Supernatural Crime Romance?
The concept of GBYFD was really intriguing to me, and I loved the direction it went with the supernatural elements. While I do wish we got a little more backstory on the rituals and people performing them, especially before the big reveal, I still very much enjoyed how this show played out, including the investigation of the crimes. I do think there was a bit of a lull about 2/3 of the way through the show, where it felt like very little progress was being made each episode to move the case along, but I still very much enjoyed it - though watching it after it's aired might be even more enjoyable because of that lull.Thup (Pooh) has always been able to see ghosts, and now that he's on his own, it's become overwhelming. It doesn't help that Thup ends up the only suspect of a string of murders connected to a ritual. Singh (Pavel) leads the investigation, and while he once suspected Thup just as everyone else did, it turns out Thup's knowledge of the supernatural might come in handy. Singh decides to trust Thup, and as the two grow closer, a relationship starts to form between them.
I think anyone who enjoys crime and supernatural shows will really enjoy this one. I thought the main actors did a great job portraying these characters, and the story was fairly well paced and the ending didn't feel too rushed. I did think they could have expanded on some of the characters a little bit more, but overall it was still a super fun watch! Sometimes I did think the romance was being treated as more important than the investigation, and I know we were all expecting romance with Pooh and Pavel, but I always find that too much romance ends up feeling out of place when there's murders happening....maybe I just don't find murder investigations as romantic as these characters do. Regardless, this is still definitely worth the watch!
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All Action, Nothing Else
Mercy For None started off with a bang - intense action scenes, including killing off who you thought would be the main character in ep 1. However, I soon realized that they seemed to care a lot more about making the fight scenes bloody and violent than they did any character development.Nam Gijun left the bloody gang life 11 years ago and hasn't looked back; however, after hearing of his brother's murder, he's pulled right back in. According to the police report, a simple gang of runaway kids killed his brother, but Gijun knows better than to believe that. It seemed that the two gangs were getting along up until now, but Gijun's return brings back memories of what happened 11 years ago, and it seems another war now appears inevitable.
The fight scenes in this show were honestly great. The effects and fight choreography were so interesting to watch! However, it seems like that's the only thing they cared about. I was super excited to see some growth from Gijun, or at least some more backstory to see how he became such a cold blooded killer. Instead, we just get Gijun killing people again. and again. and again. If you're here for the action scenes, you'll love this; if you're looking for something deeper, this one misses the mark.
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Red Flag Offroad!!
As someone who loves action dramas AND DaouOffroad, I was excited for this. I thought Daou and Offroad did a great job as their characters, and anyone that's mad about Offroad's character being evil needs to remember that it's just a character (and a super fun character to watch!). Overall, I thought this drama was really well done - my only complaint was that the conflict got a little repetitive, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.Than (Daou) is a former cop that lost his job due to allegedly taking a bribe during his work on a major fentanyl case. He ends up working for Pheem (Offroad) as his bodyguard, and realizes that the fentanyl case he was investigating is directly linked to Pheem's brother. Pheem promises Than that he will clear his name and get him back on the police force by helping him finally convict his brother of stealing and selling fentanyl - however, Pheem is not at all motivated by Than, but instead wants to ensure that he is the heir to his father's hospital. Pheem will do whatever it takes to drag his brother down, and does not care who he drags with him - even if that means his bodyguard that he's falling in love with.
There were so many things about this show that I loved. A truly complex character from Offroad, acted INCREDIBLY. And look, I hated Pheem for a lot of the show, and that's what made it fun! The betrayal that Than went through throughout the show was so entertaining to watch, and I love how it's unclear to the viewer whether Pheem is telling the truth or lying for a lot of things. It really keeps the viewer on their toes. I do think that there was a little too much of the whole "I need to leave you to protect you" thing and that Than and Pheem probably should have worked out a plan together instead of constantly going behind the others back to "protect" each other, but that's to be expected for the drama of it all. Regardless, I really enjoyed this show!
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Frustrating, Unlikeable Characters
Take this review with a grain of salt because in general, I don't enjoy memory loss tropes. Because it was Winny and Satang's first show as the main leads though, I really wanted to see how they would do. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in this show. I found Winny's character to be infuriating, the plot was horribly rushed at the end, and the lack of character development with Satang's character for most of the show just made it really hard for me to enjoy it.Prince Davin (Satang) sneaks away from the palace with his friend Victor to enjoy a last grab at freedom before he has to train to take the throne. Instead of partying it up, he ends up washed up unconscious on the beach, where Lava (Winny) saves him. However, Davin has lost all memory of who he was or where he came from. He works for Lava and Lava's uncle who he's staying with, and while Lava learns how to be a responsible adult, Davin (or Wave, as he is called after the memory loss) learns how to be a normal person. The two grow closer over the course of the summer, but the summer can't last forever.
Lava was genuinely so annoying to watch. How are you going to find a man clearly traumatized from memory loss and head injury and then almost immediately want to hook up with him? That's so weird and predatory! It also got really annoying that Wave couldn't remember ANYTHING for SO LONG. We got ONE flashback where it seemed like he was going to start remembering things and that went nowhere?? And then towards the very end, they had to try to wrap up the royalty drama plot, the regaining memory problems, the relationship issues that come with being a commoner x prince, etc. etc. and they just did NOT have the time to do all of that. The pacing of this show was totally off, the characters were mediocre at their best and genuinely unlikeable at their worst. Maybe if you like memory loss you'd enjoy this more than I did, but just liking WinnySatang was not enough to make me enjoy this show.
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Lots of promise, but slightly unfulfilling
I waited THREE YEARS for this and will say, I enjoyed every minute of it. That being said, I really wished they just made this a longer series and actually finished it! The idea of a season 2 is great, as long as I don't need to wait ANOTHER 3 years. I really enjoy the route they took with the cause of the zombie, but I'm wary of a season 2 because zombie shows only have a few ways they can end. Normally I'd give a summary, but really it's your typical zombie apocalypse breakout - we're following students at a university that are trapped at the epicenter of a zombie apocalypse, and the remaining survivors better find a way to fight the zombies (and not each other) if they want to survive.This was a super fun, relatively short spooky Halloween watch. It had SO many good actors, and the plot was super interesting. Yes, there were a few too many characters and no way to know them all, especially with some of them feeling unimportant. I think they could've cut down on some of the characters to make the deaths more meaningful (why would I care about a character dying when I don't even know them?) I'm super excited about the idea of a season 2, but really just wished they dropped all of it at once instead...especially after letting all of us wait so long for season 1. Still, I thought the zombies were super creepy (running zombies are SCARY) and fun to watch, and that the actors did a great job. I loved the back and forth between present day zombie apocalypse and the past on how they got to that point. The twists in their personal lives were SUPER fun to watch, and I really enjoyed it. I know people assumed that this would have more romance, especially since ZeeNunew, MaxNat, TutorYim, and KengNamping are all in it, but don't get your hopes up - this is a horror zombie show, not a romance. Still definitely worth a watch for the creepy spooky vibes! But be warned: you will be ending on a cliffhanger, and who knows when/if there will be a season 2.
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Comforting, Sweet, and Lacking Major Conflict
I love MilkLove, and am happy that GMM has decided to give them more shows. I especially appreciated that their characters were actually adults this time (because as much as I loved 23.5, they have no reason to be playing high schoolers). While I enjoyed the overall premise and LOVED the relationship between the main characters, it felt like something was just missing. We had a little family conflict, a little relationship conflict, but it all felt so predictable that nothing felt too major.When Wan (Milk) leaves her corporate job and takes over her recently-deceased father's grocery store in a small town, she doesn't seem to fit in well with the locals. However, with the help of town-favorite Ph.D. student and handywoman Maewnam (Love), Wan slowly adjusts to this new life. The more Maewnam helps Wan, the closer to two become, and feelings quickly develop between them, though Wan is hesitant to enter into anything too fast.
The best part about this show was definitely the relationship between Wan and Maewnam. Milk and Love KNOW how to do a cute, sweet, loveydovey relationship and they nail it every time. However, I felt like if we either had one large conflict, or fleshed out some of the smaller ones a bit more, this would have been overall more engaging. It seemed like most issues were resolved within two episodes, and while that might be partially due to the 10 episode length (seriously GMM what's going on with that...what happened to 12?!), I still felt like at least one of these issues should have been made a bigger deal. Regardless, this is a lovely, comforting show with a sweet romance and lovable characters.
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This review may contain spoilers
Should've stopped before the ending
[I will tag where spoilers start]I LOVED this show. Truly, I think the world building, magic system, and characters are phenomenal. The villains were fun to watch, and all the twists were super exciting. I had a couple issues around the romantic conflicts, but not too much. This would have been a near perfect score if it weren't for the final episode.
Naksu, a skilled mage and assassin is found and cornered. With nowhere to go, she uses a forbidden technique - the alchemy of souls - to switch her soul into the body of another. In her now body, named Mu-deok, she ends up serving as a maid for young master Jang Uk, one of the few young masters to have not progressed in his magic learning. After a rocky start, the pair becomes young master and maid in public, but teacher and pupil in private, as Mu-deok teaches Jang Uk the secrets to be a successful and powerful mage. However, it seems there are people that want to ensure Jang Uk never reaches his potential.
*Spoilers start here*
Watcing Mu-deok and Jang Uk fall in love was super fun. I thought that some of the conflicts (like Mu-deok feeling insecure/not good enough) were a little unnecessary, but didn't take away from the overall romance. However, I was truly upset by the ending of the show. I know that there is a second season, but with they way they wrapped up s1 I honestly don't even want to watch s2. They had the ability to wrap everything up perfectly, and instead we got a murderous rampage, major character death (followed by resurrection), and ANOTHER soul swap. Genuinely, I think I would have enjoyed this WAY more if I stopped about halfway through the finale. It felt unfinished, even if there is a sequel. If they wanted to bring back Jinmu for one last evil act, why wouldn't that come earlier? Who does an identity reveal with FIFTEEN MINUTES LEFT IN THE FINALE! It felt so rushed and so out of nowhere that it wasn't even enjoyable. I feel like they could have set up for a second season SO much better: hint at someone knowing her identity, leave some things open ended, hint at another villain, etc. Instead, they took all the best parts the finale had going for it, ripped it away, and set up a cliffhanger for season 2. Frankly, it felt lazy.
That being said, the show was still very well done. Maybe if you go into it knowing there's a season 2 it would be better, or just know that the ending is not at all satisfying.
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KristSingto is Back!
I am so glad that GMM not only brought back one of their old pairings, but actually let adult actors play adult characters (and not just students). I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this show, especially because I had only seen clips of SOTUS at the time (and 2016 was a different time for BLs for sure), but I was very pleasantly surprised. While it may not be the most intense or life changing shows, I was thoroughly entertained.News reporter Padtaphi (Krist) has gained himself tons of fans through his show, but public opinion is quick to turn on him when the cameras keep rolling a bit too long - throwing a coffee in the face of another reporter is never a good look. Once he's fired from his show, he's desperate to find another producer to work with him on something else, but it seems no one wants to work with him. That is until producer Tamtawan (Singto) shows back up at the studio after years of being abroad and agrees to take the job. Naturally, this producer just happens to be Padtaphi's ex-boyfriend. The two of them must work together if Padtaphi wants a career in broadcasting again, but it seems that Tamtawan may have other reasons for taking the job too.
I really enjoyed the premise of this show. With it being only 10 episodes, I do think it was a little rushed and would have liked to have a little more time where the two leads aren't getting along. I also love a secret office romance, and wish we had a little more time before everyone found out about them. Still, I found the show to be super fun and entertaining, and was very surprised with how much I loved watching Krist and Singto act together. Hopefully they continue to do more shows together, because this one was definitely a fun one.
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CUTE!!!
I honestly had no intention of watching this show, but decided to give it a shot when it started airing and oh BOY am I glad I did! This show was unexpectedly good - the characters are realistic high school boys with the exact type of problems you'd expect high school relationships to have, and this realism really makes the show enjoyable. I think that Kim and Mon (ChokunAston) stole the show, but I really loved all the characters and would highly recommend this if you're looking for something cute and lighthearted.Shane (Mick) is top of his class and the first pick to be a tutor for Kit (Luke), who has never cared about school. While Shane is attempting to get Kit to care about his grades, Kit tries to get Shane to loosen up and have fun. As the two try to teach each other, they become closer and feelings begin to emerge. Meanwhile, Mick's friend Kim (Chokun) has always had bad luck with love, with most of his relationships ending before they can even really begin. It's love at first sight when Kim sees the new transfer kid Mon (Aston), and even though his friends fear it will end within a day, this crush blossoms into much more as Kim and Mon get closer. However, all relationships come with problems, and navigating the end of high school while figuring out a relationship is never easy.
Truly, the best word to describe this show is "cute" and I mean that in the sense that every couple was adorable! This show reminded me a lot of s1 of Heartstopper, mostly because of these new relationships and high school problems plus some super fun and cute editing in the show. While none of these couples were known pairings or anything beforehand, they all did a WONDERFUL job portraying these characters. It might not have the deepest or most intense plot ever, but the lightheartedness of the show was such a breath of fresh air. I'd highly recommend this one if you're looking for something on the lighter, more fun side!
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This review may contain spoilers
S1 had a better ending than this.....
When Netflix announced they'd be making s2 and 3 of squid game, I wasn't thrilled. I personally liked the open ending of s1, and wasn't sure how they could come to an ending that felt satisfying. And honestly, it seems like they couldn't.Season 3 picks up right where s2 left off, after Gihun's failed attempt to raid the control room. Then, we're put right back into the games. Compared to s2, I did feel like the games in this season were a bit more high stakes and I was more invested in some of the characters at this point. Plus, the story with the detective really picked up in a fun way. But still, this season didn't wow me.
*Spoilers for the ending start here*
I understand the whole point of the baby being born into the games, but it felt like such a predictable way for things to go. You already hate the kid's father, so that part didn't even feel emotional. I thought it was so obvious what was going to happen at the end of the last game, and I was exactly right. It felt like such a stupid move too - Gihun's entire goal is to fight back against the system, try and destroy the games from the inside, etc. and NONE OF THAT HAPPENS! Instead he sacrifices himself for the baby which, again, I understand why he would make that choice, but the entire setup of this last game just felt so odd to me. To totally ruin the main character's initial goal by forcing him to sacrifice himself, leading to the games continuing on just not in Korea? I did enjoy Inho's moment of returning Gihun's items to his daughter, but it still just felt like such a waste of an ending. I really wish I just watched s1 and ended it there. And I definitely won't be watching any spin offs if they decide to continue making them....
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Enemies to.....Almost Lovers?
This show was honestly way better than I expected. When I initially watched the trailer, I didn't have much interest in a show that seemed to be about high schoolers fighting each other. However, this show was so much more enjoyable than I thought. While the beginning was kind of slow and missing the backstory for awhile, once it picked up it was fantastic. The chemistry between the main leads had me confused about whether or not this was BL (it's not) for the entire time.When two rival schools merge into once, the students have a hard time getting along. This is especially true for the students of class 2, who are all the known troublemakers from both schools. With a brand new homeroom teacher who seems unable to control the class, the students' rivalry gets out of hand. Shin (Nani) used to be top dog at his school, but with the merge it seems he's competing with Ken's (Kay) gang for that spot. Saint (Sky) seems to always be getting in the way, as he's determined to rekindle his friendship with Shin even though Shin has made it clear he's not interested. Old problems in their past friendship resurface as tension continues to build between the students - and their business with a local drug dealing gang.
Sky and Nani were FANTASTIC together. While I may have been hoping for a kiss, the "bromance" of the series was still super great to watch. I did feel like they could have sped up some of the plot in the first couple episodes, but as I approached the end, this series just got better and better. I'm super excited to see what Sky and Nani do next!!
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Predictable, but still fun
Kidnap was a solid show that, while fairly predictable, was a fun watch. I did hope for a little bit more on the whole...yknow kidnapping aspect? But overall I enjoyed it and am very glad that GMM has announced Ohm and Leng as an official pairing after watching this.Min (Ohm) works as an action stunt double, and with his sick brother, he's in need of some quick money. His agent sets him up on a job to earn a lot of money fast, but it involves kidnapping a rich kid named Q (Leng) for ransom. Min thinks this will be a quick job that he can forget about easily, but when he's told to kill Q instead, Min takes him and hides him. Naturally, Min is going to get in serious trouble if the client finds out Q is still alive, but keeping him quiet at Min's house isn't easy either. The two start to get to know each other and become wrapped up in the drama of Q's father's police investigation with mafia-like criminals.
Min and Q's relationship was very fun to watch develop, and I didn't think any issue was overly drawn out. I did think that pretty much every conflict in the show was predictable - it felt like we were going around in circles where Min and Q would take turns with the whole "we need to break up so you can be safe" thing. I also felt like this was one of the least convincing "poor protagonists" ever. You're saying you need money but you have TWO large houses?? I get he was trying to sell one but still, it felt a little off. Overall this show was a fun watch and the main couple had great chemistry. Even though I felt like it didn't do anything too new, I enjoyed it and am excited to see what Ohm and Leng do next.
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TayNew DELIVERED
Peaceful Property was not a show I expected to like all that much if I'm being honest. Based on the trailer, it looked to be a monster of the week-style horror/comedy ghost hunting show, and I wasn't sure that the jokes would land all that well given the language barrier. However, this show was so much better than I expected!Peach (Tay) and his sister Pangpang (Jan) are struggling to make ends meet after Peach lost his job as a chef due to a car accident that left him unable to work in the kitchen. Pangpang has been trying to make it as an influencer, which ends up working in their favor when Home (New) discovers their ghost hunting show. Ever since the accident, Peach has been able to see ghosts - which is exactly what Home needs after inheriting multiple haunted properties from his recently deceased grandfather. Home is trying to sell the properties asap, and needs Peach's help to exorcise the ghosts; Pangpang plans to film everything and start up their ghost hunting business. Peach and Home don't get off to a great start, but through working together on the exorcisms, they start to understand each other and bond more. However, it seems that there's a lot more hiding in the secrets of Home's rich family, and he has unknowingly dragged his new friends into a bigger mess than any of them could have expected.
While the show did start off very episodic, it perfectly transitioned into drama that spanned for longer. It managed to use the first few ghost hunting adventures to help flesh out the characters themselves, making the twists in their relationships and backstories more interesting and engaging. I love a found family, and that's exactly what this show delivered. If GMM wanted to, they easily could have made this a BL - Tay and New were absolutely wonderful in their arcs and the tension between them was excellent. Even though some of the twists were expected, the way they were done still left me surprised, and there were plenty of instances where I had no idea what was coming next. A really fun watch overall!
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Breaking the Cycle
Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo does a fantastic job portraying both of the main characters as complex and flawed individuals, emphasizing the role that trauma plays in the victim's life. While I do think that the time skip was a bit early and that I would have loved to see more of the high school days of the characters, I think that for the time they had in this show it was absolutely beautifully done and worth watching.Juyeong is sent by his parents to study taekwondo in the countryside, where he lives with his instructor and the instructor's son, Dohwe. While Dohwe is very closed off at first, he slowly warms up to Juyeong. However, the abuse that Dohwe has suffered at the hands of his father quickly become apparent to Juyeong, and Juyeong is unlikely to escape the house unscathed either. The two boys start to develop feelings for each other while trapped in an abusive household, which leads to complications as things escalate. This story also explores the lasting effects of this trauma in both characters - where one is determined to run away and forget the past, while the other tries to cling to it.
This show manages to address two vastly different ways of dealing with traumatic events, and instead of portraying one as right and one as wrong, shows them as simply to different methods of dealing with the past. I found that both of the characters felt justified in their actions the entire time, even if it wasn't what I wanted them to do. The misunderstandings between the leads didn't feel like poor communication, but rather both of them trying to protect the other in the only way they knew how, which made the relationship much more interesting. I thought the chemistry of the main actors was wonderful. My only complaint was that it felt like some parts of the show were a bit rushed - I really wish we could have spent more time with them before the time skip. Otherwise, this show was absolutely worth the watch and the heartbreak is worth it in the end.
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A good direction
Anyone that watches danmei adaptations is aware of the censorship this typically comes with; however, Meet You at the Blossom manages to get around this and delivers on the romance aspect of this wuxia. Unfortunately, I still found this show a bit lacking in the non-romance department, which was in part due to the characters themselves, and in part due to the 12 episode limit.Jin Xiao Bao is nearing marrying age, and is determined to find the most beautiful woman to make his wife. During an unexpected encounter, he watches Huai En face many men single handedly, and instantly falls in love with her. However "she" is actually a man. Huai En is perfectly fine with Xiao Bao being in love with him - but it seems he may be motivated to keep Xiao Bao close for other reasons than his own feelings. The two enter into a relationship claiming they will always forgive the other no matter what, but how far can this promise extend?
The relationship was fun to watch develop, with cold Huai En slowly warming up to Xiao Bao. In this style of drama, I was very used to a relationship being built purely on tension due to censorship issues, so to get an actual relationship in this show was very refreshing. One of my biggest complaints though is that Xiao Bao is utterly useless. Huai En is a great cultivator and very intelligent. Xiao Bao is.....neither of those things. I just wish that Xiao Bao could have stood up for himself once in awhile, instead of always relying on others. I actually really enjoyed the political issues in the show, and thought they were the perfect level of complex for the length of the show. I do think that we could have benefited from a bit more time with the characters to watch them grow, but there's only so much you can do.
In all, I just hope that this opens the door for more danmei adaptations produced by companies willing to keep the romance. This was a short watch with the perfect amounts of romance, heartache, and betrayal, but would have benefitted from a stronger lead character and slightly less toxic relationship.
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