Reviews

"They are my family, no reason is needed"

Yakuza and the Family aka A Family showed the changing world of the yakuza in three acts through the eyes of Yamamoto Kenji. A fatherless child lashing out at the world, he found a place to be with Shibasaki’s yakuza family. He was to learn that a family born of violence would teach him the meaning of suffering and loss.

Yamamoto Kenji spirals out of control after the death of his father that was drug related. His subsequent actions lead him to the door of his own demise when a slip of paper offers him a chance at survival and a new home. Shibasaki gifts him a new father and a place to belong. As the world changes so does Kenji’s fate.

When the film started, we’re watching the classic, cool guys, sunglasses at night yakuza with their pomp and circumstance. As Kenji moved up the ranks he walked openly down the middle of the street and straightened out problems with his fists. Even then, change was in the wings as their turf was scheduled for new development and the police and government were looking to sweep the yakuza away. A further jump in time and the traditional yakuza families were dying from attrition as society had deemed them unworthy. Leaving the yakuza offered no comfort as the men were faced with societal and economic ostracism. Where once Kenji had a found family, now any ties he had were unraveling.

The film was cyclical in its familial, especially fatherly, interactions. As father figures came and went, new ones took their places. Kenji went from having a drug addicted father to a criminal replacement. The viewer had to fill in the shortcuts implying Shibasaki’s paternal feelings for Kenji and vice versa. Violent, loyal men were now Kenji’s family and role models. I’m not sure if it was the director’s goal but it ended up feeling like a nostalgic and sentimental retrospect of the criminal organizations using the family motif.

Kenji’s utter lack of polite social skills became more apparent as he attempted to find a girlfriend. “Get in the car!” is not exactly the line most women are hoping to hear from a potential suitor. The romance was the real weak point in this film and I found it incredibly difficult to buy into. Kenji was capable of showing emotions, but often when he did, the audience was left out of their true depth. His first loss as a yakuza, one he grieved and whose death turned his life upside down, was a character who had few lines. Again, the audience was required to do the writer’s work.

A Family wasn’t just one unit, it was a dysfunctional extended family entangled with other families and loved ones spanning generations. Kenji’s made family was complicated and fraught with danger and slowly disappearing. He fought for them, suffered for them, and even killed for them, only on rare occasions allowing himself to show the personal costs to himself. Kenji might have secretly wished for a normal existence, but a yakuza’s path rarely proceeded peacefully as he discovered. All he could do was what seemed right though it might not be right, to avenge or help the people he cared about despite the price he would have to pay. I’m not sure if it was the director’s goal but it ended up feeling like a nostalgic and sentimental retrospect of the criminal organizations.

3 May 2026
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, smoking, bare butts.

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Whimsical and entertaining

Sci-fi is one of my least favorite genres because most of the time, I can’t really relate to the story or the character. However, this series brilliantly blends the imaginative concept of alien with relatable human experiences, highlighting the theme of family, friendship, and romance and the cultural backdrop of Isan. The plot is so well put together that everything fits perfectly in just 6 episodes.

Set against a scenic countryside backdrop, along with the use of the Isan dialect and cultural elements adds a unique charm and authenticity that enhances the story. In my opinion, what makes this series particularly appealing is its ability to maintain a light tone from the beginning until the end. At its core, the series captures the tension and excitement of a forbidden love, but it nicely blends comedy, conflicts, cute moments, and good character development, making it an entertaining watch for anyone seeking both warmth and whimsy.

This series is the first collaboration between BigM Krittarit and Green Ausadaporn, and their on-screen chemistry is nothing short of delightful. Their performances feel genuine and effortless, drawing the audience into their characters' lives and emotions. The love-hate relationship between Der and Saiphin adds a unique flavor to romance storytelling, without many clichés often seen in typical romantic dramas. And BigM did an amazing job portraying two distinct personalities.

Overall, "Love You 10 Million Miles" distinguishes itself as a fun and lighthearted series, giving a nice break from the often intense and typical convoluted plots of many Thai dramas. The series not only entertains but also invites viewers to reflect on the importance of love and connection in all its forms. It's a refreshing ride that you don’t want to miss.

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GIVE ME ANOTHER SEASON!!

THIS WAS SO GOOD!

the story of a university nerd and a gangster falling in love with each other in the 1980’s lawless Hong Kong . pretty simple, but executed so beautifully.

the acting of both main leads was so good. and THE CHEMISTRY was INSANE! not to mention how incredibly good looking they both are🥹
i love how it breaks the sterotypes about the couple’s dynamics, and the cutie nerd is the one dominating the gangster here 😂

the cinematography was amazing! i loved seeing the 1980’s Hong Kong setting. and the color grading was so beautiful 🥹 the osts were so beautiful too. I fell in love with the drama from the opening song alone! and then i found out that the actor Yan Zhao sang jt himself?? that made me love him and the song even more🥹

the only thing I didn’t like was the dubbing. the super fake noises and out of sync dialogues was pretty off putting to me. but I understand that they had their limitations, and weren’t able to provide the best dubbing.

that ending though…THEY BETTER GIVE US A SEASON 2 😭😭

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Waste of chemistry

I can't believe that I just found out how insane GreatInn chemistry is after they're already divorced!!!

Jokes apart, they're both insane good actors and their chemistry was amazing. Which for me, basically carries this series.

I think it's fun, cute! It's not a bad series, definitely not! And also their spreading awareness about STIs, kinks and sexuality exploration, multiple letters of LGBTQIA+ is just amazing! Also them staying LOYAL to Dee being purple and Yoryak being yellow even in lighting and scene setup is amazing!

I really like P'Golf and how she always goes to sensitive queer themes. But overall, I can't say that Wandee Goodday has good screenwriting. The direction is actually pretty okay, the problem is the story. The characters are underdeveloped, especially Dr. Dee. Also, the story basically goes nowhere in a lot of episodes… It's just… messy? And boring, a lot of times. Which is upsetting since it did have so much potential.

Oye and Cher are cute and ThoFluke chemistry is SOOO GOOODDD but also not developed too. It ends up being a little messy and confusing.

Unfortunately everyone did GreatInn dirty, potential deeply wasted… It's such a shame.

I feel bad bcs it's obvious how much the cast and the crew were doing their everything for the series, it does have some touches of care that come clearly from a team that loves what they're doing… it just didn't happen.

The music is insane though, the original soundtrack is just BOP after BOP.

PS.; It’s funny how you can easily tell what year it was just from watching the series, GMM style changings through the years are so funny.

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a player and a nerd

Overall: seems to be a remake of the Frame & Book couple from Make It Right. Though I like the original couple, it's 9 years later so I expected some updates. Aired on GagaOOLala app. 20 short episodes.

Content Warnings: non/dub con sex/turned consensual???, non con video recording/sharing/outing

What I Liked
- I'd like to see the actors in something else
- easy to understand premise
- player/nerd dynamic

Room For Improvement
- for their first time Book unbuttoning his own shirt but then they followed it up with him saying "no" and "stop" which was obviously ignored, the second time Flame coerced him when it was a problem of his own making
- I blinked and they were boyfriends after a scene where Book conveyed that was never going to happen
- fed into the stereotype of bisexual people as players
- ended on a cliffhanger
- comedy sound effects didn't make things funny

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I have to see the premiere of season 2 to believe that this series will have a season 2

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that. Please also note that there will be spoilers in this review from the series – IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SPOILERS, THEN DON'T READ THIS REVIEW!!!

I fell in love with getting to know the world of He Chu San and Xia Liu Yi. Their relationship didn't start off as your typical love story, as Xia Liu Yi saw He Chu San as his underling. But as time progressed, so did their relationship. It was truly a slow burn, and I got truly wrapped up in this series even down to the last episode. The actors did a wonderful job in bringing these characters alive to the screen for us viewers. I will also say that I wasn't expecting much, so I am really surprised with the outcome.

Now, while this series was entertaining, it has left us wanting more. The ending is not truly satisfying, as the main couple are not fully together as yet. Also, the secondary couple kind of left us wanting more, as it seems that their storyline needs to be dealt with, as it has been left unfinished. Now, here's the thing – there are talks about a second season. But I have become sceptical of this as I have suffered many, many burns of promises of second seasons that do not come true (The On1y One is the most recent one that is coming to my mind). As such, I have to see the premiere of season 2 to believe that we will get a season 2 and that's why I am giving this series an 8.

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Best Korean Drama

All the occupants of Room 301 were top notch. Though each were different but they played their part to the fullest. Even the bad guys parts were very well played. I have watched hundreds of Asian dramas but none compared to this one. I assume there will be another season but it will be difficult to match the quality of this series. Keep up the great work and thanks to all the cast for making this the most enjoyable series I have watched to date. A super big fan of all the cast. As a side note I have watched the entire series 62 times and will watch it again.

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Cute, simple, and to the point.

I watched this drama about 10 years ago when I was in middle school and recently decided to rewatch it again for old times sakes. Just as I remembered, it was a simple and quick drama with a clear and to the point message. It does a nice job of exploring insecurities and navigating the world in a body that is constantly told that it is not the ideal. Though it was a very fast drama, it wasn't overly rushed. I think it worked since they didn't add too many components to the storyline that they would've had to rush to resolve. The few extras to the storylines were things that could be resolved in a couple of seconds. While this probably wouldn't be the drama that would get your friend in their twenties hooked, if you have a little sibling who you want to bond with this is the perfect story. Not too much, not too suggestive, and not too dramatic. Don't be like my sister and show me Boys over Flowers--now that's a brain altering drama.

Alsoo...I promise you, my girl!!!!

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analysis on mental state

TLDR; hope no one is epileptic lol--even I thought that flashing was a bit much. I can already hear the ppl saying fl is a crybaby,, More of a psychological horror (but not scary in the traditional sense). Leans more towards mystery, and it's definitely darker than most romance dramas (lots of tws). Acting is good and natural, and music was pretty catchy. I would only watch it once, though, but it was nice while it lasted.

Story: ml kinda toxic high key. Some of the romance scenes drag a bit too long tbh. Sometimes it turns into a horror but not actually horror-level scary. Takes an interesting turn in the second half. The characters are pretty smart. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot that are unique for the scifi genre. This is the only show I've seen so far that focuses more on the mental state, which is honestly pretty nice for representation. As for the romance plot, I really didn't like how ml treated her in the beginning, and his jealousy spouts are just silly. imo there's no love triangle. How I see it, 2nd ml acts like an older bro to fl. It ended a bit abruptly imo. My takeaway from the story is that no one is truly a villain, it's just circumstances and mental condition that pushes them, although the last part I don't totally agree with (I see it as an excuse to blame everything on someone who's mentally ill, which is eh--like in reality, I'm pretty much sure they would rather harm themselves than take it out on others but what do I know).

Acting/Cast: love fl and 2nd ml's acting. He genuinely acts like a kid in front of his mom, even in the present. The kid actors also had some semblance to the older versions. It was probably the director's choice, but ml's like idk, slightly breathy(?) voice was a little weird to me lol. Sometimes I can hear the slight voice breaks too 😭

Music: I was a bit iffy about the music at first, but yk it grew on me, and it's nice. It do think it is a bit overplayed, but I don't think it's terrible.

Rewatch value: one and done for me, but it was a nice break from all the overly mushy dramas I've watched lol.

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Weird

The drama Be My Princess was a bit strange. The age gap between the leads felt massive, making their dynamic hard to buy into. Furthermore, the plot lacked logic—it’s difficult to imagine why anyone would want to marry a man suffering from amnesia, especially when he was so mentally disturbed that he believed he was a historical figure from ancient times.
​Because the story felt so nonsensical, I ended up fast-forwarding through a significant portion of it. To make matters worse, the final two episodes were a complete waste of time, as they consisted almost entirely of flashbacks from the rest of the series.

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