Swivla

Pulpy wuxia

I am convinced that Ed Guo is the Robert Rodriguez of cdramas. He has a very specific style and clearly is very enthusiastic about the things he likes in this genre.

Which means, if you like it, you will LOVE it. But if you don't like it, then it will be extremely cringe. For me, this means just picking the right mood to watch this.

For one thing, they don't follow small actions at all. Instead we spend most of our time doing dramatic poses and looking cool as hell. As I said, if you are having fun then you will have lots of fun, but if not... cringe as hell. It almost feels like this show is more of a music video than a drama.

Speaking of music, it is the most jarring, abrasive, and overused soundtrack of all time. The heavy handed use of music to scream "this is cool as hell!" has got to be the worst part of this drama. Well besides the dumb plot decisions in the last half.

I really enjoyed the first arc. The characters are interesting and everyone has a distinct style and characterization. It felt a lot like My Journey to You, though I think the similarities drop off as the story progresses.

The world is also pretty interesting, especially in the first arc there is a *flatness* to the social hierarchy that sidesteps a lot of typical palace drama tropes. We don't really focus on power dynamics and social positions -- the ensemble each have their own unique identities and we just aren't doing filial plot stuff at all. I like that it avoids those dynamics, but it might go a bit too far in the flattening because it also means there are a lot of battles that are just a draw. Not really many definitive outcomes and everyone is kind of ambiguously evenly matched. I guess that is necessary so we can have as many fights as there are without taking anyone off the board.

The later half of the show still had some worthwhile things, but I think the beginning could have gone in a different direction that was more grounded. Instead the plot rapidly starts to feel like they are just drawing cards for what happens. Did they actually play madlibs to write this? It literally feels like it, in a single moment they will unveil the most absurd plot points. To me, it really cheapened what could have been an amazing drama.

No but for real, THAT trope was already questionably stupid and lazy, but then they reuse it? Inexplicably?

And worse, the ending, to me, is garbage. Not even an issue of "bad/sad/tragic", it more just is pointless and dumb. All emotional weight is lost.

I could probably write a spoiler filled rant about a lot of things in this drama, but the truth is that it never presented itself as a drama with deep emotional detail or quality narrative writing. So holding it to those standards feels like I'm ordering a milkshake at home depot. Instead, I recommend just accepting it for what it is -- beautiful visuals, fun magic, stylistic fights, and endless aura farming.

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Good with flaws

Overall I felt like this was a strong drama. At its core, the emotional portrayal by both leads is top notch. The supporting cast is all very good, other than the villain who has a jarringly cartoonish demeanor.

Early on I found it a bit hard to follow, due to the amount of flashing back, and maybe not enough indicators whether a given scene is present time or not. This sort of small editing choice made it hard to keep a perspective on the characters' emotional states in any given scene. Not terrible, but for me it was a noticeable drag. Maybe it adds rewatch value?

But by the second half, what before were just some questionable editing jumps, turns into a pile of either plotholes or very unsatisfying writing choices. A lack of consequences becomes a pattern, and people reacting inexplicably, or the reasons for a plot reversal are just never communicated. This pattern reaches a culmination in the final episodes.

Luckily there is a season two, so maybe if they felt rushed, they can sort out some of that ending still.

Ok recap--

THE GOOD:
- I actually love getting stories where queer people have biological children. Life is complicated
- No but for real the leads are amazing
- And yes the office friend crew vibe is on point
- ...did Imase produce this. idc I am onboard with the soundtrack

THE BAD:
- Personally found it hard to follow the emotional landscape between flashbacks and present day.
- Cartoonish villain is almost compelling but the writing just didn't support her behavior. There was a real story that could have been told about her toxic obsession, but it was reduced to a scooby doo villain
- Often Fuyu's behavior doesn't make sense. Which sometimes can be believable, emotions can make people do things that even they don't understand.
- Fuyu was straight up worse than the villain -- no seriously, almost beat for beat the villain enters the office and does each of the same things that Fuyu did when she joined the team, but the villain did each one like 5% less harshly. But then we act like only the villain was toxic. I never felt like Fuyu regretted any of it.
- Rushed ending
- Major plot points never resolved: The mom that bribed her is never brought up again, and also is never brought up as a concern anymore. Considering the impact of that action, ignoring it is wild. The BFF is also never brought up again, she exclaims 'You did it for that selfish reason!' storms off, and we just never hear anything from her about it again.
- If i hear 'Well in China.." one more time, I will scream. Not only is it super repetitive but also it is such a weird framing to portray the Chinese company behavior and perspective this way.

No but for real, no consequences or just plotlines that are started but don't land an emotional resolution:
- Fuyu never takes responsibility for any of her toxicity except when she's breaking down and apologizing vaguely, but even that seems to just be misdirecting blame away from her mom onto herself?
- The mom that caused this entire misunderstanding, gets absolutely zero consequences or even plot resolution.
- Even Itsuki doesn't really own her role in the original breakup. Everything is just carried by vibes, things are forgiven just because the chemistry is so damn good XD No I mean, I get it, but also these are opportunities to enrich stories about serious emotions. Reduced to a superficial gesture at depth.
- The office villain gets handwaved off stage, I guess she loses her job? No emotional resolution about her actual crush motivation for being a crazy villain about everything.
- The person Fuyu fired just returns to the team. Nobody talks about it ever again.
- Itsuki's BFF gets no consequences for betraying her other than scolding/ghosting, he just gets an epilogue where he gives the money back to return the photo (as if that could be a thing??) tbh this is one of the clearest plotline endings so I guess we should be happy with this much.
- The spy is never confronted by anyone, actively continues to be present in the story and gets a seemingly happy ending at the animation studio. This betrayal was actually a major twist but just never given an emotional resolution, other than some implication that she helped flip the animation studio by telling them that 90% of them would be fired at the new company. I guess offscreen we forgived and forgot? tbh significant harm being responded to with the barest of apology is an unpleasant pattern in this drama.
- The husband goes to the store and doesn't come home for DAYS. Yes I think he was being mistreated in the relationship, but there is a kid involved, his character at least deserves the space in the story to explain what was going on or what he needs to change. Just a vague 'my bad' and an ending where they both are just like 'uh i want to keep trying' without actually talking about any of their issues, and they have multiple big ones.
- And obviously the main couple's ending is the worst offender of all. Gestures at major decisions without any real discussion followed by gestures at undoing those decisions. I don't even care if you are going to flip and flop back and forth, but can we just get clear landing of each emotional beat? Why the flip? What is the consequences of the flop? So many opportunities to add texture and depth, just skipped.

Maybe in season 2

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Cute office crush but slow

THE GOOD:
I generally liked this drama but it didn't do a whole lot other than cute flirting. I think as long as you manage your expectations then you may enjoy this a lot, if office romance crush is what you are looking for.

There are some nuances to these characters that are a bit richer than many of this kind of web shorts. The crushing FL is cringe of course as she should be, but she also has a bit of backbone and willingness to put herself out there, which is a careful balance that they handle very cutely.

The boss FL is also well controlled, though she doesn't get to do very much due to the unwillingness to move the pacing forward nearly ever.

THE BAD:
What is slower than slow-burn? They spent 2 seasons doing the same cycle of having a crush on your boss and being awkward with her. It is cute but it is just circled over and over, and to a degree that is kind of hard to believe. Like if you always just stare dumbfounded at your boss, once is a little cringe, but it was pretty much 100% of the time. Every single elevator she is going to have to wake you up to get in?

Yeah this is light fluff, so we have to set our suspension of disbelief very high or else her behavior is way over the top. Still as long as you do that, there is cute stuff here.

The big other problem with the "pace" is just there is almost no pay off. The fact that they did an entire season 1 and didn't even have any resolution was already kind of crazy, but even with the ending of season 2, we only get a few hints that the feelings are reciprocated. No confession. No verbalizing our feelings. Were they expecting a THIRD season to flesh that out? I guess we will never know, it has been years now.

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Messy and real

Overall I loved this movie.

Set against early nineties Taiwan and university students trying to change a system that has been rife with uncontested top-down power structures.

Following characters that have nuance and depth. This is only a movie, so there isn't the same amount of time to flesh things out as you might get in a drama series. But they use subtlety and care to craft characters that are vibrant and distinct, and each have their own complexities that may not necessarily make them bad people, but certainly could be considered messy people. Flawed people. Struggling to balance protecting themselves and being true to themselves. Real.

There are some serious themes here. Nothing too crazy, but this is not just romance fluff. It is more about figuring out your place in the world and what you actually want from it.

All in all I was very glad to have stumbled across this movie.

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Diversity and authenticity

Overall this drama is such a gem!

THE GOOD:
- Cute romance that doesn't rush
- Funny and cute supporting cast
- The soundtrack is really well used, and gives a cute vibe
- Imperfect characters doing their best
- An honest look at physical disabilities and how they are viewed in society
- Diversity beyond disabilities: I viewed this (at least 2 different character traits) as an exploration of less "visible" neurodiversity and how some things are not exactly a disability, but still make life very hard because society is built for a "typical" person.
- An unflinching look at some personality challenges such as insecurity, without washing it away. Possible BPD representation.

THE BAD:
- Some of the acting and pacing are a little rough, though nothing too bad, just some indie film vibes mostly where things might have been more polished in a bigger production.
- The ending is not bad or technically incomplete, but maybe not as satisfying as it could have been. A few of the conflicts in the story are either not cleared up or we don't get to see the details of how they were cleared up. This is probably mostly due to the short runtime not leaving enough time to tie off everything. And maybe it was intentional, as the ending is still satisfying and being reassured that everything is resolved cleanly is not what this drama is about.

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A serious subject

This drama is a serious one looking at some real failings of modern society. Not specific to South Korea either, this experience is present everywhere I've ever been. This movie tells a very important story.

Overall I felt it was well executed. There are times when some of the side characters feel a bit flat, like they are written just to exist to show us that people suck. But many of them still manage to portray some complexity; there is a lot of indifference that just stems from people just trying to get by too.

I would have liked to have seen the relationship with the friend and her brother in more focus. I think the things that happened between them were also important stories that showed a very realistic view of complex relationships. But especially in the ending arc I would have liked to get better closure or a bit more clarity on their friendship.

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Overall, an irreplaceable film. Engaging characters, a compelling plot, writing choices along the way that are not attached to just following established tropes. If you haven't watched it yet, don't read up too much and just watch it. Not actually knowing what kind of story is being told is a big part of the interesting way things play out.

My only criticisms are my own personal preferences. It is a bit too horny. And certain characters don't get as satisfying an ending as I would have liked. But this is not a rosy drama so not every plotline will be wrapped up with justice and comfort as the point. The story is more focused on being *raw* and really looking into the complex situations of the characters.

Well actually I do have one other criticism and it might be a big one, depending on how you want to look at it. But this film, at times, seems to be showing a dark side of sexual appetites and voyeurism... but doesn't the film do the exact same thing? Commodifying female sexuality for a horny ass audience... -_-

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What if you changed every day

First of all, if you are familiar with this story from the kdrama -- these are different stories that merely share the underlying premise of what the "magic" is. BOTH ARE WORTH WATCHING!! <3

This one is the movie, and it is very good. I love the underlying premise because it really does ask fundamentally, "Who are you separate from your body?" and "How much of how you are seen, is based on your body?"

These are such important questions, and exploring them in the context of romance is extra interesting.

The vibe of this movie is pretty thoughtful and a bit melancholy; the film style is maybe reminiscent of French film?

One of the only challenges, for me, is that this movie's specific approach to this plot never has the main character have a "baseline" appearance. This makes is a bit harder to invest in the character, but also makes it that much more impressive when the movie *gets you to anyway*

Also the whole furniture maker angle is very cute and charming. Really got me wanting to learn to make furniture!

Which also serves the metaphor very well, as we shape our lives to fit who we are... a person whose identity is less "stable" faces many challenges that a more stable person will not understand. And their loved ones also face their own challenges trying to love someone who is always changing. And this movie takes the time to actually engage these ideas. <3

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An interesting peek into those affected

Interesting peek into a women's prison, and the way lives are affected by it. This is a slightly gritty look at actual lives. Not gritty in the sense that there is anything particularly shocking in the content, but more that it does not add any "kdrama polish" to anything. Just real people, living in the real world, despite often not having many options, still working toward figuring out their place in the world based on the options in front of them.

The writers really put in some extra thought into a few metaphors and symbolism used, which adds a nice touch as the overall story and message settle in.

When you are passing a bus with the same number, give them a wave.

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Silly and cute romcom

Overall I found this very fun. Mostly your typical CEO romcom plot.

It is definitely a vshort style drama.

One thing I found interesting is that this drama seems to have given more thought to the transmigrator concept. Most dramas are just like "and then she was transported" and its probably never mentioned again -- just a mysterious maybe-godly force? But in this, the link between the worlds feels like a real part of the fantasy landscape, there is a reason for it and practical ways that it works.

As far as the characters, the ML is pretty basic. He turns a bit too sharply into the romance but its a short so whatever.

The FL is a bit more interesting, as she is a cultivator from another world she is literally a warrior. Only occasionally does this seem to be forgotten, tbh I was impressed because most dramas would drop that premise quickly. But throughout this, her posture and movements and attitude are almost always informed by her actual background. She holds herself like a warrior and walks like one.

I was also glad to see that consistent characterization because the other red flag that starts sticking out is that as soon as she is dressing modern, she is almost always dressed in a child-like manner. Which is... a bit sus. But amusingly this just means that she acts like a warrior even though she has pigtails and overalls or whatever. Haha

The other piece worth mentioning is so many satisfying slaps. ngl its my favorite part of vshorts

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Very real and raw and bittersweet

Overall I found this drama to be very moving, and tackling subjects that are rarely engaged so directly. And I am not just talking about the CW parts, but the complexity of the underlying emotions and challenges and things you have to live with.

If you haven't watched it yet, I do think you may want to know that...

Check the genre tags before assuming anything based on the imagery -- This is not a romance genre drama.

This is not a romance. In either theme or content. The cover may make you think this is a GL, but the story is not about love at all, or at least not about *romance*. This is really a situation where maybe they're romantically connected and maybe they are sismance / friendship connected. Trying to put it in a box is not really useful though, the story is not ABOUT romance, this is really more about HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS.

And it is good. Really good.

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Silly and sweet and a bit insightful

If you are reading reviews for S2 then you probably know what you're getting into. S2 continues the pattern of this being a silly romcom that relies heavily on misunderstandings to create conflicts. Overall this show has so much fun along the way, just being silly, and following Ayaka's joyous attempts to love Hiroko is a blessing.

That being said, the core plotline can be a bit frustrating at times. The central conflict of this season is about physical intimacy, and it is immediately very confusing when they are living together and sharing a bed that this is still completely not discussed. Throughout this show the themes of lack of communication as well as the difference between infatuation and love, are explored pretty heavily. It is frustrating that it takes them years to figure it out, but also that is kind of relatable.

In the end though, it is rare for a drama to take the time to draw a line between the version of love that is one sided and in your head based on an infatuation, and the kind of love that you practice every day by actually communicating with the other person. This show takes time while having lots of fun shenanigans, to sketch this more serious conversation.

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Fun and silly

I went into this without much preconception other than it was recommended as a jdrama GL I should check out.

Overall, I had a lot of fun. This is a pretty silly show, so it is very much a romcom that emphasizes the "com". That aspect is not my usual, but I still found the emotional beats satisfying and many aspects of this show very charming.

The biggest criticism is probably an obvious one, and that is the misunderstandings are dragged out way too long and repeat way too many times. The entire first season is pretty much centered on a bizarre insistence of one lead that the other lead is straight. This is never supported in any way, and drags out to an absurd extent. It is a common situation but just exaggerated for comedy. Accept it early or you won't have much fun, because it is THE centerpiece of S1.

Well the misunderstandings can get annoying, but perhaps the worst part is that what we are left with is the majority of the runtime just watching a single character just thinking to themselves and generating thoughts that are wrong and create problems. Not only is it frustrating that the conflicts are ..just made up by her having dumb ideas, but is it actually enjoyable to watch someone go down anxious thought spirals over and over and over by themselves? Where is the plot? This is actually a similar pattern we saw in Cherry Magic.

Which is sorta relatable, but do I need to live this for someone else? This may just be the line where anxiety "comedy" is not for me.

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