Not enough going on for my taste
Story-wise, this series has good potential to be interesting: rivals-to-lovers tropes tend to be very exciting since they usually start with mutual respect (even when it's reluctant!) and it leaves room for character development and introspection.In this case, the writers decided to neglect that potential entirely. I was hoping that the series would get better despite that, but instead it felt like the story never developed a distinct flavor. Most events happened without me having much of a reaction, simply because they felt like they were meant to fill up space and nothing else.
The actors were decent, I'd say, but the characters weren't explored and their relationships were barely portrayed. Shu Yi is supposed to be a very close childhood friend of Zheng Wen and Yu Xin, but judging on their scenes together I'd barely consider them acquaintances; there are a couple moments of them teasing each other that are probably meant to show that they're close, but these elements are way too inconsistent to amount to something.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Shu Yi and Shi De is also damaged by this. I don't want to give further details and risk spoiling anything, so I'll just say that the chemistry was nowhere to be found.
The finale was also extremely unsatisfying. It didn't feel like an ending at all, and what's worse is that, since I've seen the teaser to the second season, it made me lose all the interest I had in this series.
I might be biased because of the high rating, but to be honest I expected much better. I'm glad to see that this series reached its ideal audience, I guess, but to me it felt flavorless, which is quite bad when compared to the multiple amazing Taiwanese BLs out there.
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Much better than the series
After watching the series and feeling awfully disappointed, this special episode was a breath of fresh air. Time-travel to the past version of oneself isn't a trope I like at all, I usually avoid it, but they managed to use it in a cute way that somewhat gave me relief from the bitterness I felt over the main series.The plot itself isn't anything special, but it works for a single episode like this one. The characterization, the chemistry AND the acting felt way better in every aspect, so much that I wondered if the production team is the same or if they changed it for this one special episode. The music is the same as the rest of the series, so while it's not great, it feels like an actual sequel and not like its own thing.
It almost made me wish that the main series was about Li Gong and Ze Shou in high school.
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Unfortunately, nothing stood out
I was able to finish the series and I found some parts of it cute, but other than this, I found too many flaws for it to be worth recommending.- The premise of the show is cute, but is drowned by other plotlines very quickly, and by the end I wondered why did they bother with the couple assignment trope to begin with.
- Speaking of plotlines: there's so many, way too many for a six-episodes drama. There could have been hope if they gave up on one or two of them, or if they had more episodes to better tackle them, but unfortunately this is how it is. As a result, the different plotlines are introduced but never properly explored, so it really felt disappointing overall.
- As I said, some parts were cute. Unfortunately though, the chemistry never seemed to bloom at any time in the story (mostly because the excessive plotlines I mentioned above DIDN'T LET IT), and even the feelings between the two protagonists seem to develop in a weird way. I'm not saying that they should be all about their romance at all times, but I felt like there wasn't enough of them, which is a huge flaw for what is meant to be a romantic drama.
I really can't recommend this drama because it feels like a draft, rather than a finished project. Nothing stood out enough to me to make it memorable, except the fact that it was so messy and unsatisfying.
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Perfect delivery
I rarely rate series with a 10, even when I really enjoyed them, but I feel like this one deserved it. The only flaw that I can think of is that it's shorter than I wished it to be, but other than that it's very, VERY good. The relationships between the characters (not only among love interests, but also with friends and family) are portrayed very well, and even better- it was clearly SHOWN instead of being TOLD, which is something that many series get wrong. At no point I felt lost wondering what did the characters feel or what was going on, even when nobody was putting it all into words. The character development is also very good and well-paced.The music is an element that I usually don't care about all that much, but this time around the songs were just too good to be ignored. I also appreciated the fact that music in this series is an actual passion for some characters and not just an aesthetic used for a couple of romantic moments.
The chemistry is very good, and let me specify that I'm talking about actual chemistry and not kissing scenes (if you're looking for those and nothing else, then you should just look elsewhere). The protagonists seem sincerely fond of each other, and the same can be said for the second couple.
It's a short series, so it might be a good show to watch when you have a few hours spare to binge-watch it. It's heartwarming and moving, definitely a gem!
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Full of refreshing elements
This series includes multiple tropes that aren't easy to find in other shows with similar premises: a group of friend with amazing chemistry all the way through, a secondary couple that is already in an established relationship, and the tackle of other themes that aren't common to find in a BL (and some are just very unusual overall).The main couple is simply adorable. I really liked the development of the relationship between Le Jian and Amber as they share common interests at first, then end up becoming best friends in a short time because of how comfortable they are around each other. The love and affection just ooze from the characters without them having to say anything specific, which is the best thing to see in any film or show: by the time their feelings are put into words, it's already blatant how they feel.
The pacing was probably the only thing I really didn't like about this show. The beginning is sweet and tender and all, but it can come off as a little slow, and I can see myself skipping or fast-forwarding in case I were to watch it again; on the other hand the ending felt more rushed than I would have liked it to be. Overall it was still enjoyable though, so I can't say it was a huge flaw.
In conclusion, I found it cute and very interesting under many aspects, but if you aren't into coming of age stories and slice-of-life pacing, this is probably not for you.
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Cute and feel-good, but also kind of empty
I have enjoyed multiple short films from Strongberry so far, so I was pretty excited when I first heard that they would finally release a longer series. All their series can be very sweet, funny, or sentimental, and they're all excellent queer representation, so I was looking forward to this one.I can say that I enjoyed it, but also felt unsatisfied with the story. There is some plot (more like the skeleton of a plot) in how Choco and Milk managed to come back to Jungwoo as humans, and there are also vague hints at how Jungwoo lived his life during their absence, but other than that it's 100% slice of life, without much happening. There is no major event and no character development whatsoever. I was hoping to see Choco and Milk face the many aspects of living their lives as humans, although I also understand why they didn't feel the need to since they're Jungwoo's pets.
The actors were all very good, especially Choco and Milk, whose behavior really mirrored that of a dog and a cat perfectly. I'd say that the show is mostly centered around that and the dynamics between them, Jungwoo, and Jungwoo's boss, and it shows them in a very straightforward way.
I felt a little disappointed in the lack of a solid plot for the story, but the overall atmosphere of the series and the acting made up for it. If you're looking for something cute that isn't hard to follow, this might be for you.
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Memorable, special, wonderful!
I don't know the right English words to describe this series. All I can say is that it stands out among the others for its plot and execution, so much that I believe it belongs to its own special category, along with Manner of Death (which has the same directors and is set in the same universe). I've only just found out that it's actually the remake of a short movie with the same main leads.This series is a detective story with supernatural elements, which also happens to include a mlm romance. I was afraid that, since it mainly revolves around time loops, it would get repetitive soon, but the story develops nicely and steadily, with more and more details being added to the story and making it so that the plot never stagnates. It also tackles multiple interesting themes: the importance of life, of pursuing justice, of being there for your friends and family, of being honest with others and with themselves. It also touches a little on the aspects of afterlife, alternative universes/dimensions, and such. It was very interesting to see it all come to life.
While the pacing is just right, the story is also packed full with events and plotlines, so it might feel overwhelming for whoever is looking for a relaxing watch - I can't stress enough that this series is NOT relaxing. It will keep you nervous and eager to see what comes next all the time until the very end of the last episode.
Something that I appreciated was how the supernatural element wasn't used too much: it has its limits and regulations and the characters are not able to rely on it or get rid of it at will.
The actors all did a good job. I can't say I was a big fan of the chemistry between the two main characters, as in some instances it felt like one of them was "in love" and the other was just playing along, but overall I was satisfied. I was afraid that Tin's character would be responsible of carrying the show all the way through, but luckily it's not like that and the other characters (especially Dr. Sing) can pull their weight just fine.
In conclusion, I LOVED watching this series, and the only reason why I didn't give it a full 10/10 is that the genre is not my personal preference. Since I was still able to enjoy myself plenty, I'd suggest you giving this show a try and see for yourself if it interests you!
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Unconventional and beautiful
When I saw the title I immediately tried to guess the contents: it had to be a supernatural romance, or a murder mystery, or a horror series. Given these expectations, I was a little confused at the beginning as to what was this series meant to focus on, but I caught on quickly enough for it to become memorable.This story is mainly about relationship bonds (between family members, friends, and lovers), and most of all about grief, loss, and painful events in life. It's never too somber and gloomy to make it heavy to watch, and there are also some funny moments here and there, but it still manages to deliver its messages well.
I believe that the lack of action and drama was necessary for this type of plot, since they would have made the series derail from its main themes too much. In my opinion, that kind of entertainment can be easily found anywhere else and it's not needed here. Still, I understand that this is definitely not everyone's cup of tea.
The love story between the two main characters was one of the healthiest and most heartwarming I've seen. There is no unnecessary drama around their moments: they're just two young men who are attracted to each other, and luckily neither of them is secretly a ghost or anything like that. Their ups and downs are tied to their personal lives and struggles and not to the actual relationship, which was refreshing to see. Their dynamics also felt very realistic.
Kevin's family members were all very good as well. I was afraid that, given the type of plot, they would have turned all four of them into a single monolith-like group, with a hive mind and all, but instead each one of them has an individual personality and color. The dynamics between family members, just like the couple, felt realistic and believable.
Something that I want to criticize about the plot is the pacing, which was... not good. There were some aspects of the plot that deserved to be elaborated more (mainly Kevin's relationship with his aunt and the rest of the family, and also his bond with Jake), and the dialogues felt unbearably slow multiple times. Wouldn't blame anyone for watching the series at double speed or even quitting out of frustration.
In conclusion, do I recommend it? If you're looking for something sweet, slow and sentimental, then this might be for you. If you're expecting any kind of action, drama, thrill, or anything like that, then you should look somewhere else.
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Annoyingly plain
At first I had very high hopes for this series because of what seemed to be the setting - I have never watched any series/film that revolves around street races, and since the teaser seemed to include both that and a good amount of romance, I was looking forward to it.The first disappointment for me was exactly this: racing in Love in the Air is a minor device at best, and an aesthetic at worse. The characters are seen being involved in this illegal race that seems to be such a big deal for everyone, but the setting is explored so little that, now that I finished watching, I'd argue that Love in the Air is more about university life than racing. (Minor spoiler here: we don't even get to see Pakin in person for the entire series, he's only ever mentioned despite being such an important and powerful character.)
The second disappointment was finding out that this story relies on a handful of tropes that are just... handled in the worst way? There's multiple instances of dubious consent, assault, stalking, and other things that are heavily romanticised. I read/saw these tropes in BLs multiple times in the past, but it was about 10 years ago or so, and I really thought that we had gotten over bad writing in favour of good characterization and introspection. I guess I thought wrong. After realizing that the author of the novel this series is based on is also the same author of TharnType, I'm not even surprised.
Despite my disappointment, I decided to keep watching, in hopes that I would still get to enjoy the series to some extent. The couples are cute and they have some very romantic moments, but I'm afraid there isn't much more that I can say.
- Rain's character seems to be almost entirely undefined. At times he looks stubborn and decisive, then he randomly turns all soft and cute and well-behaved; at times he almost looks capable to think and make decisions on his own, but then he seems to just lose his brain. I feel like his personality changed at every scene, which was frustrating to see.
- The series did a good job with Rain and Payu, showing that they don't just live for each other, but they also have their job/studies to take care of which are equally important. Then the story decided that Sky and Pai only need to be around each other and think about each other at all times; Sky got to show a little more of his university life, but Pai literally seems to be a rich guy whose only task in life is to pursue Sky in any way possible.
- I'm not a fan of dubcon, but I was willing to let it slide in case the series tackled it well. And... it didn't. Not in a horrible way (I'm not expecting a series to teach me that something is Bad and Wrong), but in a very plain way. The most controversial tropes were handled in such an unoriginal way that I felt annoyed and bored.
In the end, I can say that the couples were cute enough to let me watch until the end. Rain and Payu were more interesting to me, while Sky and Pai's story (which starts at part 4 of episode 7) got boring very quickly and I ended up fast-forwarding the last two episodes. I can only recommend this in case you have nothing better to do.
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Oddly romantic and enjoyable
I felt like writing a review because of the low rating, as I don't think it really deserved it. After seeing the score and all the negative comments I was bracing myself for the worst, but this one actually became one of my favorite Mafia-themed BL (the other one being "HIStory 3: Trapped").As usual, my first worry was about the Mafia theme, as I feel like most series get it horribly wrong, but this time around I was pretty satisfied with it: it wasn't just about people waving guns around, but the weapons and the bodyguards also weren't there for show - there IS action and not just pretty people in suits. I also appreciate the fact that while this was one of the more "wholesome" depictions of Mafia, nobody in the series at any point acted as if they were just "misunderstood good guys", nor did they ever imply that being in the Mafia was anything remotely honorable or desirable.
The story wasn't anything new, but the execution was what caught my heart. I read somewhere that the characters in the novel are a lot different from the actors that were chosen for this series, but I believe that the choice was on point? Kim looks sweet without giving the idea of feeling absolutely powerless, and Kamol is just THAT good of an actor - he's very charismatic and his expressions made every scene feel vivid and real. The romance was very sweet and almost cheesy at some times, but I never felt annoyed while watching and it goes at the right pace without being forced. Although none of the characters are particularly deep, I appreciated how they gave some level of depth even to the secondary characters.
I won't pretend like there are no flaws to the plot - there were, I just enjoyed the show so much overall that in the end they didn't influence my judgement all that much. This might be because my expectations for this series were already pretty low to begin with, so you'll have to judge for yourself.
As for the sexy scenes, I can't judge because I didn't watch them: the series on YouTube had all its steamier parts cut to almost nothing, so there are only a few pecks here and there and not much else. I recommend looking up the episodes on a different platform for the full experience.
If you're looking for comedy then I strongly recommend looking elsewhere, but if you're looking for romance then this might be the right show to watch.
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Very cute and lighthearted
It's a nice series and I'm glad I gave it a chance. There are different couples with different dynamics and that is probably the strongest point of the series, on top of the fact that the secondary couple got a generous amount of screentime and weren't just put there to show off the sponsorships of the series.While there are some of the usual clichés that can be found in other BLs, I never felt bored or annoyed at them, which was a pleasant surprise. This was what worried me the most while watching, as I saw countless comments on this page that considered the show boring/annoying because of them. It wasn't the case for me, mostly because of the dynamics among the characters and the pacing that helped keeping everything lively and interesting for me.
Exception made for Earth (whom I already saw in 2Moons2), I didn't know any of the actors here, but I feel like everyone did a good job.
I can't say much else because I don't want to give spoilers. I just want to recommend this series as it was a cute discovery!
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A pleasant surprise
If you're looking for a collection of short stories that don't take long to finish (they're one episode each), but also with the right amount of drama to keep you engaged, then I think this might be for you.I believe that the strongest point of this series is the presence of several actors that had secondary roles in other productions. I was happy to see that they got a chance to shine with a main role, although for just one episode. As for the stories themselves, while being enjoyable, I feel like they could have been handled better, as the pacing was off for most of them. My biggest pet peeve was the fact that the episodes are not in chronological order (there are recurring characters in the stories and they seem to be at different stages in life depending on the episode), but it's not too hard to understand.
I'm leaving my comments for each episode (with spoilers!) here below.
Would You Be My Love: probably one of the best written episodes. The development of the relationship between Sun and Ozone didn't feel forced, and I was really invested in what was going to happen next. It's a story where nothing much is going on though, so I can't deny it felt a little slow at times.
Rhythm's Heart: loved to see Yacht as the main character for once, and he did AMAZING- I feel like his presence is already enough of a reason to watch this episode. The story is also pretty cute, and with the interesting choice of having a woman as the second lead. The GL fans might find it disappointing because of it, but I thought it was a cute story overall. The only aspect I found annoying was the fact that Rhythm's social anxiety is only presented as a cute quirk of his (his heartbeat getting faster when he's happy) and nothing else.
Remember: easily the most disappointing story. Proud not being able to move on and forget her ex even after AN ENTIRE YEAR was already comical enough for me, but the most annoying part was the fact that this is the only proper GL story of the series, yet they managed to ruin it by making Jaidee a horrible person all along. Since there's scarcity of GL stories to begin with, they could at least make a decent one. I was looking forward to Sammy being the main character instead of the funny sidekick for once, but not like this.
Once Upon A Time: the beginning was very slow, to the point that I was considering dropping the episode altogether at first, but it picked up after the first part and turned into a very sweet story with realistic problems. I greatly appreciated the way Ozone was able to support Balloon and comfort him. On the other hand, the kiss between Mek and Jinny felt completely pointless, as it was not mentioned again later: it only put a bitter taste in my mouth and nothing else.
Breakup Zone: beside the fact that the summary in the series details has nothing to do with this episode (seriously, what did they even watch?), this story was very sweet. I have a soft spot for best friends turning into lovers, and it was also nice to see Plan in a different role than the ones he's most known for. Other than this I don't have much to say as it was kind of uneventful.
VS Love: if you've been wanting to see Peak and Boom with a better plot than Make it Right, then this is for you! By far the most interesting plot, talking about injustice in the school system and about fighting for what you think is right. I feel like this episode deserved a series of its own, because there could have been much more to explore. As for the romance, it's more mentioned than shown, which is a pity. I feel like they relied on the pre-existing Peak/Boom ship too much, so it doesn't feel believable.
50% Puppy Love: Perth just shines in whatever role, and this episode is no exception. It was a very cute episode, kind of bittersweet for me as it reminded me of my life when in high school. They managed to highlight both the feelings of a first crush and the friendship with the classmates. It was a simple story, but not less enjoyable than the others.
Overall, I'd recommend it if you have time to spare, because it was pretty good.
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Beautiful, just beautiful
This series felt very special from the beginning to the end. Despite the episodes being very short and the story not being anything overly elaborate, I feel like everything was utilized just right: not only the actors and the set, but also the length of the episodes, the pacing, the way new information about the protagonists was revealed little by little.Objectively speaking it wasn't supposed to be anything grand or dramatic, yet the fact that everything is at the right place and in the right size makes the series have a bigger impact. This has to be one of the best series I watched.
The actors did great, because beyond the fact that they were both good looking, they also had the charisma and the skills to portray their characters well. They also have very good chemistry with each other - it's been a while since I watched a couple that looked as real as them.
Last but not least, while the music wasn't used a lot, the tracks chosen for different scenes were able to go with the scenes without being distracting or overwhelming.
I recommend watching this one. It takes about an hour to finish it, so it's good for whenever you have some time to spare!
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I was expecting it to be much better
I've watched a few of these Korean BL that have been coming out in the past couple of years. So far none of them were perfect - the plot was underutilized or full of holes, the characters weren't well built, or there wasn't chemistry, but usually there's at least one of these things that is well-made. That's not the case for Color Rush.I'm probably biased because I've only heard good things about Color Rush, so I was looking forward to watch it, but the only merit I can give it is the fact that, somehow, I managed to watch the entire thing without quitting out of frustration.
First of all, the plot felt pretty inconsistent. I'm willing to give the unanswered questions about the Mono/Probe theme and Yeon Woo's mother the benefit of the doubt, just because the second season has already been announced, but all the other things don't work together all that much. There are characters that seem underutilized and I questioned their decisions, their words and their actions multiple times as I watched - in more than one instance I felt like the driving force behind the story was "this is being said and this other thing is happening because this is what the plot wants".
The characters were disappointing too. Yeon Woo seems to not have a life, thoughts, or a personality that doesn't revolve around being Mono: no hobbies, no dream job, no passions, nothing at all. Yoo Han is introduced as a trainee, but he's never seen during practice and seems to have a lot of time on his hands for someone who is supposed to be a trainee and to study at the same time. A big chunk of the interactions between the two are just long, uncomfortable stares. I don't get why are those supposed to be useful for the sake of the plot or even just the development of the relationship between them. The acting didn't help, especially for Yoo Han: many lines of his felt like he was just repeating his share of the script out loud.
The classmates and Yeon Woo's aunt seemed like interesting characters with a lot of potential, but they were barely utilized at all despite their potential, even when there were excellent occasions for them to get more spotlight.
I wish I could say that this story needed more time, but that would be a lie. It was 2 hours long and I believe that several scenes could have been paced much better to leave room for other things.
I'm going to watch the sequel to see if the story overall can be saved, but right now I only feel like I wasted my time.
I can only recommend it in case you're a fan of that specific "colorblind soulmate AU" kind of story, but other than that I suggest you looking for something else.
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Overall good enough
I decided to give this drama a try because it's the acting debut of half of the members of Ateez, but I was surprised to see several sides of the Kpop industry popping up during the story, which made it more interesting to follow. Unfortunately the main plot wasn't as satisfying as the theme: the characters' decisions and sometimes even dynamics often didn't make sense. It's truly a shame because I feel that if there had been more space for the story to unfold and for the characters to truly shine, it might have led to a better result. At the end of the last episode I felt like there was still a lot mode that needed to be explained, and storylines that hadn't been explored enough. Since I didn't read the original webtoon I can't tell for sure, but that's what it felt like for me.Props to whoever produced the original Kpop songs for Tea Party, Shax, Sparkling, and La Lima, which went way beyond my expectations.
In conclusion, I recommend watching if you're a fan of any of the actors featured here or if you're a Kpop fan looking for a cute story themed after the industry.
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