Reviews

The ship has sunk...

Be Mine Superstar or where the two leads are actually the two bickering managers who are having a senseless feud.
In between childish scheming, we got a side actor moonlighting as a stalker who tries hard to get a doctor dude in bed and keeps roughly fucking him whenever he gets the chance. It is important to note that said doctor doesn't want him and drew a line in the sand, but oh well what are boundaries for in dramas?
Now when it comes to the leads, we got some very awkward and cringe-worthy puppy love that is more creepy than cute... when I thought that no one could top Toh from Secret Crush on You. Well, think again because Punn has outdone himself!
I should not forget the gigolo henchman whose abs I have seen way too often. Ken, I chose to remember you as Tum from Lovely Writer because this Bank character... they did you dirty.
I will continue to watch this as I can't seem to look away from this car crash. I thought no one could do worse than La Cuisine or Unforgotten Night, but I guess someone decided to outdo themselves.
If you haven't started this, save yourself the trouble. I know that 2023 hasn't been generous in good BLs but they're still better than this.

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별-똥-별 - quite a fitting description of the quality of this show.

Fun, entertaining, sometimes clever elements, with a crappy core.

What’s good? What are the reasons I somehow finished watching it? Everything except for the love story of Han Byul and Tae Sung, and both plot lines surrounding male lead. None of these 3 things work well - poorly written, with ridiculous resolution and out of the blue miracle ways out of the problems.

The convoluted way they tried to tell us the story of Han Byul and Tae Sung was some next level of bad presentation. Rom-coms are not thrillers, you do not need 10 different plot twists to make it exciting. The worst part of it was the fact, this type of non-linear storytelling made it close to impossible to understand the characters at the beginning, which led to me simply not caring about them at all.

The three semi-mystery plot lines, with two being part of a larger picture? Extremely unnecessary. The setting was all that needed to happen for the show to be interesting. Everyone wants to know what the behind the scenes looks like. What type of problems the actors face. How much of that glamorous life is try? What about the ugly side? The “mundane” celebrities life is interesting enough, no need to add over the top plotlines.

Not to mention, they were simply not well integrated in the story. Instead of showing bits and pieces of it throughout the show, they dropped larger portions here and there and it messed up the pacing. I don’t even want to talk about that Disney resolution, or lack of any closure for some.

That said, I did enjoy the main couple when they interacted with other characters. Han Byul and her gossip time with Ho Yeong and Gi Peum? Fun. Her friendship and working relationship with Yoo Sung? Interesting. Tae Sung with his manager? Adorable. Him bickering with Soo Hyuk? Some of the best comedy bits of the show. It amazes me how well these two worked with everyone except each other.

I just feel like their relationship was too juvenile. They presented some middle school type of behavior I just did not connect with. And it’s not like it’s impossible to show a sweet, cute romance - they did it with the side couple. Yes, it was over the top cute, but that’s who the characters were from the start - adorable, so it fitted the overall picture.

They also showed a more mature and chill approach with another side couple - a lot better paced even though they had 1/10th of the screen time compared to the mains. All the supporting plots showed me there is a skill and good writing hidden in the show, but somehow they failed to use it for the most important aspects.

I definitely enjoyed the few small commentary bits on the entertainment industry. Some were presented in a more serious manner, some leaned towards comedy. Sh**ting Stars has also one of the best “breaking the 4th wall” scenes I have seen in dramas for ages. I replied that one scene many times - perfectly executed if you ask me.

Performance wise, it varies depending on the actor. Probably one of the worst performances in Lee Sung Kyung’s career. She delivered close to nothing. The lines felt flat, the crying scenes evoke zero emotions. She presented little to no variety in her facial expression. And I know for a fact she can do better, she did in her other dramas. She is not an amazing actress, but should be capable of leading a rom-com.

Kim Young Dae did fine. I enjoyed his more emotional scenes, he did a good job portraying the vulnerability of Tae Sung. At the same time Tae Sung was just a poorly written character, so it’s not easy to judge the performance of the actor.

Most characters did not have enough depth for the cast to truly showcase the skills they might have. Yes, Yoon Jong Hoon delivered the sweet hard working senior, Kim Yoon Hye was the cute and innocent junior, Park So Jin did an amazing job as a journalist with some internal conflicts and Lee Jung Shin was able to make the arrogant and distant lawyer more approachable and fun. But that’s it. The characters don’t really serve more than these short descriptions.

The production value was nice. Quite a number of scenes had an aesthetic appeal that supported whatever was happening on screen. Talking about the production, we cannot ignore the initial wave of criticism surrounding the uneducated and ignorant depiction of Africa. I still believe this just shows how lazy the writers are (honestly, the same problem happens in all countries, and is not limited to Korea). 15 minutes of google search is too much work for them. Finding a more appropriate way to present a specific plot line? Why waste time, when you can apologize later if it gathers some bad press.

Overall, it was painfully mediocre. I enjoyed following some side relationships (be it romantic or platonic) and plot lines, but close to nothing concerning the main two characters was good. They just put random events and ideas together, and did not spend enough time to figure out how to present them in a cohesive way. The show just did not flow well.

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Sensational drama that has stolen the hearts of millions

Get ready to be captivated by the sensational drama that has stolen the hearts of millions: "True Beauty." As a newcomer to webtoons, I stumbled upon this extraordinary story, and its unique plot and stunning art instantly won me over. Little did I know that this webtoon would be adapted into a drama, filling me with an immeasurable amount of joy and anticipation.

"True Beauty" boasts a cast that is nothing short of perfection. With each episode, I found myself completely engrossed, unable to miss a single moment. The characters are all so lovable and relatable, bringing an extra layer of depth and charm to the story. The comedic talents of the female lead injected laughter into every scene, making her a delight to watch.

The romantic aspect of the drama is simply irresistible. The chemistry between the female lead and Suho, with his cold demeanor and yet sweet gestures, had me swooning. And let's not forget about Han Seo Jun, whose boldness, patience, and sacrifices made him an absolute standout.

The drama is not without its fair share of emotional moments. The twists and turns of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. But in the end, the drama delivered a satisfying conclusion that left me feeling content and fulfilled

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Everyone on this show needed to go outside and touch grass, my GOD

If you're looking for a revenge drama about rich people behaving badly, you'd be better off watching The Glory, which is an altogether more satisfying execution of this story. That said, I do love watching horrible people get their just desserts, so I ate this up regardless.

The acting was quite good and Park Gyu Young was especially captivating as A-Ri, which says a lot about her skill as an actress because the script didn't really give her much to work with. It felt like we, the audience, were kept at arms-length from her for the entire show and even after watching all 12 episodes, I don't feel like I really know her as a character at all. The same goes for Si-Hyeon and I wish Lee Chung Ah had gotten a meatier role and a chance to do more than just look wan and melancholy. I do like that they maintained their friendship as I was convinced for the first few episodes that it was gonna be an All About Eve situation. The less said about the romance (if you can even call it that), the better, because what the hell was that? Congrats to this show for having one of the weirdest "romances" I've ever seen, I guess.

As someone who doesn't really care about Instagram or influencers, I found most of the conflict quite petty and hard to take seriously, and even though A-Ri's reputation (and by extension, her livelihood) was on the line, the stakes never really felt that high. I also think there was a huge missed opportunity for the show to say something about privilege, as A-Ri's massive success was not just due to her hard work, but her fashion knowledge from her wealthy upbringing and her industry connections thanks to her father's old company.

Ultimately, this was a fascinating peek into a world that is so outwardly glamorous and a good reminder to get off the internet once in a while, but instead of skewering modern internet/influencer culture, the show fell into its own trap and gave us the filtered, Instagram-ready version instead.

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I really wanted to like this drama and went in with positive expectations after reading the praises of it. Too bad it did not really capture me and left me rather disappointed in the end. Let me explain why. (On a side note, this review is based on my feelings and enjoyment I felt while I watched the drama.)

The beginning was promising and I liked the first two episodes but that changed when the story progressed and things between Teh and Oh Aew got (even more) complicated.
I tried hard to understand the characters, their motives, feelings and actions. I can imagine how confusing it must be for Teh to being sure he's straight but getting confronted with growing feelings towards his friend Oh Aew, but for me that does not justify his actions especially when he saw how much he hurt Oh Aew with them.
As for Oh Aew I wondered why he stayed close to Teh when he got repeatedly hurt because Teh was unable to be true to himself and others and actually speak out about that. When you care for someone no matter if it's out of love or friendship or any other reason wouldn't it be only natural to talk to them honestly when you see they get hurt by your silence or actions?
Sorry, but I could absolutely not relate to that and many other things Teh did. A lot of his actions seemed selfish to me and at some point I just lost all sympathy for him. To be honest, I didn't want him to end up happily ever after with Oh Aew. Oh Aew surely deserved better.
I'm not saying the entire story was bad, actually the general plot is really good. I just think they overdid it a bit with the drama and heartache. To me that didn't look realistic anymore but rather self-produced by the characters due to lack of honest conversations paired with dumb decisions.

Another issue I have is actually the acting of Billkin as Teh and his facial expressions, especially the crying. The scenes when he cried made me cringe really badly. Those scenes should be emotional, captivate the viewer and make them feel sympathy for the character yet I just wanted to fast forward or skip those scenes completely as they looked too extreme and I could not relate nor connect to it because in my opinion someone other than Teh had way more reason to cry their eyes out.
I think PP did better acting-wise, at least his portrayal of his character looked more authentic to me and actually made me feel sympathy for him. Well, except for one scene that gave me strange vibes because Oh Aew is questioning himself as a male and what he does is really exaggerating. Why did he even have that in his wardrobe? A bit too far fetched and just added to other scenes that failed in trying to show emotions because they went overboard by trying too hard.
Together Billkin and PP/Teh and Oh Aew lacked chemistry in my opinion. For me Oh Aew was a better match with Bas and that's not just based on the fact that Bas is a true friend to Oh Aew.

The music did not stick to my memory, sorry. It wasn't annoying because that would be something I would certainly not forget but that also means it wasn't outstanding nor memorable.

Rewatch value is non-existent for me. Teh as a character was too annoying for me and that's exactly why I decided not to watch IPYTM (season 2 of ITSAY). I read enough about it to know that I would only end up disliking Teh even more. In my opinion Teh's behavior in ITSAY was toxic enough for the relationship between him and Oh Aew.
Overall ITSAY did address some serious topics and I think it's good and important to do that because real life isn't a fluffy rom-com, but the way they did it might not work for everyone or even put some people off.

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A captivating tale of love, adventure, and self-discovery.

The Legend of ShenLi is a delightful and captivating series that takes you on an unforgettable journey through ancient Chinese mythology. With its rich world-building, engaging characters, and thrilling plot, it's a must-watch for fans of the fantasy genre.

What sets this show apart is its strong and dynamic female lead, Shen Li, who defies stereotypes and stands out as a powerful and capable heroine. The chemistry between Shen Li and the male lead, Xing Yun, is both heartwarming and humorous, making their interactions a highlight of the series.

The stunning visuals and epic fight scenes are a feast for the eyes, while the emotional depth of the story will keep you invested in the characters' fates. Overall, The Legend of ShenLi is a captivating tale of love, adventure, and self-discovery that will leave you wanting more.

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I'm ORV fan

Bruh wdym Lee Jihye holding gun, Yoo Joonghyuk not grabbing Kim Dokja by the neck, Kim Dokja hating on WOS, Kim Dokja is not a reader, Kim Dokja hating on Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja writing the epilogue himself, Jung Heewon is the main character, no Biyoo, Yoo SangAh is a healer, Lee SooKyung relying on Kim Dokja, Kim Dokja is ordinary, Bihyung is labubu or Doraemon, Kim Dokja saving Kim Namwoon, no deus ex machina, Kim Dokja killing a kid back when he was bullied, no Broken Faith but a core instead ❓ 这部电影像是狗做出的一样，人不会这么做。T sẽ ở dưới gầm giường ông nào sửa nát nguyên tác ~MỗI đÊm~ 🤡 hãy tận hưởng đc ải chỉa suốt đời nhé bro

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Why??

Too prolonged with boring and old plot twists
Usually, I am someone who prefers long, 16-episode dramas but this one felt too long for my personal liking. The romance in this was absolutely unnecessary and did not feel genuine. The romanticizing of the teacher/student relationship with a huge age gap was too much. The speed at which the ML and FL got together was too fast and during the whole drama, it did not even seem that the main leads were in love. It would be better without the romance.

Also, the story got boring pretty fast. The first half of the drama felt okay (except for the romance) but the more episodes aired, the more boring it got. The script was poorly written. The main mystery of who killed Chan's sister and why was too simple for revenge and politics-oriented drama. The whole plot/story could have easily been told in 10 to 12 episodes. This drama brings nothing new, it hardly keeps the viewer entertained.

It was a huge let-down for me.

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An amazingly CREATIVE APPROACH to a heartwarming slow burn romance ❣️❣️

If other dramas are like morning shower,this drama is a relaxing bubble bath!! It doesn't hit you immediately but the warm feeling stays with you like a good memory. That's a weird analogy for a drama but this is how I feel. It has a high rewatch value for me for this very reason.

Plot - The plot is about two people who meet each other in a VR game and their lives get intertwined with each other.
The Gaming element was such a cool idea and the writer deserves credit for it.

Romance - Its mature, easygoing, slow but there's the right amount of ANGST and build up that makes the character and relationship growth seem realistic. I like that they have taken their time ❣️❣️. The couple's journey is soo natural and believable that you feel like they are next door neighbors.
The male lead is very charismatic with his maturity, professionalism, wisdom, the courage to stand alone for justice and...um...sleeveless tops.His quiet confidence never came across as ego to me. I can write an essay on his qualities but I wish for viewers to discover it themselves.
The female lead is quite a well written and well rounded character. She's caring enough to make sacrifices for her family in times of need but is also brave enough to take life altering decisions for what she wants for herself. Her drive for her goals and empathy for others has my respect.

Other characters- The actors playing the second couple, friend, villain and colleagues are all very convincing. The complex and layered storyline of the second couple and the bond between the FL and her friend is very heartwarming and enjoyable to watch ❣️Even the parents make you shed a tear or two.

The screenwriters deserve credit for taking a toxic and messed up 6/10 novel and making it a 10/10.
Overall, it has
1) Underdog FL who is talented, courageous,a bit mischievous and a romantic at heart
2) Overachiever, Calm, private, caring and secretive ML
3) Office romance
4) Cohabitation romance
5) Heartwarming friendships
6) Jealous enemies
7) Past family secrets and complicated family politics

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This is not a romance. This is a missed opportunity of romance.

This drama is not the love story of people who have feelings for each other, love each other and end up living happily ever after. This is a drama about what people can do to people who love them when they do not return their love feelings. So, the characters are most of the time cowardly, manipulative, pathetic, annoying and gesticulating in wrong situations. This happens in real life too as not all relationships are based on true and sincere love. This is what this drama is about. It has a realistic take on adults’ relationships. Adults who do not know their own feelings, ignore them, tone them down or pretend to have feelings… and make choices with their reason that their heart does not agree with.

1/ WHAT I LIKED:

- The story and the trajectory of the 5 main characters. None of them is perfect. They all have qualities and flaws that determine their choices. They are all relatable because they all look like human beings led into wrong choices by their human condition and trying to deal with their wrong choices and not the best way.
- The mature take on sex and love. It is not so common in romance kdramas. This drama is not shy about sex, and it tells that there is a difference between love and sex. Just like in real life.
- The cheating: 30% of women and 40% of men have cheated once in their life. No need to throw an anathema to them and pretend to be so much better. People have their own reasons for doing what they do. I did not want to judge them. I just agreed that in their situation, the cheating would happen, and it did happen like in real life. It was steamy and intense. People who can’t stomach cheating as a human emotional state and possible behavior should stay away from this drama.
- The rather realistic depiction of the workplace and colleagues. The friendly ones and the annoying ones who are always gossiping.
- The ending. There are two endings. One with ep15 with a sad unhappy ending but more consistent and logical with what happened during the whole drama. I have not read the novel but I felt like the ending with ep16 was especially cooked to give everyone a great situation like everything was bad that ends well. The two leads have an open ending with this ep but personally, I prefer the ending with ep15.

2/ WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

- The early episodes were confusing and exhausting with the ML and FL acting unclear towards each other.
- Some draggy parts with too much gloomy faces and long contemplating moments
- The story between the ML and his mom could have been better. The mom looked a strong character, but she was quite underused for me.

3/ CHARACTERS/ACTORS:

- ML: The only one with real unconditional Love feelings. But he lacked courage and that drowned his chance. He grew into a more assured person and took responsibility of his feelings and his no-feelings in the end. Not very fond of the actor but he did a decent job looking gloomy and contrite and unable to bury his one-sided Love.
- FL: Self centered complicated person with sad circumstances and low self-esteem but she used them as an excuse to not face her own feelings and act upon them. This led her to make a wrong choice that she will try to assume despite obvious signs it is wrong. I liked Moon Ga young in this role. Different from what I used to see from her.
- SML: Student from a poor family who wanted to woo noona but when she chose him out of frustration for his kindness and for comfort, he suddenly had nothing more to offer her and became lousy and bland.
- SFL : Manipulative, possessive, scheming to always have gains from others. But I liked her bright, smart, and outgoing character. She was immature regarding Love and failed to be lovable and to love her partner. But she did not take it too badly. Of course, the ML was just a challenge and a trophy partner for her. Loved the actress who displayed lots of emotions.
- TML: Kyung Pil. This snake was a bad boyfriend, a bad friend and a bad person whispering bad ideas into the ears of the ML, SFL and FL based on his own sorry past that he chose himself. A dislikeable and pitiful person who slightly improved. The actor was great looking cunning, bitter, disillusioned and not proud of himself.

3/ OST:
Very good. I liked most of the songs and listened to them apart from the drama.

4/ REWATCHABLE VALUE:
It is slow paced and the story is realistic but sad, so I won’t rewatch it.

5/ OVERALL:

It’s a good drama if you can accept that humans are weak and make wrong choices and do wrong things that do not improve their situation on the contrary. Because they lack courage and confidence in themselves, their choice of reason is undermined by their heart’s choice, and it leads to messy situations. In the end, they still manage to put things in the right order and move on to a happier life after a time jump. Despite the contemplative and slow parts, I enjoyed watching these people I had pity and hopes for. Not so entertaining but a slice of life drama I enjoyed. 8/10.

Lesson of the drama: "If you have feelings for someone, take the courage to face your feelings honestly and act upon them. "

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Only if you're a Liu Yu Ning fan

After watching The Prisoner of Beauty I really wanted to love this but it wasn't meant to be. Don't get me wrong Liu Yu Ning was terrific as the male lead Nan Heng / Li Shi Liu unfortunately he couldn't save this drama.

I have never been so angry watching a drama before. But this one managed to piss me off to no end. How could one character (the male lead at that) be so hated. Everyone (aside from his people) were mean, downright cruel to him. And then along comes the female lead and dang if she isn't the worse of the lot (and that includes the emperor and that's saying something)

His own father hated him for something he didn't do. Honestly how could a child be responsible for a grown up's death? And it just went downhill from there.

Every episode seemed to get worse starting from the very first episode. In just a couple of episodes I was actually rooting for Nan Heng to ride off into the sunset and leave the rest to their own fate.

Then around episode 30 the writer decides to change it up and have the emperor realize he'd wronged Nan Heng. And of course the female lead finally comes in with the "White head, same heart" but personally, I felt it was too little too late.

Great happy ending.

Would I recommend it? No. But if you are a Liu Yu Ning fan and you've seen everything else of his then give it a shot, he's the only reason to watch it. However, I'd recommend a rewatch of The Prisoner of Beauty instead.

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Legend of my undying patience with this show.

Me during the first few episodes: Why are these episodes so short? Why aren't they 45 minutes long?
Me during the last few episodes: Why are these episodes so long? Why aren't they 30 minutes long?
That would sum up the decline of my enjoyment as I was watching the drama.

I want to be perfectly clear - I am not one of the people who were unable to enjoy it because of their expectations. I had zero expectations, I saw no promo materials. I went into it blind and willing to accept whatever they threw at me. I just did not expect them to start throwing bullshit.

It started well. Solid set up for the female lead, explaining why she needs to climb the military ladder from the bottom. We had fun “mulan-esque” plot lines that made me sing “I'll make a man out of you” as she was kicking ass during the practice. The tension between her and Xiao Jue was great. And then it slowly started to hit me how little generaling we have in this story about a female general. How the drama does not really have much plot, not substance. How the most interesting character is actually the second male lead. How the villains are empty shells that make me feel nothing.

Why did it happen? I think every plot line, every interaction, every motivational speech and feministic message did not have proper set up. Things just happened and we moved on to another scene. They kept telling me how bad women had, how she is this brave and strong and the idol for all the other women, but I did not really see much suffering or discrimination. Don’t get me wrong - inequality was clearly visible, but they presented with dialogue a completely different level of suffering than what was actually shown. It left me with a feeling of dissonance.

Not everything was bad. Outside of her preachy monologues I actually liked He Yan a lot. I appreciated how she was not this cold, stoic man like warrior. She was witty, cheeky and at times even bubbly. She had a bright and fun personality, but also knew when to focus on work. That made her far more enjoyable to watch.

Even if underdeveloped, I also enjoyed Song Tao Tao and Cheng Li Su. They served a good contrast to both leads. Tao Tao had little to no physical strength, but was motivated and because of her knowledge in poison, was not a defenceless damsel in distress. Cheng Li Su might have seemed like a spoiled nuisance, but was also loyal and dedicated.

Sadly, that’s where the positive aspects end. Sure, the acting was good, but does it matter when the writing was not? I don’t even want to talk about the production value. What was that crayon blood? They did not even try to fake the injuries and wounds - they just smudged some red pain on their faces with artistic vision. Yes, Cheng Lei looked hot with that fake blood, but it was still too fake to ignore. There were also issues with the continuity of the shots (eg. blood being there in one cut, and not in the other from a different angle). The whole last arc (last 3-4 episodes) were so ridiculous I wanted to cry.

Overall, I should have dropped it, I have no idea why I finished it (I do, Cheng Lei’s face).

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I wasn't sure what I was getting into at first but with the first episode I knew I would like this.

The story is absolutely amazing and you will fall in love with the characters especially Song Sae Byuk's character Kang Pil Sung, who I absolutely adore, and Go Joon Hee's character Hong Seo Jung, who was like a living angel. The chemistry between those two characters will simply make your heart ache and break all at the same time. Song Sae Byuk really caught me of guard, he literally is probably one of my favorite male leads after this, I just can't tell you how much I loved his character. You really felt the love shared by these two characters.

The other characters were fantastic as well, you really became attached to them which made later episodes pretty painful. Even the evil bastard character Hwang Dae Doo was good in the fact that you really really really hate him.

I will give fair warning when watching this, the last four episodes are very painful to watch, I basically just wanted to cry most of the time. With that being said I don't think the ending was a bad one, in fact I really found some hope in it.

I would definitely recommend this drama. The story, characters, production, music, acting, just about everything was top notch! Still fresh off the last episode and really still feeling my heart breaking a bit and I'm sure the characters will be on my mind and in my heart for a while.

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TharnType comes back to annoy us all for a very special episode of ignoring all its real issues.

Our main couple declare their undying love for each other over and over again in what is nothing but embarrassing fan service while making sure to emphasise that Type is Definitely Not Gay (while everybody else around them is).

Type's big moments of coming out to his friends, family and Kom happen either offscreen, for laughs or in rushed broad strokes with all the emotions stripped from them. I should probably just be happy the writers dealt with those issues at all. They certainly didn't mention Type's trauma, apart from an impetus to his - apparently ongoing - hatred of Bad Gays.

Speaking of Bad Gays, Lhong wanders through to be forgiven by Tharn's brother in a truly disgusting scene that reminds us that Thorn is fine with San being in his brother's life too and therefore clearly doesn't actually care about him. He may as well hang a shingle on his door saying, "All Tharn's abusers are welcome here".

Essentially this "special" consists of random scenes with no real narrative thread or thematic underpinnings. It's basically "stuff fans might like to see" and I'm sure a lot of fans loved it. Even the weird cat/dog scene I'm scrubbing from my mind as we speak.

I guess if you sat through the first 12 episodes you may as well watch it. It changes nothing and adds nothing, except to my annoyance.

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