ryoato

significantly better than season one

I remember watching the first season to this and not understanding the hype. A lot of the show overall I didn’t understand, so with this addition I wasn’t expecting anything amazing. This season adds upon what was their and makes it better, developing characters further and relationships as well

Hira and Kiyoi never had a perfect relationship and I understand that because of how it started. Hira worships Kiyoi and sees him as untouchable.. in the first season it was just that with them really getting together at the end. This season they are already together and instead of just them being in a relationship, it’s them growing together in their relationship.

Hira is finding himself with his work and how he sees Kiyoi, because it isn’t a one sided love anymore. I was frustrated about him but by the end of the drama that’s what kept me watching. Kiyoi honestly developed feelings for Hira and I don’t understand them completely but I get that I never will and maybe am not supposed to. They both have this love and appreciation for eachother that belongs to only them, it’s their bond and they barely can grasp their feelings themselves.

Kiyoi is much more likeable here when you see that admist him succeeding in life and ‘remaining the same’ he is very different. You see him really stay interested in Hira and blush with explicitly telling Hira that he liked him. The obstacle here is that Hira is stuck with the one sided love that he accepted, and the resolution to that was one of the best scenes to me. Kiyoi is just cute- and isn’t as hot headed, he’s humbled. He’s more open about his feelings and isn’t ashamed of how he feels either.

They both put effort into each others lives and opposed to season one, I now understand the first season a lot more. This drama had great acting, visuals, it’s just really good. I’m sad it was so short but am looking forward to the movie.

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Not very good.

this drama really didn’t need to be 36 episodes.

In short I skimmed through the last 12 episodes so this review won’t be the best. It’s just coming from someone who is hard to keep interested for long. Dramas have done it though. I watch many dramas and find gems that I am floored at how they keep me interested. This one didn’t…

At first I watched to keep up with the schedule but gradually lost track of it and then stopped watching all together. Now it’s just another drama that has been checked off the box for me. It went downhill after the first breakup.. the male lead character was frustrating me but I wasn’t paying attention anyways.it’s of cliches and situations that were just boring to me. Guy and girl are old friends and fall in love but oh wait- their other best friend loved him too? And they re meet? Yes. That is what I got from this. Not profound, not offensive. Just existing.

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Glamorous but not all Fabulous

I’ve been waiting for this drama for a while. I’m a huge Shawol as they are my ult and Choi Minho is a part of it. He’s such a charming guy on and off screen, and I am supporting his works where ever they are. All the content with him in it I will devour, he deserves that from me. For this drama I want it to be a 10/10 but it’s not. Still it’s not as bad as people are saying it is. People all have their different tastes but to rate a drama you have to think about what it is trying to do over what you want it to be.

This drama is about the fashion industry and right away is is very glamorous and pretty to look at. All the sets shine and there is not a bad angle for anyone in this show. If you want a gritty melodrama you will not find that here. At the beginning you know what you are getting into with the relationship drama, and if you don’t like that then don’t watch it. Personally I’m not a fan of that, but I’m rating based off what this drama accomplishes for itself. It tells the story of adults in the fashion industry and goes over their relationship issues- it’s not trying to be super dark or tell a big story. People being upset about the ‘slow’ or boring natures of the show just need to stay away from these dramas as a whole. It’s a slice of life type show without too much of an overarching plot unless you see it within the relationships of the characters.

The acting is good for who the characters are. Chae Soobin is given a character who is very ambitious but makes a lot of mistakes. She is too ambitious and chaotic for her own good at times. With that character she acts the role of Ji Eun very well. I don’t necessarily like her character too much, I don’t even like Minho’s character too much. Not all dramas are going to be about perfect people, they were an old fling and have a lot of chemistry. Minho’s character Woomin is charming for some of it, but he still is possessive for others. He’s not the total green flag that I really want Choi Minho to play. But he is Woomin, and he really sells that because I get disappointed in him even though his face is Choi Minho’s.

I am surprised no one is talking about the things this drama is showing that are very good for Korea. It has a successful gay male lead who isn’t a stereotype, he’s got talent and he isn’t looked down upon for his sexuality. It barely is brought up, he is an actual character other than a prop.

The OST’s are there. Especially at the end of the first episode. I really like the ending of each episode as they aren’t too much of a cliffhanger. You can binge this show easily as it stops the story and sets it up in the next episode, with that being said you can watch this any time without bingeing also.

I really don’t understand the whole acting complaints people have. It’s the characters you don’t like- not the acting. My favorite character is the supermodel Seonho. I can put past aside my major bias for Minho and realize he’s not perfect. I do like flawed characters because they are more human, the same with this drama. It’s not perfect- the only perfect drama I’ve seen is the Untamed- and that’s because I look past its flaws because I just love it so much. I can see all the flaws with this show but that doesn’t make me write it off as being unwatchable. This show is very watchable; it’s not very long, it’s not offensive, it’s got Choi Minho, and it’s pretty fabulous to look at. Not a 10/10, but it’s a good watch if you want a fashion drama, a young adult drama, a drama that’s not too dramatic.

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A guilty pleasure of mine

This show intrigued me because of Choi Minho, so let that tell you that this probably will be biased because that man is so multi talented and oh so very good looking. Even with that being said I don’t understand all of the overly negative reviews.

Looking into this drama outside of the stars from SM entertainment it’s clearly just supposed to be an adaptation, it’s fun, and a bit over the top with its music. Still it doesn’t diminish from anything, the campyiness of everything fits well with the absurdity of the story. So pretty much don’t expect anything outstanding, this is what it is and it’s about a girl cross dressing to go into an all boys school to help out Tae Joom who she pretty much idolizes.

With a first glance I could tell this drama is drama is going all out with its campy nature. And I like dramas that go one way completely, especially with the lightness and fun of the main plot. It follows things like I would expect from the source material coming from a manga, like Boys Over Flowers. Lets see if this drags on..

So what I like is Eun Gyeol, who develops a crush on Jae Hee who is played by Sulli. She does an amazing job at acting like a guy, because she knows not to take it seriously. The role her for her is done well and the credit of the likableness of her character is because of Sulli. She could’ve tried too hard to try and be like a man, but instead has her look and lets her feelings follow. She’s not into toxic masculinity where she’d hold back her feelings and act like a boy in an insulting way. That leads onto what I really like. Eun Gyeol and his gay panic moments are hilarious, and they are also not insulting. He just likes Jae Hee and it’s genuine, he isn’t trying to cover it up- instead he wants to get closer to her even if he thinks she is a guy. He has a very funny imagination, my favorite character that I could talk about all day. Tae Joon, although he’s more strict with how he acts, he still obviously cares about Jae Hee and is putting on some character at certain times.

I don’t like the trope of someone acting all serious, it’s a shame that Minho has to do that at times because I know he’s super charismatic.

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Cafe Minamdang … what was going on?

I watched this show because of the star studded cast, and as much as they do and as great as they are.. this show has its problems that are too distracting.

Maybe this show would’ve been good to binge, but to wait each week and watch I just found myself forgetting things and plot points and getting confused as each episode went on. And for some reason even though so much was happening- I was bored.

To the shows credit it is very good looking to watch. I really enjoyed it at the beginning and that’s because I could understand what was going on and the characters weren’t too difficult to like either. They are charismatic and campy and I understand the criticisms about how over the top this show can be at times but it’s a comedy. Honestly the show is pretty funny.. but I don’t understand the whole crime thriller genre and then the funny moments. The tone changes A LOT and it’s a bit jarring.

Seo In Guy is such an amazing actor, but whenever he cries or really shows how good he is- the story and script isn’t backing him up at all. I really tried to like this show, and I do like it.. but man it’s sort of a guilty pleasure. I like it for the cast and the funny moments. Either go all out in the thriller direction or all out in the comedy because at this point the two didn’t blend together well at all.

As for the character dynamics I really liked the sister and brother duo- that is where the funniest moments came from. The main couple’s timeline was so screwed up that I didn’t know whether to root for them or be creeped out. I had to loose a bit of my reality to take things seriously when I don’t even know if this show wanted me to take it seriously. That’s a major major problem. In the serious things that happen if I have to take a step back and be like “oh it’s supposed to be funny or over dramatic.” That’s an issue. A show that pulls crime and comedy together well is From Now On it’s Showtime. That show was really good because it understood what moments were serious, and what characters had their motivations. The female cop character was too much with her assaults and the way she did things were unethical and they were played for funny moments. In Showtime the magician is petty, but his dynamic with his female lead is better- even though she suspects him she doesn’t assault and she uses thinking and feels guilty for thinking.

There are so many things wrong with this drama. The timelines of characters are off.. the script.. the tone. But for the good is that it’s funny. I really don’t recommend. It’s too long to watch if you want to turn off your brain and enjoy because you have to memorize people and plot points. What slaps though is the outro, that was pretty cool.

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A Review in 2021- This Drama still succeeds

This drama has an impressive amount of depth to it.

The storyline is pretty easy to follow, but what adds a lot to the story is the characters. For me it's the Cha Moo-Hyuk that makes this drama binge worthy. From the first episode there isn't too much to know about him. He is unlikeable with the things he does, but the reasons behind what he does is heartbreaking. I haven't ever watched a drama with a male lead that has gone through so much pain and is consistent with his attitudes and actions because of them.

Cha Moo-Hyuk is such a complex character, and coming from 2004 it's impressive that this character is still so heartbreaking. The drama is a little outdated with the outfits, but looking past that I see that if this was made in 2021 with the same story the rating overall would be much higher. I know this drama ends in tragedy, I'm watching because with each episode Cha Moo-Hyuk's character is revealed to be more and more tragic.

Moving onto Song Run-Chae, she is adorable but she isn't annoying. Her character is a bit naive, but the focus is less on her and more on Moo-Hyuk. I'm sure she will get more development, but as for now as long as she isn't annoying I like her. She's super cute and Im Soo-Jung is super cute also. As an actress she does a great job, and overall the acting for this drama is on par, if not better than a lot of dramas done today.

This drama is worth the watch, watch it as fast or slow as you want and the impact will be just as lasting.

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This movie broke my heart

This movie I watched today and my heart is still pounding. I cried three times overall during this movie. The actors really portrayed what they needed to well, and what broke my heart specifically was when BamBam said that she wish she knew that liking boys (being gay) was inate. It is normal and isn’t something that people should be afraid for or ridiculed for. And Birdy’s life was changed because he wasn’t comfortable. The priest was an amazing character, and I hadn’t expected him to have a male lover. It was interesting to see how he was protecting Jia-Han by telling him his feelings were wrong. I could really feel the tension between the leads through the whole story. And was left in tragedy when Birdy left Jia-Han for those many years. Although it was bittersweet that they met at the end, with Jia-Han saying how them being gay is accepted now. He is proud and isn’t scared of who he is. I am glad I watched this and am going to come back to it for sure.

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The Untamed Changed my life

Honestly before this drama I don’t know what I was doing, I lived an honest couple months before I stumbled across this. It was defined fate. To this day the sound of Wu Ji makes me tear up, even in broad daylight. Now as for the show the story is censored from the original novel, even with that being the case the two leads portray exactly what they are supposed to. Point being is that I can tell they love each other, they really are soulmates. Each scene is so crystal clear, each ost is on my playlist. Wu Ji chorus addition was my number one played song this year and I continue to listen to it.

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A well rounded drama of many genres

The whole concept of this drama is something that I find very interesting. Weirdly enough I have never came across a time travel drama, but now I want to watch a whole lot more of them.

I think that the title has more to do with Yoon Young’s character and her mother Soon Ae. I watched multiple trailers but love the direction the story is going so far as I didn’t see it coming.

I think that it will either switch up genres or mix them up. It isn’t as far into the thriller genre as I thought it would be, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. I like the focus that Young’s character has for the beginning and think it’s necessary. I am interested in how the mother and daughter duo will befriend eachother.. and I really really love how Yoon Young is trying to rectify her relationship with her mother.

I am in love with this drama being set in the 80’s. I love the concept entirely and hope it doesn’t wear itself out. I enjoyed all of the Back to the Future movies, which are so similar to this story so far that I can’t help but bring it up. This drama is very different, but in terms of befriending the parental figures it is the same. With this drama I like how Yoon Young despises her father, her reasons are justified. The short phone call with him in episode one cleared up enough as to why their relationship isn’t the best. He is so different younger (the actor for her young father is adorable).. and you can sort of see how he’d end up the way he did. The characters of the mother, father, daughter are so good- present and past they align perfectly to write out this story.

The one thing I fear for is tying in the serial killer plot. Right now Hae Joon is having almost a completely different story compared to his female lead counterpart. I’m not expecting anything bad though. There is 16 episodes so that will be more than enough time. Hopefully the right amount of things are going on so it won’t be too boring or too much of a mess.

Hae Joon and Yoon Young I’m assuming are going to get together only because of the promo material. Although now I have no idea how that will happen.. again not a bad thing. It is really good that I’m so interested so far.

The feel of this drama is great, and the 80’s settings feels fresh to me. I love the outfits, the songs that go with the time period. I also think that Hae Joon’s character as a teacher makes sense- this drama just makes sense so far. Time travel aside, I think the motivations match up for everyone and it’s started in the right direction.

I believe that Hae Joon will grow to think more about others, right now his motivation is to find the killer because the killer killed him in the future. So I believe that he will realize he can stop the killer entirely with Yoon Young giving him perspective. The writing on her character is so well done by the way. Just watch it honestly.

This drama could be really good if it keeps up what it is doing. It has good cliffhangers, clean scenes, great acting, setting, characters, etc.

Also the young parents are adorable and their relationship is cute to see unfold.. also sad at the same time when I think about the future… but it could be changed…

I honestly think this drama is underrated and a lot better than the dramas airing at the same time this one is. It is constantly interesting to watch and it mixes its dramas very well without seeming like a mess.

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my latest guilty pleasure

For a first impression I just have to say- this show is pretty impressive. BL I’m becoming more and more produced in a way that I’m able to take the story more seriously. Yes this show has its campy moments, but it’s not over the top with them.

The camerawork is gorgeous and clear, and so are the actors skins… to get onto what really gets me here. The new actors that have their first projects Aldo so well- and Boss is startlingly handsome. I like the appeal of the actors and they are just all naturals. I like the intrigue that Rain has for Phayu and their first meeting was jaw dropping to me. I really love my rain scenes.. and man it was POURING. What a way to start a series, very very good and this one I’ll be watching weekly.

Got to point out how it follows a lot of standard things, like going to college .. but they actually show their work and the plot developes around Rain’s school work etc. so I’m impressed by that and the school isn’t just added fluff

Rain is kind of an airhead, and I could see that to be off putting, but I like him a lot. He is really cute honestly and as dumb as he can be he has his rational
Moments. I also enjoy him for hitting Payu with a pillow, that was good for him to assert himself on that situation that Payu misread. I think they will end up together, but Payu said he is bi so there’s a slim chance that he might not. Who am I kidding they will end up together and I really like the dynamic of this popular rich hot guy being so arrogant he misreads things and being out in his place by this cute and airheaded guy that was infatuated with him.

Yes, things are problematic at times. But it feels aware as of now. And Yes, Payu is an asshole- but sometimes I root for those characters. He has thing unbreakable charm to me.

This show is far from being perfect, but its got a lot of charm and is super clean with editing and visuals, especially if you watch on IQIYI. It’s keeping the bar pretty highly raised when new BLs come in after this, this drama is so pretty and I know that some characters do stupid things but I still can’t help but like them all.

You know what I also don’t understand. The fact that this is distributed through IQIYI, the headquarters are in Beijing China which is mainland China. I thought they were going to ban BL over there, so why are they showing it on their apps. I know it’s from another country, but if it being a web thing is the case.. then why the hell can’t we get mainland China ‘BL’. Yeah I’m talking about Immortality. It’s aggravating at this point. Maybe people don’t get this show over there? But the message is still the same if the headquarters allow it everywhere.

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A Gem of a drama .. might say extraordinary

I wasn’t expecting much out of this drama and honestly started watching only upon chance on seeing it on Netflix. I’m watching almost every single airing kdrama and all of them are really good. I didn’t expect to be so interested in this one and thought it would be a mere office romance comedy. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is not in the genre of romantic comedy at all, and as someone who gets tired of romances easily I am glad this is so much more. If anything Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a slice of life story.

Going into the show I knew nothing at all other than the picture on Netflix that presented the show, and for the first few minutes I didn’t expect myself to stay too interested. But I found myself more than interested, I am honestly invested in this show now and look forward to each episode weekly.

This show is airing alongside Alchemy of Souls on Netflix and I was betting that Alchemy of Souls would take the most interest for me. Nothing is wrong with that show, it offers everything to the table in terms of comedy, romance, action, set design, etc. In comparison Extraordinary Attorney Woo would seem to be much more boring, but it’s not. This show is very interesting, and holds my attention so well and I didn’t really understand why at first.

The characters are written so well and portrayed superbly. I love Woo Young Woo, at first being worried she would be written badly as an autistic character I thought a lot of stereotyping and unneeded ‘comedy’ would come from her quirks. But the show handles her overall very maturely and very very well. Woo is someone that is brilliant, and she understands that people don’t take her seriously because she has autism. I love how she is aware but doesn’t discredit herself, instead she understands that others are at fault for typecasting her and not believing she has potential. I really thought that most of the comedy would come poorly from the writers making jokes stemming from her disorder. There aren’t any uncomfortable jokes about it and she’s treated as any other main character, if not better.

I love her deveolpement and it’s all the more better when the others around her are developed so well also. With the ignorant people being realistic and not overly prejudiced, and others not taking advantage of her for her disability. Park Eun-Bin plays Woo Young Woo and she’s so believable. She doesn’t play her character offensively and isn’t over the top, she is able to deliver emotions even if her character has trouble looking others in the eyes. I believe Park Eun-Bin is this character and although she’s recognizable for other dramas, I see her as purely Woo Young Woo.

Don’t even get me started on the male lead. I could make a very large list about why I love him. If I say anything I feel like I’d spoil many of the best moments of the show. Let me just say that he is a green flag if others hadn’t already said it enough.

This slice of life is relaxing and I love how each episode takes on a new case but developed the main characters without losing its focus. The symbolism, cinematography, music, direction, it’s all there. This drama is so genuine and I have a lot of faith in it.

I feel bad for anyone missing out on this drama, and want to put it out there that it’s not boring- it’s fun to watch and is finally another kdrama that gives me an emotion I can’t describe. Most likely to become one of my favorites.

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“Mr. Cinderella”

So why do I saw what I say with the title?

The male lead is the one who’s pulled from the countryside into a lavish lifestyle. It seems like the happy ending in other kdramas. Where typically the girl is the poor one and swept away to a rich life to life with a chaebol.. I’m thinking boys over flowers. This drama starts where those ends, and it’s brilliant. What would their lives be outside of the ending? Likely this would happen.

I’m saying when Jan Di married Gyun Pyo at the end of Boys Over Flowes. Hyun Woo is Jan Di, the poorer one who is thrust into a new life and Hae In is Gyun Pyo, who despite all odds, loves someone that is a ‘nobody’ in terms of status. Gyun Pyro and Jan Di just get engaged at the end (sorry for spoilers), but in this one it’s the life of the two being married. It’s honestly hilarious and makes a lot of sense why Hyun Woo wants a divorce. As I could see that if there were a prequel that it would be something like Boys Over Flower.. now not that toxic, but to a degree. I doubt the writers thought of that connection, but to me it stands. It’s like a more mature version of a ‘happily ever after’ with a rich chaebol lifestyle. Instead it’s not all glitter and sparkles, and is more wanting your old life back because you can’t keep up with this one. I mean come on now, that’s so smart and I’ve always wanted to see what a happily ever after is like- and if it’s this? I’m here for the ride for this one.

The chaebol gets their humbling with a death experience, which I’m so surprised they had the balls to do.. and hopefully it doesn’t just get magically swept away. I’m looking for angst, for heart, a dramedy. This drama is gold when it comes to the humor. There isn’t a shying away from how hot are leads are, and how over the top the situation is. This drama is so much better than others have been giving it credit for. Yes. It’s hyped, but it’s also very smart and deserving of that.

I’ll keep this short since pretty much everything that needs to be said about this drama has been. I’ll say that I was reluctant to watch at first, as I’m watching a lot and sometimes dramas tend to be overhyped. It can go wrong pretty easily if the cast is so well, the writing may have been lacking. It’s done more than usual, where a cast is so good that it seems the writing and the direction is missed. Yet this drama seems to fill every gap in terms of the story, acting, direction, it’s well rounded and chalk full of entertainment value.

I didn’t know the story coming in, I thought it would be a romantic comedy, a bit melodramatic. It is entirely that, yet it’s multi leveled and has 3-dimensional characters coming from all ends of the story. The main leads, the second leads, the supporting cast- it’s all so rich (literally and non literal). What I was surprised with this is that the comedy is actually a strong asset with this story, I love when a drama doesn’t take itself too seriously. I also knew that Kim Ji Won was a funny actress, multitalented and ready to play the character she is. I love it when no one else I can see fit to play this role.

So nothing in this drama pulls anything down. The comedy doesn’t make it awkward, the drama doesn’t make it too serious, it’s got balance.

Kim Soo Hyun is an actor I know is really good. Also I’ve only seen him in one movie, so I wasn’t too biased. He is worth all the praise. He’s a professional and you can tell that everyone here knows there role and can enhance and improvise and add here in there. Without the leads it likely wouldn’t be as good, but still, it’s got a great direction that I can see coming from an actors initiate as well as the directing itself.

I love the whole gender reverse of the women leading the house-hold.. seeing the men get pushed to the kitchen.

It’s a lot more refreshing than I thought it would be. What is also refreshing is the leads dynamic, that so far is very witty and fun. They once loved eachother and definitely still do, yet Hyun- Woo is so tired at this point he wants a way out. Not one character is the evil and super bad guy, and I’m liking that a lot, the second male lead I could see to get to be annoying if he is too bad of a guy just for the sake of story. So far even Hae-In is likeable even if her husband isn’t too fond of her.. still I find so much room to grow with the two of them. They did fall in love, and she did choose to marry him.

I do find the latter half of the season to not be as strong, but the chemistry between the leads is amazing enough to pull me through the emf of this drama. Especially the visuals. It isn’t perfect, but there is smart writing going on here that it looks like people have missed. Too bad in the last half the writing isn’t like the first. Either way this drama still exceeds beyond most others I have seen this year.

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The Perfect RomCom

I’m usually someone that finds romcoms uninteresting because they typically follow the same storyline. Coincidence after coincidence and the couple falls in love. This drama has all the coincidences but it’s how it portrays them that makes this work.

There are instances where the adaptation really stand out. This drama is self aware of its fiction and does it perfectly with stylized scenes and camera work. You’d have to watch to see what I mean, I’m just in awe of how a simple storyline that seems so cliche and is, can keep my attention. All the characters are likeable and aren’t too complex, rather they are relatable and the credit has to go to the actors portraying them.

The leads and even the side couple are people I want to end up together and characters I like. Even if the president of the company is arrogant and full of himself, the drama is aware and the acting plays it up so well Ahn Hyp Seop is beyond handsome and perfect for the role. Kim Min-Kyu is also handsome and perfect and they play off eachother as business partners so well. I love all the dynamics with the pairings in this show. From Yeong So to Ha Ri and then Tae Mu and Seong Hun, they feel like real best friends even into their adult lives. Not to mention the grandfather being one of the funniest parts of the show.

To sum it up Business Proposal is a Romantic Comedy with a classic hidden identity plot line. But it doesn’t have a liar reveal (which I hate) instead it has awareness and fun gags and bits. The actors play off eachother so well and it’s worth the watch if you want a feel good drama with romance scenarios

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A Royal Flush

This drama was so highly anticipated for me. It was one of my first dramas and right off the bat I was hooked by the story. The second season continues right after the first season, but the transition is so smooth that I was sucked into the story and where it left off without wondering what was happening or which character was who.
This show is visually stunning, and I love to see, it must just mean the budget is high and I’m so glad it. Clearly there is a lot of care put into this show. With a two year wait for this season there definitely was the time put in. It was all worth the wait.

Alice in Borderline is a must see for anyone who likes death game shows or media. It’s a must see for anyone that likes thrillers. Honestly I feel bad for people that haven’t seen this at all. It deserves all the praise and hype coming and more spilling over that. Why? I’m in love with this drama because it has a balance of everything. There are frustrating parts, it’s heart racing, it’s very gory. It’s really all out there with its premise and doesn’t hold back with anything. This is a show I’m glad that got a drama adaptation over anime. I can’t see it being done any other
way.

Although there are moments that it gets very tropey and I can tell it comes straight from a manga. An adaptation doesn’t need to be page by page, not saying that this is.. but there are elements that make is a bit off to me.
Where the girl for the tag game wants to keep Arisu on her team because he is ‘her type’. That screams anime protagonist to me because Arisu isnt anything amazing. She just sees him and thinks that, multiple girls say how he is their type and it doesn’t make any sense. Kento Yamasaki is hot, but as for the character Arisu he just underdeveloped a little. Arisu also isn’t as good as the first season because he isn’t able to be as intellectual as he is in the first season.. he has his plans but they fall short a lot. The games are less about smarts and more about being physical. The whole climax of the spades king was hard to take seriously because all of our main characters are fighting and getting killed but Arisu is spraying arisol in a building the whole time. It’s funny the decisions he does and how he isn’t taught anything like shooting or being able to survive.

My biggest complaint is how they didn’t change some things from the source material. The whole idea of the guy surviving the fire from the first season and becoming an enemy is out of pocket for me. There is only so much people can survive, and I would let it go past but the show seems to forget he’s a character and then adds him again. His character culminates to a shoot off.. that scene is wrong in every single place.

The characters who die that are main characters, so I wish their deaths would’ve been handled better. They have a lot of motivation and build up all to the point that they die and then it was like they were written off.

The romance isn’t a strong suit of this drama, it’s one of those cases where I wish they would’ve went all out instead of forgetting about it. The connection between Arisu and Usagi is very good, they really have good chemistry and their story is heartbreaking and heartwarming both at the same time.

Chishiya was my favorite character because of how he went through the games. He is very smart person and if anyone can beat the games it’s him. He doesn’t take life too seriously and doesn’t have the passionate monologues, he’s an amazing character but was only barely tapped into with his backstory. The games are most interesting when they are psychological and those best games are with Chishiya. How his character was closed off really sells it to me that this isn’t the last season. If this really was the conclusion to the series I would rate this a maximum of an 8.0. I really am unsatisfied with the fact this could be the last part because the whole world building of this other world was falling flat. They set up so many things like cameras and setups, the world was real but then.. it isn’t? I’m confused by this ending because I feel like it’s a joke, hence the joker at the end. If this is the ending than that really is horrible, but if it’s not props to the show for kidding me.

The action is stellar and it’s easily the best part of the show. I really enjoyed this show a lot though, but it’s not perfect and unfortunately it’s not as amazing as the first season. But the first season is a 10/10 so that’s hard to beat. I complain about things because I am nit picky. But this show is so entertaining. I can’t help but reminisce about how amazing the first season is. This show is very high budget and it feels like a movie each episode, unfortunately it feels like it’s packing so much in but missing a lot of basic threads to tie it together.

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Deserves Better

All the way around this drama deserves better. The rating of 7.7 that I had seen as of writing this review isn’t at all something I think this show is. Kei X Yaku is taken seriously and maintains the same tone throughout the show, which can be tricky with the type of show this comes from.

The main plot of the show is easy to follow, I personally didn’t like how the sister was alive but that’s just what it was in the source material so I can bear with it. I wish this show would’ve stepped away from the source material so it could be better, like with a few characters that aren’t needed. The show could’ve fleshed out the male leads character more as Shiro’s was already so interesting. I feel like everything about the characters was fleshed out on a surface value and I wish it would’ve been deeper. As for what the show does do, the music is phoneomal. They add to the atmosphere and aren’t out of place. The violin scores in the show add such an emotional flare that the show needed.

I wish the relationship between Ichiro and Shiro could’ve been looked into more, as that was the one thing from the source material they didn’t follow completely it was disappointing. I get the whole bromance thing and their relationship is amazing when fully thought about, it just could’ve been more. There was many similarities between their situations but differences between how they went about them, they have a beautiful and mature relationship with communication and reassurance. It would’ve added a lot if they were together in a relationship, they could’ve had sincere scenes between the two, not that the show didn’t, but in the context of a relationship I would’ve liked to see that done with a show already so mature. I want to see a male x male relationship in a show that takes itself seriously, with a mature storyline. With that said I wouldn’t have wanted it to be the main focus of the show, I wanted it to show dynamics between people who have lost and how they deal with the losses together and grow to want to protect- and the show did that- but it could’ve been more fleshed out as with the characters.

The acting is impressive. Especially the two male leads, I love seeing actors pushed to their full potential and that is all part of the script and direction the show takes.
Shiro’s character design is flawless, he’s pretty and elegant but he’s a gang boss so he’s not girly. Ichiro is beyond handsome- besides their looks they are able to deliver in every scene and are scene stealers which is good considering they are the main characters.

Overall this show has so much potential and delivers, it’s worth the watch and has an interesting storyline that isn’t boring halfway through. It’s not a BL to me, I wouldn’t label it as anything other than a mystery/thriller with implied romance.

The ending was open and that’s because I think there will be a season two, if not I understand why this is underneath an 8 for most. Otherwise this show is delivers at moments it’s really good, at others it’s ok.

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