You'll get sucked into this story...
Why do I - a rational human being - keep getting sucked into these implausable stories of time travel, ghosts, demons?"My Demon" "Live Up to Your Name" "Miraculous Brothers" etc
A good script helps, but I guess it's because one can get lost in the story, away from the 'everyday' .
I am enjoying this programme for the script, the delivery (of the actors), and filmography.
I find the Silla costumes so much better-suited to gender - ie. the men look like men - and the costuming in this show is really well done.
The battle scene, in the beginning , was very realistic - even the extraordinary feats of Do Ha.
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What a terrible ending!
Well, I was going to give this a 9, but that ending was rubbish! The story was brilliant - right up to the last minute. All the young men were very good. It's a toss up between Tang and Jia, as to who I liked best. Jia is definitely one to watch, but Tang played his role so well. Cui, who played Bian - the untamed tough guy - was very convincing.The writers really didn't think about the viewers, when they decided on the ending!
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Three Couples - One outstanding
So, there's three couples, but only one of those was convincing. DinDin and Tawan were fabulous together - I loved the fisty cuffs before the kissing - so funny.However, with the other couples, Sky was great, but 'Nava' was a bit weak - sure he had cancer, and maybe the script didn't help, but 'Sky' was definitely the one to watch.
And, OMG, Nabneung and Sailom! 'Sailom' was a total dweeb - he acted way too childishly for his age, even with the trauma of his childhood.
Overall, it was a good show, with some touchy subjects dealt with well, I just found the relationships unconvincing ( not Din and Tawan).
The little girl, who played the sister (*why doesn't MDL have her name in the credits?*) was so good, and, at times, held the show together.
So - Ta Nannakun and Us Nititorn stole the show.
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Playlovers is right
It took me two seasons to finally understand the meaning of the title - so, my bad.This show was like watching two prepubescent Twinks *play* at being lovers.
Every week I thought "maybe something will happen this week?"
But, no, they were just a sweet couple, who loved each other and kissed.
The psychological games were interesting, and the boys were cute, but it was so innocent, that it was boring.
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The scenery was the main character
What a magnificent movie! Everything about it was superb - the scenery was the main actor, but the two MLs were outstanding.Yuan Zai Qiao is surprisingly inexperienced in acting (or is that just because MDL has nothing much in his bio?)
The beautiful Wang Chen Rui is also inexperienced, however, he shone in this role. I will be looking up his other work.
This story is one that will live with me for quite a while - I think the writer would be very happy with the result - whoever the writer is???
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Dark But hopeful
Wow! Just Wow! What a brilliant and poetic drama!Kamimura Kenshin was outstanding as the battered and bruised young man, desperate to not turn out like his aggressive and brutal father. He was persistent in his pursuit of his first love - Minase Jin (Motojima Junsei), who played the quiet, but empathetic character, coming to terms with his sexuality.
I loved the way the theme of the drama - the sea - was woven into the plot and dialogue.
I expected a sad ending, but what I got was an ending full of hope.
There was no explicit sex in this drama (cue Thai BL), nothing beyond kissing and suggestion, but it was not necessary to show the audience how deeply they felt about each other.
I am hopeful that Kenshin can get over his public 'scandal', so we can see him again in future dramas.
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Slow and Ridiculous
Oh dear! A lot of the time, I had to play this at 1.25 speed - very repetitive and slow.Pooh's haircut, to make him appear young and innocent was really bad, and just succeeded in making him look silly..
However, his adenoidal voice was much better than in PitBabe - up until he was crying over Pavel in the hospital bed.
I liked a lot of the support actors (from Pit Babe, too).
But, this was pretty bad, and not up to PavelPooh's standard..
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It's a Psychological Thriller People!
On reading the bad reviews, I think some people missed the theme of this movie. It wasn't just about same sex attraction, it was a psychological thriller, about when one man takes his role too much to heart - i.e. "Method" acting.I was already a fan of Park Sung Woong, but now I am head over heals, because of this film!
And, Oh Seung-hoon - fabulous.
I was holding my breath in the last scene! Wonderful writing. Great acting!
As one of the 'good' MDL reviewers said - both actors were very brave to take on these roles. Their raw emotions were on show. The vulnerable "Singer" became the alpha, by taking his role on stage *off* the stage.
Yes, I would watch it again, but after watching a few fluffy romcoms first - I need to calm down a bit....
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Catholic Guilt Meets Pure Love
As an atheist, I am always intrigued by Catholic Guilt and Original Sin. I can't understand the 'struggles' Catholics have with love, and the purity of the feelings that we evolved as a species to embrace.Having said that, I found this series profound, getting to the nub of the problem. Poor Tanrak had such a hard time, because he'd been brainwashed to believe that, if he "sinned" he wouldn't go to Heaven to meet up with his parents again. Then along came Barth The Disrupter, who had him questioning his beliefs. Barth was a breath of fresh air in the boring, stultified atmosphere of the Catholic Boys home/school.
Along the way, 'Auntie Lek", (who is that actor?) who showed Tanrak that he could love himself, Barth, and still love his god. This was a turning point for Tanrak, but, right up 'til the final ten minutes of ep6, I did not think Tanrak and Barth were together - I assumed the priest that was being ordained that day was Tanrak. This mystery held the audience in suspense from the opening scenes of ep1 until the final closing moments.
Gemini and Fourth had me in tears and laughter -their performances were beautiful and timeless.
The script was well written, and wove a story of angst, pain, laughter, and love, into a
warm blanket.
Even knowing the ending, I would watch this again.
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Magnificent Epic Tale
An epic series, made all the more remarkable by the young age and inexperience of the MLs.This was a magnificent production, beautifully filmed on larger than life sets. However, there were also moments of less-is-more, like the scene where ShuHe plays the zither under an autumnal Japanese Maple, which is shimmering in the sun.
The sumptuous costumes were worn with regal posture, adding to the already grand overall atmosphere.
It took me a while to complete this, as I found it confusing at first - ancient Chinese politics isn't my thing - but, when I understood this was a forbidden love story, I was roped into the intrigue and drama of it all. As a Fujoshi, I wasn't disappointed by the 'tame' BL moments - in fact they just increased the tension.
It also helped that all the MLs were stunning!
I liked the ending from the point of view that loves wins - if you believe in an afterlife.
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Opposites attract
Loved this! They packed so much into 12 episodes. Having watched several of the BTS videos, I could tell that Poom worked so hard to fulfill his role as Wayu - the 'Host'.Because Poom and Up are so different - physically, temperamentality and facially - I think their pairing works very well, especially for this series.
The series had drama, comedy, love, sadness, emotion - the lot!
Little "Singto" stole the show a few times.
One of my favourites was Jai Sira - he was outstanding as Foei, the bar owner!
All the 'hosts' were fabulous! Their dance skills - of different genre - were perfect.
(one minor problem - I don't know who made the jacket for "Krit's "uniform in one of the last scenes, but they
really stuffed up)
I loved the closing scenes - even stiff old Dad got in on the dancing!
Rewatch value - 9
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Short, but not so sweet.
The two MLs saved this little production from dying a horrible death! OMG - the script was dreadful, the support actors not much better - but the saving grace - it was very funny! (the rolling comments across the top pf the screen were pretty funny, too. I do hope to see Ellfa and Beibei in a full-length BL soon.Was this review helpful to you?
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A Modern Day Love Story
Despite the crazy number of episodes (36) I enjoyed this series.It was funny, dramatic, romantic, sad, and sweet.
I liked that the FL was not a whiny spoilt brat, but turned out to be a strong and intelligent woman. Whereas, one of the MLs - the first on the scene -played by Lai Wei Ming - turned out to be that whiny spoiled brat!
The other ML - Song Wei Long - was not only gorgeous, but could act. He played his part convincingly up until the end, where he was a doting father.
Zhao Jin Mai, who played the FL, has an annoyingly high-pitched voice, but I don't hold that against her, as she was able
to switch between comedy and tragedy very well.
Outstanding in the support cast was her grandmother - played by Xu Yu Lan, but all the support cast was good, especially the younger cousin, Finn Hun, who was a convincing cheeky teenager.
I am not sure if 36 episodes were too much, but the inevitable Chinese government propaganda could have been reduced, to perhaps make this just a really good love story.
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Surprising
Seeing Pond and Dew in such different roles was very interesting, but seeing Gun as an autistic young man - after watching him in Burnout Syndrome - was outstanding! He *became* that character! I like him in Burnout, but I loved him in Leap Day!The story was a little confusing at times, but once you suspend reality enough, you can immerse yourself in the story.
Pond was his usual brilliant self, and Dew played the arrogant, yet tender other Leap Day victim, very well.
Pahn played Dew's girlfriend so well, that I forgot that I'd Dew as a gay man in Burnout. She had depth that wasn't
apparent at first, but she changed and became a nurturer, as opposed to a clingy girl.
I hated the ending, but I guess you can't have a happy ending every time.
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Interminable storyline.
I am only giving this 8, because, although Babe worked so hard to really be a traditional Thai dancer - and he pulled it off! - this whole show could have been finished in 9 to 10 episodes.Interminable is a good name for it, as it was dreadfully slow....I played it at 1:25 for a lot of the time.
However, I *did* love the story, the NC scenes (artfully executed), and the settings. And, it was a happy ending!
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