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Let’s start with explaining why did I decide to watch this movie. Well, there are two main reasons: firstly, because Eita is in it and I always wanted to watch something with this guy and secondly, the poster – it intrigued me and reminded me of a movie Amelia; it also fooled me to think this will be a hilarious comedy. So I gave it a try.
Reasons why did I give it a 10:
1. It’s beautifully shot – every scene is like a work of art. Bright colors, intriguing details, breath-taking scenery… Even those moments when it is obvious that there are used some special effects (like the amusement park at the top of the building or prison walls,)they are not cheap like in many other movies I’ve seen, they just deepen the unreality of this world. I’m not an extreme aesthete and I don’t attach particular importance to those things, but in here the beauty of the movie was just overwhelming and couldn’t be overlooked.
2. It has amazing actors – although at first I thought Eita would have a bigger part in this movie, I wasn’t disappointed at all. He did a good job portraying a lost young man with no particular purpose in his life who tries to know more about his aunt he never met. As for our main heroine, Matsuko… well, Nakatani Miki did an awesome job portraying her. Her acting felt so real, that sometimes it was really painful to watch this movie – I was thinking while watching it that this woman was suffering so much, too much for such a fragile person, I could understand her pain and why she was making a mistake after a mistake, and all that thanks to this amazing actress who made this character alive and real.
3. Its story – there wouldn’t be so many praises from me if I didn’t find this story captivating and judging from my score you can guess that I found it as such. This movie showed in a very realistic way the life of Matsuko - from a child who was craving for her father’s attention to a miserable woman who was betrayed by all men she loved and who was sorry for being born. I’m a psychology student, so I’m always looking for reasons for one’s behavior and here I found perfect explanations for Matsuko’s self-destructing ways of acting. It wasn’t like some things were made just to amuse the viewer or just for a sake of making things more dramatic; it was more like a study of a person’s life, a very realistic study may I add. It left me crying many times (and I’m considered to be a cold-blooded person), because it made me see how easy it is to make yourself miserable and feel like there is no way out. And another advantage – even if this movie tells a heavy story, it is not extremely depressing, more like it's emotional and touching. It leaves you with warm feelings and wet eyes.
To sum it all up, I cannot praise this movie enough, I gave it a 10 without hesitation. If you’d like to take a break from overly dramatic, clichéd movies, try this one – I'm sure you won’t regret watching it.
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This review may contain spoilers
The 1 Litre of Tears special takes place after the actual drama events have taken place. Aya has now passed away and everybody is doing their best to live on with their own lives. I'll be writing a spoilerless review..
Mitsuki is a girl diagnosed with the same disease as Aya, the biggest difference between her and Mitsuki would be how Aya tried full out believing she could beat her illness.. Mitsuki is only 15 years old herself, Yet she refuses to accept any shape of treatment from the doctors, This main doctor being Asou Haruto. She is given a book, Or a motivational diary moreover by one of her rehabilitation friends. This mysterious diary, As she starts to read inside of this diary she find herself becoming more and more dragged into the feelings of this girl from the book. This Ikeuchi Aya-san, Who was she?
Interested in knowing she starts asking around and finds out that Asou has had relations with her before..
Through this special you will find this being a summary of the drama in itself, along with how you'll be presented with a few new people and a better ending to the story. How did family and friends live on after Aya's passing?
I pretty much liked the special. They managed to do it pretty well, And it has by my opinions a better ending than the actual drama had even though I liked the other ending to...
This special was just as sad as the actual drama. It had me crying under almost the full out special. The musical score was pretty good. Mostly the same music as it originally was in the Drama though with a few new songs added.
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This is a wonderfully crafted masterpiece that evokes the strongest emotions in a person's heart. The movie is set in the DMZ of two Koreas and portrays how different people can set asides their differences and be able to see each other in the purest form, that we are the same, brothers and sisters.
I found myself on a roller coaster ride of emotions, laughing one minute, in with tears in another. All the actors and actress have done a superb job in this one. The most emotionally powerful scene was the last scene. Only a photograph but conveys so much meaning and emotions.
Definitely a must watch movie, no matter where you're from, you will be enchanted and inspired by this movie's magic, and understand a bit more about what it means to be a person.
Did I mention The master Park Chan Wook who later directed the infamous "Vengeance series" one of which - Old boy went on to win the Grand-prize of Jury at the Cannes, directed this one?
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Hard to watch, but more than worth it
I went into this hoping for a light, fun watch. It's about a teddy bear! Cute and fun times await, right? Little did I know I would be frustrated beyond belief for the first few episodes, only to be won over and eventually more attached to these characters than half of my real life peers.It's hard to watch to begin with, but not in the way a devastating true story might be. No, it's just genuinely difficult to get through the first few episodes when the characters seem to be such awful people, and when it's frustrating and weird. Talking furniture with horrifying CG eyes? I was very upset to look at them!
The central characters are one dimensional from first impressions, and then as the show progresses it has some of the best character development I've ever seen. The reasoning behind peoples actions, especially Nut's, is fleshed out in a way that completely blindsided me over and over. He seems like an unreasonable, selfish person but with time and context, he becomes incredibly sympathetic. But he's not painted to be a perfect person, and he has to work through his issues. But that's addressed! So many times, things that I see other shows gloss over and ignore are addressed and worked through. I didn't expect so much depth and heft to come from what I thought was to be a goofy show.
The issues that are touched upon are heavy, but they're done with a lot of care. I've not really seen another show call out the same things that this one does in such depth and precision, and I am a bit sad because I feel like some viewers might not be as resilient as I tend to be with watching unenjoyable things. The first episodes might turn a lot of people off, understandably, but oh my god to not watch it would be such a loss.
It's also long, essentially you're watching 16 movies, so there's a lot to unpack. It would be a disservice for me to unpack the plot here, even though every part of me wants to do so. I have thousands of things to say about this series, but I'll do that elsewhere.
I will be gushing about this show whilst condemning it for awhile to come. The ending, without spoiling too much, was very hard to bear but it still managed to be a happy one in its own way. Endings are very difficult, and I know some might not be happy with this one, but when watching how everything plays out it's what makes the most sense.
I doubt I'll ever rewatch the series in full, but I'll definitely go back and watch my favorite scenes, which there are a lot of.
I can't say I recommend this to everyone, even though it's probably one of my new favorites I can admit it took a lot of patience. But for the people who do watch it, I really hope it can touch them the way it did me.
Also, it feels so ridiculous to be talking so seriously about a show call The Miracle of Teddy Bear which features absurd sentient furniture, but it's one of the most serious and uniquely beautiful shows I've seen. Obviously it's got its moments, but at it's core it's a fantastic story that made me experience every conceivable human emotion to such extreme degrees that I'm going to need genuine recovery time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Was only interested in this drama for Vengo Gao, first time seeing him in an officer role and he didn't disappoint. This drama was modern military meets SWAT type of outfit and it definitely brought interesting things to the table.Pros: Loved the team dynamic! Once they really learned how to trust each other, they were indispensable to each other. Yes, NM was not only the leader but the literal glue of the entire squad. I liked how she started at the bottom with maybe 2 friends and the captain wanting to boot her out for her own safety (really wanted to smack him for the amount of times he tried that), and each of the women who were against her, she wore them down with her intellect, honesty, and kindness. The men were a lot easier to deal with; once she beat most of them, they loved her lol.
The captain (VG) himself did very well as the gruff around the edges commander but one who was willing to protect his soldiers especially NM with his own life. Though what started originally as just him making a promise to her fallen brother and mom, ended up as legit feelings that grew between the two of them. This wasn't a military romance, but it was dispersed subtly which was just fine. The ending scenes in the hospital were too funny for words as literally everyone knew by then that the leads cared deeply for each other, so were willing to bust their chops a bit.
All the supporting cast of Blue Lightening Commandos were wonderful and when watching the BTS, they were really all about helping each other succeed even getting hurt in real life doing the stuff they had to do; not to mention acting like total goofballs, which always makes for fun scenes. There wasn't a character that I felt didn't belong from the team or the instructors or even the lead commanders as annoying as their speeches were sometimes. The OSTs were great and powerful for the series and fit just right. I hope this cast gets to work together again on something different, they had terrific chemistry.
Cons: The largest problem were the antagonists, if you can call them that. These buffoons couldn't make a plan stick if it was glued to them. The desert scene, the million other botched attempts. I really got the feeling that the writer had no real idea how to write bad people well especially terrorists. It honestly wouldn't have mattered if they made them invisible and just created a series out of high functioning drills. And what made it even more ridiculous was that the boss lady was the biggest badass; she had nearly immortal strength to take on both leads in high heels (and Vengo Gao is 6'3) and still manage to get the upper hand multiple times, flinging them around the room and shooting and stabbing them. I was legit laughing throughout that whole play by play because of just how unrealistic it was. You got two of the top notch people who's heads you broke bricks over, no problem, but a woman with high heels used them as rag dolls.
The propaganda was through the roof in this one and there were times that it just didn't make sense in many scenes; like when someone was on the verge of dying to get to their core strength, think about the flag and country. Or even for the original handling of NM's PTSD, if she thought about the flag and country, she'll be miraculously cured. Nope, not how it works. The zillion lectures by the commanders that always painted their country as the best in the world, made you roll your eyes. There's a time and place for everything and when you overdo it in scenes that require finesse instead, it takes away from the gravitas of the scene.
Pretty much everyone has mentioned the whole brick breaking over the head thing. And maybe it is done but not suddenly and probably not a dozen in one go. No human skull can withstand that kind of punishment without detrimental consequences and long term ones. The whole trying to portray these human beings as robotic super soldiers, didn't favor the series. Was very unrealistic and unbelievable. Also wish they started bringing in people who could speak English better as foreigners because they get over-dubbed anyway and many times how their lips moved didn't match what was being said. A bunch of loopholes were left untouched and unexplained, I'm guessing the audience was just supposed to forget them.
Would I recommend? If you like great teamwork, real friendships, are a fan of Vengo Gao (he's great in this series), and are into military/SWAT dramas, then this one is for you. Just be aware that the antagonists suck and the WETV app subs are auto-generated so some concentration to understand what's being said is required.
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Cute and sweet romance with healthy and honest communication. Enjoy!
Completed - 5/23/2022The rating of this drama is solely based on my enjoyment and might not meet anyone else’s standard of a quality drama. “Ase to Sekken” also known as “Sweat and Soap” is just what I need at the moment. An injection of sugar to pick me up after a few serious and depressing dramas. In order to fully enjoy this drama, you need to know what you are getting yourself into.
I recommend this drama for those:
- Are familiar AND like Japanese weird humor and over-the-top acting
- Want a dose of sugary cuteness with a side of cotton-candy fluffiness
- Simple but FAST-paced romance plot
Since this is a pretty short drama - 9 episodes at about 24 minutes each - there will be no dragging in the middle of the drama.
A few notes:
1. Great leads chemistry with pretty decent kissing and PDAs
2. Hilarious ways of portraying the deed in typical weird Japanese humor
3. Cute and innocent romance with a very healthy dose of HONEST communication (Hooray!)
4. Fast paced romance from meeting to getting married - no misunderstanding or love triangle.
5. Weird scent fetish that took me a couple episodes to get used to
6. Weird sweating that I still find weird throughout the whole drama
7. No annoying characters - quite lovable side characters/colleagues
8. Though female lead is shy and introverted, she is not a pushover
9. Can't help but keep staring at FL's bosom. :)
10. Getting relationship advice while sitting on the toilet is a thing, apparently.
Rest your brain with this sweet and cute romance. Don’t think too much and enjoy the ride!
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The first 15 or so minutes of the movie is nothing out the ordinary and is exactly as the synopsis says it is. Tsuchiya Tao so far, as Yukina, fits the cast of Every Japanese Shoujo Heroine™. The REAL fun of the movie starts when Yukina and Kei meet Sakaba (Mamiya Shotaro's character) and try convincing him to be a pilot in the club again. What ensues is a hilarious scream-off between Yukina and Sakaba, owing to their headstrong personalities and loud voices, which is both extremely cute and displays the incredible chemistry between the two characters that never goes away throughout the duration of the movie.
That said, don't watch this expecting a cute romance; there isn't one. One-sided, sure (I won't say who), but definitely nobody becomes a couple at the end of the movie. I was a little disappointed at first, naturally, but in figured that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter- it didn't matter to the two people involved, anyway. Yet, I hope there is a Part 2 so that my hopeful little heart is in peace.
Tl;dr: If you're a fan of cute comedy and amazing chemistry (that is only sometimes romantic- emphasis on SOMETIMES), you will love this movie just as much as I did.
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This review may contain spoilers
An Enjoyable Aviation Rom-Com with Great Flight & Fluff
A charming romantic comedy centered on the aviation worldThe Plot & Themes
The story follows Ruan Sixian (Liu Xiening), a straightforward, outspoken flight attendant who dreams of becoming a pilot. When Hengshi Airlines cancels its pilot training programme- "The Soaring Plan", a massive misunderstanding between her and the company’s vice president, Fu Mingyu (Miles Wei) occurs.
At first, he happened to overhear a few flight attendants chatting in the break room and wrongly assumed that the FL was part of that conversation, in which they discussed trying to marry either one of the airline captains or the airline's owner, the ML, so they wouldn't have to work and could enjoy a comfortable life.
That was never the FL's intention; she never said anything of the sort—it was her coworkers who were in the break room. It simply happened that she was standing beside them while they talked about it. Her sole goal was to become an airline captain. That was her only focus at the time, and the sole reason she joined Hengshi Airlines was the Soaring Plan.
The ML wanted nothing to do with the FL. He was extremely handsome and rich, and many women desired him, yet he had no interest.
After the misunderstanding and the humiliation, she courageously hands in her resignation. Three years on, she comes back as a top-tier pilot, compelling the executive who "doubted" her to view her in an entirely different light!
A goosebump moment comes when three generations of female pilots gather for the inauguration of Hengshi Airlines' new domestic carrier, Z101.
Another goosebump moment occurs when Captain Fan carries out a safe emergency landing after one of the passengers suffers a heart attack.
Returning to the story, Fu Mingyu is the first to fall, after witnessing her dedication and work ethic and learning of the hardships she endured to enter the flight academy and then complete her training. He admires women with strength and ambition. He soon recognizes and accepts his feelings for her and begins to pursue her. At first, Ruan Sixian doesn't respond well to his love, care, and concern, since as a rookie pilot she wants to concentrate on her career and growth and has not yet entirely forgotten his insulting remarks from years before. He offers a sincere apology, explaining why the Soaring Plan was cancelled and how he has changed from the arrogant person he once was. She finds she cannot stop thinking about him. After working together for a considerable time, she gradually lets down her emotional guard as she comes to understand Fu Mingyu's reforms and vision for Hengshi and his support for his employees, and she begins to trust him as a partner who can stand by her and support her career without overstepping her professional boundaries. They clear up all of their misunderstandings and begin dating.
Meanwhile, Fu Mingyu also learns about her family background and plays a vital role in helping Ruan Sixian heal the deep-seated emotional wounds connected to her mother.
Naturally, her career doesn't take a back seat. She passes her assessments without a hitch and becomes a co-pilot.
In a later simulator assessment with captain Yue, she fails because he intentionally makes the scenario extremely difficult. The manner in which her mentor, captain Fan, pays captain Yue back is worthy of praise.
Then there's another standout scene in which the FL has to take over one of the flights she's on. The captain in charge, captain Yue, loses consciousness. The FL is the next in line to take command of the flight in an emergency. At this point, it's evening, and their flight has been well along its way to the destination. They've run into a heavy storm, with powerful winds. She remains very much in control, a bit frightened but fully in command of the situation. She succeeds in carrying out an emergency landing. However, the QAR is triggered. So at that point the board wanted her grounded (disciplinary action). Fu Mingyu proposes some new reforms and refuses to ground her. The board made a huge issue of her dating him, the VP of the airlines. They applied a great deal of pressure on the ML to ground her and to refuse to consider his QAR proposal.
Because of the pressure the board was applying, the FL felt it was best for them to break up. The FL told the ML to go ahead with grounding her, so she could get it over with on her own and be able to fly again in the future.
He spends several weeks working on a new reform so that no other airline captain will ever have to face unfair punishment for emergency landing situations.
He managed to successfully pass the new reform. The new reform brings an end to the 20-year practice of managing through punishment; they will now have a healthier and safer reform.
Throughout this period apart, the FL comes to understand that her love for the ML is genuine and that she wants to share the rest of her life with him.
When her university invites her to speak to the students, she openly discusses her love.
Fu Mingyu had been searching for a way to reach her all along, and that small hint was all he needed to locate her; they reunite, with her love and trust now deeper, stronger, and equal to his.
Fu Mingyu is subsequently dispatched to Macau to acquire another WT airline. He becomes ill, and she hurries to be by his side. They enjoy several pleasant outings and warm moments as a couple, and he chooses the perfect time to propose. She gives a partial yes, explaining that she must first pass her captain's exam before taking such an important step in her personal life. Naturally, she passes, and the very next moment brings another proposal from Fu Mingyu (care to guess where 🤣); she accepts with her whole heart, and both are deeply tearful and emotional.
Their wedding takes place after one of her piloting flights to an island. The entire team of airline attendants are her bridesmaids. Fu Mingyu waits for her on the runway, she changes her clothes and wearing her wedding gown walks down the airstairs and he's in his tux waiting on the runway. The drama ends beautifully on their wedding day!
What makes the narrative stand out is the transition from a standard hate-to-love romance into a story deeply rooted in resilience, family dynamics, and breaking barriers for women in aviation. The underlying message—that it is okay to fail as long as you keep moving forward—is beautiful and gives the latter half of the drama unexpected emotional and philosophical depth.
Acting & Chemistry
• Miles Wei as Fu Mingyu: Miles Wei proves once again why he is the reigning king of the CEO archetype. However, Fu Mingyu is not a typical toxic scumbag; he genuinely respects Ruan Sixian’s capabilities and personal growth. Miles balances a stern, no-nonsense corporate exterior with a more gradual, earned emotional depth. The romance builds slowly out of hard-won mutual respect in the cockpit and boardroom, rather than instant, sweeping gestures. He brings a different flavour to Fu Mingyu; his performance relying on stubborn pushback, handling her justified grudges, and engaging in petty, comedic workplace bickering. Plenty of swoon-worthy moments as a lover.
• Liu Xiening as Ruan Sixian: For her main lead acting debut, Liu Xiening does a solid job. Ruan Sixian is refreshing because she is heavily career-driven and realistic. Even though her emotional barriers make her repulsive toward the ML initially, her defensive nature feels deeply justified by her past family issues.
• The Dynamic: The chemistry between the leads is delightfully fluffy and delivers plenty of smiles and laugh-out-loud moments. While the romance is a bit text-book "bickering cuteness" at the start, they develop into a great, supportive team.
• The supporting characters, particularly the friendship between the female lead and her best friends and later with her colleagues, and her mentor add excellent cozy vibes to the narrative. Although I felt too much screentime was given to second couple.
The cinematography is pleasant, melodious and apt ost and bgm.
If you are looking for a breezy, heartwarming romantic comedy to cure your post-drama blues, Blossom through the Cloud is a perfect tonic. It brings a refreshing spin to the typical corporate romance by diving into the aviation industry with a strong focus on female empowerment. While it has its fair share of classic tropes, the overall journey makes it a very satisfying watch.
Overall Rating: 9/ 10
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This review may contain spoilers
Gangsta FL, Cozy Vibes ✨
This turned out to be a surprisingly solid drama! Classic rebirth-and-revenge setup, but the FL? Total gangsta queen. She clapped back at anyone who dared to stir trouble, and I was living for it.The romance was also a treat. No dumb misunderstandings, no dragged-out breakups — just two leads being adorable together. Always a win in my book. 💕
Now, confession time: I devoured the first 13 episodes (they were all out already) and had the best time. But once I had to switch to the one-ep-per-day grind, my interest dipped a bit. Still not sure if it was just the slower pacing or me losing momentum—but lesson learned: I’m saving minis for when they’re fully released.
Overall? A cozy, satisfying watch with a cute romance and a happy ending. Simple, fun, and totally worth the binge.
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Not for the culturally feint hearted, the complex plot and obscure cultural touchstones make this wonderful little film a genuine effort as I have previously stated, but if you have the time and a willing heart, you won't be disappointed.
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Excellent, but too short
This is a very good 44 minute long LGBT short movie. It is well made and well written. The story is intense, concerning a young man who, after suffering sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather, turns to selling himself to other abusive men. But the arc of the plot turns happier (and sexier) when he meets an undercover cop who falls for him.Strong points:
-- The plot is interesting, engaging and well-conceived. It concerns some heavy topics but is not overwhelmingly depressing. (That said, it does feature a couple of incidents of rape, and people who are sensitive to sexual violence should be warned.)
-- The acting is truly excellent. Jed Chung does a good job of communicating how clueless and lost Light is. Even more, I thought Max Liu was tantastic -- thoroughly believable as Light's savior, Shuo. Liu is intense, masculine and yet soft -- the way he treated Light was perfect. (In some ways he takes the place of the father-figure Light never had). And he has a wonderful deep voice and a gorgeous body, so what's not to love? (P.S. the MDL pic of Max, above, does NOT do him justice.)
-- The cinematography is first rate, with great camera work. (I loved the opening scene, where the cam is following Light through the market as he goes to meet one of his "johns".)
-- There is not a lot of music actually in the movie, that I remember......however the film concludes with a music video (I think the name of the song is "Light") and that one is truly excellent.
Weak point:
-- The decision to make this a short movie limited the creators too much. A longer treatment could have given the audience a better understanding of the development of Shuo's affection for Light. It seems to appear out of nowhere. The lovely scene where Shuo abandons his reserve and makes love to Light would have been just wonderful if the audience had a better feeling for the tensions/mixed feelings that were afflicting Shuo.
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Bound by Sin... Can you say sexy
This could have been a perfect 10, had the writer completed the story. The plot was a surprise that I did not know I needed. They pack what started off as a hot story into just 20 episodes that had me wanting to know what was going to happen next until the end. The (FL) was alluring, sexy, wealthy, smart, shrewd, and dominating. BUT, I personally, the ML my favorite, he was sexy and definitely eye candy, I kept thinking oh my he is gorgeous. Can you say GQ, meets sexy villain.The costumes were great and looked like something that would have come from that era, but they lacked imagination to complete the story. ( I know I said this more than once) They gave us character growth, and undeniable chemistry but what they could have done better was the ending. The story was not original, we have all seen this format before, but what they did do right is choose leads who really fit the roles. I did not like the open ending, considering you gave me almost everything I needed and then just snatched it away.
Did the writers get bored or just really did not know what to do to make what could have been a epic story complete. I still want to know what is next, did they get all they hoped for or was there yet again another challenge. If you are not going to offer me a part 2 at least complete the story so I can walk away satisfied completely ( pun intended). Overall, I enjoyed the show and would say its worth the watch, Just be open to the fact the ending is what you make of it.
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I thought the actors did a good job. Especially Ou Hao, who played Zhang Yang. I am going to look up more of his roles. He was good at showing the character development.
Its a bittersweet story and you should give it a try.
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What the helll
Man, this show is a wild ride. The translation I watched was absolute trash, but hey, it’s got La Pasion, so who cares? The Emperor?? Doesn’t even feel like an emperor. And that concubine, Jiang Ziyan is so dumb—how did he even manage to fool her in the first life? But listen, the ML’s La Pasion moments?? That’s the real reason to watch this fever dream of a reverse harem. Him acting all frail and desperate for her attention had me kicking my legs like a schoolgirl.Was this review helpful to you?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2PK_v3m5m-LbkdySEUxZW5Cc00
-please let me know if there is anything wrong with the link or the uploads themselves and i'll correct it.
I love this series so much. It was much more than a BL series in all honesty. I mean sure, most people came only for Alex and Benny and they are both my favorites don't get me wrong but the story line revolved around much more than just the lives of two guys whom themselves had a pretty heart wrenching story line. It's about friendship and being there for one another, it's about having the courage to stick up to your parents for you individuality and happiness while maintaining that bond. It's also about not always needing a lover to make you happy or doing something that you feel you should do just when you know that you don't want to.
The actors were amazing, the scenes portrayed a mundane feel. It's a great balance of serious, casual and comical. I would recommend this to a lot of people and i would love for it to have a season 2 if they decided on one.
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