LightHouse74

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

I love doing comparison reviews when a BL series is edited into a movie. It’s just bizarre I had to wait over 1 ½ years to do this one. What is even more bizarre is I had to use a VPN to watch the movie edit of a Viki original series on GagaOOLala. This is especially weird considering that Viki released three other Korean BL series (one of them also a Viki original) after this series which all were quickly edited into a movie within the same year of its release.

The movie/series: This had an interesting storyline. The script was simple but good. I love how they used Woo Jae’s web-based novel to mirror the main couple’s situation. This helped explained both main characters’ feelings. It had nice cinematograph but the flash back scenes in the beginning was a little confusing because it was not clearly marked. The acting was good with the usual exception often seen in Korean BL series/movies.

The movie: The movie has a different starting point because they edited out the opening credits and the first 2 minutes from the series beginning. Overall, the move version was ok. They did a great job editing it into a cohesive movie. However, they made a few poor editing choices with the scenes they cut out. I know this was probably done for timing purposes, but the storyline did not have the same pacing it had in the series. On a good note, it did not affect the relationship and story progression in anyway.

Random Notes:

I strongly recommend watching the series version (on Viki if you can) because the pacing had a nice, even flow to it. Another reason is the movie’s English subtitles on GagaOOLala were very bad (I did not take points off for this).

(Added on 2/14/2025): The movie version is finally available on Viki, well in my region. The English subtitles for the movie are definitely a lot better on Viki than on GagaOOLala.

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

Although it was a bit extreme, I get why Woo Jae left. However, I don’t fully understand why he showed such hostile anger towards Yeon Woo. Especially considering he is the one that left without telling Yeon Woo.

The usual exception of course were the kiss scenes. I don’t need the actors to suck each other’s faces off, but at least kiss with some emotions. if the actors are not willing to do a proper kissing scene, have them kiss each other on the check or them hugging. Again, not every BL series has to end with a big make-out/kiss session.

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It was ok, but could have been better

I placed a spoiler at the end of this review.

This was not a bad series, but had an odd mix of moments that ranged from cute to cringe. The script just needed a little more tweaking to help make it better. It did a good job introducing the characters, but not the setup of events and the main storyline. There were also aspects of the script that didn’t make sense. It introduced some key things too late that would have helped the likability level of the main couple storyline. Because of this, the character Jung Ki Sub comes across as a very unlikable person in the first few episodes. However, their storyline became better overtime. I continued watching this series due to the second couple storyline. For me, their storyline was better developed script wise with one exception. I just wish they had more screen time. The actors did a very good job with their characters considering the script was lacking in some areas.

Random Notes:

They could have tone down Kang Hye Jin’s character a bit. They gave good reasoning behind her actions, but went a little over the top with them.

I immediately developed second couple syndrome with this series. I just found their story more interesting.

This is one of those series you can wait to watch until you have some time to kill and have nothing better on your must watch list.




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

The second couple received an unresolved ending which was annoying. However, they can make this up to me by doing a second season focusing on them. If this does happen, it better have a decent script.

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Something was missing

Overall, this was a good series and I was hooked from the beginning. However, the script seems a little off. The main problem is they tried to pack in a lot of content into 5 episodes. I felt that I was not getting the complete picture about many of the characters and this fantasy world. As for the positive, the cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters considering what they had to work with. The cinematography and special effects were amazing.

Random Note:

I would have liked a few more episodes to help me fully understand this world. Then again, my overall disconnect with this series may be due to the fact I did not read/watch the source material.

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Heart Warming

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This was an excellent movie with an outstanding script. What is interesting is that the script had a mixture of many different things that somehow worked. The overall theme is the importance of friendship, but also has some slight romance. It also was a tribute to a famous Thai film actor, Mitr Chaibancha. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. This had an outstanding cast that did a great job with their characters. It also had beautiful cinematography and great music.

Random Notes:
I love watching moves/series that are set in a different generation. Although I don’t know how accurate it was, it was cool to see Thailand in the 1970’s.

I’ve only watched a few Thai movies, but this is the first one that had a solid script and great acting.





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

There was a love triangle that was resolved quickly. It was not overpowering and did not become the main focus of the movie.

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My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:
- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality

The script was better for this episode and had many sweet moments. I like that it actually added something to the original storyline from the main series. The acting was good and regain some of the magic that the main series had. Although I’m not a fan of this crossover concept, they did wrap it up very nicely.

Random Note:

It would have been better if we received Tian and Phupha’s ending with the 2-episode concept instead of the crossover episodes. I like the end result with them, just not the journey I had to go through to get it.

The ending with Pran and Pat was cute, just not that interesting to me.

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My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:
- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality

I am a little bias because I’m one of the few that loved Vice Versa. Yes, the product placement was horrible but it had a great story concept. Although it had a bizarre storyline, this was another cute section that showed character/couple development. It was nice that they used the characters Tup and Tou which were briefly introduced in the last episode of Vice Versa. Just like the main series, the actors did an excellent job portraying their characters. The background music choices were great and it had good cinematograph.

Random Note:
It was cool that they continued with the opening credit color theme from the main series.

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My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:
- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This is the first section that showed a decent amount of character/couple development. It was great to see a continuation with many of the storylines from the main series. I like the overall theme, but the script was a little messy. I also found Episode 1 slightly weird. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. Just like the main series, the actors did an excellent job portraying their characters. The background music choices were great and it had good cinematograph.

Random Note: I thought it was cool to see Pawin in the first 3 sections of Our Skyy 2.



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

I found the imaginary movie scenes out of place and was wasted screentime.

I liked the acknowledgment about some of the troubles involving a new relationship. However, I had a hard time believing that Akk and Ayan were having relationship troubles because of the inconsistent writing with this storyline.

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My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:
- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality

This had a cute storyline (like the main series), but it’s basically two episodes full of nothing. Yes, it was sweet and fluffy but it doesn’t add that much to the main storyline. I had trouble getting into it because of some weird/poor direction choices. There were some parts that had long and awkward pauses between the actors’ lines and actions. I think the actors did a good job but may not seem it due to this. The end was also cute but does not lead to much character/couple development. It also had a very boring side story that was not needed. The background music choices were great and it had good cinematograph.

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Good, but could have been better.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

I love supernatural storyline but even this series took a drastic turn to the bizarre for me. The execution of the original story concept was not quite there. The script was good but not fully developed. There were many details that were not fleshed out which made many of the episodes seemed rushed, especially the last two. Episode 5 is when it started to crossover to the bizarre zone. Don’t get me started with the ending. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. This has an awesome cast in which the actors did an excellent job portraying their characters. My only critique is there are a lot of guest stars in this series. They all did a great job, but it felt like a GMMTV artist showcase at times. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it shifted the focus away from the main cast at times. I love the cinematograph and they did an awesome job with the special effects.




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

I appreciate that they wanted to keep this interesting, but I wished they stuck with the lost/finding artifacts concept instead. Maybe it’s because I’m not religious but I found the overly religious tones in the series somewhat annoying at times.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. It hints to the possibility of a second season. This would be nice but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Regardless of another season, I wish this series had at least two more episodes so we could have received a fully develop script.

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??Why??

This was consistent with the series which is not a good thing.

The episodes were cute but not that interesting. Although I appreciated some of the topics discussed, the script was underdeveloped and felt like the actors were mostly improvising their lines. The acting was ok and there were some audio/sound problems.

Random Note:

I don’t understand why they felt the need for the special episodes. Both episodes could easily be edited down to 15 minutes and added onto the last episode of the series.

This explains the confusion on the number of episodes it had on Viki when the regular series first aired. It seems this was filmed around the same time as the original series but was meant to be released around the holidays. I guess someone at Viki screwed up.

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Perfect with One Exception

I was hesitant about watching this series because of the parallel universe concept. This type of storyline can get really confusing, very quickly if the script is not done correctly. Thankfully, Episode 1 proved this would not be the case. The script executed this very well (minus the product placement). They did a really good job making slight changes to create the parallel universe. Usually, I don’t like time jumps, but this series handled it well. It also helped the story progression. The acting was very good and the cast did an awesome job with their characters. I will admit the relationship development between Talay and Puen can be a little strenuous at times. However, it was very refreshing to have them actually talk out their problems like two adults instead of them brewing/sulking over things for 6 episodes. The cinematography was done very strategically in helping the audience understand the character switches between Talay/Tess and Puen/Tun. The sets and the locations they used throughout the series was great.

The only exception that was not perfect was the product placement. At first, it was not that bad. Unfortunately, it gets worse from episode 7 on. There were times I just skipped the scenes.

Random Note: I thought it was funny how the passwords were from previous BL series.

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It’s a Struggle to Watch

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

I have mixed feeling about this series. This is mostly due to the inconsistent marketing material for this series. The description, poster and opening credits make this seem it should be a fun and light show but it’s not. It was also a struggle for me to finish this series. It did not need to be 18 episodes.

The positive: It has a great cast. I give them credit for doing their best with the material they were given. The production value was also great. It’s obvious this series had a big budget because the sets and locations were great. It also had beautiful cinematography and great audio.

The negative: The main problem is the script. I don’t know how much it mirrors the Korean original story (Persevere, Goo Hae Ra), but this script is a complete mess. I think the main story line is the characters are trying to break into the music industry. However, this gets watered down by the numerous different storylines introduced throughout the series. Another problem is the series loses its light and whimsical feel in the middle of episode one. I love dramas with comedy elements, but this series does not do it well. There is no smooth transition between the comical and dramatical elements of the script.

The in-between: The music is great, but it should have been better considering this is a series about the music industry. You hear the same 4 songs over and over again which gets boring. There is a lot of misuse of screen time which I had to skip. The ending is ok, but at least it was a happy one.

Random notes: The house used as Piano’s childhood home is the same one used in Mama Gogo (Annie’s house) and in 21 Days Theory (Q’s house). This is the first time for me to see the same location in three series back-to-back. One thing that may help with watching this is trying to spot actors that stared in various BL series. This kept me entertained.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******
Why is Lay Talay Sanguandikul shown under the character Sun in the opening credit after this character dies. They should have changed the credit to reflect the character Ray after episode 5. The English dialog on the train in episode 6 was very awkward. It was basically two actors regurgitating lines from a script in the hope they don’t screw the lines up.

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Well, It Was Something

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

The series/movie: The story idea(s?) seemed cute. However, there really is no clear story concept. The script is greatly under developed and goes in many different directions for no reason. It also had many elements that made no sense. See potential spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more info. There is also very little character development with both leads. The acting from most of the cast was good.

The movie: They did a great job editing the episodes together to make a very cohesive movie version. They also added a nice introduction scene at the beginning of the movie to explain why Han Ba Da is moving to the town. There was one major editing problem towards the beginning of the movie.

Random Notes:
Watch if you have some time to kill and have nothing else on your must watch list.



******Spoiler Alert******
Another Korean BL series that has a 1-year time jump for no reason. There really is no explanation why Tommy left Han Ba Da. Yes, he wanted to continue with his music career but that didn’t mean he had to completely cut ties with Han Ba Da.

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Sweetly Simple

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Edited on 9/8/2024: This is an updated version of my original review to match my current writing style for BL series that were edited into a movie version.

If you need something to left-up your mood after watch an overly serious/dramatical series, this movie/series is for you.

The series/movie: This was a very cute series. It has a simple, but good storyline. However, the script does have many weak elements to it. The cast did a great job portraying their characters and the cinematography was beautiful. I really enjoyed the songs that were used and felt the music really helped set the mood the scene it was used in.

The movie: They did a great job editing the episodes into one cohesive movie. They only added one random scene in the movie which did not add anything to the storyline. I think it was done to add more minutes to the movie. The only negative aspect is they cut out the behind the scenes and bloopers shown at the end of episode 8.

Random Notes:
I recommend watching the movie version because the editing made the storyline flow much better. However, you will be fine watching the series version too. If you do watch the movie, don’t forget to watch the end of episode 8 for the behind the scenes and bloopers.

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

The time span for Yoon Do Gun and Choi Jung Woo’s relationship development was too fast. They should have swapped the time span of the competition (1 month) and the time they were apart (3 months) around.

The ending had a very quick conflict resolution and felt a little rushed.

It was very weird how everyone forgave each other very quickly.

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Just Skip It!!!

I acknowledge this review will have unpopular opinions. Sorry, but I need more than a good-looking cast for a series to be good.

The positive: It has beautiful cinematography and the acting is great. In fact, the actors did such a good job that I disliked many of the characters.

The negative: The main story is nothing new. Two best friends get drunk, have sex, and have to deal with the aftermath. The only “new” element is both of the leads are men. As for the script, it was horrible. I found very little redeeming qualities with Yiwha and Fai’s personality. The overall cast chemistry/vibe was off. They are supposedly good friends but it does not seem it during the series.

Random notes: This is the second BL series that I almost dropped. As to date, this is the first series I regret watching and wished that I had dropped it. Tul and Max are outstanding actors and have great on-screen chemistry. Unfortunately, this series does not do them justice. I strongly recommend watching them in Manner of Death instead.

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