Tanky Toon

Script was written by a fire extinguisher. Everything’s hot, messy, and barely legal

This show is one trope away from being a dumpster fire. And it’s not the uncle-GIRL-nephew love triangle we are talking about, but apparently it’s a gaggle of geese falling for the girl that I’m amazed Li Chen had the stamina to swap all those pesky mosquitos away from his beloved.  

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First, what this show did wrong is to make stalking look cool. Even if you have a man as hot as KeChun “following” you around, showing up wherever you are, to save you. This ain’t it. 

Second, what is the case with Ke Chun dramas and women cuffed in chains?? Is this a common occurrence or was beating somebody shitless not good enough for TV now?? 

Third, whatever happened to the safety protocols of the fire department, that they let people in a burning building, let them spend 10 minutes kissing while fumes are piling up everywhere? 

Fourth, where are the hell are the nurses when the Wan Zhi’s mother left the room? Nobody in the halls saw this lady limping her way up the stairs??? Apparently, the two nurses who saw her thought nothing of a crippled lady making her way out of the emergency exit. Did they assume she went out for a smoke? Back to common-sense training!

Fifth, racing a fancy car against a lunatic with your beloved inside is not the right way to de-escalate the situation. You are definitely just asking for a car accident, and pray to god that she doesn’t die, or at least get amnesia so you can throw in another trope and prolong the agony of spending years apart.  

I could go on and on with all the inconsistencies in plot and execution of this drama, that not even Ke Chun’s pretty face could save it.

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Three voice actors, four road trips, and one thumb begging for mercy

I had been ready to drop this drama before Episode 10, but someone convinced me to hold on to this snooze fest.

My thoughts about this will be better depicted by the time my thumb spent on the FFWD button. Breakdown by episodic stages.

Ep 1 to approx Ep 5. I felt slightly giddy, like a kid at a candy store, looking at all the pastel colors and tasting all the sweetness. Time spent on the FFWD button: 0 seconds.

Ep 6 to approx Ep 10. I was getting used to the slight buzz that went from “Love at first sound” to “Hi, would you be my girlfriend, after just meeting you a few of times?” Time spent on the FFWD button, maybe 5 to 10 minutes.

Ep 11 to approx Ep 20. This is the stage where, in their minds, they say, “Yes, we are GF/BF but we are still afraid to hold hands and have our first kiss.” While I quip, “maybe sometime this century.” Time spent on the FFWD button: probably half the time, roughly translating to 3 to 4 hours. Mostly on the first of 3 or 4 prolonged trips with friends that do nothing to the plot but serve as contrived instances so they can shoot star eyes at each other.

Ep 21 to approx Ep 30. Well, they finally got their first kiss out of the way. What now? Let’s just skip to talk about marriage, shall we? Time spent on the FFWD button: I think my thumb is glued to it, roughly translating to 75% of the time.

Ep 31 to Ep 33. Whew, are you sure this drama is at the end of its ropes? No more squeezing in PDAs and prolonged contrivances so they can all couple up and tie the drama with a neat bow? Are you sure there are only three people in the cast who are doctors, who are also voice actors, and are also capable of other things, like maybe singing, cooking, painting, sound-editing, guitar-playing, and what else? And they also happen to be good-looking but perpetually single, even with all their amazing talents? Wow, such a shocker! Time spent on the FFWD button: almost 90% of the time, pausing just to watch the Farewell concert and to check whether Mo Qing Cheng has anything else up his sleeves, maybe to announce he’s also a Nobel Prize Winner who invented the Pill to cure everyone of their illness.

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Story: This drama focuses more on Boss than on the romantic relationship between him and Win. It shows how Boss struggles with his feelings throughout his high school days into adulthood, whether it's a one-sided relationship, unrequited love, or a brief wind of romance. I liked also the dynamic between Boss and his mother in particular, about how they truly care for each other.

Acting: Pchy, from Love of Siam, delivers the role of Boss to the T. He plays with such a range of emotion from happiness of his first love and to the sadness of his mother's illness. The actor who plays Win, however, is bland. I believed the Pchy carried the role and made the story more believable as we see him going through the struggle of getting his family to accept his lifestyle choices.

Music: Nothing worthwhile to note

Re-watch value: If only to see Pchy's acting maybe, but otherwise, not really.

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This movie was "Meh" for me.

It looked like the creators THOUGHT they had a brilliant idea but couldn't expand further than what was shown.

Story: Supposed to be tragic but I just laughed inappropriately and that's not a good thing.

Cast: Good enough that they were men. That's it.

Music: As unmemorable as the movie:

Re-watch value: Was that a blip?

Can't justify a long review for a very short film that did nothing but take up 7 minutes of my time but apparently my review was too short to even be submitted so I had to add these last few words.

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How to rate a drama where the first part had me at the edge of my seat, while the second part almost lulled me to sleep? Hence my dilemma with Alchemy of Souls. I wasn’t sure where part two went wrong, or was it because part one was so amazing, it was hard to replicate the same excitement when I watched it?

The bad of Part 2:

- Though the leads are physically attractive, Jang Uk and Bu Yeon didn’t have the same spark as Jang Uk and Mu Deok.

- The pacing in this one dragged endlessly despite its short length. They spent more time wallowing than fighting.

- All this soul-shifting back and forth, like jumping from one body to the next, that defies the laws of fictional logic? How can the drama just explain away why in this instance, it’s okay to shift, but in that instance it’s not? I can’t keep up anymore with whose body belongs to which soul and whose soul is now inside which body.

- As for the secondary characters, it looked like everyone was just there for the sake of being there and going through the motions. You know which character that caught my interest? The god-damn turtle!

- And all the reminiscing. What’s the point? Am I supposed to believe that Jang Uk grew fond of Bu Yeon, because she’s Bu Yeon, or because she exhibits Naksu’s mannerisms and thoughts?

Part 2 Verdict: A shadow of Part 1. (8 out of 10)

Combined score: 9 out of 10.

Overall impression: Should have stopped at Part 1.

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The Extended Fashion Ad That Accidentally Became a Drama

This is one of those dramas where I *knew* better. I should’ve stuck to my drama restrictions like a sane person. But then I saw Ke Chun in the cast and thought, “It’s short, how bad can it be?” Answer: Oh, honey. Apparently, even a two-minute episode can test your brain’s pain receptors. What I got wasn’t a short series—it was an extended modeling commercial with dialogue slapped on like last-minute captions. Everyone looks great, sure, but it’s like watching perfume ads stitched together with recycled plotlines.

Let’s start with our female lead: a supposedly sharp, successful CEO who builds empires with a flick of her spreadsheet—yet can’t recognize the voice of the man she’s in love with. Yes, she’s that smart… except when she’s not. Toss in the fact that she also fails to connect that Cen Yu and Duan Qian Jie are the same person (again, not a spoiler—it’s literally in the cast listing), and you start to wonder if her real company sells suspension of logic wholesale.

What you’re watching is a blender of overused tropes: mistreated daughter, blackmail, scheming sister, rich guy pretending to be poor, double identity hijinks… all rolled into one shiny, glittering mess. If they’d added amnesia and accidental incest, I’d have just nodded like, “Yep, checks out.” And yet—I watched every second. Call it rubbernecking. Call it gluttony. But if watching this train wreck means more screen time for Ke Chun’s face? Then maybe I didn’t lose, I just… aesthetically suffered.

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Because one lifetime isn’t enough to solve your romantic issues

I have been waiting for this pairing of Leo Luo and Bai Lu ever since I watched them in “Love Is Sweet,” and their on-screen chemistry was off-the-charts. I am glad this time it’s a historical drama that brought them together, as both were formidable in their past projects, “Ashes of Love” and “One and Only.”

“Till the End of the Moon” lives up to its title, as it tells of the searing saga and intertwined fates of the Demon Lord Tantai Jin and the Immortal goddess Li Su Su, going through several lifetimes and reincarnations until eternity. Here lies my contradictory feeling about the concept of “everlasting” love: while it’s commendable that these two managed to “resolve” their conflicts or despite their opposite goals, and still love each other years and years later; how many times should I see them cycle through different lives in various identities, without getting bored with it?

Back to the story, granted that it’s a complex one, but here we see Tantai Jin as the anti-hero. Was he really born evil or just a product of his cruel environment? Sure that he had the “evil bone” or whatyoumacallit planted inside of him by the spirit of Evil, making him more devil than the evil itself with his evilness. They had to make sure that we know he’s the devil, despite his insistence on the contrary.

But hey, look who’s here: the fairy goddess turning mortal to save the day, like she fell down from the sky, literally. Not only that, Li Su Su is arguably the most beautiful human being that graced the heavens, but apparently, she’s the only one who possesses the power to stop the Devil from destroying the world. Maybe by seducing him with her flawless white skin and virginal attire, will make the almighty Devil shake in his knees.

Throw in five or a hundred supporting characters, then you complete this saga. First, you must always have the jelly-bitch of a step-sister, ala Cinderella. Then you must also have a trusty side-kick or two. Don’t also forget to include the meanie mother, in this case, father, who destroys everything like your hopes and dreams. A comedic-relief character is also necessary in any story, so you have that. Add in an army of villains to do your bidding, and Voila! You have a cast list that is longer than the roll of tissue in your bathroom.

What really made me (or probably you) overlook all the craziness of time- or life- warping back and forth, not sure what is in whose memory of where it takes place is the beautiful cinematography that razzles and dazzles, so you just go with the logic and forget that you stepped into plot holes that you magically come out of. You won’t wonder: did that just happen, because no, it didn’t? It’s just in your dream, in your mind, and you are not supposed to see that rip in the fabric of time.

Aiding in this mesmerization are the two key actors whose job is mainly to act like their lives depend on it. Bai Lu expertly balances between the innocent yet formidable; soft in her expressions, yet firm in her direction while making sure that her hair and make-up is not out of place. For his part, Luo Yun Xi employs micro-expressions to portray his role as the Demon God. In this drama, Leo’s eyebrows made a strong appearance to make sure that you know they mean business. Leo’s lips did a lot of the work too, especially when he coughed up so much blood and making it look as normal as brushing his teeth.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed this drama. It had its strength and weaknesses. I would follow the pairing of Leo Luo and Bai Lu till the end of the moon, if only the moon isn’t too far and requires three lifetimes of dreams.

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This drama will only appeal to a select few. If you are morally appalled at the thought of an emotional affair between a 20+ yr old man and a much older woman, run from this drama. Otherwise, it is a beautifully crafted love story between two people who have similar interests but opposing ambitions. It is the story of two people's journey and the choices they make in life: whether to be poor in love but wealthy in life. ..or to be poor in life but rich in love. Can you really have both? Yoo Ah in is perfect as the piano prodigy as his fingers weave through the keys. Great acting from both leads. Only drawback from the drama is it could be draggy at some parts.

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Out of the Club Friday Stories that I've watched with a gay theme, this is easily my favorite out of them all. I almost did not watch this drama
because Tao who plays Todd, annoys me with his pencil thin excuse of a mustache (I'm quirky like that). But after watching a few episodes I got used to it, (I just used one eye to look at him). And Toni who plays Meng is a hot tamale and his chemistry with Tao/Todd is sizzling hot.

Speaking of which, I have to give both of these actors credit, as Tao managed to make me want to punch him in the face because of his childish antics. He played the role of a free-spirited rambunctious guy who does nothing but cause trouble for Meng. But when push comes to shove, Tao as Todd delivers and becomes the responsible adult that sometimes Nuch wished he was. Toni was also believable as the conflicted Meng, who believes he is doing everyone a favor by being nice. On one hand, Meng tries to cater to his girlfriend's unreasonable whims, and yet on the other, he tries to keep his best friend Tod close to his hip whenever Nuch is not watching. Nuch, meanwhile, is really annoying as the bitchy and jealous girlfriend who does not seem to think about other people except herself. I was so annoyed that I wanted to boot her to the curb faster than you can say "sayonara."

The story is interesting as it took me through a journey where I also felt confused about the actions that Meng took, because it seemed to me he was the center of the drama, and also the center of the problem as he could not seem to make up his mind about what he wanted. It looks to me that he wanted his cake and eat it too, but we all know that couldn't happen. The story however left me hanging and felt that it was not resolved either way, but maybe it is a good thing and this is one of those dramas that I am OK with an ending that is up to interpretation.

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The romance sprinted out the gate, tripped over communication, and face-planted in dysfunction

The synopsis of this drama looked promising, so I watched it, not expecting much from a low-budget, short length drama.

While it started out hot and heavy, the show veered into a territory that is toxic for my taste. I enjoy noona romances if done well, but I dislike them when they show the couple’s incompatibility, particularly if the male lead is too immature for the older female. Don’t get me wrong: their chemistry is sizzling on screen, but that does not justify a union that lasts. Although the quick development of their relationship is due to the show’s short length, I’ve seen other dramas do it better in the same time frame.

Instead of open communication, they gaslight each other and play stupid mind games. Not one character here is likeable, and though I know humans are flawed and are not perfect, but there’s nothing savory about trying to control another by using dirty tactics. I think it’s unfair to criticize Jiang Nan’s ex-boyfriend for being obsessive and stalker-y, but excuse Shi Jie for behaving similarly just because he’s attractive and the main lead.

In my opinion, the fundamental issue here is cramming too many story arcs into a short drama, preventing proper character and plot development. A more effective approach would have been to focus on two or three key aspects and delve deeper into them.

Although Jiang Nan and Shi Jie might have redeemed themselves towards the end, it wasn’t enough for me to applaud them. Otherwise, this drama is mainly for the eye candy and gratuitous intrigue.

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She brought brains. He brought trauma. The script brought confusion.

As I’m still quite new to the world of “duanju” dramas (having watched fewer than two dozen), I don’t recognize many of the actors. But I was instantly captivated by Wang Yi Lei and Zhu Xiao Xue’s respective performances as a top lawyer and an ambitious law student. Clearly, they tried their best to work with the material they were given, which I must say wasn’t the greatest to begin with.

Their mutual dependence and the way they “cured” each other was heartwarming, but their initial encounter left me unconvinced. However, I think the show unfairly portrayed “cheating”, making the ex-boyfriend seem far worse than Wen Yue, despite their similar actions. Granted, Han Sheng kissed Wen Yue, despite her not being his partner, an act that could be interpreted as forced. In this situation, I’m unsure why we’re expected to excuse them simply because they’re the endgame.  

Regardless, I think a stronger focus on Wen Yue’s prowess as a law student would have improved the show. We got a glimpse of her intelligence at the beginning, specifically when she first met Han Sheng at that party. I wished they had explored that more fully in the drama, maybe even having her help Han Sheng with his cases. Time constraints likely prevented them from doing so, but the plot contains too much unnecessary redundancy, such as the ex-boyfriend’s interactions with the socialite.

Overall, my feelings about this drama are a bit conflicted. Its quality is unremarkable; neither good nor bad, so I will settle for a “decent effort,” mostly kudos to the main leads.

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Story: The premise is simple. A young gay couple comes at a cross-roads upon graduation. They have opposing ambitions: one wants to be a pastor, and the other wants to be a soccer player, but neither wants to give up their dreams for their relationship to work.

Actors: Not too shabby portrayal of two boys who are supposedly in love, but conflicted.

Music: The religious hymns brought back memories when I studied at a Christian school. I was surprised that I even remembered some of the lyrics. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Rewatch value: Only to figure out what really happened at the end.

Overall impression: After watching this short, I found that the more important part of the boy's relationship is that neither of them communicated to each other what they were planning to do with their future. They had to find out from their mutual friend about it. And then after they confronted each other about the possibility of one going into a seminary and the other going abroad to play soccer, they had to rethink what is more important to them.

At one point, when they tried to dissuade their partner from going through their plans, it seemed like they were bitter that their partner wouldn't compromise and support their own respective dreams. Kai's excuse was that his father wouldn't have approved his lifestyle choice since he came from a very traditional, religious background. Jay, on the other hand, thought that the opportunity to study abroad is hard to come by, and therefore, he had more potential to go further.

Actually, what surprises me about this film are the secondary characters, in the form of that mutual friend who served as a catalyst between Kai and Jay. She's the mediator in their relationship, like a voice of reason. Kai's father also wasn't as restrictive as he was presumed to be. Although he might not know the exact nature of Kai's relationship with Jay, the dad instinctively knew that there's something troubling his son, and Kai's decision to apply for the seminary might be misguided.

With this new revelation, you would have thought that the boys would have made different choices, but it goes to show that the thing you thought you might want, might not be the thing that you need. Would you give up on your dreams to have a chance at love, or would you abandon your partner to pursue your chosen career? This is dilemma that this short film is trying to address, and some people may choose differently than others.

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Shortly coming on the heels of watching Killer and Healer, this drama probably did not meet my expectations. If I had watched this first, since it was released prior K&H, it could be a different story, but I did not. For this drama, the eye-candy did help, because it is probably the main reason why I finished this show the other being curiosity. The drama tried to pass off as an intricate who-done-it, but it ended up convoluting the story. There are glaring plot holes and illogical set-ups (not sure if the drama's fault or the way the book was written). The show tried to also incorporate some romance but fails due to the stalky FML.

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