Reviews

it sucks

read the original novel or even the webtoon. don't watch this shit. make it flop let the director suffer for even trying to ruin it for the people who love orv.

dokja is a victim of bullying and violence and yet they painted him as a bully and a fucking murderer? seriously? if you didnt have time to read the novel then you should've just not made the damn movie. why is gilyoung a fucking toddler? why is jihye a grown as woman? why do they have guns? removing the abuse dokja faced, the pain he has suffered through just to cater to incels. removing SA faced by heewon, domestic violence faced by dokja and his mother and the whole coin farming part really tells us about your misogynist mindset. take this la and shove it up your ass you misogynist motherfucker.

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A Vivid Portrayal of Queer Struggles against Heteronormative Society

“With or without it, you’re still you.”

I should warn you now: this review may not make much sense. I’ve just finished Love in the Big City, and my thoughts and feelings are a bit scattered. But isn’t that what Love in the Big City is all about? It’s about thoughts, regrets, and emotions that seem all over the place, yet somehow come together in a relatable and bittersweet culmination of life’s chaotic realizations.

Adapted from Park Sang Young’s novel, Love in the Big City is less a love story and more a journey of finding peace and acceptance with yourself and your circumstances. It follows Ko Yeong (Nam Yoon Su), a gay man navigating multiple relationships, from his best friend Choi Mi Ae (Lee Soo Kyung) to his mother Eun Suk (Oh Hyun Kyung) to his lovers—Kim Nam Gyu (Kwon Hyuk), No Young-Soo (Na Hyun-Woo), and Gyu Ho (Jin Ho Eun)—all while coming to terms with his HIV diagnosis, which he refers to as “Kylie.”

It’s a story about failure, success, and facing the parts of yourself that’s been through both.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/23/love-in-the-big-city-series-review-ep-1-to-8/

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about the ´art´ of becoming an egoist

You may consider "Red Balloon" being one of those family makjang stories that come up again and again in different versions in KDrama-land. Tangled ties of fate and trauma that continue to get even more tangled and traumatizing. You might think “Yeah. Makjang again. Family drama again. Forbidden love again. Ok, you´ve seen it all. You don´t need another one.” So should you watch? You definitely don´t have to. But oddly enough: you may want to. The characters, with all their sometimes almost disturbing ambivalence, drag and pull you under their spell. Subtly, unperturbed, whether we're watching or not: they are struggling to function and survive within their dysfunctional relationships and families... and on top of it: they are even longing for far more than that.

2022/23 "Red Balloon" infiltrates South Korean homes as the red-hot contemporary document of a complicated ordeal, which society increasingly has to deal with. On the one hand, family is regarded as the highest value in society. On the other hand, within the last decades national divorce rate has reached the tops in worldwide comparison. Yet, divorce is still seen as a shame – a topic for ´other´ families only (if at all). Nevertheless, more and more South Koreans are choosing this path, even the 'elderly' (those over 60 and even over 70) are increasingly opting for divorce. The KDrama juxtaposes the hardened socio-cultural fronts within a fictional story that listens to both sides equally, gives space, allows themselves to be rubbed against each other – sometimes loudly, sometimes violently – and struggles to find solutions.

Throughout the KDrama, events and emotional ordeals continue to get worse. Seasoned with gradually increasing makjang tension, with complex personality portraits, as well as poignant, excellent pleas (sometimes for one, sometimes for the other and sometimes for yet another position), the KDrama screws itself deeper and deeper into the increasingly heated minds of the audience. "Red Balloon" succeeds excellently in taking its often head-shaking viewers into truly impassable, controversial socio-cultural terrain and, with the concentrated confrontational dramaturgical charge of emotional ambivalence, exemplifies what would be, could be, yet must not be, however wants to be possible, (and after all IS possible in South Korea 2022/23).

There are multiple storylines that are heartily intertwined. But they all deal with the same topic: the critical fine line between a so called ´satisfied´ life (as one normally lives / should / has to live / pretends to live) and a self-abnegating, self-deceiving ´dissatisfied´ life; the latter mostly going unnoticed, though, because actually everyone lives that way and it seems to be the most natural thing in the world... Dissatisfaction only becomes critical, if someone can no longer ignore that this supposedly ´satisfied´ life is actually a 'dissatisfied' one. The subtle psychological tension of the KDrama emerges in the conflict between traditionally unquestioned, accepted customs and the individual urge for deviation, which (here) rages more or less intensely in almost all of the protagonists, and erupts in an attempt to break free. Daring to dream, being honest with oneself and eventually even making the necessary efforts... but, alas, also being sincere in respect to the social environment? Ready to disappointing the expectations of others? Prepared to missing duties and responsibilities? To hurting loved ones, too? Has actually anyone ever honestly tried to truly walk along his/her individual path sincerely upright? (At least when it comes to South Korea 2022/23, so far there are hardly if any role models whatsoever.)

"Red Balloon" can be considered a social study using the example of the microcosm of three families, that are connected, among others, through a (not quite balanced) childhood friendship between two female protagonists. Yes, one could bitch and nag about prevalent adultery among the protagonists. On the other hand, in this case I´d like to set a different focus, that is: Collectivism in conflict with increasingly burgeoning individualism. Against this background, it is more about the 'art' of becoming an egoist. (See side note below). In a society shaped by collectivism, social class and hierarchy like South Korea, 'egoism' (=standing up for individual needs, even in the face of social pressure) has so far not been a quality in itself. On the contrary. The development of such an independent and socially recognized value is in its infancy there. The protagonists are correspondingly insecure and sometimes stumble, doubt themselves, look for a turnaround and reflect on the old values... which include: doing what other, older, financially better off fellow human beings say, want, demand. (And thus, often enough being humiliated, too. A life full of sacrifice, humiliation and shame is quite normal. Most people live that way. Accordingly there is nothing wrong with it, right?)

Shameless adultery might be one side of the medal. The other side, however, represents the widespread, customary long ignored individual dissatisfaction for the sake of ´the group´ (family etc.) that some can no longer cope with. The KDrama team draws memorable portraits of people at different ages, who have their quirks like anybody else. At some point, they try to stumble free from the expectations of others and rather follow their gut. They want to, and choose to live up to their own desires... struggling, staggering, falling in the face of the mercilessly blowing headwind. There might be an urge to break free of a tight corset of expectations and obligations – yet, just daring to think in this direction is considered shameless and despicable... Sympathy for family struggles, sacrifices, deprivation and suffering, on the other hand, is widespread, because this individual pain results out of self-sacrifice for the 'group' and in this case is downright virtuous. (The KDrama Orbit has told countless stories of this virtue since the earliest productions.) Sympathy for 'individual' pain however, e.g. suffering from the group pressures and demands, is hard to find. With a newly found egoism and its associated pains one is left alone... Well, has been, so far. Not anymore. This is where "Red Balloon" comes in… at least with an example of role models on fictional playground.

With its tricky, controversial topic, the KDrama hits the mark of many minds in the country. The audience of "Red Balloon" had quickly doubled and after half of the 20 episodes even tripled. Eventually, for the audience throughout the rest of the world it offers plenty of KDrama-Quality, too.





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SIDE NOTE: --- Life satisfaction in South Korea ---

The latest data on quality of life, published by the Republic's statistical office in 2022, ranks South Korea 36th among the 38 OECD countries. (Only in Turkey and Colombia life satisfaction is worse.)
What feels like exaggerated makjang for some (especially for audience with nationalities of the other 35 member states) is pretty close to everyday life for many (South Koreans) sitting in front of their home TV...




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SIDE NOTE --- The ´art´ of being an egoist ---

In 1976 the book “The Art of Being an Egoist” by Josef Kirschner was published. In it, the author works out the necessary, ambiguous psychological process and the stamina, the required perseverance, you need regarding individual (=egoistic) life decisions that are geared towards personal needs (=against the interests of the community/group/family). Self-love is a crucial step towards accountability (vs. behaviour determined by others) and thus forms the basis for free, responsible, caring citizens. However, even after all those centuries, egoism is (still) widely devaluated in individualistic Germany/Europe, too.
That´s because, egoism and the group are generally at war. The more submission the family/group/society structurally expects of its members, the less space individual needs have and the more shameful and banished they are. The protagonists in South Korea 2022/23 (which is characterized by collectivism and has a strong hierarchical structure) have to deal with just this problem. The theme here is the struggle for a psychologically healthy egoism for one's own good. The thesis behind: Honestly towards myself and content, I am able to approach others sincerely and freely give of myself, contribute and care about others. That´s because I want to. Not because I have to, (even though I feel wronged, indigent or missed out.) I care for myself. And then, additionally, I can truly care for others, too. Like the sign in the airplane says: you should put your oxygen mask on first before trying to help the person next to you…


PS:
(This 'egoism', which is based on self-love and mature personal responsibility, should not be confused with insatiable, ruthless and mostly immature greed. KDrama-orbit is full of greedy contemporaries, because unfortunately greed is cross-culturally human and can thus be found all over the world. Greed has no social component. With greed, nothing positive flows back into the group.)
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This Drama is good :)

So i see this drama get a lot of bad review. First of all, i watch a lot of K-Drama, C-Drama and fantasy is one of my favourite genre. I'm picky and dropped dramas before.
BUT this drama is good. To be honest, after watching like a hundred C-drama, if i see its gonna be long, i know exactly what to expect. Evil side leads, a love what can not come true, and hopefully a partially happy ending. I'm ready for all this, and i don't mind. Of course it would be better with 25-30 episode, but we all know that this is how c-dramas are. They are long. To be fair im so happy to see this 38-40 episode dramas, compare to the normal 56-60.
I think this years best was Love between Fairy and Devil, and its hard to do better, but i think they don't need to. :)

I think the first 15-20 episode is really strong, we have romance and fight, some conflict what actually compare to other dramas are solved pretty quick ( this was a good surprise), but then from 20-30 we have some boring parts what are obviously for more screen time, and maybe because this is also a drama thing :D
i enjoyed the last 10 episode, and cried a lot near to the end. This is a must by these dramas i guess.

There are characters who i loved like He Na, who was truly amazing, as a true friend, who is not selfish and always put the persons he love in front of him. It was heartbreaking and lovely to watch him . I also liked Liu Ning, and i think her story is really sad, but a must and adds a lot to the main storyline.

The 2 main leads are totally fine. I'm not amazed but i do think the way how they portrayed the characters, was loveable. I didn't read the original novel, but i do think they where a good choice to this.

I think the costumes where good, and so the CGI.
I think this drama is worth watching, but i will not rewatch it again. I think this a strong one to watch one time.
The music is heart catching and the songs went strait to my Spotify list.

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The First Romance that I truly fell for (pun intended)

POST POST SCRIPT: It's been a few months since I last watched this and I've cooled down a bit. I still really like this, mainly because of the chemistry. There is so much chemistry-
POST SCRIPT THAT I SHOVED TO THE BEGGINING OF THIS REVIEW:
The drama is a drama meaning that it does have misunderstandings between characters, but they always handle them quickly (like think one episode or at most two) and maturely. Characters don't hurt those that they love during hard times, they rely on each other. Most of the characters also respect each others privacy.
The parents are bishes.
The end :)

STORY:
Are you looking for a sweet romance where the leads only have eyes for each other? Want chemistry? Want tons of cute moments? Want no crazy drama? Want the leads to have most of the screen time? No super crazy and stupid misunderstandings or break up scenes? Want second leads (cuz these are unavoidable in dramas) that don't really matter? Want reasonable characters? Want heartwarming family moments? Then this drama is for you!
I don't typically watch romances, I like detective, mystery, serial killing, etc. dramas. But this one was just so simple and lovable. My heart beat so fast I thought it would burst every time the leads looked at each other.

ACTING:
If you didn't tell me that these people were actors, I would have thought that they really did truly love each other. The acting is perfect down to the very micromovements of the eyes and lips. The dubbing (which can't be avoided in c-drama) wasn't the best - but surprisingly, the acting was so good that it made up for the voice over completely!

MUSIC:
The music is perfect. It captures the beauty of whimsical first love perfectly. My heart flutters every time at their song choice. The music isn't overly loud or soft, it plays just at the right spot.
The people who produced this drama are masters at playing around with the audience's emotions with different song choices. Also, the piano music that was chosen was amazing! Yes, I get it, the actors all used body doubles... but does that really matter? Its not like they have to learn a whole new skill that should take years just for a drama.

REWATCH VALUE:
I would watch this tens, hundred, thousands of times over and over again if I could (but I don't think my life will be that long LOL).

OVERALL:
Great cast, great story, great script, great message, great feels. The beginning and ending were perfect. The drama talks to its audience quiet literally, they have these sort of "interviews" at the end where different characters talk to viewers about their feelings and its just so amazing all the way through.
The only thing I would change about this is the second leads. The main characters only had eyes for each other and although the second leads were great at acting, it would have been better to not include them. But... you can never ever ever escape second leads in drama world so-
Just watch it. If you don't like it, leave it. If you like it, you've been blessed. MWAH.

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Just finished watching this movie tonight, and I’m pretty much satisfied. The story was just like any ordinary zombie-movie, but this movie had this little pinch of romance, friendship(?) and also something metaphorical about the COVID-19 going on nowadays.

The zombies here were much more scarier than the zombies in Train to Busan, but I think the zombies’ gestures were much more realistic in TtB. But, what I love about this movie is the happy ending! Who hates happy endings, am I right? ;) Plus points for that!

Overall, a 9/10, very thrilling and super fun to watch! ⭐️

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Cannot wait for Season 2! | Update:I was generous on this

Ok let me start off by just saying, this was CLEARLY my first review because I am being very generous with my comments here (as I was kind of forcing myself to finish the series at all), so bear with me. I re-edited the ratings to give an accurate representation on how I feel about this series. Moving on,,

I'll first start with how I feel about each couple in M.E, then I'll go onto some other things. This is also my first review ever so...

P.S: [ + ] < critique most likely includes spoilers that are from like halfway+ of the series

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•Bohn x Duen : This pair is a complicated one. At the beginning of the story, their plot has a pretty good development. You know the standard ‘top chases after bottom despite having seen him only for like a day’. They have cute moments and this and that, but after a while it goes a bit downhill. Do not get me wrong, most of their plot is beautiful in its own way, but some jealousy and miss-communication is visible in both characters at times, But AYE you didn’t hear it from me. Duen is a beautiful but complicated character. He is a kind and very thoughtful person of everyone around him. He understands ram, he understands Bohn to an extent, he protects his sister, and he plays along with games. But at the same time his emotions and ways of dealing with things can be very hard to understand or even agree with. He is a pretty important person in this series in my opinion, he left a very very good impression on me, and I won’t lie, so did his smile.
+ a critique I have for them tho is the lack of character and P L O T development and COMMUNICATION. Like a lot of their relationship is Bohn misinterpreting Duen's actions and who he talks to. Like come on my guy, he's your boyfriend you should be able to trust him. Also, literally NOTHING interesting has happened to them since like episode 9-10. Like it's the same Bohn being jealous type stuff. Then it's them not talking to each other and having misunderstandings. At certain points I felt as if they should have been the side couple instead. But I still love them.

• Mek x Boss : you guys frustrate me . Mek and Boss are super adorable don’t get me wrong, they have their 'hubby' and 'wife' moments and their chemistry is great. But Boss's cluelessness gets me frustrated, but in a good way. It keeps making me go like 'Boss the love of your life is literally right I. Front of you.' They progress that was made is steady and pretty good if you ask me. Mek’s love for boss is honestly a little bit depressing at times, because you can tell how much it hurts him to ‘know’ that he will never be able to have boss. He does anything and everything boss asks him to do. While Boss is struggling with himself and trying to differentiate right from wrong, this can make things get a little messy later on. I just hope that they get a happy end going because boy do they deserve it, especially mek.
+ ;-; Ryan (Mek) will most likely (actually 90%+ chance,) not be in S2 so let’s all cry together
+ MAJOR spoiler: I am soooo !happy !that they both confirmed each other's feelings, I am also pretty shocked ab the fact that mekboss was the first kiss in the whole series like OOP- Also the fact that Boss told him how he actually had ALWAYS liked Mek from the start leaves me going O.O like I wonder how hard it must have been for him to convince himself that his feelings were weird and that dating some females and saying that he loves them was going to help him get over his crush, poor baby. But in the end they're happy and I'm happy so we're all happy.
+ the tiny critique that I would have for this couple is the dubbing, but I'm just nitpicking. But no srsly the dubbing can make me uncomfortable at times with how unnatural it looks AND sounds. Like why did you have to hire a voice actor with a voice that, unfitting to mek?

• Ram x King : Adorable. This word is what I would use to describe them. Ram, while very “introverted” in a sense and very reluctant to let new people in, is slowly starting to let King be in his life. While King is finding ways to help Ram without screaming 'I'm interested in you pay attention to me'. the chemistry? It's there 10/10, definitely there and I am all here for it. as the story progresses the chemistry is developing even more, the progress in character development is visible and is touching to see on screen. The way they both have their own strengths, weaknesses, and fears is fun to watch. The way one has a thing for plants and another for dogs is intriguing too. When King helps Ram in small ways it is very touching, comforting him, but not overdoing it. Even though I personally SOMEHOW did not find them my favorite couple, I would feel like they deserve a series to themselves to be honest.
+ I have nothing 'bad' to say about this couple. I love how they understand each other with no words, and just no how to help each other in different situations. I would love to have even a tiny critique but nah. It's only a music thing that's bothering me but that's in the music section of this review
+ nvM King be true to yourself in S2. Don’t hide your feelings and don’t try to just erase events that happened. Second part also goes to you Ram.

THE RLY LATE COUPLE (they came in way later than the other couples is what I mean)
•TharaFrong: Uhm- yeah. Yep that’s a word to describe them, “uhm”. Look, I have no problem with new couples being introduced like halfway through a series, but at least make it interesting. I know there are a lot of fans who liked how this couple introduced themselves and stuff, but for me after they “met” each-other they just became boring. Now this is to my own personal opinion as I did not want to invest in them nor did I have the slightest interest in mister doctor. But if you do watch the series, I can say that they were pretty “iconic” if you will. I don’t know, they just seemed so ‘unnecessary’ to me.
+ THAT ENDING, OH MY GOOOOOOD. See this couple will just frustrate me more then mekboss bcos bro HOW are you gonna say “brothers” in front of him like that like-damn :(


I'm going to talk about other things now, this is where it can get all over the place


• Storyline : the storyline isn't anything SUPER interesting (interesting as in never seen/heard of before), but I like how the story is progressing. There is nothing Happening as if it would be a story that couldn't be seen In everyday life, or as if it was out of place in the series. It's a cute little story about some cute couples with cute interactions and cute development, it's just a really nice series to watch and tone down to.
+ As the Series continues, the storyline can start to get a little messy for some couples. Like I genuinely do not know what the point of Bohn getting jealous at duen every 2 seconds is for, and how all of a sudden at once mek and boss became a thing(, IT IS CUTE THO I WONT LIE). So yeah at some point it's just repeating actions from a couple, speeding up at the speed of lightening and becoming a couple immediately. And then two normal progressing couples. A couple that started forming WAY later into the series kinda disappointed me if you get what I mean (the end,) so, it is what it is.

• Actors: All the actors are adorable and amazing and portray their characters to to the best of their abilities. Poy is a new face, but something about him just makes you wanna squish his cheeks and protect him forever like HIS SMILE? don't even get me started. Cooper isn't necessarily new so I was expecting, and he met those expectations pretty well. I didn't know any of the other cast before this series but they've proved themselves to me, like they made their series my FAVORITE one that's airing right now, they're topping whyRU and 2gether (I have absolutely nothing against these two series, I also love them very very much, to support them too). >>> Ok I love the acting. Perth (Ram) is impressing me more with each and every episode that comes out each week. Some characters frustrate me but that's good because that's what their role is tying to do, and if they do it successfully then it's good. In all, almost every single character is impressing me.

•Music: ok idc what ANYONE else says, the music in this series is amazing to me personally. From the sound effects to the OST, stream The person I waited by MOD3G x Joelong by the way (It's the My Engineer opening ost) . The music is perfect and no one can convince me otheriwise.
+ ok that one scene where Ram was asking ab his dad to his mom and they played that meme music- it's not their fault they probably didn't know that the music they chose was 'meme music', but it was kind of annoying cause it's like 'we're having a MOMENT HERE

•conclusion: This series is worth watching, because why not? Why not enjoy yourself? Exactly.
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My personal favs: for some reason, I literally don't know how I feel about all the couples anymore, maybe later on, but for now....

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I binged!

It was a great watch and i did watch it in one seating, usually happens when you are watching something good. It has its dramatic moments but overall it was quite an uplifting show. As much as it was a romance story between Minho and Soobin's character it was also very much a story of the four friends. I love the from start to finish the friendship between these four never wavered. Even if they all were dealing with their own problems they never fail to show up when the others needed them. I also love how even the side characters in this show great, i find myself rooting for them as well. Over all a great watch. Give it a chance people!

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This drama was really really REALLY good! The story, the acting, everything was amazing. And yet I felt like there was something missing. But I'll talk about that later.

Story: The story was really good! A high school student pretending to be a 27 year old office worker seems absurd but it was totally believable. The mystery surrounding Lee Min Suk's brother was very intriguing but it wasn't the main focus of the drama and was only dealt with in the few last episodes. The drama focused on Lee Min Suk and how he grew as a character. The noona romance was okay too though I wasn't that invested in it. The star of this drama for me was Lee Min Suk. I went in thinking it was going to be like City Hunter, you know a quest for revenge and everything. But this turned out to be completely different. This drama wasn't intense, it was cute and funny. I loved how they used old drama cliches and gave them a twist to make them funny or different. I especially liked that Yoo Jin Woo's story was progressed along with Lee Min Suk's and he was given his due importance too.The story was very well-written and the pace of the drama was really good.

Characters: Seo In Guk did an amazing job as Lee Min Suk (and Lee Hyung Suk). First of all, I've always acknowledged that Seo In Guk is good-looking but during this drama I realized that he is gorgeous! Especially as Lee Hyung Suk (even though he appeared for like 1-2 episodes). Secondly, Seo In Guk is an extremely talented actor! And this role showed his talent to the fullest. He played the role of a high schooler so well, unlike someone else (Lee Min Ho I'm looking at you), that it was hard to believe that in real life he is 26. Lee Min Suk was endearing and funny and adorable. But I also loved the scenes where he got all serious and mature. I loved seeing him grow from a boy into a man! Seo In Guk's portrayal of both brothers was so good you could see who was who with the way he stood and talked. While Lee Min Suk was kinda sloppy, as expected of a kid, Lee Hyung Suk stood with confidence. Where Lee Min Suk talked in a cheery way, Lee Hyung Suk's voice was grave and serious. I simply loved Seo In Guk's acting in this drama!

Jung Soo Young is a character I would rather not talk about. She was uncomfortably painful to watch. I understood her character really well and I got where the writer wanted to go with her but Lee Ha Na's portrayal of her was not good. Jung Soo Young is a character I could have loved had Lee Ha Na did her justice. Soo Young is a socially awkward girl with seemingly no talents. I get the character. It was Lee Ha Na's job to make that character relatable, even likable. But the way she played her it felt like Jung Soo Young had some mental disability. Which was really very uncomfortable for me to watch. But of course, I did get used to her and then she didn't bother me much. But I never felt connected to her. I did feel sorry for her but only a little.

I loved loved LOVED Lee Soo Hyuk as Yoo Jin Woo! I loved how this time the broken bad boy was not the male lead but the second lead. And Lee Soo Hyuk played him really well! And did I mention how gorgeous Lee Soo Hyuk is?!! Because he is really gorgeous!! I could stare at him all day! I loved his story arc and how it all played out. I loved this broken bad boy with a good heart! But I never, for one second, believed that he was actually in love with Soo Young. I felt like he needed someone and since Soo Young was previously obsessed with him he figured she would be a good person to keep by his side. I never felt like he actually, honestly loved her.

All the minor characters were great! The office people were your typical office people, gossiping and judging. They also provided very good entertainment. Team Leader Kim was very funny and so adorable! Jo Han Chul did an awesome job playing him and I loved seeing him onscreen! I loved how he cared so much about Lee Min Suk and all his anxiety breakdowns (I seem like a bad person saying I enjoyed his breakdowns but really, they were funny and added for comedic purposes). Jung Yoo Ah (Soo Young's sister) was super annoying at first but like her sister she became tolerable. I loved Lee Min Suk's friends! They were so supportive and super funny, with their chuppa chuppas and stuff! Lee Min Suk's dad was awesome! He wasn't his real dad but he cared so much for him that it was heartwarming and so beautiful. My favorite though was Min Suk's grandfather (his adoptive father's father)! Kwon Seong Deok was amazing, playing him and he was so funny and adorable and it was so heartbreaking! I really loved him! I loved how the minor characters played a more important role in this drama than they usually do in dramas.

Romance: I honestly believe Seo In Guk has good chemistry with everyone. Be it a girl or a boy, he has good chemistry with all. Just look at his previous works. He had amazing chemistry with Jung Eun Ji AND Hoya in Reply 1997. Even as a second lead he has awesome chemistry with the female leads (see Master's Sun). It was no exception in King of High School. He not only had great chemistry with Lee Ha Na but also with Lee Soo Hyuk! BUT I was not as much invested in the romance and the main couple as I would have had it not been for Lee Ha Na. The couple wasn't all that bad but they couldn't pull on the strings of my heart like the InHyun couple (Queen In Hyun's Man) & the Reply 1997 couple (Jung Eun Ji and Seo In Guk). So that 'something missing' thing I was talking about was my lack of love for the main couple.

Ending: The extra episodes really weren't needed. But I didn't mind them much. Most people are not satisfied with the ending and to be honest if I would've written this I would've ended it differently too but it wasn't that bad and I don't have much of a problem with it.

Overall: All in all this was a really good drama and most people might not have the problems with it that I did so I highly recommend it for anyone who is in the mood of a good rom-com.

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All Warfare Is Based on Deception

The Vendetta of An (or The Twenty-Four Strategies of Chang’an/长安二十四计) is an intense, fast-paced suspense thriller with an intricate plot full of twists and reversals. Set in a fictional dynasty, feudal lord Xiao Wuyang marches into Chang’an and deposes his brother, puppet emperor Xiao Wenjing. Yet his grip on the throne remains tenuous until the tyrannical General Yan Fengshan is captured and his elite shadow army, the Huben, is disbanded. If anyone is up to this perilous task, it must be the son of the Huben’s founder. Finally, the stage is set for Xie Huai’an to return to the capital to demand an accounting for his family’s massacre fifteen years earlier.

Though Huai’an is driven by revenge, as the Chinese title suggests, the plot unfolds along the lines of art of war. It is an intriguing and sophisticated conspiracy where the devil is in the details, and the chessboard is not fully visible to all players. These schemes play out amid the daily lives of ordinary people in Chang’an—an innovative take on the classic “empty fort strategy” (空城計, kōng chéng jì). Ultimately, all warfare is based on deception, and Chang’an is the battlefield where hidden protagonists and antagonists attempt to outwit each other with complex, multi-layered stratagems. This drama demands full attention; its dialogue carries literary depth and is laden with clues that hint at complex character motivations.

This is without a doubt one of the most engaging and best-written dramas I’ve watched in 2025. However, across 28 episodes, the drama packs in too many ideas and themes. There is a profound sense of foreshadowing and symmetry, of cause and effect and “an eye for an eye,” that underlies the plot arcs and character outcomes. But it succumbs to the overdose of melodrama and excessive twists that have weighed down too many 2025 dramas—often at the cost of both character and logic. Vendetta takes “falling off a cliff” to new levels in how unbelievably incompetent every character seems at stabbing someone in the guts. The breakneck pace and multiple reversals successfully distract from how certain aspects of the plot and characters don’t fully hold together. It’s high entertainment, but it pushes the limits of suspension of disbelief and doesn’t withstand close scrutiny.

Although Huai’an is widely touted as a brilliant strategist several steps ahead of everyone else, his wins are few and far between. They come at a high cost, often by adopting the “self-injury stratagem” (苦肉計, kǔ ròu jì). This is fitting—the stakes are sky-high, and Huai’an is under-resourced and outmanoeuvred by hidden foes who, like him, play the long game. In this story, characters are allowed to fail, with real consequences. While Huai’an has loyal allies, they make mistakes and, worse, need rescuing at pivotal moments. Often, the antagonists seem smarter, more competent and more ruthless. Yet they, too, are grounded in reality; miscalculate and possess flaws that can be exploited to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. With such well-matched players, the margin between victory and defeat is razor-thin, turning on a dime.

Plot-wise, the narrative builds through multiple exciting twists to a thrilling and satisfying climax about two-thirds of the way through. Lurking in the shadows are Tiemo sleeper cells, ready to “loot a burning house” (趁火打劫, chèn huǒ dǎ jié) by exploiting Chang’an’s internal strife. Huai’an is taken by surprise, routed, and trapped at a disadvantage as hidden enemies emerge from the woodwork and barbarians gather at the gates. This story arc contains so many double- and triple-crosses, schemes within schemes, and bombshells that the plot becomes slightly deformed. For me, the best subplot was Wang Pu’s short arc, a masterclass in psychological warfare. In contrast, Baiwan’s arc felt unnecessary, adding little beyond forced angst while artificially lowering the intelligence of Huai’an’s team. That time would have been better spent deepening more interesting characters and tying up loose ends.

Cheng Yi navigates Xie Huai’an’s introspective transitions well, particularly as he reins in his obsession with an unchangeable past and finds a higher cause in a changeable future. The main aspect of his portrayal that missed the mark for me was its overly maudlin tone. The frequent waterworks made it seem as though he was the only character who had ever suffered loss during chaotic times. It’s also difficult to root for a protagonist so world-weary and single-minded in purpose. Thus, for me, Li Lianhua remains Cheng Yi’s best role, even though Vendetta of An has the stronger plot.

The main characters are multifaceted, with interesting backstories anchored by an impressive roster of veterans and solid performances all around. I found Wenjing’s duality—the twists and turns of his journey and his struggle against his true nature—most compelling. Unfortunately, his character was eventually dumbed down and squandered for shock value and cheap angst. Among the younger cast, Liu Yitong's Han Ziling was memorable. While I can’t fault the acting, Wang Jinsong’s gentle aura felt mismatched to his role. Yan Fengshan emerges as a more intense and menacing villain than the primary antagonist.

The finale builds to another exciting, action-packed, high-stakes climax in which Huai’an deftly “lures the tiger down the mountain” (調虎離山, diào hǔ lí shān) with yet another self-injury stratagem, then “shuts the door to catch the thief” (關門捉賊, guān mén zhuō zéi) and “borrows a corpse to resurrect the soul” (借屍還魂, jiè shī huán hún). There’s much to unpack in the excellent finale, though it leaves several loose ends only partly tied up in the special episode. The ending was more clear on a second watch—more on that in the spoiler section below. Most importantly, Huai’an’s final epiphany brings his character journey to a fitting close.

Overall, this drama that is a feast for the eyes and a boot camp for the little gray cells would have benefited from fewer themes and narrative curveballs. A tighter plot with fewer logic holes could have earned a 9.0 from me, but as it stands, it’s a highly recommended 8.5/10.














ENDING SPOILERS & ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
(Do not scroll further if you have not finished the drama.)













On a second watch, I realized the final episode is far more definitive than I initially believed. To begin with, Huai’an’s hair did not magically turn white overnight; he dyed it again, just as he did before infiltrating Hidden Soldier Valley. According to Cen Weizong’s reading of his natal chart, Baitou's hair would not turn white again until the end of his lifespan (83 years). He was playing to the Tiemo King's superstition by suggesting he was at death’s door.

As Huai’an is stabbed and his life flashes before his eyes, he finally admits he still wants to live—if only to remember his family a little longer. He breaks free from his obsession with revenge and reclaims his identity as Liu Zhi, a Huben shadow guard sworn to protect Chang’an. When he triggers the explosion, he discards his identity as Xie Huai’an, who stays in the granary and dies in the blast. Liu Zhi, however emerges and takes a day or two to live as an ordinary person. One could argue Liu Zhi never walked out of the granary either, but what matters more is that the character’s journey comes full circle. It’s a good ending, even without the special.

The special episode ties up loose ends and is clearly a prelude to a second season. Wuyang ends up on the throne, while Wenjing remains officially dead, choosing to serve the court incognito as the former pageboy Zhang Mo. Ye Zheng leaves to court his love Zhaolu, and Xiaoqing becomes a doctor.

The mysterious figure in Yulong Ridge is quite obviously Liu Zhi. He lets his hair down and imprisons himself there among his Huben guard—much like the Tiemo King did—to manipulate events from the shadows. He owes Cen a favor (likely a quid pro quo for luring the Tiemo King to the granary), after which they are square. This sets up the next season involving a mysterious figure at Mt. Shiluoman in Tiemo. Liu Zhi's work is not done; 200,000 Tiemo troops can still be deployed at any time. Until that threat is neutralized and lasting peace is achieved, it’s convenient to let the world believe Huai’an/Liu Zhi is dead. The person at Mt. Shiluoman is likely a high priest—probably Cen’s superior. When Huai’an kidnapped the Tiemo envoy, he mentions an altar at Mt. Shiluoman where nobles undergo a ceremony to receive the token around his neck. A new king should soon be chosen in Tiemo. It is in Liu Zhi/Chang'an's interest to try to influence the process.

One of the larger open plot holes for me is what drove Liu Ziyan and Yan Fengshan to turn on Liu Zhiwei. The only explanation that makes some sense is that they blamed him for the disastrous mission to rescue a high-ranking Huben spy captured by the Tiemo King 25 years earlier. I don’t believe that spy was Liu Zhi’s mother, as the timeline doesn’t align: she couldn’t have given birth to Liu Li/Baiwan if she died 25 years ago, and it contradicts Huai’an’s statement that his mother died when he was ten. I also find it difficult to believe that two uneducated Tiemo slaves raised as wolf bait could rise to become two of the most erudite and high-ranking officials in Chang’an. I could go on but I will stop here because I did enjoy this drama quite a bit despite the logic holes.




WANG PU ARC SPOILERS

Wang Pu made a fatal mistake when he couldn't resist meeting with Huai'an. He lost the moment he went to that temple by himself. He wasn't alone of course but he didn't realize Huai'an's men would kill all of his men that were following him there.

When Wang Pu learned of that YFS murdered his parents, he didn't care at all. The problem is YFS would NEVER believe that and would never trust him the same way again. This is the brilliance of Huai'an's trap - he ruined their relationship simply by meeting alone with Wang Pu to tell him his origin story. It is his nature - YFS would never be able to trust Wang Pu again. This left poor Stockholm Syndrom Wang Pu no choice but to prove his loyalty by killing himself. But YFS is a sick son-of-a-bitch. He could have refused to confirm what Huai'an told Wang Pu. But instead he told him in bloody detail anyway and when he was finished Wang Pu started eating the poisoned dumplings.

Huai'an already said Checkmate to Wang Pu at the end, both knowing how this would play out. But Wang Pu thought he would be able to deliver YFS a final win by luring Huai'an to watch his downfall. But even in this, he was outplayed bc Huai'an never showed up. It was an eye for an eye for Bai Wan's death.













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Unmyeong (Fate) is a strange thing.

"BOSSAM: STEAL THE FATE" overally is not something very good but it's moderately average and worth a one time watch. But Bossam indeed is a different kind of Sageuk (historical Kdrama) and let me first time tell why you should watch it.

1. The drama's basic plot is totally new. Bossam being an old Korean tradition could be something new for the natives but it's undoubtedly unknown to the huge number of int'l audiences.

2. The first of the drama basically is a romcom-story happening in the premise of a historical period. Royalty, Nobility and system, everything is related but politics and diplomacy have minimum involvement.

3. Be it joyous or melancholic, this drama has many warm poetic moments unlike other historicals which are full of tragedy with lots of angst.

4. Whatever amount of diplomacy has been shown in the script, it is very very skillfull. And it's like there's lot more diplomatic progression than wars and fights or stunts.

5. Jung Il Woo goes shirtless in the 1st episode itself showing his bulky transformation :p (not a spoiler at all) and that's quite a sight to witness. Also, he runs a lot in this drama.

STORY & SCREENWRITING:
Bossam is set up in the premise of Joseon era and is based on a age old traditional custom. Bossam basically is the forceful abduction of a widowed woman by wrapping them inside a sack and marrying them off with a man. Even though it has politics and diplomacy, as it should've since it's a sageuk, it has equal amount of warm slow-burn romance story and basic storyline involves cohabitation and mutualism. It's about how Bossam-ing a widowed woman by secret local peddlers changes the fate and lives of all the people involved as well as influences the entire system of a nation. The plot line development is very nice till the 8th episode with a vibe of uniqueness but after that a major revelation took place which changed the entire drama and made it a typical historical Kdrama where certain influential Minister is after the King's dethronement to get hold of the power. And after 10-11 episodes things become repetitive like someone plotting treason, scheming to kill another, preparing to defeat another in courtroom, rescuing someone in need, getting caught, etc etc... All these things happened back ti back in an alternative manner hence became boring and uninteresting to a certain level. They should rather have made it a 16 episode drama without dragging the story by writing the same thing over and over again.

DIRECTION & SCREENPLAY:
Well, it is the same as I described the story writing above. The screen-editing, organization of scenes and sound editing were pretty good till the major climax of 8th episode but after that the director could not do much given the script turned typical. It ain't that bad till the end though it could have been a lot better. So I would say the entire 2nd half is still finely bearable.

CAST & ACTING:
The casting for the respective characters is actually good. Jung Il Woo and Kwon Yu Ri picked a good script and justified their characters pretty much good. Other supporting characters were nice too but the problem is with the drama characters developed by the writer. The Female Lead showed a character development to a certain extent tbh but Jung Il Woo's character went downhill with a major revelation about his past. I expected a stronger him after the twist but the character instead lost it's essence. Shin Hyun Soo's character is very very annoying; he plays an important role in all the tragedy and helps the leads many a times, however he ruins many a thing in the 1st half of the story for his stubbornness and stupid desires. The little kid Ko Dong Ha who played Jung Il Woo's son did great in whatever he was given but after first half that pretty nice character didn't have many scenes and finally became lost towards the end. The supporting roles by Shin Dong Mi and Lee Joon Hyuk were pretty funny and compatible who made us laugh at many instances. Kim Tae Woo as the King has a complicated character. He gets charged up most of the times screaming and throwing things. Lee Jae Yong as the main antagonist played his character very very well and his acting his highly commendable.

OSTs:
To be very honest, there are plenty of OSTs and all of them are very good. Most of them depict either warmness or melancholy which were produced given the storyline. Even though the story becomes typical after the 1st half, the sound editing and OST organization is good. Special mention to the OSTs titled "Love Song", "Song of Destiny",
"Along the Trail", "Collar" and "Song of Bau". I loved especially "Song of Bau" which has a touch of traditional Korean music and it's so heart touching. "Angular Stone" is a track which is melodious and catchy one. Notably, in most of these songs traditional Korean musical instruments have been used.

There is no significant work of cinematography in the drama but the camera works is beautiful at places where they intended to capture hearts with the scene's warmness.

ENDING: It is rushed. I had a hunch from the ending of 18th episode that the last 2 episodes will be rushed in order to bring the drama to an end it did happen for which I wasn't surprised at all. I am okay with how the drama ended because at least that is reasonable but again I hope they would have ended it at 16th without dragging.

To be honest, I expected them to keep the storyline and screenplay as it is for the first half of the drama where they lived a common life staying in small houses, dealing with poverty and facing the odds together and. Even the kid's to part should be have been seen more. I would have loved to see the entire drama as a modern day story happening in a historical period with least politics, that'd have been a unique thing in the group of sageuk. So I am a bit disappointed to be honest.

So Overally, the drama is not bad rather I would say it's moderately average for which I give 7/10 hence indicating that it's worth giving a one time watch. I feel they dragged the ending to some extent for which many things became repetitive but in the end they had rush IDK why. They had the potential to do better but so be it since it's a over anyways. I started it because of the high ratings that I saw in articles saying it is MBN's highest rated Kdrama in their 10 years of history. Historical dramas getting immense recognition from Knetz is actually a big deal and It indeed is the best among all the MBN dramas tbh but it could have been better. You should try watching first 6-7 episodes and decide for yourself actually.

P. S. I will simp for the first half of the show.

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Sunshine truly worths the name with a mature and slow- burn romance.

🍁OVERVIEW OF PLOT:

The plot tells the story of female director who divorced her husband at the age of 36 'cause he is a scumbag. A 26 year old boy fall for her at their very first meeting when they met 10 years back 'cause she is the director who filmed his father for public advertisement which increases his respect towards his father's profession and give him motivation to study arts and design to motivate and aware society toward the hard workers.


🍁PACE OF STORY AND CHEMISTRY:

The drama has a slow pace and falls in the category of slow burn romance with many sweet and hilarious moments at times and ends with a happy ending. It kept me hooked to it from the very first episode as I like slow- burn romance very much. There is not much skinship and chemistry between leads is average.


🍁ACTING AND CHARACTERS:

🌿Sheng Yang : He is a hardworking, sensible, talented, warm-hearted person and has a great sense of humour . He is good at communication and don't give up easily whether to pursue his love or to build his career on his own. Xiao Zhan did a great job in portraying Sheng Yang with his natural looking acting and amazing emotion delivery just even by his face expressions. This character shows a development from being a little immature to purely mature without losing his basic character traits I mentioned above.

🌿Jian Bing : She is a brave woman who has courage to divorce her husband in her middle age after being married for 10 years. Her father was also a scumbag like her husband and she witnessed her father's dirty deeds at the age of 12. She told her mother about that but not long after she never seen her mother happy again and witnessed her death. It gives her a trauma and she started to hate her father but hated and blamed herself more for telling all that to her mother and begun to think that all adults' relationship is like this, so it takes her many years to divorce her husband. She is also a warm-hearted person and knows how to deal with tough situations with calmness and intellect. She became a very professional director and started her own company with her husband and best friend, even after divorcing him she kept personal and professional life seperate and continued their cooperation in company. She is a strong character and not like clingy, naive and childish female leads in most C-dramas. Bai Bai He did a praiseworthy job in portraying this character with natural acting.

Other characters are also pretty good other than the hockey couple, they really get on my nerves and I skipped every time they were on the screen. I don't understand why they were in the drama, just useless and waste of screen time.

Sheng Yang's parents are very reasonable, understanding and hilarious characters. They showed all the real concerns about relationship and financial problems very well. Sheng Yang's friends also showed a growth in character especially Pan Rou. The thing I don't like in drama is that they portray her scumbag ex-husband and father in a funny way and toned down the seriousness of cheating in a relationship.


🍁OST AND COSTUMES:

OSTs are average not very good and costumes and makeup are decent.


🍁CONCLUSION:

This drama is very down to earth and shows the real challenges in a person's life when it comes to relationship or career with a touch of healthy humour. It doesn't show a fully fantasized world but promotes hardwork, better communication and intellectual decisions. When other dramas just show us the importance of better communication to avoid misunderstandings, this drama tells us how to do it. Purely a mature romance drama. The leads needs each other. For Sheng Yang, Jian Bing brought a ray of increased respect and a new way of thinking in his life and as for Jian Bing, Sheng Yang brought a new hope and happiness in her life after an unsuccessful marriage and childhood trauma.

I would definitely recommend this drama to give it a try although it may seems to be boring to many people but it relies on deep understanding.

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LOVE SCOUT: A mature workplace romance filled with tenderness and interesting characters.

I'll start off by saying "Love Scout" is written by one of my favorite screen writer Kim Ji Eun —the same person behind a favourite kdrama " why her " and my top drama from last year, "Wonderful World," and then "Lie After Lie," which I also loved. I'm thrilled to have another favorite series from her!

The story revolves around a workplace romance between a female CEO of a headhunting company and her secretary, who happens to be a single father. Their first encounter is filled with tension, leading her to vow never to see him again. However, fate has other plans, and they find themselves working together as CEO and secretary.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "Love Scout" is the role reversal between the leads. Instead of the typical dynamic where the male lead is the CEO and the female lead plays the secretary, this drama flips that expectation. Our female lead takes on the CEO role, while the male lead becomes her secretary. This change not only adds a fresh perspective but also switches their personalities—she's cold and distant due to past traumas, while he embodies a warm, caring, and sunny disposition.

This reversal allows us to explore the characters in a new light, deepening our understanding of their motivations and struggles. It's fascinating to see how these dynamics play out, providing a unique take on workplace romance... this fresh approach to character roles makes "Love Scout" stand out in the genre.

This drama does a fantastic job of balancing romance with the work aspect, seamlessly incorporating moments of comedy and light-heartedness. The storytelling is so well done that nothing feels overshadowed; each element complements the others perfectly. The laid-back and relaxing setting adds to the overall charm, allowing viewers to connect with the characters on a deeper level.

The challenges faced in the headhunting business are portrayed through various character stories in each episode, making it engaging and relatable. The female and male leads navigate these obstacles together, showcasing their growth and teamwork. There are moments that are emotional and thought-provoking, adding depth to the narrative.

Another stand out aspect of love scout is the The character development....as mentioned in the start I've watched lots of series from the writer and she has a knack for crafting characters that are broken, flawed, and ultimately relatable, making them feel incredibly human. This drama is no exception.

The female lead, who is cold and distant due to past traumas, is portrayed as professional and strict in her work life, yet at home, she battles loneliness and insomnia. The gloomy atmosphere of her apartment reflects her inner struggles, highlighting a life filled with pain.

What I love about her character is that despite her challenges, she is headstrong and straightforward, confronting her feelings with remarkable clarity. She quickly realizes her emotions and takes the initiative to confess, showcasing her growth throughout the series. As she interacts with the male lead, we witness her gradual healing and transformation. She's not weak; rather, she embodies vulnerability while also being a fighter. This nuanced portrayal makes her journey compelling and relatable.

The male lead truly steals the show. He’s not just handsome; he embodies a warmth that makes him incredibly endearing. His professionalism and hard work shine through, but what really sets him apart is his role as a devoted father to his little daughter. Their interactions are heartwarming and will definitely have you swooning.

He excels in multiple roles—being a good friend, neighbor, and secretary, all while being an exceptional father and partner. It’s refreshing to see a character who genuinely deserves the title of a "green flag." He’s understanding, mature, and caring, showcasing a high emotional intelligence that makes him a fantastic listener. His intelligence is evident, but it’s his kindness and warmth that truly make him stand out.

Other characters are also interestingly written..like the second leads that aren't necessarily the main focus but I love their interactions with the leads and their interactions with eachother...then the work place employees who add to the comedy aspect of this drama and how they each contribute to the overall work place setting of the drama through different character stories.

Another thrilling aspect of this drama is undoubtedly the romance. It features a mature-themed love story that beautifully tackles all my favorite tropes. From workplace romance to the dynamic of "she fell first and he fell harder," and even the classic grumpy-sunshine and enemies-to-lovers arcs, this drama has it all. The transition from strangers brought together by misunderstandings to an incredible CEO-secretary duo is executed perfectly.

Their chemistry and tension are palpable, making their interactions both squeal-worthy and giggle-inducing. A standout moment for me was how they engage in simple yet profound conversations about life, work, and their relationship. After confessing their feelings, they sit down to discuss what they’ve become and what the future holds for them, and that heartfelt conversation is just so warm and touching. The romance is refreshingly mature yet cute and sensual, and I’m loving every minute of it!

The acting is undoubtedly amazing...and so are the osts..thag are beautiful and sensual.

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Is it camp though? GAP and the messy politics of lesbian representation

We did it folks, Asia’s first full-length Girls Love. There is a lot to say about what GAP represents. As the name suggests, this was an earnest attempt to well, close the gap for lesbian representation in Thai cinema, which is mostly known for its variety of BL content. It's a groundbreaking drama that's breaking barriers for sure, but did it break the mold of mediocrity? This review will be a wild ride so let’s strap in (no pun intended!).

I’ve been advised to go easy on this drama and I will do my best. I fully recognize what GAP means and represents for Asian sapphics, and I also recognize that no one involved in this was going for art-house cinema. And I myself am also not immune to charming cheesy trash. But I can’t write this review without addressing GAP’s quality in some capacity.

Since I am trying my hardest not to lose my lesbian-license it might be a good idea to ease in with the good stuff:
GAP’s cinematography is a bit of a hot mess but it does have its more stylish moments. Surprisingly enough those ended up being the sex scenes. I genuinely felt like these were the visuals that the director put the most thought into (I will not comment on how I feel about that) and I appreciated that GAP didn’t feel the need to dial the steaminess down just because it featured two women instead of men. This was an aspect I had been largely worried about before GAP even aired. If BLs are produced primarily for a female audience, would that mean GAP would be produced for a male audience? The fact that the director/producer was male, didn’t ease my concerns. I feared that what I would be served was bound to be a product of sheer fetishization. But I also did not want GAP to feel sexless, just because it had female protagonists. Women having sexual desires is cool actually. Well, I am happy to report that I actually had no issue with how GAP portrayed lesbian sexuality. The male gaze might be impossible to escape but it was subtle enough that I, a bitter lesbian, could still get something out of those scenes.
I struggle with critiquing an actor’s performance, especially if it’s in a language I am not very familiar with, but I will say that Sam’s actress Freen brought a lot of charm and humor to her role. Sam is a bit of a bitch and while I don’t think that her character was executed brilliantly, I also recognize that a lot of measures were taken to make her more likable, which is an effort I can appreciate. One of those was making Sam sufficiently awkward, something that the actress embodied pretty well (maybe because she did feel a bit awkward, who’s to say). I appreciate this effort even more so, after I have been informed, that Sam actually behaves a lot worse in the source material. I think softening those edges was the right move for sure. But script changes aside, I thought that Freen’s characterization came across as charming either way. Charisma is a difficult thing to evaluate because it’s very subjective and also innate to a person, so it might be something that you can’t really praise someone for but I do think that Freen really did the absolute best with the material she was given.
I don’t want to imply that my favorite aspect of a lesbian love story was a male character but I do have to earnestly commend the show for Kirk. The show’s main antagonist is Sam’s grandma, someone so comically evil that all that’s missing is a big mustache she can twirl. Kirk is not that. In fact, Kirk is the guy that everyone at the office loves. Someone that at first glance might even seem like an ally. The guy your friends insist you should marry because he seems “like one of the good ones”. And Kirk is an absolute douchebag. This was a character that appeared likable, had solid motives for the way he behaved, genuinely believed he was doing the right thing, and he still managed to be a huge asshole in a way you had to build up to. Kirk didn’t “suddenly turn out to be evil” because he isn’t and he never has been. But his crime was entitlement. He believed he was entitled to the company as he believed he was entitled to Sam. It’s, dare I say, an attempt at social commentary, that managed to be both subtle and effective all in a show that tended to be painfully on the nose. Kirk as an antagonist amidst the mess was truly a breath of fresh air, I think the casting choice was also great. Choosing some BL-heartthrob to portray him was the right call.
I guess as far as representation goes, this is pretty solid. We obviously have two morally dubious sapphic disasters for our protagonists but we also have one trans woman who is not entirely played for laughs (and one that is….) and a butch/masc lesbian which is something you rarely see on TV these days. None of these characters are entirely “unproblematic“ representation but that is also such a boring standard to uphold so I can live with a little messiness if it means that we get a more diverse cast.
This is such a small thing and I am not sure if it even was intentional, but the OST when something 〜shady〜 was going on and when Sam and Mon were getting down to business were pretty much alike. This furthered the impression that their relationship was a bad and ominous thing that was happening. This might not have been what the show (that presumably is first and foremost trying to be a love story) was trying to imply, but since I have been blessed with both eyes and a brain, this was a conclusion I inevitably arrived at. The OST seemed to point at the concept that Sam’s and Mon’s inherent toxicity was supposed to be text instead of subtext, which I thought was neat at least.

The bad:
One fun fact about me is that I have severe scoliosis and awful posture which is why my physician ordered me to do extensive physical therapy for an entire year. This painful progress might have been erased entirely by sitting through this show as I had to watch it with my head permanently tilted. I am not exaggerating, nearly every second shot of GAP is a Dutch-angle (tilted picture). Sometimes this made sense. A Dutch-angle creates a certain uncomfortableness, an eeriness if you will. Also: Sam is in a higher position than Mon. The scales are tipped. But more often than not this was a creative decision that puzzled me. It’s obvious that the director just thought it looked cool so he decided to use it ALL THE GOD DAMN TIME WITH NO THOUGHT IN MIND. I thought about making a drinking game out of it but that would have been a genuine health hazard.
What is it that this company does? This is an office romance but I m not even sure what this office is ordered to do. Something something social media something something. I wouldn’t care about this if it didn’t play such a big role in the overall plot. Also: Sam wants to keep her company and we’re supposed to think that she is deserving of that but we never see her work ever. It is implied that she is harsh on her workers because their performance determines whether she can keep living her life or will be married off. Well girl, how about you do some work then? I get it, it’s inherent to the cruel nature of the exploitative capitalistic system that the CEO never does any actual work and only leeches of their employees so this is quite accurate to real life but GAP is a silly romance and I am supposed to root for the undeservedly rich. I can’t do that if I never see Sam actually achieve anything. Every little success is due to the work of someone else and it’s not because of her management style but despite of it. To a wage worker like me, this is quite the hard sell. And I actually kind of like Sam and for her to be a bitch and a bad boss at the start of this show is fine, but we never see the needed character development from her. Sure, she warms up a bit, but arguably not nearly enough to excuse her prior behavior.
Sam and Mon suck. Not nearly as much as individuals as they do as a couple. It’s not so much that they’re unhealthy, I think the show knew that to some extent and I don’t think all love stories in fiction need to represent what is desirable in real-life. It’s more that they were… annoying? Which is a weak criticism, I’ll admit. But their constant bickering never seemed worth what they were getting out of the relationship. I was never sold entirely on their love. They had chemistry, sure, but that is very little to build a relationship on. If this was supposed to be a fatal-attraction sort of deal where they cannot keep away from each other despite how unhappy they make each other, this drama also failed to address that in a productive way. I like messiness and flawed, dumb people (I myself belong to said demographic), but Sam and Mon only seemed to always reunite because the narrative needed them to. Not because they were good together or it seemed like something either of the characters would want.
The sound quality was pretty atrocious in a way that I can't explain how it even got like this. Some passages of dialog were completely fine while others sounded like they were recorded with a fork. But I am not a casual lakorn-watcher and I have been informed that for a production of this size and budget, this is quite normal so this is probably just something you have to get used to and I am willing to let this one go.
I want to address the plot but it’s difficult to critique something there is so little of. Which is fine, intricacy is not what anyone watched this for. I guess the story is best described by things happening. One thing happens and then another one. Are those events correlated? Who is to say. But things certainly kept happening, that’s for sure.

So, is GAP an amazing show? God no. Is it an okay show? Also no. Should you watch this? I don’t know, I honestly don’t. I don’t know if I am capable of celebrating something solely for what it might represent. And I can’t recommend this show no matter which framework I use to analyze it. But yet I find myself wanting to. I once wrote that there are two schools of thought when it comes to LGBT+ representation: Either “we want stories that represent our experience, even if painful at times” or “we want access to the same rom-com escapism that heterosexuals get”. And personally, I see value in both. The problem is that I don’t think that GAP managed to deliver either one though I can certainly see attempts in both. There are some hints of social commentary and there definitely is the over-the-top rom-com storyline. But GAP is not good, it simply isn’t.

Is it camp though?

Define “camp”, please. Well, camp describes “art or entertainment that deliberately does not follow traditional ideas about what is considered good in order to produce a humorous effect”. The two types of camp that exist today are purposeful camp and unintended camp. As the name implies, intentional camp refers to the purposeful use of camp in humor. Unintentional camp results from naïveté or poor quality or tastes. It’s “so bad it’s good”, it’s the love of the unnatural, artificiality and exaggeration. This sounds like an insult but truth is that camp and the LGBT+ community have been intertwined from the beginning. Being excluded from mainstream society and mainstream art meant that we had to create our own. And this is where we got our ability to celebrate the ugly and weird. Camp evaluates tasteless kitsch whereas the bourgeois feuilleton high culture scorns it. The camp's level of sensitivity ranges from intense adulation to sardonic, disinterested amusement. Therefore, the definition of kitsch and camp is mostly subjective. And in my subjective perspective, when I look at GAP and see the nonsensical plot, the questionable performances, the Dutch-angles, the fake crying, and the constant yelling, I see camp.
Is this too little of a basis to recommend something? That is up to you but this is the hill I choose to die on.

I understand why so many people needed this to be good. One of my first comments on here reads “If this show turns out to be bad, I will simply gaslight myself into thinking it’s good”. It’s not just the lesbian representation, it’s the longing for a story that is not dependent on men. And now that GAP failed to be even passable, there is the fear, that no one in Thailand’s entertainment industry will ever try again to produce a WLW-story. But truth be told, I think we will be fine. I have never been a BL-watcher but according to all sources, Asia’s first BL was absolute dogshit and yet the genre found its niche. More importantly, however, while successful representation is undeniably incredibly important, social progress comes first. Good LGBT shows, books, and movies have always followed social changes in the real world, not the other way around. As East Asia becomes more progressive, the entertainment they produce will inevitably diversify. But we shouldn’t put our hopes and dreams in these capitalistic constructs. Our liberation should not be dependent on how much money people can make off us. Instead of hoping that rich men in production companies tell our stories we need to get out there and fight for the rights and resources to tell them ourselves.

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Meh

Is something wrong with me? Is it me? Am I the problem? Why can’t I see what everyone else seems to see in this drama?

Everyone was buzzing for this but I honestly hate having to wait in-between episodes and decided to not start this drama before more than 10 episodes were out. So I waited. And it just wasn’t what I wanted from it.
I wanted to love this so so so much. I needed this show, I needed a sweet, cozy, wholesome romance. There were days where I told myself to push through solely so I would live, to watch Homewtown Cha Cha Cha. And I can’t say that I was heavily disappointed, but I wasn’t impressed either.

I want to start off by saying this: Hometown Cha Cha Cha is fine. It’s okay. It’s not bad by any means. But it’s just not more than that.
There are plenty of things to like about this: A beautiful, charming setting that will hit you with homesickness for a place you have never been to. Two good-looking leads. A catchy OST. A fun premise. Lots of lovable side characters. I sincerely love Yeo Hwa-jung, she was my favourite character by far, and even though I am not too pleased with the conclusion to her arc, she had the backstory I enjoyed the most and all things considered, she’s probably my favourite aspect of the entire show. There were a few comedic moments that made me chuckle. It was an alright watching experience. But people are calling this the romance drama of the year and I’m just not on board with that.

The number one thing I read about this show was how refreshing and healthy it was. And I just don’t see it. This felt more formulaic than I expected it to. We have our male lead who is perfect in every single way and always correct. His one flaw is being too caring. We have our female lead whose only job is to be proven wrong by our male lead or get saved by him. This is fine, honestly, what are most romance K-dramas if not female wish-fulfillment? But is it particularly new or interesting? I don’t think so. This felt less like a healthy and realistic portrayal of adult relationships and more like a self-insert fanfiction. There are times when I want that from a story but this wasn’t one of them.
Surprisingly enough, even though I am easy to please in that regard, I wasn’t crazy about the romance between the two leads. I didn’t really understand the progression of them falling for each other, to me, that kind of came out of the blue. Which is a shame because I do think that the actors have chemistry. But it took ages for their characters to even become something close to friends. They had the same surface-level arguments every single episode, which always ended with Doo-sik proving Hye Jin wrong, and next thing you know I was expected to believe that the two were in love as well when I wasn’t even convinced that they liked each other.
I wasn’t impressed with the way this show dealt with Hong's past either. Since we only unpack his backstory in the last ¼ of the show, the first ¾ of the drama felt weirdly trivial. All of the sudden, the entire feel of Hometown Cha Cha Cha just changed and got way too depressing for its own good. And the extent of trauma our male lead had, was way too heavy to be resolved in the little time the drama had left. It really felt like this show bit more off than it could chew. The subject matters were a tad too dark and the writing a tad too clumsy. Instead of our male lead having this ultra-depressing past, I much would have preferred it if both of our main characters could have been just two regular people, with regular people’s problems that made them flee from their city lives (similarly to Lovestruck In The City for example). But sadly Hometown Cha Cha lost everything that made it feel realistic or relatable by that point. And I honestly had to force myself to sit through the last few episodes, something I definitely didn't expect.

Maybe I am being too harsh on this drama. Maybe I would have given it a higher rating if my expectations had been lower. I gave My Roommate Is A Gumiho an 8.0 out of 10, and on every level, objectively speaking, that’s a worse show. But I knew what I wanted out of My Roommate Is A Gumiho and it delivered exactly that. I wanted it to be dumb, harmless, cheesy, and cringy fun and that’s what it ended up being. But out of Hometown Cha Cha I expected more. Something more adult, more, fresh, more interesting. And it just wasn’t any of those things.

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