Little Substance
When I saw the trailer for Break-Up Service, I was hoping for something similar to Peaceful Property, where the show starts off silly and episodic and slowly turns into a more cohesive story. However, I felt that Break-Up Service never fulfilled what I wanted for an overarching storyline, and instead felt predictable and lacking substance. The romance took so long to develop, even though I feel like it could've been an interesting office romance plot if they had started it earlier. The romantic conflicts were pretty pointless, and while I enjoyed the main couple, their storyline didn't even feel all that important until the end. I just wish the storyline was less predictable and that the show was a little less episodic, especially since some episodes I found myself totally not invested in the couple they were trying to break up.While this was a light and fun watch, it didn't feel like anything special. I really like Off, which is why I watched it in the first place, but just felt that this show missed the mark.
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Already Iconic
I can't believe how quickly this show became a hit - and it is incredibly deserved. I'm typically not the biggest fan of comedies, but this one had me laughing out loud every episode. My usual problem is that the jokes don't translate well or cultural differences in comedy are too large, but in this case, they managed to make this a show that everyone will find funny. Pond and Phuwin do an INCREDIBLE job portraying these characters, and I think they'll go down as their most recognizable and famous characters for years to come.Mr. Thee (Pond), the CEO of perfume company Arseni and first son of a major mafia boss, wants to sleep with Arseni's top model, Aran (Santa). Luckily, before the bodyguard kidnap the poor model, the freelance photographer currently working on Arseni's new project Peach (Phuwin) steps in. Peach convinces Thee that threatening someone is not the way to their heart, and Thee convinces Peach to help him learn how to date by going on dates with him. Quickly, Thee forgets all about Aran and falls head over heels for Peach. Peach, oblivious to this, is baffled by every single move Thee makes.
The combo of "mafia boss obsessed with old timey soap operas" and the play on mafia CEO x y/n made this show HILARIOUS. Truly, even if you don't like comedies, it is worth watching because it is that good. There were a few major downsides to this show though: (1) There were two side couples, neither of which got much of a storyline. It felt like two half-baked plotlines instead of giving just one side couple a decent plot; and (2) the climax/main issues seemed to go away WAY too easily - a rival mafia boss and Thee's dad's rule about not falling in love barely seemed to actually matter. Still, this show was super fun and the most interesting characters Pond and Phuwin have played yet. Definitely give it a watch - just don't watch it for PerthSanta or WilliamEst, because this show is pretty much only about PondPhuwin.
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More royal politics than romance
As someone that had been waiting for The Next Prince for nearly 3 years, I was super excited to watch it when it started airing. I thought that the sets and costuming were fantastic, and I loved the overall plot. I do think many people went into this thinking it would be a lot more romance-focused than it was, but I thought it was a great balance. While the romantic conflict was fairly predictable and repetitive, I thought that the way the romance was incorporated into the larger plot was lovely. Plus, the side characters were super fun to watch too!Khanin (Nunew) is a fencer living in London with his father, when suddenly everything he knows is turned upside down with the arrival of Charan (Zee). Khanin learns of his royal heritage, and is told he must return to the kingdom of Emmaly to compete for the crown. With Charan as his bodyguard, Khanin makes the journey to Emmaly (with assassins pursuing him) in order to train for the royal competition. As Charan helps him train, feelings begin to develop between them, and even though a relationship between a royal and his bodyguard is seemingly impossible, Khanin is determined to make it work.
This show is definitely more focused on the royal competition, family/political issues, and Khanin's journey into royalty than it is about the relationship between Charan and Khanin. Personally, I was totally fine with this. I understand the expectations people had going in to a ZeeNunew show, but I thought that the balance was great. I especially loved that this meant there were fewer relationship issues between them, allowing us to have more happy moments with them as a couple and explore the relationships of the other characters a bit more. I was left waiting for the lesbians to get any screen time (they didn't really), but I loved Ramil and Paytai's (JimmyOhm) storyline. The third couple did feel a bit thrown in unnecessarily, but they were still entertaining. I think a lot of the hate for this show is due to slow pacing and lack of romantic conflict, but I thought it was still quite enjoyable, especially if you're aware of what this show is truly about. Watch this one for the political tension between royal families and the competition for the crown.
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Love or Obsession?
The Trunk was a lot more than I expected it to be, and I mean that in a good way. Contract marriage plotlines aren't typically something I go for, but this one seemed interesting enough to get me to watch it, and the shorter length of it made it especially easy to watch. I didn't expect to get so hooked on it!Han Jeongwon (Gong Yoo) is currently going through a divorce that he doesn't want, and he's so desperate to keep his wife that he will do whatever she wishes to convince her; however, she insists on signing him up for a one year-long contract marriage with a woman of her choosing, and tells him that if he makes in through, she'll take him back. Jeongwon agrees, believing it the only way to win back his now ex-wife. The contract marriage should be straightforward, but it's anything but. Between the anxious drug addict main character, a contract wife with too many secrets, a controlling and manipulative ex-wife, and the ex-wife's new boytoy, there's bound to be conflicts. Things escalate further when the characters are towing the line between falling in love and convincing themselves obsession is the same thing as love.
This show did a great job at portraying the relationships. What I thought was super interesting was the dual timelines: one starting at the beginning of the contract marriage, and one about 5 months into the contract where the police are investigating the found trunk in the lake. The back and forth allowed for some excellent foreshadowing and parallels, though it did feel like they could have tied it all together a bit better. I thought that the contract wife's storyline was super interesting, but I just wish it had been a little more worked into the show. I actually quite liked the ending of the show, though it wasn't what I had expected for this one. I would say that it's best if you watch not just for the romance, but more for the rich people drama. Overall I'd say it's worth the watch considering how much they manage to do with only 8 episodes.
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Enemies to Lovers DONE RIGHT
This show was incredible. A true enemies to lovers, complete with a beautiful slowburn and tension all the way through. Yin and War did an INCREDIBLE job as the leads, and knowing that this was made by the company they started themselves only makes it better. I almost started rewatching this show before it even finished it was so good. Even with the longer episodes, it was able to hold my attention for every single minute, and had me excited to watch every week.After a brief encounter, it seems that Jack (Yin) and Joke (War) hit it off. When Jack goes to the bank for a much needed loan to pay off some debt collectors, he's surprised to see that Joke is the branch manager. What he doesn't know is that Joke is lying - and actively trying to expose the bank for its corruption. Joke gives him money he stole out of the safe, but the cops are quick to catch on. Joke, feeling bad, confesses to being Joker, an infamous thief that exposes corrupt businesses, and goes to prison. However, this leaves Jack with no way to pay off the debt collectors. Flash forward 5 years and Jack has been forced to become a debt collector himself, and has sworn to get revenge on Joke if he ever sees him again. Joke spent his last 5 years in prison coming up with every way he could make Jack forgive him. Upon his release, Joke immediately searches for Jack to apologize, only to be confronted not with the sweet young Jack he once knew, but a Jack dubbed the "Grim Reaper" by the locals. Regardless, Joke attempts to get close with Jack and help him out of the debt collector hell he's been forced into, while Jack swears that if he tries to get close to him again, he'll kill him.
Jack and Joke were absolutely wonderful to watch. I love a good slowburn and this one delivered in every aspect. Starting off with a full episode on the backstory of them was brilliant, and watching them go from beating each other up to slowly realizing they shouldn't be enemies, to a clear romantic tension between them was FANTASTIC. The action scenes were some of the best I've seen in a Thai show, and you could tell how hard they worked to make the fights good. That, combined with the tension of the heists Joker pulls off makes for one of the most entertaining watches ever. It'll have you on the edge of your seat the whole time and hit you with unexpected twists at the best times. The relationship development is perfect too, with issues that aren't too drawn out and a beautiful ending for the characters. ABSOLUTELY worth watching!!!
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An unfulfilling short series
I was really excited to start The Bequeathed because it seemed like it had everything I liked wrapped up into a short 6-episode series. It wasn't until I started the final episode that I realized there was no way they could wrap everything up as cleanly as I would have liked. The twists in the story weren't all that surprising, and I felt that I wasn't too invested in ay of the characters.Yoon Seoha finds out she has inherited a family burial ground from a recently deceased uncle whom she had never met. Meanwhile, she finds out her husband is cheating on her and she likely didn't get the job promotion she thought she would. When a man claiming to be her half-brother starts fighting her for this burial ground, it seems like Seoha's life is spiraling out of control. No matter which way she turns, it seems that only hardships follow, and though she's suspecting everyone around her, she can't help but feel like it may be her family's own bad karma.
When it comes to crime K-dramas, there's a high bar. I love a good mystery, a good investigation, and a good, well-thought out killer. Unfortunately, this one just didn't quite deliver. While it was a very enjoyable and quick watch, I felt that something was lacking the whole time. I found Seoha difficult to sympathize with, as she always threw the blame on the closest person and never seemed to think things through. If they wanted to focus on the police investigation, they could have done that too, but that also felt like it was only peripheral even though they attempted to flesh out the cops working the case as much as they could. I think this story would have been a lot more compelling if told from the perspective of the lead detective instead of Seoha, or if Seoha was a bit more likeable as a character. Still, it was a fun show and an easy watch because of its length.
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This review may contain spoilers
Stunning, Emotional, and Nearly Perfect
As is typical with shows directed by Aof, this is a masterpiece. The visuals are beautiful, the acting wonderful, and the storyline nearly perfect. I watched this as it aired and I looked forward to it every single week.Day (Sea) has recently gone blind and is suffering mentally because of this. He has fallen into a depressive episode, refusing to leave his room or even open his blinds. His mom has had to hire caretaker after caretaker because no one can seem to put up with Day and his attitude - until Mhok (Jimmy). Mhok is trying to get any job he can to earn money, which isn't too easy when you have a criminal record. Day knows his mom will hate Mhok, which is precisely why he chose him, hoping that this will stop his mom from hiring someone else. Unexpectedly, Mhok seems more committed to this job than anyone ever has, and it seems that the key to winning Day over was simply to treat him like a normal person. Slowly, feelings start to develop between the two as Mhok shows Day that life can be just as wonderful even though he's gone blind.
*Spoilers Start Here*
Up until the finale, this show was actually perfect. Not a plot point was out of place, the pacing was wonderful, and the development of the characters and their relationship was absolutely beautiful. Watching Mhok and Day learn about themselves through each other and fight to be together was absolutely wonderful. However, the only reason I couldn't give this a 10/10 was the finale. I was concerned the first time Day received the cornea transplant, and was surprisingly relieved when it didn't work. I kept thinking - this entire show is about overcoming the challenges of being blind and Day learning to accept himself and his new reality, so why would they make it so he could see again? So in the finale when Day gets a SECOND cornea transplant that works, I was a little disappointed. It felt a bit like saying "your life will get better because your disability can be healed!" which is not typically how that works. I understand the narrative they made of "giving things a second chance" and how the second cornea transplant worked into that, but it still felt a bit off to suddenly throw in Day regaining his sight in a show that otherwise focused on how he could make the most of his life and be happy and in love despite his disability. So, I can only say this show was nearly perfect. It is still a beautiful show that is 100% worth watching, though it is an emotional one. Luckily, these emotional aspects aren't the typical relationship troubles, but rather Mhok and Day as a couple working through the hardships that come their way.
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Messy!!! (in the best way)
Imagine the messiest person you know - someone that always has drama, makes too big of a deal about things, etc. Now imagine six people like that who are all (loosely) in the same friend group. That's the plot of Only Friends.The show was NEVER boring. I was screaming at the TV and pausing to take deep breaths every single episode. You've got Mew (Book), Ray (Khaotung), and Boston (Neo) who are all pretty close friends (plus their lesbian friend Cheum (Lookjun)). In an attempt to help Mew get laid, Boston sets him up with his friend Top (Force). Mew and Top hit it off, but instead of a one night stand, start going on dates. Things start getting messy when Boston and Ray seem to be jealous of this relationship for different reasons; things get messier when bar singer Sand (First) meets Ray, and Boston starts seeing Nick (Mark). These six "friends" seem to be anything but - and they are much too willing to hurt each other in order to get what they want.
This show was super fun. It was the boldest show I've seen from GMM, and it was done well. With this many characters, it's hard to keep them all interesting and dynamic, but they did an excellent job with it. It was juicy all the way through without a moment to rest. And while I sometimes do wish there were more happy moments throughout, or more instances of positive character growth, it was extremely entertaining to watch and had me yelling at each character for different reasons. Definitely worth a watch.
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Only good if you're a big fan of EarthMix
Out of all of EarthMix's projects, this one is by far the worst. While the two have great chemistry, who thought that this plot was a good idea?Win (Mix) is in a car accident with his sister, Lin, and when he wakes up he's in his sister's body. He then embarks on a journey with his former friend Korn (Earth) in order to retrieve holy water to return to his body. Along this journey, past issues between Win and Korn resurface and as the two learn to get along again, feelings between them emerge - but does Korn have feelings for Win, or does he only care about the body his soul is transported in?
The entire conflict of this show being "is he into me or is he into me because I'm in my sister's body" is crazy. What even. Regardless, watching the relationship between Win and Korn change was very enjoyable, and the fairly slow burn friends-to-lovers was fun to watch. But thank god it was only 10 episodes because I don't think I could have watched much more.
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They couldn't have come up with a plot that didn't involve falling in love with a dog...?
Definitely a cute, short little show with a unique concept. I think reincarnation plots can be very interesting but this one was a little...different. Normally I would advise just getting past any of the weirdness that this entails, but this one was hard to move on from.I would have rated this higher if it weren't for the fact that any time you remember those people used to be his pets. Any time you think of that, any kind of romance that was going on feels a bit odd. Best watched if you don't think about it too much!
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I thought this was supposed to be good???
I watched this because I kept getting tiktoks about it since the second season dropped and I was thoroughly disappointed. The main characters are so annoying and unlikable that whatever plot they were going for just didn't work. Hira constantly gets bullied by his classmates but when it's Kiyoi he likes it? Then throw in a weird time skip, a much better potential boyfriend for Hira, and a whole lot of unnecessary conflict/miscommunication and that's about all that happens! Did they like each other the whole time? I guess so! Too bad they never actually told each other this or else the show would have been over in the first episode.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute, but nothing special
When the rich kid is forced to live on his own and support himself he ends up living with the landlord of his apartment complex...who is also his subordinate at work. Interesting dynamic between them but I feel like they could have done a lot more with it than they did.As is typical of Korean BLs, I feel like the characters didn't have a lot of room to grow throughout the series. I wish instead of unnecessary breakup plot points, the writers would allow the characters to properly develop over the course of the show. Overall a fun and easy watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unfortunately infuriating
[I will tag where the spoilers begin]What can I even say about this show. A vampire plot that lacks any real vampire aspects, special effects that were laughable at best, and a script that was missing any kind of depth all rolled up into one show. The acting unfortunately fell flat, and I don't know whether to blame the lack of chemistry between the actors, the script writing, or the directing but I think I could blame all three if I wanted to. Every episode of this show made me more upset than the last, even though I kept trying to see if it would get good. All I wanted was some classic vampire romance - the fear of being bitten, the tension in a kiss scene, broken trust because of a vampire's true desire - and instead I got a college basketball tournament, a half-baked evil vampire, and a relationship lacking any real tension. I really hope that the fault lies in the crew and not the cast - I wanted to like JossGawin, but truly could not get invested in them as a couple during this show.
Tong (Gawin) has been raised in an orphanage. When he goes off to college, he ends up helping his friend at a job, where he unknowingly works with a bunch of vampires. It is quickly revealed that he has golden blood, irresistible to vampires because of the special powers it gives them. Mark (Joss) is a vampire tasked with protecting Tong from other vampires, but soon their relationship becomes more than that of a bodyguard.
*Spoilers start here*
I truly don't know how they went SO WRONG with this plot. I can get over bad special effects or clunky dialogue, but oh my god this show was actually infuriating. You're telling me Tong gets attacked by Mark because of his blood and this causes ZERO issues with their relationship? There was no real conflicts besides the whole "does he love me or does he just love my blood" which wasn't even well thought out! And then Neo's character dying out of nowhere, without any kind of "let's turn him into a vampire to save him"??? That's the oldest plot in the book!! Why was the basketball tournament so important in a VAMPIRE SHOW??? I really think there was no need to set this show in college - it adds nothing to the actual plot and instead just feels like an excuse for GMM to reuse one of the sets they've used before. Mond played the only character that I actually liked, because at least he was INTERESTING! Joss and Gawin really gave me nothing to work with here. They were always crammed in a tiny bathtub together, or Gawin was staring at Joss shirtless (which, I get it, but why is he shirtless THAT often), and somehow they STILL didn't have chemistry. I was hoping that at least during the makeout scenes when there wasn't any awkward dialogue that the relationship would have some tension, but somehow that STILL fell flat. Even the "twist" in the real villain was predictable from episode one.
This one just fell SO flat for me. While there wasn't any one thing that made it bad, the combo of a lot of small things made this show hard to watch. I really wanted to like it, especially because I think vampire plots are super cool, but I just can't recommend this to anyone.
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Guilt, Grief, and....Cats??
I will start out with the fact that this is definitely a biased review - as a big fan of First and Khao (and cats, I suppose), I don't think I can give a very critical review of this. Is the premise stupid? Yes. Is the script and cinematography great? No. Did I enjoy every single episode? Absolutely. It's clear to me that they had no clue what they wanted the tone of this show to be - truly, this is a story about a son who feels guilty about the death of his mother, and with no way to make it up to her, feels this guilt as a weight he can't lift. And somehow, they thought the best backdrop for this story was a cat cafe and a debt collector that can talk to cats. It's stupid, but actually provided some balance to the heavy points of the show.Tiger (First) is a debt collector, or rather the son of a debt collector, who just can't seem to get money from his favorite debtor: Meow, the owner of a cat cafe. Even though Tiger is allergic to cats, he still loves to visit. However, after some medical issues, Meow passes away, but manages to pass on her power to talk to cats over to Tiger. Lynx (Khao), Meow's son, hasn't been involved with her life very much these last few years, but returns after her death to deal with the logistics. He decides to run the cafe himself, despite his issues with his mom (and her cats). Tiger agrees to help him get the place up and running again since he needs the debt payments, but really he just wants to get closer to Lynx.
I'm still genuinely so confused as to why they decided to mix a talking cat romcom with the guilt of being a bad son and the grief of losing a parent, but somehow it worked? I think most fans of these actors were well aware that this show was going to be sad regardless of how happy the premise sounded because - let's be honest - FirstKhao can't have a series where they don't cry! There were definitely aspects of the show that could have been handled better, especially the tone shifts during episodes. Still, this show kinda surprised me with how much I enjoyed it! It's one of FirstKhao's lighter shows, and it was fun to see them in some different roles than normal. If you're a fan, I'd give it a watch - but if you're not a fan of cats too, you might not like it.
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Selfish Desires
This is EXACTLY the kind of show I needed from OffGun. Dramatic, sexy, thrilling, and MESSY! Throughout the entire show I was upset with both of their characters, as well as Dew's, and that's what made this show so fun. Truly, this is a story of three people motivated almost entirely by their own selfish desires, and the conflicts that they end up in because of it.Jira (Gun) is a struggling artist, currently unemployed and unwilling to take jobs that involve AI because of his moral aversion to generated art. Even art isn't motivating him anymore, so his friend suggests he head to Burn Out Bar to meet other people in similar situations. There he meets Pheem (Dew) and the two hit it off - Jira listens to Pheem's stories of his overbearing boss, and Pheem is happy to have someone to listen and flirt with. Soon, Jira is offered a job working for Koh (Off), but the details are a bit murky. Eventually, Jira learns that Koh is one of the biggest names in tech right now, with an AI model in development that will blow the others away - but since Koh hates dealing with people, he hires Jira as his stand-in for in person events. As much as Jira hates AI, he loves the rush of inspiration he gets around Koh, and finally his love of painting is back and sexier than ever. Jira is torn between his feelings for Pheem and Koh, and the two men both struggle for Jira's attention, but it's unclear whether they're fighting for him because they love him, or because they want something from him.
I loved the way that this love triangle played out. Yes, one of the downsides of watching a GMM love triangle is that you always know who they plan on having together at the end, but the way the relationships developed over the course of the show as so fun. Koh is motivated by his desire to use Jira for his own gain; Pheem by his need to win Jira's attention; and Jira by his sexual fantasies of Koh and entertainment from Pheem. All of these characters seem to disregard the other characters' feelings for their own gain, and boy does that make this fun to watch!! And even as an OffGun fan, I absolutely cannot deny the chemistry between Dew and Gun - frankly, the show is worth watching just for that! Not to mention, the directing/cinematography of this show is GORGEOUS! I'm not gonna lie, I feel like it's rare that I say that about GMM shows nowadays, but WOW this show blew me away with how beautiful it was. My biggest complaints about the show are just that it could have used a little more time on the final conflict, since the ending felt a bit rushed, and I wish they committed more to the messaging around the harm of AI since it was a central theme of the show. Still, this show was VERY good and definitely worth watching if you're into messy and dramatic plots with very flawed characters.
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