one "relationship" to another.There are various options for the heroine to date, all very caricatural. It is pretty obvious that this series is an adaption of a dating game with all the archetypes : the tsundere cold guy, the nice guy, the rich guy, the wild girl, the pure girl,.... Once again, no time to really ponder and give some sort of deepness to those various types of characters...The focus of the script is clearly elsewhere : let's put these characters in hot situation and make them smooch each other. And while shallow, it was really fun to watch !
Production budget is clearly limited but appropriate for the format and the kind of light series. The cast do a convincing job in the hot scenes but other than that, there are not a lot of emotional moments or anything else to really demonstrate a lot of range.
I would recommend this to people looking for a no brainer show filled with hot moments with very little content and thoughts. It is all in good fun and if you watch it with no (or low) expectations, I think you are in for an enjoyable watch.
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