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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Appreciate it for the history....
Genuinely, the only reason I watched SOTUS was because it's GMM's first series with a leading gay couple. I felt like with all the GMM series I watch, I needed to go back to the beginning. So while I understand how important this series was when it came out in 2016, that doesn't mean that it's still good in 2025.This show focuses much more around the ideas of SOTUS - the hierarchical values of the engineering school - than it does the romance. And frankly, the romance kinda frustrated me the whole show. Not to mention, this was DEFINITELY not an anti-hazing show. While there were moments where I felt like it was leaning that way, it definitely did not end with that message! In fact, parts of it felt....pro-hazing??? Weird take, but even getting past that, I don't love the whole "falling in love with someone who bullied you" trope. While Arthit isn't necessarily a direct bully of Kong, he definitely still bullies him along with the other first years.
Like I said, I'm sure if you watched this in 2016, it was great. If you're considering watching this in 2025.......I wouldn't. Unless you really like KristSingto, or you're curious about GMM's earlier work (and how much they've improved), I wouldn't watch this one.
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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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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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An Episodic Suicide Prevention PSA
I went in to Tomorrow with an open mind, excited for the idea of grim reapers that don't actually guide dead souls, but instead prevent them from dying in the first place. However, I found that the mostly episodic nature of the show ended up making it feel repetitive and uneventful.Choi Joonwoong (Rowoon) nearly dies when preventing a suicide - a suicide that was supposed to be prevent by the Risk Management Team of grim reapers. While in a coma, his soul enters Jumadeung, a company in the afterlife filled with grim reapers. He is told he can work with the Risk Management Team for 6 months and then return to his body in the world of the living. Joonwoong then spends his days preventing suicides alongside other grim reapers on the team.
I felt like I was always waiting to get more back story on the grim reapers on the team, as well as get more drama from within Jumadeung. While we got to see glimpses of it, it felt like it came way too late in the show. Instead of dragging on a single case for multiple episodes, I wish we got to see more of why the other reapers hate the Risk Management Team, the stories of the other reapers and how that affects them, etc. but they didn't truly flesh that out until the end of the series. I understand they wanted to portray these different suicide cases, but it started to feel a little heavy handed with the suicide prevention psa. I think if it was more balanced between grim reaper drama and the cases themselves, it would've been a much more well-rounded show.
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Coming of age without enough time
With a cast like this, I knew I had to watch Summer Night. It was a very fun show to watch and while I enjoyed watching it weekly, I would guess it's better watched in a shorter period of time. I wouldn't call it slow, but it did feel like a lot of conflicts were drawn out a little too long, especially when it's obvious who Star will end up with.Lune (Phuwin) has always been a loner . After getting bullied at his last school and then transferring to a new one, he's become fine with this fact - and is also fine with simply admiring his crush Star (Parn) from afar. That is, until White (Dunk) decides he'll do whatever it takes to get Lune to join his friend group. Lune starts becoming closer with White, Star, Ivy (Lookjun), and Jewel (Ryu), but when White reveals his secret crush on Star, Lune feels obligated to hide his feelings. He feels even more obligated to do so when it turns out Star might have those same feelings for him. Faced with either losing a girl or his new best friend, Lune tries to please everyone and ends up doing quite the opposite.
I really enjoyed Lune's arc in this show, even when he was a bit stupid at times. However, I felt like the relationship between Lune and Star could have been so much better! It felt like there were so few scenes with them being happy together. Plus, the overly drawn out jealousy plotline got annoying real quick. With all the characters in the show, it felt like they were trying hard to balance out screentime, and it got the best of them. Honestly, if this had been a 12 episode series instead of 10 they might have been able to do a bit more, but it just felt like some things were rushed while others were too slow. But still, the cast was great and it was definitely enjoyable.
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