Not much happened, but it was a quick and fun watch
Honestly, I only watched this because of BounPrem. The plot was fairly uneventful but the chemistry was great. They definitely could have done more, but for a short series it was a fun watch. The initial conflict seems a bit odd, but it sets up the story nicely and the beach scenes are nice to watch.Sun being unable to collect debt from anyone even though his job is a debt collector added some nice comedy to the show. It was lighthearted and enjoyable, but if you're looking for a deeper plot, this isn't it. A debtor and a debt collector meet up, some things take a turn for an unexpected twist, and naturally they fall in love. Simple as that.
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Fun and lighthearted
While the storyline did feel like another retelling of a classic trope, the actors do a good job portraying it and making it believable. The romance was cute, the slow opening up to each other was enjoyable to watch, and overall I thought it was a nice, easy watch.As with most Korean BLs, I feel like the short time frame doesn't allow for as much character development as I would like. Still, this show did what it could in the time that it had and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the development of the couple's relationship.
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Too much worldbuilding, not enough time
Color Rush was a show that tried to do way more worldbuilding than was necessary for the short time frame they had. However, they did take an interesting soulmate AU idea and turn it into something a bit darker.The concept of the show revolves around certain people that are colorblind (called monos) that can only see in shades of gray and their "probes," which are certain people that can allow them to see color. However, monos have been convicted in crimes revolving around trying to meet and stay near their probe, as seeing colors doesn't last forever if you're not with them.
Taking the idea of colorblindness until meeting a soulmate and turning it on its head to create a much more dramatic version was a great idea that could have been executed a bit better. I think that the show tried to expand on the idea of monos and probes a bit too much, and it just ended up being too confusing and took away from the relationship between the main character. Still a fun little watch though.
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BLs and comedies....good try I guess!
Cute and cheesy university BL (where the leads aren't engineers?!). The overall plot was fairly uninteresting unfortunately, because the main characters spend so much time fighting over...nothing? PondPhuwin is a great pair though (and NeoLouis of course). I honestly only watched this because I'm still waiting for the new episodes of Never Let Me Go.Pi has had a crush on Nan for a long time but has never had the courage to say anything since he knows Nan is way out of his league. But after a ~makeover~ he finally gains the confidence to approach him. However, Mork is always with Nan, giving Pi no room to be alone with him. Pi continuously gets annoyed at Mork, who always seems to be in his way, until he realizes it's actually Mork who he has feelings for.
Mork and Pi would have been great together if Pi didn't spend the entire series convincing himself he only liked Nan and didn't have feelings for Mork. It took them FOREVER to be into each other. Why must the "cheesy romance" BLs never have much of the actual cheesy romance, and instead be so much fighting and arguing over things that never further the plot? The scenes where they were flirting/actually together were so fun and cute, but there are so few of these that it makes watching this one less fun.
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Oh the bodyguard trope....
Am I gonna love a bodyguard plot? Of course. Every time.I thought this one did a good job of building the relationship before the romance even started. The cinematography reminded me a bit of ITSAY, with beautiful beach shots throughout the show. Pond and Phuwin do a fantastic job as Palm and Nueng, and their chemistry is great.
Biggest complaint with this show is the frustration you feel as a viewer from the back and forth of "you're better off without me!" between the two of them. Luckily, it was never too drawn out, but it was still a bit overdone. The way they wove the legend into the show was really well done, and I loved that they kept that until the end. I was expecting this one to be way sadder than it was, and I'm glad it wasn't! It was a great balance between conflict, tragedy, and relief/happiness that it made each episode worth waiting for.
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A bromance?
This could have been so much more than it was! It started off as a cute high school romance between the popular school president Taehyun and the quiet archery team member Dayeol. The circumstances under which they originally meet set them up to be enemies, but they quickly start to get along instead.Unfortunately, this one missed the mark a little bit. Every time their relationship should have taken off, something happened to stop them. And just when you think everything is going to work out, it still doesn't! It seemed like they were trying to get around the fact that this was a gay relationship by....not letting them have a real relationship. No kiss, no handholding, nothing! Just two bros with some tension and an unexplored relationship.
They're clearly gay so I won't call this queerbaiting, but it nearly was.
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So cute!!
A lot of Korean BLs fall into the unfortunate issue of not having enough time to develop their characters but Our Dating Sim found the perfect way to show characters who have grown and changed in just 8 15-min episodes. Plus, the main actors do a great job and have great chemistry. Super cute and fun show to watch.I'm a sucker for the "right person wrong time" trope, and seeing that play out in these characters was fantastic. You get to see the high school embarrassment of a (seemingly) one-sided love turn into a relationship years down the line in adulthood. Super well done and well paced without any unnecessary conflicts or that horrible second-to-last episode breakup trope. Biggest complaint is that it isn't long enough!
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Better than I expected!
I wasn't sure how this was gonna go with how short it is, but I was pleasantly surprised! They didn't try to do too much with the vampire lore and didn't try to overcomplicate things. Junho is a vampire who is going to die and needs to drink pure human blood (still not sure what this means but oh well) to turn into a human. To do so, he needs to make Minhyun, who has pure blood, fall in love with him. But of course, Junho falls in love too and isn't willing to risk Minhyun's life for his own.Most realistic part is Minhyun learning Junho is a vampire and immediately telling him to drink his blood. Honestly he's so real for that.
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Refreshing!!
This drama was nearly perfect. It was shot in such a beautiful way that felt really fresh and didn't feel like the typical over-produced kdrama.Jihyun, a college freshman, meets Jaewon by chance one night while working at his part-time job. The two continue to cross paths, and Jihyun joins the surfing club in order to get closer to Jaewon. As the two begin to spend more time together, their relationship grows as they navigate hardships.
The interactions between the characters in this felt so much more real than most kdramas. The conversations have awkward silences, they're nervous on first dates, etc. and it's super enjoyable to watch. I was super worried that this would end on a sad note, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one, start to finish. There was a bit of a lull in the later episodes where you just want them to solve their problems and be happy, but it's never overly frustrating. The colors, the music, and the shots were all beautifully done. 100% worth the watch.
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A college friend group growing up
We Are showcases how a friend group will change, expand, and grow up together as they experience love and complications. I was honestly worried that the show was going to get annoying with how many characters/couples they have, but it was done so well and was so fun to watch. I looked forward to it every week!Peem (Phuwin) is an art student who is about to submit his painting for the school gallery, until Phum (Pond) ruins it. Peem gets so mad he kicks Phum, and Phum gives Peem a choice: either pay for the most ridiculous doctors visit ever, or be my servant. Naturally, Peem has to choose the latter, with the stipulation the agreement ends once Peem finishes remaking the painting. Naturally, as the two start spending more time together, their relationship develops as feelings emerge. Alongside Peem are his good friends, including Tan (Aou) who has had a crush on Phum's brother Fang (Boom) for awhile, and Q (Winny) who starts becoming closer with his peer mentee Toey (Satang). All of these relationships have their own struggles, which helps to round out the show. While it is definitely mostly focused on Phum and Peem, the other couples are really fun to watch as well.
This is one of the genres that GMM will always excel in: a school-setting with friends that fall in love. It's light and fun and could easily become a comfort show. The conflicts tend not to be trivial misunderstandings, but rather deal more with the characters trying to figure out their feelings and how to pursue their crush. I didn't think that anything was overly drawn out, or that the pacing was off. There were a few moments between Phum and Peem where you're ready for them to just be together already, but the slow building of the relationship was worth it in the end.
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Mediocre At Best
I was soooo looking forward to watching this because I've been wanting a good GL to watch and I had heard so much about it! Unfortunately, it was extremely mediocre. The entire plot was predictable, the characters were only sometimes likeable, and every conflict could have been resolved with a single conversation.This was not a queer story. Yes, it had queer women as the main characters, but this exact storyline could have been done as a straight or BL romance. I wished the writers and directors focused more on the relationship dynamic between the two women and less on silly arranged marriage plotlines.
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World's Most Incompetent Cops
Going into this, I was super excited for the murder/crime aspect of this show, especially as someone who really loves crime dramas. If you're going into this for that like I was, SKIP IT! This show is a romance that happens to have a crime happening in the background. The cops can't solve a case for shit, and spend all their time flirting instead.Jade (Joong) is the cop in charge of a new murder case when a new inspector Kamin (Dunk) arrives to help. The two of them investigate the murder of a college girl and the subsequent murders of the other students in her friend group. As murders continue to happen, Jade's brother Jay is also put at risk, as are the cops themselves. Even though the cops don't get along at first, they grow closer as they work on the case - and Jade's immediate attraction to Kamin is obvious to everyone.
I have never watched a crime show with more incompetent cops. These guys did not solve ANYTHING!! Even up to the very end (no spoilers here) they basically didn't do anything themselves. They quite literally just spent their entire time flirting with each other. The romance fully took away from the actual plot of the show. If you don't care about the crime and just want to see Joong and Dunk flirt, go ahead and watch it. If you care about the crime aspect at all, there are much better crime dramas....
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Horror + Romance = Perfection
This show is a MASTERPIECE! I knew nothing about any of the actors going into this, and honestly didn't know much about the plot but BOY am I glad I decided to watch it. This is genuinely one of the best Thai shows I have ever seen.Khemjira (Namping) is living with a curse - at the age of 21, he will die. He's always been able to see ghosts, and they seem to be getting more malicious as he gets closer to 21. His best friend Jet decides to take Khem to see the shaman of the village he grew up in. This shaman Pharan (Keng) is reluctant to help Khem, especially because Khem coming to the village means he brought all kinds of bad energy and karma with him. Eventually, Pharan agrees to help, but the ghost behind this curse refuses to let go to events of the past, and is determined to kill Khemjira, even if it means taking down everyone else too.
I LOVED this show. The horror elements are SO good, and even though a lot of people wanted to watch for the romance between Pharan and Khem, I think the curse plotline was the highlight of this show (but the romance was INCREDIBLE too). I quite like a show where the romance is secondary to the main plot, and that's exactly what this show delivered. Plus, I'm a sucker for past lives, and the way this show tied in past life/soulmate elements with the horror elements was FANTASTIC! I genuinely cannot recommend this show enough. It has something for everyone, and manages to balance out the darker elements with fun happy moments. The side couple manages to stay just as interesting as the main couple, and adds a wonderful extra little flavor to the story. If you're considering this show at all, absolutely give it a shot.
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Dreams Change, Love Doesn't
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a masterpiece. They took incredible actors and mixed them with the most heart-wrenching story and beautiful cinematography to create one of the best dramas I have ever seen. Fair warning - I don't think you could watch this show without shedding tears. However, it is every bit worth the pain.Oh Ae-Sun (IU) is a young girl growing up on Jeju island in the mid 20th century, who is constantly follow around by Yang Gwan-Sik (Park Bogum). With big dreams of moving to Seoul, marrying a wealthy man, going to college, and becoming a poet, Ae-Sun has a hard road in front of her. Growing up with a single mom working long hours diving and a good-for-nothing step father makes those dreams seem even more out of reach. Gwan-Sik, hopelessly in love with Ae-Sun, will do everything he can to support her dreams - and when he finally figures out his feelings are reciprocated, he feels on top of the world. Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik have a tough life ahead of them though, as everything and everyone seems to be standing in the way of their happiness.
This show is absolutely gorgeous. The way the story manages to tell the lives of these characters from the 1960s to the early 2000s and do so in a way that is never confusing is incredible. As you move through the show, you get glimpses of the past and the future, and you start to put together the picture of the couples life. The more you learn about them, their hardships, and their love, the more you fall in love with them. This show is truly about building these characters, and showing how their experiences early in the show influence their decisions later - a girl who could never follow her dreams growing up is determined to let her daughter try everything she wants; a father who went through the hardship of providing for his family at a young age wants his son to not bear the same burden. However, these are not perfect humans, and their choices as parents are not always the best. These ups and downs are what make the characters feel so real, and it truly draws you in to the story like no other drama. The turns the story takes are so realistic, and I loved the shifts in focus throughout the story to look more closely at their children as the story progressed. Overall a gorgeous drama that is ABSOLUTELY worth the watch (just have the tissues ready).
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Go Young's Tragic Autobiography
The best way to describe this show is snapshots of our main character Go Young's (Nam Yoonsu) life. We first meet him in college, where his queerness makes him a loner. This doesn't stop his pursuit of love, but not all romantic encounters are created equal. Go Young finds again and again that love requires not just the right person, but also the right circumstances. In his quest to figure out what love looks like and how to make relationships work, we see him continue to get his heart broken, both by his own faults and his partners'.I think what really sold me on this show was the way it was done. It felt like it was being told as if Go Young had written his own autobiography, where he emphasized what he found important and left out the details that seemed too mundane. We get glimpses into his life and his relationships, without ever getting to see his day-to-day life. What happens in an episode may be a few weeks or a year, depending on how important the events felt to Go Young himself. Each relationship he enters presents new challenges, and unable to navigate them, Go Young continues to feel tired and alone. I did not expect such depth of issues on queerness coming from a Kdrama, and it was done beautifully. The issues were never taken lightly or laughed at, and the relationships were portrayed in such a realistic way that it truly felt like this could be someone's autobiography. It was unfortunately sadder than I had anticipated, and the realism just emphasized the tragedy, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
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