MAI

This is definitely a dark, ironic, and occasionally disturbing piece of work-- a type of movie and genre that I've only seen Filipino directors pull off with such confidence and grace. Celestino has presented us with a story that is both absurd and touching as it weaves social commentary on political corruption, poverty, and social inequality together with satire and black humor. And while the movie starts off a tad slow and disjointed-- mainly because of the massive cast it needs to introduce-- it becomes engaging in the second half. Despite the heavy topics, every actor manages to carry the humor and dialogue well without going overboard. That being said, most of the movie's momentum does come from the dialogue itself, so if you're expecting a plot filled with fast-paced action scenes this is not the movie for you.

I'm liking it so far (the plot actually makes sense and the cast is great) but I don't sense anything beyond friendship between Pran and Pat just yet. Hopefully more to come since they do play off each other quite well!

I ended up watching it without any prior knowledge about the prequel and I had no issues following the plot whatsoever! It is obviously meant to be a spin off so there is very little character exposition (as I am assuming most people who watch this are already familiar with all of the characters) but I enjoyed this as a nice, short villain origin story. I do think this would have probably been more enjoyable and engaging if I'd indeed watched the parent story first, tho, because all the characters seem to have very strong motivations/desires that I wasn't able to fully contextualize.

Not too impressed by the way this show tried to wrap up its loose ends. There are still so many questions that are left unanswered (Jung Woo's backstory remains one large mystery. What drove him to sign the contract with Laura? Why did Laura set up this extremely convoluted plan to fire Do Gun rather than just firing his ass? Why did Jung Woo lie about his background at all if he didn't even know Do Gun and just wanted to prove himself in the industry? And why did the dude literally have an entire recipe journal of IMAGINARY places he's worked at? ). In the end I was also a tad disappointed by how easily Do Gun came to terms with Jung Woo's lies and, maybe even more important, how did he not seem to have issues admitting his (blatantly biased) defeat during the contest? You'd at least expect the dude to be somewhat sad he's been kicked out of the restaurant that he literally helped get a Michelin star. But, besides the obvious plot holes, I found the quality of acting generally fine (albeit not always consistent). There are moments in which Jang Eui Soo clearly shows that he has improved since his earlier works (e.g. during the episode he takes Do Gun to his apartment) but there are other times where hit feels like he's acting in a school play or something (subtlety is still definitely not his strong suit). The chemistry between the leads is just lacking, and the forced oh-I-secretly-do-like-you smiles can't make up for that obvious problem.

Well, it turns out the guy never worked abroad after all... so I'm guessing the scriptwriters probably had him make this mistake on purpose. It is probably a hint that the restaurant he's talking about doesn't even exist?

This looks like a Wattpad story coming to life.. and I'm kinda here for it!

I actually think they did an okay job with casting the actress! Sure, she still looks on the feminine side but I think that has more to do with her flawless skin and that blurring overlay they added post production. The actress actually has pretty defined cheekbones and jaw (stereotypical masculine traits) which you can see especially when she lets her hair down. I suppose she would probably be able to pass as a prepubescent teenage boy in this story (which would be a historically accurate depiction of the age of the main character) and it would also explain her relatively high voice. To me her appearance is believable enough since there are plenty men that look 'delicate' as well. That being said, it would definitely be suspicious if she wouldn't start developing more physiological masculine traits the coming years, and I am surprised nobody in the show has even mentioned the crown prince's petite frame (I mean, that would be the most obvious and simple way of mocking him in a fight, wouldn't it?)

Uh. Yeah. This is definitely a product of its time. The plot feels disjointed, there is no build-up, and I really didn't need to watch yet another badly executed case of sexual assault. I had no idea what was going on so I ended up dropping this during the second episode. I understand that this show paved the road for many subsequent BL productions in Taiwan-- and I appreciate it for it doing so-- but let's be real, this is actual crap. It may have been revolutionary in the past but it definitely didn't stand the test of time.

I normally avoid historical dramas and overtly romance-driven plots but for some reason I keep watching this one... I literally don't give a crap about the political intrigue but there is something compelling about the way the show is unfolding. Or genderbending is just my vice. Maybe that's it.

Well... that was anti-climactic. Considering we went through an excruciating slow build up I at least expected a banger of a last episode! Still no resolve of the conflict Aek and Aue had two episodes ago (nobody in this show is communicating?). And what was even the purpose of whole the cooking competition and the existence of Wiphob as a side character if they don't play any role in the eventual wrap up? There was more than enough time for Wiphob (and, lets be real, most other side characters as well) to develop a personality but he remains a cheap plot device for 1 episode or so. This show could have been so much better since it had an obviously solid budget and stunning, mouthwatering cinematography. Yet, in the end, the script was just lacking. I really do not mind slow-burn romances but the tension just kinda fizzled out with this one. Especially the last episode-- which is the episode that people will remember most vividly after watching a show-- is just a poor excuse of a conclusion.

Beautiful color grading: the washed out colors of mundane life are contrasted with the vibrant red of the nightclub (symbolizing newly awakened desires, passion, and self discovery). And yet, we also see a hint of playful reference to the red/blue binary (blue dress/red light) and the way in which these colors seem to continuously blur in each of the scenes-- maybe a reference to the way the desires of the main character seem to upset heteronormativity? A short but touching film.

Girly cries herself skinny and finds herself in a real-life dating sim with occasional musical interludes. Besides the blatant fat-phobia and the stereotypical depiction of gay relationships I can't even say I hated it... What is wrong with me?

I definitely did NOT expect this to be this fun and engaging! I'm hooked, can't wait for the rest of the episodes!

That girl is the writer of the blogpost that Sakura reads in episode 1 (that informs her that 17.3 is the average age to have sex). I think her identify reveal is a bit of an Easter-egg since, apparently, many of her blog posts had been inspired by the things she's overheard from Sakura's friend group. With this the story comes full circle: Sakura's curiosity into learning about sex was kick-started by the blog but, on the other hand, Sakura's own (overheard) experiences and questions have also found its way onto the blog and will now help and inform other teenagers with their own journeys.

You're probably right, considering this show isn't particularly made for the audience to enjoy the kiss in that way. I just found it quite funny/ironic how this show seems seems to be made with an educational purpose (neatly packaged in a larger fun and engaging story) but then continues to completely misrepresent what actually happens during a kiss. I didn't expect (or need) a complete make-out session but I'm pretty sure there are few people that kiss my simply pressing their faces together. Wouldn't it be more educational to show a somewhat more candid (but subdued) version than what we actually got? For a show that daringly addresses so many touchy topics I found this lack of actual representation quite funny.

Lol, if this ain't a badly translated synopsis.

The acting and the action scenes are good but, beside the 'work hard and persevere' message, there is little substance when it comes to the actual plot. I had hoped to learn more about the backstory of the characters but we get to know virtually nothing about them; the story doesn't feel altogether finished yet.

Not as great as I had hoped. The plot is decent--pretty straightforward albeit not overtly predictabe-- but I missed some of the necessary character development. We get basically no (emotional) insights or background information for any of the protagonists. Instead we end up spending more time watching people sneak around. Neither detective nor killer is fully fleshed out and, as a result, the eventual plot reveal feels somewhat anticlimactic. The plot itself also definitely needed quite a bit of time to pick up steam and, apart from a great (and unnecessary) cinematic fight scene at the halfway mark, there is little that makes this movie stand out in an over-saturated thriller market.

A relevant and unsettling movie produced in the wake of the Korean feminist movement (and online platform Megalia) early 2015. To watch this movie means not only addressing the consequences of cyber bullying (like many have already said in the comments) but also highlighting the inherent misogyny and gender inequality of Korean society (and the expression it has found online). It is through the derogatory language and the reckless actions of a predominantly male cast that we get a unique look into the upheaval and gender-panic that Korea experienced around this time. I would say this movie is an overall realistic and touchy commentary on the Korean gender expectations and pressures (as it also briefly relates to typical male rites of passage like university exams and the military). But be prepared: the protagonists are basically a bunch of little shits with inflated egos (and they are deliberately written that way). It helps that the actors portray their characters well but, still, this movie made me so freaking mad I was basically ready to yeet my laptop out of the window more than once. I see why this movie got several film-festival prices-- it deserved each one of them-- but I can't say I fully enjoyed this one either.

Hope this will be better than The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim!