Shiro

Is this the real life is it just fantasy... Yep It´s complicated....

There are those who write fantasy scripts and then there is Chi Feng Chien whose writing is a completely different level of writing though I do have a few issues (ill get back to those) that take a way a few stars the OST, Twists and over all brilliance of this drama makes up for it.

The story is this amazing mix of suspense, spirituality, romance, ETHICS, religion, insanity, culture, environmental awareness, nature... and relevant issues that reflect upon the times. Incorporating elements that remind us of the daily struggles of the early 2020s without letting any part take over. I am nether spiritual or religious and could probably classify as team science... and will admit that it did get a bit to spiritual for my taste at times but over all it was well balanced and by the end of it I came to appreciate those elements as well. I dare say this complete mess is actually pretty well balanced in a way I think only Chi Feng Chien can achieve, because it does have a lot of elements and it does get messy yet stays simple at the same time... while adding touches of humour here and there.

The twist are about 90% unpredictable, the music is just so well fitted and takes part in some pretty amazing scene, not to mention the great cinematography... oh and the relationships are just so sweet. The characters (including side characters) are lovable most of the time, they have all kinds of interesting development that goes all over the place and all but a few scenes show great acting skills. Also the way they incorporate Greg Hsu is just so perfect bringing smiles to who ever has ever seen that guy...

When watching do make sure not to miss the post credit scenes, they may not always be necessary but they are mostly really fun and will add that little extra dash of glitter to make you enjoy this even more.

There is one twist/side character that is a person in need of a heart, the way this was handled really bothered me on several levels, among them the plain miss information about heart transplants that she talked about. So do not take what she said as a truth. They did also show her as a human that is more than just a patient which is a + and there was a voice of reason among the annoying scenes surrounding this, but it still bothered me.

The other thing that bothered me was some over acting by a few side characters, had it not been for these two this would have been a clear 10 star drama and made it up among my favorites.

There are also some confusing parts that may remind you of the intro to Queens Bohemian Rhapsody... lots and lots of rain and umbrellas... So do not trust the tittle... there will ofcourse come a time when the rain stops, but most of drama will show you scenes of rain and umbrellas. lots and lots of umbrellas in all shapes, sizes and colors... but what do you expect when the main character is the god of rain... By the way the main couple also goes thru being sweet, wett, cold and everything in between...

All in all this definitely a drama I recommend you to watch.

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Adorable kid... inconsistent and that is it

This drama starts off really well, had it continues in the way is started with a smart a tad clumsy but adorable female lead.
An Icicle male lead lacking communication skills and the cutest kid ever... The side characters are not even annoying or anything like that. The Sysmance is one of the grater ones and the second male lead is this adorable kitten loving man. I do not even remember the male lead forcing himself on the female lead even once. then I would probably have given it a nine star rating

But at some point the female ale lead suddenly looses all signs of intelligence. Just poof and they where just, gone never to be seen again. Some parts got rushed , others seemed like they would never end. The humor disappeared and all we had left was a cute kid and some badly preformed kisses.

So all in all, watch it if you have nothing better do do and love adorable kids. But I would not really recommend it.

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Chinese culture propaganda with a dash of romance

A very long lesson/propaganda series about Chinese culture and chinese textile with a dash of most women are evil, men are good no matter what evil deeds they do they are to be forgiven and some romance on the side.

Some friendships where sweet and the second couple was adorable.... The ML was a chauvinist who lacked communication skills and would rather communicate by kiss then by words. But gets a big plus for not forcing himself on the female lead even once! He did however never really stand up for any one... though he was offered plenty of occasions to do so. The female lead was actually pretty smart and could stand up for herself but still self sacrificing and never put her foot down.

Some parts where sweet, and it did not quite follow the regular cliches but was dragged out and mostly boring yet easy to binge at the same time...

It was okay but I honestly do not know why I watched it all the way thru, when I have a PTW with lots of dramas I want to watch maybe I just needed something that wouldn't strain my brain to much and well this definitely did not. It did make me want to punch some people so i guess it did effekt my emotions in some ways but just not enough to make me really care.

So all in all if you are very interested in design, textiles and Chinese culture this is a great drama for you to watch if not then there are better rom coms out there but it is okay.

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Smoking, Scheming, Sexual (ASSult)and Snakes

I have so many issues with this drama its scary but at the same time a part of me just wants to celebrate the fact that this BL made it out in China... A drama where manipulation and sexual assault are means to help ones partner let loos.... and where friends that scheme together stay together. A drama where no means work harder and air without a mist of smoke just does not seem to exists, and nothings says I love you as much as a box (filled with cartons) of cigarettes. Entertaining at times sure, but a part of me wonders if this actually was Chinese anti LGBTQ+ propaganda disguised as a romance BL...

The acting in this drama is so bad the only thing worse in it is the dubbing, while one of the male leads and his freind do seem to be able to deliver a line or two the others acting goes from bad to worse to okay back to really bad.

I personally love snakes but if you have ophidiophobia you will wither be cured, scared to death or have to skip the firs 12 episodes or so.

As for the characters and the story, there is not a single character (okay maybe the poor mom, but she also makes some bad decisions) that is good, pure, kind as they are highly problematic do a lot of shady stuff and deliver such great lines as.

"You killed the snake (that was strangling another person to death) are you even human"

Not to mention a complete lack of acknowledging the B in LGBTQ....

Oh and seriously, mouth blown sugar figurines, that can not be hygienic, at all.

So what can I say, expect highly questionable actions, moral decay, steam, lots of steam, smoke and snakes. But oddly entertaining friendships and obsessions.

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Empty eyes

This drama starts off with interesting, playful, cool slightly broken leads but drags on and on with boring plot point after boring plot point... slow mo.... flashbacks and filler episodes making my slightly affectionate eyes getting n to this end up as empty ones.

The leads ahve decent interactions and indeed do seem to look at each other wiht hungry/deeply affectionate eys but they are hot n cold, yes and no, on and off, and on and off, and poof someone is gone and poof someone comes back. Immature, impulsie and completely lacking communication skills are words that could describe every single character in this drama except for the kid.

A part of me loved the kid another feels really bad for the kid as he is just a kid but takes on the role of grown up, mature voice in the room. In the drama it is passed off as a good thing in my mind all I see is irresponsible adults making this kid grow up to fast.

Yes there are some decent shows of found family, courtship and friendship... Bad paranteing, more bad paranting and yes bad parenting from the so called good parents too.

So while there are some interesting and passionate moments between our mains and Im sure there is a good story to be told hidden in there somewhere... The drama it self may aim for deep affectionate eyes from the viewers, as the episodes went by, much like a bad marriage the affectionate eyses turende empty and I just could not wait for it to end.

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Bickering Fun

If you love bickering, hate to love, to hate, to love this is definitely a good place to ind it.

It is such an easy binge, one moment you started it then next you are waiting fo that last episode to be released the next day,

While I am not going to lie, there are a few very annoying over the top characters, their screen time is limited enough to not drag down the score to much.

The rest of the characters are lovable, sweet, and jus ta blast to watch. Especially the Past versions of the leads. Those to had me feeling a whole lot of nostalgia, pain and sweetness all at once. The chemistry between the two kids was just so perfect. so playful and cute. The way those two conveyed emotions impressed me a lot. Actually ID say all the teens in this drama where really well casted and did a great job both past and present.

If you are looking for something to surprise you , unpredictable twits and thrills this is not the place you will find it,. Unless you are new to dramaland that is, and if so then part of me envy's you...This is definitely a good drama for beginners. But for those experienced in drama land the you are bound to smell the twists several episodes a head.

While the grown up cast was all pretty good. I want to give some extra point, and love to the female leads new best friend she definitely had me wanting more

A fun and easy binge for all bickering hate ti love lovers out there.

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Start of with a mist of mystery but ends up kind of meeh

What do you get when you combine a Lovely Cast, a predictable plot, Cringe and a whole lot of annoying elements?

Well I guess you get a whole lot of watchers who want to enjoy this but end up just felling meeh... Was it worth my time? probably not? Was it bad? Not really... it just lacked that spark that could have made up for all the annoying elements that would make me go oh all is forgiven.

The drama starts off with a mist of mystery, a male lead who is some kind of Korean Phantom of the Opera with mostly mental scars, meets a supernatural... Our male lead has this mysterious unavailable charm that was almost captivating however once he took off the mask the mystery was kind of gone and all that remained was a beautiful face with a whole lot of cringe.

Our female lead had so many monologs I found myself bored off my mind and the people around them where 50 shades of annoying with one pretty good lookin Ahjusssi and well that is.

The story while predictable had a lot of good hidden inside and the good cast kept me from dropping this and stands for all the good so while I admit this was not the most enjoyable watch of the week, I still feel that the good does accumulate to a 7 ... So if you do not mind over the top annoying elements and love the leads in this it may just be a really good choice. But if you are just a fan of the leads you may just want to skip this.

Also will someone PLEASE give Seo Ji Hon a good romance where he is the male lead... Seriously this is getting ridiculous.

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Powerstruggle and the lies told, seen though lies through the eyes of teens

❤️This drama is so good showing some of societies structures, behaviours struggles... Seen through the eyes of teens... okay maybe not through the eyes bus since the story is about a guy named aye it felt right to say that. ❤️

It shows us some pretty powerful social criticism as it is very easy to see parallels to how people talk about some of the fights and movements out there... As well as how structures and power is held.. All in the form of a school instead of society. Lies told in the name of keeping the peace and keeping things the way some people think they should be. Making references to George Orwell's 1984 (one of my all time favourite books) showing extreme lengths people will go to out of fear and so on… Making way for some pretty amazing dialog and a bunch of very powerful scenes.

The scenery in this drama is very pretty so is the cinematography, even though we get to spend a whole lot of time in a pretty generic school building the editing and lighting makes sure each episode has at least a few ecstatic scenes.

The characters in this drama are relatable, lovable, fun to watch and show very few annoying tendencies. Even Neo Trai Nimtawat who normally plays an over the top character that gets on my nerves goes from slightly annoying to lovable. And there are some pretty amazing pick up lines too.

The leads have great smiles and great chemistry, one of them almost seemed to grasp the notion of consent reading into his partners signals, and actually using word such as may I… But then he goes and does something a little bit boundary-less, making me question his knowledge after all… he is however very attentive and…Well there is no dead fish kiss in sight. As well a sa whole bunch of real emotions done right.

There are some unpredictable twists here and there, I am not sure I actually liked them but they did definitely catch me off guard so kudos. Also people it is not okay to out people no matter the purpose is.

Bingabilaty high,
Entertainment high
Important message- high
Heart flutter- decent.

Definitely one of the best youth dramas out there and I highly recommend it

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Where toxic fumes and fluff create HOT steam...

This drama may not have a lot of story to it, as it practically is two guys in an arranged engagemnet keeping secrets from each other creating lots, and lots of trust issues and playing games instead of communicating with each other... Lots of cliches not much plot, highly entertaining and defiantly fun to watch for all us cliche fluff lovers out there... a feast for the eyes a fest for the ears... Toxic goo everywhere... However having parents not only support but encourage a gay marriage is kind of sweet and not very common in Dramaland... And I dare say it is really well done, not completely ignoring the society we still live in while trying to make the idea of an arranged gay marriage no less strange the idea of an arranged hereto marriage, with all their +s and -ses.

What is slightly troublesome in most of the show is the way two of the couples younger half are treated like kids with curfews, withholding of information, lies, lies and more lies... And well control and disipline ,.. more like they were their younger siblings or their kids but with steamy kisses and well made steamy sex scenes... People you should not have to control or discipline your other half.... However this does make for a starting point for character development and I did manage to separate the acting like parents and the steam but for those who find that stuff hard to separate and/or are sensitive to this type of stuff MOVE ON there are plenty other titles to watch you do not have to watch this one. It is entertaining but not that entertaining that it would make it worth it for those who get triggered by this type of stuff.

Kirin the young half of the main couple is such a talented sweetheart, hiding his true self 8for good reason), does a pretty good job jumping between personalities and conveying conflicting emotions, fear and desire to be loved. He has some pretty awesome friends (especially Syn )who are sweet, supportive, interesting and make for some pretty fun couples of their own.

Hia /Kilen is a typical cold CEO type with a fun and warm side waiting to be discovered... making for a whole lot of fun humour and some pretty fun scenes. Also not every time but many of the times they say Hia it sound more like they are saying sheeeea, kind of entertaining for those used to hearing that word as something else than a name...

Both guys very 2 different personalities (each) that are a blast to watch especially watch them swith between them.

The other side characters are pretty decent and this is the biggest revolution of them all the parents here seem to be the voice of reason. the other Hia Yi (Hias best friend and older half of the second couple) bothers me for some reason, could be the lack of reason...

But the overall message seems to be pretty decent, once you get past some of those other issues...

Bingabilaty High
toxic levels: medium high
Healthy relationships: none
Fluff: 9
Steam: 10
Entertainment value: 9
Quality: 7
Chemistry: fireworks
Kisses: A LOT, no dead fish in sight

Defiantly worth a watch for those who can stand the heat and separate fiction from relationship goals.

P.S. There are 2 cute dogs and some pretty heallereos PPL also make sure to stick around pasta the credits of the last episode.

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Waste of talant and screentime

This drama starts off pretty interesting, with secrets, deceit, ambition, horrible parants. Rich vs poor, lies vs truth... etc. Most of the characters are okay, some even really good those first bunch of episodes and I dare say it even strts off as a retty easy binge.


But then comes the never ending propaganda, educational series of boring business twists that do not make much sense and are either dragged out to all eternity (or at least it feels like it) or rushed.... a 25 episode build up wrapped up with three words that just passed by in a flash.

So basically cut the episode to 15-20 focus on one story and not a bunch of I must amke it on my own stuff, plus, minus... and it could have been an 8 or even 8,5 but I just cant ignore the later episodes never ending mumbo jumbo. So basically if you choose to watch this ID say stop somewhere around episode 20 and you will be fine.... .

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So bad it is good... Cringe and Cuteness as far as the eye can see...

This is short, easy to watch, easy to smile and definitely made me laugh once or twice per episode... And taught me that even cake can be funny...

The leads are cute as buttons... and have very interesting flirting techniques... The Second lead made me wonder if he was supposed to be a parody or if he was meant to be an authentic second lead... whatever their intention I loved him and he was probably the source of most of my laughter...

Other things I found funny was the very purple flat mate, scenes at the gym... completely illogical shower scenes... And a lot more...

I also liked the wisdom within the youth, teaching me new things...

I cringed, I laughed, I binged it too fast and I want more!

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A beautifully captured moment (okay years) in time

This drama is such a trip down memory lane, relatable lovable, sweet and deep. Not so much for the sports and romance this dramas strengths are rather the slice of life, nostalgia, real events, issues, mixed with beautiful stories of friendship, hardship and some other ship...

To be honest I was a little bit annoyed at the way they portrayed the female lead in the first few episodes making her seem a lot younger than she was supposed to be as well as making the male lead seem a lot older than he was supposed to. I understand that it was probably done to set the scene and mood but it was little bit over done and borders on annoying. However that faded out as the story progressed and rather turned in to character growth instead of annoyance.

I was also annoyed at people pushing blame, wishing others harm o and it did have just a little bit to much yelling for my taste... But hone it had all these really good one liners and scenes encouraging mistakes that I almost forgot about those annoying elements.

There are a lot of good and interesting messages in this drama, great cinematography, gorgeous use of umbrellas... cuteness, fluff and everything painful... The short visits in to present day are well placed and though they could be considered spoilers making this drama spoil itself... the spoiling still keeps us wondering why, how and in what way are they going to... dare I feel happy? In other words these so called spoilers keep the emotional level high thru out the drama.

The people and situations portrayed in this drama are often complex and are often shown from different angels taking a step away from the typical good guy/bad guy as well as showing the affect on the people behind them.. As well as showing the circumstances leading up to the situation or sometimes questionable decision.

The setting in the late 90´s was so much fun to watch, having been a teen at that time my self I just loved the way they used tapes, showed the fashion, the computers, the first phone... the fear of the 2k-bug and the events that helped form the people of my generation, even if I myself liven on the other side of Asia at the time,

I have, laughed, cried, been angry... Yep felt just about every single emotion out there making this drama just right for me and would have given it 10 stars if it wrest for some cringey annoying dialog here and there as well as a few (very few) twists that felt like they were trying to make us a bit to emotional. The emotions were there just fine without those scenes so they ended up annoying me. However I do love this story, the way it is told and the overall messages conveyed in this drama

In numbers
Bingeabilaty: 10
Lovable and interesting characters: 10
Annoying elements : -2
Frustration: 7
Sidestorys: 10
Main story: 10
Oneliners: 10
Relatable characters: 9
Visuals+ eye candy: 10

In conclusion I loved it!

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The story may be iffy at times but the execution is gorgeous

This was just so pretty, from the scenery to the colours, lighting... And OST making me ad an extra or maybe even two star just for being a pleasure fore the ear and eye.

The story itself has some issues, I am not going to lie not so much for the age gap as the main leads are indeed consenting adults, and not in a type of power relation where one part is dependent on the other.

The female lead, young as she may be is smart, forward, and is going in to this with her eyes wide open. It is easy to see that she and the male lead connect on several levels. She does of course have some issues but they are more about other stuff than age. However the way they style her most of the time does make her look a bit to innocent and child like, something that did bother me.

The male lead has an awful headband most of the time reminding me of 80s rock,I personally love 80's rock but the look was just bad. that sad, aside from the head band the guy did indeed show some great aesthetics and was indeed shot in slow motion from a bunch of very flattering angles. His character was kind, pretty passive, and seamed to try to hold back most of the dram a. And as long as he holds back we the viewers are offered a lot of build up, gazes, slow mo stuff... And fluff, colourful lighting and stem or fluff making the frame look all dreamy... steamy...

The second male lead is probably one of the most oblivious characters in all of dramaland, I honestly think they made him stupid and childlike to show us that the female lead was a better match to the old guy than the guy her own age. Other than that he was just in the way and slightly annoying.

The female leads mom shows us yet again that controlling your grown up child is a bad idea, she is in desperate need of therapy and did not really add anything good to the plot at all , not even good drama and flavour, just flavourless spice that burns your mouth but gives you nothing.

The rest of the characters range from ok I see you are there to wtf, just don't.

There is a really cute cat, a bunch of fish some of dramalands most amazing umbrella scenes with not only black and yellow umbrellas but also leaf umbrella and painted umbrella. Besides naming the drama "The Forbidden flower" the drama incorporates a whole range of interesting flowers, both on canvas and out in fields. Making both animals , umbrellas and flowers an in-separate good part of the plot, more interesting than most of the supporting characters.

All in all a good watch with plenty of steam, but it is definitely not for everyone, and while there are a few boring episodes some odd editing choices (censorship?) here and there it is overall highly binge able and a decent drama to watch if not for the plot than for the beauty of cinematography and OST,

P.s there are quite a few flashbacks and montages that look a bit like an 80s romance intro/power-balad video.

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Icicle humor, icicle plot and sweet, sweet icicle love

Is it better to have loved and lost or to never have loved at all? well this drama attempts to answer that question in the most twisted way.

This obviously not a drama for everyone seeing it got allot of negative reviews but I liked it. Could they have gotten more of this cast with a slightly better story sure, but if you enter this with low expectations you will probably be as pleasantly surprised as I was, but if you are reading this then well that may just be ruined for you.

Things I loved: about 90% of the humor it is cold, a tad dark and hits just the right spots with me . Icicle men, Icicle woman, icicle humor... Humanity does make you wish for doom once in a while so it is nice to be able to see something that tells us dude people suck ... I loved the chemistry between more or less everybody. the little brother and ceo did have some annoying parts but they were short and easy to overlook. The male lead in the second couple is cool as an icicle can be and I love him for it! Bo Youn is as funny, sweet and great as always making me smile over and over again. Yes I may have a slight crush on her, and the rest of the cast is highly crushable compensating for the less interesting partes of the drama. .This drama shows great friendship and family bonds and does not really have any one to bring out your inner anger or frustration (I do not know if that is good or bad but it just is). The pace varied from to fast to way to slow to just right... so its a mix. The visuals where great and so was the OST.,. It has some several interesting twists but they are very well defined and easy to follow. Oh and their wardrobe and styling was great except for Dooms black pants that were not well fitted at all (it looked like he had a diaper on).

It does not have much new if you have seen things from this genre before but it is still enjoyable and made my heart flutter once or twice as well as tikel my laughing muskels.

So if you are in it for the fantasy sure you will probably hate it, if you are in it for the humor and fluff you will probably love it.

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Expressionless, did they even try?

This drama has an okay, seen before slightly rushed story... Incorporating Playboy boy friend, revenge, misunderstanding, evil mother (in law), evil coworker etc. Giving us some classics like splashing coffee and forced time apart.

The female lead has an expressionless charm, making me wonder what she is hiding about 80% of her screen time, part of me is impressed another just feels numb, as the kissing/implied sex scenes completely lack any sign of sparks. There really is no chemistry involved what so ever and her expressions are as dry as the dessert....

The male leads have their charms and nice smiles, but over all just fall flat.

That said it is an easy binge ant there is some kind of charm to watching something where you keep wondering if this lack of expression i part of the story or just due to bad direction/acting.

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