audrey

oh that phone calls went into a different direction than i expected...

it started strong. compelling premise, intense and the fast-paced style made it more exciting. they always end an episode with a cliff-hanger that would make you want to watch the next episode immediately. but also with this pacing, i think other parts of the show lacked in depth and development. it got really over-the-top in the end there which feels fanfiction-y too in a way which is silly but fun. again, i had a fun time but overall, not as satisfying as i wanted it to be.

the whole phone call thing part between saeon and heejoo was probably the most exciting part of the whole drama. even though, we've seen some stupid moments during that, that was the sequences that made it engaging. i was really rooting for heejoo to play that mind games with saeon but it did not really went there. when that whole thing was over, the romance got intensified. and that intensity threw me off in the end. it just didn't feel right when those two barely know each other. if anything, he treated her so badly that heejoo should've made it worse for him during those phone calls lol except for a couple of flashbacks of them when they were kids, we did not really see much of the development of their relationship. next thing you know, they would literally die for each other. i'm not mad lol but that gave me a whiplash. that whole possesive/over protective thing thing too? oh the girlies are gonna eat that up. i just wish there was more development before all that.

if it's just romance, yuri and sangwoo are the ones that made me kick my feet in the air, you know? that hyper gf and calm bf dynamic who also investigates a case together. plus they are adorable and hot? hello, i want more!

acting-wise, no complaints here. yoo yeonseok? that man can act and has range. very happy for chae soobin getting this project too. i gotta say, the scenes between chae woojin who played dojae and saeon were the ones that really moved me emotionally and probably, one of my favorite moments too.

the villains are over-the-top. it got really wild and dramatic there in the end with the plot. it did bother me at times when they did those "what if" or "dreaming" sequences. oh he actually wasn't shot? oh. lol that's just for shock value. also, i think they could've done more with the selective mutism storyline but oh well.

anyway, it's not a favorite but a good time overall. now i wish there was a version where there's no romance or more like, the two only started falling in love while they're trying to catch the real killer and also, more push back from the female lead and phone calls where they play more mind games with each other lmao writers in fanfic community, do your thing.

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Not just one, but two!!!

Falling for two insane people is so wild. Daon does deserve a Ju Sunghyun lol but seriously tho, I was kind of shocked how far they took it with those two. And there I was at the beginning thinking, it's gonna be one of those where you struggle who's to ship, you end up rooting for a poly 😂. This was wild. Those two are wild. I wish the writing was better for sure. I do relate with Daon in some ways aka falling for people who are kind to me lol but I really wanted more from his character in the end there. I want him to be mad. HE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE MAD. I wanted a big monologue or big confrontation where he calls out how physically abusive and violent those two have been to him. And I never got it. I wasn't satisfied with that.

The romance was alright. I think Daon and Sunghyun are cute but I wish they developed their story better. Just a little more scenes here and there to make me believe they have this really strong connection. I mean, with all the wild things happening outside of their storyline, I feel like the romance should have matched that energy. It also kind of got irritating at the end there when they had a bit of miscommunication. I'm used to the miscommunication trope but if it was like that where one person just simply didn't let the other talk, I'm like????? Nevertheless, I bought the chemistry between the two actors, it's fine.

The acting was just okay from everybody. No one really stood out to me. A little awkward and very deer in the headlights vibes at times but not the worst I've seen.

Yeah, this was very different from the other korean BLs I've seen but that's just it, the shock factor. Just a little different as there's not just one but two questionable crazy characters. Didn't really blow me away but it did make me curious every episode where they'd take it so it was engaging in that sense.

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...oof big sigh. why do they keep making these characters act this way

i don't know. i guess mandee/domundi stuff aren't for me. i feel like at this point, they can afford to find better writers for their dramas, hello! i do like the chemistry of their actors but the material they're working with are just... not it. listen, i do watch a lot of silly-goofy-corny dramas but there has to be something fun for me in it. either a character or a trope or a plotline etc. i mean this had its cute moments but ultimately, this one was just really bland to me, from the storylines to the characters. i thought the romance did not make sense. i don't know how or when or why muenfah and teerak started liking each other. teerak's character in particular was challenging for me to watch especially in the beginning. i understand the grumpy-sunshine trope and i'm into it. i like it, i do! but it's when they infantalized the sunshine character where i just... don't get it. they always do this in BLs (sigh). they did this to middleman's love as well (that's even worse because they're grown adults). no one acts this way or no characters are reacting properly in certain situations. it's just too much. the story was just boring to me and underdeveloped. both teerak and muenfah are just not as interesting as i wanted them to be, individually and together. i feel like they could have made it better if we had a good storyline about teerak being a people pleaser or muenfah's struggle about managing his emotions and anger. but they were all surface level and not executed very well.

if there's anyone who was remotely interesting to me, it would be lee. but he was just there for the most part. they suddenly threw a love interest in there for him towards the end but how am i supposed to get invested when there's really no story that was told. i was actually a bit confused about that. real and hia are a bit cute in the end there but their story was also underdeveloped and again, it just did not make sense to me so. (also, they did this thing where they had a female character who is a "bl fan" so she ships men in her real life......... pls that always gives me the ick i'm sorry. stop it.)

the acting overall was just okay. awkward at times sure but it's the kind of awkward i'm used to at this point lol. no one really stood out. so yeah, this is a miss for me unfortunately. i thought the writing was bad, the story and characters just didn't work for me. but hey, thomas and kong are cute tho!

ps: girl, i am still rooting for mandee/domundi to get it together because i am looking forward to khemjira and my expectations are very very low now so there's no way to go but up lmao

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well... that was depressing lmao

the first half is full of intrigue with the narrative told in a slow, suspenseful manner. with the amount of characters this got, it can get confusing at the beginning but they successfully made it engaging for me and mysterious, you want to know what's gonna happen next. and what happens next is an emotional exploration of life and death. it is sad and depressing honestly but it's also thought-provoking. i think there are enough media out there that imagine what's "afterlife" gonna be and this didn't do anything that mindblowing but it did enough to make me emotionally move. the supernatural intrigue definitely helped. literally everyone gave such incredible and compelling performances. but i might give an extra star to mother lee jungeun for making me cry. she's so good.

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very much the bridge to get to the finale but i still had fun

not as entertaining as the first season but then, how could it be? we already know the gag so i guess the challenge for this show was to sustain it and i acknowledge that that's hard. i think it still had its charm and fun moments but i did feel like it is very much the middle season. the bridge to get to the climax which means the pacing here really started slow for me. we didn't get new insights to the game or story. we're still almost at the same place we were when the first season ended... pretty much? i mean we got a new perspective with park gyuyoung's character as one of the pink-tracksuit army but again, not enough insight.

we got a bunch of new characters. acting-wise, i have no complaints here. they delivered in that category alright but these characters are mostly unforgettable. i think it's a mistake not to give them some sort of background stories just like what they did in the first season, even just a little. instead, a lot of the character are already connected somehow and the background stories are just off the screen. the conflicts and fights didn't feel as impactful and this resulted in me not caring much who dies next. well, i do care (especially to that mom who is also a senior! my queen!) but not as intensely as i wanted to. i want to be moved emotionally and to feel hurt and sad. i guess kang haneul's character might be my favorite one but shout out to TOP (man, i haven't seen this guy in years!). and the controversial one which is park sunghoon's trans woman character. i acknowledge this is a step forward in korean media but overall, they really didn't do much with that storyline so there's nothing much to say anyway. both things can be true.

back in season 1, my favorite parts where the games to be honest because it was just entertaining to watch and fun. the betrayals, the desperation, when characters suddenly switched, the drama and conflicts and chaos etc. that was just fun to watch for me back then (hey it was 2020. i needed entertainment lol). i'm glad they changed some of the games but of course, that first one remained. i get it, it was iconic. i just think this was all creative how they incorporated children's games. and i just love the sets and visuals of it all. but i think i'm in the minority because from what i gathered, the part where the contestants vote whether they continue the game or not is the more popular one because that scenes really got a lot of screen time.

but they did leave some mystery with whatever's happening on that boat with junho and i did like the twist with player 001 being there in the trenches with them. i wish he played more mind games with them to be honest lol still... it had its fun moments despite losing the shock factor. i am still gonna be seated for that third season so

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the bar was already low and it got even lower HELP

i wish i could just put it in the "Typical Cringe Thai BL but it's fun" category but this was all ~dark and mysterious~ and nothing is fun here. it took itself so seriously and for what? so i'm sorry but this is just in the really really bad category, it's funny lol this writer is surrounded by yes-men? no one objected this? at one point, i was a bit hopeful because someone can actually hear thoughts so something supernatural does happen in this world but in the end, that part just became a ridiculous bit lmao i'm not asking for realism in a thai BL but at least, make SOME things make sense. AT LEASTTT

i don't want to go into the detail of how bad the plot was. i'll just talk about the romance but oop ROMANCE WHEREEE? even if that was all real right? let's say it is. it still did not make sense that cir was all over phu when he keeps saying he was so in love with HIS PHU from his own world. sir, that phu is literally a stranger to you. they are different people. and they want me to believe this is romantic! what makes me hate this even more is even phu actually pointed this fact out. so he knows this guy acting like that is very weird. then next thing you know, they're making out lol. i...? and by the very end there, i can't believe he was forgiven SO easily. just when you think it coudn't get any worse, he sings at the end of the apology video.... hahaha HELP. if i were phu, i would feel so freaking stupid and terrified and would have trust issues like crazy. someone who's supposed to love me humiliating me that way?! no way. anddd i would file for a restraining order. the things cir know! my god, i am scared. characters wise, they are just very bland to me. i was hoping if i wasn't into the romance, at least make me like these characters, even the supporting cast! i don't think there's anyone fun or interesting sadly so there's that. also, i know sex scenes sell and maybe i sound like a prude but girl, memindy and their characters always getting a boner scenes are just..... it needs to stop. let's grow up lmao

the writing is so bad, i think it also affected how i see the chemistry of these actors. i've always thought boss and noeul have good on-screen chemistry but after this, it just brought back my negative feelings about the thai BL industry falling into the "love team" culture to be honest.

honestly, one of the reasons i finished this is because i don't want to get a "well you did not see the whole picture" lol i saw it and i'm more disappointed than ever only because i was truly looking forward to this. i'm sorry, i'm being so negative here but this strong reaction is because i was excited and i had expectations. i wouldn't even call it high expectations because Love in the Air is what i'd call "typical bad thai BL but i kinda ate it up lmao" so the bar was low. but oof, it went even lower for me. i am sad and mad. this is so sad guys 😂💀

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yes, cringe. you will see me again seated for part two lol

yes, i'm also one of the people who was giggling, kicking my feet in the air for johanorth but i'd say this is your "typical bad" thai bl. the usual bad writing, one dimensional characters and a romance that did not make sense haha, the usual cringe/corny stuff but fun! i'd just like to make it clearER that i had a good time but yeah, this was not good lol (but you will see me again seated for the next season pfft)

so first of all, i'm not sure i like this format where they focused more on one couple first then go onto the next. it's just not enjoyable to me but i guess that's a personal thing. anyway, both of the stories had that same element where one of them was already madly inlove with another even before they actually got to know the person deeply. and i just simply like it better when i see the development and the connection growing. it was so funny to me how the lore of hill and easter just kept on going? like at first, they used to be together in high school and i thought that was that but then oh, there's more? they actually met even before that and it was shown during the supposedly johan-north focused episodes too! in the end, it just wasn't interesting to me. both hill and easter don't really have much personalities too. now, johan and north? also bad characters honestly hahaha. as i said, it's the chemistry between maxky and bas that was making it fun and watchable but their story is also so ridiculous. i mean i would love a rich man too but again, an actual connection or just little conversation here and there, a couple of pivotal moments first would be nice before johan gives his millions to north. it's just that no one was reacting in a normal way in these situations but i should be used to this by now when it comes to thai bls.

the acting is just okay. no one stands out honestly. awkward at times but i've seen worse. they had your familiar tropes in here which is fun and silly but yeah, it's always the bad writing. most of these actors, i'm watching for the first time but i gotta say, they kept giving earth the same roles. i wish they wouldn't put them in a box like that.

anyway, yeah. this is bad but johan/north era was fun. i was entertained most of the time. see you in s2 lol

ps. yes i've seen some maxky videos here and there and that man is hilarious. very opposite of johan. i'd be interested in another bl with him and bas again but let's make maxky the silly goofy one.

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confused why they liked each other lol

oof. this one did not work for me at all. i thought the writing is sooo bad. for a story that has a competition in it, it was so boring and corny (not in a fun way). the dialogues were so bad. i wasn't fond of any of the characters which is so sad. they're all so bland. but most of all, the romance did not make sense to me. i don't understand how those two liked each other. they disliked each other then next thing you know, they're destroying the kitchen area and making out. as i said, i wasn't liking the writing and i think that affects my enjoyment of the characters especially plawan (i'm sorry). i just find him annoying to be honest and i can't believe two people are so into him so quickly. this is making me sad to type because i thought sailub and pon had so much chemistry but these characters in this dream kinda ruined it for me. even the second couple and supporting characters weren't enjoyable to watch. i don't know.... ugh. i'm disappointed.

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kim jaewook steals the show?!

the moments that emotionally moved me, i really reallyyyy loved and there are just some moments, i just feel lukewarm about it. so first, this was released on valentine's day so naturally, i expected it to be a romance but it's a combination of many genres and romance is not on the top of the list for this one. i guess we can call it a slice-of-life with themes revolving around grief, second chances, creatives, and of course, movies. my favorite storyline is definitely the one between the brothers, ko gyeom and ko jun. that was so heartbreaking and emotional and thought, that's really where the show shines and the best written part. choi wooshik and kim jaewook delivered with these emotional scenes. my second favorite is the one where the characters talk about their love for movies or music and just the highs and lows of being a creative. we got a director, an actor, writer and musician here. watching people be passionate about their art is always fun.

when it comes to the romance, i guess it started strong for me but ultimately, i did not feel as strongly about it as i wanted. the time skip without a single communication was a bit jarring to be honest. i wish they went more in depth with that. but i did like that in the end there, gyeom and mubee seemed to bring out the best in each other and pushed each other to grow. when it comes to the second couple, i am glad they did not get back together because it just wouldn't make sense and it's just more about getting a closure, growing up and i guess a representation of two young people in love but lacks communication. i think it's a factor too that i didn't think the on-screen chemistry between the two couples isn't really that palpable.

visually, it is very pretty. it's edited in a very ~indie vibes~ way, you know. just like in the movies! :) i mean, it's beautiful. so yeah, overall, i still, enjoyed a lot of this. it's not perfect but it's a good watch for me.

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So silly, so over-the-top, so charming, so fun, I want more actually

Enjoyed this a lot. The premise is very much "typical kdrama ridiculousness" to me but the characters are so lovable and fun to watch, I wanted more. At first, I was like, gold bars lol? And then, I got scared about an adult pretending to be a high school student because they could pull something weird but right off the bat, I got relieved because Haeseong reacted on his first day at a high school as I wanted to and he treated the kids like they're his annoying younger siblings but he loved them anyway lol actually his relationship with the kids are one of my favorites and I just love that we're all letting go that no one questioned if he was actually 17 because the other actors playing high schoolers are also adults anyway haha!

As I said, the thing that made me love this so much was the characters. I thought Haeseong and Sua are such easy characters to root for. They're both good people who cares, brave and kind. They're hilarious individually AND even more when they're together which I loved. I think Seo Kangjoon and Jin Kijoo played them so well. It's been years and years for me since I've watched these two. Jin Kijoo has always been really charming to me and I thought Seo Kangjoon is just so captivating as the lead. He's just so good at being both funny and also, an action star that can pull off emotional scenes as well. Like I just buy it. Also, remembering the scene when he finally found his dad, that was crazy. (And I still think he'd be good as a villain!) (And also he's hot, hello, the eyes!!). I thought those two have so much chemistry and just when I thought I'm embracing this new 12-ep kdrama format we have now, the romance lover in me knows if they've gotten more eps, then maybe I would have more Sua-Haeseong moments! I want more! I got nervous too by the way when I found out she was going to be his teacher (because sure, we know they're both adults but she doesn't know that so!!) but it was never weird like that, thank God. I was hoping she'd be part of the team right away because then I think they could have developed the romance more earlier but I'll take what I can get. It's so funny tho that they added a "and they were childhood friends" trope when it really didn't do much to the story. I'm not mad because it's not like it was a reveal but I thought it wasn't needed.

The plot and the villain got really over-the-top there, at times, I was really taken aback at the things she said or did. I wish she was smarter to be honest. I didn't expect she's gonna be that kind of villain but I think Yena's character made her scenes more interesting to me. I mean Kim Shinrok did great as Seo Myeongju but I was also really impressed by Kim Minju in the end there. That scene with the kids in the climax at the last ep was crazy by the way. Imagine! Witnessing something like that as a group!

Yeah, all the supporting cast did so good as well. I love Haeseong's team, they're so ridiculous, I can't believe they actually get things done lmao. I love the kids. And omg, I'll take Yena and Yujeong lesbians as canon. That's the best I can get in a network kdrama lol

This was such a good time for me. Not the best written thing but it has so much heart, characters you're gonna fall for with a lot of chemistry and actors who did great, just good 'ol kdrama goodness.

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how did they make it even cringier lol

even cringier than the other version lol the thing is because it has even shorter running time, it's even worse. this is a very wattpad story with the corniest plot and dialogues, i knew that we all knew that. but give me something fun at least. the writing in here is really bad, like how did they make it worse lol some scenes i had to look away and no one was even singing or pulling out the guitar, it's that bad lol there's no real development of the romance and the acting or chemistry don't save this one either. it's just corny but not in a fun way other bls have done, ya know. i just want to be entertained at leasttt

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the plot is weak but the romance? the love? oh i definitely see it.

the plot could definitely be written much better but the romance between shaopeng and zixiang is where it shines. i also did not realize how emotional this would be. i mean it had its fun and goofy moments but they also gave me some of my favorite heart-tugging scenes in a drama.

i adored shaopeng and zixiang individually and together. i thought it was just so sweet and adorable how they started and gradually got know each other, formed a friendship and then fall in love. the bar is low but we saw that development lol. i love that they brought out the best in each other. this is so corny but like, i believe they're gonna last. this is my first time watching these actors and i'm impressed. i thought they really have so much chemistry plus they delivered a great performance during the emotional scenes. the scene at the hospital with shaopeng and his parents? i was a sobbing mess. thank god shaopeng has such loving parents.

the overall plot with zixiang's cousin and his father was pretty weak. it just wasn't interesting and even though the drama began with zixiang's life being in danger, i never felt that thrill. even in the end with his cousin literally pointing a gun at him, i didn't feel like this whole dramatic scene and supposedly a climactic moment was earned. there was one point, i forgot about nat! (and he's part of the reason why i even started this drama!)

they highlighted the struggles shaopeng's faces in his career as a deaf person in the beginning and i wish they could've gone deeper with this storyline instead of the whole plot with zixiang's family. the incorporation of sign language feels authentic to me but then again, i know so little about it so.

the second lead couple is adorable but that one did not get much development. they just happened. i do think they're cute and have enjoyed their scenes together.

this is one of my favorites now!

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when you root for them individually and together... it's magic

ohmygoodness this put me through it (and i love it). don't you just love it when the main leads are both hot, smart, skilled and can be funny too? then it even gets better because they have so much chemistry! that's song mo and dou zhao. i've never rooted for a couple's happiness and triumph so hard. i admire their resilience and how they actually made each other better. every wins our leads get, it was so satisfying. that's also thanks to how good the antagonists in this story and man, we got multiple villains here and when i tell you my blood was boiling everytime omg lol i don't know how i'll rank them but wang ying xue that bitch (she's so freaking good). so yeah from the acting to the story to the romance, this delivered for me. at first, i was overwhelmed with the politics and the names but once i got the hang of it, i was good. this brought out the emotions in me. i cried, i laughed, i got mad and i cheered.

meng zi yi and li yun rui are officially on my favorites list now. they did so good. but even the supporting actors are amazing. again, the villains! especially the women! also shout out to ming (again wang ying xue you stupid bitch lmao) and ansu (i, too, was heartbroken when i saw how song han started changing. their ending! sad but incredible).

ps: it's actually the king and duke of ding's love story if you think about it lol

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one of those that reminds me why i love kdramas

so much fun. not perfect but this just has that classic kdrama feel with a group of lovable misfits that you're just going to root for and of course, a compassionate teacher that would fight tooth and nail for her students. a straightforward story with so much heart and a humor that just works. fun action scenes with a lot of moments that tug at the heartstrings. i broke my "avoiding dramas with bullying" thing for this one and i'm glad i did because as much as those scenes are hard to watch, the joy these characters gave me was greater. although, a suspension of disbelief is definitely needed. just trust that those 10th graders are doing all this lmao gamin basically has superpowers and you just gotta let go and enjoy. and also believe these aren't grown GROWN adults lol

ultimately, the narrative was about kindness and friendships. the gamin-sehyeon dynamics is just one of my favorite things ever. despite having a shorter running time than the usual kdramas, i think they did well exploring those two's similarities and differences. the other characters are also so much fun to watch. i think this ensemble has so much chemistry together. i do wish the villains are more interesting and complex i guess than what we got but, hey, they were definitely getting the negative emotions out of me so it still worked. just thought there could be more. nothing groundbreaking with the ending but i don't mind. (are they hoping for a season2? i haven't read the source material so i assume there's more to it. honestly, i'm not a fan of kdramas having season two's now but hey if ever, i will be tuning in for this one)

so yeah, i had a great time with this one. this was so fast-paced and just entertaining. these are my children! :)

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i mean it was a level up from love mechanics i guess

right off the bat, this one is gonna require your suspension of disbelief because what happened in that 1st ep... you just gotta let it go lmao. production-wise, this was such an upgrade from the last yinwar project. i think both of their acting has improved as well. the story tho... i wasn't crazy about it. hmm well after you let go of how that scene in the bank went in the first ep, i thought it was interesting at first but then it just got boring in the middle. i would've loved it if joke's reason for doing what he's doing is deeper than "daddy issues" but oh well. for me, the more serious and action sequences did not blend well with the comedic antics of the characters. it just wasn't executed smoothly. there are times where i don't think this knows what tone they wanted to have. the villains in this story became such caricature in the end there that it's so ridiculous because again, the tone is trying to be ~serious~ but they're acting so silly. what do you mean you're supposed to be powerful and scary then lost to a hangman game!!! Zorry, i just did not buy it lol

however, i did think yin and war still have that chemistry. i love my slowburns but the romance did feel like it was put on the back burner at one point. i don't know that they pulled off a "good slowburn romance" to be honest. it just lack some more development(?) or more yearning(?) i guess. don't get me wrong, i love them together and i definitely had that "finally!!! :)" feeling when they got together but i guess i wanted more??? especially the development of them getting to know each other after 5 years. they were basically strangers even before joke went to prison so.... yeah.

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