Reviews

Captivating. Cinematic. Action-packed, yet offering impressive quiet & heartwarming tuning, too

Gando is the land of the desperate, the realm of the desperados of Joseon. In the 1920s, it was also a territory in which political responsibilities and affiliations were vaguely regulated. Some things may remind you of the Wild West. Yet this Wild North in the Far East is quite different...

“Song of the Bandits” is a brilliant Netflix historical drama about a certain chapter of recent Korean history. Moving. Captivating. Cinematic. It exudes the vibes of an Eastern. The KDrama surely is gory action and turbulence at most times, but offers impressive quiet and heartwarming tuning, too. Action-packed it is, yet humor and romance modestly fit in as well. "Song of the Bandits" is astonishingly well balanced in this respect and for a Netflix production, despite its polished and action-driven choreography for a broad international audience, sticks surprisingly consistently to a more subtle Korean series style. Nicely done at all scales. We get a feeling of the Manchurian landscape with Gando impressions filmed at original locations. This all framed within a consistently beautiful soundtrack. It all lasts for 9 episodes (only! Yet?). In spite the overall ambitious commercial production context, aiming at an international “Squid Game”-like success, “Song of the Bandits” was able to impress me with a historically and emotionally complex story with great mimes - Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Ho-jung and Lee Hyun-wook in their element. But so is everyone else. This is where KDrama and Netflix perfectly come together...

'Bandit: The Song of the Sword' is the original title. In fact, people don't swing swords so much as they use firearms. The KDrama is epically processed, offers great emotions, while telling about people and the range of motives for which people are prepared to fight. It's about resistance, obedience, venality, oppression, social affiliation, the fight for freedom. There are even some spiritual thoughts attached to it along the way. It is about the Joseon people, some personal fate, as well as 'the' history of Chosen - an emotionally quite ´Korean´ excerpt of modern history. Its thematic historic setting (even if the rest of the world might not care so much about it, as it is not requisite for an entertaining series pleasure) contains a lot of explosive material by Korean standards. Therefore firearms are in several respects quite consistent in this context…

As far as I am concerned, I do care about the historical context. On the contrary, I find it quite intriguing - besides the dramaturgically action-packed and emotionally charged story with its complex, interwoven relationship dynamics and conflicts. As I said, you don't really need to know the background to be enthusiastic about "Song of the Bandits". But if anyone might be interested, see the historical side note about 'Gando', the border region on the north bank of the Tumen river, which today also marks the border between northeast China and North Korea.




PS:
Yep, the ending of the story...
If you like, you can dream of more. It could be possible. Yet, it would still go on and on.
Who knows if there may be a sequel...
Nevertheless, from my perspective the ending is quite fitting. (Whether I like it or not.) In terms of the historical events, things are as they are. We want fiction to write a different ending, but it still wouldn´t be any better, rosier or brighter for hardly any of the various protagonists... Therefore, from a Korean perspective the ending of this story remains true to the spirit of the actual Chosen-history: For Joseon people it is and remains unsatisfactory, unfair and painful. ´We´, as an international audience (temporarily and figuratively with our personal discontent), can/shall/must/may thus empathically share this collective emotion, too.





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SIDE NOTE: --- Gando, also called Jiandao, and today Yanbian ---

Gando historically stands for a specific borderland. To this day it is a region with a high proportion of people of Korean origin.
Gando is a small, perhaps inconspicuous scar in Korean history – yet a scar that is still weeping, sort of...
Gando (and Manchuria in general) is also associated with the regrouping of the Rightous Army and thus with the patriotic pride of resistance against colonial oppression. With "Song of the Bandits", the issue of Gando has now obtained an impressive, international onstage introduction...

This 'Gando', Jiandao or Yanbian was the last nail of hope for an increasing number of desperate people from Joseon (and still is for some North Koreans today) who had nothing to lose and would rather settle for an arduous life and try their luck in this section of Manchuria - a back then relatively undeveloped marshland on the north bank of the Tumen river.
First - in the course of, and especially at the end of, the 19th century - famine and poverty drove poor Joseon people to the far north. Then, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was the hope to escape from Chosen, which was finally officially annexed by the Japanese. The Righteous Army militia was also formed anew in Manchuria at that time.

After the annexation of Joseon, with respect to a relatively large population of Joseon people, the Japanese as part of their aggressive expansion efforts also demanded this coastal territory north of the Tumen from the Chinese. Infiltration was followed by an invasion in 1907, but already by 1909 there was withdrawal again. Officially, as a result of the diplomatic negotiations, the area eventually became Chinese again and Japan received railroad concessions, while the Joseon people remained under Japanese rule due to their Korean descent.
"Song of the Bandits" sets its story in this political quagmire: the decade before the belligerent 1930s, before the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria, established the puppet state 'Mandschukuo' and used it for its own political and economic purposes. The prerequisite for this was a massive expansion of railway lines - especially the North Chosen Line along the border region between Chosen and Manchuria, that had been built during those previous years, while the Bandits sang their song...


Outlook:
After the end of the Second World War, many Koreans went back to their homeland, but by no means all of them. Around 810,000 people of Korean origin apparently still live in the Yanbian Autonomous District of China's Jilin Province to this day. In 1952, the proportion of the population with a Korean migrant background was around 60 percent. Then, Korean language was official. However, especially since the late 1990s, the Chinese government had specifically tried to force linguistic and cultural assimilation in order to counteract political currents in South Korea and discussions about a possible legitimate Korean claim to 'Gando'. These currents believe that - regarding those dubious events of the early 20th century and Gando Convention between Japan and China becoming obsolete with the ending of the World War II – this Gando territory actually is political void and should now belong to (in this case North?) Korea. Thus, Gando's territorial status for some still is not satisfactorily resolved…
Incidentally, desperate North Korean refugees are continuously trying to get to China via the Tumen river, which is icy during the long, cold winter months. Thus, Gando territory invariably remains a last nail of hope for desperate Koreans even up until today...

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An Intelligent Romance Drama, Sweet but Lacks Sizzle

Excellent drama with intelligent dialogue and mature characters. Good story development. Good acting. Good chemistry. Motivational. Inspirational. More than a romance drama, this was a story of growth for individuals who had become trapped and stunted by their circumstances, both professionally and emotionally. This was true, not only for the main leads, but for numerous supporting characters as well. All of the characters were integral to development of the story. A very well-thought-out script.

Admirable, capable FL character free of the babyish voice and cutesy nonsense you typically see in cdrama female leads. Angsty, straightforward ML, seemingly brusque and hot-tempered, but warm and honorable in reality. Both lead characters were outstanding and hard-working and exemplary. A real joy to watch their stories unfold.

An idealized romance where the partners are nearly always thoughtful and considerate and problems are handled quickly. A little too-good-to-be-true, but is exactly the stuff every romantic dreams of. Pretty much perfect for stress-free viewing. The slow-burn romance was well done with a comfortable vibe and natural, easy banter between the leads. But, it lacked fire and sizzle with only a few tame kisses and one love scene that, honestly, felt a bit awkward and could’ve been left out altogether as it seems Wu Lei isn’t entirely comfortable with these sorts of scenes yet.

“Sizzle” isn’t necessarily created by sexy love scenes and gratuitous skinship any way. That’s not necessarily what I’m looking for. “Sizzle” is created when there’s a heart-pounding energy between the leads that makes you want to watch and rewatch because their chemistry is so intense, almost palpable. I didn’t get that from this drama. While there were several swoon-worthy moments here and there, the “Nothing But You” leads’ chemistry remained quite tacit and mellow over the whole series—very realistic as real life isn’t full of hot moments all the time, but, honestly I want a bit more spice from my dramas because I get enough real life from real life. Still, overall, a very, very heartwarming story and many sweet moments.

I enjoyed watching, but have no real interest in watching it again.

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Me Too Flower is a conundrum for me. When this drama started out I was extremely pleased and excited for every episode.

I loved the original story line. Yes..I do believe it is an original story line: The fact the Jae Hui is rich but a self made man and not a chaebol, the fact that he was a nice man...simply a bit messed up from his past, the plot point of Cha Bong Sun and her need to see a counselor and her very stubborn personality and their coming together as a couple. Also, Cha Bong Sun may have had problems but she was a strong independent woman who had her own career. All of those elements came together in a very non standard Kdrama way. That pleased the heck out of me.

I loved the acting. Yoon Si Yoon was really good in King Of Baking and he was even better in this. He came into this part as a last minute add on and OWNED this part! He was excellent all the way through. Lee Ji Ah was a dichotomy of likable, sweet girl and grumpy jaded woman. And I liked that! I found her a refreshing change from the typical overly happy and good heroine. She felt real to me.

The acting was solid by the whole cast and I gave it a 10. The character development of the two leads was solid all the way through. Their chemistry was addicting as a viewer. I was rooting for them every step of the way.

Up until about 1/2 way through this drama I was a voracious addicted fiend...practically going through withdrawals until the next episode was subbed. But then something happened to the writing that went a little off for me and wilted the flower. The character of Hwa Young and the decision to set into this original story the very non original element of a scheming jealous woman. That is regrettable and why I can't give Me Too Flower a higher score than 8. She killed some of my love for this drama and I absolutely hate having to say it, but it's true.

The technical aspects of this drama were great. All except that one aspect I mentioned in the writing so I have no other complaints.

The OST is excellent! Right down the line..every song was lovely and fit this drama to a T. Especially "Dreaming" I loved the soundtrack to pieces.

My re-watch value I place at a 7 (good) because there are so many episodes of this drama I would re-watch in a heartbeat...especially 1 through 8 and again the last two. The chunk in the middle I want to rage at.

Do I recommend this? Highly. This drama is really good. I think if I had waited until it all aired and dramathoned it, maybe those episodes in the middle wouldn't have felt quite so agonizing. Give this drama a try...You won't regret it. There is so much to like about Me Too Flower.

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Just When You Think You Know What's Going On, You Don't, Or Do You?

First up I know a lot of people dropped this drama early on and at times I can see why but you're really missing out on the greater part of the drama by doing this. The actual plot line doesn't start up until around the end of episode 4. The first few episodes are building up to the actual plot line and while I do think it's needed I think they could've shortened this prologue of sorts to at least two episodes.
I know a lot of people also dropped this drama because there hasn't been any romance...yet I don't get why people came into this drama for romance when the tags clearly don't have that genre listed. Anyways on with my review.

Story/Plot:
Gets off to a slow start but it sets you up for this dark story of Dongbaek, a famous police officer who has the ability to see people's memories through touch. Cool right? Yes and No. There are people who love him and idolize him and then there are people who hate him and don't want him to touch them in fear they'll get arrested for something illegal they did years ago. Despite Dongbaek having the extraordinary ability to see people's memories he himself does not remember his childhood memories past a certain age. The only memory he can remember is someone murdering a woman he assumes is his mother. The plot moves forward to introduce to us our female lead Sunmi, she is the daughter of a man who was murdered by a serial killer who seems to have come back 20 years later.
However, not everything is as it seems. There is actually a serial killer out there dubbed as the Eraser, who like Dongbaek has a special ability in which they can erase/manipulate memories. Throughout the entire series you are left questioning who you can trust and you can't as you try and figure out who exactly the Eraser is. And like I mentioned in the headline just when you think you know, you really don't. (I had so many theories going the entire drama.)

Acting/Cast:
The acting is/was amazing. I am a huge Yoo Seungho fan and I'm really happy he took the role of Dongbaek. He plays him really well. I am also a fan of Lee Seyoung, I really liked her roles in The Best Hit and Vampire Detective. I personally really like her in badass female character roles. I also want to mention Jo Sungha is excellent as always.

Music:
Sometimes the music is not needed but honestly that's something that's typical in k-dramas. I did like the ending theme a lot though.

Rewatch Value:
I already sort of rewatched it. I watched up to episode 12 by myself and then later rewatched episodes 1 through 12 with my mom until she caught up with me. I recommend watching it twice you catch stuff you may have missed the first time through it.

Overall:
I personally think if the prologue part had been shortened 2 episodes it would've kept people more interested. I also think that episode's 13, 14, and 15 could've somehow been consolidated into 2 episodes at the most, it felt drug out. It almost seems to me that they were originally going to go a different route with the plot but changed it last minute, as there is a scene in one of the episodes previews that does not make an actually appearance in an episode. I think this drama could've easily been better off as a 12-14 episode drama. The drama is wrapped up nicely though, definitely worth a watch!

Don't let this get you down though, the drama plot is really fun to follow if you are an avid crime/fantasy watcher.

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Great Chemistry, Questionable Plot Execution

This drama was a mess and parts of it didn't make much sense, but I enjoyed it mostly because of Mos and Bank.

What I didn't like
This 8 episode drama had too many plot points packed in, none of which were fully developed. We had:
Child acquaintances
Dealing with the loss of a parent and a new step mother
Enemies to lovers
Playboys falling in love
Working together on a work project
Arranged marriage that the main character didn’t want
Studying abroad opportunity
Love triangle with the friend coming back from overseas
Going to the same university but in different faculties
One person falling in love with the other years before they actually fully met
Date rape (whatever happened in the first episode)

Any of these plot lines or maybe even 2 or 3 of them fleshed out properly would have given us a great drama but because they decided to include all of those plot lines, the drama was all over the place.

The editing could have been improved because scenes didn't seem to fit together and some felt unnecessary. There were also enough cliché shots to make it noticeable (like focusing on some kisses too long, the rain falling randomly during the fight and the lights at the claw machine). Some of the kisses were really good, but others not so much.

Don't even get me started on the messed up premise of the show, that they never even full addressed/ explored. Like I'm all for a dark storyline, but it needs to be done well.

What I liked
Mos and Bank's chemistry. I'm talking about the way the look at each other and the natural skinship that Mangkorn and Yai had in the series. Just beautiful.

The conversations about equality and same sex marriage in Thailand, even though not always well incorporated, these conversations are still important.

The OST is amazing, though it might not capture the vibe of the show, Bank has a beautiful voice.

The drama itself is visually pleasing in terms of the contrasting of colours Mangkorn and Yai wear, the expensives cars and the pretty locations.

So, if you are watching this show because you saw how adorable Mos and Bank are in their interviews and vlogs, then this show is worth a watch to support the actors or even if you want something to pass the time and don't want to think too much, then watch it. However, if you are watching it for a logical plot and good progression of the storyline, then I'd say skip it but watch ep 7. It's so cute.

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King of High School is a drama that passed under many addicts radar.
Don't let that happen to you. Read on further and know why you should give it a chance. Bear wimme since it is a little long. :)

King Of high School doesn't bring anything new to the already established genre of romantic comedy. The plot seems predictable and the actors not veterans in their fields. What invited me in was definitely the awkward dance moves in the teasers that TvN released for this show which inspired many other upbeat teasers for many dramas by main broadcasters in Korea.

Seo In Guk certainly caught my eye and i have loved this man from his Reply 1997 days. Seo In Guk plays this high schooler who gets to be his hyung at his workplace due to some behind-the-scenes stuff happening. Romantic and office hijinks issue as the consequence of that. This drama takes some time to kick start so don't expect fireworks and instant excitement with this drama.

Seo in Guk was undoubtedly the star of the show. Every expression, every gesture and his body language genuinely expressed what he was feeling at that moment. Playing a high school kid when you are already 26 aint easy. to top it off the character of Min Suk was not easy to play. Seo In Guk played Min SUk with so much conviction that i wanted a high schooler of my own. His childish anger, his laughs,his arrogance, his smile, his pure and kind heart are all indications of a great man he is going to become. In that he is a plain contrast to the adults in the show who are too serious for their own good. Where Min Suk goes he turns everybody's lives upside down and gives them a taste of fun and cheerful stuff that life should be made of. . He is like a sun on a cold wintry morning because he brings warmth and screen presence with him. The fact that he is so handsome only adds on to this young actors talents. Did i mention how utterly awesome Seo In Guk looks when he curses? Mind blowingly hot that it makes me wanna curse too. :D

Lee Ha Na is purely a delight to see on screen. Soo Young is a total contrast to every other kdrama heroine because neither is she some naive innocent girl and neither is she worldly and arrogant. She is someone who goes all out for the ones she loves regardless of the fact that that could lead to some very awkward and downright embarrassing situations. That doesn't mean she is weak and cries all the time. She is one of the strongest heroines who knows when to open her mouth and spurt out some swear words or give some much needed advice or speak harsh words to set someone straight. Jung Soo Young will grow on you and after it is finished you will remember how strong, bubbly, lovable and adorkable she was. She is played with a lot of gusto and heart by Lee Ha Na and now im a fan.

The chemistry that Min Suk and Soo Young share is similar to having two high school kids experiencing first love for the first time. They are utterly adorable and totally childish with each other. The age gap didnt feel too much because in real life they are so close to each others ages and frankly Seo in Guk is too much like a puppy in love which just turns my heart to all time fangirl high.

The relationships in this show are the heart and soul of the whole masterpiece. The writer reminds me in a lot of ways of the writers of Reply 1997. Everybody and i mean literally everybody gets screen time in this show from the side office workers to the grandpa. The talent of a writer shows in the way they treat the show's smaller characters. The writer here gives them a life of their own irrespective of their contribution to the plot and fleshes out these characters who are least stereotypical and one-dimensional. I love the office workers who are a bunch of kids bowing to another kid. They fill the screen with lots of necessary laughs and cutesy side romances as well. This is possibly the second show after Can You Hear My Heart in which i loved Every.single.character barring just one.

The ever immortally handsome Lee Soo Hyuk came out of hiding and played a flawed and loveless man whose life is filled with thorns and after meeting the bright Soo Young understands that life is much more than money and success. His bromance with Seo In Guk is another highlight of the show and i loved all their childish quarrel, their little squabbles and bro fights.

Halbe and Min Suka should have a show of their own with the way they act like a family. The grandfather-father-son trio are a delight to look at with their sassy talks and crazy dinner table antics. Soo Young and Yoo Ah are probably the bestest of sisters in dramaland who are mature and know what family and relationships mean. The best friends of Min Suk deserve an applause for being such amazing besties who stand tall with their BFF through thick and thin.

There are no betrayals in the show. There is no villain. No bitchy women are here. No monster-in-laws. No meddling relatives. There is no action and neither any over the top stuff happening. Its just a slice of life drama unraveling before our very own eyes with a certain beauty.

Watch it if you are in mood of a little romance, some crazy laughs and adorable family relationships.

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MY STORY RELATING TO SKY CASTLE:
This drama made me cry. I mean, ugly cry because a lot of the moments I watched throughout this drama related so much to many, if not all, moments in my own life.

I'm Korean but American-born. Though I wasn't reared in Korean society, my parents were still very much Korean traditional. It doesn't really matter where you grow up because your parents are the biggest influence you will ever encounter and will dictate a lot of what happens to you. I related really closely with Se-Ri though. Her story was basically my story. I'm an only child, no brothers or sisters. Me and my parents are the only ones in the States we can call family. I had a tough dad that always pushed me to think about the future. There were many many many times that he would force me to sit down at the kitchen table to lecture me hours on end past midnight about life lessons, how important getting an education is, and how hard and cruel life can be if I don't get it. I was only in middle school and he would go on to do this until I graduated high school. My mom was not a strong-willed person and often bent at the strong-arming of my dad.

I also lied for a time in my life about basically the same thing Seri because I feared disappointing my parents. The only difference is it wasn't Harvard but I did get accepted into a good university. I did OK during my first year, but because of certain reasons my grades started to slip and I eventually got expelled. I was no longer a student but I I couldn't bear to disappoint my parents and tell them that their daughter failed out of university and got expelled. I was also afraid of what my dad would do if he ever found out, just like how Se-Ri was fearful of what her father would do. So, instead of telling them the truth, I continued to pretend that I was going to school. I moved in with my friend after moving my stuff out of my dorm to continue the charade that I was still a student to my parents. My parents didn't know how to work social media and didn't really know their way around the internet but I would call them every now and then and tell them about my classes and friends on campus.

But eventually all lies surface in the end. They found out about my expulsion. I pretty much reacted the same way Seri did towards her parents. Of course I felt truly awful lying to them and knowing the kind of grief, sadness, and disappointment they would feel after finding out. But I was also at MY limit. I tried just as much as Seri did in her life to live up to the ridiculously high expectations her parents had for her. I remember a lot of moments in my life where it was suffocating living with my parents because there was no air to breath. But it was heart-breaking knowing that my parents probably didn't love who I was as a person, but loved me for being the kind of daughter who got good grades and did well in school. Anything less than an A was disappointing to them. Even when I got a B, they would always say "You could've gotten an A if you tried a little harder". What broke my heart even more though is that my parents probably couldn't tell me what my favorite color was, or what kind of music I listen to. They probably couldn't tell me what I liked and disliked. Because they never asked and probably didn't care if they knew or not. All they would ask me is "How was school?" or "Did you do good today?".

But anyways, a lot of things happened afterwards. It was a turning point in my life and changed me and how I approached life from then on. What had happened actually broke my family and I ended up moving out but after a year of being apart we were able to reconnect and pick up the pieces again. I think we were quite lucky to have come together because I know that lots of times when families break apart, it's unlikely that they ever have the chance to rebuild it, much less, want to. Me and my parents are together again now but we are still healing from the past and trying to change for the better. It's definitely not been an easy to do, but my parents have gotten much better at being the parents that I always needed them to be in the first place. So, more or less, it's a happy ending. But a bit bittersweet.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I put off watching this drama when it first came out because I judged the drama premise based on it's synopsis. Big mistake. It wasn't until later my curiosity of why everyone was making such a big deal out of this drama that I started watching it a month after it finished airing. This is by far one of the most realistic, gripping, human, relative, and controversial drama I've seen to date. The writing was superbly done with a good steady pace. The plot escalated when it needed to, and declined at the right moments. The cliff-hanger endings of every episode was done flawlessly. The depth of the characters and their development was spot on. The theme of the drama was perfect during these current times. Overall, basically perfect in every way.

STORY: The theme of the overall drama was well suited for how Korea handles the importance of education in their society. Many of the elements and plot points in this drama point to a very controversial yet unspoken side of how Korean citizens treat their children when it comes to rearing them. A lot of the moments told in this dramas related very closely, if not exactly the same, for a lot of children in the real world. Myself included. I got really emotional many times over during the whole span of the drama because a lot of the things that happen to these children, happened to me as well. It made me cry. Truly cry because the drama was not shy to show the rawness of situations like those. It didn't make the issues any more or less than what it really is. The plot itself was very well written.

ACTING/CAST: Honestly, I think this is the first time I'm watching most of these actors/actresses in any drama. There are a few I recognize but most of the main cast I saw for the first time for me. I can't praise enough how extraordinarily talented these actors/actresses were in this drama. It was provoking, touching, heart-wrenching, and amazing. The children cast in this drama also did a fantastic job! But I honestly have to sing gospel praise for Yum Jung-Ah (Han Suh-Jin / Kwak Mi-Hyang) and Lee Hyun-Jin (Coach Kim) for their incredible acting skills. But I have to say that everyone in this drama were just as spectacular with their acting. No matter how small the role, or how little the screen time, every actor/actress made the most of it and displayed their best acting skills forth.

MUSIC: I'm not picky about music and in most of my reviews I don't say more than a few words or a sentence but the music in this drama was well-picked and well composed. Especially the theme song for the drama. It's beautiful, dramatic, and relative to the theme of the drama itself too. The decision and usage of Erlkonig was perfect match to Coach Kim's theme song. The musical choices in this drama definitely sets itself apart from the typical musical choices typical dramas have in their soundtrack. Great job!

OVERALL: This drama was pretty cathartic for me but overall, objectively, I think it was perfect. I really can't poke any holes in it to be honest. Even about the last episode. Some people may have been a bit disgruntled of the lack of going-ons in episode 20 of SKY Castle, but I thought it was a wise decision and a refreshing one to write an easy going episode like that. I especially LOVED the contrast we see from the beginning and ending. This contrast we see from the first episode and the last episode was really beautiful and subtle moment. I appreciate how the writer was able to show us this.

Though the last episode wasn't really eventful it still held a purpose. When a drama ends, I think we can all imagine how everyone exhales after holding their breath for so long, but in most dramas the short sweet happy ending is short-lived and only serves it's purpose of showing smiles and exudes an "all is well" moment and ends the drama. After it's done, sometimes we get a sense of anxiety because after all, we invested 16-20 episodes in watching a situation escalate, then the drama reaches it's peak and drastically cuts down to a happy ending and then THE END. I think episode 20 of SKY Castle served more in the purpose to help the audience take a breather. To better adjust to how things ended. Yea, it's a happy ending but it's also important to know that even after a happy ending, life still goes on and when it does, it's pretty mundane. But usually, mundane moments in life are sometimes the happiest ones.

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One of the best thai bl this year

This was a journey, an experience, that will forever stay with me. I absolutely loved this series. The cinematography, directing, production level, acting, story - marvelous, beautiful and stunning.

STORY:
This series is a fiction, subtly yet un-subtly, calling out all the problems and flaws in the BL industry from toxic tropes, stereotypes, overcontrolling script writers to the cruel treatments of their casts, amongst other things. The story is about Gene, a professional BL writer, desperate to break out of the BL genre and try writing something else for a change. But his overbearing publisher refuses him to do so and downright coerces him into writing yet another BL story following his last successful novel that's in the process of being produced into a series called 'Bad Engineer The Series'. Sitting through the audition for Bad Engineer is where he meets Nubsib, who's apparently a sheep in wolf's clothing. Nubsib is auditioning for the series and manages to snag the main lead role. It seems to be Gene's and Nubsib's first meeting, but apparently not because they actually met as children around 14 years ago. They've got history, but it looks like Nubsib is the only one who remembers.

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I have watched a lot of Thai BLs to last me a lifetime (not really, it's never enough) so I know if a series was going to disappoint me halfway into it. Lovely Writer did not disappoint. At all. What got me into the series was the plot. If you've got a good and interesting plot, trust it to grasp your attention. Add to it a well-acclaimed, accredited and well-loved director to the mix? It's bound to be good, like really, really good. And then of course, you have the actors and actresses that brought their characters to life like no other; their emotions, personalities that was made their own... it was /chef's kiss/.

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INCOMING SPOILER ALERT!! EPISODE 9 (i can't stop talking and thinking about EP 9. It's a masterpiece in all sense)

Episode 9 was too good. It was downright cinematic. The blockings for some of the scenes were amazing - it was art at it's finest, in just one episode. Storyline was on-point, characters well-portrayed, cinematography a masterpiece and a rollercoaster of emotions! There were no dull moments or awkwardness in between~ It was all amazingly done!

The way this episode showed how problematic homophobic norms were passed down from one generation to the other, that living as a gay person means living in fear and judgment, that accepting oneself as being gay is not "normal"... It needs to stop. This episode also showed how it's all funny and amusing until one of your children is actually the one being called funny and amusing. It's interesting and nice to see how they showed the parents being entertained by the gays on-screen but when it's someone from the family, the table's suddenly quiet and all hell breaks loose. Not many people could fully understand how heavy and nerve-wrecking the scene at the family table actually was, because I could never. But the emotions that ran through each and every one of the characters, I could at least dare to slightly fathom the weight of the confession scene as well as the confrontation scene later on. I am genuinely impressed and touched with each character, and letting the characters to freely speak their minds without inhibitions. It's a wake-up call, and it's about time.

Aside from the heavy scenes of this episode, there were the soft and steamy ones that I, not gonna lie, ABSOLUTELY loved! There were so many of my favourite scenes in this episode, and of course, many domestic ones that I've embarrassingly found myself squealing to. No regrets though 'cause SibGene are so adorable and beautiful together.

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Also, in terms of my fav characters in this series, it's got to be Gene, Nubsib, both their parents, and Hin. First off, kudos to Gene. Absolutely loved his character development. He seemed so unsure of himself at the beginning of the series but after knowing who he was, he chose to accept himself and face it head on. I'm amazed at how brave of a man he was. He was the epitome of confidence, being honest to himself and choosing not to be a coward, even from his own family. He knew what could happen if he admitted to his relationship with Nubsib but he still did it anyway because he knew it was the right thing to do, and he wanted to be honest with both himself and his parents. Really, Gene deserved the world, but the world didn't deserve him. And Nubsib, raising standards every step of the way. He's the consent king and nobody can tell me otherwise. Always making sure he's not forcing Gene to do anything he didn't want to do and telling him he's willing to wait for him if he's not ready... where do I get myself a Nubsib, huh?

Gene's and Nubsib's parents, who would've known they would be the most supporting people in those two men's lives? Especially Gene's father. He really wins best father of the year. I love this series for not only showing the main lead's story but also the supporting characters so we could understand each one of them, at least a little bit. Gene's mothers are besties for life, their fathers are best bros, their brothers are bffs, what more is there to ask for?

And then we got Hin. Hin, the character we thought was going to betray Gene but pulled a 180 degree on us and called us stupid by actually sacrificing his passion and love for writing to protect his friend. You can't find a more genuine and honest friend than Hin. We all wished we had a Hin in our lives.

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Starting from the first episode, each and every scene were played and directed so well, I wondered, "why was this so good already from Ep 1?" Was it the unique plot, the well-known director, the amazing actors, or all of the above? Fyi, it was the latter, just in case someone was still wondering. But what I especially loved was the shade thrown on the BL stereotypes and all the other toxic labels. This series was not following your typical BL from the get-go and I loved it. This mindset carried on, and it didn't stop until the end where they performed short plays from famous Disney fairytales. It was their way of saying, BLs are fantasies too, don't mix fiction with reality. And also that two men can play these cheesy fairytales perfectly well. And they killed it, too. It was 10/10!

And the chemistry, you can't NOT talk about the chemistry between Up and Kao. It was phenomenal. Everyone knows this by now, and even if you don't like either of them (i don't understand you), you can't deny their chemistry. Up is an exceptional actor. His portrayal of Gene was splendid, especially the way he shows every emotions through his face expressions and body movements. Every little movement or gesture had a meaning, a purpose behind it. That's how much of an amazing actor Up is. And Kao has improved SO MUCH from the beginning. He's done so well with Nubsib and brought his character to justice. The way he looked at Gene with love, respect and fondness is out of this world. The way he showed his frustration, anger and jealousy was so strong, I felt it too. His feelings for Gene was unrivaled. A serious round of applause for the both of them!! There's no Gene without Up, and there's no Nubsib without Kao. Up was the perfect Gene, and Kao was the perfect Nubsib.

And of course, another round of applause for the rest of the cast and crew! The beauty of this series is that no matter what is talked about, no matter the difference in pacing, mood, purpose, and TEA, it still fit perfectly in their world called Lovely Writer. And as many people have said, this series has raised bars and standards for any BL drama. They've all made something top-tier in this industry, and they deserve all the love and admiration.

I love how Lovely Writer depicts the good side of LGBT relationships, but also the cruelty of society that's against it. LW does not only show the joys of being in love but also the struggles. This series is a fukken masterpiece, exquisite in every component. I can't praise this series enough. I don't think I can enjoy a BL series with a weak plot anymore. Back then, I'd watch anything as long as it's BL but now...

So far, to me, it's one of the best BL this year. No, dare I say, it's the best BL I've had the pleasure of watching in my entire life.

There are a few people out there who dropped this series after watching the first or second episode. Trust me, I was dumb enough to have thought about dropping it too, but I pushed through and look where we're at now. Watch the series guys, give it a chance.
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Artistic, Beautiful, Classy, Elegant, Humorous, Sweet Romance, Mysterious

A Dream of Splendor is an adaptation of a very beloved classic story written by a playwright in the Yuan Dyansty (c. 1271–1368). The original story, titled 赵盼儿风月救风尘, in short “Saving the Courtesan” (救风尘), tells the story of Yinzhang marrying a man who forced her into prostitution. Zhao Pan'er came to help her by seducing the man into signing the divorce paper. Yinzhang later married the upstanding scholar who Zhao Pan’er was in love with. The story was so inspiring that over the years, it has been adapted into movie, TV series, dramas, plays, Chinese operas (越剧), and even into a comic book (manhua). In A Dream of Splendor, romance and politics are added to give it a complete flavor for today’s audience.

Though fictional names are used, this drama is said to have set in the Song Dynasty, around c. 1019, during Emperor Zhenzong’s reign. The Emperor was sickly and his Empress, Liu E assisted him in the ruling, handling various state matters. Having a less than pristine family background, court officials had divided opinions of the Emperor taking Liu E as the Empress. In this fictional story, the Empress was an entertainer in the past, and her image was captured in a painting as she was entertaining her host and guests. As a Secret Service for the Imperial Palace, Gu Qianfan (Chen Xiao) is ordered to retrieve the painting before it’s fallen into the hands of those who want to use it to expose the Empress of her past.

While searching for that painting, Gu Qianfan crosses path with Zhao Pan’er (Liu Yifei). After saving Gu Qianfan when he is almost killed, Zhao Pan’er comes to the capital city in search of her fiancé, Ouyang Xu (Xu Haiqiao), together with her best friends, Song Yinzhang (Lin Yun aka Jelly Lin) and Sun San Niang (Liu Yan aka Ada Liu). Each of them has had gone through the worst of their lives: Sun San Niang is jilted by her husband and denied by her son and she attempts suicide, while Song Yinzhang is abused by her gigolo husband. Zhao Pan’er has rescued both women while going through a breakup with a relationship for three years. The trio decides they need to maintain their dignity, depend on themselves and will not be subjected to the manipulation of any men. They first start a small and elegant tea house, and later run the most talked-about restaurant in town, employing the skills each possesses – Zhao Pan’er’s art of tea, Song Yizhang’s talent of the pipa instrument and Sun San Niang’s outstanding gourmet cooking.

Zhao Pan’er has a modern-day business acumen. She turns her adversaries into her allies. She is good in putting two and two together to figure things out. She is artistic, intelligent, and fast witted. In this drama, she ends with the best love of her life whom she deserves. Liu Yifei’s acting is natural and amazing. Her charisma exudes elegance, beauty, grace and calmness.

Gu Qianfan is a ruthless, intelligent head of the Imperial Guard, and he can fight very well. Chen Xiao’s portrayal is convincing and natural, and most of all, he has an undeniable amazing chemistry with Liu Yifei. Their dynamics are over the top, and their romance is sweet and real.

Other cast members are just as good and convincing. Here we have a comedic character, Chi Yanei (Dai Xu), to light up the mood and add colors to the story. There’s a lot of growth with the main characters, in particular with Song Yinzhang who grows from a naïve gullible girl to an intelligent decisive business owner.

My Verdict

As lovely as the romance in this drama, this story is about courageous women helping and saving each other from their most egregious times and conditions. It is heart wrenching and anguish to watch the reality of life for ancient women and such trend is still persisting in today’s world that women are still being treated harshly and unfairly, in particular in light of the recent abortion ban in the USA.

The 2001 version of the drama starred Le Jiatong as Zhao Pan’er and Fan Bingbing as Yinzhang. In this earlier version, there were no Gu Qianfan nor Sun San Niang. The two female characters were flamboyant and very strong since the beginning, especially Yinzhang. Their costumes were colorful and tawdry as they were dancers. The music and dances were some of the most beautiful scenes to watch and are commendable.

In A Dream of Splendor, the Ouyang Xu character is being vilified (vis a vis the scholar that was loved by both women in the earlier version), and the women’s characters are subdued and more dignify, giving them more class and elegance; Zhao Pan’er’s expertise in the art of tea and Song Yinzhang’s brilliance in playing the pipa instrument. Any viewers will be mesmerized by the beauty and elegance of these ladies when they execute their exquisite art forms. I like the way the characters talk, softly, and directly without beating around the bush nor losing grace, and without fear nor hypocrisy. The drama explores the main five senses of our bodies with some more in-depth than others: visual, sound, taste, touch, smell. Though the story and plot are not perfect with a lot of unplugged holes, the romance is warm and desirable, the aesthetic value is one of the best (Zhao Pan'er's art of tea, her dancing, visual of Yinzhang's pipa playing etc), and the instrumental music and OSTs are excellent.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable drama for all romance buffs and for viewers who appreciate the beautiful things in life. Don’t miss it. BRAVO!

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What were they even thinking?

I was reflecting whether I should write this review as many fans might find it insulting, but screw it!

To summarise in two words: AWFUL SEASON. Now let me elaborate more.

Legit I do not understand how they decided to go on with this season. Numerous of people had to agree to the final approach for this season plot. I wanna know who in the world agreed to have 6 recap episodes for the first season in a 13 episodes series. Why? Are we, the fans, a joke to them? We did not watch the new season to remind us what happened in the first season. We can rewatch it if we want to remember what happened.

I do not understand how MAME agreed to this approach and the changes in the story. For example, in this season Pete already left from Bangkok and left Ae behind, but at the same time Tin and Can have not met each other. WHAT? I am trying to watch a bl series not to understand the end of Inception. I do realise that there were not able to work with Saint due to previous drama between them, but dude you can not defy the laws of time in the series. If you can not work with Saint, then we do not need scenes with Ae being shitty and drunk, in a series that focuses in TinCan. I feel that they just had Perth in the series for the fans!

Instead, of giving Perth that much of a screen time, they could focus more on KlaNo. LIKE DUDE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THIS COUPLE DO NOT MENTION IT FROM THE BEGINNING. I felt that this couple was used as an intermission and as a chance to change the mood from Ae's and TinCan's story. Moreover, the couple had approximately 20 minutes screen time in total, and for some reason No was getting softer for Kla in every episode. WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THE LAWS OF TIME? YOU CANT DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH THEM. Tbh, I don't like how KlaNo's relationship began in the novel, but you have to show more of what Kla did to win No over. You can't show two scenes were Kla gives No snacks and expect us to believe that this shit is ok.

This leads to my next point. ENOUGH WITH THE PRODUCT PLACEMENTS! I know that you have to find sponsors to produce a series, but there were many scenes that only existed for product placement and had nothing to do with the plot. You could use them in a more discreet way rather than showing Kla giving No those snacks and him eating them. I do not know how the rest of the viewers feel about product placement, but when I see a product being placed in this straightforward way, I usually hate the product.

Now moving on with the acting. Was it bad? Yes! I really enjoyed Mean's acting in the first season, but thanks to the plot changes I felt that what I was watching was not Tin but someone else! You can not have an actor establish a role's character in the series and the next season make him change that. As for Plan, well he was cute in the first season but he was must softer in this season. I repeat: IF YOU WANTED TO USE THE SAME CHARACTERS YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE CHANGED THEIR BACKGROUND! Now as for Perth, I felt that in the first season he was amazing (taking into account his young age), but in this season he was acting bratty and as an asshole. I know that this is how Ae behaved in the novel, but at some point I grew tired of watching the same scene over and over again. So, for the last 4 episodes I always skipped Ae's scenes. You are sad about Pete leaving you. WE GET IT! NOW GET OVER IT AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORLD HAS SERIOUS PROBLEMS! However, I feel that Gun's acting has improved. In LBC he was awkward and had no flow what so ever, while in this season he was still awkward but at least not that much. As for Mark's acting, I thought that he was the best actor in LBC, but I can not compare with this season as HE APPEARED ONLY 4 MINUTES IN TOTAL!

To summarise, I feel that MAME and the producers created this season just to make us shut up! They had 2 years to prepare for this series but in the end we got something awful. Tbh, after finishing this season I hoped that we did not get this season at all. For some reason, I believe that MAME and the rest of the team, bet everything in TharnType and in order to please us for TinCan, they just wrote the script in two days with no revision and gave it to the cast a day before filming.

I think that the wisest thing to do is to always ask a fan's opinion prior the decision of a script approach and production. I know that they might worry for any plot leak if they share their ideas with fans; however, they could find someone to trust from the fanbase and let the fan help them with continuous feedback. I feel that if that was done then we wouldnt get 6 recap episodes and the plot would be more fast paced!

P.S. STOP INTRODUCING TOO MANY NEW CHARACTERS IN NEW SEASONS!
I DONT HAVE THE TIME TO INVEST IN THEM AND KNOW THEM BETTER. I WOULD PROBABLY END UP HATING THEM!

That's it! A chance to love was shitty. Change my mind!

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Before you start the review, it's going to be a long as review because I just like to spoil everything for everyone. lmao, jks. pls read on :)

Story:
The synopsis isn't even right. I swear that is google translated or like when it's like do you want to translate from thai to english lmao. Anyway, I'm going to write two synopsis; one, where it's short and maybe won't make sense, lmao & the second one, obviously the whole story plot for those who enjoys major major massive spoilers.:) So pls choose...

1. Kiew's mother has cancer and under some circumstances they both end up living in Peat's house. Peat, not understanding and doesn't even want to hear an explanation from his father assumes she is the new mistress, (due to the fact that his late mother had just passed away not too long ago) & that Kiew is the love child who had come to take away his fortunes. He decides to make their life a living hell so that they would leave, but no matter what he does, they didn't leave. After some problems, Peat leaves Thailand to Korea to study & at this point no one knew where he had gone. Four years later, he returns to Thailand and starts working at his father's company competing against Kiew, as his revenge scheme.
2.
The story is about Peat & Kiew (obviously), they first meet each other in college and I guess you could say love at first sight. Kiew's mother has cancer and under some circumstances they both end up living in Peat's house. Peat, not understanding and doesn't even want to hear an explanation from his father assumes she is the new mistress, (due to the fact that his late mother had just passed away not too long ago) & that Kiew is the love child who had come to take away his fortunes. He decides to make their life a living hell so that they would leave, but no matter what he does, they didn't leave. After some more problems, Kiew's mum ends up at the hospital and ends up having an agreement with Peat's dad to let him adopt her. She becomes the adoptive daughter and more shit happens and Peat finally leaves Thailand to Korea & no one could find him until Kiew ends up in Korea for a university trip. There, they patch up and starts to understand each other until news broke out that Peat's dad adopted Kiew as his daughter and the heiress to the company. & so again, he lost the trust that they had just been bonding over. Four years later, he graduates and returns to Thailand on the same day that Kiew was introduced into the company. His dad not knowing he had came back was shock to see his son at the introductory but was glad and happy that he has returned. Peat openly announces that he has come back to take back what belongs to him & so the beginning of revenge begins. More problems happens and then he ends up in the hospital due to a motorbike incident where he finds out he is actually not the son of his dad. Feeling remorse for all the bad things he had done and said to his father and Kiew, he leaves the hospital and a search party ensues; Kiew finds him and they fight and ..... the moment of truth where he confess and tells her everything, the reasons why he started his revenge and basically everything. He takes her to his late mother's house where their love blossom into something more, but little did she knows and including everyone, was that he has started his revenge again (spoiler: because he read something from his mother's diary). They get caught in BED, yes BED, together and so Peat decides to marry Kiew to resolve it. //
Okay, stopping here because this is basically the entire drama, just that I haven't explain what happens after their marriage, but you can already guess it and I did write it, saying he takes revenge again, but this is another different revenge scheme as he gets marries to her. When I watched this live on the website, it was a real cliffhanger to me because obviously I couldn't understand Thai fully but maybe to some of you guys it might seems repetitive which I'd say it is because this drama is a revenge drama and so obviously it'll just be revenge right? But I actually really enjoyed this drama, even though it is really tiring to watch at some point but like it's not that bad and it has the highest ratings for it's time slot compares to others. There are some episodes where it takes soooooo long to just get to the point, and I felt that was really unnecessary, the first couple of episodes flew by really quick which made me draw into each individual characters and made me want to stay and see what's going to happen in the next episodes. & guys, pls let me know, was I the only who could not watch ep 23, like I just laughed throughout the whole episodes? Like there was something about it that was really off. but ep 24 did justice for me so oh well, haha, even though I did felt like it was a bit rushed especially from 23 transitioning to ep 24 it was like bam bam bam, like there wasn't that feeling of feeling bad for Peat but oh well. & oh, I lived for Khata's and Pa's scenes like, it just made me happy seeing them have banters at each other.

Cast/Acting:
Kiew: She is your typical nice, caring woman, knows right from wrong and doesn't give headaches to the parents. I really enjoyed seeing Bua play this type of character and so different from her character that she played earlier this year. There isn't really anything for me to critique because she is good at her role like I don't think I wasn't unhappy with anything she did in the drama.
Peat: omg, where should I start, lmao. yes he has the look and yeah that's preetty much it. lmao. jokes aside but I never really read the comment, I only do so to see if a drama is worth watching but there was so many saying that he only has the look and they couldn't really get through the drama. Honestly, it wasn't that bad like his acting, at first was kind of off and plus in episode 23 because I just couldn't take it seriously but other than that it was pretty good. Like his character is supposed to be an arrogant, jerk, self centered, only love myself kind of dude because of the lack of love he got from his dad and plus his mother bought him up like that, and feeding him with lies about his dad, I mean half of them was true and half of them was not. Some even said he was misogynist but I don't think his character is supposed to be portrayed like that. Like you can clearly see that he has Chaya as his girl friend and plus he loves Kiew so I don't know what definition yalls be using for misogynist, lol. His character was pretty tiring to see at times but trust me yalls, it actually is pretty good. The fact that he was just so driven with anger, and revenge just made him forgot who he really is, to his friend, he is a really warm-hearted young man, who speaks his mind and straight forward when he doesn't like something.
Kriss: I would say Kriss is the mysterious person in a group of friends. haha. He is someone that you wouldn't be able to tell if he is sincerely happy or being annoyed. Kriss' character is someone that would do anything for the person he loves aka Chaya, he does everything to make Chaya happy. I would say that Kriss has so much anger building inside from all the things that Peat does to Chaya that he starts to revenge Peat as well. But the truth is, I guess he just wanted to be notice by Chaya and to make her realise that Peat isn't the one for her. He actually is a really kind person, who helped Kiew in a lot of hardships & in the first half of the drama, he wasn't taking sides, he knew when to side with his friends or when not too. Especially when Chaya becomes Peat's supposedly "mistress".
Chaya: This girl was a really sad character. She just wanted to be noticed by Peat and she stood by him through thick and thin. I would totally blame it on Peat, he knew that Chaya loved him for so many years but he never once told her that he doesn't like her in that way. When she shows him affections he just brush it off sometimes and doesn't really say anything. At some point I was really annoyed with her character, like it was that good that I got so annoyed and just couldn't really comprehend with it. Basically as a nang rai, you guys would understand what her role is, but like I didn't even blame it on her because she was just a girl, in love and just wanted Peat to her self. Oh, spoiler, she get's leukemia and I thought she was going to stop her craze love for Peat but no, she sides with Kriss to take revenge. That's what got me real fucked at this point.
Khata & Pa: You don't really get to see these two character a lot cause they were the support character but I lived for their scene. Khata is that friend that is always stuck in the middle and doesn't choose sides. He lectures his friends to make them realise that they are doing wrong shits. but nobody gives a damn. haha. Pa is that best friend any one could ever ask for. She chooses her friend in a blink of an eye and is ready to fight. I can't say a lot because not a lot of scenes revolves around them but like most of the scenes you see is they being together and always having banter which was the best. haha.

Music:
I really enjoyed the music. Especially the opening and ending song, after I went to read the lyrics it made more sense.

Overall:
If you think this is some sort of infidelity or incest drama, you are WRONG gurl. go watch it. :)

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want to see the actors in something else

Overall: ep 7 and 8 were better but it was too little too late. There were 8 episodes about 15 minutes each, aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (depending on your country)

Content Warnings: harassment

What I Liked
- funny moments
- how the director Ha Yeon Woo was prepared/put some thought into his plan
- the fan service of Ha Yeon Woo's body
- production value (including the scenic shots)

Room For Improvement
- for a jerk protagonist and a sweetheart to work in a romance, the jerk needs to have a REALLY good reason why they are a jerk and the jerk phase can't last very long. Unfortunately the explanation in episode 7 just wasn't good enough for me and the jerk phase lasted way too long.
- didn't feel chemistry between the protagonists
- the writer was a huge jerk to his manager and it made me mad (wish the writer was nice to others but then only angry at the director when he showed up)
- needed a little bit more of an indicator when they switched from present to past and then back to present again, some choppy moments
- very slow paced,
- dead fish lip presses

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The fragrant Agarwood already turned into Crumbs. Sacrifices were all for naught.

"In a lonely and empty courtyard, there’s a burning agarwood like crumbs. A blind man stood there, raising his head slightly so that the sweet smell gently brushed his cheeks. Immediately, the corners of his lips lifted into a smile. —

: The man casually asked, “What did you light up?"
: “It’s … just normal agarwood.”
: “What kind of agarwood?”, he added.
: “It wilts as it provides Fragrance and New agarwood will sprout as it dies.” The woman replied, and now, without a single bit of hesitancy.


The serialization of Immortal Samsara initially called “Agarwood Like Crumbs”, not only pulled in Novel readers and Xian Xia genre fans alike. It also attracted loyal fans of Director Guo Hu whose recognized for directing some of the legendary dramas we all know, “One and Only (2021)”, “Love and Destiny (2019)” and “TMOPB(2017). Intense discussions skyrocketed even more after, Cheng Yi & the Yang Zi were paired in one drama. And In no time, the news raised the spirits and expectations of each and every fans.

However, the ride was all but smooth sailing. Some rumors appeared, heated debates circulated and, even fan wars on social media sites spread like wildfire. Many fans, including me thought that this may also turn the tables for the worse for the drama.

Yet, Immortal Samsara astoundingly flourished like a lotus in mud. Despite the setbacks, there still remained fans who patiently followed its arduous journey from the promotions, filming, trailers, wrapping up, and even till the licensing. And at last after great efforts, fans finally witnessed the long awaited surprise— the release of the first episode at the peak of July 2022. It was a really vigorous almost 20 Months of a roller coaster waiting ride.


Story:

The story itself is independent if we compare it on the main leads and ending of its Parent Novel "Agarwood Like Crumbs" (沉香如屑) Authored by Su Mo (苏寞) . The main focus of Immortal Samsara, which translates to "Cycles of Death & Rebirth" is the agonising love story between the burden-ridden Ying Yuan, a Supreme Lord of the Nine Heavens and, an eloquent and witty Four-Leaf Ancient Lotus, Yan Dan. Sandwiched by a Realm that forbids the birth of feelings, the two will experience the struggles of avoiding the distraction of Love. But side by side, they’ll embark on the journey not just to discover secrets but also to fix the broken, and finally mend the scars. It do sound cliche but, this couple is truly worthy of the attention it is getting.

With Yan Dan always writing stories on her book, the viewers are hinted to ponder, “Will the main couple also have their very own page of a happy ending written in that book?” .


Main Characters:

Yan Dan, an independent writer and a loyal companion, was perfectly portrayed by Yang Zi. Yan Dan is a faulty-selfless person but she is definitely someone that stands out from the crowd. All throughout, Yan Dan stayed true to her own beliefs, never feared to love confidently, and embraced responsibilities like its her own life. And like Yang Zi, Yan Dan will always surprise you with her great acting and humor. Yang Zi did really well in portraying Yan Dan’s character development especially when she gradually prioritized self-care at the course of the drama. With Ying Yuan's (handsomeness joke) thoughtfulness, she fell first and loved him with all her heart. But Yan Dan isnt entirely just a simp for the guy. You will also see her having this innate talent in speaking and intelligence (which I love), since it is what makes her really cool. Her talent, also made her ascend from being a witty attendant into a famous playwright slash company of the bully and vile, Ying Yuan. I found no single flaw or plot hole seeing how the character develops and I appreciated this fact so you’ll really have fun watching Yan Dan through Yang Zi.

Then there's Ying Yuan, someone with a very high position whose obsession in life is Wei Qi or "the Go/encircling game" apart from his goal of ultimately maintaining peace to his jurisdiction, the Nine Heavens. While carrying this role, he was then burdened by an overthinking personality, scheming tendencies, and a boring slash busy schedule. I think I can compare Ying Yuan more with Emperor Qi Yan from “Stand By Me (2021)” who is always harsh towards himself. Ying Yuan is literally like a robot who does things with no flaw all because he thinks it is his obligation to be different from his parents. But his miserable life with only Wei Qi as a hobby only lasted until, he found Yan Dan who switched all of his perceptions in life and made him happier. With Ying Yuan being represented by Cheng Yi, he also got cursed with blood spitting moments. What made his character so interesting, was that he is not entirely harsh and cold hearted. He cares not only for his beloved but also for every single one of his people, his soldiers, and his best friends. His flaw stems in the fact that he always remained firm in being responsible (especially in his job) so he totally refused distractions (like love). But despite his imperfections & jerk-like-boyfriend choices, his love remained unchanged.

Next, Ray Chang as Yu Mo, was the love interest of Yan Dan in the novel. Here, he’s now the second male lead whose main conflict is his one-sided love for Yan Dan & his obsession to her egg scrambles…lol. Yu Mo, was introduced as an heir to the Nine-Fins Clan, The Four Seas, and Yelan Mountain and as someone who only longs for a peaceful and carefree life. However, as you can see, he also holds big responsibilities but sadly, he couldn’t compare to the person holding Yan Dan’s heart. He then only ended as the best friend that stayed in life but never in the heart. Yu Mo is honestly a refreshing take to the stereotypes of overly crazy and ruthless second male leads of Xian Xia. And although not entirely a scene-stealer, Yu Mo successfully captured the hearts of fans through his loyalty and pure love.

The trio throughout their journey, will be susceptible to face never-ending sacrifices, challenges, and heavy secrets independently. But during this chaos, there are also parts that will be your comfort place. Like the cute pairing of Zi Lin, a silly Celestial Turtle and the shy Lin Lang, a Three-tailed Snow Fox. And together with the bickering couple, Taoist Tang Zhou and Beautiful Bai, you’ll also be fed with what seems to be never-ending servings of candies and laughter. They’ll eventually become you’re source of therapy session amidst the angsts. ♡


Music:

I was ecstatic when I heard both Cheng Yi and Yang Zi covered and blessed us fans with their voices here. And as always, I am in love with their songs and played them in loop daily. I hold on very high regard the soundtracks from Xian Xia Dramas ‘cause they always have those touching and beautiful expressions in their lyrics which in turn, helps watchers like me connect easily to the characters of the drama even more. Immortal Samsara OSTs are one of those I sincerely am thankful for. Luckily, we can listen to these OSTs on Youtube!

Although I love all soundtracks, I am more bias towards “Never Forget” Wú Wàng 无忘 by 张磊 “Zhang Lei” . It’s the only OST I downloaded on my phone haha. Here’s my favourite quote from this song:

“ I wasted thousands of years, how can I solve my thousand thoughts about love? ”
“ Forget the time limit, and only then, can love be fulfilled. ”


Overall: ♡

I can see how dramas in which the main characters suffer and make sacrifices for love may really be seen as repetitive. Especially since angsts, misunderstandings, villainous side characters and the betrayal tropes are still present BUT, these are literally part of Xian Xia slash Romance genre that creates the foundation for beautiful love stories like this to be adapted. Immortal Samsara stand out so much for me because of the mature relationship that the main couple have. Other than the interesting fact that Yan Dan and Ying Yuan almost have the same hobbies and personality, both also have fully integrated personalities and separate life dreams & goals. Yet, they still continued to grow and be prosperous when engaging or communicating with each other, even while bickering. And nomatter where they both are, they're literally still both awe-inspiring in their careers and are still ‘The Best’ companions of each other. I am also truly glad that it was mainly thanks to their already compatible personalities and like-mindedness, and not just fate, that made them always successfully attracted to one another. I’m truly a sucker for this kind of relationship and so I just had to see for myself how their relationship will conclude . ♡

Oh yes, before I forget, let me also give a thousand praises to the production team. The camera works, the film sights, creation of the venues, the costumes ( especially Cheng Yi’s wardrobe and wigs…!), and CGI were SO BREATHTAKING! The production team for this drama were really meticulous in designing every corridor , every pathways, the rooftops, the rocks, the courtyards, and the big and beautiful trees!! Even the petals falling were apple to my eyes, lmao. I especially love the Night Forgetting River and The Land of the Horizon venues. Literally, even the screen wall where Ying Yuan and Yan Dan placed their lips on one scene, were sewed with a Lotus design! It indirectly told us viewers that Ying Yuan hypothetically, ‘physically kissed’ Yan Dan ‘cause in literal, Yan Dan is a lotus! I sometimes even ignore Chang Yi and Yan Dan’s visuals just to appreciate these beautiful details! Everything about Immortal Samsara is so phenomenal. For me, its really a drama worth checking out. ♡

I hope that you all had fun reading! I’m so sorry that I’m bad at english and that this was too long. Thank you so much for visiting this review!
Like what a wise Yan Dan said, “The censer has finished burning but there’s still lingering warmth. So once the fire burns again, we shall meet!” See you all on Part 2, my fellow Gou Dan babies! ♡

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A STEP UP TO LOVE

Probably the best Chinese BL Drama adaptation of the year 2023 so far. Addicted Heroine had issues back in 2015 after the NRTA stripped it down from airing before it was even concluded for having way too many bed scenes which was very tragic and since the beginning of the year didn't go well for shows like A League of Nobleman and Justice in the Dark which suddenly stopped airing without any news, Stay With Me has not only taken me by surprise but I'll highlight everything that makes the show splendid.

This time round, Stay With Me has a much darker tone attached to it than the original series and not to mention the longer run time gives us a more deeper understanding of the series since a lot of more scenes have been included to make it more interesting.

Secondly, the chemistry of the main leads is second to none and they have a more realistic evolution from enemies to lovers the fact being that each of them is a lonely and broken individual that eventually ends up finding refuge in the other, as the show progresses we can feel there compatibility becoming more and more intense.

Thirdly, boyslove is boyslove and we'll keep it at that, very much like the untamed, despite the fact that the series was deficient in kissing scenes one could literally read the sincere affection of both characters, Su Yu and Wu Bi have delivered it best yet again as I last felt the intensity of such a lovestory back in 2021 with the dramas KILLER AND HEALER and WORD OF HONOUR which I find to be the most appealing construct taking boyslove to a whole new and more humane and meaningful level as something more than casual sex between boys to a development of sincere and intimate feelings.

The wuxia fighting scenes were pretty much unexpected for a modern drama but as it wasn't overdone, I found them slightly more interesting to take in. While the Characters played by Su Yu and Wu Bi are more captivating since aside from being scripted, there is that understanding that can be seen on the screen instantly and felt that the actors opened up more sincerely to themselves and embraced their characters to give them the best reality. This for me is the most intense forbidden true love weathering the storms of life and standing the true test of time.

Finally, besides not being an overdone romantic show, Stay With Me is mature with very many heartwarming scenes, clear character development and growth, unrestrained compassions and bitter moments, feelings of regret and reserve which narrate the common, unseen hardships of life which make it a more realistic coming of age drama as we have gone through most of this in real life and watching the show is like a therapy that enables us best understand the characters played on top of just enjoying them.

Ultimately, Stay with Me has that urge that keeps you wanting more and more of the show, not boring at all but every scene only suspensive will have you on edge worried about what will happen next to keep you fully indulged which makes it so far my favourite Cdrama of the year 2023 having set a milestone in this industry and even perhaps my drama of the year but most importantly because it impressed me in more ways than I could have imagined.

At this rate, nothing can stop me from longing for a second season.

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