Reviews

It gets better as it went along ...

This series took awhile for me to get hooked on it. after the initial episode, everything seemed to get so complicated and crowded with sub plots & new antagonists. I found myself really having to work in following the story. Though episode 4 the direction of this horror series seemed to be a bit confusing ... and then, it was like a new series.
The last three episodes were fantastic, the story became intense, and the acting matched it as well.
Joo Hyuk became the protagonist to root for. His character became much more likable toward the end rather than he was in the beginning. Even Yoon Seo's character of Saeng Gang had a turn around by the end. I really found her character annoying early on, but the two main protagonists blended well together, giving us a great finish.
I almost gave up on it a few times through the early episodes, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It turned out to be a pretty good series.

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Lacked In Comparison To The First Season

Where Season 1 had me, I didn't feel it in this 2nd season. The action didn't really hit me, and Jian never felt like Jian from how she ended S1.

For the first half of the show, there wasn't any action; it felt more like a buildup, and in comparison to Season 1, those who watched the first season should know what I'm pointing at. The second half of the show gave a lot more action than the first half, but still fell back a lot when you get reminded of the first installment. I went into this show expecting something from that end at Season 1: Jian's significant character growth, Jian being the ladyboss in Season 2. The trailer gave a lot more of her as a Ladyboss than the drama itself; trailers can be really misleading. The writers gave nothing about what she went through and became in S1. Firstly, she just ran from what she promised/her responsibilities into the countryside, where she could likely endanger the people living there with her identity. Her staying in that peaceful environment in the first two eps of the drama ADDED NOTHING TO THE SHOW: NO TWIST, NO DISCOVERY, NO VALUE. Jian of this season felt more like how she was at the start of the first season. The Season 2 focus wasn't on Jian's growth but more on the conflict between Muthehelp and Babylon, and it was saddening to me as the writer never cared about the growth Jian had from the first season.

The writers just killed Bale at the midpoint of the drama. It felt like when he died, he was a side character rather than a tough villain from the first season. I was really disappointed by the time he died, how he died, and the way the scene was directed. Bale was such a compelling villain in season 1, with a menacing screen presence, and he just died like a minor character. The actor really did a great job with his portrayal. They never gave a real face-off/showdown between Bale and Jiman; It was just anticlimactic, given how much potential these two characters had to make the show more engaging. J was an interesting character to me, and I would like to see more of his scenes, BUT the writers gave him an intentional death as a plot device in making Q develop a relentless mind in pursuing Jian and killing Jiman. It was dissatisfying. The fact that Q believed what was told of how her brother died, with what she knew of how dangerous Bale was, was NOT MAKING ANY SENSE.

Pasin definitely did what he had to do to save his son, but he really overdid it. If he chose to help his team, he would have found a way, even with him having the chip in his body. At last, the writers just killed him off (I felt the writers made him kill his team's opponent and him casually dying for redemption), and we weren't told what went on with his son in Jiman's hands. The writers picked what was important and left out some minor things I would have loved to see.

The villains of this season weren't as good as the ones from the former. If I were told to choose which villain had me, it would be K; he never talked much and had one gloomy face, but he gave me a villain feel, at least in comparison to the rest of the named Babylon.
Q didn't feel like a villain/an enemy; she felt like someone who had to do something she doesn't want, and her shooting the gun at the wall instead of her foe in front of Jian says it all. Loved how the misunderstanding between Q and Jiman didn't drag out too long; also loved the interaction they had at the end of the show.

Kusanagi Jin didn't actually get me to feel anything, except at times she feels so comical, like a mentally derailed patient in therapy; she just feels so unserious and weird. She gets me laughing when asking for food when something serious and in need of attention occurs. The actress deserves praise for that performance. I couldn't truly get invested in her character as a villain because she actually did nothing other than bossing others around and talking big. They threw in action into her character at the end, and we see her with the guns killing the red team like flies, going through the leader of the reds and bursting into the door unscathed, pointing guns at Jeong Jiman and Jeong Jian. Everything felt so Hmmmm. She passes the red code leader offscreen. CAN'T THEY JUST GIVE ME THE ACTION LIVE AND STOP DOING OFFSCREEN? She came out unscathed from the red team and their guns, without the writers giving us a hint or a backstory to what she did in the past for her to be this strong; this just feels like A LAZY WAY OF WRITING.

Season 2 really fell short in comparison to the first season, and I shouldn't even be surprised; that is the way most series are.
Jian never made real use of a gun, and that was a problem because she felt like she was in the shell of her Season 1 character who hadn't overcome challenges, even though she had done all of that. But I was satisfied by the forehead shot she bestowed upon Kusangi Jin.

If they ever make a Season 3, please keep it engaging, fast-paced, and juice up Jian's character like it should be done.


Thanks for reading the long Review🩷

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Just Routine, Avoid unless have a urge to finish S2

1. There are too many characters, no one receives enough depth to make us care. The villains are written like caricatures instead of serious threats. Their exaggerated performances and cheesy dialogue become unintentionally funny. Furthermore, the portrayal of the Japanese characters feels stereotypical and borderline mocking.

2. Absolutely not required to kill the characters for any reason. (The boy in the island, J, Pasin, Other team members)

****** Despite these major narrative flaws, the acting was commendable. ****

3. Mainly, the actors were weighed down by an extremely depressive and relentlessly gloomy tone throughout.
Pasin is gradually reduced to a pathetic and weak figure, making his betrayal feel forced rather than earned, while his death lacks the impact it deserved.
The FL choosing to live alone under constant surveillance is also difficult to understand—it is obviously never a life of peace, and at times she behaves almost like she has a split personality.
Q’s character initially looks interesting, but it is hard to comprehend how she could fall for Jin’s extremely obvious lies.
The ML, meanwhile, has many choices and opportunities to protect his niece, yet repeatedly makes questionable decisions. When all of this is combined with the relentless gloom surrounding the main characters, the character dynamics become exhausting rather than engaging.

4. The plotting and technical elements also falter. Most of the twists are predictable, and several interesting plot developments go nowhere. The action sequences lack excitement, while inconsistent abilities muddy the stakes. Additionally, the subpar CGI and visual choices occasionally make the show feel like a parody rather than a gritty thriller.

Overall, the season is just average, unless you have a desire to complete the Season 2.

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horror romance

I loved the concept but I wish I knew more about the general religion of Thailand first. It reminded me a lot of the og thai horror that I loved when I was younger. But the production here was so much better.

I made a mistake watching this right after pit babe(shared actors) so I kept remembering the names of those characters. But the actors still did a good job and I was on the edge of my seat several times wondering if they would all survive.

There wasn't as much focus on the romance as I would have liked but there was a good balance for bring a bl drama, a procedural, and a horror show. One of the issues was that there was often too strong of a difference from one second being fully immersed in a horror with the suspense building music and the next being a romance scene with cute music.

I would only rewatch it for the cute scenes between the main leads, but they're not as plentiful as other bls. I can see the appeal to relive the mystery knowing the truth.

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OMFG... horrendous beyond mere words

I'm not a fan of the chinese dramas. Their style is too different, it is mostly based on.. nothing really, just using idols, whereas I prefer a good story, script, character development, dialogue, world-building, or something. I don't even know why I started watching it, but I did. So, here it goes.
Visuals. Meh at best. I haven't seen anything good. OH, sorry. There were a few (very few) decent/nice shots. And thats it. The dance choreography was meh.
Sound design was horrible. They tried too much and they destroyed it. Ok, one good song (just one in a drama where they start singing every 10 minutes...). The rest of the tracks and the volume of the dialogue was all over the place.
Editing, pacing, world-building., production value. You're joking, right?

Now, the good parts. Everything is sht. Horrendous acting (because 2-3 moments of decent acting is the same as null). The script, dialogue, story... Everything is bad. Very theatrical, but in the bad way. Some character development for the supporting cast (?), not the main couple. What else? I don't even know how to describe what I've seen, I'm feeling exhausted....
Oh, not even the synopsis is quite correct. From the way it is said, I'd think its him against the world, when in fact there are only two people that make his life "harder". And by that I mean a tiny bit, and for silly reasons, really. But mostly people adore him, and thats even before the mid of the story.
What else? The comedy was sht. Maybe 1-2 decent scenes, but I don't even remember those. The romance is meh, the chemistry is missing.

It gets a rating of 2 (for some character work, acting, visuals, one song!). Waste of time. So far, I've seen a couple of chinese drama (from "silly" ones with some gamers, to ones with one playing the role of an actresses, to something "serious", something with clouds in the title? About a war photographer and a bomb squad soldier? ), this one has by far worse visuals, is worse as a story, as acting, as anything. And the pacing is soooo bad, that it will make it feel even longer. No re-watch value, obviously.
Have a lovely evening.

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Irritating FL and very fast paced

TW: mentions of su1cide in the movie.

I normally don't care that much about the acting but rather the story and the making of it. But for this movie the issues issues really was the personality of the FL. Maybe my rating would've been higher if I liked the FL... This is not meant as attack towards Toey Jarinporn. Aside from my irritation on Mesa I do have to admit that this story was really cute, especially the moments between Ben and Mesa. I was afraid to start this movie. Anything that says Netflix makes me afraid. Maybe I should cut this crap and just accept that Netflix does make good/average stuff.

From the beginning on I shipped Mesa and Ben but Tul wasn't really in my mind. I knew Mesa had a different partner but it was really obvious something between them would happen. The break up was way too early for me to give a fuck and that also kinda ruined how I saw the movie. It was too rushed, to the point where I hadn't really had the time to build empathy for Mesa. I just preferred Ben, he's tuff.

Mesa really pissed me off. It was the overreactions and the slightly high classed/pick me conversations. Instead of thinking the actress is bad, I think this was meant to be. Actually her acting was amazing and I think it really was done with a reason. I don't remember the name of the characters, I think it was Min. But from Min's actions it was clear that she had the exact same idea about her as I do. I think the reason she was stuck in this loop also had to do with her ignoring her surroundings and being self centred. Even though I feel heavily irritated by her, I love the expressions she made. They reallyyyy reminded me of Cooheart. What I also found impressive and really nice is how Toey her English is understandable, which is rare given it's a Thai series.

I actually realllyyy liked Great Warintorn and idk why but something about him makes me blush like he's amazing. His smile makes me shy like bro what. Barely any actors do such a great job at giving me that reaction. I should definitely watch more of his series/movies. I've also seen Man Trisanu before in step by step and I really liked him as actor, he's amazing. I am a bit disappointed in his role as Tul but the story of Tul in general made 0 sense aside from him trying to break up with Mesa all the time.

As someone with French blood, I really love how this movie was shitting on us. I love how they included all sorts of tourists including Japanese and French. The French family being portrayed as loud and rude was so funny to me and I really don't mind. The kid was so annoying as well like omg I would've had such an urge to slap that kid if I was Mesa. I know Thailand has a lot of issues with tourists absolutely disrespecting rules and I'm just really happy they 'addressed' this.

The styling and colours are amazing. Somehow just every shot feels right. And Mesa's outfits??? Hello??? She is sooo beautiful. I have 2 other movies from Suea Yanyong on my list and I really do wanna watch them now. The poster absolutely fits what I was thinking about the show. I'm not usually interested in composers, however, it is super nice that they had Phil Chapavich compose. He did amazing work in the Next prince.

Another small thing I disliked was the ending made. It no sense to me I'm so sorry. I get who she ended up with etc but I feel like it was overall rushed and just confusing. I have to admit that I personally am not the biggest fan of movies because I feel like series give a more in depth feeling of the story. This is my first time making such a long review on a movie and I wouldn't call it necessarily good. I'm not sure what to think. I'm a big fan of the production but less on the story. I would say it's quite mid.

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A blessing on the eyes and ears.

Wow. I was not expecting to like this drama as much as I did. It's the most aestheticly pleasing series I've watched up until now. I'm a huge fan of cinematography and it's shown that the people working on this drama have a keen eye for it. From the scenery, the effects to the absolute amazing costumes and make-up, everything was done so beautifully that I was stunned almost every episode, So much so that i had to pause it multiple times just to admire the absolutely amazing job they did. I'm absolutely in love with every aspect of this drama, I can't even explain how much this cdrama touched my heart.

The relationships between the characters were so heartwarming and beautiful, I was kicking my feet at every little interaction any of the couples had in this show. The pairings were just amazing. There were so many emotional moments that had me ugly crying (I do cry quite easily though :')) So many twists along the way that had me at the edge of my seat EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Definitely a must watch for everyone!!

And something we absoultely can't forget: the music. For me the music is a big part of what breaks or makes a series and they just absolutely nailed it. Sa DingDing has a stunning voice which really fits so perfectly. It's just like a puzzle falling exactly into place.

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Is BL/gay romance losing its identity?

One cannot help but mourn the present state of "romantic" fiction. Gone are the days when love did kindle slow and true between men. In their stead, we are presented with the "mating" of facsimiles, neither fully man nor beast, which, drunk with inebriating pheromones, enslave their wills to the most absurd of heterosexist hierarchies and roles. More heinous still, the ceaseless delirium of heat and rut subdues the higher faculties of omegas until they are degraded into mere vessels of propagation, suffering female gestations and swelling with child as though nature itself had taken leave of reason. This travesty retains not a shred of the human condition, to such a degree that a dispassionate observer would conclude it the issue of a species foreign and unknown to our own

Tales of omegaverse concern not the affection of men. They are a mockery thereof, and "Knot" commits the selfsame sacrilege. It exudes a noxiousness that offends both sense and sensibility

I beseech you, readers of discerning mind, to suffer me in naming omegaverse for what it is; nature debased, and love undone. Never was there a fictional "straight-with-extra-steps/pseudo-BL" trope more vile than omegaverse, so at odds with all that is good, that its unwarranted popularity or dominion over minds darkens my view of humanity. How far we have fallen, to delight in the raw, oppressive throes of non-human instinct, or the egotistical drafting of another into existence. I hold it true that the universe erred in drawing forth life, and doubly so in drawing forth our species

However sincere my loathing for omegaverse, I am yet obliged to subject to rigorous scrutiny the pernicious and insidious ideological artifices elevating "straight-with-extra-steps" narratives (e.g., omegaverse, futanari, gender bender) above narratives which, with artistry, devote themselves to the celebration of same-sex unions. And I would venture to propose a theory of my own. Society, diseased as it is with homophobia, cannot bring itself to confront the reality of non-straight/non-procreative desire. It diverts its gaze toward a form of gendered "otherness" (e.g., men assuming the guise of women, and women that of men) to flatter the prejudices of those who would banish the subject of non-straight/non-procreative desire from polite conversation. In final measure, it colonizes BL/GL, planting therein the foreign seed of "straightness-with-extra-steps" and bringing the flesh into the servitude of gestation

The erosion of authenticity is laid bare before us. And the path ahead, I fear, is one of gloom

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Better than expected

I initially thought it was going to be cheesy, but after seeing a few snippets on IG, I decided to give it a shot. I thought it was going to be similar to Jung Hae In's "Love Next Door", but the cast in this show was so much better. The individuals that carried this show, in my opinion, were Go Eun Sae and the SES girls.

I really liked Ha Young's ability to express her character's comedic element. The most memorable moments were when she was jealous. I enjoyed the dynamic of the SES girls, every time they got together, especially their K-pop performance at the wedding 😆.

One of the things that stood out for me that I didn't care for, not sure if it was exaggerated on her part, but I didn't like Go Eun Sae's crazy laugh. It was cringy for me, and it was similar to someone scratching a chalk board.

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Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

Like any sane person, I too was insanely excited for season 2.

Once all the episodes were done, I binge watched it, but right after first couple of episodes I could sense something was lacking. Soon thereafter, everything just when downhill. The taut writing, the emotional turmoil, the finely choreographed action sequences, the twists, and even menacing enemies, they all were absent in this one.

And the reason for that is simple:
This season is NOT based on the comic.

The creators decided to go their own way for this season, which is absolutely fine, and I would applaud them for that, but only if the result wasn’t so… ORDINARY.

In and of itself, this season is a fine one-time watch. But the moment you put season 1 into perspective, this season looks very amateurish and downright silly.

Following are some of the amateurishness / silliness I encountered:

THE VILLAINS: Gone are the dread and absolute horror that Bale induced in the first season. There’s not a single scene that comes even close to his scene of dropping grenades in that room full of women, and his subsequent evil stare of dark delight. His replacements are two entitled ladies, who yap a lot, especially the boss, say cheesy lines, act out, make faces, and just end up being a caricature. Annoying and laughable? Absolutely. Menacing or dread-inducing? Oh, please.

THE TWISTS: None of the twists, and I mean none of the twists, were unpredictable. The writing was so pedestrian at times that the twists became an obvious course of action. The one place they could’ve inserted a fine twist was when Pasin was made into a traitor. Right there, was a fine opportunity to make him into a double agent, but they missed it and messed up the whole thing. Him becoming a traitor felt so forced and out of character. I was once surprised, though, when Jianman announces to Pasin that he’s now the kidnapper of his son, but that went absolutely nowhere, as Pasin is killed off five minutes later, making the “twist” irrelevant.

THE HUMOUR: What humour?

THE EMOTIONAL HEFT: Again, what emotional heft? There’s not a single scene that would parallel that moment when our little Jian was left locked in that room in the school and her relief and outburst at the sight of her rescuer, her uncle. I choked up, even after watching it three times.

Or that quiet gut punch when, while trying to escape, she ends up in the same morgue cooler where her mom’s dead body is stored. That fraction of a moment where she learns her mother is no more, and she embraces her dead body, hoping to be saved…or to die, but in the arms of her mother. Or that dramatic scene where our grown up Jian steps out of her hiding with a severed head, no less, negotiating with her almost-killers. There is NOT A SINGLE scene in this season that would come close to these.

THE DEATHS: I felt bad for Brother’s death, but not for Pasin, because of the way he was practically written into a terrible hole in the episode before. And his death was just so stupid. He knows there’s a guy behind him and yet he turns his back just so he could bid an emotional farewell to Jian, who’s already pretty much on her way to safety. I was screaming at the screen, “ FFS! BEHIND YOU”. And later he gets his hands on some grenades, but he waits to first be riddled with bullets before flinging them on his killers. Moronic to say the least.

Back to the Brother: I was hoping his death would be avenged, especially by Jian, as I really wanted Q to die a horrible death. She was solely responsible for Brother’s death. I mean, if you kill one of the most likable characters, you deserve to die a very painful death. But not even a strand of hair is harmed on her in the name of vengeance. That’s just lazy writing. I suspect the creators want to use that, annoying girl-boss character in the next season. So, she gotta stay alive. If it were up to me, I would’ve had Jian simply shoot Q dead and respond to Jianman, “The difference between a friend and an enemy is a sheet of paper? I DON’T CARE”

THE ACTION: I personally didn’t see any better action in this season. That knife fight between Jianman and Bale alone in season 1 is far better than all the fights in season 2 put together.

THE CGI: It was what it was. But that scene where the two photographs are blown away by the wind was just too much. I did like those terminator bots, though.

Overall, I’m very very disappointed in this season. Yes, it’s very unlikely that season 2 would top season 1, for any show, even though there are exceptions (Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul). But the least they could’ve done was not make this show so ordinary, devoid of the sheer force, grit, and heart that season 1 was. Deviating from the source material was a PHENOMENAL MISTAKE on their part.

In my view, just skip this season altogether, and let the bittersweet memory of season 1 be the only memory of this show. It’s better to leave something on a tangent than to drive it into the ground in the name of progress.

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? Royal Betrothal: Why Are We All Obsessed? (Because, Chen Zhe Yuan!)

Okay, stop scrolling! If you haven’t watched Royal Betrothal yet, what are you even doing with your life? 😂 Seriously, this show completely destroyed me in the best way possible.

Let’s talk about Meng Ting because, wow. 👑 Finally, a female lead who isn’t just decoration! She’s smart, she’s strong, and she actually knows how to handle the palace mess without losing her mind. The actress? Perfection. She brought so much depth to Meng Ting, and I was rooting for her in every single scene. We stan a queen who knows her worth! 💅🔥

And then… the Emperor. Oh. My. God. ⚔️ Can we just take a moment? This man is the definition of “charismatic power.” He walks into a room, and the air just changes. And Chen Zhe Yuan? As always, he proves why he’s our favorite. That man doesn’t just act; he breathes charm. Even when he’s just standing there, doing absolutely nothing, he’s still the most beautiful thing on screen. The visuals? 10/10. The acting? 10/10. My heart? Completely stolen. 🫠💖

The chemistry between them is top-tier—not too much, not too little, just pure fire. 🔥 If you’re looking for a historical drama with a powerhouse female lead and a male lead who makes you forget how to breathe (thanks, CZY!), this is IT.

Do yourself a favor and watch it. Thank me later! 🎬💕

Current Status: Rewatching every Chen Zhe Yuan scene for the 100th time. Send help. 💀😂

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It's worth. Not what people expected but emotionally a strong drama

I know many people didn't like it but it's time to be objective. Overdo was and is supposed to be melodramatic, and it really carry its name because everything was Overdose, overdoing😂 but on a serious aspect, the drama started with my bad impression but I kept watching and it's worth, the story took time to develop. I give credit to actors because their acting individuallly were amazing, they embodied their characters and emotionally delivered. So far Linghe has done an incredible job with his emotion delivery, micro expressions, one of his pest portrayal as an actor in my eyes after his drama Our Generation. I was in a rollercoaster of emotions watching it, mad, sad, crying, happiness for a moment but the story kept the viewers invested. The supporting cast hats off to them because I went mad 🤣🤣 I was invested into their nonsense but sense haha. Don't listen to others review, watch and make your own opinion

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When Worlds Collide

The director is Italian (Giovanni Fumu), the setting is a sort of American small town, and the main characters are Korean. This creates an interesting mix of worlds in a story about a Korean couple who travel to a foreign land, only for something strange to happen. I really liked the story and, as a result, the movie itself.

As a low-budget Korean-American co-production, the film clearly operates with limited resources. This is, of course, a B-level movie with lower production values, and the American actors weren’t particularly strong. Still, the film delivers an uncomfortable sense of suspense and mystery that makes the viewing experience satisfying. From start to finish it keeps adding new layers and never becomes boring or repetitive. Even when the plot occasionally feels illogical, it redeems itself by the end, so I’m very glad to have discovered this movie.

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I’m finally out of my drama slump !!!

WOW.
it was magic i literally couldn’t stop watching it.

what i loved the most :

- wen yifan : this character is so powerful without knowing it, she’s so strong, she went through so many things and at the end she finally lets it go and face it with her real family

-sang yan : i really appreciate how he yearns his high school lover and he never got over her en en if she « rejected » him.

- the story : around episode 20 I tought it was going to be just the two protagonists but the PLOT TWIST OMG, each episode made you wanna keep watching

-THE ACTING : I found it so deep and amazing, we really felt everything the characters felt. The actors really did an amazing job really.

I was in a drama slump and i found it ( or he found me ???) and i don’t regret it.
+1 to my comfort dramas list

The second story between Qiao and Su Haoan was really good !

anyway if you want to cry, laugh, enjoy a drama : run watch the first frost!!!!!!!

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