J-atty

When Love Hurts

I applaud this series for not giving the usual generic story, daring to try something else but it still used the familiar to get the point across.

Yujun, feeling inferior in the relationship, decides to leave because he doesn't want to hurt Yeonho by staying. Yeonho over compensates to keep him. This alone could have made the story and delved deeper into the barriers. Unfortunately, they inserted the third party, Hyunseo, to create the distraction. Both Hyunseo and Yeonho have the same request: Stay by their side. One he doesn't love and one he loves too much. The obvious choice is glaring.

A better story would have been them separating, Yujun getting a job and feeling comfortable to return the love in kind. BUT this ending was better in one regard. They chose to stay even though the dynamic wasn't perfect and issues not solved. It finally dealt with a relationship in a realistic manner. They loved each other enough to stay, set the temporary boundaries that make it habitable and will work on doing better. This felt earned.

The acting was better than kost of the recent mini series but felt too concentrated. Too heavy that it became overdramatic.

Still the differences made it enjoyable enough too root for their love.

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The value of friendship

This has to be one of the best Thai productions for this year. It surpassed expectation because Thai productions have a penchant of doing everything over the top. There were a little but easily forgiven in the overall outcome of the series portraying the beauty of forgiveness and friendship forged out of love.

The entire cast portrayed each character with infinite dedication and they truly shined. Displaying each charachers nuances to bring forth their individuality. While Sky and Nani proved the quality of actors they are, it is Mark who showed his versatility and stole the show. Mark has shown how great an actor he has grown to be, be it drama or comedy, he nails it.

While the series is based off of a Korean show School 2013, I was glad to view this on its own merits and not as a comparison. The rainbow of emotions, from dark to bright, was felt. The production did well and I especially loved the 'gay' bromance. They teased with conversations and moments that bordered on them actually being a couple, but within the last 5 minutes of the final episode, we got as close as we are going to get.

Shin staring intently in to Saint eyes, he says
Shin: " I don't like you. I love you."
Saint, caught a little off guard, responds
Saint: "Yeah, I love you, too, Saint"
They both pause, silently holding each other's gaze under the shared umbrella, recognizing and admitting what they truly feel between them.

It's may only be a matter of time.

Plot: Two schools, arch enemies, are joined and so ensues the chaos. Teenagers at their worst will create havocand that they did. The Shin and Saint on opposing sides, clash regularly mainly due to pasts hurts that can not be easily forgiven. Backed by Ken and Thui and their respective crews, the voilence is constant as each is easily aggrivated by every perceived slight. Grappling to take control of the teachers are at a losz and must use unorthodox methods to help direct them in the right direction. Eventually, the battle is won but not before the entire school goes through the very painful process of rebirth. The end result is very emotional as each lowered their pride and held on to each other for support and protection.

Criticism: The repetitive sequences of the clashes became tedious as the script struggled to create reasons for each encounter. Basically the same conversation was had. 16 episodes was too long and with better editing 10 - 12 would have been enough. Some storylines dragged on for no apparent reason.
The students were allowed to show disrespect with no real consequences. A teacher chastices herself infront of the entire class, becomes depressed and resigns before the school year ends. She is repeatedly begged to return and only does so on the 4th or 5th try. While it makes for good tv (insert copious amounts of tears flowing by said writer), in reality, what kind of message does it send to the student body? Sone charactets were one dimentional (Jeng, Principal's assistant) and became a bore. After physically abusing his son for many years, a teacher has a conversation with him and immeduately he stops. Realistically, after one conversation with no apology to his son(which would have been another cryfest), was a message that was missed. The fight scene at the end: no words to describe that mess. Why take a bromance and insert bl language to create hype? While I liked it because SkyNani have a beautiful connection and play off of each other effortlessly, the quality of the acting should bring the buzz.

This was a very good watch and I believe I would rewatch this many times. I'm going to watch the original also. The music used complemented the scenes well. Would love to see Sky, Saint, Mark P, Kay, Mark J in more projects. Honorable mention, Shin's sister was adorable and Saint's father, despite his unfavorable first appearance, brought the warmth to Saint's lonely life.
One of the best.

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A Different Perspective

This is exactly that, a different perspective but with the same ingredients. They meet in college. Weather the rumors as they move in together. Classed as a romance, this is definitely a drama with a very serious take on the prejudices of being different. In contrast with the later released 'in your feelings' series, this is the thinking version. With equal screen time, both sides of the relationship is revealed between a gay man and a fearless woman who refuses to cower to her male counterparts.

In both their relationships, at one time or another, they both deal with the consequences of not using a condom. In the pursuit of love and happiness, they both act unwisely. Their fierce bond tested from the fallout, they separate. One beaten by her jealous abusive lover, the other waking up too late to recognize what he had. They can only call each other. No one knows them as intimately as they know the other. Life has it's way, maturity comes and permanent choices are made.

This deserves the same level of awareness as the later released version. The acting is superb. On a smaller budget, the story is engaging, entertaining and very intense. His admission of losing an important love and the ensuing breakdown is felt. Had this been released much earlier, my belief is that this adaptation would have garnered more praise for the different perspective.

Good watch.

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Appreciate Now

It was enjoyable, chaotic, a bit far reaching but just right. Sure there were moments that felt a bit repetitive, the circle it ran in, just to get to the conclusion but it didn't feel too unnecessary. All the actors had character. They felt natural in their surroundings, even the supernatural ones.

Ultimately, a story about choices, good or bad, would have repercussions. Also, I liked the aspect of valuing yourself and never feeling a failure to who matter. Self and those who love you and those you love. Failing at something doesn't mean you are a failure. Show up for the people who love you.

What I loved about this was that each had a story interesting to be told. The cp's complemented each other well. The island life free flowing body movements were refreshing. Uncle and Dad were an easy watch. Wisdom without heaviness.

I knew Jed Chung could act and I was happy to view him here. His smile just makes the angst worthwhile.

Note to Sam Lin: I miss seeing you.

It was fun, lively and Taiwan redeemed their legacy..... a bit. It was more coherent than what we have seen in a few years.

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How To Stay Undead?

I'll make this short. It was very entertaining from beginning to end. Though I've seen many ghost/ ritual stories, this was a cut above the rest in the same vein. Specifically the occult without reincarnations. The actors delivered for the most part. Pavel was good in his role. Graphics, make up and special effects set the scenes which made it credible. This is the best I've seen of Michael and TopTen as a cp. Finally in sync and comfortable interacting with each other.

My criticisms lie in the structure of the story itself. Thup moving from victim to resident spiritual advisor to boyfriend to procedural advisor. How many hats? His methodical way of thinking seemed to outshine those who have been officers for years. Singha's questionable protection practices. Singha losing it at the end and going all crazy instead of trying to free them. While it is said mentally ill people do possess superior strength when in psychosis, but like he outsmarted and overpowered every one until the end. Victor / Bom did a spectacular job.

I'm not a fan of Pooh and his acting abilities. It's on the short end but here it was passible. His nasal monotone does not help. The script was well chosen to suit Pavel's. I will also suggest that Pavel next to Otto gives a more believable dynamic that Pavel with Pooh. It's underwhelming, with Pavel carrying the weight.

Overall, very intriguing and entertaining.

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Could be better

Here's the thing, it's a decent story with but was limited by the 1 min timing.

Plot: Student can read everyone's minds except the one he is interested in. His love interest hides behind glasses, cigarettes and being popular. Enter the third element. A troubled school mate also is attracted to the mind reader. Jealous, the love interest creates a situation whereby the troubled teen has to live with him.

The plot was not original but had promise. The 1 min episodes did not work in its favour. The script was choppy to cover everything in 30 episodes which made for a rushed fractured viewing. The acting was okay and the attraction was felt between the two leads. Had this been developed smoother, the story would have been received better. Match Play seems to be the benchmark of shorts with Please Teach Me, another okay watch.

These short shorts, unless fully thought out and planned before filming, do a disservice to the art of producing a story worth viewing. Actors, who have promise, are forgotten immediately as there is no room shine or capture your attention. It's an okay watch with little to no rewatch value.

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ThitDao Made Magic

Of all the stories this one surpassed the others with interest in the supernatural, emotional moments, bonding and resolution.

Ngern proved his worth as an actor by embodying the character and effortlessly portraying Arthit. His emotional breakdown with the acceptance of never being able to connect with his mother again, will live in memory. There is a fluidity in his body movements and speech that doesn't appear to be over rehearsed.

Oat filled Dao admirably. His stoic and dead pan delivery created many humorous moments and welcomed after the overly sweet moments of previous couples. Though I will confess, the bedside conversation at the hospital was rewarding.

Together they blended beautifully to create the most natural pairing of all. This is the jewel. I cried, laughed and loved along with them. Direk included. A pleasure to see their bond. I truly appreciated the complete honesty the three shared.

As with most Thai productions, they tend to over state the obvious. The translation a little not stable coming to the end but understood.

I will miss them.

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Good guys don't win

Two things irritated me. The vertical filming and the expected outcome. The narrowing of the screen would put a greater strain on your eyes to watch. Not a very good idea. Watching like this did not enhance the plot or the enjoyment.

The script tried to be introspective and cute. I said tried. Pa Rang sees Tae Min seduce a guy and just as quickly dumps him after having fun. Yu Bin, kind and friendly, openly shows Pa Rang he is interested but guess which one he chooses. No brainer. When will shows stop portraying the good guy as a loser? Is this supposed to make it more interesting? It didn't. All three had issues but it is Yu Bin who fully understands his and keeps trying without looking for pity.

The acting was done well enough. The 2 seconds that Pa Rang's mother was onscreen did more for the story than everything else. The despair, the pain, the words uttered before she jumped were portrayed very well. Tho the script had too many references about drowing and sinking and looking up from the bottom. Ok, we get it.

The expected outcome: Pre-planning to die on the same day his mother died, Pa Rang goes to jump. Yu Bin recognizes something is off and tells Tae Min, who instantly knows where to find him, he rushes to save him. Yu Bin - see what I mean about the good guy. Tae Min, who supposedly loves him so much, didn't know. Tae Min reaches in time, pulls him off of the box he stood on and tells him he loves him so much. No intensity, like standing on the wall, but a box next to the wall. Lazy writing.

The theme of Pa Rang planning his death could have easily shown to change by him falling in love with Tae Min and by seeing how Yu Bin keeps pushing no matter his limitations and finally facing up to his father about how he blamed him for his mother's suicide. As is, there was no electrifying moment that warranted the cost of paying to see this. It's now available on YT for free as a full length series combined but for how long, no one knows. I will not watch this again. The irritating background music was not to the show's benefit. Everything felt dull and monotonous.

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And the award goes to

Certainly not them. This was so painfully disastorous that it was laughable. Pat was the proverbial door mat. No, paddle ball. The more Elyes would hurt him, he would pull away, only to come back for another rap, to pull away again. Not that I cared. They were all distasteful except for Pat's female co-worker, Kim and Run. There really was nothing of interest that would warrant 12 episodes.
Elyes - controlling, obsessive, manipulating, condesending, whore
Pat - idiot
Kim - loyal fwb
Run - didn't know the meaning of his own name. Stuck around in an abusive relationship in the name of love. A loyal idiot
Fei Long - abusive, controlling, despicable, insecure, obsessive, coercive
Thiranai - ineffective petty clown

Base line: poor script. Terrible acting. Sub par apologies for hurtful behavior. Misleading messages delivered in the resolution of issues. Really not worth the effort. Rewatch - never.

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Expected End.

I started watching half expecting to have the entertainment a little higher as it started with energy. After ep 4 it started bordering on boredom and finally crossed over and ending there. It didn’t have the electrical charge to be fully engaging.

I like PearlPeak. Visually and response wise, they complement each other. It was the story itself. It didn’t have much to build on even with the duplicity. It slowed down a lot in the last three eps and it didn’t help that Gaysorn's personality was so soft. Thai directors need to up their game at storytelling. Seeing the officers just waltz in at the end to arrest Wittaya was depressing. Mata speaking on 'shout' was distressing. Plotwise seeing Gaysorn forgive Scent to the point to going back to him after his family was destroyed and he being schemed and manipulated by him was sad. Expected but sad.

I was grateful for it ending at 8 eps. It was okay but not wow. It could have been better. Gave them a 7 for original idea, knowing when to end, general acting and PearlPeak chemistry.

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Nicely done

I loved every moment of this and then it lulled. Only one reason: length. Beautiful concept. Great acting. Humorous. Playful, light but emotional. It was good, not denying this, but carrying it to this length waned the enthusiasm. The broken phase lasted too long. This is not to say that forgiveness should be given easily but a bit more concisely.

I have no fault with any of the actors. The old and new cp did well. I will say the series benefitted with Louis in that role. He made the moments a bit more enjoyable. Poon has a way of being adorable even when he's not trying. Ohm a better fit for Poon but still he lacks the chaotic energy to make them perfect. Mark and Junior still good but I will like to see them 'youthful'. The dress code used here aged them rather than refined.

Storyline: I struggled to forgive Tim more than Yu. Yu tried his best to make North happy, giving him what he needed. Tim kept inserting himself in Pai's life without allowing him the space to heal or giving him reasons to forgive. Pai's love for him, as he met his emotional needs, was really the reason for their reconciliation. Yu became a scammer as he was trained to do so and out of necessity. Tim chose this as an easy out to keep his family home and bring his family back. Ironically, they didn’t want it. I felt his pain but I didn't feel the remorse.

The ending was nice without dragging on. A good watch

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Gangster whaaat?

It seems to be the mo to produce super short shorts with very little if any cohesiveness at all. Don't get me wrong, the story is good, the production is terrible. Added to this, the 2min, vertical viewing is a big deterrent. Then throw in one of the worst translated series. What do you get..... disappointment.

Plot:
Gangster meets idol trying to get away from someone trying to kill him. Upon meeting, he's attracted to him. He offers him money to be with him for 3 months. Yada yada yada, they fall in love. Now throw in a harem of guys willing to serve the Gangster. The idol getting drunk an passing out numerous times. The gangster's brother and father continuously at odds with him. An ex lover trying to kill him.

Instead of 70 × 2-min episodes, why not make a full length movie. The storyline is good. The acting meh. The production cheap. Jarring choppy scenes. If 10% of the translation could be believed, script needs major rewrite. Attraction between the mains, believable. There was just too much wrong for this to be salvaged. Had potential but was lost.

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I just couldn't.....

No matter how I tried, I just couldn't get past how choppy, nonsensical and boring this was. 12 episodes that basically lived on a loop for 10. The ending, the tatooed butt thong and the father being gay. Make it make sense and maybe my opinion would change. I struggled through the last 3 episodes ending with a headache because of nothing having any impact to warrant this.

Were there any moments that were endearing? I can only think of one - When they were in the hospital room and he weepingly begged him to live for him.

I was blindly rooting for the second cp until they allowed an older ex teacher to kiss a younger student on the school compound infront of the entire school. Now, where is this acceptable? All sanity left the script at this point coupled with the revelation of the thong. Another thing that felt very unrealistic: older brother is gay, younger brother is gay, sister is a lesbian, father is gay. I was waiting to see if they'd make the mother surprise us, too.

Their acting skills were passible. The older brother's face had one emotion. Dead. The script existed just for shock value. In entirety, it was not horrible but it was too much for me to care that much about. Easily forgotten.

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Countdown To 2X

This felt like watching a small turtle wade through a pond of mud and the mud was on a low gradient hill. Then I realised the secret to making this more enjoyable: 2x which I did for ep 11. They moved and functioned at almost normal speed.

Although the pace was steady, a couple episodes of nothing could have been cut. I kept watching just to see if Minato's voice would ever raise above the hum of an idling car. It didn't. Even when rejected. Missed his calling as a funeral director. Seriously.

This could have been ep 6 and saved me 1 hr of mud watching. I won’t say they were bad but heavy and a little too slow. It was a pleasure seeing Grandpa still into Grandma.

Wataru took 10 ep to accept what he felt since ep 1. Why? Nothing stood in their way. No additional or external conflicts but himself. This was the very tedious part. Ep 11 cuteness made up for it. A little bit. Minato's patience should be studied.

Remember to 2x and it'll be fine.

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Where is the warmth?

This was good but I'm not too sure if this was good enough. The similarities between this and Love is Poison stops at: they are both eccentric successful lawyers with private investigators partners. Don't look for anything beyond that. Which I was grateful for. I enjoyed the format of one continuous story running concurrently with a new short story every two episodes. The differing reasons behind every divorce or separation were varied, thought provoking and harsh. The brutality of their resolve was not sugar coated and Hajime ensured his clients needs were met.

Then there was his sister. She was dying and enthrusted her daughter to his and his partner's care. The usually stoic and closed off Hajime began to thaw and let others in. Two of the most heart wrenching moments were because of her death. The daughter being present when it happened and his release in his solitude. The battle to gain custody of his niece began.

I can not find fault but still I felt something was missing. The acting was great. The stories interesting. The mannerisms suited to every character, tho the secretary can be a bit irritating. The ending as it should be. I think I didn't quite get Hajime and Kai's real connection. It was there but felt matter of fact. He felt more to be a helper than a helpmate. The focal point of the series was how and why divorces happen. I felt while watching them for the entiety that they interacted as already divorced but cohabitating. The lack of intimacy that would make their conversations precious. I'm not speaking of nc, but moments where they felt right together.

As I said, it was interesting. If you get your hands on a properly subbed version, go for it.

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