Not a comfort watch – but brilliantly acted.
Perhaps I'm unable to appreciate it like other reviewers, as I didn't find it to be the masterpiece many claim.
While the acting was spot on by the main leads, the plot didn’t give me a moment of relaxation.
In every episode, I anticipated the ending to be a K-trauma!
The depression aspect was handled well, but I did wish for a better ending that felt well rounded and satisfying. I could say it had a HFN (happy for now) finish. I’m one of the few that don’t want a season 2 for this show, if there was a chance of it. The writer would only throw more angst at another season, and I don’t think my little snowflake heart could take it. lol.
It was a very deep, moving show, and I really enjoyed how the male leads depicted their roles.
And what absolute cuties they were!
Though, I’m positive the writer and director collected the most irritating, punchable support characters. Every episode, I was more irked by those secondary characters than ever before. And why must a writer redeem the most prickish character in the finale? It’s not needed. Don't try to alter my perception of him with a brief, insignificant comment at the end after making me hate him all series. Allow the antagonists to remain unappealing.
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This small town drama was a warm hug wrapped in a mug of the sweetest hot chocolate.
The male leads were so endearing; they were two of the nicest characters. Besides being attractive, they were also so lovable. Won Young in particular. When his lies caught up with him, he did everything he could to fix it and get Tae Joon back. I loved that about him; even when he was having a rough time at work, he never gave up on what he loved.By now, you never expect much from the intimate scenes in a K-BL, it’s rare to get even a good kissing scene, and the kisses in ULS were almost non-existent, just two lips pressed together, not moving. Seriously, I’ve had better kisses with my boyband posters in my teenage bedroom lol – BUT, they shared some great hugs. Tae Joon is a great hug giver. And really, I didn’t even need the kissing, the fluffiest, paced show stood on its own merit and didn’t need NC scenes to carry it. And you know those hand holding moments will always be heart flutteringly good!
Having watched The Time of Fever first, I was excited to see Ho Tae and Dong Hui again, assuming they’d be a couple now because ULS was set some time after their prequel show ended, imagine my surprise that never happened! All we saw was sweet, adorable, clingy Ho Tae getting turned down or smacked around. I really felt for him. Seriously, if that doesn't warrant a whole new series to fix it, what does? Every time they were on screen together, I kept waiting for a sign that things would get better between them, but it just never happened. As a viewer/reader, I enjoy stories that conclude with a definite happy ending. Ambiguity leaves me feeling unsatisfied – so for the second ML’s, I did want more because they had great screen chemistry.
Overall, a beautiful show with a gorgeous backdrop scenery.
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Coming of Age sweetness.
I'm not entirely sure what specific aspect of this drama has resonated so deeply with me, yet I found myself completely captivated from the very first episode. I have a particular preference for 'slice of life' dramas, wherein the plot's progression is minimal, yet character development is notably emphasized. I didn’t even mind that there was little to no BL in this BL show. I figured the producers were banking on making a season 2 to include that slow burn progression, but having looked on Google to see S2 was cancelled, I’m super bummed because it would have been awesome to watch Sheng Wang and Jian Tian fall in love in real time. Because of that, I turned to reading their novel (not finished yet) but ohhhh, it would have been so good on the screen. These boys are so sweet and so in love with each other! (still holding out hope we get a S2 somehow!)I’d still recommend this show to any BL fan. The subtle way Tian will do just about anything for Sheng Wang and how Sheng Wang was always gravitating toward the cold boy.
I enjoyed the support cast too.
Though, he’s somewhat cast in the antagonist role, I did feel bad for Qi Jia Hao. He’s the typical overachiever and can’t accept when he’s not top of the class, becoming resentful.
Also, color me rainbow shocked that the substitute teachers weren’t in a secret relationship. The entire time I thought they were!
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What in the confusion did I just watch?
I must be an uncultured swine for not getting this drama at all. It was confusing from start to finish.It felt like the author had the bones of a good stepbrothers story, but just didn’t finish one thought right to the end! With only five episodes, and flashbacks happening randomly, to the point I couldn’t tell what was flashback or present, there was no hints at romantic feelings from either lead – none at all – until the end of ep 4. And by then, it felt really weird to introduce.
We had one bad attitude character, and one burdened with other people’s problems character. And they both remained this way throughout all 5 eps.
So, the out-of-nowhere kiss from bad attitude to burdened felt like bad attitude just wanted burdened to take care of him, and kissing him was the way to get him to do that.
Was that the end?
The best part was the couple of bloopers they showed the leads actually laughing. The only laughter we got the entire time!
A very dreary, though realistic show, that just wasn’t for my tastes.
My review is for plot only – I found the acting to be really well done.
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It had a lot of potential but missed the mark several times.
I’ve found Korean BLs are either exceptionally wonderful or they just fall flat as pancakes.Sadly, Heart Stain, for me, fell into the latter.
It had so much potential, the basis of a good storyline was there, but it just never had enough room to grow with so few episodes (please, for the love of the baby jesus’ roller-skates, give K-Bls more episodes, begging on my knees!)
And if there was any romantic spark between the main actors, I completely missed it. I hate time jumps too, especially when nothing seems different.
I’ll end on a good note, and say it wasn’t a terrible watch, it had some cute moments (not talking about you, creepy vibes teacher!) and I liked the friend group.
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There’s no doubt KinnPorsche is compelling viewing.
I keep a list of every Asian drama I watch and I like to make little notes, to remember how I vibed with a show.Here are the notes I took down for KinnPorsche:
Good production and acting from the main cast.
Hot believable kisses and NCs.
Porsche is sexy af.
Didn’t like them being with other people yet thinking of each other.
The dead fish and watching porn scenes with Tankhurn was hilarious!
The handcuffed together was the best episode.
Standout characters for me were Porsche – adorable Porchay – Tankhurn (he made the show for me! Not as crazy as he was made out to be, always had the feel for what was wrong with people)
I dug how this mafia family was split, like, into a higher and lower part, and they were kinda on the same team but also rivals. The concept of the higher family training a school of bodyguards within the mansion walls was novel to me, immediately capturing my interest.
While I felt some plots went total left field ( looking at you, Vegas, you crazy mofo. Still don’t know how Pete can fall for him after having his nuts electrocuted) the overall show was enjoyable, with layered secrets that brought about the climax of the show. It was all beautifully shot ( the hot tub scene… wowza! )
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I never knew I needed a pookie vampire in my list of faves.
By no means was this a perfect production – but I wasn’t looking for perfection when I hit play. I just knew BounPrem would deliver a great watching experience and they did that in spades!The vampire lore plot actually had a lot of legs, and it was one of those times I wished a show had a few more episodes so they could delve deeper into the story. But what we got was really well done.
I particularly enjoyed when Ramil walked through Punn’s memories, and how all those earlier episode threads were neatly addressed. So well done!
I loved the vampire brothers and their differing personalities. They could absolutely give each one their own show, and with that puzzling end scene with Methas shaking hands with guest star Junior Panachaileads made me believe that could happen? Fingers crossed, anyway!
The only question I was left with was, why they went into the painting so soon? If it was to stop Punn aging, surely they could have waited a few years, spent it with Pokpong until little bro was grown.
Worth the watch to see Boun’s yearning eyes – so dreamy.
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The fluffiest heart flutters
One of the gentlest, most heartfelt shows that was a pleasure to watch.Little to no angst once the high-school bullying scenes at the beginning were over.
I instantly attached to Haebom and wanted to put him in my pocket to protect . Both he and Taesung were pookies in the best way.
Now, this is a show I wouldn’t mind if they made a season 2 just so we could check in with the characters.
On a technical note, the editing cuts were jarring and very noticeable. Not sure it was because they only had 8 episodes. But the great acting more than made up for that.
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Gentle and fluffy.
The plot and characters were cute in a fluffy, don’t take it too serious, kind of way. Jung Gi Seop Was the most innocent HIMBO, but you know he’s going to love Jin U so well.I think it was the first time ever that I liked the second couple so much more. Their story was more compelling and should have been main leads. I feel robbed we didn’t get a comprehensive finish for them, and there’s no updates about a series for them, so I’m guessing we just use our imaginations to make them a couple.
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terribly bad yet compelling viewing!
This has to be the cheesiest mafia romance in all of history, and yet I never once thought of dropping it. In fact, I couldn’t get it into my eyes fast enough to see what trashy plots the show would throw at us next lol.Though smol, Kamol was the most endearing gangster and I would have absolutely fallen under his aura. Plus, he had pet tigers! (I still can’t decide if they were animatronics) Though the show had many cringy characters (I’m looking at you, Danil) I think it was Kim who was my least favorite. I get the push-pull aspect of the plot, but being combative went on for far too many episodes for my tastes. Kamol should have put him in chains much more.
Speaking of. I would have liked the show to expand on the BDSM aspect of the plot.
But you could not have flabbered my gasters more when that random bodyguard threesome was airlifted into the scene out of nowhere. I was cackling like a witch. Nothing surprises me with NCs, but had I been wearing plastic pearls, I would have been clutching them.
If you want an unserious show to waste some hours on, I’d rec this one. Sometimes you need to eat a plate of something bad for you just for the fun of it.
As always, my review is for the plot only and the vibes it gave me - I thoroughly enjoyed the acting from everyone, especially Yoon.
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When a reincarnation plot is done so well!
I watched Between Us first, so I was pulled toward Pharm and Dean’s noticeable connection. I couldn’t have anticipated how incredible their reincarnated story would be.
Not usually a big fan of flashback scenes, more so because they only ever feel like a waste of screentime, but with Until We Meet Again, it felt like getting two stories in one and they were absolutely necessary to the present. Cooheart's portrayal of Intouch in a serious role was truly remarkable. When Cooheart was sobbing uncontrollably in the opening scene, it was so authentic that my heart ached. I'm eager to see him take on more roles of this kind in the future.
I enjoyed how this reincarnation story resolved many plot threads, which is uncommon. The past and present were once again intertwined, not just for our couple, but for the extended family as well. I disliked the fathers in the earlier scenes and their negative treatment of Korn and Intouch's relationship. Therefore, it was a welcome relief to see that the fathers immediately regretted their poor choices and rectified their mistakes by the conclusion.
In a lighter note, I loved seeing Hia Win! I love that man with his yearning eyes.
Also, how much crying was done by Pharm? Every episode, every scene, it felt like. I wouldn’t be surprised if that boy was bone dry by the final take!
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When fluffy becomes an absolute gem of a show!
I thoroughly enjoyed every episode! It's fun, fluffy, of course cheesy in the best way and I fell in love with all the ex-convicts as we got to know them better. What a beautiful little family they all made together.There were so many times I laughed out loud, too.
Perfect blend of comedy, romance, found family, friendship alongside those few tense monster moments.
I couldn't have asked for a better cast to play these roles.
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I fell in love with the MLs hair!
This show was an absolute dream to watch.Apart from a little bumpy toward the end, which I’ll get to.
But first, all the gorgeous bits!
The virtual world aspect was so unusual and so well done, it drew me into the show instantly. I wish we’d spent more time in Rongcheng, because seeing Xiao Zhi Yu in his captain uniform was a treat for my eyes!
The leading pair were so good, neither were toxic nor problematic in any way. I loved the FL’s caring nature and her virtual world outfits! The ML had such a quiet, calming voice, every scene with him made you focus on every word.
The romance in this one was romancing. All the heart flutters for every little kiss or touch of hands. ML gave the best hugs, too!
There was a small love rival from Mr. Pei, the evilllll step-bro, but it came to nothing, and though that all was resolved by the end, I did wish he could have found someone to love him, because Pei wasn’t all evil, just under the influence of his dickbag of a father. Plus, I had a little crush on the way he pushed his glasses up his nose!
Now, I come to the not-so-good parts – mainly, the parents!
They absolutely ruined certain bits for me.
I was irritated by them all.
In my Asian drama watching history, I’ve come across some super annoying parent roles, some I’ve wanted to throw off a tall building (I’m looking at you, mother from ‘Something in the Rain’) and while Love Between Lines parents weren’t so totally ugly or overbearing, each had their way of irking my eyeballs.
The evil step dad who was fond of slapping his son or throwing hot tea at his face because he couldn’t get his own way. I felt so bad for Pei, and just wanted him to tell the dad to f*ck off and go and live his own life instead of under his iron thumb.
Then we had the weak-spined mother, who constantly had a look of nervousness no matter the scene. Like, babes, you didn’t know the man you married (I suspect for security) was the man who killed your son’s father?! Saving grace for evil step dad, he never displayed any anger or violence toward her.
Then we have FL’s parents – the busybody mom and the woe-is-me dad who played on his disability far too much. You walk with a cane, mate, you weren’t paralyzed from the neck down, stop pouting and whining!
I hate when the kids have to pay for the sins of the parents.
Around episode 24 was when the plot fell apart and we had to go through the eyerolling breakup, through no fault of the couple. It was a heartbreaking moment when the female lead, on her knees, confessed to her father that she had attempted to move on from the male lead.
Thankfully, we get our HEA, but had it not been for that plot swerve, this definitely would have been a 10/10 show for me.
It has great vibes and secondary cast (loved the two best friends to our couple) and a show I will watch again.
Now, I need to look up the lead couples other shows!
PS. It’s worth mentioning how incredible the OST is. Each song fit the scene perfectly and never overpowered it.
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