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It Had Its Moments
I think, overall, my main issue with this show was that what I thought it was going to be, based off the trailers and such, was not what it actually was. Was it a bad show? No, definitely not. Was it an important show? Yes, absolutely! Was it what I wanted it to be?No.
I loved the premise of the show— a boy pretending to be his twin brother and joining a gang to find out what happened to him, and then ultimately falling for the gang member his brother hates the most. But the premise got lost quickly in the political lectures and long-winded justifications for the gang's actions, and although I think the love story was done well, I don't think the rest of it really was.
Black and White get, maybe, three meaningful scenes together throughout the whole show. In the end, their mystical twin connection was a pointless addition to the show to— what? Give the parents a reason to pull a "Parent Trap" and separate them for years? Hell, half the time after Black woke up he was just gone, doing stuff off-screen that we never got to see. In the end, his whole character was practically unnecessary. Just a means to an end to get White into the gang. White seems to forget quite often why he was even there, and just allowed himself to get swept into the gang's plots without actually doing anything to figure out who hurt Black. In the end, he doesn't even figure out who did it! He has to be told, because he literally just stopped trying.
I can see what they wanted to do with this show— the messages they wanted to get across and, in general, what they wanted to say about the current political climate in Thailand. But, especially in the first half of the show, it felt so heavy-handed and spoon-fed to the audience. Half the episodes were us listening to law students debate rule of law or the gang explaining why their country's justice system sucks. What they were saying was important, but it clogged the story down so much and was honestly quite boring. It picked up around the midpoint-ish (more like episode 9 or 10), when there was actually plot instead of long-winded lectures every five minutes. There were many other ways I think they could have formulated scenes to show us what they wanted us to know without just telling us outright, and I wish they'd tried more to do that.
I also disliked how much time was spent on justifying the gang's missions and the work they were trying to do. I get it, they wanted us to root for the gang and to see them as vigilantes who are trying to take down the bad guys and do good, rather than seeing them as criminals. To be quite honest, the trailer (especially the initial one) made it look more like illegal gang activities than activism, and I wanted that more. I was ready to root for some anti-heroes, so the justifications felt boring and unneeded to me.
I do feel like the ending wrapped up too easily, and again had them just writing off Black and White not really caring at all (???), but ultimately the last four or five episodes of the show were much better than the rest.
Acting-wise, though, this show was AMAZING! Every actor in this show impressed me at some point. Gun— of course we knew he would kill at this, but the duality between White and Black was so perfect and insane to see. Especially in the (few) scenes with both of them, it was so distinct on who was who. Beautiful job. First, as well, knocked it right out of the park. He's always been a showstopping actor in my opinion, but he really just shined in this role. (Also his chemistry with Fluke??? Unmatched.) Off did a really good job in his role as Sean— I went in not knowing how I'd feel about him in this type of role, but he really delivered!
I will say, I do think I'm in the minority when it comes to my opinion of the show. If you're thinking of watching the show, I'd say probably just go for it and keep more of an open mind than I was able to as I watched.
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✨Mischievous Besties, Multiverse Madness & Cheng Lei’s Weaponized Eye Smolder✨
This has been sitting on my PTW list for what feels like a geological era.The visuals? Visualing. Relentlessly. Every frame looks like it went through a “make it extra” committee and got unanimous approval. I love how the drama pays tribute to the donghua adaptation while still carving out its own identity. It doesn’t feel derivative — it feels celebratory. CL and WCR absolutely understood the assignment.
The overall energy is very much “mischievous besties accidentally causing chaos while low-key saving the country,” and I am having tons of fun.
At its core, we’re dealing with a transmigration story — but not the basic, single-layer kind. This one plays with multiple levels of reality, and the plot unfolds in a way that feels deceptively light at first. It starts off playful and unserious, almost familiar… and then gradually reveals more complexity and emotional layering. Gotta love that.
The chemistry between the leads? As expected: chef’s kiss. CL and WCR bring so much texture to their roles. And yes, we get Cheng Lei’s signature eye-smolder-and-suffer-in-silence package deal. His portrayal of the “mad tyrant” is magnetic — intense, wounded, slightly unhinged, but deeply human. Add the fact that he fell first and harder? That’s the good stuff. That’s the premium subscription tier of romance angst.
That said, I do feel some frustration in the middle stretch. There were moments where the leads seemed to drift into supporting-character territory due to limited screen time, which slightly disrupted the emotional momentum for me.
I’m currently on episode 20 and genuinely enjoying the ride.
But I still can’t say this drama is giving me butterflies.
It’s nice. It’s charming. It’s the kind of show I’ll happily watch instead of working on my papers… but not the kind that hijacks my entire nervous system. I’m invested, just not unwell about it.
Maybe not every drama has to rearrange my brain chemistry. Some can just be… good company.
We’ll see if it eventually decides to emotionally attack me..
Now, about the ending. Given that this is technically a transmigration drama, censorship realities limit the possible conclusions. We’ve already had subtle hints suggesting “maybe we’re fictional characters who transmigrated into a story,” which introduces a double — maybe triple? — layered reality situation. Are we in a story inside a story inside a story? Is this narrative inception? Who knows. I’m cautiously predicting an ADWAD-style resolution, but I’m really hoping they commit to a satisfying and emotionally coherent finale.
I’ll be back with a full verdict once I finish.
Cheers.
✨UPDATE✨
Finished it — overall, a decent and fairly engaging watch.
The leads were adorable and emotionally mature. No dragged-out breakups. Just communication and loyalty, which was refreshing.
The tragic deaths hit as expected. The SFL was a highlight and deserves more roles.
I was invested, but no butterflies. The romance occasionally felt diluted by side plots I wasn’t interested in, which flattened the emotional impact for me.
The ending went full ADWAD — triple-layered reality confirmed. Inside the book world, the leads get a satisfying conclusion. In the modern world? A last-minute reunion.
Sir.
For this genre, we technically got more closure than LGIEF gave us, so I’ll acknowledge that. But I cannot pretend I didn’t want more. Show me the reunion properly. Show me the conversations. Show me the emotional unpacking. Especially from ML’s perspective. He returned a decade earlier than FL. A whole decade. I need answers. How did he track her down? What was he thinking all those years? What did it feel like to remember everything alone? The narrative potential was right there. Maybe censorship made extended modern resolution too sensitive territory — maybe not. Hard to say. But it does feel like we only got the appetizer of what could have been a very satisfying epilogue.
Overall, 8 - 8.25 for me. Strong performances and visuals, ambitious concept — just occasionally flat for my personal taste.
Still, a triple-reality transmigration romance with stable leads and a confirmed reunion is a small victory in this genre.
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A realistic and modern approach to love and healing.
This drama ain't your fluffy romantic love story full of cliche tropes but a modern and realistic one where both the leads have their own career, goals and views towards life. One is a town's boy who wants to live a slow and peaceful life while the other is a city girl with high ambitions and dreams.Both are different from each other and have their own baggage they carry within them while one is physically affected, the other is mentally. The leads have good chemistry and is shown through their teasing and lowkey flirting with each other. Things are kept at a good pace and aren't draggy.
One thing about this drama is that not everyone will like FL's character as some will find her selfish and annoying which she is too some extent and that she keeps on hurting ML's feelings which she does but then again this was never a drama with two perfect people. It has been more about two people, each having their own baggage and different way of living end up liking each other and seeing whether things work out or not. It is quite realistic and modern approach to love.
It is a good watch if you are looking something different and relatable type of a drama.
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Disappointed based on the reviews
This is going to be a bit of a rant. I thought it was going to be a cool story about a girl who joins a gang to avenge her fathers death, goes undercover as a cop, finds and kills the killer, then either continues her life in the gang or is able to create a new identity after she kills him. While some of this happened, any trace of possibly not getting a stereotypical ending to the show disappeared over the last two episodes. Then the unnecessary romance? And sexual situation randomly with basically no development while her life is at risk. Just for the guy to die later. If you’re going to go the romance route, just do it, it’s like they thought of all the possible surprise things that could happen and just threw them all in with no thought. I just don’t get it. Then her fathers supposed deep cover. It’s understandable that a cop would be able to go undercover but to become basically partners with the boss of a gang is completely not plausible. They also went into no detail on how he was not only able to meet and join the gangsters or why they would ever have him be so deep in that cops would be tailing his daughter from home to school. If it had been something normal like they were best friends since they were younger, and they had scrapped the cop thing, it would’ve made more sense. Maybe could’ve even added a season to with the fl full gangster and the “ml” trying to take her down but also having a crush on her. But you don’t just join a gang randomly and become best buddies like that. But I guess anything to fuel the sunshine and rainbows ending that it was with the picture of her and her father even though she should literally be in jail for her crimes. I feel like I wasted my time watching this show. Maybe it was because of the short amount of episodes but it’s like they wrote this for some extra cash between dramas. I know I’m being harsh, but honestly i expected more maybe it was the synopsis that made me think it would be more than a revenge plot turned blocky redemption lone wolf drama.Was this review helpful to you?
As much as the plot was cliché, there are some things we need to point out about this show.
A lot of people think the plot is pretty cliché.Irrational, domineering boss ML and a starstruck ordinary girl FL. Contract Marriage. And Girl-Pretends-To-Be-A-Boy RP.
But I think some things need clarification.
1)The title is "Cute Programmer". I don't get why some people misunderstood the story to be about programming.
(=... =) when the title clearly hints that the story is about The Programmer. The CUTE PROGRAMMER, Lu Li, to be exact.
2)People called Luli, "the doormat FL". That's just so obvious that these viewers watched the show but never bothered to understand the plotline or the character settings.
This is a story about Luli who falls in love with a man. A man who lost his trust with anyone. A man who does not understand or refuse to understand social context more than he does 1s and 0s.
Imagine, if Lu Li could've just walked away when it was easier said and done. Then what about the years of affection she had cultivated for YiCheng? Was that a lie? A joke? A playtime series that took her entire youth?
Is it love if you could just walk away because everyone said you should?
3) Sure, Yi Cheng's character is annoying. And he treated Lu Li badly. But think about it.
His father never supported his dreams and his career. Constantly using his company and investment as a hostage and force YiCheng to what they want.
His first love and the only woman he allowed in his life,apart from codes, betrayed him, stole his work and sold it to the enemy.
It'll be weird if he didn't put up walls and kept angst at bay after all that, especially with his character setting.
But that wasn't the point, was it?
The point was how the "cute progammer" Lu Li's presence changed him and thawed the ice.
4) To be honest, this show is very lighthearted. Despite all the cliché drama obviously pitched into this show, it wasn't a heavy series to watch. They manage to pull your emotions up when it starts to get strained because of the main leads' conflicts.
5)The side couples are interesting and yet didn't hog the screen time meant for the main leads. But had enough exposure to cultivate their own romances.
6)I've seen a lot of Zhao Lin's other works. And honestly, this was not his first time playing the assholish, arrogant husband that only realized how he loved his martyr wife when she left him.
If you alao have, then you'd understand how good this was compared to his previous works. His previous works were dragging and prolonged the drama for aesthetics. And was truly stressing and emotionally draining. But "Cute Programmer", despite the drama, never dwelled in it. And character and plot development were pretty fast-paced but never rushed.
I gave the story a 9 because the story was really cute if not for the cliché parts.
The acting and actors are all chef's kisses. Especially because I'm a fan of Bambi and Zhao Lin's works.
Soundtrack wise, could've been better but definitely a 9.
Wouldn't say it's good enough to rewatch. But I think I can see myself rewatching one more time, but never more.
All in all this was a pretty good drama.
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Now another reviewer expressed much of the drama’s problems quite accurately and I have to say that I’m glad I’m not the only one that felt its many shortcomings. Let’s start with the plot…
Story:
As someone who has previously played MMORPGs, I was excited to watch this one. And I actually enjoyed the first 1/3 of the series. But it must have been around the 11th episode or so where it all went downhill for me. One of the huge points that bugged me was that just because you marry someone in the game, you are automatically dating? Not in my book! (And as someone who has married my characters in an online game, this is ridiculous to assume). What would have been great to see was their interest in each other develop and grow over time. Otherwise it just looks like they are in love with each other’s characters. This was also around the time when the story shifted away from college life. As a huge fan of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo and her college experiences, I was really disappointed that Love O2O completely moved away from that setting. While some parts of the story were an alright watch, others were downright boring, slow and lacked depth.
And before some of you jump up and down saying that it is based off a novel and they were just trying to stay true to it, I wish they had not. Many series divert from their original stories and this should have been one of them.
Acting/Cast (with a focus on the main two leads):
So our main female lead, Bei Wei Wei, seemed to be a strong female lead who stood up for herself, but was very quickly shown to be a dull, simpering girl who could never best her boyfriend in anything. I found her admiration for the male lead irksome, thought she was full of herself (not in an endearing way), and really was not all that likable. She did minimal things on her own and more often than not she needed her boyfriend to pick up the slack and come to the rescue. Though this may be popular in dramaland, I felt duped that she ended up being weak like so many other leads. The actress was also waaay too skinny, to the point of looking unhealthy, and was far from the beauty that the story depicted her as. Not that she was unattractive, but I was certainly expecting more. In fact, I thought her best friend, Er Xi, was prettier.
As for the other lead… Xiao Nai must be the most overrated male lead I have ever seen. The only thing that was alright was his appearance, and even then it wasn’t earth-shattering. He was stiff, incredibly boring and had NO personality. I mean, none. You could have placed a cardboard cut-out of him on the screen and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. And it was very irritating how he was good at EVERYTHING. And not in a cute I’m-good-at-lots-of-thing-but-I-still-have-flaws kind of way. In a perfect, inhuman kind of way. I could not relate to it nor could I enjoy it. One of the best parts of watching characters in a drama is to see them learn, grow, fall, and pick themselves back up again. I experienced none of this while watching Xiao Nai and even when the bad guys tried to fight back, they were easily overcome. Made things very anticlimactic.
Now put these two boring characters in a relationship together and you get one tiresome series. The boyfriend is always better at the girlfriend at everything they do and she just smiles like an idiot. He didn’t come across as this “sexy wolf” that they try to make him out to be, but rather forceful, arrogant and robotic. And their chemistry was really lacking, such as the number of awkward kiss scenes. I couldn’t wait when their screen time was interrupted by any of the boys at the office, or really any other character in the show.
So why keep watching it? Aside from not wanting to leave a drama unfinished when I had already seen so much, I really only wanted to see my OTP in the series, Hao Mei and KO. I was pleasantly surprised to find a BL pair in this drama (though we only get hints of it). Between their sweet interactions, sulky behaviour, and protective moments, I was completely hooked. My only complaint was that they didn’t get enough airtime.
Music:
There was maybe one song that I liked. They weren’t particularly memorable nor did I find myself rushing off to YouTube to listen to the OST.
Rewatch Value:
If it wasn’t obvious already, I would not watch this drama again or recommend it to anyone. If I could give this section a zero, I would.
So even if you decide to watch it don’t believe everything that others say about it. There are many flaws that should not be overlooked. Go into it with your eyes wide open. Or better yet, steer clear of it altogether. Really wish I had.
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How to survive as a woman in an aristocratic household
The first reaction for most viewers is, “So many wives and concubines!” Many simply cannot tolerate such polygamous relationship and drop the drama. This is rather unfortunate because in real life, polygamy was the norm in ancient Chinese society. Therefore, this story has realistically portrayed life in wealthy and aristocratic households, and captured the suppression, and relentless in-fighting and conniving among wives and concubines in the harem, and interfamily feuds among various clans.My alternative title could have been "How to survive Confucianism as a woman". As Confucianism was widely practiced during the Ming Dynasty when this story is set, self-restraint was valued highly as individuals endured all things, good or bad, thrown at them without retaliating. It’s indeed hard for modern viewers to empathize with such value which was then considered as virtue. Women were suppressed, and were born to serve the men – fathers when they were unmarried, husbands when married, and sons when they became mothers.
When Luo Shi Yi Niang (Tan Song Yun aka Seven Tan) is forced into an arranged marriage to Xu Ling Yi (Chung Hon Leung aka Wallace Chung) to "replace" her deceased older sister, she has attempted to run away. Circumstances prevent her from doing so. As she thinks she would never fall in love with a man who has multiple spouses, she falls in love with him because indeed he’s a very decent man who treats her well and loves her above everything else.
Tan Song Yun is one of my favorite actors. She can be a very convincing teenager and I love most of her other dramas. I like her too in this drama, but somehow, I have a hard time in fitting her into the story, either because of her aura or something else. Perhaps for me, I can’t see her playing a meek role here, submitting to her fate; I have always seen her playing characters that don’t conform and always hit back when pushed.
Xu Ling Yi is a good government official bound by tradition and duty, and has a heavy burden on his shoulder in holding up his large household as well as performing his duties as an upright incorruptible bureaucrat who loves his country and loyal to the Emperor. Chung Hon Leung has a natural stiff upper lip and fits well into the filial pious Xu Ling Yi character who speaks few words and never shows his emotions. His portrayal is good and convincing. Filial piety as virtuous as it is, can also quickly become an impediment to progress, critical and rational thinking. And here, he’s made to take in multiple concubines by his mother, the Matriarch, in order to propagate, only to add on more heartaches and hatred within the household.
As much as the story wants to portray a suppressed society, it also tries to placate viewers who would have preferred a more just world with love and retribution, hence here we are given a true love, one-man-one-woman story for an ending which may feel a bit banal.
My Verdict
Overall this is quite a realistic story - no love at first sight, no firework romance, both the ML & FL are intelligent and mature with same family values built on love and trust. There is fighting but no wuxia, a lot of conflicts in almost every household (realistic aristocratic family portrayal of the era) and in politics (true historical event of banning of sea trade that had led to hardship and piracy), strong Confucius values and philosophy permeate daily life. The actual story (plot) is nothing to be excited about, but the portrayal of life during the Ming Dynasty under Confucianism, the shooting (camera work), screen writing, costumes and editing are quite good, hence my 9/10 rating. I have rather enjoyed this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's boring!!!!
Just don't waste your time watching this.. 🤬It's so dry and meaningless... Worst plot twisted ending I've seen... It sucks... I wish somebody remakes it and lets Woori and Raphael end up.... Bullshitty ending 🤦♀️viewers will get frustrated after watching it... Also Kang Jae's character is super irritating... And you let Woori end up with Kang Jae!!??? 🙂ewww... Just ewww... It's a No-No...
Too Boring... Doesn't deserve even a half star... 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️also... It's like Woori gonna have 2 husbands... Wth.... Greedy???? Hmmhmm... No.... This is so not like a kdrama... This is so fake... So irritating for the viewers... Better make a season 2 and let Woori end up with Raphael.... If not.... Almost everyone is gonna hate it for the tasteless ending....
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I like its romance although it was slow. This couple never broke up; never heart breaking , ...
They loved each other truly and they supported each other till the end. Their chemistry was sweet.
The plot was very unpredictable. That's why I liked its story. Also the story was full of moral, humanity and most importantly, Blood is brimming with life philosophies. Add to this the other invaluable life lessons that may be culled from the drama. To name a few, faith in God during adversity, compassion or empathy for the sick and dying; fleeting nature of life and vain things like power and money; moral science or the upholding of the ethics and standards of one's profession.
Although Park Ji Sang was a vampire, he proved that he is more human than anyone around.
Its villain was the best one I have ever seen in K-Dramas. He was so bad, really bad and he was so mean and wicked. He kept getting on my nerve in whole drama! :D
Acting was very good too. Although Ahn Jae Hyun acted awkwardly in early episodes, he kept getting better and better episode by episode. And finally he nailed his character! :) It is obvious that he tried hard for this drama. :)
The best actor in this drama is definitely Ji Jin Hee. He acted awesomely and I really hate his character in this drama. :D I truly commend him for his great acting.
Goo Hye Sun was so good too. Her facial expression was very unique in this drama. I praise her for her good acting.
Dialogues in this drama was so meaningful. Like "A hero dies for the person who recognizes that he is a hero.
OSTs were good too. It is really worth to watch and re-watch it again and again.
Lesson: never judge a drama by watching a few episodes or by listening to others' opinion about it.
This is a very different K-Drama with different story. It has no love multi-angel. If you like hot romance with push and pull; if you like predictable story; if you don't like thrill, murder and sadness and tragedy in dramas, DO NOT WATCH THIS DRAMA AND PLEASE DO NOT BASH IT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T END AS YOU PLEASE!!!
Watching this drama needs high comprehending and being meticulous. Because it has lots of nuance.
Oh! seriously, this drama does not deserve to be judge so harsh.
Thanks for reading my review and please forgive me if I make you sad through my words.
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if it bores you give this drama a chance up to 4 episodes :)
Story:
it will make you smile like an idiot for an entire episode don't worry it's normal, it will give you butterflies in your stomach,it will make you cringe and giggle for the main couple, it will make you re-watch HIM. yes I'm talking about him, the main character Je SooHo. he is way tooooooooo adorable!
best thing about this drama? Is it will make you think that guys act like girls too when they're in love.
15 to 16 episodes felt like the first two episodes to me though I love how it ended it was beautiful. I would lie If I'd say this drama is perfect, it has it's bumpy road, This is a KOREAN DRAMA so expect it will be cliche. lol. Highly recommended if you're into romcom! recommending it to everyone I mean you are missing a lot of your korean drama journey if if you wouldn't meet the most adorable character/male lead in dramaland.
I cannot guarantee that you'll love this drama but one thing is for sure you will definitely fall in love with the main guy. In my case I simply love it the cast, story, music, everything! :)
Acting/cast:
RJY: At First look he isn't that handsome to me. but lol. there's something about him that as as you get to see more of him you'll get to fall even harder. He is very charming and a great actor, I don't think any actors could pulled off Je SuHoo's character beside him.
HJE: I don't understand why others didn't like her, I was like what is wrong with you people she is basically the main reason I started it!
dalnim and the bff of sooho: funny combination and look forward to seeing them they are both hilarious :)
amy and gary: kinda annoying :p at the end my annoyance towards them lessened. xD
Mother of SooHo is really nice and adorable *wink*
re-watched value: LMAO perfect 10. lol. I have no idea how many time I've watched the 4 to 9 episodes and I'm definitely gonna watch the entire episodes for sure. one time viewing isn't enough you know *wink*
Overall this drama is really good! WATCH IT LIKE RIGHT NOW :) Technically I would have rated it 8.5 to 9 but Je Sooho is way too perfect so I ended up giving it 10! someday you'll understand me. mouhahahah.
WARNING: Je SooHo is a one of kind character. you'll miss him for sure especially his pajama moments at night!
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This review may contain spoilers
Gameboys (2020): The First Pinoy BL Series and the Best BL Series
“Gameboys” is the first Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series and the best BL series. While there have been a number of Pinoy gay-themed and lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer+ (LGBTQ+)-theme series (kindly check out my list of Pinoy gay-themed, LGBTQ+-themed, and BL series), “Gameboys” is the first Pinoy BL series since it’s closest to the traditional definition of BL series which is described as depicting homoerotic, romantic, and/or sexual relationships between two “male” characters, usually high school boys, university students or young professionals. It’s the best BL series not only because it showed excellence in plot/storyline, performance, and production, but also because it showcased innovation and promotion of social change in the BL genre. Indeed, “Gameboys” is a revolutionary BL series. It redefined traditional BL series typically written by female authors for female audience. Most Pinoy BL series are created by male and/or LGBTQ+ creators for a more general audience, including male and LGBTQ+ viewers. While Pinoy BL series were inspired by Thai wai/y series (and to a limited extent, Japanese yaoi series), Pinoy BL series trace their roots not only from the many Pinoy gay-themed and LGBTQ+-themed series since “My Husband’s Lover,” but also from the long history of Pinoy queer cinema (please see my list of Pinoy queer cinema) since “Jack and Jill.” Most of the creators of Pinoy BL series worked on independent (indie) Pinoy queer cinema prior to doing Pinoy BL series which account for Pinoy BL series’ often “woke” characteristics. The audience of Pinoy queer cinema are also audience of Pinoy BL series. “Gameboys” best exemplifies these “woke” characteristics of Pinoy BL series. It has no qualms in associating itself with the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. It discussed being outed and coming out, family acceptance, lack of marriage equality, etc. In addition to these, “Gameboys” also discarded hegemonic, heteronormative, and toxic tropes in the BL genre by rejecting LGBTQ+ stereotypes, representing gays and bisexuals, ditching the problematic representations of female characters, challenging hegemonic and toxic masculinity, normalizing male characters crying, promoting consent in relationships, dumping the heteronormative “husband and wife” in favour of “husband and husband,” doing away with dichotomic dominant (“seme” or top) and submissive (“uke” or bottom) roles, among others. On top of these, it tackled the COVID-19 pandemic and the various issues associated with it like inadequate government response, quarantine and lockdown, social distancing and safety protocols, long distance and online/virtual relationships, poor internet connectivity, mental health, and even death. All these were touched upon without losing track of its main plot/storyline -- at its core, “Gameboys” is still a story of two boys who are in love -- the perfect BL series.Unlike most BL series that treated the main characters’ homoerotic, romantic, and/or sexual relationships as the be-all and end-all of the series, as if they occur in social isolation, in a vacuum, the plot/storyline of “Gameboys” was very much contextualized in Pinoy culture and society (particularly in showcasing Pinoy gaming culture, highlighting the importance of family for the Pinoy, and even promoting Pinoy tourist attractions) and the country’s daily struggles during the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Being away from the Philippines, I really miss my country and my people. I’m also deeply frustrated with the Philippine government in its handling of my country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s great about “Gameboys” was its ability to seamlessly tie all these contextualizations with the things we absolutely love about a BL series. The finale, with its happy ending, with Cai and Gav loving and kissing each other and even living together was proof that "Gameboys" is still a BL series after all.
Screenplay throughout the series was consistently realistic and relatable. Art should not only make us think, it should also make us feel, and the script of “Gameboys” that banked on giving its audience emotional rollercoasters and cliffhangers each episode did just that. “Gameboys” made me excited and happy but at the same time it also made me mad and sad. With this series, I got excited, I laughed, I got annoyed, I cried. I’ve always been a sucker for series that make me feel something that’s why I love “Gameboys.” Aside from making me reflect on personal and societal issues, “Gameboys” made me emphatize with the characters. Plus, there were a lot of sexy and sweet lines that I thoroughly enjoyed. Of special note, the cute dialogues complemented the Kokoy and Elijah shirtless scenes that were hot and the kissing scenes of Episodes 10 and 13 that were both iconic.
“Gameboys” had the two best actors in a BL series. By a mile, Elijah and Kokoy’s acting was the best performance by a duo in a BL series. I felt their excitement, their happiness, their anger, their pain. You don’t really see such range in acting from both lead actors in a BL series. In the 100 or so BL series (Thai, Taiwanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean BL series) that I've seen, oftentimes, one of the actors was really good but the other was just so-so. And there were even times when both actors were just easy on the eyes. But with Elijah as Cai and Kokoy as Gav, we got two exceptional actors who are also very good-looking. They are both very skilled actors (with or without masks, those eyes speak!). And both are quite handsome. Elijah has this cute charm about him while Kokoy is very sexy. They have great chemistry together. It’s also remarkable that both actors are socially conscious. Without a doubt, Elijah and Kokoy are the perfect actors for “Gameboys.” Some of the funniest scenes of this series were those with Adrianna’s (“Queen”) Pearl. Adrianna is such a fine actress. It’s commendable that her character wasn’t made into the antagonist which is a welcome departure from the usual female as villainess trope in a BL series. I’m excited for “Pearl Next Door”! Sue, who portrayed Cai’s mother Leila proved that you don’t need to be overdramatic to show great acting. The way Leila showed quiet grief in dealing with her husband’s death and clear conviction in accepting and comforting her son was simply astonishing. One of the biggest advantage of “Gameboys” over other BL series is its high-caliber cast. Elijah, Kokoy, Adrianna, and Sue are all fantastic actors while the rest of the cast members including Kyle, Miggy, Jerom, Angeli Nicole, and Rommel are all good actors. There were a few cheesy scenes here and there but because the cast members are amazing thespians, in the end, the corny scenes were negligible.
While production during quarantine has been done before (for example, check out one of my favorites, “Quarantine Stories”), the quality has been quite uneven until “Gameboys” came along. The innovations in production design, cinematography, computer graphics, sound engineering, musical scoring, and editing on “Gameboys” are now considered standards in Pinoy filmmaking. It’s not surprising studying “Gameboys” is now part of university courses on literature and mass media in the Philippines. Frankly, I have yet to see a better production (of BL and non-BL series) that employed split-screen techniques. Also, unlike other series which have lots of money that enabled them to acquire permission to use actual names of e-mail, social media, and social networking services, “Gameboys” had to invent their own versions of Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Zoom, etc. to avoid infringing on the trademarks of these companies which I found really creative. Product placements (TM Tambayan, Silverworks, Bench, etc.) weren't subtle but because I understand the need to have sponsors for a production company like The IdeaFirst Company, I really can’t complain. And hey, SB19 was featured on the product placements, so that’s great! All the soundtracks including “Isang Laro” (A Game) by Nasser, “Panalo Ka” (You Win) by Dex Yu, “Angel of Peace” by Elijah, “Pag-asa” (Hope) by Elijah, “Hiling” (Request) by Joshua Ronett, “Ngayon” (Now) by Dex, and “Ako at Ikaw” (Me and You) by Joshua were perfectly incorporated on the different episodes of “Gameboys.”
Beyond all these, “Gameboys” ushered in the creation of an engaged Pinoy BL community composed of not only the cast and crew members of the different Pinoy BL series but also of fans, reactors, and reviewers from all over the world.
To sum up this long series review (my longest review yet, lol), I highly recommend rewatching “Gameboys” (especially in preparation for “Gameboys The Movie” and “Gameboys Season 2”). It’s the first Pinoy BL series. It’s the best BL series. And it’s now THE STANDARD for the BL genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
All Aboard the Hot Mess Express
Despite the beautiful production value and great performances from the side characters, In a Class of Her Own managed to take a well-praised and solidly written show, and water down the series into a remake that leaves a rather bitter aftertaste. This drama did not have the tension or the romance of the original Korean drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, and I’d recommend going into this one with low expectations — and perhaps also picking up the original show instead.To start off with some of the positives of this show:
♡ Awesome Side Casts: Wang Ruichang and Bi Wenjun have to be praised for their performances as Lei Ao and Le Xuan respectively. Both characters were complex with deep backstories, and the issue was that at times their acting easily overshadowed that of Song Weilong who was the main lead. Both characters have their own personal struggles and conflicts that they undergo during the drama, and I think their stories were well incorporated into the broader plot of the drama. Their unique and distinct personalities gave them good rapport with the main leads, as well as the other students in Yunshang, and I think they were really the standout performances of the show.
♡ Cute Team Chemistry: The chemistry between our “Yunshang F4,” or Lei Ao, Le Xuan, Wen Xi, and Cheng Jun was my favourite part of the series. You can see how each of them grows to care for each other deeply, even if they start off in the beginning as being wary and bickering with each other. When they face difficulties in both their personal lives and in the broader politics of the series, they help each other and support each other through their challenges. It’s really a treat to see how these four friends become each other’s family at the school, and how each of them in their own way supports one another.
♡ Updated Production Value: The great thing about this remake is that it updates a lot of the milieu of the series, from the beautiful clothes and uniforms, to the beauty of Yunshang Academy. The props and backdrops were all very high quality, and I loved how every member of the side cast had their own unique dressing style which complemented their personality. Ju Jingyi has some gorgeous outfits and jewelry, especially when she dresses as a girl. The soundtrack was also very well done and memorable, and overall the general design and colour story of the drama are ethereal and tastefully incorporated into the show.
♡ Mischievous Female Lead: Truthfully, despite comments on how Ju Jingyi is very pretty and beautiful, and not believable when disguised as a boy, I think that her performance has improved and quite liked Wen Xi as a character. While I did have issues with some of the romance in the series, especially her relationship with Cheng Jun, I think the Wen Xi (especially in her pursuit of being a scholar) was quite admirable and fun to watch. I also loved how the drama did delve into the status of women and the poor, and questioned relevant social issues such as understandings of meritocracy and the inheritance of power. Overall, I liked how she lived up to the name of the drama, where she played to her strengths in order to achieve success, and changed the social and political norms at Yunshang Academy.
But there are also some major issues with the show, including:
♥ Lack of Chemistry and Romance: I will warn that this show has no kiss scenes, and that the romance is not well done in the series (in fact, the romantic lines between Wen Xi and Lei Ao, as well as Wen Xi and Le Xuan, seem more believable and well-developed). The main issue is that Feng Cheng Jun can be quite a bland character, and never really develops or experiences character growth. In addition, the drama clearly tries to show Wen Xi falling for Cheng Jun because of his upright nature and his intelligence, but this often comes as abrupt instead of organic, especially considering how the drama never really explores Cheng Jun’s own weaknesses and limitations. In other words, the main lead never really has the same kind of personal growth as the other side casts, which makes it difficult to appreciate him as a character and as part of the main couple.
♥ Banter and Comedy is Rather Flat: Supposedly, this is a drama that is meant to be interspersed with comedic moments, but I never really found the show to be all that funny. There were attempts made to create "running gags" in the drama, such as Lei Ao's "do you want to die?" catchphrase, but often didn't work as well as they did in the original series. I will also say that some of this is because the character relationships have been changed a little (i.e. in the Korean version, the characters Lei Ao and Le Xuan had BL undertones), and I think the dynamic they tried to use in the show didn't work as well as it did in the Korean drama.
♥ Pacing Issues and Cutting Out Important Plot Points: One of the main reasons Sungkyunkwan Scandal was hard to put down was because it was a show with a lot of tension and to some extent even suspense. The viewer was always led to worry about when the female lead’s identity would be exposed, why there were political manipulations in the school, and there was always the fear of the backgrounds of the main cast being revealed. Unfortunately, In a Class of Her Own sometimes verges on boring, especially as some of these problems are never properly foreshadowed, explored, or developed in the drama. Instead, time was put on arbitrary scenes to artificially create romance, or extend dialogue and conversations about broader political issues that focused less on the students and instead on the teachers and generals.
♥ The Trainwreck of the The Last Couple Episodes: One of the things that the original Korean drama did very well was showing its characters taking accountability for the elements of the plot. For example, there are consequences for being disguised as a male, for taking vigilante justice, and for other problems that the show introduces. In a Class of Her Own however seems to wave off resolving the issues that it introduces, and instead makes a rushed attempt to address the main plot during the latter stretch — which is ironic, given how this show had more episodes to work with. The show therefore loses the sparkle that it had in the first half, when the students were solving issues in the Academy, to fill its last half with problems that result in a less than satisfying and logically inconsistent ending.
In A Class of Her Own had a lot of potential to be a great remake, especially since it already had a very well-written story to work with. While the show succeeded in some ways, such as through the refreshing performances of its side cast and the updated production of the series, it lacked immensely in terms of balancing the plot, creating a believable romance, and living up to the sparkling chemistry of the original series. While the drama is not terrible, I can’t really recommend taking the time to watch this if you are expecting In a Class of Her Own to live up to to the freshness of Sungkyunkwan Scandal, or unless you are a fan of the actors in this series.
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A total waste of time
This drama started out like something that will be entertaining, then they spent the next 12 episodes or so trying to answer the question of who the father is and the remaining 4 episodes was spent on total rubbish.The FL in this drama is the most annoying fl I've ever seen in a kdrama. Very unrepentant and stubborn for no justifiable reason.
There was also no real reason why all the men love her except for the fact that they knew her in the past.
The ending is also the most unreasonable ending i have ever seen in a drama. No closure for the main characters, nothing.
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I liked the beginning of the show and I really liked the last couple of episodes, but I actually struggled to push through the middle part. Somewhere around 11- 16 episodes, I put the drama on hold. There just weren't enough events to really push the story forward and the funny moments weren't enough to keep me going. I didn't really feel like I need to know what is going to happen next.
I don't know why, but I wasn't a fan of the way how Dong Gu's character was written. I liked how he was supposed to be the counter balance for the happy-go-lucky Joon Ki and Doo Shik in the first couple of episodes, but I didn't like him being childish and petty around Yoon An later on. I also wasn't particularly fond of the love triangle in this show. Even though I can't deny that Waikiki has a lot of really funny moments, I found the humor to be a bit too slapstick for my taste. The bodily function humor and the rivalry between the two male leads just wasn't my cup of tea.
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This is probably the most boring highly-rated Kdrama I have ever had the displeasure of viewing, without completion. It has taken me over a year to finish, and I'm only on episode 11.
I must be doing something wrong, I must be missing something. But I just don't feel the magic in this show like everyone else does.
The plot is extremely repetitive from what I've seen and the typical rude, cold demeanor of the wealthy male stereotype just wasn't working for me like it usually does. The male and female lead were so off putting that I couldn't enjoy the apparent comedic chemistry they share. The gender-swapping plot line was so slow and uninspiring, drawing out the tiring push and pull between the annoying leads.
Don't know what it is, I have watched some pretty unknown dramas and have enjoyed myself more.
Every scene honestly felt so damn cringe-worthy.
Anyway just my 2 cents, different things for different people I guess.
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