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Finally, a story with real people and not caricatures!
Gong Suo Jin Zhi hit my IQIYI as Love and Strife out of nowhere. Relatively unknown actors but OMG! this is finally an adult production where there are no females who act like 5th graders, no villains who roll their eyes or grind their teeth. The script was solid, even if the story was not that innovative the characters were written with care and consistently put out the same vibe and logic. The director had done a really good job making it an even paced, low key, but interesting drama with good chemistry between the leads and interesting relationships between 2 other couples shown.From the get-go you wonder about the moral spine of the leads as they are not some caricatures/cliches of the cdrama stereotypes. Both leads are not flashing their attractiveness, but they are dressed well, with subtle make up and hairdos that fit. What this stands out for is the maturity of the interactions, relationships and characters. The daughter of a military family that was killed off is on the road to revenge -check. She is using herself as a bait and even a possible victim of abuse - check. The Crown Prince crippled and weak holding the grudge for the death of his mother - check. He is also shady about how he feels about his emperor father - check. Third prince villain-check - but he is not a bumbling baboon and actually an articulate, dignified, even if spoilt, dude with integrity. Have you seen that a lot? I did not. I actually liked him better than the grayish shade of the ML, but in the end, he gets what he deserves. And that Imperial consort, mom of the 3rd prince? Crazy jealous -check. Smarter than the emperor? You bet! And even 3rd princess does not come as an idiot, just as a woman stuck between her minister father and heir implied husband.
All the actors did an amazing job to be the characters they played. It was like a good theater performance: real, un-retouched at times raw and at times evoking the sense of them being just pitiful. You don't get grand gestures and doubled or tripled shots of the same scene for added grandiosity. People still spit blood and get splashed with it - you just don't see acting in it - you see people suffering and getting shocked. I give them all 10/10 for that and bow to the director for this!
Now on to relationship of the leads: You will get nice tension, lavish kissing and no shying away from showing what marriage of two people attracted to one another looks like behind the close doors. The shots of these embarrassing if you watch it on public transportation scenes is done very tactfully but long enough for all of us who like that stuff to smile. And what I personally enjoyed in the scenes of the couples interacting is what they don't say but show with faces, bodies and voice.
Even the ending was thoughtful- you don't get any stupid hang ups from misunderstandings, but there is an issue of trust, self-determination and power. Remember crazy emperor forcing the woman he desires to marry him? Well, for the crown prince who does not give his father an antidote as a revenge for allowing to kill his mother - what do you think he will do? And the woman who discovers that the husband she aligned with and started to love faked being poisoned by others without telling her - do you think she will stay with him?
The few songs during the show were really good. It reminded me of the quality in Princess Royal theme. BGM was discreet and not intrusive. and it was all superbly edited.
Fights scenes? OK Camera work? good Lighting? Amazing! I am very tired of night scenes where you can spot needles on the ground because the producer thought that the more light - the better.
Overall the underhanded way of this drama will probably make a lot of people forget it quickly. I, on the other hand, will look at it again because it is rare to see drama with characters that are not heroic, but human. That is why I am giving it 8.
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"First Impression is the Best Impression" - Proven False By Love Class 2
I agree with the people(in the comments) who stated that the first two episodes did not leave a good impression, also those two episodes are a bit confusing and make me lose interest in the drama. Hopefully I gave it a chance and I do not regret it. I don't know about others but I really really enjoyed it.I am not saying that it is completely flawless, that it is perfectly perfect. But I can just say that it is cute, lots of couples(literally not just 3...If you watch the drama you might just understand hehehe), a tiny little bit of mystery which I felt could have handled more wisely and mature. But kudos to the director, team and the leads the drama came out so well.
Talking about the characters and the actors, Lee Kwang Hee(Maru) is such a great actor.I fell in love with his character when he confides the cafe manager for minwoo...so cute and funny.I felt that nobody could have pulled that scene except for Lee Kwang Hee. I am already looking forward to his future projects. Also the dating class teacher is such a lovely person, I really liked her acting also her smile is so beautiful. The whole Kim An and Lee Hyun relationship felt so off for me, but the other two couples(maru x minwoo and joohyuk x sungmin) made it up for me. Also special mention to Sara(I don't this actress name) she nailed it and she is so beautiful.
I felt episode 10 is a bit draggy and totally irrelevant to the story and unnecessary as if they are forcing it to be the climax of the story. Other than that everything is great!!
Also, I did not watch the first season but the cameos of the first season's leads made this a season 2 for Love Class hahaha. So, no need to watch the first season, You will enjoy it for the story itself like I did.
P.S. - Great Support actors (especially Sara and dating class Teacher), Great Visuals, Good chemistry, Many couples, Short and sweet, Worth the Time.....So o watch it!!!
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Quiet resistance becomes power—ordinary lives spark change in this gripping historical drama
South Korea, 1987: a country under the control of an authoritarian regime, where freedom of expression is suppressed and political activists are brutally persecuted. Amidst this repressive atmosphere unfolds the KMovie “1987: When the Day Comes”—a political thriller that not only illuminates the events surrounding the death of student activist Park Jong-chul, but also showcases the collective power of a society rising up against injustice.Director Jang Joon-hwan weaves a dense web of dramatic force, historical accuracy, and emotional depth—creating far more than just a political drama. He delivers a silent outcry for democracy, civic courage, and collective remembrance. The story is staged like a relay race: the narrative jumps between journalists, prosecutors, students, and prison guards, showing how many small steps ultimately lead to a great change. The film for me is not only a cinematic masterpiece but also an emotional appeal to conscience.
Rather than following a classic hero, the film presents a mosaic of individuals who make great change possible through small decisions. Camera work and editing are precise, almost documentary-like, yet never lose sight of emotional resonance. Especially impressive is how the screenplay transforms seemingly incidental encounters—such as between a prison guard and his niece—into milestones of a historic awakening.
Instead of drawing a clear moral line, the film presents ambivalence: journalists who walk a tightrope; a prison guard yielding to his conscience; a student who moves from cautious skepticism to resolute conviction; an official who refuses to look away at a decisive moment. Their actions are subtle, their words sometimes hesitant—and it is precisely this that creates a realism far beyond mere dramatic staging. It is the “little” people—the inconspicuous, sometimes nameless figures—who give the film its depth and authenticity.
These figures serve as moral compasses in a system that punishes any deviation. Their choices are not loud heroic deeds, but quiet acts of resistance that pave the way for change. While the great battles move the audience, it is these moments that linger—because they show how democracy begins in everyday life: through the courage to embrace humanity.
In this, “1987” achieves something rare: the film not only celebrates the victors of history, but honors those who stood in the shadows—without whose actions no light would have illuminated the dark corridors of the past.
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SIDENOTE:
THE FRAGILE SEEDLING OF ‘DEMOCRACY’ and SOUTH KOREA IN 1987
South Korea in 1987 stood at a crossroads: The military leadership under Chun Doo-hwan clung to power, while the populace—above all, students and intellectuals—had been rising up with growing courage for years. The brutal torture and murder of student Park Jong-chul became a turning point. The subsequent response, the June Uprising, initiated the transition to democracy.
South Korea's path to democracy is remarkable for its dynamism and symbolic power – especially in the pivotal role played by ordinary people. While other countries liberalized slowly, the Korean people fought for their freedoms against a heavily armed and determined regime. The role of students, church networks, and the media was central—an example of how civil society can become the driving force for change.
The film does not depict these developments as a triumphant victory march, but as a difficult, fragile path on which many risked their safety, freedom, and even their lives. This realism makes the story tangible—and relevant.
What makes “1987” so explosive, too, is its current relevance. The film is not a nostalgic project—it flickers as a warning signal in times when democracies around the world are under pressure. Even today, we witness how the erosion of democratic institutions often happens gradually: through indifference, disinformation, and complacency.
How easily we forget that democracy is not a given—that it must be actively lived and defended. “1987” reminds us that you don’t need a “big moment” to take a stand—it is everyday courage that counts.
“1987: When the Day Comes” thus for me is more than a moving film—it is an invitation not only to discover South Korea’s past, but also to question our own present. What are we doing today?
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4 Cs in a suit - Cringe Confusing Cute Casual
Almost dropped it because I thought it was another series taking toxicity too easily, but I was wrong. It´s just a bit cringe. :DGlad I gave the dropping a second thought because even though there might be better LGBTQI+ Series out there, The Tuxedo still deserves some acknowledgement with the budget and behind the scenes work considered.
Production / Music 7.0 >> 6.5
This series has some awesome shots and moments, which, like the music, fit the overall mood and vibes of Tuxedo - that already makes me feel like it´s worth watching because they kind of make the rather casual plot more exciting. The music (+BGM) was well chosen and composed but still had a rather low impact on me/ was not that memorable.
Plot / Story 7.5 >> 6.5 >> 6.0
This is where it gets tricky and where the opinions divide the most. I agree that the story is kind of predictable and has a low pull-in effect on the viewer, however, the cliché overload and all the cringe scenes are still cute to me. Normally I´d heavily judge those stories if they were JUST based on certain clichés and I don´t think that this is the case here.
Acting/ Cast 8.5 >> 7.5
This is something that truly surprised me, Chap´s (Nawee) acting got so much better towards the end! His eyes started to become in charge of the mood-setting and even though he is not a perfect S tier actor, he still nailed the improvement, and I am here to acknowledge it, giving them the highest rating on this one. Green´s (Aiaoon) acting stayed solid and so did the rest of the cast.
Rewatch Value 6.0 >> 5.5 >> 4.5
I am glad for the effort of this series, but I am still a picky "rewatcher". HOWEVER, I´d still recommend it for a comfy series marathon during which you can cringe a lot. ((:
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Before watching this, I totally thought it would just be a high school fluffy drama but the story here is presented so well.
Everybody lived their part well, Keigo & Sora both possess a beautiful heart & Manaha is strong & cheerful.
Unlike other high school drama, I loved the fact that both ML are beautiful inside and out, no one is aggressive & pushy but they consider FL's feelings as a priority.
There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" Indeed.
I'm glad, I watched "Black Cinderella".
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I’m not even mad about bls delivering all the cliche tropes, romances based on misunderstanding, the amazing soft angst, the naive lead falling for the grumpy lead that we’ve got in the post from straight romance stories. These plots sell, these plots attract the biggest audience and these plots are simply entertaining. And this is kind of what we’ve got from the Unintentional Love Story.
It was a fun journey to follow. While Ji Won Young was a painfully frustrating character at first, I cannot deny - this child grew on me. Surprisingly, he delivered some of the best and most mature lines out of all the characters. Yoon Tae Joon was one of the soft emo guys that makes your heart ache just the right way. Dong Hee and Ho Tae were rays of sunshine impossible not to love.
Truth to be told, at some point I started to be more curious and invested in this second couple, and I cannot stop myself from being quite disappointed with the lack of screentime and development, and only hope for a separate show that will follow their story.
The quality of acting depends on which actor you will focus on. Personally I enjoyed Han Do Woo's and Won Tae Min's performances the most (which was also one of the reason I enjoyed following their characters’ story more).
Cha Seo Won did an amazing job with the “I’m hurt, but I want to hide it and control my facial expression, but I still need to show it enough for the audience to see” scenes. Moments when we need to both clearly see what emotions the character is feeling, but also understand they want to hide it. On the other hand, Gongchan delivered a deer caught in headlights acting - mostly looking confused or scared with his pretty big eyes.
The kissing was basically like trying to stick two magnets together by the same pole. I could literally see how much force they had to put into getting so close together. I laughed... badly.
Production was great. Vast improvement from many k-bls. Would appreciate a little bit less smoothing filter on the actors’ faces though.
Overall, for such a nice watch. Not as emotionally touching as I wished it would, but something I for sure do not regret watching and would probably recommend others to check out.
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This review may contain spoilers
Almost gave up on this...
Was struggling with this one for a bit and put it on hiatus twice. Only managed to finish it 2 mths after i started watching it. In the beginning this gave me "The Guest" vibes, which i disliked because that storyline just went around in circles for me. And things were a little draggy and predictable with the entire "main characters with parent issues" theme, which i must say seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of Asian dramas.It wasn't until episode 7 where things got more interesting with the plot. What seemed predictable wasn't, and while i disliked some parts which were over-dramatic (too much screaming...) overall i liked the message that this drama was trying to put across. Which was to make the audience rethink whether it is better to be dead than alive in suffering.
The ending scene was perfect imo and i thoroughly enjoyed the acting from the three main characters. Although I do wish the Professor's character was written to be a bit more eccentric and less whiney rich boy laden with the guilt of his forefathers. His relationship with Ujin could've been expanded a lot more.
I would recommend watching this if you are someone with quite a bit of patience and can get all the way to ep 7...
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1Two for the price of One.....but One is more interesting than the Other
**Edit** Do not miss the clips after the closing credits of EACH episode! I missed them all until a friend told me. Now I have to go back and re-watch them. ARrghhh..... I might have felt differently about the drama if I had watched them before.Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25
Well, I would really want to check out the full drama “Into the Role” (the drama within the drama). All the fun stuff happened while the leads were filming that ‘drama’. The general plot isn’t new as we’ve seen and known actors falling in love with their co-stars because they are so deep into their roles. Having said that, I am still pleasantly surprised to see a drama coming out of China to be able to explicitly showcase the obsession and sexual fascination depicted here.
This is Ollie and Shu Yuan’s first drama and although I have things to pick on, they did a fabulous job for a first project as the main leads. Personally, I think Ollie did a better all-around job with better subtle acting than Shu Yuan. However, I feel that Shu Yuan did a better job when filming “Into the Role” when he has to be emotional and obsessive. But once he’s back to real life Zhang Zhun, his everyday acting becomes a little bland. These two main leads sorta have a role reversal there. Ollie as Fan Chi (Drama) is more quiet and controlled, but more impulsive and wears his heart on his sleeves in real life as Zhen Xin. I think Ollie balances both roles well, thus, I think his overall acting is better. Shu Yuan’s Gao Zhun (drama) is more chaotic, with more venues to showcase his talents. But as Zhang Zhun (real life) being the more cautious and inexperienced one, his weakness shows more
“Deep In” spends a lot of time inside the drama. And because it feels more dramatic, I was more engaged while watching that part of the story. I wish it had spent a little bit less time there, but give me more of Zhen Xin and Zhang Zhun in real life. I want to see them explore more of those confusing feelings and question more if they truly love each other. I think they tried to do that in the last few episodes, but I wanted more throughout. I understand sexual attraction plays a big role and I want those scenes as well (of course! LOL) but I want the thinking and the questioning to happen more after they get intimate. Oftentimes, there’s no time to breathe and they jump back into filming of the drama.
Now, my other criticisms are my personal pet peeves. They may not bug you, but they bug me. 😜 As I said, I want those intimate and sexy scenes. I want more kisses. But Ollie seems to be doing all the kissing and Shu Yuan is just there. Give me more lip movement and sucking, Shu Yuan! I know this is not a Thai or Korean BL, so I will excuse the sexy scenes for not satisfying my personal satisfaction. My other pet peeves are skinny actors. Ollie looks so skinny that it’s hard to believe he plays a therapist. I would have called that bad casting! I know you can’t really make Ollie magically bulk up, then the stylist has to do a better job. Ollie looks like he’s a tiny kid wearing adult clothes for most of the drama. I feel like he’s being swallowed!
Having said all that, I did have a great time watching “Deep In”. It was fun to chat with my friends about it, and I did try to time it well so I can binge when it’s almost done airing. That's my commitment to this drama! It might not be the best BLs while it’s airing (as it’s competing with The Prosecutor’s Proposal and Payback), but it’s still a very enjoyable and fun drama that I would recommend.
Drama Completed: 7/31/2026 Review #708
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At first i wasn't really sure if i should watch it cause the title ''Let's Eat'' wasn't very appealing to me to be honest. But i was hooked by the first episode! Lee So Kyung is soo loveable. There was nobody on the show that i disliked. Everyone was so adorable! It's a really light drama but not boring at all! I really liked the romance too. So much chemestry! *__* I'm really gonna miss all the characters.... :(
the ending was just perfect... it even made me tear up a little :')
What i learned from this drama ?
If worrying could make worrying go away, then we would have no worries... so let's eat :)
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And once again she did an amazing job in portraying the character of a tormented soul and a girl with many scars who commit some crime and in a facility for juveniles she then meets a warden and simply fall in love. Well, who wouldn't fall for the brilliant Mikami Hiroshi?, who was equally incredible in portraying the character of a unrecognized artist with secrets and who also slowly, through many conversations fall in love with her. It was so delightful to watch the two of them , how they talk, how they always use imagination and metaphor for their topics and how they gradually started to develop feeling for each other. I was honestly so hypnotized by the uniqueness of the scenario and the story, I liked very much how they in almost every episode mentioned some famous writer, painter, artist who was important for society, I liked how she had so vividly strong imagination and talked about difference between LOVE and ETERNITY, I remembered this sentence:" You have two buses. One is for Love and everybody is inside, talking, holding hands and smiling, but in some next stop they had to get off, the bus moves on. Everyone can see that bus. The other one is for Eternity, it's empty and the bus doesn't stop. Do you see it? Eternity is more important then love, it gives you freedom. "- something like that, maybe I didn't wrote exactly the same, but the point is there. Whole scenario was simply beautiful, I don't know which episode I liked more and which sentence was more perfectly said. With their chemistry which was so patiently built they made it to pull you in and become fascinated by them. So for the acting I give a ten. Not to mention Kubozuka Yosuke who is a pure genius and of the most outstanding actors ever, I adore him in every role, whether it's a drama or a movie. And in this one he was of course amazing, so twisted, dark and one truly lonely soul, he was a great addition to the whole drama.
Music was appealing quite fine, intro song was really good. As for the rewatching, I thiink that I could watch it again in some distant future because it's a really good drama.
Definitely one thing is sure and that is that NO DOUBT J-dramas from the '90s are the best from every angle and that more people should be aware of that and make time to watch more of these kind of dramas, it's such a pity for them not to be seen and to be forgotten by the rest of the people. I can easily say that I always enjoy more in watching older dramas because of their emotional, mature, deep, natural and realistic content unlike now days shows. This one will for sure stay in your mind.
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heartwarming slice of life/romance series (need a Haruna spin off)
Overall: I enjoyed this friends/roommates turned into romantic partner stories, though it could have used slightly faster pacing (almost rated it 8.5 but I liked their dynamic so it ended up a 9). 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4215/living-with-him-2024-e01What I Liked
- caring/sweet moments
- clear flashbacks and enjoyed seeing them when they were young
- ex girlfriend wasn't a cliche, non-cliche female characters
- a character was a bit naive but he did figure things out and communicated
- supportive family members, dynamics felt realistic
- Haruna was such a good wingman and friend
- overall realistic with trying to maintain boundaries but also being jealous
- production value (nice color symbology which included their clothes, pillows, mugs, toothbrushes, etc)
Room For Improvement
- not a fan of starting a series with a voice over exposition dump
- episode 2 had a too long recap of episode 1 at the beginning
- some slow pacing
- Ryota did annoy me a bit but I tried to keep in mind that he had low self-esteem and was likely struggling with internalized homophobia and/or heteronormativity
- cliche almost told something and got interrupted, the running scene
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This review may contain spoilers
General Abs
I saw this for the Abs. Was not disappointed. The leads and second lead actually performed really well. Kissing scenes were 🔥🔥🔥🔥They definitely did not shy away from those scenes. Although the female lead seemed to have swapped brains with a pigeon, the actress performed it really well. I might be blinded by his abs but the ML was also great in his performance of a domineering, trigger happy but brain dead inlove General. Saving grace in the plot movement was Liutenant Liu, bless his brain. The 2nd lead was very 2D in his evilness but also a little brain dead, he's a manipulative turd with the conscience of a rat. The actor was so convincing in this role that I might prolly just tag him as evil in any other role he will play in the future.If you are looking for great storyline with great character development, better move along you won't find that here. But if you are looking to be entertained and/or just looking for a way vent your frustrations out watch this and shout away at your screen because will give you a LOT of reasons to scream.
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The Search for Identity & Self-invention
I just saw the full length movie version of The Ambiguous Focus (2017) not the 6 episodes drama (2018) and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of both the story and cinematography. This is not your typical BL movie with fluffy, hilarious, or angsty scenes about teenage love. Right from the start the viewer is pulled into mature scenes with a gay couple trying to maintain their relationship.The male leads, Nan and Zhe, know each other since school, their love story is shown in the prequel Kinematics Theory (2018). Both males are introverts, one is highly intelligent, highly sensitive, struggling to become a writer, the other is a good looking sporty guy who earns a living for both of them combining an office job with housekeeping. Just like the title their story is told, and filmed in a cryptic way, with different points of view from both men alternately, complemented by comments of their friends.
Plot
Nan and Zhe are nearing their 10th anniversary together, Nan is secretly saving money to buy a new apartment for them which makes him vulnerable for a rich guy named Jimmy who likes to bribe and sabotage Nan into a relationship with himself. Suddenly Nan's father must be hospitalized and from that moment on Nan's lot spells disaster, forcing him to make rash promises and decisions that have a huge impact on his partner Zhe, and his own future with Zhe.
Pros
I've read a lot of comments on the sadness of this movie, or the quality of acting, but I don't see it that way. First, the story has an open ending, second the actors were eye candy, their acting above average even natural at times, third, I found the story beautifully told, not overly dramatic... although living in a homophobe world is dramatic enough as shown in the side stories of gay friends who aren't living on cloud nine either.
The scope is on relationships, and questions about love. "Do I really love this person, or do I love it that he needs me, and I need him? Do I love him so much that I can withstand other alluring people?"
Cons
Misunderstandings are needed in a script to give a boost to a story, but I hate it, personally. A lot of grief could have been avoided if the characters would speak their minds. Further I disliked the passiveness of Zhe's character, but again, that's personal taste.
Verdict
This movie reminded me somehow of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". It shows that people are busy with image building and pleasing others, but it all comes down to our search for identity and self-invention to make relationships work. Go watch it!
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Why watch? I confess, I own a bookstore ;) and yes we have all these kinds of characters enter our store&life;.
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