Reviews

Are we all okay after seeing this masterpiece? Not me

I’m always a bit picky and love analyzing the details, but for the first time, all I’m going to do here is give praise and applause to every single person involved in the production. From the cast to the writers, directors, and cinematographers—hats off to all of them.

This has easily become my favorite series. What can I say about Not Me? It’s such a real, cruel, and moving story that truly opens your eyes. Especially when seeing the situation in a country I’m not even in—I think I can get a good idea thanks to this series. Let’s quickly talk about everything because I simply adore this, and anyone who hasn’t seen it should stop reading silly reviews and go watch it right away without hesitation. I wish I could erase my memory and watch it again, haha.

The cast was chef’s kiss. While everyone did an impeccable job, I’d like to highlight Gun’s performance in portraying twins with different personalities. He has me at his feet with his interpretation of Black and White. He’s a gem in acting, and his talent was well used. I’d also like to mention Off and his incredible portrayal of Sean, as well as First with his amazing work as Yok. Very well done!

The cinematography, camera work, frames, lighting, and filming locations—SPECTACULAR. And I say this as an audiovisual student; it’s the kind of cinematography that you DON’T FORGET. It feels like the best fever dream you could ever have. Some frames completely blew me away. Examples: Tawee’s house burning in the forest, that damn kiss on the rooftop, SeanWhite making out in the tent, and the intense scene of them being kidnapped. Pure excellence.

Let’s not even talk about the script—it never gets boring. It says what’s necessary, when it’s necessary, and builds and connects the plot for the future. What a masterpiece.

Finally, Not Me felt like a masterpiece to me—not just because of the technical aspects (which are very well crafted) but because of the emotions and the message it conveys. Politics and ideologies of justice are vast topics that can be seen from many perspectives. There’s no absolute good or bad here. Everyone is different, and Not Me explores these different viewpoints in a very well-executed way. It raises awareness and reminds us of the many issues in the world that we ignore and how so many people out there are fighting them alone.

Scenes like the LGBTQ+ march in episode 7, the fire at Tawee’s house at the beginning, Sean’s rage toward Tawee and the police, White’s dilemma between honesty and protecting the nation, the relationships of SeanWhite and DanYok—all of these are absolutely worthy of deep analysis, which a simple review couldn’t do justice to.

So, if we keep talking about this series, you have to watch Not Me. You won’t regret it.

Read More

STORY: The lives of a group of people intertwine at a popular coffee shop, through a popular web blog "The Underwear", and high school. This series has straight and gay themes but, unfortunately, EVERYONE is in love with the WRONG person! It'd be fine to see one example of it but the entire cast is in love with someone who loves someone else.

ACTING/CAST: Pretty faces, hot bodies, seems they can play their parts. There's some GL in this and they did not cut the kissing scenes...the actresses made it look real, very nice.

MUSIC: Great music and it was English-subbed. Seriously, is there a Thai drama that doesn't have great music?

REWATCH VALUE: Once through is fine

OVERALL: With every couple in every scene having one person in love with someone else, it's overbearing and exhausting. This series doesn't present enough side stories. This show should be subtitled: "The Underwear: Love Triangles."

Read More

Actually, I saw this film about two or three years ago when I was a total newbie and discovering things step by step. The current me would never ever watch these types of things even if you pay me.

I saw this film by chance when I was browsing through some pages and I realized that I forgot to add it. You see even the newbie me didn’t like this and found it quite ridiculous; I am sure I would’ve rated it 5/10 at the time but now, even 3/10 is still too much. I am being a little bit nice.

Well, I don’t usually write negative reviews; I prefer publicizing the good dramas and films instead but this time around, I just had to go a little against my general rule and I don’t mind being hated for my straightforward thoughts. I will try to keep things shorter than usual because this doesn’t deserve any length.

This film’s story felt so unoriginal at first, and then it failed to deliver anything that grabs the attention, it was seriously boring to follow. Those who are watching this for romance would find this quite lacking and very disappointing. Yes, I am not romantic stories’ lover but I can list several average films that would beat this one to pulp. I am sure that even the fans of the genre would find this film’s story absurd if not unwatchable.

The acting was unbalanced, untrue and absolutely unbelievable. I felt like the director was putting a knife on the actors’ throats to make them act or something, they just couldn’t grasp their characters. But maybe the actors are originally bad that the director who’s already in deep trouble for creating a bad storyline didn’t care any longer what happens with his movie. The chemistry was disastrous, obviously forced without any feelings to portray.

Watch if:
- Well, I am going to leave this blank because I don’t want to recommend it to anyone except those who accept any type of romantic stories.

Do not watch if:
- You want to watch a good romantic story.
- You want to watch it for Mike He. Really, this doesn’t deserve the trouble.
- You’re looking for chemistry or something cute.

Love at Seventh Sight had storyline issues and major acting problems but the main element to blame for this foolish film is the director who failed to make things balanced.

Read More

Started with a boom but ended in a fizzle.

For me this drama started off amazing! It even turned me into a Lee Seung Gi fan, which I NEVER thought I would say. And I really enjoyed the exaggerated performance of Cha Seung Won which after barely making it through Greatest Love, because of his exaggerated performance, came as an extreme surprise. Here his performance and over the top reminded me of Choi Siwon in She Was Pretty. Ridiculous but utterly amazing and hilarious!!

However, around episode 12 this drama started to change. For some, they enjoyed this change of plot/storytelling. For me, I HATED it!!! The storyline for me, lost focus. Added in plot lines, that instead of contributing to the stories development left it scattered and felt as if the drama was taken over by an entirely different writer.

Overall, it had a lot of potential, a great cast, and original story. I loved the supernatural elements, chemistry between the leads, and the love story. However, because of too many hindrances in the final episodes it lost a lot of its potential for a re-watch value and from becoming one of my favorite supernatural dramas. I would recommend for someone to watch (especially if they want a new supernatural drama following Goblin and Master’s Sun), as long as they are prepared for a shift halfway through the series.

Happy drama watching!

Read More

Story: I won’t spoil it, but I think the storyline was done very well. There definitely a lot of flashbacks throughout the movie, but I think they were placed in the movie in a way that made sense, and tied all of the story together. The entire movie does have a dark tone to it, but I found it to be interesting and exciting at times. The action scenes especially, are really good.

Acting/Cast: I know majority of the actors and actresses since I’m a long time drama watcher. But honestly, I love the acting of everyone here. Both the good and bad characters were acted out fantastically, you can tell how hard they’ve worked on this movie. Everyone’s acting, their facial expression, and emotions really made me get into the movie.

Music: Mostly instrumentals, but I think it complimented the movie quite well. I barely noticed the soundtrack because it was like a part of the movie, but it was still nicely done.

Rewatch Value: I would definitely, definitely watch this again. There are many amazing things about this movie, such as the acting, the cast, the storyline, the action scenes and so on.

Overall: This is a fantastic movie. I definitely recommend this movie. If you like any of the actors/actress or if you like historical-type films, then you should definitely watch it. Even if you usually don’t, watch it anyway. I think you’ll like what you see.

Read More

So good that it needs to be made into a full series!

This short form show needs to be made into a full series immediately!

While you can only get the first three eps on Youtube, some beautiful human downloaded the whole series onto BiliBili which you can watch here
https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/4793311726800896

Good acting, good story, cute wimpy corporate slave, hot Yakuza - what more could you want? The Japanese have such a talent for concise storytelling and the fact that they have crammed what could comfortably be a 10 episode series into 30 minutes is testament to that. That being said, I liked it so much that I want more! More cute moments, more tough Yakuza moments, more back story for both characters, more shots of that tattoo!

Well done, Japan - another winner from you. This show is definitely worth 30 minutes of your time.

Read More

Princess and her lighter man?

so this is my all time favorite chinese drama till today and I'm sure it's going to be my favourite forever....the chemistry between them 🥹🥹made me so happy.....I justt love them so much.....overall the story line is good....but when they get older it become Little bit boring but it's still worth it... because of both of them's chemistry.....i saw so many reviews where people were saying that he is red flag...I don't think he is red flag at all...my all time fav couple specially zhang jingyi is my favvvv actress I like her as whole.... she is effortlessly beautiful,her acting is so good , her voice and main thing her choice of drama omg so good and even chen Arthur he is also so good in this drama i didn't watch his other dramas but his acting his face expression are just apt....they will be forever LI XUN and ZHU YUN for me...I think this is and underrated drama....this drama deserves more .. specially more than some over hyped drama....

Read More

How to die on a zombie apocalypse

READ THIS JUST IF YOU WATCHED THE MOVIE FIRST. THERE ARE SPOILERS... AHEAD.







This is a complete and detailed tutorial on how to die while being chased by zombies.

I want to think this is a parody cause I can´t take it serious.

And just to be clear, there is not tag of comedy nor parody on the description.
The genres are "Horror, supernatural" and the tags are "Zombies, Suspense" currently to this date (16/01/2023).

So...

Welcome to the apocalypse.

Steps to follow.

0-Make sure you´re alive.
1-You MUST lack common sense.
2-First leave all doors open and give your back to them.
3-Lure the zombies and leave while they are still gathering so you will find some on your way.
4-Don´t go to the upper floor, there is safe come on, you need some adrenaline.
5-When you find a safe place make sure to take your time and be the hero so you can be fresh meet for them.
6-And last but not less important, when you finaly find your way out, leave it open so your friends can joing the world.

Be ready to die.


This movie has not budget and that´s for sure.

From second 1 it´s clear there was not a lot of money involved in the making of this movie, why?
Here is why:

-The makeup was horrible simple.
-The actor where the worst for this job (zombie actors I mean).
-The camera work was bad too.

This movie is comedy (a bad one) and the worst part is that I think it takes itself serious.

Read More

A Refreshing Dive into Teen Romance

"Our Secret Diary" is an emotional rollercoaster that begins with a bit of a shaky start with too much music and an initial awkwardness in acting. However, once it hits its stride, it becomes a compelling journey. The characters feel remarkably genuine, breaking away from the cookie-cutter molds often seen in these films. The absence of prolonged tearful scenes and sudden villains is a welcome surprise, making the high school romance feel more authentic. The imperfect yet honest portrayal of the main character adds a layer of realism, and the evolution of the initially shy heroine is a standout aspect. Despite being rooted in the familiar, the film manages to keep viewers engaged for almost two hours, turning a basic romance into a captivating movie night experience.

Read More

This is why I love HKC films; not only they make the most terrific Martial Arts and Wuxia films but they also became so freaking professional at making Crime/Thriller/Mystery films as well.

The Bullet Vanishes is one of the better Mystery/Crime films produced in China in the recent years. The plot was so solid and quite twisty. The film was a long mysterious journey to catch the “ghost bullets” shooter with one of the smartest and brightest detectives in that era. I have to mention that I loved the use of the 30’s period as setting. The cinematography and directing deserve loud claps; Lo Chi Leung did a splendid job with this film’s visuals.

Throughout the whole film, you will find yourself wondering about the criminal’s way of killing; he’s one smart murderer who uses the technique of “Ghost Bullets”, the bullets that kill but then disappears. The curse and the fantasy side come to light as the most probable solution for this difficult case but detective Bao and detective Guo decide to go through a mysterious journey to uncover the killer’s trick as well as his identity. What also attracts the intention and worthy to be mentioned is the reality of events; although there were action sequences, none of them was exaggerated in a way that would seem fake which is extremely appreciated. I like action movies that keep it real.

This film is an absolute crime thriller that’s full of mesmerizing suspense and genius mystery built up that made the journey quite exciting and intriguing to follow. Throwing significant hints every once in a while was a major strength point that counts for this film’s screenwriting. You may find yourself comparing this to Sherlock Holmes’ films at many occasions.

The acting was High-Class. I am familiar with Nicholas Tse and as usual, he didn’t disappoint; that guy’s charisma is no joke while the veteran Lau Ching Wan was absolutely great for this role. The characters ’involvements in the events’ development deserves the praise; every character in this film had its own role in the mystery/suspense built up and the search for the truth. They created magnificent harmony that gave the plot a great appeal.

I am not saying that this film is perfect by any mean since it had its own clichés of paring an experienced detective with a younger hot-shot or the somewhat “stolen” twist at the end but that doesn’t deny the fact that this is a great detective thriller.

Watch this if:
-You like Crime Thrillers that are full of suspense.
-You like hardcore mysteries that keep you wondering all the way; this is a film created for mystery lovers.
-You’re in the mood for a dark and intriguing story.
-You’re in a mood for a great detective/investigation ride.
-You like Nicholas Tse; his fans shouldn’t miss this one.

Do not watch if:
-You dislike stories that focus on mystery built up more than anything else.
-You’re looking for a light film. Although there’s romantic interest, it’s absolutely meaningless for the film’s general vibe. In my opinion, it was useless for this type of film.

In the end, I can only say that this film is a thriller ride that relies on a well-written mystery which I believe it was very intriguing and fun to follow despite its flaws. It gets a well-earned 8,5/10 from me.

Read More

Very strong start but loosing it in the second half...

This series started very strong with the vibes of "Cherry Magic" and "Old Fashion Cupcake". It was really cute to watch. In the second half the series lost it's way with the hardcore denial of Suzume to allow him to be happy. The team expanded the manga in a meaningful way and I liked the episode with the co-workers children and the overtime work (because of a mistake of one of the co-workers). But most of the other episodes streched out the story without more substance. It would have been so much better when Suzume & Keishi would have grown naturally into a relationsship without the "denial" of a relationsship. Maybe they liked to be true to this aspect of the manga but for me it felt excessive. Otherwise they made the whole "marketing department" much more realistic and believable compared to the manga.

While they denied us the kiss during the rain they at least did it properly in the finale which is a big plus compared to most other JBLs. The actors were choosen perfectly and I liked their version of Suzume much more. Keishi is more like the manga but more reserved. I don't think there was a problem with their chemistry. It was more mature and respectful. Suzume was acted (& directed) overly shy which irked me a bit, especially because this would not be his first relationsship, so this aspect did not make much sense for me. Considering his age, he should have handled that situation much more mature even when he acts childish in some aspects at his home.

After such a strong start it was a bit disappointing in the end. I wished they would have cut this series to the typical 8 episodes without the dragging out... but on the other hand the extra storylines added personality especially for Suzume and a realistic atmosphere. It has many cute and some fluffy moments and some moments where you might get angry. Production quality was top-notch and overall it was worth watching.

Read More

Nothingburger to eat.

STORY:
A middle aged widow has to marry a teen to protect her. They have to live together and the drama is telling how feelings will blossom between the two. But it failed to do so. There is nothing happening in this drama. Everything is about saying things, explaining them or not saying things not explaining them. Throughout the drama, there is only misunderstandings and understanding because someone else finally said something. The best friend says "yes you love him", The older brother says "yes you love her". The younger brother says " yes they love each other"... but there is actually no demonstration of love on screen for 15 episodes. There is no cuteness, no meaningful dialogues, no binding despite the adversity, no love craziness, no foolish or epic moment of affection, no demonstration of feelings... no great chemistry between the leads or the secondary couple. Everything is just boring.

CAST/CHARACTERS:
- Mookda: She was perfect in this role. Her portrayal of a young teen who had to marry a guy she doesn't love was pretty convincing. She was immature, pouty and sulky most of the time, asking advices from her friend because she did not know what to think.
- Weir: he was great in portraying this 35yo vidow with a daughter. I found he was perfectly ugly and boring with his glasses and his demeanor of a grand father. He looked so boring I don't even see how a teen girl would fall in love with that quiet old man. But he is very rich. I guess it helps.
- Ganda: funny to see her as the best friend as she was already her friend in Massaya. I thought she was cute and a great friend. Too bad they did not develop her character.
- The step mother: She was unbearable and her ending was grotesque.
- Tai: he is a complete idiot unable to see the truth about his gf. He treated Soun badly and in the end someone had to serve him the solution on a plate. A very poor character.
- Soun: She was a nice person but she did many wrong things because she wanted to spare others. Her good intentions mostly led to complications and misunderstandings. She really lacked courage and could not stand for herself and take responsibility of her feelings.
- The daughter. She was cute at first and the kid actress was good. But in the end she was annoying because she mainly was used as a pretext foor Lada to get closer to the father.
- The two servants: super annoying nosy persons who are just here to make you believe this is love and family.

MUSIC: I found the music very repetitive and finally became annoying especially in the last episode full of flashbacks and moments of spleen. I had to skip the scenes.

REWATCH: Surely not

OVERALL: This drama has a great cast with Mookda and Weir who are two of my favourite thai actors. Sadly the drama is super disappointing. Mostly because there is nothing romantic in this so called romance. The drama is just a promotion of nice and kind rich middle age men marrying teens in a "love" forced by the situation, the people around you... I never thought their love bloomed in a natural way and was genuine. There is no moment or event which tells that she started to like him sincerely. Yes she acknowledged he is nice, helpful and respectful. But that's not love. Same for him. Sure he cares for her and he enjoys seeing her take care of his daughter but that's not love.

The drama is watchable for fans of the main actors but overall it is not entertaining. It's a boring old cow eat young grass tale.

Read More

What an underrated wholesome series....

Japanese BLs are always good for a surprise and this one is no exception. This series is about representation, not just gay people but also aromantic people which is not seen in any series as far I can remember.

The show starts with the couple Fumihara and Higashi already together and flashbacks explain how they got together. How they struggled with their feelings and especially how someone from a little town struggles to open up after being over 20 years in the closet. On the other hand we have a young Higashi who behaves indifferent to anyone till he met the "one". Also when Higashi is sure of himself and his feelings, he takes the lead and pulls Fumihara with him. The substantial age-gap is not really a point of friction. Of course there must be drama, because someone from Fumiharas past comes back in his life, trying to win him back. And of course there conversations and problem solving are happening in a mature way even when you can see the jelousy, both understand each other very well.

I can only say, when you have a chance to watch this, you should! It's not a stereotypical BL, it's more a coming of age story with two very different characters. This series is also educational, you may learn a thing or two about people who do not fall in the stereotypical categories. The story is told in a very sensible, gentle way. And of course the final episode is so heartwarming, you may need tissues like I did :))) Mom is the best (in this case). GagaOOLala picks up every crap, but did not pick up this important series, which is really disappointing. This series matters and is highly recommended!

Read More

Didn't Work For Me

I didn’t like this, unfortunately. It just didn’t work for me. All it really had going for it was the great acting, some nice visuals, and solid chemistry between the leads. That’s it. The plot and story were just bad. I found myself skimming through a lot of it, to be honest.

The first episode was intriguing and gave me some hope, I was actually looking forward to the next one. But it just went downhill from there. Each episode got worse plot-wise. I don’t mind men crying (actually, I like it), but I do mind the main lead going through some new trauma every single episode, over literally nothing, and then the issue just gets dropped like it never happened, just to make space for the next. It got tiring. I considered dropping this way too many times but stuck around purely for the leads.

And seriously, if your NC scene is the best scene, that’s not a good sign.
Speaking of, the way this show handled sexual assault was disgusting. It was used as a plot device and then brushed off like it was just cheating??? No. That’s not cheating — it’s rape. Whether they end up sleeping together or not doesn’t change that. And of course, like always, the predator faces zero consequences. The whole Johnny arc made me so mad I literally dropped the show when it was airing. I only came back a month later because everyone kept calling it a masterpiece. (and too many smart boom videos on my fyp)

Also, sorry but… I found Jin a bit creepy too.

So yeah, all I have to say is: the plot was TRASH.

But, credit where it’s due: the acting, especially Boom was great. The leads had really good chemistry, like they genuinely fit. The visuals and cinematography were mostly nice. Some of the outfits were nice.
And Naru was an absolute cutie. I just had to say it.

Read More