LightHouse74

The best one out of the 4

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

I stand corrected, this is the best one out of the compilation series. However, I may be bias because I love sci-fi storylines.

The positive: Although it had some elements that did not make sense, the script was good. The pacing was great and did a decent job introducing the characters’ backstories with one exception. I like the underline analogy about relationships in general. The two lines from episode 6 that sticks out to me is “You are an independent entity.” and “None of us own anyone.” The actors did a great job with their characters and portrayed them very well. Had very good cinematography, graphics, and music.

The negative: The script had some underdeveloped section which were only minor problems. It did take some liberties with the AI concept which some may not like. They also didn’t do a good job explaining the backstory with Chu Yi Ping’s dog. The script has one of my most hated story elements, but it actually made sense for a change. Again, this was only a minor problem for me.

******Spoiler Alert******


My main criticism is the length of the time jump. I’m not against it in this story because it did serve some purpose, but 7-years seemed too long.

Their first few kisses were predictable, but still cute.

I sort of understand the dog and Ever 9 comparison they were trying to make but it was weird and seems like a stretch to me.

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Did a better job than the original.

This remake did what the original didn’t for me. It kept me intrigued enough to continue with the series.

Yes, I acknowledge this review will have some very unpopular opinions.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Overall, this was a pretty good series. Is the script perfect? No, but it managed to keep me invested in the story and characters. I liked this version because it had the perfect type of horror, suspense, and psychological thriller vibe. It really did a great job grabbing my attention and keeping me interested throughout. One minor complaint is it had some missed placed humor and romance elements that really didn’t fit in with the rest of the series. Fortunately, there were not many of them. In many ways, this is like an old school horror movie because many of the characters made some stupid decisions. For me, that just added to my enjoyment. I don’t normally note this, but the opening credits were mesmerizing. I thought the cast did an outstand job with their characters. It was also cool to see Saint Suppapong and Orn Patchanan work together again, both were in “Let’s Fight Ghost”. The cinematography, special effects, and FX make-up were awesome. Most of the music was fine, but there were a few times it had some odd background music choices that did not fit the mood of the scene.

Random Notes:

Warning! This has some gory scenes, but not that bad. However, I have a high tolerance level with gore because I grew-up watching horror films of the 80’s and 90’s.

There is a bonus scene after the ending photo montage in episode 12 which is very ambiguous.

I don’t know how much this mirrors the Korean original series because I dropped that one after the 2nd episode. That series had a bizarre mix of comedy, romance, and suspense that didn’t work for me. It simply didn’t have the type of horror and suspense vibe I was hoping for.

Sophida and Yoshi’s apartment was also used in the “Peaceful Property” series, “Wandee Goodday” series, “Only Boo” series, “My School President” series, and “Good Old Days” series.

I’m 90% certain that Dr. Beam’s childhood home was also used in the movie “My Boo”, “Leap Day” series, “Bake Me Please” series, “Shadow” series, “Sing Again” series, “Mama Gogo” series, and “21 Days Theory” series.




******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Personally, I like that the romance storyline was not a main focus of the series and did not overpower the main storyline. The one time they kissed was, um, well something.

I was able to overlook the stupid decisions with the exception of one. I’m not an infection control expert, but it made no sense to quarantine the individuals that were infected with the ones that were suspected to be infected. You’re telling me that a building that big did not have another area that could be used as a second quarantine area.

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Those Foolish Humans

This was an incredible series. It did a good job grabbing the view’s attention in the beginning, but started off a little rocky. However, this is one series that gets better after each episode. The script is interesting from the start, but it felt like something was missing. This changes by the 5th episode and everything starts to make sense. Some of the characters were unlikable at first, but the script did a great job explaining the reasoning behind their actions. There are also a lot of twists and turns that keep you guessing what is going to happen next. Although there is a slight romance element with some of the characters, it did not overpower the main storyline. The cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters. This also did a great job with the cinematography, special effects, and make-up.

Random Note:

There is a possible hint of a second season because the last two scenes can be interpreted as a cliffhanger. If this is the case, I can’t wait to watch it.

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Outstanding

This was a very intriguing series that had me hooked by the first episode. I was confused at first because there was a lot going on, but it was a good type of confusion that made me interested in what was going on. If you get confused like me, just rewatch the first 15 minutes of episode 1 and you should fully understand what is going on. The script has well-crafted with many twists and turns to keep you guessing. Just when I thought I knew what to expect, it surprised me. It was also very successful with connecting multiple elements and characters together at the end. The cast did an amazing job with portraying their characters. It also helped that all of the characters were well written. It had stunning cinematography. It was a brilliant idea to use the different screen formats to establish the changing time lines to reduce possible confusion.

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It Falls Flat on Many Levels

I placed a spoiler alert at the end of this review.

Thankfully this just had 10-episodes. That being said, this easily could have been a 6-episode series instead.

Overall, the series was cute but was really not that interesting. The ending was very lackluster and anticlimactic. The main story concepts are ok, but the script is greatly underdeveloped and falls short on execution. There were many times it seemed they just had the actors improvise their lines. For the most part, the acting was ok. There are a few actors that excelled from the others. The rest of the actors are not bad or good, they just need to work more on their skills. After a while, I found Plengrak and Duean Yi’s storyline exhausting. Especially the second to last conflict they threw in. See potential spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more info. It also has too many supporting cast members. There are some audio/sound problems throughout the series. The cinematography is good, but there is a lot of misuse of screen time. The few songs in this were good.

Random Note:
I did not have high expectations before watching this series, but was hoping to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, I was not. The quality of MFlow’s previous productions are not the greatest. They always fall short when it comes to the script and production.

I could be wrong, but I’m sure the “movie” in episode 3 was Second Chance (an earlier production from MFlow Entertainment).

The English subtitles on Viki are ok, but they kept spelling some of the characters names wrong midway through the series. I was getting confuse at first as to who they were talking about.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

Plengrak and Duean Yi’s relationship conflict in episode 7 was the most annoying. Instead of letting Plengrak explain what was going on, Duean Yi was very immature. This also had a half-baked resolution that does not make sense.

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You don’t have to see the first season (I didn’t) to watch this one because there is a recap of what happened with the two couples from the previous season. The first episode is a little confusing because they tried to address the sci-fi aspect with one of the couples from the first season. However, the rest of the episodes are easy to follow as the series goes on. They also did a good job creating a connection between the two couples from the first season. The story concepts are not new, but the script handled the content very well. I like the cast, but the acting is ok. As for production, the series suffered from very odd/bad background music choices. The music often did not match the mood of the scenes. There is a suggestion of a third season at the end of the last episode by introducing two new characters (couple?).

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A full course meal that’s worth it in the end.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This was a very interesting series. The first few episodes may scare some individuals off, but it’s worth sticking around. The way they introduced all of the stories was very compelling, for me at least. The overall theme is that learning, self-discovery, and individual evolution is an on-going, never-ending process. However, there were so many other little lessons incorporated into this series. In essence, the only constancy in life is change. Although there were some week elements, the script was still excellent. It spent the right amount of time introducing the backstories of most of the side characters. It also had the right amount of drama and quirkiness that I’ve become to love with series from Japan. All of the actors were outstanding and did a wondaful job portrayed their characters. They also did a great editing job with the flashback scenes.



******Potential Spoiler Alert******

I don’t necessarily agree with Kai’s methods, but everything he did was for the benefit of others.

It was very smart with switching between Gaku’s personality of 2023 and 2024 in the beginning of the series which is the reason that compelled me to keep watching.

The friendship development between all of the characters was great. I also love the undertone bromance in the series.

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Had So Much Potential

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

For the positive side, the series had some cute moments and can be enjoyable at times. I also like the supportive dynamic of Cher’s friend group. Now for the negative side. The story concept was nothing new which is not a bad thing if it was well executed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The whole script came across as a ruff first draft that someone forgot to proofread. It also had some very poor/weird director choices. The pacing with the main leads’ relationship was too quick. Everything felt rushed from the very beginning of episode 1. All the storylines were haphazardly introduced and incomplete. Most of them received half-baked resolutions or were completely forgotten. This also had a weird mixture of comedy and drama. The comedy sections fell flat and the drama sections turned very dark at times. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The actors were good considering what they had to work with. I admit this was hard to gage because of the poorly developed script and bad director choices.

Random Note:

There is a big disconnect between the marketing and the content of this series. The official trailer, description, and opening credits suggests this is a light and fluffy romcom. It’s not uncommon for a comedy to have a little drama, but not the type they introduced. I also think the series poster makes no sense.

It had cute opening credits.

I see a lot of acting potential with Force and Book. They just need better managers to fight for them. Unfortunately, this is the second BL series they were in that had a poorly developed script.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

There was no lead up to how the main leads formed their relationship which happened in a matter of minutes in episode one.

I appreciated they tried to introduce some important subject matters, but it did not do it tactfully. The subject matters were mostly treated as a story gimmick or after thought.

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It’s Ok, but the series was better

The movie/series: Although the storyline is basic, the script was well executed. It was not overly dramatic and gave a more realistic viewpoint about the LGBTQ+ community. The actors did a wonderful job portraying their characters. The cinematography and graphics were great. The series wisely used all of its screen time. The opening and closing credits for the series was very cute and fun to watch.

The movie: On the positive side, they did add a few new scenes. Overall, the move version was not as good as the series. This is why editing is very important. They did a decent job editing it into a cohesive movie. However, they made poor editing choices. The main problem for me was key scenes were cut from the series. I’m assuming this was done for timing purposes, but I felt most of the cut scenes helped with the relationship and story progression. There was also many scene placements that was changed throughout the movie which didn’t help.

Random Notes:
The series was another BL office romance from 2023 that a really enjoyed watching. I just wish the movie version retained the same magic the series had.

I strongly recommend watching the series version. The added scenes were cute, but does not compensate for all of the cut scenes. As for my rewatch value, the 1 is for the movie version. The series is definitely a 10 value.

The movie didn’t clearly mark the college flashback scene which was 4 years ago.

The colors are not as vibrant in the movie version. The picture appears dull.

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Strong beginning; Weak ending

What the description on Netflix and MDL, even the move itself, fail to note is this is loosely based on events during a 2003 SARS outbreak in Taiwan. Unfortunately, this is one of those movies that grabs your attention within the first few minutes and then just leaves you with a very abrupt ending. It just leaves you with too many loose ends and no overall resolution to events. This is sad considering the actors were wonderful portraying their characters. Even with the sudden ending, it had great cinematography and pacing. However, the editing can make viewers uncomfortable which I think was the purpose.

Random Note:
It felt like the writers did not want to fully commit to a sad ending or that they lost steam at the end and gave up.

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An Execution Casualty

I placed major spoiler alert at the end of this review.

First off, I was happy but skeptical when this was announced. Happy because I thought this franchise was done, as its future was unclear. Skeptical because I didn’t know who the screenwriter was. I was also hesitant about watching this because I’m not a fan of time travel love stories because they rarely end well. I would have skipped this series due to this concept, but I gave it a try because it is part of the HIStory Franchise.

This part is about the series as if it was not part of the HIStory Franchise. This had some interesting story concepts that got lost with poor execution. The main problem is the script. Although it had its cute moments, it had too many things going on. See the major spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. I wish they had cut down on all of the various story elements and stuck with the two main story concepts that were listed in the synopsis. It has a great cast that did the best job with what they were given. Some of the acting seemed over the top, but I don’t think it was the actors’ fault. This was probably due to poor choices made by the director.

When comparing this to the other series in this franchise, it doesn’t quite measure up. This script reminds me of season one because it had a lot of the same quirkiness and weird story elements (soul swapping and time travel). Again, the main problem is the script. It appeared the screenwriter did not have any original ideas and pulled multiple story elements from the other seasons in hope it would make this series fit in.

Random Note:

Overall, It’s not the worse series in the franchise. It just could have been better. Despite my long rant in the major spoiler alert section, I would rewatch this at some point. Especially now that I know which sections I can skip.

I like the mention of HIStory 3: Trapped because it’s my favorite series from this franchise.

For those that are new to my reviews, I love seeing familiar locations used from other series. The bar used in many of the scenes was the same one used for My Tooth Your Love series.

******Major Spoiler Alerts******

The main problem with this series is the script had too many story elements. For the first main couple, it started with some sort of time travel mixed in with a body/soul swapping element with He Bo Wei. This also introduces a mystery mystical character which pops in every once in a while. They mixed this with the traumatized past but you saved me combo with Hai Yi. On top of that, we get the classic “I’m gay for you” story element between Hai Yi and He Bo Wei. This includes the very classic evil ex-girlfriend (fiancé?) that actually causes trouble for both of the main couples. As for other main leads (Lin Huai En and Liang Wen Hsen), there was a hidden love element mixed into an office romance involving the classic new employee and boss scenario. They also include an age gap between them for good measures. This also includes the jealous manager Tony trying to sabotage the office romance by using other employees as his minions. Then they add an attempted murder of Lin Huai En by the manager Tony and his minions. We then have the sudden death of Hai Yi’s father which leads to the common misunderstanding/lack of communication story elements between both main couples. Then they add the old fashion disappearing act from Liang Wen Hsen. This is also tied into the other old fashion element of I’m pushing you away for your own good involving both main couples. Because they have to remind us this is part of the HIStory universe, they introduced random characters from a previous season towards the end of the series. If it was not for MDL, this would have gone over my head (I didn’t watch HIStory 4). However, this helped the script check off the step-brother turned lovers story element too because they had to waste a lot of screen time to give us their backstory. They also wanted to emphasis this with Ye Xing Si very bizarre introduction of Fu Yong Jie. Then we get the usual last episode plot twist that was not really much of a surprise and clears up all of the misunderstandings in a manner of minutes.

The relationship progression between Liang Wen Hsen and Lin Huai En happened way too quickly. They go from co-workers to a couple in what seems a manner of weeks without them actually dating in-between.

As for the attempted murder, Liang Wen Hsen does not take Lin Huai En to the hospital or have a doctor check him after almost freezing to death. Manager Tony or his minions don’t receive any real consequences for their actions.

Although the last episode had a happy ending for both couples, it was very bizarre. Why did they feel the need to incorporate the step-brother couple from the previous season towards the end.

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Watch with Low Expectations

I give them kudos for trying something different. This series was ok, but it could have been a lot better. I think the BL sitcom concept is interesting. Unfortunately, this series did not execute it very well. I kept watching it because I like the characters and hoped the writing would get better.

The positive: The cast is great and their acting was awesome. They did a great job considering what they had to work with. The one good aspect of the script is it makes you care about most of the characters. The scenes involving Pleng’s imagination was great and found myself waiting each week for them. The theme song is very catchy. I wish the MV had subtitles. The series also had great sets.

The negative: The script is not the greatest. It took me awhile to figure out why many of the episodes seemed off to me. The reason is many of the scenarios that they place Rak and Diao in are the usual ones you would see in a regular dramatical series which does not work in a sitcom format. The scenarios also take away the BL enjoyable factor for me. The workplace jokes are over the top and are often very offensive. The jokes remind me of bad 70’s/80’s American sitcoms. There are also some running themes that became very annoying after a while. The very ending of the last episode was cute, but anticlimactic. It was done in the hopes of a possible 2nd season. As for production, the laugh track is annoying. They placed it in random spots that don’t fit in. There is also an overuse of sound effects. Using both in a series does not make it a sitcom. The content of the script also has to match the sitcom concept which this series fails to do.

Random Note:
The subtitle timing can be off-track. It’s either too slow or too fast at times. Some of them also include the timing notes for the subtitles.
If there is going to be a 2nd season, I’m not sure I will watch it. My wish list is that they keep the cast and set, but use a different screenwriter.

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Family and Personal Growth

Overall, this was a great series. The script was heartwarming and inspirational, but had some weak aspects to it. There were a few underdeveloped sections to the story, but this was only a minor thing for me. The main annoying sections for me involved the character Kaede because she was very unlikable in the first half of the series. However, this character changes by the 7th episode. I was tempted to drop this due to this character but continued because I was very invested in the mystery and family dynamics. This had a great cast which did an incredible job with their characters. This also had beautiful cinematograph and excellent editing.

Random Note:

The brief opening credits were awesome.

The main underline theme is the importance of communication. However, there were so many other little lessons incorporated into this series.

The established family bond between the two brothers and the bonding development between the other characters was great.

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Just because we can do it, should we?

I placed potential spoilers at the end of this review.

This series asks the biggest ethical question (not just in Thailand, but worldwide) about the drastic advancements involving science and technology. The great part about this series is it more like a compilation of sci-fi movies. You can skip one section with no worries because none of them are linked together. Overall, some sections were better than others.

Story Section Breakdown (Don’t worry, no spoilers):

Black Sheep
This was very interesting section. This one had serious tone to it. I did not see the story twist coming, but realized they did give subtle hint throughout the script. There is a small reference about a vaccine in one scene which may be foreshadowing the last section (Octopus Girl). The script did have a few weak elements, but was still good. The cast was incredible. It also had great cinematography, special effects, and make-up. I would rewatch this section.

Paradistopia
This was a bizarre, but interesting section. This started off with a comical tone that drastically turned very dark. I apricate the different visual approach of the future in this section. They used what sci-fi movies of the 60’s/70’s depicted what the future would look like in the sense of technology, décor, and fashion. The cast was incredible, but the cinematography style was a little off at times. I think they were trying for a mock documentary, but did not do it successfully. The one problem is it switched to the mock documentary style at very random times. However, the special effects and make-up was awesome. I don’t see myself rewatch this section.

Buddha Data
This was also a very interesting section. This one had a more serious tone. The script was well written. As with the other sections, the cast was incredible. It also had great cinematography, special effects, and make-up. I would rewatch this section.

Octopus Girl
This section was, well something. I guess they wanted to end this series with a comical note. This could have work, but the script did not have the right mixture of comedy and drama elements. At least the cast was incredible. It also had great cinematography, special effects, and make-up. I don’t see myself rewatch this section.


******Spoiler Alert******

Just my thoughts about the endings:
Black Sheep – The ending was very bittersweet, but kind of happy.
Paradistopia – Like the rest of this section, the ending was very bizarre.
Buddha Data – The ending was too ambiguous for me.
Octopus Girl – This section made a complete 180 in its tone. Most of it had a comic undertone, but the ending went very dark out of nowhere.

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Beautifully Decorated Cake That’s Missing Flavor

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Overall, this series was ok. Although it’s not a new concept, I still appreciated the attempted. It failed with the executed and something got lost in the mix. One problem is the pacing was a little off. There were some sections that felt rushed and disjointed. This caused some scenes to make no sense. Then we get sections with long useless scenes that are there as filler screentime. One example is there were too many flashback scenes in episode 5 and 6. There were also some weird scene placements which added to the story disconnect. Another problem is the script has many weak elements. Once again, there were one too many story elements/conflict scenarios for a 6-episode series. All the storylines were messily incorporated and received half-baked out-comes. Considering most of the cast is still relatively new, the acting was ok. I normally don’t single out actors, but Ohm unfortunately didn’t do a great job with his character. He didn’t show that much range of emotions with Shin. The cinematography and locations were stunning. However, it had some poor background music choices which did not match the mood of the scene.

Random Notes:

The two opening credits in episode 2-6 was weird.

Product placement was ok with one exception. In the middle of the 4th episode and during a very important scene, it turned into a Toyota commercial. This killed the overall significance of a scene between Shin and Peach.

If you are new to my reviews, I’m fascinated by seeing familiar location used in different series. The location for Peace’s house was also used in the series “Shadow” (Dan’s childhood home), “Sing Again” (Piano’s childhood home), “Mama Gogo” (Annie’s house), and in “21 Days Theory” (Q’s house). Yes, I acknowledge I'm a nerd for this.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

On a positive note, this had a happy ending. However, it was rushed with everyone forgiving each other.

I wish they had just focused on one- or two-story elements that showed the character backgrounds, relationship development between the main leads, and friendship developments between all of the characters.

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