Reviews

Hot n meeeh

This is a drama that takes you on a journey of insecurity and dives in to the minds of the two leads with kind of theatrical affects making it at times hard to distinguish between the inner and outer world...

The supporting characters in this do one hell of a job supporting the main story, and saying what the audiance is thinking. And the tension and physical scenes between the leads is hotter than pyrolysis... or I don't know a car left out in a dessert during a heatwave... But between those scenes I find myself feeling nothing... As if something is missing without knowing what is actually missing? It could be a loack of build up and interactions between the leads, or jumping from one relationship to another type of deal... or maybe it is the lack of communication... or all of the above plus something more.

That said the drama was indeed a J-drama a bit different than most things I have seen, an easy binge... Also the styling of the whole cast was lovely!

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This show has the spirit of "Hero" and the genuine feel of "Cold Case" which makes this show an absolute must watch!

I can honestly say that this show is a heartbreaking, bittersweet reality into the truths and lies of many different worlds from the rich to the poor, the right and wrong, the civilians and the police, the lawyers and their clients, criminals and victims, and so on...

The story itself is something unique, but then again I've seen the gist of this story a few times, however, in saying so, I cannot say I've seen this story's specific plot or outline (or ending) in other stories. This show has portrayed humanity in it's good and bad days as well as the real fight between good and evil, light and dark.

Each actor and actress has flawlessly fulfilled their character to perfection. It was amazing to watch each person portray their character so amazingly well! The guests were equally superb in their genuine tales and trials. Each law and case has been very well explained and thoroughly planned and "executed" so (as a viewer) I never felt lost or like an idiot if I didn't understand.

I don't hear a lot about this show and that is a shame because this show is superb and the cast completely takes over the screen with their respect, honesty, as well as their physical, mental, and emotional skills, talents, personalities, and traits. To be honest, as I watched this show I completely forgot who the actors were as I continued to watch and thought that this show was the reality of what happens within Japanese courtrooms and their justice system(s).

This is not a show to be missed! It is a gem!

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A Fun Bromance

Overall: although it would have been better as an actual BL, this was enjoyable overall

Content Warnings: side character death, fight scenes, near death

What I Liked
- the chemistry and dynamic between the 2 male leads was great (hence why I think it would have been better as a BL)
- the intro animation sequence was good
- the funny moments
- the merman as an adorable thug (did not think I'd put those two words together, but just look at his dimples!)
- a montage scene that I actually liked

Room For Improvement
- I know it had source material but I think they should have made this actual m/m romance because the two male leads had such great chemistry. Many things have been straightwashed so I think they should have gaywashed this one.
- lack of consequences for both that high school guy and the 2 adults and that things were just totally good between the son and his dad
- there was a continuity error in the first episode
- cliche family stuff at the beginning

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It's been a few years since I've picked up a survival show and I didn't think I would be as hooked as I was before, but this was so worth it!! Even though the show wounded up in some controversies and the finale was canceled, I still think the rest of the show before it was still very enjoyable.

I honestly didn't think any other seasons that followed Idol Producer would have such a unique and talented set of individuals on the show again but this season (at least) has proved me wrong. All the trainees are so talented!

The selection of music was fire despite what others may say. There had been some rumors saying iQiyi was running low on budget and that's why the song selections were a majority the mentor's songs. Personally I haven't heard many of the songs before so I found it entertaining. The way in which they created groups this season is interesting too. The first evaluation was position and they allowed trainees to select their own groups but also intervene with others selection, and kind of battle it out by persuading the trainee to join them. Then the second was split by age groups and it was based on who was able to snatch the song first rather than by rank (which I found was a bit unfair in the past for the lower classes). These are only a few examples of how they did song selections.

In terms of the editing, I would say its changed a bit but I still appreciate the extra clips they put in of the trainees. In comparison to Produce Camp (another survival show), there's a lot more content and screen time showing their practice sessions leading up to the stage day. The episodes are very oddly separated into parts, but I guess that only means more content! However, unless you are VIP there isn't much extra clips to watch, at least from my standpoint. It's also hard to navigate around the website for the studio recordings and performances especially since some aren't available on YouTube. There has been some talk about how this season isn't as entertaining as the past seasons in terms of editing and music performances but I disagree I thought that it was pretty entertaining. I do agree with some aspects such as the unequal distribution of screen time like during the press conference in the early episodes and also training time leading up to performances.

The mentor line up was also great! You could tell each mentor really cared about the trainees and were very respectful of everyone. They took their time speaking and did their best to help each person. Will Pan didn't get frustrated at all during his sessions with the trainees, he instead would pull those who weren't as comfortable or familiar with rapping aside, giving them advice and helping them figure out their parts. Then there is LISA who I'm not too familiar with but before, but I was always in awe seeing how she was able to so easily catch the problem with each groups' dances and point out how to make it better. I'd watch and be like "oHH yeah that looks SO much better woW!" And finally, Li Ronghao's class sessions would be in the recording studio and it's so funny and cute seeing him come out of the control room and into the recording booth to help out the trainees if they weren't getting a high note or something. Li Chun wasn't exactly a mentor, she was the MC for the most part of the show, but she never failed to show her care and generosity. She often asked about the trainees and would bring them food. The most memorable would probably be giving a Doreamon to Li Junhao (Rimiko).

Overall, the show was really really good! I just wished the finale had happened before the show ended, and Yu Jingtian (Tony) didn't get wrapped up in a controversy as well. Fan or not, I just felt bad and it was very unfortunate that it came right before the last episode was able to air. Same with the rest of the trainees, they worked so hard but in the end were not able to debut (especially Lian Huaiwei). However with that being said, it wasn't a *complete* waste because the trainees at least got some exposure and the show helped each and everyone of them grow in some aspect. We don't always get the ending we want, but we can always pick out at least one positive to hold onto.

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If you LOVED Sweet Home then you’ll LIKE this

Firstly I want to start off by saying that I finished this series in a day which is a first for me. It’s not a story that kept me at the edge of my seat but it’s still entertaining enough that I continued watching even when the characters pissed off, and many of them did.

Our female lead Su In is actually such a sweet girl who went through a lot of traumatic events. She’s introverted, self loathing and lives a pretty mundane life. It was nice seeing her go from that to a mutant badass who fights for what she believes in and learns that she’s not unlovable, she was just around a lot of toxic people. Male lead was very unconventional for kdramas. I kind of liked his development from the cowardice and selfish gang member to the fearless, loyal and trusted companion. I won’t say much for the other characters because while they all had good development too, they annoyed me for 90% of the drama.

In comparison to Sweet Home this kdrama places less emphasis on its characters due to its shorter length of only six episodes. Instead, it delves deeper into the world of monsters, which I found refreshing. I appreciated the focus on the monsters forming their own organization, showcasing their intelligence and adaptability. Their dialogue is noteworthy, featuring engaging social and political commentary. It was intriguing to explore their perspective, although unlike SH there isn't much sympathy for them as they are *mostly* serial killers. The monsters who aren’t simply killers, are just like most humans, trying to survive and learning to navigate complex emotions.

To be honest the last episode was a bit underwhelming, but I can understand because this not a very climatic drama. The monster fight scenes were a little funny sometimes (they kinda look like giraffes fighting 😂). The cast’s performance, music and CGI (for a kdrama) was good too, no complaints in those departments. All in all, a good watch. Would’ve loved if it was longer. 8.5/10

PS: I did not read the manga!!

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I went into this drama because of Gung Min and didn't know what to expect, but was so glad in the end - and not only because of him. This is a drama that entered my top 5 list without me realizing it. It caught me off guard in a good way. It's actually not so much about the story but the characters. And in a way story and characters are bound to each other like: One half doesn't work without the other. As the story goes on, you will love each and every one of its "puppets". Even the bad guys. You will enjoy watching them grow - for better or worse - and you will anticipate every new encounter. You will find yourself lost if you don't see them at least once a day.

I'm normally not a fan of comedy dramas, but I made an exception for this one since it captured my heart in an instant. The producers were some smart dudes, when I think of how they displayed the comedy parts. Of course there are your obvious jokes, but it still manages to not look too exaggerated. Then there's comedy that is subtle and looks like it doesn't want to be funny, but it is nonetheless. And then there are hilarious incidents within all the seriousness and you can't help but laugh about it, but at the same time you feel something like pride and satisfaction.

Nevertheless, this show is about corruption and it is certainly not only made of happy and/or amusing moments. It also has a knack for creating suspense in its very own way. It's hard to explain but once you watch it, you'll understand.

You don't like business dramas? There's no romance, why start this thing?

Let me tell you some reasons:

- Nam Gung Min
- Lee Jun Ho
- Jeong Hye Seong
- Dong Ha
- Im Hwa Young
- Kim Won Hae
- Jung Moon Sung
- ...
... I could probably list the whole cast but I think you get my intention.
...
- clever, well done comedy
- an unusual bromance you'll adore to the core
- strong female characters
- strong side and guest characters
(- of course also strong male characters - don't let us forget about them either)
- many surprising, unexpected, freaky turn of events
- a business story about corruption that is well executed an told with a good balance between comedy and seriousness
- maybe one or two lessons for life itself

One word to describe this show? Rewarding. In every way possible. A surprise drama and highly recommended.

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One of the better High School BL Dramas - cute and sweet

Completed - 12/18/2021

I can see why this drama has so many good reviews. It's a somewhat realistic high school BL drama with a lot of cute and fluffy content. It's really short that you can binge watch in a few hours. It's a good palate cleanser in between more serious dramas. Let's start with what I don't like about this drama.

What I don't Like:
1. Over-dramatic acting - This is personal taste as I don't usually enjoy the over-dramatic manga/anime style of live acting. I felt that our male lead, Aoki, is a little too much and I get annoyed with him at times. I understand he's made out to be a contrast to our other male lead, Ida, who is a little more serious.

2. Repetitive doubting - For such a short drama, Aoki doubted his relationship with Ida too much. After his confession and they started "dating", every episode following that, he's been questioning whether Ida likes him or not, or if Ida really wants to date him. I understand the uncertainty but it feels repetitive after a while.

What I Like:
1. Ida - I enjoy Ida's character. It's nice to see a quieter and more serious character that is not the traditional cold and mean male lead. He's just different and expresses himself different. He's serious in considering his answer and cares about others. I enjoy watching his slow discovery and realization that he does like Aida. I like how he protects Aoki through quiet actions.

2. Ida + Aoki - They do make a very cute couple. Their contrast in personality makes for a very enjoying and fun experience (albeit the Aoki's overacting). You can't help but smile when you see the together and they have great chemistry.

3. Supportive Friends - How nice it is to have such supportive friends of their relationship. It's a stress-free drama where you don't have to worry about jealous and mean-spirited friends.

4. Realistic Concerns - Even though this is a sweet and fluffy drama, it also addresses the issues facing a young same-sex couple, esp. a couple who never thought they could be attracted to someone of the same sex. Aoki is concerned about others knowing they are together and that is very real, not just in high school but in life. We have a teacher who is conservative and doesn't know how to deal with the knowledge of Aoki being with Ida. All these issues were handled well in the drama.

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I just wanna praise the actors

The story is fine, but could've been better if it had more time to develop the romance. The relationship between the main characters is believable because the actors do a fantastic job and have great chemistry. However, on paper it doesn't make much sense for their feelings to be so strong as we don't see them interact enough for them to not just start falling in love, but actually love each other. Still, I want to reiterate that the actors absolutely sell the characters' strong emotions towards each other, both the romantic and dramatic scenes are upgraded from good to amazing because of these two. I hope both of them find success, would love to see them do another project together, though I don't know how likely that is.

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ML can't act but I adore him anyway!

Actually I adore both the ML and FL! As individual characters, they were likable but as a couple, they were endearing and inspired relationship goals. Also they were simply gorgeous to look at.

Why Women Love is a May-December love story done right! It is not often that we get a romance between an older super capable manager and her young assistant (who was actually her boss' son), let alone a good one. If you are looking for something light, lovely, fun and fluffy, this show might just do the trick.

Honestly, there was no real plot, but there was character development. The FL learned to open up her heart, and become brave in facing the unknown of love, and the ML grew into a man who wanted to protect and give his love a blissful and happy home. I love that even though the ML became more matured, he did not lose sight of his dream of being a motorcycle racer. The best part is that he still reacted like someone in his twenties but carried himself well to be worthy of the FL.

Gina Jin is beautiful and she did well as Zhao Jiang Yue, a reserved, over-achieving manager. Absorbed with her work, always focused on doing her best, she was labeled as being incompetent in love. As she gradually fell in love with the ML, one can see her loosening up, and becoming more carefree.

Wang Zi Yi as Gu Jia Xin was a total idol in this show, with his avant-garde outfits, and being a newbie, could use more acting lessons. However, he was still able to pull off charismatic and lovable Jia Xin, and I truly enjoyed watching him charm his way into Jiang Yue's heart. Plus he can kiss!

There were 3 other side couples and I enjoyed watching 2 of those relationships progressed. As for the 3rd couple, I did not think that Xu Ning Yuan and Li Yan Ran were a good fit and there was no chemistry between them . Xu Ning Yuan was supposed to be the second male lead and was also Jiang Yue's first love.but he did not really put up much of a fight, other than being "compatible" with her.

Overall, the cast was great, and there was a fun rapport among them. I did find Li Yan Ran annoying and clingy but at least she could still separate her obsession with Jia Xin from doing the right thing.

The OST was awesome. I never skipped the intro because of the song, 'Love It' sung by Wang Zi Yi and Gina Jin. The closing song, True Love by Zhu Xingjie was catchy too. My favorite was Upside Down by Chen Xueran, the romantic song that heightened the emotional scenes for me. For posterity, I listed the song list at the end of this review.

Overall, do give this show a try - all you have to do is sit back and be prepared to smile and laugh as you gush over the cheesy, delightful and satisfying romantic journey of the main couple.

Track list: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDkvOpX-XEAS7ux-N5WjgI5m6cKx3ngIt

Love it - 金晨 Gina Jin & 王子异 Wang Ziyi
True Love - 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie
Upside Down - 陈雪燃 Chen Xueran
错了 Wronged - 曹杨 Cao Yang
中意他 Like Him - 彭雅琦 Peng Yaqi

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The hunt for a serial killer.

Who is He is an intensely gripping police procedural that narrates the hunt for a serial killer that evaded justice for decades. It draws inspiration from two well known, real life cases - the 1988 Gansu serial killer case and the 1996 Nanjing University dismemberment case. These investigations were hampered by a lack of access to modern forensic technology, especially DNA evidence. The brutality and horror of these cases instilled national shock and outrage. For those following the heinous Abby Choi case in Hong Kong, the dismemberment case invokes chilling parallels.

During the hunt for a serial killer in 1988, Wei Guoping comes within a hairsbreadth of capturing him. In a close encounter, Guoping saves the intended victim Nie Xiaoyi but loses his partner. He has survivor's remorse and the case continues to cast a shadow over his existence long after it goes cold. Eight years later, he is convinced that the 1988 killer has resurfaced in the shocking Nanjing University dismemberment case.. His peers and superiors however are concerned that his rushed conclusion could steer the investigation down the wrong path. The drama dives into the inner workings of the department and how they collaborate and resolve internal conflict. It shows us that there are many ways to skin a cat and internal debate is healthy and produces a more rigorous process with defensible chain of evidence, and effective witness and suspect testimony.

This drama does a fantastic job zooming in on the procedural aspects of an investigation from the thankless, painstaking and smelly task of collecting and analyzing evidence to effective (and not so effective) methods of interviewing persons of interest. Without modern forensic technology, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack and can span decades. The show's meticulous attention to detail and commitment to vivid realism makes it stand out in the genre. The uncanny simillarity in the dumpster dive scenes to real footage from the recent Abby Choi case adds another layer of intrigue and sense of real life horror. There is an everpresent sense of urgency and suspense that is captured by highlighting the terror of the witnesses, survivors and the afflicted communities. The audience is also kept invested by dramatising the character aspects of the investigative teams and how unsolved cases can haunt key members of the investigative team.

The character writing and portrayals are among the drama's strongest aspects. Zhang Yi delivers yet another exceptional performance as a hard core detective single-mindedly focused on hunting down the 1988 killer. His Wei Guoping is a much less perfect character than An Xin (from The Knockout), which makes him more interesting and relatable. I loved how Gu Kaiyan calmly puts him in his place, asserts her authority and earns his grudging respect. The rapier-like way she breaks down and corners a suspect in interrogation is insanely awesome. Xu Fangyi steals the show with this riveting portrayal of a cooly logical and formidable female cop. The unique mixture of camaraderie, conflict and attraction between Wei Guoping, Song Zhe and Gu Kaiyan really made the team dynamics fun to watch.

Where the drama falters is in plot. This is somewhat unavoidable as the underlying cases are true crimes where major breakthroughs were only achieved with the help of DNA, which is ultimately anti-climatic. Maybe it would have been better if they went with something similar to Netflix's wildly successful serial killer docu-drama format rather than to try to dramatise it. The less interesting crime syndicate arc with the overused "forbidden" romance with a gangster's sister trope grew bigger than itself in the final third of the drama. Logic holes emerged and there were simply too many coincidences to force disparate cases to converge. The antagonists' motives in particular were contrived and in the Gansu case, deviates too markedly from the profile of the real serial killer. This may have been one of the reasons it was so harshly criticised by Chinese audiences. Because of well written protagonists and all around strong acting, I don't think this was that bad of a drama although it did not live up to its early promise. As a fan of the genre, I still enjoyed this well enough and rate it 7.5/10.0

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underrated slice-of-life that feels "homey"

A well acted story about four female friends in their late 20s to mid 30s, who could not be more different in career, character and romantic storyline.

Although it does not necessarily bring anything new to the table of these types of dramas, it feels very "homey" thanks to the story taking place in Chengdu, where a heavy dialect is only one of many things that sets it apart from Beijing based dramas.

Three of the four women, as well as two of the guys, went to the same high school, where as the youngest among the friends is the daughter of their former teacher. Wu Yun and Dan Dan are also cousins. It might be a bit confusing at first to figure out the character relations and backstory but you'll figure it out in due time. The fact that they grew up together but their life turned out so differently was refreshingly realistic and relatable. Another plus is that the love interests are all nice guys that know to treat their lady right and it's all ML chase FL first.

It's a slice of life, with mother-daughter relationships, romance and a lot of sismance, therefore it's quite a chill watch with nothing too exciting happening - but I really liked that. If you are sensitive around death & grief, I might be careful tho since there are multiple character deaths at various stages of the drama (not the leads). This is also where I see ties to "Remembrance of things past". The Writing around ep17-26 reminds me a lot of the writing style in that drama.
Admittedly I put the drama on for background noise in the beginning and watched the first 15 episodes with only 50% attention but by episodes 17 I was locked in and could not stop binging it.

I rarely have a favorite episode when it comes to dramas but episode 25 (the camping one) is so good that I will surely re-watch it. Generally in a drama with multiple mains, when they finally are all in one frame including their love interests, the screenwriters can really shine - and oh they did here. Even if you don't wanna watch the full drama, you can just watch this episode and get the feeling of chilling by a fire pit and watching great actors play off each other with cute interactions.

In terms of the couples, I was the biggest fan of Zhang Pei & Xin Yiang. The actors are veterans and have that extra something in how they carry themselves and use their entire body to act. Xin Yiang is a great guy, he doesn't appear perfect but is very down to earth and naturally playful. Ren Su Xi is one of my favorite actresses and her playing Zhang Pei only solidified her placement on my favorites list. Zhang Pei is unintentionally relatable and funny in a way that you have to see in order to understand.
The character dynamic of this pairing is playful and they joke a lot with each other. Although all couples are slow burn in terms of actual romance, it doesn't feel forced.
I liked that each couple had a completely different story and way of getting together. I wasn't bored with any of them but if we're playing favorites, aside from Zhang Pei & Xin Yiang, I liked Jia Xi's coupling a lot too.
Only Dan Dan's story made me roll my eyes once we reached the last 10 episodes. Initially I thought having a single mother as one of the FLs would be interesting but she definitely got the short end of the stick in terms of character writing. Aside from her love interest, that is way too nice to her, she is quite unreasonable and has terrible ex-in-laws. Wu Yun's pairing is wholesome and I liked that they did not make jokes about her appearance, but rather everyone liked her the way she is. (just saying this because whenever we get the token not-super-skinny friend in a cdrama they usually make fun of them).

Aside from the romance, sismance really shines and they are always supportive of each other. I loved that they all had very different careers and non of them were particularly admired jobs(murder mystery parlor host, insurance broker, streamer, city maintenance office worker), nor were they super successful or rich. Maybe that made it feel more "homey" too? I'm a bit sick of the rich CEO stereotype. Everyone in this drama hustles for their coin but the career aspect is never overpowering (after the initial introduction of the drama) and sometimes they appear to have quite a bit of free time... a bit too much almost :D
The main conflict, if you can even call it that, happens between the women figuring out their life and love, while their parents (especially moms) have different ideas. I liked that there was growth even in the parents and they got to a point where they could apologize for their mistakes but they still have the "asian mom" worries like 'when are you getting married', 'you need to get a good job', etc.

!!! ENDING SPOILER !!!

In terms of what I did not like it's mostly just minor things but aside from Dan Dan's story line I'm quite happy with the entire drama. The final few minutes did really try to squeeze those tears out of me but I felt prepared so the only thing that bothered me was the break up of one couple. Similar to Remembrance of things past, the couple that got together the earliest didn't make it but not quite understandable in my opinion. They were great together with no real fights and I do think they'll meet again but I still want to point out what bothered me about their break up. After doing long-distance for a few months, they met again and danced together(she is in Theater), where at the end there is only a voice over of him asking "growing old together or short-term journey?" and you hear her voice saying "short term journey"... nothing more. That was odd and felt unreasonable as a break up, but judging by the last minute of the drama they'll probably meet again.


To end this review, I think it's quite underrated and deserves more love from people who like this kind of plot. In case you watched "Be Your Own Light", you'll probably also like this even if it has less career focus.

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