Reviews

As a Xiao Zhan fan I was filled with excitement and anticipation for this release, only to be underwhelmed by the end =/ Please note that I went into this without any prior knowledge to the story (have not read the novel nor watched the donghua) so this review is purely based on the drama and my opinion on the storylines execution.

The story itself is pretty straightforward, not hard to follow along but somehow I felt like it lacked substance. Even with there being mysteries and secrets, the way the story was executed never left me with anticipation. A lot of scenes felt unnecessary to the overall story; they made it seem like it was important at one time but then brushed it aside later on never touching upon it much again, let alone giving it much closure. Even found myself bored many times because of the slow paced or draggy areas, it was like watching paint dry. Instead of engaging the viewers in more fast paced action filled scenes with concise explanations, they seemed to focus more on dialogue, an excessive amount at that. Which is a shame because the only interesting parts to me were the fights and some of the training scenes.

Even though I never fully got invested in this story nor the characters, I must admit a lot of them had great character development, especially compared to the beginning when they were too immature and dramatic. The dynamics and chemistry between the Shrek Academy students were more enjoyable than the main leads! Honestly, even the "adult characters" were more interesting. My biggest complaint is the portrayal of Xiao Wu’s character, her voice & personality annoyed me throughout the show…I’m sorry, I know many loved her but I couldn’t even look at her half the time she was on screen. Her overly high pitched voice and her one expression pouty face just wasn’t doing it for me. Too naive and too clingy. Only during her fight scenes was she tolerable. Tang San unfortunately was also annoying at times but really only when he was with Xiao Wu, always holding her arm, being so overprotective and babied her so much. I understand the wanting to protect someone you care about but he was just over the top…

Thank goodness there wasn’t many scenes with music (at least not that I remember) because when there was, they NEVER played it at the right times. They should’ve played it during the action packed scenes to build up the suspense, but instead they were randomly playing it when they were casually walking or chatting…

The ending was left on a cliffhanger…i wont say much on it but regardless of what happens with the second season, I will not watch it. The only thing that kept me going while watching this was purely Xiao Zhan’s visuals and the beautiful loyalty and teamwork of the Shrek Academy as well as some their fight scenes!!

Read More

This Took A Turn

I could tell this series was going to be an emotional one right away. Let's start off with the good. The series emotionally already started to get to me during the scene where our main character Tian reads Torfun's diary and sees everything she did with her shortened life. His expressions shows how he wants to change and not waste her heart inside of him now. Because he was wasting his life before and wants to do something greater, and fulfill Janes dreams. The musical accompaniment to the show is a much needed added emotional impact. It swells perfectly to the scenes. I also appreciate that they kept a big scar on Tian's chest, because a heart transplant is a big surgery. Maybe it wouldn't necessarily look that (for a lack of a better term) gnarly and painful, but some shows opt to go for "beautiful looking scars or minimal scar tissue" and that's not realistic at all.

I loved the interactions with the kids, kind of like "Oxygen the Series" but better. The kids have distinct personalities and I loved the developments with them. Tian's character too is trying really hard and I appreciate it. We see him in the town too trying to get in with the locals, and help them when they are being taken advantage of financially. He brought back the scale to teach to the kids! So they won't get ripped off like their parents were, omg yes full circle.
After all like the show says; "Where we feel happy, we feel like home".

So initially when Phuapha is introduced I dug him so much. Dude saved a snail, like get outta my face lol. The drunk scene with Tian touching Phupha's face was so wholesome, they had such sweet chemistry. Their relationship was starting to gear up to be one of my faves. Unfortunately that didn't happen, because of some fatal character flaws written into the plot. Which were very uncharacteristic. These were my thoughts once Tian came clean about Torfun and basically everything: "Why are you ruining it show with the village putting literally all the blame on Tian? The rangers didn't want him to tell them about Torfun's death! This is total bs and its making characters unlikable, especially Phupha!" The random question thrown in there of did Tian kill Torfun with his car was stupid too. That would've taken away all likability from his character (luckily it didn't end up that way) and made all of his actions seem not as genuine as before because they are fueled by guilt. This was just all poorly done and it kinda ruined the final half of the storyline.

I also didn't like that they framed it like Phupha is just worried about Tian's future when he tries to convince him to leave. It's Tian's choice whether to stay at the village or not and Phupha basically was not allowing that choice at all! It's really controlling and I keep asking myself why is he leaving again? Like don't tell me what to do Phupha! Sure he ends up finishing teaching school anyway, but still how it was approached was wrong. This is another perfect example of a series that narratively starts off essentially perfect and then flops so bad towards the end with poor character writing that it ruins the relationship for me. Also Tian's mom I understood at the beginning. Her son almost died and she was being overly protective. But then she began to suck at the end. Trying to tell Tian not to become a teacher because its "difficult" which doesn't make sense because so was becoming an engineer? So it was just an excuse, she just thinks its not a reputable enough job. Then when she "agrees" which she shouldn't even have to, she forces the idea of going to a fancy school in America because her friends kids couldn't get in there. Seriously screw you!

Overall, this show is fantastic at the first half and then meh at the end. It's concept is so interesting, so it's a shame parts of it ruined it for me. The last episode was stretched out too long, but once we get the wrap up it's pretty nice. Albeit kind of cliche to end with a peck-kiss on the mountain, I felt some satisfaction from the ending. Though I was highly disappointed that we got no reunion between Tian and the kids or him and Longtae! That would've been great. The after credits ending scene too was a nice addition. Also final side-note, low-key it's mad disrespectful to have a literal ad for a car at the beginning of these episodes knowing full well the story surrounds a character getting struck and hit by a car! XD

Read More

If the actors are improving their performances shouldn't they be given better stories???

First of all, I have to congratulate Boss and Noeul's acting and how it has improved since LITA. It is appreciated, because it is a couple that has great chemistry and it is palpable, but in LITA there were moments when the acting was weak. Here, an improvement is noticeable, although the same thing continues to happen. They are still in the same roles. Boss's character as the protector of Noeul's childish and naive character, which makes me quite angry, since it does not allow us to see the versatility of the actors and the possibility of reaching different characters. It is clear that Noeul can act when portraying a naive and sometimes childish character when in real life his personality is completely opposite. That is why, I wish that in future projects of this couple, they play with other characters and personalities.
In itself, the whole cast is good, but the story does not do justice and does not help to demonstrate their worth.

I really hope Boss and Noeul next project they'll work with a different writer....

The whole plot at the beginning was aiming high and at the end, everything was so rushed leaving too many plot holes and things unsolved. I feel that they 'solved' the problem selling your brother? YES great idea, in one of the parallel worlds, we see Cir devasted and Phu hugging him (we can deduce that is because it's his brother died) but what the hell , I would sell my brother just to spend time with my crush. Also the father appearing like he is going to be someone when in the end is a non player in this whole plot. The second couple they were there just to be there, they weren't important , they develop their relationship in three episodes.... showing how you care about your characters....

I'm fed up with a certain scriptwriter/writer, writing scenes where consent is not respected and perpetuating certain clichés. How can you romantise stalking your crush/partner??? (Girl , if I know that my partner has been stalking me for years I would be afraid and not delighted). Let's see if Boss and Noeul and all the actors in this series manage to get away from this writer... and not make more series with her. The way she made romatising Cir stalking Phu and being obessed over him is something that left me speechless, all I can say: DISAPPOINTED BUT NOT SURPRISED.

The thing that upset me the most is Phu begging and asking for forgiveness to Cir.
How to deal with your stalker: Did you just find that someone has been stalking you five years, what are you going to do?
a) Call the police
b) Leave that person behind
c) The two answers above
d) Ask for forgive because he did it because he love me. (CLEARLY THE ANSWER) .
Take note guys, stalking , enterning in someone house without consent is something right if you do it because you love him/her.

Well, well, let's pray that Boss and Noeul can find a project that isn't written by Mame, that day there will be shooting stars or frogs will start growing hair or whatever weird and strange thing you can imagine.

Last but not least, OF COURSE, THIS BL HAS ONE OF THE THINGS I HATE THE MOST: MISOGYNY. The world of BL is full of misogyny, most of the stories, the women are the villains or characters where they do not let the protagonists be together or it separates them. As a woman, I'm annoyed by the acceptance of misogyny in BLs and how it has been accepted in such a blatant way, when in most cases BL fans tend to be women or the series are dedicated to a female audience. How much longer will we have to put up with women as villains?

Read More

Keep in mind that I haven't read the manga. Thank you.

The events of the drama:
- Two high-school boys (cousins) move in to an apartment in the same building where the heroine (lets call her Yoyo) resides. One is cheerful/friendly (lets call him Smiley), and the other is Grumpy (lets call him that).
- So the Yoyo starts liking Smiley and confesses her feelings to him. But Smiley tells her that he doesn't believe in love and breaks her heart.
- Yoyo gets all sad/weepy whenever she sees Smiley. Grumpy jumps in and comfort Yoyo by telling her that he likes her and she should become his girlfriend. After a couple of therapeutic sessions (aka kind words from Grumpy + a hair-pin gift she receives from him), she starts to fall for him and they become a couple.
- However, Grumpy's ex-girlfriend appears and he starts going out with her because -in his words, not mine- "she is weak" and needs him. So he tells Yoyo that he loves her but he still has feelings for his ex. Therefore, he breaks-up with Yoyo to sort out his feelings for his (older + has a boyfriend) ex.
- Smiley takes this chance to jump back into the game! He comforts Yoyo and confesses that after he turned her down, he realized he loved her. *ehem*
- Yoyo gets all confused and sad/weepy again. This time she tells Smiley that she still likes Grumpy but will try to get over him by dating Smiley.
- Grumpy confront his ex: "who are we kidding? you love your boyfriend, so go be with him! We both need to be with who we want to be with!" Yeah, they break-up and Grumpy (the stone-head) doesn't realize that Yoyo is going out with Smiley to forget him, so he doesn't tell anyone that he broke-up with his ex.
- Time goes by and Grumpy tells Yoyo that he still loves her and that his ex is history. Smiley spots them very close to each other and runs to hit Grumpy on the face. Yoyo tells him to stop! Smiley goes away all grumpy.
- Anyways, now both guys want Yoyo and she can't decide which one she likes because she doesn't want to lose one of them. But then Sad-Smiley tells her that he hates himself when he is with her because of all the jealousy he feels when she is with Grumpy. So he breaks up with her.
- Grumpy tries to win her back but Yoyo won't make a damn decision. Then Smiley tells her that his grandfather wants one of them (him or Grumpy) to travel and take over the family business, so whoever she wants will stay.
- Yoyo can't do it! She can't lose them! Smiley says he will go but Grumpy decides to be noble and leave because he realized that she likes Smiley more.
- In the end Yoyo is happy because she didn't lose both guys! yay! WHAT?!!!

Comment:
Yoyo is a very disappointing character. She should have moved on when from the first time both guys broke it off with her. To be honest, both Grumpy and Smiley are not that great anyways. Okay, both of them helped her when she needed to find someone to adopt a dog (she found) but that's it. There was no depth in her relationship and no real talk about family and life with both guys. Perfect for increasing blood pressure.

Read More

Fun, dramatic and mindnumbingly stupid Season 2 of the Makjangiest Makjang on the block

Even though I enjoyed this A LOT, I have mixed feelings about this show so I'mma break it down into pros and cons. Read till the end before getting triggered.

Cons:

▪︎The first half:

"Can this show get any more ridiculous?" asked my tired brain after it finished yet another episode full of repetitive, pointless misery that was only half as entertaining than what it used to be.

Don't get me wrong. The shock value is still high albeit it gets more and more predictable with every episode. The black comedy is still top notch, I was morbidly laughing my ass off 90% of the time. It's still a fairly easy to watch show. Kinda like junk food, you know it can't possibly be healthy for you but you're still watching. Almost begging for it to get better.

This is a Makjang. So, I trust that if you like those and you've watched season 1 you already expect this to be over the top and exaggerated.

However, despite how OTT it was, season one had a solid direction and the characters were actually built nicely.

Behind all the noise, if you looked, you could find some nuance and thought behind the way characters functioned. So, by all counts it was a well made show and it wasn't a surprise that it became a household name in Korea. That's great but then obviously the drama creators got greedy and they wanted to prolong the victory for two more unnecessary seasons.

By ending the last season the way they did, they found a sure shot way for us to continue. Surely, we were all angered by the triumph of the bad guys and wanted to see justice prevail. Going to watch season 2 was the easiest decision for all of us. Unfortunately, in just a few episodes, the drama writers made me effectively stop giving a shit about everyone in the show.

The writing was just terrible, nonsensical and laughably bad in this one. It's like they ate a bunch of plotlines and then vomited it out on screen. There's no point of this show because things happen just for the sake of happening. During most of the drama, there isn't a single character you can root for and the evil characters that were interesting and charismatic asf in season 1 start to seem hollow and one dimensional in this.

It's the same old thing over and over and over again. Bullying, murder (but not really), revenge (but not really) and Repeat. And we are getting no where. It gets tiresome to watch a repeat of season one with none of the wow factor.

The worst thing is that for most of the show, the protagonist is Yeon Hee who is the single most brainless character to ever appear on tv. She was horrible in season 1 and unfortunately, worse in season 2. She functions on half a braincell and only knows how to whine and scream my ears off. That's it. Not a single ounce of sense in that woman.

There are a few hilariously unfunny plot twists that the writers pulled out of their ass and they stank of bullshit.

Yes, the antagonists did deliver their best. Cheon Seo Jin killed her performance as always. The acting didn't suffer and remained at the top but what's the point when you've stopped giving a fuck about the story and the characters?

It's just a cycle of seeing miserable and mindlessly evil adults and teenagers be pointlessly cruel, greedy and annoying for 13 hours straight.

The direction is still crisp, the drama exudes luxury of the Hera Palace and I love the brilliant music pieces but we already saw all that in season 1.

For a show to function, the good guys need to be on equal footing as the bad ones but here the antagonists >>> protagonists. Even when the bad guys suffer it's mostly because of their own stupidity and infighting. Hardly any badass good guy moments in 70% of the show and at one point, you're just wishing for them all to just kill each other and save you the frustration.

▪︎Pros:

So, I wrote all that and you're like um, is there anything left to say? Yes, there is. The show finally picks up in the second half. Don't get me wrong, the writing is still completely bogus and the plot is very silly and unrealistic BUT you finally get a character you want to root for.

This is the 30% of the show that absolutely makes you want to power through sitting right at the edge of your seat.

I don't want to give spoilers but I'll just say a badass bitch is back in the house and once she comes, watching the show becomes much easier.

Episode 12 is literally one of the most satisfying episodes as slowly but surely our good guys get ready to whoop some major asses.

Throughout the show there are some very touching moments in the way the parent and child relationship is portrayed. Some scenes were really nicely executed and I got some major feels even when overall the drama lacks emotion because of the inconsistency in pace and writing.

The ending is also very satisfying but annoying in equal measures.

Overall, is this drama WACK? Yes.
Is it trying to be anything else? No.
Will I be watching season 3? Fuck yes.

This is the crack I run on. You don't have to use your brain while watching it and it's strangely addicting.

So, keep your expectations low, turn off your brain and enjoy it to the maximum!

Read More

" No tree it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell " - Carl Jung..

The Road to Splendor for me is arguably one of the best historical dramas of this year.. This is certainly not the butterfly romance type of story.. If you watch it expecting cliche romance and lots of sweet moments, you might be a little disappointed.. The romance is there, the sweet moments are there too but it’s more mature and restrained which I kind of liked because that was perfect for the script.. The screenplay, cinematography and the performances of the leads were what carried the story effortlessly..

Ding Yu Xi and Deng En Xi served us with undeniable chemistry.. They were so good in their respective roles.. DYX's journey from a smuggler to being in the same space as the emperor, standing in the same room as some of the most powerful people in the empire, and eventually becoming someone they actually fear while earning the peoples respect.. That entire transformation was carried by one of the best emotional performances I have seen.. Deng En Xi was a standout too.. It felt like she didn't let her character down even when the script let her down with some forced angst.. Their romance, chemistry and journey together was beautiful.. They fell for each other early in the story, but it took them an awfully long time to actually get married.. Well, we could thank the emperor for that.. Always getting the ML into shit he definitely didn't sign up for but had to do it anyway for the people he loved and cared..

The supporting cast in the drama is very well written too.. Several of the antagonists are genuinely well written enough that you understand and resent their logic.. They literally were ready to do anything just for money and power.. They were absolutely vile and then there was Yu Jingxiu, who was absolutely pathetic.. The rest of the antagonists had an objective or something they fought for, even if their reasons were selfish.. But this guy was just a pathetic whiner and a loser.. Till the end..
Fan Yake, I am glad that she survived and got another chance at life, on her own terms.. She finally realised that she is more important than catering to the emotional needs of a selfish husband and a vile family and took control of her own life.. I am not saying she made up for her mistakes, but she did atleast try to make things right by saving the FL, whatever her reasons for doing so..

The cinematography in this drama was so good.. There are some scenes you just can't forget.. Quite a lot of the dynamics are shown through framing, like the visuals are doing the narration for you.. For example, the way they show the power difference between the noble families and everyone else with that simple scene where the nobles are standing at the top of the building while the others are standing at the bottom of the stairs.. My favourite was the last episode, where the Emperor also goes down on his knees just to reach the ML's eyes.. It's like he too finally understood what it had cost him all this time.. Anyway, there are quite a lot of scenes in this drama where the visuals tell the story better than words ever could.. I want to say this again, the drama had beautiful visuals, colors.. Truly a feast for the eyes..

Episode 20, the story sort of shifts.. Their reunion after 5+ years.. How the power balance has completely flipped since we last saw them.. He has become the man the FL once wanted him to be.. A person who understands the language of power.. But that spark that made him Zhao Ling in the earlier episodes is now gone.. He knows what he has to do to keep everyone safe and give the FL the life he thought she wanted and he also knows the price he might eventually have to pay for it.. He knows all of that and you can clearly see how it's slowly draining his soul.. And DYX as Zhao Ling portrayed that transition so well that you could actually feel it..

Another thing about this drama was that it sort of reminded me of Flourished Peony.. Ahem, the first season, only the first season.. The way the women were portrayed as if they were trapped in dependence, but infact they were the ones pulling the strings when you look at it.. Mo Yi and his downfall and eventually his death, is one of the examples of that..

Overall this was a really good drama.. I would say this drama is a feast for people who are ready to watch it for the script, screenplay, cinematography and all the other aspects of a drama, for the absolute craft instead of expecting just romance and angst in every other scene.. People blame this drama for being a slow burn, but come on.. These two loved each other so much that they would have died for each other without a second thought.. That's not a lack of romance, that's romance built on something sturdier than butterflies.. Trust, sacrifice, choosing each other again and again when it would have been easier not to.. Physical intimacy is one language a drama can use to show their love, but it's not the only one and this show proves that patiently, scene by scene, right up to the end..

So I will end this review the same way I started it.. This is one of the best historical dramas of the year..

Read More

It's Fine - That's the Highest Compliment I can Give It

You ever watched a story and found yourself thinking, 'had this aired at a different time, or perhaps if I were a different personI'd have liked (tolerated) it better?' When this started airing, I thought I'd love it. I left myself a note at the end of episode 2 stating how much I enjoyed how the plot and setting both reminded me of 'Business Proposal' & 'Welcome to Samdal-ri'. Dramas that, while I thoroughly enjoyed, had (and still get) scathing reviews.

The scathing comments kept coming in, and for the initial 5 episodes, I tuned them out. The show worked for me, and I like what I like, so whatever. Screw what the naysayers were peddling. However, after episode 6, I started slowly siding with the masses.😭

Let's start with what I liked
🍄‍🟫The comedy - They did have some funny bits. Did I find myself laughing to the point I lost my breath or had tears running down my face? No. But they did manage to get several chuckles out of me.

🍄‍🟫References to previous dramas - They had Anh Hyo Seop on the team, and they decided to milk that for all it was worth. They had multiple references to 'Business Proposal' -some obvious, some not-, as well as K-pop Demon Hunters. I also believe that the sprinkler kiss in the mushroom greenhouse was a little nod to 'King the Land.' That's my kind of fanservice and I was very happy about it.

🍄‍🟫The live selling aspect - This is purely based on the fact that it's a niche interest of mine. I kept wishing (and still do wish) that they gave us a deeper look into that. Because 2 reasons
a. It serves a particular interest of mine.
b. It showcases a much different career path than what we're used to in dramas

🍄‍🟫The villagers and Dam Ye Jin's 2 coworkers - The villagers' r/ship with Mechoori was quite endearing to watch - you know, b4 they turned on him. I liked that tsundere r/ship he had with them. I loved how Dam Ye Jin and her coworkers remained friends, and they had her back despite her being kicked out after the scandal. They worked well together

My Frustrations
🍄‍🟫Noble Idiocy - Ah! The Achilles heel of many a Kdrama (Cdramas and Jdramas included).
So both characters are struggling with things in their past. Ordinarily, I would be empathetic; however, I found myself struggling in this case. If you look objectively at both their past traumas, any reasonable person would at least suspect a setup. Even without damning evidence against the other party.

Based on that, the burden they chose to carry (because, yes, this was very much a choice, and a bad one at that) really made no sense to me. I understand when authors and screenwriters wanna write green flag, pure characters, who feel deeply, but it comes to a point that..... Nah man.

🍄‍🟫The therapy debate (or, rather, the lack thereof)
Our mains needed some serious therapy to help deal with the issues of the past. But, despite being well off enough to afford it, no one suggests, considers, or seeks it. She, abuses sleeping pills to the point of detrimental side effects and is a workaholic. He, on the other hand, hides, becoming a corporate life recluse in an idyllic farming village.

I would want to yell at this drama for this one, but this is an overarching Kdrama issue - not one specifically tied to this one show. Therapy is for the birds in dramas. Depression, suppressed trauma, and other mental health issues are fixed by copious amounts of alcohol (I'm looking at you, Doctor Slump), comeuppance, and the amazing power of love... sigh

🍄‍🟫How do time and distance work in this world?
In the 1st (?) ep when she has to go to the village to meet him, it takes the better part of the morning. She also mentioned that she needed to leave the village early as she had a broadcast later that night. When they started meeting daily so he could give her the meds, they showed on the navigation that he'd have to drive about 2, maybe 2.5 hrs to get back to Seoul. This is at around 1/2 am, when one would assume there's no traffic.

Now, based on those instances, can someone tell me how this man got from the village to Seoul and managed to save her from almost getting run over that one night? Can he teleport? Could his car achieve speeds of light speeds and they never told us? I hate it when seemingly turn off your brains shows make me turn my brain back on. You need to find a balance with the absurd, unbelievable nonsense. I can only gaslight myself so much

🍄‍🟫The sleepwalking and the sleep phone calls - Went on for too damn long

🍄‍🟫 I wish we had gotten her mother's side of the story.
Something more than 'I will sabotage and be rude to my daughter for years after the tabloids said that she took a bribe to sabotage my career - and she said she did in a heated moment.' I think the story about a woman choosing a career over being a mother is such an interesting one.

We rarely see these types of stories. It sucks that they never explored it. I would've liked to see her internal battle/struggle with this vs the trauma on the child, coz both sides are valid. We only get to see how Dam Ye Jin was hurt, but never quite the mom's side. But perhaps this particular drama wasn't the best vessel for such a deep and nuanced conversation

🍄‍🟫The romance/chemistry - I didn't get butterflies or swoon. Were they cute? Sure. But while they told me they were in love and they acted as people in love, I didn't buy into it. Into their chemistry.

This is in comparison to dramas like 'Filling for Love' and 'My Royal Nemesis'.

As I type this, the former is 2 episodes from the finale, and so far, I have loved the chemistry between the main characters. I bought into their journey to each other and the romance. They are swoonworthy and spicy. In the latter drama, both of them are crazy. We are halfway through airing, so they have every chance to fuck it up (fingers crossed they don't), but their journey so far is more on the giggle, kick your feet side.

Now having this show air in tandem with the other two... yeah, not a fair fight. The romance and chemistry in this were certainly and glaringly lacking.

🍄‍🟫Final Thoughts🍄‍🟫
While it did start with the potential to be good in my eyes, the plot, pacing, and absurdity of some choices and sequences put me off the show. IMO, skip it. But if you wanna try it, perhaps watch it as a background noise drama. It has some good, but they are overshadowed by the bad.

Read More

With a solid plot and a magnificent, stellar cast, this is a fresh and intelligent historical drama.

The brilliant Hou Minghao, in the role of General Wuji, is the true soul of the series; his overwhelming charisma, wonderful expressiveness, and marvelous eyes convey deep emotions without needing words. Imposing and ruthless on the battlefield yet possessing a righteous heart, he shows a vulnerable side that makes you truly empathize with him. The young actress Aimi is also fantastic as Xie Jiayu; she is highly talented and has a incredibly promising future ahead of her.The series has the feel of an old-fashioned drama, with a gritty, realistic quality to the visuals that makes everything feel authentic and believable. Modern themes are handled beautifully, featuring strong, intelligent, and exceptionally well-developed female characters. Wuji himself is very open-minded—he deeply respects his beloved's independence and never treats her as a possession. I must also mention the magnificent soundtrack, which beautifully features Hou Minghao’s superb vocals. It is one of those rare shows where I never skip the opening or closing credits.

Read More

I love you in every universe - ft. rags to riches !

If you want something you have to make yourself worthy of it !

Same goes here - If you want to have a good rating you need to make yourself worthy of it ...and this wasn't ...it could have been so much more than just "ENGAGING"! - (cuz first half has great buildup)- yes I believe that's the most perfect word for it!

Synopsis -
Jiang Xiao Yuan finds herself struggling with her identity as she believes to have traveled across parallel universes. Once the owner of invincible wealth overnight becomes an ordinary working girl who has absolutely no idea about how the world works, but is determined to make it through.

All this fuss to cross paths with Qi Lian, who shall lend a hand in uncovering the mystery around her, and in journey of discovering her "real" identity.

To pick or not to pick ??
- well to be honest I am not a Lin yi fan and to me the very obvious reason is his expression that didn't make me feel anything and this goes for all of his projects till date. That does include this one too. But the FL does " make up" for what the ML seems to lack. She's vigilant , self reliant, caring, optimistic, hardworking, determined and everything nice !

So if you can bother tolerating lin yi for some time like me ....go for it ! Warning - ITS NOT THE SCI FIC YOU ARE EXPECTING !
and you'll be finishing it to know how it ends and not how it went !

this drama is very promising except for the fact that they cast lin yi and waste a lot of time in "make up and hair dressing" which apparently lead the story nowhere. The makers are so hell bent in showing us revolutionary make up (i don't know what is so revolutionary about it but yeah fuck it i mean skip it) that even if we have 2 eps to go or even if we are on the last ep ....the talk of the town shall be MAKE UP !
- yes I am so very annoyed !

The journey in the mid episodes is a bumpy ride - a lot of it went in circles and you may feel like quitting but the curiosity of how it shall end will keep you hooked !

the overall idea is so well built that it would be too difficult to actually believe that everything you believe is just a build up ! - you'll know what this means once you reach there ! (spoilers towards the end) - very convincingly done ! like commendable !

The music is nice so is the cinematography ! - the FL looks cute , The SML does look cute too !
Not a lot of time is spent around the mystery - which seems to be a down point to some( like me) - who signed up to see it after reading the synopsis !

But on the other hand ..the couple take time to develop - they are given space and you can see their dilemma - both have an awesome back story - like you feel that there's so much going on no one can be trusted no one knows who the villains are ....and there's just so much to the story. - but they be still crying over make up !

-- SPOILERS ------------------------------------------------------------------
The fact that it wasn't a time travel ....just took off all my excitement and thrill of watching. from then on the leads were nothing but lab rats to me. lab rats who were trying to get out and will probably do too ...but not that any of it was as enchanting to me as the time travel would have been.
that being sad ...even tho I was disappointed the build up was so well done ...so convincing that yes it had to be time travel with some parallel universe !

Tho makes sense that in FL's imaginary world everything was as she would have wanted in the real world !

The ML's reveal of being a lab rat himself - great
but his friend not existing - mehh - You emotionally invested me so much to come up with that ...and then lin yi didn't act it well on top - he cried and I knew it was all fake - so unbelievable that I skipped through it! - yes what was supposed to be a scene I cry for ...was skipped without a thought ! - at last all of those memories are fake and the wrap us is so unbelievable ! - wasn't it a car accident ?
When did we decide it wasn't ? like wtf ? - explain ?

At some point I just started watching for the curiosity and nothing else - so this lacked fun !
The villain has no motive what so ever and has no story at all ! - she's just bad bec she is bad ...it's 2024 bitches ...that shit ain't likable now !

I feel so bad for SML - like his story is the one I liked the most - less time consuming , well done, well portrayed ! - and they even turned him into a puppet ...any sort of redemption arc ? Like hello pls ? - he's also sick ...wth ?

Also the neck choke sucked ...like WTF bruh !
Even in the end it's MAKE UP ! - wow ! they wasted ep 29 and ep 30 doesn't give good enough closures but they have time for Make up !
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- The show is good but not worth the 30 eps it took ...more like if they just had more fluffy moments instead of make up or maybe more efforts towards unraveling the mystery I'd have liked it a lot more !

tho still hooked ....just so to say ...the makers did a good job making me curious enough !
Watch if you are good at skipping !


PS. I am not here to argue all of it is just my opinion ! - lin yi fans pls note !

My Fav part of the show
"People's memories determine who they are. Erasing their memories is equal to erasing them.
If one day you find out all your memories are fake, would you be willing to forget them ?
would you let yourself become someone you don't even know !? "

Read More

Sae Bom & Yi Hyun's fight for Happiness

or should I say — "watching them together is our Happiness"

This drama brings out many versions of humans. It shows how layered this society is… I met a mix variety of people here, those who will help others selflessly, those who may save themselves first selfishly, those who think money is God & everything can be bought even in case of emergency… There are those few confused characters too who are in a great dilemma that if they should help or not…

The drama also depicts that Class discrimination between people from upper & lower class can survive even in such chaos… so the more I started to love the leads, the more HATE I had in my mind for those extra mean characters… by hate I mean I wanted them to just die... If you want to watch this, you need enough patience for annoying side characters.

Han Hyo Joo (as ~ Yoon Sae Bom) is an anti-terrorism trainer & someone who is selfless & fearless. She is kinda reckless at times but she is straightforward. I loved the way she kicks, I was like "Oh my God, that was so smooth!" Definitely a very good Strong female lead. But she doesn't falls under the category of Smart female leads for me cause her decisions were all hasty, without consideration.

Park Hyung Sik (as ~ Jung Yi Hyun) is a detective & a former baseball player who has courage and knows when to use his cop & sportsman skills. He is righteous & strong. PHS has definitely got good action skills. That car slide scene is something I saw repeatedly again and again. He is good at no matter what role he plays. Happiness as Hyung Sik's comeback drama is perfect.

The chemistry of the leads is like so pure. They understand & support each other. They are like one team. No forced romantic moments considering a total action-thriller drama. So, No exaggeration of romance. Just a simple couple who pretended to be a couple but actually love each other a lot deep in heart. Their bond is just precious. I wish these two get more chances of cooperation cause look at them, they look so good together…!! And I'll stop fangirling now haha.

Jo Woo Jim (as ~ Han Tae Seok) is a military informant who wants to help everyone. He plays the hard cold guy role in front of everyone but is actually very caring at heart. There has to be someone who takes the tough decisions & be bad, he chose himself for that. There's one scene when I just screamed that "Oh God, HE IS SO COOL"…… well, there's PHS Oppa in this drama so shouldn't I just cheer up for him more but No, Character-wise, I loved Han Tae Seok more…

Keeping us hooked up… This isn't draggy at all… just a simple zombie drama that goes "little" in-depth with the characters but from the enjoyment point of view, I was personally enjoying watching it. It wasn't very scary in terms of visuals but it did make me nervous about what is going to happen next.

I think I am gonna miss the rooftop of this drama, I just feel very attached to it, I wonder what's so special about that place… then, my only complain here was that I wish they gave more background story for the characters first so that we can connect to them…

Overall, I loved this drama and just that it's thriller and I basically know all the facts now, so I won't rewatch this but what a nice ride this was… Give it a try if it suits your drama taste…

Read More

At first I tell you why I decided to watch this one. Like many others I started this for the same reason: Lee Da Hae and Micky Yoochun. I know it's a shallow reason to start a drama but I'm glad I did.

I started this one in May this year (2012) and marathoned first eight episodes at one go. Then my laptop started to have issues and I was without a laptop for last 2 weeks of May. At the beginning of June I got new laptop and watched other dramas.

Then one day I decided to get back to this one and watched 1st part of ninth episode. I lost interest to this show EVERY time I tried to watch episode nine. I tried to watch that episode for so many times that I don't even remember.

And finally this week (in August) I picked this up again and continued from episode 9. Then 10 and 11. After that I knew I would finish this in no time. After episodes 12 and 13 I was really hooked. And today I finally watched episodes 14, 15 and 16.

This drama basically is a drama that has really amazing and strong start and it gets somewhat boring in the middle. Then after episode 10 it gets really good.

If it wasn't for the strong beginning and superb last 3 episodes I would have given this 6. But thanks to those 2 things I gave this 8.

In my opinion this had a perfect ending. It was a bit rushed but I think it was still perfect. It was different from your usual romantic drama.

Watch it and let me know your thoughts ~~

Read More

I initially attempted to start this series with my Mother on Christmas night. The immediate violence turned us off and the show got turned off only a few minutes into the first episode. Something about it still kept floating about in my mind, so I figured I'd brave the violence and try another go alone a few days later. A great decision-maker I am. I almost missed out on a fantastic show that will make my eyes shimmer whenever I speak of it for years to come.

There's nothing I didn't like. I wanted to dislike the abrupt way the episodes end, sometimes mid-conversation, just fading to the OTS out of nowhere. But after 5 episodes, I started to understand the concept and appreciate it in relation to the were presenting the story. It's like one continuous movie that doesn't lose the flow or momentum despite the episode ending. Each episidoe ending is merely a slice in the whole rather than a distinct sub-portion. It gave me the feeling of placing a bookmark in a book where I'm ready to end, then picking it right back up where I left off. It's unique and refreshing.
I wanted to hate the villains, but I couldn't. While I deeply felt they were evil, I couldn't help but have some pity for them. I wanted to dislike the other-wordly feel of the ambush flashbacks, but it gave merit to the intense emotions surrounding the event. I reeeeeeally wanted to dislike the intro, but soon found myself mesmerized by it and failing to skip it. For the first time ever in dramaland, I couldn't dislike a thing.

The sets were gorgeous. The costumes were splendid, especially the headdresses. The cinematography kept you engaged and evoked even more emotion. The actors were stellar. It will be hard for me see anyone of them as anybody else other than their characters here. All of them owned their roles.

My review is vague because I feel you should go into this one fresh and gradually be dazzled. It's a beautiful series that will captivate you and redefine "friendship" for you.

Read More

The Cooks Who Moonlight As Assassins

Here is the sitch. Kant is a love bombing, manipulative snitch for the police. Bison is a cheeky, deadly, adorable hitman, Fadel is a moody, no nonsense hitman who loves cooking burgers, and Style is an annoying gremlin, stalker mechanic who is unknowingly dating an assassin to win an old car. Between the four of them, someone is about to get burn, and it's sure as hell ain't the hamburgers!

Listen, this drama promised a recipe for disaster and chaos, and it cooked and delivered it perfectly. This was an emotional rollercoaster and I enjoyed the ride very very well. As someone who read the novel I had a lot of expectation and they were exceed to the maximum.

CHARACTERS
Both FirstKhao and JoongDunk delivered a wonderful performance. I'm one of those people who believed after watching Hidden Agenda that JoongDunk took their acting lessons from one of them red bricks, but this was their best role yet. Dunk embodied Style to perfection, making me like that annoying character so much. So kudos to all four main cast, great job, clap clap. FirstKhao and JoongDunk were the perfect cast for this role, and it was great seeing them bring the characters to life.

BISON
So like we all agree Bison is crazy right? Sure he dresses like a middle-age divorce woman from Santa Barbara, and his adorable face makes him looks like cute a plushie, but don't be fool, dude had the personality of a ticking bomb, you never know when he was gonna blow while giving you one of those adorable smiles. LMAO, the scene where he was imagining all the ways to off Kant after he found out he was a snitch had me going, 'Damn dude, yous is a cray-cray'. No, he had one solution for every problem he came across. 'Let's kill it.' Bison's character was the most intriguing to me, so of course he was my fav, and Khao as always was great in his role.

Also, I knew Bison was batshit crazy, but he's borderline psychotic, cuz who the hell eats their cupcake muffin from the centre? And when he took Kant to use that laundry line, out there in the open? In the prison when those men were bothering him, I shook my head like, 'Ah, so you want to die this morning.' They did eff around and found out. I don't know what it says about me that the psycho with the cute face is my fav, but Bison was my fav... so.

KANT
Kant. Oh, Kant. What a giant red flag you were. Sure he did all he did so he could clear his grand theft auto charges. Which sure, who wouldn't wanna be free from the popo, but all that love-bombing in the beginning was just cruel. Plus he let his best-friend flirt with a gun firing, steak knife wielding assassin and didn't tell him. Sure, Style would have screamed 'hell no' but letting your friend flirt with someone you suspects murder people for a living is sucky. Homeboy sucks, but, snitches do get stitches, or in his case lungs full of water. He lucky Bison decided to save him in the end. Fadel would have let him be fish food.

I did like how all out Kant went when he finally realised his feelings for Bison. Homeboy even managed to find a pro-bono job in the prison just so he could be closer to Bison. Ah the things crazy people do when they are in love. I also liked how he cared for his brother, what he had to go through to give his brother the best life he could, which makes him like 16% less sucky for his snitching era, but I just remembered Bison and Fadel's heartbreak when they learned the truth, sooo taking back that percentage. I'll give him one thing though, he was brave and one lucky mfker, cuz he faced both Bison and Fadel's guns and lived to tell the tale.

KANT & BISON
Okay, but first question, did FirstKhao take a masterclass in kissing cuz... fam, those smooches were on a whole new level of eating. Now how this people go back to being co-workers/friends after these scenes? I can never be an actor cuz what do you mean, 'no we are not married, I shaved my tongue down your throat for work'. Na ah, yous is my husband now. Shit, after a kiss like the one in the empty pool or on the hammock swing, there's no way I'm leaving without a ring. Unless the police throw me for prison, I am stuck on you like glue.

Anyway, the moment Bison started doing his little inlove-ness-ness cute thing with the tissue like a disney maiden in a musical, I knew he was a goner. These two should not work, but they did, cuz they both had pasts the other understood. I'm glad they found each other, kinks and all. Cuz only two crazy people will do it in a prison courtyard behind sheets. No shame whatsoever. Oh, and that titanic empty pool scene. FirstKhao's chemistry is really one of the best in the bl industry.

I am so happy that they finally got to see the northern lights, in that episode when Kant showed a projection of it, as a way to spend one last day with him, so he could betray him the next day, I was so mad at him, like, why are you doing the most romantic stuff with the worse of intention?? Was so happy when Bison made him jump into the sea, he deserved it for that one scene alone. Though, with everything they've been through, I know they gonna last forever.

STYLE
Style can annoy a ghost back to life. Homeboy was so in love with himself and the sound of his voice, even his father found out his son has been dating a killer for the past years and he was like 'Honestly, good, only a hitman can handle your dramatic arse. Good luck Fadel, hope you can survive him.' No, but, that child was crazy. Him still taking that car he won for the bet made me love him more. Also, Fadel has the patient of a saint, cuz if I was the one who kidnapped style i'd have brought him back within the hour. Heck, I might have just turned over my weapon to him and asked him to put me out of my misery. LOL, that boy had me laughing and shaking my head. I've never met such a friendly, yet, annoying stalker like him. And I don't know what that says about me that I love him this much. No, he's so annoying, but like... he's the best. When Style showed up in his tank-top in ep1, I knew he was going to be annoying as hell, and immediately I went, yes, more please,

There were so many Style moments I love in this drama, but my fav might just be when he was kidnapped. Like he had demands, even had Fadel stop so he could purchase a better outfit to die in, cuz he couldn't die in an ugly shirt, which, sure, understandable, no one likes an ugly corpse. But he even had them attending, and officiating a wedding, wanting kisses and a good time, that bathtub scene. Nah, I'd definitely had un-kidnapped him. And like that scene at the bowling ally, boy literally forgot there was a crazy person with a weapon because Fadel said he was someone else's boyfriend. Child, this is not the time nor place. Oh, how I love his dramatic arse.

FADEL
Mr. Cool assassin who comes off as cold, but is really soft at heart, and just wanna be in his kitchen all day cooking. Fadel had a heart of gold, and the will power of a mountain, cuz the strength it took for him to not kill Style needs to be studied. That scene when he took Style to the creepy forest place, I for sure thought Style was a goner.

Of the four characters, Fadel came off as the most broken. He didn't have expectation of anyone, and he kept everyone away so he wouldn't get hurt. The boy had his grave ready. Legit, was he just gonna go off one day, lie in it, and wait for someone to fill it with soil? Lol. He felt things the most, which is why I understood him when he was being difficult in the prison when Style didn't show up to teach. He was afraid of getting hurt again. Even after they found out Style and Kant betrayed them, and he wanted to get rid of Style, he still couldn't help but care for him. All it took was him thinking Style was gonna get hurt in the ocean for him to give in. So yeah, heart of gold, probably the best of the four.

Plus he really cared for Bison. He was his whole family and he took his job as brother/mother really seriously. Which good, cuz that mother of theirs was the devil.

Naaah, let my man cook in peace, he was born to be a lover not a hitman. The scene when he almost kill Kant but was talked down, and then then went back to his cooking had me laughing. Plus every time he looked at Style with such loving eyes, ahhh, no really, lover not a killer.

FADEL & STYLE
Fadel is like one of those people who are like: 'Dear dairy, I went out today, and the humans are still there. I hate everything.' And Style is one of those people who pets random dogs on the street and talk with everyone in the park. These two are so opposite they shouldn't even work as friends, yet their love story expand years. Fadel is someone who has been hurt so much from his last love, and now guards his heart, but here comes Styles, he walked right into his heart like a bulldozer, just forcing his way in and making a home there for himself until Fadel had no choice but to accept him. No, their love was really beautiful, and I enjoy every moment of it.

They drove each other insane, in a good way. JoongDunk have also grown in the kissing department. These two used to serve fish kisses, given us basically nothing, but look at them now. No, did the four cast take a masterclass in lips locking, where? when? who is teaching it? Boss? How can we sign up for it? Asking for a friend. Cuz... literally Fadel went from 30% to 60% with just a neck kiss. Anywho, personally, I wish Fadel all the best growing old with Style's dramatic arse. I mean it took years and he still couldn't teach him any mechanic's cuz all he did was yap. And yes, JoongDunk also did really well in their roles here, and I was very impressed by how well they brought their characters to life.

PLOT
As someone who read the novel while waiting to the series to air, I knew what was going to happen. I am so very grateful, that for the first time ever the screenwriters did more to the story than the novel. This was much more better than the novel. We got more plot, Style had more personality and wasn't two dimensional and the other three had more depth as well. So thank you khun director and khun screenwriter for this.

That being said, although the plot was interesting, made me laugh, cry, and laughed some more, there were a few things that had me question stuff. Like, what the hell was up with the episode where they tried to get dirt on the Mother? Are these two really sure they're professional hitman? How they stayed alive until now? Cuz Fadel went on a stakeout with Style who wore the brightest outfit he could find, homeboy might as well had gone with a neon sign that read, 'Yes, I'm following that one guy over there.' And of course he got caught, why won't he, in that hotel he and Fadel were literally just standing by the corner, like, three steps from Keen's vision. Also whoever put that hat on Fadel's head deserves prison or whatever powder they gave the mother. The moment I saw him in that hat, I said out loud to myself, 'See head, like bucket' and then laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

The way I was rolling my eyes when Style was able to disarmed Keen, and then at one point the gun was basically pointing at nothing. And the Mother, she couldn't spot Bison there on that golf course? Bison was literally standing like one umbrella away from her, he wasn't even in disguised, and the mother still didn't recognise/see him? Like??? And and, did Style leave to change his outfit before he went out to comfort Fadel? Priorities, am I right?

Also, during that kidnap Style scene, like was Fadel serious? Homeboy had his gun out, pointing at Style, inside an opened window car, on a busy road, full of witnesses with eyes... like, hello Mr. Hitman are you new here? What in the sorry arse kidnapping is that? It was like he wanted to get caught.

Of course there were scenes I loved: Like the scene at the beach when Bison was crying and asked if Kant was trying to lie to him again. I was a mess. When Fadel showed Style his empty grave. I was crying into my popcorn and pointing at him on my screen like 'Child, why you making people emotional on a random Wednesday, huh? When Kant kept saying Penguin. Look, personally I had more ways to add to Bison's list on how to off Kant's snitching arse, but that scene made me go, 'please, forgive him, he said penguin. Penguin, that's your thing, you can't kill him now.' Then, when style worked so hard to buy back Fadel's restaurant back for him. Our boy grew up so fast from his days of stalking Fadel and going 'Fadew, Fadew, Fadew.' Oh and the scene when they got arrested and they were both crying but Kant was trying to be strong to comfort Style. And when they were taking their mugshot, I was throwing popcorn at my screen hiccuping like 'booooo, set them free, that ugly prison outfit ain't even their colour.'

Ah, this series was supposed to be a romantic comedy but really, only Style understood the genre, the rest of the time the characters were out there making me too emotional.

So like is the Mother dead or what? These two are professional hitman, and they just left that woman sitting there, looking perfectly alive. What if she has an antidote? What if it was powder and she was bluffing? Prison softened them.

That being said, I know Fadel and Bison were like the reddest flag, dudes killed people for a living, but Kant and Style were also red flags. Cuz we have Kant's arse love bombing poor Bison, ready to snitch on him so he'd be free of his crimes, and Style stalking and disturbing a quiet gentle soul all because he wants an old car. In the end, all four really dd deserve each other.

All-in-all a very good drama, one of my favs, and a good way to start the year of bl. I'd recommend it to all bl lovers looking for an entertaining show, you won't be disappointed. Looking forward to FirstKhao and JoongDunk's next work, I am very much seated.

Read More