Kate

Well written romance with questionable friendships.

One of the most wholesome friends to enemies to friends to lovers scenario I have seen. I believed in everything that happened between Pran and Pat. The chemistry might not have been sizzling from the start, but it was undeniable and extremely natural as the plot progressed. Both Nanon and Ohm did an amazing job portraying actual emotions and love, instead of simple attraction.

That said, almost everything that surrounded the romance was mediocre at best, and bad at worst. The friend groups were ridiculous. It was not just teens disliking each other - we had harassment and abuse that could not be explained by them being young. The parents were just as immature and selfish, which led to a number of problems for the main duo.

Luckily, a lot of scenes were saved thanks to the female characters Pa and Ink, who seemed to be the only people with some brain cells and willing to use them.

Bad Buddy was carried on Nanon and Ohm’s backs, and if it was not for their stellar performance, it would not get half of the love from the audience. Me, and many others were willing to ignore quite a number of flaws, because what these two actors did not screen was worth it.

Another great aspect of the show was the OST. Not only were all the songs perfectly fitted for the scenes, but also… they are simply great songs that I wanted to listen to even outside of the drama.

The production value was definitely good. I loved the set design, the filming and editing. Sadly, I feel like all the focus and hard work directing and writing wise were put into making the romance storyline, forgetting that all the supporting characters are also what make the show. The pacing of all the side plots was not great and some conflicts had a Disney type of resolution.

Overall, worth the watch for the main couple. Truly amazed by the skills of Nanon and Ohm. Even with at times questionable writing, they made me enjoy the show and giggle more than once from both the comedy and the romance.

Bad Buddy was a bit like taking a walk in a beautiful mountain, but then seeing trash here and there, that’s just slightly ruining the view. Then you get to the top, but it's a restricted area… that sums up how I feel about the ending.

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Why did I even bother?

Usually hate-watching means the show is so bad it’s actually entertaining. Here, it’s just bad, with the characters so annoying it’s hard to find someone to root for. Truth to be told, if I knew the ending before I started the show, I would not bother with watching at all. I was intrigued by the interesting beginning, and not smart enough to leave when I saw the first red flags warning me, this leads to nothing good. One could say I’m Na Bi, and this show was Jae Eon - leaving me angry, annoyed, frustrated and exhausted.

What seemed like a promising portrayal of a toxic relationship, ended as nothing more than another angsty young adult love story, that is even more pretentious than I could ever expect it to be. When in fact, it’s just fancy trash with pretty actors in it.

The main plot is the relationship between Na Bi and Jae Eon. Here’s the thing though - the relationship makes no sense. At first it’s presented as a strong sexual attraction, but it never really moves to anything more. Whenever the writer tried to incorporate any strong feelings from either female or male lead, it made no sense. What are these feelings even based on? By episode 4, the main romance became extremely repetitive and boring. How many times can we see Na Bi cry and Jae Eon be a jerk?

Na Bi was just painful to watch. By the end of the show I felt like she literally learned nothing. There was no development and no progress. The moment I saw some change, she took a U-turn into a crying mess.

Jae Eon was one dimensional and an empty shell. Don’t know what the writer was thinking, but you cannot develop something that does not exist. Giving him a last minute character development, when from the start he had no character or personality was a miracle in itself.

Bit Na and Gyu Hyun were more fun to watch, since both characters were stronger and had more of prominent personalities, but even they ended up on the rather shallow note. While they could have addressed some more interesting ideas about relationships and be a good mirror to Na Bi and Jae Eon’s relationship, the writer left me with little discussion and no real conclusion.

The only couple I truly did enjoy watching was Min Young and Kyung Jun. They were funny, sweet and relatable in all the best and heartwarming ways.

Except for them, there are exactly two things that Nevertheless, did well - LGBT representation and the amazing soundtrack.

While we’ve gotten more and more gay relationships in k-dramas lately, rarely ever we see lesbians presented in any way. At best it’s vaguely suggested or mentioned as a “personality trait”. It’s good to see a side story that truly explores the romance between two girls, and how they both deal with growing feelings. Sadly for me, I could not enjoy their ploy, since I could not stand Ji Wan as a character.

No matter how much I might dislike Nevertheless, the soundtrack is full of amazing bops. I listen to Butterfly and Love Me Like That daily - some of my favorite songs from 2021.

Overall, I could easily write a whole essay on why this show was basically a writing failure, but I honestly do not want to waste any more precious minutes of my life on this title. Let it die on my completed list, never to be visited again.

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"Look at the trees and grass on the grassland…

They are called useful if people eat and use them. But if no one uses them, it's perfectly fine for them to simply exist in the grassland. They are free, aren't they?"

To the Wonder is the type of drama that will not really leave you with many thoughts, but rather many feelings. There is no deep and complex plot that will mess up your brain as you try to figure it out. There are no intense conflicts that will make your blood boil. It’s just life - with ups and downs, but steadily flowing no matter what, like a river stream.

What amazes me the most is how even the supporting characters that showed up for a few minutes here and there felt like real people. While the synopsis highlights the romance between Wen Xiu and Batay, the actual story is far more equal in representation of different arcs. Rather than a love story, it’s a community journey that also includes a love story. But it’s so much more.

It’s a story of learning how to move on from loss, how to take risks in starting anew and accept if we make a mistake. A story of finding new ways to chase your dreams, to experience life and understand that there is a beauty in the simplicity of existence. We get to witness the fear of losing what you found to be the comforting lifestyle, the anger that comes with it and the slow acceptance of change. We experience the clash of old and new traditions. We get to know people who understand how to appreciate what they have, and those who are never satisfied.

As a person who loves the comforts the city life gives, even I was moved by the stunning scenery shown in To the Wonder. It evokes in me this want to explore, to experience and to appreciate nature, the harmony in which some communities live with it. Just 8 episodes and yet over 500 screenshots in my folder. Every second was visually breathtaking. The vibrant colors of nature and the cultural heritage.

Then we have the performances. There was one scene in the last episode that especially emotionally touched me (everyone who saw the show knows exactly what scene I am talking about) - the emotions were just so real and raw. But the whole drama was filled with moving dialogues, subtle expressions of rich emotions, variety of personalities and motivations delivered by a skilled cast.

Overall, it’s a small story that feels larger than life, because it encapsulates all that’s important in human existence. It shows that keeping the community requires work and care, but it’s worth the effort you put in. It teaches you how to balance individualistic motivations and needs, while respecting the traditions and understanding the hopes of the community. I was getting more and more frustrated as I watched the episodes, because I did not want it to end.

This is one of the dramas I could write a review for a week, tweak it, rewrite it and I will not be happy with it because it's impossible to describe the beauty of this show, you just gotta experience it.

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Finishing this drama is like saying goodbye to your good friend…

And all you have left are warm memories. As I watched, I started to feel like part of the community - I truly knew these characters, I understood their struggles, hopes and motivations and I wanted them to succeed and find happiness.

Healing is the best way to describe it. There are no exciting plots and crazy twists. It’s all daily struggles, small talks, forming friendships, moments of compassion, reminiscing of the past, dealing with the present, planning for the future. The magic of mundane existence in the beautiful surroundings.

Meet Yourself is a story filled with diverse and unique characters - each presenting a different perspective and ways of dealing with their traumas, mistakes, shortcomings and fears. This is a drama that holds many life lessons and precious moments that warm your heart and soul and leave a smile on your face. One of the aspects I appreciated the most was it did not solely focused on the younger cast. Older people were not just a background to showcase the passage of time, to show the future struggles the youngsters might face. They were their own people with vibrant personalities - sometimes far more energetic and driven than their kids and grandkids. I love how the drama took its time to establish well written and developed elderly characters.

It also presents a beautiful variety of relationships - be it romantic or platonic. Family, friends, partners, acquaintances - clearing showing how other people have a big impact on our life, but that we also leave some traces even after what seemed like meaningless interactions. Some people will forever be part of our life, even after they are gone, some were a tiny peace, a passing memory - even if we don’t see it now, all these moments mold us into who we are, and change us into who we are meant to be.

From brilliant and well paced writing to amazing performances, Meet Yourself is truly a whole package. Almost 1000 screenshots I took are a statement of itself - this show is stunning, a visual feast accompanied by a charming soundtrack (Validate being one of my favorites songs).

Honestly, it just feels like this drama was crafted with love and care.

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Self-sabotage your life…

It’s a character study on a really unlikeable character, dare I say unlovable person? By the end of the show I felt empty and following Go Yeong’s life was simply exhausting. While most dramas highlight the good traits of the characters, this one puts on the spotlight all the flaws and makes you feel uncomfortable.

I honestly cannot really say much good about Go Yeong. His egocentric nature, not learning from his own mistakes, double standards, unrealistic expectations, lack of motivation, constant negative thinking made me just sigh as I watched him self-sabotage over and over again.

And then you start to see all the unfortunate things that happened to him, all the small and big tragedies, events that completely changed his life and you feel bad for him. He was rather… pitiful, but one that you just did not know how to help, even if you had a chance.

Never learning from his mistakes was his biggest flaw. He understood many times what went wrong, he clearly reflected on his behaviors… and then when the time came to make a different decision, he followed the same wrong path. Over and over again.

He was surrounded by people, yet so alone.

What made this drama work for sure was the directing and the acting. They sell the story for me. I think we can all agree that Nam Yoon Su did a phenomenal job as Go Yeong, but I also want to talk about Jin Ho Eun as Sim Gyu Ho. There was something so… vulnerable about that performance I was honestly in awe.

Episode 3 and 4 were visually stunning - probably the best use of light I had seen compared to the other episodes. Visually it perfectly captured that part of Go Yeong's life - romanticized feelings of falling in love to then crumble into pieces.

On the bad side though, there were some storytelling aspects I did not enjoy at all. Inconsistencies about how important or unimportant specific plot points were, how much impact they had on character lives, what were the true reasonings and motivations for some actions.

Still, what a gripping story. Not enjoyable, but that was never the point of it. It’s not really a love story if you ask me. It’s a life story.

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62 days in - no signs of true romantic affection.

If you saw the show, you know what I mean. If you did not see, you can vaguely get what I mean. Can’t believe I’m saying it, but it would be so much better if it was not a BL.

Let’s start with some positives. I truly loved how everything here was rather selfish, even when they tried to do things for the other person. Good intentions are not always enough, and expecting gratitude just for the effort, when the result is not preferable is again - egocentric. And I loved it.

While the story might have been lackluster, the characters were actually well written and really consistent. No weird change of behaviors because the scene needed it, no quick character development that removed all the flaws and made the leads saints. Both the leads were frustrating (one more than the other), but they also made sense in their behavior - I might have been mad, but I understood where their behavior came from.

Sadly, the plot did not present the same level of cohesiveness. The first two episodes were great in terms of pacing - proper set up and characters’ introduction. Nothing felt rushed, and that’s what killed the show. Taking the sweet time in the first half forced the director to cram all the important plotlines in the last two episodes - just the highlights of a story, nothing gets truly resolved nor developed.

I don’t want to talk about chemistry. It was great when they were friends, but it stayed “friendly” till the end of the show. 2gether hi5 had more romance behind it, than whatever they tried to do there. I loved the low-key angst and the confusion that came from not realized jealousy, but all that buildup led to nothing.

The acting was decent, but got worse the closer to each other the characters got. The editing was fine, but got worse the closer to the end we’ve got. The directing was nice, but got worse each episode. You get what I mean - all went downhill real fast.

Overall, as much as I enjoyed the first 4 episodes, I truly disliked the next 4. Last two? I was just laughing. Conflicts came out of nowhere, none of the characters actually talked about the events and issues, as if they did not exist. We skipped through so much, it was all meaningless by the end.

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Great moments, but moments only.

Who likes a healing show about a timid female lead who moves away from the toxic environment to end up in another toxic environment and receive close to no character development? Not me.

Like many other slice of life shows, this one also has little to no plot, which is completely fine. These are not supposed to give you thrills and excitement, they are supposed to be relaxing and warm. When I go into slice of life, I’m getting ready for a little bit of life lessons and characters I want to befriend, ones that make me want to root for them. Did this show deliver any of these? Not really.

Starting from Lee Yeo Reum - doormat, timid, no self love nor self respect. No issue with that. I wanted to go on that self improvement and self discovery journey with her. But damn this girl got on a merry-go-round and ended up in the same circle of self pity. The moment I thought she learned her lessons, she went back to the old ways - ready to blame herself, ready to take a step back, ready to run away. Trying to fix it all in the last episodes is not the way to go.

While An Dae Beom was better and for sure a stronger character, he also got easily manipulated by others, mostly by Ji Young. At some point I started to question myself - am I liking the character or am I just completely biased towards Yim Si Wan and I will just buy anything he sells?

Then we have all the other characters who either: started well and ended annoying, started annoying and miraculously became nice in between scenes, started annoying and ended annoying. There was honestly barely anyone to root for… Which is a true nightmare for a character driven slice of life drama.

To be perfectly honest though, I can deal with annoying characters, but I cannot stand conflicting messages. Yeo Reum tells herself to only think about what she wants and feels and not care for others, but also tells Bom to put her grandma and her family before her own emotions and well being. Protecting an alcoholic and abusive father is fine, but protecting your son with developmental issues makes you the top enemy. I am sorry, but what am I supposed to learn from this show? What is the message? What does the writer want to present and tell me? For me, it all made no sense.

Yes, the ending message was great - appreciate what you have, find happiness in little things, you don’t have to excel in everything, just being happy is enough of a reason to be alive and enjoy the moments. IT’s all great, but why did they fail so badly with all the other issues they talked about?

And I know how some people will scream “realism” as an excuse for some of the topics. Sorry, but you cannot explain some awful takes with it, while also ignoring the complete lack of realism in other aspects. You can’t have both.

Last, but not least plot wise - the “mystery”. When the characters have to explain EVERYTHING to me through the dialogues and flashbacks, it means the writer completely failed to set it up. I should be watching and connecting the dots myself, not get everything served with a narration.

From the acting and production side, it was great. Kim Seol Hyun improved greatly since her debut, and everyone knows Yim Si Wan is one of the best idol turned actors. The teens did an amazing job too, I especially liked a.mond’s performance - cheerful and hyped, but with hints of sadness and tons of loneliness.

Visually, Summer Strike is beautiful, I cannot deny it. They used the environment they were filming in to its full potential. What’s the point though, if the story is not on the same good level of execution? This year we had a holy trinity of dramas with amazing and beautiful moments, but also poorly executed overall plot and character’s development, and laughable villains - Today’s Webtoon, Cheer Up and Summer Strike.

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In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to choose your line.

So much was happening, but also nothing was happening, and how is that even possible?

If we talk about the actual events, this is a 40 minute movie at best. Exorcism, chat, death, chat, exorcism, chat, exorcism - more or less the plot. But if we take into consideration the topics introduced in said chats - that's a one semester lecture for you. Lack of faith in the men of faith. The misogyny in church and the lack of equality between men and women. Nuns doing tarot readings? Sure. Also a power team of nuns and schaman doing exorcisms. I guess. Then we have illness, I guess shame, but that was not explained at all. One could say this was a women empowerment movie, but was it really? And then the whole final sequence, as beautiful as it was, was also painfully dumb.

Even Song Hye Kyo was a hit or miss depending on the scene. Her nonchalant and confident scenes were great, but every time she tried to be more angry domineering and scream it just felt painfully flat. I feel like at least for some lines, if they switched her raised voice to a really chilling whisper with the music going quiet, it would have far more impact.

Moon Woo Jin did an amazing job holding back laughter, because that performance was just ridiculous. In a good way. It was exactly what the director and writer wanted, that's clear.

Lee Jin Wook was there, acted like an asshole. Was gone. He is not the main role, that I can tell you, and Jeon Yeo Been, while definitely more prominent, had to somehow deliver a character that brought nothing on the screen.

What's good? The movie was beautiful. Quite a few breathtaking scenes and good use of special effects.

Overall, pass - in both senses of the world. I'm not mad I watched it, it passed. But also, don't waste your time, pass.

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I am tired of dramas giving me plot points, rather than plotlines.

I honestly do not understand why writers, directors, producers - anyone and everyone who has any say in the final product, are so stubborn into adding so many unnecessary plot lines and characters, when the majority of the short shows would work so much better with minimal effort, serving just the good vibes.

What I enjoyed about the show: the dynamics between the leads. The tiny twist to “enemies to lovers” trope was done in a refreshing way - adding both the tension and comedy depending on the situation. I liked how consistent the characters were. Best example - the difference in their dreams, and how it then corresponds to reality. Tiny details that just made sense. I liked how they both had clear internal issues they had to work through, and how they unintentionally helped each other deal with them.

I also liked the initial disagreements in the team based on their completely different goals and motivations. Them slowly starting to work together when they understood they can both benefit from cooperation was for sure one of the highlights.

And that would be enough for an 8 episode drama to be good. Focus and develop just these two aspects of the plot. But no, you need to make it more complex than it needs to be, add more unnecessary external drama. Create a huge issue just to solve it in 5 minutes. Why? I am tired of dramas giving me plot points, rather than plotlines. Nothing is developed or truly explained, because there is not time to do that.

I love how the poster makes it seem like it will focus on football, and have a rather big cast of important characters, when in reality the football did not matter at all and half of the people we see in the poster are there to fill the space so the locker room will not look too empty. They used their phones to film content more often than they kicked ball. Where was the balance?

The performances were rather good. Nothing too amazing, but I partially blame it on choppy editing and not so smooth storytelling. For a tiny budget it apparently had, the production was good. For sure did not stand out in a negative way compared to the majority of the other k-bl from the past few years.

Overall, it was not bad, but it was not good? The type of a show you won’t regret watching, but it’s not exactly something you would recommend others to watch either.

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It’s a bit like an extremely pretty art, but then you find out it was made by AI and it starts to feel a bit empty. On paper it’s a perfect soft angst full of longing and pinning, but the closer you look, the more imperfections you find.

While I did find the overall idea behind the story compelling, I’m not so sure about the execution, especially on Ikegami Fumiya's side. He did not tell the truth with hopes it will save the relationship, as they can start over, but then he kept making sure to not cross the line between roommates and potential romantic partners. This behavior was something I did not quite understand. My guy was in a risky business - deciding to hide the past in hopes for a better future, without actually being sure Ritsu will never remember their relationship, and without actually trying to be with Ritsu in the present.

That said, I actually find Ritsu harder to figure out and judge. We know little about him before the accident, and his present self was driven by what he forgot - trying to remember and being confused about his place and life. Because of that, he felt less defined than Fumiya and harder to connect to.

Since this is a relationship and character driven show, I put some effort into trying to understand the characters, and that was the mistake. If you try to dig deeper into what is happening on screen, you start to see a lot of small things that make little sense and at some point it becomes a pile too hard to ignore. I think the best way to watch it is just accept whatever they throw at you without asking too many questions.

Acting wise, it had its ups and downs. For the most part I had no complaints. The slightly dull delivery was clearly the directing choice to fit the overall atmosphere of the drama. That one time Honda Kyoya literally squeezed that one tear out of his eye made me chuckle.

That said, I still think it’s a solid melancholic watch. Some of the editing and the transitions between the scenes might be a bit confusing, but for some strange reason it adds to the charm. In a subtle way it shows how all relationships need work, and without addressing the core issues, you cannot start over and be happy, even if you get to hit the reset button.

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10 stories for 120 minutes of screen time. Roughly 12 minutes per story. Not enough. I understand that these are suppose to be a short formal, creepy past like tales, but the 15 minutes format should be the minimum. You need time to built at least a hint of a tension.

Tunnel ★☆☆☆☆
The first short story ended, before it even started. It's hard to have any meaningful opinion or thoughts about it with how short it was. Sure, there was one nice semi-gory picture created closer to the end, but overall - too short to create the atmosphere or to deliver the scares.

The Woman in Red ★☆☆☆☆
Revengeful ghost and vague insinuation on why she even mad. What stood out in this short? Bad acting and bad special effects. When the ghost started to do Spiderman impersonation, I lost it.

Tooth Worms ★★★☆☆
I knew this is going to be a ride the moment they opened it with the perspective of being in someone's mouth as they get check up by hot dentist Hoya. I'm not sure how scary it was, but it did make me feel extremely uncomfortable. Acting wise - Hoya delivered!

Necromancy ★★☆☆☆
This story was more of what I was expecting to see when I started Seoul Ghost Stories - typical creepy pasta type of a deal, with decent effects for a short like that. the acting was also fine.

The Wall ★★★☆☆
That was a short, fun and wacky story. A unique love line if anyone asks me.

The Closet ★★★☆☆
This is scary because of the more realistic scenario. I do wish they were a little bit more clear if there was any supernatural involvement, but nevertheless, this still gave me the most creeps. A bit exaggerated, but something that could potentially happen.

Ghost Marriage ★☆☆☆☆
When horror stories deliver shower abs scenes - I cannot force myself to complain. Sadly, that was the best part of the story.

The Girl in the Mirror ★☆☆☆☆
When you are hunted by the horror snapshot filters, even outside of the app. That's the story. Yes, it's as boring as it sounds.

The Mannequin ★★★☆☆
This was a win. They were able to built quite a tension in just few minutes and the design for the mannequin was extremely good. It just looked so weird and uncanny - and the movement. I would pee my pants if I ever come across something like that.

Escape Games ★★★☆☆
I'm impressed with Alexa's acting (funny how her Korean line delivery was more natural than the English one) and the props aka the bodies. Good stuff. Probably best practical and special effects from all the stories. The concept was not exactly unique - Escape Room meets occultists. Still, a fun watch. Better than majority of the stories in this compilation.

The starts next to the title will tell you how good they are compared to each other, rather than overall quality.

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Finding joy and staying patient while living the mundane life,

as we all learn to find beauty in the tiny moments - a smile from a child, sun coming through the branches of the trees, other people’s happiness.

Perfect Days is weirdly relatable in its simplicity. Smiling because of the shadows dancing on the wall is something that happens to me often - little moments that when appreciated, can make your day better. The movie allows you to stop for a minute and take in all the everyday wonders we often miss.

Watching Hirayama enjoy his daily routines and finding things to appreciate when the known pattern is broken made me think that every situation comes with a set of things to welcome with gratitude and things to be patient about. No bad moment lasts forever, no happy moments can exist, if we don’t notice them.

Yakusho Koji’s performance alone could be seen as the 8th wonder of the world. Even with little to no dialogue, he was able to express all the depth and internal complexity. Hirayama truly is a character we could learn from - patient, kind, helpful, giving, perceptive, diligent. Someone who cherishes each and every moment finding time to note the beauty of his surroundings.

Visually speaking I was in awe when watching it in the cinema. The use of light and shadows, well crafted set designs, interesting shots and angles - while I am glad I was able to see it all on the big screen, I also wish I could take screenshot of each and every scene and be able to come back to the pictures representing the beauty of the daily life.

Inspired by the movie, let me name a few things that brought a smile on my face in recent times:

How shadows that added to the beauty of the art I was viewing, creating a unique experience for that specific moment.
A cute drawing kids made with a chalk on the pavement.
The sun making the water flicker as if the waves were carrying little diamonds.
How a dirty window on the bus stop actually made the sunset I saw look even more magical.
How I drew a smile on a mandarin and it smiled at me the whole lecture.

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Slice of life with touch of investigation and grim undertones.

Technically The Silence of the Monster had all the typical slice of life elements - a group of characters creating a bond with each other, learning many useful and meaningful life lessons and learning how to overcome their struggles and traumas. It was cute and fun to watch. And yet, the drama managed to add the darker twist to it all, making it seem like the happiness was diluted, and the bubble could burst any time.

It was all possible thanks to the characters and how they were portrayed - especially for Luo Bin and He Chu Feng. The events of their past were still haunting them in the present, and even though they tried to move on, sometimes you need to face the tragedy, before you can build your happiness.

Luo Bin and Chu Feng had a great dynamic going on - one more reserved, the other not being able to stay still and quiet for more than a few minutes. What the show did well was giving small tweaks to who we thought the characters were. Chu Feng was not really this cold and quiet type, and Lou Bin was not as happy and carefree as it seemed.

On the other hand, while I enjoyed Sui Yi a lot, her character had nowhere near as much depth and complexity as the two male leads. For me, she represented the normality in the show - pretty, smart, hardworking, good natured. She brought the sunlight and warmth to Monster Vintage.

But then, we have Xiao An, whom I would not even consider one of the main characters. She showed up really late, she had little to no personality and presence on the screen. The development of her relationship with other characters was poorly paced and she never truly seemed like a part of the team for me.

The plot of The Silence of the Monster might seem like an investigation focused story, but for me, playing Sherlock Holme was more of a means to deliver the messages. It never felt like the focus was on the cases themselves, but rather on the people involved, especially the victims. Through the investigation, the drama presented many important social and personal messages. It tackles subjects like stalking and cyber crime, prejudice, animal cruelty, divorce/remarriage and the impact it might have on the child, mental health issues, trauma, the consequences of the white lies, and many more.

Sadly, plot wise, around episode 20 it all slowed down and I started to lose interest. The cases were nowhere near as interesting as the ones at the beginnings, the transition from the case by case scenario, to linking them to create a bigger picture was questionable. And the big bad guys were simply laughable.

The performances in most cases were great. I especially liked the raw emotions Annie Sun showed in the last few episodes. Both Bi Wen Jun and Zhu Zheng Ting had a strong delivery throughout the whole show. Ye Peng was capable of portraying Gu Nam in a way I had moments when I did empathize with him, even though I completely disagreed with his actions. The only performance that did not convince me at all was Baby Zhang, but it’s hard for me to judge how much was it the actress's fault, and how much I should blame the writing of the character.

The thing that stood out the most in a positive way were the costumes, styling, set designs, sceneries and the soundtrack. The whole show seemed like a piece of art, proven by 468 screenshots I took. I loved the vintage vibes they used, that felt stylish and not outdated. I liked a lot of the wide shots with the focus point not being in the center, but rather on one of the sides.

Soundtrack wise, I think Clare Duan - Tao Hao was my favorite song, but honestly speaking, literally every song was perfect and a gem worth adding to the playlist. Well fitting the drama, the scenes and the atmosphere created by the visual means.

Overall, it was a great watch, but the few complaints I had, had quite an impact on the overall quality of the show. It’s still worth watching and diving into the mysterious, but somehow welcoming and warm world of Monster Vintage.

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The horror of mediocre writing and directing.

If these directors are thought to be skilled in the art of scaring audiences, Thai horror has a long way to go…

7AM and Vengeful Spell - 4.5/10
These two are one and the same - extremely similar in all aspects: theme, writing, directing, the atmosphere, ending...
Both had a weird mix of cheap ghost horror, bullying and teen romance, all not blended well.

Beautiful - 8.5/10
Easily the best episode out of them all. It had a low-key modern dark fairy tale vibe to it with the way the scenes were shot and the music choice. It also focused more on the individual characters and not pointless drama between teens. There was still some rivalry between girls, but it was "smaller" and more realistic in terms of motivation. To put it simply - it made sense.

It also has quite a statement behind all the "silly horror" - how beauty standards and social pressure can truly mess up a young girl and how far she would be willing to go, to fit in and achieve what is thought to be the success.

Songsak Mongkolthong - you did a good job both directing and writing wise!
The effects were really good too. Minimalistic for most part - great choice. Put all the heavy work in the last few scenes - great choice. Proper use of practical effects for most shots - great choice.

The Book of Corpses - 6.5/10
Best part of this episode? Acting from Orn and the overall visuals. For sure one of the "prettiest" episodes (excluding special effects). The story was kind of basic and how it was shown was not exactly engaging.
The more they showed the supernatural, the more ridiculous and over the top it got. And cheap... And gross… One scene was just... unnecessary. Special effects, there was legit just one moment that looked good, and I'm sure practical effects had a lot to do with it

The Headless Teacher - 2.5/10
It was 40 minutes of a bullshit over the top slapstick horror comedy with bullshit plot, to end with pedophilia and sexual harassment of students.
Easily the worst of all episodes. This one I don’t even want to talk about. It was borderline offensive, distasteful at best.

Lunch - 5/10
When the episode opens with the main dude being a complete asshole, I kind of lose interest in watching in fear he might actually NOT die by the end. Ton being bad at acting did not help, I wanted the character dead even faster.
This could have been a lot better if they set up the plot twist in any way. They spilled the story with an opening shot, so there was no surprise later.

Curse - 7/10
By the time I got to this episode, I can’t be sure if it’s decent, or my standards just hit rock bottom. One thing I know for a fact - it was pretty and had a good atmosphere, even though the design of the nurse was mediocre.
Yes, the story was nothing new - the bullied student seeks revenge with the help of a ghost, just to get screwed at the end himself. We all know it, but at least it was presented well. Fiat’s good acting helped a lot to sell it too.

A Walk in School - 7.5/10
I think I need someone to explain the timeline for me, because it makes no sense.
That said, except for the confusing ending, it was fun. Had some simple ghost stories vibe, with low-key comedy. The dynamics between the non-believer Boys and believer Tum were great.
The emotional ending felt flat, but it might be because I was too focused on making sense out of it, so the “feels” did not hit me. The set up was good, just the execution left something to desire.

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What a nice surprise. I started the drama with zero knowledge and expectations. I knew the acting would be top notch with a cast like that, but truth to be told, the story did not sound like something I might enjoy. Well... I was wrong.

I fell for each and every character presented. This is how everyone should write interesting, fresh, original and flawed ones. I hated so many of the choices they made and actions they took, but I could understand why they did them. All the bad behaviors were never excused, but always explained. And I found it extremely refreshing.

The story slowly presents to you that whatever happens is almost never just one person's fault. At the end of the day, it is your choice to stay in a bad situation and turn a blind eye to what happens in your surroundings.

The drama has a lot of really meaningful and deep messages, including: consent in a relationship, understanding your worth, impact the past struggles have on your current self, fear of happiness and losing it. You learn as you watch it. More than once I read a line a character has said and just simply nodded my head in agreement.

Any flaws? The ending was too good. I was quite honestly hoping for some twist by the end. I was sad with how Maru and Soo Kyung's story was dealt with. There clearly were hints left, but they never followed with any conclusion. It's worth mentioning the painfully unnecessary Dong Goo's story line. From the beginning till the end, I was not even slightly interested in his character and the romantic subplot he's got.

Overall, I believe it's an extremely underrated drama and I wish more people would give it a shot. The first two episodes might leave you speechless and it's hard to understand the characters and their motivation, but as we get to know them better, they start to feel like old friends. The familiar feeling just calls you in.

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