Reviews

Come on!...what just happened?

I read some of the reviews, and whole heartedly agree with the following:
1. Slow! Slow! Slow! Too many " fillers".
2. Unnecessary, l o n g staring...while Zung expresses his feelings thru his eyes, it cannot be said about Mark's insanely long, unpenetratable staring and long, well, saying nothing...
3. Does anybody really believe Aek's ( Mark) lack of sensing the love/lust coming at him? If he struggles with his own feelings, there is no clear indication...and we are already on ep 8...
4. How many nasty/ jealous/ having their own agenda Chefs do we need in one story???
As for why I will continue to watch it:
1. Main couple is beautiful, and hopefully the natural chemistry will come thru...it is a bl!
2. The photography...the food...the music...Aue supporting family...
3. The trailers ( happy ending...).
4. Hoping the director will let Mark show some real acting going forward...I trust he can act. Zung is great already.
So far, a bit disappointing. I have noticed in other BL stories the tendency to keep slow motion untill the last episode and then tidy everything in a real hurry....hoping this is not the case here.

Update after the 10th episode- what I was hoping for happened...Mark (Aec) is expressing what he is feeling, and he can act! Finally, he becomes clearer and we understand what he going through and his inner struggle...glad the director did not wait to the very last moment. I changed my overall impression accordingly 😉

Well...I just watched Ep 11, and reduced my overall impression accordingly. I hope the producers read these reviews - I hereby strongly suggest to never employ the screen writer, and especially never use the director! What a waste of two talented actors! Everything about it was wrong! The idiotic dialogues ( who cares about pork??? Yes, we got the symbolism of the food in prior episodes), the unrealistic lack of progression in their romantic and physical relationship ( a peck of lips and a hug?!? really?), turning the MC into a boring, secondary couple to the dessert Chef and his BF giving them a bed scene and the longest love confessions scenes (one minute was enough), Playtime is involved with Eve!?!?..What was that all about???? 10 last minutes showing scenes from prior episodes!?!?! Why? We saw it already! Nothing made any sense. I am so disappointed with this lackluster end...

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do better

If you’re thinking of watching the Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint live action… Please don’t. Like seriously, just read the novel or the manhwa instead. It’s so much better. The live action barely even feels like the same story.

I haven’t even watched the full thing myself tbh but from everything I’ve seen and what people have been saying, I can confidently say it’s just Not it. The changes they made?? Wild. And if you actually care about the original, it’s kinda painful hearing what they did to it.

First of all WHY are they saying Dokja hated Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse (TWSA)??? No he didn’t. He literally LOVED it. He was the only reader left by the end, like he stayed with it from chapter 1 to the end. The author wouldn’t have even been able to keep writing without him. That story meant everything to Dokja—it was literally his reason to live.

And then they’re saying he was a bully?? What??? Dokja was the one getting bullied. He was quiet, alone, and barely holding it together. The novel was his escape, it was all he had. Flipping his whole backstory like that just completely messes up his character.

The casting too 😭 I’m not tryna be mean or anything but the actors just don’t feel like the characters. It’s not just about appearance either, they just don’t give off the same energy at all. The whole thing feels super disconnected.

Also Yoo Sangah being a healer now?? Since when. She had thread-based abilities and she was strong in such a calm quiet way. They really just took that and tossed it. For what.

Heewon using a gun instead of a sword is crazy too. Like her whole constellation was tied to justice and the sword was such a big part of that. Also she wasn’t even supposed to be in the story until Dokja entered TWSA and changed the plot. But in the live action they made her the protagonist?? That’s not how any of this goes.

Joonghyuk was the actual protagonist of TWSA. In the novel, Dokja spent years reading about him and admiring him from behind a screen. It wasn’t a bond or anything like that, not at first—Dokja just idolized him. He was obsessed with watching his journey and surviving alongside him from the outside. That whole dynamic was super important and they barely even touch it in the adaptation.

Idk. It just sucks seeing a story that meant so much get turned into something that barely feels like ORV. It doesn’t have the emotion, the depth, or the weight of the original. It’s just not the same at all.

If this is your first time hearing about ORV please please read the novel or the manhwa first. That’s the real story. This live action ain’t it. ORV deserved so much better.

To whoever directed this please do better and actually take criticism.

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"Lost in the Drama: CWN-MR's Love Saga - A Rollercoaster of Emotions and Unforgettable Moments!"

From the moment I stumbled upon this captivating tale, little did I know that I'd willingly become a clown, forever enchanted by MR's endearing puppy-like charm and CWN's enigmatic cat allure. Their love story is a masterpiece, navigating the storms of life, teaching us resilience and the beauty of true connection. We've transformed into giggling, blushing, and stair-fearing enthusiasts, and the story's happy ending, uncensored scenes, and sweet moments have left an indelible mark. Here's to being forever haunted by the echoes of their love and the pure joy they've brought into our drama-loving souls!

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Excellent, phenomenal and intense drama!!

To start off with,this drama has a solid plot.The screen play is very intense,grippy and there is not even a bit of nonsense till the end.
The pace is very good and the cat-mouse games between the 3 leads is really interesting.
Ren Jialun as Wei Zhao,is excellent in portraying his role.Being a smart,cunning,complex man with many mysteries,yet has many emotions.He is phenomenal in his acting.
Li Landi as Jiang Ci,is a smart,naive,decisive yet kind girl from Jiang village who comes to capital and gets herself involved in the midst of ongoing political tensions.She is very good in her acting.
Jeremy Tsui,as Pei Yan,is smart,intelligent,cunning,stubborn and yet becomes a reliable friend who stands for Wei Zhao in difficult times.His acting was excellent.
All the characters have their own goals,personalities,and are very complex and are written perfectly.
The sets, costumes,production,locations,screenplay,plot,twists and turns,everything is good.
The last episodes were too good.Thefriendship of 3 of them was very nice.I liked the way they supported each other in difficult times keeping aside their grievances.The emotions were beautifully portrayed.The characters development is Excellent.The war and action scenes were excellent.
Overall,I would like to describe this drama in one word-excellent and phenomenal!!

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A Sugary Sweet Romance Tale...

Based upon the renowned manga (Hori-san to Miyamura-kun) and having been released fairly simultaneously with an anime series in Japan, the drama version ” Horimiya” undeniably regurgitates the same plot premise of social butterfly Kyoko Hori ( Kubota Sayu) beginning to date seeming otaku Miyamura Izumi ( Suzuka Ouji) who hides a deep secret from his school-life persona. While there are prominent points to praise about “Horimiya”( which will be raised later), there are notable faults which arise from the drama production from casting, trying to transcend notable setups from the manga into a real-life setting, as well as the abridged closure ( or lack of it) in the finale.

Before anything else, it is probably important to address the primary issue which has surrounded the drama with casting choices.

Respectfully, Kubota Sayu wasn’t entirely ‘’ terrible’’ as our female lead Hori. In fact, in an odd way, Sayu did seem to grow into her role fairly well with a sense of genuine emotional investment into her character. However, it is difficult to really point out anything particularly captivating or striking about Sayu’s performance as Hori.

Ironically as a character, Hori is fairly unforgettable by her her eccentricity and outspokenness. Of course, this is not turning a blind eye towards the typical tropes used as a drama sourced from a manga such as the “ popular girl” , the “ academic student” and the “ tougher than she seems” cliches , however, even in the drama, Hori’s greatest trait remained within being able to overcome certain stereotypes about herself as well as her relationship with Miyamura. Hori was given an actual chance in the drama for viewers to fortify her characterisation through her interactions sans with Miyamura, such as her interactions with her father Kyosuke ( Kimura Ryo; one of the few actors who felt fairly well-cast within his role) and her younger brother Sota ( Takagi Haru). Arguably, Hori’s interactions with her mother Yuriko ( Kawai Aoba) and her later friendship with Sengoku Kakeru ( Onodera Akira) and Ayasaki Remi ( Marsh Aya) felt fairly minimal within the drama version, nor truly giving viewers a chance to see Hori’s interactions as a friend as well as her maternal relationship with her own mother in a respectfully fairly masculine household .

The relationship between Hori and Miyamura was the focal point of the series and the plot development. For Hori, Miyamura has a metamorphosis from the archetype “ weird kid” in her class, to a more multifaceted individual. Against all odds of the notable problems which arose in the series and can strike to the surface of romance dramas with emotional gaslighting and “ obstacles in the way of their romance” , the pairing between both characters felt fairly natural as teenagers. Neither character followed the cliche archetypes of having “ had a crush on one another forever” , nor manipulating “ to win someone else’s affections”. Hori simply entered her relationship with Miyamura upon shared grounds early on in the series before the rest of the drama focused upon both characters learning to understand one another and for their feelings for one another to grow mutually. (Perhaps the one element of the relationship that the drama version did better than the manga and anime, was leaving out the more “sexual undertones” of their relationship . This isn’t to condemn these elements in either versions as they do help to portray a more realistic notion of teenagers, however, this always felt slightly mismatched against both characters as individuals even in the original manga and therefore wasn’t really necessary.)

It is fair to say that whilst Sayu is a good actress, she was slightly miscast as Hori by struggling to channel Hori’s personality as a character, consequently making Hori in this drama version, a fairly forgettable character against other romance heroines. ( A shame for an otherwise interesting character.)

Then of course the biggest elephant room (regarding casting) is often raised by the choice of Suzuka Ouji as Miyamura Izumi. Similar to his costar Kubota Sayu, Suzuka was not inherently appalling within his performance
as the male lead. In many ways he did certainly help to animate his character away from the more one-dimensional realm of male protagonists as “ emotionless” . On the other hand, Suzuka did seem to mismatch his character slightly within his physical appearance. This is not suggesting that Suzuka is “physically unattractive” or a slightly younger actor would have been better for the role,however, it does raise certain questions when the drama production sees Suzuka in a terrible long-haired wig without even attempting for the drama production to make this look natural.

Similar to Hori, Miyamura was an intriguing character against all odds of setups. Although initially appearing as “peculiar” and taciturn, Miyamura was fairly kind-hearted as well as hardworking and altruistic by helping out at his mother’s bakery, as well as the ongoing and unusual friendship between Miyamura and his best friend since middle school, Shindo Koichi ( Inoue Yuki). Parallel to Hori, Miyamura enters his relationship with her romantically upon mutual grounds before growing to like her more in a natural process which felt odd against the more cliches stereotypes of the drama. However, there’s a lot to note about the dynamic between Miyamura and the other characters of the series ( sans Hori), both within his fraternal friendship with Hori’s younger brother and father, as well as of course with his best friend and their complicated reasons behind becoming friends in the first place. Arguably, the one element of the series which did feel incredibly rushed and underdeveloped with Miyamura as a character, occurred within his past, especially with his estranged relationship with Makio Takihara. Therefore whilst Miyamura was a fairly intriguing character, it is fair to say that Suzuka was perhaps not entirely suited for the role.

The other side characters of the drama such as Kakeru, Remi , Kono Sakura ( Sakura) and Iura Shu ( Sota Ryosuke) should have been by default interesting characters, however, lacking screen time and setups, easily made them fairly forgettable over the course of the series as individuals (besides their occasional involvement within the plot dynamic between Miyamura and Hori).

Overall whilst certainly not an unwatchable or dire production with some praiseworthy features of having a healthy, fairly realistic relationship between teenagers as lovers and friends as well as some intriguing characters, poor pacing, tropes, miscasting and lacking focus upon certain plot lines for characters, often made this drama feel underdeveloped. The ending of the drama whilst arguably allowing some ground for a second season , did not truly bring a sense of closure or help to tie off characters and the relationship between Miyamura and Hori, as well as friendships also. Therefore it’s important to summarise that whilst Horimiya is not a terrible drama upon any grounds and was sweet within its ultimate concept , there are certainly better dramas to watch out there.

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Watch it, it only takes up 45 minutes of your time.

Watch it it’s only 45 minutes of ur time
So I watched this because I saw it somewhere on YouTube and thought why not? Funny part: I did not know at all what genre this was... I basically went in there expecting some innocent BL (although the title kind of should have tipped me off).

First about the acting: I can’t really complain... three 15 minute episodes are really short to make a statement about acting skills.. however I did like how all the actors portrayed their roles and it all seemed convincing. I absolutely loved how all the feelings where conveyed in episode three.

Now the story line: I like confusing things... so this was basically heaven for me. I watched episode one and was so confused that I started episode two right away, which explained a lot and ended quite interestingly... I loved episode three, though it did feel a little all over the place... however it suited the series nicely.

So I absolutely loved what they did with such a short amount of time.. there where some confusing parts till the end however not always understanding everything is sometimes a good thing. Gives you more to think about.

I’m pretty sure I’ll rewatch this again another time.

If you’re bored and don’t know what to do/watch definitely give this one a go, it’ll make the 45 minutes spent on it worth the while.

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Story was well executed leaving you entertained without feeling like you learned a lesson. This family feels like one that could actually exist, with the sibling rivlry, loving mother, step parent and mild marital issues.

Ikuta Toma made this show revolve around his character Mitsuru playing off of Koike Eiko's Ayako flawlessly. As a watcher I believed they had a shared history. Yasuda Ken acted the outsider Koji masterfully, as Ayako's new husband he finds an ally in his new brother in law when standing against his wife.

Music : Tomayo by Kanjani8 really grew on me and I have added to my playlist the insrt music added to the light hearted feel of the drama.

I do not rewatch shows often so in all my reviews this is a low score.

Overall this drama is about pacing and everyone has their own timing to do things. Some are go getters and hit the ground running with every task they do, and others have a turtle named Bolt that they try and emulate : )

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Pointless Idealism and disappointment

It tells the story of a secret and sweet real-life romance between Seo Hye-jin, a veteran cram school instructor, and Lee Joon-ho, a quirky student who returns after a decade to stir her heart. The secret midnight romance that begins when the lights go out in Daechi-dong Academy, and the colorful stories of the academy instructors we didn't know about.

The subject matter is important to me but they failed to deliver it compellingly. I'm not even complaining about the romance but about the lack of coherence and the presentation of the story itself. The real issue isn't just the plot but the pacing, tone, coherence, and expression of ideas throughout the drama. The script starts with a strong foundation of idealism, but those core themes are abandoned by the end. It's a classic case of bad writing where the initial promises aren't fulfilled. It's too preachy and idealistic while lacking that "realness" quality. You can tell what they were trying to say but they failed to convince the audience with their story-telling and execution it in a memorable way.

Initial episode 1 to 10 had romantic buzz, their plot was interesting and it was good to watch but after 10th episode the drama got so boring that I didn't want to watch it but I watched it.

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Problematic show

First of all, the background music is too sudden and makes tension scenes ridiculous. Plus, even though is can be funny at first, actors really accentuate their expressions and we can not feel invested in a serious scene. The show is overall disorganized and doesn't make sense sometimes like the homophobic dad that accept so easily his son, lmao it's just impossible regarding of the character.

Now all the problems:
-Tonhon is the definition of toxic masculinity, he takes Chon as granted and didn't feel sorry at all for cheating on Chon (TriNg To pROvE He Is a MaN) and even considered it would be easy to "win" him back because Chon has loved him for so many years, I still think Chon deserves better.
- Na have been used very rudely by his friends not considering his feelings
-Tonhon dad is transphobic, considers women only as wombs and homophobic but they still wanted to make him become the good dad at the end, it's just unrealistic
-BaiPai, who I loved, didn't hesitate to out Ai and Ni, it was not her job to tell his dad and it is not acceptable but make her a remarks about that
-How Miriam didn't have a character for herself, she was literally a hardcore fangirl (I hate this type of characters, fetishize homosexuals is wrong) and a comic resort but exists only through others.
-They slutshame a lot, Miriam is chosen to be the surrogate because she is a virgin by Ton's father, they consider it is a shameful condition and make fun of the girls there. Some are here because they do not have a choice and need money, others because they genuinely like it . In either case, it shouldn't be mocked
-The tentative of rape on Chon wasn't took seriously. Overall, Amp friend is really problematic, he forces himself on Chon by heavy flirt even though he can clearly see he was uncomfortable. He tries to rape him but this subject is taken lightly like if it wasn't cool but not that bad either.
- Also the actor playing Tonhon took off his shirt way too often. Don't get me wrong, he has a great body, but it was at such a point that it was getting annoying.

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Selfless love, action, "damsel in distress" trope - it has all the elements that i want in a drama so you could say i'm a little bit biased with my rating. When I read the synopsis, I already started preparing myself for a tragic ending. I mean, if i put myself on the FL's shoes, i don't think I could ever forgive someone who killed my family - regardless of the circumstances. Who would anyway?? However those are just my initial thoughts and everything has changed since then.

Most of my sympathy goes to the ML (Kawin/Nai Noi), which was odd because I thought I would pity the FL (Chalita/Bell) more. The guilt he had to experience as a child and the lengths that he could do for the FL will truly melt your heart. The chemistry between the two leads is one of the best I've seen. The acting is amazing, most especially Alek. One look in his eyes and you could already see the love that he has for the FL. The kind of love that is not possessive, the one that seeks for FL's happiness more than anything. He loves her and yet there's that boundary that he could not cross because of the guilt. Oh I tell you, the scenes where he looks at the FL with his endearing eyes is heart-rending - because even if I (badly) want them to end up together already, I just can't bring myself to do so. The character that I also pity the most is Chakrit. It's kinda funny because I used to hate him in the beginning, but towards the end, I just want him to find the happiness he seeks.

There were TONS of times where the ML will save the FL so if you don't want that, well I guess this drama ain't for you. The FL is innocent and grew up in such a peaceful community (after the tragedy), so it's just understandable that she would find the fighting appalling. As a matter of fact, I love how the ML will do literally ANYTHING just to keep the FL safe. I think the only one thing that is annoying with the FL is how she easily comes with Chakrit and ends up being in danger in the end :---) But i guess, again, it's because she's innocent and was just really determined to find out who Nai Noi is. In any case, I must say that the FL is a pretty likeable character compared to other lakorns - how she could be smart and bold where it needs to be. She does not act on impulse and very much examines the situation carefully.

Most importantly, I love how the drama highlights the importance of forgiveness and acceptance. Let me quote what Nai Noi said in the end: "Don't let the bad past ruin the good time in the present. We might be upset, but must be upset with understanding. Accept it, and continue to move forward." This has really struck a chord in me and probably one of the few things that this drama has taught me. I could never stress enough how understanding and forgiving the FL is. She doesn't get mad easily, but is rather willing to forgive, accept, and cherish the present. Huhu both leads really deserve each other. They are wayyyyy too kind-hearted.

Overall, I would recommend this drama. It has a good solid beginning and has consistently kept my interest and suspense until the end.

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Short life is like a dream. Only my love, Shi Yi deserves my lifelong pursuit

First of all, this drama spoils up major things for One and Only in the beginning only. So, BEWARE OF WATCHING THIS DRAMA IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH {ONE AND ONLY} LATER…

Me personally, needed this drama so much after One and Only. The experience was simply healing but could have been better maybe…

Should I talk about Acting? No, it was up to the mark. Of course I will mention my favorite BAI LU. She's so phenomenal and her outfits here. Oh! I want them all. And Ren Jialun is fine Af. Together these two are not less than any eye candy.

Beginning got me like "ok, ok this is another Sweetness loaded C-drama that I watch every year." But slowly this made me realize No, there's more things in this drama. Tbh, most of the supporting characters felt numb to me in beginning and I was bored too at some points as I was comparing Both the 2 dramas. But later on every character got it's own track. If you have completed One and Only, don't jump into this directly. Wait for some days or maybe a week before you start this one as this Drama will feel bland to you after that emotional rollercoaster.

My only complain here is that they didn't show how their relationship developed in beginning via Emails…

Shiyi and Chen's journey after meeting each other officially was so precious that how they used to be awkward but slowly became each other's soulmates. I like how Shiyi was always the one to take the initiative. Chen was not good with words but when he finally said something romantic. It was so much more special. There were moments when it just came out of my mouth like "Aww so Cute". The ending episodes almost gave me diabetes.

[24/25 eps] mid-ending thoughts (spoiler free) —
The writer(Mo Bao Fei Bao) did it again! She knows how to create a complicated story and make us cry…
Once again it feels like I am watching O & O. Even though the dramas are different, setting is different, yet I got the same emotional rollercoaster from here. As I wrote previously in a post. I will be running out of tissues if this continues… And then that kick and back to back punches by Chen. Woah loved that scene. I was just thinking, it would be perfect to have a scene like that here… I kinda like Allen doing action scenes. Tbh, He nails the action parts!

[ OST time ]
♪Continued♪ — Shan Yichun
♪Heart Beats♪ — Bai Lu {her voice is so sweet. It felt like any little girl is singing it. Aww}
♪Time Froze♪ — Yan Ren Zhong {heard this singer for the first time and Wow this was so good}
♪Give you, Give me♪ — Mao Bu Yi
♪Where to go♪ — Lu Hu

♪Time Froze♪ is my favorite OST from the drama.

Conclusion – A healing drama for those who watched One and Only or it's yet another regular C-Drama including Awkward Professor Chen, Step-taker Shi Yi, few happy/sad supporting characters, a lot of family drama and nothing else.

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Highly overrated

Ji Changwook is a versatile actor and we all know it. Shin Hyesun is the toughest and one of the most elegant actress and we know that too. But here, both of their potentials were wasted big time. I can't even get started on the sheer ridiculosity of the story. The writer made some unbelievably stupid and irritating characters and just dumped them without a proper background. One of them is Cho Samdal herself. That woman's fake pride was high up the sky, and she was living in denial all along that she can never fail, because according to her, she is supposed to be the only one to succeed in Seoul from Jeju. Her bratty behavior and her demeanor was a pain to watch tbh. Next is Yongpil's dad, Sangtae. He definitely has some serious woman issues and was almost a lunatic. He blamed Samdal's mom for his wife's death when in reality it wasn't anybody's fault. I have never seen such a spineless man ever in my life. Imagine blaming someone else for your own incompetence. All in all, it was a forcefully curated slice of life drama where there's no slice of life in it. The only saving grace was the natural backgrounds, at least they were pretty. Eunju, the antagonist, was supposed to be annoying, but she was less annoying than Cho Samdal actually.

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does this even have a plot?

the only thing that saves this is the main characters' chemestry because everything else makes me mad...

"plot" that could have been told in 10-12 eps (even better a movie but I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️),
first 15 eps that were basically an ad, side character with no purpose or personality at all if not adoring the main leads (their "best friends" changed to the writers liking in times of need for then disappear forever. her friends weren't even at the wedding? 🤨)

and most importantly the fact that the FL only purpose here was the romance and supporting the growth of the ML. i'm not even sure she talked about something else but him all season...

liked her a lot but she had neither character development nor real problems (too much times should have been removed from the propaganda/ad for that).
in the meantime countless (on the limit of boring) eps spent on making us understand the ML's doubts, his passion for his job, his colleagues life, his colleagues' partners doubts... and then again more specific stuff about his work...
while jingjing, even in the (rare) times where they showed her working, was busy longing for him. until the very end where she spent the whole. entire. LAST. episode. being the ✨perfect supportive wife✨

how the hell don't they have problems at all while seeing each other basically never for years? lmao

i also don't get the point of showing us weibo's opinions etc if never ever comes out of it
(oh right telling us how perfect he is🙃)

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