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Not your typical republican-era drama -- in a good way.
This is a stylish and well-produced binge watch, with a fabulous ML, and an FL that compliments him well. Unlike most republican era short length dramas, this one actually has quite a few funny and cute moments woven into it. Although its technically a revenge story, the focus is really more on the main characters' friends and family in a way that makes the journey of the ML and FL rather satisfying to watch.The spice is not quite what you'd expect from a republican-era short, but it's still brings plenty of heat, and the kiss scenes are very very decent.
Overall I found this a well balanced show, with elements of humor, danger, action, intrigue, and sweetness. It was a little bit fluffy, and a little bit fiery. One thing it was not, was heavy. So you won't want to go into this with a super serious mindset, it's meant to be something of a light watch.
The only issue I had with it was the way the last few episodes kind of get a little bit weird. But it's not that bad, the ending is still good basically.
I enjoyed it greatly, and I'd recc it to anyone looking for a good binge as a break between longer, heavier dramas.
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The Glorious Drag and Plotholes Galore
For a drama that received so many rave reviews and has such a high rating, this was such a disappointment.The key elements of a good revenge drama are (1) great acting, (2) good writing that fleshes out the psychology of the characters well, and (3) well-crafted and tight-scripted execution of the revenge with attention to detail (good screenplay, editing, and writing). I thought Part 1 was average (still watchable though), but Part 2 dragged too much, failing on all 3 levels, with long-drawn monologues and character arcs amounting to nothing, abuse / violence shown for shock value and plotholes that became bigger.All in all, an average drama that does not deserve the hype and ratings it got.
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Let's get the pros out of the way first:
1. Great acting by the entire cast, barring Song Hye Kyo.
2. Good cinematography.
3. Decent score (nothing memorable though)
4. The actor who plays Ye Jin's husband - his scenes with SHK were oozing with natural chemistry and spark. I ended up empathizing with him more than the FL because he was the only character in the series that was written with some depth and care.
5. Fitting end for Ye Jin and Je Jun; how satisfying!
Other than that, everything about this drama was a miss.
1. The one-note characterisation with all the characters continued. We never got to know the bullies beyond the abuse they meted out. Their scenes were all about hurling curses at each other rather than doing anything substantive. We never got to know why the hell they let her drop out so easily when they were so cruel. We never got to know about what others in that school went through other than So Hee and our FL. Ye Jin is shown to be someone with zero empathy and then they show that her daughter is her weakness? That makes no sense.
We never got to know the FL beyond the revenge. What was she like before the abuse and how she changed. That mini montage of her smiling in E15 was something that we needed to see more of, not the abuse. How was her personality shaped by the years of isolation and living with the scars of the abuse?
Why was Ye Jin her main target when Jae Jun violated her as much?
She couldn't become an architect because of the abuse. But then she educated herself and became a teacher? So why didn't she become an architect then? Why was it crucial for her to even become a teacher? All that she did could have been done without becoming a teacher LOL
Her PTSD was conveniently used when it served the plot, and conveniently ignored when it didn't. You're telling me she was scared of seeing meat, but has the confidence to face these bullies headstrong time and time again?!
Just how did she make so much money to afford 2 cars, 2 different apartments, those expensive clothes, and all the expenses?
Don't even get me started on SHK's bland, expressionless acting in so many scenes. She's been in the industry for 30 years and yet, her acting has never been improved and remains unconvincing.
2. For someone living her entire life planning this revenge, she was overtly reliant on random alibis that came out of nowhere like the housekeeper and the doctor. What if they didn't turn up? What was her plan even? Just be a homeroom teacher and torture them? The homeroom plot served nothing and her torture was achieved with the help of these two people. As I suspected, the housekeeper was caught and then they showed her getting abused more.. Can someone explain their arrangement to me? Wasn't the FL supposed to kill the housekeeper's husband? So what was she waiting for? They didn't even address that plot point.. because they conveniently just wanted the bully to find out that weakness and exploit?
3. For someone executing a so-called revenge, she revealed her cards too soon, rather than slyly infiltrating herself into their world and then revealing herself in the end. That made the whole drama unrealistic because if these bullies had that much power at school, that too as kids, then imagine the power and influence they would have as adults who are heirs to various empires. Who is she? Just a nobody. The fact that she revealed herself to them one by one at the teacher's residence, the store, then the alumini event and the classroom.. and you're telling me these influential bullies did nothing after that?! She continued to walk around carefree. Given how violent they were as kids, why was the FL not kidnapped or drugged or killed after she became the homeroom teacher? Again you want me to believe they just let her be so that she can play out her domino effect and games?! all the way till the end, these bullies with all their influence and power did not manage to do find anything to blackmail with her or do something to her? The biggest plothole right there.
4. The relationship with the mother - As I suspected in part 1, the mother was found and used against the FL. Again, stupid decision on the writer's part to have the FL just leave her mother there in the lion's den when she has apparently been planning the revenge for over a decade. Second, what was the point of this whole angle? Other than adding another sad sub-plot and more abuse to the drama, what was the point of the mother's character? Why did she wait all these years to put her mum away?
5. Not only did the doctor have zero chemistry with the FL, his character added nothing to the story. I never understood why he fell in love with her in the first place, and why he was so supportive of the revenge (to the extent of revealing his identity to the bullies) and housing her when he didn't know anything about her. Also why did we need his side story with the person who killed his father?
6. That man who buried the guy and Ye Jin's mother - YAWNNNNN. Again, what did this sub-plot achieve? Can't even remember their names.
7. The teacher who took upskirt photos of the kids - Again, what did this sub-plot achieve? It's not like Ye Jin's husband wasn't aware that Ye Sol isn't his daughter.
8. Why was the reveal of Ye Jin killing So Hee on the rooftop dragged to the end? It's not like we didn't know that it was her. That was hinted within the first few episodes.
9. The FL's dialogue to the doctor in the last episode "How could I do this to you just because I am a victim".. HUH?! So what was Ye Sol and Ye Jin's husband's fault? She did all this for revenge because they tortured her and she has her justification for it. This dialogue ruined her character for me, because if you're taking revenge, just own up to it rather than trying to act righteous. Two wrongs don't make a right you know.
10. Ye Jin lost it all in the end (THAT WAS GREAT) but how was the FL not at all curious about what happened to Je Jun at the end?! Again, I never understood why she wanted revenge mainly on Ye Jin and not Je Jun...
11. Why the added plot twist of Gyeong Ran being involved in the murder? How did it add anything to the plot other than increase the length of the finale?
12. The ending scene. NO COMMENTS. They could have chosen an impactful ending monologue about bullying but they chose 'I love you' instead. SIGHHH.
13. The length - THIS DID NOT NEED 16 EPISODES. This could have been told in 10 episodes. K dramas really need to learn to cut down on their length especially when they don't have enough material to keep the show going. In this case, there was potential but the writer chose to add in characters that were not needed, repetitive scenes, filler scenes that added nothing to the plot rather than actually fleshing out the characters of the FL and the bullies, and giving us a strong fight between the FL and the bullies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Highly recommend these revenge dramas instead, where the writing, pacing / length and performances are steller.
Zeni Geba
Bump Off Lover
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Overall, i'm giving this drama a 10, and I fell like every Jdrama fan who enjoys the Crime/Yakuza and Family genres, should watch this.
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This review may contain spoilers
really cute BL with amazing chemistry
There's not one Korean BL drama out there that I haven't watched, and let me say, out of all the ones that were released recently, To My Star is the best drama in terms of kissing. Hands down. I sound like such a pervert omg... deja vu to another review just like this rip... But for real though, that last kiss in TMS was superb!STORY
Is it just me? When you talk about Korean production in the film/drama industry, don't you kind of get this feeling of not getting disappointed? Like, in a way, you know that no matter what happens, you're just really going to enjoy whatever's made? Pretty sure it's not just me. Thus, I have a special place in my heart for Korean BLs, and I know none of them will completely disappoint me. Exactly what happened with TMS. There's this interesting plot of a cook and an actor somehow finding themselves living together in the same house. One's closed-off and throws out cold-city-man vibes while the other's more outgoing and cheery. Introvert vs. extrovert, basically. There's not much story that can be told within nine 14-16 mins episodes, and there were some secrets and hidden tales that weren't talked about, but given what we have, it was pretty well done. I was just really, really glad we got a happy ending :")
CAST/ACTORS
The first thing I look at when watching romance dramas is the chemistry between the characters. Not gonna lie, first time watching it, I couldn't feel it. I didn't see the chemistry at all. But boy, oh boy, you know what they say, don't judge a book by it's cover because, for a series, the first few eps are basically a cover to a book. You've gotta give it time for it to develop properly, even if it's a short series. Slow and steady wins the race, for real. So come episode 3, you can already sense their chemistry. It's so natural, the way they act with each, I'm beginning to think maybe they're close friends in real life. Did you guys know? Both these actors acted together in 'Tale of the Nine-Tailed' It was such a good Kdrama ;-; Maybe cause they've acted together before in a way, you can somehow feel their closeness on TMS, too. When they smile at each other, the fluff and cuteness simply overwhelms me omg. AND THEY HAVE SUCH BEAUTIFUL SMILES!
SONG
You know how sometimes when you're so focused on watching something, you forget about the song that's playing in the background? Yeah, me. So, I'm not sure if any of them were playing in the drama itself, but I looked it up, and I could only find one. And I think you guys should really listen to it.
NewKidd - 《Left Hand》
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I don't think I'll ever grow tired of watching Korean BLs, and I'm so glad TMS became a part of the growing list of really good BL dramas out there. With a happy-ending, too! Can you believe that? I don't know why, but maybe because I've been watching BLs for a very long time and the ones in the past would break me with their sad endings, so in a way, I always expect sad endings? But I think nowadays, BLs have started to "grow up", leaning towards giving us those well-deserved, happy endings, and I've got nothing but praises for that!
Thank you 'To My Star' for gifting us with an endearing and lovely series, and an EXCELLENT last-episode kiss!
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the power of friendship
Overall: some of us are lucky enough to have at least one friend who supports us, tells us like it is, who loves us and who we learn and grow with on our life's journey. This movie tackles several heavy issues that plague our world and yet it isn't depressing, because there is joy in the friendship between Jang Heung Su and Koo Jae Hui. Aired on Viki www.viki.com/movies/40843c-love-in-the-big-city Make sure to watch to the very end.Content Warnings: suicidal thoughts, unwanted outing, homophobia, sexism, cyberbullying, bullying, vomiting, voyeurism, beaten up, hate crime, drugging, rape off screen, past attempted suicide off screen, abortion off screen, blood, intimate partner violence
What I Liked
- acting (I cried several times which rarely happens)
- their friendship/bond thru the highs and lows
- tackled real world issues in a realistic way without feeling preachy
- production value
Room For Improvement
- the flash forward to start
- voice over towards the end
- wished there was more time to delve deeper into the issues brought up
Differences between the movie and the series (besides different actors)
- the movie has them as equal protagonists with shared screen time whereas Jang Heung Su is the protagonist in the series and it's about his life journey
- the movie centers on their friendship whereas it plays a role in the series, but is not the core of the series
Is it BL?
- there is m/m romance in it but Jang Heung Su is not in a relationship at the end, it does end on a hopeful note though
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Leaves you waiting for more
This short serves as an introduction to Pornographer: Playback is located between this and Pornographer the series, it has been a few years since Kijima and Kuzumi saw for the last time and they have only been communicating through letters, now once again they meet and the sparks are still there, however we see that as before, Kijima, has doubts about their relationship, at the same time that he is irremediably attracted to Kuzumi, something that will be explored more in the next installment of the franchise.What this short leaves us with is that the sexual-emotional attraction that Kuzumi and Kijima had is still as strong as before and I would dare to say even more despite not seeing each other for a long time.
Kijima, although reluctant, seems increasingly willing to let Kuzimi into his life to the point that it leads him to meet his family, which for our old acquaintance Kijima would have been impossible before, in addition to admitting that he is looking forward to the letters that Kuzimi sends out periodically.
As an introduction it works quite well, since in a couple of minutes it raises you the new situation in which the characters live, the problems they will face and some of their fears, such as their ambitions, as well as that even at a distance these people have I've been developing feelings for each other for a long time and it's a situation that can spiral out of control at any moment.
The acting is very good and natural, even better than in Pornographer and the change of style with more "light" greatly favored the aesthetics, the chemistry is a bomb.
The Japanese never cease to amaze me, these people are either so pure that they do not even touch each other with their eyes or flat out suck each other down to the soul, what a barbarity.
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my only issue with this series is too MANY characters. and each character has its own thing going own so sometimes its hard too keep up with their lives lol. when you are already invested/attached to a certain character then another episode will be spent for another story line, which is sometime frustrating since you cant follow the characters that you just wanted to see.
for the acting, i haven't seen a lot of thai dramas like this but to compare this to lovesick and make it right, the actors here are way way better.
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1Realistic yet comforting. Beautifully told.
Initially watching the trailer, I thought this series is going to be all hell, drama, angst, and pain. But I couldn't be more wrong.The whole series was just 8-ep short. If anything I wish it were longer, at least give us 12 eps :( And yet within those 8ep, Moonlight Chicken told complete, satisfying, and beautiful stories about its cast.
However, my favorite thing about the series is how well its conflicts were paced. Yes, this series touched on many difficult situations and the reality of life, many problems and dramas, and yet it did well in pacing the aftermath and resolution to comfort these problems. I've watched way too many shows where a small moment of jealousy or misunderstanding got dragged through countless eps and dramatized to become the main conflict of the series. It is not the case in MLC.
Moreover, each character in the series was made with a nice amount of depth and dimensions. They have their stories, flaws, and personality. All well fleshed-out in my opinion.
So to sum up, I think MLC is like a comforting spot amidst your busy life. You watch them struggle and you watch them heal. It is a very beautiful and meaningful show, please watch it!
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To be honest, other than knowing I'd love Min Ki in this drama, I really had no expectations. I didn't really even pay attention to what the storyline was about before I started watching it. I just heard it was good and decided I must watch it. I haven't been this hooked on a drama in a long time - I watched it all in 4 days! I put everything else on hold and watched nothing but Dal Ja's Spring. I found the story that captivating.
By the end of the first episode I knew I'd love it. There was just something about it.... it's more than just your typical love story, it's more than a standard rom-com, it's more than a bunch of cliche's tossed together. And yes this drama definitely did follow the standard Kdrama cliches - but it added something original to it. The story was also more on the mature level, Dal Ja's narrations about life and people were the type that made me sit back and think.
The acting was really great! This was my first drama with Chae Rim but I thought she did an excellent job as Dal Ja. And Lee Min Ki was wonderful as well. I loved the chemistry they both had with each other - yet another reason to watch this drama (:
Also - the side characters were great as well. In the first episode you find yourself not liking Sae Do and Seon Joo, but as the episodes progress it's hard not to! I loved the relationships they all had, the friendships!
I found myself really loving a few songs off of the soundtrack - while others fit with the drama but didn't really catch on to me. My favorite is definitely the "Sha la la la la" song ("Take My Hand and Hold It")
I can definitely see myself rewatching this drama. I just finished it and I'm already missing it. This is one of those drama series that became a favorite very fast and one I'd love to own on DVD.
Overall? I think this is an underrated drama - if I hadn't of heard of Lee Min Ki and if I hadn't of seen a few people talking about it, then I might never of gotten the chance to watch this great drama! Yes, the drama is 5 years old. But don't let that turn you off from watching it. It's a refreshing type of drama - and different from your typical Kdrama. I highly recommend watching it. Even if it doesn't become one of your favorites, I'm sure there's a high possibility of at least liking it and enjoying it (:
There's a lot of sweet moments, funny moments, just overall great moments. Also, I found it hilarious how they used random music in scenes.
Don't think - just watch (:
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There is no synopsis listed so:
Basically the main boy is in danger of having his school club shut down so he and his best friend try to recruit the main girl and her best friend to be members since her uncle is the Dean of the school. The catch--she loves cats but is afraid of dogs. Will this be the end of his Dog and Cat club or the start of a new adventure for both boys?
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Excellent screenplay and top class acting
Large scale of real historical events told with an excellent screenplay that is great in details and heavy in suspense. It is more towards story focused instead of action focused, and the storyline is actually quite complicated to present but it was done really precisely, somehow they've made the plot easy to follow and characters' motivation very clear to understand. Huge plus from the acting performances, all the actors are absolutely top class and the movie works so great mainly due to those intense face-offs, so much stakes on screen but so meticulously arranged, simply unbelievable.Was this review helpful to you?
And errr, probably another selfish reason why I wanted the show to go on is because the lead actor is quite possibly one of the most talented and handsome actors out there. And his CHEMISTRY, jesus. He and Aoi literally SMOLDER while together, the pure sexual tension between them primarily springing from how insanely sensual and sexually charged his eyes and body language are. Good lord, you need a fan to cool yourself down.
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A Revenge Story That Almost Forgot to Deliver the Revenge
I went into Payback with genuinely high expectations. A darker Thai BL centred around revenge, corruption and the entertainment industry sounded right up my alley. It's adapted from the popular Korean webtoon Payback by Fujoking and Samk, and everything about the premise suggested this would be more than just another romance. It promised a gritty revenge thriller with emotional stakes, morally grey characters and plenty of twists. On paper, it had all the ingredients to become one of my favourite Thai BLs of the year.I wasn't familiar with Min Thanakorn or Toptap Jarukit before this, but I was already sold after seeing Fuaiz Thanawat in the trailer. His supporting role in 4 Minutes proved he could act, so I had confidence he'd deliver here too. He absolutely did. Fuaiz brings a lot of complexity to Sunny, making him difficult to read throughout the series. Min is excellent as Sun, carrying the emotional weight of the story with quiet restraint, while Toptap does a solid job as Jay despite the script not always giving his character the strongest material. I also have to mention Boss Chaikamon and Shogun, whose scenes together were surprisingly effective. Their chemistry was strong enough that I honestly wanted to see more of them.
The opening episodes hooked me immediately. Sun's motivation is heartbreaking and easy to understand. After losing his younger brother Sky and eventually his mother because of the betrayal of his former lover Bank, now living as the successful actor Sunny, he dedicates himself to revenge. Watching him infiltrate the entertainment industry to destroy the people responsible was exactly the kind of story I signed up for. The added layer of corruption inside Dream Entertainment made the series even more intriguing because it suggested the revenge would be much bigger than simply settling old scores with an ex.
Unfortunately, that's where my excitement slowly started to fade.
For a series built around revenge, Payback spends surprisingly little time actually executing that revenge. Instead, most of the story follows Sun trying to establish himself as an actor. By around Episode 7, it genuinely felt like the series was still setting up the plot rather than moving it forward. The pacing becomes incredibly uneven, and the first six episodes easily could have been condensed into two or three. It constantly feels like the story is delaying the inevitable instead of building towards it.
I kept watching because I wanted to see Sun and Jay systematically dismantle everyone responsible for destroying their lives. I expected each episode to reveal another calculated move in Sun's revenge plan. Instead, almost everything is saved for the finale, where years of build-up are resolved far too quickly. Most of the major confrontations happen inside one lengthy boardroom sequence, and after ten episodes of waiting, the payoff simply isn't satisfying.
I haven't read the original manhwa, so I don't know whether this slower pacing is faithful to the source material or a result of the adaptation. Either way, the television series never finds a good balance between building suspense and delivering meaningful progress.
The romance is another mixed bag. Min and Toptap work well together as actors, but I never fully bought into Sun and Jay falling in love. The emotional progression simply isn't there. I kept asking myself when those feelings actually developed. Was it because of genuine emotional connection? Physical attraction? Or did Jay simply become attached after their one-night stand? The script never convincingly answers those questions, making the relationship feel underdeveloped despite the chemistry between the actors.
Jay also raises another issue. While he's clearly written as a morally grey character, some of his actions cross the line into behaviour that feels manipulative and coercive. Considering Sun is emotionally broken and consumed by guilt, several of Jay's advances become uncomfortable to watch rather than romantic. The series never properly addresses those moments or allows Jay to reflect on them, making the relationship harder to root for than it should have been.
The revenge storyline, however, does succeed in establishing why Sun and Director Arthur become allies. Their motivations are clearly defined, and the series does a great job explaining why their goals align. In fact, I found their shared pursuit of justice far more compelling than the romance itself. At times, it almost feels like the romantic subplot exists simply because the genre expects it, rather than because the story naturally builds towards it.
The finale left me with mixed feelings. While I appreciated finally seeing the villains face consequences, several resolutions felt rushed or overly convenient. The legal aspects surrounding the transfer of company shares are handled far too simply, major antagonists receive endings that feel almost random, and one character's punishment relies more on shock value than meaningful storytelling. Instead of feeling clever or cathartic, the conclusion feels like the writers suddenly realised they had to wrap everything up within one episode.
Ironically, this is one of the few Thai BLs where I genuinely believe twelve episodes would've been better than ten. Usually, series overstay their welcome, but Payback has the opposite problem. It introduces enough plotlines to justify a longer runtime but doesn't give them enough space to breathe. Two additional episodes dedicated to the revenge plot and relationship development would've dramatically improved the overall experience.
Where Payback never disappoints is the acting. Every major cast member commits fully to their roles. Min perfectly captures Sun's emotional emptiness and determination, Fuaiz remains one of the biggest highlights of the entire series, and Toptap does the best he can with a character that often feels inconsistently written. The production quality is equally impressive. The cinematography looks polished, the soundtrack fits the darker tone beautifully, and the overall presentation feels far more expensive than many Thai BL productions.
I also appreciated that the series never became boring. Even when I found myself frustrated by the pacing, I still wanted to know how everything would end. That's a credit to both the performances and the premise. The story is engaging enough to keep you watching, even if it doesn't always reward your patience.
Overall, Payback is a series full of unrealised potential. It has an excellent premise, a talented cast, impressive production values and enough emotional depth to become something special. Unfortunately, slow pacing, uneven storytelling, an underdeveloped romance and a rushed finale stop it from reaching the heights it constantly promises.
If you're looking for an intense revenge thriller, adjust your expectations. The revenge is there, but it often takes a back seat to Sun's journey through the entertainment industry and his personal healing. As a drama, it's entertaining. As a BL, it's solid. But as a revenge story, it never quite lands the knockout blow I was waiting for.
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I don’t want to run away anymore
A movie that tells a story about a teenage boy who ends up in prison, meets a boxer champion and grow as a person.This movie is actually based on a Webtoon which I’m a fan of, which is why I felt that the movie fell short in comparison to it.
One reason was how they edited the story setup. Without much spoilers, I felt that the character of cha woo sol in the movie is slightly different than the Webtoon in terms of how he got himself into jail. But if you didn’t read the Webtoon, you would be fine! Though, there are other changes which I like, which is giving my man wi ha joon more screentime, loved his backstory!! Overall, apart from mc setup, the rest of the plot stayed true to the Webtoon. And all the actors did an awesome job portraying their characters and most of them look like the characters in the Webtoon. It really felt like the characters came to life which is 👍🏻👍🏻!
However, I felt that the scenes in the movie were way too short, and I couldn’t feel myself immerse in it. Like once I got in, it was time to move on to the next cut/ scene, takes me out of the story. Maybe because it’s a movie, they packed a lot of scenes so to make it less boring. But I would appreciate if the scenes were longer so I can invest my emotions to the characters.
The actions scenes were great! I liked how it was shot, the sound effects made me wince in pain (with the characters) and I loved the background music while they fight. Though it can be more gruesome given the tone of the movie and plot. And there are a few actions scenes that were cut awkwardly and didn’t really connect leaving me confused. But overall a decent movie with good action scenes!!
This movie illustrates the first arc in the Webtoon, I wondered how they would end it in the movie. And I’m satisfied they ended it in this way!
Although the movie fell short in comparison to the Webtoon, the movie delivers a tightly woven story with good acting, action scenes, a little humor and heartwarming in a place like prison. Probably won’t rewatch it in the future, but if they ever have a 2nd movie, I would be the first to watch 😉! Thank you for reading until the end, hope you enjoy the movie!!
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ACTING/CAST: WOW, these guys are smokin' HOT. Good actors too, all mature. The sexual tension between the actors was palpable.
MUSIC: It was good for this drama, very polished.
REWATCH VALUE: Yeah, might watch it again with a friend cause I'd like to see the eye candy again.
OVERALL: I can't stand the love triangle stuff but this movie does have a high production value. It's sexy and slick with great cinematography.
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