Reviews

What a ride!

OMG this drama is a Rollercoaster of emotions. There are so many ups and downs that you'll get whiplash.
It starts really bubbly and tame, typical youth drama. Lots of cliches situations and dumb plots to get the romance going (don't get me wrong, thats what I signed up for) but, unexpectedly, we have a very AMAZING female leader. Dude, the girl is super cool, she is not your dumb, good as a saint, clumsy with a bad hair type of girl. She is the campus beauty, she knows she is a catch and is unapologetically cool, and that changes the game.
She doesn't react like you would expect and gives back better than what she gets. A breath of fresh air.
The villain in this drama deserves an award, really. Her plots aren't good, but she's such a good actress that you can't help hating her. Kudos to the actress.
So we kind of get mislead when we are told about the male leader in the sinopses. It's a love triangle between two brothers (who are the new meaning of brotherhood in my book) who are very charming (so you can get second male leader syndrome, I mean, I did...).
So things are going great and bla bla bla, and BAAAM, you get proof of cheating, baaam brain cancer, baaam suicide slash murder, baaam self sacrifice death, baaam attempt murder, and that is all in like, the last four episodes or so. It was so unusual that I got confused about the "youth romance" tag. It was super cool and out of the box.
It was a bit messy, and could definitely be longer so that the story could cleanup the ends better, but it was a cool crazy nonetheless.
All actors were great, specially because they are young, and as above-mentioned, we have a crazy range of emotions. Definitely recommend this drama, I watched it all in one sitting.

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Can't believe it's over. This was actually such a fun show. They're truly good at variety as a pre-debut group. They make everything so enjoyable. I like how we got to see some of the members that weren't close with each other before becoming close and all 9 of them as a big family, and i really love that. As someone who has been rooting for them since Boys Planet, I'm really proud to see them getting closer to their dreams. This show is so fun, and there are so many wholesome moments among the members as well. I'm going to miss this show. It’s been so healing. CAMPZEROBASEONE will be their first and last pre-debut variety show,too. Can't wait for their official debut on July 10th and many more in the future.

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Lee Hanee and Lee Sun Kyun needs to be in more musicals

Yeo Raeism was the highlight of the movie. The 3 best scenes that if werent there wouldve made me think the movie was a flop: the car scene when they sang Yeo Raeism, Lee Hanee beatboxing in the sauna, the final song battle.

Movie has a simple plot. Yeo Rae, a popular but terrible actress fell in love with Jonathan, a good but very very evil businessman. She finally realizes she isnt happy with him and the marriage and tries to get away from it. Bumwoo is a huge fan of Yeo Rae and ends up helping her in trying to get rid of Jonathan.

Lee Hanee did an EXTRAORDINARY job in portraying her character as she always does in all of her roles. She did an amazing job at the musical scenes. Seriously why hasn't she been in more musicals?!! To be very honest I think someone else couldve done a better job at portraying Jonathan's character than Lee Sun Kyun did. He did a really great job (plus seeing him with that hair-do and mustache while dancing was a major treat to the eyes), but I just feel like someone else couldve done it better.

My favorite part about the movie was how it was filmed. Take for an example the part where Yeo Rae and Bumwoo were brainstorming ideas on how to kill Jonathan. It's just brilliant! Her explaining the peanut allergy plan and Jonathan next to her demonstrating it like those live tv shopping ads. And one of my favorite scenes, when they planned to kill Jon through a car accident and they realized neither of them could drive a car. That whole sequence was brilliant!

Overall it's a very unique movie, especially so if you compare it to other korean films. It had a customized Wes Anderson feel to it plus a touch of Willy Wonka. There were parts where it got boring and my attention shifted elsewhere. HOWEVER, the comedy in this movie is just pure gold and I would rewatch it again for that itselft.

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It's BTS being BTS....

First of all if you have watched any BTS videos before (and I don't mean MV, just them doing things, anything), you don't need to see this review to know that this show was ah-mazing.
To those who have not seen BTS in anything other than their music (and to those who haven't even seen that just in case), I would suggest that you definitely watch this.
I get that this is just them eating, sleeping, playing and relaxing but it's just so much fun. Their chemistry is off the charts and they just have fun even when they are working because they are together. This show is basically BTS setting goals.
They are friendship goals as well as life goals. They work really hard but they also know how and when to relax (like me watching them to de-stress). Instead of watching motivational speeches on the internet to inspire yourself, you can just watch this and you'll want to do better in both your personal and professional life (I have started to cook after watching them).
Also since it's BTS, obviously their music is great. And yes I'm gonna re-watch this again and again.

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Time I will never get back

I decided to watch this C-drama because it only had 24 episode (which is short for C-dramas), but once I got started, I quickly realized that this could have been completed in half the episodes, and it would have made the whole thing more interesting. I felt that this show REALLY needed a different editor, there were some episodes that, once I got to the end, I realized that the entire episode was a complete waste of time. I really felt that a lot of it was like watching paint dry - boring as all get out.

I suppose the actors did a good job with what they had to work with. The problem was the script. The main character of Tu Mo was so irritating. First, she'd been liking a boy for years, and that boy was one of the most irritating characters I've seen in a show recently. Then, I couldn't actually see what Gu Wei Yi saw in her. Then, she always seemed to be mad at the male lead for something, but rather than talk to him about it, she did a lot of clomping out of the room, slamming doors, and generally not being very nice to him. She was very immature.

Overall, no chemistry between the leads, too many irritating characters, too much dog and cat sound effects, fish kisses, and multiple unnecessary scenes/storylines.

It was sad for me to realize, after watching this, that most of the C-dramas are along these lines and not, for me, overly enjoyable. Love Me If You Dare and Dating in the Kitchen are the gold standard for me, and I will continue to hope that I happen upon other C-dramas that live up to them.

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OHH!!! THIS SERIES MANNNNNNN!!!!

Oh god seriously! This series is so so so Good. We can say if gmmtv is producing it , it will be Amazing but the actors and whole crew seriously had taken so much efforts , which could be seen in Every slightest thing.

And the level of Softness and Cuteness killed me. I never thought I would love fluff story but this series completed attracted me . I waited for more than 8 months since it was announced. Coz i know once I see even a teaser i could never and ever stop myself.

I saw it the moment it was ended ..... They also gave the audience some sweet scene but the focus of story from the plot was never changed.

It gives some twist at the perfect time .

No wonder everyone loved it. And i am completely flying in clouds after watching it.

The actors were lovely and they put so much into their characters. I could surely sense their hard work. I have always cheered for them and seeing them doing thier own series...... OMG i m in love with this series

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I honestly don't really say 10 of 10 a lot because I'm very picky with movies but this one ...................owwwhhhoo give a minute ........ one of the best well composed movies i have seen so far. The main actress is so beautiful AND I REALLY BELIEVED SHE WAS BLIND FOR A SECOND and main actor were was just outstanding they had a well composed story line as well as emotions and i honestly was very jealous of there relationship it really made it sad, funny, happy all in its own matter actually before i found this movie , i was really doubting it because it sounded so cliques but this really hit the spot in all the right way( I'm talking about us girls here) but this movie it perfect for a girls night out or a sleepover or better yet a date i really wanted my boyfriend near me so can point out all the things the actor is doing that he isn't lol but guys really give this a shot you SERIOUSLY wont regret it..... i promise

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It had its moments

This dramas started out great with two seasoned kdrama actors, acting was never going to be a problem. Premise was good, medicine is one of the most stressful careers, doctors suffer a lot there was a lot of potential in the story to explore real issues. But the drama fell on its own sword when the driver of the mental imbalance came from half baked external sources. FL story was more compelling, but the ML story involving the criminal case was so unfortunately bad that it derailed the plot. No matter what the genre is when you have professional elements involving law, business, medicine or others care should be taken in maintaining some level of authenticity otherwise it ruins the viewing experience when we start poking holes at the plausibility of certain events, in doctor slump neither medicine or law was well researched. The bigger problem was there was never enough story to sustain 16 episodes, at best it could have been a decent 12 episodes drama. Mental health was more of a plot device than a subject of honest examination. Bottom line idea was interesting but the execution did not deliver, in the end it was all foregettable.

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Pretty entertaining, but not without its faults.

I didn’t have super high expectations for this series as I was not the biggest fan of Manner of Death, but after seeing good reviews and a high rating I decided to give it a try. I was surprised to find the story to be entertaining with a decent mix of comedy, drama, mystery and intrigue. Although I found the series to be over dramatic at times.

This series had some solid acting. I was loved to see a strong supporting cast, and I particularly liked Sing, Fukfang, and Rit. Tae did great portraying Tin’s growth throughout the series, and really made you root for his character. At first I thought Tol might be a bit of a flat stock character when they first introduced him to the story, but I didn’t think that for long. Tee did a good job bringing his character to life (or death haha).
The romance between Tin and Tol had a good pace and chemistry, and didn't feel out of place. They worked well together despite how strong the secondhand embarrassment could get.

The soundtrack wasn’t anything too spectacular, and there were a few tracks I thought were fine. Overall, it was okay and once again fit for your average TV drama.

Unfortunately the series lost its compelling aspects in the last few episodes. The main issue being that the story starts breaking its own rules when it comes to how things work in the time loop. They shifted towards using cheats and external help to beat the time loop, instead of using their heads to plan strategies and solve problems. Also, the personalities of everyone in the cast changed... Yeah.

(Spoilers ahead relating to the last few episodes) The shift in POV that starts at episode 10 contributed to a loss of some of the previous tension, and felt like a discredit to all of Tin’s hard work and character development. The most jarring change for me was how the loop Tol entered didn’t feel like any of the previous time loops Tin had experienced. Instead it felt like Tol was transported into some kind of alternate universe.
Tin acted like a completely different person (which only kind of made sense as he hadn’t met or had to try to save Tol yet), but regardless the change still felt quite extreme. Sing and Gap were suddenly dating with no explanation of why they are together. Gap’s feelings for Sing were pretty clearly hinted at throughout the series, but it made no sense that Tol entering the time loop would make it so things that never happened in any of the previous loops would suddenly manifest out of the blue.

Even though the writing wasn't particularly good, Triage was a fun watch to take as it is. I doubt I will be rewatching it though.

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I don't have much experience watching dramas with the older generation of actors (Anne, Tik, Andrew, etc.) but I truly enjoyed this drama. Sure, there were small things I didn't like about it, but on the whole, I came away from it smiling and glad I watched it.
STORY: Quite well-done. Yes, the nang rai (Pisamai) is a little typical, aka super possessive and crazy. But they make an effort to show you that she really is hurt by Prajak's associations wih Wanida, which honestly is understandable. Prajak made me both want to pull my hair out and grin like an idiot at the same time. I appreciated that his character wasn't perfect, because we're human and no one is perfect. Lakorns often portray either the male or female leads as perfect little angels that can do no wrong, but that just isn't true in reality. None of us are like that. Prajak's hubris was that he couldn't stand up for himself. It drove me crazy, but his character was also kind, understanding, and loyal, which counteracted his weaknesses. Wanida's growth as a character really added to the drama. She starts out as a spunky, naive young woman who gets into trouble constantly; later, she matures a woman who still has that spunk, but has a little better idea of when and how to channel that spunk.
I liked that while this was an arranged marriage drama, the leads didn't follow all the stereotypes, such as sleeping together, having to kiss at social events, etc. I also liked that Prajak didn't fall into the lakorn stereotype of the nang rai accusing the nang ek and the male lead blindly believing the nang rai. Prajak reminded Wanida that he "knows what kind of person she is," so when people talked bad about her, he would listen to her side of the story as well. The mother's "deathbed repentance" scene was a bit much, but whatever. And I had a hard time buying into the storyline with clearing Wanida's grandma's name because it just felt superfluous.
The story lags at the vety beginning and at the very end, but the pacing is good everywhere else.
Montree honestly made my life. He was hilarious and hot at the same time.
ACTING/CAST: I can't imagine anyone better than the people in the drama. Tik has got the loving look down-pat, he's on the same level as Colin Firth in that respect. Aff was simply gorgeous, and she did well in playing the naive, childish character without overacting and without becoming annoying. Wanida's father was hilarious. Prajak's brother was cute. The servants had AWESOME chemistry together, though Aunt Thom drove me crazy because of how badly she overacted.
MUSIC: Beautiful soundtrack. This is the only drama I've seen that didn't suffer from using the same music too often; the songs switched up once in a while, so you would expect the main theme, only to hear another very pretty and very fitting song. The only fault I found wih the soundtrack were the "soap opera" tracks used in a million other dramas for the dramatic moments. They felt out-of-place and a little obnoxious.
REWATCH VALUE: I would definitely watch this again, though probably just for Tik and Aff ;)
All in all, a very enjoyable drama that I highly recommend. Though it has its faults, the drama as a whole is so beautiful, any viewer will be willing to overlook its faults.

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While I'm not surprised by MDL's negative reaction to this show, I can't help but wish there was at least some love shown to this series here. But, considering this is essentially an indie film stretched into more than six hours of drama, I can't complain much, given the tastes of MDL users.

The extended shots and continuous takes evoke strong vibes reminiscent of Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien, which might make some viewers find the material a bit monotonous. But if you're a fan of Edward Yang or Hou Hsiao-hsien's films, this is a treat. I would even go so far as to say this is the best thing I've seen from iQIYI and Chinese contemporary film/television in a long time.

The direction, production, and the actors' performances (there are some seriously impressive performances here) are genuinely excellent and ensure there's always something captivating happening within the frame.

The atmosphere and mood of the show stayed with me long after the credits rolled in the final episode. If nothing else, the final half-hour or so will linger in your memory long after the screen goes dark.

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Like many people have said for those who have little experience with lakorns might find this disappointing but for us who have more experience with them, this show wasn't as frustrating as some of those out there. For starters yes there is an evil character who tries to mess with the lives of the leads but what series doesn't have that cliche. Our two leads didn't have any big misunderstanding because they saw the true colors of the evil character and they were careful. We also don't have the cliche of one of the female lead friends falling in love with the male lead and teaming up with the bad character. I was skeptical about mint at the beginning but from start to end they kept her character loyal to Aim. We also have Mr. Natt who I thought was going to be a headache but he ended up respecting the choice of the female lead and he helped her. I won't lie and say when they first introduced Preuk(male leads half brother) I thought we were going to have another evil character since that's a cliche that happens with most lakorns and dramas in general but again I was proven wrong and he was a good character. Overall this is one of the best lakorns out there especially since they didn't include many cliches and we only had one real antagonist.

Would I rewatch? Maybe in the future, because I already know the small plot twists etc...


Do I recommend watching? Yes!!! You won't waste your time with this drama, from start to finish it was good. It's not full of fluff but we have a couple who has little to no misunderstanding in their relationship once they begin and we have wonderful supporting characters that helped them. Also for once, we don't have a weak female lead who needs saving from the male lead.

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A Perfect Blend of Romance, Strategy, and Intrigue

The Rise of Ning is an exciting and addictive drama, perfect for those who love historical romance with a mix of strategy and mystery. Luo Yi Ning (Renmin) isn’t your typical noble lady—she’s smart, independent, and bold enough to challenge the rules for her freedom. Meanwhile, Luo Shen Yuan (Zhang Wanyi) is a calm yet highly skilled man in both martial arts and literature. Their chemistry is intense, starting with clashes but gradually deepening into something meaningful. Beyond romance, the drama is also engaging because of its business elements and political intrigues that add extra layers to the story. The visuals are stunning, from the costumes to the cinematography, making every scene a feast for the eyes. If you’re looking for a drama that balances love, strategy, and the struggle for success, The Rise of Ning is a must-watch!

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Eclectic cocktail that blends goofy comedy and deadly suspense

‒Short Unspoiled Review‒

This is a drama with a distinct storytelling style that I've yet seen in crime dramas. It seamlessly blends a laidback, whimsical comedic style with a deadly criminal investigation. Given this odd combination, it's easy to botch the tenor and pacing, yet the director will keep you waltzing along to his unique style, while appreciating his idiosyncratic visual styling.

Unlike most psychological suspense stories, this maintains the suspense and cerebral speculation without making the experience feel too serious and weighty. As a result, this is an easy to watch, easy to binge drama, while still filled with intelligent twists.

The actors all did a solid job, while fitting into the slightly absurdist mood of the drama. Though compared to my other favorite entries like 'Interlaced Scenes', 'Beloved', 'The Bad Kids', and others, this lacks the same level of poignant characters and social commentary.

Ultimately I really appreciated the originality of the storytelling and cinematography. I hope more dramas will follow suit and more viewers (esp in China) will tune in to such shows. Without traffic actors and expensive sets, this show managed to deliver a gem on probably moderate budget.

--Category Ratings--

- Overall - 8.1 -> 8.5 MDL
- Plot - 8
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 8
- Acting - 8.2
- Visuals - 8.5
- Audio / Music - 8
- Rewatch - 7
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 8.5
- Subtitle quality - 8.5

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I liked this series a lot. It was a nice change of pace from many of the recent Thai BL. It isn't high budget, or filled with sound effects or fancy production, which again was nice for a change. If you just watch it for simple entertainment, and not put too much thought into it, this is a fun short series. The opening credits are a bit weird, I assume something was literally lost in translation, but it was nothing to stop watching the show over.

The couples were all cute, and I liked the secondary character friends, especially the guys who talk in unison. They are definitely beginning actors, just a tad stiff, but far from the worst I have seen. There did seem to be some chemistry between the couples though. It was also nice to see a different part of Thailand, and something more rural.

There are parts of the story that could have been explored deeper, and some parts are rushed or glossed over a little bit. That being said, the pace of the story, and story itself was fairly good overall. And for those of us that have watched lots of Thai BL, nobody gets hit by a car, no sad breakup ending, or any of that type stuff you see in many series. A happy ending is nice sometimes.

The only reason I marked it down was the short length, and maybe a half star of mark down for the stiff or uneven acting (maybe that is the directors fault?). These couple of improvements would have made this one of the higher rated series I have seen this year so far.

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