Reviews

Typical Japanese BL

STORY:
I wanted to like this to be honest I really did. Japanese BL is what got me into the BL industry to begin with. The problem is I feel like Japan has not kept up with the current BL trends. I know that most of the BL produced in Japan are based off manga but something needs to change.

The entire premise of this show is about two people who are forced to work together and develop feelings along the way. Good concept that I have seen executed well in the past. This show did not. Both of the male leads were emotionally constipated. If they had opened their mouths and said what they thought and felt things would have been better. Further if Kaburagi had taken the time to get to know Onoe's previous work then he wouldn't have had such a freak out near the end of the show.
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ACTING/CAST:
Kimura Keito as Onoe Satoshi - I think Kimura did a good job at his portrayal of Onoe. Like most leads of Japanese dramas he was over the top and loud. That didn't bother me. What bothered me is that they left most of his character development to the last 3 episodes of the show. I would have liked to see what he went through before he was assigned to work with Kaburagi. I felt like the audience would have understood his motivations better that way.

Yamanaka Jyutaro as Kaburagi Motoharu - Yamanaka played his role well too. He is your typical stoic Japanese man who shows no emotion and keeps his thoughts to himself. While it can be entertaining to watch it is frustrating for the common audience. Unlike other shows with this type of lead he didn't really have any micro expression or backstory alone that we saw where he struggled with his feelings.
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RELATIONSHIPS

Kaburagi x Onoe - This relationship was dull. It reminded me a lot of the relationship in SOTUS. Where we are struggling for half the show on a do they don't they have feelings train. If they had been honest with each other then we could have developed into an amazing show of them working and loving each other as they uncovered these scandals. To be honest half the time I felt like I should fast forward through their interactions because it was so slow.
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REWATCH VALUE

I may rewatch again if I am bored on a Saturday and want something in the background.
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I just started watching the series last night and I really was not sure what to expect of it. The title of the series someone pulls you in and it seemed friendly, subtle and somewhat uplifting so my drama has begun.

The series started out interesting and was enough to keep you invested for the next. I was excited but then the “let’s lie, it’ll be best” event comes along and you realize there’s a train wreck ahead. I for one am not a fan of movies or series of any kind that has the foundation of it all build on the lie. I’ve said it before I feel like I’m watching the whole time waiting for a big ball to drop off for someone to get hit in the face with an egg. And in both cases even though we know there’s a wreck coming we can’t help but watching. So far I am enjoying the vibe from who I assume is the supporting cast. They definitely gave a different feel to the series. As of right now I have watched episode 1 thru 3 and I am choosing to rate it a five star. It may sound unfair but it’s getting a bit old to have the series revolving around a big mystery lie that was stupid and absolutely unnecessary.

**Update: if you can make it past episode 10 things will get a lot better. Although there still some hidden information it is not so extreme. I will admit that I am more invested in the second couple than I am in the first simply because their storyline has a lot more engaging activity going on. it’s just more interesting. I increase the rating because it seem to me that the story got better after episode 10. It was a little less draggy and the excessive lying somewhat stopped which made it a whole lot better. There’s great acting, not so much chemistry going on but there are some heartfelt moments that will tug at you. Ep 10-40 was an improvement. I will warn you that there’s a time jump of 9 years from episode 8-9.

Ep 10-79
Yes, such a huge time. Things have happened but nothing major. Unfortunately these 69 episodes will only provoke you to anger, frustration or disgust. This is the first time I have watched a series this long without having viewed any real progress or development. There has been no major developments only lying and disgusting behavior by rich people. Not cute. In truth if you skip episodes, you won’t be lost because nothing major or worth while takes place.

Ep 80-84
Finally some truths are revealed but sadly it doesn’t change a thing in the vibe or behavior of the cast. Still going at the same pace with the same feel ( greedy ex-wife displaying self righteous behavior to her ex ex husband, sheepish sister doing what she does best accepting the deception she received and crazy ex in-laws acting ruthless and superior. How I long for character growth but at this point I don’t see it happening)

85-100 gets a bit more upbeat. There are some minor revelations and understandings that take place. The ending is okay, pleasing. Karma refused to show up but I think inner humanity did. Overall it’s okay

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I was first interested because I thought that psychological drama would offer something deep and interesting, and also because the synopsis sounded like a thought provoking drama that would go deeper into things. But that was all false.

Story: First the story and the idea were promising. I was looking forward to how the plot would progress. But as I was watching, I just grew more and more bored. The whole idea just vanished somewhere in the middle, and it felt like the writer just forgot what they were even trying to say. I don't even remember what the underlying idea was, since it's been so long since there was any kind of purpose. There was no idea anymore, and I was left watching two most unoriginal characters falling in love (in most uninteresting way). Which brings me to the next thing ...

Characters: Flat and boring. No dimensions anywhere. There was nothing to wonder or think about. All the characters lacked defining character traits. I was hoping some kind of moral conflict with the main character regarding this whole thing that happened. But she was just annoyingly goodie goodie the whole time. They could've played a lot more with the characters and the plot. There was nothing really memorable about the characters. ESPECIALLY the main characters. Actually, the most interesting character was the villain, even though he lacked personality too. I don't think there was anything wrong with the actors or acting, it's just that the characters were really uninteresting. At least second lead's couple had some interesting conflict and interactions, but the main couple were whining about who gets to keep a flower or who sleeps on the sofa. Please.

More about the story: Some scenes were almost comical, even though they were supposed to be serious. I couldn't take it seriously, and I was just left rolling eyes confusingly. Dramas don't have to be necessarily realistic, but at least make them believable. This drama didn't even try to make sense. And ohmylife, the unnecessary scenes that didn't play any type of role in the plot... This drama just made staring at the walls interesting. There were some nice scenes, mainly at the beginning, but the latter half just ruined the wholeness.

I just hope every single drama writer could adopt this simple rule to their daily lives: if it doesn't take the plot forward, DON'T ADD THAT SCENE. But I guess they have a certain amount of time that has to be filled... But then you should use your IMAGINATION. Ahhh, whatever. I'm so done with this. I'm so done. Cheers to this ''amazing'' drama.

And what was that stupid cliche ending? After all this disappointment, you go and disappoint me even more with your meaningless supposedly philosophical discovery about how meaning of life is to live and be happy? I mean... Just wow, I have never witnessed this type of genius before.
Of course every drama don't have to make me re think everything I know about life, but at least don't pretend to be deep and BE ENTERTAINING. This was just boring. And just like I said earlier, made staring at the walls interesting. I already discovered the many shades of white my walls have that I never knew about before watching this drama.

Since this review has been so negative, should I say something positive too? Hmm... Good looking cast?

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this show is ass (must read review)

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE WATCHING
i never wrote a review before but i needed to for this show because this show was steaming hot garbage !!!

1. the fl chases after the ml's best friend for over half of the show, it's unbearable this was the number one thing that ruined the show. like please don't watch it i'm so convinced this show was a experiment it makes me so mad just remembering how i wasted my time with this show.

2. THE SIDE COUPLES DONT END UP TOGETHER, the fl's best friend had a boyfriend and they were cute together and were together for most the show but they broke up and she went onto marry a RANDOM MANNN?? THEY DIDNT END UP TOGETHEr at the end and the ml's best friend had a girll, i forgot what happened but they weren't end game either.

3. there are no cute scenes of them as a couple the only cute scenes between them is just one sided love where the ml likes fl lead but she thinks of him as a brother. they literally get together on the LAST EPISODE (episode 36) at the last 5 IMINUTES, WALLAHI AND THEY NEVER DATE THEY GO STRAIGHT INTO MARRIAGE AND WE NEVER SEE ANYTHING AFTER THAT THEY JUST GET ENGAGED AND THAT WAS THE END this was so rushed, the show was so bad like i want to cry its so bad, it was so stupid, it was so bad im crying like its so bad i get angry whenever i think of this show

also one of the people from their friend group left permanently??? like he just got a train and we never saw him again after the like second episode or something & the show kept going downhill from there

people will eat anything uppp how did this show even get a 8.4,, SAV YOURSELF!!!! and do not waste 36 hours on this drama that they gave no effort on, this isnt even like those funny bad ones this is just a painful watch whole way through. this whole show felt like they were just pushing to get it over with!!!

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Needlessly Frustrating

This was a frustratingly stupid mess. This could have literally been solved within the first hour if it weren't for the absolutely idiotic behaviour of nearly everyone. The police were asinine and so were many of the core characters. The mother leaving out after the first encounter was face palming silly and a whole assortment of other ridiculous foolishness this movies gets up to that I'll spare you due to spoilers.
Perhaps the worst part of this movie was it's attempts at supposed messaging and social commentary. Primarily as it set up some of the silliest and most unbelievable scenarios to comment on the treatment of the disabled. A woman frantically running, screaming and being pursued by a man with blood all over him would set off literally everybody's red flags.
But oh no she can't speak so clearly she's deranged and we won't give her the time of day. THIS WOULD LITERALLY NEVER HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE.

The acting was fine, the music reasonably forgettable but I expected nothing less. This movie should have just been in the Door Lock, Blind school of inoffensive thriller that is just tightly written and done but some how they managed to make an absolute mess of it.

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I really can't figure out why this isn't as popular as it should be.

I was sucked it by the first episode-- watched it all in barely four days. There was really nothing about it I didn't like. I actually tried to find problems with it:

Music= I didn't watch it on mute! Good job music.
Romance (too much/little)= this is how you balance, man.
Action (pointless/thrilling)= :') All interesting and had a purpose
Actors= chemistry was great, I didn't have to cringe at anyone
Comedy (too much/little)= Came just when I needed it. It was sarcastic and witty and wow I'm pretty sure I didn't laugh at anything I wasn't supposed to this time because, y'know, good acting
Ending= the only time I really didn't mind an ambiguous ending.

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Visual leads with cute chems… no breakup! almost no angst!

What i like:
- The visuals of the leads is just something… come one, have u seen them? N the chems is cute… i’m not a big fan of a noona romance, but Angela Baby looks so young n beautiful, so i have no probs in that dept…
- No breakup once they get together… the relationship between the leads is just so healthy… yes he’s younger by 7years in the drama, but he doesn’t act like it, he is very mature n such an adult, especially in the relationship with her… ML is honestly how a perfect BF should be like…
- I like almost all characters, everybody has plus n minus n redeem themselves eventually, even the father… except FL’s ex, he’s just something else… he didn’t take the villain route though, so there’s that…
- No real villains, not even the ex… no real SFL either, lots of girls like ML, but noone annoying or playing tricks, their luv is strong…
- Almost zero angst!
- The side couples r cute too… FL’s BFF with ML’s boss (he has a kid, so that plot is funny) n FL’s lil bro with FL’s colleague/ML’s friend… all HE…

Why i was a bit conflicted:
- The relationship was a bit complicated… ML&FL r not related by blood, n even though they r stepsiblings, they were never raised together… he went abroad for a long time then they met again when they r adults… he fell for her first, then after a while they got together… i personally don’t think it’s wrong, but somehow i wish they weren’t step siblings, it’s still weird in a way…
- Again i’m not a fan of a noona romance… but since i like both leads, n they look so cute together, so yeah, i enjoyed watching them…
- There were a bit boring parts in the drama, but it was ok portion… i wish they could show more of them being together in front of other people n not being cute only when there’s noone around…
- The working plot wasn’t that strong either…

Overall i really like it! I’d def recommend this for people who like a light romcom n don’t mind a bit complicated background for the leads… n it’s a HE…

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Something new u might like <3

I eventually decided to give it a try because I like Aaron in 'professional single' hence I wanna see more of his project! I have watched up to eps 24, and surprisingly enjoyed it (even though it's quite angst hiks)! At first, it was a bit awkward indeed, but hey! It's not that bad as others said though! Its storyline is basically about a domineering CEO who has a strange superpower that allows him to control others, besides reading someone's mind. However, he couldn't use his power upon FL. The 'CEO' stuff is not only a title or cover, but they genuinely implied basic business such as strategy marketing, how to maintain a good price to compete with other brands, etc.
FL herself is a bold, stylish (her fashion lure my eyes ngl) as well as tough woman. FYI, ML and FL were high school mates. They're best friends, moreover, ML had a crush on her back then. Due to one misunderstanding, FL cut ties with ML. Time skip, they encounter each other once again. They keep bickering yet I see he still deeply in love with her.
Aside from that, this drama is even funnier than I imagined, let alone side characters lmao!! I like the bromance thing between ML and his bestie (the doctor) as he's so hilarious :D
Lastly, don't think so highly about cdramas, just let it flow, then you'll find your own peace. If it's not here, find your kind of comfort dramas out there without messing up in the comment section. Luv! <3 *purple heart*

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I don´t understand why so many don´t like it!

I know it is overwhelming to see all the negative comments!!!
But trust me it was a really sweet story!
First of all I understand that it´s the typical old school school romance BL love story so it can be boring for many,
because there are so many that exist already!!
Also they should have wrapped it up after 8 to 10 episodes .. 12 was to long!
Other than that for me it was a very sweet wholesome story of two people falling in love!!
Yes there was a bit of drama but nothing over the top.. they always managed to get back together
and the reasons why there was some drama was also Ok and nothing that people can´t understand!
I get that people want to get other story´s as the same old school classic stuff...
BUT IF u want a classic school love story this is completely fine!
There are many sweet moments and also really good kissing scene´s!
I completely recommend watching it until the end and not stooping halfway thru...
even if there are some parts that they should have made way shorter!
Over all I love Joong & Dunk As a couple and I think they really improved (especially the kissing)
also the second couple was very sweet as well!
I want to see more of Aou & Boom hopefully someday with an own story!
the only thing was that I did not like that there where to many episodes and that Zo´s (Dunk) mom was a bit aggressive in the way to teach her son...she put to much pressure to him! I didn´t liked that at all! But it ended all well!
So please really give it a try!!!!!

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1) The reason I watched this:

I was mainly attracted by the cast then the story seemed intriguing enough I just went for it without high expectations or anything.

2) Storyline/Plot:

Generally speaking the story was about royalty nowadays and north-south Korean peace process through love, pain and many other mixed feelings. The Korean nation, the king, the love realtionships, loyalty, friendship and action therefore you can say that the story got it all!

Positive points:

*The different theme: When you watch too many dramas of the same genre you would get tired of all the Korean romantic stories that share the same plot but this was unusual; script writers gave a unique story: I haven't seen anything like it before.
*The South and North Koreans never ending troubles; this existed before in some dramas like "Muyang the spy", it's not a new theme but it was greatly expressed here. Well, a non-Korean person may find himself not interested in this sort of theme but everyone ould like to watch the peace process and the two nations reunion.
*Royalty nowadays was a great background. It's true that "My princess" shared the same background but "King2Hearts" was way too interesting.
*The romance was cute but not shallow. The romantic development was always captivating especially that there's two different love stories to follow.
*The action was set up in a good way; those scenes were exciting to watch. Writers were brilliant for inserting action in this story because that genre is able to eliminate any sort of balnk moments.
*Involving other countries like China, the U.S and even Japan in the drama made the events complicated in a good way.
*Politics: it wasn't heavily present but when it existed it was well doe especially the diplomatic talks.

Negative points:

*I wouldn't say it's a negative point but I wanted the main couple's love story to go deeper since there was lack of drama in that aspect.
It's true that there were many obstacles but I felt like they got together so soon. Anyway, it wasn't bad but I wanted everything to go deeper in this drama.
*Beside that, everything was cool except something that happened near the end but it would be a spoiler if I mention it.

Story: 9.5/10

3) Acting/Cast:

*Lee Seung Ki : I've seen him in two dramas before but here he was amazingly different. At the beginning, he may sound childish but in some point he felt like a total grown up plus his character development was greatly done. I fell for his role and even his speeches were nicely spoken plus he delievered great emotions.

*Ha Ji Won: I like this actress because she have a great way in portraying her roles. Here, she was different from what I saw before. Being a couple with Lee Seung Ki may seem like a huge age gap but events didn't allow to think much about that side. Then there's her North Korean accent: that was really annoying to hear at the beginning but I got used to it as the drama went on. I specially liked her actions scenes and her convincing acting.

*Jo Jung Suk: i haven't seen him in anything before before but I fell for the character ever since his first meeting with Lee Jae Ha and everything that happened later on, he was so cool.

*Lee Yoon Ji: Special likes for the princess; I liked her character and her relationships with everyone.

*I didn't hate Jhon Mayer like I hated his stupid psycho artist Tara or whatever, I still want to kill her!! But I have to admit that they were great actors and performed their parts greatly.
*The remaining cast were awesome; thumb up to the WOC team and the queen.

*The chemistry and relationships between the cast members was cool uncluding other countries cast; it was cool to hear English, Chinese, Japanese and even French here.
* I rarely give 10's to any drama's cast or acting department but here I was deeply impressed.

Cast: 10/10
Acting: 9.5/10

4) The ending:

I really hated one event near the ending that I even considered it a negative point earlier but that doesn't deny that we had the ending that we wanted.
The ending a nice closure to a great drama.

The ending: 8.5/10

5) My impression (How did it affect me):

*I really enjoyed this drama, so much that I feel some sort of emptiness when it ended.
*I always love the unique different stories and I found that in this drama's storyline. Special likes to politics since I love it.
*The cast was amazing one of the fewest drama's cast that I genuinely loved.
*I had all sort of feelings while watching this: great impression.

My impression: 9/10

6) Overall:

*If you like watching royalty stories then you would like this.
*If you're looking for an interesting story the this is for you.
*If you like romance combined with action and politics then you would like this.
*If you like Lee Seung Ki/Ha Ji Won then you need to watch this.

Overall: 9.5/10.

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not what I was hoping for

Overall: I was hoping for a fun mess like the first one, but even setting the first season aside I had struggles with the characters/plot. Viewers do not need to have watched the first season. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6274/only-friends-dream-on-2026

Content Warning: vomiting around 43 min of episode 1, non con recording/sharing, punches, blood, past alcoholism, intimate partner abuse/violence, victim blaming, non con touching that turned consensual

What I Liked
- so many GMMTV actors in one series
- different dynamics (exes, hookup, secret crush)
- sweet moments
- Raffy and Rome

Room For Improvement
- Jack should have apologized multiple times and Dean shouldn't have apologized multiple times, you can't have boyfriend expectations when the label has not been agreed upon (and even vehemently rejected)
- intimate partner abuse response was terribly handled. She said she was repeatedly physically abused and Jack's response was "Whoa that's not okay Dao. How did you put up with a cheater like that?"
- made no sense to set this during/at university, could have been a play production post-university age
- the non con hugging with Arnold and Tua was awkward to watch and not romantic
- the interviews/tried to be edgy like Real World but shied away from being edgy
- I don't normally take off for production value but GMMTV has money and years of experience, the slower background music clashed with another beat on top of it

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The story started off well and it had a very good potential to be one of the best dramas this year, but the slow pace is what upsets me. I can't call it is ruined, but I was anticipating more.
It is not a slow burner. Normally, I am ok with this kind of pacing. But here is the pace is really slow of the kind that the actors take five minuets looking at each other without a word and the antagonist takes scenes and scenes before he could strike, not to mention some plot holes and some stupid acts by the police. In the last episodes, the pace lift up and the episodes became more intense, which made the rating process kinda perplexing for me.
Acting-wise, the child actors did a better job than the adult ones. Nam Da Reum and Ryu Han Bi really impressed me. Heo Joon Ho (father) managed to make me cringe every time he is on screen. For the protagonists, Jang Ki Yong (Na Moo) was really good in the dramatic and when-he-is-angry scenes, but failed -unfortunatley- is the romantic moments, which was a big let down as I had seen him in Go Back Couple and made me develop second lead syndrome. ?His looks to Nak Won felt mannered and artificial, trying hard to look endearing and fluffy. Other than that he did a good job especially in the aforementioned scenes.
For Jin Ki Joo (Nak Won), I hope there was another actress instead. I won't lie, I skipped a lot of her (romantic) scenes.
Seo Jung Yeon (mother) overacted while acting angry but she was ok on the overall level. Kim Seo Hyung's (reporter) character was very annoying and was depicted evil for a reporter.
Music was soothing and lovable.
Overall, it wasn't a bad journey, but it could be much more better if it was shorter. I don't regret my time, but I don't think I'll be able to watch it again.

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''The day you wasted today is the tomorrow that someone who died yesterday so badly wished for.''

Whether you'll like ''Chocolate'' or not, it pretty much depends on your mood. If you are looking for intense melodrama which focuses mainly on the romance, then ''Chocolate'' is not for you. But if you are looking for a well-written, soothing story with unqiue main and supporting characters, then you hit the jackpot!

I'm almost never in the mood for melos which is why I didn't believe that I'll enjoy this one. I've read different opinions from different reviewers and even though I quite agree with some of the negative things they said, I can't lie that ''Chocolate'' is totally my cup of tea and I loved it even with its flaws.

I think the premise of the drama is a bit misleading -- it looks as if it's a story which focuses on the romance the most, but it's not like that. Actually, you have to wait (quite) a lot to see some heart-warming moments between the two main leads. ''Chocolate'' is one of the dramas that focuses on the supporting characters a lot and yes, I know that in a lot of kdramas that is extremely annoying. BUT it's not the same case here. The supporting characters in this drama were so interesting and loveable and I loved every second of them on the screen. The story takes place in a hospice which means that you'll encounter a lot of dying patients so beware that you'll bawl your eyes out. I loved how they appreciated every patient, how they showed their story and left a message to the viewers. I loved every side story -- the ahjumma and the director of the hospital's story was so heartbreaking and painful, yet very touching and beautiful. The FL-s brother -- Taehyun, was sometimes so annoying to the point that I wanted to slap him hard, but he had his own charm and he brought a different light to the story. Plus some of his words were so strong. So I really appreciated his characters, even though he was flawed. I even liked the scenes with Jun's parents especially in the first half. Well, his grandma was a bit... unlikeable.

Now let's get into my absolute favourite character -- Lee Jun played by the charming Jang Seung Jo. He is for sure the character that developed the most. I really hated his younger version, but he progressed with each episode and I fell in love with him easily. Extremely interesting person, whose life was pretty much ruined by his toxic family -- but who still wanted to change himself and live better. I was so pround of my man! Jang Seung Jo was flawless and I believe he was born to play this character. The bromance between Jun and his brother Kang was something that made me smile the most and the development of their relationship was so beautiful.

The main leads were also very strong and intiguing characters. Lee Kang is, undoubtedly, one of the best male leads out there! I'm not gonna lie, I completely fell in love with Yoon Kye Sang and the way he portrayed his character. Moon Cha Young is an actual strong female lead which is not that often seen in kdramaland. I've never been a big fan of Ha Ji Won; I know she is a good actress, but she has that very specific way of acting which isn't my cup of tea. But I have to admit, she was brilliant here and she definitely managed to impress me. Her acting was so real, it was obvious that she acted with her heart. The romance between Cha Young and Kang was amazing, their chemistry was very natural and convincing.

Yeah, there are a lot of things happening in ''Chocolate'', but they were very well-balanced. All the different characters and their different stories brought different nuances to the overall plot which was nice. There are still a few things that I kind of dislike: the time skips in the first few episodes were not very well done? And kinda confusing; the first half was more interesting that the second and the final episode could have been better but I still loved it; I believe some things needed more explanation but yeah, anyways. I don't think I'll ever rewatch this, because it just won't be the same.

So overall, ''Chocolate'' is a very heart-warming and well-written drama which will heal your heart and soul. It has a very soothing atmosphere which will make you escape from your reality. If you've seen ''Uncontrollably Fond'' by the same writer, maybe you should expect something similar to it but with better story and characters. :D

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