Kyubin

Once again, Japanese showing why their BLs are on another level with this one. It's not only beautiful (the settings, the colours, the depth of the feelings and the interactions between characters), it's also always clever, in many ways, even though the storyline seems very simple, like here.
As always, the only problem is that it's too short. Just 5 episodes for this one ?! Ah, such frustration. ^^

It is still one of the best BLs I have ever watched, but the last episode wasn't totally satisfying for me. It wasn't bad at all, it just felt a little bit too bland compared to the start of the drama, like something was missing. Of course the characters will not change their personalities overnight and it's good that they remain the same until the end in this simple setting. But they could have add a little bit more passion for the final, or make the episode a little bit longer.

I personally don't think there is anything hidden with this character, and I don't see any hint that he would also be an undercover policeman. From the start he has killed so many people just only on screen that it wouldn't make any sense if he was in an undercover mission, and for so many years. All the gang members have been checked by the investigators for Joon Mo's mission too. So that theory doesn't have any logic and would be a huge fault in the plot in my opinion. He is just a ruthless knives specialist. That's why he was recruited by Ki Chul in the first place, to help him in his boss knockdown and be the the torture guy and the hangman of the gang. You always need one. ^^

We will have to wait and see how the story evolves in episode 8, but for me the story development in episode 7 was a little bit weak, because too convenient, compared to before. The way Jeong Bae is « framed » (of course he is not totally innocent neither) and everybody believe it, Ki Chul and Eui Jung that keep meeting when it doesn’t really seems necessary for the investigation, Joon Mo that ends up on the rooftop, under the rain, with the « private detective » that just discovered everything, and him falling etc. It can makes sense in a way, but it seems too convenient, to support the story, which is something I always find weak with this kind of story. I hope the next episodes will make up for this feeling because the first six episodes were perfect for me.
Reading some comments here, however, really makes me realise that people have clearly little attention to the plot and production of a drama sometimes and just focus on the silly tropes (like the "love triangle" here), and fangirling/fanboying for whatever silly reason, not even trying to use the characters names (those stupid, for me, abbreviations ML/FL etc.), like they don't even pay attention to the details and just watch the interactions and faces of their "fav", without even trying to listen and understand the dialogue and what's going on. Feeling a little bit hopeless seeing that.

You can dislike him for whatever reason you want (even if I don't see the point of this comment here), but don't write wrong things.
He did six months of public service instead of eighteen months of military service because his father was a Vietnam War veteran (he died when Kim Young Kwang was a child, from post-war symptoms, but it doesn't matter to you obviously). That's one of the many reasons someone can serve as a public officer instead of a soldier, and there are also many reasons to be totally exempted of any service too. Every year, many famous or non-famous Koreans are either exempted or serve as public officer. There is nothing to criticise here. That's how the system is in South Korea, and Kim Young Kwang didn't "ditch" or "skipped" the military service, as a public service worker do the four weeks military training too. He did his service to his country, so stop badmouthing him with groundless information.
Should all Korean men that are either totally exempted or do a public service instead of the military service received such criticism from you, when they are just following the laws and respecting the system of their country ? I doubt so. That's really stupid to bring this here just because you dislike him and want to write something negative.

Yes, that's what I immediately understood with the balcony scene where Fan Ze Rui is looking away and his grand-father dialogue, they have clearly hinted it.
But still, that's something that is so overused, as Nachi wrote, even when it's fake it's still quite boring, especially as it always happens during the last part of the drama, so it's not original at all and you can totally predict everything that will happen in the last episodes.

Ohlala, memory loss is really one of the worst tropes ever, it's a total letdown for me. I liked the drama very much but now it's becoming kind of boring, even if it's indeed heartbreaking for Bai Zong Yi and things are moving on between Chen Yi and Ai Di.

Interesting, thank you. The frustration of the short format is still there though. ^^

I have mixed feelings now. Loved the episode and the whole drama so far (it will be one of my favourites for sure). From the acting to the characters, their points of view, developments and dynamics, this story is quite unique even if it's very simple. But, I'm really annoyed by the fact that such a good drama, with such good actors, is again such a very short one, with very short episodes, when they could have developed the characters and the story much more, and not wait the last episode and the few last minutes to clean up the misunderstandings and make them be openly together and true to each others. Of course the tension and the frustration is what makes this kind of drama so good too, but, in the same time, for me, it's becoming very annoying to feel so much frustrated by the very short format of the best BLs (from my point of view at least).

Some scenes in episode 5 were a little bit dragged on, for me, but overall these two new episodes are as good as the three first ones, I hope they will keep this rhythm, tension and balance between scenes and characters until the end. I really look forward to the next at the end of each episode so far.
And episode 4 was a new master class of THE master of emotions, Ji Chang Wook. Yes, he is super cool and awesome when performing action scenes, but this man delivers the most and shine the most, at least for me, when he shows all kind of emotions to the perfection and make you forget everything around you, being mesmerised and making you really feel what he feels.

Patriotism is good, and essential to a good military movie, but the movie would have been better without the communist propaganda. It's hard to make such movie with the current Chinese government of course.
Nonetheless, well produced movie. However, in the end, the story and characters are not very original and it's something than we have seen many times in military movies. The flights scenes were still very well made and impressive.
Couldn't take my eyes out of Yu Shi (can't wait to see him in more productions), he is bound to become a movie star.

Ce n'est pas ma tasse de thé dans ce genre, mais après 3 épisodes, un quart de la série donc, le "triangle amoureux" n'occupe pas beaucoup de place dans l'histoire. C'est assez surprenant que le peu de temps qui y a été consacré suffise à vous décevoir et vous détourner totalement de regarder le reste, surtout pour préférer regarder des vidéos de quelques secondes sur un réseau social. Mais bon, chacun à des goûts et des réactions différentes.

Wouah, that scene when Yoh falls at first sight for Mizuki (even though he denies it) is perfect. The gaze, the slow motion, the music, the inner monologue, I was really mesmerised by it. And the whole tension between these two is still so good.
The only "negative" point about this drama is that we have to wait again the last episode for them to be really together.

Edit submitted to make the drama finally appear in the calendar, as it should.

Now that’s the Gangnam style we like. ^^
The more you expect something, the greater the disappointment can be, so I was actually quite afraid about this one, because it’s not only a new Ji Chang Wook drama, he is also pairing with Wi Ha Jun, all the setting in 90’s Gangnam around gang and drug traffic, the whole cast too (very happy to see Ji Seung Hyun here too). I was very excited about it. And so far so good. Very good !
You can already tell from the opening scene that it will be good. I like the pace, the development of the story, and the dynamic between the characters is very interesting. The balance is good between the action scenes and the rest of the story, with good little touches of humour from time to time.
So far there is not a character that feels out of place and all the casting is perfect in their roles. The music is quite good too. Looking very forward to the next episodes.
So many cigarettes smoked though haha.

That's funny because your comment is very narrow minded. Indeed, you assume I don't like the season because of the cast change, which is, in fact (seems you like that), just one of the many reasons why I think this second season is, so far, not as good quality as the first one. So before writing general condemning comments with a superior tone, please think a little and, most importantly, try to accept that other people can have their own reasons to dislike a drama or a movie you like.

Well good for you to think and feel this way, that's not my case and it's not only because of the cast change. And saying that my reasons could be "superficial" is really condescending. You don't know me, you don't know the reasons I watch this or that drama or movie, why I like or dislike this or that genre, actor, plot, etc. So don't assume things and make a judgement just because you like this season and I don't and shared it here.
I'm watching it, because I don't drop watching TV series in the middle (you see, you don't know me and how I act), so it was not just a comment about the 10 first minutes of the first episode but what I feel and think about the already 5 hours spent watching the 4 first episodes.
If this is your standard for a "quality drama", it's not mine, that's it.

Well, I don't like cast changes because it doesn't feel like the same characters anymore after, and that's definitely the case here unfortunately. But more than that, for me, it's like the quality of the whole drama, especially the production, is not as good as the first season. Too bad.

And again, a romance centred sageuk... I will only watch it because of Kim Jae Wook as Grand Prince Han Pyeong honestly. ^^

That's very well deserved, one of the best sageuk I have watched in the recent years.