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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This review may contain spoilers
My feel good vibes were fed well with this show!
I’ll keep my review short and sweet.Those cells have my whole heart.
I adore them! So fun and relatable.
They’re dramatic as hell and funny!
Naughty cell needs his own show lol.
Damn. Why did Woong have to get so much better in season 2? If he’d brought this energy he never would have lost Yumi.
Dammit, Babi, I knew you’d disappoint me.
He wasn’t an in-your-face red flag guy, he was actually sweet, caring, loving – but he had form. He started liking Yumi when he was still with his ex-girlfriend – almost like he seeks the greener grass. And that’s what happened here, he had a momentary sway, and ruined everything!
The closure scene between Babi and Yumi was heartfelt. I wish she’d had a similar scene with Woong, because now I’m left wondering is he still pining for her? ☹
Two quotes that made me LOL –
“I’m sick of emergencies. I’m so sick and tired of them!”
“If I can’t have her, neither can he!”
Oh, those melodramatic cells lol.
Yumi, girl, I’m always on your side, rooting you on!
What an excellent show.
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This review may contain spoilers
My heart is overflowing with warm fuzzies!
Oh, it’s so rare for a 10/10 show to come along and have my heart full of satisfaction.I didn’t even need to complete the full 36 episodes to know it would have that rating, either.
There was not one episode I was unhappy with.
I really enjoyed the show's unhurried tempo.
There was a perfect balance in the slice of life episodes.
Spanning from 2013 to 2028, this drama unfolds without being overtly attention-grabbing.
The gentle story arcs provided a warm embrace, offering a glimpse into the couple's professional and personal lives, which made it feel very relatable throughout. The episodes were consistently cheerful, free from dramatic, non-toxic plotlines or heart-wrenching angst. To be clear, I also like those intense shows that make you cry and fill you with anxiety about what's coming next. But Shine on Me isn’t one of those shows and I was so glad for it. We all need a show to decompress our nervous systems and this was absolutely perfect for that.
I could wax lyrically for days how perfect Xi Guang and Li Yusen are. A male lead who perfected the yearning eyes and the sweetest, most personable female lead (loved all her clothes btw!) their slow burn relationship came so naturally that when it turned to romance it felt so right. And for being an office romance, usually you get the bitchy trouble from coworkers, this show was delightfully non-toxic for any of that nonsense!
It’s notable to mention the gorgeous hugs Li Yusen gave. And the yearning eyes gave me butterflies!
Besides the dumb dad, the rest of the family was great and always made the scenes feel cozy. Loved the cute sidekick cousin and the funny uncle.
Now, let’s talk about second ML.
I had mixed feelings about Zhung Xi the whole time.
For the first four episodes, you could have thought he was the main guy because of how the show told the story of love that wasn't returned – or maybe it was? Our main guy, the fantastic Li Yusen was hardly shown at all in those first few episodes, but Zhuang’s personality was so steeped in low confidence and morose energy that I felt like he was waving “woe-is-me” flags in every scene. In any other show that kind of dark, unapproachable personality, I’m sure he would have made a good leading male, but against Li Yusen, he failed miserably.
He never even tried to win her over, but Yusen was so upfront with his feelings. Oh, swoon!
Seeing Zhuang again at the airport at the end, I felt a pang of emotion for him as he watched the happy family. He smiled sadly, and I figured he was thinking about Xi Guang, the girl that got away because he never really put the effort in to win her all those times her heart was so open to him.
I have an empathetic heart for my fictional characters, and long after the shows have finished, I always wonder what those characters are up to – so my hope is for Zhuang to finally put down his past baggage and to find his own piece of personal happiness.
If you're looking for a happy vibes show, this is the one. It has the same warm, enjoyable feel as The Best Things (IMO)
I could have watched this show for another hundred episodes and been perfectly happy.
I'm confident I'll rewatch this and experience the same comforting feelings.
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It was everything I wanted it to be!
I loved how different each arc of this series has been.Ter and North felt more playful, and then Phoon’s arc veered into emotional darkness, and now we get the paranormal side from Arthit and Dao, and yet the entire series still feels like a whole because of these great actors portraying those roles.
Just like I felt with the novel, I didn’t enjoy Arthit that much for a good third of the way, but then when the charm started, oh, I loved his character and how he loved Dao out in the open with no reservations. And it was the same for the tv show. They played so close to the novel, that it made me wish there was more episodes because there was so much left out (understandably) but what we got was brilliantly acted by our leading men!
The actor who played Direk was the absolute right person to play that role, he’s always my favorite Thai father in every show he’s been in.
The show excelled in every area, with each character contributing significantly, and I will miss both groups of young men. Ahhhh, what a fantastic show, I already feel lost knowing there’s no new episode from our favorite Four Ever You gang. It’s definitely a rewatch drama for all those heart fluttery feelings!
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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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This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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