mikimika101

Short and Beautiful

Tinted with You is very short, but the landscapes are beautiful!

~~ STORY ~~

Tinted with You is a short series about time travel. A student named Eun Ho gets sucked into a historical painting where he meets exiled Crown Prince Lee Heon and Geum, his loyal servant. From there the plot gets a little messy. Tinted with You is very short with 8 episodes, each around 12 minutes. It's hard to tell a story about love, time travel, and a messy kingdom takeover in such a short amount of time, however Tinted with You tries it's best.

Despite the plot sounding dramatic, the series is very fluffy and adorable. The characters are in their small little bubble and are content staying in their bubble.

My only gripe about this series is that the ending was too confusing. Prince Heon and Eun Ho suddenly fall in love and Eun Ho decides to take him to the future... Which miraculously works... I think... The only confirmation we get is that they are together in the future 2 years later. There is no confirmation that the Heon we see in the end is the same Prince Heon from the past. Even that weird meeting with Geum in the future was weird. Are they themselves or reincarnations? I'm con fused. Other than that it was nice to watch.


LEE HEON x EUN HO

They fell in love rather quickly... and I'm surprised Heon didn't go through gay panic since historically two men together was a taboo. Aside from that, they were cute together. They just naturally got together and it wasn't strange or weird. I did feel that they were a bit rushed, but it didn't bother me too much. What bothered me was the ending... Are they dating or just friend?

~~ OVERALL ~~

Tinted with You was cute and fluffy. The landscapes were beautiful too! That being said, this series is a good filler series to watch when you want to watch something, but are short on time. It's not something that I will be rewatching anytime soon though... The OST, however, I need to stick into my itunes asap.

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Just a Cute Filler Until Covid-19 Ends and They can Film Between US the Series

Between Us Special is just a filler until they can film the series that was pushed back due to Covid-19.

~~ STORY ~~

There is no real story. It is only cute clips between Team and Win showing off some aspects of their daily lives.
I would go as far as saying that this is more for Boun and Prem fans than anything else. They try to keep with the UWMA characters, but it's just fan service episodes more than anything. There is no plot to it.

Also, since I just came to watch the specials after rewatching UWMA, I noticed that Win and Team are a little different from their UWMA counter parts. Yes, they don't have any big changes to their characters, but I found that the specials really made Team look stupid when in UWMA he wasn't really stupid. I don't remember Team being stupid, he was very intelligent and awkward more than anything. Win wasn't too different, but he did have some changes. I noticed Win's teasing of Team was a little too playful and maybe even mean compared to UWMA. Win's style of teasing was very flirty in UWMA and he was never mean to Team.

On a side note, I read other reviews going on about Win kicking Team off the bed, and about him teasing Team for gaining weight... Just stop. We don't need the moral police here. Yes, Win shouldn't have done either, but who hasn't been pushed off the bed or teased about their weight by their friends or family? It's very realistic. Also, it's just a one-off thing that Win does, so stop going on about it as if he's abusing Team or something.

~~ Overall ~~

Between Us Special was a fun watch. It does the job of making us want to see more of Team and Win while their series is delayed. That being said, I don't think I will rewatch this any time soon. I prefer plot driven storylines and since this is more fanservice than plot, I wasn't a fan. It's very cute and a great one time watch between UWMA and Between Us the series. I can't wait to watch them together again soon.

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Cutie Pie? More like a Hot Mess!!

First of all, whoever named the series "Cutie Pie" needs to be fired. This was not cute. It was a literal Hot Mess! Cute, is not knowing how to confess and running in circles because you just had your first kiss. Steamy is when you have sexy half-naked men hugging, kissing, and getting way too close to each other for more than half of all of the episodes that it's impossible for me to watch this series in front of my parents.

Now that I'd done making fun of the series, Cutie Pie wasn't too bad... If you don't really care for plot and are just looking for two hot guys that really need to get a room. The plot was all over the place, but it comes together by the end of the series. Until then though, it does feel like a slow burn with the characters always pushing each others buttons in a constant game of tug-of-war that lasts all 12 episodes.


~~ STORY ~~

Hia Lian and Kuea Keerati have been engaged with each other since they were children. Kuea come from a very old, prestigious and wealthy household while Hia Lian's family recently gained their wealth through their water bottle business. Both families have agreed that the two boys will marry when Kuea graduated college. Until then they have been going on weekly dates. Kuea is head over heels for Hia Lian. He loves playing drums, singing, and super cars, but in front of Hia Lian, he plays the good boy card.

One day Kuea asks Hia Lian if he loves him. The later replies "No," which saddens and angers Kuea to the point he calls off the engagement. Hia Lian says they cannot cancel their engagement and begins to pester Kuea.

Meanwhile, Kuea's best friend Khondiao, and Hia Lian's best friend Hia Yi also have problems of their own. Khondiao has been living at Hia Yi's mansion at the later's request, but lately Hia Yi is starting to get too over protective. They aren't even dating, yet Hia Yi's setting curfews for Khondiao to come home.

First of all, the premise of the story isn't bad. However, the first episode was hard to watch. It was really all over the place. It was like the director had so many ideas that were hastily crammed into the first episode. I promise, once you get through that first episode the rest of the series is a little more easy to watch.

That being said, the plot was still all over the place and the game of cat and mouse was really annoying because the couples didn't resolve anything until the last episode. Every time you think they would get together, they don't. Even that beautiful proposal was ruined because Kuea overthinks every little thing. These two have major communication issues!!

Also, as I said earlier, this series has a lot of steamy scenes.... Way too many if you consider that they are having steamy scenes yet they haven't even gotten together for more than half of the scenes.


HIA LIAN X KUEA

Kuea seems like a good boy that's trying to be a bad boy. Why is he hiding everything from Hia Lian? Hia Lian... I don't know what game he's playing. Both boys got along well as kids, yet as adults they suddenly are hiding secrets from each other? I don't buy it, especially if they have been going on dates every friday.

P.S. I really like Kuea and Hia Lian together towards the end of the series. They are cute together... But I think they really need to work on communication and not hiding secrets.


HIA YI X KHONDIAO

Hia Yi and Khondiao are... interesting. At first, I thought they were already dating, but it turns out they are not. Also, midway though the series Hia Yi and Khondiao start having issues with their living arrangement. It was sudden, but I wish it started more towards the beginning of the series. And again, like their best friends, this couple also has major communication issues.


NUER X SYN

These two need their own series. They were my favorite couple. They really brought out the "cutie pie" aspect of this series, where they rest of the couples fail at it. They couple also has my favorite kiss scene... possibly out of all the BLs I've seen. So cute and sweet.

Anyways, Nuer was brought in to seemly become Hia Lian's rival for Kuea's heart, but Nuer doesn't really act on it. Which I wish he did because it would have made the plot more interesting. However, I am content with Nuer immediately taking an interest in Syn's protectiveness of Kuea. I really liked Nuer from the moment he showed up on screen. Syn, however.... He made no real impact when he was first introduced, so it was surprising that he was also a minor lead.


~~ ACTING ~~
** Scratch that. The steamy scenes. **

Everything, including the acting, was overshadowed by the steamy scenes.

I already knew that since Zee was cast, he was going to have some steamy scenes, but I think they gave him too many. It really overshadowed the acting because once the steamy scenes start, it starts to feel like an adult video because Zee is that good at it. I really don't remember much of the acting because of it. Who was acting opposite of Zee again?

Also, another reason I really think Zee had too many steamy scenes, because when it was time for Max and Nat to have their steamy scene, I found myself comparing it to Zee's when I shouldn't be.


~~ OVERALL ~~

Cutie Pie isn't a bad watch. It's very steamy with little a chaotic plot, but it's fun to watch.

My favorites were the cameos in episode 7 and 12. The cameos were so random, but they were interesting. Episode 7 was funny since Prem and Boun suddenly show up and start playing Never Have I Ever with the couple with every little background on who these two are.

Anyways, I recommend watching Cutie Pie just for Nuer and Syn's kiss, Zee's steamy scenes, and Prem and Boun's cameo. The other parts of the series I couldn't care for.

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Would have been an amazing drama if it didn't have a Semantic Error!

Semantic Error is a very good light-hearted BL drama. However, the semantic error in this drama is that it's a drama... The definition of drama is a movie or television production with characteristics (such as conflict) of a serious play... Semantic Error doesn't really have any real conflict or drama that raises the stakes for any of the characters, so while a great one time watch, if you sit back and think, do I want to watch this again, the answer is no. It's a good one time watch, but because the last episode is rushed the "drama" in this drama is missing, which led to the downfall of this drama.

STORY:

Chu Sangwoo is a junior college student with a robotic sense of rules. He makes a presentation about his group work and decides to by name drop everyone who didn't help him with the project. This name dropping results in the university dropping the grades of everyone who didn't help, including Jang Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung's graduation and plans to study abroad are put on hold. so he decides to seek out Sangwoo. Soon Sangwoo learns that the designer he was interested in working with is actually Jaeyoung. Sangwoo tries to ignore Jaeyoung's retaliation of childish pranks, but they soon end up getting a little too comfortable with each other's presence.

Okay... So where to start....

The plot seems interesting as a web novel, but it's very elementary when is comes to live action drama. As the audience, we are suddenly dropped into Sangwoo's presentation where he throws lots of people under the bus, but we don't actually get to see him get frustrated, see him get assigned the project, or anything. We just are shown the end result of the project, so we don't have any sense of understanding as to why Sangwoo name dropped these people. Similarly, we don't get to see Jaeyoung be very upset about his plans being cancelled. so we don't understand why he retaliated against Sangwoo. Also, how could Sangwoo and Jaeyoung not know each other if they were supposed to be working on the same group project? I don't understand... And this is the first episode of the drama.

Once you get past the first episode the plot is actually decent. It's a light-hearted and fun story. The real error of this drama is that that producers decided to put the climax in the last episode. Since the episode is only about 30 minutes long, the entire issue of Jaeyoung's acceptance into a French program putting a strain on Sangwoo's response as to whether or not they should date is really rushed. Because of this, I felt that Sangwoo really didn't love Jaeyoung as he claimed. I also felt that Jaeyoung didn't really care for Sangwoo much either, which is very unfortunate.

Sangwoo x Jaeyoung

Sangwoo is awkward, robotic and doesn't believe in people or love. Jaeyoung is popular, outgoing, and always goes with the flow. It's supposed to be an opposites attract type of love, and they both are cute together. However, due to the rushed ending, I'm questioning how long they will last as a couple. As I said earlier, they due to the pacing of the last episode, they don't seem to be as in love with each other as I hoped they would be... Which is a bummer because they are adorable together.

OVERALL:

I had high hopes for this drama, but the last episode really ruined it for me. A nice one time watch, but I can live without watching it again.

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Great Music and Great Acting!!!

Back is more of an extended music video than a short film, but it's perfect excellent either way.

STORY:

Net has a fight with his girlfriend. His co-worker Jame comes to cheer him up. Net and Jame slowly start to develop strange feelings for each other. One day Jame walks in on Net giving a break up hug to his now ex-girlfriend. Jame misunderstands and quits his job. Net yearns for Jame, and can't contact him until Jame suddenly returns.

It's a very odd synopsis, I know, but go watch it now! Words don't do this film justice!

It's a great film and the music is superb. The music yearns for love, just like the characters on the screen. I can't really speak too much about the plot because it's more of a watch and feel film. There is very little dialogue, but the acting really carries the film. The actors were amazing in showing us how they slowly fell in love with each other. The actors have great chemistry and their acting is really the cherry on top.

Net X Jame

Net and Jame start off as co-workers, but you can see how they fall for each other. I really enjoyed how there was no prejudice against Jame for getting a little too comfy with Net. He was completely okay with it as if boys falling in love with boys is a common thing. I wish more people would be open minded like that. I'm confused as to why Jame returned because I didn't see Net chasing him or explaining anything to him. Maybe Jame just wanted to see Net one last time and got lucky? That's the only thing that bugs me about the film... Aside from the lack of a hug or kiss... or actual confirmation that they got together in the end... But I can just assume so judging by the way they look at each other.

MUSIC:

I hardly do a music review because it's usually the last thing on people's mind, but because this is an extended music video I will talk about it.

The music is amazing and the vocalist is amazing. He has a really good voice and there is so much emotion in the song. I can't help but put it on repeat. I'm definitely going to download the song after this. You should too!!

Overall:

Back is a great film. The music and the acting really make up for the basic storyline, but who cares. Net and James really have great chemistry and it really sold the music and film. Definitely recommend watching it. You won't regret it!

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Just Another Average BL (But that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it!)

Love Area honestly isn't as bad as the other reviews make it out to be.
It has a very generic plot and at times can be a bit slow, but there is something about it that makes you want to just keep watching.
That being said, Love Area's saving grace is that while all the actors are rookies, they can actually act!

STORY:

Kaitoon is a hardworking orphan struggling to get by and works multiple jobs to make end's meet. One day as he's walking home from work he gets robbed by man with a knife. The robbery gets botched by actual thugs that arrive leaving Kaitoon to call an ambulance for his would-be robber. The next day at work he meets the owner's brother, Valen, who also happens to be the robber from the night before. Kaitoon is surprised, but nevertheless has to work with and train Valen. At first they are awkward and can't stand each other, but as Kaitoon is forced to train Valen, they get to know each other more.

Meanwhile, Peat returns to try make amends with King. However, the 2 years they spent apart is taking a toll on King. He doesn't know if he should reconcile with Peat or move on with his life.

So yes, the plot is very generic. Poor, hard working orphan meets rich bad boy with money issues because he chooses not to work. It sounds like so many other manga story lines that it's so cliche. However, there is something about Love Area that does keep you wanting to see what happens next. For me, it's honestly the second couple, King and Peat. (I personally thing that they should have been the lead couple instead of Valen and Kaitoon, but I'll talk about them a bit later.)

Getting away from the fact that it has a generic plot, and looking at the story line itself, Love Area starts off great, but from around the second episode it starts to lose momentum. The first episode was well thought out and got the audience invested, by giving us glimpse of Kaitoon's backstory then dropping us into the middle of his life, however, this style of storytelling is how the series starts to lose it's audience. The film makers did amazing with Kaitoon's background, but Valen, King, Peat, Non, and every other character doesn't get the same treatment. We know nothing about any of them and are suddenly expected to care for them. For example, in the first scene we meet King we are introduced to him as Valen's friend. He's seen smiling and looking happy, but as soon as Peat walks in we see he has issues with him. We then are given a scene where they talk about Peat returning after 2 years and King explains that he's angry, which is great, but we don't know their relationship or how King was dealing with this separation, so it was awkward. We were just thrown into the middle of their drama with no backstory. While we do get some of our questions answered by Peat later in the story, there are many instances like this with many of the characters which leads to many plot holes. Most of the plot holes are irrelevant and can be ignored, like how did the Nisa know that Kaitoon needed money and she should give him his paycheck weekly. However, there are some bigger plot holes, like how did Valen become in debt when he's rich and could have asked his sister, why did he revert to robbing Kaitoon in the beginning of the series, and what happened to the thugs that were after him? Hopefully these questions will be answered in Part 2, but I don't think they will be. It's still a nice BL to watch though.

Kaitoon & Valen

Kaitoon is very hardworking and nice, while Valen is headstrong and naive in love. Their whole relationship is Valen pulling Kaitoon into doing something and Kaitoon is too nice to say no or put his foot down. That being said, Valen is whipped for Kaitoon and thinks about him 24/7. They have an interesting dynamic which compliments each other. While they aren't the most interesting BL couple out there, they somehow make the audience interested in their story and make us wonder what happens next.

Kaitoon & Non

Non's character is... How should I say this... While Non is set up as the perfect foil to Valen, aside from the first episode, his character is useless. In the first episode Non's character is made to be Kaitoon's perfect man. However, as soon as Valen is introduced it's like the film makers forgot about him. He only shows up to make dates with Kaitoon, only to get ditched on their date. It happens 3 times and we don't really get any reaction from Non. He's supposed to be in love with Kaitoon, but we don't see any of it. Kaitoon also seems not to care about his friendship with Non, so what's the point in keeping his character around? Unless Non really steps his game up and wreaks havoc on Valen and Kaitoon's relationship, I don't see a point in his character. I wouldn't even consider him as part of a love triangle.

King & Peat

We are literally dropped into the middle of King and Peat's relationship, so we don't really know the dynamics of their relationship until later in the series. Even then, we're still not sure how their relationship works. However, the reason I say that they should have been the leads of this series is that they were the first to get us invested in the series. We were curious about what happened between them from the beginning. (Even more than we were curious about why Valen robbed Kaitoon.) They also brought the drama to this Thai drama. Granted it's not that big of a drama as it could have been, it still is drama compared to the "will they, won't they" between Kaitoon and Valen because as I said earlier, the love triangle between Kaitoon, Valen, and Non is non-existent.

Also, on a personal note, the reason Peat left King is very unique in any drama, BL or not. If the story was about King and Peat, then Love Area would probably be the next Tale of a 1000 Stars or Until We Meet Again (If they could get even better actors to play the characters.) Hopefully part 2 won't sleep on King and Peat, but I don't have high hopes since King and Peat's drama seems to be wrapping up, although I don't know what the boy who volunteered to help King with his portrait will do to their relationship.


ACTING:

While the actors are all newbies, their acting is very decent. It's not the best, but at least they can act. I've seen way too many BLs with new actors that are just good faces. Here, all of the actors have the whole package. They just need to hone their skills and hopefully with a few more acting credits to their name, they'll get better roles.


OVERALL:

Love Area is a decent watch. There are some issues here and there, but it doesn't really effect the plot too much. The audience is also kept entertained enough to be curious about what happens next. Yes, there might be some times when we skip ahead, but it's usually because we want to know what happens next.

If you're looking for a masterpiece, then this isn't for you. But if you are looking for something to watch to fill your BL needs, Love Area has got it covered.

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Must Watch BL of the Year

This is the perfect BL. It encompasses everything that is BL. Season 1 has the whole student/university innocent love story while Season 2 has the adult angsty drama. It's the whole package.

(Some notes about the Special Edition Ver. for Season 2 at the bottom.)
Anyways, I'll focus on Season 2 now.

STORY:

You're going to either love it or hate it.

This is a continuation of Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi's story set five years later. While Season 1 was all about the innocent student love story, this season is all angsty. Gone is the innocence and here is the pain. Season 2 does a 180 and is no longer the We Best Love that we know.

This season deals with betrayal and miscommunication. Because it is completely different from the first season I can see why some people may not like this season. Some people just don't like drama, plain and simple. Some people will also that the story is weaker than the first season therefore that this is the weaker of the two seasons, but I disagree. Yes there was a plot hole, who the blonde was, but it didn't take away from the story. (She is his step-sister, it was explained in a deleted scene that isn't even in the Special Edition. Why???? Anyways, you can find the clip on youtube.) The story wasn't focus on who she was or if Gao Shi De cheated. The focus was on the fact that Gao Shi De didn't tell Zhou Shu Yi about his father's interference and flat out left him in the dark. Even with this plot hole the the drama was amazing. This is the season where Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi shine!

If there is an issue with this drama it would be with the secondary couple. They brought back Bing Wei and Zhe Yu from the first season, but our secondary couple was Pei Shou Yi and Yu Zhen Xuan. This second couple got a lot of screen time, but no one was interested. Yes Pei Shou Yi was in the first season, but who is Yu Zhen Xuan? The issue with having them as the secondary couple was that the first season had built up Bing Wei and Zhe Yu was a couple and they were given a decent amount of screen time in the first season, but they barely get any in this one. Pei Shou Yi had his share of screen time in the first season, but there was no mention of Yu Zhen Xuan. It's unfortunate because they had an interesting storyline, but because there was no build up to couple, and because Yu Zhen Xuan's character is either a like him or hate him type of character, this storyline fell flat. Even so I think Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi carried the entire drama on their shoulders without this couple.

Gao Shi De & Zhou Shu Yi

Set fives years after Gao Shi De left for America, Zhou Shu Yi is now helping his father run the company business. He hasn't heard from Gao Shi De in years, and on top of that when he secretly went to America to surprise Gao Shi De, he saw his boyfriend picnicking with a blonde woman and has a baby in his lap. While it's safe to say they are no longer together, Zhou Shu Yi is still bitter about everything. When his company acquires Hua Cing Technology he is shocked to find that Gao Shi De is the CEO of the company. Zhou Shu Yi greets him with a fist to the cheek, but it's not over. They still have to work together.

Meanwhile, Gao Shi De isn't over Zhou Shu Yi. He hasn't been able to contact Zhou Shu Yi in years and is more than happy to see him. He wants to pick up where they left off, but Zhou Shu Yi doesn't want to. He won't give Gao Shi De the time of day and it hurts. It doesn't help that Zhou Shu Yi's father is meddling in their affairs and his family has issues of their own.

As I said earlier, Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi carried the entire drama on their shoulders. Their chemistry from the first season improved in the second. Every time they were on screen you could feel their emotions. While the miscommunication storyline isn't new, how the actors portrayed the angst and longing just overpowered it. Just the way the actors looked at each other and their expressions was so powerful. You could watch it without sound or subtitles and still understand what was happening, it was that powerful. Just looking at Zhou Shu Yi screaming he hates Gao Shi De, but his eyes saying I love you is heart wrenching.

The best part about this couple is that after they get over the miscommunication, you can already see that they are going to be a couple that stands the test of time. If Gao Shi De loves longer, Zhou Shu Yi loves harder.

Pei Shou Yi & Yu Zhen Xuan

Pei Shou Yi is a school doctor that has affective disorder which makes it difficult for him to understand emotions, even his own. Yu Zhen Xuan is the CTO at Hua Chin Technologies with paranoia and aspergers, When Yu Zhen Xuan was in high school, Pei Shou Yi helped in out of a sticky situation after which he fell in love with Pei Shou Yi. Seeing Yu Zhen Xuan's growing attachment towards him, Pei Shou Yi quits his job as a school doctor leaving Yu Zhen Xuan heart broken. Still in love, Yu Zhen Xuan continued to search for Pei Shou Yi for 12 years. Now Pei Shou Yi is stuck because he often thinks about Yu Zhen Xuan, but he doesn't know his own feelings.

With both characters having mental disorders, this is definitely an original and interesting plot. However, it falls flat because Yu Zhen Xuan wasn't introduced in the first season, nor did they outwardly refer to him in the first season. They gave small hints here and there, but the hints were so small it's only barely noticeable when you rewatch it and look for it. For example, in season 1 Pei Shou Yi keeps a ramen pack in his office and gets mad at Gao Shi De for eating it. How would we know it's a remembrance to Yu Zhen Xuan? For all we know it was his emergency food.

Also, let's address the elephant in the room. Having characters with mental disorders is a big risk, especially when they are a couple. Most people are accept that there are people with mental disorders around them, but at the same time they don't want to associate with them. This is the reality. Unfortunate as it is, very few people can accept and understand people that have mental or physical disabilities. Most people turn the other way. One of the main reasons this couple flopped isn't so much that their storyline is terrible, it's more that they don't understand, nor want to see a couple with mental disorders. I can guarantee you that if Yu Zhen Xuan didn't have a mental disorder, then there would be more people talking about this couple instead of skipping it.

Bing Wei & Zhe Yu

I want to write a synopsis for this couple, but I really can't. They are just very minor characters here. They don't have much of a storyline. After college they began to work for Zhou Shu Yi's company. They helped Zhou Shu Yi through thick and thin when Gao Shi De wasn't there and are his best friends. They are still dating and Bing Wei is considering marriage.

Honestly, they should have been the secondary couple. There was so much build up to this couple in the first season it sucks that they are still in the limelight. I think the worst part is that when they finally get their time to shine, it's literally the last 3 minutes of the last episode. Just hand the ring to Gao Shi De and let him propose instead.

Overall:

I prefer the second season to the first. Both seasons are great, but I prefer more adult and angsty storylines. That being said, the actors really shined with their performances in this season. I can't help but rewatch this season over and over again because I can't get Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi's versatile acting out of my head. It's a must watch!


~~~~~~~~~~ We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd Special Edition ~~~~~~~~~~

What's the difference?

Everything! Unlike the Special Edition for Season 1, Season 2's Special Edition is worth the money!
I'm not going to list all the differences, but I will say there are a lot of scenes that are extended that add more depth to the story and characters.

If I have to name one, the biggest difference is episode 4. We get 3 extended scenes.
1. Gao Shi De teasing Zhou Shu Yi immediately after they make up. It's a lot longer than the original cut and shows the extent of their relationship.
2. The whole argument between Zhou Shu Yi and his father.
3. In the office where they are talking about Gao Shi De's lost emails we get to hear about Zhou Shu Yi's feelings toward Gao Shi De in Japanese.
(I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to hear about Gao Shi De's step-sister being the blonde in question since in the deleted scene we get that part during all of this, but at the same time I do understand why they cut it. Gao Shi De and the audience need to know more about Zhou Shu Yi's feelings towards Gao Shi De more than we need to know about the blonde woman. Gao Shi De explains his feelings about Zhou Shu Yi numerous times throughout the season, but we never got to hear Zhou Shu Yi's feels about him at all until the Special Edition.)


Should you watch the Special Edition first or watch it on the re-watch?

Just skip the normal version of Season 2 and watch the Special Edition. It's like knowingly buying a kid's meal when you know you're going to be hungry for more. Just skip the questions and watch the Special Edition.

But if you want to watch the normal version and Special Editions then... How do I put this... Watch both normal versions of Season 1 and Season 2 then watch the Special Editions on the rewatch.

YES - Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2 (Skipping the Normal version is okay)
YES - Normal Ver. S1 → Normal Ver. S2 → Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2

NO - Normal Ver. S1 → Special Edition S1 → Normal Ver. S2 → Special Edition S2
(You won't understand why they extended some scenes)
NO - Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2 → Normal Ver. S1 → Normal Ver. S2
(The rewatch will be boring. Especially Season 2's rewatch. You'll probably claim that you wasted your time watching the normal version since you watched it the Special Editions first.)

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A Rare Gem in the World of BL

At a glance Light On Me, might seem like just another high school romance, but if you look under the surface you'll see that there is so much more to this drama than meets the eye.

We need more K-drama BLs like this.

STORY:

While Light On Me might look like your typical high school BL, there is so much more to this drama.  There is no over dramatic fights.  No crazy ex-girlfriend or disapproving parents.  No instant chemistry.  Nothing!  The characters and situation is very realistic.  It does follow the typical troupes, but nothing is too overdone.  

The best part of the drama is that while it does follow the usual romance troupes, it doesn't really follow the stereotypical plot.  For example, a normal romance plot would have the loner fall in love with the popular kid and the feelings are reciprocated, but in Light On Me it's different.  While Taekyung does fall for Da-on and Da-on seems to also feel the same way, some unforeseen circumstances force them apart leading to Shinwoo, who has been leading us on with a game of cat and mouse, to suddenly step up to the plate.  It's very interesting to watch since the drama is so unpredictable.

Also, despite being a K-drama, Light On Me gives us the ideal love triangle.  Like the Taekyung, we're stuck between whether we are on team Shinwoo or team Da-on.  Both men are the ideal man for Taekyung.  They both care for Taekyung and have done everything in their power to help him.  Both Shinwoo and Da-on have their flaw and struggles, but it's all things that can be worked out together with Taekyung as a couple.  There is nothing overly dramatic about this love triangle.  It's very stable and Taekyung will not have to suffer dramatically in any way, shape, or form regardless of who he chooses to love.  The best part about this love triangle is that while Shinwoo and Da-on have a crush on Taekyung, they openly talk about their feelings for him together and they cheer each other on even though they are love rivals.  Yes, they are rivals, but above all they are friends.  They really are the embodiment of "bros before hoes" with their friendship.

Shinwoo & Taekyung

Shinwoo and Taekyung's relationship started out bitterly since Shinwoo seemingly hated Taekyung from the beginning, but after a while we learn that's not the case. He always thought Taekyung was cute from the beginning, but he's too introverted to say his true feelings.  Taekyung, on the other hand, hated Shinwoo because Shinwoo always seemed to be against him.  He was unintentionally thinking about Shinwoo constantly since he was so concerned about being hated by him.

Shinwoo and Taekyung are the perfect couple.  Taekyung is very forward with his thoughts, while Shinwoo doesn't really say his true feelings.  They really balance each other out.  I think that they really are perfect for each other.  Towards the end, Shinwoo does start to say more of his own thoughts without holding back, which I thought was amazing because so many misunderstandings occurred because he didn't speak his mind.  Also, Taekyung finding it amusing to tease Shinwoo is great character development because up until that point we didn't really get to see much of Taekyung's personality aside from his truthfulness.  I like how they bring out the best in each other.

Da-on & Taekyung

Da-on and Taekyung's ship was sailing from the get-go. From the moment they met Da-on was kind to Taekyung and provided him with the moral support he needed to maneuver through life and making friends so late in the game. Taekyung mentions numerous times how he saw through Da-on's perfect facade, but he still saw Da-on for the man he could be and loved him for it.

While Da-on still has lots of issues to work on, I think Da-on is also perfect for Taekyung because they bring the best out of each other. Even after everything that they go through they are still good friends and take care of each other. Although late, Da-on tries to get his life back on track so that he can one day be the right man for Taekyung.

Da-on & Sohee

Sohee... I just pity her. She seems like a smart girl that will go far in life, but she's too obsessive. She also can't take a hint. She's been chasing after Da-on for 3 years, yet he hasn't given her the time of day. Shouldn't she figure it out already? She also follows him around constantly, yet she doesn't know anything about him. She goes around saying he's nice to everyone, so don't misunderstand, yet she's misunderstanding him completely. She's just annoying. I wish Da-on would have completely cut her off after all the crap she put him and Taekyung through, but instead he forgives her. Da-on is too nice and too good for Sohee.


OVERALL:

Whether or not you are on team Shinwoo or team Da-on, there are so many great moments that Light On Me gives us. This isn't just a BL. This is a story about friendship and first love.

I hope there are more dramas like this in the future because it's refreshing to watch a romance series (BL or not) that is realist yet dreamy, and isn't so dramatic and intense.

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Sweet and Hilarious

We're Both Grooms keeps the story short, simple, and hilarious.


STORY:

On their wedding day, Seto Ryosuke and Aikawa Mizuki encounter a huge problem... Ryosuke hasn't told any of his family and friends that Mizuki is a man!

We're Both Grooms keeps the story simple by starting literally on the wedding day. We learn that Ryosuke hasn't told his family that Mizuki is a guy. Mizuki tries to help Ryosuke, but it's too late and the ceremony must start. As the doors to the ceremony open, so does the hilarity of Ryosuke's homophobic father vs Mizuki's supportive father.

The comedy isn't too over the top, but there are some moments that are too funny it's cringy moments. However, we are treated to some wholesome scenes sprinkled in here and there. The best thing I can s ay is watch it, you'll enjoy it.


Ryosuke x Mizuki

Because it starts on their wedding day and finishes on their wedding day, there isn't much to analyze about the couple. We do get flashbacks and insights into their relationship, but it's not too deep. Also, we get more insight into Ryosuke's background simply because the story focuses on his family's reaction to his coming out.

Ryosuke is an elementary school teacher who always wants to please everyone, while Mizuki is a lemon farmer with a past of failed relationships. Mizuki just wants to fall in love and be happy, while Ryosuke wants to be the perfect man for Mizuki.... Which brings us to the problem. Ryosuke wanted to please Mizuki by marrying him, but he also doesn't want to disappoint his father.

Ryosuke and Mizuki really do suit each other since Ryosuke only thinks about Mizuki. Mizuki also is great for Ryosuke since he's more than willing to take things slow and go at Ryosuke's pace. I do think Ryosuke needs to be more open with Mizuki and they both need to have more communication, but it does seem like all things work out after the wedding, so they seem great of each other.


OVERALL:

We're Both Grooms is hilarious! I do wonder why neither families met before the ceremony because this would have saved everyone the drama, but if they met the two probably would have broken up and never gotten married.

Either way, I recommend watch this. It's hilarious!

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This Film RUINED the Manga... Watch the Anime!!

The anime was so much better!!!!

This film doesn't even do the manga justice.
It's a plot hole festival!
It makes the manga look bad. Go watch the anime!

~~~ STORY ~~~

This is what happens when you try to fit a full manga series into 90 minute film. You get a crappy film that is rushed, full of so many plot holes, and isn't true to the original story. In fact, this film makes you so confused and irritated!

I just finished watching the anime, and watched this film the day after finishing the anime. I have never read the manga, but the anime was very suspenseful and kept be on my toes. It wasn't the best suspense, horror, mystery anime out there, but it was enough to get me invested. The anime was interesting enough to make me curious about the film. This film did a terrible job at telling the story of The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, that I regret watching it... Which sucks because Shison Jun and Okada Masaki are some of my favorite actors.

~~~ WHAT THE STORY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ~~~

Kosuke Mikado has always been terrified of ghosts. Why? Because he has the ability to see them. When he was 4 years old his father went missing, only leaving behind a jewelry box.. Strangely, no one, even his mother, remembers his fathers name or face. One day an exorcist named Rihito Hiyakawa arrives at his workplace. Hiyakawa saves Mikado from a ghost before turning to him and saying "You're my Destiny."

After that incident, Mikado is forced to work for Hiyakawa solving bizarre cases related to the supernatural. However, they keep running into the name Erika Hiura. As the duo investigate, the secrets behind Hiyakawa keep piling up, and it all might have something to do with Erika Hiura and Mikado's missing father's jewelry box.

~~~ WHAT WE GOT ~~~

Mikado is terrified of ghosts and can see them. One day Hiyakawa comes in and forcefully makes Mikado work for him. They repeatedly come across the name Erika Hiura during their investigations, but Hiyakawa doesn't care. Even when her body guard kidnaps them to help save her, he doesn't care. Mikado chooses to ignore Hiyakawa's wishes and investigate Erika Hiura and the bizarre cases himself. He learns that Erika Hiura is just a pawn. She is being manipulated by "Sensei," who is a leader of a cult. Mikado somehow ends up working with Hiura only to discover that Hiyakawa mass murdered the cult in the past after they mistreated him. The End!

Are you confused? I am.

~~~ WHAT's MISSING ~~~

Aside from an actual storyline? Everything!

Plot - The film tried to condense the plot so much that everything great about the plot of the manga/anime was missing. (Remember, I am going off the anime since I haven't read the manga.) The plot revolves heavily around Hikawa and Mikado. Hikawa's motivation is to make Mikado never leave his side. Meanwhile Mikado just wants to help and stop people from dying. As they solve cases Hiyakawa's strange and mysterious backstory unravels. Everything is linked to Erika Hiura, the cult, and "Sensei." Even Hiyakawa and Mikado aren't safe from "Sensei's" grasp. Hell, even Mikado's mom isn't safe from "Sensei." Everyone is a pawn in "Sensei's" master plan.

That being said, the film tried to cram all of the cases related to Erika Hiura and "Sensei" into two very short cases. They even tried to cram Hiyakawa's elaborate and tragic backstory into a minute. They didn't even touch upon Mikado's special abilities and why he can see ghosts. They talked a but about the power of words, but they didn't do into detail about it, or why Erika Hiura used her name in the curse. The worst yet, was that they just had Mikado sign a contract to Hiyakawa, and showed that Hiyakawa was manipulating him without even explaining why Hiyakawa did that and even use the power of being connected to each other.

The whole point of The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window is the bond between Hiyakawa and Mikado, yet the film did nothing to show it. They are supposed to be spiritually bonded together which is why Hiyakawa is jealous of everyone that can "touch Mikado's spirit." Mikado also can't seem to leave Hiyakawa alone, despite finding him strange. They have a strong bond together which is why they exorcize ghosts together. Even when the Hiyakawa misunderstand Mikado's intensions and acts out on his own, Mikado get upset at Hiyakawa, but he still wants to save him. However, the film made Hiyakawa out to be the pseudo villian, and all Mikado had to do was talk to Hiyakawa for a bit and great film over. They didn't even attempt to solve who "Sensei" was, why Erika Hiura was working for him, and what in the world the cult was. They just introduced everything and "Hey, Hiyakawa mass murdered the cult in the past because they were abusing him, so the end. You don't need to know who 'Sensei' is and why he did it."

Characters - All of the characters are watered down and just plain messy versions of themselves in the film. Other important character are straight up missing.

Mikado Kousuke - The key to everyone's heart. He somehow has the power to help everyone heal and fix their issues. He is also deeply tethered to "Sensei" even if he doesn't know it yet.

Hiyakawa Rihito - A man who was abused and manipulated since birth. He has the power to forcefully punch away ghosts. He was born and raised by the cult as a god, to get rid of their impurities. He was never given or shown any type of kindness or love. He believes Mikado is his destiny. He will do anything to keep Mikado next to him, even if that means bonding and tying Mikado to him forcefully.

Hiura Erika - A teenage necromancer, who was sold to "Sensei" and the cult by her father. She is forced by "Sensei" to curse people to fuel his master plan. She hates "Sensei" and wants to run away and be free from his grasps and her own power.

Hiroki Hanzawa - A cop who helped Hiyakawa after he mass murdered the cult. Despite his rough demenor, Hanzawa has a soft spot for Hiyakawa. He doesn't believe in the supernatural, but constantly asks Hiyakawa for help solving unsolvable cases.

Kazuomi Sakaki - Erika's yakuza bodyguard, who was only in the film for 1 minute. He looks cold and scary, but he's actually a really caring guy... at least for Erika. He hates everyone that tries to hurt Erika, even her father and "Sensei." He would save Erika from her hellish fate if it weren't for the fact that he would be killed if he tried to help her escape. He becomes an important character in the later half of the manga/anime. He tells Erika, "If you're going to escape. Take me with you."

Keita Mukae - An exorcist who was cut from the film!!! Like Hiyakawa, he can exorcize ghostss, however his tactic is to talk to them to ease their minds before exorcizing them. He's very good with establishing bonds with people and ghosts.

"Sensei" - A selfish man who manipulates people and ghosts for his own selfish gain. He has Hiura Erika do the dirty work, so nothing can be traced back to him. He has a fear that if people find out his name and face they will destroy him. He has pure hatred for Mikado.

~~~ IS THIS BL? ~~~

The film is not, but it's supposed to be. The film version of Hiyakawa is too stoic and doesn't get jealous of Mikado at all. In fact, he doesn't even bother to force his way into Mikado's spirit. Even Mikado doesn't care enough about Hiyakawa to prioritize his safety. They don't even touch on the fact that Hiyakawa called Mikado his "destiny" in the first scene. Also the exorcism isn't as sexual at it is in the anime/manga.

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window is published by a BL magazine and is classified as such, but the anime was more Shounen Ai than BL. However, I'm not sure if the manga explicitly makes that distinction. In the anime, it's clear that Hiyakawa is in love with Mikado to the point of obsession. Mikado clearly has feelings for Hiyakawa, but it's unclear if it's romantic or not. Either way, they do have a spiritual bond that is stronger than everyone else. Also, they both occasionally do and say things that make other people question whether the two are dating or not.

Also, the exorcizing that Mikado and Hiyakawa do together is very intimate. Then exorcizing ghosts, Hiyakawa explains that isn't supposed to feel good because it's cleansing the air. The more of their spiritual power they use the better it's supposed to feel. When Mikado compares it to sex, Hiyakawa agrees that it's similar. In the anime, when they do exorcizing together, they are both exhausted and disheveled after... Like they had gone a few rounds together. Usually Mikado is slumped over Hiyakawa. Also Hiyakawa bites Mikado occasionally because he "get's too into it." That being said, when Mukae and Mikado exorcised together, Mukae was respectful and held Mikado's hand. He didn't force his way into Mikado's soul.

~~~ OVERALL ~~~

I really liked the anime, but the film was terrible. While I wasn't really expecting the film to incorporate the BL aspects of it, I was expecting a decent horror/suspense film. I got none of that.

This film was full of plot holes and didn't even manage to tell a decent story. There was no plot at all! This film was created by a big name company with big name actors, yet how did the film not manage to have a decent plot? They really tried to rush through the whole plot in 90 minutes and failed spectacularly. They didn't even solve the mystery that they were setting up to be the big climax.

Do I want a sequel? No.
Do I want a TV series? Maybe... Actually no. While I think the plot of the manga is more suited for a TV series, rather than movie. I think that since the exorcism and spiritual bond aspects of this story are very abstract and sexual in nature, it would be very difficult to show it in live action. The anime was great since we could see the different planes and the abstract nature of the bonds, everything was unrealistic. It would be hard to show different realms and bonds to each other's hearts without lots of CGI.

I personally think The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window should have been left as a manga/anime and never turned into a Live Action Film.

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Watched an 11 min free sample of the film and decided it wasn't worth paying to finish watching it.

If you want a review from someone who finished watching it, just skip this review and look up that only one Japanese review from that one girl who actually finished watching the film. She said it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

Anyways, I was able to watch a free 11 minute sample of the 33 minute long movie... and decided it wasn't worth it to pay 330yen to finish watching it.

Please don't get me wrong, the sample I watched wasn't terrible, but it didn't make me feel the need to pay money to finish the rest of the film.

Of the 11mins, the first 5 minutes were spent talking about how the omegas are looked down upon, then the next 3 minutes were spent talking about how the ML with the blonde highlights wants to suddenly start a relationship despite saying he doesn't understand love or relationships. Then suddenly the scene changes to both of them at work talking about alphas looking down on omegas and this new alpha guy at work (the guy in the white suit). The alpha guy is supposed to be hot and eye catching, but he barely had presence. The Omega with the blonde highlights also seemed indifferent throughout the whole 11 minutes...

So yeah, 11 minutes and barely any substance. I also couldn't figure out who the second ML was. Was it the guy from the bar with the black suit that the blonde spent 11 minutes talking crap about omegas and alphas with, or was it supposed to be the alpha guy with the white suit? Either way, none of them seemed appealing as leads to me. If it's the guy in the black suit, then they have no chemistry because it was hard to watch them together in the bar.

Anyways, the 11minutes I watched didn't really seem interesting. It's also a low budget film with subpar acting. Like, if the entire movie were free to watch then I definitely would be able to finish the movie, but paying 330yen to finish watching it didn't seem worth it to me.

Also, all of the actors are apparently from an undergound idol group that already lost most of it's members, so it makes sense their acting isn't the best. It's also interesting that none of their fans are talking about the movie either. Even the Japanese girl that wrote the review I mentioned either, wasn't even a fan of the group, just a normal fujoshi.

Overall, while I won't be finishing the film, it doesn't seem to be a good film or bad film. Probably mediocre at best. But again, I only watched 11 minutes of 33 minutes, so I can't really say if the film will redeem itself in the 20minutes I missed. However, I don't feel like paying to finish watching the rest of the film.

If someone else decides to watch this and give a proper review, please do. I'll delete this when a review pops up.
Who knows, maybe that review will convince me to pay the money to finish watching it.

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Lots of Potential, but Fell Flat because of it's Too Gloomy

•❅✧❅✦ Story ✦❅✧❅•

Smells Like Green Spirit had the potential to be a really thought-provoking drama with all of the themes it decided to tackle, but it really fell flat with its gloomy atmosphere and rushed ending.

The drama tackles the theme of sexuality in the 90s. They also sprinkled in some of the usual troupes of bullying, societal pressure through neighborhood gossip, and coming out. There was also a little bit of sexual assault thrown in the mix as well. Just by reading all of the themes, you can tell they are not happy themes at all. It’s all doom and gloom, and with only 8 episodes it’s hard to insert many happy moments. It seems like Mishima is constantly facing some sort of gloomy trouble that he can never catch a break to be happy. And this is what is missing from the drama.

Every episode seems to be gloomy with no happiness that we end up feeling bad for Mishima. Even the ending, which is supposed to show Mishima being happy, no longer struggling with his sexuality, is rushed and crammed into the last few minutes. Even his cross-dressing nature is lost that when Mishima is shown as a drag queen model, we don’t even know if it is actually him or not. It’s sad, since this could have been a good coming of age drama!

•❅✧❅✦ Themes ✦❅✧❅•

Smells Like Green Spirit tackles many themes including sexuality in the 90s, bullying, societal pressure, neighborhood gossip, coming out, and sexual assault. The most prevalent is the reality of sexuality in the 90s and societal pressure through neighborhood gossip.

The drama focuses on each theme they try to tackle though gossip from the neighborhood. We then learn about the truth of the situation through the characters they are gossiping about. It’s really sad because on more than one occasion, the characters change their course of action after hearing the neighborhood gossip. Kirino can’t even live his life freely because his mother bends to the pressure of society and he doesn’t want to disappoint her. He even went as far as trying to run away, only to be pulled back because the neighborhood gossip hit his mother and she collapsed.

I could go on and on about each theme, but the neighborhood gossip really pissed me off while watching because it was so accurate to how the Japanese bend to the pressure of their social image, even in this day and age!

•❅✧❅✦ Overall ✦❅✧❅•

Smells Like Green Spirit could have been a thought-provoking drama, but it kind of fell flat for me with it’s doom and gloom. Other people really seem to give it high regards, so I guess it’s good. Maybe I just have really high standards. Or I just found it too gloomy to see the positives of this drama.

Either way, I think the drama was nice, but it’s not something I would ever watch again. I honestly don’t even feel like reading the manga since it’s more gloomy than happy. Overall, it’s a decent coming of age story, but it’s really not for me.

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A Small Commentary on Working in a Black Company in Japan

•❅✧❅✦ Story ✦❅✧❅•

The drama itself wasn’t too special, it’s actually very forgettable. However, topic of being overworked in your job is what makes this drama more memorable than it should be.

Hiro and Kai are also very forgettable characters. There’s nothing great about them compared to other characters out there. Even the plot and execution is bland. However, since Japan has a problem with overworking businessmen and women, the topic is more memorable. Having a “knight in shining armor” come in to help you regain the humanity that was sucked out of your soul at work is a dream come true for most people who are slaves to their jobs.

The drama's storyline is literally about Hirokuni learning to regain his humanity through Kai and vice versa. It's a decent watch, but nothing is memorable at all. Maybe if we got to see more of the character's human sides, like Hirokuni and Kai being more lovey with each other., it would have been different. We don't get any of that until the end, when we get to see more of Kai and Hirokuni’s humanity and them acting more like a couple. otherwise it's just boring. Most of the drama is heavy with the dark subject matter on black companies, so a little more love and humanity would have made it so much better.

•❅✧❅✦ Manga vs Film ✦❅✧❅•

The plot of the manga is very similar to the drama. The drama fleshes out the more essential scenes, like Hiro and Kai’s childhood, but the manga gives more context to the overall story and other minor scenes. There really are no big changes to the story overall.

While both the manga and drama are quite equal, I’d have to say the manga was better. In the manga, Kai feels human, while in the drama he seems emotionless. Kai was a normal guy with childhood trauma in the manga, while in the drama he seemed to be like a cardboard cutout with very little emotions. Kai is supposed to be cool when he reunites with Hiro, but he lacks emotion in the drama so he’s not that “cool” when he comes back.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall ✦❅✧❅•

Perfect Propose wasn’t as perfect as it could have been. In fact, the “propose” aspect was lacking. Kai coming back saying they are engaged was great, but there was no grand proposal at the end to bring it full circle. Yes, Kai mentions that what Hiro says at the end sounds like a proposal, but there is no grandiose proposal to call perfect. Overall, the drama was actually kind of bland and the acting didn’t help make it better. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s not a drama I’ll have on repeat anytime soon.

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The Unseen Complexities of Human Relationships

Please go watch this drama before reading the reviews.
This is one of those dramas that every person will have their own different opinion based on the type of life they are currently living. If your life is all sunshine and rainbows, you might have a hard time relating to some of these characters.

•❅✧❅✦ Story ✦❅✧❅•

At a glance, the premise of the drama is very simple, a meteorite is coming, so two exes reunite to spend their last days together. But the reality is different. Every character and their backgrounds add an extra layer of complexity that makes the plot even better. Masumi’s inner battle against his love for Ritsu, while Ritsu faces his past fills the main bulk of the plot. Ritsu’s issues with Meguru and Madoka fill up the rest, but the meteorite is really just a backdrop.

Ritsu learning to open up about his complicated past with his family makes us learn to enjoy his character that we all hated at the beginning of the series.

This drama is really about the complexities of human relationships that can’t be seen by the human eye. If you don't want to sit down and think about every character or every scenario that each other these characters face and read between the lines of what they are doing or saying, then maybe this drama is a little to psychological for you.

•❅✧❅✦ Manga vs Drama ✦❅✧❅•

The manga was very wholesome. It has basically the same plot as the drama but adds additional details to certain parts of the story. For example, when Ritsu and Masumi return from Hamamatsu, they discover the library was burnt down. Also, in the epilogue, the meteorite was blown away by USA and European missiles (but they still think Yuma did it.) They keep in contact with Meguru and Yuma (who is shocked that Meguru is a boy.) Ritsu gave up his business and bought a fixer-upper house in the countryside. He runs a youtube channel showing his progress on the house. He explains that he bought the house to prove to his loved one that he can stay loyal. Masumi quits his job to move in with Ritsu, once the house is done. The manga ties up all loose ends creating a complete story

The drama does a really good job adapting the source material. The drama took out all of the irrelevant scenes, while expanding on some of the scenes that needed more info. The drama handled Ritsu’s history with Madoka a lot better than the manga. However, the manga did better wrapping up the ending. The drama leaves the fate of everyone unknown with only hints that Yuma blew the meteorite away, but the manga expands on it, giving us a proper ending

•❅✧❅✦ Acting ✦❅✧❅•

All of the actors did an amazing job with there characters. While the main leads were amazing in their own right, each of the supporting cast members could hold their own and are just as memorable. Honestly, my favorite character is Meguru, and he is only a supporting character. That is how much impact he had on the story.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall ✦❅✧❅•

Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu is a thought provoking drama. You’re going to either love it or hate it. At a glance, there is a slice-of-life element to it that makes the drama seem kind of slow at times. But there are also some sci-fi-esc scenes that make you question what genre you are watching. However, the heart of the story is the characters and their backstories.

If you’re not a fan of slow-paced and character driven films, then this drama may not be for you. However, if you love to dig into the backstories of each character, you’ll love this drama.

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Just your Average Cooking Romance

Sugar Dog Life is one of the many dramas Japan has put out about “grabbing the heart of someone through cooking.” The best thing about this drama is Isumi's acting.

•❅✧❅✦ Story ✦❅✧❅•

While not the best cooking romance drama out there, it is one of the better ones. The acting is quite good and the story, while not the most original, is nice. However, this drama is part of the slice of life genre, so it is “bland” – for a lack of better words. It’s very slow paced and there isn’t any real “action” to keep the story interesting. Isumi and Amasawa get together without any real roadblocks in their relationship, so it might be boring to some people.

•❅✧❅✦ Acting ✦❅✧❅•

The story might be bland, the acting is quite nice. Tanaka, Isumi’s actor, really stole the show. He acts very masculine and manly for someone who is the “uke” in the relationship, and also for someone who loves cooking. At a glance, you might think he should be in a hetero romance, based on the stereotypes the “uke” is usually put into, but Isumi does none of that. Tanaka gives us a great performance as Isumi, that his talent is wasted on this type of slice of life drama. It would have been nice to see more sides of his acting, but slice of life is a bland drama genre, so it can’t be helped.

While Amasawa’s actor, Tawada, did a great job, it would have been nice to see Tanaka paired with an actor that can bring more out of his character. They have nice chemistry, but Tawada’s acting feels a bit stiff compared to Tanaka’s. It’s not too bad though, but it does make Amasawa seem like a manga character rather than a real life human.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall ✦❅✧❅•

While I really enjoyed Isumi’s actor, I really didn’t enjoy the drama as much as I would have liked. The drama isn’t bad, but it is bland. There are other cooking romance dramas that have done better than this one. However, that doesn’t mean this drama is bad. It’s one of the better cooking romance dramas that I have seen, but sadly it’s not the best.

If you’re looking for a filler BL, or a new actor to watch, I would recommend this drama. As a filler drama it’s a very good watch, and Tanaka Koki, Isumi’s actor, is a very nice actor. I would like to see more of his work. That’s pretty much all I can say about this drama though. There wasn’t anything too outstanding, nor too terrible about the drama. Still a decent drama though.

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