Reviews

Could've Been.. Would've Been..

This show was cute and funny. Tian Jianci is such a great all around actor whether playing serious or comedic roles. And Wang Churan is just beautiful to watch on screen. The story between the leads had enough to make the show work.. idk why the writers decided to make the side characters almost have the same amount of screen time as the mains.. i did end up ff their scenes.. As for the romance the leads romance is what i would call practical.. not complicated.. it is a slow burn.. but it didnt affect their chemistry.. this show could've been a 10 for me if the other characters didnt take up so much screen time it didnt give me enough time to enjoy the leads.. 💜

Read More

Come for the Workplace Drama, Stay for the Slowest Slow Burn

I went into Love Has Fireworks expecting a modern romance. What I got instead was a workplace drama set in the world of investment banking, IPOs, venture capital, and corporate politics—with a romance quietly growing in the background.

Whether that’s a positive or a negative depends entirely on what you’re looking for.

The setup is genuinely fun. Qian Fei buys an apartment with her fiancé, only to have him leave her for a wealthy woman who offers him career advancement. Unable to afford the mortgage alone, she rents out the second bedroom, only to discover her new roommate is Li Yifei—the same man she’s already had several disastrous run-ins with. It’s an entertaining premise that naturally leads to them becoming reluctant roommates.

From there, however, the show shifts its attention almost entirely to work. Much of the story revolves around the attempted IPO of a hotel company, the increasingly messy corporate cover-ups surrounding it, the investigation into who keeps framing Qian Fei, and the politics inside the investment banking world. If you enjoy business strategy, financial intrigue, and watching complicated projects slowly unravel, there’s quite a bit here to appreciate.

The romance is exactly what people mean when they say “slow burn.” Li Yifei and Qian Fei don’t suddenly fall for each other—they slowly settle into each other’s daily lives until they function like a couple before either of them realizes it. Their domestic life together is actually one of the strongest parts of the series. They know each other’s routines, support one another naturally, and gradually become each other’s safe place.

The problem is that the burn may simply be too slow.

Li Yifei recognizes his feelings fairly early, but hesitates because he’s afraid confessing will destroy the comfortable home they’ve built together if she doesn’t feel the same. That’s a believable concern. Unfortunately, the show stretches the uncertainty much longer than necessary. Nearly everyone around them recognizes they’re in love long before they do, making the inevitable romance feel artificially delayed.

The repeated misunderstanding about Li Yifei supposedly having a girlfriend is probably the clearest example. He directly tells Qian Fei multiple times that he doesn’t have one, yet she continues insisting that he does. I understand what the writers were trying to accomplish—Qian Fei doesn’t yet understand her own jealousy or feelings—but after hearing the same misunderstanding repeated over and over, it starts feeling less like character development and more like a device to postpone the relationship.

Fortunately, the misunderstandings never completely take over the show. The workplace storyline remains the primary focus, which kept me watching even when the romance stalled.

Tan Jianci’s Li Yifei has one of the clearer character arcs in the show. At the beginning, he absolutely is arrogant, showy, and full of rich-heir confidence—so much so that Qian Fei saves him in her phone as “Pretentious Li.” What makes him worth rooting for is not that he starts out warm and grounded, but that he changes. Over time, he learns how to help without turning everything into a performance, how to pay attention to what someone else actually needs, and how to become emotionally reliable—especially for Qian Fei. His growth from spoiled, self-impressed heir to someone capable of real domestic care is one of the stronger parts of the drama.

Overall, I enjoyed the series, but mostly because I watched it between heavier dramas. It worked well as something calmer that mixed workplace intrigue with a gradually developing relationship. If you’re looking for a romance where the leads are together early or where emotional progression drives the story, this probably isn’t the drama for you.

If, however, you enjoy modern workplace dramas with competent professionals, corporate intrigue, and a romance that quietly develops alongside everything else, Love Has Fireworks may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Read More

Do you believe in karma?

IQIYI: https://www.iq.com/play/payback-uncut-episode-1-1h8pgey90dg?lang=en_us

This whole year most of the BL series have done nothing but greatly exceed my expectations. And I'm happy to say that this series also falls under this category. While I definitely had pretty high expectations for this one, it somehow exceeded them.
Excellent acting, a fantastic plot with intriguing and surprising plot twists, stunning visuals, and everything else are truly exceptional. And of course i wanna mention the music which is also quite a highlight for me in this series.

* Bank is a devil, wow. At first I thought he would be one of those ex characters trying to get in between the main character and their love interest. But wow, it is so much worse.
* I love all of the small details throughout the episode.
* Main character is definitely up there with the greatest main characters in BL history.
* This series reminds me of a lot of different series that I previously watched, but I want to say that the one it reminds me of the most so far is Jack & Joker, and it's certainly a good thing.
* I really like Khajorn, he is a good father as well as being just really nice to everyone, including the main character.
* I also like Sky, his cheerful character definitely helps with all the heavy themes of this series.
* Main character seeing his brother in Sky is breaking my heart.
* Main character's performance at the audition absolutely gagged me, just wow. I don't know how much was planned and how much was just pure coincidence; he still did an absolutely perfect job with that one.
* Pakin choosing Sky as his model while knowing that he is not good with cameras feels like bullying.
* I do agree with people who said that Pakin and Sky could be a side couple. While I didn't like Pakin's behavior towards Sky at first, I do agree that as a photographer he would be a great person to help Sky with his phobia.
* Sun finally revealing his identity to Sunny was an absolute highlight of the episode for me.
* The scene where Sky was clearly having a panic attack and started to break down and nobody did anything for a long period of time about people pointing cameras in his face while he was clearly in distress on the floor, crying and almost passing out, really rubbed me the wrong way.
* Even though I pretty much predicted everything about what happened to Sky and his fear of cameras a while before it was shown to us, still seeing it and seeing this whole thing genuinely made me just so sad and mad on Sky's behalf.
* Khajorn and Sky are family Sun so badly needed in his life, seeing them go through everything together and support each other throughout every step is genuinely so sweet yet somehow still breaks my heart.

Read More

It's shounen-ai and it's perfect.

I honestly have no critiques for this series. I loved the ost, I loved the sfx, the fighting choreography, the actors, the characters, the story, I loved it all. Everything was perfect.

The story was short and concise with no pandering subplots. The characters were fun and engaging. The relationship building between Niran and Pete was beautifully done. The fighting choreography was genuinely impressive (if they bring this level of choreography into the High&Low series then it will be something to look forward to). Did I also mention how much I loved the ost Destiny by Flio? It's such a beautiful song and they utilized it perfectly within the show. Most series have a tendency to overplay their osts to the point where it gets annoying, but this series had just the right amount in all the right places.

SkyNani got so much hate and trolls repeatedly bashed them and accused them of queer bating. A completely ridiculous sentiment. I've never read or watched a shounen-ai that got so much hate. Asexuals are part of the queer community too, they're the A in LGBTQIA+, trying to erase them and throw a tantrum because a series was made that caters to that audience is simply acephobic and awful. And people who who keep saying that this isn't BL clearly don't know what BL stand for, it's Boy's Love which is what this series is about, two boys who learn to love and trust each other. It's an amazingly thoughtful and well done series and I hope SkyNani make many more like this and stay partners for a long time.

Read More

⭐️7/10⭐️ The best parts for the couple was the beginning and it deteriorated from there.

💕ROMANCE PURIST PRIORITIES:
The Connection of the Couple: 8/10
Do I believe the couple will endure after the last episode: 7/10
Couple spent enough time together: 7/10
Give and Take between the couple: 9/10
Is the Couple Balanced/Well Suited: 5/10
Banter and Fun Times: 9/10
The Ending Nailed: 9/10

💕 Couple’s Chemistry:
Early Stages/The Build: 9/10
Middle/The Transition to Commitment: 5/10
Ending and Resolution/Their Forever: 7/10

🖋️EXECUTION OF THE ROMACE
Show and not Tell: 9/10
Was I transported and enraptured: 3/10

⛔️(SPOILERS BELOW)⛔️
Characters Likability:
HERO: He was not convincing. He was not affectionate enough and he was not natural about it. He was more of a comedian than a romantic male lead. Also, for a large part of the middle of the story, he kept running away from her. This got repetitive and annoying. He was more committed by the last quarter of the season. I had another problem, I needed closure on the after story, he’s an angel, is he going to get a job? Is she going to financially support him the whole of their lives, I needed that tied up and answered. Sorry, I watch these things for the fantasy and the male lead should be more than her secretary for the rest of their lives.
HEROINE: She was tortured, angry, difficult but I still liked her. She was so devoted to the Hero. But, she fell in love so fast, I really did not see the build, it was an insta-love type situation. Acting-wise, I enjoyed her range and her consistency throughout the whole series. She did chase him, A LOT.

The Couple’s Connection:
The first stage of their connection was enemies to lovers and this was the best part, I especially liked the food fight. Their fighting was so funny and the heroine was fierce and I enjoyed it. Getting to the commitment stage was problematic, she chased him, asked him to marry her and it just kept going. They seemed to settle on the dynamic of she was the leader and he was the follower. I liked how the love story played out in the end, with a separation then a quiet reuniting. I was thinking the Deity probably made the Hero a human because all he did all day was watch her and probably wasn’t doing his job anymore anyway.

SUMMARY
My favorite things:
The build, the enemies to lovers portion of the story
The ending of their love story
The snippets of scenes they were being sweet together, the quiet moments, the domestic times; they were sprinkled throughout the season. There was not enough in the last quarter of the season but they were consistent throughout.
I don’t normally like a 3rd act separation/breakup but it was relevant to the story here, so it was fine for me
I liked most of the other characters

What I didn’t like:
The annoying mystery suspense subplot, took up too much air time
The other man drama was present from like episode 2 to 12
The Hero had commitment issues, understandable reasons, but it lasted too long and was not handled well
I liked the ending but the couple gets together and we fade to credits and I don’t like that. I wanted to spend more time with them being a couple.
By the time I got the last quarter of this, I didn’t care about the couple anymore because all the other distractions took away from the romance.

Should you watch this if you are a ROMANCE PURIST, for the feels: NO

Is this worth a re-watch: NO

Romance to SubPlot Ratio: 60-40

Preference Checklist:
Couple’s Tension Well Built ✔️
Couple Spends Enough Time Together PRE-Commitment ✔️
Couple Spends Enough Time Together POST-Commitment ✖️
Third Act Break Up ✔️
OW/OM-Centric Drama ✔️
Love Triangle (major) ✔️
Cheating✖️
h Goes Thru too Much Abuse ✔️
H was a Gentleman ✔️
H did Most of the First Moves ✖️
Distracting Side Plot ✔️
Too Many Other Things NOT About the Couple ✔️

My Rating System:
10 - This was great/funny/enjoyable AND the story touched my heart.
9 - This was great/funny/enjoyable.
7-8 - I liked this but there was one small thing or small things I didn’t like.
5-6 - I liked it but it had flaws I couldn’t overlook.
2-4- I was disappointed.
1 - Terrible

Read More

IT'S A MASTERPIECE

Spoilers are there....
THIS ONE IS A MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!!!
Okay, I just completed the series. I don't know how to express because it just blew my mind. The series is so goated and the ending took me to heaven!!!! Guys this is a MUST WATCH.

1. Story :10/10 Actually I'm a big fan of action fantasy. The writing of the story is so good. Like we really don't know what to expect next. Introducing something I have never heard of "yao" and i found that very interesting and curious. Demon 👿 I LOVE IT!!!! I don't want to spoil too much. And SOUL BINDING??? Excuse me? Life spirit realm...Heaven Nature Humanity..finale really shows all these... CIRCLING BACK TO FIRST EPISODE.. That was so good.

2. Acting:10/10. I mean it's skynani..they can even act through eyes. Niran(sky) did a good job . It was so different from hsf. Like he don't have so much physical acting but need to show emotional acting through eyes and small gestures And he did an incredible job . Pete(Nani) omg! He acting as a demon was chef's kiss(Episode 3 and 5 ).His emotional crying scene( ep 4 and ep7) . His action scene was top notch. Action choreography was so good and he did an incredible job there. Although I was not so attached to other characters ep 5 did really gave me so much about other characters too. And krist!!! Fucking good. Man did an incredible acting. First time seeing krist like that and he killed the role..

3. Cinematography and production: 10/10. CGI was so good.. cinematography was incredible. The shots and colour grading was top notch. Locations are so beautiful. All the ritual scenes are directed so good. Got goosebumps in ep 3 ritual scene. And cgi of soul binding was so good 😊 Chinese elements are so good. I never seen Chinese elements in thai series and it was so refreshing to see that. They really did a good job speaking mandarin. HARDWORK!!

4.Soundtrack: 10/10 . DESTINY by FLIO still gives me Goosebumps and WE ARE ONE by skynani. They gave this song right after soul binding. It was great 😃 And all background music was so good.

Overall it's a 10/10 show for me. Niranpete are married!!!! End of discussion 🤭🤭🤭 Don't miss this masterpiece 🤌🏻

Read More

YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO THE BANTER !

let me start by saying that not all dramas manages to hook me but this one got me hooked from day 1, I found myself looking forward to every new episode!
I'm a fan of slow-burn romance and this drama delivered exactly that!
I liked how they slowly warmed up to each other and how they slowly made place in each other's world
what i really liked about this drama was :
- the chemistry between the main leads
- the banter
- the music
- the slow pacing of the drama
I really appreciated how the story gave both characters their time to figure out how they felt instead of rushing it.

Read More

New Meaning to the phrase "Two-Faced"

This really turned out to be a much better series than I anticipated. While I've been a fan of Ren Nagase, I wasn't sure how he'd be at a darker bad guy this time around. He was great at this role. The leading cast clicked exceptionally well, too. Ryohei Suzuki matches perfectly with Erika Toda. I can't call a specific actor the protagonist or antagonist, cause there's so many character changes with the same faces, it makes it difficult, but it definitely pulls you into it from the very first episode. By the end of episode 3, we're left with so many questions, it truly becomes one of the best mystery dramas this year. From that point on, everything just kicks into a higher gear, it's a true rollercoaster ride right till the end.
I must admit, it does become a bit confusing at times. Later in the series, there are so many "face changes", you really need to follow it, trying to remember who the real person is we are looking at. You really can't believe anything you see ... but definitely stay with it. The final two episodes answer every question, and the finale gives you great satisfaction in the way everything works out into a nice conclusion.
It's absolutely high marks for great acting and great entertainment.

Read More

What's for dinner?

The leads being funny together was cute and all for a time, but later on started to feel meh mostly on episodes 31-36.

The side characters storylines such a waste and not interesting. For starters... the fl ex was ridiculous. Why did they keep him in the drama?
I couldn't stay focus when he was on screen... had to immediately fast forward his scenes.

The business part of the drama wasn't that bad, but started to drag on like the leads relationship.
It got old fast.

Was hoping that Yifei got up and start making dinner for Qianfei for a change! It happened, very later on in the drama though. He was cute/funny, but I wouldn't want someone like that lol.

By the time they did get together I already stopped caring, and was rushing to get through the rest of the show.

It was a fun watch at first to be honest.
Just wish it wasn't 36 episodes.

Read More

Underrated Master piece

Never heard this drama being recognised, why ?
Even after watching such a drama like MOUSE, i got thrills watching this AWAKEN.
The way they open with hint and make all the viewers to believe what we saw was real. Then boom there is a plot, there is a suspense in each episode even in the 15 th episode. No one suggested this drama that is why it is underrated. But i loved it, i skipped my sleeping schedule only to watch this master piece.
Even though the next plot was guessable there was a add-on to it which was not predictable.
The only thing I hated overall was that in the initial episodes they showed the chemistry between the twins which I felt was awkward, As one of the twin knows they're siblings then what it the point on having a chemistry. I know there is no such scene but the chemistry was present which made me little sad after knowing they're twins. Then here comes the real disappointment where there is no a single kiss. I mean literally hoped for a kiss atleast when heroine was willing to help but our great hero just consoled by touching her cheeks. That is the only romantic part in the non-romantic drama. Overall my reader go for it, trust me it will leave you on edge. You think x person is a killer , then you think the reporter is a killer then you go with hero and then heroine and finalise with hero and again questions yourself then you think the x is the killer. But the real killer is ????? Just watch

Read More

More Than Just a Story, An Unforgettable Journey

WU is honestly one of the best series I've watched. The story is engaging from start to finish, with great pacing, emotional moments, and characters that are easy to become attached to. Every episode kept me invested, and I never felt bored.

The acting is outstanding. The entire cast did an amazing job, and the chemistry between the characters felt natural and believable. The soundtrack also deserves praise for perfectly matching the mood of each scene and making the emotional moments even more impactful.

Even though the series isn't officially marketed as a BL, the relationship between the two male leads definitely feels like more than friendship. Their chemistry is undeniable, and they literally end up married (LOL), so it's hard not to see the romantic undertones. If you enjoy strong bonds between male leads, you'll probably appreciate their relationship.

This is definitely a series I'll rewatch because it has everything I look for: an amazing story, incredible performances, beautiful music, and memorable characters. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a well-made and emotionally satisfying series. It's an easy 10/10 for me.

Read More

Lacking Something Deeper

Wu could have been so good if it committed to something a little more than it had. While it had good bones, it felt like we had very little time to get invested in the characters before they're thrown into trying to stop a demon which, as the viewer, we are really only told why they need to do this, not shown it - which was my main issue with a lot of this show I think. It seemed like the characters kept telling me why they needed to do things/how they were feeling/etc instead of SHOWING me these things. It seemed like a show that needed to be longer to really get to delve into the feelings of the characters and their motivations. While I love a supernatural story, this one missed the mark for me. I wanted a little more from the big bad evil demon AND a little more of Pete's internal struggle with his own demon.

Also, I am totally cool with a story that doesn't have romance in it.....until you use every slow-mo zoom in, romantic music, pull him in until he's two inches from your face type move in the How to Make A Romance Show Book! For a company like GMM, who has made the vast majority of their money on queer media, to make a show that is this queer-coded only to make sure there's no queer romance feels like a slap in the face. And like I said - I do not need this media to be queer/romantic! But there are ways to make a show not a romance that truly make the show not a romance.....this was not the way. If you know GMM, you know that Sky and Nani are not a BL pairing, so I knew going into this that it was not a romance. HOWEVER! I have never felt so frustrated by a queer-baity show before. This isn't a show coming from somewhere that censors queer media, nor is it coming from a company that doesn't support queer media - in fact, it's actively using the profits of queer media to make a show that is 100% intentionally avoiding real queer representation.

Read More

I don't understand the low ratings...

This was a great drama, i am really puzzled why people are complaining so much.
I loved the story, i was complete and very well produced and executed. The visuals were stunning and the music was good.
All the story parts were explained well. Why Saithan was sleeping around and running away from home and everyone close to him. The isseus with Maenmueang and his father and the conflict with Sila. The backstory of the girl couple.
I see people writing that the reveal of the spy came out of nowhere, while i allready saw that coming around episode 4-5.
I was also happy to see there was a complete complete GL story within this BL, i like it when there is a bit variation.

The whole cast did a great job acting. Fluke is an amazing actor and i am so glad to see he finaly got a main role. SaengNuea, also did an amazing job and i was shocked to see this only was his second drama in 3 years. This man deserves a lot more roles.
And Fluke and SaengNuea are a match made in heaven, OMG they have so much chemistry!! Their whole dynamics are just great. The kisses and NC scenes were amazing and loaded with great chemistry. I really hope to see many more drama's with them together.

I will definatly rewatch this several times in the future.


The only negative thing in this drama was the confrontation when the perpetrator was trying to attack Mueanphrae in ep. 8 That was really badly done.

Read More

First impresion

IQIYI: https://www.iq.com/play/knot-episode-1-c3hbjhxtcg?lang=en_us?lang=en_us

Pretty good start, better than expected. I am really interested so far due to there being a miserable number of omegaverse series. I'd say that from what I've seen, they have done the best with portraying the omegaverse world in a BL series.
After all of the Run's slop series, I just really hope this one is his redemption arc.

Episode 1:
* I like the Boat's haircut in this series.
* The main character being 20+ and not knowing what secondary gender is while clearly living in an omegaverse world is a bit bizarre to me.
* Not the biggest fan of the special effects so far, but it's not too bad.
* I like that the main character has some "character" to him, because people often portray omegas somewhat childish, weak, etc.
* The text on the screen every time they introduce a new character made me laugh at first. I'm sure there is a better way to show information about them without making it this whole thing.
* I was getting confused at first due to the number of characters. Especially with most of them being introduced the first few minutes.
* The end of the first episode was too coincidental, in my opinion. Surely there are a hundred other ways they could've met for the first time.

Read More