Details

  • Last Online: 11 hours ago
  • Location: swimming in the BL vortex
  • Contribution Points: 66 LV2
  • Roles:
  • Join Date: July 6, 2021
  • Awards Received: Finger Heart Award4 Flower Award10 Hidden Gem Recommender1 Clap Clap Clap Award1

BL Compilations

swimming in the BL vortex
Completed
2BB
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 19, 2023
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

silly and short series

Overall: this is a short romcom filled with cliches, but it made me laugh so I rated it an 8. Aired on Rookie Thailand's YouTube channel and their TikTok.

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- it made me laugh a few times (including the drunk dancing)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- the organizing guy was unprofessional in the beginning, but he made amends
- this thing was full of cliches but it really didn't bother me that much
- that didn't really feel like an ending, wish they had more fully developed/concluded the story

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Completed
My Roommate
6 people found this review helpful
Oct 8, 2022
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

cute micro series, just too short

Overall: this is a micro micro series at 1-3 minutes per episode. Recommend watching on the GagaOOLala YouTube channel as a few episodes on Artop Media Hit Drama channel were missing subtitles.

Content Warnings: non con photo taking, not sure if I would label that as non con at the end of the 1st episode as there was no indication of interest prior to it

What I Liked
- the general premise as shown after the 1st episode
- cute moments
- a f/f couple

Room For Improvement
- the run time was just too short with 3 separate couples, they should have just had the focus be 1 couple
- choppy, we'd end up somewhere and start somewhere totally different in the next episode
- that the f/f couple didn't get a kiss
- several of the kisses were camera blocked
- music was too loud over dialogue at times

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Completed
Blue of Winter
6 people found this review helpful
Mar 22, 2022
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 6.0
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

confusing with cliche plot points

Overall: this is a lower budget production that once again would have benefited from a narrower plot (i.e. no love triangle) due to its short runtime. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: smack on the head, blackmail

What I Liked
- the intro animation sequence that went into the live action
- I like the original focus on Judo (but that vanished unfortunately)

Room For Improvement
- confusing/choppy, especially in the first episode scenes just cut to something else and I was confused who the characters were
- too broad of a plot, they should have just focused on two judo players
- cliche things that I hate: love triangle, miscommunication/lack of communication, long time gap (6 years!), open ending, gay for you trope
- camera trick to not show the kiss well

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Completed
Find You in the Crowd 2
6 people found this review helpful
Oct 26, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

What did I just watch?

Overall: Even reading the summary doesn't help me to understand what it was that I just watched. And I have zero desire to re-watch it and see if I can figure out what was going on. It appears that this was related to the first Find You In The Crowd, but don't ask me exactly how. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings (I'm not sure what was reality and what wasn't with these): murder, attempted suicide (graphic), manipulation/lying?, suicide?

What I Liked
- there was some nice music
- acting was fine

Room For Improvement
- the plot was incomprehensible, multiple flashbacks/forwards/dreams/maybe dreams?/cutting quickly to other scenes/choppy editing

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Completed
A First Love Story
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 21, 2021
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Make this a whole series, pretty please?

Overall: In about 15 minutes, Strongberry again delivers a well written & acted story (you can watch it on YouTube)
Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- the actors, they did a great job and have good chemistry (except the first kiss* in part 2, I give them a pass on the kiss in part 1 because it might have been the characters' first kiss)
- the background music was nice
- a short and sweet story
- I liked how the camerawork moved a bit more when they were walking but it wasn't too shaky

Room For Improvement/Questions
- the scene towards the end of part 2 was a too dimly lit for me
- I don't like how he called his boyfriend a pervert, I realize that he is joking, but it feels like an undercurrent of homophobia or looking down on when someone wants to be physical in a relationship...and I didn't like the cheater line either - maybe this is a translation thing
- doesn't the other guy have to serve in the military as well? Why wouldn't they have joined at the same time, now they'll have 4 years apart right? Or does he have a medical exemption? I'm confused by this.
- *that first kiss in part 2...I don't think anyone kisses a significant other like this, at least both people would pucker their lips a bit. Since they are in public, it could have been a cheek kiss instead.

I really hope Strongberry continues to make more and longer things. I bet if they did a Kickstarter for this to be a whole series or a sequel for Long Time No See, people would contribute. Right now they have YouTube channel membership. Wishing them all the best!!!

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Completed
The Cupid Coach
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 23, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Screams of agony could be heard down the street

Content warning: you'll want to claw your eyes out after watching...

What I Liked-
it had an interesting premise, a god of love tries to help a human
- the actors were cute
- the first few episodes were okay
- I liked that the female character wasn't some crazy ex-girlfriend or a stalker fangirl

Why I Got So Angry
- the terrible 2 kisses - Nite is the god of love so he has to know how to give/receive a kiss right?? right??? (me screaming into a void)
- the entire episode where Tae just moped around and there were flashbacks, so boring
- almost all of the cast vanishes in the last few episodes
- an unknown time later Tae is at a beach and meets a doppelganger of Nite (let's call him Nite 2). There is no explanation but we all assume that Nite 2 is Nite in a different body based on the ridiculous number of similarities (I was thinking an Ariel type thing). This drags out until....
- What on god's green earth was that ending???? Nite 2 specifically says that he is NOT Nite, whaaaaaaaaa?????!!!!!!!!! What on earth happened to Nite? Where did this Nite 2 come from? Who wrote this????!!!!!!!! I almost threw my computer across the room and I screamed in agony at that ending. 

Perhaps they had to do 12 episodes and had problems with the pandemic. They should have paused filming OR just added 1 scene between Nite & that other god to explain that Nite needed to get a human to give him a 'true love's kiss' in a new body without revealing he is Nite. Then Nite could remain human and be with his true love (i.e. Ariel situation). Explain to me why this scene could not have been filmed and I'll up my review.

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Completed
The Trainee
33 people found this review helpful
Jun 30, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

a coming of age ensemble series (not a BL series)

Overall: I re-watched the trailer to see if my expectations were way off but the trailer was narrated by Ryan and showed mostly Ryan/Jane moments. While I enjoyed the quirky humor, the misleading trailer and writing was disappointing. Aired on GMMTVs YouTube Channel, playlist link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI7b0q-zvdbbziNCv5VNDufI&si=t5Xhss_rfPl3ybkE

Content Warning: sexual harassment

Watch Suggestions (I don't have the energy to go back thru the first 8 episodes, here are timings to focus on Jane & Ryan's romance)
- watch episode 9 part 4 7:45-end
- watch episode 10 part 1 beginning to the credits then 8-end
- watch episode 10 part 2 5:20-end
- watch episode 10 part 3 beginning to 1m 10s
- watch episode 10 part 4 8:30-end
- watch episode 11 part 2 beginning to 2:30
- watch episode 11 part 3 4:45-end
- watch episode 11 part 4 2:30-3:45 and 6:30-end
- watch episode 12 part 2
- watch episode 12 part 4 1min to 2:55 and 15:30-the end

What I Liked
- relatable main character (not knowing what he wanted to do in life)
- editing style, not sure how describe it, really vibrant colors
- laughed a few times
- informational bonus scenes at the end
- good that they touched on sexual harassment and I think this series passed the Bechdel test
- characters apologized

Room For Improvement
- misleading trailer
- pacing could have been tighter
- disappointed with a character/pair arc
- not all of the humor worked for me
- a character said "never ask me anything" and later said "if you don't know something ask me"
- Ryan was too incompetent such as not knowing how to silence or turn off his cell phone
- underwhelming/camera blocked kisses
- in episode 12 the time jump was totally not needed, technology exists, they didn't need to write a pair's relationship in that way

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Completed
Interminable
10 people found this review helpful
Nov 11, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

wish it was told in chronological order

Overall: I was intrigued with the set up, but felt disconnected from the romance because it was not told in chronological order and the plot dragged at times. 11 episodes about 45 min each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/interminable-episode-1-15snedolols?lang=en_us (spoiler for the ending under a spoiler comment)

Content Warnings: past (murders, suicides, violence, blood, held against will, unwanted public outing, slap, manipulation); current (attempted murder, near suicide, manipulation, sexual harassment/assault, drugging, near murder, beaten up, death)

Watch Suggestions (to focus on the romance, in approximate chronological order)
- episode 1 watch 15:45-19:40
- episode 2 watch 7:30-9:35
- episode 3 watch 23-25:40
- episode 4 watch 25-28
- episode 6 watch 37-45:10
- episode 7 watch the beginning to 11:25, 12:45-15:15, 16:20-18:45, 22-29:48, 32-35:55
- episode 8 watch 34-42:30 and 46-49:20
- episode 9 watch 28:40-31
- episode 10 watch 13,15-14.45
- episode 11 watch 36-40:30
- episode 12 watch 4-11:25
- episode 12 watch 23-24:30

1947
- start episode 3 at 30 minutes and end at 51
- episode 4 watch 17:30-20, 43-49:15
- episode 5 watch 36-40
- episode 12 watch 59-1hr 1min 20 (or can watch until the very end for another time jump but I think it's better before the time jump)

What I Liked
- historical eras (1912 past, 1947 present)
- styling
- mystery element
- a supportive female character

Room For Improvement
- the biggest difficulty for me was I couldn't connect to the romance because we just kept seeing small little snippets of their relationship in the past instead of the full development of their past relationship. Then we spent such a long time in the past that I couldn't connect to the present 1947)
- had a slow start and dragged, then the finale went really fast
- the odd grunting in ep 5
- multiple love triangles
- wannabe evil wife cliche
- a character in the past was way too pushy and ignored boundaries multiple times
- a character almost always wore shorts and suspenders so he looked child-like in 1947
- in 1947 they made an odd choice but at least the couple talked about things
- side couple went nowhere
- the political drama was resolved off screen

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Completed
P.S. I Hate You
10 people found this review helpful
Sep 28, 2022
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

dark and messy soap opera style series with cute side m/m couple

Overall: this isn't the type of plot (dark/murder mystery) that I enjoy, but I think they did a good job with it. Wish the side m/m couple would have had more screen time. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: pretty much every single one, this could be really triggering for people so please take care if you watch the whole thing

Timings for the side m/m couple (in case you'd like to just see their scenes, I think I got most of them). The best are episode 5 part 4 and episode 6 part 1.
ep 2 4/4, 3m30s
ep 3 2/4, 1:30
ep 5 3/4, 4
ep 5 4/4, beginning
ep 6 1/4, 9
ep 8 3/4, beginning
ep 14 2/4, 4
ep 16 3/4, 13 and 16
ep 17 2/4, 1m10s
ep 18 4/4 4m30s

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Completed
Tin Tem Jai
14 people found this review helpful
Feb 27, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 6.0
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 2.0

poorly done slice of life

Overall: I would advise starting it at ep 5 34 minutes and you'll avoid a whole bunch of random child characters. This is from the same production company that made: Ai Long Nhai, Coffee Melody, With Love and Second Chance. 10 episodes about 40 minutes long aired on GagaOOLala and iQIYI.

Content Warnings: past death/grief, blood, bullying, hit/kick/punch, transphobia mentioned, intimate partner violence, drug addiction

What I Liked
- Khana and Pao (who had almost no screen time)
- how Barbie called out those bullies in ep 1
- good discussion of how if you are queer you are held to a higher perfection standard, you have to represent all queer people and can't make mistakes/learn like non-queer people*
- supportive friends
- Tin told his mom off

Room For Improvement
- boring, nothing really happened, scenes dragged on for too long they felt randomly thrown together at times
- Tin is maybe supposed to be in university but acts like he's in middle school, comes across as whiny and immature and he didn't know what a boner was???
- too many characters including children, lack of development with main characters specifically Kana and Pao
- *the trope of a hypersexual trans woman
- not into the Park/Tin dynamic, the cold/angry/reluctant guy hitting the peppy/persistent/harassing character, in ep 2 also Park randomly was flirty at one point which was an odd shift, Park later had a personality transplant in the second half of the series and was super flirty which was better
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny, I didn't laugh once
- ep 1 started with a voice over/exposition dump
- why doesn't anyone called an ambulance, they just stand around shouting and that cpr technique was terrible

Question - what does Tin Tem Jai mean,? Tin is a character's name, internet searching says 'tem' is 'to do' or 'to make' and 'jai' is 'heart'.

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Completed
Boys Be Brave!
19 people found this review helpful
Apr 25, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

so much potential

Overall: this series could have been a 9.5 for me with the amount of potential but the writing didn't deliver. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each, 2 episodes per week. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40439c-boys-be-brave and on GagaOOLala (in Macau, Hong Kong & Taiwan) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4231/boys-be-brave-2024-e01

Content Warnings: harassment, punch/fight

Watch Suggestions (takes out love triangle and focuses on cute parts)
- watch the beginning of ep 5 to 3:30 (when Jung Ki Sub was a little kid and explained why he acted like he did when people asked him out)
- watch episode 8 25:30-end (for when they first met)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- episode 3 skip 23:20-24:30
- episode 4 watch 5:30-9:30 and 10-15
- episode 5 watch 4:20-15
- episode 6 watch 6:30-16:30, 24:20-end
- episode 7 watch 3:30-5:40, 17-27:30
- episode 8 watch 6:30-9, 21-25:25

What I Liked
- the friend relationship
- direct communication when it happened
- funny moments
- switching perspectives
- character growth with main couple
- end of episode 3
- one of the best hugs ever

Room For Improvement
- what we saw at the beginning of episode 5 needed to be shown much sooner so I could have rooted for the main couple's relationship, it felt like the 1 guy was playing games
- needed to get rid of the mostly cliched female character and family drama to focus more on the two couples
- the second couple had wasted screen time, also 1 character was cruel in the past and in the present and the other was content to be a doormat, needed a better explanation in the past and more/faster character growth in the present, then an unsatisfying ending
- 'because the writer said so' stuff, why would a character be so open to a woman he just met when his characterization up to that point has been more closed/prickly, why does a character go from punches/hate to being a simp
- most of episode 7 was wasted on family drama, episode 8 had a ton of wasted screen time too
- beginning of episode 8 was extremely choppy with a multitude of flash backs/forwards, characters in different locations

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Completed
Time
19 people found this review helpful
Jan 9, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 3.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

gave me a headache every time

Overall: the plot did not plot. Watched uncut on GagaOOLala. Also aired cut/uncut on WeTV and cut on YouTube (they cut the NSFW scenes). 10 episodes about 40 minutes each. MFlow Entertainment also produced: Beyond the Star, Ai Long Nhai, Coffee Melody, Second Chance and With Love.

Watch Suggestion: instead of watching the series, watch the Behind The NC Scenes (note the thumbnails have nothing to do with the scenes) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3965/time-the-series-behind-the-nc-scenes-2024-e01 These are actually fully edited with music though they occasionally have someone giving directions.

Content Warnings: murder, sexual assault/attempted rape, dub/non con? (not sure what exactly that was around 30 minutes in episode 1), sexual harassment, beaten up, drugging, manipulation, slaps/fight, blood, mental health struggles, non con that turns consensual, breaking & entering, kidnapping, non con video recording/sharing

What I Liked
- the intro didn't make much sense but it did set up high stakes
- at least the manager eventually followed him to his room in episode 1
- the kissing/NSFW were decent (but felt directed instead of organic at times)

Room For Improvement
- not sure what the plot was supposed to be, we had fast jumps to characters that are not introduced well/I didn't really know who they were (especially bad in episode 5), it was also boring ie 7 minutes of guys flirting with women in episode 3
- everything felt odd, the dialogues, the lack of realistic reactions to things, no one acted like a human
- the timeline became especially choppy in episode 7, was not sure how much time passed between scenes
- way too much screen time in episode 1 with the stereotypical/cliche fighting/yelling trans women and evil wannabe girlfriend (reminded me of Be Mine Superstar, not in a good way), luckily the yelling went away
- the set up for the NSFW in episode 1 was awful
- the two leads needed to be styled differently, they looked kind of like brothers
- comedy sound effects that weren't funny
- episode 2 had a very long/odd flashback/dream
- nonsense stuff, that jump drive map in episode 5 being just one of a ton of examples
- cliche evil women
- cliche drunk trope (very fictional mouth says no but body says yes), cliche saw someone talking with a woman and then refused to communicate
- the twist at the end

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Completed
My Stand-In
49 people found this review helpful
Apr 26, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 21
Overall 7.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

had me until episode 4

(potential trigger warnings in my review, talking about abuse and intimate partner violence)

Overall: with a few tweaks this could have been a 9.5 series but I actively did not want the main leads together especially when 3 years later one of them was still a narcissist. It's sad but not surprising that people were victim blaming and calling Joe stupid. He wasn't stupid, he was an abuse victim (more below). Very similar aesthetics to KinnPorsche which made sense because it shared a director and screenwriter. It was adapted from the novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng which I didn't read and I based the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about an hour each. Aired uncut on iQIYI. First episode link: https://www.iq.com/play/my-stand-in-uncut-episode-1-1iwuiu9rlww?lang=en_us The production company also produced I Feel You Linger In The Air. This review is of the uncut which was the first version on MDL and I'm not sure if there even is a cut version currently.

Content Warnings: death, grief, non con kissing, punch/violence, intimate partner abuse, held against will, gaslighting, manipulation, coercion, past suicide?, manhandling, vomiting, parental abuse, kidnapped, homophobia

What I Liked
- the premise
- showed a condom and discussed sexual position preferences
- had a good conversation at the beginning of episode 2
- wanting/ongoing physical affection in the beginning episodes
- sweet moments in the beginning episodes
- supportive sister
- production value (some really nice camera shots, use of mirrors, switching focus on foreground to background etc.)

Room For Improvement
- I can't root for their relationship as explained below
- Ming was stupid, he could have easily shown his dad evidence first before telling him the other part, he could have shored up his financial situation first as well
- Joe's lack of agency, he had a bunch of awful things and felt cornered into doing things instead of it being his choice
- multiple failed redemption arcs
- trash characters have no consequences, just instant forgiveness for terrible things they did
- multiple romances introduced in the last 30 minutes of the last episode
- voice overs with exposition dumps
- some of the music didn't fit the tone (that fight in episode 4 was made comical instead of dramatic)
- wish a character hadn't been shown as extremely drunk at the end of episode 1
- love triangle, Sol overstepped and took away agency from Joe especially in episode 9
- nonsense stuff i.e. Ming just happened to have something at his house in episode 4??? Joe didn't have any bruises/blood on his face/head in episode 4, Joe happened to overhear key conversations, 1 person being extremely drunk and a stunt person not being able to get away

Thoughts on Grey Characters/Their Romantic Relationships
Sometimes these characters and their dynamic work for me and other times they don't. Here are the factors that I think about:
1. was there a realistic reason why the character/s acted the way they did in the past (sort of, but not to the level that Ming was at)
2. how bad was/is the treatment (extremely abusive and violent, Ming could have accidentally killed Joe in episode 4, 3 years later and Ming stays a narcissist he says "I always get what I want" and he actively ignores what would make Joe happy)
3. were both characters grey or was one squeaky clean (Joe was mostly squeaky clean but unbelievably dense in not believing that Ming wanted him and Ming was abusive and a narcissist and stayed a narcissist/manipulative and also stupid to not know why Joe didn't tell him something)
4. was there some kind of apology/amend making (verbal apologies, promised to treat him better/give him job opportunities, was sweet with him but to me it was just the make up phase of an abuse cycle)
5. was there character growth (no, 3 years later and Ming was still a narcissist which was reinforced in episode 9, he made decisions involving Joe without asking what Joe wanted because Ming did whatever Ming wanted)
6. do I believe that the characters will stay together in a happy romantic relationship (no, because for Ming it was about power/control and not love)
final verdict: I didn't want them in a romantic relationship together

Joe wasn't stupid, he was the victim of intimate partner violence
- Joe was the victim of physical, financial, emotional/mental and sexual abuse
- Ming didn't love Joe, he wanted to control him to get what he wanted
- abuse survivors can have a very difficult time escaping the abuse because abusers can be extremely excellent manipulators "if you hadn't done abc then I wouldn't have had to say/do xyz", also there are periods of nice times that trick the survivor into thinking the abuser does love them (the make up phase in the cycle of abuse), in the real world intimate partner violence is deadly and widespread, it is estimated that 10-40% of law enforcement officers are abusers and they are frequently the first people to respond, it's all very terrible and not at all romantic

If you or someone you love needs help, here is a resource in the U.S. https://www.rainn.org/

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Completed
The Next Prince: Uncut
11 people found this review helpful
May 3, 2025
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

awesome styling with some lackluster writing

Overall: the writing was not what I hoped for, but I still enjoyed the different premise. 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/the-next-prince-episode-1-1bv2jjiv65o?lang=en_us ; 1st episode cut on YouTube (not in Japan or South Korea) https://youtu.be/5wUsrm8lZcI?si=_ZOtV42qRgEUm8Ia

Content Warnings: past deaths, manipulation, fights, blood, dub con kissing , slap, violence, child abuse, sexism, attempted murder, murder/deaths, torture

Watch Suggestions (to focus on the romance and less politics/competitions)
- watch episodes 1 and 2
- episode 3 watch 33:40-37:40 and 48-51:30
- episode 4 watch 8:30-9:40, 16-17:50, 22:50-23:45, 32:50-33:50, 42:30-45:30 and 48:30-49:45 (also extra scene after the end credits)
- episode 5 watch 29:50-31 (I'm conflicted about this scene) and 45-end
- episode 6 watch beginning-5, 8-21:45, 25-26:55, 38:15-39:30 and 42-end
- episode 7 watch beginning-11, 1hr3-end
- episode 8 watch beginning-27, 30:10-33:50, 34:35-35:50, 43-58
- episode 9 watch 22-28
- skip episodes 10-12
- episode 13 watch 43-47:15
- episode 14 watch 26-end (you could watch the fencing at the beginning if wanted)

What I Liked
- dynamics/chemistry
- enjoyed the beginning fight sequence in episode 1
- commentary on gender roles/sexism and environmental justice
- Chakri
- kissing/intimacy
- production value* (i.e. set design, styling)

Room For Improvement
- started with a world building exposition dump
- a ton of nonsense plot stuff: a dad didn't show any anger about being lied to about something, no bodyguards around protecting royalty, a very long hold in episode 4, nonsense plan in episode 4 (should have known dad would know what he did), a bunch of people perfectly spaced on a field in episode 12 and a lot more
- a character acted like a privileged brat for too long
- wish we would get a sane, safe and consensual BDSM relationship, I guess their ending was okay
- not enough of the side couples/relationship development, felt shoe-horned in
- *the camera was too shaky, wanted more stable shots

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Completed
Sangmin Dinneaw
11 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

all over the place (watch suggestions)

Overall: the series swung from comedy (most of which I didn't find funny), to slice of life, to random steamy parts, to melodrama and ended up not being a cohesive series. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired cut on Glory Day Ent Official YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE_mMXNJViWUKaXdkT7ZgBEaTk35wYbZg&si=tB7zzhUJmFIHnvuD and uncut (longer steamy scenes) on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/sangmin-dinneaw-episode-1-xmk7546rfw

Content Warnings: past death, non con/dub con, violence, blood, manipulation, non con touching played off as comedy, slap played as comedy, past child abuse (shown), depression, sexual harassment, slaps, attempted murder, murder?

Watch Suggestions (focus on sweet/steamy moments, note: the uncut version has longer steamy moments)
- watch episode 1
- episode 2 skip part 2 8:30-end
- episode 3 watch part 1 6:50-11:15, part 2 beginning-end, part 3 8:50-10
- episode 4 watch part 1 3:30-8:10, 10:35-12:40, 14-end, part 2 9-end, part 3 5:20-end
- episode 5 watch part 1 beginning-3, 10:40-12:25, part 2 beginning-3:10
- episode 6 watch part 2 5:10-6:20, 13:30-end, part 3 6:20-10:35
- episode 7 watch part 2 14:25-end (watch the uncut for the 2nd couple's steamy scene)
- episode 8 watch part 1 11-12:25 (cut the kissing shorter), part 3 3-4:10 and 9:30-end

What I Liked
- countryside setting
- visuals
- the dream massage
- the mom talked to her son and then the apology in ep 1 and the mom overall
- sweet/caring moments
- an established couple
- the language aspect felt realistic, every character didn't magically understand the other person's language like we've seen before
- the traditional outfits were beautiful
- non cliche female friend
- good consent in episode 5

Room For Improvement
- did a character just murder someone?!!!! he could have gathered evidence and brought it to the police
- the near constant comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- episode 2 had the fictional so drunk didn't recognize a person but still able to be an active participant in sex
- episode 3 and the manager was cringey instead of funny
- nonsense plan in episode 5/cliche plot point
- exposition dump in episode 6
- two more random characters in episode 6
- a character acted like a toddler in episode 7
- western/cowboy music and white underwear
- the leads only had 4 minutes together in the finale
- nonsense plot stuff: never really explained the reason for not communicating at all even when he was an adult,why didn't he do something first and then reconnect with the alleged love of his life (the order he went in in the series made him look extremely selfish)

Cut (is always 46 min) vs. Uncut
- episode 1 uncut was 50 minutes, I couldn't tell what 4 minutes they cut out.
- episode 2 uncut was 52 minutes, they cut out a bit of the steamy scene with the side couple
- episode 3 uncut was 52 minutes, they shortened/didn't show the steamy scenes of the established couple
- I did not want to continue comparing but overall the cut version took out steamy scenes

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