Reviews

The same cliche and boring story

This drama has nothing new neither fresh, it was funny but that was their strongest point (and all the memes that came from here).

Will you remember the message of the beauty? No, probably you will remember the okey dokey dance more, but it's natural since they didn't focused on female lead struggles with her appearance, they care more for the tedious love triangle. The story is that lame that the side characters are actual more interesting than the FL and that it's not okay cause she should carry the drama.

The second male lead, another great and charismatic character that ended up being a heartbroken guy till the end. I'm tired of that, why is so difficult to make him happy with another love or something. Anyway, he stole the show for me.

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Conflicted Literature

Prologue

My mind never fails to go completely blank right before writing these.It feels somewhat like a line of astounding talents gone ahead before me, and my absent minded ass is up next. No idea what to write, how to portray these thoughts that future me can look back on and feel every word of it as if I’m in front of the television again pressing play for the first time. What do they want to see from this review? How do they feel of this drama? Man, wouldn’t it be so much easier to just be like the rest? Well my dear silent minority, we aren’t like the rest. Our thoughts differ, lights dim out, voices hollow, presence uncertain.

But, every now and then some of us gather the strength to shout our unpopular opinions loud enough for everyone willing to hear. Lights begin to flicker back on as we approach our biggest momentary fear, the stage is ours. Make no mistake, no matter how nor if the audience responds back to you, you’ve done something for us that will always inspire those after. There’s no telling when you’ll feel like this again, nor get the chance to express it.

You then realize those lights that were so intimidating before were never dimmed. At last , a star is born.


Man vs Everything

I’ll get my biggest frustration with this drama out of the way first to make up for the rambling. Jeongnyeon is not a complete drama. In fact, you’ll feel there’s something missing at the very beginning, but it only becomes apparent towards the end. There’s several components to a story, and that one thing you’re having that gut feeling is missing in this one, is conflict.

How so? We’ve seen many antagonists introduced, as well as internal and external struggles made out as obstacles in our leads’ way. Poor upbringings, jealousy, underdogs, loss, scandals, defamation, the list goes on. Well, could you really make these things out to be conflicts when even the characters absolutely refuse to?

First we have our favorite little star Yun Jeong. Dimwitted, until she’s not. Inexperienced, until she’s not. Star of the show, until she’s not. Daring, until she’s not. Determined, until she’s not. Damn near mute with multiple medical professionals’ ruling it as so… until, well.

My surprising favorite that deserved closure and proper writing all around, Yeong Seo. I haven’t seen a single thing from the actress until now with this drama, and i can still tell this is easily the best performance she’s put on without needing to see any other. In fact, i won’t even butcher her character here any more than the writing already had. Just know, she deserved much, MUCH better..

Speaking of deserving better, let’s reel in the last few who deserved worse. Despite my unpopular perspective with the Prince of the stage herself, I’ll admit, Moon Ok Gyeong is hands down the most fascinating character that’s completely open to interpretation. She’s a fan favorite to many, both in and outside the drama. To me? She’s the epitome of toxicity and the most subtle portrayal of an antagonist I’ve seen this year. I know that opens alot of doors for discussion, and to be fair, they’re probably not even opened at all had the webtoon been adapted faithfully enough. But we’re going from the abomination they chose to throw out for us to mindlessly consume, and that being my conclusion.

Now here’s someone i feel for certain couldn’t have been redeemed well enough in the original work to make sense of, Ju Ran. Another popular favorite, but i see no logical reason why outside of some piss poor GL teasing. Her storyline was the sole confirmation that cuts that shouldn’t have even been considered , were made. The heavy censorship behind her relations with everyone was adding gasoline to a forest fire. I see no potential redemption of this character in even the webtoon whenever i decide to pick it up. But hopefully I’m wrong.


To make something clear, this drama is by far Kim Tae Ri’s most innovative and expressive role yet. And it’s clear to me now what she’s been going for all along aren’t good scripts, but challenging roles to take her own acting range another step further. Even her weakest work steps all over 95% of the industry, and that’s no exaggeration. She has been my favorite actress in this drama land since I’ve first came across her, and she’s only reaffirmed my obsession with her work and talented eye for scripts here. If you feel even remotely similar about her, you will enjoy every last bit of this drama as i have, minus the rant after, likely.



Jeongnyeon is a successful, aspiring drama that failed as an adaption. Have i read the original webtoon yet? Not a single word. But i know a cut and rushed mess when i see it, as I’ve seen too many at this point. Want to know what else I’m aware of ? My opinion being the minority , as well as my genuine enjoyment throughout watching this series. I can go longer than this run on sentence about this embarrassment of an adaption as much as i can rave about how even Kim’s worst work is better than your fave’s best and you’d be doing yourself the disservice by not trying this title out as any fan of Kim Tae Ri or even Shin Ye Eun.


I applaud the effort of the impressive cast and remarkable production. Our star has yet to dim, it’s just another was born.

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romanticizing toxic relationship for 36 episodes!!

I was rooting for this drama to be good, namely because Arthur Chen is in it. His other projects aren’t watchable for me as I’m waiting for Immortality… but for now I will watch this drama and take my crumbs here and there.

At first the drama was good, then good enough, and now it’s getting hard to watch. Simply because it is too long of a show for the narrative it has. And it’s a shame, because with the story it had potential.

One of the main things that really sends it home is that the main characters aren’t like able. Li Xun, played by Arthur Chen, has a lot of problems and acts rashly and behaves horribly to others around him without any conveniences. And the whole reason why? Well .. there is no explanation. You get half an episode (20 minutes) on his background to explain why he is closed off.. meanwhile you get full few episodes for plot points that don’t advance the story along at all. As for the story it’s hard to tell what it is, but it should’ve been wrapped up sooner.

The whole thing with their coding is hard to watch and boring because I know how coding works. I code, and they language they use may not be the same I do, but the story around the coding isn’t working. Arthur Chen is just good at is, there was no build up or reason why, and Zhu Yun is even worse. He keeps her by her side and she never has a chance to show her being good, she just picks up where he left off etc.

The show is pretty at times, but other than face value it isn’t great. The tonal shifts are so jarring, I don’t know why C-Dramas do this thing where the dynamic between the leads is so toxic but they play it off as charming. Li Xun is not charming, realistically no one would respect him with the way he is acting even if he is good at coding.. he’s got pretty privileged.

Now the kicker for me is the part I’m at where they just now introduce a childhood friend of Zhu Yin’s that took her own life.. and it’s tone deaf. It’s weird to me because they have a character that clearly has things to explain about his upbringing, but Zhu Yun- who has never had any moments building up or any recalling of this friend .. suddenly remembers? She is triggered for the sake of more episodes and I’d be fine with it if they didn’t have Li Xun’s character where they could have time to develop him. And at this point the drama is offensive when she tells another new character that he killed the girl, meanwhile mental issues like that shouldn’t be solely put on one person to blame, she is immature for that and I don’t like her for that. That behavior is so wrong and should’nt be portrayed as righteous. The guy who she pins it on wasn’t perfect, but you never blame someone for anyone’s death unless it’s murder. Mental issues are horribly misunderstood and it’s shameful.

I don’t hate the drama though. I just have issues with it because I’m sick of waiting for Arthur Chen’s Immortality to release because he put a lot of work into that also. This drama for him is on, he gets time to shine and recognition. Other than watching it for him I don’t recommend. Maybe for the hater to lover trope.. honestly watch something else for that. This is taking too long for these two and it can be over shorter and written better overall.


… update… they really are not having any redemption for this drama here. I am really at odds with all the amazing 10/10 reviews.

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I started watching this series because the reviews were amazing. The trailer was very intriguing and overall it just drew me. The first 12 episodes were really good. The relationship between Xiaofeng and Gu Xiao Wu was also nice. Chemistry was interesting and overall acting, cinematography and especially the side characters were great. I loved the Danchi tribe and how Xiaofeng's personality was. She had self respect and a sense of power. She was like a bright star filled with innocence and kindness Everyone respected her and loved her. Her grandfather was truly the best. I seriously would emphasize that the first 12 episodes were the best.

Somehow after the first arc ends, it gets very lame. After the 25th episode it get's a bit boring. I hate Gu Xiao Wu or Li Cheng Yin. He was such a terrible person. It was always quest for power for him. Even when he was trying to protect Xiaofeng from other people, he was so mean to her. I don't even understand how she could love him again or when he actually fell in love with her again. Li Cheng Yin was really a terrible character. His acting was good but I somehow feel that this drama lost it's budget halfway. The story just kept on being prolonged for no reason. The development of chemistry in the eastern palace was so boring. Literally did Xiaofeng have nothing better to do in the palace?

Even though I saw this drama, I really won't recommend it to someone. I also have seen a few other tragedy dramas but this one was not a good one. Acting wise, the cast did a good job but plot wise I think it failed.

The costumes were beautiful. The acting was also great. No character had just one side to him or her. The OST's were really good. I will appreciate the good elements of the dramas but the middle portion of the drama was a bit weak.

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Somehow became my favourite show of the year

I know why people don't love the show, it's a "dark romance" and a lot of the stuff that the ML (Ming) does is pretty beyond the pale. However, I knew that going in so I wasn't really expecting this to be a fun/lighthearted show. Expectations are kind of everything here.

The book is based on a danmei novel, 职业替身 or Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng. If you look at the tags on the NovelUpdates page you'll have a pretty good idea of what you're getting into. https://www.novelupdates.com/series/professional-body-double/ (And the novel is more challenging than the show so be warned).

This isn't usually a genre I go in for, but I have to admit I got completely hooked. The acting is incredibly good, the series is well-produced, the pacing is great, and the chemistry between the two leads is fantastic. While the plot is a little over the top in some ways, it rarely felt cheesy or overdone, and I think the team handled the localization and adaptation incredibly well.

If you don't like heavy angst you will not have a good time here, if you need characters to have extensive redemption arcs, you probably will not have a good time here. However, if you enjoy a heavy amount of drama, suffering, and crying, you're in the right place. There are lighter moments, and a lot of beautiful ones too, it was all worth it to me.

We can have a productive conversation about the types of tropes that are common in BL and romance generally, and the harm that they can cause, however, I think dismissing it out of hand because it has upsetting elements doesn't contribute to that discussion. If you don't like it that's very understandable, it's a lot, but I think it's a show with a lot to offer for those who want to engage with it while understanding what it is.

-- Spoilers Below--
More extensive thoughts:
Yes Ming absolutely sucks, he's possessive, self-centered, and demanding. However, he is also capable of growth and change, he's never going to be perfect (he's always going to be a spoiled richboy), but it's clear that he understands the mistakes he made when he was younger and regrets them deeply. Some people don't think he was redeemed "enough", but the point is that Joe forgives him, and they're letting go of the past and moving forward with the expectation that they can do better this time.

I think people also get really frustrated at Joe's character. He's incredibly selfless and forgiving, he rarely puts himself first, and he doesn't seem to know how to let go of this guy who hurt him so badly. But all of those things are important parts of his character. It's not as if he's some complete doormat, he's able to stand up for himself in most situations where he knows he's been wronged, he gets angry, he pushes back. But at his core he is just a very selfless and kind person, and that doesn't change even in his second life. He also truly, deeply, loves Ming. Maybe he should move on, but at this point he's not going to, he has what he's always wanted, which is for Ming to love him as much as he did, to have someone waiting for him at home.

I thought the characters were all so compelling and interesting, it was so hard to stop watching, or wait for the next episode. I truly fell in love with this series despite everything. It was all about ending the cycles of revenge and hate and despair, growing and becoming better together. I may be reading into it quite a lot, but I'm grateful this show exists <3

I said this elsewhere, but forgiveness is not about "deserving" it, that's not the point. Ming and Joe are choosing to move on, to let go of the past and stop repeating the cycle. Eternal punishment is pointless, and endless hatred and revenge isn't the point of the series.

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best of cdramas

this was a great cdrama, and before the buts I'll talk about the good points:
1- the fl was the main hero, she woke up 1st and she "solved" most of the problems, though at points they did seem to always praise the ml (once the cop even praised him for remembering "something" but at that timeline the fl did all the work)
2- each passenger had their own lives, as the leads suspected them all, each one of them revealed their own struggles and hardships (I do think they glossed over them too fast, but in the end they were all "heroes" eventhough most time lines they didn't want to intervene)
3- the cat guy UWU
4- the different interpretations of how each action resulted in a different reaction (though they were a little too repetitive at times)
5- I'm glad the final showdown was done by the fl

now for the buts~
1- I think one pervert one time was not enough for her meltdown. if someone touches you, SCREAM right away. there were many people there, her story felt like a simple "backstory" on why 2 people wanted to blow up a bus..
2- going to prison for terrorism and mass murder attempt probably has a higher jail time than sexual harassment, which is sad cuz that dude deserved worse...
3- I thought this was like that ep of "Mystery to Iunakare" where the kidnappers took the bus with all the suspects of that event, though indeed it'd have been harder to track down the pervert which results in my "solution"
4- this should've been revenge. like they did find the pervert but he got out easy and they wanted more..
5- at one point the ml was too controlling, the fl was the hero that did most of the job while the ml always nagged her
6- this needed half the ep counts, they had too many repetitions
7- I'm not into cdrama osts

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I just can not stand this drama. It is not the worst I've seen, but oh is it painful. I don't know why it's one of the most recommended dramas and I don't know why so many people love it. Actually, the only reason I think people like it is because they think the lead is hot and/or because it's the first drama they have seen.

Initially I like this drama. I liked the lead female,Makino Tsukushi, as a strong female role because she would't succumb to the arrogant F4(especially from the lead male Domyouji Tsukasa). It was cliche, but I've come to expect that in any japanese teen drama. Some reactions and plot devices were unrealistic, but I can ignore that. What turned me off was the complete 180 the drama took from reality involving Domyouji. Let's get this straight, Domyouji is a narcissistic, obnoxious, arrogant creep. Nothing leads me to feel empathy for his character. Domyouji does awful, terrible, things to harass Makino; even going as far as hiring people to sexually assault her. The 'excuses' for his behavior (his background story) are not at all valid for being such an awful human being and I feel no empathy for the character.

I had to quit watching after I searched for the ending. I couldn't make myself sit through the entire drama only to be enraged at the end.

The only semi saving grace for this show was the acting. Oguri Shun is a brilliant actor, and Jun Matsumoto portrays his character well (as does Mao Inoue). So I guess if you are a fan of the manga you will like it (???). For me, two thumbs way way down.

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“I see you clearly”, and I saw it all very clearly.

“I see you clearly”, and as I sat down and started watching this show, I saw it all very clearly.

I saw the beauty of nature, the breathtaking environment, the cultural heritage of the herders, the kind and warm-hearted Kazakh people and the ever changing times.

It’s a simple plot, but it’s beautifully told, with sympathetic depictions of the common minority folk and richly nostalgic evocations of rural life.

What a wonderful slow, character-driven story with its dreamlike quality, yet so detailed and personal that it captures and connects stunningly with so many lives.

I still have the lingering feeling of being intimately acquainted with the people living in the isolated yet beautiful landscapes of Altay.

The music score was just perfect and poignant; on more than one occasion I found myself shedding tears for the beauty of it.

I highly recommend this, and I am extremely grateful to the person who suggested it to me, as it is deserving of recognition and praise.

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It's so intense

The most outstanding masterpiece ever in the history of gl.i can't stop watching over and over again. cinematography on point, cast, and everything I between is exceptionally excellent. I'm still in awe. I can't believe that such an amazing masterpiece could be given in the history of gl. In comparison to the Taylor Swift's eras tour. I'm still in awe. Go watch it today if you haven't. Available at Fabel Entertainment only on YouTube. I don't know if anything could ever surpass the intensity, quality and everything about this series. Broken of love is keeping me on my toes, every Saturday is going to not only be special but exciting. kudos to all and sundry in the making of broken of love. it's truly exceptional. it's a phenomenal. I'm grateful to have come across such a masterpiece.

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By far the weakest arc!

This had so much potential, but as usual with thai shows, they just botched it. This arc had it especially not easy, because it was the last, but we saw so much of it in Part 1. When you know you will film all arcs of the novel, you should have started with THIS arc. Why? Because it starts at highschool and then fades into university. So the first 5 episodes don't belong into Part 2, they should have been in Part 1 at the beginning. Yes we would have been left hanging but it would have made much more sense.

Instead we get a time jump of three years in this arc which feels strange. And it just happens by accident that Mr. Mafia Boy confesses and that at the end of episode 6. They had the mafia subplot and Mr. Mafia boy did kill someone - no consequences - because it's Mafia I suppose. His then not boyfriend did not ask and Mr. Mafia Boy did not explain. Also no real explaination what the family really did, besides having a 08/15 cartoonish evil dad who had the decency to die without fuzz before causing more problems. As usual we have a not really gay but gay brother who is the same as Mr. Mafia Boy and then we have even one more couple which has not much screen time at all and they should have because the main story dragged on for too long.

They could have done something more with the mafia arc, but no. I have no clue if the novel is more exciting but this was not it. The order was wrong, the interactions with North & Johann are too short, Easter and Hill were not seen at all.

So for a standalone it was ok, but for the big picture of both season this arc did not work well. The actors were good for the most parts, the production was on a high level but the story is missing the kick to make it exciting.

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What a Masterpiece!

This movie is a hidden gem, but if you were waiting your typical happy, cute, melodramatic drama well... this is clearly not for you.

This movie tells the story of Se-Jin, a 17 years old teen, that gets pregnant and with the help of her new companion (Joo Young, a runaway 17 years old) they do everything possible (and also the impossible compared to other K-Movies) to get her an abortion. But, in the process, this movies shows the society's underworld, rarely shown in this kind of movies. Taboo symbols are common, although the two main leads are minors, this includes: alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, hallucinogens or sedatives, sex, abortion, theft, minors working, bullying, and the list goes on! All this is used to make a critic to society about the hardships faced by teens without somebody to guide them but, clearly, in a very particular way.

The plot is really good and the storyline is easy to follow, though there may be some plot holes. It's is not a particularly fast movie, but it's pace would clearly not get you bored. Nevertheless, in the last 25 minutes the plot line changes a bit, it gets a bit slower and maybe, if we were too excited because of previous events it may get a bit boring, but nothing too serious.

The acting of the two main leads is spectacular. It's amazing how they could portray such personalities in such a natural way. The rest of the cast's acting is good but nothing too remarkable.

Overall, this is a really particular movie, clearly +18. One should start watching the movie knowing this things so to not get disappointed. My personal recommendation is to give it a chance because, almost certainly, you will end enjoying it.

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Impressive political drama with some romance

First of all this review is for the uncut version, where every episode has a runtime of about one hour. On youtube you see a very cut version which runs only about 45 minutes per episode. Also this series is not a BL. It's just a drama where the main protagonists happen to be gay, one open and the second one not so open. There is a romance part in it but not in the typical fluffy BL style. We see that Vee does admire Nong from the start and he warm ups to him very early. Nong is a grumpy type and very stubborn and it takes time to "warm up" to Vee.

The star of this show of course is the story and the superb acting. Every character has his flaws, some have more, some have less, but nobody is perfect. They depict the backstabbing and horse-trading in any politics, but they focused on actual events in Thailand which is a novum. While the series is more a slowburn, there are so many characters to keep track of that I'm happy we had the time to do so.

And the final episode was also atypical to any BL. This season ends on negative and positive notes but they clearly aimed to have a second season because the story is not finished with only eight episodes. So there is hope, we get another eight episodes to get a real happy end.

Because this is not GMMTV, we get a realistic story, with a great cast, good production design and overall an amazing series. If you are only in the fluffy stuff, this series is not for you. If you liked "Shine" you will like this series also.

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My alarm would not ring for this show

I withheld my opinions for this series until the second season came out, hoping they would tweak the things that were wrong with the first season. First off, I am all for realistic storylines with flawed characters. But what I do not stand for are characters that do not have a character growth at all. From the onset, there seemed to be a lot of potential because of the premise. An application that reveals the feelings of the other person? Interesting. Does that mean transparency from the get go? Yes (which was later on conveniently wiped out, but who cares, JoJo can do whatever she wants. But more about that later)! Refreshing? Sure. A distorted way of communicating? ABSOLUTELY.

Let me breakdown what and where this went wrong for me -
1. A sudden cliched "two worlds apart" situation between the 1ML and FL. I was suspicious they might add that trope of "leaving for the benefit of the other", but I hoped, really hoped they wouldn't do that. Proved me wrong.
2. The way FL's story arc progressed flatly until the last episode where she suddenly decided to right the wrongs. It took someone to murder people for her to finally realize she wasn't really being a nice person. If I had to describe her story graph it would be _________/ At least that's what it was made to look like, for me it never picked up. There are far, far better characters arcs that overcome childhood traumas, without playing with other people's feelings and messing up their heads.
3. The writers probably wanted to show that the two MLs were unconditionally in love with JoJo, but all it looked like to me what she could do whatever she wants, and they'd still be at her beck and call. There were multiple instances she stepped on their hearts and didn't care to explain why. They still followed her like lost puppies. They both deserved so much better. Sun-oh definitely did. That man was made to cry for years - YEARS - over the FL who TILL the end never made up for her actions.
4. I would have been very happy if the bromance of the two MLs had more substance. It felt empty. I was supposed to feel it, but couldn't.
5. The second season felt so forced it made me cringe. Like a 16-episode melo was attempted to be cramped in a 6-episode mini-series. The story felt off, the wrap up was messed up, there were no emotions attached.
6. I feel I need to emphasize a little more about the FL's character. It is going down as one of the most frustrating leads I have ever seen. I see zero reason for her being the lead at all, she showed zero maturity, zero sensibility, zero empathy, zero growth in any sense whatsoever and still looked like a victim in every situation till the last episode.

There were several things I liked as well though, I should mention them nevertheless -
1. The first season was shot beautifully. I loved the setting, it was really refreshing. One word to describe it would be - promising.
2. The way the relationship between Jojo, her aunt and her cousin evolved (however limitedly).
3. The acting was good, I loved the work of the whole cast! I could see them trying their best with what they were given.
4. The overall concept of the show and what we could learn from it. It's thought provoking.

Comparing the things I liked, and the things I did not, it is safe to say it was the writing that ruined it for me. The storyline + characters. The way the flaws of the FL were glorified and excused because of her past basically undermines the growth people actually undergo when they overcome traumas. I wish the actors chose a better project. I'd love to see other works of theirs, because this show is a bad memory now. What's worse is that along with the FL, the audience is made to play ping pong with their feelings regarding the MLs. I hate when shows do that. Now the 1ML is being inconsiderate and heartless, now the 2nd one is doing the same, oh god the 1ML is hurt, oh no no the 2ML is hurt now. What exactly are you trying to do writers? Do you have no other content to keep the viewers watch your show until the end? It's a rhetoric question. They do not, in fact, have any other content.

Never re-watching this, and never recommending this to anyone.

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A mess but not in a good way

I really wanted to enjoy it… but no, it just doesn’t work for me.

The characters Maevika and Ai frustrated me the most. Their relationship makes no sense: at the start, we’re told they’ve known each other since high school and that Ai has been attracted to Maevika since then, but after that… nothing. It’s never brought up again. So many ideas are introduced and then completely abandoned, serving no real purpose in the story.

And sorry, but the way Ai is written is problematic. She spends several episodes harassing, even sexually harassing, Maevika… and then, a few episodes later, we’re suddenly supposed to believe she sincerely loves her and that this situation is painful for her? It’s just not believable.

I hate when writers treat their audience like fools. There were so many better, smarter ways to handle this storyline.

The second couple was also completely sidelined: no depth, just a few random scenes here and there. It’s really frustrating because the actresses clearly gave their best, but the directing is an absolute mess.

Even the villains aren’t compelling. The two fathers traumatize their daughters just to win an auction… and then they get away with it, no consequences whatsoever? Not even a slap on the wrist!

And as for Maevika and Ai being “endgame,” I just can’t buy it. Their relationship makes no sense. I love toxic stories, but not when they’re written like this.

I really hope LMSY comes up with a much better series next time.

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