Reviews

I shouldn't love this, NEVERTHELESS...

Whew, I am most likely going to be in the minority on this one, but I LOVED THIS SHOW FROM START TO FINISH. It was well-paced, cozy, and suspenseful. This is peak romance.

I think a lot of the webtoon readers are upset because they came in expecting one thing and got something different. They were expecting certain subversions of tropes and two dimensional characters instead of ones that are morally grey. To be honest, Song Kang's Jae-On is NOT a complete fboi—he's a poor communicator above all. He was haunted by a bad reputation and neglectful upbringing; Nabi became suspicious of him before he really gave her reason to. He feebly attempted to go back to his old ways when she ran away and continuously pushed him away, and it didn't successfully distract him. I don't want to excuse all his behaviour though; he pushes boundaries and the whole Seola dynamic was sketchy. He never truly said no to Seola, even though it was clear EVEN TO HER that Jae-On's attention was no longer hers to hold captive. This is a story of setting people free to let them make their own decisions, and Seola's decision to set Jae-On free allowed him to finally set his own butterflies free. If there's one thing I didn't like, it was how the Seola storyline got tied up without ever clearing up the ambiguity of their relationship. Somehow, I can't even hate her though — she clearly stood up for herself when she realized it wasn't working for her. As for Nabi, she is frustrating with her mixed signals, and yet her behaviour is so clearly expected of a young person who's suffered with abusive relationships and astonishingly low self-esteem. She's too afraid to define the relationship early in fear of losing it, but lashes out when she doesn't receive the validation she so desperately needs. Throw in the confusion of another hardcore suitor in Potato Boy, and I understand how she was so confused.

I think that's the best part of this series: I loved allllll the characters. Normally, some side characters (or worse, the main characters) get on my nerves or I simply don't care about them. In this case, I was gripped by the suspense of the will-they-won't-they between Nabi and Jae-On, I was invested in Potato Boy's success, and I LIVED for Bitna/Gyu Hyun, the sunbaes, and ESPECIALLY Sol/Jiwan. Can we talk about how refreshing and progressive this drama felt?!

This show is best if you don't spoil the ending for yourself. Knowing that there's the "expected kdrama path" vs. the "subversive webtoon path" brings so much suspense to the last few episodes as long as you don't know which direction the story will go. So if you're reading this review to decide whether to watch the show, please do not read the next paragraph. :)

Ultimately, I was satisfied with the ending. I am sure this opinion is controversial. The only other ending I would've been happy with is if Nabi went off to Paris alone and thriving, and WHO IS TO SAY THAT WON'T HAPPEN STILL? But I would not have been happy with the webtoon ending because the chemistry and timing was all wrong between Nabi and Potato Boy. He pushed her because he liked her so much, and she accepted his affection for a while because she was so vulnerable. You can argue that chemistry isn't everything; that having a good, dependable relationship is better than a passionate one. But they are so young, and it's so not fair to him. Potato Boy doesn't deserve to be with someone who pines over someone else. And between Nabi and Jae-On, the best part to me is that they finally COMMUNICATED. They made their choices without any disillusions. Nabi doesn't expect things to last forever between them, but she owes it to herself to see things through — perhaps to get him out of her system, or perhaps to give him a chance to surprise her. I truly believe the drama version of Jae-On has done enough to deserve that chance. As the side characters underscored in their closing scene, what's the point of a relationship if you don't love the other more? The truly romantic point of view is that both sides should feel lucky. They are too young to settle — arguably, we should all come to the same conclusion in our lives.

Read More

The Woe And Joys Of Adolescence …

Teen and high school storylines are not an unfamiliar subject in South-Korean popular culture , with myriads of teen films, productions and dramas being churned out every year en masse in South-Korea. However whilst many South-Korean film and drama enthusiasts find themselves drawn again and again to these setups , the typical depiction of “squeaky clean” high school life has left many enthusiasts torn about whether South-Korean directors and producers should try to push the boat out towards a more “ realistic” presentation of teens.

‘ Adult Trainee’ can be found somewhere between daring and eye-brow raising - belonging in one of the notably categories of South-Korean “ teen productions” which attempts to market itself at an older age demographic as well as being “ raw and truthful”.

This is certainly reflected within casting choices of rookie and lesser-known actors as our main lineup . However whilst this does create certain benefits for the storyline by respectfully a more mundane presence of the characters onscreen ( aside from the initially controversial casting decision of Miyeon), certain line deliverances and scenes admittedly could differ within quality and performance. Of course this isn’t to critique the cast or bring down their talents as actors. However it is crucial to point out to those expecting impeccable performances that you may be slightly disappointed by the final result.

The storyline itself is composed of three storylines ( and evidently three “main couples” ). Rising rookie actor Ryu Eui Hyun is the notable main character of the first few episodes as Seo Jae Min; a high-school boy addicted to sexual gratification and attempts abstinence in order to focus upon spending more time with his crush. Yet before we could even delve more into the highs and lows of Jae Min’s tale we are suddenly whisked away to another school and experience through notably conservative high schooler Yu Ra ( Jo Yoo Jung)’s exploration of casual relationships with a boy, as well as our final story through the problem of single high - schooler Na Eun( Kwon Young Eun)’s first experiences of love and feeling self-conscious about her body.

The seven-episode miniseries wasted no time within diving into each storyline and their problems, yet with a short time to cover these plot points and characters, it should come as no surprise that these executed plot points and characters could often feel incomplete.

Admittedly‘ Adult Trainee’ does interweave the subtext with some more “risky” issues of teen relationships. However it often felt as though the show wasn’t entirely sure which direction to go with these messages at times with more serious scenarios often being “ fixed” by feelings, romantic relationships or love, rather than taking the screen-time to focus upon character-building or growth.

In the miniseries we rarely saw these opportunities to understand more about our main characters’ social and emotional interactions.

Admittedly‘ Adult Trainee’ does interweave the subtext with some more “risky” issues of teen relationships. However whilst these “ problems” did touch upon some realistic issues for teens and helped to motivate plot-angst , ‘ Adult Trainee’ rarely took time to diverge from problems defining the characters. More realistic teen issues such as relationships with friends or family, likes, dislikes and searching for personal identity were rarely touched upon and even our main characters often felt shoehorned into particular tropes such as the “ infatuated teenage boy”, the “ goody-two shoes high-schooler” and the “ bullied girl” rather than well-defined or subversive approaches to the cliche archetypes.

In between the more “heavy” topics in ‘ Adult Trainee’, the miniseries does interweave the plot with notably more comical scenes. The comedy is fairly lighthearted- enough to generate perhaps a chuckle for audiences and necessary to take the weight entirely off certain issues , but admittedly variable in quality from scenes and context.

The ending of the series acted as a deadlock for ‘ Adult Trainee’ - enough to just briefly finish off some plot points of the final storyline, but admittedly lacking in an over-arching sense of fulfilment and satisfactory completion for audiences.

So this leaves the ultimate question; is ‘ Adult Trainee’ actually worth watching? ‘ Adult Trainee’ is a short miniseries which attempts to present itself as a more “ realistic” depiction of teenagers. ( Alongside comical scenes which may differ for audiences dependent on personal tastes.)Acting performances admittedly did vary from certain episodes and scenes but a possibly unfamiliar cast lineup for audiences will likely give the series some fresh appeal. The more “ daring” messages of the series whilst addressed, admittedly did feel slightly downgraded and lacked an impactful punch. As a consequence whilst the split narrative of the series for different episodes spiced up the storyline, characters often fell flat due to little time for audiences to digest their personalities and growth onscreen by instead often being shoehorned into romantic setups.

Overall ‘ Adult Trainee’ was the epitome of a “ binge-watch” drama to watch when you have nothing else to do; not unwatchable and certainly entertaining within its different plots, setups and heartwarming messages , but admittedly lacking in more subtle character growth, plot buildup and diverse as well as more relatable and realistic issues for teens.

Read More

I rarely ever write reviews of shows but I gotta write for this one.
Why? Because I saw a lot of poor reviews and it made me postpone watching this.

Let's get down to business now shall we?
This is a show for the patient ones. Those that are not seeking steamy fast paced romance. Those that want all the healing they could get. This show is the definition of forgiveness and healing. It balances out every emotion you could think of. Anger, sadness, pain, happiness, loneliness and just gives you general warmth.

Is this Romance?: Hell Yes. There's tons of romance in this. Beware though, it is not a romantic drama. This is a slice of life.

Why should I watch this?: The scenery, the ost's, the production, the actors, the story, EVERYTHING.

To All those that said this show is slow, I won't say it's not, but what I will say is, the pacing is perfect for the gem it is.

SPOILERS:
While watching this show, when Hae Won found out about the truth behind her fathers death, I discovered a lot of people called her selfish for leaving and going back to Seoul and for disregarding her family's feelings.

I saw it as the opposite. I saw a woman who was hurt by her family. A woman who went through so much hurt that could have been avoided if only her family communicated. A woman who needed time to accept that her family was messed up. To me Hae Won's reaction was spot on. I would leave too. I would be mad at everyone including myself. I would need space to reevaluate everything just as she did. Remember she had a hard childhood because her mum was a "criminal." Something she didn't have to go through. That being said, I commend her for leaving to sort out her feelings.

As for Eun Seob....I've never been a Seo Kang Joon fan, until now. I fell in love with Eun Seob as a character and Seo Kang Joon depicted the character so beautifully. A hurt child who never expresses himself but always wants too.

As for the supporting characters, I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IM HUI AND JANG WU. They were real comic relief.

THE OSTS: Beautiful

OVERALL? Watch this and decide by yourself. Don't follow any one's review. I personally will be re-watching this sometime later.

Read More

One big mess

I am a fan of most of the actors cast in this, so I was very excited but this drama was a big disappointment

There some enjoyable moments here and there, but the plot is a mess anf honestly there are way too many things that didn't work here (ML is happy that his wife is going to die soon, FL has memory problems but doesn't do anything about it, like never.... I would have hired someone to check on me every 10 minutes... anyway I'm getting angry again)

each episode keeps repeating the previous one. We see a lot of:
- They don't talk
- Oh they love each other but don't show it
- they love each other but don't know it
- They seem to get closer
- Oh, no, they don't talk again
and REPEAT over and over again
Writer-nim run out of ideas and this show could have been a movie!

What I hated the most was the villains arch. I couldn't understand why they did what they did! Why did they have to con that family? I hated that they were villains because they were poor. Being poor is not a good backstory for a villain. Poor people don't want to steal rich people's money and live in their big houses, they just want to be not poor anymore and not live in a basement.

Read More

Frustrating and Wholesome

Fantastic, give me 14 of them right now.
As an eternal single/introverted and awkward person in my 20s myself, I absolutely adored this show and related so hard to most of the cast. I need to be these girls’ friend. Cried so many times especially for Yido and Jiyeon.

I like how the makeovers in the beginning were not focused only on visuals but on what they personally wanted to work on and be better at, and I think for the most part every had there own coming of age story. Also I appreciate that the main message seems to be that everyone is deserving and capable of love.

My main and only complaint/things I think can be improved on next time if they do a second season, is for everyone to get the chance to have a one on one date with everyone (lowering the chance that they all like the same person), and that the mentors should be able to talk and help them throughout the week.

Read More

This drama reminded me why I watch dramas. It was so amazing and I thnk I will remember this show for a long time and watch the ost to replay the feels. Storywise I was really surprised at how they handled the body switch and the show let me experience such a warmth that I felt like I was being healed and became a better person by just sitting and watching. Overall, it is a drama worth watching AND the ending is quite well thought out. The epilogues at the end of the episodes were also hilarious and felt like a breath of fresh air because they kinda told a diffrent story which still had connection to the drama.
That said, I have also felt that the actors were so commited to their roles that they left an deep impression on me and I would not be lying if I say that this drama conveyed to me how importand the actors are in order for you to feel the situation.
The music played also an essential part in creating an interesting vibe and the choices vary much. I would say that the reason for that is the stroy. The show is partly a comedy and melodrama but both genres are fitting and it doesn't seem out of place (for the most part).
Hope I got you motivated to give it a try :) haha. Thx for reading

Read More

A great historical drama for watch

For me this is the Best drama of 2023 so far .
Although Xu kai s last few dramas are quite bad scripted but this drama shows his full potential . As his fan I am quite happy for him.

If we talk about a story it starts with the Emperor grandson who has no desire for throne, but because of external situations and piece of nation he has to fight for it .

The chemistry between main lead at the best part of this drama you will feel never boring with this couple. This is my one of the favorite 2023 couple.

This drama has a great rewatch value, because you will never feel bore even though you are watching it second time . .

I wish that Xu kai next Dramas are as great as this is . ......

Read More

The White Olive Tree – A Journey of Frustration, Pain, and the Only Two People That Mattered

I don’t even know where to start with this drama… The White Olive Tree was an experience, but not necessarily the good kind. It had potential—there were moments that gripped me, and of course, Ben and Sa Xin were the soul of the entire thing. But when I look at the drama as a whole? It was a frustrating, dragging mess that somehow managed to get even worse toward the end.

Plot & Pacing – A Slow Burn That Burned Out

This drama had a mix of war, espionage, and romance, and while that sounds exciting on paper, the execution? Exhausting. The pacing was inconsistent—some parts felt painfully slow, and others rushed through major developments like they were checking off a list. The storytelling lacked the emotional depth it thought it had, and at times, it felt like the show itself was unsure of what kind of story it was trying to tell.

The war-torn setting had potential, and there were moments of raw intensity, but they kept getting overshadowed by unnecessary subplots and forced emotional beats that didn’t land. There were entire episodes that felt like filler, circling around the same conflicts without really progressing anything.

And then, that ending. I have no words. I sat there, staring at the screen, I sat through 30+ episodes for this??? I feeling completely robbed. That was the closure they thought we needed? That was supposed to be satisfying? If anything, it left a bitter taste.

Characters – A Mixed Bag of Wasted Potential
Now, here’s where my emotions get really messy. Most of the characters were… there. Some had interesting backstories, but the writing never fully let them shine. And others? They overstayed their welcome hard.

Son Rang – She was supposed to be a journalist, but I never really felt that from her character. There was no strong investigative presence, no real depth in how she approached the war through her profession. It was like they just labeled her as a journalist without making it believable.

Dr. Pei – I actually liked her character, but let’s be real—she was just there for the censorship. That’s how it felt. She had some good moments, but her role in the story never really clicked for me beyond that.

Sa Xin & Ben – The Only Reason I Survived This Drama
Now let’s talk about the real stars—Ben and Sa Xin. Because HOLY SH— THEIR SCENES WERE EVERYTHING. The tension, the way they saw through each other, the way they always had each other’s backs?? THEIR SCENES?? THEIR DYNAMIC?? The way they owned every moment they were together?? I breathed for their interactions. The writers knew EXACTLY what they were doing with them, feeding us crumbs while still leaving things "open to interpretation" BECAUSE OF CENSORSHIP??? I WAS LOSING MY MIND.

They weren’t just comrades. They weren’t just friends. They were everything. And the fact that the show kept tiptoeing around it instead of fully committing was frustrating as hell.
Ben was this emotionally closed-off, self-sacrificing mess, and Sa Xin saw right through him. The way Sa Xin called him out, the way Ben protected him like his literal life depended on it—I LIVED for every second of it. They had more chemistry in five minutes of screen time than any other couple in this entire show.

Now the OSTs: They are amazing..

Final Thoughts – A Mess, but Ben & Sa Xin Were Worth It

Would I recommend The White Olive Tree? Honestly? If not for Ben and Sa Xin, my answer would be a NO. It was messy, frustrating, and ultimately left me feeling drained. But because of them… I can't fully regret watching it.

I just wish they had been in a better drama. A better story. A story that actually deserved them. 💔

Read More

A fine series with an emotionally charged MDL rating

Let me start by saying that if the low rating for this series is putting you off from watching, be aware that the MDL score has been severely skewed by viewer distaste for the studio that produced it. This distaste has also affected the way many MDLers have responded to the storyline and performances by the actors. (If you're at all skeptical about this, just peruse the other reviews here.)

Given that the MDL community has seen to rate this series on a curve, for a more accurate score you should probably add 20% to whatever you see when you visit its MDL page. As I write this review that puts the number at 8.28, which rounds down to 8, and this seems to me to be a fairer appraisal of what you get here.

What I came to appreciate most about 2MTA is how the main couple's relationship is depicted. Once Tatch and Lom get together, their approach to one another becomes a model of how two people with mutual love and respect should communicate and work together to overcome any issues that arise. Misunderstandings between them are promptly cleared up and have the impact of only making their relationship stronger.

Another endearing aspect of their pairing is how Tatch's determined pursuit of Lom has the effect of transforming Lom from someone with a victim mentality into a man who is confident and trusting, and willing to smile. (At the outset Lom spends a lot of time frowning... lol) It seems to me that the moment when Lom finally becomes brave enough to take a chance on Tatch is in Episode 4, when Tatch sings a karaoke love song to him -- a song that actor Danny Disatharit sings live on-set as the scene is filmed rather than have the soundtrack patched in later, as many other series would do. This adds to the intimacy, as Danny's singing is sweet and charming. Within the context of the story its sincerity seems to finally allow Lom to see Tatch the way Tatch himself has been striving to be seen.

It is also refreshing to see that between the two guys the charismatic one, Tatch, is the pursuer. In casting Tatch the production found an actor who is, frankly, gorgeous -- tall and strikingly handsome, with an athletic build. To emphasize the differences between the Tatch and Lom characters it does seem that Mark Vachara Promma, who plays Lom, was given a "make-under" to heighten the contrast, resulting in him looking a little mousy and plain. When viewing promotional material for the series and Mark's Instagram I was surprised by how good-looking, even glamorous, he is in real life.

There are several NC scenes, which (granted) are not a must for every viewer, but what I like is how they're a welcome acknowledgement of real life, where when a couple first gets together they usually have a hard time keeping their hands off each other. This contrasts with the "one and done" approach that many other series take, as though the intimate content is something to check off the list and get over with. That's certainly not the case here, where the main leads get together several times, and in a variety of ways. ;) I should add that their excellent manner of communicating with each other is an aspect of those scenes as well. Again, a nice change of pace from the usual.

As for the six original "2 Moons" characters, who were recast for a second time for this series, I came away less impressed with their storylines, which give us so many of those things that the Tatch-Lom relationship avoids: mainly jealousy and long drawn-out misunderstandings. Ironically, these three couples are supposed to have more mature relationships than Tatch and Lom, having been together for a couple of years, but what we get from them becomes tiresome to watch.

One other nitpick is the introduction of a silly kidnapping storyline as the series nears its end.

And what about the writing, acting and production? Well, I could easily name four or five series from 2022 that have a poorer storyline, worse acting, and crappier production values than 2MTA, but have been given higher ratings despite it. While the performances here were at times awkward I generally found them to be quite good, especially for a bunch of newcomers. It certainly didn't detract from my own enjoyment.

Read More

Upcoming Best Romance Drama currently!!

Upcoming Best Romance Drama currently!!
This looks promising drama!! The texture is same style and genre with “one spring night” drama.
If you like “one spring night” and “something in the rain”, you will enjoy this drama too!!

Good directing and cinematography!!
a Realistic workplace plot will be with sweet romance!!!
I am fan of main lead actress and like their chemistry!!
hope to see more romantic scenes!!!

This will be slow burn romance drama and same vibe and texture with “one spring night” and “something in the rain” drama.
They have 6 years age gap only. Female lead was third year of university student and part-time study guide/instructor (not real teacher) while male lead was in high-school student (will be 18 or 19 age) for matriculation exam.


As per photos of age chart, current FL age is 35 years old and ML is 29 years old , that is why 6 years age gap only.

I enjoy this drama a lot!!! Can’t wait to see new episodes!!!!

Read More

A Wasted Potential

This review is a personal opinion of mine. Theory of Love is a hit or miss kind of show. It’s one of the most popular and most talked BLs in 2019 and people love this show a lot. So of course, I have to watch and see why. While I’m glad people love this show a lot, sadly for me, it’s missed by a margin.

Before I start, let me talk about what I like in the show first before we get down to the downside of this. Firstly, the cinematography is great! I like the editing and I like the movie names being the title of each episode portrayed. It’s creative and it’s nice to see filmology major students instead of the same old engineering, science/medicine or economics major students in Thai BLs. I also enjoy that they split two POV for the two main leads, Third and Khai. Acting-wise I say is quite decent. I usually don’t judge acting much so I won’t comment much. Gun’s acting is great and does a good job playing as Third, the lead character of this show. The train scene is also great, it’s shot really nicely and for me is the saddest scene in the show itself.

Now the downside of this show. Let’s start with the main plot which for me, was the biggest let down of the show. I got hooked from the first episode not gonna lie. I saw 2 flawed and realistic characters and I was excited to see some good character development here since I’m a person who loved to see that and this was one of the reasons why I continued watching it. As I continued, I got disappointed.

Khai’s character development was not good enough. While I never liked him for the entire 12 episodes, him falling in love with Third was so rushed and for me, it didn’t make sense. I was questioning the show while watching it and I never got my answers in the end. How and why Third did fall in love with Khai? (I know that Third fell in love with him at first sight but that can’t be the only reason right) What were Khai's good qualities and traits? Why couldn't they show some actual good traits of Khai to the viewers so that I could understand as well instead of wasting so much time on the subplots? Instead of Third writing 10 things I hate about you, why not 10 things I love about you? If Khai never saw the video in the first place, would he still be in love with Third? Did he force himself to fall in love with Third because he felt bad or was it for his personal gain or did he really fell in love with Third? I wanted to know WHY. This part made me angry and I probably screamed on the inside when I saw that part. It happened so suddenly which made me not trust Khai at all. The amount of time for the subplots in that show could have been used in the main plot. The show could at least show some good parts of Khai. I couldn’t judge Khai as I only knew him for 12 episodes compared to Third who basically knew him for 3 years, but based on those 12 episodes, I was just frustrated. While I appreciate that he’s trying his best to improve within the last 3-4 episodes, I'm still not impressed with it.

Thus, leading to romance. I couldn’t bring myself to like the main couple. I was sick of Khai just taking advantage of Third and being a bad friend in general based on the first 6 episodes. I rather watch the other side couple, Two and Aun. Bone’s story with the teacher wasn’t that interesting I say but I did like Bone as a character.

Was it a bad drama? No. But it’s not good either. For me, this drama could have been better. This was a wasted potential for me. Do I recommend people to try this show? Watch it and judge it yourself. You might have a different opinion from me. That's all I could say for this show.

Read More

A Waste of Time

Honestly, this show was a huge letdown for me all around. The production value was great, the acting was overall pretty good, but the story? The relationships? A big, hot mess that never truly got solved by the end.

We can start with the positives. I liked the actors (for the most part— to be honest, New's crying scenes felt inauthentic at times), and the chemistry between the couples was pretty good. Not mind-blowing by any means, but enough for me to buy that they were actually attracted to each other. I loved pretty much all of the friendships, as well! Kuea and Kon-Diao were great best friends, and actually supported each other equally in a way I feel I hardly ever see in fiction. I also really enjoyed all of Kuea's school friends— they were hilarious and so much fun to watch on screen. And honestly, Syn and Nuer's little side relationship was the best-executed plotline in the whole show. The last positive was Foei, who was a side character that stole the scene every time he showed up; I enjoyed the comedy he brought immensely.

And now, the negatives. For starters, a lot of the storyline and plot felt very, very nonsensical. The arranged marriage aspect felt very forced, because there didn't seem to be an actual reason for Lian and Kuea to be arranged to be married. It was like the writers wanted to make us see that they were really in love and not actually being forced into marriage, even though that's the whole point of an arranged marriage plotline. There was also so much weirdness around how Lian and Kuea had known each other since Kuea was a baby, and yet at some point (we never find out when, because why would they ever give us any answers??) Kuea starts acting like a "perfect little doll" and hiding who he actually is. But it's also pointless because the viewer learns early on that Lian knows everything Kuea is trying to hide from him— so what is the point of Kuea hiding it? Why don't they ever just communicate about anything ever?

And that's not even starting on the mess that is the Yi/Diao plotline. Somehow, that one makes even less sense than Lian and Kuea's, since Yi and Diao aren't even together prior to the start of the show! It's weirdly written where it's made to look like Kuea and Diao are in the same situation of pining for their fiances while they think the Hias don't actually love them back, and yet it's not until way into the show that we find out that Yi and Diao aren't anything like that. And pretty much nothing about them and their situation is ever explained, presumably because the writers want to do a sequel series surrounding them.

In the end, the only way to enjoy this show is to just not think about anything and enjoy each scene for what it is rather than as it should be as part of an overall narrative. I wouldn't recommend watching it, as pretty much every other drama I've watched thus far has a more cohesive storyline with relationships that actually make sense.

Read More

Not what the synopsis promised

We go into this drama with the promise of a world that focuses on the aspect of a new strain of virus spreading throughout the city with a social aspect between apartment levels. While the concept of it was unique, the execution of it was lack luster. The first two or three episodes start really strong, with the primary focus on the development of the virus. But then we move to the apartment, where you'd think there would be some sort of focus on the economical differences between apartment levels and how it affects surviving the spread of the virus, but it has little to nothing to do with the actual show.

We get a brief explanation that the floors 5 and below are public rentals, and that the ones above are for the people who paid for the apartment themselves. That's the end of the socio economical difference and plot, there's not dive into the extent of the difference between levels, there's no detail into any sort of survival advantage or perks that the higher levels get, no surprising twist as a result of the socioeconomically difference. I guess the higher level people get free access to the gym, and have a justification to incessantly complain that they should get more during resource division because they're rich. Again, very disappointed that they made this a point in the synopsis as it has no impact on the plot whatsoever.

Now that we've also shifted into the apartment scenes, we also seem to leave the entire zombie apocalypses as an after thought. All the residents are now trapped in their apartments as if to exemplify them vs the impending zombie doom. This quickly devolves into a 8 episode long slice of life drama where we constantly see random slice of life everyone's life (these slices never change either, it's always the same point) from the lawyer cheating on his wife with the woman who is constantly looking for a passcode to access the doctor's crypto currency all the way to the 3 person family where the mother is infected but is hiding it from everyone. We spend an annoying amount of time focused on the mother who tries to hide her infection as well. Which amounts to the promise of zombie goodness we had expected of this series. So basically nothing. We spend almost an entire episodes worth of time following this woman expecting her to turn and perhaps kill her family and start an outbreak into the apartment, but no she is basically written out from the entire show. It's like she never existed. The family goes on to live in the apartment barely attending the resident meetings that occur every episode as if nothing was wrong. I guess the son gets scared and eventually stays with other residents, but that's it. As for the apartment vs the zombie infested complex, that pretty much gets slept on as well. Nothing happens, nobody really tries to break in, it's like the rest of the zombies in their complex don't exist. We get one seen where one zombie gets in and "infects" on person and then we proceed again as if the entire zombie complex doesn't exist again. Just the discussion of locking up the person who got bit.

Then we have the researcher who obviously is trying to save his wife by developing a cure, but tries to pretend he's in it for the money. Literally fooling nobody, so when he finally shows that he's a good person at the end, it comes as no surprise to anyone. The writers also found it necessary to make illogical/unnecessary drama to make this cure. E.G. the researcher trying to deceive the main characters into getting blood transfusions and suddenly turning G.I. Joe to infiltrate the complex to extract the main character for the cure, but then saying nah it's okay you stay here. When a simple, "hey can we draw you blood, it could save the world," would be equally effective and then the entire drama would just be over.

There's a lot of time consuming, illogical, and boring build up and that always amounts to nothing. That pretty much sums up the entirety of the series. A bunch of half plots that ping pong back and forth that result into no progression. It's as if the plots were just there for the sake of being there. Another, minimum word count scenario where writers wrote the series to be a 2 hour movie, but were then told to extend it to 12 episodes so they just kind of filled in the gaps the night before and called it a wrap.

Overall this drama was meh at best and just every where all the time. It lacked any sort of identity. They just kind of threw out an interesting plot premise, added a strong and attractive cast, and proceeded to just cross their fingers. Now here we are (as of this review) with a score of 9.0 with a story that almost anyone could write so I guess the plan was successful. I can't wait for another drama to be overrated so that we continue the cycle of pumping out the next brain dead story with an attractive cast.

Read More

Part 1 and Part 2 (updated)

Part 1: Payu and Rain
I have been waiting for this series to come out, and I'm thrilled to say my time was not wasted. MAME has delivered another hit as we've come to expect at this point. The scenery is as gorgeous as our young actors. This production company has a true talent for finding actors who have never been in a series but still deliver work as though they were seasoned actors. Boss and Noeul have amazing chemistry (both on and off screen I might add) and delivered in both the sweet and spicy areas. When you get to EP 4 you might hold your breath, but EP 6 might have you calling emergency services. Though I am saddened that part one of the series is complete, I am looking forward to seeing Fort and Pete light it up in part 2.

Part 2: Pai and Sky
Only the final series episode left before the special episode airs, so I feel comfortable writing my update. The storyline is still good. The music is still good, but the chemistry is a little off. I know given off-screen circumstances, it's unfair to expect FortPete to measure up to BossNouell, but even still it falls slightly flat for me. I will say, Fort is a beautiful crier and pulled heavily at my heart strings. On the other hand, Pete is a fantastic sulker, but not a great crier. They did seem to work well together in their NC-17 scenes, but the "red scenes" were a bit off-putting. That being said, I still love the series and recommend it for all BL fans.

Read More

Avereage Drama wherein People are Just hyping the Shit Out of it

The Drama was really good at the beginning and deserved all the praise it deserved at first. But after the first few episodes, The writer and the director just got lazy, the production quality dropped and turned out to be an average Romance drama with a Ridiculous plot twist.

The Performance of Seo Ye Ji and Oh Jung Se was really good an was perfect for their characters, but Kim Soo Hyun's performance was just average and nothing more than that. Although all the other side characters did a pretty good job, Kim Soo Hyun's acting became a negative influence on the drama.

The typical push and pull which started from the 7th episode itself even before properly developing the Romance and continuing it upto the episode 14 is also one of the most cliche' things, from wherein the drama started to Disappoint.

Don't even get me started with the plot twist, it was so ridiculous that it completely ruined some characters, Made them inconsistent and also even made the initial interaction of leads into a ridiculous one. What I hated the most about the writing was that not only did they ruin the Second half of the drama, but also the good parts of the drama after the plot twist and saying that it was all her doing. I just can't seem to understand why people are just overlooking over the ridiculous plot twist and inconsistent characters by saying that no drama is perfect. For God sake, the Defining plot twist of the drama is what they ruined and people are just ready to overlook that fact. (Typical Fanbase)

The Second half of the drama is full of Cliche' Romance and typical fan service which could've been nice to watch if the drama was consistent in its tone and Characters. And the Ending, Mental illness is such an easy thing to cure if it's not for our Main Characters. Many of the patients in the hospital were cured (that too offscreen), because why not, nobody cares about the Side characters. Can't believe it is the same drama wherein they used a good amount of screen time in some episodes for us to empathise with side characters.

Read More