Reviews

One For the Books

I can't explain how much I was moved by the series to the point where I stayed up at the ass crack of dawn to binge-watch. Then to be told that episode 8 would be another few hours hurt to hear, but I waited and waited, and finally, it came out, and my heart is overjoyed with something that I haven't felt for many Japanese BLs. Mr.Unlucky is an extraordinary series full of happiness, speculating luck, and a heartwarming romance.

Let's Dive In.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss is the story of Kota, a boy born unlucky who has unfortunate circumstances happen to him every day, from falling ceilings to stepping in dog shit, he has to endure it 24/7. Until he meets Naoya, a boy born lucky, who has the best things happen to him anytime he wants them. When Kota finds himself around Naoya, he sees how his bad luck fades away, and he can have a good time. Through a misunderstanding, they both become boyfriends and their lives are forever changed. What initially drew me in was this wacky synopsis that I was curious to see play out on screen. I was a little skeptical at first, going into this with only the synopsis and that's it, but this was a gem. A bright bright gem that I'm so thankful I ventured to. While most of this series was everything I needed and more, there was a key aspect that dimmed my overall joy, but for the most part, this series was as close to perfect as perfect can get.

One thing that Japanese series can do is either be extremely vulgar or super clean and from my understanding, there is no in-between. Even looking at Cherry Magic, a story based around a virgin, was as innocent as ever, and so was Kieta Hatsukoi, with neither shows even showing a kiss between leads, and yet, I still loved them to my fullest potential. Mr. Unlucky happens to fall in the super clean category. Part of me doesn't mind that intimacy doesn't play a big role here, because they were still able to evoke strong feelings out of me without that aspect, but gosh, does it suck not to see the climax of something the writers did so well at building up. Kota and Naoya have built such incredible sensual tension that it's almost infuriating with every passing second Kota avoids kissing Naoya or doing anything else. This series is so prude in itself that it draws back its own ability to be even greater than before, and it sucks. I wish there would've been a moment where Kota finally felt ready to kiss Naoya, and instead, we never get that. Besides a very chaste kiss in the beginning, we the audience are left to fend for our own and make up the rest of their story as it ends.

And while I do complain that intimacy should've played a bigger role here, I can't help but applaud how respectful and patient Naoya was. He kissed Kota in the beginning because that's what his past girlfriends had liked, but he realized Kota was different and was willing to wait to kiss him again until he was ready. Although that moment never happens, it's heartwarming to watch Naoya be so sensual and yet hold himself back for the one that matters to him the most. Consent was superb here, and I will deathly miss it.

Now, getting into their romance, of course, because of it being a misunderstanding, the connection isn't as strong in the beginning as it is in the end. But we get to watch with every passing moment it build and build until we're desperate for more. Getting to watch Kota be happy and do things that he normally keeps himself away from because of his bad luck is another level of rewarding. His smile, the way his eyes light up, his skips and jumps and cheers, it's all very gratifying to see. To see that Naoya is able to bring him something he hasn't had in years. Anytime they were together, my heart was aghast to watch them grow in chemistry and understanding. I was sure that Naoya would have a similar situation as Kota: using him so that his good luck isn't always there and people can stop relying on him. But nope, that's not the case. Naoya just loved Kota from the very second he saw him, and it only grew from there. That is fucking precious. I will miss seeing these two on my screen, only if it were for a day.

Onto the side characters, who were a lot less memorable, but they played helpful roles in getting the leads to where they needed to be. The two best friends were valuable attributes to Naoya who saw them as his real friends and not people needing him for his luck. I was more so intrigued with Miki's story who seemed as positive as ever about love, and Anna, who seemed very negative about love. I have my speculations that the bracelet Miki was wearing somehow stopped her from forming relationships instead of being in one, and once it broke, she seemingly started to realize her feelings for Anna, and it's quite an adventure to take part in. I wish they had more screen time after Miki subtly (but not so subtly) admits her feelings to Anna.

Ratings:

Story: 9 - It's the strongest aspect of the series. It was able to keep me entertained throughout without any skips or FF. The romance is well done, and so is the explanation and the play out of luck and sharing it. I'll only take a star off since I think the romance could've taken that one step further, and instead, the writers hold us back.

Acting: 9.5 - Great! Literally! Sota (Kota) does a fascinating job, playing up the extraness and expressional person that his character was. Sato I learned is a Japanese idol, and in some parts of his acting, it's not as strong as it could be, but still, he does a good job at getting the message of his character across. All the side characters did excellent as well.

Music: 7 - the theme song was good to me! Other than that, I didn't really pay too much attention to it.

Rewatch value: 6 - I could see myself rewatching this whenever I need my heart to flutter for whatever reason.

I don't usually ask for second seasons, cause it's unnecessary and not needed, but I severely hope this gets a second season to wrap up that endearing part of Kota and Noaya that we don't see. I still think there is a story there to tell, and I need it immediately. This had shot up to being my new all-time favorite Japanese BL, and not too far from making an appearance as my top 10 favorite BLs. I will cherish this for as long as I can. I heavily recommend this for anyone interested. If you can take yourself out of the real world and watch this fantastical series that will make you feel every emotion in the book, then give this one a shot.

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What a pity the drama ended. I have been saying this since beginning, but I think that it's still underrated. I have a lot to write, hence I don't know with what I ought to start.

The ending! It was so good! For me, no matter how good drama was, last episode is always the worst, even when the ending was happy. I think that a lot of writers and directors struggle with this topic - If I was a one, I would too. It's so hard to let go of your own characters, tie everything together and deliver the right emotions and message to viewers. Here, chapeau bas! I can confidently say that it was my favorite last episode ever. I cannot recall any other ending that did such a great impression on me. I will praise creators of this drama for a long time. I'm almost 100% sure that we didn't have any plot holes and everyone's actual situation/ending were explained.

I truly loved these characters! The actors here were an absolutely top tier. I had been watching actors I knew before and some new faces for me that I automatically added to lists with my favorites. At the beginning of this series I commented here that "all of them have their good and bad sides, which can't be that obvious in the context of this drama". I still think the same. The story and relationships were unique. Creators misleaded us countless times. Also, I learnt so much thanks to this drama. The story, sentences and morals were meaningful.

It is almost hard to believe that this is a drama. It has a lot of movie vibes. I think it would be even better to watch the whole series at one time and I will definitely rewatch it.

I was surprised that a lot viewers were confused with episodes 12/13 and 14. In my opinion, scenes you didn't like, direction and pace of them were somehow meaningful and in the beat of the scenario. They greatly highlighted main sense and concerns of this story, even when you found it extravagant.

I adored all of the plot twists here. Usually, I could predict some of them but here... Not really. It is one of the biggest virtue - you never knew what else can happen. They handled it in the best way and I was surprised almost every episode. Definitely on one of the highest positions in my ranking with dramas which were the best in this topic.

Music. It nourished my soul and I will listen to the one of the best OST's in the history for a long weeks or months. I memorized these songs so well. They're just beautiful: words and melodies are worth every minute. The actors did a great job singing here.

Definitely in my top three of favorite dramas ever. Everything was so consistent and I can't criticize anything here. I will miss it so much. If you didn't watch it, I encourage you to do so.

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This film is a powerful gut punch for masochists ala --> ME. Jeez. Keep your sinus drops handy because you're going to be over working them. Seriously If you're one of those people who watched History Trapped and went 'not dark enough what sissy crap is this if only it was way way screwed up and sexual' you should watch this! Sadly, I am that person lol

Anyway, jokes aside if you know anything about me, you know by now I'm a sucker for obsessive love that goes beyond the boundaries of morality.

Absolutely one of those films and couples that will be my go to from now on.

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The weight of your words; Is it heavy enough to save/kill people?

Are "mere words" enough to save someone who wants to end his own life? I think many people who are emotionally struggling need someone to talk it out… a simple talk may not end their years of problems and make them a smiling person again but it could be of little help.

Words can save people but they can destroy them too. "Tomorrow" is about the other side of the coin. The reasons, the thinking and the words that could've hurt a person so deeply that he wants to avoid this "tomorrow." This drama teaches us the real value of the words we speak. they are NOT trying to convince us that suicide is the right option rather they want us to be caring towards people and choose our words wisely.

Tomorrow is a fantasy drama that brings to you the right balance of emotional cases and stories of people suffering (who are at the verge of ending their lives) but the Risk Management team of Jumadeung is right there… just like Koo Ryeon says – "Our job is to offer them comfort, sympathy and support rather than a solution. They're the only one who can free themselves." …So they're grim reapers with angelic twist…

The best take by the writers are those stories, nothing very superficial or highly imaginative. They're social and human problems that may be relatable at some point. Since related to death and people's conflicting mental state, they tend to be dark sometimes… and the words in every scene are so quote-like. Every sentence with deeper meaning. I liked that.

Based on the webtoon "Tomorrow" (내일) by Llama, tomorrow is impactful with cruel reality of society. One thing which stays with all stories is 'Self love'… "Stay strong, have that trust in yourself and face them"… Like one line that hits me highly from Episode 7 is "My standard for happiness is myself."

Many people were curious… is there any romance? Yes there is. It is for a little part only but they looked so good together. Of course, I wish it was longer but that's all we get.

The subtle and spiritual acting by the leads makes everything better.

✧ Kim Hee-Seon (as Koo Ryeon) – my eyes were stuck on Hee-Seon's beautiful-sassy red hairs, badass, i like her her kicks and how she stopped time on her finger tip.
✧ Rowoon (as Choi Jun-Woong) – Rowoon and this role, both keeps impressing me all the time, he takes decisions emotionally, cries with them and gives his all sympathy and support.

✧ Yun Ji-On (as Lim Ryung-Gu) – Ji-on is also great as the Mr. Lim who has a soft heart inside his casual look.
✧ Lee Soo-Hyuk (as Park Joong-Gil)– Soo Hyuk literally comes to the screen for 5 minutes every episode yet he leaves a good after effect with his charm.

What I didn't enjoy here —
—•• The ending was really rushed but we don't get any cliffhanger, it was all clear, yet that one story of leads had so much potential. I hope it was given enough time.
—•• less screen time for Soo Hyuk… I thought he is the main lead but we see him barely in the early episodes and only towards the ending he looks like an important part of the drama.

All four have their own mysterious story that could make you cry buckets. Jumadeung is an afterworld organization that includes many Grim Reapers so this drama isn't going to be all about suicide cases… there will be some natural/accident death cases…
From the OSTs I liked —
♪Red Light♪ – sung by Lee Seung Hyub 이승협 (J.DON) …and… the cover in episode 5 ♪Summer flower♪ – sung by Kang Seung Yoon.

So, DO I RECOMMEND THIS?
— YES… but NOT TO EVERYONE.
Tomorrow does have a special concept "related to suicide/death" and they can be triggering for some people… anyone who is doubtful about whether to watch or not or whoever is scared to get affected by them can ~
✼ try out some episodes and then decide
✼ look out for what are the topics covered and if any topic looks upsetting just avoiding those particular episodes is enough.

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Divine Wrath strikes with unabashed humor, yet healing wounded souls of black, gray + shorn sheep

"The Fiery Priest" is all about Korean humor. You might have to get used to it. At least I did. The first time I approached the series I probably wasn't ready and possibly not in the right mood for such cheerful, tongue-in-cheek fun à la Korean style. I gave up quite early (probably after the first episode). On the second try tough, everything just fell into place. And by now I can say from experience: "The Fiery Priest" is ideal for repeat offenders. I had even more fun then... (And that probably wasn´t the last time I watched...)

Nonetheless. Korean humor is special, especially when it comes to the fascination of the intestines - often enough they are gladly celebrated in a wide variety. Here as well. Utter confusion and frenzy are also a must. Instead of tried and tested bar fights and brawls of the western type however, the focus here is rather on choreographed martial arts.

Humor reigns supreme in "The Fiery Priest". Humor determines the pace, the timing, the nuances and the ambience. Slapstick, situation comedy, dialogue jokes, parody, irony - hardly anything is left out. "The Fiery Priest" doesn't take itself too seriously. The central storyline says it all: in the robes of a priest a former NIS agent ensures order and justice. Even the Pope has his brief appearance here. But also the 'sects' with self-appointed saviors flourishing in the country.

And yet, the "The Fiery Priest" has some serious tones to offer, too - besides and in the middle of all the slapstick. The plot background is once again fueled by South Korean backroom liaisons between executive, judiciary, politics and crime. With regard to the personality development of the individual characters, touching emotional moments also come along here and there - comparatively modestly, but nevertheless with impact.

Finally, "The Fiery Priest" also plays out another strength of KDrama: Here you can experience a lot of cheerfully and yet subtly touchingly executed bromance and womance. (However, there's no romance. But nobody has to miss it.) Bromance and womance as well as the variety of embedded side plots inspirit dramaturgical facets, that may touch the heart, having quite something to offer between soft touch and punch. It is simply a pleasure to watch the various dynamic personality developments. (Outstanding actors all along, by the way!)

"The Fiery Priest" spectacularly succeeds in balancing a tightrope act - good-humoredly and mischievously dancing above an unspeakable swamp of injustice, bribery, abuse of power and human greed.

Divine Wrath strikes with unabashed humor, thus along the way healing the wounded souls of the black, gray, and shorn sheep.

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It’s kind of hard for me to write a review for Soredemo – I’ve watched this drama about a month ago and wanted to write one since the moment I finished it, but every time I try to actually start writing I can only think about those corny sayings like “story about forgiveness and redemption”, “tragedy of two families” or “great study of human nature”. I don’t like all those cliché, empty words, so I tried and tried, and tried, and then tried some more to write something that could actually describe this drama and to not sound overly banal at the same time, but still, nothing satisfying could come up to me. But then I though “why not use them if they describe this drama the best?” So here goes my corny review:

Soredemo, Ikite Yuku is an unforgettable drama. It’s simple, yet captivating, slow-paced, but addicting and sad, but at the same time very optimistic.

It tells the story of two families whose normal, everyday life was suddenly broken by a terrible crime and shows how people who were affected by it try to live on, cope with this tragedy. What I liked about this drama is the fact that it shows that both sides suffer, although differently – not only a victim’s family’s life is changed forever, but also those, who are related to murderer have to continue living with guilt and knowledge that somebody close to them killed an innocent person and destroyed lives of many people. It’s rare (at least for me) to find a story that gives a right to suffer not only to the victim’s side, but also for the other side too, so that’s a huge plus for writers.

The plot of this drama is really simple – it shows how the younger generation tries to heal their families and find the reason why the tragedy had to happen. Both main leads – Hiroki and Futaba are amazing, not only in terms of acting, but also as the characters. They feel real in their social awkwardness and their stubbornness to make things right is heartwrenching. Also, their relationship is unique and charming – two people who should be on the opposite sides join forces, change themselves and their families and also find in each other something akin to soulmates.

The pace in this one might be considered a bit slow by some, but for me this was surprisingly an advantage; because of that screenwriters could show us a very believable character development; everything was happening slowly, yet in the right moment and nearly every single behavior was justified and didn’t seem rushed or out of place. Also, I loved it that this drama despite taking on a really hard, seemingly depressing subject, is not overly dramatic and sad – it leaves the viewer with optimistic feelings. It’s like a catharsis.

Acting in this drama deserves a separate essay, so I’ll try to keep it short. Everybody was amazing! Yeah, yeah, it sounds like an exaggeration but believe me, it is not. Every single actor played his part perfectly – Eita ended up being my favourite Japanese actor ever, I’m stalking him now and plan to watch all his dramas. He was just natural in his role of an awkward guy for whom the time stopped when he was a teenager and who has to cope with his conflicting feelings for a family of his sisters murderer. His co-star, Mitsushima Hikari was great too, she’s a versatile actress who, in my opinion, has a huge potential to be one of the best Japanese actresses in few years. Just watch her in this drama and then see Love Exposure – I still can’t believe she’s the same person! Supporting actors, especially Hiroki’s mother, a woman who never accepted her daughter’s death (her monologue in ep.5 left me speechless) and Futaba’s father, a man who tries to atone for his son’s wrongdoings with all his might - they were outstanding in their roles, they could easily make the viewers feel the pain of the parent who lost his/her child. The only actor I was not impressed by was Kazama Shunsuke who played the murderer, but well, his role of a slightly autistic guy who never really grew up was really hard and still, he did a decent job, he was just not as amazing as the rest of the cast.

As for music in this drama I’ll only say that the opening song was really annoying at first. It slowly grew on me, but I still think it’s horrible. This wailing guy should keep his mouth shut for his entire life.

So to sum it all up, what I was trying to tell (or more write) in this review is that Soredemo, Ikite Yuku is one hell of a drama. I’ll use those corny descriptions again: it’s beautiful, thought-provoking and original, but see yourself if I’m not exaggerating!

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(Note: this review judges only the drama and will make no comparisons to the original web novel. Though, that would also make for an interesting discussion. Someday, perhaps.)

It’s a special type of emotional experience, watching a drama like Skate Into Love, which has solid strengths yet also a fair share of wobbly flaws. It took some serious consideration for me to establish how to reconcile all the positives and negatives; but after watching the conclusion, I can say that for its genre, Skate Into Love can stand tall in its field.

The basis of the plot is a concoction of classic rom-com tropes. The leads know one another from early childhood and, upon reuniting years later, their relationship becomes an “enemies to lovers” affair. This show's primary differentiating factor is its inclusion of ice sports, which dictates significant plot points and is crucial in the growth of several characters.

The first half of the show overflows with sweet and humorous moments between Tang Xue and Li Yu Bing as their constant bickering turns into genuine care for one another. Their romance is a strong force because they, as separate characters, are both independent people who have flaws as obvious as their strengths. They manage to grow together and are capable of helping each other because they understand the person opposite them incredibly well. It warms the heart to watch and you can’t help but root for them as a couple and as individuals.

That being said, there are some other plot points that beg to be mentioned:

One: third wheels. It’s a rom-com rule that they have to stick their head into the plot. Listen, I don’t make the rules. Take it up with the screenwriters upstairs. They’re the ones who insist on including several love rivals. Some of them can actually pique your interest as they evolve over time, so not all of them are a total waste of your attention. However, it’s my civic duty to throw one of them – Mr. Bian “creepy chuckle” Cheng – under the bus for starting as a minor headache, then evolving into a complete migraine by intervening in the main couple’s relationships in the most boring and inconsequential ways possible. He is, hands-down, the weakest link of this show. You don’t hate him because he’s an actual threat, you hate him because he could be interesting but just isn't.

Then, there are the side couples. Like the third wheels, I don’t even remember how many of them there are. But nonetheless, they pass around the baton for taking over the show every once in many a while. A key positive point about all the supporting characters is that the writers did try to make them more dimensional. Just like the main characters, they each have unique motivations and insecurities, making them feel a lot more human than what could be said for many non-leads in other shows. Whether it be friends, family members, or rivals of the main characters, I really liked how they all had their own lives and problems. That further helped make all of the platonic relationships much more enticing. Even so, it’s incredibly difficult to have a drama effectively focus on a main couple as well as multiple side stories – some will certainly feel like plot filler, especially in early parts of the show, because we don’t see their full development like we can with Tang Xue and Li Yubing.

There are also some moments involving the leads that feel a bit iffy considering their personalities. Don’t you just love when a relationship, consisting of two amazingly communicative characters who deeply seek to understand one another, abruptly crumbles due to external factors that existed but didn’t matter before? To have problems within a relationship is completely normal; and while I’m glad to see them addressed, the way that they’re depicted is sometimes too theatrical. I’m not going to lie. Seeing all the age-old melodrama cliches enter the picture and challenge the romance is almost entertaining – in the same way that watching someone slip and fall is entertaining after you told them beforehand, “careful, it’s slippery”: the ridiculousness of something happening when it shouldn’t is quite…amusing, to say the least.

These flaws aside, I overall found the story to be a good balance of being amusing (even hilarious) at times and serious during others. I liked how sports are involved in some of the characters’ lives, providing them with dreams and purpose. Part of me wishes that there were more competition scenes shown, as the action during them was fun to watch (and inaccurate, but come on. It’s people on ice with knives on their feet; that in itself is deserving of a thumbs-up). Much of that may be due to my own preference, though, since personally like some ice sports and would hardly object to seeing more of them.

As for the acting, I genuinely appreciated the life that the lead actors brought to the story. Tang Xue is a character who – if assigned to a poor actress – could easily be depicted as annoying due to her outspoken nature, but Wu Qian does an excellent job balancing that boisterous behavior with kindheartedness. Zhang Xincheng also shines in the role of Li Yubing. His depiction of a childish yet determined young man is spot-on. Together, these two actors created an excellent picture of a happy and young relationship, full of promises and hope for the future. When evaluating the supporting actors, I found their abilities sufficient for the roles that they're given and certainly wouldn’t mind watching their future projects.

As far as rom-coms go, Skate Into Love is satisfactory. Though it occasionally stumbles, none of that changes how it put some of the biggest smiles on my face out of many of the rom-coms I’ve seen thus far. You really just have to go in prepared to brush off all the cliches, because what’s underneath all that dust is a very sweet story that is worth sitting through.

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To Find Yourself, Think of Yourself - socrates

This drama started with an issue of a 32-years-old career women who doesn't have experience in dating.
Her first love promised to get married in future, but it fell right after they met again after years.

The FL, He Fan Xing, is the oldest daughter in family- even tho she has twin brother, but she's more mature than her twin. When they are younger, her twin brother, He Can Yang, doesn't let any guy to get closer to her until no one wanted to get close her. She is definitely has zero experience in dating. So, her mind and act is easily read by others.
Fang Xin is like an earth. She has everything like beauty, career, money and loving family. But she also has gravity and magnetic force fields, so she make sure everything she does, doesn't effect everyone around her.

The ML, Yuan Song, is an intern who brought by Fang Xing because of her brother asked her. At first, Yuan Song is kind of troublemaker and like to tease her after he started to get know her true--of course, it's also because her brother always sharing about how weird his twin sister to him. He found Fang Xing is mature yet innocent, so he attracted to her charm.
His character like a wind, sometimes calm sometimes not, transparent and running towards his dream.

Their three months relationship may not shown much because it's not only focused on main lead relationship. But I can say they are happy during the three months. It shown how much Yuan Song loved her and how Fang Xin cared for him even after the break up.

The SML, Ye Lu Ming, may be bit sneaky and ambitious. After he successed separated Fang Xin and Yuan Song, he always understimated Yuan Song. He feel he has win over him (after lose to him at first). Like, he wanted a limited edition bag but someone buy before you right in front of your eyes, you may do everything to get the bag. He is like a fire.
But, I can see he is not evil. He is good towards his niece and family, but also a fool for love. He sometimes creep me out because he was like popped out nowhere around Fang Xin.

Actually, I can understand why Fang Xin is very careful with her relationship with Yuan Song. She is 10 years older, and Yuan Song is her brother's student. As women, it is very sensitive matter. She doesn't want especially her family being talked in town after the topic she WAS 32 and UNMARRIED. She also doesn't want to hold Yuan Song, who is handsome. rich and have bright future and of course YOUNG. Whilst, Yuan Song feel insecure because he JUST graduated and an intern in Fang Xin's company. while the opponent is successful.
This matter worsened by Lu Ming's advices, which is turn out to be their break up.

Honestly, the story get better after the break up. I like how Yuan Song trying to fight his girl back, with raise his own value. Yuan Song know exactly what he want to do. It was good drama to watch.

Just like the title of drama, they need to Find Themselves and what they really wants before others.

This drama also is not just about their triangle love story. It also shown many relateable issues and heartwarming family, friends, and collegues.
The jokes also cracked me up especially with Can Yang's antics.

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Exceeds Expectations.

Generally, if there is one genre that has been reused too many times to the point that nobody really watches them anymore, Youth dramas take one of the top spots. A River Runs Through It is no different. Dealing with the regular issues of teenagers growing up and their relationship with their parents, it can be compared to the vibes of Lovely Us and Reply 1988 during its initial episodes and proceeds to follow an almost slice of life like plot with the daily on going life of the characters at college and their relationship with their friends and 'person of interest'.

(It's also very loosely based on a novel "Yan Lei De Shang You" (眼泪的上游) by Ming Qian Yu Hou (明前雨后) which is literally translated to 'Upstream of Tears.' It dealt with the ignorance of youth and had a realistic portrayal of the 'One that Got Away', if you are curious.)

***THE WARM FUZZIES:

☆ Set during the late 90s and early 2000s, what makes ARRTI stand out from regular youth dramas is the absolutely vibrant portrayal of the various characters, the real nostalgic vibe that it brought along, and the absolutely relatable incidents and events that anyone can relate to. There's always a constant feeling of warmth throughout our journey with characters

☆ Right from the first episode, we come across Xia Xiao Ju, a timid but hardworking girl, who accidentally has an unceremonious first meeting with the naughty Lu Shi Yi. We meet their neighbour Cheng Lang, a compassionate and sincere boy, the fluffy Bao Xiang Xiang and the empathetic Qiu Le Tao. The journey with the five characters from high school to gaokao and their moments of happiness and sadness were deeply touching. Characters, even with less screen time, managed to flesh themselves out as realistic ones, breathing life into the drama. We fall for them, laugh and feel their sorrow with them. One of the most memorable scenes I would pick during their highschool days is the one where the gang chases after the departing train. What I initially thought to be a funny moment was painful. And I related a lot to the 'bidding farewell' scenes. For a coming of age drama, this is one of the best I've seen.

☆ None of the characters were cookie cutters. Everyone were multi dimensional with their own strengths and weakness. Cheng Lang, the studious sweet boy, does have his own share of naughty stuff with Lu Shiyi. Shiyi often plays around, but proves to be one of the best friends that one could wish to have. It was absolutely funny watching this drama on Youtube and each new episode had people saying how much Shiyi was starting to grow on them. Bao Bao comes off as lazy and funny, but is more understanding and his own share of difficulities to face. Tao Tao might be confused, but has more grit and resolve in her. Xiaoju is shaky when it comes to her own internal struggles, but recognizes her faults and attempts to correct them. The variety of characters, each with their own uniqueness and the brilliant portrayal by the actors was one of it's highlights. In terms of acting alone, this drama deserves a better rating than many of the hyped up ones.

☆ I was particularly impressed by Jiang Zhuo Jun's Qiu Letao. I'd found her role in Just an Encore almost forgettable, but from here, I could tell that she deserves characters with more depth and intensity. It was also a treat to see Wang Rui Chang as Lu Shi Yi. The last few episodes were some of the best moments of his and showcased his talent. Hu Yi Xuan never disappoints and this was no exception. Chen Bo Hao was another surprise - his character never annoyed me, even though he was set up as a someone who was supposed to rival Lu Shiyi. In fact, now that I think about it, none of the characters were annoying.

☆ The strong friendships are really well depicted with a hint of realism to it, emanating a lambent ambience that is bouyed by compelling performance by the cast. I couldn't find a single scene where I felt that anyone was trying too hard to make it seem natural. Nothing was forced. It was really heartwarming and relatable. Particularly the original gang: Xia Xiaoju, Cheng Lang, Lu Shiyi, Tao Tao and Bao Bao. Then later, at college, the bromance between Shiyi, Huang Jun and Cheng Lang. Not to mention Xiaoju and her roommates, including Tao Tao. The comedy element was never lost until some of the final few episodes.
Shiyi and Xiaoju's friendship is perhaps the highlight and backbone of the story. Their support, banter and care for each other was what kept us waiting for new episodes each day. In a way, we see them realize where their hearts lie and it was heart warming to watch. (Also a bit frustrating.)
Lu Shiyi just raised the bar up when it comes to best friend standards. Although annoying at times, he is often ruthless with his words and desperately attempts to help his friends when they are at their worst, may it be Cheng Lang or Xiaoju. His character was a standout for me among many leads I've seen - he is usually the kind of guy who is set up as a second lead whereas Cheng Lang would be the leading man. But, all the five of them (six including Huang Jun) had distinct personalities and worries that made each of them interesting in their own right. Their journey along the bumpy road of life was 100% worth my time.

☆ Another aspect that I love about this drama are the parental relationships. I'm sorry to say that I was at the opposite end of the Xiaoju - Mother arc, but some of the way that Xiaoju reacted reminded me exactly of my sister. Her conversations with her father were beautifully portrayed. I also found Cheng Lang's relationship with his mother really touching. Shi Yi's banter and arguments with his parents were absolutely funny. The parents' continued to make their appearance even towards the very end, which was something I've not seen much in many Chinese youth dramas and found it relatable and realistic.
Those moments with the family never failed to make me emotional and kudos to everyone involved.

☆ In terms of relationships, I personally feel that ARRTI covered some of them in a rather realistic/bittersweet manner that was much closer to reality. The last half of the drama particularly has a lot of focus on relationships, but never seemed too mushy and romance focussed. I never disliked any couple or ship, however boring they might be.

☆ The soundtrack was perfect; not flashy or over the top, but nostalgia inducing and warm. I was unable to understand a single word, but nevertheless, they made me feel the exact emotions that I was supposed to be feeling. My favourite ones:
▪Still Singing (依然歌唱) by Liu Xin (刘心).
▪Between the Lines That Year (那年的字里行间) by Guo Jing/Claire Kuo (郭靜).

The ending theme 'Dear Journey' (亲爱的远行) by Cao Xuan Bin (曹轩宾) was pleasant to listen to. I particularly liked the instrumental renditions of various songs. None felt out of place and complimented the scenes perfectly.

The BGM only added to the effects of ARRTI. Some of them were really memorable:

1. A flock of birds flying away.
2. A top toppling. (I read a YT comment pointing it out to be a tennis ball.)
3. A goat braying.
4. A chicken and duck crowing and quacking.
5. A train wooshing.
6. A cat meowing and dog barking - particularly when there was some humorous conversation between Tao Tao and Xiaoju.

***THE COLD PRICKLIES: [Mild spoilers.]

---- Xiao Ju's one-sided crush on Cheng Lang dragged waay too long, about 25+ episodes. It should've wrapped up right around EP24 or 25 so that the story could focus on Xiao Ju's growth and relationship with her family, but it didn't and so much time was unnecessarily wasted on the arc. On the positive side, none of the side characters were affected by this, so there was smooth development from their side. (Plus, I was unable to connect to her character as I had never experienced this. It looked like she was imagining a lot of stuff.)

---- As a result of the above point, the final few episodes are the weakest, particularly from EP32. They were a total rush as expected from a show destined to squeeze everything into 36 episodes. Not to mention, the warm quality and realistic character growth got totally thrown in the bin to give way for a really cliché and uninspired script that could be a part of any drama. We already have an excess of such Youth dramas with the same tropes, so it was extremely disappointing to see such a promising show take the exact same route. I, for one, was dissatisfied by the way everything got wrapped up with a bow as it almost seemed more like fanservice than actual content.

---What makes this more obvious is how closely the writers stuck to the novel upto episode 34. Possibly the most fatal flaw they had made. Had they wanted to give a more fulfilling and realistic end, they should've steered clear off the book's influence. Slow burn romance needs a lot of depth and time to construct; Xiao Ju and Shi Yi's friendship was more memorable than the push and pull crap that kept happening past EP30, completely failing to bring justice to their "romance". It just wasn't a convincing slowburn with only five episodes to stuff everything in. The last two episodes, albeit being beautiful, is plain mediocre; it was clearly a deus ex machina. It was forced and banal, completely forgetting it's realistic slice-of-life storyline in favour of a flamboyant end to satisfy viewers.

---- The character Xiaoju, never really got a chance to face the repercussions of her actions and her realization and growth were stuffed behind several dream sequences or time skips that was unfavourable for her.
Out of all the characters, she had the potential to have a really well portrayed storyline, but I failed to see any significant change in the way she was written. At some points after EP31, I could feel the inconsistency in her behaviour, which might be the result of trying to serve justice to her character, who in the book was a rather depressing one. Some of her actions suddenly seemed indecisive and stupid, often slow with her responses, thanks to the awful pacing and a timeskip that crowded the plotline of several characters together. I couldn't sympathize with her actions as somehow I glimpsed the shadow of the novel's end. It's such a shame when she could've been right up there with characters like Duk Soon and Chengzi, yet the drama failed to live upto it's potential. Time was what she needed, but it wasn't done convincingly. It's also understandable as the original novel wasn't as fleshed out as the live action. I could feel that the writers kept the book in mind and it somehow got unintentionally hinted for a minority of viewers, including myself.

--- There were more scenes of the leads getting support from their friends that I really liked, but when it came to themselves, the communication about their troubles and fears regarding their relationship was almost zero. Shiyi got no better than her - there are still questions and misunderstanding remaining from his side. It didn't help that we see his character's efforts for the first 30 episodes, but get little to no actual response from Xiaoju during the final episodes, where multiple character arcs come to a close, and the story took a very generic turn that was a stark contrast to its original tone. Which is a shame since more than half of the drama was spent on strengthening their relationship, but hits a rocky road after a time skip. It felt off and did both Shiyi and Xiaoju a disservice. Had the scriptwriters chosen a more slow and convincing progress, it would have been much better.

---- The timeskips worked excellently for the evolution of supporting characters. But, the slice-of-life like balance got lost during the last bit. The main leads disappeared offscreen in what seemed like an attempt to give other characters a proper closure. It didn't help that unnecessary misunderstandings were stuffed at the very end, sucking away the uniqueness of the drama. Also, a few scenes that could provide some credibility and continuity to the story were completely cut off, or clipped and locked behind a paywall. Which just might be one of the worst decisions I've ever seen a streaming platform make - many of us waited for crumbs and finding out that minor scenes that could develop the plot got cut off was iffy.


But, I enjoyed the story of each of the original gang members, hence my rating.

***FROM THE BANK OF THE RIVER:

Overall, the cast and crew attempted their best to bring the story to life.
Personally, the drama portrayed the bitterness of youth and the dilemma one faces during those times excellently.

My rating is an 8, minus the enjoyment factor, for which I'd gladly give this one a 9, even if the last few episodes were unnecessary for the leads. The characters and execution made this watching experience a really memorable one. But, for a drama that could've followed it's slice-of-life plot, it fell far off the mark and now I only can lament about its wasted potential.

In a way, I can understand why the Chinese Title of the drama is Shang You/Upstream.
Going upstream is never easy. There is the gravity constantly pulling you down and the river itself that stops your smooth passage. Time and river have two things in common: they pass by and if we are lucky, we find what we want at the right time or realize what we missed out on too late. But, in the end, they are all bittersweet and nostalgic memories that we will forever cherish. And if that was what " A River Flows Through It" wanted to pass on to us audience, they did it really well.

Do I think it's perfect? No way. Did it make me mad at times? Yes, definitely.
But the fact that it riles up such intense emotions within the viewers itself is a win for ARRTI.
And I do not plan to erase this small, flawed story of two lovable idiots and their friends anytime soon.

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Dude...

How is an 18-minute short supposed to excuse the emotional abuse and Lhong paying a man to rape Tar? And here Lhong used to be my favorite character alongside Techno lmao, nah the man needs therapy...

I just... I don't see how this is supposed to excuse anything. Sure we got context, but that context doesn't really amount to much. Him being ignored by family and friends doesn't mean he gets to go around breaking people up just because he wants Tharn so badly. And yeah Tar isn't my favorite character but... you tried to sell him... to a man who attempted to rape him...

Dude.

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I don't understand why the rating is so low

First of all, I almost gave up of starting this drama because I thought it would be a mess since all the reviews are a bit negative. I was surprised. The story is a lot cute, there's the romance, the friendship, the visuals. I missed an OST more powerfull but that's all. The drama is refreshing, and it has a good story, the characters development it is really good, and now I ill point why I think this.
Hye Jun - It is a character who puts a lot of effort in everything he does, if it is his dream, his relationship, his friendships. His relationship with his grandpa is something that worth watch and we can understand through the episodes how he was capable of maintaining his image even after all the scandals people tried to envolve him, it was all because he's really a good person, considerate, someone who values the people around him more than status. His relationship with his dad is a bit problematic but I thought it was enjoyable in the drama too because that's life, who of us never had any misunderstandings on our own families?
Let's talk about Jung Ah, she's someone who suffered a lot because of her mom, she felt abandoned most of her life so she thinks it's better to admire and support someone who is far, someone who will not dissapoint her, I completely understand. Many times in our lives we admire singers, athletes, models, people that as far as they are we think they are amazing, because you know, life gets a little complicated when we know people personally. She choosed the right person, and you know (maybe there will be some spoilers here), I think she did right when she decided to end/postpone a relationship to focus on herself and build her own career, sometimes you have to do this, you have to considerate your feelings more before things just end up ruined. So I think it's delighting the way they meet again years later after both stay more mature, more openly to live their love fully, I think the end of the drama shows it to us too, it's not a sad ending, it's like if they are starting again, but this time being complete on their own, as individuals.
Talking about the other characters I think this is just what happens with Jin u and Hae Na (but I have to say that I missed a better ending for them), and Hae Hyo discovering himself besides his mom influence worth to watch too because it's him getting out of his bubble to draw his own path.
Anyway, I think I was rambling a bit but I have to say, it's a good drama and the bad reviews doesn't define it really well, I enjoyed to watch and recommend it to everyone who wants to watch a simple drama that you can watch with family and have a good feeling about the story in the end.

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Psychopath Diary was a drama I thought wasn't for me. The plot didn't sound like something I would really enjoy; crime-thrillers aren’t often very high on my lists. However, I tried it out for Yoon Shi Yoon and it captivated me and amused me from the very first episode.

This drama surprised me so much. The story is just as crazy as it sounds, memory loss isn't anything new in kdramas and often I shudder when I hear the words amnesia being used to advance the plot, but the story is told in such a amusing, cleaver and sincere sort of way that you can't help but be hooked by it. The show always seemed to be very aware of itself and what it was trying to do and just very comfortable with its absurdity.

The tone of the story is rather slice of life some places, but achieves those more dramatic moments when it needs to, humor is on the black side and takes advantage of how ridiculous everything is around what I appreciated and it always managed to blend it, thrill and more the mundane story of the characters we meet along the way.

I didn’t feel like the drama thread a lot of new ways with some of the tropes it used, or dives too deeply into them. It more so just has a lot of fun with them. There is a very nice balance between the comedy, the absurd and then the more thriller aspect of the show, which makes it stand out. It makes Psychopath Diary become unlike other kdramas I have seen before.

I expected the more serious side of the show to take over at some point, for the comedy to sort of step aside as the story got bleaker. But the story always seems to flow well between those different genres the show has all mixed up in there. It had a rhythm going on. There is always some twist to every aspect of the story, and the comedy interrupts the tension a lot of the time and vice versa. There was such a nice mix going on there, one that I didn’t think would work as well as they did. It never gets too tired.

They never make you guess too much, not even with who the real psychopath is; that makes us just in on the joke. You have a hunch about where this is going, but still the drama is so cleverly absurd that you do have a hard time guessing what will happen next. And the drama makes great use of it.

In Woo also always managed to be one step ahead of the other characters, and while it did feel a bit repetitive (and very annoying towards the end, but in a good way), that I still found myself very enthralled and excited about each new episode. In Woo is a killer I could really enjoy. He's just evil, no trauma or explanation needed, and it’s just great to watch. It worked out well for the story and you somehow never knew what he would do next.

Sometimes he seems a little too cartoonish as the bad guy, smirking and laughing in the background. But it felt so intentional and in the spirit of the humor within the show, that it sorts of works.

Sometimes the comedy goes a bit overboard, and sometimes you can sense when the switch between the tension, the more dramatic points, and the more comedic aspects of the shows (like when the twists are revealed) but it is always so very entertaining and just a very fun ride throughout. I was expecting it loose steam at some point, for the plot to become way to ridiculous, but it just went full steam ahead and just made this crazy plot its own.

There is very little romance here. I was expecting more, but I was very happy with how little we got. There was plenty else to do within the story already and adding romance on top of that would have been too much. We just got more solid character interactions and different relationship development instead. There was definite fondness, possible attraction between Dong Sik and Shim Bo Kyung. But there weren’t much more than a few longing eye-contacts and so on between them

I liked Bo Kyung, our female heroine, as a character. She was always very consistent with herself, rather sensible and smart and always went after what she thought was right. Her character was never set aside as the story went along, people listened to her, she was valued, and she had real impact on the story. So often female cops on these shows are just there running along with the men and just there to get into dangers. Not here.

Dong Sik who goes from being a pushover to someone who learns to stand up for himself, , and over the story does a good job with presenting the characters to us so we can understand them, and get behind their actions and why they did things the way they did them; despite the absurdity that is prevalent all around them. Yoon Shi Yoon plays Dong Sik so well. He is so good in this role and he gets to show all his aspects as an actor here. All the actors here are very good in their roles.

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Why, of why did I read Violet's review? I had somehow fallen into a sort of quiet limbo regarding my favourite actor and almost forgotten about this movie accordingly, when I read her review, ran to watch the movie myself - talk about patience - and was instantly thrown into my most familiar obsession: Hyun Bin.

My bad. To top it all, I agree with her: this movie is beautiful. I know this is a remake of an older Korean movie with the same title which I haven't seen, but from the start it reminded me a lot of the american/french film "Before Sunrise", with the two leads carving out for themselves a tiny bubble in space and time, far from their present lives and the world outside.
The difference - a notable one for me - is that while in Before Sunrise the two protagonists talk a lot, too much for my taste, here silences are a lot more poignant and meaningful. I am actually glad I watched it raw, to the point I think everybody should do so. To elaborate: most dialogues take place in English, but there are moments when Anna speaks in Chinese and Hoon in Korean. English is their communication tool, but the reason why they understand each other is not a language. Apart from the dance scene mentioned by Violet, I fell in love with another, in which she tells him her story in Chinese and he only comments "bad" or "good", depending on what he feels is her mood. Watching it raw, made me live the entire surreal dialogue as if I were him, not grasping one word, but trying to understand what she conveyed with her posture and eyes.

I also agree about the direction, and I have come up with a sort of theory of my own as to why the colours are so subdued. What we are offered is the world outside the prison as Anna sees it. Since colours only depend on our perception, there isn't much reason for her to paint her life. No wonder she wears make up and happier clothes only for a brief moment: they look fake, in contrast with her mood. The only colourful moments are those in which she imagines.
I guess the choice of Seattle wasn't accidental either: as I recall, it is known as the rainiest city in the States.

The acting is spectacular. Hyun Bin is a gorgeous man, but that's definitely not the point of this movie, where he doesn't have to be good-looking: he has to look vain. And I'm glad it is so, for dwelling on his looks would be an offence to his acting skills.
Wei Tang's performance is outstanding. As I said, she expresses a world via silences.

Beautiful music. I wouldn't have minded a little more of it.

I recommend this movie, but only if you are prepared for its pensive pace and all the untold. Not a fluffy watch by all means, and not for anyone looking for comedy.

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wish Lom had a different "plan"

Overall: if Lom had just been honest at the beginning (ep 1 or 2), then I could have enjoyed their cute moments. This is based on a book written by MAME which I haven't read and I will review the series on its own merits. MAME also wrote the screenplays for Don't Say No, Love By Chance 2 and TharnType specials. 7 episodes 45 minutes each aired uncut on iQIYI (had steamy scenes starting at the end of ep 4) and cut on YouTube (the steamy parts cut out/shortened). There will be a special episode.

Content Warnings: non con kissing/touching, manhandling, body shaming, manipulation, slaps, homophobia

What I Liked
- cameos/characters from Love In The Air characters (episode 3 of part 4 was great)
- m/m steamy scenes are done well (need the uncut version to see them)
- MAME cameo/reference of signing the guestbook
- the line of "you look perfect now, don't listen to others" (though he's the one who brought Nuea to the gym so...)
- GL couple (but strange that an established couple avoided kissing in the beginning)
- Nuea's family/friends
- Nuea stood up for himself with that farm dude
- production value (especially the color/light)

Room For Improvement:
- Sailom had a terrible "plan", if he had been honest in the beginning then I would have rated this series significantly higher, but all I saw was Sailom lying and hurting Nuea and he knew he was hurting Nuea, it would have been a 2 minute conversation or a text message but Sailom couldn't find the time??? other characters even told Sailom his plan/method was bad
- Yiwa and Sailom had a bad plan as well, how would that work in the long term, what a disservice to their significant others
- Yiwa had to take all the blame and Sailom got everyone's sympathy and lied to his mom, this really rubbed me the wrong way
- the non con kiss
- too many "comedy" sound effects including the gulp noise
- why make them speak English during the wedding vows when they didn't speak English in their series, also the English subtitles were wrong
- unnecessary long water skiing scenes (2 in the first 3 episodes)
- not a good kiss for an established f/f couple
- fictional drunk character who is so drunk he needs help walking but then a few minutes later is an active participant during sex
- nonsense things: Sailom was a sound sleeper, wasn't the wedding supposed to have a huge guest list, looked like 50 guests
- the moms yelling/fighting

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