alon-luna

I hardly watch dramas when they air, but I read part of the novel this was based on and liked it. Shine on Me is probably an 8 or 8.5, but I rated it a bit higher, mainly because I like the chemistry between the leads.

This isn't for everyone because it's a slow burn where nothing much happens. A huge chunk of the plot also had boring information on the solar power industry. I know that talking about a specific area (gaming in Love O2O or aerospace in You Are My Glory) is a signature in Gu Man's novels, so I expected it. Despite not being as eventful, this drama came at the right time for me...I watched 2 plot heavy dramas before this, so the lighter fare made it a perfect comfort watch during the holidays.

A lot of positives here...a lot of focus on healing, successful career women, loving/supportive relatives, etc.. Mainly, the way the male lead looks at the female lead (ex: the scene where she's writing her name on his hand shows how much he yearns for her)...one can also tell he really likes her, even in the beginning when he is cold and distant. The couple here are not passionate or emotional like the one in The First Frost, but they have their own love language, which also works. The camera focuses a lot on the way the male lead always reaches out for the female lead's hands, their hand holding, etc. His gestures are very affectionate and protective- from the way he hugs her (completely enveloping her), kisses her forehead, the way he goes in front of her when one of the villagers (accusing her father of owing money) was leering at her, etc. They have a lighter, fluffier relationship full of sweet moments...it just takes awhile to get there.

One of the main things (if not the main thing) that makes Shine on Me work is the way the male lead is written. Lin Yusen is kindhearted, devoted and shameless when it comes to love. He cares for the female lead, Nie Xiguang, a lot, to the point that he does not mind pursuing her even if she may not reciprocate his feelings. He is also direct without being pushy and is very patient and considerate. A lot of viewers criticize the actor (Song Wei Long) for not being skilled enough. While I don't think he's the best in acting, I find him to be less robotic than say, Yang Yang (no offense to his fans), who gets far less criticism. There's nothing wrong with an actor going outside his comfort zone, but Wei Long strikes me as the type who fits specific roles. Much like Yang Yang and Ryan Ding, he tends to fit good guy roles better...but I'm guessing that he gets typecast into bad boy roles (which, IMHO do not fit him) because he has sharp features. In any case, I think he played Lin Yusen very well and that this character was a perfect fit.

I appreciate how the male lead was confident, but at the same time, vulnerable when it came to the female lead. There were a lot of moments where he appeared at a loss or uncertain (ex: when he was apologizing for confessing to her in ep13, his look of disbelief when she said she wanted to be with him at the end of ep24, etc). His character is ideal, but not perfect in that he also makes mistakes, like when he misjudged her. The good thing is that despite his initial coldness, he still treats her well and is able to overcome his resentment and let go of his prejudice. I think the writer must have watched a lot of shows with a jerk/cold/distant male lead and got second lead syndrome, which is why she created this character. Lin Yusen resembles a lot of second male leads...but there is an iconic knight in shining armor scene (if one does not mind that sort of thing) where he goes up the steps to rescue Xiguang from her toxic friends/ex-crush, which is rather dramatic, but effective. You just know* he is the male lead after this.

I also really like Zhao Jin Mai's performance as Nie Xiguang. She has a natural way of acting where she is able to portray the typical innocent female lead without being grating or annoying. Her speaking voice is cheerful without sounding like she sucked an air balloon. She is depicted as a privileged character and yet very down to earth. I like how the actress is able to emote/cry in certain scenes (ex: the hospital scene with Yu Sen after her accident and the scene where her father was hospitalized) without going over the top. I also love the intelligent and loyal way she reacts to situations. When her father accuses Yusen of being duplicitous, her immediate response is to defend him. She gets upset when he is slandered and when she hears rumors about him, she goes directly to him and asks him about it, instead of doubting him and making the problem worse.

I kept wondering why Zhuang Xu, the second male lead, had so many scenes...then I realized it was an effective way for the writers to show the contrast between him and Yusen. For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with having a male lead with insecurities. What's wrong is if they take these insecurities out on others. Zhuang Xu's inferiority complex about his background was not the problem...the problem was that he attacked Xiguang's background because of it. Also, there is nothing wrong with Xiguang pursuing him or him rejecting her. This is the issue I had with that other drama, Everybody Loves Me, where the female lead grew angry with the male lead for rejecting her. No one is obligated to accept a confession if they are not ready or don't feel the same.

The issue is not that Zhuang Xu rejected her, but that he deliberately misled her into believing that he was with another woman...then grew angry later on when he thought she did the same thing with Yusen. The issue is not that he lacked directness (not everyone is direct) or was ambiguous, but that he expected her to read his mind, as if she were professor X- relying on weird grape analogies he expected her to interpret correctly. His attitude unintentionally created a lot of humorous moments, such as when he was sullenly looking on while Xiguang served Yusen fish soup during the wedding reception of their friend.

I also don't understand why he was so insecure. Sure, he came from a humble background, but so what? He came from a good school, is smart (at least in terms of IQ), was successful at work (made it to the top in just a few years), is good looking and practically half the female cast was in love with him. I couldn't figure out why he kept acting like a pandora's box of inner turmoil...he basically had everything and nothing to mope about. I hope the actor playing this role gets elevated into a more likeable male lead soon...because this Zhuang Zu was hated by readers years ago and now...10 years later, is disliked by a lot of viewers and with good reason.

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Overall, this was one of the better traditional dramas I’ve enjoyed. Most of the episodes were fast paced, the costumes and sets were beautiful and the chemistry between the main couple was also pretty sweet, in spite of how I normally don’t go for the ‘enemy to lover’ trope.

Most of the Chinese historical dramas I’ve seen are palace dramas with a whole court of characters kowtowing to an emperor, so it was refreshing how this one focused on warlords and their rivaling kingdoms- which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I just felt that it was a nice change from the standard palace drama. In here, these warlords still serve the emperor, but the emperor cannot go against them either, especially if they have a strong army. So they have a certain amount of freedom and self governance away from the main court.

I actually wanted to rate this higher, because while I did like the progression of the couple’s relationship, how the female lead proved herself as smart and capable and how practically every actor/actress here performed well with what they were given, there were certain things in the plot that I questioned and felt dragged the drama down a bit, mostly found in the last six episodes.

My main issue is that the main male lead was portrayed as somewhat incapable and incompetent. There was a part near the end where the Liangya army makes a surprise attack on the Wei state (the male lead’s kingdom) due in part to a secret tunnel the female lead’s family builds. I understand why Wei Shao felt angry and betrayed, but the scene made it appear as if he was sulking because he had no choice but to go to war unprepared and that he had no other back-up strategy to counter this attack.

This made no sense to me, because the character of Wei Shao is portrayed as battle-tested. Not only would his territories be fortified against such attacks, but if they actually turned out to be vulnerable, an in-character Wei Shao would be able to come up with a strategy to address it. I’m not against a vulnerable/flawed male lead…I’m not even against a female lead being smarter than the male lead…but I don’t agree with making one person stupid in an area where he/she is supposed* to be skilled, so that another character can shine.

If the said male lead is said to be good at something, then they might as well show it. Wei Shao is supposed to be experienced and skilled when it comes to warfare and tactics, how else could the Wei clan have gained such a reputation after his grandfather, uncle and brother were killed?

It also made no sense to me how Manman, the FL, kept crying about ‘having to send her husband to war to fight for her.’ The main reason why the Qiao’s wanted to marry her off in the first place to the Wei clan was because they had one of the strongest armies and were good at warfare. They didn’t offer her so they could sit around a campfire and sing kumbaya with the Weis..the marriage alliance existed so that the Weis (assuming they could let go of their past grudges) could lend military assistance... since the Qiao’s were rich, but did not have a strong army. Wei Shao's going off to war sulking was akin to having Genghis Khan crying because he had to get on a horse and fight.

I understand they did this so Manman could help him and show that she was good at strategy- thereby repaying her family’s past sins. While I appreciate the gesture, the plot device they came up with (her destroying that dam) and just giving a speech where the Liangya army just…seemingly out of the blue, were convinced and decided to give up and turn back- was too unbelievable to me.

The Evil Uncle / Liu Yian the main antagonist - The part where the Qiao uncle turns evil and sides with Liangya was not the issue. It’s the fact that he was too stupid. Earlier, Manman was engaged to Liu Yan of Liangya, but when the Weis came into the picture, they gave her to Wei instead and with a bigger dowry, because the Wei’s are* the more powerful bunch. What made him think that Liu Yan would not resent this past offense and would keep his word to give back the Panyi territory? They also don’t explain how Liangya all of a sudden had a bigger and better army than the Weis...

Lady Yulou and Wei Yan - Both the actor and actress did a great job portraying a scheming, Cersei-like villainess and a morally gray (but ultimately good) ally, respectively. But I feel that these types of characters are better served in an ensemble setting like Game of Thrones or even Nirvana in Fire. I found their parts boring here and wanted to fast forward to watch more of Wei Shao and Manman….but I am sure I would have appreciated Lady Yulou’s machinations or Wei Yan’s ambiguity in a different type of drama.

The part about Lady Yulou's ‘Huidian’ (that symbol on her forehead) was downright silly. When she becomes a criminal on the run from Wei state, they ask guards to look for a woman with this symbol in their forehead…and all she had to do was to wipe it off :/ The scouts didn't even bother to look at the appearance of the woman in their wanted posters. Later, when she gets disfigured and has to wear a mask, she comes up with a ridiculous story on why she has to have the mask on and Liu Yian (who earlier on, struck me as a good villain) is suckered into believing it. How can this crafty person suspect nothing?

TBH, I really loved the first 28 or 29 episodes; I feel that they should have ended the drama with Wei Shao presenting Manman to his ancestors. It would have given the best closure.

Historical dramas do not necessarily need to have good battle scenes and strategies, but this is one of the few that needed it, given the setting. Unfortunately, what I saw was not even average. After the Liangya army lost (because of Manman’s ’speech’) Wei Shao has to go off to war again to rescue Panyi ( cue Manman crying out of guilt, when she should take a tip from Queen Gorgo) and for some reason, Liu Yan knew that there was an area that would collapse because of the destruction of the dam and that Wei Shao’s army would get affected en route…but somehow, Wei Shao didn’t know about this…didn’t Manman tell him earlier?

With the Wei army off to rescue Panyi, for some reason the Wei state is not fortified, but it’s a good thing Wei Yan offers his assistance with his own army.

The ending battle is decided because their cousin in-law Bhi Zhi (who, for some reason, is an even better fighter than Wei Shao despite not having as much experience and starting off as a stable hand) decides to switch back from Liangya to Wei. They owe their victory to Bhi Zhi.

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It reminded me of one of my favorite Austen novels, Persuasion…except I ended up liking it even more than Austen’s book when it was over. It also has some similarities with the Taiwanese drama, Mars, which I haven’t seen yet. This show isn’t for everyone as it explores darker themes such as healing, coping with trauma, the power of love and support, etc. The atmosphere in a lot of its scenes were laced with both sentimentality and sadness. This isn’t a lighthearted, feel good series, but in the end, the characters got the happy ending they deserved and I was truly happy for them.

The chemistry between the male lead (Sang Yan) and the female lead (Yifan) is one of the best I’ve seen and the young actor and actress did an exceptional job playing their roles. The main couple really loved each other…but in the case of the male lead…well, what can I say? He really, really, REALLY loved the female lead.

I’ve watched many asian dramas in the romance genre that I’ve liked, but I can only think of a few male leads that display the same depth of love, yearning and devotion towards the female lead that Sang Yan had for Yifan. Maybe Yehua from TMOP or the male lead from Marry My Husband...I can’t think of many, so I think the writer of this novel did a very good job in creating Sang Yan. Of course, appreciating this type of character or couple dynamic is subjective- if one prefers a male lead who is rougher around the edges, or a different trope (ex: hate to love, more of a best-friend dynamic or one that is less emotional), then naturally, this may not be for them and that’s fine. To each his own.

This is based on a novel and for the most part is an accurate adaptation. The novel actually throws you in for a loop, because it starts out like a funny lighthearted rom com with the theme of reunion after separation and co-habitation (ex: Full House) but then it suddenly gets darker when it shows (somewhere around the middle) the exact reason why the female lead was sleepwalking. The book actually tackled her thoughts of suicide and depression every time she recalled how her uncle almost succeeded in raping her and how her family, instead of protecting her, took his side and abandoned her.

The show does a better job of preparing the viewer for this, because it shows flashbacks of Yifan’s past earlier on, so they can decide if they want to continue watching this or settle for something less disturbing or with less mature themes. The scene where the uncle almost succeeds is also different. In the show, there is a struggle where they fall out of the window and the female lead is injured. Novel version was worse because he almost succeeded if it weren't for the family coming home right on time.

Sang Yan’s reaction when he finds out about this, the way he dealt with said uncle and the way he helps Yifan heal was very satisfying and touching. Yifan also deeply regretted the cruel way she rejected Sang Yan in their youth and when she found out about how he (the only person good to her) suffered because of this…well the things they do and say to each other (especially on his part) make for very good, sweet and emotional moments.

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This is a decent show if you like teen soap operas. It felt like the Korean version of Beverly Hills teens with all the standard kdrama tropes, so if you’re looking for a inspiring, thoughtful plot that explores adolescence, growing up and gives you all sorts of life lessons, this is not it. Maybe the Reply series might be a better bet. For one thing, the theme of this drama is “He who bears the crown must carry its weight.” It explores what it’s like to be a chaebol heir and the things one has to struggle with and give up…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, but this is not exactly a universal thing that many people can relate to.

I feel that a lot of dramas start out with a very strong first eight episodes and unfortunately their plots go awry and you get either a bad or, at best, lackluster set of last episodes and ending. The Heirs was the opposite for me. The first eight episodes, despite the beautiful landscapes that were filmed abroad, I found a bit slow and this is why I was only able to finish the series on my third try. The plot picked up and the pacing became faster in the last 10 episodes, where they added the family drama and business political machinations that framed the main love story. The main issue for me was the pacing because I felt that this would have been better with 16 episodes. The plot felt very draggy and stretched out at times and I would’ve given this a higher rating if it weren't for that.

When this first came out, a lot of people complained about the lack of chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, but I didn't see any problem with it. Did they have a convincing portrayal of a young couple in love? I think they did...it’s just that they were playing specific character types that viewers either like or don't like.

I know someone in real life who won’t watch anything Lee Min Ho is in. I have another friend who won’t watch anything with Park Shin Hye. I used to not like her because of this drama…but now that I’ve seen her quirkier side in Pinocchio, etc. my opinion of her improved. She plays the typical, sweet kind girl here and she does it well. Lee Min Ho tends to be very expressionless, but he has scenes here (like the one where he thought Eun Sang left him) where he effectively displays emotions such as despair. I think the character of Kim Tan is basically the Korean version of the second male lead (Rui Hanazawa/Hua Ze Lei) from Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden…except this time, he gets the girl. The second male lead, Choi Yong Do, played very well by Kim Wo Bin, had all the qualities that you normally find in a male lead (bad boy turned good, etc) but in here, these qualities are rightfully shown as red flags. Kim Tan used to be such a character, but he changed and because of the goodness he was able to display at the right time when he met Eun Sang, they instantly hit it off. I normally don’t like love triangles and thankfully, they don’t dwell too much on it. Kim Wo Bin may be more charismatic than Lee Min Ho, but he had no chemistry with Park Shin Hye, IMHO, and when his character finally turns good, the main couple are already pretty solid. Thankfully, he chooses to become their friend and becomes a good ally.

The side characters, especially the one played by Crystal, are delightful. She basically gave the show its lighter moments and I smiled every time she was on screen. Rachel Yoo, played by Kim Ji Won (Queen of Tears) played the antagonist and while I don’t like the things she did, she came across as sympathetic and in fact, seemed to get along with the others and make her peace with them at the end. The only character I didn’t care for was the male lead’s older brother, Kim Won. He was very cruel to his younger brother. I got why he behaved the way he did, but his younger brother was not to blame for what happened to him. Good thing he turned out decent in the end. He basically fulfills the theme of the show and has to give up the girl he loves to get the power he wants. It was all for the best because, the dynamic between him and his teacher girlfriend, while it had its similarities with the main couple, felt very imbalanced. Despite the wealth gap between Kim Tan and Eun Sang, they still felt like equals and when they talked to each other, felt like an actual couple. But every time Kim Won and his girlfriend (I can’t even remember her name) were onscreen, it felt like he was talking down to her and their interactions didn’t feel as sincere.

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***SPOILERS***

I thought this wasn’t a bad sci-fi spin-off, but one’s liking of it would depend on how much he/she compared it to the anime…which is kind of inevitable if they watched both. The special effects and fight scenes here are entertaining enough, even if not Hollywood level. They basically took the premise from the anime and explored what would have happened to an entirely different set of characters in a different country. One good point of this version is that it is very female-centric. The main alien character Heidi was strong and interesting. The main antagonist Joon Kyung could be frustrating at times but surprisingly made the right decisions when needed- which showed that she experienced some kind of growth and wasn’t as stubborn in her beliefs as to be close minded or inflexible. It also explored themes outside the anime, not just of how aliens could be good, but of how people could be just as evil and corrupt.

One thing that I preferred in the anime were the fight scenes, which had better choreography and more tension. I felt like you could sense the danger for the main character Shinichi Izumi more when he encountered one of the parasite hosts and had to fight it out. They were able to explain the traits (advantages and disadvantages) of each host better depending on how he/she was taken over.

Also, I preferred how, in the anime, Shinichi got stronger as a person and grew through his interactions with ‘Migi’ the parasite. In the live action Korean adaptation, the main host Soo In was dormant when Heidi was awake, and vice versa. So they didn’t get to interact directly or learn from each other on the same level. I don’t have a problem with shy characters like Soo In, but for this kind of show, I kind of wished that she grew in bravery or confidence just a little, much like her male counterpart.

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Short, sweet and easy to watch. All the characters are likable here and so are the relationships. The male lead Tae Moo and female lead Ha Ri have this adorable chemistry and I like how both of them are not just foodies but also work in the food industry...the parts where they would come up with fusion recipes for Korean cuisine, from the brainstorming to the food tasting, were pretty entertaining. The sismance between Ha Ri and her best friend Young Seon, the second female lead, was also another highlight- they had a great friendship and a lot of hilarious* scenes together.

It’s funny how this show manages to be self-aware and poke fun at itself. The grandpa character actually watches a drama called Be Brave Shin Gumi which is filled with all these rom-com/kdrama cliches and tropes, and then later on a lot of the events in that drama would happen to the characters outside* the show…only that they would handle themselves a lot better than expected.

The characters and relationships aren’t perfect but they are very communicative and understanding of each other. Ha Ri starts off with a false identity in the beginning and Tae Moo is naturally very upset when he finds out, but she apologizes to him without any hesitation. Tae Moo unreasonably asks his assistant Seung Hoon (the second male lead) to go an a blind date when the latter is already dating Young Seon…but when realizing his mistake, Tae Moo not only apologizes to Seung Hoon, but to the both of them.

The only things I didn’t like were how the grandpa became antagonistic towards the main couple when he found out about them, because I was expecting him to go against the stereotype (given how he criticized Be Brave Shin Gumi!) but he disappointingly didn’t - at least, not until the very end. The second male lead Seung Hoon was also a bit weak willed and inconsistent, although his relationship with Young Seon works out later. A third party comes in between them in some of the episodes but refreshingly, she also turns out to be a likable and supportive character.

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The male lead (Pha) is kidnapped when he is a child and forced to live as a bandit. When he tries to be different and educate himself, he is punished and one of the people closest to him is violently killed. From that point on, he doesn’t really go against his evil stepfather (Seua Phan, the head bandit) anymore. In fact, his kidnapping of the female lead (Nampeung) is basically him carrying out orders. Pha is a pretty good fighter and even has superpowers…but unfortunately, he cannot, and does not go against the established power hierarchy in his ‘bandit village’; he doesn’t go against or speak against his evil stepfather until the very end of the series. Seua Phan is the most powerful character here because he dabbles in dark magic…it’s what he uses to keep the village hidden from the police, to teleport and to even to win a fight. I’m not sure why, for all his powers, he couldn’t have the bullet wound in his leg cured, but I let that slide.

I get that a traumatic experience can affect one for life, but it’s normal to hope that that the main heroes and heroines of these stories can somehow overcome and conquer them. At some point much later, Pha indicates that he wants to work with the police, but he doesn’t really do much to bring it about. Despite the fact that Nampeung is forced to be there against her will, she still falls in love with him, but she doesn’t have much choice- he is after all, one of the few good men left in that place and doesn’t touch her or force her to do anything even though he pretends (has to pretend) to. It is disturbing that, if a woman in that village is unmarried/unclaimed, she is sold off to rival gangs and treated like an object.

The hero and heroine do get along and like each other for the most part, but there were times they had these frustrating conflicts because once Nampeung realized that Pha was the same as her (meaning, forced into the same situation as her) she would try to convince him that they could escape, but he simply wouldn't hear of it.

He took care of the people under him but his delusion of being a caring Robin Hood protecting his people forever and ever, was a false one. The people under him may have been safe, but the ones under his evil stepbrother and stepfather certainly weren’t. It took a lot of convincing from his dumbest, most annoying underling that he couldn't live like that forever that finally made him relent, reunite the heroine with her parents and try to work with the police and surrender.

There were things that I liked in this drama. The main couple were brought together in an objectionable way, but they got along and had a good relationship for the most part. The actors playing them (Mike and Mookda) had a good and natural chemistry. Mike does well in these physical, macho roles whereas Mookda is very charismatic, spirited and reminded me a lot of a Disney princess. There was a lot of good sismance, too. I like Nampeung’s friendship’s with Namking and Phikun.

This is one of the few dramas were I grew to like the female antagonist. The only thing I didn’t like about Grachao was how she tried to attack Nampeung…but other than that, I really felt sorry for her. She suffered a lot and had no one to protect her. It’s actually a little unbelievable that she didn’t die after all that happened, but I’m glad the story developed her further and gave her a happy ending.

The special effects and fight choreography weren’t much (think early 1990s standards) but they were entertaining and fast paced. I like how they incorporated powers and a bit of Thai folklore here and there. The forest ‘monsters/zombies’ were well rendered and they reminded me of the mythical creatures in a lot of SouthEast Asian tales.

The second male lead (Lieutenant Praothep) started out as very useless but turned out to be a strong character.

The story had a lot of potential. If I were to rewrite it, I would make it so that both Pha and Nampung were undercover and worked together instead of Pha trying to do everything by himself and being very uncommunicative and untrusting of everyone.

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Overall, this was a pretty entertaining watch. I thought it would be just another Squid Game or Battle Royal knock off, but it wasn't. What I found interesting was that even if there were many similarities between these shows, Alice in Borderland was definitely its own thing.

I loved the puzzle games and the variety of challenges; I am not a gamer and I don’t play cards but they explained the rules in a way that could be understood by anyone. The show also used different areas of an abandoned cityscape very effectively for its background. It was refreshing how the game backgrounds would switch from an abandoned building to a hotel to even a beach resort.

The male lead was pretty smart and capable; it was a lot of fun watching him come up with last minute solutions when it seemed that he would lose. Despite being a very good and pure character, he also knew how to trick people, which came as a surprise but very handy for survival. At first, I didn’t like how he seemed to be the only smart character but it turned out that there were other characters (like the mysterious Chisaya) who were just as intelligent and could come up with their own ways to win.

I heard somewhere that the female characters were shallow in comparison but I didn’t think so. All FLs here were very strong, likable and had different capabilities. The parallels between the main FL Usagi and the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland was represented well, in that they made her a mountain climber who was very good at parkour; she also provided a very good motivation for the ML. Kuina, who gave the initial impression of being a beach bum, turned out to be a very capable fighter while Ann was not just the Mad Hatter's henchman but an intelligent forensic researcher.

One of the things I didn’t like is how the characters would sometimes have these overly long, philosophical discussions which really didn’t serve any purpose, It made some of the episodes (and the game that was ongoing) boring. I liked the challenge with the King of Clubs for example, but it could have been more exciting if they trimmed down these overly long conversations between ML Arisu and the king. I am not sure why they did it, it was as if they were trying to make the plot deeper than it had to be and I felt it was unnecessary.

Another thing is that, while I don’t mind the violence, the level of injuries the characters got (particularly in the last episode) was too much that I really could not understand how they survived. While I am happy that they did make it, it seemed impossible, given how brutal the fight scene was.

I am also not sure about the final challenge with the Queen of Hearts and how she was able to make the ML lose hope at first. Even at the very end, I wasn’t sure what the whole point of Borderland was…was it created to punish people who did wrong things in the real world? Two seasons have already passed but many important points weren't cleared yet. I heard there was going to be a third season but to be honest, I kind of worry that they will stretch the plot out too much and ruin it. It was exciting to see the joker card at the very end but there is a danger of ruining a good thing when it takes too long to come up with a proper conclusion.

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Most of the Thai dramas I watch are spicy melodramas. Every now and then, I find something I enjoy that makes an impression on me, such as Kluen Cheewit. I wouldn't list The Girl from Nowhere as one of my favorites, but this is definitely one of the lakorns I like because I feel that the over-the-top behavior of the characters actually works here. I don't think the stories are meant to be realistic but that they are supposed to show an exaggerated version of human depravity in extreme situations.

Something about the atmosphere in these stories, along with the main character, reminded me of a horror manga by Junji Ito. I thought Nanno was very charismatic and that the actress playing her (Chicha Amatayakul) was very entertaining. She reminded me a little bit of the Joker or Harley Quinn, only that her character mostly toys with those who are in the side of wrong. I don't think she's meant to be a good character either, but maybe a chaotic neutral.

I also like how the cast of supporting characters, from Claudia Chakrabandhu (Thank You Teacher) to Teeradon Supapunpinyo (Pregnant), performed well to the point that I didn't mind when Nanno was offscreen. Another thing that worked in this type of drama is that each episode had a different story and sometimes one story would take up two or three episodes, so they didn't have to be watched in order. The whole experience for me was like watching a horror anthology comic come to life and I don't even like horror.

There were certain plot points which dragged some of the stories down a notch. I liked Wonderwall for instance, but I could easily find a solution to the problem which didn't involve one of the characters wishing everything away. Some episodes in the second season were also boring and repetitive. Overall, the first season seemed better than the second...although there were some good episodes in the latter, like Minnie and the Four Bodies. I don't mind the introduction of Yuri as a rival for Nanno in the second season but I got kind of annoyed that it had to end in a cliff hanger!

Another thing I dislike is the series' old-fashioned attitude towards cheating in relationships. I felt that the writing would often blame the women involved but put the guy-in-between (the one who actually cheated) on a pedestal. There were some situations, like in the BFF episode- where a guy would send flowers to two girls at the same time and in the same room (his girlfriend and the girl he was cheating with), but the story seemed to blame the women involved without questioning his behavior.

Other than that, I think this is one of the better lakorns. I feel pleasantly surprised that Thailand decided to make something like this because I feel that Japan ought to be the one doing it, given all the content they have in their manga to base it on.

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This came highly recommended to me a few months back but I shied away from it after hearing that the first two episodes were pretty violent. I'm glad I changed my mind because while it (the violence) was difficult to watch at first, it wasn't quite on the level of Squid Game, which I was able to enjoy.

There is a rebirth aspect in this revenge drama that reminded me of Green Rose- an older classic, a re-interpretation of the Count of Monte Cristo and also one of my favorites. The melodrama here is turned up a few notches because it is a makjang but once I had my expectations set, I was able to enjoy everything and take all the melodrama with a grain of salt.

I think the cast was pretty strong here and that every actor/actress did a good job, even the ones with minor roles including the child actress.

I'm glad the main actress chose this role because she is mostly known for playing glamorous, leading lady types and this drama allowed her to try something different. I liked her controlled performance throughout because this restraint created an even more powerful effect during those scenes where she finally had to erupt and get emotional. I also like how she had help from several other, like-minded characters, namely the supporting female lead who was just as abused as she was and also the male lead who played her love interest. One of the tropes here is that they were all broken people who supported each other because they could see eye to eye and because the regular justice system couldn't help them like it should have. I'm also glad because it seemed (even for a melo), realistic for me that she couldn't do everything by herself even if she was clever about some things.

There is one part of the plot that I feel was handled poorly and this is how she got revenge on her former high school teacher. I felt that it was silly and that the guy could have just walked out of the room full of flowers if he was so allergic! Other than that, I liked the drama, even if it isn't something I'd rewatch.

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This one’s a classic and I feel that many of the tropes from shojo manga or even romantic k-drama (plain cinderella surrounded by a bunch of good looking guys, rich guy/poor girl, evil mother in law, etc.) were inspired from this. In other words, it’s got everything people either love or hate depending on their personal tolerance or liking for these old tropes.


The male lead is very controversial. He’s downright mean in the first few episodes and almost does something unforgivable in the fourth episode (something I wish they had removed because the story would have worked just as well without it, IMHO) but I could see what the writer was trying to do with him…he’s a big sweetheart and probably one of the most devoted and unwavering MLs by the 30th episode onwards; almost like an entirely different person but it takes awhile for him to get there and maybe for others (understandably) a little too late.

The relationship between the ML/FL only work out here if* the viewer likes the trope where one character transforms after going through a lot of changes. I was loving the ML/FL by the latter episodes but again, it took a long time to get to that point and there’s a lot of angst a viewer has to wade through, brought on by their social status differences and his meddling evil mother.

I’ve seen several versions of HYD/MG. It was a huge hit when it aired in my country; in fact, it started the asian drama wave in the 2000s. I think this might be the best version because of how closely it follows the manga. It does something better in that it manages to soften the characters even further and inject more sweet moments between the ML and FL, which I didn’t see much of in the HYD comic. I could actually tell that they liked* each other here, compared to other versions where they just bickered most of the time. It also handled the amnesia arc from the comic very effectively…I didn’t like that trope.

Also, casting is on point for all the characters here, especially the F4. I’ve always thought Lee Min Ho from BOF and Bright from the Thai F4 were too soft and pretty to be Domyouji/Dao Ming Si..but they would have been perfectly cast as the 2nd ML. IMHO, only the Japanese, Taiwanese and now the Chinese versions cast the ML right. So far, the only San Cai/Tsukushi I like are the ones played by Barbie Su and Mao Inoue. The one here is just alright. It’s a nice touch that they made her a chef.

The only thing I didn’t like about this version were the episodes that focused on a made up character named Zhou Caina, who was not part of the comic..and also the last episode which seemed rushed and out of the place.

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I really enjoyed watching this light and fluffy romantic gaming series. It was fast paced, didn’t drag and the leads had good chemistry. I’m not a gamer but I was able to feel the stakes for the characters every time they had a challenge, won a game or suffered a loss in their tournaments.

The ML/FL were adorable. I think this might have the funniest ML I’ve ever seen in awhile. He had this way of cracking a joke, insulting someone or being very sweet towards the FL with this deadpan expression which made the situation really funny. The FL was even more expressionless but it didn’t bother me; I think it’s because it made her seem calm and in control when she was gaming…and also because she had many funny scenes herself and her blank face made it more laughable. The other team members were also very likable and had good interactions with the leads. It’s great how there were episodes that focused on some of them and their back stories; it fleshed them out better.

There’s an OW here but what I like about this drama is that it doesn’t create annoying situations where the other party fakes something which causes unnecessary angst, separations and stupid decision making from the leads. ML basically tells her point blank that he isn’t into her and she respects it, which is how it should be. There’s also an OM at some point but it’s mostly played for laughs and all the characters are very respectful to each other.

One criticism I have is that the gaming is a bit confusing because the camera doesn’t zoom in enough and when it does, there’s no indication who is playing which character. They make use of characters from a real game called Onmyouji Arena, but the thing is that the characters here tend to look similar…it’s not like Street Fighter where the characters look distinctive. One remedy for this would have been showing a small picture of the real player when a character appears.

I think I might like this even more than LoveO2O but I liked that one as well, for different reasons.

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WARNING: major spoilers

This is a good romantic drama but only if you don’t mind a bit of filler/fluff/slower episodes, which is the reason why it took me awhile to finish this. I know a lot of people like a slower pace which is fine, it’s just a matter of preference. I thought the chemistry between the leads was pretty good despite the repetitiveness of some scenes. They were pretty believable as a couple. The only thing is that once you see them get to the solution where they are finally able to leave North Korea…you might roll your eyes and wonder why they didn’t do this in the first place and why they had to go through much harder routes. Also, the main bad guy was ridiculous at times. The actor did fine, but there was a scene where he is shot several times at close range and still doesn’t die like he’s superhuman or something. When I thought about it, I felt that they should have made his commanding officer the main villain instead since he was just following his orders.

There’s a good bromance between the four soldiers under the ML and also some sismance between the elderly ajummas who befriend the FL. All heartwarming.

I also liked the second FL. I felt sorry for her at first…I normally do not* like this type of love triangle. Actually, I don’t care for love triangles in general but the worst are the ones with two females and a male (usually written by male authors but there are some* exceptions) mostly because I do not like how the female characters are written in these stories…but in here, given that the ML had an arranged marriage with her and this is North Korea we are talking about, I felt that what happened after made sense.

Some might not like the rosy depiction of North Korea, which I understand. I’ve had some conversations with some South Koreans about this, and some of them have expressed wanting to have a peaceful relationship with NK…not sure if this is the reason for how NK is depicted here. But if you want to see a realistic depiction of NK, this is not it.

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I'm not a gamer but I really enjoyed this drama. It was pretty unique in how it showed the characters in both the gaming world and the real world- I've never seen anything like this before. The main leads had chemistry, there was bromance (among the male lead and his buddies), sismance (among the female lead and her buddies) and most of the characters (even the antagonists) were either likeable or managed to redeem themselves in the end. The relationship between the main couple here was cute and believable. One criticism I have is that the main male lead was too robotic. I liked his character and his relationship with the FL a lot but...he just didn't seem human. I don't think it has to do with how 'perfect' he was. I've seen a lot of dramas (Korean dramas, Chinese dramas, Japanese dramas etc) with perfect leading characters and this never bothered me if the story was well written. But in here, ML didn't seem to have any emotions except for being smiling, confident or blank faced.

The FL had moments were she felt bad (ex: when her friend grew angry with her etc) and moments where she appeared to be a normal human girl (ex: giggling with her friends, getting upset, feeling unhappy, etc)...but I never witnessed the ML here go through any human emotions like that. It was pretty weird...like watching a mannequin walk and talk. There are a LOT of other MLs (ex: Ye Hua from Eternal Love, etc) that fall into the 'perfect male' category but for some reason, even Yehua who happens to be an actual god seemed somehow more human than Xiao Nai. I think they should have given him scenes were he shows just a little bit of vulnerability. Another thing that bothered me was how all the employees in his company were male, save for the FL. I wouldn't have minded if they had thrown in a few female programmers. It would have made it less unrealistic.

Still, it was a pretty good drama. There were serious moments but nothing too angsty and its overall lightheartedness made it a fun, relaxing watch.

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I was pleasantly surprised that the romcom and time travel aspects went well together, but the serial killer scenes were a bit off due to the abrupt shift in tone- the scenes would go from warm and sunny to cold and overcast with menacing background music in one instant. The villain was also flat and caricature-like, but given that this was just a plot device to keep the leads apart longer, I didn’t expect an interesting antagonist as if I were watching an actual thriller.

It wasn’t a deal breaker though, and I found myself enjoying this for the most part. The female lead was spirited and charismatic, the male lead was lovable and warm hearted. They had a cute, adorable chemistry.

I also like the creative way the drama used time travel, like when the female lead blurted out spoilers to be able to pause time so she could get from one location to another. Im Sol's determination to protect the male lead, Sun Jae, was endearing and admirable, but it could get frustrating at times; the results of her efforts would tell her time and again that trying to change certain events would only make things worse, but she kept making the same mistake. Then again, I understood why. If you knew your loved one would end up getting murdered, I guess you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from trying to prevent it either, even if your efforts were in vain.

This is a female centric show, but I don’t think of this as a flaw, more like a preference. If you want to see something that has an equal focus on both the leads, or is male centric, this may not be your cup of tea. Most of the story is from the female lead’s point of view and you only get bits of Sun Jae’s perspective later. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a preference for one trope or the other, but if one automatically dislikes a drama because of that one aspect/trope, it might be more practical to just choose another drama that has what they like. There is no point in watching a sports drama if you hate sports, anymore than it being counterproductive to watch a detective story if you hate that genre. I have my own set of preferences and tropes which I normally go for, but if another drama didn’t have what I liked but was still good, I wouldn’t rate it badly either.

Regardless of a drama being female centric, equally focused, multi-perspective, or male-centric…I want a drama to be good at what it does (be good at what it's trying to do), entertain me, be fast paced and have likable characters.

I think Lovely Runner succeeds for the most part. The plot didn’t slow down from beginning to end and while the leads were an odd couple- not just in terms of how they looked together but also how opposite their personalities were (manic, headstrong female lead, shy and vulnerable male lead) they were likeable and sweet together.

My main gripe is that I dislike the drama's over-the-top, slapstick humor. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the jokes and gags, which were exaggerated. The male lead’s father getting stuck in the bathroom for a whole day because he was too weak to open the door... the second couple (the female lead’s brother and her best friend), were excruciating* in their courtship. They would jump into ponds in plain sight in the middle of the their school campus to avoid being seen, hide in lockers and cabinets, talk in extremely high pitched voices even a deaf person could hear…the toilet humor incident they had which got the best friend to like the brother...I felt that these scenes were plain unfunny and just added filler. They did more to detract from the drama and did nothing to enhance it.

The female lead herself, while spirited and charismatic, was a bit grating at first; she was way too over-the-top for me (shouting at the top of her lungs, etc), especially during her “high school” days, however, she gets better and mellows down during her college years. I don’t particularly care for her voice. I was trying to pinpoint what exactly bugged me about it. I’ve watched many an anime and asian drama with an annoyingly voiced female lead (ex: Orchid in Love Between Fairy and Devil, Sang Zhi from Hidden Love, etc) but they didn’t bother me…finally I realized that it’s because these female leads have high pitched girly voices which fits their age/character type.

The actress playing Im Sol has an old lady voice which doesn't sync with her appearance. It was like watching a 70 year old woman (with a syrupy sweet voice) talk in the body of a 30 something year old. The scene were Im Sol dresses in a monk’s costume with her face covered where she warns Sun Jae not to become a swimmer…I could really imagine an old woman as the embodiment of that voice.

The actress can’t help it though. It's her natural speaking voice and that aside, both she and the actor did fine; their performances weren’t extraordinary or anything like that. I could easily imagine another actress or actor playing them, but they delivered well and entertainingly. The rest of the cast were alright. There’s also a love triangle here, but it’s mostly played for laughs. I think the story does best when it focuses on the leads.

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