This review may contain spoilers
A film of two halves
The good bit is the first half:So this film is amazing at the beginning - a brilliant "get the team together and do amazing things, nice guys finish first, rise over prejudice and have fantastic adventures" romp.
It looks excellent, the characters are really well realised, the dynamics between them are believable and for a change the writers show, don't tell, us who the characters are and what they are doing.
Then they kill off every single substantial female part one by one until we are left with a pretty naff mystic who disappears... and like it's 1973 the members of the team with a uterus die so the men have a reason to keep adventuring...
I just can't even...I loved it and then *sigh*
If you want to watch this, watch it until they get to the Mystic Forest then bug out of there and make up a better ending in your head.
Was this review helpful to you?
FEEL GOOD DRAMA AND ALSO CUTE!!!
This drama is so cute bot visuals and the storyline....This KBL has come after a long time and the wait is literally worth it.....Korean BLs are having a moment this year as they keep releasing one hit show after another. If you are done with Eighth Sense, Semantic Error and other KBL's and are looking for the next show, A Breeze of Love is here to watch!For those who don't know yet A Breeze of Love is adapted from the “Weather Forecast Love” webtoon. The show tells the story of Ban Dong-wook, who has insomnia. His condition gets worse, especially on bad weather days. On one of these bad days, he coincidentally meets Lee Do-hyun, who becomes his haven. Soon, Do-hyun develops feelings for Dong-wook.
Unfortunately, his confession goes awry, and misunderstanding festers between the two. Fast forward to five years later, the two meet on campus and try to fix their broken ties..........
[THIS PART MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS]
I Really liked the first episodes. The close-ups, the camera work, the lighting, are all peak K-romance. The boys are gorgeous and they can act - we already have a good idea of their characters and the chemistry can be felt the moment they face each other.....also props to the girl who help them meet much faster 🤭
this one's cute haha especially Dohyun broooo he such a cutieeee so as Dongwook......also I was expecting that this one would be like " A Shoulder to cry on" (having no kissing scenes) but your bro is shocked when I saw that there is!!!!! I immediately screamed like omg that's such a memorable scene 🤭 the atmosphere, the feeling, the- AHHHH hahahah and also I think the title change for this one (well) it fits with the drama....no stress or whatsoever hahaha so if you are looking for a 'feelgood' drama that also has an aesthetically pleasing cinematography I'll recommend this to You! 💯🤍
Was this review helpful to you?
Ha Ji Won and Lee Jin Wook are good as Oh Ha Na and Choi Won. They have a good chemistry and it is fun to watch them fight and laugh. I don't know who Yoon Gyun Sang is, but he is the male version of an actress that is stone faced. He doesn't have much experience. So, hopefully he will get better. Ha Na's parents, brother, and friends help make the drama more interesting and better. I really liked when she would discuss her life with them.
Personal: I gave this drama a higher score because Ha Na and her mother spend the night in a hotel talking and it reminds me so much of spending time with my own mother. I love that scene the most and I will probably rewatch it over and over. I miss my mom, but that episode is some how comforting.
The music is good.
I won't rewatch this.
It is pretty ok as a light romance.
Was this review helpful to you?
They should have just made a 1 ep special with the new stuff.
I love 2gether. It was the first of the modern thai BL series that i got into because of the pandemic. I say modern BL cause the first thai BL i got into was Love of Siam. Anyways, 2gether and still 2gether hold a special place in my heart. And after watching other BLs from around the world after 2gether, i've realized that there are far better quality BLs than 2gether, but again, Sarawat/Tine still had a special place in my heart.So when they said a movie was in the works, i was hoping for a continuation of the story with a better budget and production akin to like Gameboys the movie or Hello Stranger the movie (both of which upped the production, story and everything from its original series). Unfortunately, 2gether the movie is 90% a recap of the series we already know, with footage from the series stitched together as a montage with new voice overs to give more context, and for 10% parts that were new was probably shot all on a single day.
I know the 2gether stans may seem like this sounds harsh but im just speaking honestly. This was utterly disappointing. It was like someone took the original source material and decided to make a fluffy fanfic epilogue/conclusion. I skimmed through the whole movie and watch the last bits and it felt unsatisfying. And this earned a Thai cinematic theater release? This just felt like a low effort cash grab. It felt almost like a slap in the face to the fans. They could have done a single ep special with just the new stuff and it would have achieved this conclusion just the same, if not better. Ill prob get flamed for this, but again, im just speaking honestly.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Princess’s Gumboot more like…
NB. Unlike the majority of my reviews this one contains mild spoilers.To be honest, this drama suffered even more from the comparison to Nirvana in Fire which I’ve just finished watching. I described that as “sophisticated and intelligent” but unfortunately this one is lame, painful and naive. In reality it is a romance in the enemies to lovers trope wrapped up in an intrigue/mystery plot that has about as much twist and tension as a scrunchy. Because whatever happens, you know beforehand that it won’t cause much of a problem to our dashing, devilish hero who will emerge shining bright like a TRESemmé ad with his wig still immaculate.
How do I know that? Because a good plot is one where the odds have real bite and there is both winning and losing, so that the audience is left insecure. But when death is the only stake from the get go, two things become obvious: firstly there will be no gradual increasing of tension and anticipation, only more of the same; and secondly, the hero/heroine can never lose, whatever the circumstances; come hell fire, explosions, high water, incompetent assassins, miracle survivals, impossible escapes and of course, the compulsory memory loss.
Another consequence is a stupid, one dimensional villain, who has to mess it up every time. The character of Prince Wu You was bafflingly extreme and contradictory but not to worry, he was just the aperitif and was soon replaced by another one. Unfortunately, Prince Wu Yin was cut from the same cookie dough but had an added creepily erotic nanny fetish over the linchpin villain of the piece, whose most notable feature was her absence from the majority of the drama. The loss of the only credible villain, Meng Hui Jin about a third of the way through was a sad day for the plot. One wonders if having an opponent equal to the task was something the writer was not skilled enough to handle.
I wasn’t convinced by the love story either. In fact the writer’s level of emotional literacy throughout, especially in the characters of the villains, hovered around zero. If on first encountering someone they try to kill you, just believe me when I say, you really are never going to trust that person again. Then heap on top of that a huge number of dodgy scenarios and a great deal of warranted mistrust and you have an unredeemable situation. So to think that these psychological obstacles could in some way be cast aside (however much two people lust after each other) is totally naive and snuggled-up-safe-in-bed fantasy-land imagining. And there you have it, I suppose I’m just too old and grounded in reality to appreciate this style of storytelling. I assume that this is a known fact to people who choose to read my reviews (and I’m genuinely grateful to you for being one of them), so no surprises here, lol.
This wasn’t a low budget love story. There was a cast of thousands, a big costuming budget and all the trimmings which were on constant display (they’d got them, so they might as well use them type of attitude). Which might go some way to explaining why our intrepid heroine felt it necessary to still wear a barnet full of ornaments and a silk gown whilst rough travelling hundreds of miles on horseback to rescue her brother. But despite all that jingling finery, the drama still didn’t make the cut because the script and the plot was sooo bad.
It began with a perfectly acceptable high stakes drama (if I was generous, a 7.5) and then, almost purposefully, slid down the long slippery slope to end in the farce that was the coronation scene (now plummeted to a 5) before falling apart completely (which is how we arrived at 4). There were too many threads that were hanging loose and not bound together into a cohesive narrative. The last three episodes felt like having to clean up after a party—washing up the characters, vacuuming out the various plot rooms and polishing off the last dregs in the wine bottle just so you can keep going.
As for the dialogue, it was superficial, explainy and lacked any sort of subtlety or emotional intelligence. When characters start explaining their backstory to people who lived it with them, then you know the writer was chucking an all-nighter to get the scene finished before the dawn shoot and patch the holes made by the scenes that got cut earlier on. This happened throughout, but most cringeworthy was Empress Lv in Episode 34.
The acting wasn’t anything to write home about either. But then it’s difficult to excel with banal lines and wooden direction. It’s hard to pick a winner but I’ll back Lui Ling Zi’s performance as probably the best of a very average bunch.
And the soundtrack? Was there one? I’ve forgotten…
However, to end with, there are one or two things that attracted a favourable response from me. I really like the sets for this drama. Particularly the gambling den, with its rich colouring and ambitious costumes. Also the cinematography followed through on that theme, with some dramatic lighting that provided an interesting visual feast (which saved it from a 3.5).
Was this review helpful to you?
The plot is neither shallow nor particularly predictable. Until the end, the viewer does not know if the romance between the leads will have a future or not, because apart from the age difference - which isn't that big anyway - there are other, more important obstacles: opposite stances towards work and life in general, different social status, dissimilar goals. The good aspect of this love story based upon differences is that both learn one from the other. It's not the dramatic change of one of them overnight, in the name of love or another equally unrealistic reason.
The best part of the plot lies in the dialogues, though. They are clever, at times hilarious, at others quite deep. I loved learning of the process behind the creation of an advertisement, and why those people are often referred to as "the creatives".
The acting was very good, although I must admit at not having been swept away by Itoh Misaki's performance. There were times when she felt wooden and unconvincing. This lowers my acting mark to an 8, which would have been otherwise flawless, since everybody else did a great job, including Kame.
The music isn't my favourite, but it was chosen with great sense and is very fitting with the story told and the setting.
The photography deserves a mention too: there are some beautiful screen shots throughout this show. I can still see them with my mind's eyes today, more than 4 years after I've watched the drama. They are meant to create a visual pattern, parallel images which create a nice contrast between the incompatibility of the two main leads in the world of words, and the harmony between them on a more emotional level.
I will rewatch it. It gave me an energy shot at the time, therefore I keep it for future need of the same.
Was this review helpful to you?
The one thing I'm confused about is they never really explained why was there another Xun'er in the villain valley.
Was this review helpful to you?
It's for you only if you do like comedy
first of all it's not actor's fault, I'm sure they're doing their best, but this idea was bad since the start.Is not easy to scream 99% time, but Yim has to do that for this role, what a waist!
I love the cast, but I also think they're ready for a serious story, with drama, maybe sensual scenes, I don't really know.
Unfortunally I'm sure I am not the only one disapointed with the choice to still in Bed Friends universe, because the production made it poorly.
Uea was sofiticaded and his boyfriend was warm and savage, we loved that, but now they are not interesting anymore, a truly shame.
Again, I loved the cast, even the two new ones, hopefully they got more elaborated roles in future, so I can have a great time watching them unshowed skills.
Give it a try, if you was able to giggle in the first episode, I think you can watch it without any problem <3
Was this review helpful to you?
That pretty much sums up my viewing experience of Pretty Boy: not a particularly good drama, but one I found extremely watchable and that I anticipated each week.
The storyline is two-fold: one thread is Dokko Ma Te and the ten women he must "conquer"; the second being a drama-standard birth secret plot. I will admit that the birth secrets had me most invested and offered little surprising twists. The women storyline might seem off-putting at first, but in the end, it became less about Ma Te taking advantage of women and more about a mutual exchange and growth happening within those connections.
Where the drama started to corrode were the moments where I actually paid attention to what was going on. Those were the moments when the plotlines to nowhere, random character entrances and exits, moments of discontinuity within the story, and quick fix deus ex machinas that happen off screen and present a quick "WTF" fix to a problem became glaringly obvious.
OK, that's admittedly quite a lot wrong with the drama. However, if you're looking for a drama that will fly by quickly with light humor and mystery and a quirky comic book feel to it, Pretty Boy should hold you over until the main drama course arrives.
Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointing. It’s visually stunning, music is great, but that’s it.
I’m disappointed. The story is not good. Or maybe I just expected so much from the glimpse I had from the music video and reviews here.The music video of Park hyo shin’s ost is a way better story than the entire series. It’s unnecessarily long just to keep dragging the episodes to showcase the beautiful cinematography.
Story: Why so long? Is it to cater for the countless slow motions and CGI? Or is it to make it seem like a big shot kdrama? Most of the scenes are empty, the order of the series is a mess, maybe they were just trying to be more historically accurate but if then they couldve just made a movie. The war that I was expecting for the last episode actually happened in the first episode, and it was just a glimpse. The feeling of patriotism that I’ve been waiting for was concealed in a very short scenes, then the lovestory-filled ending came up, then the end.
Cast/Acting: I don’t buy the main leads. Why does it have to be Lee byung hun? He might as well became the father figure for the main female lead. I could see hyun bin as a more fitting cast for the character. Kim tae ri, okay so many better actress to portray this role, but I can forgive this. The rest of the main leads, perfect.
Music: One of the best soundtracks in kdramaworld. Thank you Park hyo shin and Baek ji young.
Rewatch: No, because it’s so long and empty, I might actually fall asleep. Actually I did fell asleep so many times while watching this, I just woke up one morning and the entire series has been streamed out. Lol!
Overall: Very disappointed. Unlike the claims of other fans about this drama as patriotic, historical etc. it actually focused on the lovestory of the main leads, the main leads as in the five main leads.
There are only three good things about this drama.
1. The cinematography
2. The music
3. The mourning scenes in ep 20.
Was this review helpful to you?
SHORT REVIEW, NO SPOILERS
Don’t read the synopsis. Don't watch the trailer !!! I am so glad I didn’t. I was sold within the 1st few minutes of the 1st episode. And although in many ways this show is predictable, many effective romcom formulas being used (let’s be real, they’re still used because they work), in many ways you will be taken aback. You will be shocked by who is trustworthy and who is not, who is strong and who is weak. And you will also wonder if everything in life is or can actually be black and white. I don’t think anyone can guess what leads the lead roles to get closer and closer, unless they stumble across the “former titles” or read the synopsis before watching the show, which I suggest you AVOID doing at all costs. It will spoil it, and kill what could be an interesting twist in your eyes as a viewer. The fact that the official title doesn’t give a single hint about what is going on is perfect. It made me appreciate the show even more. Be ready to discover tons of secrets - some being legit and harmless, most having pretty devastating consequences due to lies to cover up others, or lies to truly hurt others. KYK was the only reason I gave the show a try, and I really really didn’t expect much, but this romcom is fun and fresh, with doses of thrill and drama added to it. The strong points of this show? Its consistency in terms of suspense, and the leads’ ability to emote. I can’t think of one boring episode. I found myself cracking up one minute and tearing up the next. It is surprisingly one of the best romcoms I have seen to date, I truly recommend it.Was this review helpful to you?
1The Female Lead Choice Doesn't Matter But The Story Line
I've been seen a lot of people complaining about FM choice what what, could you have been better? for my opinion I think she's portraying her character very well, it's just people used for the same FM's on the stories.I've watched the story and I already know how it's going, it's so good , the ML is not just handsome but so cool, he's the villan I love hating but failing to.
The FL is cute , I really can't wait for those to finally realized they have feelings for each 🤭
Was this review helpful to you?
Let me break it down for you, the drama is about 2 beautiful loving soulmates who, by the time they meet, they already have settled down for the wrong people. The drama is about true and fated love, but in its core it talks about putting yourself, your needs first and choosing your own happiness over everything and everyone else. We deserve to be happy and nobody is entitled to strip us of this right!
Yes the drama, on the surface, presents 2 married individuals who, because of different personal circumstances, fall for each other. Don't let this drive you away from this drama. The affair is introduced in the most romantic way possible without being glorified. It's not filthy in any way, quite on the contrary i'd say.
What made the drama stand out was easily the chemistry between the leads. Not the best i've seen but enough to charm you and make you get lost in the sparks. However, the best of the drama for me was the characterization. Seldom do we see such 3D, deep and well-rounded characters that feel like real people. This is one of the dramas that you have to read between the lines to properly comprehend that is going on and why. Many's the time i felt frustrated by the characters' choices and decisions, but this is human nature, scarcely logical sometimes. Moreover, i loved how even the "evil" characters had many layers but if you tried walking in their shoes you could understand where they were coming from, even if you still disagreed with their course of action. Good writing.
Sadly the drama was cut 4 episodes shorts and significant part of the storylines along with some characters were left unexplored. Still the writers did their best to complete the drama is a fulfilling way.
The drama is so natural, based completely on emotions and feelings, the plot devices for the story to unfold are strong and it is never really dragged or anything considering you're into romance and melodrama. However, there are certain drawbacks that refrain me from giving it a higher score.
First and foremost, i feel that the writers were really scared to actually go for it. The build up is there, the reasons, the excuses, the plot that is getting thicker and thicker, the chemistry which is sizzling but there is no climax. Generally the drama lacked the intensity that was needed sometimes, but the drama was special because of its mellow and calm nature. That being said, this aspect of the drama may make some viewers feel a little bored.
Story wise, the drama was solid, i only wished it wasn't so subtle when it came to the affair and also that they wouldn't deem some characters so evil just so they make other character look favorable. Too fake in my opinion.
Continuing to the acting, the overall experience was quite spectacular.
I've seen Lee Sang Yoon in other roles, wasn't impressed. Apparently i hadn't seen his flawless puppy eyes that he so effortlessly demonstrates here. Emotional and passionate, he pulled of his character impeccably.
Gotta hand it to Shin Sung Rok, for being a complete asshole (jn yet another drama i've seen him in). Takes talent to become the perfect antagonist and act like a complete jerk so realistically. His character was rather unemotional and shut down. It takes talent to act as an unemotional jerk and still pour part of your soul in the role! Luscious performance. An actor for me to look out for.
My personal favourite is, hands down, Choi Yeo Jin; the actress deserves more credit, she's been amazing in every project i've seen her in, but she shines here. Loved her character and the friendship subplot that she introduced, she was strong and intelligent and yet so loyal and dependable. Relateable and loveable.
My only issue was with Kim Ha Neul. Not that she was bad or anything, but i did feel that she overacted a lot especially while crying to the point it was fake and, moreover, i couldn't really relate to her in certain scenes while the plot was crafted so conveniently that anyone should have been able to excuse her and identify.
Overall, this is a good watch. Considering this is a melodrama it's not overly heavy, just the right amount. I'd recommend this to melodrama and especially romance fans. Be warned that the romance is not cute and fluffy here, but it is fullfilling (the chemistry is one you don't want to miss out on) in case you want to see something more "serious" let's say. I doubt i'll rewatch this, but it deserves a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Love In The Air (aka a bodice ripper set in current times)
Overall/Note: This series is based on a novel by MAME (TharnType author) who writes "bodice rippers", i.e. a wealthy, handsome and aggressive pursuer goes after a naive and/or reluctant pursuee where non/dub con is involved and they end up happily ever after. This series has the very FICTIONAL 'mouth says no, but body says yes' idea. In real life, even if a person's body reacts to touch, it doesn't mean that they want it. Just one verbal or non verbal 'no' means to stop immediately in real life. In real life buying multiple burner phones/sim cards to contact someone who has blocked you isn't romantic it's stalking and creepy. In real life spanking someone when you haven't established a role play/boundaries/safe word is physical assault. I think/hope most people can tell the difference between fiction and real life. There are valid reasons for creating and enjoying non/dub con that I won't get into, however steer clear if this is not your thing. On iQIYI and YouTube (varies by country).Content Warnings: manipulation, dub con touching and kissing, non con touching and kissing, manhandling, homophobic comment, kidnapping, violence, stalking, harassment, past sexual assault references/brief scenes, PTSD/trauma, gang rape
What I Liked
- really was hooked in the first few minutes
- clear time jump
- Ple said that being gay is not a bad thing*
- bisexual representation
- liked the street racing aspect
- the NSFW scenes were well done, most like Rain/Phayu's
- the sweet/caring moments
- that university students were actually busy with school assignments
- how Sky was sassy in the beginning
Room For Improvement
- separating out the two couples didn't work for me, I was bored in the second half, felt like it went in circles
- not a fan of Phayu's "plan" or Rain's "plan"
- how Rain has a crush on a woman and says that he's not gay he just thinks one guy is hot seems to be setting up or is the gay for you trope, related to this
-* the whole conversation around 17 minutes in episode 1 was bad/odd, Rain said Ple's brother must be gay because he said something about another guy, it was good that Ple did call Rain out on it but the whole conversation was not needed
- scenes kind of jumped a bit a few times
- the second episode had too much recap from episode 1, this happened again in later episodes where they showed a lot of footage that we had already seen
- audio issues
- I disliked Pai at the beginning for the initial coercion and then the harassment/stalking but ended up being annoyed with Sky and his lack of communication with Pai and also making Pai do a bunch of chores to prove his love, then I went back to not liking Pai with the yelling in the final episode
- last episode felt rushed
- consequences not shown for those scum of the earth, only referenced verbally
Was this review helpful to you?
SO much wrong with this
I came to this because I just discovered Takeru Satoh - I just watched all the Rouroni Kenshi movies and wanted to see something else he was in. This was one of the few things I could find - and man was this a horrible shift.Everything about this drama is so wrong - from beginning to end, this drama is what is wrong with Asian rom-coms. That someone thought this was a good story of a ‘romantic’, healthy adult relationship is just a bit disturbing.
While commenters have issue with the age gap - that is not really the problem - its the maturity gap. She has the maturity level of a teenager while the ML has the maturity level of an adult . Not to mention the power dynamic that he is her superior at work. It’s all just so wrong.
Let’s start with the idea that a teenage girl, on her day of graduating from high school, goes to a temple to pray that she finds a good man, stumbles upon a woman with a medical emergency and the dashing, handsome doctor shows up, smiles at her, pats her on the head and whola! - I’m in love! To the point of running off to become a nurse so she “can be near him’ - not because she wants to be a nurse and help people, doesn’t decide to become doctor because she just witnessed him saving the woman - but, no, lets be a nurse so I can stand next to him - wrong!
She then spends 5 years to go to school so she can get a job at his hospital, then shows up and runs around proclaiming her love for this person in the middle of the workplace- to a man who she has only even, met briefly once in her life. She then spends all her time bumbling around, acting like a pre-teen with a crush on an idol. And she never grows out of it. Wrong!
Then there is the whole awkward dating situation - again, the maturity gap happens - he clearly has experience and she clearly has none. She has this very romanticized, teenager mentality of what being in a relationship means and it just doesn’t fit - most of the time she seems terrified - that dear-in-the-headlights, ready to jump out of her skin look on her face and in her demeanor - very subservient, bowing and apologizing all the time - all the while he is calling her an idiot every five minutes. It is just the most unhealthy dynamic and yet the writers/directors and even viewers - all think this is ‘romantic’, it is not.
You never get a real sense of why he likes her and it isn’t event until the second to last episode that he says anything. He spends most of the time ignoring her, glaring at her and generally looking like he is annoyed with her and then one day, just turns around on the street and kisses her - what?!?!
I also do not see, not just one, not two, but three grown men falling in love with her - that this idea of an immature 22 year old, who behaves like teenager is somehow so appealing that men are falling over themselves - is just absurd.
And then there is the older sister of the dead girlfriend who shows up and just happens to look EXACTLY like the dead girlfriend, hasn’t seen the guy since she died and is now ‘in-love’ with him - seriously! I cant even with this stupidity.
Overall - most of the problems come back to this maturity issue. it would be one thing, if through out the show you see her mature and him soften - but that never happens (he does, ever-so-slightly - but not really enough)
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
What was the last song (non Asian) that you listened to? #214 minutes ago -
Which Was the Last Drama Episode You Watched? Part 348 minutes ago -
-
Favourite quotes2 hours ago -
What's the Last Anime Episode You Watched? #22 hours ago
