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?
GREAT bones, lacked time
If this show was double or triple the length, it would be incredible. The story was so interesting and so engaging, and the characters were complex and truly grew throughout the show. But whoever thought that 15 min episodes were a good idea should be fired. If each episode was 30-45 minutes and they could truly showcase everything, even with the exact same plot, this would have been AMAZING! The male leads had fantastic chemistry, and I did not expect the twists in the story. Even though it's short, it's still worth watching.After Li Jianwei's entire family is murdered, he narrowly escapes and vows to avenge his father by killing the assassins. To do so, he infiltrates Ghost Valley pretending to be a lost young traveler, and they take him in. The young master, Chen Xiaoxi, and Jianwei end up becoming very close, all while Jianwei is secretly plotting revenge on him and the rest of Ghost Valley. Hiding his identity, Jianwei continues to learn about the members of Ghost Valley - but between the secrets that have been kept from him and his feelings towards Xiaoxi, it is unclear whether revenge is truly what Jianwei needs.
I LOVED the idea of Jianwei infiltrating Ghost Valley and pretending to be someone else, and I really enjoyed watching the struggle between him and Xiaoxi as you could tell the identity reveal was getting closer. I thought their relationship was really well done. There were a LOT of places in this show that would benefit from extra time - a lot of the plot points seem to end abruptly, or scene changes don't seem to make sense because it seems like they cut something out for time. That being said, the story is still wonderful to watch.
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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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Incredibly....fine
Peach Trap was a show that I seemed to forget about every week. While I did enjoy watching the three potential love interests fight over the mc (and frankly, was surprised by who won him at the end), this show REALLY lacked any character development, ESPECIALLY for the mc! He had three men fighting each other trying to win him over, and he is the most BLAND character ever.Doha is wrongfully fired from his job. His supervisor feels bad about this and tries to help him get a new job, while also flirting with him. Meanwhile, Doha's childhood best friend has been secretly in love with him for years, and the barista at Doha' favorite coffee shop has been crushing on him too. The three men all try to win Doha's heart, while Doha tries to find a job.
I still cannot understand how three men are all SO in love with the mc. Doha truly had no personality besides a couple of tears shed here and there. The only character trait he really had was "unemployed"! That being said, I really enjoyed the three love interests, and was pleasantly surprised by how it ended. However, with not enough time to give any characters real development, and a main character that's boring as hell, this show didn't really do it for me. Not the worst watch, but not the best.
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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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Great Chemistry, Too Short
I had heard a lot of good things about this show and put off watching it simply because of my dislike for the Korean BL format (why are they always so short!), but I finally decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint! As always, things felt a little rushed, and major conflicts felt too fast and too late in the series, but I still really enjoyed watching it.Jiwon is a former Olympic gold medalist who retired from gymnastics, but is still too well known by the public for his liking. Now at university, he tries his best to hide from the spotlight, but ends up befriending Jeongwoo, the university's top basketball player. While the two of them start off as friends, it seems they both feel something more, but aren't quite willing to admit it - both because they're scared of the response, and because the relationship could ruin their reputations.
Overall, this was a fun and cute drama. I never know what to expect with KBLs in terms of chemistry (I've watched enough old kdramas with horrible kiss scenes....I don't need any more) but this one knocked it out of the park. The main actors did a fantastic job. I especially loved how both characters really had their own, conflicting inner struggles that played out over the course of the show. My biggest complaint is that the conflict in the last few episodes felt a little rushed and I wanted more time after it was resolved to see the two main characters together, but that tends to be the case with this show format. Still, it's definitely worth watching.
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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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Cutie Vampires!
I watched this show like a movie (which isn't hard, considering how short it is) and quite enjoyed it! I thought the casting was great, and the storyline wasn't overly complex and managed to fit everything into the short time that they had. Did I want a proper neck bite? Of course. Do I love domestic found family vampires? Also yes.When Dongha signs a lease for a shared apartment, he has no clue that he's moving in with four vampires - in fact, he doesn' even know that vampires are real. Three of his new housemates seem thrilled that he's there....perhaps a bit too thrilled, in fact. However, the fourth roommate, Joowan, is not nearly as welcoming. Dongha is determined to get on Joowan's good side, but Joowan is adamant that Dongha move out. As Dongha and Joowan grow closer, Joowan's cold exterior melts away.
This show was super cute and sweet without drawn out conflicts. It was predictable but fun, and the actors did a great job. If you want basically a bunch of cutiepie vampires living as a little family, a cold vampire x sweet human romance, and a heartwarming gay story? This is a fun time. Don't go looking for anything much deeper - just enjoy the fun!
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Good, if you're already a fan
I watched the Given anime awhile back, and figured I may as well give the live action a try. I'm not sure WHY they thought they could condense the already short series into something even shorter, but I was quite disappointed with how much nuance of the original story you miss out on by watching this version. I definitely didn't dislike it, but I think the only reason I enjoyed it was because I was thinking about the anime the entire time.If you're already a fan of the manga or anime, I'd say give this a watch if you want something fun and fast to remind you of it. However, I would advise people looking into watching this to watch the anime instead - it's not much longer, and it's significantly better. The ending of this show was so....nothing. Plus, I think the best part of the story is Mafuyu's backstory, which you get some of, but not nearly enough to truly understand his character. Plus, with such little time, Uenoyama came off as way more rash and jealous in this version. Trying to ALSO tie in Akihiko's storyline felt like they were just adding easter eggs for people that were already fans, because there wasn't enough in this version to put together any cohesive storyline with that. Overall an okay show, but not if you're unfamiliar with the story.
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A Shining Political Tragedy
Shine was so much more than I expected it to be. I think the best way to describe this show is a tragic political drama - not because there wasn't romance, but because the romance feels secondary to the building political tensions throughout this show. I think my only complaint was that Mile and Apo's roles and romance as Tanwa and Trin felt almost unnecessary to the larger plot, but it was still an incredible watch. Plus, the directing and music were outstanding.Economist Trin (Apo) travels back to Thailand from France after the loss of his love in French protests. There, he begins to get involved in politics, as well as work as a professor. He meets Tanwa (Mile) first as a laid-back musician, son of a politician, and then as a 10th year college student. The two opposites slowly attract while working together. Meanwhile, Trin's uncle Krailert (Son) is a colonel, and in charge of some major political deals. Political reporter Naran (Euro) has been digging up dirt on him in an attempt to reveal the corruption in the military and their politics. Unknowingly, the two start communicating via newspaper column music reviews, and when they finally meet in person, the chemistry is undeniable. The political opponents fall in love as a rebellion is brewing, and being on opposite sides of a country nearing war is never the right place for love to thrive.
Truly, Son and Euro STOLE THE SHOW! The TENSION and the heartache was incredible - what's more heartbreaking than a love that seems impossible? In my opinion, some of their scenes were....unnecessarily long and explicit, but the directing was so wonderful I can't even really complain. The politics involved in their relationship was absolutely incredible to watch, and their backstories only added to the complexity of their relationship. The biggest downside of this show in my opinion was that they weren't the main characters. While I love Mile and Apo, their relationship didn't seem all that important; particularly, Mile's character seemed to play very little role in the plot besides being Apo's love interest. Their relationship was still great to watch, though I think the fun in it lied much more with Trin's slow realization that he was into Tanwa than with the relationship itself. Still, this show is absolutely worth watching, and props to beoncloud for making a show that is so unique!
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Rushed Ending
I was really intrigued by the beginning of this show where we got a bunch of episodes that each explored a different character, showing the highlights and downsides of their special ability. However, as the show progressed I felt like we were rushing the later plot points.I honestly did not mind the ending, but I felt that the climax happened too late. That being said, it was still a fun watch. I just think if they sped up a couple of the middle episodes, or extended the show 2-3 more eps, it would've felt much more complete (and frankly, wouldn't need a s2).
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Circumstance Determines Fate
"Good people aren't always good, and bad people aren't always bad" seemed to be a very central theme to this show. While I appreciated the nuance it tried to have, I found that the drawn out timeline and poor character development took away from it. As the show went on, I liked it more and more, but I found the beginning to be overly drawn out, and eventually felt like I didn't really have anyone I was truly rooting for. I liked this idea of two brothers who, when treated totally differently by their father, end up on opposite paths - one a cop, and one a criminal. However, I felt that the execution left some things to be desired.Win (Perth) and Korn (Ohm) are brothers. Korn was born during a hard time for the family, and his father thought him a jinx that could only bring bad luck; Win, on the other hand, became a golden child destined to bring good fortune. Their father constantly abused Korn while praising Win, though the two brothers managed to have a good relationship with each other. However, as time goes on, Korn ends up involved with a drug smuggling gang, and Win follows Korn's original dream of becoming a cop, putting the two brothers on opposite sides of an investigation.
I thought Perth and Ohm did a good job in this show, but I just felt that the writers could have done so much more. I wish we got even more on Film's character Rung, who was important to the brothers' relationship, because I feel like her arc was super important but lacking details to make it stand out. I know that the entire premise revolved around this idea that no one is truly the "good guy," but I honestly wasn't really rooting for either brother. I felt that this took away from a lot of scenes where the two of them have these kind of stand-offs with each other - I wanted to feel so much more for them than I did! That being said, I still enjoyed watching this show, but mostly because I liked the cast.
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A Perfectly Paced but Short Mystery
Dalah: Death and the Flowers was a super fun watch because of how well paced the murder mystery was. While it wasn't the most complex story, I thought that for a 6 episode show, it was super nicely done.As Dalah prepares the floral arrangement for a wedding, she meets the bride Narisa, daughter of a wealthy businessman, and the groom Ohm, the soon-to-be prime minister. The marriage seems like a perfect transaction - and from the outside, the bride and groom actually seem fairly happy. That is, until the day of the wedding when the groom is found dead at the floral studio. Family secrets on both sides unravel as the case progresses, and no one can seem to figure out how Dalah is involved in all of this.
I thought that this show was a super engaging watch! I LOVE some rich family drama, and this one sure did deliver. I genuinely was surprised by a lot of the twists, and while the ending reveal wasn't unexpected, it was still a super fun watch. I thought that the way the viewer was walked through the twists in each episode was super well done, and the way it unfolded was done so well over the course of the episodes. While some things were left a little open ended or slightly unfinished, I felt that they did a great job for the time they had. Absolutely worth the watch.
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Fun characters and fights, but missing something
Study Group takes a much more fun twist on the classic kdrama plot of high school gangsters. I was pleasantly surprised by how light they managed to make the show feel considering how heavy the themes are. While I wouldn't consider it the best drama in this category, it was still a super fun watch.Yun Ga Min's goal is simple: he wants to study and get good grades. However, he sucks at it. In hopes of moving towards the top of his class, he transfers to the worst school he could find - full of gangsters that spend all day fighting instead of studying. But still, he can't seem to make any progress towards becoming a better student. He decides to start a study group, and even though at first no one wants to join, he eventually is able to pull together some students to join him; this does, however, put a target on their backs. Luckily, Ga Min is secretly the best fighter there is, and uses his seemingly superhuman fighting skills to protect his new study group friends.
The fight scenes in this show were surprisingly fun to watch, not because they were realistic, but because they were so over the top and dramatic that it made me laugh. I was hoping for a bit more depth on the characters' home lives and some of the trauma that was alluded to in the show, but the characters were still super interesting to watch. I do think that Ga Min was a bit too perfect, in the sense that we never really got to see him crack the way I wanted to. Not to mention, all the study group members clearly had issues with their families, but only a few of these were actually touched on. Still, it was a fun watch, even though I wish they could've given me a bit more from the characters themselves.
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Excellent for the time they had
Wow. I always worry about Korean BLs that are so short because so often they try to do too much in too little time. A Breeze of Love was the perfect amount of character and relationship development for the length of the show!When the basketball team is in need of a forward, the team manager scouts Dongwook to play for them. However, Dongwook and the team captain Dohyun know each other, and don't seem to be on good terms. The show plays out in a dual timeline: Dongwook and Dohyun's current "enemies" to lovers college relationship builds as you get flashbacks of their high school relationship that ended in a bad falling out.
I love the way that instead of telling the story in chronological order, you get bits and pieces of what happened between them in high school as you move through the show. Also, I'm really glad they didn't try to do too much with Dongwook's insomnia, and kept it simple considering the length of the show. All in all, this was a lovely movie-like watch that was cute, comforting, and worth giving a shot.
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