Reviews

Pretty but soulless

The Silent Sea seems to have all the right ingredients, from premise to set design to casting, but unfortunately somehow failed to truly grab my full attention.
I don’t consider my time with this show wasted at all, I did sit through all eight episodes in three days after all, but this is not a drama I see myself ever coming back to nor thinking about ever again

Visually speaking, this is a very impressive show. Probably the most expensive-looking Asian drama I have ever watched. The CGI definitely didn’t disappoint. And yet, for the most part, the cinematography didn’t leave a strong impression on me. Not implying that it was bad, not at all, I consider this to be a pretty visually stimulating drama, but it wasn’t anything more than competent. None of the shots felt bland or flat per-se but I can’t shake off the feeling, that The Silent Sea just lacked a certain something. Nice to look at, but not particularly interesting. The only thing I can say with certainty is that this show is dark, thematically, but also literally at many parts. So dark in fact, that at many points I was having real difficulties figuring out what was going on. That can be a stylistic choice of course, but I still don’t feel like it was an exactly smart one.

However, in my opinion, the biggest fault of the drama lies in the characters, which I couldn’t bring myself to really care about. For starters, I thought that many of them were too similar in personality. But I also just failed to connect with anyone emotionally. I don’t think that the actors are at fault here, if anything I was more than pleased with everyone’s performance, but it seems like The Silent Sea didn’t leave any room to showcase human emotion. For the most part, I don’t feel like we got to know anybody. There were very few scenes where I got a clear image of the crew’s dynamic with each other. I don’t need media to have banter and funny and witty one-liners every second scene, in a Marvel-movie-fashion, but I still needed something, anything from The Silent Sea that would have convinced me that these are truly individual people with their individual flaws, strengths, quirks, aspiration, and dreams.

Plot-wise I think this show was fine. The premise was what originally attracted me and the twists and turns kept me engaged, but I really do feel like a story can only be as strong as its characters and unfortunately, this drama just missed the mark here.

Please don't read this and conclude that I consider this to be a bad drama, I truly don't but it didn't really leave me feeling anything. It didn't make me smile (which, considering the genre, was to be expected), it didn't make me sad, it didn't frighten me, it didn't even really make me think about anything much.

Would I recommend The Silent Sea? Kinda a tough question. Personally speaking, it didn’t hit the spot, but I also feel like this might come down to a personal preference in genres. If you like science-fiction, violence, and (most importantly) cool-looking space-stuff, I’m sure you’ll have a field day with this. If you’re looking for a more emotional experience, maybe skip this one.

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want to see the actors in something else

Overall: the leads' excellent chemistry couldn't save Twins' poor writing. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3782/twins-2023-e01 ; re-aired on Lovemedia Thailand YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIFuZIdAgzTjbXN2ypTCNBGNY0PQQTgxG&si=TmjC1-YF7k_mWZTd

Watch Suggestions (unless you enjoy slow pacing, stupid decision-making and poor communication)
- read the synopsis/watch the trailer and skip episodes 1-3
- episode 4 watch up to 10 minutes, then 29 and then at 36 minutes
- episode 5 start at 17 minutes and can watch on a faster speed to the end
- episode 6 watch 18-20 and 23-24 minutes
- episode 7 start at 18 minutes and can watch on a faster speed to the end
- episode 8 start at 10 minutes and can watch on a faster speed to the end
- episode 9 watch 24-25 and 29-31 minutes
- episode 10 watch 15-30 minutes
- episode 11 watch 12:20-15:20 side couple
- episode 12 watch entire episode

Content Warnings: violence/fight/beaten up, manipulation, non con picture taking/sharing, cyberbullying

What I Liked
- a sports based BL
- good chemistry with the main couple
- a side couple grew on me

Room For Improvement
- needed the twins to be better differentiated similar to Not Me, even if one was dressed like the other, the voice and mannerism should have immediately signaled to the audience who it was, there were a few times I wasn't sure who was supposed to be who in a scene
- slow pacing, entire first episode was set up, watched most of the series on 2x speed
- Sprite needed to say something way earlier, his brother Zee was a nonredeemable jerk and all the characters shared 3 brain cells
- way too many side characters introduced quickly, took awhile to figure out who was who and then several plot threads weren't developed well
- toilet humor at the end of episode 3
- for one couple, the pursuer was a bit too aggressive and the pursuee was a bit too reluctant for too long
- choppy editing
- in episode 10 the fictional 'so drunk can't remember in the morning what happened but was an active participant during' cliche
- final episode rushed several character endings
- terrible characters that didn't get any consequences, just the "leave us alone/don't do this again or else...."
- plot holes/nonsense writing

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Seriously don't watch this one. I was happy to find this drama out since it looked like a GL so I was happy that Viki is getting wlw relationships some spotlight as well.
But damn I was wrong, I can't believe I survived watching all the 8 episodes. The only pros are that both the female leads acted quite good and that I liked the OST but that's all.
The characters are awful, manipulative and cheating. All the relationships (romantic or friendship) are so toxic it hurts.
I'm not even sure if this can be considered GL since the female leads were always like "we're just best friends" and they had friendship rings and each of them got a boyfriend at the end of the drama. Like what?!
Lesbians and wlw in general deserve much better representation than this sh*t.

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Thoughts left the room, all that is left is me simping for the oppa.

Not gonna lie, this show made me feel pathetic - reminded of my young teen self getting obsessed over the rich entitled oppas. It’s been ages since an oppa oppaing so hard evoked so many emotions in me. He served us nothing, but served so much. The never changing face, monotone line delivery, 2-dimensional writing spiced up with all the possible cliches - all that to deliver the truest oppa ever. How shallow of me to open the review with that statement.

Surprisingly enough, no matter how ridiculous, unrealistic and over the top the drama might have been (which, by the way, were all the reasons I loved it so much), it actually had some thought-provoking scenes and moments. Social commentary dressed as fancy makjang? That might be an overstatement, but I’d be lying if I said it did not present even one aspect worth reflecting on. Basing your worth on your popularity, addiction to attention, seeing people around you as tools to be used and discarded when they stop being useful, how far can one go to achieve success, differences in how people perceive reality depending on their socioeconomic status and more. Bits and pieces of potential, all overshadowed by the entertainment.

And I’m not even mad about it. This is such a stress-reliever brainless entertainment I’m actually grateful it exists. Once you start watching, it’s hard to stop. There are awful and selfish characters to bitch about, a female lead that’s worth rooting for, a few characters you end up loving (even if the reasons are painfully shallow), twists and turns that come out of nowhere and make you question the reality that already makes no sense. And then there is the glamor and fashion that’s just so pretty you can’t turn your eyes away from it.

How’s the acting? On average mediocre. Some performances were good (looking at you Lee Chung Ah), some were fine (I love you Park Gyu Young, but not all of your scenes were to my liking), some were either barely existing or yet again typecasted (Kang Min Hyuk serving nothing but hot looks and Lee Dong Jeon playing the same character he did for the past few projects). Did it bother me? No. I have no idea why. I have no idea why all the things that usually make my blood boil just did not bother me here at all.

Overall, I finished the online exam in 15 minutes just so I can continue watching this drama as soon as possible - that will tell you how addicting it is. The pacing was fast, there was no time for chill and breaks, the characters were either unrealistically great or comically awful. Han Joon Kyung was the most oppa of all oppas. Whoever the casting director was - they need a raise.

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I mean, how does one even review a drama like this? It's totally subjective! That said, each episode was a short 10 minutes that flew by because they were so cliche, yet so fun. Each episode featured a different star, and a different drama cliche plot line condensed into 10 minutes.

I recommend this just because it's so entertaining to watch. I especially recommend it if one of your biases is featured in an episode and odds are they probably are because what a line-up!

Story-wise, I thought Ok Taec Yeon's was the funniest and the best. Kai's noona storyline was cute as well. Subjectively, I liked Ji Chang Wook's because I'm biased and it gave me 'Healer' vibes all over again.

Music is lighthearted and the theme song is sang by Ji Chang Wook!

Like I said earlier, it's a purely fun watch so don't expect great stories. After all, didn't we all come here to see our favorite biases? I know I did!

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The cook, the eunuch and the chowhound - a crime solving menage a trois.

This comedic drama features a wildly imaginative yet oddly fitting crime fighting menage a trois comprising of a low (sixth) ranked magistrate (Tang Fan), a high-ranked embroidered guard (jingyi wei; Sui Zhou) and an influential eunuch (Wang Zhi) with the emperor's ear. Their paths intersect on cases with national security implications and while they have different agendas and masters, their synergistic and mutually beneficial collaborations blossom into friendship. The three main characters are well written - their bromance, hilarious antics and interactions are this drama's greatest strength.

With an irrepressible grin and a wicked gleam in his eyes, Darren Chen really hams it up with his cheeky, flirtatious and sometimes deliberately irritating characterisation of the titular Tang Fan, an idealistic young magistrate who is more of a chowhound than a sleuthhound. The talented and willowy Tang Fan is a very pretty boy with delicate and vivacious features who embraces his feminine side with abandon and is passionate, emotional, naggy, petulant, petty and vengeful. This outrageously funny character writes erotic novels to supplement his puny income, lives to eat, seems extremely well acquainted with the how to but yet can't cook to save his life. He happily moves in with the gorgeously taciturn, moody, much more masculine and deadly Sui Zhou who steals Tang Fan's heart with his ability to cook a mean meal. There is enough in their interactions and suggestive domestic arrangement to get the BL fans all hot and bothered without running afoul of Chinese censorship. And then of course there is Wang Zhi, the most morally grey and dangerous of the three. He approaches relationships transaction ally - "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" and is unambiguous about his first loyalty to king and country. Newcomer Liu Yaoyuan's portrayal of the ruthless, calculating and yet inexplicably likable Wang Zhi nicely rounds out this kinky threesome. Between them, they are able to marshal resources from the lowest to highest reaches of society to solve their cases.

Set at the heart of the capital during the Chenghua reign of Ming Dynasty, the important characters and events of the period are nicely tied into the overall plot-lines. The surrounding characters were somewhat cliche but mostly well done from the "adopted daughter" Dong'er, the miracle doctor, the Oirats, Wang Zhi's beggar informants and the rare treat of a smart and hot emperor. The cases run the gamut from crimes of passion, corruption, larceny, terrorism and climaxes in a dangerous conspiracy reaching the highest ranks of government. Most surrounding characters including the villains have recurring roles in subsequent cases which gives them dimension and avoids the confusion of excessive character introductions with each new case. The cases shouldn't be taken too seriously; while they are fun and quite interesting, they are not that original or that difficult to solve and have some logic holes and are thus unlikely to satisfy a serious crime or mystery buff. The rhythm of the investigations frequently digress into inane and somewhat childish hit or miss comedic sketches that can go on for too long. There is a slight misogynist undertone to this drama - even the likable women have unflattering traits (stupid, noisy, whiny, irrational), or worse are power hungry, traitors, extremists or come to a bad end.

The tightly choreographed action scenes are signature Jackie Chan - lethal, gripping, high impact, extremely acrobatic and fluid poetry in motion. They are not excessive, do not drag on for too long and avoid the mid-combat slapstick moments he used to be so fond of; all good changes. The camerawork is stunning and very artistic, approaching movie quality. They obviously spared no expense with this and it shows.

For those who grew up on Jackie Chan, the Sleuth of Ming Dynasty is a fun romp down memory lane. There is a bit of the artistic Jackie Chan, the wacky whack-y Jackie Chan, the comedic Jackie Chan, the high testosterone Jackie Chan, the innovative Jackie Chan, the crass Jackie Chan and finally and pleasingly, the mature Jackie Chan. I outgrew his flicks ages ago - after awhile I found the hair rising stunts, high speed chases and exaggerated comedic routines repetitive, shallow and draining. So I am pleasantly surprised to see in this drama that maturity has toned down and balanced some (not all) of his more extreme inclinations while still remaining essentially Jackie Chan. It is also nice to see the uniquely Jackie Chan inspired Hong Kong wu da pan (武打片) sub-genre with its chauvinistic, contradictory, cynical, sarcastic yet sentimental and idealistic spirit has evolved for the better but is still innately the same.

This is highly entertaining and enjoyable if you don't look too hard at it or seek profound meaning. It is not always my sense of humor and the cases are solid but not exceptional so I rate it an 8.5 but I can see why others would call it a 9.0 or better.

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Have you ever watched a show that made you feel like you are a dirty pedophile? If not, and if you are looking for one, then this one is for you!

Before anything, lets talk about the good things:
1.Newyear and Jur's King and Burger. Newyear somehow reminded me of a young Ohm and Jur's obvious over acting is endearing. I think the series will have a more positive reaction had they made them the focus of this show.
2. Is there a number 2?

Truth be told, I cant tell how anyone behind the show thought this was a good idea. This series is so reminiscent of the director's past works- Make it Right and What the Duck, but it seems like they never learned their lesson and instead amplified what people hated from those shows. Now lets talk about the not so good things:
1. The story. Cramming so many things within a 6 episode show is just too much, plus you really cant tell what the show is about. Is it a love series? Is it a murder mystery series?
2. Just like Love Sick 2, they managed to add another 2 of the most annoying characters ever on a tv show. There's no need to explain why Bookko's teacher is so despicable. And there's Mint's Pakaiwan. Also, special honorable mention to Ning's Pimtha, because
3. I really dont understand why some showrunners are so intent on making girls the villains in a boy-love series. Adding hate-able female characters doesnt automatically make viewers accept boy-love, if anything, its just lazy writing.
4. Speaking of lazy writing- this one seems like a mash up of a few other shows but is much more poorly executed. It is quite obvious that Burger King's story is derivative of Kieta Hatsukoi and there's an abvious attempt to make this into an Agatha Christie show.
5. I mentioned earlier that this show can make you feel like a dirty pedophile - the short shorts (it somehow felt like shorter shorts from Make it Right) is just too much and way too distracting. There was also quite a lot of disturbing shirtless scenes. I remember i was cringing during that scene when King removed his shirt and is trying to strip Burger - they obviously doesnt have what it takes to do that mature scene (they look like naked 10 year olds with those tiny bodies) but to force it does not look sexy, at all.
6. Bigboss' permanently constipated puppy sad look face. No matter what scene he is in, its the same sad face.
7. If they're planning season 2, which we all know is coming despite all the company's drama, I sincerely hoped they kept Pakaiwan dead because we dont need to see her anynore.

What's sad is there are hints that this could be a much better show. Overall, if you lower your expectations, it is still watchable and because of Burger and King i will give it a 6 (and also because i hate giving lower than that). Skip if you can only watch a few shows a week and save your viewing time for something much better.

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Season 2 is as good as Season 1

I've read some of the reviews and I was quite shocked that some of them gave this drama a terrible review/rate when in fact it was a great drama. First, I was a fan of Romantic Doctor that I've watch that first season a lot, and I think watching it again before starting this second season was not a bad move since the charm of medical drama is still there, as well as,the tension, and the romance. I was still amazed on the cases that they've brought every week and how Dr. Kim (along with Dr. Woo Jin and Dr. Eun Jae with the help of Doldam staff) overcome them. It was also good that they still mention the characters of Dr. Kang Dong Joo and Dr. Yoon Seo Jung in some scenes and even have Dr. Do In Bum a cameo that really hype up those last episodes.

Second, I also want to praise the new characters for giving a new spice in the drama as they introduce their stories and backgrounds to the viewers. Lastly, I also want to compliment the OST as it gives life to the scenes that makes it more interesting and exciting to watch.

Overall, it is true that it is somehow different to the first season that some of us said that it already lost it charm when they started a new season with different leads. But for me, I think this drama has a different charisma that it captivates the viewers to watch it weekly which is obviously true as it passes a 20 percent viewership rating on its first airing and it breaks it record as a new episode comes. Still, I can say that when it comes to medical-romance drama, "Romantic Doctor" series will be on the number one of my list.

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One of the best summer dramas with top notch acting. Despite the loopholes and divergences from the source material, the drama is worth watching thanks to the acting of two main leads especially Zhu Yi Long, who knows how to subtly convey the micro changes on his face and a great range of emotions. Moreover, its opening song is epic. Despite the fact that most people on youtube do not find the ending satisfactory, I believe it is good/satisfactory as it insinuates that love will go on even after death and for those who believe in reincarnation, it is a promising end.

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Choices Make the Person

Story:
A slice of life that did a remarkable job portraying how specific life choices molded people into who they become. They all didn’t start off as great or evil characters but because of the people they chose or the choices they made. I think the best part about this story was that it felt true to real world circumstances. The writers truly made you analyze every individual character and the choices they made. It wasn’t easy to just stamp good or bad on them because they didn’t make the choices because of ill intentions but because of human characteristics such as jealousy, sadness, etc. The storyline was cohesive and fluid and allowed us to understand where it went wrong or right for every character. Really a well written script!

Acting:
The actors in this drama did an exceptional job including the supporting cast members. There are 3 actors that were great and really showed their acting prowess - Xiao Zhan, Li Qin & Liu Ruilin. Xiao Zhan really impressed me with how much he improved and how well he was able to portray his character. The scenes where he was supposed to portray grief really hit hard. It wasn’t over the top but felt that he understood how his character would portray that specific emotion.

Would I Recommend:
Yes! I understand the time span of this drama might not be the most appealing and it even swayed me a little. I thought it would be a drama that I would come in for the male lead but not enjoy the story as much except for maybe certain parts. However, I was truly impressed by how much I enjoyed it and even rewatched episodes while waiting for new ones. So, if you could get past the 70s era than I think people can truly enjoy it because it really is a great slice of life drama with an incredibly written script.

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The true definition of a hidden gem

Oh. My. God. Where do I even start!? This was a ride I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

This spine chilling and nail-biting thriller is fast-paced, addictive, dark, gory, and filled with revenge aka the best combination for a drama like this.

It's a very solid and well-made series, not a single episode is a filler, each scene and episode shocks you, it will infuriate you, upset you and satisfy you all at once.

At first, the synopsis didn’t really scream anything out to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wow was I blown away... I liked seeing the perspectives of two interesting, mysterious people (one being a killer and the other a detective) with dark pasts. You’ll find yourself constantly questioning things and the plot will have you engaged the whole time.

It contains extreme bullying which I usually avoid as I find it upsetting and hard to watch, but I'm fond of how the scenes switch between flashbacks and present day, it balances out the disturbing vibe well and doesn't completely overwhelm you. Bullying isn't a new concept to base a drama around, however, this one was created in a fresh and unique way and was executed superbly. Also, I don’t condone any type of violence but I rooted for the killer.

The acting. It's outstanding in my books. The cast was picked perfectly. Kim Sung Gyu is so charming, every scene he appears in, he grabs my whole attention, from "Kingdom" to "One Ordinary Day" and now this... The younger cast deserves a shoutout because holy moly they can act (and their presence is very memorable)!! The pure fear, anger and detached feeling is well conveyed by the child cast to the adult cast. No character in TKOP is in the right, they have all done something bad, but you'll still have people to root for, even if it feels wrong at times.

To sum it up, this drama is INSANE. I can't believe people are sleeping on this, it deserves more recognition, so I highly recommend watching this if you like thrillers and the things I mentioned above, you won't be disappointed (or at least I hope not haha).

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A Fateful Mix Up

She's the daughter of a street artist and is forced to marry a bandit. Another is the daughter of a prince and is arranged to marry a general. The brides are switched, all because of the misread of a simple character, resulting in the commoner marrying the general and the royal princess waiting to marry the bandit. It is this seemingly simple play of words/characters that has attracted my attention and drawn me into the story.

On that fateful day while waiting to be married off, both Xiao Wanzi (Li Gengxi aka Teresa Li) and Lu Yingyao (Sun Anke) are in their respective rooms in a motel until chaos strikes. In confusion, they run back into the wrong rooms because they misread the characters 竹 ("zhu") and 林 ("lin") which may look rather similar in certain calligraphy style. From there, they are sent to the wrong households as the wrong brides, and their fates totally change.

At the general's mansion, very soon Mei Shiqing (Huang Junjie) realizes Xiao Wanzi is an imposter. Nothing like a supposedly well-groomed princess, Xiao Wanzi is crass, has a common look and an illiterate. However, she is streetwise, honest, compassionate and upstanding as she protects others with her own life, and this is enough for Mei Shiqing to fall in love with her. He also has a secret identity as Ye Ling Xia that Xiao Wanzi idolizes. Like Batman, Ye Ling Xia helps the poor and weak. Numerous times, she comes forward to help him fend off the enemies, though he doesn't really need her help because he's a skilled martial artist and a superhero. But her selfless acts impress and attract him.

As Xiao Wanzi, Li Gengxi is very convincing with a lot of animated expressions, after all she uses to perform on the street and needs her vivacity for her acts. Many viewers find her not attractive enough, but for me, she fits the role well because Xiao Wanzi is supposed to be a very common looking girl with no sophistication.

Huang Junjie is very good looking and he looks extremely well as a wordless cold character. However, he still hasn’t grasped how to play such a stern character fully; frowning doesn't make him look serious but makes him look constipated. The only moments I find his acting perfect are when he tells people to “get out” in a stern voice, expressionless, and when he dresses as the superhero character with a mask.

I love the second couple here in particular Lu Yingyao who is well read, gentle and kind without the spoilt princess temperament. And she falls in love with the adopted son of the bandit, Xiao Bao (Ding Jiawen) who has a good heart. Under her coaxing, Xiao Bao eventually abandons his life as a bandit.

What seemingly two mismatched pairs become best of friends and love each other with no judgement of their respective backgrounds. Hanging around the mix up identities lurks something nefarious – smuggle, money laundering and conspiracy. The supervillain is not revealed until the final episode.

The Chinese title, “huā hǎo yuè yòu yuan” (the flowers are good and the moon is round), gives hints of the ending of the story. There are some pretty good OSTs here that I have enjoyed very much.

My Verdict
Though the storyline is not new, and can be tropey at times with predictable outcome, this is still rather a fun watch with a superhero protagonist, an animated first female lead, an intelligent lovable second female lead, an antagonist turns protagonist, and a hidden supervillain. The comedy is cute and sweet. For romance buffs, the two couples have never been separated since they first meet, and there are no misunderstandings that are not resolved quickly. There could be flaws here and there but the writing and editing are decent. Overall, it’s quite an enjoyable drama.

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Despicable Me.

This sublime wuxia revolves around two atypical protagonists and their scorching, profound connection. A bold BL adaption that makes no attempt to suggest the relationship is just a bromance, the love story is so charismatically portrayed that it will captivate even mainstream viewers. Both protagonists are morally ambiguous and flawed characters with their own code of conduct. They fall far short of conventional da xia/大侠 or martial heroes but still manage to beguile us into caring and rooting for them.

What elevates this drama is the scriptwriting , the writer put her heart into this and while I cannot compare it with the book, I couldn't be more satisfied with the drama's storytelling. Important plot and character points are planned and planted well in advance and the story unfolds in a way that pulls us into various the plot threads and the partial reveals. Many questions, including when Zhou Zishu recognizes Wen Kexing; are never clearly answered but can be surmised upon re-watch from  hints in the dialogue and the characters' subsequent actions. The playful, flirtatious dialogue heavily laced with double entendre and layers of meaning with its facile parlance of idioms and ancient parables has won widespread praise from educators and broad audiences, inspiring young adults to dust off their classical texts with renewed enthusiasm. This winsome first work of a young scriptwriter sets a high bar for historical dramas going forward and puts the often lazy and tired works of more experienced writers to shame.

At surface, the backdrop and many characters are classic wuxia themes and anachronisms - various jianghu sects are vying to recover five shards of liulijia, a glazed artefact that can unlock a hidden repository of the most elite martial arts and miraculous medical manuscripts. Sound familiar? Its been done many times. But it scarcely matters because the two main protagonists, Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing immediately sweep us away with their outrageous, titillating courtship. Gong Jun's shamelessly flirtatious Wen Kexing, is the most predatory, lecherous, and utterly delicious display of physical attraction I have seen since John Malkovich's iconic Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. I am quite certain most of Zhang Zehan's eye rolls were not acting and I just love his improvised comment - even my fart smells good! Both actors deliver immersive resonating performances - Gong Jun with a wild vengeful ferocity behind flashes of vulnerability and Zhang Zhehan with a subtle nuanced complexity that hints at a multitude of emotions within micro expressions. Classic wuxia themes and archetypes are woven into an addictive tale of friendship, love, betrayal, loyalty, ambition, sacrifice and of course revenge.

While a bit heavy on the slow motion, the fight scenes are stunningly choreographed and delivers enough hairy, scary, dicey, slicey moments to have me at the edge of my seat. I was stunned by the raw ferocious rage and naked hatred that spilled out of Gu Xiang in the epic finale. The bloodthirsty, brutally lethal and absolutely berserk final mortal battle where the master of the Ghost Valley emits rage with the wild light of cruel insanity flashing in his eyes is without doubt the highlight of the action. This of course excludes Lao Wen and Ah Xu's exuberant fight scenes because everybody knows its really a mating dance where they are actually just ogling at each other. The story is well paced with a good balance of mystery, action and and ends spectacularly with enough twists, surprises and a breathless cruelty that pays homage to the true spirit of the genre. If I have to find fault, there are too many sects and side characters that don't advance the plot. The relationship between Zhao Jing and Scorpion King also feels off in a creepy way and even though the role is very well acted, Scorpion King's motives are not well developed. In general the villains feel rather two dimensional but perhaps this is unavoidable given how grey and complex both protagonists are.

Even though this is hands down one of the best wuxias I have seen in years, this is more of a character drama in the sense that the core characters are what really brings this story life in a differentiated way. I am going to discuss them in greater detail in the following paragraphs. Be warned there are mild spoilers so you may want to stop reading here and revisit after completing.

*Be warned - mild spoilers ahead!*

The narrator Zhou Zishu is a dark character and while he is not a villain, he is amoral and thus the story is told via the lens of a world view that is defined by personal loyalties and relationships rather than some over arching sense of morality. In Zhang Zhehan's own words, Zhou Zishu has thousands of layers and is thus the most fascinating and difficult character to both write and to portray. In this both writer and actor delivered brilliantly in striking that perfect balance of revealing not too much but just enough to create an enigmatic character with insidious lingering impact. Zishu is a cynical and disillusioned cold hearted assassin who is  only bound to and motivated by his word of honor - yes for once we have an aptly titled c-drama. He doesn't blame Jin wang for his fall from grace nor does he try to avenge his fallen sect brothers because like himself, they all must live and die by their oath, their word of honor. By the time he encounters Zhang Chengling and Wen Kexing, he is resigned to his self inflicted fate and means to spend his remaining days wandering the world drinking himself into oblivion. He epitomizes despicable me, stricken by self loathing for his weaknesses, for his failings that led to the deaths of his sect brothers and Four Seasons Manor's downfall.

Zishu is pulled back into the world of the living by his promise to see Chengling to safety - his intent is to do no more than that and is indifferent to the boy's pleas to accept him as his disciple. Although he was attracted to Kexing, he dismisses his outrageous overtures and distrusts him but lets him stick around to keep an eye on him. It is only after Kexing hallucinates and calls him Zhou Zishu that his attitude changes. That must be when he suspects who Kexing is and for the first time, sees a path towards keeping his promise to his shifu by resurrecting Four Seasons Manor and thus he accepts Chengling as his disciple. But he is really only putting his affairs in order so to speak. Even though he acknowledges Kexing as his soul mate, he does not deem himself worthy of a long and happy life.

Wen Kexing on the other hand is innately a good person, who is driven by hate and vengeance into doing some terrible things. Unlike Zishu, he still longs to be a good person and deep down still believes he is indeed a good person. While Gong Jun brings the many facets of Wen Kexing from the terrifying to the vulnerable alive vividly with his expressive eyes, the character itself is a more easily understandable, angsty, revenge driven wuxia archetype. Zishu is a much darker character than Kexing and he does not save or redeem Kexing, it is actually the other way around. Although Kexing at surface gets more screen time, as the narrator that always seems to know more than he reveals, Zishu is omnipresent and invites the most mind share. As they change each other and extend their found family to include Chengling, Gu Xiang, Cao Weining and even the irascible and hilarious Ye Bai Yi, Zishu subtly comes to embrace life again.

This drama peaks spectacularly in the gorgeously shot penultimate episode that has everything - clever final reveals, plot twists, shocking, shattering losses, violent clashes and epic showdowns. I screamed, I jumped up and down, I cried, I couldn't believe my eyes! This is the way a drama should end, at its peak. Yes, there are small loose threads but overall, I am very happy with the ending. True, the final afterthought episode is a bit of a non sequitur but everything else was so spectacular I am willing to not look that hard at it. This is by far the best wuxia I have seen in many, many years and I can happily call this a perfect 9.5.

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Not an episode went by without me screaming in front of my screen

'Only friends' is a messy yet intriguing series and no the plot isn't the mess in fact the plot execution is really good, however the characters are absolutely messy and the whole plot revolves around these very messy characters. Red flags here, red flags there and I am honestly not a fan of red flags but this series had me ever since the trailer. One of the most striking elements of this series is the undeniable chemistry among the actors. The emotions, the tension they convey through the screen are palpable, tugging at my heartstrings and making the characters connections and conflicts feel all too real. I am so invested.

Not an episode went by without me screaming in front of my screen, be it in excitement or frustration. I had to pause from time to time to take deep breath and to calm down because honestly this riled me up, made me swear and scream and I was still enjoying it.

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead!!

Starting with Sand because he is my favorite. He is sassy and has his own ways- both good and bad. He is confident, charming, mess with him and be ready for a payback. And he has my heart. I really can't see him getting hurt. He is so freaking precious and honestly I just want to throw some punches on Ray but then again I can't do that. One glimpse of Ray crying and my anger is all melted but then he does some shitty things again and my anger, my frustration is back. Ray, he is alcoholic, kind of lonely, one hell of a selfish prick, and I am so freaking mad at him or I am not. Honestly I don't know anymore. Also, he is such a tease. He says Sand isn't my type but then he is flirting with Sand every single second of every single minute Sand is around him. And yeah they were 'ONLY' friends even after all the smoke kiss and the nights and what nots and he liked Mew and he messed up a big time but call me color blind I still wanted to see Sand and Ray happily together. However, that doesn't change the fact that Sand deserves so much better.

Moving on to Nick, he is such a cute baby but a big no he ain't innocent. He is so certain about what and who he wants which is a good trait but he is suffering and I just wanna go and punch Boston but then again I can't do this either. I am a softie for them all. Sorry not sorry!! Honestly, Boston is a hot manipulative mess and a major major red flag. He's using Nick and I hate him when Nick is hurting, more so when he screws things up but guess what I still can't hate him completely. I don't even know if I hate him at all, he just gets me screaming in front my screen in frustration. Also, he and Nick were friends.. 'ONLY' friends after all the nights and sweet talks and what nots and Boston was playing around but call me crazy I seriously wanted them to be the endgame even after all of that. And trust me what Boston wants he gets it by hook or by crook.

Then we have Mew, the said nerd in the friend circle and the innocent yet not so innocent guy. He is into Top but he plays hard to get. Talking about Top, he radiates the vibe of a red flag but trust me he isn't the first one on the list. However, it's clear he does want Mew at the moment and I think he really does have feelings for Mew or am I just being clowned? I still don't know honestly. Okay so they had a thing going on and they too were 'ONLY' friends and then boyfriends for a tiny while and then they- aaaahahjahdahsjd- watch it yourself to know.

See, mess! mess! the head throbbing, heart wrenching mess they created!!

The most sorted relationship in the friends circle is of Namchueam and April and they don't really have enough screen time. It might look like I am complaining and yes I am because I was losing my mind and I was on the edge every single second while watching this. But damnnn the chemistry they have. I can't unsee it and I am so invested. Also, none of the characters are bland. There's Dan, who is hitting on Nick and his chemistry with Nick is no joke. Then we have Boeing, my god, this guy is the real deal. He made his entry like a tornado, shaking up the already messed up relationship equations and damn his charm is irresistible. Also, Yo and Plug they had minimum screen time but they ate up their scenes.

To add up the osts, the sound tracks, I love it mahn and even the lyrics of the osts. Honestly this series is a mess and it triggered my trust issues. I couldn't and I still can't trust anyone of them not even my favorites and still this is so worth it. Highly Highly recommended!!

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