moonlightlove

Sometimes you dance in the rain and sometimes you don't

I liked the story and complexities of the issues they tried to show, but I really really did not like the characters. It kind of surprised me that I did not like that characters, because there are very few dramas that have made me feel that way and those are usually really dark. This one isn't dark, just... eh.
Typically I don't mind nitty-gritty, toxic stuff, but there was something about these characters that I just really couldn't get over. I think there are certain negative character depictions of a character while trying to also hold them as a "good person" without showing their positive qualities isn't for me. It's something different than someone with human flaws and/or someone trying to better themselves. It was confusing at times and there were no other qualities to grab onto.

The story is nothing new. They talking about gray areas of cheating and control. I'm glad they tried to talked about sex in a relationship in a positive way. I didn't like that it was kind of mangled with expecting another person to stable or satiate another persons mood/sex desires without pointing out how that was wrong. It made me feel like people just expect that crappy situation and it leaves you feeling kind of hopeless in a way. Maybe if the episodes were longer, they could have explored that more instead of leaving a lot as interpretation.

The acting was alright. All the elements just didn't line up for me to like it that much. I'm not saying no one else should watch this. Others enjoyed it, you might too or you might not. It just wasn't for me and that's okay.

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From Revenged to Forever Love

There are really no words to describe this experience. It was interactive, at times it was scary (not knowing if it would be pulled or censored), it was funny, it was sad, emotional, heart-warming... it really was a complete package in and outside the drama.

To those who didn't get to experience the fun outside of the drama and suffer with the rest of us, it's okay, you can still enjoy the drama because it's one of the best you will ever watch and you can still join the Revenged Love club of this intense/lovable fandom 🌽.

If they would have kept their foot on the gas pedal toward the end and really went for it, just the slightest bit more, it would have been an unbeatable 1 only waiting for a challenger. Nothing could have touched it, BL or not. However, this series is still a 10 for me and is one of the best dramas ever.
The intimacy they continuously showed blew my mind. Intimacy with romance is incredibly hard to find all the way through in dramas. So dramas dont even have it. It's incredibly hard to show intimacy and I don't think most people both with trying to show it. I always look for it and need it in my romance dramas because that is what a good romance drama is to me and this is where it was.

I can't imagine what these beautiful stories would dare to show if they weren't under pressure, but this was a huge leap forward for a more promising future in not only CBL but possibly BL in general. Please take note of this well crafted seires drama makers/the powers that are in charge of dramas!!! Awesome script, chemistry off the charts, amazing actors, great cast and crew, the right OST music... If I'm not wrong, this series was made in a month or less, possibly 2 months. You don't have to ever sacrifice quality, good scripts, cast, crew, etc.. to make a fantastic series.

What a crazy, intense, intimate, ride. I loved every second. I hope all of you guys don't suffer too long after the final. I feel your pain, I am suffering too. I am so attached, I don't know how to even begin to let go.

Thank you ZiYu and Tian Xu Ning for bringing Wu Suo Wei and Chin Cheng to life, thank you to the cast and crew for making something incredible and leaving us with something so beautiful. I'm going to miss my 4 crazy schemers. These best friends are something else.

We will always have the summer of Revenged Love 🖤❤️‍🔥❤️

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I've been waiting for a JBL like this!!!!

Finally!!! There are less than a handful I would consider amazing JBLs and now this is one of them!!! Originally, I kind of waved this one off, but after getting hooked on the first 2 episodes, I was so glad I gave it a chance.

Super freaking cute, had understandable conflicts, and once they were in with each other, they were in! It was so refreshing. They communicated well and little by little they really got close. I really appreciated how they got to know each other and that's why they liked each other. Not "lets get together and find out if we like each other".

To me the best part was how open they were with each other and vulnerable. It was all-around refreshing.

Their kisses were super great, honestly the best kisses I've seen in a Japanese BL, and you could see and feel their natural chemistry. I wish, pray, and hope for a season 2 🙏.

I wish they would contiuned making dramas like this and if they kept going in this direction, it would be perfect.

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Learning to Love Again

There are spoilers in this review. Read at your own risk.

So close! I really really really love this drama and I really wish it had been more. It was a bit messy and chaotic, especially towards the end. And I don't mean just the storyline. There were a lot of random cuts towards the end that were kind of weird. As if they didn't know how to smoothly transition from scene to scene, even though some scenes were literally 2 seconds apart from each other. Not like the next day or week.

The premise of this show is great. 2 different people from 2 different backgrounds who deeply struggle through life, in their own ways.

The thing each of them have in common is not wanting to fall in love.

She is 35 atm and a new teacher at an all girls school. A couple years prior, she was working with books; that was her dream job. She had already thought she fell in love with someone and was set to marry them, but she got obsessed about him and stalked him. He ends up breaking up with her, understandably, and she wanted to die.

She tries to kill herself. She is scared of falling in love again because of how it made her feel. Her controlling and overbearing dad sets her up on a blind date with someone in his company. She tells him on their blind date about her obsession past, hoping it turns him off of wanting to date her, but he becomes weirdly fixated on her for being so upfront. He is not a good guy at first. He already has a sex buddy, who is married, but he eventually starts to really like the main girl and ends that sex relationship to be serious about the main girl. He becomes a bit obsessed, manipulative, and starts stalking the main girl. Not in a super creepy way of wanting to kill her, which is good. It's still messed up because he often tries to manipulate the situation with him and her and the main girls best friend, who is a reporter. They all try to look after her, but they end up babying her for the most part.

The main guy is 23 and works as a host. A job looked down on in society. His job is to convince women he's their's if the price is right. He wants to be the number 1 host of the club he works for. He seems to want to do whatever it takes, no matter how shameful or degrading.
One of the main storylines is another number 1 host got killed and they didn't catch the murderer yet.
The main guy has a mother who leeches off of him financially and neglects him emotionally. She jumps from man to man. She had another son, who is a lot younger than the main guy. The younger brother gets sick a lot and the mom always asks for money for him, which the main guy gives it to her. She then starts asking for money for her boyfriends failing business, which he gives, but its never enough. They always want more.
So, with how his mother is and how his job is, he sees relationships with women as transactional and never genuine.

The main girl and guy meet at the host club because 1 of her students ended up liking the main guy and she thought he really liked her back but it's his job to make women hooked on him to spend as much money as possible, so that he can become number 1.

The main leads have a 13 year age gap, which is one reason, but not the main reason they are told they shouldn't be together. The main reason is he is a "lowly host" and she is an "upstanding teacher" who needs to be a good role model for her students. Teachers aren't allowed personal lives Japan I guess. I can understand how the main guy falls for the main girl, but I struggled to see how the main girl falls for him. They make it seems more like pity, but keep telling us its not pity through the main girl. That didn't convey very well.

The main guy falls for the teacher because she doesn't try and use him for money or anything. She wants to help him when she finds out he can't read or write well. She takes a lot from others who can dupe her easily. His character is frustrating at a lot of parts. I get that he tries not to let anything get to serious. He struggled a lot to fit in and has a learning disability that made school impossible without proper help.

He does know that he can affect her standing in society, and tries to distance himself from her because he doesn't want her to be "dragged down" by him because others think he is lowly and deemed no good.

It kind of gives off Yakuza vibes a bit. As if he is in a gang or something. I like those parts. I enjoy most of the forbidden love tropes, especially if they can say "screw everyone and everything else" to be together.

The main guy really tries to turn himself around and with the first person who actually believes in him, he tries to become something more to be able to stand by her properly, in society. However, she is prepared to lose everything to be with him. Again, they didn't make it clear as to why she falls for him. There are moments where he shows he's caring, but slips easily and often into his other mask of being a clown for everyone else.

Idk. I have mixed feelings about it, but there were a lot of heart fluttering moments that I enjoyed enough to give it a decently high score.

As with most dramas, I wish they would have had a proper ending in the happier times together, as a couple. I don't understand why they make romance series without proper skinship and intimacy (physical intimacy and non physical). It drives me crazy and is why I rarely watch heterosexual couples anymore. It's fine if a drama doesn't want to add those things, but I cannot really consider it a "romance", especially a drama where they would give up everything to be eith each other and they barely hold hands? That's odd to me. They do kiss in the drama, but its rare. They do have some intimate feelings of longing for each other, those are nice.

In the end, in a rare twist, everyone around them, coworkers, friends, both sets of parents, the main girls ex want them to be together. The only thing standing in their way is the main guy feeling like he isn't good enough to be with her.

Anyway, it was good enough and one of the few Japanese dramas I like.

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Two lonely souls find hope with each other

After binging season 1, I had to go right into season 2 and it did not disappoint!

They just kept hitting every mark that I love about dramas. The twists and turns, humor, dark humor, anime silliness, age gap, tricky situations, communication, unwaving love... so many details and nuances. You have to let go of expectations/prejudice and feel this drama. It can be confusing, but it starts to make sense. You just have to get on both the main characters mindsets. 😅

I love flashbacks, when done right, and they tie them together over seasons of a series omg I'm all yours.

I feel like the switching from candy to smoking that Jin did was a way to show him using any means necessary to help suppress his desire push to be official with Mikaoto. Again, the details. Maybe it explains it in the manga. I'm still looking for a place to read it.

This is a fantastic example of a story that can have a whole range of emotions and a deep meaniful story, while bring in hope, and not toxic or gross. These two lonely souls find each other and become each others hope/future and its beautiful. No other way to put it.

I didn't find it weird, creepy, or cringy at all. It's a drama that doesn't have force or sa and so everything felt nautral and easy.

I love their chemistry and the story so much. The way they tied it all back together was just perfect. The ending made me want to rewatch season 1 again and it hasn't been even been 24hrs since I first watched it or heck even knew this story existed 😅. I wish, hope, pray, and grovel for a season 3 and 4.

In season 3, I want to see her graduate and them officially become a couple and do akward and cute couple things. For season 4, I want them to get married and have the family they both want and deserve. Why is it more taboo to show people progress in a full love story, than a teacher/student realastionship? 😭

Congratulations to everyone who worked on and made this. Thank you for making a wonderful drama that filled up my heart. What a fantastic jdrama!!! I will be rewatching these 2 seasons for a long time. ❤️

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Rare gem

I am always on the look at for a particular drama and this one is just about spot on what i love. The fact that it was also Japanese made my heart melt. I love Jdramas, but they are really messy imo and I rarely find ones I like, let alone love, and I freaking loved this one.

It was so good I couldn't stop watching until I finished it! I loved every second. I'm a huge fan of dead pan anime type humor and this had a lot. They have so much chemistry together its crazy.

I wish they would do more dramas together.

This does have a teacher/student realastionship theme, so if that bothers you I wouldn't suggest it. If done right, I personally love this trope, mostly the older/younger trope. I always want to see how they deal with it and where it goes. This is the first one I've seen that has filled my heart and burst with satisfaction.

I found it extreamly good and funny. The teacher dynamic, plus older/younger doesn't bother me in dramas because its a drama. Its a nice escape, even if it has to do with real world issues because its controlled. Nothing bad is going to to happen in this drama. No ones creepy or gross. No one gets assaulted. No one gets preyed upon or taken advantage of. It didn't feel like an unbalanced power dynamics either. It's a sweet drama, with some a sometimes dark theme of wanting to unalive yourself, but nothing bad happens thankfully.

If you can, forget about the "what happens in real life" thoughts and just enjoy the chemistry, writing, acting, and overall warmth of this drama. Happy watching 🥰

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Another Top 5

It was super cute, refreshing, and funny. There were some sad parts with Amagi. He was so self-conscious, but you could feel the little fella trying his best. Amagi is so adorable too!! Takara had his dorky moments as well. There were elements of anime in there. Those parts cracked me up.
I loved that the story was just normal teen coming of age stuff, not defined by being gay. It was Takara and Amagi suddenly trying out a relationship and become each other's person. Freaking cute! I really like how they dealt with issues. They talked about sex, being out and open, and the thing I liked the most is they are two very different people, yet they found to really like each other and figure out how to be with each other anyway.

It's one of my comfort series. Give it a try, it might be a comfort for you too. ^-^

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Easily Top 5 for Me

This series is so very special. I loved every second of it. I re-watch it every month and fall in love all over again. It's a nice steady build, but also not too fast nor too slow. It was literally just right all the way through. I can't even describe the feeling that came over me the first time I saw it, especially when they depicted that feeling of liking someone. The actors did an amazing job, but also the shimmer thing that floats across the scene omgoodness... please be still my heart. Even though it's not an outright heavy romance, I found it extremely romantic.

I hope you will give it a try and I hope you find the magic in it too.

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No Monster here! Just Turtle.

I had been waiting for this drama last year. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was different than the plot/trailer I watched.

The turtle situation was a bit annoying the first half of the series. Mostly because they really really focused on that turtle guys personality and did not let up. But I swear this drama changed my perspective. It made me more tolerant and I got what they were trying to do.

After they started getting into the whole point of the drama I was like "Oh, I get it.". We are not judging, we are listening and trying to understand.

I absolutely loved it. I loved their very different personalities, I love how they did what they wanted seperate and stuff together, I loved that they truly accepted one another. It was great.

I've re-watched it a couple of times and I will re-watch it more.

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