Reviews

what even is this???

I need someone to explain this to me, like I'm three, because I just don't understand how this not only got approved, but filmed and aired.

Who thought this was a good idea?

To be clear, i don't blame Mew or Gulf for this mess. They're actors, doing their jobs, and doing them pretty well in spite of the terrible writing, bad direction and awful editing.

I want to start with something positive. But there's nothing really positive to start with. This whole series is a mess.

THE PLOT: It's been seven years since Tharn and Type got together. They're now sharing an apartment and, after his brother announces his engagement, Tharn decides he wants to marry Type.

Type does not want to get married, for reasons which are valid but which Tharn completely ignores.

Type is working for a boss that seems to hate him (we never find out why, not really), which is causing him a lot of stress as his boss just piles the work on - even work that Type is not supposed to be doing as part of his job - and it's putting a strain on their relationship.

That's basically it for about eight episodes, then things take a hard right and suddenly Type has left to go stay with his parents and become a monk.

THE PROBLEMS: Tharn is lost in his own world. Type and he barely communicate about things, especially important things, and Tharn becomes so obsessed with having what his brother has (an engagement and a wedding) that he doesn't listen to Type at all and completely dismisses Type's very reasonable fears and objections. Tharn's wanting to get married appears to come out of nowhere to Type, and to us as well. Tharn never seems to consider actually talking about why Type doesn't want to get married and makes it all about him.

Cir and Phu just confuse me. Cir acts like a five year old and Phu acts like a combination of his brother/father/guardian. How am I meant to believe these two are a couple?

Fiat and Leo also confuse me. It's obvious from the first episode that Leo is in love with Fiat, and if he'd just have said something the worst of this story's problems could have been avoided (Fiat acting like a little stalker, and Type kidnapping and threatening Fiat) but Fiat, who is probably the most realistic character out of them all (eh, he's still a teenager and lacks emotional maturity and does stupid things - sounds about right), could try and take a hint. Hint: best friends don't let you lay all over them. Next to them, yes, but not full body contact all over them.

Techno, who I rather liked in S1, has been ramped up to eleven and gone from funny and charming to obnoxious and annoying.

a bit like the sound effects that are overused to the point to stupidity through the story.

The Doc and Champ had a rather sweet relationship, which was nice, but sadly their screen time was limited because the writer clearly wanted to focus on the other couples.

let's not even get started on the female characters. It's a Thai BL so it won't end well.

S1 had it's problems, but at least it was a cohesive story and every episode felt necessary. Half the episodes in S2 feel like filler as things rinse and repeat (Type gets in trouble with his boss, Tharn and Type have an argument, Tharn does something romantic and they make up, start again) and nothing changes until the last three episodes or so, when the pair of them finally learn to communicate a little better (which shouldn't have taken seven years.)

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Brilliant

No other Wuxia can compare to this in my opinion. The sheer breadth and depth of the story make for a viewing pleasure that holds the audience captive through 60 episodes and this is firstly thanks to the superb casting of Chen Feiyu as the ML. He is an anti-hero character who is supremely confident, intelligent, and powerful and I will never forget how fully immersed he was in such a dark character considering how unobtrusive he is in real life.

Can we talk about the beautiful cinematography and the immaculate fight choreography that will have your heart in your mouth even knowing he’s the hero doesn’t mean his opponents just roll over to play dead? He wins despite many odds because of his tenacity and unwillingness to succumb to what some call his lowly fate.

The FL is a pocket-size bundle of joy who made me smile whenever she came on the screen. The character of Sang Sang is one that was built incrementally until we see her come into her own. I also liked the height difference between her and Feiyu. So adorable. Anyway, this is one to rewatch.

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3 reasons to watch this series

I have one principle when I start watching a series: I don't expect anything, so at least I won't be disappointed. Then I give it three or four episodes to decide whether to watch it to the end or not, which usually takes at least an hour or so. This time it didn't even take ten minutes, because the total runtime is 70 minutes for 30 episodes. Was I disappointed? No, I was surprised.

There are three reasons to watch this series: 1. Junior, 2. Kad, and 3. it's fun. It's fun because many of the things that make 'normal', i.e. longer, Thai series so hard to watch sometimes are simply not possible when there's less than 3 minutes per episode: no staring at each other for 10 minutes, no endless crying scenes (there are actually none at all!), no distracting side couples, no shrieking bl-fans, even the ex-girlfriend isn't toxic, and she doesn't get more than 2 minutes of screentime.

I won't spoil the plot, there isn't much to spoil anyway. The episodes display short scenes about two roommates who are different from each other, but there isn't the worn-out hater to lover trope. There are just 30 glimpses of two boys getting closer, and I find it surprising how well they are being characterized. Junior and Kad have a fantastic chemistry, and they obviously enjoy the opportunity to show their talent as comedians.

Cinematography is also surprisingly good for a tiktok series, as is the soundtrack.

The series is now available at youtube with English subtitles, all episodes put together without any commercial breaks, and if you have 70 minutes to spare, and if you want good, light entertainment, and if you like Junior and Kad, then this is exactly right for you.

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A sweet slice of life

This is a really special 2-part short film that has a much more realistic feel to it than we're used to, yet remains in the BL genre.

Nobody is rich, the mother looks like a real person, and the setting is really beautiful without relying on the usual wealth and glamour - the director uses the natural setting to its best advantage.

The pacing is really good, managing friends to lovers in such a short span without feeling rushed or unnatural. The relationship is fluffy without being saccharine, and the chemistry between the two leads develops and feels real. The script is good, and a character's description of what it feels like to want someone is age appropriate and avoids the silly cliches like a kiss on the cheek is something shocking - these two want to touch each other, and the confused character is just the right amount of hesitant. Realistic dramatic tensions are not given overblown weight, and resolve in a natural way - it's refreshing.

The acting is superb - Mon has always been good, but Oak is really good in this and seems to improve with every project. And again, Mon performs the main theme.

I will certainly watch this again, and I'm looking forward to the next project.

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Ts suchs ass

Honestly, the actions weren't even needed in the first place, JUST WHOSE IDEAS WAS THIS? this feels like a slap in the face to fans (like me) who have spent years emotionally invested in the story. It’s like the people behind the adaptation read a Wikipedia summary of ORV and thought, “hell yea ts tuff, let’s throw some monsters in there and call it a day.” The soul of the original is gone. Don’t even get me started on the pacing, they butcher the story structure so badly that important arcs are erased???? It feels like they tried to Frankenstein the entire first few volumes into a watchable product and just hoped we wouldn’t notice. But we noticed cus wtf!???AND LMAO the CGI suchs, like actually, like PS2 cutscene levels of bad and in a story where the entire world is falling apart, that matters. It’s supposed to feel terrifying and mythic, but instead it’s just... cheesy? Idk, and emotionally? It’s dead inside. They ripped out the internal narration, the constellation dialogue, the deep moral dilemmas all the stuff that made ORV different, and they replaced it with generic hero tropes and forced drama. It reeks of trying to please the general public instead of respecting the source material or the fans who carried this story for years. In the end, it’s not just a bad adaptation it’s a complete misrepresentation. It doesn’t just “suck.” It’s a hollow, corporate husk of something that once had heart, and the worst part is they think slapping on a familiar title is enough to make us like it. It’s not. It’s infuriating. I FUCKING HATE THIS.

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What a fantastic drama! It was definitely of of the best I've watched, not one of my ultimate favorite but still it was really well done.
From the not predictable story which is really rare to do with k-dramas because you generally always know how it's going to end; to the superb acting done by everyone, especially Kim Myung Min (he will for me be one of the best male performance in drama this year with Lee Sun Kyun and Ji Jin Hee). Not to forget the OST that mixed really well with all the scenes!
I don't give it a 10 because this drama had a little problem, like some people said in the comments, there was a little disappointment with one of the character story turn, he was quite important in the beginning because we saw him quite often but after we didn't saw him at all, so I was like why did they introduce this guy to us if at the end they don't even matter?? (people who watched it will know about who I'm talking).
I don't think everyone can like that kind of drama because a lot of people prefer to watch basic rom-com with young actors most of the time (and ofc I like it too), but I wish people would watch it, not many did thought it was really really good! If you like family, romance, fantasy and funny-tragedy (I don't know if this exist) you will really like it.

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This review is for the people who are having second thoughts about watching this series because they have come across some bad reviews about What The Duck The Series. I won't blame you if you don't want to give this series a try because you think it might be a waste of time, but let me tell you this. Don't always take people words as it is, give things a chance and try it out for yourself. I read some reviews about this series that had me thinking, "If it's really that bad then I don't want to watch it".

Now, after watching season one and patiently waiting for season two to be release soon. I regret judging the series from someone else's point of view because I really enjoyed watching it. It was hilarious, cute, and it had me going "WTF" from the first episode to the last. The original name of the series "What The *uck" really suits the show because the are lot of WTF moments that would leave you speechless. You know, the one that gets your fan-girl/boy heart melting down to the one that have you crying with tears.

Anyways, apart from that, the casting and music choice for this series was well thought out because everyone played their part perfectly. It was interesting to watch the relationship growth between the main couple and side couples. With every hug, fluff and kiss, my heart is at peace. I'm very happy to have given this series a try. The slow build and the cliffhanger at the end of the season is all worth it knowing season two is coming.

Please go try it out for yourself because you too will be going... WTF.

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Watch this show!

My first k-drama, and one I revisit periodically. The storyline is original - a man destined to continue living to atone for crimes in his past. I'd like to address the age difference - I can see why some people really had a problem with it, especially since she spent so much time in a high school uniform. However, the chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun was amazing. When watching Gong Yoo - his loneliness was almost palpable and was heartbreaking to see. Kim Go Eun was able to vacillate back and forth between her pitiful life and her vivacity as she gets to know Kim Shin (Yoo) better. The secondary love story between Lee Dong Wook and Eu In Na was lovely as well. There was a lot of humor (like when he told her his name was Kim Woo Bin!), but such sadness as well. The scenery is just beautiful when they are in Canada. The music is absolutely perfect. Each song fit perfectly where it was used and there was a haunting quality about a number of the songs. These songs are easily recognizable when you hear them outside of the show. But I think the thing that I love best about this show is the friendships between the characters, especially between Goblin and Reaper. If you look up the word Bromance in the dictionary, you should find their pictures there - what started out as hate, moved to grudging respect, and then finally brotherly love. Their scenes never failed to make me laugh. This is one of the few shows that I have watched multiple times, and have enjoyed it just as much each time.

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Cinematic, beautiful, and a realistic story

I'm surprised that the rating for this isn't as high as it should be. The story was really shot beautifully and the cast was amazing. There was something really special about this drama that kept me going. The storytelling is really realistic and deep dives into the relationship of two best friends that evolves as they meet new people in their life. It's not your typical romance, more so its a coming of age that highlights the society's issues around LGBT relationships, families, and so on. This one was really beautiful and special to me and I'm really glad I watched it.

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Ok so i loved the story it was interested near the last two episode i was somewhat shock... i made a hypothesis in the beginning that all three boys know they were dating her but just pretended they didn’t and they choose to share so they don’t lose her but it turns out... Ya’ll know if you already watched it okay so here’s where the SPOILER is going to come! if this doesn’t make sense that means you didn’t watch it yet, come back and read this after you watch it! So at the end when she said “Why? You think you’ll be different?” Is actually dark to me because she wasn’t talking to gunwoo when she was saying that! She was talking to us viewer! That somewhat creeped me out lol but i still can’t be disgusted or angry with her! Cause knowing me i would’ve done that too... but i felt like i would’ve feel guilty from the beginning.. Anyways the ending and the whole story surprised me, more than feeling weird out or any negative emotions i actually felt amazed. Yeah that’s it i thought it was a great drama with beautiful casts.

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Trash

I have no words left. Worst adaptation ever wait, no it’s not even close to an adaptation. It’s just a trash ugh. When the live action first was announced, I was so happy but the moment I saw the cast I lost the spark in my eyes it was DISASTER worse than my life tbh. I hoped atleast the plot would stay same but they changed everything. It just keep getting worse and worse. It’s completely different movie not our ORV.
Please don’t waste your time watching it. Read the novel and manhwa. I genuinely hope this movie flops and disappears into the thin air. If you watch this movie this will be the worst experience ever in your life. Sorry my English is not good. Thank you!!

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Spoilers ahead about the Manhwa and the adaptation

After finishing Heesu in class 2 I think it was clear that the creators of this adaptation wanted to have the BL audience that were fans of the Manhwa without saying that they only took inspiration and without really wanting to commit to display the relationship between them until 5 min till the end feel like we were in the early KBL days with censorship.

Clear example of this Chanyoung bisexuality was erased in the show and he was such a supportive friend to Hessu helping them getting together with Jiyu there was nothing romantic between them.

They completely changed the narrative and even changed the relationships between the characters my main grip with this is that they decided to adapt a BL manhwa where the romance was the focus of the story and decided to add a lot of unnecessary storylines to make things more complicated for the couple to get together because if they was not obstacles they would have to show them early being a couple and showing affection and I think they wanted to avoid this so the couple only got together in ep 10 last minute showing really minimal affection and I feel the same with the fact that Seungwon moms exists but we did not see them as a couple in the adaption same for their classmate who has a girlfriend they exist as a queer characters but the show do not want to make them visible.
If they wanted to make a serie that concentrate on coming out and the pain of being in the closet they could have done this as an orignal story but they decided to capitalized on this Manhwa because it was popular and made a completely lackluster serie even if they wanted to make this like an ensemble work the screen time for both couple was certainly not equal if they do this and people defend it they are going to keep picking BLs Manhwa and do this making it palatable for the GP which is really unfortunate when KBL come so far Lost in The Big City being the latest example of the evolution of the genre.

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Not your cliche fairytale dramas

The drama from the start has been chaotic and funny but at the same time does well with the emotional moments too. The chemistry between the leads isn't fiery and passionate but kept subtle and fluffy. There are many funny moments and twists in every episode but it never overpowers the core of the story. The drama isn't your fairytale ones but a mature approach to such topics.

The dynamics between the family be it that of husband - wife or father- daughter are complicated because of their painful past and struggles. Every character be it the family members or other characters have their own inner struggles that slowly comes out and is healed with the help of their loved ones.

Ji Jin Hee nailed it with his role as Mu Jin. Till now I have only seen him in serious roles but he knows how to pull off both emotional and funny moments well. Kim Jee Soo as a mother and wife showed her conflicting emotions really well. Na Eun and Min Ho too have done good with their part, they are not great but not bad too.

It is one good drama if you are looking for something more than the average cute fluffy dramas that are going on right now.

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Choppy Editing, Multitude of Inaccuracies, Too Much Propaganda (Even During the Leads Wedding)!

I first added this to my watchlist when it was first announced, 4 or 5 some odd years ago. I had seen both leads in at that point one drama each (PA for him & CQL for her); since then I've seen him in one other (Parallel World) and her in a few others. While he is good as both the protagonist and antagonist roles, it's better if she stuck to the former. While I don't know the SML or most of the support, I have seen SFL in one drama as an antagonist and I've seen the TML in several dramas where he was just very good. Everyone else is come and go. Unfortunately, though this drama had potential, I'm sure it fell prey to choppy editing, multitude of inaccuracies, and too much propaganda even during the leads wedding in the very last episode.

Pros: Favorite characters were ML, SML, CY, little head navy guy, third couple, all parents; thankfully no toxicity; Brigadier and his family. I would have to say that the pros of this drama, other than the music and the overall obvious camaraderie of the soldiers and friendships. It also had a lot of people that were funny like the parents of FL and in small moments, you had a lot of little learning curves and teachable moments for everyone combined. I like the fact that they had these clubs in groups and what not for soldiers families and wives clubs and I'm guessing also husband's clubs if they so chose to join because that was real. I do appreciate the fact that they did show sad moments like toward the end, when two of their trusted captains had to either discharge completely or get reassigned to another unit due to pretty bad injuries. Those were honest. I personally like all the gadgetry like helicopters and ships and drills and all that other stuff. The villains a.k.a. big bad dad and his son and the international guy William or whatever were OK but I really wouldn't call them anything to cry home about in the villain category. However, the majority fell into the cons.

Cons: The first thing I noticed that was completely off kilter, was the choppy editing and the scenes just didn't flow naturally be it the drill, soldier scenes or the civilian scenes. They jumped from one to another without giving the viewer time to adjust. The other thing would be that a lot of the times you could blatantly tell that they were using either news footage or documentary footage from other locations other than what was being actually filmed, also, a lot was edited out and not shown in the actual series that was shown in trailers like the leads going to Disney World or spending time together or vacations together or even that supposedly the SFL became pregnant again. They never showed any time jumps until the very last episode where we found out that the entire show basically took place within a little over two years.

The thing that I complained about the most had to be the complete and utter lack of research be it when it came to things like miscarriages (somehow SFL, who actually had the miscarriage got over it in 10 days or less both emotionally and in every other sense of the word while the SML was the one who looked like he was going to pass out and felt guilty about it. Now everyone grieves differently, but this was just completely off kilter and the fact that absolutely no one except the ML asked him how he was doing just felt wrong because in real life that's not how it works either) to my absolute worst annoyance being their scuba drills. It was like production never researched a single thing about what it meant to be a master diver or in this case since these guys were special ops and they made rookie mistake after rookie mistake or things that were literally impossible if you take into account the laws of physics underwater that just had someone like me who's a certified scuba diver cringing. Now I'm not in the military, but anyone who is a dive master or anyone who's even further advanced in scuba than I am would be cringing at this let alone anybody in special ops or who are military divers regardless of country. Some of the tests that they conducted where scuba was involved were downright illegal internationally. For people who have never gone scuba diving, if you choose to try that, my biggest piece of advice is to go with a dive master and not alone or because of what you saw on TV.

The other thing that was they brought in a 3rd wheel to be kind of a in between of the villains I mentioned up top. His whole worst thing was that he could not take no for an answer from the FL, who herself had a lot of serious lack of judgment calls, but this dude was just ridiculous & on top of that he got physical with her toward the end and that was a big no. Then he felt like he had the need to call out the ML not once but twice, even though the ML and his team saved his life like it was any of his business. 3rd wheels like that I think are completely unnecessary and just make things worse for the storyline. On top of that they never closed him out so we don't know what happened to him. They made the SFL a princess or lazy goat as the FL called her for the majority of it until the miscarriage somehow matured her, but you still didn't quite say anything. Plus, you didn't really feel the chemistry of the second leads at all. As for the chemistry of the main leads, it was kind of felt, but not really until the end either. Meanwhile, the FL sort of lost her EQ a few times and blamed him for basically telling her what she did was wrong in that hostage negotiation and her playing prima donna which just kind of made me feel all iffy about her character until she understood things a little better. It seemed to me that only ML and SML, the third couple notwithstanding and CY were the only mature dudes and when it came to being in a relationship people out of the entire situation. I called ML a lump of clay when it came to romance, but even though he himself admitted that he wasn't great at it he was certainly honest about it.

Lastly, the propaganda factor was way too much. Yes I understand this had to be with soldiers and this also had the romance thing but you do not preach Motherland, flag, military, and all that other junk when your daughter just had a miscarriage. You do not preach that junk at a wedding when it's supposed to be emotional and a romance. It got so out of hand that even the SFL's mother would talk about it in the weirdest of times. I get it when it comes to certain situations and I understood that this was part of the series, but there were many situations when it was completely unnecessary and just reduced a more powerful scene to not so much.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, this is one of those dramas where if you turn your brain off and just watch while you're waiting for something sure. And if you could get past all of the inconsistencies and everything else mentioned in the cons, you'll be just fine. I do hope to see the ML in more series in the future because I think he plays protagonist roles pretty well and we've already seen him and antagonist ones.

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