4
10
1
1
So much potential, but the lack of character growth was disappointing
Content Warnings (not between m/m couple): physical abuse/assault, kidnapping, blackmail, having several previous partners shaming, drugging, manipulationOverall: I really disliked Fiat (especially) and Leo from TTs2, but I was hooked after watching episode 1 of Don't Say No. Unfortunately the lack of character growth and the dreaded 11th episode plus a stupid ending for the side couple made it not reach its potential. Don't watch episode zero as there is some really messed up stuff that happens in that. All you need to know is Leo & Fiat are life long friends who recently became romantic with one another.
What I Liked
- communication*, Fiat & Leo actually communicate about their issues and work to resolve them. They even communicate during and after "fun" time, which I rarely see. However, episode 11 was a huge disappointment.
- the 2 main female characters are supportive friends and bonus the step mom is nice. I'm torn on Leo's mom who is supportive but almost in a manipulative/too invasive way.
- pacing was okay for the most part
- explanation for character motivation/faults, we get to see why characters are doing things (at times via flashbacks), and how different people interpret the same actions
- subverted/modified tropes with the side couple (hurt/care, sharing umbrella)
Room For Improvement
- *was really sad to see the lack of character growth especially from Fiat. That whole 11th episode was so dumb and unnecessary and they never even showed them actually communicate what happened with those events to each other!
- they should have made the family past trauma the final 4-6 episode arc and then show Fiat have some character growth
- the main couple (Leo/Fiat) don't look comfortable with kissing each other/being intimate, you can't be established boyfriends and not at least pucker your mouth for a kiss... these scenes were hit and miss for me.
- the side m/m couple: Pob should have been written as nervous/inexperienced, but instead he comes across as a jerk who thinks about himself only and plays games with Leon (like in episode 8 when he smirks after talking with Leon). And their ending was super stupid. I started out not liking them, liked them briefly and then ended up not liking them together.
- the overused cliche evil wannabe girlfriend
- Fiat's dad has about one brain cell, his actions were so toxic and stupid
- the comedy sound effects, they just aren't my thing but at least there isn't that horrendous gulping noise
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This review may contain spoilers
sudden character shifts
Overall: note that this review and the series might be triggering regarding intimate partner abuse. My main issue was how multiple characters flip flopped and I couldn't trust them with one in particular who was abusive one minute and then super sweet the next. This is based on the web novel "Thundercloud Rainstorm" by Caesim, which I haven't read and I reviewed the series based on its own merits. 8 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/thundercloud-rainstorm-episode-1-1n404dlzgcg?lang=en_us ; GagaOOLala (available in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia and Europe (excluding Spain, Portugal, and United Kingdom)) and on Heavenly in South Korea.Content Warnings: non con kiss, punch/beaten up, manhandling, coercion, intimate partner abuse, victim blaming, blackmail
Watch Suggestions (to focus on steamy & sweet)
- episode 1 watch 24:15-end
- episode 2 watch 9:40-10:30, 16:10-16:30, 25-end
- episode 3 watch beginning-15
- episode 4 watch beginning-15
- episode 5 watch beginning-9:15, 28-30
- skip episodes 6 and 7
- episode 8 watch 3:30-end which gives an overview and shows how the series ended
What I Liked
- chemistry (in the beginning, it fizzled a bit in my opinion)
- visuals
- that one character wasn't completely child-like (the kick in ep 3 was good, wish we saw more agency from him)
- one character had consequences off screen
Room For Improvement
- some choppiness especially in the beginning with time jumps
- a character's action in the beginning of episode 1 made no sense if I understood the timeline correctly, also they said he should have been in a ton of pain??
- the drunk and forget cliche
- Il Jo needed more agency
- inconsistent characterization, a character was cruel and the next second was in love, then abusive, then a sweet puppy and so on (it made it so I couldn't trust their nice side because the other side was always lurking around the corner)
- a character knew something terrible could have happened and then sat around for awhile towards the end of episode 4
- some night scenes were too dark, needed more light on the actors' faces
- noble idiot trope
- a character stayed trash thru the end and had zero consequences
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This review may contain spoilers
sweet actors, not good writing (watch suggestions)
Overall: I really hope the actors get a better script next time. 12 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI for U.S., Canada & Thailand? https://www.iq.com/play/lobrkfltic?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4 and GMMTV's YouTube channel for everywhere else https://youtu.be/-sXShzisZTk?si=bdKzCuZhh_m6KlZf - both seem to be the same length.Content Warnings: past death, grief, blood, manipulation
Watch Suggestions (to focus on the leads, reduce angst)
- watch episodes 1-3 (I don't have the energy to re-watch for timings but I think overall these episodes were good)
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 10:35 and 27:40-31:45
- episode 5 watch 25:30-29:40
- episode 6 watch 13-15:30 and 45:40-end
- episode 7 watch 14:45-21:35, 34:30-42:40 and 45:10-end
- episode 8 watch 29-30 and 37:30-end
- episode 9 watch 5:45-7:15, 13:25-14:33, 22:20-26:10, 31:15-33:20, 39:40-end
- episode 10 watch 15-17:55
- watch episode 11 (finale)
What I Liked
- a flirty/forthright protagonist
- supportive friend
- laughed at the "dancing"
- finale wrapped things up well and the cameo in episode 11
Room For Improvement
- tired tropes (i.e. too many kiss interruptions)
- slow pacing
- I didn't find most of the comedy funny and then it veered into serious/angsty territory with a very similar plot to a recent Taiwanese series
- the twist in episode 4
- love rival/jealousy for multiple episodes
- how characters pressured another character into forgiving his mom
- not remembering it in episode 9
- the plot with the side couple/characters, that they needed a man to fix their relationship
- the comedy sound effects didn't enhance the comedy
- (neutral) the dentist/client relationship, it didn't bother me
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This review may contain spoilers
pretty typical Thai romcom (watch suggestions)
Overall: I struggled with the beginning episodes. Luckily, episode 4 kicked things into high gear but cliched plot points made me fast forward a lot. The series is based on a book which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/this-love-doesn-t-have-long-beans-episode-1-zp9b0sxbr0?lang=en_us and Change2561 YouTube channel (not in U.S.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfLYXbzgBBo (keep watching after the behind the scenes of ep 1, I think those scenes are from the entire series, not just episode 2)Content Warnings: manhandling, stalking, past deaths, manipulation, hit, unwanted outing, non con turned consensual
Watch Suggestions (focuses on the 2 couples, takes out some cooking/love rivals)
- read the synopsis and skip episode 1
- episode 2 watch 16:10-20:30, 30:10-32:30, 41:40-43
- episode 3 watch the beginning to 5, 22:15-25, 27:20-36, 40 to the end
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 2, 19:15-22:10, 44 to the end (steamy scene at the end of ep 4)
- episode 5 watch the beginning to 2, 5-12:20, 21:15-23, 25:10-26:15, 34:15-35:25 (steamy scene cutting out the beginning non con part), 54-58:40
- episode 6 watch 9-14:40, 17-19:20, 23:20-30, 38:20-41:05
- episode 7 could watch the whole episode
- episode 8 (to take out some angst) watch beginning-10:50, 33:10-39:38 and 44 to the end
What I Liked
- supportive/realistic friendship
- visuals (except the bowl haircut)
- tension
- intimacy and ongoing mutual attraction/interest
- the behind the scenes at the end of the episodes are fun
Room For Improvement
- took awhile to vibe with the leads
- love triangles, time could have better been spent on developing the second leads
- goofy music/comedy sound effects
- nonsense/'because the writer said so' stuff i.e. both "plans" have obvious loopholes, not telling her something important about her dad
- frequent flashbacks
- a friend gave information he shouldn't have
- the non con, the rest of the scene was great though
- ending felt rushed
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overall not funny but with a few cute moments
Overall: although this is supposed to be a comedy, it didn't even get into the "so bad it's good" category. See my watch suggestion timing below for some cute parts. 6 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.Content Warnings: manipulation, manhandling, punch/fight/violence, drugging
Note: the depiction of a person with disabilities in episode 4-6 was not funny. Humor can be used to dehumanize people, I think people should be very careful when making fun of groups of people who historically and currently face discrimination and dehumanization. Ryan O'Connell (who has cerebral palsy) wrote and acted in the Netflix series Special which was well done and funny.
Watch Suggestion, if you want to give this a go and see a few cute moments with the two leads I suggest:
ep 1, 28-29 and 33-36
ep 2, 13-25 and 28-37
ep 3, 16-24
ep 4, 7-18, 23-25
ep 5, 31-33
ep 6, start at 37 thru to the end (could watch earlier if you want more plot explanation and fight scene with terrible sound effects)
What I Liked:
- Luv's supportive friends
- Frank's abs and Long Lee's smirk
- that the two leads were mutually attracted to one another
- a few cute moments
- BTS at the end of ep 1 (though not subbed)
Room For Improvement
- some of the plot nonsense was intentional but explaining everything at the very end didn't work for me
- the depiction of someone with a disability was not funny to me at all
- didn't think most of it was funny (except the Muay Thai was fun and maybe a couple other bits like the slow accidental fall and catch at the very end)
- 3 minute intro was too long
- the voice dubbing (I think this was done for comedy but I really disliked it), and then the internal voices were odd to
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This review may contain spoilers
too many sound effects, not enough plot
Overall: thought this was a romcom but episode 3 took quite a turn. I also really disliked the "comedy" sound effects. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired cut on UltimateTroop Official YouTube channel and uncut on iQIYI (eps 9 and 10 for premium members). Ultimate Troop also produced "Remember Me" and "The Yearbook".Content Warnings: sexual assault/attempted rape (episode 3 part 2), self harm/attempted suicide (episode 3 part 2), manhandling, mental health struggles, beaten up, violence/punches, bullying, stalking
What I Liked
- Dino's singing and guitar playing sounded realistic
- awesome dance moves
- how the friend pointed out the difficulty of finding someone on a large campus
- happy Rak did something in episode 2 and did stand up for himself
- Mean's cameo in episode 2 with the angelic music was funny
- that they mentioned their series "The Yearbook"
- the idea of filling that jar to give Rak some time to recover (though this idea didn't work out)
- at least there weren't dead fish lip presses*
- Chalam and his eggs/pet snake
Room For Improvement
- that there were no consequences for the absolute despicable thing Mek did in episode 3
- the "comedy" sound effects actually make me NOT laugh, not a fan of toilet humor/conversations
- some scenes dragged on for too long like the scene in episode 3 part 2 and the terrible attempt at a redemption arc with Mek's sister
- strongly disagreed with Mek's sister saying an apology can fix everything, an apology can most definitely NOT fix everything and Mek is now beyond redeemable after episode 3
- Rak went from out of the frying pan and into the fire because Dino did not understand boundaries, "don't take too long to open your heart because I won't wait" and after Rak says for him not to touch him he....touches him...
- it's odd how the show depicted the stalker as bad but Dino did the exact same things (ignored boundaries, aggressive pursuit, extremely possessive)
- *in episode 8 the loud slurping noises not in sync with the movements was bad, plus I like some tongue but it was just too much tongue and licking
- Rak was reluctant even in the last two episodes, wish they had shown him with more agency/initiating physical stuff
- effeminate guy stereotype as hypersexualized
- at times the music was mismatched, there was a more serious scene and it had lighthearted music (hospital scene was a good example of this)
- ep 1 voice over exposition dump
- nonsense things: Rak's friends let him leave the club with some rando, say it's loud at the football field but it's quiet, lights on when sleeping, why did Rak stop running when there was an open doorway there in episode 3, etc.
- last 2 episodes were almost all filler and felt very unnecessary (and a new toxic character "you can't tell me to stop" bleh)
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holy positions
Overall: this is a very explicit short series. It is a bit challenging to rate as it didn't have much plot, though I did like the plot that was there. 4 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6290/therapy-2025-e01Overall
- I chuckled at the warm up and how the one guy wore socks and whatever those things were
- props to the actors who seemed comfortable imitating the most positions I've ever seen in a short time frame
Room For Improvement
- it episode 3 he should have started with fingers/slower especially since the other guy said he was nervous about pain
- open ending
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vertical series with a supportive ML
Overall: I rated this against other vertical series. Originally aired on DramaWave, 1-3 free, 30 episodes in total. Later aired on iQIYI app.What I Liked
- awesome how an IT major was also into make up and he had cool accessories
- natural flow/progression to their relationship
- supportive ML/didn't let others bully him
- good confession
- visuals
- the ending
Room For Improvement
- cliche accidental kiss
- was odd they didn't show them as kids, maybe due to budget restraints
- a dead fish lip press
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6 short episodes of mixed signals
Overall: it's not lower because it was short. 6 episodes about 12 minutes each. Aired on Love Memory's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwW9ZsuS2FnYOUWeB4NsCME_WwsDWz9hM&si=AoPd-qdQPBGa7t4XWhat I Liked
- a forthright character
- kisses
Room For Improvement
- one character is constantly hot and cold
- the very fake accidental fall and catch
- forgot what happened the night before
- (neutral) confusing subtitles, they shouldn't have translated hyung to brother which became even more confusing when his
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well done coming of age/romance vertical series, needs an international release
Overall: I really enjoyed their different personalities and how they changed to be more compatible with each other. Official platform is the app Shortcha which is only available in South Korea. 50 episodes 1-2 minutes each. I saw it with parts unsubbed or rough translations so my rating might change in either direction with an official translation.Content Warnings: punch, non con kiss, manipulation, non con picture taking/sharing, unwanted outing, slap, homophobia
What I Liked
- chemistry
- their dynamic
- how they had different personalities/goals but then they each changed because they wanted to and became more compatible with each other/their goals aligned
- caring moments
- the antagonists had their reasons, they weren't the typical cartoonish villains with nonsense reasons/actions
- it didn't seem as if everything was patched up with the mom which I liked and it felt realistic
Room For Improvement
- I was confused at the beginning with the punch, that was a flash forward that took place about halfway thru the story
- I wasn't sure about the sister/her reasoning and then change, perhaps better subtitles would help with that part
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Dosei no Shinyu wo Suki ni Natte Shimatta
5 people found this review helpful
coming of age romance that needed a part 3
Overall: I wish they had just focused on the two protagonists like A First Love Story (South Korea, 2021). Originally aired in 2 parts on Cul Drama YouTube Channel playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTzMpGBkGlIYOyVq-m3cPEdl4LBIh5hjX&si=ap-8RLV2rRZ0eFNA (watch the 8 minute one first and then the 9 minute one)Content Warning: unwanted outing
What I Liked
- glad he didn't finish what he started at the beginning of episode 1
- sweet moment/tickle fight
- pretty good production value though too much blur filter
Room For Improvement
- cliche female character introduced in part 1
- felt bad for the female character introduced in part 2 as she felt like collateral damage
- the ending of part 2 was still fairly open, they needed 1 more video to wrap everything up
- I didn't take off points but the subtitles are a bit rough, I understood what was happening though
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short & sweet
Overall: this was really well done for an indie production, hope we see more series from them. 3 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on 1Camera Studio YoutTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF0HYZ-k2RyDMdysEo5OhQNMn9BaPl-B6&si=N372KF0mLKkUpE6MWhat I Liked
- centered on the 2 male leads
- supportive female friend (non cliched character) and male friend
- illustrations for the intro
- funny how the friend instantly shifted his attention in episode 1
- good communication in the final episode
- nice way to end the series
Room For Improvement
- voice over exposition dump
- not clearly explained in the flashback why he didn't see him
- I didn't really take off points because this was their first series attempt and I'm sure had little to no budget but somethings they could improve on production wise would be microphones rubbing against clothes, needed more light on their faces in the last scene (even night scenes need light on the actors' faces)
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good chemistry
Overall: it was a simple premise with good chemistry/kissing. 30 episodes in total with each episode about 1 minute each. It took me 3 days to watch the series for free. Aired on the Shortime app by Code Crayon (my invite code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i)) Shortime also has Falling for My Boss.What I Liked
- the premise
- excellent dreams
- good kissing (no dead fish lip presses)
Room For Improvement
- love rival (would rather have that spent time on the couple)
- whimsical background music didn't fit at times
- wish episodes were a little longer, even 2 or 3 minutes each
Shortimes App Information - Each episode costs 20 popcorn, 4 episodes are free and 26 need to be unlocked, need 520 popcorn to watch the whole series, you can't skip locked episodes and they will re-lock
My Watch For Free Plan
(on the popcorn rewards page) check in = 5 (increases over 7 days up to 25)
(on the popcorn rewards page, go to the very bottom of the page) = 80, watch all 7 ads each day, have to wait 30 seconds in between ads
(on the popcorn rewards page) turn on notifications = 30 (1 time bonus)
1 friend referral code = 20 (1 time bonus) My invite code is NKNIWI (those are all capital letters, that's the capital letter i)
3 random popcorn from the daily random box = 35 (I got 10, 10 and 15, normally it was around 30)
watch 5 episodes each day with ads
- there are other 1 time bonuses like following on social media or making an account so you might be able to finish in 2 days instead of 3 if you did more of the bonuses
Day 1 watch 1-4 (free), 5-16; Day 2 watch 17-27; Day 3 watch 28-30
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not the action I was hoping for
Overall: this 1 hour and 25 minutes follow up was fine, but it was very detective/action heavy and less character focused. Now available to watch on Idol Factory's YouTube channel. The first part of five is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfuX7Ln_m9U&ab_channel=IDOLFACTORYOFFICIAL (currently they don't have a YouTube Playlist)Content Warnings: deaths, grief, violence/fights, blood, kidnapping
What I Liked
- 1 steamy scene was pretty well done though it could have been a bit longer
- element of fantasy though it felt underdeveloped
- they did explain 1 nonsense plot element that happened in the series which I appreciated
- addressed workplace gender discrimination
Room For Improvement
- main characters did not have any character growth, one was still lying and the other was being overly possessive
- many nonsense law enforcement things that took me out of the story
- odd goofy humor/comedy sound effects combined with a very serious plot
- presence of the little girl was not for me
- production needed to shorten up the time that they released it in Thailand/not international friendly streaming option (May 26th) to when they released it on YouTube (June 27th). At least it was only a day or two after it was for paid channel members that they released it for free on YouTube. The too long of a gap happened with the final episode as well, it would be okay if they just shortened the time between releases i.e. live in person event/thaiticketmajor online streaming May 26th, 1 week later YouTube channel members, 4 days after that free on YouTube
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56 minutes (not a BL)
Overall: I generally give indie productions some leeway but the very ending of this was...a choice... not really sure what message they were trying to convey. Watched on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNtNapJNVeQContent Warnings (it's complicated but I'm keeping this spoiler free): intimate partner abuse, held against will, non con touching/sexual assault and something else
What I Liked
- easy to follow plot
- tried to talk about mental health issues
- they uploaded to YouTube and added English subtitles
Room For Improvement
- randomly couldn't swim
- I did not agree with all of the messages around mental health issues, society/the environment is not 100% to blame, biology plays a factor as well
- that ending was not what I was hoping for, it wasn't a funny joke, were they trying to say that pushing/ignoring boundaries/sexual harassment of a coworker was fine???
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