Reviews

Unique story, not the best execution but still watchable

Edit: I decided to lower the rating in retrospect because it would be unfair to better shows that I want to give the 7.5 rating to since they have overall better quality and execution.
ATTENTION: This show has triggering content in episode 7. I will put the trigger warning in a spoiler comment under my review for those who have triggers they have to avoid so they can check that out.
I think I will be the black sheep among the reviewers here but I don't think this show was good. Not by any fair standards anyway. But I will admit that despite being not-so-great, it was interesting enough and engaging enough for me to watch the whole thing so I still think it is worth one watch. It's very short anyway. It'll be over in a blink and it’s entertaining enough.
You should definitely give this a watch if you:
1. love BL stories
2.Looking for more BL shows to watch
3.Like watching boys look pretty and pretty much just that
4.Don't mind low-quality productions as long as it's gay
5.Love soulmate-au fanfictions
6.Have a thing for colors? BOI DO I HAVE THE SHOW FOR YOU!!!!!
7.Kind of about characters with disabilities? But not really?
8.Happy-ending

Summary: The show is set in an alternate universe where some people are colorblind and can only see color if they meet this one specific-to-them person. Then they will experience color rush and see colors. The colorblind people are called Monos and their color-filter halves are probes. The thing is, Monos are notorious for being dangerous because once they see colors, they get obsessive and might kidnap their probes or commit even bigger crimes. The main character Yeon Woo is a mono. He lives with his aunt after his mother who was also a mono, goes missing a few years before. He moves to a new school, meets his probe, drama ensues…

I get the feeling that a lot of this shows’ viewers are audiences who watch a lot of bl-web series? I'm not one. I've only seen one or two bl shows so I don't know if this show is somehow better than other available BL shows so I'm comparing it with all shows that I watch generally.
The premise for this show is so interesting and unique which is why I decided to watch it in the first place. I was a little disappointed to find out that the writing and production of this show is so weak. It's understandable, it's a low-budget show and you can really tell and they put most of the budget into creating these really beautiful and romantic color effects which pays off to an extent, because it makes the show unique and gives it a little something to set it apart.
But overall, it looks and feels like a student project. Like a typical “recently graduated film students got together and made something together” kind of short film you see on YouTube all the time. It's not the worst quality, it could definitely be worse, but the story was so interesting that with a better budget and better production it could have been much better.
The cinematography is very simple, they just...have the characters in the frame. They do some interesting things with color which I liked. The set design and the general worldbuilding is very sloppy, however. If they were being really smart about it, they could have used the costumes and set designs to reveal even more of the story and aesthetic but the look of the show is very careless so they clearly didn’t spend too long on it. Like they could have had the main character only dress in blacks and whites to show his lack of color sensitivity or have the set have really harmonious color palettes that would highlight the color rush experience. They could have even color graded the show to really capitalize on the sense of losing and gaining color but they only do that a little bit. Missed opportunity.
There’s a sense that everyone in the background besides the main characters, are just standing there like avatars in a video game from 15 years ago. They don’t act like humans and it makes the show look like a theatrical production rather than a TV show. I could nag about the production failures but a weak production can be overlooked if the writing is good. Unfortunately, this show actually suffers from weak writing:
Now that I have watched the whole thing, I know that a lot of subplots are left dangling. This is possibly for a second-season tease which they probably will get because everyone loved this show but to be honest, they made no effort to developed these subplots throughout this season. They are presented in the first episode and then remain in whatever state they were presented, all the way to the very end. It was sad. I wanted to know more about other monos. There’s a whole background situation about everyone hating monos and I think making that more visible in the show would have raised the stakes even more and made it more interesting.
The main issue was the voiceover. You can tell a writer has failed, if there is more voiceover in a show than dialogue. Each scene has the main character explain what we just watched, what everyone is feeling, and what it all means. You can tell this is a failed adaptation technique because that's one of the first things they teach writers about adapting stories: Avoid voiceovers as much as you can. It's a cheap trick. It's an obvious tell that the scene has failed to fulfill its reason to exist. The characters should not explain the emotions. The actors should act out the emotions and the script should provide them with good scene setups that help those emotions flow naturally. I honestly hated the voiceover for the most part. There were some funny, cute scenes where it made sense to hear the main character voice emotions that ever different from what he said or his actions but for the most part he just explained what we had just seen. And it was so unnecessary. To make it all worse, he poor actors actually did get the emotions through. The scenes were enough. Those voiceovers were just ruining the vibe!
Also, an issue: too many flashbacks to scenes we just saw. For such a short runtime, they could use that precious time for story-development.
Another minor complaint I have is the lack of levity in this show. I know it’s an angsty, serious show but all shows should have a little funny in them. It’s like the spice in a food. Even Greek tragedies have funny moments. There is an absurdity in tragedy and having that in your story humanizes the characters and situation. The show had a few of those scenes but I would vote for more! It could have more comedic moments.
Acting: Yoo Jun does a fine job but this is Heo Hyun Jun’s first acting gig I think and you can really tell. His annunciation, his facial expressions, his stance etc. they all expose him as a newbie and that’s okay, he can grow into a better actor but for this show it was kind of a bummer. Unfortunately, the supporting cast weren’t given much to do and they tried (well some of them did).
The music was very generic and worked with the creepy vibe of the show. Like almost every other show, they played the two romantic songs way too often and for way too long, it naturally became annoying. It’s like that “hmm watcha say” joke.
Overall, I would say this show is watchable. The story is so unique that it kind of pushes the viewer to want more. It’s a combination of high school drama, romance, mystery and suspense. All nice genres if you are into them. I didn’t love the show, mainly because I was so frustrated by the missed opportunities of it all but I did care enough to want to know what happens next. There is a lot of suspense and mystery and the dynamics of the characters are so inexplicable wacky and weird that you can’t help but be intrigued by it all.
It’s interesting because the show presents one dynamic for monos and probes then subverts this itself. There is a chase to the romance too. You don’t know if it’s going to end in a murder or a kiss and that’s usually a fun dynamic to watch! The main character is pretty likable despite being a very sad boi. I learned a lot about colors in this show too. I think that was a cute detail to put in. It felt like besides the destined nature of the romance, these characters were also really getting to know each other. They were also innovative with the situations that they put the characters in together as well. When watching too many romances, you start to see repeating patterns, this show avoided that for the most part. It was refreshing.
I hope if this gets a second season, they’ll be able to get a bigger budget and write it a little better. It has so much potential to be better.
I do think if you are looking for a super short, surrealistic bl romance that you should check this out. It’s not a very complex story. It’s just a simple thing to watch and pass the time

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Beautiful ost, Not so romantic, Tense drama

This drama was overall a well executed production. The storyline was unique and although it had a fairly limited setting, the dilemmas and conflicts kept the drama tense and on edge. It may be partially romance but it wasnt heavily written into this drama, having said that, the relationship does pull on heartstrings due to their illfated love. As for the actors, well... i might get hate for this but... i dont think the female lead was the best fit. Her acting is too shallow as a beginner and this drama really requires in depth, experienced acting. For me she just didnt show a variety of emotion in her face such as anger, frustration or confusion. In contrast the male lead actor was particulalry good at expressing his rollercoaster of emotions. The supporting cast were also very well casted and presented a mixture of characters who u either hate to the bone or u really sympathise with. An especially beautiful aspect of this drama was of course the soundtrack. Jamie millers ost really gave the drama an emotional atmosphere, and its definitely in my top 10 kdrama osts. Overall, it is a beautiful romeo and juliet scenario story and i would recommend it. However, whether its rewatchable, i would probaby not watch it again, because of the emotional twists and turns.

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Another Great Fantasy

Li Yi Feng, I remember him in other Chinese Dramas and he is a great actor. I don't watch him a lot because he likes to take roles that are military and I love him in the fantasy roles like this one. This fantasy tops a lot of my other fantasy dramas. The visuals were breathtaking. Chen Yu Qi is one of my favorite top actresses so I already favored her in this drama. She was awesome. They made her role a little quiet but she had the strength I knew she has to take on this role. I would rewatch this again. The ocean was so blue and beautiful. I applaud all the other actresses and actors they also did an awesome job to make this fantasy seem real. This is another one of those dramas do not miss one episode and please don't go to the last episode to see the ending. You will miss out on some great storylines and visuals.

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A rare comedy with no villains and misunderstandings.

This drama is very refreshing to watch. Critics aside, this an extremely rare NO VILLAINS and NO MISUNDERSTANDINGS drama. Almost all historical shows (wuxia and xianxia) have very heavy political plots and focus on hardships of the couple. But this one is just light and peak comedy.

I loved the FL so much omg. She stood up for herself yet was kind for the needy. She also never misunderstood the ML so their "fights" never lasted for a long time. Also, I never ponce though she was ugly because she has the type of smile that can immediately melt anyone.

And of course, Li Hong Yi looks hot as ever. That man is just really handsome. I was skeptical about his character first, but he showed more depth over the course and that was really refreshing.

Liu Scorpio and his wife are just one of a kind. I'll leave it at that. chemistry but

I see a lot of people complaining about the lack of chemistry but I disagree. Yes there aren't many intimate scenes but I think their little things and habits show love in a unique way.

Overall do not be swayed by the negative reviews. Watch it for comedy at the very least. This one also has some great OSTs as a plus. Really loved it!

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"Dreaming is a reality to be experienced"

"Dreaming is a reality to be experienced"

The Spirealm was not a simple love story, nor was it your typical adventurous romance.

It was much more than that; it was a journey of self-discovery through his own work. Passion, love, and hatred...

Throughout the process, he felt love, hate, resentment, atonement, pity, and sadness for his own characters. He went through a lot.

The dedication and effort he put into creating it, the desire for perfection, and the determination and joy he experienced upon its completion were priceless to me.

I know most people are really disappointed with the ending, but I really loved it, and I enjoyed the romance while it lasted very much.

Let's be honest; he wasn't the only one suffering. I suffered along with him, as did every character I ever loved.

The stories behind each door were terrifyingly good, and the game of guessing what would happen next was simply fun and gut-wrenching!

The music is neither bad nor good; it's just okay.

This was a breath of fresh air in terms of plot and storyline, even with all its flaws. It's a must-watch!

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Surprisingly wholesome and not what I expected

I'm writing this as someone who hasn't read the manhwa and tbh I liked it a lot. I was afraid that they would make BDSM into something that's only funny and weird but I liked how there were characters who treated it normally and not just like it's a weird kink. I liked both leads a lot like how Jiwoo was a strong woman who won't take shit from anyone like her misogynistic boss also she was really sexy in the scenes where they did a play especially the one in the red room (I screamed lmao). Jihoo was really vulnerable and honest with his feelings which I really was touched by especially when he said that Jiwoo was the one and only sun to him (I may have cried a lil). It's refreshing to see how he also owned up to his preferences in front of the disciplinary board/bosses unlike others who usually would keep quiet and let the girl/their partner take all the blame because of their pride. It also showed the proper way of BDSM as well as the wrong way so people will be educated on the difference and the importance of consent. It also showed that not only men could be problematic but women (Jihoo's ex) could also be toxic and manipulative which is not shown a lot in media. The only thing that I have a complaint about is that I feel that the development of their feelings into love could have been shown more if this was a series but alas it's a movie (unless they have a part 2?). Anyways, it's worth the watch! Just don't watch this with your parents because it is really suggestive (though there was no nudity so incase they walk in you're safe on that aspect lol).

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I just rewatched this drama again after about a year and I thought it was time to let out all these thoughts that had been percolating.

The storyline of Roy Ruk Raeng Kaen is of two lovers separated by anger and plans of revenge - a typical lakorn plot. Unlike many other dramas, however, RRRK's storyline is really of one man trying - and failing miserably - to live with uncontrollable anger and how it destroys his life and all around him.

Hero (or lead, at least) Kimhan is driven by thoughts of revenge for the death of his sister and by what he views as his betrayal by the love of his life, Mook. Although Mook (played by the lovely Fonthip Watcharatraku, aka PookLook) is on the receiving end of his physical, verbal and emotional abuse, I think she comes out of this drama in the best shape. She learns from her experiences while the lead never does. This is the storyline in a nutshell, excluding manslaughter, crazy wives, earth-mother/folk singer/girlfriends on the side and suicide. The story is interesting and there are some great bits of dialogue musing on the meaning of life and love - but no resolution for Kim's anger.

An "A-Lead" that never learns from his mistake? How can this be, you ask? Easy - Kim may experience loneliness and sadness by the end of the drama but he NEVER stops trying to get his own way. It's really the driving fault of this show. I believe the writers were trying to give this show an open ending, leaving it up to us to decide if he's changed, but his smirks in the end scene showed me that he did not.

The cast was actually quite good - especially the veteran actor Leesuwan Watcharabul (aka Note) who plays Tada, the man behind all the drama. It is his wife that dies and predicates all the revenge action. He is a character that does learn from his mistakes! The second lead girl's father is also another tragic male character - I wish I knew this actor's name. It is largely his handling of "how to make his daughter happy" that leads to her mental illness and I think her father knew it. It broke my heart.

Lead actor Pataradet Sa-nguankwamdee Michael (also known as Michael Wu) has been criticized for being stiff but I think he's just a young actor. He certainly can do the "woo woo" scenes of extreme love, hate, sadness - but he doesn't show much for everyday thought or meaning. The script seemed to camouflage this by having him drink a lot but it didn't give him much of an acting range.

The music of this show was particularly nice. Each character had some sort of theme that clued you into their thoughts and there were no annoying "funny" soundtrack noises to get in the way of the story.

I think this show has some nice rewatch value - mostly so you can see the secondary characters (the brother, his girlfriend, the general, his daughter) do the heavy emotional lifting of this show. Several times, I've reflected on some of their lines and how they expressed feelings. Don't let "bad" hero Kim put you off this show - the real story is from the characters that swirl around in the wake of his bad decisions.

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So the premise of this movie is based on a Pierre-Simon Laplace (french mathemetician) theory about the Laplace Demon that states:

"We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at a certain moment would know all forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect were also vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes."

This is essentially the whole movie. Now that we have that out of the way, if you are looking for magical ladies and wands and pointed hats, that is definitely NOT this movie, and i think the misnomer brings the audience in with different expectation than what is delivered.

It is a lot of talking, sitting and talking, making paper airplanes and talking, the action is only about 10 minutes of this whole film. Very little emotion is invoked from the watcher, well this watcher at least. No bonds are formed during on screen time of this movie, but implied in a few minute flashbacks. No friendships, No enemies. and Certainly no romance.

It is not a bad movie, the acting was stable and YAY Lily Frankie, but the script was not memorable. Nothing comes out of this movie other than to google Pierre-Simon Laplace: ).

To sum it up If you love Sakurai Sho or Fukushi Sota or any of the other actors its an okay movie and you are probably going to watch it anyhow. If you are not a fan and are looking for a movie that is more than just a time killer, this is not for you

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A Korean friend of mine was raving about this drama. She was like, "Do Joon is so handsome! You have to watch this". Since I like Do Joon being a B2ST fan myself I thought why not. And voila! This drama sucked me in so easily. I thought it was really cute and fun.

Do Joon blew me away here. I actually want to see him as a chaebol/king in any drama because he did a great job of it here. What I loved about this drama was that they stayed true to history and yet played with it in every way. I might not know a lot about Korean history but I know that they at least managed to not distort facts through this drama.

The two episodes go by really quickly and the romance is so worth watching! It will give you flutters and leave you with a warm feeling. Managing that in just 2 episodes is commendable and I wanted more. :D

This drama is enjoyable every single minute and it's amazing how they managed all Kdrama sageuk cliches within these two episodes. Plus the kisses are great too! Give this drama a go, you won't regret it. :D

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Inadequate Enough to Disappoint...

I don't know if it's a bad year or just my bad luck, but so far every single k-drama I've watched has fallen short of my expectations and this one tops that list. The trailer for lonely enough to love was pretty intriguing. The thing is I've liked Kim So Eun since I first saw her in Boys over Flowers where she played the FLs bff and I loved her pairing with one of the F4 more than the main cp. Since then she had done alot of lead roles which were not bad but were just not diverse enough (she always plays the unlucky girl role where she's either unlucky in love or work or both). So when I saw the trailer where she looked all dressed up (like an adult) and professional getting hit on by 3 guys I was really excited. By the looks of it (and the sound of the title) I assumed that her character was that of a professional woman who is successful in her career but not so much with relationships and she gets courted by 3 guys (a guy she just met, her bff/her ex and her co-worker) who she considers dating simply because she feels lonely but later ends up falling for one of them.
I could not have been more wrong. I don't know why but somehow she ended up playing the same unlucky woman role who seemed to never have had any relationship ever, and lost both her job and her house in the same day. She ends up living in her friend's room in a share house where she meets all the other characters.
The ML, Kang Woo was a psychiatrist who was one step away from being a psychopath. His behaviors were almost stalker-ish and not in a cute way. He was too nosy and got into people's businesses without caring about their feelings or the consequences and got offended when someone did that to him.
The SML Hyun Jin was better but only by a little. His sudden interest in the FL was not very believable mostly because they had been friends for years but he only noticed her as a woman after he broke up with his gf and they started living together (which didn't seem very genuine to me). I did not get Second male lead syndrome because of this and also because since ep. 1 there were so many typical k-drama clues that indicated that the FL was gonna end up with the ML.
The FL Na Eun was a pretty miserable character. She had progressively more unfortunate incidents happening to her which just prolonged her unhappy mode throughout the series. I understood why she was unsuccessful as a writer. She thought she was a good writer based on the reviews of just her friends, she lost all common sense when she was offered a deal (which is why she got conned), she asked for pointers on her work from other professionals and got all depressed when she was criticized by them or when she got hate comments on her posts (in any profession especially one where you will become famous, you'll always have haters and if you let it get to you then you won't survive). Most of her principles seemed fake to me (it was as if whatever she said, she only followed it when it suited her, like she kept saying that she wanted to be successful on her own without the MLs help but when her friend helped her she was ok with it).
Apart from these 3 most other characters just felt like fillers.
Dong Seok and Ah Reum had a pointless romance. Their characters barely had more than 5 scenes together but they somehow ended up together.
I liked Kyung Won's story and character but it just wasn't explored. Bo Ra's character was good but she had no story. Same with Ji Hoon.
Ji Ah and David's story was by far the best. I absolutely loved their chemistry and relationship development (they were better than the lead couple).
Jung Hoon was a good character with the most amount of potential. Unfortunately not only his character wasn't developed enough, his story was also pretty vague leaving me with a lot of questions (It was hinted that he might be gay but never clarified, which I would have liked since I love BLs).
The plot got progressively worse and the Finale felt like it was taken from a 12 year old teenage girl's diary.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone and wouldn't even mistakenly re-watch it.

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A confident woman in a Japanese drama ...finally!

I was thoroughly surprised by how fast I would go through this drama it was addicting. I admired how this showed a strong woman lead who knew how to not be talked down to at work, in most Japanese dramas I have seen the main lead just tough it out getting yelled or whatever circumstances but not this lead. So kudos to that! and the layers of both characters were shown the vulnerability of how even if one seems strong they still have that innocent side. I never felt like I wanted to skip ahead or that there were too many conflicts it was all in perfect measurement to me. The right amount of all those elements makes a great romance. The chemistry was Phenomenal! If you want something short, sweet and refreshing I recommend this one especially if you have just finished a hefty drama that was an upset let this one pick you up!

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I really liked this drama special, not because I am a screaming fan girl of Arashi, but because I really enjoyed it. I was sure that the drama would be corny, and that majority of the drama would be focused on Matsumoto. ( I really don't know why I thought that) Anyway I was so surprised everyone (except Aiba) seemed to act really well, and although there is no character development, it is a really good story with underlying plots and surprises. Throughout the whole thing I was trying to guess the reasons and who was involved but I didn't get it quite right, so I was in suspense the whole time. I recommend this as a break from some of the dramas that take long to develop and finish. It's like a one night stand- but in a good way.

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