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We Are….disappointed.
We Are…hoping for more drama. We Are….hoping for more chemistry. We Are hoping for more from Pond/Phuwin. We Are….wondering why this was 16 episodes. Hopefully that sums this review up.In short, I expected so much more from this drama especially with Pond Phuwin as the headliners. After also watching “Never Let Me Go,” I personally don’t see the chemistry between them. They are both great actors and professionals, but the chemistry isn’t there. I feel like GMMTV keeps trying to make fetch happen with these two, but I just don’t find them naturally captivating as some of the other main couples.
AuoBoom stole the show in this one. I found myself wanting and wishing for more screen time with this side couple and their relationship was both cute and captivating. Only believable romantic chemistry from the main couples for me. It felt like the character of Q absolutely did not want to be in a BL…didn’t get that casting or paring at. all.
The story started off promising, but as many have already pointed out, the plot becomes pointless and looses steam between the leads in endless and senseless repetition.
Unfortunately, there isn’t enough fan service of other couples or other captivating performances to bail out the poor writing and plot, and the series loses steam. There was not a predictable pattern (minus an endless plot circle) and resolutio, and I found myself begging the writers for some drama.
AouBoom deserve their own series and did what they could to save the performance - defintely underrated. I came in with lower expectations and was surprised at their abilities and chemistry. They single handledly helped me not give lower than a 3 star rating. Really enjoyed their performance and hoping for more from them in the future!
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Great acting and chemistry
Currently rewatching this drama with a friend and I completely forgot how great the chemistry of the leads are! UWMA is a captivating story. The actors emote well, and it is easy to connect with the characters. As the audience we “know” who the characters are, but the series still leaves room for positive character development and someone for every audience member to connect with. the chemistry of both leads and the side couple (Boun/Prem) is great and the series does a great job transitioning between more serious moments and mixing them up with some light-hearted humor and romance. OST is great too. Highly recommend giving it a watch.Was this review helpful to you?
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I really wanted to like this more.
When I first saw the trailer, I was so excited to watch this drama. Not Me was an awesome drama and one of my favorites, and I love OffGun and their chemistry when they star together. That being said, I was initially ready to give this series a much higher rating. The adult story line, acting, and drama felt refreshing, especially after Cooking Crush and The Intern. I was thinking this would finally put the Not Me curse for OffGun to rest.Unfortunately, I felt like it was close but no cigar. Dew, Off, and Gun are all very good, but I felt the character of Jira was a little toxic for me and strung both guys along. Koh is cold and a major a**h*le at numerous times and I found that hard to look past. Pheem is the only character that I felt had some redeeming qualities and deserved a lot of sympathy. The scene in the rage room was very heartbreaking and Jira just kind of disgusted me because he didn't seem to grasp both what he had done to Pheem or even care to grasp it, he just wanted to paint and cared about his art.
Overall, the series was pretty good, but just didn't finish in a way that made sense. The writers set up the perfect path for the drama to break the BL drama mold and have Jira realize he was the issue and was burnt out and dealing with complex emotions and a life that was chaotic and needed two failed romances to see that he needed to focus on himself, his art, and his life. However, the series stopped just short of that and leaned back into the typical BL trope of a clean reconciliation between the leads and having the relationship rekindle. This was much, much, MUCH better than many of the other GMMTV BLs that are getting released lately, plot wise, I just wish it had gone the full way and broke the mold of a stereotypical BL pattern.
Side bar, the themes about expression, art, emotion, creativity, and passion were AMAZING, as well as how the scene tied that part of Jira's life together with him and his relationship with each man, and his interpretation of them differently in his work. I loved the idea of expressing the emotions of the artists and the subject of the art so differently. The rage room scene and finished work was AMAZING. I just wish GMMTV had been a little less....GMMTV.....and this would have been a solid 8.5 or higher. Still, the drama is worth a watch and the actors are great.
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The perfect balance of angst, comedy, fluff, and plot
I stumbled upon Revenged Love during the summer via a podcast recommendation, watched two episodes, and never looked back!! Despite being so many episodes (and rushing to finish it out of fear of it being censored or cancelled), this drama is an easy watch and each episode is refreshing to see the leads continue to develop chemistry. The four main characters each have good character development, and the back stories of each are very good. The series does a great job of delivering both comedy and cute fluff, but being able to deliver on the serious moments and scenes (ex: Wu Suo Wei's mother and reckoning with himself, his love, and his feelings for Chi Cheng) as well as delivering funny moments. The chemistry was not lacking in the main couple, nor was it lacking for the side couple! Some BL series offer filler couples and characters on the side, but this was not the case with Xiaoshuai and Guo Chengyu. I found myself wanting to watch as much of their development as the main couple.This was my first Chinese BL (and only my 3rd or 4th Chinese drama and it exceeded expectations. This is a great series to watch if you want something lighthearted with good writing, plot, acting, directing, and chemistry between main leads. Just hearing the theme song gives me good vibes and a feeling of summer. Check it out, you will not be disappointed!
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Story needed more TLC
Jimmy and Sea and all actors did a great job. Let me keep this review short and sweet:GMMTV just needs to drop cliches and focus on quality instead of QUANTITY of BLs. Story could have been great with better writing. Cast was great and I enjoyed the OST. I started watching this as a filler and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it.
I just wish we got less cliches and more attention to the writing with less focus on fluff and fan service (which will come with a great series) because the production and acting are there.
I just feel like GMMTV has been producing mid dramas the last few years since 2022/2023. I don’t think I have given a GMMTV drama that has been hyped higher than a 7 since Only Friends.
Again, no disrespect, just start writing better and giving the storyline TLC because the arsenal of talent is incredible!!
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Imperfect, realistic take on modern love
I initially was drawn to watch this series via the trailer. The All Star cast excited me and the adult storylines seemed to be a “finally” moment for many BL fans of diverse ages and nationalities. As someone who identifies as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I felt that this series has something for everyone. Character development is a true strong suit of this series, and I was impressed by the writing and each character we are given. From the innocent, naive virgin who has his perspective shifted from heartbreak (Mew) to the one sided, slightly obsessed guy in love with a toxic f***boy (Nick), there was character development to appreciate from all. (Even Boston got a tiny, TINY change of perspective or introspection, albeit not enough).I found myself identifying with Nick (Mark) the most, and it was impressive to see him and Boston (Neo) act out their toxic characters and situationship in a mature way. The writing for them was spot on nailing the essence of a situationship that many of us in the LGBTQ community can identify with all too well. Likewise, the evolution of Sand (First) and Ray (Khaotung) is a roller coaster that most viewers will find that they can’t help but root for. While Mew (Book) and Top (Force) did well and the acting was great, I found myself less invested in their story.
My only wishes for this series is that the trans and lesbian characters had more development and screen time, and a scrapping of the Boeing plot twist/character introduction, but enjoyed the mature writing of the overall series and felt it truly nailed many aspects of the often messy and drama filled romantic tropes that exist for some of us in 2024.
Watch this series if you want some drama, plot twists, character development and growth, a great OST and playlist, mature characters, and someone to root for or identify with.
Don’t watch this is you want a cookie cutter GMMTV BL with nothing but happiness, no conflict, and a perfect romance! (also you will get plenty of fansevice fluff in Only Friends, you just have to wade through a pool of sometimes toxic behavior to get there).
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Captivating Story, Subjects, and Acting
I started watching this at the recommendation of a friend and it was fantastic. I was blown away at the storyline, and how the writers tackled and incorporated themes of mental health and illness throughout the drama. The leads are both amazing actors and deliver their roles well (character of one of them outside of acting excluded from analysis) and each episode delivers a more nuanced and complicated layer and development to each character. The series is long but never feels slow and every episode feels important in the overall plot and story development.I love how Ko Mun Yeong is misunderstood and portrayed, as well as overcomes obstacles and inclinations about the way she was raised and the sociological and environmental influences she faced from her mother. Despite the seriousness of the series overall, the humor and dark fairytale like story are captivating. Visually, the drama is wonderfully done and even the support case in the drama is outstanding.
As one of my first non BL dramas, this set a high bar for other dramas to live up to! Definitely watch this if you want character depth, a different style love story, and characters that sometimes break the traditional K-Drama molds of leads.
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