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It Started with a Kiss
32 people found this review helpful
Apr 27, 2011
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Why are you reading this review and not watching it?! This is one of my all time favorite dramas. While at times the characters can be a bit frustrating, they do a really good job playing them. The romantic scenes in this drama are very romantic and rememberable (unlike the Korean version...). I could on and on about what I like, but I would spoil it for you. The only thing I can honestly say I didn't like was part of the end, so thank goodness they have a season two! The second season of this drama is also very good and doesn't ruin the first season (unlike Meteor Garden II...).



There are also two versions of this drama, the 30 episode verison and the 20 episode version. If you are the kind of person with a lot of time to spend watching dramas, consider the 30 episode version. But if you are the kind that has little time or doesn't like really long dramas, the 20 episode version is good too and really doesn't leave out much. I forget which version, but one of the two cuts off the ends really weird (probably the 20 episode version.)



What are you waiting for? Go watch it! (I've seen it twice!)

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Completed
Snowdrop
32 people found this review helpful
by Vaish
Jan 30, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

Snowdrop, the perfect blend of chaos and an emotional rollercoaster.

I won’t make this long and boring so here goes nothing. Watching Snowdrop, you will feel every emotion humanly possible. Laughter, anger, sadness, happiness, butterflies in your stomach, anxiety, anticipation, etc. etc. I started watching this for Jisoo but stayed for each and every cast member.
This show has a little bit of everything- Romance, Suspense, Action, Drama and Thriller.
The best part about watching this drama is that you absolutely can’t predict anything. You can come up w your own theories but never be sure of a possibility.
Now let’s talk about the casting:
Jisoo: I was a bit worried cause I thought it might be too heavy for her to pull off such a character as her first but damn she killed it. She ATE it and left no crumbs. If I were new to kpop/kdrama, I’d think she’s already a very experienced actress.

SooHo: Perfection is an understatement to describe his acting skills. Every emotion was executed with detail and perfection. I’ve been watching him for a long time so I knew what he was capable of but he exceeded all of my high expectations.

Kim Min Gyu: I was planning to only add the above 2 but HAD to mention him. I’ve been watching him for a long time as well but was never “Awed” by his skills. For me, he was always the “Cute or Creepy hot dude” but here- he went out of him damn shell and was absolutely impeccable. I’m so impressed with him here.

The rest of the cast was also ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!
Honourable Mentions:
Kim Hye Yoon (never fails to impress)
Miss Pi
Nam tae il
Kang Moo
Hanna
Yoo in ah (never thought she could pull off such a role w perfection)

Also, the bromance between Kang Moo and Soo Ho was pure bliss to watch!

Music was also on point.

To sum it up, I 100% recommend to watch it. Give it a shot, I’m sure you’ll love it.

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Completed
Witch's Court
32 people found this review helpful
by totoro
Nov 28, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
just let me say that prosecutor Ma is my spirit animal

The first four-six episodes were some of the best things I’ve seen since Save Me. they were flashy, dynamic, and unique, and I absolutely loved them. Unfortunately, the drama loses its initial charm and uniqueness after that. Witch’s Court is a perfect example of a drama that had great potential and an excellent start, but failed to keep that momentum going throughout the entire drama. I love the characters and the original premise, so that’s why I’m settling on a 7.0.

The plot hits off with a bang, but quickly fizzles away into a standard law drama. When they start digging up the past, the drama gives me makjang vibes. Like everything and anything can be a secret. ugh, the reason I loved Witch’s Court was because of the amazing and unique first eps, but the plot made a negative turn in the middle. There is romance, but I feel like this drama would’ve been better without it. If the writers wanted to add romance, they should’ve developed it more. The romance starts at the beginning, goes MIA in the middle, and then suddenly appears at the end again. It’s uneven. Plus, I think ‘no-romance’ would’ve fit the concept of a strong female lead who doesn’t need a man. Nevertheless, I can’t deny the fact that prosecutor Ma and Yeo gwam look hella cute together xD i do think it would’ve been better if they were just friends tho…

Ma Yi Deum is arguably one of the best female drama leads I’ve ever seen. She isn’t afraid to put her own reputation on the line just to win a court case and is willing to do anything in order to get what she wants. heck, prosecutor Ma is one awesome character. She isn’t black or white--she’s gray. I wish we had more female characters like her in dramas. Throughout the drama, we see prosecutor Ma grow and develop into a more righteous prosecutor and I respect her so much. I also love how the gender roles were reversed in this drama. Usually in dramas, the guy is the arrogant and sly one, but Yeo gwam is a fair and honest prosecutor (quite the opposite from prosecutor Ma :P). I love Yoon Hyun Min; this is my second time watching him and his acting is great. the teamwork we see from the CAGU is awesome. It would’ve been great if there was more development from these side characters. side note: Cho Gap Soo is one of the evillest villains I have ever set my eyeballs on after Spiritual Father from Save Me. he felt very real and it’s scary to know that there are people like him in the real world.

Overall, an okay law drama. I kinda felt like it was a waste of great characters since the plot was weak, but I still enjoyed it. Not a must watch, but if you’re craving an amazing female lead, give it a go! it was a fun ride and I’m going to miss our Witch’s Court squad :’)

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Completed
Love Me, Love My Voice
32 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2023
33 of 33 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Meh-drama: Lackluster Plots, One-Dimensional Characters, and a Blatant Maturity Gap

This entire drama was such a meh, and I definitely have lots of complaints about it. First of all, literally nothing happens for the whole duration of the drama, yeah it has fluff (cringe fluff) but its kinda boring seeing the same thing happen three times. The main CP have a very large maturity gap, it gives 19 and 30 yr old, for the most part its just blush blush tee hee I've never been in a relationship before but it's very noticeable and I kinda really got sick of it really quickly. The characters are also very 1D and lack depth, MQC's only personality traits are doctor, chef and voice dubber and it's all based of their careers. MQC is a very unrealistic character who is magically good at everything and there are no challenged whatsoever in the relationship. The 2nd and 3rd Couple were also very forgettable and it kind got to the point where I really just did not care about them. I watched this whole drama on 1.5x speed, and I only finished it because I am a big fan of TJC. I do not recommend this to even people that like romance and fluffy, overall I rate it a 5/10.

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Completed
Secret Relationships
32 people found this review helpful
Mar 20, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Emerging from Darkness

From this drama's intro, the tone was set. This wasn't going to be some simple romance with a love square.

It was an intricately tangled, suffocating spider's web with Da On at the center of it all, fighting to free himself, all the while twisting into it more and more.

His all-consuming fear, confusion, indecision, heartbreak, anger, strength, and hope were portrayed as such visceral and vivid emotions I felt I was right there frozen, shaking, crying, screaming, and smiling with him.

With nothing more than the look in their eyes, I understood every character's motivation.

The attention to detail in this was striking.

And it dared to be more.

It unapologetically dove into physical and emotional abuse, manipulation, trauma, codependency, and self-blame. It framed the toxicity and harm our main ML experienced/was experiencing as horrifying as it is in reality. While others in the drama pointed accusing fingers at Da On, Secret Relationships didn't.

We heard his story from his perspective and got to see him slowly find it within himself to save and value himself and go after his own happiness.

It is a thoroughly engaging but not generally pleasant watch. If you are in a good place, I more than recommend it.

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Completed
Idol I
101 people found this review helpful
by niaoniao Finger Heart Award1 Flower Award1
Jan 27, 2026
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 5.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

Idol & Inconsistency

Good chemistry. Fake premise. A lawyer drama that forgot the law, a murder mystery that ran in circles, and a finale that wasted its last shot. The romance carried this harder than it should have had to.

-

I signed up for the ultimate Seong-deok fanfic, saving your bias from a murder charge. The cards were on the table. Se-na is an ace attorney. Ra-ik is an idol in handcuffs. Idol I did not bait and switch me. It promised a lawyer with a murder to solve and then spent eleven episodes refusing to actually show her being a lawyer. Every single beat of potential legal tension evaporates into nothing. Her profession is decorative, it is a typo, it is a fanfic device to justify proximity to her crush. You could have swapped her law background for a barista apron or florist shears or a sushi chef hat or walking dogs and nothing would have changed. Same scenes. Same dialogue. Same total absence of stakes. The script treats her profession like it was a typo that slipped past casting. Watching her do literally anything legal is like staring into an empty room waiting for fireworks. Nothing happens. Court scnes? nah?. Not an investigation she drives. Not a clever legal pivot. Nothing. Nada. Ugh.

The murder mystery is limp. Toxic substances in Ra-ik’s and his friend’s blood appear and then vanish. Who gave it to them? Why? Was it overlooked by sloppy investigators? Did someone cover it up? The show doesn’t care. Eleven episodes of circling the same evidence, pretending it counts as tension. They even run away to a cabin right after Ra-ik is indicted like being officially charged means nothing. Cozy romantic fantasy replaces stakes. I am furious.

Se-na dating her client? Ethics evaporated. Prosecutor Jung Jae-kwang suddenly grows a conscience after one conversation with Se-na. His father Kim Min-sang is cartoonish. Obstruction of justice is a casual hobby. These are not plot choices, they are insults to anyone who knows how justice works. The whole thing is nonsense. The story pretends consequences exist while actively ignoring them.

Romance is infuriatingly effective. Confessions, letter in the morning, Se-na running out late at night to deliver a hat. Cute, impulsive, human. The lawyer-suspect tension should create stakes, danger, stress, legal fireworks. Instead, it is proximity to justify romance. Chemistry doing the emotional labor the story refuses to do. I am charmed and furious at the same time.

The ML and 2FL conversations are pointless. One episode he’s in love, next episode he’s not. Watching it feels like staring into a void while someone waves their hands. Surface-level, invisible, whatever their contribution is, it is nothing. 2ML, the prosecutor, is vapid, and his one personality pivot is laughable. Watching actors try to make sense of this vacuum is maddening.

Han Do-hee as the ex-girlfriend does good work. She acts bitter, brittle, dangerous. But the writing refuses to earn it. Accidental harm escalates to premeditated murder mechanically. I believed her rage, her resentment, her self-pity wrapped in cruelty. I wish the writing cared as much as her acting.

Kim Jae-young and Sooyoung are the only reason this drama limps along. They give weight, pulse, emotional grounding. Without them, it is rubble. With them, it drags itself to the finish line. They fight the script with everything they have. Watching them is thrilling and enraging because everything else refuses to exist.

Park Chung Jae, played by Kim Hyun-jin, exists to pine and hand over evidence. It is infuriating watching him fight a script that cannot write him a single proper motivation. Side characters barely have motivations. I have seen cardboard targets with more interior life.

Idol/fandom moments land sometimes. Goldys waving flags, obsessive fans, parasocial ugliness, constant pressure, glimpses of real fandom intelligence, morse code in a song that makes me laugh and groan at the same time. It is absurd, ridiculous, but it works in the narrow context of fan energy. Still, it is another reminder of how lazy the rest of the writing is.

The finale is such a waste. Her father’s case barely matters, shoved into a single episode, literally a five-second footnote. Se-na finally functions as a lawyer and it barely matters. Romantic awkwardness happens after the relationship is established, which creates weird timing. The rest of the finale should have been ten minutes tacked onto episode eleven. Everything else is random fan-survival footage.

Idol I flashes brilliance constantly and then immediately smothers it. Se-na could have been a powerhouse lawyer. Ra-ik’s suspense could have carried fire. The investigation could have delivered tension. But the show chooses fanfic logistics over stakes, romance over logic, chemistry over plot, flashes of fandom insight over coherent procedural. It teases you, riles you, makes you believe something might happen, and then refuses to be anything other than padded, sloppy, frustrating nonsense.

It is maddening. It is infuriating. It is exhausting. It could have been sharp, biting, thrilling. Instead, it is chaos wrapped in cute gestures, fan service, and actors refusing to let the nonsense collapse entirely. I am furious and I cannot stop thinking about it.

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Completed
Twenty Five Twenty One
43 people found this review helpful
Apr 4, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 3.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Unnecessary Sad Ending!

After building each character beautifully the writer shits on the very last episode of the show. The character build was amazing and the relationship between all 5 were beautifully written, with focusing majorly on Na-Hee Do and Back-Ye Jin relationship from the start and the series was going great, but I don’t know what went up with the writer that he thought an unpolished, unexplained unnecessary sad ending with major plot holes will make this series rank highest in the list of every k-drama fan, like you got to be kidding me LOL. It completely ruined the mood and I'm sure it disappointed many viewers on so many levels. Both the characters: Na-Hee Do & Back-Ye jin were shown to have great understanding nature, but at the end they were completely out of character and showed no understanding to each others situation whatsoever, fighting over a small bump they had because Ye Jin temporarily moved to NY to cover 911, which could have been easily resolved as he hid no feelings from her but explained everything which caused him depression. Also, she lost some diary of hers on the bus and from nowhere some guy/girl got it and posted it to Back-Ye Jin without any mistake, I mean where did they get the address EXPLAIN?????!!!!, and he after writing some message for Na-Hee Do chose to send it through the "library guy" she used buy comics from, before 2000, instead of sending via post, BOY SERIOUSLY?????!!!!! Well, whatever, the series is not a must watch for sure and you can happily skip if you want. I will not be recommending this to anyone further. It’s a total waste of time!

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Completed
My Name Is Loh Kiwan
43 people found this review helpful
by Twov
Mar 2, 2024
Completed 3
Overall 4.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

I’m sorry but I don’t share the enthousiasm

First of all, I’m not an SJK fan but I’m not a hater either - I don’t hate people, except maybe for a few world leaders at the moment :-(. I’m neutral where he is concerned.
This film just didn’t strike an emotional chord with me.
It all looked a bit amateurish to me. Maybe because of the sets and because the “Belgian” scenes were shot in Budapest. Brussels has a very different vibe than Budapest. The last scenes at the airport, sorry but that was so obvious that it was a set. Also, in official government buildings in Brussels, everything is always bilingual in French AND Dutch. So here, a bit more research would have helped. The gangster scene was just laughable and the European gangsters very stereotyped.
Storywise, too many topics addressed without really going deeper into them (reading further from here means SPOILERS).
But what bothers me most of all is: how on earth would he have obtained refugee status when he ran out of his own court case! Most of the time I got the feeling that I was watching a KBS K-drama instead of a movie, because of the sets that were used and some topics that were apparently solved so easily in the end (like Marie’s drug habit). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against KBS K-dramas, because they don’t pretend to be more than they are, viz. a daily moment of escapism and guilty pleasure. And to me that is what this film (or the creators) do, they pretend to be more than they are. If they wanted to make a human interest film, they should have restricted the topics to the refugee theme and the love story. The themes of drug habit, euthanasia, the gangster circle Marie was caught up in… it all felt like topics piled on the heap. So sorry but overall the film felt unrealistic and immature to me.

I rated the music because you have to but I didn’t pay attention to it honestly.

The good thing about it all is that I definitely want to read the book now. From the synopsis I have read, I think that is going to be far more interesting and realistic.

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Completed
A Shoulder to Cry On
43 people found this review helpful
Mar 29, 2023
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0

Another korean queerbait

Fans of the manhwa will be disappointed. Honestly, i watched this pretending i never saw the manhwa because i knew how i would feel. Don't get me wrong, this drama is good in a lot of things. It has a nice vibe, it have a nice pace (in the beginning, at least) and the actors have a good chemistry. BUT after watching it for complete, you realize it was a 7 episode long queerbait. The show writers had NO intention in making a romance, there's NO ROMANCE. They saw the word "gay" and said "we don't do this in here". It made me frustrated and SHOULDN'T BE NORMALIZED. You won't find a straight korean romantic drama or a romcom without the romance. So why the gays can't have it too? They keep using us for views and popularity and they don't even give us what we want to watch. Can't we have a nice romance too?

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Completed
Doona!
43 people found this review helpful
Oct 21, 2023
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Bizarre Script and Editing Suppress Excellent Performances

Doona really missed the mark.

Like many Kdramas, the beginning is interesting and draws you in. This is a story about two unlikely lovers: the male lead, a struggling, earnest student/tutor working hard to secure his future who happens to cohabitate in the same house as the female lead, a former Kpop idol who acts brash but hides her vulnerability . For the veteran watcher, this appears to be a healing-love story that you've seen before, but smart, ethereal cinematography and powerful performances by Suzy, Yang Se Je Jong, and the supporting cast make it a special experience.

But unfortunately, a truly bizarre final episode manages to subvert all of the hard work put into Episodes 1-8. I won't spoil it for the curious reader who wants to experience the Kdrama for themselves, but for me, the ending was not earned by the story's progression: characters acted in ways that weren't true to their personalities, and for me, it seemed like the showrunners were trying to put into a double twist-of-fate, but for me, it backfired and just became weird.

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Completed
Forgotten
54 people found this review helpful
by Senpai
Jan 11, 2018
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
The film begins  with Jin-suk's nightmare and naturally goes through a sort of friendly  family, casting mysterious codes, such as a room of doubt, kidnapping  his brother, causing tension and curiosity. Both are  strangely distant from each other, but are double that lead to clues  that will be useful for the truth and reversal of the film to be  developed later.
The first half is immersive. The  secret trick is also reminiscent, the nervous breakdown is the mind of  the person, and it is difficult to take what is reality and what is  fantasy. Above all, the expression and acting of the character that changes moment by moment is the highest point. In  short "Jang Hang Joon" is a medium movie for more, since the elemental  composition that compose it contributes significantly in conjunction  than individually.

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Completed
A Poem a Day
54 people found this review helpful
May 17, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
Likes:

-Woo Bo Young was such a great lead! She was a ray of sunshine and such a genuine person without being ditsy! She still had flaws though, but I think those flaws made me like her even more. She’s what really made me stick with the show. I rooted for her the entire time!

-The whole cast of characters–even the meaner ones–were really fun. It was really entertaining to watch all their interactions and antics. I also liked how they all had their own things going on in their lives.

-The setting was unique in the sense that I don’t think there’s been a kdrama about physical therapists before! It was really fun to get a glimpse into that world.

-The use of poetry was also super unique and creative and it was incorporated in the drama really well.

Dislikes:

-There didn’t seem to be a plot to me. Besides the romance, I didn’t really understand what direction this show was trying to go.

-Going off of that, I think the show started off really great but then started focusing on the wrong things which ended up being its downfall. For example, the love triangle felt very unnecessary and didn’t really do anything for the plot or for the characters involved in it. Another example is that the show spent so much time developing Minho and Bo Young’s relationship and not enough on Bo Young’s relationship with Dr. Ye which left me feeling confused on who the show was trying to make me root for.

-The show should have focused on all the characters and their individual problems. It did at first, which was why I was so hooked at the beginning, but then it fizzled out. Characters’ problems were pushed under the rug halfway through and virtually forgotten about. Because of that, the majority of the characters end up not really doing anything to add to the bigger picture of the show, and they felt like they were just there to fill up time. What I wanted to see: Minho dealing with his family issues and the fact that they forced him into a career path that he isn’t interested in; Nam Woo working his ass so he can get a job; Yoon Joo trying to figure out how to deal with her loneliness and learning how to be vulnerable with others, etc.

-Dr Ye, despite being one of the leads, was one of the most underdeveloped characters of the entire cast! I still don’t really understand his character or what drives him. Who is he outside of work? I wanted to know more about his break up and see him trying to heal more from it. I liked his character but I needed to know more in order to be fully invested in him. The show did give him some more character development in the last two episodes, but honestly, by then it was too late since everything was wrapping up.

Overall, this show was entertaining to watch, but the lack of character development for the majority of the characters and the lack of plot left me feeling majorly dissatisfied.

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Completed
Not Me
54 people found this review helpful
by Xiao Zi Flower Award1
Mar 20, 2022
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

A true treasure among the BL shows.

I noticed this while scrolling through the feeds, and everyone seemed to like it. I was in the mood for a thriller at the time, so I chose this one.

This drama's mystery plot isn't particularly well developed; it felt almost predictable to me. The political aspect of this drama, on the other hand, is extremely well done. If not well executed, it could have been extremely boring. The romance, which often feels unwanted or unnecessary in these types of dramas, is something I really liked in this. This is a one-of-a-kind drama that successfully blends romance and politics without making either feel out of place.

This drama is about twins, Black and White, who have a powerful bond that causes them to feel each other's agony during a near-death experience. Their personalities are as diametrically opposed as chalk and cheese. They were separated after their parents divorced, causing them to lose contact with one another. One day, after returning to Thailand, White learns from Tod, a childhood friend, that Black is in a coma following a brutal attack on him, which rekindled White's connection with Black. He also learns that Black is now a member of a motorcycle gang, and he suspects that one of the members—Gram, Yok, or Sean—is to blame for Black's current state. As a result, he disguises himself as Black and joins the gang to discover the truth.

Although Black appeared to be a little different to everyone, no one noticed that it was another person disguised as Black, nor did anyone know that Black had a twin. Sean seemed to be the most affected by Black's sudden change, as he began to develop feelings for him.

In a BL, usually the supporting characters, as well as the female characters, usually play minor roles. They are used as tools to bring the main characters together or to cause conflict between them. However, in this drama, they each had their own point of view and story to tell. This really impressed me. Except for a few scenes, the characters in this drama are very well developed, and their actions and reactions are understandable. Of course, the characters aren't perfect, but they all have their own unique charms.

Both the main character and the supporting characters did an excellent job. Gun's performance was out standing and so was Off's. They portrayed every emotion almost flawlessly (Of course, nothing is perfect). Gun should be specially appreciated for successfully portraying two characters at a time who are too different to compare. The chemistry between the main leads was a visual treat and is very pleasing to watch. I hope to see Gun and Off together more often in the future. The actors who played Gram, Yok and even the actors who portrayed small roles like Grumpa and Tod were able to meet my expectations. The antagonists too were so well portrayed and this made this drama more appealing and entertaining.

Overall, this is a really outstanding BL that, in my opinion, deserves more attention and love. Almost every aspect of this drama is well-executed. This is a totally unique show that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys BLs, politics, or the actors.

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Completed
The Eclipse
65 people found this review helpful
by LiN
Sep 11, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

INVESTIGATION of Invincible Chemistry - Burning Romance

A MUST-WATCH. The enemies-to-lovers slow romance is perfectly executed while not rushing over with the plot. I have watched quite a hand full of LGBTQIA+ series but I find this to be one of the most outstanding and capturing ones, for me personally. Something between the chemistry of First and Khaotung and the cinematography of this series. I´m IN LOVE.

If you’re an NSFW scenes hunter, you’ll regret missing this MASTERPIECE. This is one of the first times I've been a bit disapproving of some ratings, at least to the extent of giving this series less than 7 stars. YES, we don´t know much about what is going on but it is a mystery and investigation series, plotholes are basically the fundament of "The Eclipse" to be suspenseful and thus meet higher standards than just a "simple" high school enemies to lovers romance trope.

Story >> 8.5 >> 8.0 >> 8.5
When it comes to high school, more precisely all-boys-high school, LGBTQIA+ Awareness, and Against The System dramas this is a MUST watch! While this plot focuses a lot on the romance of two very different young men, the story also contains and shares some important messages and morals, as well as the mention of George Orwell´s 1984.

Acting/ Cast >> 9.0 >> 9.5
If this isn´t a 9.5, then I don´t know what is considered flawless acting. I´m obsessed with the dynamic between First and Khaotung, it may not change the story much, but it does change the presentation extremely and if it was only based on them, I had given this section a 10-star ranking. Every eye contact between the two of them has such an intensity that it can hardly be compared to any other couple in that industry, in my opinion. I was shocked too when I found myself cheering for their cooperation the most because it was such an unexpected match for me. Khaotung has my mouth literally gaping with his performance because I was only used to him playing cheerful, playful, and goofy characters, and watching him portray Ayan with such dedication, makes me incredibly happy and satisfied. Also, Neo brightens my day whenever and wherever he appears on the screen.

Music (/Production) >> 8.5
You really have to pay a huge compliment to the production and tell them that the effort was worth it and that they should please spoil their employees. Especially the screenwriters and the director. I think that even the intro alone is so much better than most other intros I have seen from GMMTV/GMM25.

Rewatch Value >> 9.0 >> 9.5
This might be one of my best ratings when it comes to the Rewatch Value but this series has become one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITES! I can only recommend it to everyone, except for those who’re only hunting for ND/NSFW scenes, who are missing out on plot quality.

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Completed
Key to the Phoenix Heart
65 people found this review helpful
Jul 11, 2026
28 of 28 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers
Watched 2 episodes, and so far, I really like it.
When Xiao Wuyi killed off those officials with that cold gaze and wearing that sinister smile with blood smeared all over his face, got instant chills! Hou Minghao nailed that murderous aura.
Waiting to see how the plot develops next!
Will update this review after finishing all episodes.
Edit: Completed all episodes. Superb acting by Hou Minghao and Aimi. Each nailed their roles perfectly!! The plot, the characters, the storyline, the visuals, kept me hooked throughout the drama. And of course the OSTs, each one carried a perfect feeling conveying the characters emotions. Thanks to all the cast and crew team for bringing us such an amazing drama. One of the best dramas I've watched this year, totally recommended watching it!!

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