Reviews

I am in tears writing this review after having just finished watching the drama.

To be honest, this didn't have the most promising start for me - I was unimpressed after two episodes as I felt it was overacted and the traumatic plot point was incredibly jarring and unrealistic (I know, I know). However, I'm glad to say that my opinion quickly changed as the episodes progressed - this was one of the most interesting shows I have ever watched, period.

I always mention how the mark of a good drama is by how much we care about the side characters and this drama truly had that in spades. There were so many characters and yet they made me care about every single one of them. I was invested in their stories, in their sorrows, in the different ways they navigated the world based on their upbringing and social standing.

Both FL and ML did an incredible job, and not once did I feel bored watching 47 episodes of this show.

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Didn't like the 2nd FL but story was good

I've rewatched this drama a few times and I find it pretty good. Not great, but not bad either. I didn't like the chemistry between Tong Xiaoyu (played by the beautiful Shen Yue) and Lu Xingcheng (played by the wonderful & handsome Jerry Yan). I think she seemed too stuck on being lucky and not on being talented & working hard. He, on the other hand, had the right attitude toward the work but you could see there were other things distracting him from his reaching his true potential.

And this is where I get really annoyed: the back story of Lu Xingcheng and model Wen Xi (played by the beautiful Shen Yao). OI course, she IS the "villain" in this story, so I expected to dislike her. She was too obsessive of him and did all she could to manipulate him. I disliked that he seemed to be so clueless about her, but I know his guilt got him to give in to her. I wish he'd stood up to her as he stood up to his brutal father.

However, over all I felt that "Count Your Lucky Stars" was a pretty good drama, despite me not feeling the chemistry between the ML & FL I'm from America so the way Lu Xingcheng "scolded" Tong Xiaoyu would NOT make me fall in love with him. But my culture is different. LOL! The music was great and the production was good, too. I do recommend this drama, especially if you're a fan of Shen Yue and Jerry Yan. Thanks for reading.

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Unserious and silly but THATS THE POINT!

"It's fun, cute, light and unserious on purpose I don't know why people think we can't have shows like these anymore.

Premise is simple: she's a screenwriter with electric powers, she literally electrifies anyone she touches. Then she meets a CEO whose artificial heart isn't affected — in fact, she charges it.

The absurdity alone tells you you're in for a goofy ride.

So they make a deal: 'Charge my heart and I'll be your inspiration to write romantic scenes,' because she's being told her scripts have no heart.

They're complete opposites — grumpy x energetic, enemies to lovers that slowly builds. Her curly hair and name fit her perfectly (Na Bobae). Chemistry is good and builds nicely.

It's intentionally silly. The writer was clearly aiming for that old kdrama vibe and nailed it.

If you're looking to watch seriously and point out logic, this isn't for you. This is a turn-off-your-brain-and-enjoy kind of kdrama."

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A clever, layered ride where trusting anyone is your first mistake

Plot
A Prophet starts as revenge but quickly becomes a maze of cons, mind games & hidden motives. I loved how every scheme exposed greed, fear & human nature while constantly making me question who was playing who.

Characters
Chengming & Feiyan were the heart of it for me. Both layered, morally grey & clever, with such a messy history. Their chemistry was sooo good. The supporting cast also DELIVERED, esp Jin Buhuan, the Sect Master & Sha Liang.

Overall — 9/10
Smart writing, sharp direction, great performances & twists that kept me guessing. Some schemes were fun while others, like the soul-trapping arc, got DARK. One of my fave C-dramas this year. #AProphet

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sigh..... no. just. absolutely not.

this show is bad. like really bad. so extremely bad for a thai bl being released in the big year of 2026 by one of the top production companies in the industry that i cannot believe it was able to be aired and released on streaming. i had to make sure multiple times while watching this show that they were in fact a mandee produced series.

i have nothing against maxnat but i also have no attachment to maxnat either. this is me speaking objectively as an average and long-time bl watcher, this show is objectively bad on every single level that i can think of.

first things first. it looks terrible. cheewin hasn't been a good director of anything for his entire career and it's great to know that in the entire decade he's spent working in the industry and directing bls, he still has the talent to produce the most asinine series. the cinematography is so shit. the choice of angles is either dull or just strange along with bland and boring, shots with no composition or thought behind them shows that he really doesn't give a single fuck. it's 2026. you're competing with other slapstick bls that look great with meaningful shots that convey emotion and character's dynamics and relationship with each other and yet you can't even at least try to make it look good?? it's like we used the first take we got of every single shot and called it a day. he fails on all fronts as a director.

don't even get me started on the editing choices that they make. the entire series has multiple odd and just ugly filters on it that is so frustratingly inconsistent and obvious that not only is an an assault on my retinas but every second the camera switches, it becomes increasingly clear that they have no idea what they want this show to look like. not only is the sharpness turned up to 1000 sometimes or they either they edit the scene too bright and now everyone looks like they're glowing or it's too dark and now everyone looks gray or it's so yellow that they all look like the sun baby from teletubbies. they're filming on this beautiful tropical island but the ugly ass filter makes it look like they're standing in front of a green screen and have been manually edited on to my laptop screen. not to mention the lighting choices of this show just makes everything so much worse.

it's like mandee has put together a crew of people that have no idea what they're doing and are throwing money at the wrong things. the first 5 episodes of this series are damn near impossible to get through without pausing every second, sitting there and wondering to yourself, are they really being serious right now? (watch the sunset scene in episode 4, actually just watch the entirety of episode 4 for the editing and tell me it doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out. in fact there are not one but two sunset scene where i shit you not. they edit the fucking sunset into the scene by putting a pink filter on it)

not to mention the writing of this show is just atrocious. i can't even begin to wrap my head around it. slapstick bls are usually given an automatic pass by everyone just because we expect everything to be outlandish and fucking crazy but does that mean we have to give a pile of shit on a plate a pass too just because our expectations for comedy series are so low, the bar is past the point of the nine circles of hell? your third is a slapstick that does absolutely nothing to set itself apart from other existing slapsticks in a good way other than being just plain bad. there is nothing this industry loves more than a slapstick bl and as someone who has both consumed, enjoyed, and not enjoyed, multiple slapstick bls, this one is one of the worst. but frankly when it comes to slapstick bls, the only way anyone is able to sit through the cringe-filled scenes and second-hand embarrassment and humiliation rituals these actors put themselves in, the one thing that makes it all work is the charm of the actors themselves. charm is the keyword here. charm. being charming is everything, especially in this industry which relies so heavily on it (let's be honest, acting skills are not the first thing people think about when it comes to bl actors) so you need to be charming.

i blame the writers, jam and sarm have no concrete personality that makes them charming nor do they become charming as the series progresses over time and it doesn't help that the styling has made them look a certain way that's just odd. jam looks like a child, he wears thick glasses that also double as sunglasses and look really fucking ugly and out of place in every scene, has a haircut that is rough and frankly does not look good on nat, and he wears a tiny yellow backpack that makes him look even more like a child whilst sarm is half naked for about the entire first half of the show, that makes me uncomfortable when i see his interactions with jam. yes they are both adults, i know that, but the deliberate styling choices makes every scene they exist in look like a grown homeless man trying to bully this elementary school kid for his lunch money and it's honestly just strange to watch.

bl actors live and die by their charms. max has his moments of charm as an eccentric leading man however sometimes he falls flat but nat has no charm in the slightest. it says a lot when external side characters bring more charm to the series than the two romantic leads. i frankly found sarm’s interactions with the other characters like his family members, ningnong, and lantao, much more enjoyable to sit through than any scene he was in with jam who seems to suck the life and fun out of every scene he exists in.

nat cannot act at all and he can't get away with it because he has no charm and frankly it's hard to watch jam because i feel like i don't even know jam. nat doesn't bring any of the characters out. his line delivery is too slow and emotionless, if he’s supposed to be a nonsense secretary then why does it feel like i’m watching a petulant child instead? i'm not watching jam, i'm watching nat in thick glasses and a yellow backpack. i've seen multiple reviews thus far talking about the actors themselves and how this series is "surprisingly good" or "better than suntiny and naughty baby" and i fear if this is what is considered "better" than their past works then there is something fundamentally wrong.

if you're not a maxnat fan or you know them from other shows, i don't see how else you could enjoy this show other than the fact that you enjoy seeing the two actors together. i am not a maxnat fan and if this show was meant to set out for them to gain more fans then they've completely failed on that front.

i couldn’t sit through a single moment through the entire show and trust me, i wanted to like it, i really did. i wouldn’t have willingly subjected myself to 10 episodes of it if i didn’t want to like it but here we are, 10 episodes in and i still can’t do it. but shockingly episode 8 had one watchable scene and it was the confession scene where sarm was in a fuckass crab costume but it was actually watchable, sarm delivers a very sincere confession and it’s nearly ruined every other second when jam starts his boring line delivery but it’s a watchable scene nonetheless.

i'm sure everyone who had a hand in this project worked very hard on it but you would literally not be able to tell that any sort of effort was made by everyone involved by looking at the finish product

a part of me can't help but think they sent this show out there with the knowledge that it would fail on all fronts as a watchable bl series. like there must be some kind of grand conspiracy against maxnat or something but then i think about it and for some reason i realize that genuinely none of their series have ever worked out or even been any good for that matter. their fans are always complaining about how they're given slapstick but have we ever considered why they keep getting slapstick when it obvious after the 3rd slapstick that flops, people obviously don't want maxnat to be in anymore slapsticks. or is it just maxnat themselves who frankly aren't good enough to act in anything else that doesn't use comedy as a shield to distract from the fact that it's actually a dumpster fire. lots of things to think about.

where do we even go from here? i checked out your third because i saw multiple people saying to give it a shot because maxnat "deserves" it and so i did and the first episode was so atrocious that it moved me to write a review for the first time because it genuinely pissed me off so much.

your third is not a good bl and no amount of pity parties i see thrown for maxnat can convince me to recommend other people to watch this series in good faith. in an industry that's always constantly improving itself in terms of writing, quality, cinematography, acting, and charm, there are dozens of new faces that are going to pop into the industry that just do it better and unfortunately maxnat don't have to star power to sustain any sort of attention from the bl audience. not even casual watchers would be interested in this series.

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Better Late Than Never … Love Mechanics (2022)

Although I’m a few years behind, better late than never! Love Mechanics has become one of my favorite feel good BL series. Maybe it’s the cute college romance, the never ending roller coaster of love, jealousy, heartbreak, and reconciliation, or perhaps it’s simply the incredible chemistry between Yin and War.

Let’s face it…the story isn’t particularly groundbreaking. We’ve seen these college romances a hundred times before, complete with frustrating misunderstandings and characters who can’t seem to make up their damn minds. But what makes this series special is how these two actors bring it to life. Their friendship, effortless chemistry, impeccable comedic timing, and emotional performances make even the most familiar scenes feel fresh. That rain scene in Episode 3 alone had me mesmerized.

Whether Yin and War are doing a BL or simply a bromance, I’ll be right there watching. Their chemistry is so palpable that even the most ordinary scenes become extraordinary. The playful banter, the stolen glances, the emotional breakdowns, and that impeccable timing…everything feels effortless. If they’re just acting, then they’re damn brilliant actors, because they make you believe every moment. And isn’t that what great acting is all about?

So many BL ships barely make it out of the harbor…but YinWar? These two are a magnificent cruise liner. It’s not the destination that makes this journey so enjoyable…it’s the pleasure of sailing with them.

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Sturm und Drang Makjang (A due) in the key of Bl minor

It’s so long since I’ve seen a contemporary full blown 막장, that for quite some time I failed to appreciate that was exactly what I was watching. Overall, it’s either a hackneyed mess of over the top cliché emotion with a slew of two dimensional supporting characters espousing grandiose, pompous opinions, or it’s a thumping good makjang, complete with a screaming mother who has just catapulted in from dramaland circa 2010. I can’t decide whether I loved it or hated it.

The objective reviewer in me acknowledges that the second half of it fulfilled the criteria of a makjang perfectly, but my subjective opinion is that a lot of it is over the top, hysterical (in both senses) and often cringeworthy with magnificent moments of pure sincerity and some cracking performances by the leads, especially Song Kang. I was tossed between these extremes for the whole 12 episodes.

1st Movement.
Allegretto: molto dolcissimo e affettuoso con occasionale sforzando

This section was quite long and the weakest part of the drama.
Let’s face it, this was a teenage drama confused about its sexuality that needed to present as straight. And the muddled result was weird. This is not how any teenage boys of my acquaintance behave, and I’ve known a few, gay and straight. In my opinion the result ended up as something nauseatingly sweet, that didn’t look like either attraction, friendship or bromance and I was confused as to what their relationship actually was. A girl was necessary to prove the no-no-we’re-actually-straight point, but for the duration of the drama Hong Jae In (Jang Gyu Ri) was never more than a cypher struggling to be noticed.


The dialogue in this part of the drama sounded fanciful, faux-profound, cringeworthy and often completely unnatural. It also felt like it didn’t want to get its hands dirty but was desperate to create street cred for itself. So it depicted what a comfortable existence thinks an uncomfortable existence looks like, and failed miserably in the process. It was devoid of the grit and rough edges that would have given it credibility. Even the colour palette and cinematography was bland, with pedestrian choices being made by the director too.

I have a beef. As a pianist myself I know a bit about practising, as does anybody who has ever picked up a musical instrument. And it doesn’t look like this even if you are a concert pianist. Practising is things like playing two or three tricky bars over and over and over again; experimenting with subtly different interpretations of a single phrase and trying out alternate fingering. It is not playing a piece all the way through like it’s a concert. Apparently, 임윤찬 (Yunchan Lim) never practised the pieces for the Cliburn competition by playing them all the way through and my concert pianist friend doesn’t either. Nor is it, perfectly sight reading and synching with another musician on the first attempt, whilst at the same time ignoring the score and looking sweetly into their eyes. It’s much more, fudging a bit you can’t read properly, missing a bar and catching up, playing a wrong note or twenty and hopefully collapsing into laughter at some point.


2nd Movement
Prestissimo: attacca subito, impetuoso, feroce e scatenato

Once the thriller element kicks in I feel that the production gains more confidence. The director has previous experience in suspense. It does come as a bit of a surprise and the plot (from here on in) often stretches credulity to twanging point, but that in itself suddenly embeds this makjang firmly in its genre and you realise this is where it was heading all along.

There is no mystery involved, so the tension is all created by the inner life of the main characters.


3rd Movement
Maestoso: con dissonanze, agitato e furioso, grandioso, col pugno finale.

We are now firmly in makjang territory and what a triumph it is. I’ve always thought Song Kang could bring out the essence of a character and here he does it very well. He manages to portray both the extremes and the subtleties of emotion without slipping into caricature, which can’t be said for his mother and grandfather. Neither of whom were served well with the overinflated hyperbole in the script. Song Kang held the emotional centre rock solid for the other characters to play out their somewhat limited dimension parts. And that includes his nemesis, Choi Jong Yo, played by Lee Jun Young, who was underdeveloped by comparison.


Coda
Larghetto: doloroso, con anima, ritardando e diminuendo

For me the ending worked, but would have worked even better if we had seen more of Choi Jong Yo’s (Lee Jun Young) journey and had more insight into how he survived and developed in those lost years. The involvement of religion was under-explained and therefore required a leap of faith by the viewer too.

Finally a note about the music. I really enjoyed the soundtrack. Whoever played the piano was good enough to articulate the different styles and interpretations that were such an important part in the script. The music was an integral element of the whole drama as it was often the connecting tissue between the characters and it played its part really well. The choice of music was also good. It had more than just really well known pieces

Ranking this is really hard. But I think it should be ranked as how successful it was as a makjang and not my own subjective likes and dislikes. The first half let it down but the second half excelled in its own genre. So it’s going to have to be a compromise.

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A dark historical mystery with a Sherlock style

From the beginning, Shadow Punisher drew me in.

It has exactly the balance I want from a mystery drama: intriguing and genuinely dark cases, plenty of atmosphere, great characters, and just enough lightheartedness to keep things fun without undermining the more sinister side of the story.

The cases are easily one of the show's biggest strengths. They're strange, atmospheric and often quite macabre, with bizarre deaths, unsettling imagery and seemingly supernatural occurrences. But underneath all that weirdness are very human motives, and there are enough twists and misdirection to make the investigations genuinely engaging.

I love how the show continues to come up with unusual scenarios while gradually revealing the connections between them. What initially appears to be a series of strange, isolated crimes is becoming something much bigger, with political intrigue, hidden agendas and secrets from the past adding another layer to the investigations. The stakes are clearly growing, but the show hasn't lost the sense of fun that makes it so enjoyable.

Luo Yunxi is fantastic as Li Si, a Sherlock style character who is as intelligent and observant as he is sly and unpredictable. He's a complete wildcard, and half the intrigue is never knowing whether his seemingly impulsive behaviour is actually calculated all along. As more of his past comes into focus, there's also a growing complexity beneath his seemingly carefree facade.

His dialogue is another highlight—sharp and witty. He can tease someone, dodge a question, provoke a reaction and casually slip in an important observation almost in the same breath. Luo Yunxi delivers it all with such effortless charm and wry amusement that even the simplest exchanges become a pleasure to watch.

His camaraderie with the three constables—Meng Rui, Bai Zhenzhu and Yan Cheng—is also a big part of the fun. Their different personalities give him plenty to bounce off, and the banter and growing camaraderie provide a great counterbalance to the darker cases. They're all capable investigators in their own right, making the team dynamic feel much more satisfying.

That's probably what I'm enjoying most about Shadow Punisher as a whole. It can be creepy, dark and genuinely disturbing, but it never becomes oppressively bleak. The humour comes naturally from the characters and their interactions, so it doesn't feel like it's interrupting the mystery. If anything, the lighter moments make the darker ones hit harder.

The mysteries give me something to puzzle over, the atmosphere gives them weight, and the increasingly interconnected story keeps me wanting more. Most importantly, the characters make the journey between each reveal just as entertaining as the mysteries themselves.

Definitely recommend this one.

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A taught, twisty occult thriller with fine performances all round

There is no doubt the Koreans have come into their own with occult/horror/thrillers. The East Palace is the latest example of this with fine sets, special effects, costumes and very good acting. The directing was sublime: from the lonely moments and scenes, to great interactions between the different characters.

I found the writing kept me engaged from start to finish. It keeps you guessing: who is the real villain; does the king love his daughter, will Cheon prevail. Even if you work some of these points out early on, there are moments where you will second guess yourself. Then there is the sublime performances by the king, the Queen Mother and the Queen Dowager. Superb acting by all three. You can tell they relished their roles here.

A highlight for me was our intrepid couple working together to take down monsters, spirits and evil doers. One is a shaman but the real deal. The other can hear spirits talking to her. Gu Cheon shows the Princess Saeng Gang how to take down demons. Over time, Gang becomes concerned for Cheon. She knows it is taking its toll.

There is even cute monsters. One little such guy takes a shine to Cheon. In some ways, he is the hero of the story. Tiny, hungry and powerful. He is cheeky and is only too happy to feed on Cheon’s yang energy. Along the way, Cheon relents and let’s the cuteness tag along.

Gang initially sees she has a way back into the palace when the King asks her to help Cheon cure the young crown prince. However, she quickly realises all is not what it seems. Bit by bit she comes to care for Cheon who she knows will be discarded by her father the king once the spirit affecting the crown prince is defeated.

If there is a second season, I will be there…

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Nice Easy Watch

Lol. This will be unlike what you're expecting for sure.
Ordinary mid tier boss office in charge of a small but diverse group of employees wins the lotto. The catch? It's not nearly enough for a big "FU! I QUIT!" It's not large enough to retire on. What do you do? For this guy? I suggest you come and see for yourself~
This drama hits many sweet spots and the happenings and instances occurring and taking place kept the pacing to a quiet but noticeable sense of urgency amongst almost every scene. Was wonderful and this was completely different from what would expect. Every ep had importance and absolutely flew by in what felt like seconds. Nothing bad to say about the cast and performance~

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Subterfuge and Strategies

A couple of assassins are sent, undercover, to complete a mission. The trials and tribulations of undercover women in a martial arts environment follows. There's an element of magic, an element of romance, some jealousy, lots of suspicion, revenge, investigation and of course, some fabulous martial arts on display.

I watched the show primarily for Zhang Linghe, but Cheng Lei and Tian Jiarui blew me away. Linghe's character is portrayed as almost bipolar - he's irresponsible, but also very thorough in his quests, he's least interested in the family saga, and then again he fights fiercely to protect and earn his sword wielder title. Compared to that, his 2 cousins have clearly defined personas and along with the superb acting, the roles are really memorable.

I'm sorry the female actors, Esther Yu and Lu Yu Xiao, were extremely annoying and I believe the director and his vision of the assassins speaking in a whispery, breathless way is the main reason why. Their voices were so distracting I wanted to mute my screen half the time.

The comedic relief, Jin Jolin, was well placed, if a trifle distracting at times. In a show all about assassins and subterfuge, laughing at silly antics seems a little superfluous at times. The actor is truly awesome, I question the need for the character's extensive role in the show.

Without giving away spoilers, I'd say the show ends on a vague and ambiguous note, you're left wanting answers to quit a few questions. I hope the Director's intent is to add a sequel, if not for anything else, then to finish telling the whole story.

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