Reviews

Great comedy, lukewarm romance, underdeveloped drama…

which means only 1 of the 3 main genres are truly worth your time. And with how serious the topics that fall under “drama” were, I cannot just move past it and enjoy the funny fluff.

For the comedy - they went into it and put all their brain power to make it work, and it truly did. Every episode had at least a couple of jokes that made me laugh and smile. Some were slapstick, some were filly, some were more subtle. I also appreciated at times dry delivery, which was obviously a deliberate choice. The absurdity of some scenes were perfectly used to create comedic moments.

For the romance, that’s just my subjective opinion, but I did not see that much chemistry between Shin Min Ah and Kim Young Dae. With how in love he was and with how open about sex her character was - there were truly no real sparks going on.

At least the second couple had more dynamic and fun to watch relationship. Gyu Hyun and Ja Yeon were the spark of chaotic fluff and I’m extremely happy we are getting (even though short) a sequel for them.

Then we have the true issue of the writing - a mess that was any and all serious scenes, storylines and plot points. For 12 episodes, they truly tried to have it all without putting in the work and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Hae Yeong and her mother’s relationship was a tragic case of parental neglect of a child's emotional needs, but why at the end did it feel like it was all a “misunderstanding” on FL’s part and her mother “truly loved her”? Why does it feel like the drama is trying to tell me the mother did not really do anything wrong? Why the conclusion to this extremely complex and damaged relationship is the death of the mother? Why was there no real conclusion? The mother was selfish till the end. The mother chose other people over her own child till the end… the mother lied till the end. But now I as a viewer am supposed to forgive and forget because she dies and FL is sad about it? If that’s not it, then what is? Because the drama was not clear what exactly their message here was.

Then we have the issue of Nam Ja Yeon’s abusive father and how they decide to give a close about that story by adding a dildo fight between him and Gyu Hyun… that was just a new level of lows. That was the issue that kept coming back - good comedy, but ill timed comedy.

I also at some point started to see how selfish each and every character was and instead of liking them more with every episode and seeing their growth, they started to annoy me more and more. Some examples: .

For Ji Uk the promise he made as a teenager was more important than being honest to the person he claims to love. With how her whole life something and someone was always more important than Hae Yeong, to now know her partner also chose someone over her… painful.

Hui Seong deciding to not take a DNA test for her child is also selfish. One would assume a child would want to know who their biological father is… I guess it is on brand with overall message of the show: how biological parents don’t give a fuck about their biological kids. Not one good parent in this show… I am honestly impressed.

Overall, I just felt frustrated. They could have had a good pure rom-com with great comedy, but mishandled too many important issues. If you don’t give a clear message of what you want to say, you need to give more details about the circumstances so the viewers can form opinions - it lacks said details. And if you are not willing to put the work and time into developing these stories, don’t make trauma a major motivation and factor for almost all characters…

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Hands down best BL drama I have ever seen, I started this with no expectations and I ended up falling in love with this show. If you want to watch good show or a good bl show then just watch this, it's beyond amazing.

Story - 10/10
The story line is well done and well written. It will invoke a lot of emotions out of you. The writers will make you angry and laugh and be sad. The romance is one of the best. It's different from a lot of other bl dramas because they tackle really hard topics and when I was watching I wanted them not too but it is written so well that it made the show even better.

Acting/Cast - 10/10
Can I rate this 12/10 because the actors were all amazing. Chemistry was so brilliant that I was like whoever cast these actors did God's work. It was so beautiful to watch actors so natural with each other.

Music- 10/10
Just perfect, the right songs and instrumentals were used to fit the mood of the scenes.

Rewatch Value - 10/10
I enjoyed this so much that I had already re-watched it as I waited for the finale episode to air and I can say it was even better the second time round. So,yes the rewatch is on a 1000

Overall - 10/10
Overall, I enjoyed this show a lot, it was fun to watch, I replayed a lot of scenes and I can see myself re-watching this over and over again because it was so good.

Do I recommend this, hells yes, it's worth it. You will not regret giving this a go.

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NOT A CINDERELLA STORY

A May-December chaebol-poor girl love affair, that to be honest, doesnt offer anything new, that you have to question what's the point of this entire series, if there's anything.

This type of story has been done so many times in a K-drama. Its not even a fairy tale, i dont even get why they titled it Cinderella at 2AM - main lead putting on a pair of shoes to the female lead a few times doesnt make it a Cinderella story. It doesnt even draw parallel to the fairy tale title. And why 2 AM, maybe i just dont get the symbolism.

Whats sad is this is such a waste of the talented cast. I dont know why Moon Sang Min's management team chose this project for him, are they trying to sabotage his career? This is very similar to the tone and vibe of Wedding Impossible, even down to his personal styling. Such a waste of a talented actor because we know he can do more. Shin Hyun Been did the most of the heavy lifting in this drama and she is as beautiful as ever and lets just say she did a good job with the material she got.

What's even worse is at only 10 episodes, it still felt too long, with repetitive and extended scenes. I bet they can squeeze everything to 6 to 8 episodes without losing the story. The two office co-workers are so annoying and unnecessary.

There are some hints of discarded gold here - Yoon Park and Park So jin's pairing and love's story was a much more interesting story and could have used a lot more screen time and their characters could have been elevated more to co-lead status. I also feel like they have underused Lee Hyun Woo here because they just conveniently pulled the rug on his storyline just when he is starting to make an impact.

Also, I need to mention I am inlove with the soundtrack! Yeonjun's Boyfriend is so catchy and fits the sh ow perfectly!

Will i reccommend? Not really unless you are big fans of the actors, just watch the soundtrack music video. Will I rewatch? My goodness, no! Is it bad? No not really, but it is also not good enough to make an impact. This is one of those rom-coms that is just there because some producers have money to throw away - for sure I wont event remember it's story after a few months.

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I got the impression that the love story thread was added as an after thought. To be convincing this love affair needed a lot more story time than what it got. The writers needed to show how these two became love birds right off the bat. Instead the male lead is like a stone wall, and she is for some reason desperately in love with him. They didn't give the viewer a reason to believe that these two would fall in love at the end.

It was entertaining enough for me to keep watching it - can thank the actors for that who were able to make this mediocre story into something reasonably entertaining.

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As long as.....

As long as I live I will try to forget that 12 hours was wasted on P'Fah and Teerak. If I have to hear one more P'Fah ..... save us please. Grown past teenage years but still acts childish. One word - infantilism. What is this Thai obession of encouraging behaviours unbecoming an adult? A person can be coddled and spoiled without exhibiting such behavior.

Their story has been told many times before and with the expected result. Let's be real, it's BL and they are the mls, it's expected and I will admit wanted. A nice romance about one sided love hidden under the guise of protection, eventually blossoming and culminating into true love. Real and Hai coming to terms of what their friendship means to each other. Lee finding his place and his special one. What's not to love, right?

Here goes:
Teerak's childish mannerisms
Muenfah's old age mannerisms
Muenfah's 2 wooden and stoic expressions.
Teerak calling Muenfah's name every single sentence when speaking to him. Hey Teerak, he has tasted the goodies, no need to remind him what his name is. I'm sure he isn't lost or suffering amnesia.
Oh acting like a clown for Teerak.
Oh, hungry for love, latching onto another person because they showed interest.
Mike in the role of Oh. How desperate are you to take a role better suited to someone age appropriate?
Production placing Mike in that role. Poor choice.
Hai teasing Real for 5 solid episodes and when the tables are turned, miraculously doesn't know his feelings.
Teerak not being adult enough to tell his father the truth but has him guessing like there is a prize to win.
The blatant disrespect, but expecting a different response.
Teerak's father acting like a rectum, when grandpa and everyone else was on board. Didn't grandpa raise you? Didn't you watch a bl and liked it? So what's the deal?
Teerak's mother and sister cowering when the father was enraged. Like what is he going to do? Worst case, there is a couch for him to sleep on...
Teerak's father kept insisting that he wants to see him happy? Hello, did you watch your son? He's happy. He's got a very rich boyfriend involved in two prospering business who wants to make his every wish come true. Yes, he is happy. Infact, ecstatic.

What is there to love:
Teerak's grandpa recognizing the game from the get go and spoke respectfully to Muenfah about his expectations.
Teerak's determination not to leave Muenfah.
Teerak's sister's devotion to being the best sister to him.
Teerak's character growth.
Teerak's and Muenfah's support from their friends.
Lee's loyalty to both Teerak and his brother.
Lee's dating skills. My man turned a comment about the moon into a whole relationship.
Lee's target recognizing his game and matched his skills.
Muenfah's parents treating their young adult children appropriately.
Muenfah waiting until Teerak was ready to sleep with him.
Muenfah's and Teerak's intimate moments were tastefully done.

Writers and producers at large, please stop putting out shows where childish behaviors are encouraged and rewarded. What are the life lessons that they were trying to impart that hasn't been told already. Only one: Do not tease your best friend, he will want to fu*k you at some point. Real is a good one. This series did have some warm endearing moments, especially between Fah and Rak, but not enough to warrant a rewatch. Time to move on.

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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty just saved me from my drama slump!

Do you even know how crazy this is for me?? It has literally been ONE whole year since I properly watched a Kdrama. Like I would start dramas, watch a few episodes, drop them, lose interest instantly 😐 nothing was sticking. I thought I was done with dramas, honestly.

But then Bon Appétit, Your Majesty happened. And oh my god. I don’t even have words. I am OBSESSED. I gave it a 10/10 when there are still 8 episodes left and I don’t even care if that sounds too early because that’s how much I love it. I am hooked, like actually on the edge of my seat, counting down days for new episodes. Every single scene, every single detail is just PERFECT.

I swear I’m not exaggerating 😭 this drama singlehandedly dragged me out of the worst slump ever and I am so thankful it exists. It’s been so long since I felt this excitement, this happiness, while watching a kdrama. I’m honestly in love with it. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this masterpiece. 🫶

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Beautiful moments surrounded by nothing.

Here’s the thing - I liked the show when it started airing. I knew few people thought this type of plot might not work out with a drama format, but I was still full of hope. At some point, though, I had to admit they were right and I was wrong.

This show should be 12 episodes long at best. Preferable 6 to 10. It should focus on exactly 3 plotlines: Da Jung and Dae Young, Dae Young and his kids, and Da Jung’s job/dream. They should fill the episodes with school drama, as a lot of interactions were happening there. You can even keep the bullying and teen romance. But why, oh why do we need a love triangle? Why do we need a 2nd couple/romance? Why do we need all the scenes and interactions between Deok Jin and Ae Rin? Why do we need that Il Kwon mess? Or what was the point of this mystery photographer guy? There is so much going on in this show, and yet it feels like nothing is happening. All the most memorable moments that were truly meaningful were the family interactions. We do not need that many filler plots.

The last two episodes were some whole new level of cliche and stereotypes. When you have 2 cars of doom for the price of one, you know you've hit the jackpot. The back story about Ji Hoon's brother being connected to Dae Young was unnecessary and presented in the worst possible way. Such an emotional scene and yet, I could not stop laughing when the 2nd car came out of nowhere.

I don't even want to talk about the last minute "I'm breaking up with you for your own good" plot, because that trope just needs to die, or at least take a few years break from appearing on screen.

The highlights? All the scenes between Dae Young and his kids, both in the past and present. The slow realization he had about mistakes he made, the gradual learning that Dae Young actually cared a lot for Shi Ah and Shi Woo. These are the scenes I will remember after the show ends, and these are the ones that moved my heart the most. These were the gems that made me cry so many times, and if the show focused more on the actually important parts (relationships between main characters), chances are it might have gotten a 10 out of me.

For the acting, Lee Do Hyun aced the role. There are quite a few shows with the “younger actor playing an older character after body switch”, but none of the actors were as believable as Do Hyun. I trust this guy with my life. What do I see? Bright future ahead of him. His talent will lead him to some great roles and amazing projects.

Overall, the acting was on point. The emotional scenes were emotional, happy and funny scenes were just that: happy and funny. No areas of complaint here. Some people might dislike a few overacting moments from Lee Mi Do, Kim Kang Hyun and Kim Yoo Ri, but it was clearly a stylistic choice that has nothing to do with the acting skills of the actors themselves.

Usually I don’t pay that much attention to the soundtrack, unless it’s truly outstanding. Here, I liked quite a few songs, especially Sohyang’s Hello, which truly elevated the emotional scenes to a new level. Not to mention Sondia, who became one of my favorite ost singers, with an amazingly sweet and warm voice.

Overall, nice show, but skippable. I stayed for the parents and kids relationship and Lee Do Hyun’s acting. Even though I am massively disappointed by the obvious ending and last two episodes, the scenes between the family still made me tear up a bit and it shows how amazing this drama could have been if it was not for the unnecessary sub-plots.

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Eye candy and empty calories…

Fast food entertainment at its finest. Highly addicting, but you’ll feel hungry 30 minutes after finishing the meal, realizing you just ate a bunch of nothing - empty calories. Was it fun? Sure. Was it actually good? Debatable. Saying this drama is a quality one is like saying McDonald’s is a healthy meal - false advertisement. That said, there is a reason we all crave fast food from time to time.

Starting from the good aspects - Xue Fang Fei. It’s impossible not to love her. Even the villains appreciated how smart, cunning and brave she was. Seeking revenge without abandoning your morals and principles, when the people you fight against have no true honorable values that hold them back is not an easy task, and yet she managed to achieve that. While her goals were important, they were never more important than people in her life. She never took the easy road that could unnecessarily hurt others. What I appreciate the most about how her character was written: she was strong, but still presented in an extremely feminine way. Beautiful, loyal and smart, empathic, emotional and caring.

Her revenge turned seeking justice arc was quite well developed and paced. Her plans were realistic enough, I never thought she had some superpower type of skills (excluding her playing zhiter - that’s some borderline xianxia magic) - she knew her strength and the advantages people around her have, she understood the strengths and weaknesses of her enemies and acted accordingly to what was most beneficial. The risks she took were understandable and the ways she survived all the crisis made sense in the context of the show. Great female lead to follow throughout 40 episodes.

Princess Wan Ning - the way I went from hating her to loving her. By the end of the show I would love to see a drama from her point of view - filled with pain, helplessness, tragedy that leads to her becoming the villain, because no one cared for her when she was the victim. Her arc is for sure my favorite and feels the most completed. Fang Fei’s tragic past truly did not feel that tragic when we got the full picture of what Wan Ning had to go through and how she was used and abused. Her resentment and selfishness started to weirdly feel justified, even if at times directed towards wrong people.

Shen Yu Rong is not a character I loved, but it’s for sure a character I loved to hate. In my eyes, he was the true villain - weak and pathetic, not wanting to die, surviving like a cockroach - and for that I am grateful. What a consistent and delusional pain in the ass this man was, it’s impressive. Blaming other people for his mistakes, for the decisions he made, till the end not willing to face his past. His obsession over Jiang Li made perfect sense - it was his way of erasing his mistakes, living as if they never happened, starting from the beginning, clean slate.

The visual presentation - how stunning! The way they shot the movements, how they used the costumes to their full potential, how some moments honestly became breathtaking - especially for the female characters. There was something graceful in how the camera framed women.

Then we have the acting. Wu Jin Yan and Li Meng easily stole the whole show. Somehow Wu Jin Yan was able to present both immense strength and vulnerability at the same time. Li Meng was just mesmerizing as the egocentric princess broken by her traumatic experiences. When either of them showed up, they just made you focus on the screen.

On the other hand, the men in this show served nothing, but looks. Duke Su was delicious to look at, but sadly he was mostly talk and no action. For the majority of the show he truly did nothing except fly around and flirt with Jiang Li. While her revenge was detailed and well presented, his felt like an afterthought.

Ye Shi Jie, while cute, with some of the prettiest eyes I have seen, was painfully underdeveloped. What’s the point of showing he has feelings for Jiang Le, when it leads to nowhere? Other male characters were just a way to push the plot forward by either randomly saving the day, or annoying ruining the plans.

Seeing how technically speaking the politics of the show had a major impact on the plot and the characters, they were boring and lacked detail for me to care about. I did not care who is against whom and why, who has more and who has less power in the court, who is safe and who can be killed - they started to explain the big picture way too late for me to even pretend it’s engaging.

The biggest issue I had though, was the structure of the show - everything seemed uneven and mismatched. Jiang Li is this tragic heroine who lost everything and is set to seek revenge, but then we find out she did not really lose nearly as much as they present at first - everyone came back from death, her included.

First episode presented a makjang level of drama, and then it never lived up to that crazy hype, slowly becoming more tamed and boring. And what’s more that became tamed and boring? Duke Su. At first presented as this domineering and extra in his entrance man having a national emergency level of extreme fire chemistry with female lead, to them lead to nothing - these two were taking their sweet time with the romance. This was such a slow burn romance, it barely moved. The candle kiss traumatized us all. They led us to believe we will get some proper romance, and what we’ve got was an eye staring contest between Jiang Li and Duke su every episode.

They also had a really weird way of introducing characters and villains - there was no subtle set up for them. Out of the blue we are getting scenes with a new threat we are supposed to fear, but I’m like: who is that and why should I care?

Last two episodes were full clownery. I never laughed so much watching scenes that are supposed to be moving or tense. Some highlights include Jiang Li saying she can do archery, when she held a bow twice in her life. Another one was the random cheap death of two guys working for Duke Su - why did it even happen? Why did the war even happen? They never presented it as a major threat, so why even make it a last minute plotline?

Overall, it was fun and disappointing at the same time.

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With the drama synopsis looks so gloomy, its easy to skip this gem drama. As I don't even look at it first. But how I was wrong, this drama is so moving. The storyline is pretty strong with the setting of hospice and first love gone wrong case.

All the side characters story are deeply moving and keep me interested enough to continue watching. Of course, the slowburn romance between the doctor and the chef is so addictive. Yoon Kye Sang & Ha Ji Won played so well here in depicting the forbidden love between them, due to misunderstanding & wrong timing.

Perhaps, there some minus to this drama. Like the family background competition which is so common in k-drama. And the formula of additional tragedies in the start of the drama is a bit too much.

Overall, this is a beautiful drama. And have I mentioned it? The OST is to die for! Try it Special no 7 by Yubin. And of course the OST that personally sang by the 2 leads. YOU & I.

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The Law of Karma:The demon of all demons!

An experienced Judge with a gorgeous appearance, Kang Bit Na's body is taken over by the third in command in hell, Justitia. Justitia came to the world from hell with a mission of killing ten murderers who have not yet been forgiven by their victims and the ones who are unrepentant about their actions. Now, Justitia and Kang Bit Na has become one person. A judge from hell inside a judge's body. In this mission of hers, she crosses path with a police officer, Han Da On. Justitia believes in Tit for Tat, while Han Do On doesn't believe in such laws, he wants everyone to be punished accordingly, he always goes by the law. Two individuals with contrasting personalities and beliefs crosses path!


Do you believe in the Law of Karma? I love this drama precisely because of that. Kang Bit Na made the murderers who has killed countless individuals feel the pain their victims felt when they were being oppressed, tortured, brutalized, tormented, and assaulted. There's one punishment that's most appropriate for murderers. And what's that? Is it going to prison? Getting arrested? A death sentence? Sure, a death sentence and a life sentence are punishments, but making them feel the pain, torment, and agony their victims went through when they were dying is the best punishment ever. And with that, Kang Bit Na/Justitia handed out those punishment accordingly.

This drama promotes crimes, says who? Is it so bad to kill those who have killed countless people? Or is it a sin? How is Kang Bit Na's job/mission different from the military who kills terrorists and invaders to protect their motherland, countrymen, and family? She only did what the law couldn't do. For those who have witnessed how dirty, corrupt, and twisted the law has become will agree with me when I say this; "Thousands, millions, and even billions suffers from the court's injustice, and many people will still suffer from it. What kind of world are we living in? It's a world full of unfairness and injustice. A world were the victims becomes the culprits, the culprits becomes the victim. A world were the guilty gets away with it all as long as they have the influence, the resources, and the authority." The law itself is funny and a joke. A criminal will be given freedom or acquitted just because the crime they committed has passed the statute of limitations, is that justice? No, is it fair? Some evil doers usually forget about karma. They tend to think they can get away with it all. In this drama, there's brutality and violence, but I liked it cuz the perpetrators/murderers got what they deserved. They experienced first hand what it means to be in pain and torment. I loved how they're made to experienced the hell their victims went through and even far worse through Kang Bit Na. It's really nice to see. In this one Kang Bit Na was like the judge sent by the heavens to punish the evil doers and murderers. If you think this drama promotes violence and crime, that it should have been shelved, you're the one who's twisted!

That said. I've got to applaud the outstanding performance of the dramas main focus 👏👏👏 our female lead, our anti heroine, our badass FL, Kang Bit Na/Justitia portrayed by Park Shin Hye. I've never seen this other side of Park Shin Hye's acting since all these years of watching her dramas. It's as if I was watching her onscreen for the first time, she didn't just slayed this one, she cleared the floor. She took the whole audience by surprise, and for that, she just topped my list of favorite actresses. Honestly, when she took on this drama, I wasn't sure what the performance would be, but when the official poster and trailer were released, I was anxiously waiting for the release of this one. And as expected. No, her performance was beyond expectations. That wicked smile, her facial expressions, and the way she portrays the emotional aspects, I almost fainted from the overwhelming acting. "The demon of all demons, is me," that sentence captivated me! Kang Bit Na, the badass, cruel, blunt, yet deep inside, a kindhearted person. I loved Park Shin Hye's acting in this one a whole lot 💞💗💓💖 No actress could have done it better!!

Now let's talk about our ML. He also portrayed his role excellently. Actually, I didn't like his character at first, but as time goes by, I got to understand him, what he's fighting for, and his principles. Kim Jae Young did his role justice. He's the type who values principles and his sworn duty a whole lot. He almost crumbled, but it's nice to see how he picked up the pieces and didn't allow grief to ruin him.

About the romance. Well, there's not that much romance in this one, but the natural and amazing chemistry of Park Shin Hye and Kim Jae Young sure is there. I enjoyed how Kang Bit Na always teases Han Da On. Their quarrels sometimes made me laugh. Also, that kiss scene in the last episode was very lovely. "You are the only blemish in my life, my only weakness. I love you a lot, Han Da On." Han Da On replied with"I love you too." Then, a kiss followed. Oh my, that scene was more than satisfying. Just for that scene I decided to add another 0.5 to the ratings I originally wanted to give this one.

There are a lot of emotional moments in this one. For one, Han Da On's foster mother's murder. Another was when Kang Bit Na almost died. So, if you're just starting, get your tissues ready.

I love the OSTs. My favourite of them all is "Crossroad by Sunmi"!


The fact that Kang Bit Na was strong till the end is impressive. Even in the face of death, she didn't falter. I really loved her. Indeed, this is a lady's show.

Also, I loved how the mystery aspect was portrayed, I almost couldn't figure out who exactly the serial killer J and satan was until the last five episodes. I've also got to add the actions scenes. The action scene were damn satisfying. I was gulping over the amazing CGI. The whole production team really did this one justice.

And without excluding all the casts who performed extraordinary well. From the support roles, down to the guest roles, all performed amazingly well. They made the audience felt emotions with their acting. I for one felt it!

The ending was also beautifully done! All the villains got their retributions and punishments were served accordingly!

But of course, I have a bit of an issue with this one. I'm wondering how an Angel and a demon became so close to the extent that he saved her from being punished. But then again, logic is usually thrown out of the window when watching something fictional.

Also, I didn't like the fact that they used the a flipped cross as the symbol of hell. Anyway, I don't want to go into that too much, so I'll stop here.

In essence, The Judge From Hell is a drama that explores crimes, and not just crimes, it explores the cruelest ones. It further explores the cruelty and delusions of culprits. It's a drama worth the watch. The 15 hours I invested into this one indeed didn't go to a waste. So for all the positives I'm giving this one an overall of 9.0. I loved and enjoyed the journey! This is a drama I'd definitely recommend, but beware, there are some mild Gore!
Thanks for reading!
Enjoy the Journey!

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A thorough disappointment

KinnPorsche the Series actually said bring sexy back. Sexy being Non Consensual drugged sex and varying forms of unacknowledged sexual assault between a mafia boss and a trauma-bonded man he rapes after kidnapping and making an offer he can’t refuse on pain of harm to his family.

This story depicts a full on masc4masc agenda, prioritising of white, cis, male, western, English speaking fan aesthetics and preferences, while sidelining femme characters who would normally be the stars in an Asian BL, in favour of cis men who would undoubtedly screen out most of the mlm who paid good money to support KPTS with: “No [Redacted], No [Redacted], No [Redacted].

Clearly the studio/crew comprised mainly of cis gay men wants to appeal to more men - a worthy goal, and men want to see lots of casual sex, but the legacy of Kinn Porsche’s pornificaction of live action BL could very well mean very little attention will be paid by investors to innovative, high quality BL storytelling that treats complex themes with even the minimum care and attention they deserve, for some time to come. “Fetishizing fujoshis” will still somehow get the blame for this but I can assure you women fans of BL did not ask for this.

Everything that women, queer or not, and femmes ran away from mainstream gay media to escape was forced back down their throats for 14 excruciating and traumatic weeks with the blanket hyper masculine, Stepford wife agenda of this series.

There is a bigger issue with what happens to art when big capital gets involved and the way it tends to reenforce the status quo but that’s a separate discussion. It is the production company first and foremost that is guilty of professional malpractice and it is disturbing but inevitable that the unethical practices behind the scenes - sexual harassment, homophobia and misogynistic behaviour, embarrassing scandals and infighting, with no consequences, are exactly the same ones reflected in how the story is conveyed onscreen. They are the same people after all; the art can never be better than the artist.

The basic problem with this Anti-BL is that the writing, mediocre as it was, is consistently from the perspective of the rapists/predators and the writers repeatedly insert textual ambiguity that invites the viewer to empathise with the power-holders rather than the victims of abuse which is the antithesis of romance BL. Spoiler Alert: This profound power imbalance is never eroded throughout 14 episodes.

In both sets of rape scenes the power-holder has emotional depth, complicated backstory and whimsical feelings of guilt along with innocence behind his actions while the victim has a disproportionate amount of motivation, agency and accountability attributed to him for the sexual assaults he endures - very much upholding a regressive status quo that already affects queer men severely.

Every flaw in this blatantly homonormative series is actually intentional and that’s what makes it so alarming. Both the production on screen and the way the studio treats its actors and fans, especially the psychological operations delivered through marketing, is seriously unethical especially from a well capitalised studio that has so many eyes globally on its first so-called BL, and its audience was so large it could end up giving the genre in Thailand a name that will be hard to recover from, but at the same time be so commercially sucessful judging by views, that investment for more BoC content could crowd out investment for more high quality productions such as from Nadao which are starved for investment while producing much higher quality series which are actually BLs. What’s the central conflict? We still have no idea despite the new characters and arcs forced into the final minutes of the final episode, not to conclude the story but to open the door to more exploitative money-making for a threatened season 2.

Even in the way writers/directors treated the first rape scene the focus was more on diminishing KP fan’s dislike of Kinn so he could be effortlessly “redeemed” enough for fan service to be lucrative, and less on portraying bad men doing bad things, which is why they couldn’t commit to delivering a rape scene as what it wasn’t- a rape scene, as they ought.

Writers didn’t have the skill to write a compelling redemption arc so they made the bad men “less bad” in the first place; according to the writers Porsche and Pete “welcomed their rapes” as well as their emotional and abuse. Logics of good storytelling were abandoned to prioritise commercial marketability of the actors.

Furthermore KP is fujoshi bait, what you get when your intention is to make toys for boys but you need the superior numbers, social media engagement and higher propensity to spend on their faves that only women bring to fandom but men do not. Hence the upside down, inappropriate and superficial application of some BL tropes which shows the team failed to do its research into the work BL tropes are meant to be doing. Why try to enter the BL industry if you have this level of contempt for its defining features of its fans?

Targeting women fans shows at least they understand the business of BL even if not the substance of the content. Because commercial viability of the ships was always more important that telling a good story in BoC decision making, is for eg why fans ended up in a virtual civil war over the fact that CPs that were given elaborate focus in the marketing promos ended up having little (Vegas/Pete) or no story arc whatsoever (Time/Tay) in the actual script.

Instead of a bad-faith production that looked like it was comprised of scraps off the cutting room floor, Kinn Porsche The Series could’ve hired quality screenwriters to create something awesome and chose not to but to spend instead on cynical marketing tactics and over-saturated colour grading. If an exploitative, mediocre drama with stressful and exasperating mess in front and behind the camera, topped off with pointless sex scenes that are decidedly Not sexy is what you’re looking for, then this series is for you.

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This is probably the most peculiar thing I would be doing in my history of writing reviews, but I feel since everyone's gonna talk about their sweet healing chemistry, our he yisheng's lowkey flirting skills, I will be leaving the most genuine reason that got me tuning into this drama besides the above reasons every single day.

• 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 altogether in a drama, the appearance of those flowers on my screen were real healing element and stress relief to my busy days ✨ So thanks a lot to the crew of The Best Thing for making my days with those beautiful sceneries and cinematographies!

✅ Plus points of this drama :
- no depressing misunderstandings, we had a few but they get resolved in the cutest way
- ml being the greenest red flag, this gege with ulterior motive has used every single means to seduce our fl
- beautiful styling (loved all the outfits of fl, so big appreciation to the styling artist who was responsible for deciding and pairing outfits, absolutely loved them)

Tbh, in terms of story, it probably felt like one of those ordinary stories to me, I won't say we had anything new on radar. It was sweet, cute, beautiful, and would be relish to green flag sweet story suckers. So if you are the one who falls in this category of viewers, I would definitely be recommending this!

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A Recipe for Gastronomic JBLs

Or: How to trap a man in 9 easy episodes.

Ingredients:

For the series:
10-15 year age-gap
6-10 inch height gap
2-4 side characters with no depth or individuality
1 astonishingly small kitchen
1 knife and 1 pair of ryouribashi (cooking chopsticks)
1 serving (at least) of onigiri
1 serving (at least) of a Western dessert (preferably cake, preferably for a birthday)
2-4 instances (at least) of misunderstanding & miscommunication
1 episode of illness or indisposition
1 wet white towel, to tend to that indisposition
(Story or plot optional)

For each episode:
10 mins. of food porn, of which:
2 mins. for broth-based dishes
2 mins. for rice-based dishes
2 mins. for curry
2 min. for lingering shots of chopping
1 min. for serving
1 min. for presentation
2 min. (at most) of interaction with the side characters
1 exclamation (at least) of "oishii" or "umai"
(Plot and character development optional)

For serving:
2-4 shots of chopstick choreography per episode
3-5 near-kisses per series
1 fish-eye or camera-angle non-kiss per series (optional)
(Payoff optional)

Preparation:
1. Toss the ingredients together in a medium-sized show
2. Be careful to keep the right proportions for each episode
3. Simmer slowly to break down all chemistry and tension
4. Gently stir the camera around the top of the pans and apply suitable filters
5. Decant the bland broth into clean 25-minute containers
6. Garnish with the non-kiss
7. Serve lukewarm immediately, or tomorrow, or five years from now. It doesn’t matter.

Special Notes for Sugar Dog Life:
1. I-su-mi-kun! I-su-mi-kun!
2. Do people really check for fever by huddling their heads together?
3. Kyosuke is coded as the husband and Isumi as the wife, right? Look at the poster.
4. What on earth is a sugar dog life? Is it a Japanese idiom? Can someone enlighten me?

Note: This review also appears under Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke, but with a different set of notes.

Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Itadakimasu.
DON’T SAY: Ittakimasu.

See Also: Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke, Bokura no Shokutaku, Kinou Nani Tabeta, Perfect Propose.

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