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This is so annoying, and so sad.
Like everyone before me already pointed out, the lead actors did a brilliant job here. They are so natural together, it's a pleasure to watch them interact.
But even cute has its limit, at least for me. I didn't know of the writer switch until the last episode, but the difference was evident. What used to be a quirky, funny, sweet and sexy script suddenly turned into a sugary, childish, cutie cute one, with these two chirping to each other for the duration of six, never-ending episodes.
When mutual love has been loudly declared, the lie has come into the open, the antagonists are out of the games, what is left in terms of expectations? Who cares what they eat and when or how many times they hold hands?
Somehow, they used all their good cards at the beginning of the game, only to drag it with uninteresting little scenes till the end. By the third ice-cream I was ready to smear it on the face of the director.
Also, I was left wondering what happened to the majority of the characters? Were they sucked into some drama black hole, or sent en masse to Paris where they are happily eating escargots?
The music was somehow schizophrenic. At the beginning I though it was horrid, with those very childish pop songs used at every turn. Then it improved a lot, it became more varied and able to enhance the feelings. At times it was hilariously chosen. Then it changed again and became a simple background sound, which I forgot a few minutes after it was played.
Re-watch value is obviously low, unless something heavy hits me on the head and I think this drama's only got 11 episodes.
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1This review may contain spoilers
A FAILED ATTEMPT AT A KOREAN REMAKE OF ELITE
***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE AND I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE.***A/N: This is a long review so feel free to skip ahead to the “final thoughts” section.
OVERVIEW:
The drama opens with a scared boy running away from somone who seems to be chasing him. It flashes back to some memories of him shouting at someone saying "you're all crazy". Then when he finally runs outside he is hit over by a car and bleeds to death. The camera zooms in on his ID card from Jooshin focusing on the motto which says “noblesse oblige” This is from French meaning, “nobility obligates” which touches on the belief that the wealthy and privileged are obliged to help those less fortunate. The boy who was killed is In Han who we eventually find out is the protagonist, Kang Ha’s brother. He then enrolls at Jooshin to exact retribution on those guilty and obtain justice for his brother.
GENERAL COMMENTARY:
Hierarchy was, to put it mildly, disappointingly underwhelming.
First things first, the high schoolers racing around a track driving million dollar sports cars in episode 1? Come on, be for real. This show is such a joke. That added nothing to the plot and I think they blew the budget on unnecessary things.
The FL irritated me. Although ML was seemingly in love with her, she only has tunnel vision for Ri-An. Watching her be so resolute was upsetting, especially in the beginning when everyone thought Ri-An was involved in In-Han's murder. It was clear that initially Jae-i was using Kang Ha to get over Ri-An, and she shielded him out of guilt that he might be related to In-Han. I was so annoyed by her passion for Ri-An but it just goes to show that someone can do everything for you and you’ll still mean nothing to them. I didn’t understand why Kang Ha didn’t just let go of her. He tried protecting her when on the flipside she told him she didn’t care about protecting anyone except Ri-an. I had assumed that the writers would have written the story that she was in love with In-Han (similar to Elite) but apparently not. It was just your typical rich boy in love with a rich girl and both willing to go to any lengths to keep the other safe.
It’s so ironic to me how she almost had to abort their baby because she couldn’t face her father’s wrath and yet she was still in love with him? Make it make sense. She knew they could never truly be together and so she breaks up with him but at the same time she still loves him and would do anything to protect him even if she knew he had a hand in In-Han’s murder? I’m sorry but Kang Ha deserves better.
This drama just shows that the rich will always have eachothers backs and do whatever it takes to step on those beneath them.
Which brings me to the another point, I don’t understand why she was so shocked / stunned to speak when ML finally revealed the truth than In-Han was his brother. That much was so obvious and even she was shown to have had a slight suspicion that he was related to him in some way because he continued to provoke the rich and popular kids.
I believe Roh Jeong Eui tried to create visuals similar to Han So Hee and Bona. However, I believe she overdid her plastic surgery, which is why her emotions don't translate properly onscreen. She was expected to play a cold, unfeeling and disinterested character but character lacked flavor and she had same expression throughout the drama. During the scene where she and Ri-An were lamenting the loss of their baby together, she cried but did not show any emotion on her face. It was quite unpleasant to watch ngl. Ji Hye Won reminded me very lot of Song Ha Yoon from Marry My Husband. She did her role justice and her performance was superior to FLs if I’m being honest.
Some claim Jae-i had no chemistry with either of the boys. That is not entirely true, as there was steam between her and Kang-Ha in episodes 1 and 2. I disliked how they built up the kiss so nicely in episode 2 and then nothing because the headmaster, Ri An, and Woo Ji had to intervene. But, while I agree that the chemistry / spark faded after that, her “slight” fondness for Ri-An and her friends was still somewhat present in the flashbacks. She tried but it just wasn’t good enough.
The show felt so flat and the romance between Kang Ha and Jae-i was just unnecessary like how did he let a trivial crush hinder his ‘revenge’? I swear so many characters needed to STAND UP. I hate how both of the guys were just pathetic simps for Jae-i. I had to ask myself if I was He-Ra in this situation? Bc I could not stand her AT ALL. Lmao those boys needed to bffr!
I will never see the appeal of Ri-an (I don’t get why Jae-i was so taken with him) I honestly preferred Kim Jae Won’s performance in KTL more. He was arrogant and insufferable not to mention the main reason for the violence on the less fortunate scholarship kids at the school and I doubt he was actually sorry at the end, he was just sorry he got caught. Imo he was just a one dimensional pretentious bastard and it took him learning that his baby died for him to break down his walls and have a heart? Spare me with the lazy writing fr.
Additionally, I couldn’t understand why Ri-an liked Jae-i and why her love for him was unwavering. I didn’t feel any warmth or real emotional or even physical attraction pass between them in the 7 episodes. I wonder if it would have been different had Chae Min played Ri-an and played Kang Ha. Idk why but I kept on thinking this through the entirety of the drama. The casting directors made a certain choice and I’m not sure if it was the best one. Chae Min would have carried the drama and stood out either way and so I applaud him for giving this role his best. Usually the poor characters have that wide eyed bambi look much like Ri-An and Chae Min has that evil / gold spoon look in my opinion. I also don’t think 2MLs acting is that strong of an actor. He needs more training so he can improve. People were raving about his acting in episode 6 especially and to me it was just a mediocre performance that felt quite stony and flat.
I was not surprised that the teacher and Woo-Ji had a hand in In-Ha bring killed. From episode 2 they were the most suspicious to me not to mention the most taboo / disgusting couple. The moment I saw them sleeping together that right there was a 0/10 for me. 18 in korean age or not… (which is 17 in international age) IDC THAT’S A WHOLE ADULT AND A MINOR… EW!
The teacher was pathetic. She only cared about Woo-ji and then fakes empathy in front of the kids at school like she even gives a singular f*ck about In Ha dying… LIKE BITCH YOU WERE THE ONE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE.
I got so sick and tired of her patronizing attitude. She must feel so accomplished to be f*cking a student half her age and then trying to hit over the girl Woo-ji loves after she is forced to resign? Did she want to be charged for a second hit and run? Lmao. She was the definition of immature and unserious.
Jae-i’s back story of wanting to abort the baby then having a miscarriage is sad but the build up towards that took too long. Everyone knew or could infer that she aborted or lost the baby. I get that she was grieving and couldn’t face Ri-An, but if she just communicated imagine the difference that would have made. Idk the plot was just unnecessarily dragged out and she quite literally treated Ri-an like she hated him for more than half of the drama.
The resolution was terrible. It's a massive eye roll that they always manage to have Ri-an look like the "cool guy". It was so cheap and performative of him to acknowledge his part in bullying at the last minute. Dramas like this constantly give the impression that problems are easily fixed. Someone literally died for God sakes! Furthermore, I don't think 2ML's acting is that good. While I thought his performance in ep 6 was merely passable, many were praising him.
I find it cliche that the writers always make it out that the rich are envious of the poor because they can do whatever they want and find joy in the simple things in life. I could have told you I saw that scene coming from a mile away.
The farewell scene between Jae-i and He-ra was unnecessary. Imo they spent almost the entirety of the drama being horrible to each other so I stopped caring about them & didn’t want to see them rekindle their fake friendship.
“Take care of yourself, my mean and beautiful friend." lmao, this was such a backhanded compliment that I side eyed. The FL had the opportunity to finally express her actual emotions in that scene, but she failed. Like she even finds it difficult to smile? Bffr.
The bike scene between Ri-an and Jae-i annoyed me because that was literally Kang Ha and Jae-i’s thing. Ugh is nothing sacred anymore? Honestly I couldn’t care less about Jae-i and Ri-an. But I suppose they suit each other in the way that they’re lowkey the same / have the same trashy morals. Imo their chemistry is nonexistent and it felt like the writers were trying to force their relationship down everyone’s throats. She didn't even appear to be enjoying the "toast" either — like girl not even you believe it’s good.
“Kang Ha once told me that I should find and protect whatever makes me happiest in life. So I thought about it and that’s you Ri-an.” they need to stop forcing this actress to be endearing because she can’t do it. Also I find it ironic how it took Kang-ha sharing his advice for her to realize it. Jae-i is pathetic if you ask me.
I hate that knowing each other since childhood trope that they use to show that two characters “belong” together or are “destined” to be together. I also dislike the fact that there’s no real reason that they like eachother other than that they are familiar and comfortable with each other. This is a case of the “just ‘cause” syndrome again. Like yes, give us absolutely NOTHING. I would have preferred they stayed broken up. It was annoying how much screen time they took up in the final episode, as that was where the drama became a complete drag.
The scene where Ri-an and Jae-i say farewell to their baby by allowing the ultrasound to float into the river was not moving (to me) at all. I believe both actors are inexperienced and have not dealt with a similar situation, hence it didn't translate properly on screen. I wanted them to delve into their grief and actually communicate. I needed Jae-i to open up him about how she felt about keeping the secret and how she felt when the baby eventually died etc. She mentioned it to Kang Ha, but we never saw her explain herself to Ri-an. A lot was missing and that scene seemed to lack a lot.
I said it once and I’m gonna say it again; dramas doing these sacrificial love arcs need to quit while they are ahead because it never hits especially with no real backstory or build up. I think 7 episodes hindered them from doing that but they could have cut out the unnecessary drama and tried to create more multidimensional characters. Even Kang-ha’s home life beyond his memories with his brother. We didn’t see his living situation with his uncle or what happened to his parents. I feel like the writers could’ve explored this more.
I hated the scene where Kang-ha pitifully asked Jae-i if there was ever a time she had real feelings for him and she just smiled and he figured she was lying. Enough with that bs! It’s sad especially when you realize she only felt guilt towards him and that’s because In-han was so good to her and she saw similarities between the two.
The scene between He-ra and Kang-ha came out of the blue but I believe the writers threw it in at the end because they wished they explored that dynamic / pairing more. It was cute but unnecessary imo.
Not Kang-ha running pathetically towards Jae-i when she’s about to leave and confessing / apologizing for the 100th time. She needs to put in the work and chase him. Mind you she should be the one apologizing to him! I think he needs to get over her. I didn’t care that she finally admitted she had feelings for him because it means nothing and if it came down to it she would still chose Ri-an. I hate how they wrote him to be a loser simp… like he really lost sight of his revenge all because of her?! BE SO SERIOUS.
To be honest, I don’t ship Kang-ha with any of those mean rich kids. He deserves so much more than to be a mere option / someone’s sloppy seconds!
I’m glad that Jae-i left on her own accord to find herself and ended up going to visit her mom but imo, the ending was just bathetic. I mean we don’t even get to see her mom’s face? Bye.
After the credits they showed another murder with Kang-ha smiling at his phone “appearing” to send a message to Ri-An which said “you look shaken up” was so dissatisfying. It’s obvious they’re teasing S2. I’m so over it. NEXT!
Throughout the entire drama I was thinking what if ML played Ri-An and vice versa. Usually the poor characters have that wide eyed bambi look like Ri-An and Chae Min has that gold spoon look. I can’t explain it but the casting directors certainly made a choice because at least if Chae Min was Ri-an we’d actually see some chemistry or sparks (like in that final hug)
LIKES:
The cinematography was good but I felt the color grading at times was a tad harsh on the eyes and made the FL appear like she belonged in the Addams Family. Her skin was super pale which emphasized her ghastly demeanor. She was emotionless and she looked like the FL of a horror film.
I liked the scene in which He-Ra viewed the video of Jae-i and Ri-An. Rather than using it as a weapon against them much like Jae-i's cruel brother, she scolded and then slapped him. I had mixed feelings while watching because I thought I'd hate He-ra forever for wanting Ri-an for herself and then trying so hard to get back at Jae-i for many episodes, but that scene alone showed me how much she still cared for her and was hurt knowing all that it was all she was dealing with. On the other hand, she has feelings for Ri-An as well, so imagine how she felt seeing them be happily in love. She had to put her feelings aside because she knew that the intimate moment between the two should never get out and should not have been recorded in the first place. He-ra is a complicated character, with some layers. She's not the textbook bitch I assumed she was.
The more experienced actors in this drama ate down. Lee Chae Min and Ji Hye Won never disappointed. They both carried the entire drama on their backs. Jae-i’s father (Choi Won Young) and Ri-an’s mother (Yoon Se Ah) nailed their roles. I was also impressed with the headmaster (Bae Hae Sun) and her son (Seo Bum June) I also liked Kim Min Chul's portrayal of In-ha and Kang-ha's friend Tae Ho (Yoon Seok Ho) The bullies also did a good job.
I loved the ending cameo of Oh Na Ra as the new principal of Jooshin.
I also enjoyed the OST, that for me was one of the best things about the drama.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The concept of this drama and it's execution does not stand out to me. You may have seen similar scenes in movies and tv shows in western media.
I don't think this idea is unique in Korea, which has had its fair share of aristocratic high school dramas (Bitch x Rich, Sky Castle, Heirs, BOF etc.) with affluent kids doing inconceivable things. But I still believe that younger audiences would appreciate this style of entertainment as that they now have a drama for their generation. Imo more recent dramas like Pyramid Game and The Glory do this type of plot far better.
Overall episodes 1-2 were the best, 3 was ok, 4-5 started dragging and had buildups that led nowhere / were resolved quickly, 6-7 were rushed, choppy and anticlimactic. I believe this drama is a waste of potential. The teaser seemed interesting, but the drama was a total letdown.
Imo the original Elite series is so much better than this, specifically seasons 1-3. I thought it would be a total copy of the plot but they changed things and put their own spin on it. For eg. I thought In Han was in a secret relationship with Jae-i and he was the father of her baby. This would've been more interesting and would explain how he got killed by Ri-an but it turns out they had other plans with the teacher being the culprit. That was predictable for me because when first came on the screen she looked very suspicious.
Hierarchy is not good by any means but not so atrocious that it’s completely unwatchable either. I think some persons can possibly relate where I couldn’t and find enjoyment in this series but sadly it was a miss for me. I’m not sure if this drama will be renewed for S2, if it is i’ll be very surprised.
In my opinion, this series is skippable. If you don't trust reviews then you'll just have to watch it for yourself and go in with little to no expectations. I say give it a try if you’re looking for something to binge quickly. This drama is primarily geared towards a younger audience, so beware if that is not your preferred genre. If it’s dragging for you then I suggest speed watching or watching something else entirely. Either way the choice is yours!
With that being said I give this drama a 4/10 and only because of effort from the more experienced / talented actors.
Thanks for reading and happy watching!
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
__________________
SIDENOTE:
This is simply my point of view and I don’t intend to offend anyone who thinks differently.
/) /)
( ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ )<(thank you!)
/ づ づ ~ ♡
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Douglas Adams rotates in his grave....
The answer of this "BL" is not 42. For me it's a very generous 3 :)First, the over-acting and the "cat" actors are neither cute nor good. It's just hardcore cringe. How someone can give this a 10 is beyond me... It has no substance, no develeopment AND most importantly there is no real romance involved. It's a Bromance and the real thing the main character loves is the food. The production itself is ok, but it's very low budget even for Thai standards. The best of this series are the BTS in the credits.
If I had not a migraine yesterday it can get you one... Overall, if you like BLs avoid it, it's not worth your time.
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A Story That is Better Than Most
This is the kind of BL series I want.No toxicity, no 3rd party, no fake friends, no complicated story line, just pure love with each character., and the conflict between them. To me, the whole story revolves around one simple line - "Have A Safe Flight." Misunderstandings and two persons, one who lacks trust and one who cannot express his feelings.
The cast is excellent, the two main characters both very good looking, have the ability to convey their feelings through their expressions. I binge watched and was never bored, never felt the need to fast forward through any scenes.
If I have any complaints; lack of realistic kiss scenes. Honestly, when I watch a bl series fake kisses are a bit of a turn-off. My rating would have been a 10 if the kiss scenes were more realistic. Still, the series is one I will watch again someday.
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This review may contain spoilers
Gel nails, Airdrops, Blackpink and Teenage Angst
While these boys and their crushes and rejections had them peeing themselves on zoom calls, mine had me saving someone son’s name as ‘Psalms 45:2’ on my phone. Also, these boys had me out here frustrated and stressed. Cuz: Fou4Mod is in love with Chian, who is in love with Bua, who is in love with Baabin, who is in love with Fou4Mod, who is in love with Chian. It was a love circle and it gave me a headache. Let me explain.The CRUSH CIRCLE OF GELBOYS.
Chian—>Bua—>Baabin—>Fou4Mod—>Chian
See, a love square. Everyone had a crush on someone who didn’t like them back. Children please put that phone down and see the life happening in front of you. But of course, that would have been too easy, and there wouldn't have been any drama. No, but really, this whole show was a giant headache of stress and idiots in love. I was stressing for someone to shut up and be with someone, so we'd have some peace. Then of course, all the nonsense ended with Chian—>Fou4Mod & Baabin—>Bua. People, I could have told you this family tree weeks ago. All that teenage angst and for what?
These boys, oh these gelboys. Was having a crush ever that serious? YES, yes it was, and I'm sure we all understand why. Most of us have been there: Crying your eyes out at 2am to a sad song while going through their socials, stalking them in person and online, the panic when you see them and you aren't prepared, the stress of what to wear on days you know you’d see them, the delulu scenarios you make in your head to love songs, then the absolute pain and heartbreak when your crush announce their dating Janet from Class B. Like, what does Janet have? Sure she looks good in lipgloss and her hair always does that thing, but… whhhhhy Psalms 45:2 why you didn’t love me back when in my head we married to a Taylor Swift song???
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, although all these 4 characters should pay your decision is dumb taxes, having been in their shoes and understanding the angst that is being a teenager, I don't blame them. I'm actually surprised they figured it out in the end and everyone went where they were supposed to be, and those who needed to apologise did, and those who needed closure got theirs too. Me, I'm still stalking Psalms 45:2 on instagram. Janet's hair still does the thing... love that for her, but also not.
Fou4Mod
This boy broke his own heart over and over again. He knew he was being kept on the hook, knew Chian was in love with Bua, but still he went ‘ah, it’s fine let’s be whatever’ and then made a whole delulu relationship out of it, thinking it would turn real. And the whole time, my arse was like: 'This aint disney honey, that frog aint gonna turn into a prince'. Then of course he decided to hurt two innocent people for his own selfish reasons, poor Baabin and Faifa did not deserve what he did to them. Did I feel sorry for him, yes, cuz we all do stupid things when our heart is involved, but really, most of the problems he had were caused by himself, so at the end of the day he deserved some of the hurt. I'm glad he wised up in the end, put himself first until he was ready to give Chian a fair chance.
Chian
Yes, at some point everyone hated him for how he treated Fou4Mod but he was honest about where his heart was, sure he led Fou4Mod on, but he was also being kept on the hook and looking for a way to heal his broken heart, so really can we fault him for everything that went wrong? He did learn in the end, when he lost Fou4Mod and saw that he’d been stupid. It was good on him that he kept fighting and waiting after knowing his true feelings. I also felt bad for him at some point, and after he came around, was okay he ended up with Fou4Mod. Frankly would have been fine either way.
Baabin
Poor boy had me wiping pixelated tears from my screen during that episode when he got his heart completely shattered. No, baby was so sad. That scene broke me, made me form a protect Baabin squad, only to immediately regret it when he started putting Bua on the hook as well. Like, that was not on the bingo card child, reset. The whole time I was like: 'boy if you don’t stop your nonsense and love Bua back this instant, dafug you mean all that meant nothing?' No, but our kind-hearted baby immediately denounced Bua when Fou4Mod started his ugly crying, dude??? But I can’t fault him, the heart wants what it wants, so…
Super glad he later explained his reason, that yes he liked Bua back, of course he did, but he kept denying his feelings cuz Fou4Mod didn't like Bua and he didn't want to hurt his friend's feeling. Glad Fou4Mod came around on Bua, and was happy for Baabin, it's what those two deserves. If they hadn't end up together, I'd have been a bit sad.
Bua
I never blamed this dude for not liking Chian back. And after learning about his family situation I understood him more. He’s deprived of attention at home, and Chian gave him some, so of course he didn’t want to lose that. I don’t know about you, but you can get jealous when your friends get new friends and you start feeling like you are losing them. Yes, he was wrong for keeping him on the hook, but I felt so sad for this boy the last two episodes like... no honey, if he don't like foreigners with blue eyes and brown hair, it's alright, I don't like his stupidity either. In the end, I was glad he said his peace, and Baabin came to his senses, cuz if I had to see these 4 characters cried more ugly tears I'd have rioted.
Listen, the overall matter is that, all these 4 characters were wrong and right at one point, none of them were saints or completely green. But given that they were teenagers dealing with first loves and whatnot, I don't fault them for being dumb and downright mean in some cases. Now they’ve experience it, and they are more wiser for it. I hope.
I knew the very moment I finished episode 1 that this drama was going to be a favourite of mine. Everything from how it was filmed and directed, the documentary feel of it, to the cast, to the music, to the script made me enjoy it a lot. Sure it was very relatable and made me remember some stupid mistakes I made not so long ago, but I enjoyed it for that reason too. The way this was filmed put us right there in the moment with the characters, it felt so raw, and I liked that a lot. Look at that, Thai bls finally giving us something new to gosh over after a long time. Kudos director-nim.
Anywho, great show, the best out of Thailand this year so far. Looking forward to seeing more work from the 4 leads in the future. I recommend this to all bl lovers, and those who loved the director's previous work, it's worth a watch. Be warn though, it's teenage stupidity and angst in full force.
For anyone wondering...Psalms 45v2...: 'You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.'
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This drama is like 30% romcom, 20% melo & 50% outlandish school life plot. I liked the cheesy romcom, I accepted the melo, but I absolutely hated the school life part. I consider myself very tolerant, when it comes to kdrama logic, or fiction in general, but this was just really really bad. Starting with the 27 years old guy goes back to school to get revenge, then moving onto the "let's save the school" plot & all the other various events that happen at school, it's just a plain terrible script, or at least it is bad from an adult viewer's perspective. Maybe the target audience is 14-16 years old kids, for them this drama might have been a lot more fun, I don't know. I didn't buy Seho's character development either, it's not believable to me. Some positive points to note are like the chemistry between the main leads, or that the writers didn't make the triangle too annoying, the OST is quite okay, also Boa is like the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. (I have no problem with the slice of life in a school setting genre in general, this drama specifically is just below average)
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many people wrote the reviews already i am just adding some facts about this series :
1. this is Ruby Lin's first series as a producer. She is an investor as well and asking many other party to join the production including HunanTV which already bought this series before it filming (also as one of the inverstors)
2. Ruby is the one who keep asking Wallace Huo to acts in this series, she said she need asking 3 times to him till he accept it (according to Wallace in his interview he said that he only had 1 month to finish this series since he using his holiday time to accept ruby invitation). Ruby is keep say Wallace Huo is the one who fit in this character (although many other actors already in her waitlist to replace Wallace, but she keep asking to Wallace Huo until he accept it).
3. Liu Kuan is the first actor confirmed as man lead months before filming starts, he knows ruby from the other series which cooperate together.
4. HunanTv is the one who need to be blame of the ending parts. It keep changing the time schedule to this series. N suddenly HunanTV announce that this series airing right after Bu Bu Jing Xin (due to high rating of BBJX Hunantv take the chance to make this series had a good rating too). but the editing team dont have time to edit right away, with the 3 eps each day mon-fri, no time to do a good cutting for the last episodes.. thats why if u watch seriously, u will feel the different plot from the beginning and the ending, at beginning it quite slow introducing one and one characters, at the end kinda rushing to finish). PLUS, HunanTV also change the total episode (it just rumour that HunanTV is the one cutting those ending episodes from 48 to 42 ep so the original one is 48 episodes >.<)
5. this series makes Ruby Lin as Best Producer in TV Drama Award in China in that year.
6. Ruby was hurt by Wallace Huo's furry cloths, her eyes were allergic to furry so during filming she was go to doctor for few days to check her eyes.
7. this series is made from a high recommend online novel. about one woman who loved by 3 Kings but she can't be the Queen forever.
I know this series isnt perfect but i do know my idol, she doing her best to this series. i dont satisfied too much to this series, but i can understand why.
Many of actors(actress) who come this series because of her. Like Wang LIn (who played as Ruby Mom in other series) said she thanks to Ruby who give her a chance to play her character so she can change her image and do have change to act with Kara Hui (both are well known actress)
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Barbenheimer Couple✨
Is he just a Ken? NO, he's the Barbie and she's just a Ken 🤣✋🏼 Mobster? WHO? Man goes on mute mode whenever he's with the FL. Peak girlboss energy.Here's the story: Seo Ji Hwan is the CEO of a company named "Thirsty Deer," run by ex-convicts. Eun Ha, on the other hand, is a YouTube content creator for kids. Their paths cross, leading to a series of misunderstandings and embarrassing moments🤣
Seo Ji Hwan is such a simp, and I love him for it! 🤣 He's always protecting everyone in his company like they're family, and those wholesome moments with his brother? Pure gold✨
Eun Ha is naive but not a plain old damsel in distress. I love her caring and loving personality, and she still has that strong, fierce side💪
Their love story is so cute and cringey and well put out down honestly. It's slow, they are hesitant, awkward yet so respectful, communicate so softly with each other and it is so natural that no one is chasing anyone they both develop their feelings gradually grow over time.
But the second lead? Ugh, soooo annoying! I skipped through most of his scenes. Man wants to be FL's daddy but acts like her father. 🤡 Why does he make choices for her and decide what's right or wrong for a grown-up adult? It's beyond me 🙏🏻
✅ The chemistry between the leads and their relationship had just the right amount of angst to keep me hooked!
✅ Loved the brother-in-law and Eun Ha's bonding moments!
✅ All the events they put together were super cutesy and fun, like a feel-good montage!
✅ The ML's in action scenes?! dang, i wish we had more scenes, such a versatile actor!
✅ The conversations were well-written and felt so natural.
✅ Personally I liked the SL couple! Their mature romance was like a breath of fresh air, so intriguing!
❌ The prosecutor? Totally unnecessary. Plus, why does he act like he's part of the police force? 😂
❌ The whole gangster subplot was a snoozefest. I couldn't care less and definitely couldn't take them seriously! 🤣
Overall, it has its fair share of clichés and melodrama, but with that nostalgic old romance vibe. It’s a feel-good, heartwarming rom-com that I’d definitely recommend! Hehehe!
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Main actor is too bad and uncaring to the women he claims to love and care for, with no remorse,yet doesn't suffer the consequences for his actions,
Every one manipulates everyone for personal gain even their loved ones, except for two lead females,
Second lead seamed to have a better ending but was all a lie ,she didn't deserve that terrible ending,
Finished with a cliffhanger, ending of a lot of casts not explained, the evil people had very good ending.
I don't recommended watching this drama, wastage of time.
From now you better review the ending and other comments before wasting your time to watch such a drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I have never read the novel that this was based on, so I don't know how faithful it is in regards to the story.The story in the movie is good, interesting and although not a fast paced movie, the pace fits the story. This version seems a little darker than the drama series The Painter of the Wind.
The actors were mostly ok. Shin Yun Bok played by Kim Gyu Ri, was really well done. She managed to convey all the conflicting emotions of her character quite well. You could see within her the joy she had for painting, the pain and guilt she carried with her from her family, and the odd mixture of innocence and experience.
The other actors did well with their characters, but due to the limitations of time, most of the other characters were pretty flat.
I really disliked the portrayal of Kim Hong-Do, her mentor. Kim Nam-Gil had no subtlety in his portrayal. He went from nothing to all, out of no where (Sorry, I can't explain that more without spoilers). Park Shin Yang did a much better job with this role in the drama series The Painter of the Wind.
The music went very well with the movie, it swirled in the background like a brush on canvas.
I would also note that this movie is quite sexually explicit, and definitely not for younger viewers, though I thought that most of the sex scenes were relevant to the plot, so not completely gratuitous.
Overall, if you want to see this story I think I would recommend The Painter of the Wind as a better choice. The series is a piece of artwork in itself, with sweeping cinematography, breathtaking music, and outstanding works of art. The characters are richer and fuller, and the story is all encompassing and not quite as dark. However if you don't have time to commit to the drama and just want a quick movie, this is fine.
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I write this review, while having seen both of the movies, at the end I will write a little comparison between the two.
The story is quite attractive and unique if it is your first time to see it. I loved how they could come up with tiny twitst and turns. The story overall was good but not great, it had some flaws.
The oscar should go to the dog. Seriously, Chong Chong was a amazing actor in this movie and so cute too! I liked the two main leads, it is so hard to portray a blind person, so she did a amazing job on this one. But I so didn't feel the connection between the two main leads, and that killed it for me because it could have been so much better. What I eventually really liked was that there was no romance involved, yay!
I liked the music, because.. well we all know why :P.
There sadly was much promotion during the movie for certein brands, that also what I really disliked.
In comparison to the korean movie Blind, I was less involved with this movie. With Blind I really felt with the main leads and dog. Also Blind was wrapped up way better than witness, but I could understand where they were coming from. Overall I didn't disliked witness, but I just liked Blind better for the overall story and character development.
Watch this is you like action, drama, thriller and dogs.
Skip this movie if you are looking for romance.
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1080P story with 360P portrayal ?? Actors are 4K tho!
Edit/Overall: My complaint has been the same since day 1....too much story, too less time, hence skipping too much and only having canon shots. Other than that, the leads have been bomb since second 1. The supporting cast just supports like some columns to a building and do nothing more which is a little disappointing. But again it's a very big story but in 8 eps and we can't expect the writers to give big portions to the supporting cast. While I still love the manhwa more than the live adaption, I would still suggest you to watch it atleast once. It's good to watch it once.Overall the series is OK.
Is it okay to write a review while only one episode of the show has come out?
I was very excited for this show for a long OBVIOUSLY because of the manhwa. I decided to make a weekly review if edits are allowed on reviews on MDL. If not it's still kwenchana. Go watch the series!
Ep 1: I liked the casting. Especially the mum. She looks so young man 🥲 for 49. I loved how they cut short a lotttt of scenes into just a few dialogues making the series jump to the main story right from the first episode ending. Can't wait for the second yay!
Ep 2: I was a little late with some work but here is it. There's nothing much canon in this episode, it's more like getting into the story that's it. We have two or three scenes which tell us about the pattern of the leads. So far it's all good. I personally LOVED the leads. The height difference is ✨ I think the series won't cover all life like the manhwa but would only focus till the time they get together or so. I liked the outro song. It's got really simple lyrics and simple meaning ❤️
Ep 3: This episode is quite disappointing to me. I understand they are skipping a lot of stuff just to focus on the main plot but in this episode the skipping game went overboard. There's a lot of things that missed pieces. Suddenly ML's friends knew that the MC and ML stay together? And in the camping the mom goes missing all the time and appears to deliver three dialogues? Kinda disappointing but let's see..
Ep 4: Hi besties! I'm back with ep 4 review. It is soft and goes really calm. The plot itself is really calming and the leads did right justice to it. But I still feel the lack of continuity from one scene to another. It might be because of the need to fit the whole story into 8 episodes. There could have been a better transition from one scene to another. For now that's a complaint. They got closer by ep 4, have to see how they'll tackle it here on. Also, I guess they made modifications in the story, as per the ep 5 preview. I'll be back soon!!
Ep 5: A big complaint I have is on Tae Sung who doesn't do/put his dishes away after finishing them. This episode felt extremely rushed to me. Extremely. As I already have the basic outline of manhwa (outline cause I forgot the details of it too, I read it a long back) I could comprehend the story pretty well. But if I were someone to watch it without knowing about the manhwa NGL I'll be pretty annoyed and drop the title. What does the mother do? Why does she always run away from here to there? Very accepting friends who can just get everything in an instant and get accustomed to the new changes? The noona from hae boms part time, she knows what he is going through with no single dialogue???? And Hae Bom changes his mind/answer within a few minutes of screen time??? SHOW US SOME GODDAMN BACKSTORY!! Sorry for yelling (caps mean yells). I mean yeah, I understand the time/episode limitation. But too much skippage (Idk if it's a word XD) is something that is taking away the essence of the story. There's no angst, I feel. It's just too much of 'having a question/problem', & 'finding it's answer/solution within the same episode'. But despite all this rush, they STILL managed to picture Tae Sung as the guy who reflects on his actions and apologizes. I really liked it when he said sorry for what he did. That's some green flag nature. We love green flag people. So yeah, if we exclude the extremely rushed plot or the ornamental support roles, the series even at ep 5 is still worth it to watch; Atleast once. And putting it here again, the leads are wonderful. They're not only attractive but are acting real real good. How is Hae Bom such a pretty cry-er? 🥺😭
Ep 6: It felt extremely sped up. The series is just jumping from one canon scene to another. I am not liking it much now. But I guess I'll still complete it
Ep 7: Why are they so cute? Actors and story are a 10/10 it's the time skippage and only filming canon scenes took away the whole flavour 😔
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This review may contain spoilers
I don’t know how I survived this
Poor, poor writing. Like, worse than TharnType when it came to trying to do anything shocking with a potential villain character. I didn’t think anything could be worse than TharnType. And the sound design! What in the name of Christ were they drinking when they put that together?! It felt like an American soap opera from the 70s with the bad attempts at dramatic background music. The editing was pretty bad, too.The whole story in general was confusing as hell (and the terrible subs didn’t help). So, both mains were actually just terrible people who somehow changed but didn’t change each other? And everyone around them basically bows to their every wish and agrees with them? Like, I get the whole “I need to help my boyfriend remember” but, Itt, mate, the relationship wasn’t good at any point from the looks of things? Also, the whole flashback thing can work in some shows, but because of how bad the editing (and hair styling) was, it really just got a bit annoying and confusing.
Also, wayyyyy too many characters were comfortable with sexual assault in this; Nan literally kept Mac as a sex slave against his will and no one but Itt seemed upset by it. (Yes? I know Mac tried to assault Itt but I feel like there are better ways to punish someone.) Then to pull the whole ‘but they’re actually in love’ thing? Sorry, I hated it in KinnPorsche and I hate it now.
Also, whilst I don’t think the series shows too much, Day very obviously assaulted Itt when they first met - that’s physical and sexual assault, plus kidnapping to an extent.
Other than Night, Nick and Neil, I feel like every character in this show is just a horrible person.
I normally love Frank, but for the love of all that is sacred, if I have to hear about cake once more, or hear the whiny way he says ‘Day’…it’s like this show took a bunch of pretty good actors and said, “let’s make the worst thing ever!” To top it off, Nick is reading a Fifty Shades book, which is the epitome of bad, non-consensual BDSM. It’s like the series writers did no research.
In all honesty, I don’t know why I kept up with this and didn’t just quit. I felt like I owed it to Frank and Long to watch it, I guess? I mean, there were some funny bits, but I honestly think this may be one of the worst Thai dramas I have ever seen. It really tried to be TharnType, KinnPorsche and Love in the Air and failed at it all. With each scene I could feel my soul draining away. Shout out to my brother for dealing with me constantly sending him voice notes of laughter at how terrible this was.
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If We Live Fast, Let Us Die Young.
This series is truly beautiful! It might not be your typical coming-of-age story filled with love, happiness, sadness, and good friendship. Instead, it explores the darker side of growing up, a reality that happens all around us. However, that doesn't mean there are no bright moments. The story takes you on a deep dive into how the characters endure their pressures and problems. Yet, when they're together, it feels like all those troubles vanish into thin air, replaced by their laughter, silly jokes, and strong bond.Was this review helpful to you?
