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An Uncomfortable 'Romance'

I seem to fall into the unpopular opinion category with this one. I did not like Takara’s Treasure as much as I had hoped. Since I really enjoyed Your Sky, I went into this drama thinking I would love this one as well, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. While the series certainly has its cute moments, I found Taishin’s character very difficult to connect with.

Maybe his behavior was meant to showcase a certain personality type or maybe he might be on the spectrum, but still, his portrayal was hard for me to digest. If I had to summarize the most memorable aspects of his dialogue, they would be:

1. “Eh?”
2. “Uh...”
3. “Well...”
4. “I-I am so sorry.”
5. “Th-Thank you very much.”

These five lines seemed to make up about 60–70% of his dialogue, and after a while, it became extremely annoying. The extremely slow speech pace didn’t help either. I had to use 1.5x+ speed just to make it feel natural.

After the university-following incident, I expected Taishin to show some growth or maturity, but he continued the same sneaky, childlike behavior. What made it more shocking was that his actions never seemed to have any ill intent. He genuinely believed what he was doing was acceptable. However, that only cemented my impression that Taishin felt far too much like a child throughout the series. I kept waiting for his character development, but it never came.

Your Sky (another show with a childlike MC) at least had some character growth for Teerak’s character, but this one didn’t deliver the same. Due to this, the main relationship felt really weird to me.

Moving on to Takara, he is gorgeous; I couldn’t take my eyes off him. However, I found it difficult to tell whether he genuinely liked Taishin. While it was clear that Taishin really liked him, Takara’s affection sometimes felt more like he loved the idea of Taishin rather than the person himself. I genuinely couldn't tell why Takara liked Taishin. Is it his marble eyes? Cheerfulness?His trusting nature? Taishin represents everything Takara isn’t, and while that contrast usually works well for most dramas, this drama just wasn't convincing when it came to their emotional connection.

PROS:
1. Really good acting
2. Beautiful cinematography

CONS:
1. Childlike MC with no character growth
2. Unconvincing and slightly uncomfortable romance

Overall, while Takara’s Treasure has some very nice cinematography, acting, and a few sweet moments, the lack of character development and emotional depth made it a disappointing watch for me.

Final Score: 5.5/10

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Disappointing

Going into this movie, I had high expectations. Despite the first two crows zero movies being a bit too old for my taste, I surprisingly enjoyed them. The actions were intense, the characters were well fleshed out, had good acting and a pretty good storyline. So, despite the lower rating for crows explode, I still decided to watch this movie without any prejudice because of how good the first two movies are. However, this movie has a lot of issues for me.

It felt like there was too much going on and I could not focus on the main characters. There was so many different stories with different characters. It all just felt a bit too much and disjointed. There was parts where I was rather annoyed and just started skipping them so that I can get to Suzuran's story.

The action scenes that I was excited for didn't particularly impress me either. In fact, I would say that it's not on-par with the predecessors at all. I couldn't believe that this was a part of the crows zero saga. The main characters were pretty boring too. I did not root for any of the main characters and didn't get attached to any of them either, but I think that's due to the fact that they didn't get enough screen time to actually connect with the audience.

Overall, It's not bad per se, but I wouldn't call it good either. If you liked the first two movies and are expecting the same for this one, I would recommend completely getting rid of those expectations since it will only cause disappointment. Maybe I would've liked this better if I hadn't had such high hopes for this one

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Not the best, but decent

Honestly, I didn't find it as bad as people said it was. Sure, the overall chemistry between the iron triangle was off and really odd compared to the other ones I've watched so far, but I was able to look past that because I wanted to watch the whole series. This one does not continue off from the Lost tomb 2, so it might be confusing for some people.

PROS
The acting was okay, many people complained about how the actors were bad, but I think it was honestly a direction problem. I think the actors tried their best given the direction and how their characters were written for this one. In fact, I found Wu Xie's character a little adorable at times and it was interesting to see a Wu xie with his own faults.
-The ending music is quite good.
- FATTY played a very good role in this series. I personally thought he was the best part.

CONS
-NO CHEMISTRY between the iron triangle. Qiling felt very distant from Wu Xie and Fatty and didn't seem to have the same connection as the previous seasons.
-Left me with a lot of questions. I didn't know what the ending meant and there was various situations which left me hanging and not understanding the purpose of the scene.
- Barely any action. It really really disappointing that I could barely see any cool Qiling action like the other series.

Final opinion - I would recommend to wait until 6 or 7 episodes because it definitely gets better after that. I would also recommend to give this chance, at least to catch up on the story. This is definitely not the best one, but it's not as horrible as some people claim it to be. I think this is a one time watch for me unless I decide to rewatch the whole Lost Tomb series again.

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A drama with a strong start and a weaker end

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started this drama, but I ended up liking it way more than I thought I would. The first three episodes, in particular, were absolutely phenomenal. They delivered angst in the best way possible.

We have Hayakawa, a deeply traumatized mc who’s just drifting through life, unable to truly feel happiness. Then comes Konno, who's calm, sweet, and understanding. The way their relationship developed was so beautifully done. Watching Hayakawa work through his trauma and grief, slowly beginning to heal with Konno’s support, and seeing him process his feelings; it was chef’s kiss. I was completely immersed in their story and could genuinely empathize with both of them.

Then came the last three episodes… and that’s where things went downhill for me. I really didn’t like the time jump. It felt unnatural and rushed, like the first and second halves belonged to two completely different dramas. The emotional depth and pacing that made the first half so strong just weren’t there anymore. We never really got to see how Konno fell for Hayakawa or what actually happened with his whole New York storyline.

Honestly, I wish they’d continued with the high school timeline, letting the second half focus on Konno processing Hayakawa’s confession and exploring his own feelings. If they had done that, this would’ve easily been a 10/10 drama for me.

That said, it still had plenty of strengths: beautiful cinematography, wonderful acting, a great background score, and a sensitive portrayal of grief and trauma. Overall, I’d give it an 8/10. It's just a pity because this drama had soo much potential😭 I'm kinda mad tbh because I love the first half so much. The second half isn't bad per se, but when compared to the first half, it's just quite frustrating. Still, I highly recommend giving this a watch because I believe the quality of this drama is quite good.

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Loved it as a delinquents fan

I personally found the movie to be an absolute blast! I don't know anything about the manga, but it was very enjoyable. It’s the perfect mix of comedy, action, and classic over-the-top acting scenes.

The characters were soo fun and I loved watching all the characters come to life. Have to say that the sassy blonde was my personal favorite. He stole attention every scene he was in. The actors are quite good too. All of them were good at showcasing the chaotic energy of Japanese delinquent roles. The over-the-top acting style feels so much like the classic "delinquent movie", which I think is done well!

The fight scenes are not always perfect and they have some flaws.I mean, the fight sequences are not as good as the High&Low series, but I was easily able to look over it. Have to say that blond's fight sequences were quite good! I thought his fight sequences were done very well, from the acting to the editing. And the humor? I was glad to have that in the movie. I know some people might prefer to just have the action, but I thought that the humor made it easier to watch. It gave a break from the serious scenes. The movie has a lighter, fun vibe, but I don't think it distracts from the delinquency vibes.

I will say that I did not care for the songs in this movie. I don't think they match the the vibes of this and I found them to be little off-putting.

Overall, Out is a good watch for me.

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Wasted Potential

Three words to describe this drama: A Wasted Potential.This drama had everything it needed to rise to greatness: good acting, gorgeous cinematography, and beautiful costumes. However, this drama crumbled faster than my grandma’s rusk cookies due to few big problems.

ISSUE #1: Continuity (lack of)-> Watching this drama felt like playing connect the dots. But, for this drama, half of the dots were missing, and the rest were randomly scattered across the page. Just when I started getting invested, BAM! There was either a jarring cut or a sudden switch up that threw me off. At one point, I just gave up trying to understand and just kept watching.

ISSUE #2: Draggy filler scenes -> i honestly felt like the director didn't know how to extend then storyline properly and just ended having a lot of filler/draggy scenes. It's like ordering a small plate of delicious pasta, only for the director to stretch it into a buffet with endless breadsticks. The breadsticks can be delicious based on the restaurant, but I came for the yummy pasta! This drama stretched itself so thin that the fast-forwarding and playback speed change button became my best friends (mostly used 1.25x and 1.5x for the speed change options). Seriously, why is everything just sooo slow?? Like, how long do I need to see them wandering around??

ISSUE#3: Weird romance between the main leads. Idk how to explain this, but their relationship felt kinda awkward for me. The pacing was weird and the relationship felt not very convincing in many areas. The lack of chemistry also doesn't help at all!!

I will give credit where it's due though. I LOVED the side couples. The acting and their relationships were so well done and I was able to emotionally connect with them. Episode 9 was also AMAZING! The best part of the show for me. That's all I'm gonna say.

Overall, This drama is like Rachel's trifle from Friends. The recipe was perfect, but it wasn't made correctly. Weird ass ingredients were used, which ended up making it not as good. If any of you guys are planning on watching it, I highly recommend getting familiar with the playback speed change option. Another rec to read through the comments in order to read theories and understand the story. It'll save you a lot of time lol!

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Pretty good watch

PROS
1. The first half was really exciting with the tomb adventures scenes.

2. The bromance worked really well.

3. The second half is not as bad as people claim it to be. Is it as good as the first half? The answer is no, but there are still some interesting scenes in it.

4. The acting is really good (especially the one who plays Wu Xie).

5. Had a lot of heart racing moments and jump scares.

CONS
1. The romance aspects with fatty and Piao Piao were totally unnecessary. It didn't contribute anything to the storyline except Wu Xie having some realizations. I would say the same about the mute girl, but she has a much better character and romance storyline compared to Piao Piao.

2. I was uncomfortable about the show trying to add a romance line to Wu Xie (nearly 40 year old) and Bai (20), but I am glad that they weren't endgame.

3. Xiao Ge (one of the main characters) completely disappeared in the second half. What happened to my iron triangle!?

4. We don't know what happened to Wu Erbai and Xiao He's group during the search for the underwater river. It's like the director completely forgot about them in the second half.

Overall I would say that this is a pretty good watch. The first half is definitely better, so I might only rewatch the first part. I would recommend people not to skip the second half when they watch this show the first time. Many people skip a lot of it because they don't see Xiao Ge, but they're missing out on some important story details.

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Decent watch with a fairly action packed storyline

PROS
1. Really really good villain (made it really enjoyable for me). The villain had a well-rounded character which made me understand her more yet hate her.
2. Really interesting story (even though there was some dragging parts). I couldn't stop watching I kept wanting to know what was gonna happen next.
3. I really enjoyed the amount of action I witnessed.
CONS
1. While I love Yoona, the character that she was given made it slightly disappointing for me. Her role in the drama - running away, trauma, tidbits of cute moments. I really wish they gave her character a little bit more personality so that we can see her character and relationships grow in a smooth manner. Due to the lack of character growth, her relationship with the main character seemed a little forced and confusing. I noticed a few comments saying that Yoona's acting was bad. I personally think it's just because of the character she was given (I've seen some of her other acting stuff and she did well in those).
2. Some of the fighting moments seemed a bit weird/unrealistic to me but, this is not really a major problem unless you're really into action scenes.
Overall, I mostly enjoyed watching this and I would recommend you give it a try before making any decisions.

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I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!

I'm extremely impressed on how much I liked this drama.
PROS
1. The plot kept making me want to know what happens nexts and it was a good pace for me. 2. The acting was impressive, especially Gong Jun's! He perfectly portrayed the multiple sides of Wen Kexing (innocent and adorable vs ruthless and a straight up maniac).
3. One of the things I enjoyed in this drama was how well-rounded the characters were. No one was completely good, evil, or innocent. Each character had his or her own flaws which made it interesting and not one dimensional. 4. This show made me cry, smile, and become furious at times. I personally feel that this is a well-rounded show.
5. I also enjoyed the starting ost so I often didn't skip the intro.
6. Has good character growth - I could see how much the characters evolved by the end of the show.
RECOMMENDATION - The production cleverly managed to wiggle through some of the ban by having secret lines throughout the show. I would recommend international viewers to watch some of avenueX's videos on woh because she shows and explains the hidden lines which are dubbed over due to the ban, through lip reading. You'll be surprised to find how many there are. She also talks about the meaning of Kexing's poetry which can help with understanding the drama.
CONS
Terrible graphics - I shouldn't be surprised since this is a low budget drama but the graphics made me cringe when I initially started watching it.
Over-dramatic moments - There are a quite a bit of these in the drama. I was personally not bothered by it but, some people might find it quite cheesy.

I would definitely recommend people to give this show a try. This show is something I won't forget and I'm definitely going to rewatch this again to catch all the details of this story. I'm really glad to have chosen this as my first wuxia drama!

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Okay

I'm finding this series okay. I'm mainly watching it for Lukmo-Simai and the copy couple. Lukmo and Simai's storyline was the most intense and interesting for me (which makes me want to know what's going to happen to their story). I found the copy couple's storyline simply adorable and couldn't stop watching them.
CONS
I skipped all of the other couples for multiple reasons. The basketball couple - didn't have much of a storyline (too short to play is the main thing) and too young for me to watch comfortably. Both-Newyear - I haven't seen any sort of storyline or conflict, all I've seen so far are just lovey-dovey moments (even though it's in the 8th episode. I'm still waiting to see what happens with them. Eak-Phob - This one just doesn't work for me. I tried to keep watching it but, it really just annoyed me.

Thoughts - I personally think this drama would've been better if they didn't have so many couples. Instead, if they just had the main + a side couple with more focus to the plot and development, it could've been a lot better.
Rewatch value - 5/10 Might only watch for the two couples mentioned above.

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Diabetes Inducing with hints of drama

Honestly, I liked this show a lot. While it did have a fe w cringe moments, there is a lot of other things I like more.
1. The entire show is a green forest for one. I love how non-toxic and healthy all the CP relationships are.

2. (The point is my fav) Healthy and open com munication! The leads have such a healthy communication thing going on that it's healing my trauma from all the misunderstanding-heavy BL's.

3. Both the first and second couple have really good c hemistry. There's absolutely no doubt about that for me. Didn't feel anything for the third couple, but we also didn't get much from them, so that's probably why…

4. Massive character growth from the MC.

5. Вecause it's really fucking cute and creating unrealistic expectations. Just seeing Fah and Rak's relationship made me squeal, but also I feel kinda jealous lol.

CONS
On to the negative side, there’s quite a few things that annoyed me. I, personally was able to look over it, but definitely will not be able to.

1. MC is quite childish and naive. Honestly, I can understand why he’s the way he is, but many viewers might find this trait unlikable or unbearable.

2. In classic BL fashion, some things that should be taken seriously were taken too lightly. In an attempt to keep the show in the cutesy stage, the drama has just glossed over a few things that I found very problematic.

3. Cringe Dialogues- While I found this mostly cute, some of the dialogues were just too much. It just felt like even the most cutesy adults shouldn’t be saying such things.

4. Some stiff acting moments- there was a couldn’t le of moments that felt a bit too stiff and took me out of the story, but considering most of the actors are new, this was a very good performance.

Overall, I would say that if you’re looking for a light, fluffy, and cutesy show, then you might be in the right page. However, this show isn't for everyone. It isn't really plot driven and is just a cute fluffy show(my cup of tea), so if you prefer plot heavy shows like Not Me or ITSAY, then this is definitely NOT for you!

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That Summer: A Summer That Stretched Too Long

Let me start by saying that I went into this series genuinely excited. It had all the ingredients for a delicious romance: an island setting, summertime vibes, an amnesia arc, a city-boy-to-island-boy character arc, and etc. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go the way I’d hoped.

Starting with the main couple, as someone who really enjoyed Winny and Satang’s chemistry in MSP, I expected their chemistry to be even stronger with them as the leads. To my surprise, I felt none of that chemistry here. On top of that, the writers made Lava quite unlikeable in the early episodes, which made it hard for me to root for the romance and him as a character.

As for the main romance, I understand they were going for a “simple summer love story,” but with ten episodes to fill, it needed more substance. Halfway through, it felt like the plot stopped moving entirely. Instead, we repeatedly watched the characters do everyday activities like teaching, playing on the beach, and so on. While the visuals were defo beautiful, there’s only so much visuals can do. This drama really could've benefitted with having fewer episodes and a tighter screenplay.

Then there’s the palace arc, where the prince’s family was trapped. This could have added some much needed spice or story depth, but because the show insisted on staying in “simple romance” mode, they didn’t explore it at all. All we really learn is that Davin’s family was held hostage and then somehow won in the end. Honestly, the palace arc with another guy trying to take over made no sense. Since he was trying to get rid of the prince, he should’ve asked for proof of the prince’s death or sent a larger group to finish the job. The fact that only Victor and Paolo were sent made zero sense to me. With no deeper explanation or build up, it was hard to take any of it seriously. It felt like a fever dream.

There was also a second amnesia trope which, while completely unnecessary, I was still able to tolerate. However, the way they rushed through that entire arc in just two episodes really weakened the emotional impact of everything that came before it. I genuinely wanted to see more of Prince Davin and the realistic struggles that would come with a relationship marked by such a clear power imbalance, but the show ignored all of that until the very last episode, and by then, it felt far too late to matter. I did not care about the main couple at all by that point.

The second couple actually had more of a storyline, with more well-developed problems and feelings, but their arc still felt rushed. Especially the adoption plot. It came across like the writers suddenly decided, “Hey, let’s add an adoption angle, people will like that,” without thinking it through. It ended up portraying adoption as something easy and casual, which left a bad taste in my mouth.

The supporting characters, while enjoyable, were also quite one dimensional. Tum = Tik-tok obsessed, loves weed & alcohol, likes Kratae. Kratae = Responsible nurse and Tum's crush. Till the end, I never quite understood why they liked each other / what they liked about each other.

PROS
1. Beautiful cinematography
2. Strong production quality in terms of location setting and color grading.
3. Brings out topics that are fairly new to Thai BLs such as adoption, weed use, queer people in politics, etc.
4. Stronger second couple
5. Decent Acting

CONS
1. Main leads had no chemistry
2. Extremely slow/draggy plot line
3. Wasted potential with the palace arc.
4. Rushed second couple
5. Inconsistency between the 'simple summer romance' idea and the attempted dramatic political elements.

Overall, That Summer had the potential to be a heartfelt, visually stunning romance, but its weak development, undercooked storylines, and draggy pacing made it bland and way less impactful than it could have been.

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It's a mess

I was really interested in watching this because I've watched the Korean version 'Antique Bakery'; however, there's just so many problems with this show that I cannot ignore.
1. The murder mystery feels like an extra segment that was added to make the show longer when it should be one of the main elements.
2. The journalists were completely unconvincing and annoying.
3. The romance seemed to come out of blue and a lot of the the show's side stories seemed to pop out all of a sudden without any hint of it in earlier episodes.
I feel like this show tried to be a lot of different things, which made the show messy and confusing. The friendship between the four main characters was cute and I liked how they realistically showed that trauma is not something you get over immediately, but that's all I liked about the show.

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