Reviews

Toxic badass FL, Doormat ML ..

At the beginning I was so happy finally The FL has a Self_esteem, Dignity, freestyle
- I'm tired of Stupid, weak and Humiliated Girls who lose her mind, insults herself with Embarrassing acts for crush And love in C-Dramas ..
but Unfortunately, Good things never Complete ..The ML is a Doormat, keep insulting himself for Her. fr !!!!

I think Chinese Writers have some issues, I piss off of Thier writing, Either they create an Arrogant ML insults the stupid FL OR a toxic badass FL insults the dump ML . They have to know what DIGNITY and Healthy relationship means.
I bet no one of those writers were in a relationship Before that's why they don't know HOW to write a Light and creative Love story

I really can't handle FL , she keep hanging out with her Ex then blame ML for literally NOTHING and made him apologize !!!!!!!

FL take advantage of all Males around her (Her boyfriend, Ex , Firefighters.....etc) for her Damn store ..

I like ML's friend he's so cute and funny.. the decorations in drama are amazing as well , FL outfits are chef kiss .. this is the only things I like

for me I didn't see any romance scene made.me flutter or something ..
- let's see EP 14, hope it will get better but I don't think so

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Summary: I feel like I was wayyyy too late to jump on this band wagon. I'm still struggling to understand everyone's fascination with this show. Ultimately, would I recommend this show? Honestly speaking, no. But, perhaps I just had such high expectations due to the hype. If you're looking for something with an overwhelming amount of cheesy English lines, somewhat heart racing missions carried out by South Korean "black ops", and terribly inaccurate medical happenings, look no further.

+/- Plot:
Overall, this drama's storyline was not terrible, I wouldn't say that it was every really dragging and I was never really bored. That being said I still have several complaints. The storyline of the lead couple was repetitive with them hashing and rehashing the same argument over and over; them going stead, him going away on a mission, her questioning if she can handle their relationship, something life threatening happening to her, he saving her, and her falling for him all over. They did at some moment have some cute scenes. However, I was actually finding myself more interested in the second lead couple's romance, even though it did follow some of the conventional Korean drama's storylines. All the adversities they faced while abroad were exciting, even if they were pretty unbelievable at times.
I couldn't believe how forgiving they were of the medical portions of this drama though. Everything was wrong on so many levels. I'm not asking that it has to be completely accurate, but for it to at least be somewhat believable. The scriptwriters were pretty shameless and flagrant about the minimal research they put into it.
Overall, it felt a little like they just tried to mash three different categories of dramas together (romantic comedy, action/suspense, and medical) and I really feel like they were just reaching at some points. And don't even get me started on the amount of advertisements they tried to weave in at every moment possible. I understand that this was an expensive production, but it was pretty unbelievable at the end. I could go on about my complaints, but if there's any DOTS fans reading this I will be burned at the stake as it is.

+/- Acting/Cast:
While there were moments when I was supposed to be saddened to tears in the last couple episodes, I wasn't. This just goes to say how unattached I was to all the characters, and speaks wonders about their acting. To be honest, I just found a majority of their acting a bit cheesy, overdone, and not convincing. I consider myself a fan of Song Joong Ki, but this drama was not effective for me. I was laughing at the "intense" moments and grimacing at a portion of the romantic scenes. Which leads me into Song Hye Kyo; she's cute and I'll leave it at that. I had problems with her character; indecisive and constantly nagging. I felt that Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo's romance was 10 fold better, which is probably why I was more interested in them.
McInnis David was fine to begin with, but let's just say I understand why he's not an A list American actor.
All the other side characters were decent, I would say that some unnecessary; but my favorite side characters were Dr. Song Sang Hyeon and nurse Ha Ja Ae. They played their innocent, sweet romance really well and it was cute to see them act together.

+/- Music:
There are several songs from well known artists, several of which have sung songs for other popular dramas. They were all pretty catchy for the most part, but I would say there was really only one or two songs that stood out too me.

Rewatch value: This drama wasn't so terrible that I couldn't rewatch it, however it would never be at the top of my list for dramas that I would watch again.

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I rate this drama 2/10 (Dropped it at episode 16)

Because if you make the rules, you can break them!

So we all know that there are two kinds of logic in this world; Real world logic and Drama world logic.When it comes to Drama world logic, you just accept it and move on but if a drama contradicts it's own logic then I'm done!

There were so many reasons I dropped this drama.

It had so much potential to be an inspiring drama about the Hwarang boys struggling and dealing with their problem. Growing, making friends, they could even have added a death of a beloved character to tugg at our hearts a little bit and in that case, it would have been totally fine to add a bit of romance but NO.

This drama contains 90% triangle love drama, 6% recapping romantic moments. 3% fighting and 1% problem solving. Not to mention that the female lead is so pathetic, there wont be an episode where they don't show a 5-minute front angle of her walking and crying...

So because the writers based most of the characters off of a real life royal family and they used the true bone ranking system to create conflict, you'd think they couldn't go wrong.... until they add fictional characters and create relationships and events that never happened while still trying to follow some of the original story. There is nothing wrong with that but if you're going to add some spice, do it right! This just ended up giving the show a lot of contradiction, odd relationships and lose ends.
(Apparently, it's okay to marry your brother if you're royal but not if you're poor.)

To me, some "emotional scenes" turned me off completely. They had so many opportunities to really rip my heart apart by adding some real brutality and feeling into it. I have a specific scene in mind and I'm thinking that they could at least spend some time on this scene to make it believable... This scene got a little over 1 minute screen time... Go Ah Ra got 10 minutes screen time for walking and crying...

Oh well... If you love triangle love dramas with a lot of romance and crying and pushing and pulling and recaps after recaps of scenes that don't really move the story forward then this is PERFECT for you! Don't hesitate to watch it! As a bonus, you get a bit of plot on the side. It's weak... not very well worked out... not very logical... and it doesn't really start until episode 16.... BUT there is one heartbreaking death scene in the first episode so maybe I should give this show 10/10

ENJOY!

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Decoded is a drama about an autist and maths genius who becomes a spy to help decoding the "purple code" the hardest code ever made.
First, I have to say that the acting was very good, especially the main character who was very skillfully portaited. He was exactly how one of my friend (who's autist) is and well, that's amazing how even the way he walks was greatly portrayed. I really loved how each characters was deeply developed.
The story in itself is good, although maybe too long. For a perfect show I would've cut a little bit earlier in the story... As there were some romance/irrealistic things that were really different from the rest of the drama. Also, at times you really get the impression that they just want to make the story longer; I guess they should've made the same story but with only like, 35 episodes. They show some scenes during 3 minutes just with a different angle and your like, yeah, well, that's not even the most epic/emotional scene so could we just advance in the story?
And the ending was a bit too much... Lovey Dovey, I'd say. But I guess romance lovers have to be satisfied too...
But that doesn't mean the show wasn't good. You stay on the edge on your seat, wanting always more and more and to know what happens to the characters, whom you really become attached to. You see how the main character grows up and become stronger, and that really is an inspiration for everybody. I actually stayed up until 2am to watch a few more episodes, and I don't do that for every dramas out there- there were really some epic moments !!
As for the music, I really liked the ending song, and the few music out were nice, although not memorable.
What is incredible is how you're projected in the 1950. The set is beautifully done and the clothes are perfect.
As for the rewatch value... Well, I'm sure I'll rewatch some part of the drama- there are some really epic scenes hehe- but maybe not in its entirety.
Anyway, if you like spy/action dramas, this is for you!
And if you love romance, well, there are some hints in the beginning and the last ten episodes are for you, hehe
(Sorry for my bad English~)

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This drama needed a soul......it was so lifeless and cringey

The minute you label the genre as romantic comedy, then a thousand expectations are dropped but yet only a handful remain.
And if you can't even met those then the drama needs to be trashed.

ML : basically the only person/object/character worth watching. He is the only reason I endured 16 hours of cringey material.
FL : goddess of goodness. I wish more girls like this existed - but they don't because her character was fake and so was her smile. Outrageously created do-gooder, star winner......just nauseating.

Main Couple : I couldn't find the chemistry within 16 hours of torture. Romance is tepid, no sizzle, no heart fluttering scenes. Please don't call it a romance if you cannot make our hearts flutter. It's the only request we have for you.

The friendship between 3 females : they should really edit out all the scenes with the 3 friends because it is an embarrassment to young women. Who behaves so idiotically? Are these stolen clips from a 70's drama?

Bad coworkers : Yea,right
Trip to Thailand: ridiculous joke
Arab Prince: The comment and review sections are filled with this so go figure.

This drama had a hope, some good bones. Unfortunately they wanted a quick fix so the whole thing came crumbling down.

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? The Romance Was On But Went Off In The Middle ?

Question: are you here for pure romance and justice? Then you can watch from EP 1 to 28 and exit as soon as possible, but if you are not bent on the pure romance and justice then this review is not for you.. And you will have no problem watching to the end.

The series is masterful from ep 1 to 28, the chemistry is second to none and the FL was on a different level that you can't help forgetting the existence of time when watching her on the screen. Those episodes are the ones I saved on my device which I can rewach many times without getting bored...

#Importance notice 🔔

I gave any reviews with no bias and under this review, you get the most honest answer to whatever your curiosity on the romance Arc. And how the writer wants to manipulate and fed the audience with Lies while showing the opposite. You can check my bio to get a clear picture on how I write critiques on fiction with my standards and respect in relationship...

NOTE: this review is solely on the Romance Arc and the injustice done to the ML which is helpful to those who came for pure romance and justice. Other than that and the dramatic illogical ending, every other Aspect of the show are super good which you can judge from my star rating 🌟

#Quick info:

。First half of the show ::: FL and ML got more screen time (With A decisive FL)

。Sec. half of the show ::: FL and SML got more screen time (With An Indecisive FL)

。Throughout the show ::: Obsessive, Manipulative, Simpin, Stalker and Annorying Evil SML (With a manipulated Love Triangle)

。Marriage ::: SML and FL got married in Ep 30 in a forced marriage by the Evil SML which the FL shows no resistance to it.

。Star crossed and Fated Love Arc ::: The writer claimed this is a star crossed lovers and fated lovers Arc between the ML and FL. But is a lie, this is about the Evil SML and FL. They have been companions for generations of years in ambiguity.

。Injustice ::: The biggest injustice was done to the ML in this drama, all his heroic work and credit was given to the Evil-SML who was suddenly whitewashed from all his evil.. He was a last minute made up Artificial-Hero. An evil villain that is above consequences and retribution.... The writers force-feeded manipulated lies towards the audience...

。Ending EP 39 40 is not a Plot-Twist but Lies ::: A Dramatic ending with no existence of logics. What happened with the sudden Artificial-Hero (Evil SML) is not a plot Twist, is an utterly force-feeded manipulated lies against the audience, making us look stupid....... Waited for his deadly punishments for his evil, but the writer sudden made him a "misunderstood hero and misguided lover" in the last minutes.... Story for the kids 👎


⚠️____ EP 29 to 40 reviews specifically____⚠️

#Any Love Triangle?:

. FL's only realistic Feelings are only when she is with SML and her sympathy and care for him (she is comfortable with all intimate and ambiguous interactions with SML).... But Her interactions with ML seems fake and unrealistically forced,. No matter how they forced it on the screen, It looks absolutely Fake.
|--
. Even though the writer want to deceive us with no love triangle, but in reality this drama is a love triangle and the Relationship with FL and ML feels cheated due to FL's ambiguous interactions with SML... The atmospheric tension for romance became different whenever she's with SML

. This show is a good definition of (say the opposite and does the opposite)
On the way, Every thing the writer want to prove to the audience on the screen was totally lies... (force-feeding us with "white" when the real intension is "black") the illicit action and ambiguous interactions of the FL and SML says otherwise.
Especially in how the show portrayed the Evil-SML toxic behavior. Here's a clearer and more straightforward review:

#The Second Male Lead’s Dangerous Psycho Obsession:

. The SML wasn’t just a psycho jerk; his actions were dangerous and toxic. He committed terrible crimes including many evil deeds against the male lead (ML), who was a true Hero and supposed to be the true love interest of the female lead (FL).
|--
He does every stupid things out of jealousy and his obsessive love for FL, even though the serie wants to prove otherwise while whitewashing him, but his actions and emotions proved the opposite. And only kids will fall for those manipulated fed lies by the Writer.

. Instead of showing all his evil actions as unacceptable, the series tried to frame them as "Misunderstood Hero and misguided lover," in the guise of doing his Benevolent duty which was very misleading and contradicting from his evil actions.
|--
By doing this, the show made it seem like stalking, manipulation, lies, deception, framing and obsession could somehow be excused as Heroism and misguided love or Some made up last minute Artificial-Hero.

#The Female Lead’s Poor Boundaries:

. From Ep 1 to 28: The FL was able to set a clear boundaries with the obsessive psycho by not sending any wrong signals to him. Making the first half of the serie outstanding and super fantastic with the leads-focus and electrifying chemistry ⚡

. From EP 29 to EP-40: The FL fell from the ladder and character inconsistency. Her response to the SML’s actions made things worse. Instead of setting clear boundaries or condemning his actions, she often sympathized with him and even supported him.
|--
For example, in episode 36, she allowed the SML to romance her face while she seems to be enjoying his romance. She also transferred half of her powers to him only just to heal his injuries (she can't afford to see him hurt), even when he had killed and hurt the ML and caused his immense suffering multiple times throughout 10,000 years.
|--
Her every decisions to help and care for the Evil SML, despite his terrible actions, felt unrealistic for some one who keep advocating how much she love the ML in her speech but does the opposite in her emotions and actions. Which begs the authencitic of her commitment in a relationship with ML

. Her grief and deep emotional cry-out in EP 40, when the Evil-SML dies in his Hypocritical Noble-Sacrifice, she showed a deep emotional connection to him, even though he had caused so much harm to ML who she claimed she love. This portrayal made her look indecisive and even confused about what she truly wanted, she didn't grieve this way when SML killed ML, in fact, she didn't grieve at all but still help SML and even married him.
|--
I don't want to talk about EP 29 30 where she shows no resistance against the forced marriage with SML after the ML died, they even had the audacity to call it "Marriage Funeral"... Oh yes! They are Officially married couple for completing the last bow in the Chinese marriage culture.

# Redemption Without Accountability and Injustice towards the ML

. One of the biggest flaws on the drama was how it handled the SML’s redemption. Throughout the serie, he was clearly the most veil evil villain, but at the last minutes, the story suddenly later tried to whitewash and present him as a "Noble misunderstood hero and misguided lover".
|--
He then Suddenly became An undercover hero sacrificing everyone including ML to save the world Oh! that's normal isn't? Yet another manipulated fed lies by the Writer while portraying the opposite.

. Instead of giving real consequences or regret for his evil actions, the SML’s redemption came from one dramatic, sacrificial Hypocritical Noble-Act that was supposed to make up for every evil things he had done.
|--
Such a Hypocritical Noble-Act of dying to save the FL and the world despite all his evil actions is an utterly nonsense and garbage move by the Writer. Logics was no where to be found...

. This ignored all the pain he have caused to the world, especially to the ML, who had suffered for 10,000 years because of him . The show failed to hold him accountable for his actions, making it seem like forgiveness didn’t require any real change or apology, just so he is a last minutes made up "Artificial Hero" and so be it. Every reason is justified.
|--
The injustice done to ML who is the real example of "Hero" was defeating and there was no retribution towards the master evil who have killed him multiple times through different reincarnational circles, only for the purpose of jealousy and his obsession towards the FL which the writer wants to blush to fool everyone by proving the otherwise.

#Confusing Love and Relationship Loyalty

The FL’s feelings were inconsistent and confusing throughout the 2nd half of series and At the same time, her affection for the ML only seemed clear when he was still "Xie Xue Chen(XXC)", making her love feel conditional and selective, debunking any true-meaning of reincarnated and fated love Arc. This left me unsure of who she truly loved, creating frustration instead of emotional depth.
|--
Ironically but the FL couldn't accept all the versions of the ML but she can accept SML in every form. Which is enough to prove she didn't truely love ML deeply the way she advocate it, is just the writer forcing things the opposite way.
|--
The biggest plot mess at the End and the dramatic illogical Ending will be highly remembered, the writer is the most laziest of all time.
|--
Overall FL's only realistic feelings on the screen are her sympathy with SML and the ambiguous Intimate interactions between them which she enjoys.. At this point who cares if she ended up together with ML, which is almost none because there was only 5 minutes happy ending after all this nonsense..

# Problematic Messaging and Conclusion

To sum up things, The 2nd half of the serie couldn't tell a satisfying or meaningful love storytelling. It did not provide justice for the characters, especially the ML, and sent troubling messages about love and forgiveness.
|--
By excusing harmful behavior and justifying all the evil actions of the SML and his unhealthy manipulated-relationships while at the same time misleading and denying the true-meaning of what is showing to the audience, the show missed the chance to tell a powerful and positive love storytelling.
|--
In the end, the series did not only just failed in romance Arc but also damaging in its portrayal of relationships and personal accountability. Which left me frustrating with psychological disorder. Justice for the ML!!! ⚖️ ⚖️

Tips ::: you might want to read the extended spoilers...
Direct-Links to important extended (spoilers) under this review comment area 🤗🤗
1) https://kisskh.at/profile/Jenny.park/review/422832#comment-20419488
2) https://kisskh.at/profile/Jenny.park/review/422832#comment-20412406

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Best things come in pairs… and season 3 proves the third time is definitely not the charm!

Season 3 landed, and honestly, it struggled to justify its return. The surface-level spectacle is undeniable...the visuals remain stylish, the action choreography is polished and the CGI is praiseworthy. But once the gloss wears off, what remains is a story that seems desperate to convince that it still has depth, when in reality it’s just circling the same drain with more expensive props.

Starting with the positives, I enjoyed most of the games. Following the legacy of the previous two seasons, they were imaginative, tense and shot well. The sets were grand, and the larger-than-life vibes were definitely there. The adrenaline rush was present, reminding me what made AIB unique.

But once that wears off, I found it a bit underwhelming. The main issue was the set up itself especially Usagi's return to the Borderland. The reason wasn't justified enough, plus the idea of dealing with trauma and getting closure was very questionable. She was always this resilient, voice of reason kind of person and grounding force for Arisu, but the writers kind of shoved her emotional arc into the background.

Arisu was still the guy trying to strategise his way out of impossible games and succeeding. He really tries to keep it together, but life keeps dealing him impossible hands and somehow, he still manages to play them like a pro.

In previous seasons, seeing them together gave a humane side to all the chaos and tension. Like an escape for us and them...but this season that bond felt eroded and side-lined. In theory, yes, we did see them together, but it barely translated on screen.

We were also introduced to new characters this season and sadly, most of them didn't leave an impact on me and felt like background noise. Some have tragic backstories, sure, but with barely any screen time, it’s hard to actually care. I still remember deaths from season 1 and not from season 3 that I watched yesterday and it is self-explanatory.
You know how we discard the Joker card while playing most games. I had hoped this season would give the Joker card some real weight, but instead, it turned out to be the weakest leader we had so far.
Ryuji caught my attention as a character but the story never fully allowed him to shine. Whether it was the six-episode format or the uneven pacing, many of his traits and potential arcs felt rushed or underexplored.

And then there’s the great “mystery” of Borderland. I was hoping this would flip the tables for me but why give clear answers when you can always drown us in psychological symbolism that looks fancy at first glance but ultimately is all smoke and mirrors.

By the end, instead of feeling like I had been on a gripping, mind-bending journey, I felt like someone had reheated leftovers from the first two seasons. It technically fed me, but there was no flavour.

Acting-wise, it was good. We have some big names in the cast, and they deliver. It's the writing that held them back. The visuals are really good and polished. Also, Netflix needs to stop milking every golden goose. First Squid Game and now this... *sigh*

So would I recommend it? Honestly, yes and no. If you have already come this far, I am sure it's hard not to give in. It's not unwatchable, but if next to its predecessors, it's pale and weak.
But if you are new and considering starting from season 1...I would recommend to stop at season 2.

Thank you for reading my review! <3

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Now that it's finished I'm rewriting this review so what you read now will be a little different than what you read before. This is because TharnType has flaws, man, serious flaws. And every attempt the writer made to overcome its flaws was hamstrung by either the source text or the dictates of Thai BL generally.

At its core, the latest addition to Thai BL had a surprisingly intelligent script with nuanced characterisation. Tharn is ostensibly a confident and comfortably gay man while Type is traumatised by sexual abuse when he was young. They find themselves sharing a room where Tharn's overt sexuality clashes with Type's apparent homophobia.

Unfortunately, the script was given the full Thai BL treatment, especially in its first few episodes. Type tries to bully Tharn out of their shared dormitory, Tharn responds by aggressively sexually harassing and even assaulting the younger man. It's impossible to see either of these things as desirable or romantic behaviour, yet the producers seem determined for us to be titillated by the sexual violence and amused by the bullying. I had neither response and nearly dropped it, since the normalisation of sexual violence is a problem I have with Thai BL generally and Type is at all times a rude and bigoted asshole - a fact that Tharn himself acknowledges at one point.

it seemed weird at the time and even weirder in retrospect that Tharn would respond to a roommate who openly sees him as a sexual threat by sexual assaulting him. I cannot reconcile this behaviour either with the character as we come to know him or with simple logic. Both Type and Tharn's behaviour is wrong and unfortunately the time constraints of the series meant we leapt through necessary relationship progression and decisions to get to where we ended up. Show should have devoted this entire season to the two navigating their way into a relationship. Maybe then viewers wouldn't have needed to do all the cognitive work in explaining it.

One thing TharnType definitely has going for it is its acting. Mew is an excellent actor who portrayed Tharn with a natural subtlety that gives his character a lot of layers. While Gulf (Type) isn't quite as good, he is elevated by working off the more experienced actor and as a consequence this has some of the best acting I've seen in a BL. The acting is possibly one of the reasons I kept watching it when I would otherwise have dropped it. That and how the show began to develop as it moved past its first few episodes.

Once the show begins to settle into itself, it tries to break free of the dictates of the genre the script has unfortunately been forced into. Tharn is a lonely man, disappointed by love and terrified of rejection following the manipulative abuse of an older man when he was young, and Type is a very confused, very damaged one who has a long road to walk in terms of coming to terms with his identity. I take issue with the idea it's Tharn's job to fix Type but thankfully the script moves away from that sharply, dealing as much with the complexity of Tharn's psychological trauma as with the obvious trauma of Type's. Or at least that's what it seemed to be doing.

It would be unreasonable to expect a Thai BL to adequately grapple with the intersection of identity, social gender constructs, trauma and bigotry. And I certainly didn't. But I wanted to give the show credit for at least trying. Some of the show's decisions around portraying trauma and assault seemed nuanced and interesting, others seemed trite and tone deaf. But even while TharnType did a better job than expected, it dropped all these themes entirely at the end and went straight for full-bore Lakorn nonsense.

I'll be blunt - I don't care about Lhong. I don't care about his character, I don't care why he became a total psycho and I also didn't need a Machiavellian villain mastermind to pop his head up at the last minute. This couple has real issues to deal with and instead we get some second-female-lead garbage ripped from a soap opera. The fact this is a gay male instead of a woman doesn't make this whole thing better, it makes it worse. For a show with an actual real openly gay character, this show's representation of the gay community got worse and worse.

I get it, I get it THE NOVEL but the novel is clearly stupid because this is ripped straight out of a bad Thai Lakorn. Worse than that, by shifting to an external issue to solve, the show refused to solve this couple's real problems - Type's trauma and refusal to accept his homosexuality and Tharn's inability to be honest due to a fear of rejection. None of these issues were dealt with (what about poor Kom, still convinced his childhood best friend hates him for being gay?). And it's not as though the finale didn't have time, devoting screentime to an endless showdown with Lhong that I personally couldn't give a fig about.

Because of this the happy ending feels shallow, a common problem with Thai BL. It reminds us that for all its pretensions, this is just another BL. A quick flash forward to a timeline after its sequel and companion piece, Love By Chance*, shows us they have no intention of ever dealing with these issues. We'll never see Type being brave enough to come out to his school friends or his parents, among many other important character moments we needed.

To say that I'm disappointed in TharnType is to imply that I expected more of it. I didn't. But I did have hope and that hope was obviously not fulfilled.

*This show is a prequel and companion piece to Love By Chance, both being based on source novels by the same author and set in the same universe. It's a universe with a great deal of sexual violence and, while the show is grappling with these issues in the main OTP, it doesn't have as much success with other plotlines across both shows. Having seen Love By Chance it is difficult to watch, for example, Techno being a loving and supportive friend throughout the show knowing that his brother's friend is going to rape him. In fact, Techno's brother being complicit in the rape is mirrored in Thorn (Tharn's brother) being fine with his brother's abuser still being in his life too. It's a dynamic that's hard to watch in both shows and, I guess, that won't be resolved unless there's a second season of Love By Chance. I can only hope that when all plotlines are resolved, the show can come down heavily against sexual violence in whatever form it takes.

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I hate this drama. Yes, hate is a strong word, but it's also accurate. I had to force myself to finish this, and the last 2 episodes were barely watchable. I can hardly remember the first few episodes, when this drama slowly started to grow on me, and gave me some Boys over Flowers type feels... Now all I have left is the wish that I had given up on this drama much sooner. Where do I even begin?

The plot makes no sense. A rich guy finds his 3 dead son's sons and forces them to live in a fancy home together, even though they don't get along. His solution is to hire a weird poor girl to move in and trick them into getting along, just as long as she doesn't date them? What???!!! Obviously the premise is just a set up to put her in close proximity with 3 cute guys (4 if you count the hot secretary), and honestly I was willing to forgive the implausibility of it all just to watch that often repeated k-drama dynamic of "which cute guy do I choose?"- but unfortunately the show dared to introduce another female lead which literally killed any joy I found watching the show. Once they tried to force feed that story into the plot, the show lost it's charm, and that brought my attention to how dumb the rest of the plot really was. Oh, and the flashbacks... waaaaaaay too many flashbacks filling up the time. Each flashback seemed to say "remember that part that you liked" as a way to distract from how bad the current story was.

As for the cast, it took me a while to warm up to Park So Dam as Ha Won. She bored me at first, the same way she initially bored me in Beautiful Mind, but eventually I started to root for her. She's quirky, and kinda naive, yet outspoken, and honest. She was definitely giving me Jan Di from BoF flashbacks. She is matched with the 3 leads, and had cute chemistry with each of them. Playboy Hyun Min had great second lead potential in the beginning. I liked many of their early scenes together. Seo Woo is super sweet, and a cute match to watch throughout the show, although they spend less time together as the show progresses. Then of course there's Jung Il Woo as Ji Woon... the reason I kept watching. He has great charisma, and his smirk won me over early on. There were moments where he and Park So Dam looked like they really could be dating, that's how cute they were together. That's also what tricked me into sticking with this show... every time I was about to quit watching they would have a moment that sucked me back in. I should also mention the cute secretary (I guess he's prince #4) who's character, and storyline, seemed like an afterthought, but I really liked him a lot (I personally would have chosen him).

So if most of the main cast was pretty good, why such a low score? The answer is Son Na Eun as Hye Ji. She is not just bad, she is a ruiner of scenes. Not only is her character terribly written... they try to make you empathize with a crazy ex who can't let go, and it did not work for me... She is also just not a great actress at all. Her expressions were bland, her emotions felt fake (tears of the crocodile variety), and I'm not an A Pink fangirl so I don't get her appeal. I felt like groaning every time she was on screen, which was more and more as the show progressed. She ruined any love I had for the show, and by the end her scenes became moments to take bathroom breaks, or check messages or my email... I wish the show was half as long and omitted her entire storyline (which also made no sense, but I won't spoil it). A good rival should add to the plot, not make you want to never watch again. Grandpa CEO was also a terrible character, and frustrating to watch, but his acting wasn't terrible so it worked. Other parents were equally annoying, but still not as bad as Na Eun (and had much less screen time). The only character who annoyed me as much is Ja Yeong, the BFF of Ha Won. I guess I was supposed to find her creepy fangirl personality cute, but she annoyed me. The forced romance implications were also not working for me. Ahh, forced romance... that brings me to the end... ugh!

I honestly wanted to see how it would all be resolved, but the ending felt so forced, and overly romantic, that I would have rather had a tragic sappy ending where everyone died. The ending scene was so incredibly cheesy that I couldn't take it. The only thing I liked was the surprise (totally predictable) backstory between Ji Woon and Ha Won, that I wish was the main focus of the show in the first place. Of course they add unnecessary drama to the final moments too, but there are no surprises, so I don't recommend forcing yourself to stick it out to the end.

The soundtrack is not my favorite, but it's the best part of the show after the main kissing scenes.

Would I watch this again? Never. I'm still wondering why I didn't stop watching weeks ago!

Overall this show is bad... really bad, in spite the cute moments that I wish could be pieced together to form it's own mini show. If you start it, you will probably be tempted to keep watching, but let me assure you that once it starts going down hill it will only get worse. Just watch youtube clips of the best scenes from the show, and don't bother trying to make sense of the messy storyline, or care who the characters are... clearly the writer didn't care either. I can't believe this is based on a book, and I wonder how much this show misses the mark.

I wish I could go back in time and drop this drama. If you're wondering if it's better to watch and drop, or to never watch at all, I would say both choices are better than forcing yourself to watch the whole thing. I give the show a 4 - one point for each of the 4 prince cuties interactioning with the lead. That's basically all the show has to offer, and that's not enough to fill 16 episodes. With soooo many cinderella themed k-dramas out there, this literal one is the one you should miss.

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Hate to love scenario between me and Jung Woo. Damn, I disliked his little smug face so much in the first two episodes, I thought it would be impossible for me to jump on the ship in the future. While I warmed up to him in later episodes, I never sailed with the two dudes.

The biggest flaw of the show is the fact we truly know nothing about the characters. What are their motivations? Why do they do what they do? Why is Jung Woo working with Laura? What is his goal? Why is Do Gun so into keeping true to the basics and so against the innovations and new ideas? Why is he obsessed with working at Laura Dining? What is Laura’s deal? They did not explain anything. Literally not one thing. Who is Jung Woo anyway?

It’s also the first time I felt exactly zero romantic chemistry on screen between the main leads in BL. While I enjoyed their bickering and them having fun, their romantic scenes just made me feel slightly uncomfortable, because it felt like they were not that into it either.

The acting was good. Both Jang Eui Soo and Lee Chan Hyung have acting experience to back up their performance.

Production quality is what we usually get from k-bls: indie web drama vibes. Personally, I truly enjoy these aesthetics.

Overall, fine to watch when you are in between BLs and have nothing else to watch. Would not prioritize this over other shows though. It’s like a filler show.

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Give it a Chance.. it's worth

Writing this after watching 8 episodes...

I found this drama accidentally while watching some YT videos. So I just watched.. literally binged watched.

I don't know why some people have given low rating to this drama. Normally its happen after 20+ episodes because of fillers. But this one so far interesting. Maybe because they don't like genre. Anyway usually I don't write reviews but I am writing this because I don't want some drama enthusiastic to miss this drama because of a bad reviews. So give this a chance.

The cinematography is absolutely stunning. The creators took great care in introducing each character through well-choreographed fight scenes. These scenes aren't just background noise – they're beautifully filmed and truly set the stage for each character. The fight choreography itself is top-notch, and the CGI seamlessly blends into the action.

The acting is on point as well, and the plot has me hooked so far.

If you're looking for a drama with impressive visuals, engaging characters, and a captivating story, don't be discouraged by the bad reviews. Give this one a try – you might be surprised!

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Despite the many good reviews on this drama, I felt that this is the most stressful and frustrating K-series I have ever watched. This drama sets such a high expectation for the viewers with the unique storyline but it fails to deliver what was expected of the drama.

In terms of the story writing, I felt that the foundation of the series as to why each character behaves in such a way does not justify their actions. This is probably due to the poor script writing which ends up ruining such a good series that could have been the best K-series if done right. The most frustrating thing about the show is probably the fact that the "genius" male lead isn't a genius at all. He made alot of mistakes that could have been well avoided. The show kinda felt like it was trying to achieve the level of money heist where the protagonist is well liked by the people despite the wrong doing but yet due to the conservative thinking, they decide to fall back to its safety net where the show served as a lesson for us to think about how each mistake leads to a dire consequence and there is no turning back.

Despite the poor writing, I must commend the actors and actresses for their emotional and impactful acting. Their character were however, difficult to relate to which results in a lot of conflict trying to understand how each character felt and why they make certain decision.

Regardless, I managed to finish the series as it kept me on the edge with every episode and made me continue watching as I had to find out what will happen next.

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"In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream…"

Choi Han Yong’s ‘ The Silent Sea’ is a series which will like divide its audience demographic greatly. Notable A-listers such as Bae Doona and Gong Yoo will likely attract drama enthusiasts towards the drama’s cast lineup and involvement. However ‘The Silent Sea’’s amalgamation of different sci-fi stories and Han Yong’s attempted execution of these plot points may naturally lead to some divided opinions amongst drama enthusiasts and sci-fi aficionados alike.

The plot takes place in a dystopian alternative-future where the earth’s water coverage has been reduced by nearly forty -percent. In an attempt to govern humanity and ration supplies, citizens are assigned a “water grade” based on a hierarchy ranking system that determines how much of the liquid they’re allowed to access. So in an attempt to resolve problems humanity attempts to look for answers ( quite literally) in the stars.

Astrobiologist Dr. Song Ji-an ( Bae Doona )is sent on a salvage mission alongside gruff soldier Han Yoon-Jae ( Gong Yoo) in order to collect samples at the deserted Balhae moon station. With both characters having their own personal motives for taking on the assigned task the duo come across some startling and horrifying secrets as they begin their mission.

Netflix’s ‘The Silent Sea’ origins were admittedly still quite visionary by being based upon Han Yong’s notable short movie ‘ The Sea of Tranquillity’. Yet unlike the art-house-style influences of Yong’s original directed work, ‘ The Silent Sea’ notably markets itself to a wider audience demographic as a “ sci-fi and dystopian epic” with slow- burn mystery ; a mini-series that is likely to eagerly please and disappoint in equal measure.

The plot twists and turns that become apparent throughout ‘ The Silent Sea’ will likely divide those familiar with the sci-if genre; action sequences straight out of Ridley Scott’s ‘ Alien’, a suspenseful tone familiar to Christopher Nolan’s ‘ Interstellar’, bilingual exchanges paying an evident homage to Joss Whedon’s ‘ Firefly’( changed evidently to Korean and English ) , a key plot point nearly strikingly familiar to Jo Sung Hee’s ‘ Space Sweepers’, and an unsurprising likeliness to the water -themed 2009 British series’ ‘Doctor Who’ special ‘The Waters of Mars’, will possibly highlight the fine-line between paying homage and striking similarities to other notable works throughout the drama.

Of course whilst the familiarity of some of these plot twists does come into question when looking back at ‘ The Silent Sea’ it’s important to point out that the series does facilitate a solid pace with its revelations and twists right up till the last episode. However while the plot surprises are still interesting to some extent , ‘The Silent Sea’ could often neglect a crucial element to delivering its attempted tour de force moments: the cast and the characters.

Bae Doona and Gong Yoo are the undeniable star- attractions of the drama through their idiosyncratic performances offering a subtle touch of mystique and heartache as their onscreen counterparts.

Nevertheless given the evident potential for character depth in a series which explores the complexity of humanity, it will likely strike viewers as slightly unusual that ‘ The Silent Sea’ rarely diverged into using even initial exposition for establishing character personalities and adding a tweak of depth to their seemingly profound egocentric motives . Whilst later episodes place a quintessential limelight upon the characters’ roles to play in the events of the series and plot-drive, without baseline personalities ( aside from Doctor Song), notable main and important characters in the series could often slightly shallow and uninteresting .

The design of ‘The Silent Sea‘’s “ advanced” technological world and the cinematography are decent enough during viewings. There is an undeniable high reliance on CGI throughout the filming of the series; not out of the question for a series set in space, but also leading to some heavy artistic licensing by Han Yong. ( Astrophysicists, engineers and science experts may want to look away from these scenes as the logic is often devoid during these scenes .) The established setting is also not too preposterous for audiences ; several holographic displays subtly reminding the audience that this is series is set in the near-future every so often but admittedly not quite being awe-inspiring either.

‘The Silent Sea’ delivered a promising sci-fi mystery epic that brought together a myriad of sci-fi plot point twists to an original concept. With that said the series felt as though it could’ve had more episodes in order to actually flesh-out characters and the world-building of the series , leading to a mixture of mixed-reception with the final production. Viewers looking for a quick binge-watch investment with some familiar faces along the way may revel in the series’ end result . However fans of the sci-fi genre may be slightly disappointed by Netflix’s s high- budget extravaganza which whilst satisfactory for the most part did lack more of an impactful punch.

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Intense. Brutal. Yes, I recommend it. And with a heavy heart I am also considering it valuable

"Weak Hero Class 1" leaves me with mixed emotions. It is an intense KDrama, in which the young people are remarkably slow-paced, sort of numb, at times bordering on apathy. On the other hand, there are violent outbursts. Extreme. Brutal. A cruel parallel world that actually should have no place whatsoever in the everyday life of high school students!
What kind of society do we live in? It is simply too much, what young people have to go through and deal with. KDrama didn't invent it. Neither does the webtoon, the story is based on. It is a sad and scandalous reality in many schools, in many classes, in South Korea and elsewhere.

"Weak Hero Class 1" doesn't sugarcoat anything.
And it ends just the way it is... no end in sight...

I admit, I was about to drop it. Too much frustration and violence - it actually goes on and on. (Even if the 'weak hero' develops cunning, inspiring recipes to fight back... it still remains a world of violence.)
But then the relationship dynamics between the boys (and girls) are quite intense and what they go through inside and out is touching. Ultimately, it doesn't help to look away - even if it's painful to look at. In fact, "Weak Hero Class 1" is a great, impressive production. It is a disturbing inventory - disturbing because the story leaves no perspective, no silver lining, no substantial room for hope. (At most marginal sparks of light here and there.)

The largely indifferent attitude towards life that prevails in posture and movement of the young people is one thing, the massive outbreaks of violence another. Each soul seems to have long since fled its young body, so that there are only roughly apathetic youths on the move who occasionally act as numb thugs who kick helpless bodies on the ground, or vice versa. It's actually unbearable. It's traumatizing on both sides. And yet it is everyday life. This creates a very unique flow in the world of the students. In this world, one may search in vain for serious, responsible, courageous adults. They are lacking. The kids are alone in this world and have to find their way to live in it, or rather: to survive. Which side will you be on? Perpetrator? Victim? Rescuer? Spectator?

What agitates me the most in connection with "Weak Hero Class 1" is the enormous enthusiasm among der age-group of 13-17, who with this story obviously feel seen right on. This may be 'only' a fictional story, but it obviously tells the story of the youth, we (adults) usually dont´t get. Many are thrilled. In fact, I'm NOT thrilled. I'm impressed by the intensity of the production, yes. But primarily appalled by the dominance of bullying and the severity of violence among peers in everyday school life today. I am also shocked by the documented, self-evident aimlessness and helplessness of the adults. Ultimately, I am frustrated by the lack of a positive outlook and affected by such a disillusioning world of experience of the young, growing up generation.

"Weak Hero Class 1" is based on the template of a web toon and has (via KDrama) by now reached an even wider audience, especially among the 'adults', regarding bullying among schoolchildren. I appreciate that. The KDrama was released on the young streaming platform Wavve and was thus able to give plenty of dramaturgical space to the violent excesses. Maybe more than necessary? Or just right? The KDrama has a simple mission: to show what 'we' tend not to see because 'we' (adults) have no place in this parallel world of schoolchildren. And as a matter of principle, the story does not provide any answers in terms of a way out. No.
In the contrary: 'we' adults are in the pillory... What have we done (and also missed) that it could have gotten this far! Where is this going to end? What can we do about it?

Anyway, bottom line: I recommend the series. And with a heavy heart I am also considering it valuable especially for all those who call themselves adults, parents, teachers, social workers, officials in youth welfare offices, police officers, etc....
Hello, wake up!

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START-UP IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE "SHIPS", DON'T MISS THE WHOLE POINT.

The story was really inspiring. The viewers can see how much a start-up can really grow as a big company. Seeing the hardships of Dosan and DalMi to reach their dreams welcomed me to "follow my dreams".

Only JiDal shippers say it's disappointing. I get it that you want your bias to win over DalMi, but it's your fault for getting your hopes up too high when you know that the drama is made for NJH and Suzy in the very first place. Also, the poster says it all. Anyway, people who just see and measure start-up based on "ship" missed the whole point of the K-drama. Start-up is a series more than the love story. It is about family, dreams, and friendship.

Set aside what others are saying that it's not good. You'll see, Dosan and DalMi is a perfect match, too! ❤️

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