Reviews

the luo yunxi juice is strong and the only reason this show is so popular

Ok this show... I dont even know where to begin. Not all of it was this god awful, most of the time it was entertaining and mid, but when it was bad, it was SHOCKINGLY TERRIBLE. And at its best, this show entered the Marvel cinematic hell zone, where everything thats happening is on such a massively large apocalyptic world ending stakes so high that it just ends up becoming boring and meaningless. Tantai Jin is basically a total saint by the end, just a victim of cruel fate and Susu is literally a god, none of the main characters feel like they are being lead by any sort of complexity or humanity, they are just wholeheartedly devoted to the cause of saving the world from evil. Tbh not once were we really shown why it’s worth fighting for, they just say it is because it’s the world and that’s enough for them and most viewers I guess… but like a good writer would really make me FEEL the urgency. I’m not saying that world ending massive epic high stakes will always be boring or unrelatable- all it takes is characters that are well written and the addition of themes that have something important or new to say, but this show absolutely doesn't have that. I'm not even really sure what the theme is other than a generic people can change for the better and you really can love a bad boy into being a good boy LOL.

Okay I will start w the only truly good thing I will say about the show. The costume design for the gods is actually the best I've seen in a xianxia, which isnt saying much because it's usually absolute shit. And while I wouldn't say the gods had Good costume design, it was at least Better than what I've seen. Like they ACTUALLY referenced Chinese Buddhist imagery of gods/flying apsaras/feitian which gives it a feeling of both historical reference, as well as a more retro vibe from older C-dramas and their depiction of gods and immortals. Truly a balm for the eyes in the sea of pale ass transparent gauzy layers of hanfu with drop earrings. I will NEVER forgive 3L3W for the shit costume design that has become the standard in xianxia!! Thank you cyjm for doing something different!!! Not even that good it's just different!!! HOWEVER other than the gods the styling was absolutely terrible.

Onto character + relationship writing... Tantai Jin is of course the beloved darling of the show, (and of the internet... and of my mom) who gets so much time and attention and yet his character makes so little impact for me. It's quite funny to me that he is supposed to be 'evil' and yet the writers are so precious w him he cannot be blamed or disliked for even a second. He truly does nothing that is actually morally contemptible and the writers have gone in circles and circles with ridiculous plot shit and other eviler evildoer characters to make sure that he is essentially completely blame free by the narrative. Even in the beginning, when he was at his most interesting and basically whatever the writer's flawed perception of a psychopath is, he literally only ever hurt his abusers and people who betrayed him. And while those people were sympathetic, it also meant that TTJ never does anything that would truly make the audience question their support of him or of what's right and wrong. He never hurts the truly innocent. There's no villain who you can't help but root for, just a bullied and abused man who also happens to look like a beautiful manhua character come to life who never does anything wrong!!! It's simply cowardly to only make characters that are perfectly likable and do not do anything genuinely morally reprehensible and then CLAIM that he is some morally ambiguous ML. And do not tell me this is the fault of censorship when there are plenty MLs in cdramaland who are pretty bad and do bad things. Even when he takes his place as ruler in Jing country he does it as peacefully as possible and treats all citizens as his own and provides aid to refugees and everyone loves and respects him LIKE??? COME ONNNN LMAOOOOO he is literally FAULTLESS.

He's at his most flawed in the grand disaster of his relationship w Ye Xiwu but even then his obsession and possessiveness remained firmly in the land of fantasy of beautiful powerful deranged man who is obsessed w u, and wasn't really pushed That far into gross and creepy. It gets closer after she dies, I was actually genuinely hopeful that he was going to learn when Ye Qingyu yells at him but the final note is still that TTJ loved her so much he wanted to die with her, fuck the country and everyone else! And when he couldn't die he suffered endless torment for 500 years for her! Isn't that romantic instead of absolutely INSANE. Again this is what I mean by Marvel factor, like the 500 years of suffering is SO meaningless to me and it's truly just some peak crazy dog blood cringe writing!!! Like hmm, how can we up the stakes and make it as clear as possible that this love is so powerful and extreme? LETS PICK A BIG INCOMPREHENSIBLE NUMBER YEARS OF TORTURE. This is a middle school idea of devotion, hardship and love. All the writing does is take shortcuts to make manipulative emotional impacts instead of actually writing a good character and relationship arc lmao. China has always been prone to these very annoyingly dramatic epic you die I die self sacrificing portrayals of love which I absolutely hate and cyjm is just a classic example of this that is possibly even worse than those that have come before it.

There was potential for TTJ but so much of the show is just griefporn and him being relentlessly abused and betrayed whether it's by the people around him or by some kind of inescapable fate. And its all so that Susu can save him over and over and he can fall deeper and deeper in love with the only person who cared for him, which is also just more of the tropey Chinese fantasy view of what the deepest form of love is- one that is formed when you only know abuse and pain and One person is nice to you. It's how they keep making desperate unhinged trauma bonding instead of love. Like, if you think about it it's not even that romantic because he didn't fall in love and choose Susu for her character, or her strengths, but because she was the only person who was good to him and she kept saving him over and over... which she only did because she didnt have a choice anyway and it was for the fate of humanity!! It's not like their relationship has nothing going for it, its just not convincing enough. I wish that LSS could've inspired care for others in him beyond that scene with the fireworks granny, and the show showed through actions how she has inspired him, instead of just telling us over and over that shes the reason he has feelings now when all I saw was one measly fireworks scene, and many fluffy meaningless cutesy acts of service and gift giving scenes on top of a random ass dream where they lived as totally different people so the writers could take another lazy shortcut and make him become a better person by experiencing SOMEONE ELSE's LIFE and LOVE instead of HIS OWN. There are things in his story that genuinely have potential, his relationship w Xiao Lin is interesting, he has Nian Baiyu and an entire clan of people who are devoted to him, he also has fun relationships w Pian Ran and Ye Qingyu with decent basis for further development. I really wanted these parts to be explored more and it doesnt take that much time honestly, like it literally just couldve been a few extra scenes (and it wouldnt hurt to throw in some scenes of him with the common people too and learning their struggle!!!) so it wouldnt feel like such a massive jump between the abused and amoral hostage prince TTJ and the Genuinely Good Ruler TTJ. I barely even want to touch on the massive leap between him being relentlessly tormented for 500 years, unhinged don’t care abt anything but YXW to becoming a good boy cultivator who then spends the rest of the show impossibly pure and morally just. It's ridiculous, and you cannot blame this on the story being cut when plenty of other shows have less time and make much better characters and usage of the time that they have. It actually makes ZERO sense, the writers just need his character to be at a different place so they force it to happen.

Li Susu is more or less a blank slate of a character who only exists to be the hero and antithesis to the devil god. She doesn’t have much of any internal logic or core, no depth, she just exists to be whatever the writers need her to be in that moment. She oscillates constantly between forgetting her duty and remembering depending on which will create the most conflict, and then spending the 2nd half the show knocked out unconscious, or running around LOST while TTJ is spitting blood getting the shit beaten out of him ahgjkakjkfjkd tbh u kno the writers are like we need to make Luo Yunxi spit out more blood dramatically and beautifully for all the freaky fans who want to see beautiful men in pain, so LSS will have ZERO SENSE OF DIRECTION…… EVEN THO THEY ARE IN THE SAME PLACE AND SHE CANT BE MORE THAN A BLOCK AWAY!!!

And despite supposedly being smart the writers decide to disrespect her character and make her lose all sense just so they can continue to protect their precious baby TTJ so he remains a Good Boy. It was so genuinely frustrating to watch all of the events that lead to Xiao Lin’s death and subsequently YXW's that basically absolved TTJ of any blame, put all of the blame on Ye Bingchang, who is just evil because misogyny, and made LSS believe stupid shit at the drop of a hat like that TTJ killed her grandma, who isn’t even really her grandma, based on ZERO EVIDENCE. The writing was truly SO FUCKING BADDDDD and for WHAT!!! You LAZY writers!! Just so that neither FL or ML are bad people??? So instead they just made them STUPID??? Was it THAT hard to write a genuine conflict between these two extremely morally opposed people?? They literally went out of their way making an annoying multi step plot with useless branches like grandma dying to AVOID creating complex characters! Imagine if the writers were capable of writing two characters who are both flawed and naturally have conflict AND still love each other!!

Ok onto plot… I’ve already touched on the Marvel vibe which is a definite issue… but also the plot writing is just SO nonsensical and absolutely purposeless at so many points. Like they have such limited time and they are just WASTING it… if something isn’t working just cut it entirely!! Just fill it w parts that actually do matter! And I really do have to talk about the spinning flaming wheel of a train wreck disaster that is the dream arc…. like bro….. BRO…….. WHAT THE FUCK….. because of this arc I actually STOPPED watching for a good month (and would’ve dropped it for good had real life not presented itself w so many stresses i had to escape by binge watching the most fast paced candy at 2x the speed). They wrote the worst love story I’ve seen since Hua Qiangu, with the flattest, most insipid characters with the stupidest motivations and expected not only the Actual Main characters of the show to feel something for them much less the audience who are living in reality. You expect me to believe TTJ and LSS LEARNED smth from this?? Had I gone through this it just would’ve jokerfied me immediately, I would’ve spit blood and qi deviated, not been like wow their love is so sad and beautiful. Sang Jiu and Ming Ye have even LESS basis for loving each other than the main couple, they make LSS and TTJ look like they have substance, my god. And then we have to spend not one or two episodes just to establish lore here, we spend like WELL OVER 8 if not TEN episodes… I’m not counting, that’s just how it FELT… like an ETERNITY!!!! Good lord TIAN HUAN….. I FELT LIKE I WAS LAUNCHED INTO 2001…. and then they had YBC be like I’m not her because she’s pathetic and she sucks LIKE??? So the writers know that she’s nothing but a pure misogynistic lazy and stupid writer’s trope?? Then why force your viewers to watch ten unBEARABLE episodes with her singlehandedly being the cause of everything wrong and bad in the story, including commit GENOCIDE so that Sang Jiu is jokerfied?? Why purposefully make BAD writing that you KNOW is bad and expect viewers to still enjoy it?? The miscommunications… the whole scene where Ming Ye divorces her…. I have never felt so insulted that I was expected to watch this and feel anything other than pure offense. This makes YBC indirectly causing XL’s death look like HIGH ART.

cw sexual assault

And THEN oh my god… something that NO ONE seems to want to talk about but HELLO??? The CONSENT ISSUES???? Did everyone’s morals FLY OUT THE WINDOW??? And I don’t just mean Sang Jiu and the writers I mean the AUDIENCE??? I don’t care if the narrative is saying it’s okay and it’s romantic actually because Ming Ye loves her and was into it… the point is that he could not consent in that state!! AND THEN…. they had the GALL to make SJ take care of him while he’s blind SECRETLY so that he doesn’t know it’s her, and she licherally says ‘he would never forgive me if he knew it was me’ ??!!!! So they KNOW that it’s wrong and they STILL WROTE IT?? Imagine if the genders were reversed and a woman’s rapist is taking the opportunity while she’s blind and injured to get close to her, lying and pretending to be Not her rapist ex husband…. it is literally just so emotionally violent, the grossest violation of a human being’s basic boundaries, respect and ability to make any kind of informed decision. Literally just imagine if she wasn’t a cute girl and picture the most cringe, pathetic incel stalker LMAOOOO. It doesn’t matter WHO it is when the action itself is the grossest violation!!! This show was always doomed to fail at portraying LSS and TTJ’s relationship in the first place since the entire core of their relationship is a struggle of good vs evil, but the writers have no concept or understanding of what that even means. They only know ‘bad people hurt people and by hurt we only know to mean cause physical pain or kill.’ Like I honest to god felt sick watching these episodes... Anyway even if the rest of the show was just mid-bad this arc puts it into atrocity territory, and it would’ve been SO easy to cut out because it was sooo inconsequential, out of character, RANDOM, and didn’t need to happen for any reason other than to set up some lore. They could’ve made TTJ and YBC change through CHARACTER WRITING…. this DID NOT need to happen.

Otherwise the plot is choppy, many pacing issues, general stupidity that is only good for un-critical mindless viewing. You just really can't take it seriously. Many people had issues w the ending and said it was terribly edited but I honestly didn't even really see much of a difference. I don't give a shit abt TTJ or LSS because they are poorly written and I'm not convinced by them or rooting for them, so I felt nothing by the end. The fact that TTJ dies and it's a BE after pretending to be evil to get LSS to kill him is simply just proof that the show is continuing its road of straightforward plot led thoughtless storytelling. They just followed their own rules and didn't try to do anything different, just the boring usual shit.

Anyway, that’s it for all my gripes. Sorry y’all like so much but it’s so stupid and mid/bad, only worth watching if you can put aside your brain fully (which I kind of needed since Real Life is Hard) for the pure entertainment of many dramatic things happening, and tbh the real reason people like it and TTJ so much is because of Luo Yunxi’s extremely expensive and unnatural face and they get off on him getting tortured to varying capacities. This show is just beautiful manhua man torture fetish hours, endless epic drama w no substance and the ppl who like it THIS much had their brains rotted by Luo Yunxi juice.

Ok that’s it, don’t @ me I don’t care.

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Let me start about my saying I am a huge romantic. It doesn't take much for me to root for a couple and I almost always with very few exceptions root for the endgame OTP from the beginning until the end. I usually don't watch dramas that don't seem to promise much romance. However I started this one not expecting it to be a very romantic drama, it was not advertised like it would be. I started it because I'm a fan of Yoon Shi Yoon and because I was interested in the plot and the teasers looked very funny. I'm a huge Kpop fan with an interest in the history of Kpop and it's beginnings in the mid-to-late 1990's, so the drama being about both struggling modern day idol trainees and a 90's idol top star who travels to the future sounded right up my alley. I also was intrigued by the father-son connection and I'm a sucker for good heartwarming family drama especially of the "Surprise, You're a Daddy" variety. So I was expecting a drama about struggles of youth in music industry, friendship, family, comedy, and maybe just a dash of romance.

At first I really loved this drama, I was raving about it everywhere, convincing everyone I could to watch it. The thing that shined the most in the early episodes was the comedy, it was gold! The jokes were rapid fire, I still remember many of them and laugh. But even in all the other aspects I was not disappointed at all. I shipped Ji-hoon and Woo-seung, because I found his crush on her really cute and he was such a nice guy. Woo-seung was the only thing that was a little disappointing at first, I liked her character, but the acting was pretty bad imo and I usually don't complain about acting, but here it was sometimes distractingly bad. But even though I shipped them and thought the drama was maybe setting them up to be endgame, I was fine with them not ending up together and didn't expect the drama to focus much on this romance aspect. I did not see Hyun-jae and Woo-seung as a possibility at all, I found it a bit gross because of the Hyun-jae likely being Ji-hoon's biological dad, so he'd be ending up with his son's crush. I really truly did not think the writers would go there. Sure there were signs in the beginning like the kisses, but those were clearly jokes, so I didn't take them seriously. I wish I did.

It wasn't until episode 17-18 that I started to realize the drama was not going the way I wanted or expected it to go. Maybe I should have realized earlier, but when Hyun-jae cuts his hair to a modern hairstyle ditching the glorious 90's hair he had before, I finally understood that he was going to be the romantic lead and this was going to be a rom-com from that point onward, not the sit-com like feel it had before. He was no longer going to be an entertaining comedic character with many flaws but a huge heart, but just a bland male lead as bland as his modern hairstyle with no personality to speak of. Suddenly there was a love triangle between father and son over a girl. I normally am not fond of love triangles, but this one was uniquely horrible. And that girl once a competent independent woman was reduced to a helpless damsel in distress who acted completely illogically just so two boys could fight over "saving" her. For several episodes it was literally a competition between the two men over who could be their first to save her, with the episode ending on a cliffhanger of them both running to save. It made no sense, but Hyun-jae won the contest by saving her the most times so therefore they became a couple or something. I don't know, they had no chemistry and the story did nothing to make up for that. The leads having feelings for each other was just told to us, but never shown, so when they get together it's sudden. Oh and the cliches, oh the romance cliches. Early on the drama was poking fun at them (a spinning accidental kiss in a car where they pan out and show that the car is actually inexplicably spinning). But then it plays them painfully straight not an ounce of comedy left, I cringed so many times. I'm fine with these cliches sometimes, when there is chemistry and a believable build up, but this was a relationship built entirely on cliches, that was nothing but cliches, with no depth or true romance at all.

In the end it becomes a mediocre or even bad rom-com (and very light of the comedy for that matter), not the amazing sit-com/variety/family drama it was in the first half. All the other characters and plots are thrown to the wayside in favor of the lead's boring romance, a romance so bland that the blandness rubs onto everyone else including the leads who no longer feel like the actual characters but merely placeholders in an execise of how (not) to write kdrama romance. After episode 22 I finally dropped this drama, only to read recaps for the rest of the episodes and watch the last few episodes. I still foolishly held out hope that maybe it could recapture a bit of the magic it had in the beginning, but each recap just seemed worse and worse. When I picked it up again I did not feel like I missed anything, the time-travel mystery was obvious to me from the beginning, the father/son connection that had so much promise in the beginning (and was presented as the main plot initially) amounted to essentially nothing (utterly ruined by the love triangle), all the other side plots and side characters got peanuts in the end. Even Ji-hoon, arguably the protagonist in the first half, was reduced to side character in the second and therefore it no longer seemed necessary to give his character the proper development and story he deserved. From an ensemble cast with so much potential, to focusing exclusively on the main leads (and really only the male lead, since the female lead's development was abandoned and she became nothing more than his girlfriend in the end). Maybe it would've worked okay if the main leads were as interesting as they were in the beginning, but no, everything and I mean everything had to be sacrificed for the sake of the OTP. And since these two characters were utterly incompatible romantically in the beginning they had to become different, very boring people in the end to make it work.

Had I reviewed this drama when I first watched in while it was still airing, I probably would've given it one star because I was so frustrated and disappointed with how it turned out. Now with a lot of time passed since I watched it I feel a rating right in the middle is perfect. The first half was maybe the best thing ever, the second half was close to the worst thing ever. It was a classic bait-and-switch. The writers knew what they were doing. Maybe they did it because of audience feedback (lots of knetz complaining about the lack of romance and YSY no getting "enough" screentime) or maybe they intended it from the start. I don't really care either way. I felt cheated and betrayed. Some people will be okay with the bait-and-switch, some will probably even enjoy the second half more. I do not understand those people. If you just really wanted to watch a rom-com, watch a good one, not the pathetic attempt at one this drama has. So in the end, all I can recommend is maybe the first half of this drama if you are okay with leaving things hanging and just want to laugh. Other than that I cannot recommend it.

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I've had this drama in my plan to watch list for quite some time, and I'm now wondering why I didn't pick it up before. It managed to draw me out of an annoying drama slump, which is in itself an achievement.
No doubt it's the best music related drama I've seen. It is so in terms of execution, direction, acting and, last but not least, music. I'm writing this review while listening to "Wake up" full volume.

What makes Shut up flower boy band stand out in the forest of decent to mediocre music dramas, is the incredibly heart-warming portrayal of friendship.
The story is not built upon a particularly eventful plot and I'd go as far as to say that the plot is irrelevant. It is so because what truly captured me as a viewer isn't the storyline, but the collection of unforgettable moments among friends, so perfectly caught by the cameras. There is an alchemy among these young people that is palpable and powerful, sweet and touching, unique and memorable. This is a love story through and through: love for music and romantic love too, but most of all love for friends.
It's also a glimpse on how the music business works, and the picture isn't pretty. Emblematic of its inconsistencies, is the fact that the moment the members of eye candy are given a new, more polished look, is the same moment the seeds of their division are planted. Make rock conform to the business rules and you destroy its intrinsic nature.

Much credit goes to direction and acting. The first is… daring. I appreciated the lack of gloss very much: this is a story about 6 eye candies - in name and fact - however the direction does little to make them look so, focusing on the picture of them as one "body", moving swiftly from one to the other and standing still on tiny details. The result is surprising, as it makes the viewer truly feel for them, instead of being simply captivated by their looks.

The acting is admirable: artless and believable. The last time I've watched such a display of genuine friendship and chemistry among a group of people was in Coffee Prince.
Let me add how adorable the female heroine is. Soo Ah is brave, sweet and honest, without becoming the saint victim I've learned to dislike in so many dramas. She adds a touch of feminine delicacy the drama would otherwise lack.

The music? Brilliant. After so much pop, of which I am no fan, hearing a rock ost was a breath of fresh air. Incredibly well chosen, perfectly executed and just as well used throughout the show.

Highly recommended.

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First of all, I watched this on youtube and this is my first time watching drama that still on airing, because I always hate it to wait every week for another episode. But this drama really attract me! It is very light and entertaining drama.
Since the first episode, I know this is will be another fav drama for me.

The main lead is very handsome, charming and his acting is good too! At first, i think that this drama will be like the other CEO stories, but nooo.. this drama is so fun! And not to forget the female lead! I've watched her previous drama, which is my true friend, but her acting skills really get better in this drama. She is cute and pretty too!

I really love the stories between Ye Fei Mo and Wen Xiao Nuan, they are so cute together. And not only the main couple, but the story of their friends Jia Yi and Gu Yun Zhou also pretty interesting. Oh yes, and I really like Fei Mo mom. She is the best, because she isn't like the typical rich mom that we usually see in the other drama.

Definitely worth watching! And hope they will make the season two too!

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Deserves Horny Jail

I have to admit, I got my hopes up a bit in the beginning with this one. At the very least, it seemed much more promising than other Thai/Korean crossovers. No magic translating earbuds or conveniences in sight! Sangmin understood a fair amount of Thai and Dinneaw undertood a tiny bit of Korean. It worked!

But, God, did this oh-so-quickly give me major tonal whiplash. One moment it was super sweet and the next it was uncharacteristically crass and, to put it plainly, SO horny.

To paint a picture for you: one moment two side characters are finally addressing their feelings, the next they're in nothing but their underwear and the camera is too comfy.

Also, tell me why so much time is spent on side characters we barely know at all uncomfortably smashing over and over again. Why? What happened to the plot or the leads? Does anyone care?!

*sigh*

Why did I put myself through this?

Just skip it and save yourself. Even if you're looking for a "spicy watch," trust me, this is not what you're looking for, darling.

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Best drama of the year and one of the best ever made

Just finished watching ep 10 on TBS stream (watched it with Japanese sub, the Viki English sub should be released some time next week, usually on Tuesdays) and I can confidently say Jaa, anta tsukutte miro yo ("Then, you try making it" on Viki) is my best drama of the year.

At the core of drama, the message is, everyone can change. The degree to which one can change is dependent on a variety of factor, but I love the encouraging message that no matter how old you are, or how rigid you were previously, change is possible if you put in the effort, and with the help of friends and family.

Jaa, anta is not a rom com, it's only labeled as such. I'd call it more a true slice of life. It is so much more than a rom com (nothing against rom com, and it's rather hilarious, especially ep 1-8). Rather than focusing on the initial fluttery, exciting part of dating, it entirely focuses on the relationship building part after the initial excitement has worn off. Even if Katsuo's changes are rather quick and probably unrealistic in real life, many issues the drama mentions are real life issues, be it gender roles (Katsuo's family and Ayumi's preconceived notion of what a woman should do), workplace dynamics, or (in)compatibility in a relationship. And it brings up these issues in such a lighthearted manner, not once does it feel preachy. Katsuo's family members appear briefly but each has an episode dedicated to themselves, it doesn't feel like they just appear to "make a point".

After breaking up, Katsuo and Ayumi have to learn to be alone, and I think this is such an important concept. Sure, it's exciting to guess who they "end up with", but that entirely defeats the purpose of the drama - which is learning about yourselves and those around you, your family, building friendships, not just romantic relationships, and being ok with just yourself/not settling with a partner just because it's convenient.

Highly recommend this drama to anyone. In fact, for me it's a quintessentially Japanese drama. It is comforting yet bittersweet and realistic. It is ordinary yet daring. It does not need fanservice via physical affection to make us fall in love with the characters and their relationship (though sometimes I do crave it, haha). It does not need plot twists, dramatic moments and reconciliations, hot people showing their hot bodies (save that for Ryoma's other works lmao). Japan did it again, ever so well. For those who keep yapping about how "over-acting" Japanese actors/actresses are, I challenge you to find one instance of over-acting in this drama. Kaho and Takeuchi Ryoma are both very established actors so we know they're capable, but even amongst the supporting cast, there's no overacting here.

This has been a good year for Jdramas for myself, with Hot Spot, Tokyo Salad Bowl, A calm sea and beautiful days with you being my top contenders for the top spot. Even so, Jaa, anta ga tsukutte miro yo, a Tuesday TBS drama not in a "hot" time slot with not a ton of promotion has taken everyone by surprise, myself included. It shows that you DO NOT need a big budget and an all star-studded cast, all you need is a good story. And that is why Jdramas will always have my heart, as long as they prioritize a good story.

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Well, I just finished this drama and there are good things and bad things about it

1) the idea is good: I mean the story itself is really good and in the first episode it began really strong and with that mystery that hooked me up since the beginning, but since episode 2 and so on, it became a little weak, and not that well executed to me... it somehow lacked the mystery of the 1st episode and the story lost emotion... That's why I think that it is a good idea, it's a good story, but how they told the story wasn't that awesome.

2) Photography was Daebak!: That's what I loved the most about this drama, it was extremely well executed in that aspect, the camera work, the colors, the feeling that the visual aspect gives, was great.

3)Acting: Well I must say that Changmin did a really good job and to me was almost flawless, but Ga Young didn't do such a great acting, I mean it wasn't a bad one, but it wasn't that good. It just felt a little fake sometimes. But in general her and everybody else's acting was good.

4) Music: I loved the music used in this drama, each song fit so well with the entire feeling of the drama in general.

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I found it confusing..

The story started out with a good premise, unfortunately it wasn't really enough to carry the story.

They did a ton of flashbacks - they were very confusing because there was no indication they were flashbacks! Usually, there is a special effects, fade in or out, etc. Not in this series, and since they were almost always in school clothes, it was difficult to tell if it was present or past.

Also, they looked so much alike, sometimes I couldn't tell who was who! The few included kisses were lips pressed, then back of their heads and show them from a distance - all tricks used on BL series when the actors don't want to kiss - it's an automatic turn off - if you can't kiss properly, just leave it out altogether.

It was nice, if that is what you are looking for. The series got a lot of positive reviews, but for me - it has no rewatch value.

Not the worst, nor the best.

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A Strange Love Story?

What a morose show of human frailties in relationships. This show started and was promoted, as the story of Ji Ho and Se Hee. The beginning was interesting, and I looked forward to watching how they would break through the walls and become a real couple. The contract marriage concept is not new, but I’ve never seen it before with two completely dysfunctional people.

I really liked this show, but the storyline drove me crazy. The Bok Nam scenario was a disaster, just embarrassing and maybe even sickening. It takes up half the show and means nothing. Ji Ho, a college graduate at the top of her class falls into the trap of an obviously creepy younger guy? She tells him about her marriage arrangement and doesn’t even think twice about it. She has little self-control, except with her fake husband. Even though she has already given thought to something being strange about Bok Nam, she sits there on a park bench and drinks beer with him. She marvels over his ability to woo the girls with his cheesy lines. It makes me think she would fall for any guy that has a good line. She’s impulsive and reckless but strong of character? It just doesn’t work that way. They have made her look easy and that’s not attractive on her. It was just as easy to see where this was headed. But, then came the fake husband to the rescue. So, what does this normal sane woman do? She goes back to work at the same place. Sits on the couch with her husband in a conciliatory position and listens to Bok Nam’s dribble. Bok Nam even goes through his stalking and manipulative thoughts, but still, they sit there and listen to him calling them names. But suddenly, Bok Nam is a nice guy again and Ji Ho is apologizing to him. Really? YOLO? Demeans her husband, calls her stupid for being with him, and stalks her, and he is a nice guy again? Wait, he is even giving her love advice? Why in the world would she care what Bok Nam thinks? It makes her look even more clueless and less attractive. Bok Nam spends all his time hitting on Ji Ho and telling her how much he likes her. She knows it, her husband knows it, but she still goes back to work with him on a one-on-one basis. This says all you need to know about Ji Ho’s character. To say a 30-year-old top college graduate can’t find any other job is just not workable. It’s not a matter of whether she has any love for her husband or what he thinks about her seeing Bok Nam, it’s a matter of pride and self-worth. Just come back and let him talk smack to her non-stop? No wait, bring the contract to Bok Nam for him to review. This really makes sense. Everything Bok Nam says she thinks about like it was wisdom from the Dalai Lama. If this wisdom were coming from one of her girlfriends it would have made more sense. But 24-year-old Bok Nam has a special spot in her life? He seems to be wealthy, why not just stay with him and void the marriage contract? Just go the whole way into the abyss. I take so much time talking about the Bok Nam issue because it is a springboard into what follows. All the Bok Nam scenario means is she has no redeeming values.

She meets the female CEO of a new production company (Se Hee’s Ex but we aren’t supposed to know it yet) and spills all her thoughts and dreams on the first night of drinking soju. Jumping around drunk and having a good time was a little strange with somebody you were expecting to work for. Without even being told we know who the female CEO is. Ji Ho is strangely happy just being around this woman. Acting happier than she ever has before. Gay? Straight? Who knows, but it doesn’t make her look more appealing.

I tried so hard to like the female lead character Ji Ho, but she doesn’t feel like a genuine person to me. She develops a head-down mumbling approach to Se Hee that drives me crazy. By episode 14 I can already tell how this will turn out, not well. Their relationship will just keep getting worse, slowly makes the story fall apart. The story started with these two and the story was even promoted with these two. They have no chemistry, and she seems miserable. What’s the point if it just falls apart? She liked Bok Nam well enough until he moved on, which by the way, she seemed disappointed.

Episodes 14 through 16 are just grueling. Watching her stare at the walls in her Room #19 mumbling to herself like the world is against her. She seems to expect something from him that she can’t give herself, unable to tell him she likes him while he sits in Room #19 unable to even comprehend the world much less express his feelings. With every minute I watch the show becomes less appealing. She asks Se Hee’s ex to go on a date with her. Now that’s not too strange, is it? Is it the subtitles making it appear this way? Did she really ask this woman on a date? She is never happy. I’ll be honest I don’t even understand all her mumblings. Ji Ho told everybody else except Se Hee that she loved her husband. I’m beginning to believe there is something wrong with the subtitles. She talks about how deep her love was for Se Hee to her father-in-law and her mother-in-law. Ji Ho never told Se Hee she liked him or loved him. She decided to sleep with him one night then fell asleep on him. The next time he asked, she rejected him. Granted he was a strange individual, but all she did for him was mess with his head, and leave when he started to have feelings for her.

As you would expect, the ending was just as weird. After a year or so in a hospice, or whatever that place was, she goes to his old place to make her move with a day one cake. Has she run out of girls and guys to woo her? She only looks halfway disappointed that he no longer lives there. But finally, the nicest part of the show. A chance meeting at the house on the roof. The chance meeting is nice, and she tells him she loves him, but he’s asleep. Couldn’t they even make him awake for that? Run Se Hee, she could change her mind tomorrow.

Subtitles: I hate to beat a dead horse, but I really think the translation may be off on this one. I think this was one of those shows that were difficult to translate. Nothing she mumbled made any sense.

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Not Good Enough

" Sweet Munchies " was a frustrating drama.

And that is mainly due to the two main characters that were annoying, each one in their own way. For the girl, she was way too naive, forgiving, and positive to be even considered cute. She was beyond redemption, as it was proven in the last episode and her reaction to the whole revelation. But, the most irritating was the chef. Sure, he had his reasons in the beginning for doing what he did, but he just kept lying, and acting selfishly throughout the whole drama. He was just unlikeable and he didn't make it easy to root for him. The second lead, however, did have a solid character and story and the actor did an amazing job with his expressions and emotions. As for the rest of the cast, they were there when they were needed, but hardly explored.

And now, time for the story. The main idea was ridiculous to begin with. There was no real reason why the show had to have a gay chef other than prompt the story. The reactions and actions of the characters were ridiculous as well and unreasonable really.

And, finally, the ending. The drama kind of wrapped things up for the three main characters, but left the rest out. Not to mention that everyone suffered the consequences of the chef's decision expect from him.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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A Smart, Slow-Burn Romance That Warms the Heart

A delightful enemies-to-lovers gem with all the right tropes done right. The female lead is sharp, strategic, and absolutely lovable. The male lead? Damaged, brooding, but oh-so-worth-it. Their arranged marriage slowly blossoms into a deep, mutual bond full of trust, loyalty, and sizzling chemistry. She falls first, but he definitely falls harder.

Expect cozy vibes despite some emotional twists—there are deaths and wounds, but ultimately a heartfelt HEA. Misunderstandings are resolved fast (finally, drama with good communication!), and they move together like a true power couple. The OST adds just the right emotional weight.

It’s a slow burn, but never dull, with a rich connection and genuine warmth throughout. Bonus points for the absence of heavy politics—just pure, emotional storytelling focusing on the main couple. Our leads are challenged at every turn, but love wins. 🥰

A magnificent couple 10/10 ❤️ I definitely recommend this drama !

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Ming, Come Collect Your Great-Grandfather

Dishonour. Dishonour on Huai’en, on his ancestors and his stupid arse adorable smile. Matter of fact, dishonour on his family goat. Darn red flag out there making me angry but also feeling sorry and sad for him.

So like, are we all gonna need to explain to our therapists why we’re normal for feeling bad for a psychopath with the cutest smile ever, or? Cuz, like… u tripping if you say you didn’t at one point feel bad for Huai’en and his stupid arse adorable face. But no, really, Huai’en is so broken he’s pitiful and painfully sad.

Finding out the same author who wrote My Stand-In also wrote this one made so much sense. Of course, Haui’en is a red flag, he’s Ming’s ancestor! XD

Listen, bls have been trying to out-do themselves when it comes to red flag characters. But Haui’en, oh Haui’en, homeboy is waay past red flags and turning into a whole arse red sea. Which brings me to this week’s ranking of red flags.

BLs Red Flags HOT 100

#1 Huai’en [NEW]
This guy might as well has invented the color red.

#2 Ming, My Stand-In [-1]
Y’all remember when he hit Joe upside the head with a bat? Good times.

#3 Vegas, KinnPorsche [RE]
Vegas apologists be like: Sure, he kidnapped and tortured Pete, but like, did Pete die? hmm?

#4 Boston, Only Friends [=]
He’s the only good thing about that drama. I said what I said, bite me. Mew should be on this list instead, if not for anything, for that stupid arse silver chain.

#9 Vee, Love Mechanics [+1]
I still think Mark would have been better off as a creepy stalker following Bar into his 80s, and dying alone with 5 cats, cuz ending up with Vee’s two-timing, hypocrite arse was just tragic.

#15 Khai, Theory of Love [-1]
Meh, they should have left him at the train station.

And so on and so forth. I didn’t put Haui’en on top of this list for decoration. I know most of us can and will explain why he did the things he did, and even understand him. Yes, his upbringing was terrible, and he didn’t even know what love was until Xiaobao. When I heard his backstory, it remained me of Dr. Doofenshmirtz, (you know, when even his parents didn’t show up for this birth) #realsad. But he still did the things he did, and he was grown/sane enough to know right from wrong.

So, although I did understand him, and felt sorry for him. His character was a hard one to cheer for most of the time, cuz look at his track record:

1. His love language is threats and physical abuse
2. Kidnapped Xiaobao’s sister and threatened the poor child
3. Turned Xiaobao’s family in, causing them to lose everything (which the parents deserved btw) and Xiaobao to lose his home.
4. Indirectly being the cause of Xiaobao’s poisoning and pain
5. SA’d Xiaobao multiple times, and even in one did it while choking him until he was unconscious.
6. Causing Xiaobao to lose his smile.

No really, Haui’en was something else. This guy comes to ask for a second chance and his apology is like ‘I want to take you away to a place where there is nobody and lock you up, and you’d never see your parents again. would you love that?’ Boy what? LOL, how is that what we going with??

Yeah, he did all the above and more, and got my blood pressure off the roof, so much that, more than once I went, ‘nah, yeah, I literally don’t care about him anymore, he can go hug a tree’. But then he turned around and..

1. Falls in love so deeply, he’s willing to destroy the entire empire to be with Xiaobao and protect him.
2. Gives up his royal title so Xiaobao’s family can be free.
3. Knowingly walk into danger and got poisoned to find a cure for Xiaobao
4. Going back to his sect to get the last flower and rescue Xiaobao’s sister
5. Not giving up on Xiaobao even after he constantly said mean things to get him to leave.
6. Standing up to his crazy arse uncle/dad and going through torture cuz he refused to give up his for love Xiaobao.
7. Agreeing to be Xiaobao’s good wife.

Why, why they out there trying to kill me with tears?? It was so sad listening to Haui’en talking about how he was never loved, although everyone says he looks like his mother. And Xiaobao thinking he must have done something bad for loving him, all because of how he was suffering.

Yes, we can all argue but agree that most of the good things he did was just him undoing the bad things he did, but still, that's growth, that he saw they were bad and he needed to fix them. So, good for him.

This series tested my morals. On one hand, I wanted to hate Haui’en with the passion of the sun. On the other hand, I wanted to do one of those side-ways, I don’t really care, take the blanket if you want things and protect him. But even with that, I will not excuse his behaviour, cuz his own actions brought him most of the pain he got into. If he hadn’t want to control Xiaobao and make himself Xiaobao’s whole world by betraying him, he wouldn’t have had to suffer heartbreak.

Which brings us to poor heartbroken Xiaobao who I want to protect and slap with a rubber chicken at the same time. Cuz really, he picked up a beauty, mind you, he found Huai’en while he was in the middle of slaughtering a whole bunch of assassins. Then he mistook him for a woman, and immediately decided to make him his wife. Literally, he went 'It's Mine' and just ran with it, not caring at all the consequences.

LOL, that concept got me, it was so funny, then homeboy was like ‘Hey, you, why are you a man?’ sksksks, why you think child??

Anyway, yeah, we can argue that his naivety and horny arse brought him all that misfortune, which it did, and he suffered for it. But damn, to still be in love after all that, and end up with him… yeah. But love am I right? The magic logic to solve everything.

Watching Xaiobao hardened his heart and living in pain was so hard to watch. It broke my heart so much to see the smile leave his face. At one point I wanted to put down my wine and hug my tv to console him… but then, you know, wine.

Hearing Xiaobao’s parents joke that he grew up overnight made me weep, cuz we all saw the pain and heartbreak he had to endure for that growth. This drama pulled on my heart. Started off all sweet, Xiaobao mistaking a beautiful murdering dude for his future wife… all warm and fizzy, then bam, sadness overload. And when Haui’en was left dying and he was thinking he didn’t deserve any happiness… water works :((((.

Rationally, I did not want those two to end up together. And when Xiaobao tried to let Huai’en go, I was like good for you, you’re not like those blind leads, you can actually see red flags. But of course, that did not last. That episode when he literally put his life on the line and went up the mountain to warn him, I was like: ‘Child, child, let that man go and go home and find something to eat.’ Obviously he did not listen to me, and almost died, so what do I know? Love, am I right?

I liked Xaiobao’s character, although he went back to his red flag with a big smile, I still liked him. I don’t know, both him and Haui’en were so sad and pitiful that I couldn’t bring myself to fully dislike them for their horrible decisions.

Not gonna lie. I do not hate that they ended up together. They both suffered, and now they both have an understanding of what to do to move forward, which is the growth they both needed. I’m glad they have each other, and they both found their smiles again.

EVERYTHING ELSE
Everyone played their roles well, even that annoying crown prince. every time he showed up, I was like. ‘child, will you keep quiet?’ out there acting like he licks postal stamps in his free time. Also, Haui’en’s whole family tree was crazy, cuz why was this crown prince in love with his cousin??

Su Yin had me in the first half. All caring and there for Xiaobao and his family, only to find out this whole time the mfer was trying to play match-maker! Out there acting like Xiaobao’s main father. At first, I thought he wanted to be more than childhood friends, turns out he wanted Xiaobao to grow up real nice and marry his sister, and have tons of children. HUH??? what? im— like?? Life in that time period was wild! Cuz, no one even raised an eyebrows when he said that.

That being said, I guess I understand Su Yin, yes he came to annoy me when he did things no one asked him to, watching him leave Huai’en to die was brutal. But I understand where he was coming from, wanting the protect Xaiobao, although he did too much at times. So yeah, as it stand, I ended the series feeling Wednesday about his character. I don’t hate him, I don’t love him. He's whatever. meh.

As for the bad father/uncle, so glad he ended up getting his neck separated from his head. Was so happy when Xiaobao said he won't allow Haui'en to visit him. He deserved to die alone with no one after how he treated the woman he loves' child.

SSKSKSK, my reaction was exactly like Xiaobao and Zhaocai’s when Jinbao was like, ‘I like the doctor’ what??? didn’t you like ran away or something to get away from him? Zhaocai was so done with them, lol! My man rolled his eyes so hard he saw the back of his head. Also that doctor was such a vibe, just out there saying whatever the hell he wanted.

PLOT
This had dark themes that they didn't shy away from. Plotwise, the concept was interesting, Xiaobao mistaking a man for a woman, and going whatever, love is love and deciding to court him anyway, got my interest. The royal background, and who is who of the brothers got confusing at times, but all in all, interesting concept. I really enjoyed watching this.

Omg, I was so happy when the guy who gave Xiaobao the poison died. Didn’t suffer enough in my opinion.

Also, we’ve come a long way since Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s long distant ‘subjective’ glances in The Untamed, to finally get a kiss from a Chinese bl, even if it was a collaboration with other countries, I’m still counting it as a win. Now, we wait and pray for 2ha's adaptation.

Anyway, all in all, a good drama that didn’t hold back in it’s dark theme. There’ are some triggers, so anyone who wants to watch it should be warned. I’m looking forward to more future work from the two leads, they had great chemistry. I'll recommend it to all bl lovers.
This is going on the list of my best watch of 2024, along with Unknown, My Stand-In, and Century of Love.

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I don't really like writing reviews, but for the sake of my love for this drama, I'll write one. This is my first MDL review, so please bear with me. ///excuse me for my engrish

I really love everything in this drama. I wasn't expecting a lot when I first watched this, since this is my first lakorn. But I was so surprised as to how good this drama is.

Story:
I haven't watched the original Full House but I can say that even though I haven't watched it, this remake made me feel like I'm familiar with the story. There were no complications or whatsoever.

Acting/Cast:
I'm not really that familiar with Thai acting, but all I can say is that they're all great in portraying their roles. The main lead's acting were exceptional. Their acting felt so real. I'm shipping them so hard.
About the supporting roles, they are all good. The so-called villains were hella' annoying, to the point where I want to strangle them to death. So kudos to their acting.

Music:
I can listen to all kinds of Asian Music, so I'm giving this one an 8.5 However, the music was redundant. There were too many scenes where they added music sang by Mike which felt unnecessary. But I still like it. Whenever they play his song on background, I sing along with it too.

Rewatch Value:
It's a very good thing that I downloaded this instead of streaming. I'll be rewatching this drama again and that's for sure. I'm pretty sure this drama won't bore me even if I watch it a million times.


OVERALL:
Great drama and a certain MUST WATCH. No matter how old you are, you're still gonna' enjoy this one.

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