Reviews

It was not the greatest but it was ok

Dream to you wasn’t a bad drama, but it’s also wasn’t a drama that really stood out to me. I was interested enough to finish it, but I never reached a point where I felt like I needed to know what was going to happen next. A lot of the time, I was watching more because I had already invested so much time into it and wanted to see you through rather than because I was genuinely hurt.

I really like the first love reunion/right person wrong time concepts going into it. I found it particularly interesting that two people genuinely love each other, but met at the wrong point in their lives, and I especially love when the store eventually allows them to find your way back to each other when the timing is finally right. That aspect had a lot of potential for me, but I don’t think the drama fully delivered on it.

One of my biggest problems was that a lot of the conflicts felt unnecessarily complicated. There were several situations where I found myself thinking that the characters could’ve avoided so much pain if they simply had communicated or approached things differently some of the relationship problems didn’t feel like obstacles that would happen naturally in real life; they felt more like problems the story needed to create in order to keep the drama going. Because of that, I sometimes struggle to relate to the characters, decisions, or understand why certain situations had to become as complicated as they did.

Overall, I think dream to you had a good premise, Some interesting story lines, emotional moments, and a few relationships with genuine chemistry, but he didn’t come together, strongly enough for me. I wasn’t bored enough to hate it, but I also wasn’t emotionally invested enough to love it. It’s a 6/10 for me because it was enjoyable, enough to finish, but not memorable enough to make me wish I could experience it again. It was just So-so.

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This will frustrate you

oh my gosh……. this drama had me soooooo very frustrated for the most of it. Up until about episode 8, I truly thought she was going to change her attitude and get the decent guy….. could you want to prove me more wrong……..
this storyline, although it comes together in the end, had me wanting to jump off a huge cliff into the water below and for those who know my fear of heights, that’s no small feat. I do have to say therewas second male lead syndrome happening for me here, not because he was handsome or had money or was a successful business man but because his heart was resoundingly pure and faithful towards her.
okay so the writer did bring it around in the end but the journey was more frustration on top of the beginning frustration.
I enjoyed the end but if I never watch this one again, it will be too soon.

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OMG.! What the? Seriously? SWOOOON

First experience of the Omegaverse -- sometimes bizarre, sometimes creepy, sometimes risible (I've read that somewhere there's a BL with believable fight scenes -- this is not it ) BUT absolutely addictive. This has been my weekly number one guilty pleasure.

Firstly: Oat and Boat can float my boat anytime (especially Boat.) Oat (Phatsa is a whiny little spaniel type who can actually bite when his man is threatened; but mainly pouts and peers imperiledly through his overlong fringe.) Nakhun is your tsundere lead par excellence -- with a delightful whisky-truffle centre --- and OMG the biceps!
BUT somehow they work as a couple - I was rooting for a happy ending from the beginning. And hanging out each week for next week's episode.

It's all preposterous (but once I started thinking of it as a different iteration of vampire romance) it sort of made sense. The NC scenes were lush and steamy. (The second couple were sweet as sweet. The third creepy as truck! And the obligatory token GL couple were tissue paper thin.)

The production values are high and the sets are usually very well dressed (as are the actors) but it does suffer heavily from that bane of Thai BLs - NEE (not enough extras) -- lavish mansion ball-room birthday party with what looks like 12 people in attendance -- a bar and a cafe that only ever have one patron other than the main characters.)

I really can't remember the soundtrack except for the oddly enjoyable, ostensibly sung in English? theme song.

All in all ? I loved, loved, loved it

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A Study in Learning Personal Bravery

If any such creature exists as “Regular Reader of My Reviews,” that person will know that I tend to heap extra praise on those series that manage to package a lot of queerness right alongside a solid delivery of those elements that make BL fun to consume. A BL can dish up delicious entertainment without necessarily feeling queer, and not all gay stories contain the telltale elements of the BL genre. But this Reviewer, for one, appreciates the combination. This eight-episode Japanese series may just provide a textbook example of how to package the missions of both of genres together in a way that feels unforced. Whether you deem it a queer BL or a very BL gay story, “Hold On, Harutora-kun” delivers well-constructed characters, a romantic relationship to root for, and outside distractions that challenge them. The end result should appeal to devotees of both forms, queer and BL.

The premise springs straight from the BL standard playbook. Our lead characters are high schoolers randomly assigned to one another as dormitory roommates. Sui, the elder, is a classic Japanese uke: meek, slightly weird, self-effacing—and short. Harutora, the younger, is a classic Japanese seme: assertive, direct, popular, a star athlete—and tall. Any number of classic BL tropes pop up, spread across nearly every episode so that the series always feels very much like traditional BL. A partial list of those elements includes students forced into being roommates; an athlete paired with a geek; a school sports day; a healthy person taking care of a sick person; boys shy about changing clothes in front of each other (unless the nakedness occurs between a friend you don’t have a crush on; in which case, who cares?); gossipy fellow students, and some non-consensual kissing. Oh, and of course at one point the lads share cup noodles they made. Can’t forget the noodles in a BL series. All these ingredients serve up a BL stew that any regular consumer of BL should regard as classic comfort food.

Yet those who disdain BL because the same-sex relationships never quite resemble any form of queerness they recognize will also discover much to like here. As archetypal as our two main characters may be as seme and uke, Sui begins the story as an outcast—or an “outed outcast” since word of his sexuality has leaked out within the dorm. Indeed, Harutora receives a warning to be careful with his “perv” roommate almost before he even meets Sui. Harutora, seemingly rather aware of his own sexual leanings, brushes off that warning. In fact, he becomes something of a guide to Sui in how to better navigate his status as the dorm's in-house pariah. (Easy for him to do. He passes as straight.) Dealing with sexual identity so forthrightly is seldom a choice the writers of J-BL run with, so this entire arc automatically skews the standard set-up for a BL storyframe into a decidedly queer-leaning direction. How Sui processes the teasing, the negative assumptions about his life, and the outright sexual harassment becomes a recurring arc through all eight episodes. This uke's “slight weirdness” manifests as a choice to at all times mask himself in public, Covid-style, because the garment enables him to conceal the pain from enduring all the micro-agressions. Harutora must work to coax his wounded roommate out of that protective “armor” while they are alone in their room. I credit the actor for conveying the character's pain with his eyes: when Sui smiles behind the mask, the viewer knows that the smile is false even though we cannot see it.

Occasionally, the series becomes more overt in its portrayal of two young men grappling with the implications of embracing a queer identity. How to navigate the social situation in the dorm is chief among these; and the series expends some effort to demonstrate how allies can call out homophobia when they see it. That the boys in the dorm become much more tolerant and enlightened in their treatment of Sui by the end of the series may be a bit of BL’s “idealized worldview of gayness,” but it is also very satisfying to watch that growth actually happen. The series also models how to come out to yourself (it’s a journey!), to friends, and to parents. (Though it also models how not to do that: a public street is far from the recommended venue for surprising your mom with the revelation “I don’t like girls!”) Both boys have some fear of intimacy that stems from being inexperienced (hence, clueless) teenagers, but open communication is revealed as one answer to that dilemma. (Apparently, internet research is another.) These decidedly queer beats do not intrude on the BL tropes in the heavy-handed way that sometimes occurs; they all blend together in a way that feels mostly seamless.

As the bond between Sui and Harutora deepens, both parties have a lot of growing up to do. In that regard, we could probably add “coming of age” to the list of genres about youth that "Hold On" does a decent job of representing. Learning to love yourself, after all, is a subtext applicable even for teenagers not having to unwind their own internalized homophobia. The series has some flaws—the seme is a bit too seme at times and the uke is a bit too much of a doormat at others—but “Hold on, Harutorak-kun” is a series that BL fans should devour, while anyone who likes a happy coming out story can appreciate as well.

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A Masterpiece

Waited a long time for this series and I KNEW it'd be a masterpiece. Gemini and Fourth have never disappointed me. I was unsure about the religious elements but it turned out really good. It was very short and made great use of every episode. I felt so many emotions watching this drama. I've never been so anxious watching a show like this, it was like watching a horror movie.

(spoilers)

I never doubted from the beginning that it was going to have a happy ending (contrary to what TikTok believed). It NEEDED a happy ending to be good. There are too many shows like this with a sad ending. It would be too boring and another one added to a long list of many. The happy ending is what made this drama a masterpiece and what made it stand out from others of this same genre. Gemini and Fourth's acting was seriously amazing and they've both improved so much. I was not expecting the chemistry they delivered either. A literal masterpiece.

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Earned Glory and True Equals

Legend of the Female General (锦月如歌) is a standout historical drama primarily because it genuinely delivers on an equal footing power couple dynamic without cheapening the female lead’s capabilities. What makes He Yan’s arc so compelling is the sheer grit of her progression: starting from the bottom as an unranked recruit not just once, but twice, first disguised as a man, and then clawing her way back up through the ranks as a woman to claim her title legitimately. It strips away any illusion of unearned privilege or plot armor, proving her military brilliance, discipline, and endurance belong entirely to her regardless of identity. The partnership between He Yan and Xiao Jue works so well because it is rooted in mutual competence and earned professional respect before romance. Cheng Lei nails the stoic, tactical commander archetype, balancing cold operational discipline with unmistakable devotion; the quiet softness and heart in his eyes whenever he looks at her give their romance profound weight rather than manufactured melodrama.
Visually, the production hits a high mark with cinematic, textured battle choreography and exceptional costume and armor design that actually look built for war. While the combat sequences occasionally fall prey to typical drama tropes, most noticeably when enemy soldiers inexplicably pause mid clash while she panics over Xiao Jue’s fate on the battlefield, the emotional urgency and palpable desperation of the moment carry the scene despite the lapse in combat realism. The ending delivers satisfying, well earned closure, providing a sharp contrast to the tragic, unraveling arc of the second male lead. His slow burning backstory can feel somewhat convoluted in its pacing, but that ambiguity ultimately underscores the complexity of a deeply flawed man destroyed by obsession and an insatiable hunger for power. Anchored by earned character growth, high production values, and an unapologetically competent heroine, it stands as a thoroughly satisfying entry in the genre.

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Blade of revenge

Spring of the blade is precisely based on the female lead's revenge for her mother who was killed 9 years ago. Xie Qingyuan, crosses paths with Shen Run aka Yan Rui, who is on the quest of avenging their deceased family members.
Together they try to bring truth to light and avenge the deaths of their loved ones.
The actors were all excellent in their roles.
The action scenes were good.
The story proceeds at neither fast nor a slow pace.
I honestly felt that, the execution could be a bit better, with much more emphasis on the male lead's story and his plot of revenge rather than a large time focus on the Xie family plot.
The background stories of both the leads,after they have been separated until their reunion,could have been shown.
Also, another minus is the loud background music which many times dominated the dialouges.
However, the drama is a GOOD watch, but strictly it is a one time watch for me.

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Perfect till the end

I watched the first episode and I didn't like it. I kept watching because it was really well made budget and production wise and Domundi has never let me down and I'm glad I trusted them because "Love Upon a Time" might be one of the best BLs of 2026. I ended up loving the character of Nakhun/Klao as well as JJ himself even though I was annoyed with him at the beginning. I fully got onboard the LatteKim ship. Their story was very well written, just like the rest of the show. Amazing acting, especially from Net. The chemistry was CRAZY. A lot of Thai dramas tend to rush the ending but "LUAT's" best episode was the last one. It was such a satisfying ending to wrap up the story. So amazing. 10/10.

Also side note, absolutely fell in love with Kim. He's so beautiful (and talented obvi). Definitely added to the experience of watching this series lol.

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Wonderful introduction to BL world.

This was the first BL I ever watched. By the time I realized it was more than just bikes they were riding -- it was too late and I was hooked. I've watched all the Hall of Fame shows since then; but this still has a soft spot in my heart. There are faults with some hitches in writing, over broad characters and time progression and once-over- lightly treatment of serious psych issues. (And one seriously NC NC couple -- that was when I realized, "Hey guys this is not actually not a story about a family run coffee shop!)

But all three of the brothers were so kind, the people they got involved with were all special and the whole family and community was warm and supportive. Pattaya where it's set is gorgeous. It's not a masterpiece but after a year it's still the BL series I love the most.

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If Romeo and Juliet had lived…it would still end tragically

This Was Always Qingyuan’s Story

Technically, Spring of the Blade could have ended at Episode 24. We had the wedding, the honeymoon, our two tigers finally together…and we were on a high.

But this is a Chinese drama after all. Of course we weren’t getting off that easily.

Looking back, this was always Qingyuan’s story first, and Shen Run’s second. And to understand Qingyuan, we had to understand the tragedy of her mother and father…two people caught by circumstances who ultimately chose very different paths. One surrendered to greed and ambition. The other lost her life because of it.

And damn, the actor playing her father practically took over these final episodes. The versatility of his performance made him feel like the lead while Qingyuan and Shen Run became supporting characters in their own drama. What surprised me most was discovering that underneath everything he had done, he too was a victim of circumstance. That doesn’t erase his choices, but it makes the man far more complicated than the villain I originally thought he was.

Even the silver coin feels appropriate. Judas betrayed for silver, and here again silver becomes a symbol of betrayal…the price placed on loyalty, family and eventually someone’s soul.

Maybe that’s what Spring of the Blade was really about all along: greed and what we’re willing to sacrifice for it.

My problem remains the same. I would have preferred much of this Xie family history to come before the rebellion, allowing the political story to become the climax rather than interrupting it and then returning to the family mysteries afterward. But once again, we’re back to my biggest complaint…30 episodes simply weren’t enough.

Give this story another twenty episodes and suddenly Shen Run’s past, Commander Hu, Shen Che, the rebellion, Lady Hong, Grandma Chen and all those crazy Xie women could breathe.

I suspect the writers had a choice: finish with the rebellion and leave the Xie mysteries behind, or return to where everything began and give Qingyuan’s story its closure.

They chose Qingyuan. And perhaps they had to. Because no matter how much I loved Shen Run…this was always her story.

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