News 
Was this review helpful to you?
expected more (watch suggestions)
Overall: I normally really enjoy Strongberry productions because they focus on the couple, have good kissing and are well paced. Unfortunately, this series only did 1 of the 3 well. 6 episodes about 20 minutes each (there are actor interviews after the end credits). Aired on GagaOOLala & iQIYI country dependent. Later re-aired on their YouTube channel (might need channel membership) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNd7BhdAz80pqSuyHCPnq26n4IKrlXR6fWatch Suggestions (if you want to avoid a love rival and slow pacing)
- episode 2 watch 15-16:20
- episode 3 watch the beginning to 3:50 then 16:30 to the end
- episode 4 watch the beginning to 1 minute (or could skip)
- skip episode 5
- watch episode 6 from 6:30-19:15 and then watch the beginning to 4 minutes to avoid a cliffhanger ending
What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- visuals
- good kissing/ongoing physical affection
Room For Improvement
- presence of a love rival and too much screen time focused on it
- pacing, almost all of episode 5 was moping
- cliche miscommunication/refuse to communicate
- why did the 1 character like the other so much/aggressively pursue him? I'm not a fan of the childhood rescue trope but at least that would explain it
- comparing m/m romance to biological relative romance was odd
- cliffhanger/non ending
- the comedy sound effects did not make things funny
- explaining things briefly instead of showing them (ie why the guy was worried about a romantic relationship)
- I realize they didn't have much of a budget but setting it on campus and having zero extras took me out of the story, they could have removed the love rival and the professor and paid some extras instead
Was this review helpful to you?
a mystery/thriller series that tried something different
Overall: I appreciate that this series had a unique premise. This is more mystery/thriller instead of horror/gore, there are some very heavy topics and things shown. Aired 14 episodes about 45 minutes each on GagaOOLala. Make sure to watch the entire post credits scene in episode 14.BL content: I'll put this in a spoiler comment
Content Warnings: there are some really heavy topics, see my comment with a spoiler for the full list
What I Liked
- unique premise
- blended different elements well
- acting
- liked in episode 2 how Dan sought communication from Nai
- a few sweet moments (including the friend cuddle)
- production value
Room For Improvement
- unless I missed it, 2 characters should have been shown being arrested by police but the writing seemed to suggest that their own miserable lives were bad enough (but they should have been arrested)
- how much Josh & Nai believed Dan who they had recently befriended stretched credulity a bit
- where was the teacher at the pool???
- I dislike that the school priest tried to force forgiveness
- open ending
Was this review helpful to you?
The storyline was well written and beautifuly interpreted. As it is based on an old Korean folk story, it started to interest me even more, beacause those kind of stories I love the most.
Actors were amazing; every one of them so alive in their roles. The three main actors did especially good job, because you could just immerse yourself in their acting, and enjoy the whole time.
Music was beautiful, and appropriate for the plot. I immediately downloaded the OST and am stuck with it, repeating it over and over again.
The funny thing is, when you watch a lot of historical dramas, you can hear that there are some melodies that repeat but are changed a bit, so you can reminiscence on other dramas too.
All in all, I give the Ballad of Seo Dong/Seo Dong Yo, a pure 10/10, because I will definitely watch it again some day, and enjoy in it like I am watching it for the first time.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Not perfect, but a very promising path for GMMTV BL shows
I’ll try to be straight to the point, because with a show like this you can end up extending yourself too much cuz there’s so many things to talk about. But I think this one was pretty much almost impeccable in a few aspects, especially regarding its production quality. Well, if we ignore a few special effects here and there, where it felt a bit too amateurish. But it’s easy to ignore that when the rest is so on point. Art direction, music, acting by pretty much all the cast. The fact that we could finally see skin that looks like skin!!! That’s important too.The social commentary theme is also a breath of fresh air in BL shows (and it’s brave too considering the political context in Thailand!!). It’s often too on the nose, but I think as a show that’s targeted at younger audiences they have to uncomplicate things for better and broader understanding. There’s also the writing conveniences which are mostly done by making the boys’ gang act clueless. Their plans are a mess! But I also think that it’s important to show those characters as far-from-mastermind individuals. They’re super young, after all, and they’re mostly moved by their emotions. Especially Sean. But honestly, all of them with the exception of maybe White, who seems to be the most rational character.
As far as the actual BL parts go, I must admit I was never that into SeanWhite as a couple, despite me thinking that the OffGun chemistry is perfect. What I was invested in, though, was the side couple DanYok, which kinda pulled me in even before I started watching the show (just from seeing Twitter/IG clips). There was something that felt magical in how the storyline began and proceeded to develop for majority of the episodes. Chemistry was fire. But then I don’t understand why the writers/director decided to make them so chaste? Like, Yok looked like he wanted to eat Dan with his eyes. And Dan looked like he was willing to be eaten. And then those two guys end the series with a hug? I’m not saying they should be having wild sex on screen (but I wouldn’t complain if they had)!! Not at all! But they barely kiss. And kissing is not a problem in this show, clearly. See, in the one scene they had in episode 13 they are there having a moment, a heartfelt conversation. The intimacy is visible just by the way they talked and looked at each other. Then Yok looks into Dan’s eyes and gently touches his face. His eyes move to Dan’s lips and that alone was sexy as hell. And then Yok proceeds to touch his lips on Dan’s for about half a second. And then sexy time is over. I don’t know whose decision it was to “nerf” this pairing like this, but it was very tasteless.
Anyways, despite the underwhelming finale (not just because of the DanYok hug, but as a whole), this show was a pleasure to watch and follow weekly. I hope other thai BL directors feel inspired by the work done here because after this the standards are gonna be high.
Was this review helpful to you?
With quite a simple story and even simpler characters, it was delightful to watch. This is another no-brainer, but a nice one nonetheless. I am not fond of anime humour getting injected in every Japanese film or drama, so this one was good for a change in that aspect. The actors were good and I really liked the chemistry between the two leads. Also, this movie lives upto its name 'Paradise Kiss'. It has a couple of kissing scenes which were the best I have seen in anything Japanese so far.
The film primarily focuses on fashion, so the clothes were great in this one. While it drags out longer than required, it is a relaxing movie. Just grab a bowl of popcorn and watch it when you're bored. It will surely provide you with good humour and some cute romantic moments.
Was this review helpful to you?
BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen
25 people found this review helpful
stellar comedy, need a season 2
Overall: this crack comedy made me laugh but it also made me empathize with Aoyagi. 3 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3919/i-became-the-main-role-of-a-bl-drama-2023-e01What I Liked
- laughed many times, it has an exaggerated style of humor which I can struggle with, but they made it work
- the two managers (I need more info on their background)
- how they differentiated between the acting scenes and other scenes
- characters weren't unrealistically stupid, they figure things out
- sweet moments
Room For Improvement
- who falls asleep like that and then doesn't wake up in ep 1???
- needed 5 more seconds at the very end of episode 3
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best medical cdrama i've watched
It's so hard to find a good quality medical cdrama so when I started to watch this i have no high expectation. It didn't disappoint me tho. Exceeded all my expectations. While there's rivalry and hospital politics, they're not toxic. Any misunderstanding are wrapped up in time, not dragging and annoying. All characters are lovable. No one is problematic. Time flies so fast when I watch an episode. It keeps me wanting more. Patient cases are interesting and heartwarming. I especially liked how mostly are coming from emergencies and some cases are hard to diagnose. I personally don't care about the scientific and explanations. I just want a medical cdrama where I can enjoy watching it. And this is one of it. I keep looking forward to going home and settle in my bed and watch it and keep wanting more after i'm done. It's really feel good. No stress. I hope it stays that way. I'm bad at writing anything but i need to let this out. This drama is so underrated. I wish more people get to watch it. Highly recommended.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It's real life and it's okay!
I'm satifasted with the drama. First of all, the cast is amazing! I was impressed with the debut of Baek Sung-chul. He and Hani were the best couple EVER!Then, the stories unfolded evenly, giving us the information to keep up with the gaps. The ending was, at the very least, interesting, simple and real. I wish she was already very well with the director? Clear. However, how unrealistic would that be, considering all the trauma of past relationships? Min Hyuk, I was angry with you, but it just proves how good the plot was and you are an excellent actor! In short, this k-drama is adult, realistic and even simple. I thought it was well distributed in its episodes and was very consistent. And I recommended for those who are not looking for a drama of great events, but an easy and light entertainment to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
To My Shore is not your typical "sweet" romance.
To My Shore is not your typical "sweet" romance. It is a heavy, psychological drama that explores how two very different men, broken by their pasts, collide in a way that is devastating yet deeply moving. It is a complex, emotionally draining journey that explores the thin line between love and obsession.First, there is You Shu Lang, a character who truly defines "resilience." After a traumatic childhood, he carries a crushing weight of guilt. He becomes a provider (to his ungrateful adoptive) and he acts more as a caretaker than a partner to his younger boyfriend. In my opinion, Shu Lang is a man who is "good" in the purest sense, but his goodness leaves him profoundly lonely. He is looking for a "shore" to land on someone to finally share his burdens with. Hao Yi Ran’s acting perfectly captures his transition from a weary caretaker to a man pushed to the brink of a breakdown.
Then there is Fan Xiao. His backstory is equally tragic and his trauma twisted his worldview. Unlike Shu Lang, who chose kindness, Fan Xiao chose manipulation, believing that nothing is truly good. When he meets Shu Lang, he assumes these "good" qualities are fake. He sets out to prove that Shu Lang is just as selfish and greedy as everyone else. However, when he realizes he is wrong and that Shu Lang is a genuinely caring person who wants him to be happy, he falls deeply in love to the point of obsession.
The most controversial part of the story for me is the length Fan Xiao goes to "own" Shu Lang. His systematic isolation of Shu Lang is chilling: he removes everyone from Shu Lang’s life—his family, his boyfriend, and (controles) his career, so that Shu Lang has no choice but to depend on him.
When Fan Xiao finally realizes his obsession has nearly broken the only good thing in his life, he shifts from destruction to self-sacrifice. By handing Shu Lang the evidence to destroy the Xiao family, he finally gives Shu Lang the power he had previously stripped away. (And when Shu Lang is too kind to use it, Fan Xiao takes the lead and sends it himself.)
His years of "protecting from the shadows" show a genuine change in character, but for me, it is hard to forget the toxicity. I found myself deeply conflicted. I wanted Shu Lang to find peace, and I wanted Fan Xiao to become a better person, but his actions were incredibly toxic and emotionally abusive. Even though he spent years atoning, the "scars" are deep. The ending gives them a "healthy" last chance, but it leaves me wondering if a relationship born from such manipulation can ever truly be happy. MAybe I feel that way because the "atonement" happens in the last 2 to 3 episodes, it feels like only weeks have passed rather than years. This makes the redemption feel a bit rushed and makes it hard for me to actually see the "atonement" and reasoning for Shu Lang (other than an unhealthy reason) to go back to Fun Xiao.
If you enjoy stories about complex trauma and the messy, dark side of human connection, To My Shore is a must-watch... just be prepared for a moral rollercoaster.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sung Yu Ri plays the Princess and I think she does a pretty good job of portraying a time traveler. She did as well as the boys from Rooftop Prince. So Ji Sub plays a general in the historical part and a fashion designer in 2003. He is the love interest in both time periods. I just love him and I think he did a good job acting even back then. Kim Nam Jin took me by surprise. He plays a general that is the enemy of the Princess in historical times and the heir of the lead Japanese family in 2003, Fujiwara Tatsuji. Why hasn't this guy done anything since 2008??? I thought he was good for his debut drama. I wish he was still acting.
The music is ok.
I probably won't rewatch it.
It is an older drama, so the sets and production is a little lacking, but I think that it is an interesting drama to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best sports drama there is!
I was just scrolling in MDL airing calendar and saw this. I just picked it up because beacuse its was long since I had watched a nice sports drama. I didn't expect to enjoy it as the leads were not familiar to me. (I had only seen Wang An Yu in Go Go Squid 2 and The Heiress.) But, when I finished 3-4 episodes, I realised that I was just hooked. If you are looking for a sweet fluffy romance drama or a nice sports drama or a combination of both, To Fly With You is one of them.Story : 9 stars
The story was nice. It had the right amount of sports and romance. This story also shows the hardships and challenges faced by athletes. During the whole drama, there wasn't even a dull moment that made me bored.
Acting/Cast: 9.5 stars
Though I wasn't much familiar with the cast, in the first episode itself I found that I was watching a drama with amazing actors ans actresses. The chemistry between the leads seemed so natural that I thought if they were really in a relation haha..
The side characters were also nice which made the drama more lively.
Music: 8.5 stars
There wasn't much music in the drama. But I like the starting theme and the ending song.
Rewatch value: 9 stars
I don't usually rewatch dramas even if its my favourite. I don't have time to reawtch any dramas at the moment. But, If I will rewatch some dramas at any point of time, this will surely be one of them!
Overall: 8.5 stars
One of the must watch sports C-drama. This drama has everything a light-hearted drama should have: romance, comedy, sports and youth
Was this review helpful to you?
A hot mess of a tragedy
This drama was kind of a hot mess. I watched it till the end just coz I wanted to know what kind of ending they were going with, and when it ended, I literally said out loud, "Wait, what?"What I liked:
- I love IU, and the actor playing the 4th prince was pretty good too... for about the first 4-5 episodes lol
All other thoughts:
- This show is adapted from a Chinese court intrigue romance novel and it shows: internalized misogyny where the women are either Mary Sues who die or very unlikeable assholes, court politics, power and hierarchy... Leading to my next point:
- Although this was in a Korean setting, the show felt like a Chinese story - the themes about power and the throne/succession, the storylines of each of the characters... it was pretty interesting. I've read quite a few CN court politics novels and a lot of the tropes, plot, and storylines in this drama were very familiar
- Pacing was bad. First ten episodes felt pretty slow although there were some really funny and cute moments. Last ten episodes was faster, but somewhat predictable
- I seriously did not like how the female protagonist was written. Reminded me a lot of The Rise of Phoenixes: the female protagonist starts out pretty decent, but then ends up tragic, losing the will to live, damsel in distress. By the end, the female lead exists just as a tragic female figure for manpain and angst. She even died of childbirth, lol
- Can't believe I'm meant to ship the 4th prince with the female lead? He's possessive and has serious control and power issues because of abandonment issues. I was creeped out by him. Which leads to my next point
- Characterization was poor. I didn't really find a lot of the characters' change in motivations and behavior convincing, and it felt like they were forced into being a certain way because the plot/tragedy demanded it
- Also lol what was up with that ending
- Side note that the 4th prince/Emperor alone in the snow, abandoned, totally reminded me of Ning Yi from The Rise of Phoenixes. I'm sure there's something to be said about internalized misogyny and manpain in CN novels
Overall, I've watched better shows regardless of whether it's about court politics or doomed romance
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
The only goal of this review is to explore spiritual themes and messaging in Mr. Plankton. I'm not analyzing on any other level, so if that's your thing, let's get into it.The story begins with the fulfillment of two curses, previously spoken by the leads over each other at the end of a very unpleasant breakup. Jae Mi tells Hae Jo that he'll die alone in the street and Hae Jo tells Jae Mi that she'll never be a mother. Unseen, the forces of darkness leap to bring about the circumstances necessary to enact these words and several years later, on the same day, in the same hospital, Hae Jo is diagnosed with a terminal case of tangled blood vessels in his brain, and Jae Mi is told she's entered premature menopause.
Hae Jo is the more intuitive of the two and seems to understand that the road to redemption is through Jae Mi, so he kidnaps her from her wedding. Her wedding is a farce, a play where everyone is playing their part no matter how ridiculous. Jae Mi has no real self-esteem and has built a house of cards with her fiancé that will come crashing down the moment his family realizes she's not pregnant nor likely to be in the future. Hae Jo recognizes that she is not being honest with herself because of her desperation for family. What he doesn't recognize is that his own repeated abandonment of Jae Mi is a different reaction to the same desperation.
A series of adventures begins in which Hae Jo looks for his father and drags Jae Mi along with him. The story bounces back and forth between outrageous shenanigans and moments of genuine connection and soulfulness. In a particularly moving scene, Jae Mi asks Hae Jo to sing her a song. "You were made to receive the greatest love. You'll feel it in every part of your life." He sings life over her. Not an exact reversal of the original curse but powerful nonetheless.
Later in the story, when Hae Jo has flatlined once and seems near to death, Jae Mi decides to sneak his unconscious body out of the hospital. It's completely ridiculous, but in a moment of desperation she finally tells him she doesn't want him to die. She pulls back a corner of the curse blanketing him and he awakens. She buys him some time.
Unfortunately for this story, and the swollen eyed writer of this review, neither Hae Jo no Jae Mi ever fully understand the power of their own tongues. Reversing a curse requires repeated application over a period of time and so we're left with a story of limited redemption and a pretty heart wrenching ending. Here's hoping that radical, destiny changing, curse reversing redemption becomes increasingly common in future endeavors in storytelling in Kdramaland.
Was this review helpful to you?
Soldier vs. RoboCop
Story:The Good -
The military aspect of this drama was interesting especially in the way they showcased how the military advanced through the years. The technological advancement being the most intriguing while the training portion was appropriate as well. Generally, I think the hierarchy and the flaws they showcased about the military with their higher ups and how it could impact soldiers really gave great insight to how things were ran. That maybe it isn't as perfect as it seemed but as time progressed those issues were slowly getting resolved to maybe make it harder to accomplish but not completely absent.
My favorite part of the story had to be Gu Yiye’s story arc. I felt he was very consistent with the way they wrote him – he started off being this proud, arrogant, and smart soldier and they continued to sort of write him that way but slowly try to evolve him but kept his original characteristics. Gu Yiye embodied the ideal soldier where he thrives to work towards a goal but combat and grief alters his plans and provides him other opportunities to continue to sacrifice not just for his country but also for his fallen brothers who he trained alongside. His story really made u feel sympathetic towards his choices and wanted to root for his happiness along the way and just wanted him to succeed.
The Bad –
The romance portion of this drama really dragged the plot of this story down in my opinion. It felt as if they removed the avoidable love triangle, they could have saved the main character Gao Liang from being so annoying in the beginning. The main character, Gao Liang, being the other main issue that I had with this drama. He was written very inconsistent with 1 moment he is this typical soldier that is a strong fighter to just out of nowhere being super smart AND a strong solder. It seemed like they didn’t know how to make him great and just constantly kept on adding on to him to make him seem more perfect without ever trying to really evolve him. In a way, I feel the screenwriter was trying really hard to make him into a Goku character, from Dragon Ball Z, but failed miserably along the way. U know the typical comical, strong character that his friends love and constantly root for. But the screenwriter just sort of dragged it out where it just felt forced rather than organic with the way Goku was written. Overall, I just feel his character was very flawed, writing wise, and just inconsistent with who he was from his actions in the previous episodes to how he was towards the middle. Just felt like 2 completely different people that showed no signs of how one got to the other.
Acting:
This is probably the main reason why I continued to watch this drama. I felt the acting that Xiao Zhan, who played Gu Yiye, was just breathtaking. He really was able to portray his character in a perfect manner where it seemed like he was that character. While watching, I constantly kept feeling that he showed signs of being a method actor where he completely immersed himself into his character and brought out those emotions that Gu Yiye would be feeling at that exact moment. The way he showed signs of aging by simply changing parts of his face and not just relying on makeup to make him look older – just amazing. Just the overall performance by Xiao Zhan was brilliant. The other actors also did a remarkable job with their roles and being able to bring those characters to life even with the certain flaws the plot had. I think a lot of the supporting cast such as A Xiu, Niu Mancang, Zhang Fei, Chunyu, and of course Hu Yang did an absolutely amazing job with their characters and really made me invest myself into them and wanting to know what became of them.
Music:
The OSTs were absolutely amazing. Both the beginning and ending songs that were sung by Johnny Huang and Xiao Zhan, respectively, were just beautiful and were able to enhance the plot and give the appropriate emotion for the type of drama it is.
Rewatch Value:
Overall, yes, I would rewatch because I felt there are some scenes that were just done stunningly; especially episodes 18 – 21 when the war had occurred. I even enjoyed parts of the training portion in the beginning episodes. But some parts I would just fast forward since I was not a huge fan of the overexaggerated compliments a certain character was getting and just inconsistencies.
To sum it up, I think this drama is quite good for a military drama and allowed a lot of room for discussion which I feel is the main task for a lot of shows/movies. To allow people to discuss and see what they like or dislike about something just so it could be engaging amongst the audience.
Was this review helpful to you?
