Reviews

the thing that frustrates me about Yamato…

the thing that frustrates me about Yamato is that he is all in his head, he thinks too much, coming to conclusions of how things will play out - & decides sh*t without actually letting them play out in real time. it's not that i don't get his fears, but it's also very frustrating to see him in action. all the pushing done not only by Hosaka but Amamiya made him face his true feelings & even admit it to them, even admit his fears. but he made it clear he wont do the same with Kakeru. ******************************ironically he is the one Yamato needs to be candid with, so even though i am a bit miffed that he didn't go find Kakeru, but Kakeru had to come find him, am glad he finally confessed. even though i was surprised that he kissed him 1st, a verbal confession was needed before the kiss IMO... but it is what it is.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************Akane is a sweetheart & am glad that even though this hurt her, the pain wont last long. i like her more then most of the girls that r after Yamato. she the perfect example of quality over quantity ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

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the greatest chemistry ever seen

summer strike was the first korean show i've watched and it's one of the greatest and most comfortable shows i've ever seen, and the reason for that is that there's a sense of simplicity in its story, two introverts falling in love in a library and seolhyun and im siwan are SO talented actors that thay managed to transmit this without saying ONE word of romantic declaration for each other, i found myself having butterflies watching their scenes together, the feeling i had was as if i was in his shoes.i think what makes this drama so different from all the others is that its main characters are the definition of loving through attitudes not words, like what do you mean the guy measured the floor for buying her new shoes?? THATS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!something i had a problem is that when it comes to their romance, the story unfolds relatively slow — i didn't know at the time that's is a strong feature of korean dramas — they didnt have the hurry to create their approximation, and usually that's a good thing but in this case i thought it's very delayed. also the mystery vibe works fine but they build it without any importance throughout the season, it has a great plot twist at the end but it almost felt like it was another show on the last 2 episodes, it creates kind of an inconsistency of genres, but it's not like that'd ruin the experience, it keeps being perfect.and the fact that you know it's a limited series with no chance to have more seasons genuinely HURTS. it's such a GOOD atmosphere, i'm astonished (and stuck). i'll always come back to watch this show again whenever i feel i'm needing it.now potential spoilers ⚠️🚨the fact that ended up the whole series without having ONE KISS is quite disappointing. yes, i understand why they chose this path, but after waiting so much and the characters exploding a chemistry never seen before, finishing the last episode without giving us a physical scene was the only flaw of the entire show for me, i'm truly sad. even though the season story it's pretty round and conclusive, i'd die for a second season.9/10. recomend 100%

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even though Yamato knows he is infatuated…

even though Yamato knows he is infatuated with Kakeru, he isn't ready to actually confesses or maybe he is more fearful of the reaction, that's why there is this back & forth. but he is confusing Kakeru with this push & pull. as is Kakeru needs to deal with his own feelings about how he feels regarding his childhood friend. *************************************************************************************************************************************************was right & Hosaka noticed that Yamato got a crush on Kakeru , ironically so does Yamato's sister. & both of them gave him more or less the same advise. but he needs to decide if he is ready to face his fears & stand before Kakeru, not running away the sec it gets uncomfortable or too realistic. *************************************************************************************************************************************************side note: i really like the guys teacher, even though Kakeru is falling behind he isn't neglectful or given up as a lost cause, he keeps trying to help Kakeru. kinda endearing & what a teacher should be

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this was refreshing, cause i liked that even…

this was refreshing, cause i liked that even though Kakeru didn't understand Yamato's initial confession, when he heard him a 2nd time, telling others - the penny dropped. liked that it didn't need for one half to keep dropping hints the size of elephant's & only when they came 'hat in hand' then the other half would get all flustered & not know what to do. so like that here straight off we got development. now Kakeru can mull it over on his own & wont be blindsided when Yamato does decided to take the bull by the horns & confess clearly. well i hope so - *******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************already feel sorry for the only girl that got close to Kakeru, but as she kept saying he reminded her of her brother idk what to think lol... *****************************************************************************************************************************also what was the deal with Yamato's sister. her whole attitude gave mean girl vibes. does she suspect about her brother & his bff & doesn't approve?!?

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This series is off to a strong start

Top Form has captured my heart. Everything from the OST to cinematography to the plot to the performances is high quality. I find myself getting lost in the world of each episode. The story of Akin and Jin is fresh. I saw someone complaining about them being a stereotypical ship, but I disagree. It's so different to me at least to see the younger one so actively and unapologetically pursing the older character. So far, the episodes have also had interesting commentary on the entertainment industry as a whole. Also I love how Akin and Jin seem to be foils of each other. Typically, you mostly see foils utilized in dramas as a way to separated the antagonist and protagonist but I l o v e to see literary foils utilized between love interests. I'm interested to see where this series continues to go. My main complaint is that the episodes should be longer.

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I can't tell what this series is trying to be.

I think this series is struggling to find it's footing between campy moments of comedy and dramatic tension, but it swaps through them almost like whiplash making it jarring for me the viewer. There's some interesting stuff going on for example playing into the time old trope of utilizing vampirism as a metaphor for queer desire, but every time I feel myself getting sucked into the story, I get yanked back out again by moments that make me cringe (and a lot of these moments I can tell are not supposed to be interpreted as cringey or funny). I really wanted to like this series but it's falling flat for me, ever since the staggering amount of exposition in episode one. Gawin, who is a very talented actor, seems way too old to be playing an 18 year old first year university student, that sometimes takes me out of it too. His character is... a lot. Sometimes I find Tong genuinely endearing but most of the time, I find him childish and kinda cringe. Joss' performance is also falling flat for me this time around. It's hard to play a stoic character with little to no dialogue. Anyways, I'll give episode 4 a shot and see if I can fall in love with it. I'm still holding out hope given that Gawin is one of my favorites under GMMTV, but I am not sure it's going to win me over....

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All's well that ends well

You can tell by the headline that this drama has happy endings. Subaru and Madoka get back together. The kids department of Fukuten produces a hit product and gets new life. Subaru and Tomoya make up. Lily gets to show her legs one more time. Richard makes one last appearance and says 100x more words than he ever had before. Wataru gets his dying(?) wish for the company. And at the end, the two love birds share a hug and kiss. In the last scene, they are walking along with a young son in tow. My final thoughts for this drama are that I enjoyed the romance and comedy at the beginning, but unfortunately both tapered off in the second half of the series. Overall it was enjoyable, though.

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The long ordeal of the fox priest

Epiode 3: The long ordeal of the fox priest.Yuan Zhong, deceived and manipulated by the elders who, taking advantage of their naivety and trust in them, convinced him to put the restrictive collar around his neck with their own hands (to “supposedly” overcome the 5 deadly sins, pass the ordeal of the world and achieve immortality). When he put on the restrictive gold collar, his power began to be sucked away. “Farewell, high priest.” Everyone, dressed in their blue robes, kneels before the high priest who enters the cave, the dungeon where he will be imprisoned. He is so handsome in the white robe and the gold necklace, he looks somberly at everyone and enters the cave of his ordeal. The heavy gates close. He looks up at a crack in the ceiling of the cave and the ray of light covers him. Tan Yin hears the hypnotized man (for 40 years he was sealed). She asks why they treat this high priest and hero of theirs, and the man explains: because of fear, because they killed his family and friends and told him it was the ghosts of war. (but it was them, the priests themselves, because they questioned them for locking Yuan Zhong in the cave. So, they continued to confine Yuan Zhong. Tan Yin was even more outraged. Now it was the sword-in-the-stone moment from the King Arthur books. (Yuan Zhong was the only one who managed to use the divine hand that was kept in the rock. Everyone who tried fell dead. Because of this, the relatives wanted to see their children, and so they were massacred by the fox clan. (because they wanted all the other young people back, and also their son Yuan Zhong.) Tan Yin squirts blood because she cannot maintain the power of hypnotism for long (in the mortal world). The man wakes up and she suddenly disappears, without him seeing her. (in the past, back in the cave, Yuan Zhong faces his five selves (conflicting with him, accusing him and instigating him), it is himself against himself. His five selves (five deadly sins), which he needs to overcome. And then, Yuan Zhong, waking up, was a nightmare in which he remembered what happened in that cave, for 40 years. In front of the blue tree that shines Tan Yin waits worriedly, outside the door of Yuan Zhong's palace. He opens the door and comes out with his long hair loose and his impeccable white robe. He asks why she is there and she is in his thoughts (he says: all living beings suffer and we must have compassion), and then he hugs him. But he does not understand why she is so tender. Here, when she hugs him it is not yet love, it is just the deep feeling of compassion she feels for him. She wants to comfort him. She hugs him. Remember that she is a 1000 year old goddess who has a deep feeling in her heart. And he is a person with a still naive heart, despite being a priest. Tan Yin transports herself to the celestial dimension and talks to her friend. The friend asks her if she feels something more for Yuan Zhong, she says it is just compassion (but her expression is suspicious that there is something more that is being born.). Her friend warns her that Yuan Zhong is not more important than the divine realm and not more important than the god Taihe, who needs her on this quest to find the divine left hand. Yuan Zhong asks Tan Yin to come with him to the mountain, but on the way he feels ill and sits down on a rock to rest. Tan Yin seriously insists to Yuan Zhong that he needs to get rid of this restrictive collar, he is like a god and illness should not touch him, and this collar is causing all this. She mentions that people think he is a monster imagining that he would do cruel things, but he just laughs and says that he should not care what people say. And that seeking enlightenment has always been his lesson to them. (But Yuan Zhong was very surprised that a woman would care so much about them, since they had always only looked at the young general Tang Hua. “You admire me,” Yuan Zhong said to Tan Yin. He said, you always knew who I was, since that day at the maid selection, you already knew about me. Yuan Zhong entered the palace to tire himself reading books, as part of his penance (he says it is to overcome ignorance, which is also a capital sin).General Tang Hua in the next scene seems suspicious and talks to his aide. Tang Hua laughs mockingly that the council of elders might have the strength to overcome the ghosts of war. Tan Yin witnesses Yuan Zhong leaving the palace, in his white robe, the aide carrying a wheelchair. She is worried, but they do not explain why he has a wheelchair. Tan Yin unmasks her colleague Lui Yiao, who wanted to kill Yuan Zhong. Tan Yin pours corrosive poison on the floor in front of her. Lui Yiao says that the fox clan deserves this, as they are all cruel. They have power and deserve this evil. Tan Yin questions, is someone evil just because they have power? Zidhai finds LuiYiao, questions her, and soon realizes that something is wrong. Yuan Zhong arrives weak, sitting in a wheelchair. He is unconscious. Yuan Zhong has been placed in a hot tub to recover. Tan Yin arrives, touches his cold forehead and is frightened. He begins to lean over and she supports him. The assistant and the elderly woman arrive, who are very worried, take care of Yuan Zhong and use her medicinal power to treat Yuan Zhong. Tan Yin asks the assistant what this spiritual refinement is that Yuan Zhong is always taken to undergo at the hands of the elders. But the assistant does not explain, he says it is a secret technique of the fox clan. The elderly woman asks with a worried face, looks at him lying on the bed, if Yuan Zhong really thinks it is useful to go through all this. He reaffirms that he does, and reminds him about the 5 deadly sins, which he needs to overcome. And that spiritual cultivation is necessary. Tan Yin enters the room and asks Yuan Zhong if he wants to eat. He gives her a recipe for a meal, but she does not know how to make it. He says another, she doesn't know how to make it. She says she's going to make some porridge. (I think the foods Yuan Zhong mentioned have something to do with his family members). Suddenly, Tan Yin turns around and asks if he's never imagined that maybe everyone is deceiving him about this cultivation of immortality. He looks at her in surprise and says that doubt is a form of obsession, which is also a sin. Zidhai went to talk to Tan Yin and asks for help about the bracelet she has on her wrist, which restricts her. Zidhai says that it's not the first time the mortal clan has sent assassins to the foot of the mountain. Zidhai tells Tan Yin that Tan Yin's name is not registered in the artisans' document. Which is suspicious. But Tan Yin is always one step ahead and gives him a fitting answer. Tan Yin again follows Yuan Zhong, in his white clothes, with the helper carrying the wheelchair, to the cave of spiritual refining. She asks him not to go, as he is too weak. Back in the cave, we find out what really happens. Yuan Zhong sits on a chair, where he is twice drained (his spiritual strength is removed from his neck and collected in a vessel. On the other side, another bucket collects his blood. Zidhai, hidden behind the rocks, finds that the nutritious seed she is holding in her hands, a seed that shines, is actually... Yuan Zhong looks at the heavy wooden door, the place where he entered and was confined for 40 years, the trauma shines in his eyes. Someone tells Elder DingXi to stop the draining, or he can't take it anymore. Elder answers.

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