aria

this season had its ups and downs, but there was something so special about the way the contestants’ backstories were intertwined with the dishes in the finale. it took me away from the fact that this is a competition and instead highlighted the fact that, at the end of the day, these are two hardworking chefs who pour their heart and soul into their craft.

ckr’s speech was so beautiful and moving. the humbleness of his character really showed in his dish, and it’s been so remarkable seeing him finally enjoy the fruits of his labour. what a beautiful way to tie up the finale.

i especially loved how different chefs were highlighted, their motivations for cooking, and why they keep persevering.

i missed this in my original comment but yes, i was specifically referring to the significant increase in his screen time in the final episodes. you’re definitely right about the story arc they were trying to highlight for shozui.

i had the exact same thought—I figured he must have won based on how they were showcasing his skills. it’s still confusing, though, because they would have edited all of this after knowing the winner, so the screen time should at least have highlighted the actual winner (itoi) and been more balanced between the two. oh well.

the premise for this show is really solid — retired athletes who are given another shot at achieving their dreams? sign me up. however, the show fell flat for me. while i loved getting to see the contestants’ motivations and what they hoped to do with the prize money, it was such a shame and honestly unfair that many of the contestants in the sit up round were eliminated because of the button error. it was clear from the footage that they had completed the rounds. it’s a shame how the female participants eventually ended up dropping like flies in this. i was hoping to at least see one of them make it to the later rounds.

also, randomly eliminating two contestants just because they didn’t get picked felt unnecessarily harsh. and was it just me, or did shozui get a disproportionately large amount of screen time? it honestly seemed like the production was clearly rooting for him to win. nothing against him, but it was a bit too obvious.

to me, this film is such a rare gem, and i find myself thinking about it often. the beauty of this film lies in its subtleties — perhaps that’s why i found it so beautiful and profound. i can see how it might’ve felt boring to some, but the way it shows, rather than tells, the nuances of young adulthood, sexuality, unrequited love, and everything in between is so moving. the acting feels incredibly natural, like you’re watching real people just exist, not actors playing roles. the cinematography is unreal too. so many scenes look like paintings. vivid, vibrant, all-consuming — just like how the journey into adulthood feels when you’re in the thick of it.

i havent seen the video of the creator but i honestly think it would be a good idea to change it up a lot so people dont find the hidden games as quickly. in the previous season, there was a nice build up to the participants finding out that there even was a hidden stage, and it felt so much more intense when it all eventually unfolded. the suspense of the hidden games is somewhat watered down because of how quickly everyone was able to solve the puzzles to enter the stage.

Someone on Reddit pointed out that the “49s” timestamp is likely an editing mistake— if you leave out that 12th round (where she supposedly used 49 seconds), the total time for all the rounds adds up to exactly 10 minutes. Also, they stated that given the pattern of play the allied trio were following, Harin no reason to even play that round. Hopefully it’s just a mistake post-production!

i like that they changed a few things this season so it’s not exactly the same as the first. but since a lot of the cast watched season one, they kind of knew what to expect and what to look out for. this time, though, it feels like it could be anyone’s game if they play it right, which makes it more interesting. it’s always fun watching the politics unfold and seeing how the betrayals tie into the twists.

also, it might just be me, but it’s a lot easier to grasp the rules of the game when they play it, cause i’m always a bit confused and lost when they first go through the instructions.

definitely a must watch for those who enjoyed physical 100! i absolutely adored the way the contestants rooted for each other and the relationships that were highlighted on the show. it was also satisfying because the winner was very deserving.

just a note - for those wanting to watch and need english subtitles, i highly recommend watching the show on the iqiyi app and not on youtube because the subs are a lot better on there. that being said, the translation is still quite off and it does make it a little bit difficult to follow what is being said.

the brotherhood and friendship in this season was honestly so beautiful and felt so real. you could just tell the boys genuinely loved and cared for each other, and there’s something so precious about seeing that play out on screen. i ended up loving so many of the contestants, and honestly, i really wish they debuted 9 members instead of 7 because i adore them all so much.

I get why people enjoyed this film—the twists and turns make it really engaging. But for me, it ended up feeling a bit too far-fetched and full of plot holes. It was like the movie got so caught up in trying to throw off the audience that it lost track of the story at times. It’s still a fun watch (and the ending really does do a lot of the heavy lifting in how good the movie is), but the high ratings were a bit misleading for me personally.

as the other comments have said, xiaoxia had so much better chemistry with yuzu than the actual male lead. yuzu and xiaoxia’s story felt unfinished honestly.

Thank you so much for your hard work!

the ending montage with the instrumental really was the cherry on top. every single still looked like a piece of art. everything from the writing to the acting to the cinematography was just impeccable and my chest now feels hollow because i don’t know if i can move on from this show anytime soon.

the only thing i really wish they included was some sort of scene between injoo and choi doil. them saying goodbye like that at the airport without any sort of skinship was a little disappointing. but then again their romance has always been portrayed through subtle glances and stolen glances.

rjgman65’s blog

This movie felt so raw and real. The acting was so wonderful I genuinely believed that these were real people and not just characters in a movie. The conversations they shared will definitely resonate with a lot of the audience. The cinematography was also breathtaking; almost every scene felt like art and I just loved how the music complemented every scene. It’s everything a coming of age movie should be.

This was so confusing. Honestly save your time and don’t watch it because it will leave you with more questions than answers and not in a good way. Without giving too much away, it deals with the subject matter of mental health (and sexuality) very poorly. The acting wasn’t all that great either. Can’t really think of anything I really liked about this film personally.

No I don't - sorry. Maybe someone else knows and can reply with where you can watch it raw.

This article perfectly sums up everything I frequently think while watching these kinds of dramas, and it is even more perplexing seeing some people gloss over how problematic these tropes and actions truly are. I've seen some even try to justify it, which in itself is horrifying to say the least. It is so important to have this conversation since the media we consume can have a direct impact on our perspective on such matters as well. Thank you for writing this!

determined that***

I have no issues with the raws (at least from the mega link) but every time I click on the link for the subtitles, I get a copyright notice that says the federate court of my country has "determined means it infringes or facilitates the infringement of copyright." The entire website is blocked. I can send you a screenshot if you want to see it!