News 
A Cliche Done Right!
The premise of this drama is totally cliche but wow, they sure made it fun and cute despite that! I am usually wary about trying cliche dramas like this but I watched the trailer and sensed their chemistry immediately. It was also a plus that all episodes are released at once and it is only 10 episodes.After watching episode 1, the plot picks up quite fast; there are many funny scenes and many sound effects. Normally I don't like those sounds but it added to the scene and I actually found it quite enjoyable. It could be overbearing to some though. I liked the way the plot developed the characters and their relationships, and it was clear the motives behind their actions. There is a lot of comedy and absurd funny scenes throughout the 10 episodes but they weren't too bad to watch and I laughed a lot at some of them. Some of them really cheer you up. The romance was also nicely paced but I would have liked them to have more sweet moments and fake dating moments so I can see more of this couple. I felt that they could have had more sweet moments :( The second couple was a bit lacking but they were still cute sometimes too. It was my first time watching both of these actors and they did great! There weren't any moments where I felt like they didn't deliver the emotions or were disconnected from their characters. The friendships are also quite touching, especially the male lawyers at the firm. The drama overall also focuses a lot on the problems in society with patriarchal beliefs about women, which I found nice.
As someone who usually stays away from romcoms like this, I have to say that this drama was a pretty good watch and I enjoyed it a lot. It was nice to see this couple and their cute moments. I recommend!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Some Games Are Wicked, Some Are Messy.... and This One is a Wicked Mess but it's worth a try
"The Wicked Game" wasted no time pulling me into its world of power plays and family secrets. From the very first minute when Pheem stepped into the conference room with his smug face, the intrigue did not stop, it was gripping, stylish and tragic all at once- at least in the beginning. But as the episodes go on, things get increasingly dramatic, messy, and at times downright ridiculous. The CGI does the series no favors, and every gun scene felt over-the-top and hard to take seriously. But hear me out, it's entertaining and worth a try.Spoilers Alert!!
Pheem's backstory is harsh enough to explain every cold edge he has now, and Offroad brings out his layers so well- the loneliness, the anger, the sharp tongue that cuts like a weapon and the mind games. On the other hand, Dao as Than is warm, grounded, and instantly likeable. There's a sincerity in the way he smiles, moves, and speaks and he's far too forgiving when it comes to Pheem- I honestly don't know if that's a good thing or not. He's an absolute goner for Pheem, and it shows. Their chemistry? Absolutely electric. It's messy, charged, and impossible to look away from - honestly the biggest reason I stayed hooked even when the plot went off the rails. Also, when Pheem shot Than for trying to expose the company, there's no universe where that's defensible, in fact, like the title promised, it was truly wicked. Did it leave me stunned? It did. Did I curse Pheem out? Absolutely. But did I devour the angst anyway? Guilty. I did that too. Their chemistry made me forget everything else at least to some extent.
And I absolutely hate Thanet. He is a complete failure in the name of father and such a misogynist that it's painful to watch. In the very starting, the project idea was clearly Risa's, yet all the credit went to his "legitimate" son, Chet. And then he has the nerve to say very controversial things. But the worst part? People like him exist and it's infuriating. The way he treats Risa is awful, the way he treats Chet isn't much better and the way he treats Pheem is even worse. He abandoned his own son after everything that happened- as if losing his mother wasn't enough. Pheem didn't just grow up alone, he grew up forgotten. No wonder he's all cold edges and quiet anger now.
Also, Chet and his bodyguard, were my eyes playing tricks on me or was there really something there? I mean I could see the sparks flying from the very starting. And Chet himself- what a villain. The kind you want to scream at and yet can't deny the charisma. Not that Pheem is any less chaotic. Jason too was unexpectedly charming; his scenes with Pheem carried a tension that never fell flat. And Risa- I went from cheering for her to wanting to throw something at her. A true mastermind, but dangerously so. And I don't know what to say about the finale. The whole gun fight seemed ridiculous but yeah well it is what it is but I did enjoy watching this every week.
So yes, it gets messy, ridiculous, and overly dramatic. But the cast and their chemistry kept me glued. "The Wicked Game" isn't perfect, not even close, but it is wildly entertaining, and filled with the kind of chemistry that's worth watching at least once.
Was this review helpful to you?
1Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Super sweet love story of female author/novelist meets ceo
For the most part a really good watch! I recommend this drama for the super cute romantic scenes.The storyline starts when they are in middle school / high school ? Female lead was once this chubby girl, and the male lead was her only friend. Young male lead often was mean to her because he liked her. They end up losing contact for over ten years. They are reunited once again because the female lead's dad owns a lingerie shop/business that he wants the daughter to take on. She has no interested , her only interested is becoming a novelist. The one condition is that she has to find someone to marry with 72 hrs, and of course thats where the male lead comes in.
To be honest kind of cliche, i mean this genre type is going to be cliche. Rich ceo , struggling author fall into a contracted love.
Romance: To me their romantic scenes is the cutest that I have watch in a while! like they just are so cute together and their chemistry which also includes their kisses are phenomenal and filled with passion. Their story is cute because it starts off when they are young. They do have so riffs in their relationship but they end up fixing it. A big chunk if this drama is their relationship.
The other parts of the story is how the female lead becomes an author/ screen writer/ novelist.
Another small focus was about the male lead's past and how the female lead help overcome his fear.
However the last four episodes got a little draggy. It said i 24 episode but mydramalist said its 29 ep ???
It got draggy because of the third male and second female lead trying to sabotage the female and male's relationship. The story at that point seem to repeat itself , because prior to that the female and male lead already had some miscommunications., towards the end it blew up.... And the beginning of episode 24 didnt really make any sense....
Despite that , i really enjoyed their romance/relationship ! too cute to pass up.
Was this review helpful to you?
Tutoryim are eating with the concept given
Even though the concept does have weird moments in the sense it’s a bit cringy - the cringe moments help make the show a bit cute and it’s allowing them to show their potential of acting and personally they are ding exceptionally well!! The acting in comparison to the script I can’t help but think they are doing exactly what they should be doing . Also yim with piercings isn’t something thought I would need but here’s am.I can’t tell if this series will have any sad moments but tbc!!
Was this review helpful to you?
"So Damn Boring"
Just like everyone else I watched this because I really liked the first movie but this is such a big disappointment. They just put a lot of unnecessary things in the movie to make it 2 hours long when really it could have just been an hour. Also so little screen time for a the cast that I was looking forward to seeing and too much screen time for unnecessary people. I was also looking forward to the action scenes but there were no fighting just a lot of killing. Female lead was way too strong that all shedid was kill people, which made the action boring. There was nothing good about the movie. Oh gosh I really hated when a different race tries to speak in another language in movies because it really sucks, them trying to speak Chinese was so bad that I really wanted to smash my Tv in. Really bland and boring nothing impressive.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Decent with the typical clichés
The story was simple, but only the hunt for the "store" left a lot to be desired. It's not really clear what the hunt was for... Otherwise it was a more light-weighted series with some serious undertones and some silly clichés...Chemistry and acting was more than decent and it was quite fun to watch, but nothing earthshattering. I have not much more to say because it did not leave that much of an impression. It's a decent show, but nothing more. So if you like something to turn your brain off, this will fit nicely.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It was fine.
This was just fine.The storyline felt really jumpy and confusing at some points, the transition between them being in high school and then being in college really through me off, I didn't really understand that that time passed. I mean I caught on eventually but it wasn't obvious. The was acting was all right, though I felt like the girl literally had no personality. I guess she really didn't need one she was there to cause conflict. The ending was not satisfying at all to me, I don't need them to love each other in the end, what I did need though was an explanation of why he slept with him. Like why would you play with your best friends heart like that?
Was this review helpful to you?
Romantic comedy fitting XXI century standards.
Not having much inside on how sub-dom relationships work, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the depiction, but I can for sure say the movie does an amazing job in presenting it in a positive light. The word best describing the movie is: consent. Everything that happens is the result of mutual agreement that focuses on the preferences and needs of both sides.What’s more, while the movie presents Jung Ji Hoo as someone with, to call it broadly, issues, it flips the expectations the audience might have. It shows how the problems he faced were not the reason he sought that type of preference, but rather the judgment, he faced because of his preferences made him doubt himself. From the start, there was nothing wrong with him, but rather the society that puts unreasonable expectations and limits on everyone’s freedom of expression.
The thing that made me appreciate the movie more was the fact it never centered around sex itself. Focusing on other aspects of the relationship, with explanatory narration was a great choice.
Honestly speaking, the movie was just adorable. Watching Ji Woo and Ji Hoon try to figure out themselves, their preferences, but also work it out within their relationship was just an entertaining journey. I feel like there was a level of innocence presented on screen that will surprise many viewers.
The cast did an amazing job. There was only one scene that got me “this is just too scripted and unnatural for me to ignore” because of Lee Suk Hyeong’s delivery and the weird timing of the scene itself.
Production wise, I could not ask for more, though I might have asked for less. For me, some of the special effects were unnecessary. That said, they did not really lower my enjoyment of the movie.
Overall, it does a good job in presenting sub-dom relationship in a new light, that shows the more realistic and broad perception of it, without only focusing on the sexual aspects of it. It serves as a good criticism of the standards society creates, that serve no one and often hurt us. I would truly recommend it to all the 16+ audiences for sure.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
runs on vibes instead of plot
Overall: I really enjoyed the beginning with a unique premise and the color themes, but similar to other GMMTV productions, it runs on vibes and poor communication instead of plot or realistic character actions. If you aren't a vibes person, then I suggest watching the first two episodes then skip to episode 8 part 4 and watch from there. Watched on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later re-released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/39523c-vice-versaContent Warnings: beaten up, death (off screen), stalking, animal blood
What I Liked
- several cute and funny moments
- the color themes and prop integration
- supportive friend groups
- that this wasn't enemies to lovers but two guys figuring things out
- mentioning societal issues like marriage equality, expensive public transportation
'- several cameos/guest roles: Force, Book, Perth, Mix, Tay
- reference to 2gether/other BL series
- decent kissing in later episodes
- the two side characters and the vet stuff was cute (but they needed more time, had like a 5 second scene in the final episode)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects
Room For Improvement
- pacing was slow, characters went in circles (for 2 years!!!), I think they needed a fast burn side couple
- poor communication for grown men
- characters do not act realistically (the film crew in episode 11 was an example of this), characters do things because that's what the writer said not because it would make sense
- thin plot with a lot of product placement
- poor world building/plot holes
- that whole not name telling thing
- there were a few scenes that jumped a bit much, we were in one place and then suddenly somewhere else (the beach at the beginning was one)
- the cliche swimming issue in the beginning, wish they'd have come up with something else
Was this review helpful to you?
The main couple was cute altho the main female character got on my nerves with her over the top silliness. I liked FSF character but he played him very straight and I would have liked to see a little more range of emotions.
All in all I made it thru the 32 episodes rather ok, and then wanted to kill every writer who worked on the show when I saw the ending - just ARGH.
Was this review helpful to you?
2-Storyline/Plot : The drama's background was one of the kind since I haven't seen any other dramas in a ranch before.
As for the story, I don't believe it was any special because there are tons of dramas and films about a former married couple. However, it was kind of cool to see how fate can mess with their hearts and bring them back together under hard circumstances .
Certainly, there were too many slow and boring moments in this drama (especially in the middle) so I had to skip many parts in order to make events go faster.
3-Acting/Cast : The lead male and the second lead female were the shallow reason that made me finish this drama. Lee Yeon Hee has always been a good actress for me but her character was really annoying to watch.
The supporting roles weren't that great plus the second lead female was the usual dumb character that we find in other Korean productions.
4-Music : It was a normal drama's music, I don't really remember it because it wasn't that special.
5-Rewatch value : No, I don't believe it's rewatchable.
6-The ending : Kind of cool, i was expecting more and i wished it lasted a little but anyway it was nicely done.
7-How did it affect me : No special feelings while i was watching this, i was just following the events. Even after it ended, i didn't have any kind of feelings for it but it wasn't that forgettable either.
8-Overall : This drama isn't brilliant or special in any aspect; only the ranch element was appealing.
Was this review helpful to you?
A departure from the usual BL genre but badly executed
This thriller BL was a good idea on paper, with a set up quite different of the numerous school and office BL dramas existing in Dramaland.However, even if I salute the idea to center the series around investigation and mystery, with a good amount of romance, I found the outcome of it super mid. At the end, both the thriller and the romance failed to convince me.
On the thriller side, the issue is that the resolution of the mystery and the reveals were very easy to guess, super clunky and badly articulated. Police work felt poor at best and it felt like the leads were just lucky rather than skilled and determined to find the truth. On the romance side, it also failed at being compelling enough to make the viewer understand why those guys are irrepressibly attracted to each other...
The fact that I actively strongly disliked the character of one of the leads for sure did not help. It is the kind of timid, wishy-washy character that need a solid growth arc to be likeable and I have to say that at no point his investigation skills impressed me. The character could barely stand on his two feets or get out of the bed without falling...And here, I must admit it irked me to no ends. The way the actor played the role, with big teary eyes and shy voice, felt very empty to me.
In terms of positives, I found the actor playing the other lead, the prosecutor, very hot with his domineering looks and the intimate scenes were believable, even if the feelings were less convincing. Unfortunately, that was not enough for me to forget the various flaws from the show.
I would not recommend this BL because it fails in holding up its interesting concept. Both the mystery and the romance were a disappointment to me...One was clunky and badly articulated, while the other was not compelling enough.
Was this review helpful to you?
Weak storyline, not much chemistry
I m giving this 7 bc thr ML is fantastic. FM had the most annoying character, at 1st she was impulsive, entitled,judgemental she couldn't see past her hate. Second half she became a weak damsel, prancing around and taking any "bullet" for him. The chemistry was abismal bc there were almost none quality scenes between them. The somber background and the obsessive killing of b characters destroyed any respect I had left for this series. I got into Chinese historical shows thanks to Fated Hearts which was fantastic, this is an incredible letdown.Was this review helpful to you?
