scenophile

The TENSION

This is by far the most mature BL I've ever watched and it was absolutely beautiful. The skinship simultaneously feels the most natural and the most tension-filled, and the angst is just immaculate. The kiss scenes are few and far between but when they happened it truly felt like the entire world stood still.

I know Teh got a lot of flak for the way he acted but I forgive him for all of it; instead, this drama really depicted the fear and pressure of a teenager trying to find himself and coming to terms with his sexuality — it made the story all the more heart-wrenching. And Oh-aew is just perfection.

The friend group and side characters get just enough screentime; they're obviously not the main focus but they add so much to the drama's feeling of youth and nostalgia.

There's still some parts of this that feel really dramatic, or some developments where I wish we could've spent more time on to explain why the leads or fighting, but I understand that it's just a side effect of only having five episodes. Overall, I don't mind the pacing at all because I think this drama did everything else right, including just having absolute gorgeous cinematography.

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A very good plot with decent social commentary

Okay, before I get crucified for the 6.5, I still did enjoy this. The three leads were fantastic, the social commentary was good, and as a lover of all time-related media, it was really exciting to see how everything was tied together.

But I think my expectations may have been a little too high.

While the first episode did grab my attention with the mystery and tension it instilled, the pacing slowed down afterwards. I was most interested in the points where the stories were personal — the first case, the kidnapping reveal, and the overarching disappearance of Lee Jae-Han. While the social commentary was decent and well-written, it really does just scratch the surface and kind of just iterates the same commentary about corruption and power. As a result, I enjoyed the other cases but think they could've been shortened, which would have given us more screentime for the main plot about Lee Jae-Han and more importantly, more time to wrap up the story.

With that being said, I think my favorite part of time travel and time manipulation stories are moments where you get to see alternate timelines, and I don't think the show ever explored the possibilities to its fullest potential, opting instead for small changes. Instead, they did that common kdrama thing where they have the big plot point happen in the penultimate episode. It was only until the 15th episode where I finally saw what I wanted to see, and I didn't get nearly enough time with it.

Now, with THAT being said, the ending. I found myself, unfortunately, watching the clock the entire last episode, wondering how they would be able to wrap it up in the little amount of time left. As the minutes ticked by I started dreading that they wouldn't be able to. And yep — the ending unfortunately left a lot to be desired.

Ultimately, I didn't really emotionally connect to this story as much as I wanted, though I still definitely give the actors and writers all their flowers. Like I said, the three leads were great, but I didn't really feel the sense of camaraderie between the entire team (which I loved in other dramas like Tunnel and Life on Mars), and as someone who cares a lot about endings, it feels less like an "open ending that lets viewers use their imagination" and more like the show was missing an episode.

Overall, still a good watch, and if they do a second season, I'd be completely down for it.

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Mystery > Romance

This drama's strong suit is definitely its story, doing a great job tying together subplots and side characters, and also changing the timeline just enough to keep it interesting. This is one of those rare cases where I actually cared much more about the mystery than the romance.

I really enjoyed seeing how the main leads would take advantage of their time slip, while also needing to hide such a sticky situation from the other people in their lives. It made for a lot of good humor. The best moments, however, are when they do succeed at changing the timeline and end up having to deal with the consequences of the butterfly effect.

The male lead was also great; he was intelligent and straightforward, and he felt like a driving force for the plot much more than the female lead did. The acting was also fantastic — you could tell which Ke Zhen Yu was on screen simply from his micro-expressions and how he carried himself.

On the other hand, I didn't really care that much for the female lead, who was often misguided in her stubbornness, making it frustrating to watch.

I also think the ending leaves some more to be desired; there are some character interactions I wanted that I didn't get, and I felt like the climax and the fallout from it didn't get enough screentime or explanation. I think I just wanted more time for everyone and everything to come clean.

Overall, this was an okay watch. I was interested but not captivated, and the budget/visuals look low. The best part, though, is the story for sure.

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Wish it was longer

Review is for the Special Edition. The way I feel about this one is similar to how I felt about the first one — everything about the leads is great (the chemistry, the tension, the banter) except for how much time we actually got to spend with them. I'm glad the misunderstanding wasn't dragged out, but it also made it feel like drama for the sake of drama between the two seasons. I also thought the side characters' story was decent, but once again, there were so few episodes that I would've preferred getting more of the main leads instead.

Ultimately, I still think I prefer season 1 over 2 for its innocence the campus setting, but this is still a satisfying ending to the story, and the OST is beautiful.

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A sequel that goes through the motions

I didn't realize until I started watching that this isn't REALLY a direct sequel — it sort of takes place in an alternate universe where a lot of things are similar but not exactly the same, including the game that they played.

With that being said, I felt like the drama found itself in a really confusing position between being a standalone and a sequel. You can't really watch this one without watching the first season because you'd miss out on a lot of fun references and be way more confused about what exactly the backstory is, but if you HAD watched the first one already, this drama felt very repetitive and watered down.

I don't really care much about the switch from e-sports to robotics and I think it definitely did get more interesting, but I don't feel the stakes much, mostly because S1 focused more on the story element and S2 focuses more on the romantic element.

Still, the plot did grow on me over time; the first 10 or so episodes were really hard to get through because I didn't care for the characters (who all felt different) or the romance.

I really didn't like the romance in the beginning of the drama. While I always enjoy a little bit of one-sided pining from my male leads, it felt very random to start the story with him idolizing her to that extent without having interacted with her directly. It made a lot of the so-called romantic scenes feel unearned. At the start, feel similarly with the second lead couple — their beginning felt very out-of-the-blue and it was like they didn't know each other at all and the relationships somehow got serious.

The drama gets a little better after we get through those and the leads start interacting more, and I really do like how there were not many misunderstandings or annoying side characters.

There is, however, one scene that I just have to talk about. After the leads are already together, there's one moment where the ML becomes rough and drags the FL into a car out of insecurity and jealousy. It's played off like a misunderstanding because she didn't know what was happening, but NOTHING excuses how much force he used. It was a little out-of-character but regardless of that, it was terrifying and was probably the worst part of the show.

In terms of the characters, they also feel watered down compared to the original, especially because there were a lot of actor swaps. Some grew on me, like Wang Hao and Mi Shao Fei, but I really couldn't reconcile the Appledog in this with the one in the first season. She was mature and intimidating there, and with the new actress being shorter and more bubbly and smiley, Appledog felt like a completely different character. It really felt like the casting director and the writers didn't know how to write a romance drama with the original dynamic and instead reverted to the easy formula of quiet ML/bright FL.

In conclusion, I really think this drama got better and was a light-hearted low-stakes watch, though it's far longer than it has to be. It ends on a high note, and I personally enjoyed how the FL was shown as capable (and compared to the first one, very non-cringy) but I feel like most people who loved the first one would be disappointed.

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A badass FL and the perfect balance of thriller & romance

I went into this one kind of nervous — I thought it would be pretty soapy and I'm not a huge fan of dramas about catfights between rich people.

BUT. Wow. I was so impressed right off the bat with the FL's personality. She's strong, straightforward, and stubborn, and most importantly is proud of who she is and stands up for it. It was so refreshing, and the drama did an amazing job of making her still seem human and flawed, susceptible to temptations. I couldn't have asked for a better protagonist or a better actress; Park Gyu-young absolutely KILLED it.

I also found that this was just the perfect balance between thriller/mystery and romance. Their scenes fit seamlessly into the plot and of course they're the scenes I'll always go back to rewatch.

Plot-wise, this was just so bingeable. There are annoying side characters but they never overwhelm the plot (or our main lead), and they're actually given each given a bit of backstory as well, which also never seemed out-of-place.

I do think there was a trade-off to be made with the 12 (instead of 16) episode format. On one hand I really loved the fast pacing, but I also wish we had a little more time to handle the final conflict/mystery. There are some more confrontations and reunions I wish we got, some more conversations I wish we saw. But it's small potatoes in the grand scheme of just how much I actually enjoyed watching this show.

Overall, I'm still really impressed with how they wrapped up the ending. It's immensely satisfying but I wouldn't be opposed to a season 2 considering the suspicious final cameo we got...;)

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My favorite vigilante gang ever

Going into this knowing it was thriller/romance, I already knew I would love it. But I wasn't prepared for how powerful the social message would be. In fact, I think this turned out to be more sociopolitical, and the thriller was kind of a side dish, but as someone who loves when there are stakes for the characters outside of themselves, it was perfect to see. It made the plot seem so much bigger than I expected without ever making it feel like the main characters were over-important or had plot armor.

Character-wise, I absolutely loved SeanWhite together and as individuals — it was beautiful to watch them fall in love while dealing with the looming secret identity reveal and the stress of starting a social movement. They’re definitely the best part of the show.

The side characters were really fleshed out as well: Yok, Dan, Gram, Gumpa, and even the female characters were generally good additions to the cast.

The only character I might’ve wanted to see more of would’ve been Black, who not only had such a powerful on-screen presence thanks to Gun’s amazing acting but also was probably one of the best-written characters in the show and the perfect example of how “things unsaid” can be the most heart-wrenching things ever if the writers do it well.

Black’s best scenes were with White (once again, amazing acting) and then Todd — call it toxic but but the chemistry between them was absolutely palpable. Black/Gram was absolutely something I became invested in straightaway and I’m still sad the show went in a different direction. It’s not a deal-breaker (nothing was, considering how much I still ended up loving this show) but it’s a shame the red herring turned out to be more intriguing than the truth.

I think that’s why some people having been saying the thriller part was predictable, but I personally don’t completely agree. I don’t think it was the most twisted whodunnit, but once White joined the group (basically episode 2) it became clear that there would be so much more to the story.

Overall, such a great watch. I'm so satisfied by the ending and there are definitely scenes I'll go back to. Also — the theme song is so good, I didn't skip it ONCE.

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Thrilling and impressive cohesion

I went into this with middle-of-the-road expectations and was so blown away by it. Although it took me a little bit to get into it, it really grew on me.

Tunnel had a really good balance of humor and thriller, the time-travel aspect was used really intelligently, and character stories were tied together surprisingly well. That last point, with the characters, was probably my favorite part of the entire drama. I was so impressed with how characters fit into the timeline and into each other's lives.

I was also pretty satisfied with how the mystery was wrapped up. I still definitely wanted a little more — like wanting one more reunion, one last conversation, but overall I thought it was overall really well thought-out.

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More like a variety show

I only watched this because it was for some reason the last episode of the drama on TV Time. Like the other reviews said, this isn't a special episode or more of the story, it's actually a variety show episode where the actors travel around New York and do tourist things, like eat street food, take pictures with landmarks, hang out with street performers, etc.

Honestly, I don't really care about anything happening in real life (actors, places) when I watch media, so I also went into this without any expectations. It was surprisingly funny and the fact that the actors sort of stayed in character for most of it was really enjoyable.

Still, I wouldn't normally watch something that isn't part of the fiction, and I wouldn't say it's required watching either.

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Part 2 of possibly my favorite HYD Adaptation

Link to my review of Part 1: https://kisskh.at/profile/7498003/reviews/280267

I sort of knew, going into this season, that my rating for the second part would be lower than that of the first part for the simple reason that there are a lot of new tropes that I dislike even more — amnesia, disapproving parent, etc. And that was certainly the outcome; I just generally didn't like this part as much even though the chemistry between the leads was still there, and I still really enjoyed both characters generally.

A lot of my comments from Part 1 are the same; I still love the female lead's character. She was headstrong and brave but without seeming naive and impulsive like other HYD interpretations. This season had a lot more of the ML being mean BUTTT I actually don't think it was as bad as the other adaptations.

With that being said, the benefit of the fast pacing still applies — Fewer episodes meant those tropes weren't dragged out, but it might, to a new viewer, feel like the subplots weren't in depth enough. Therefore, when we got to the secondary couple arc, I don't think it really had enough emotional weight.

Nevertheless, I really think this might be my favorite HYD adaptation that I've seen — I loved the main leads the most in this version and it's worth watching for them alone.

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Possibly my favorite HYD adaptation that I've seen

As someone who hates the poor girl/rich boy trope, the toxic male lead trope, the amnesia trope, the kidnapping trope, the disapproving parent trope, and more, I went into this adaptation of HYD with a lot of doubt and trepidation — especially since I'd watched several other versions before (BOF, 2018 MG, F4 Thailand in that order) and not really enjoyed them for a multitude of reasons, from cringy writing to weak acting.

To my surprise, this was actually really fun to watch, and dare I say it, this might be my favorite version of HYD that I've seen.

The main reason is really the two main leads, who not only had insane chemistry but also managed to balance serious dramatics with humor really well. Domyoji was really lovable despite his toxic flaws, and Makino was a particularly impressive, being a strong female lead who stood up for herself and her friends without ever coming across as being naive/stupid, brainlessly impulsive, judgmental, or wishy-washy (which had been my criticisms of other HYD FLs).

I think the pacing was also a benefit. The fact that there were so few episodes meant that annoying misunderstandings weren't dragged out; arcs flew by fast, making this a better adaptation for people who already have some knowledge of the original story. I do think, however, that if a viewer is going into this story blind, it might feel too fast, as there are a lot of subplots with new side characters that aren't really given time to marinate.

Basically I loved the main leads the most in this version, but the side characters better in the others. Nevertheless, I actually would recommend this! It's short, it's quick, and it's fun.

Link to my review of part 2: https://kisskh.at/profile/7498003/reviews/280275

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Informative, touching

I decided to watch this one more for educational purposes and was really impressed with the way history and politics were intertwined with personal stories. Like The World Between Us and Copycat Killer, two other Taiwanese dramas, Taiwan is really good at character-driven social commentary and this show was no different.

The production value also seemed higher than the typical Taiwanese drama, but there are still some moments that felt oddly timed, or some scenes that felt like they were missing. Maybe it was the result of having to cut down on runtime but sometimes I didn't realize what plot developments had occurred off-screen.

I don't think you necessarily need pre-existing knowledge of Taiwanese politics and history to understand what's going but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

I'm definitely a little more interested in the characters that are not at the center of politics but more on the edge of it — a woman who experienced generational trauma from the White Terror, a journalist who can't write the story she wants to, etc. And those stories were really worth watching.

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If only...

I really loved the premise of this drama — I was sure that I was in store for some emotional healing. And the drama did give us that in the beginning. The best part of this drama is undoubtedly the relationship between Tonmai and Thannam; there was no blaming each other and it really just felt like two people spending the time together they never could.

We were always in store for a little more drama, however; the question of why Thannam committed suicide was treated a bit like a mystery — and that's fine. I think the strongest part of this drama was when they showed just how much Tonmai didn’t know about her life, with the message that suicide doesn’t usually result from one big event or person, but from a lot of little stressors that build up over time until someone can’t handle it anymore.

With that being said, the drama devolves into a story that’s a little too cliche and overdramatic. We have a lot of scenes of parents slapping their children (with pretty bad sound design that actually makes them feel weak and unconvincing but that’s another story lol) and one big plot about one single person — Thannam’s birth mother.

I knew there would be a main plot but here’s where my biggest issue with the show comes in: I just don't agree with its final message. In the end it feels like Thannam’s decade of waiting for a parent who left her “for her own good” — with no goodbye and with no contact info — was treated like a good thing. It should be shown as a toxic relationship and a problematic parental choice, but ultimately Thannam was thanked, congratulated, and rewarded for it.

Since the story went that way, it started feeling like there was a weird emphasis on the irreplaceability of biological family, when I would’ve preferred the drama go the opposite way and show how adopted families, found families, and friends could mean just as much.

I know everything I’m saying here would massively change the entire plot of the drama in the first place particularly in the second half. I do still think there were good parts of the story; there are lessons to be had about forgiveness and closure…but it didn’t sit right with me and thus didn’t have the gut punch they intended.

Other than that, the acting was pretty good. I definitely think Thannam’s actress was the strongest of the bunch, but everyone did a pretty good job. Part of that is just character-wise, Thannam is unequivocally the strongest too. I like Tonmai but he felt pretty passive throughout and wasn’t really as interesting. I would’ve loved for Noina to get more of an intertwined subplot because there was so much potential with their friendship but she ended up just being really annoying.

So there we go. It started out good and was pretty well-written, but ultimately not a story I really supported.

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Dreams are expensive

I had been putting this one off for a long time thinking that I had to be in the right mood to handle something so heavy. It turns out, however, that it wasn't as dark as I expected and I realized I was wishing that it was. The entire time it felt like the drama was going at 70% intensity; it amped up a little during the climax but not for long.

It's interesting because I think this drama teeters between being character-driven and plot-driven and it probably could've gone deeper on both aspects — I found myself wanting to explore the character backstories and original lives more, and I also found myself wanting the plot itself to be a little more intense and harrowing.

Overall, I still think this was a great watch; the writing is solid and the performances are great, and I also think there are great moral questions to ponder. You find yourself rooting for anti-heroes and I always love that.

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