Reviews

I'm in a state of bliss right now.

I will admit, my friend had to work hard to convince me to watch this after the disappointment that was the series. But OMG THAT WAS SO WORTH IT!!!!!!! Maybe it was because I had low expectations, but that movie was really good. As a gay man, watching that felt so cathartic and I was 100% on Mico's side the whole time.

I love Mico's character so much because he fights for himself and doesn't put up with anyone's shit. And JC Alacantra did such a stellar acting job!!!

The production was great. The directing was great. The story was great. Even the ad placements were really smooth and well done!! Love it love it love it.

Also, I was not expecting that ending. DAMN THAT ENDING. Absolute perfection <3

Thank you so much to the cast and crew. I wish you all success and I hope you will bring more wonderful stories to my romantic queer soul. <3

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Not Your Basic.

Wow! What a ride for me, as this show just ended I'm disappointed it did, as I've been watching since the first Episode.

Story: The story is about two mains both having some kind of mental issue. The female lead, has trauma while the male lead has anger issues. They at first hate each other thinking the other is a weirdo and tries to avoid them. Plain right? It sounds plain but it works out great! The show actually did a great job handling comedy and trauma. When I watched the trailer when it first came out I already knew this show was going to be funny, but I never thought trauma and more sensitive topics would be involved. There's also a side story with a part time worker! I personally think their should've been more screen time with her and her ending seemed kind of rushed so that's really what's stopping me from giving this a 10.

Acting; WOW! Best actors I've seen! If I ever see Oh Yeon So or Jung Woo in another project I would defo watch off the bat for them! Min-kyung's ex boyfriend played well! As well as the part time worker.

Music: Liked it! The music, I didn't really noticed throughout the show expect the opening music? But that's it, everything seemed to fade in the background.
Edit (9/10) : I actually spotted one of the OST's on Spotify and I actually change my rating from an 8 to an 9! The OST is pretty good! I guess I really didn't pay attention to it lol

Rewatch Value, DEFINTELY watching this again when I can!

In total, don't assume this is just a comedy, first episodes might make it seem it's a un funny comedy but I think if you watch until Episode 5, still don't like, then you can drop but other than that, enjoy!

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I always thought that watching family dramas with 50+ episodes would be something I wouldn't do because anything exceeding 20 episodes puts me off. I took a risk with Ojakgyo Brothers and thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the title suggests, it is centered on the brothers and all other relations in their lives. I am mighty impressed with how well the drama was made. The four brothers were all unique in their own ways and this seemed like a collection of Kdramas all in one. By the end, it was thoroughly fulfilling.

The story for each brother was very cute and likable. I especially loved the romantic plots of the younger three brothers. The older one was kind of boring and ajhussi-like at times for my taste but his romance was still cute. Not just that, the whole cast did a great performance and did justice to their roles. I am impressed with the females in this drama. They are stronger and bolder than regular kdrama heroines.

As in the acting department, I loved Uee a lot. She is definitely way above other idol actors I know of and was one of the strongest entity of the drama. Joo Won was hot and cute (as always) and had pretty solid chemistry with Uee. Their romance was so nice and had a rocking build up, proper relationship and the makjang elements in it. The second brother and the youngest one are the actors I don't know very well but I liked them too.

The only weak parts in the drama were towards the end. However, nothing was too bad. I have seen worse so this drama didn't lose much overall. In fact despite its length, the fact that it didn't bore me made me realize that it is one of the best Kdramas to exist quite possibly.

I strong recommend watching it. It's worth the time.

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Some films use the action to draw the audience attention, while others use the dramatic effect to make an impression. John Woo successfully made use of both elements to create a classic out of its genre and one of the best Hong Kong films ever produced.

To start with, you need to know that this was made in the late 80’s so it’s useless to compare it to recent action films that use progressed techniques. And despite that fact, The Killer puts many recent Hollywood films to shame. I still insist that John Woo created his masterpieces in Hong Kong; he never made a film of “Hard Boiled”, “A Better Tomorrow” or “The Killer” caliber in Hollywood except for “Face/Off” perhaps.

This film’s plot is rather simple: an assassin who’s thinking twice about his career, a hot-blooded police officer, a singer who went blind and the bad guys. But being simple doesn’t mean it was shallow. On the contrary, The Killer had too much depth to rely on which made some people complain that it was a bit too “melodramatic”. I disagree on that thought, because the little drama in this film helped the events’ flowing in a natural way and of course, John Woo never misses a chance to display his favorite themes: Loyalty, brotherhood and honor.

The core of this film, on the other hand, is the essence of action. Personally, I consider John Woo one of the better Action directors in the world if not the best. The man redefined the “action camerawork” and the violent heroic bloodshed films which inspired many other famous action directors around the world. As a usual dish of John Woo, the gunplay choreography was mind blowing especially the last sequence of the film; it was pretty marvelous. Needless to say, this is a violent film where cars exploded and bullets were flying everywhere.

The acting was high class. Chow Yun Fat sparkles in John Woo’s films in a way that makes me think that he’s probably the best male lead Woo ever had. The man has a great onscreen presence that proves his great acting skills. And let’s not forget Danny Lee who made his breakthrough in Hong Kong cinema through this film and it’s undeniably one of his best roles up to date.
As for the main characters, they were violent which makes you think that they’re immoral but that’s not the case. John Woo always makes his main characters cool and “The Killer” wasn’t any exception, the two characters are drawn in a way that you would feel their nobility, acts of honor, loyalty and friendship. The rest of the characters were also pretty well written and suited for the film’s storytelling.

The cinematography and camerawork were astounding and quite alluring. It doesn’t even matter if this film was made back in 1989. And yes, it’s a great rewatch material; I am writing this review basing on my latest rewatch session of this film.

Watch if:
-You like action films because this is most definitely one of the best.
-You like John Woo because this is one of his Hong Kong masterpieces.
-You like violent films with lots of gunplay.

Do not watch if:
-You dislike John Woo’s work.
-You dislike the action genre.

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A Cup of The Most Soothing Tea, Shattered All Across the Floor

"It's not that [Chen Wan] is bad with words, it's that his heart is clumsy. But a clumsy heart also means one that is free of ulterior motives." In his earnest, desperate, and stubborn way of loving Zhao Shengge without any desire at all for these feelings to be returned, Chen Wan's authentic feelings come from both a pureness in his straightforward sense of love, but also a devastation in that he is willing to set himself on fire in order to keep Shengge warm. And perhaps that's why I have so many mixed feelings about this adaptation of the novel Reply to Keats 奇洛李维斯回信 by Qingming Guyu 清明谷雨 — a story about the sourness of love in everyday life, of a very grounded, realistic, and yet heartwarming romance — especially when it's depicted through the heavy-handed use of generative AI assets.

❁ THE PAIN OF UNFULFILLED DESIRES ❁

If I were to describe Chen Wan and Shengge's relationship in one sentence, it would be "an unrequited love that one never dares to pursue, that represents a devotion born from both extreme selfishness and selflessness." It's a heart-aching work that leaves one with feelings of awe for the all-encompassing forms of love that Shengge and Chen Wan have for each other, but also a bitterness that touches your heart knowing how long of a journey it takes for both of them to find their own happiness. Yes, Chen Wan may be extraordinarily stubborn in his enduring devotion to Shengge, but Shengge is no less steadfast in his loyalty — especially when the one who is always watching from afar doesn't realize that he is now being watched back in return.

The title is a reference to the famous Cantopop song, A Letter From Keanu Reeves by Fiona Sit (2004), which is intended to illustrate the perspective of Chen Wan's feelings. The lyrics focuses on the writing of a love letter to Mr. K — a superstar, but also a metaphor for someone who is indisputably out of one's reach — except the author still writes endlessly, with devotion, and with the greatest love in their hearts knowing how this relationship will never be possible. Like the mundanity and banality of letter-writing, in slowly communicating one's own feelings and waiting for a reply that may or may not return, this story doesn't have many explosive or dramatic moments. In fact, little really happens beyond the kinds of business relationships and interests that Chen Wan and Shengge eventually work on together. But it's precisely because the novel focuses on all of Chen Wan's little gestures, such as his attentiveness towards Shengge's needs, and in return, Shengge's constant awareness of Chen Wan and his attempts to find out what Chen Wan wants from him — that we see two extremely lonely people acquire an understanding and affection for one another over time.

❁ THE PROBLEM OF EXECUTION ❁

As other comments have already mentioned, this is a lower-budget series which received not only little promotion but also struggled when it was announced to release basic information about its actors and production company. The major issue is that this drama is kind of a hybrid live-action/AI series, particularly because of how many art assets, backgrounds, and other scenes are created either with the supplementation of or are entirely generated with AI technologies. This is not exactly a new phenomenon in BL dramaland, as other popular series such as A Prosecutor's Proposal are also starting to use AI content whether in their intro or the post-production process. However, it is to the point in this drama where it is almost difficult to identify when AI isn't used, and most importantly, why AI has to be used in the first place for a contemporary drama which must focus on the romantic development between its main characters in order to succeed.

The makeup, editing, and backgrounds are also extremely strange choices especially when they completely contradict with the novel. Both Yusong and Hanlin actually both look amazing in their livestreams and I can ironically see them perfectly as Shengge and Chen Wan whenever they're doing promotions outside of the drama or dressed in their own casual clothing. So I have no idea why the director decided to go with a very stylized, almost techno-fantastical version of the characters when they had every ability to do without it. Although some other comments suggested the intention of creating a manhua-like atmosphere, the main thing about Shengge and Chen Wan's story is that it's extremely grounded and rooted in the fact that they have a rare kind of love in everyday life. So it seems like this is not only a problem with generative AI use (which is another issue in itself) but the combination of that and an art direction which seems to focus on exaggeration rather than capturing the essence of Chen Wan and Shengge.

Last, although there is a lot of criticism towards Hanlin's (Shengge's) aesthetics, especially the longer hair and overall character demeanour compared to the original novel, I also think this same problem emerges with Yusong's Chen Wan. Although the romanticization and setting of Hong Kong does play an important role in the original story, I suspect what happened is that they decided to try and aim for some kind of Hong Kong triad-esque/old Hong Kong imagery in a contemporary setting, and combine it with manhua-style photography and cinematography, which of course ended up in many ways becoming a messy amalgamation of a bunch of different Douyin-style aesthetics instead. In any case, I think the frustration here comes both from the AI use (and its very obvious camera angles, action/car sequences, etc.) but also the very wonky execution, in which it's as if the drama decided to throw every single trendy aesthetic to see what would stick. Not only does this distract from how the original storyline actually has very few descriptors of things like appearance, aesthetics, and setting (because it prioritizes unfolding the motivations of its characters falling in love instead), but it also just doesn't really make sense in relation to the tone and the intention of the original script.

❁ LIST OF GENERATIVE AI ASSETS ❁

For those who want specifics about the generative AI use, this isn't a comprehensive list and I've probably missed some things, but I'll try. Most of these images/visuals are pretty easy to tell if you've watched both vertical and horizontal short-form Chinese dramas:

(1) Exterior Shots: A lot of scenes where they film big buildings, houses, mansions, intersections that are meant to establish setting (the most obvious example is the exterior of the yacht)
(2) Action Sequences: Anything involving the cars, such as car chases/wrecks/or scenes that capture the cars from afar and at-a-distance. This also includes scenes were we see cars driving on a highway, sometimes when cars are outside a building, and/or the exterior of a car.
(3) Some Table Assets: When they're eating, I suspect that some of the items on the tables (e.g. the moving lazy susan when they're eating the banquet meal) may be generated AI.
(4) Some of the Childhood/Flashback Scenes: Especially the scene where we see Chen Wan as a child
(5) Potentially Some of the Building Details: For example, in the yacht scene the entire sunset background is likely Generative AI, there might be some details in the background (e.g. objects on shelves) that are also either added or edited using AI tools
(6) Newspapers, Phone Texts: Some of these image or art assets that are on screens, phones, or other media forms are entirely AI generated (it kind of looks strange, e.g. when someone's holding an AI newspaper)

The actors are not generated by AI (e.g. there may be some filtering going on, but I think it's more of a stylistic/makeup thing right now because they look perfectly fine in livestreams). Probably the most glaring or obvious sign of AI use is definitely the car scenes and the backgrounds.

❁ LEFT LUKEWARM ❁

Reply to Keats remains one of my all time favourite contemporary BL web novels. The premise itself, of someone having an unrequited love and doing everything they can to make sure the person that guides their affection never discovers their true feelings, is beautifully depicted especially with characters that are so equally competent and well-matched like Chen Wan and Shengge. And while I think Yusong and Hanlin have a lot of chemistry, unfortunately the execution of this drama really marred the original tenderness of the novel. In some ways, this adapation is a reminder that simply throwing generative AI assets into low-budget series, regardless of whether or not they are produced under newer or smaller production teams, does not fare when it comes to the quality and depth of BL series we have been receiving lately.

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What to say the drama, is one of them with a intresting plot that you would enjoy to rewatch without getting bored, Since the drama is really short!

But at the same time the fact that the drama is so short is its loss.. Watching this drama you will notice that the story flow a bit to fast!
There are a lot of happenings but there isn't the time for the public to emphatize with them, since they are to fast!

But in any case i really enjoyed the story! It's a simple story of a clumsy angel that "wrongly" save an human.. That is a cute plot, not a master piece. But a story that a really large rage of people can enjoy!

I like the actors since they are handsome and they have good acting skills, the famale lead is particularly funny!

So give it a shot!

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Turn back the clock.

See Her Again or Sun and Stars/太阳星辰 is an riveting walk down memory lane. It is written in the vein of the old school Hong Kong cop genre that serves up a dash of time travel with a great deal of suspense and waves of nostalgia. The narrative unfolds across two timelines; first in 1993 pre-handover Hong Kong and then in 2018; over a decade after the end of British colonisation. The ethos of the story is a yearning for bygone times; contrasting the Hong Kong that was then with the Hong Kong that is now. What I like most about it is it doesn't suggest one is better or worse; in fact it depicts Hong Kong as different and yet somehow still the same. It is a drama that should only be watched in Cantonese because Cantonese colloquialisms are uniquely Cantonese in a way that simply won't translate into Mandarin even when the words are exactly the same.

This is by far William Chan's best role to date. He is truly in his own skin in his native Cantonese as a hard-boiled Hong Kong cop Yeung Kwong Yiu; a dedicated officer who has no problem bending the rules to catch criminals and gangsters. After a devastating fire, the traumatised city is further terrorised by a series of brutal murders. As the hunt for the serial killer intensifies, Kwong Yiu struggles to find time for his wife and young daughter who also need him. In the midst of a high speed chase hot on the heels of the killer through the maze of 1990s Hong Kong's crowded, neon-lit streets and claustrophobic buildings, Kwong Yiu falls down a time tunnel. He finds himself flung twenty-five years into the future, to an unrecognisable Hong Kong. He is shattered when he discovers that life went on without him and not in the best of ways. The killer is still at large and may have resurfaced after many years. He must convince his old friends on the force to include him in their investigation in an inter temporal quest for justice and a desperate gamble to turn back the clock.

Despite the gritty noir flavour, the slick camerawork, the vivid Hong Kong images, a flawed antihero cop, morally complex characters, blurred lines between good and evil and the evocative soundtrack, there is something missing that I can't quite put my finger on. The camaraderie and banter between the cops just doesn't hit the right notes. The sarcasm, dark humour and cynicism that is belied by actions that makes their bonds feel lived-in is missing. Maybe the huge time leap made some of these interactions feel a bit forced and awkward. What worked quite well however was the chemistry between William Chan and Cya Liu and the moving way in which their relationship evolved. The mature, patient yet puppy dog-like hopefulness in William Chan's eyes as his Kwong Yiu tried to break through Hoi Ching's cold and disapproving facade made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I really enjoyed how they made this dislocated and emotionally charged father-daughter connection progress over time. I rooted for Kwong Yiu over foster father Chan Tsz Tsun (Stephen Fung) all the way in terms of worming his way back into his daughter's heart.

The high-stakes suspense plot is tight and unfolds at a thrilling pace with a few good twists and an unexpected ending. The antagonist roles were superbly acted even though some of their motives were too extreme, overly melodramatic and too ruthless with high collateral damage for me to feel sorry for them. The fast paced ending left little room for regrets, recriminations and sentimental adieus, which is a relief. Overall a very enjoyable nostalgic watch even though the narrative doesn't quite capture the distinctive gritty, cynical and defiant quintessence of the Hong Kong cop culture. Coming from a Hong Kong director that started out at TVB, this is a little bit disappointing. The unfathomable decision to re-record Beyond's 1990s popular hit Lover 情人, replacing Wong Ka Kui's deep and textured vocals with that of an insipid female vocalist is a crime in and of itself and reflective of everything wrong with this drama: it tried but is nothing like the real thing. I enjoyed it but can only rate this knock-off wannabe Hong Kong police story a 7.5/10.0.

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This drama is about a 20 year old woman with the mental capacity of a 7 year old. She ends up bumping into a guy who she falls in love with and thinks is her prince charming. The guy thinks she is cute and in the beginning fails to notice that she is mentally slow.

This story is very original with the main characters' relationship as only a part of the much bigger story. First and foremost it's a coming of age drama about a woman who is a self proclaim late bloomer.

This movie is great to watch and I highly recommend it if someone wants to watch a good story without devoting hours to a long drama. Overall I give this movie an 8 and I will defiantly re-watch.

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If you ask me what romance as a genre really lacks then I'd say: authenticity. And maybe I'd be wrong according to a lot of viewers but I really do get surprised when I come across stories like these which by the sheer force of authenticity bring out those emotions in me–and let me tell you that's hard given what a crudgy watcher I am.

And it doesn't have to be a pulpy show of chastity or, on the other side of that scale, terribly unnecessarily raunchy; it can be something as small as hands brushing, smiling when the other isn't looking (gosh I hate that! BUT it works here, it works). The Eighth Sense really doesn't have a lot to offer on this metric, it does not have full-blown NC (it's not wrong to have sex scenes, except i mostly feel it's a terrible substitute for plot) yet it left my insides in a happy state of “butterflies”!

Ji Hyun and Jae Won are the perfect opposites attract trope. Ji Hyun, newly moved to Seoul from a remote part of the country feels quite lost and he understandably develops a sort of reverence for the senior who takes him under his wing and (seems to) have his shit together. Then, a feeling Ji Hyun can't understand, emotions heightened after he and Jae Won kiss. But let's stay friends, a poor, poor follow through.

An important part of the story is Jae Won dealing with emotional trauma of witnessing (and believing himself to be the cause of) what is the most painful event in his life. It's been years, he's almost thirty and has been going to a doctor regularly. This unhealed trauma is a source for grief to both parties later in the story and there are so many ways this can go wrong.

The Eighth Sense doesn't go down the path of "loves fixes everything" but that we can experience the same excruciating pain in safety and support. While Ji Hyun becomes a sort of safe space for Jae Won, JW himself recognises the problems of that (and even discusses it with his doctor). This a very positive depiction of the importance of mental health not just from the perspective of the sufferer but also Ji Hyun’s side, how he must try to understand him in a different way.

Secondly, I loved that Jae Won as a character is not defined by his trauma. Neither is Ji Hyun merely a puppet, a stand-in "love healer". There is an inherent kindness in both of them that they protectively branch out to each other (and to me, any relationship be it family/pets/friend/romantic comes with kindness). The side characters supplement the story with being draggy fillers.

Coming to the production itself, beautiful acting. I found myself holding my breath in a few scenes (eagerly leaning into the screen, nose touching pixels and all). Jun Taek (Ji Hyun)in episode 9: wrecked my heart. His happiness is my happiness, his grief is my grief. And normally that would imply grief for the one who brought grief to my aggrieved child but Ji Im Sub (Jae Won) stole my heart too. Man he's got that hollow look down pat, and that way he visibly kind of lights up when JH is around.

My major problem in the show were the openings, that wannabe edgy look is something I dislike but I got over it. There were many blackout scenes and sudden cuts which I again attribute to the "wannabe edginess" but okay, not a major issue compared to the other wonderful thing about this show: the soundtrack. I don't listen to music, I have a reason for that, but I recognise very well that showmakers often don't know shit about choosing the right music. And they unlike me cannot–should not–cite mysterious reasons for their ill choices of music (basically playing the ost over and over or different parts of it sometimes slower and sometimes faster. This is why shows like the eighth sense and kinnporsche and i told sunset about you stand out to me in the bl romance genre).

I think I've accomplished my mission rant abt The Eighth Sense. Hopefully it's going to make some more crudgy souls happy like it has made me for the last 5 weeks. (Also that poster has a whole new meaning when you get past that scene, awesome choice).

PS: when I say no NC I don't imply a lack of sexiness because damn that tension and their dynamic? fire. hot. (and I do mean it, I'm a crudgy soul remember?)

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The actors, mostly Mew, kept this show afloat.

Tbh, if Mew wasn’t in this, I would’ve dropped it by ep2. And it feels like that’s what the producers aimed for, that Mew was enough that they didn’t need a good story. Beside the fact it took 5 episodes for the main couple to even speak to each other, their “romance” was so rushed, it was practically nonexistent. By ep10 when P’Uno left and he & Daebyeol had to reminisce about each other, they showed the exact same 3 moments cause THATS ALL THEY HAD. Like, there were not enough romantic-heavy moments for them to suddenly “be in love with each other since the moment they met.” Like, are you kidding me?? The producer woman pissed me tf off I can’t believe they decided to work with her at the end. And the part-timer that outed them, whyyyyy was he still working there in the end????? And so many plot points that came out of nowhere and then went nowhere??? For what sounded like a cute concept, the execution was done so poorly. I feel bad for Mew and the rest of the cast, they deserve a better production than this.

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