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1Almost a slam dunk!
At first glance, this drama may seem like another campus romance, but there is a surprising amount of depth and freshness in how characters were written and how they behaved compared to your typical University BLs.The story follows Han Ji Won, a retired gymnast, as he steps away from the limelight and tries to adjust to a more ordinary life at university.
He may seem timid , socially a bit awkward and reversed. Zooming in, it may look like he hesitates a lot but he also reflects on his actions and reactions, and then acts on it. I agree that he is emotionally guarded but I feel he was very kind and thoughtful!
His decisions may be seen as cowardly and frustrating at times but considering his star background and how he would have endured both admiration and harsh judgment, it's understandable he sees through the world with caution. Deep down, he fears not only getting hurt but hurting others, especially those who grow close to him. Once I look at his decisions from that point of view, I do understand where he is coming from. I like how the drama handled this.
Coming to Kwon Jeong woo, initially he comes across as the classic campus heartthrob who is confident, well-liked and effortlessly charming. But rather than playing into expected tropes, his presence balanced the story. His openness, both in acknowledging his feelings and expressing them so clearly was really refreshing!
It's rare in BL drama to see a lead who is so self aware about his emotions and doesn't go into "panic" mode and mess with others 'emotions. I really liked how Jeong woo came out so casually in front of his friends. I like how less dramatized this was and how respectfully everyone handled that. This was definitely a stand out aspect for me.
The chemistry between them was strong and from the get-go! It was our "timeless opposites attract" setup. The little glances... The accidental touches here and there... Their personalities did clash but in the right way. It never felt forced. They had these small genuine moments that build up to something meaningful and intense with an actual emotional weight.
Also, the kisses were done so tastefully. I felt like I was intruding on them by just staring at the screen! Lol. Again a surprise!
The supporting cast also did a great job though there weren't many of them. I enjoyed the dynamics between Jeong woo's friends with him and with Jiwon. They definitely brought a dose of light heartedness but the support they showed made their presence more endearing.
Also, even though they never actually showed the two friends in a relationship, the subtle "I like them" moments totally got me. I just know they liked each other, it was really cute.
I do wish the drama would have been slightly longer so that the story and characters could have breathed more. The pacing was decent overall but in some moments things moved a bit too quickly. And I am also not a fan of leaving conflict resolution to the last episodes. But considering the standard 8 episode KBLs , I am very happy with what was presented.
Acting wise, I did the actors did a great job. I hope to see more of them in future. Production also seemed quite decent! But what bothered me a bit is the background music. Sometimes it was too distracting.
I didn't think I would vibe with it, this much but here we are. It's very binge-able and genuinely adorable. Yes it does lean into some of the overused tropes we have all seen before, but the way it’s done is well. Maybe I do see things through rose-colored glasses, but compared to a lot of other BLs in the same lane, this one actually felt like a fresh take.
I would definitely recommend it!
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The pros are miles long but i'll sum it up without getting too wordy.. hopefully:
- a very easy watch with good flow that keeps you going from an episode to another. Even when the story are simple daily lifes of students
- nothing over dramatic or makjang
- no hateful or annoying characters
- wonderful friendships of diff types and forms
- great rapport of ML and FL. And very natural progression of frenemies to deskmates to being each other's drive and support
- realistic potrayal of school life. Including struggles of studying, of hopes and dreams and the fears that comes with it
- ML despite earlier depicted as rough ard d edges n curt in speech but never overtly so. His sensitive, cating n even protective side comes out. As the drama continues he makes you swoon with the simple actions
- FL nvr potrayed as most beautiful or most dumb. Shes the average girl with her own charm, cute and doesnt try to overthink too much. She has her own strengths and limitations and own dream too. I love she was nvr overly "desperate". She instinctively does things that touches n moves the ML.
The length of the drama was just great. Never draggy.
The acting may not be the most perfect. Zhao Yi Qin was good at potrayal of Lan Tian Ye. He had the level of charisma without coming off pompous. He was cool without being cold or stiff. Li Jia Qi, this is her second work i've seen. I thought she was adorable in Meteor Garden as Xiao Yuo. Theres some sameness in her portrayal but while she might not be as versatile, she never came off as cringy or overact. ML and FL had believable chemistry and i think their acting was greatly helped by the story and directing.
For whatever reason you are hesitating to watch, hope this review gives you the push to start this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the dramas I'm adding to my all time favorites
I feel like there are only a few Chinese dramas where I know for a fact I will rewatch again and this one is one of them. The direction this drama took, for the most part, was to my liking..First of all, some people may not like the video game scenes because it doesn't really focus on the main story. I, for one, loved the video game scenes. I love the action and of course seeing the action stunts of the ML. For the most part, the ML shine in these action scenes. The FL was just silly & hilarious in those game scenes. I mean it's through these video game scenes how our leads eventually develop feelings for each other (despite the fact the ML was already a fan of the FL). I'm kind of disappointed that there weren't more video game scenes towards the end so they would've kept this theme throughout the drama but that's just me. Some may actually be glad the game scenes are done.
Finding out that the FL is a singer in this drama instantly drew me in because I love hearing songs in a drama and I love all of the osts being played in this drama, whether it was the FL singing it as part of the drama scene or the song being played as background music to the scenes. These songs got me hooked.
Story wise, it's average. It's nothing memorable or special. Some may get frustrated on how long it takes for the leads to finally be together or how many near misses they have with each other. For me, I like the way it was handled. So many "gasps" I had only to be ended with "aw darn". The drama eases in to their relationship. The ML & FL relationship & the dorkiness of the ML's friends are what really hold this drama together for me, despite not having an actual story plot.
A few issues I (and maybe others) have with this drama:
- The love rival of the ML (Jia Yun) looks to old and it's just creepy. This guy suppose to be the love triangle who's interested in the FL and yet he looks more like he could've been her father. This was very awkward for me as I had to skip a lot of his scenes.
- Secondary characters & couple: They were just there. Sure the SFL (Shan Shan) had a life issue due to a broken heart but it wasn't enough to take interest in her character. Her character was just bland at the start and the SML (Bin Yu/Taro) well... he was just a goofball overall. I kind of wanted more interaction of them with the leads (in a good way). I will say that I did start to take interest in these characters a little more after our leads got together but that's towards the 2nd half of the drama but man is this pair a dousy.
That's all the issues I had. Overall, I enjoyed it. The chemistry between the lead characters, the multiple comedic scenes throughout this drama, the number of times the FL embarrassed herself when with the ML, the dorkiness of the ML's friends, and of course the awesome & beautiful songs this drama features. None of the typical Chinese drama cliches in this drama which is definitely a plus for me.
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Yeong's worst enemy....
This series had me until episode 6 and then it just was a dull hum until the end. It's was a beautiful realistic story. One of the greatest joys was watching Yeong move from being self indulgent over exhuberent college kid to a self aware realist, a published writer. This is also the greatest sadness. He drew on his experiences, his environment and poured it into his writing. Along the way he lost his sparkle.Gyu Ho and Nam Gyu both suffered the same fate. Yeong's inability to accept love without expectations caused him to lose two people who truly love him. It seems all his relationships were doomed due to his desire to have the razzle dazzle fireworks to continue throughout, without being able to accept the mundane. Only after they were over, would he be able to see what he truly lost and regretted. Not knowing his true self and his inability to be alone encouraged two relationships that should never have been. Habibi and Yeong Su came with hidden baggage, one abusive and the other just sad. Yeong Su lived in shadows and manipulated Yeong's niaivete to live in his internalized homophobia. Habibi, with a hidden wife and child, embarks on a journey with him, hoping to capture a bit of Yeong's sparkle to relieve his boredom. Seeing him too drunk and overworked, Yeong chooses himself and walks away. Both relationships were poor choices to facing a life of solitude and expected failures.
His mother is shown to have moved from denial, abhorring, to knowing, to minimally discussing. She doesn't accept his life but still loves her son.
The real charmers, the electricity powering his life, were his close group of friends and roomate Mi Ae. Yet, even with them, some bits of his life were closed. His HIV status is only shown to be discussed with Gyu Ho, who loved him enough to truly accept him as he is. Gyu Ho, after the cowardly way Yeong breaks up with him, never contacts him again. Though, through the bartender at their favorite spot, he let's Yeong know, he is still loved. Not yet ready to make any contact, in the end, it is his friends that he is seen enjoying the fireworks.
The story was beautifully told, and with flashbacks in the last two episodes, we get a fuller history of the reality of his best relationship, Gyu Ho. The sad part for me is that he began to let his status have an effect on him and as he took stock of his life, became more subdued. The last two episode felt like a gradual slide down from the high.
Every character was skillfully brought to life. Yeong was a free spirited over the top whitty self accepting non judgemental dreamer who was scared to dream and Nam Yoon Su killed it. This is a must see at least once.
Note to directors and editors at large:
Flashbacks: This is how it's supposed to be done. Ever flashback should reveal something new and actually propel the story being told.
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The music was fabulous as well; especially their singing. The main two have such nice and lovely voices!
I don't personally like how a lot of things were cut from the drama and things got confusing here and there; especially when an episode ended in one place and the next one started in a different place and I'm sitting here watching it like, "What?!?! How did that even happened?? Or how did that even worked?" (I understand that some scenes were deliberately cut due to China's sensory issue, but at least make the continuity understandable.)
Overall, the web series is great and lovely even with a mere 15 episodes that were 20-25 minutes long each. I definitely recommend watching this web series because once you do, you will want more of the characters, lol. I will definitely re-watch this web series when I have nothing else to watch!
(I will be waiting for season 2!)
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Of course, I will start with So Ji Sub, who this role seems custom made for. I always admire his acting but to see his more comedic side, even as the serious-faced straight man, was really impressive. He definitely gets to show off his action skills too, and kick @ss in a way that made me swoon, but there are also so many funny scenes that made Kim Bon irresistibly charming. He was matched well with Jung In Sun as Go Ae Rin, who I think played her role well even if I was often annoyed by her character's actions. They may not have had a passionate chemistry, but I loved their innocently flirtatious and sweetly considerate moments together. Normally I would wish for more blatant romance, but considering their pasts in the story I think it was handled just right. However, I do kinda wish that I could see their story keep going beyond the last episode.
This is also the kind of drama where the supporting cast really shines, and I loved the entire cast. There's the KIS crew who turned nosey neighbor behavior into a true art form and had some of my favorite moments in the show. They are mostly there for comic relief, but I love how they were actually woven into the more dangerous and suspenseful parts of the story as well. Then there are the NIS agents, specifically Im Se Mi as Yoo Ji Yeon and Kim Sung Joo as Hacker-Bae Ra Do Woo, who had great chemistry of their own from the start. Joon-Joon were super cute, even though I initially wanted to put them on permanent time out. I guess they needed to do a good job of showing why Ae Rin was so desperate for a babysitter. Even Son Ho Jun grew on me in a way I didn't expect. Although some of the supporting characters and guest roles were cliché and over the top, it worked with the style of the story, which at times was campy, and I think the whole cast embraced that.
As for the writing, even though I was entertained the entire time, there were definitely some weak moments. What this drama does best is balance comedy and action, and both are done well without taking away from the other. You just have to embrace the totally unbelievable moments, but they did do a good job of not leaving many holes. The ending did feel a little abrupt and rushed, but they did a great job of ending the story without leaving any of the characters I grew so attached to ignored or forgotten.
Would I watch this again? Yes. This is a drama I wasn't ready to see end, so I can see myself rewatching more to enjoy the characters than for the plot. I would much rather see a sequel instead, which isn't likely, but the ending does open the door to a possible one which I would absolutely watch!
I don't really have any major complaints except for the obnoxious product placements. I think they made some of the moments extra cheesy on purpose, but especially in the last episodes. I couldn't believe how many commercials they squeezed into the story so blatantly (Did Quiznos really need to become part of the plot??!!! lol)
Overall I am glad this drama lived up to the excitement I had over first seeing the ads for it. If you're expecting a serious spy thriller or an epic romance, you are setting yourself up for a major disappointment, but I still think there's enough in this drama to keep a wide range of fans entertained. This is also an obvious must watch drama for any So Ji Sub fan. I wish he could give me "nose to nose" through the screen, but alas... I guess I have to settle for another drama to add to my favorites list.
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This review may contain spoilers
Yes but no...but why not.
Ok it's low budget, we got it. I saw better end of studies projects. It seems to be shot with a smartphone and two ringlights. The sound is the worst ever heard (you can almost make it into a game: subbed? Not subbed? Do you hear the film crew behind?).The script was written on a corner of the table.
Do you want clichés ? You have it. The rich, somewhat rebellious hunk, the poor guy who succeeded through hard work. The mother who puts pressure. The nasty ex girlfriend really nasty. The best friend in love but ultimately too much ...
The editing is random.
Sometimes I was "WTF?" or "oh wait, really?". Sometimes I laughed (when it was not funny).
The acting is cringey (especially for supporting roles).
At least, the end is not tragic if not really happy (and we applaud this detail!).
BUT, curiously, despite all these faults, I enjoyed the series. I think it owes a lot to the two main players. They are cute, they have good chemistry and seemed to get along really well. They are doing well and we get attached to their character. There are some skinship too which is emphazised.
AND it's BL Chinese.
So you liked Addicted? Don't expect to see a replica. But we can salute the sincere effort of the whole team to have tried to produce something despite all the restrictions. I know they had a lot of problems producing this series so I want to support them.
Fighting, China! You can do it ! Produce a good BL.
Soon.
Perhaps.
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Then, somewhere in between Just Between Lovers took a turn down the typical K-Drama alley. It became overly melodramatic and sappy. In order to create a tragic hero, they piled every problem possible in the world on his beautiful shoulders and there was only so much I could buy before I started giving it the side-eye. Physical health problems gave precedence to mental. I won’t say that it romanticized mental illness but it did gloss over it all. PTSD does not randomly vanish like this.
However, despite all this, one thing that was very clear to me at the end of it all was how much I enjoyed this show throughout. I was even more relieved than disappointed because of all the tropes it chose to follow because they provided the much needed escapism we look for in dramas. Even though, it dealt with heavy issues it didn’t drown in it. There was always a comedic gesture, a heartwarming moment and a swoon-worthy interaction between the leads to balance things out.
I think this drama had one of the best K-Drama romances ever. This was exactly the kind of relationship I fall for. It was a beautiful slow burn, where two people grow individually and together. They go through obstacles, they have their highs and lows and they become stronger through them- both in harmony and independently. And, it was all absolutely beautiful to watch. I’ve never been this starved for skinship between the leads and when it finally happened, it was so sweet and intimate that it was worth the wait.
Both the main leads were very dear to me. Gang Doo was simply an angel. I don’t think people like him exist in this world anymore but it would be a huge relief if they did. Moon Soo, even though some of her actions at the end were questionable was undeniably a sweetheart. There were some side characters I was lowkey annoyed with (Think: Second Male Lead, Second Female lead (though she had her moments) and the female lead’s parents) because of how much they victimized themselves even when other people had it far worse. But at the same time, I also adored a lot of other characters. Like basically everyone related to Gang Doo; his grandmother, his Doona, his brother figure and his team leader. You know what they say, good people are surrounded by good people.
As far as the acting goes, I won’t say it was exceptionally outstanding or that I was floored by it. Their inexperience and freshness shined through however, this worked out in their favor. Because the way the two portrayed their characters was so sincere and natural that it didn’t fail to capture the audience and touch hearts.
One of the best things about the show is the OST. I really recommend watching this show in a print that has the songs subbed while they play in the background. The lyrics are so meaningful to the plot and the play timing is perfect. So when you know what the songs are saying at a particular moment, it gives all the more depth and insight to the story. And it’s simply gorgeous.
So ultimately, Just Between Lovers is a show about healing, friendship, love, serenity and brilliant dialogues. Even though it develops slowly and maximizes emotion, it’s never boring. There are some tears here and there but with that comes so much more hope and so much more warmth.
Definitely recommend.
Enjoy!
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Rough path with some sweetness and the ending that lost focus…
A Shoulder to Cry On delivered quite a few good messages that would resonate with teens and young adults, and even a few lessons that can change the perspective of the adults, as long as they are willing to think about these topics after the episodes end. A nice step into a different direction in a well known high school set up.That said, is this truly the deep and complex psychological story as some people claim it to be? Depends on what you compare it to. It’s not as sweet and silly as many high school and university BLs, and there is an attempt to add layers to the characters, especially on Tae Hyun’s side. So compared to other K-BLs, one could see it as something more. If you look at it in a broader manner, sadly it’s just another enemy to lovers trope with trauma as a cherry on top.
Yes, it does tackle some serious and important topics like childhood trauma, lack of emotional support, repressed feelings, guilt, resentment, forgiveness. Yet, all on surface level. It’s like a weather talk - just a starter for the conversation.
I think the biggest disappointment for me comes from how black and white they tried to present really complex situations and how fast they moved away from them without truly putting time and effort to give a proper resolution, which was especially obvious in the last two episodes. How to put it… it lacked nuance. It made me feel like the production team does not trust the audience to handle difficult topics so they made them as approachable and simple as possible. God forbid someone finishes an episode with conflicted feelings about the characters.
Personally, my favorite part of the plot was Da Yeol’s doubts about his path. It’s an issue most young people resonate with and many adults still struggle with. It was best written, paced and concluded part of the story and I wish the drama focused on it a little bit more.
Then we have the acting, which was fine during the teen daily life scenes, and questionable at best during the emotional scenes. There were a few moments I could see Shin Ye Chan tried to convey strong emotions, but it just did not translate on screen. Similar issues happened with more “heart wrenching” scenes from Kim Jae Han. Realistically speaking, for debut roles, these were quite challenging, so I’m; not exactly surprised by the end product.
Undoubtedly the production was a massive improvement compared to other short k-bls. Longer episodes allowed the story to have a more even pacing without too many things being painfully rushed (putting aside the final conclusions). While it still lacks in comparison to mainstream dramas, it’s on par with other web dramas, which is far better than what we’ve got until this point from Korean BLs.
Improvement from makeup artists needed though.
Overall, it’s great to see a longer format and I’m glad it was given to a story with an actual plot that at least attempted something more than “sweet teen romance”.
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This review may contain spoilers
That was bad.
I think everyone here was in the same boat, wondering why on earth we were watching this, and yet we did. For me, it was about the discussion section, which was far more entertaining than the series. This wasn't the worst BL I've ever seen, but it was the most boring and pointless.I'll start with negatives and end on positives, if I can think of any.
- There was no plot. None. Nothing happened the entire season. Well, one thing happened, but I'm putting it under positives.
- Even given there was no plot, the writing was truly terrible. Nothing really made sense. Like Kit and Mark practicing to be apart for almost the entire season. If there was a reason why anyone was watching this, I imagine it was MarKit, and we got almost none of them. There's an episode where a third of the runtime is taken up by a discussion about putting on a play. Not an actual play, but discussing the details of a production, like how the props would be done, and who would play which characters. Much of the rest of the episode was people texting each other. Riveting.
- The main character, Wayu, is the most useless person imaginable. He doesn't do anything, can't do anything, and he has no agency. He's everything wrong with the seme-uke dynamic.
- The romances were so tame that most viewers have likely had racier relationships in primary school. They are nauseatingly saccharine and totally passionless. The only moment of heat the entire season was when Pok attacked Tong in the shower.
- Sandee was criminally underused. Bank was easily the best actor in this, and by the end of the series even he'd given up.
- Big, who plays Pha, never once took off his shirt, and that bod needs to be shared. You'd think laying in a hospital bed for an entire season that someone would give him a sponge bath at some point. Speaking of which, why would you bother to have a character that does absolutely nothing but lie in a hospital bed for an entire season? Although I'm not complaining because his death, funeral, and tombstone are 95% of what's good about this series.
Positives:
- Bank as Sandee. The way he can pack malice into a subtle look, or mischief, loneliness, or all of the above made for a character that much of the audience was cheering on, and he was the villain out to destroy everyone. Sadly, he failed.
- There were things in here that were so bad that they were good. Kit and Wayu go to see Pha at the hospital. and as they arrive, his crying mother is exiting the room, and she says "he's gone! (i.e. dead)". So the boys go in and have a conversation with Pha, who has either resurrected, or he had been asleep and his mother just assumed he was dead and didn't bother to check. It's a good thing they're Christians and didn't have him cremated prematurely.
When he did kick the bucket, his funeral involved plopping onto a lawn a tiny casket that might possibly fit a small child, which suggests they had Pha dismembered and stuffed into it. I guess Pha's mother was on a budget and decided to forego gravediggers. She also didn't attend the funeral. That along with her apparent indifference to whether or not he was dead at any given moment created the impression she didn't much care for him.
In a later episode, it appears that wild animals dragged off the coffin as they are wont to do (which is why you need grave diggers), and in its place was the most hysterically funny tombstone you will ever see. That sounds exaggerated, I know. But it was. I couldn't tell if it was a novelty cake or made of styrofoam, except whatever production assistant made it accidentally ran over it with his car and tried to tape it together or something.
Story: 1 - There isn't one.
Acting: 5 - I hate to criticize actors, but none of them except Bank (Sandee) put in a good performance. I think it was probably terrible directing, because I've seen some of these guys do good work elsewhere. But here the directions seems to have been "keep your face and voice as blank as possible, pause for ten seconds between every phrase you speak, and always move unnecessarily slowly."
Music: 1 - you will want to smash things listening to that same two bars of music over and over for 12 episodes.
Rewatch Value: 1 - forget the gun to the head - you'd have to threaten to nuke a country to get me to watch this again. Except the funeral scene. That I could watch again.
Overall: 3. The suggested was 2, but a score that low would have to be for something aggressively awful, instead of passively awful like this series.
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Ok, when I first watched Kiss, I mainly watched for Pete and Kao, and got nothing. Then I watched Kiss Me Again, cause I wanted Pete and Kao. I could care less for Sandee's sisters and their love stories. And when I found out about this, I put it off until I saw it was almost finished. I watched a few episodes and fell off a bit because of watching too many things at once. However, I went through it thoroughly after binge watching it. If you sit down and watch it all at once, it's great. It's amazing. The only thing I didn't like was how possessive Pete can get with Kao. I get it he's your boyfriend, but like don't make it that obvious. Also, the fact that the gang "didn't know" about Pete and Kao, when Sandee revealed their relationship in Kiss the Series. What? You all knew this.
Non. This little f***er. I get your dad doesn't treat you well, but wtf. Classic teenager, lying about how things happened and someone ends up hurt.
Sun and Mork. MY LOVES. I wish they had the series all to themselves at one point. Nothing between them felt forced whatsoever. It was a gradual love. A hate to love, which in my opinion, is the best kind. Also, all of the little things Sun did for him, trying to not get caught in the process, was too cute for my heart to handle.
My mood needed this after watching HIStory3, so thank you.
And I really want Sun and Mork to get their own series. Blue Sky Love or something like that. Black Forest Kiss. IDK something like that.
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- the male lead is NOT portrayed as a wealthy powerful man with whole of the universe revolving around him
- he is NOT someone who is chased by dozens of girls for his popularity
- the female lead is not negative minded and is really a positive minded person
- no character is obsessive or obusive
- NO CHARACTER is hatable.. i mean, eventhough u are annoyed the second male lead and the director for some eps, once u get to know them more, u will not hate them..
- no crazy annoying love triangle
-the second lead girl is NOT evil at all.. rather she is likable as episodes progress..
- Everyone has their own problems. They deal it in their own way..
- daebak chemistry between main couple
- not only the chemistry, gang doo's relation with his granny, noona, little sister, sangman etc were amazingly portrayed..
- the love story between the webtoon writer&artist, director&noona, they were well written..
- the ending concentrated on all characters life that was amazing..
- TOTALLY THIS DRAMA WAS PORTRAYED IN A REALISTIC MANNER.. it takes through many emotions..
This drama has many amazing quotes too.. Most lovable drama and i am sure u will fall in love with junhoo at end..
Finally the drama is daebak and it breaks off all cliches of kdramas..
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Q10 is surreal, poetic, highly amusing, thought-provoking and surprising . It's brilliantly acted too, which adds to its delicious oddity. It doesn't have even one unpleasant character: they are all very weird and very human, at times histerically hilarious and at others wonderfully deep.
I'm not sure whom I would recommend this drama to; however, I'm certain it won't do for those looking for a rom-com, for an uncomplicated plot, for simple entertainment, for shine or for glamour. The one and only requisite to approach it, is to do so with an open mind. If you believe that people have each their own sound, that calling for help loud enough will make somebody come to the rescue, that death is just a way of thinking and that you achieve a goal because you want and not because you can, then "kiuto" is for you.
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The best Multi-Leads Chinese Drama Ever!
This is my first time writing a full review here on MDL, and this drama absolutely deserves it. First of all, I started watching it right in the middle of its hate train because—what do you mean it’s getting so much hate when I genuinely enjoyed the first few episodes? It’s one of the very few dramas where I actually liked the opening episodes. It’s not boring, it’s not dull—it’s a romcom, and they did it so right!Pacing
Right from the first arc, they introduced us to the Li sisters and established the tone of the story. The backstory of the Li family—why there are only daughters and why they have a single mom—was explained well, with no glaring loopholes. Then, just a few episodes in, the two leads got married. I was shocked. Like, why did they get married so fast? Is the angst coming? But I was even more surprised when the focus suddenly shifted to the 1st sister. That’s when I started piecing everything together—this drama isn’t just about one couple; it has multiple storylines between different leads. Since I didn’t check the plot beforehand, I was confused at first, but honestly? It made me so happy! I was excited to see how the rest of the sisters’ stories would unfold. Overall, the pacing was great—every lead had enough screentime, and everyone felt equal.
Storylines & Character Dynamics
Each couple had their own unique storyline:
1st couple – The noble introverts
2nd couple – The chaotic duo
3rd couple – The scheming masterminds
4th couple – The cold husband and cutie wife + amnesia plot
5th couple – Enemies-to-lovers
Brother’s story – Childhood lovers
This variety in plots made each couple stand out, which is why I never felt like there was a main couple. Instead, it truly felt like a story about a whole family, where everyone was equally important.
The Li Family – Best Family in C-Drama?
Speaking of family, I love the Li family. Honestly, they might be the best family I’ve seen in a C-drama. The bond between the sisters, their mother’s strength, and even their relationships with their in-laws felt heartwarming and genuine.
Production, Acting & Overall Experience
The acting was fantastic—I could feel my blood boiling whenever the villains appeared, but I also found myself giggling at all the sweet moments. The comedic timing was on point, the production quality was solid, and the entire ambiance of the drama was just chef’s kiss.
Rewatch Value? 100%!
I would rewatch this over and over again, just to catch all the subtle interactions between the leads and appreciate the details I might have missed the first time.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
If you love romcoms with strong family dynamics, engaging storylines, and well-developed characters, then this drama is a must-watch.
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