Reviews

This one is the ultimate Thai BL drama which can end its genre! Period!

this drama didn’t just ruin my life it rearranged my entire existence and I am not recovering ever

no because WHAT was I supposed to do??? sit there calmly and watch Duang like a normal person??? absolutely not I was giggling kicking my feet clutching my imaginary pearls like a Victorian woman seeing ankles for the first time

the story?? what story?? the only storyline I acknowledge is “they exist and they are disgustingly cute together” and somehow that was enough to make me lose every last bit of sanity I had left. every scene felt like a personal attack like why are they looking at each other like that??? who allowed this??? why am I blushing like I’m the one in love???

and Duang??? don’t even say that name near me I will start malfunctioning immediately. just them breathing in the same space was enough to send me into cardiac arrest. smiling?? over. eye contact?? finished. soft moments?? bury me right now.

the acting??? I REFUSE. this is not acting this is emotional manipulation at the highest level. the way they exist together feels so natural that I genuinely forgot I was watching a drama. I was just sitting there like 🧍‍♀️ losing my mind in silence and then not in silence because I was actually screaming into my pillow every five minutes

and the music??? WHY does it hit like that??? the second the soft background music starts I already know I’m about to dissolve into nothing. it’s like the soundtrack looked at me personally and said “you’re not leaving this drama alive” and I didn’t

I started this like “oh this seems cute” and now look at me. I am gone. I am a shell of a human being. I cannot function. I cannot move on. I cannot think about anything else except Duang being the most precious thing to ever exist in the history of anything ever

I didn’t watch this drama I got emotionally kidnapped by it

everything was adorable and I have officially lost my last brain cell thank you and goodbye......

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strong start...boring second half.

let's get this out of the way. did I like this drama? yes. is it perfect? nothing is perfect.

plot: we follow a group of teenagers throughout their highschool and uni years and witness their growth.

let's start with the positives:

this is a very sweet drama. the representation of youth and everything around it comes off as sweet and relatable.

I like how the drama shows different kinds of family dynamics (single parents, busy parents, brother rivalry, etc) and personal emotions.
this is a slice of life show and especially in the first half this is done quite well and in a very sweet and enjoyable way.

the main ml is very sweet and reminds of a younger Esther yu. the cast was a good choice and the characters are all funny and well portrait.

the soundtrack is very pleasant and "youth feeling".

onto the negatives:

I liked that the main ml is not the usual asshole. he is of course the representation of the "cold guy" but he is not mean in any way compared to others teenager dramas. on the other hand he is literally a stone wall. I feel most of the time the FL is talking to her self while he is there touching his neck, smirking and coughing.
not really a thrilling characters. but he is a nice guy.

the series in itself feels really predictable. there isn't much of a plot going on and even though it is sweet to experience all these moments with the cast it starts to feel pretty boring mid way.
especially reaching episode 17 I felt we weren't going anywhere.
the characters don't really develop. there stay the same even though time passes and their dynamics stay still.
that's one of the reasons I feel the show should have ended when they finished highschool.
we kinda see where they are heading and I feel there wasn't really a need for a "detailed" ending.

the college episode are frankly so boring and inconsequential. I admit I skipped basically all of them fast forwarding to the part where Jia Jiang and Guan run (I forget their names😅) get together.
frankly speaking at a certain point I was more invested in their dynamic than into the main couple.

speaking of the main couple, watching them grow closer was sweet but also "blue balls inducing". at a certain point I asked myself what was the point. they grew closer but It didn't look like they were acting trying to date or anything else.

personal observation:
this stems from a personal perspective but watching some Chinese show is sometimes painful. being westerners is hard to sympathize with family forcing their kids to stop living to just study. teachers prohibiting literally teenagers to date is something I cannot wrap my head around. especially giving the fact that many household expect their kids to get married as soon as they graduate uni. I am sorry. you keep your kids celibate for years and then expect them to procreate without any experience....
I know at the end this is just a cultural clash with I am used to on a certain level.

overall this is a very sweet drama especially when it comes to friendship.
should you watch it? it depends on how much your care about a plot or if you just enjoy vibes.

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Really great idea and concept. Engineers take notes!!!

Tbh, they should actually make a virtual reality like "Boyfriend on Demand".

The boyfriends here are not just boyfriends; they can be personal therapists, best friends, relationship advisers, planners, a personal fan who roots for you and also a secret shoulder to lean on when you are in deep sh** or is trying to take a break from this cruel world. They are tailored to support you and guide you right path and sometimes show you the path.

You can just let go of all the pent-up frustration, and no one will judge you. No one can say or will say anything to you. I realised that even the developer can't see the chat and conversation between the consumer and her VR boyfriend, which is just perfect.
Some people treat people harshly in reality and also commit big crimes like assault and murder for their own mental health problems. This might actually be an option for them; so they will do everything there and leave actual humans alone.

But I noticed that the subscription fee is too much. Even for Basic plans. That would be a problem.
I know this is like c.ai, but I don't just want to talk to them via chat or call. I wanna see and feel too. And I bet I'm not alone for that.
They should really make something like this. It's high time.

Anyways, liked the story and also the concept. The actors executed the story really well and I really enjoyed it.

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The Girl who Braves the Storm

Hua Zhi is the eldest granddaughter of the Hua family, her grandfather being the imperial censor. She travelled far and wide with her grandfather as child and got an early taste of the free world. When she could no longer pose as a boy servant in her grandfather's travels as she’s grown up, she returned to the family mansion only to be labelled as an idler with no noble-lady characters, constantly looked down upon and criticized by her own parents and uncles, even her own grandmother did not like her. Everything changed when a circumstance led to the banishment of all of Hua men, while the women were left penniless as their properties and wealth was confiscated by the court. Unwilling to let the family sink further, she decided to become the glue that keeps the family together, the lifeline that keeps the family afloat, and contested against her third aunt for the helm of the household. As head of the Hua household, she went on to thrive and expand the family's wealth with the sole aim to redeem the Hua men's freedom from banishment, meeting Gu Yanxi, nephew of the emperor posing as a commoner, along the way in a relationship that soon developed into affection despite him being the person who raided the Hua Mansion earlier on.

The story really is engaging and intriguing except for the corny relationship buildup and romance between the mainleads. Honestly I failed to see the spark. I liked both characters as an individual but I can't see them as a couple. The typical trope of claiming each other as fiances and husband and wife in unwarranted situations are also just too lame and cliche.

I love Hua Zhi as the resilient, relentless and courageous young girl trying to hold up her family in her arms and brave the storm, her headstrong character really gets to my soft spot. She isnt the kind of girl who takes no nonsense and willing to do anything to achieve a goal, even if it means to lower her pride as a noble lady, which even the maids of the household find it hard to do. Although FL is not physically strong, her quickwit made up for it. She is the kind of character that would initially look like a burden and liability in a combat, but could turn the tide just by using her wits. However, as a girl with a crush, she was just too clingy and touchy-feely. Always trying to lean on ML even when they had nothing between each other and started throwing herself into his arms and kissing and holding him every chance she could get after they thought they had feelings for each other, gosh those are really too much and look fake-ish. I could relate if she was a time-travelling modern girl or a transmigrator, but as a genuine lady of the ancient world, this kind of acts are not something usual, they looked cheap even, as those are acts only seen in women of brothel, not in a noble young lady. This is the only flaw in the writing of this character, putting in modern girl's thirst for men's affection before marriage into an ancient one. I skipped most of their scenes cuz I just can't stand the sight of them trying to get the romance on as they looked awkward. And those comedic scenes they try so hard to do, especially the bethrothal misunderstanding, were wayyyyy too corny. They majorly looked like half-assed comic that failed to deliver the punchline. Instead of smiling or ROFLing in my heart, my lips moved into a cringe instead even without me realizing it.

I have seen so many romance stories of unrequited love of couples that shouldve never been separated, A Journey to Love being one of them (gosh I still bawl my eyes out each time I rewatch), but this is actually one of the series that I hope the main couple's relationship never work out. IMPO, the storyline is standalonely strong enough without this romance thingy, which looked so much like a distraction. It's too bad they (the novel writer or the screenwriter, whoever is responsible for hyping the romance) decided to make it the secondary focus as if the original storyline can’t stand on its own, so i ended up skipping so many of this couple scenes after Hua Zhi realized Gu Yanxi’s real identity.

My only drive to finish the show is how Hua Zhi was going to bring the Hua men back, and how Gu Yanxi going to end up with his seemingly good-on-the-surface-but-volatile relationship with the imperial family. To be honest, their respective personal stories are a thousand times much more intriguing than their romance, which i feel was taking up too much of the screentime. The only couples that i felt a wee bit for were Hua Pingyang-Yunniang (forth uncle and aunt) and ShenHuan-Gu Shaoyao. They really looked like couples who enjoy each other’s company, the adoration for their other half is clear in their eyes. Somehow i failed to see it in the main couple. So im left unconvinced to the end.

I totally love the rest of the cast, they acted really well and cried well too! Each sad arcs came through and after seeing many awful crying skills of actors in other series, I came to appreciate the sad scenes here. I find the one playing Gu Shaoyao particularly good, I could see bright future for her if luck is on her side.

The story was good all throughout the show only to falter in the last 3 episodes that seemed too ridiculous. I love the ending where they had a reunion. Forth uncle was truly adorable it’s a pity his scene was so little.

The songs are okay, but the background music is spectacular. The opening themsong by Curley Gao is phenomenal. Action scenes are fine too but not quite exceptional. Honestly i could give this story a solid 9 -9.5ish had not for the bland romance they tried to fit into the plot. Too bad for that.

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A realistic story about life, love, and family..

Let's cut to the chase.. Would I recommend this drama? YES. Would I rewatch this drama? YES. This was such a lovely story 💜 Its nicely paced..for some it may be slow but it gives you a break from all the fast paced action filled drama and intrigue in every corner type of show.. the characters were all different in their personalities and paths they chose for themselves.. the characters were able to grow in their own light.. the family dynamics and love stories were relatable and realistic.. it was heart warming to see the characters and their families go through the ups and downs and come full circle 💜 now.. I have to put a special mention to Mr. Arthur Chen.. I was never a fan.. I tended to avoid his dramas/shows cuz he just wasnt appealing to me.. but by chance I gave his last couple dramas a look and every single time he has impressed me with his acting. Plus his latest dramas they styled him pretty well.. hes looking really handsome. He played this role so perfectly. You can really feel his emotions inside your heart. This show made me laugh, cry and reflect.. give it a try and watch this wonderful story 💜

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Dissapointed

I was looking forward to the show actually. I thought that the ai boyfriend concept would be fun and fresh for kdrama after some while but it did not live up to my expectation. The concept was very interesting but execution is done so poorly i had to drop it. The plot is really boring and felt so draggy to the point that i just find myself skipping a lot through the episodes. Cringy and unexciting.

Everything about this show felt underwhelming despite the big budget and promos and they tried to make up for it with Jisoo's big popularity and the flashy hot oppa cameos. It just felt like an SNL skit at some point lmao

For the acting, I feel like Jisoo's acting skills is still not solid enough to be a FL. Her diction and weak portrayal was very obvious. There's definitely some improvement from her previous drama. Something about her acting feels flat AF i find myself getting bored. She's NOT extremely bad and is completely unwatchable but when she has to do funny scenes, she tends to over-exaggerate and it feels unnatural. The rest of the cast also has this 'extra' acting which was so unbearable for me (fl's bestie, office mates). I get that this genre is not supposed to be serious and light hearted but the the comedy acting didn't deliver. I feel like for cringey plots/concepts you really need good solid actors to make it less cringey and enjoyable. It made me realize how romcom type casted actresses are heaven sent

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Absolutely Stunned!!

I had low expectations because of the reviews which said this one was bad during its airing so i kept it in my watchlist and the low review also made me hesitate but I gave it a try because I like both main leads previous works.And I couldn't say more so I was stunned.

The Acting was phenomenal as you could see when the soul actually changed even without the accent. The comedy was very enjoyable which became a rarity in most of the dramas these days. The Ost was so likable to the point I saved it in my playlist of spotify ( I don't usually pay attention to drama ost with the few expections of this drama, Goblin, Love scout and descendents of Sun ). All the Actors did a wonderful job on showing their acting even the second fl as contrary to many reviews I liked her acting ( she could do more if she practiced more expressiveness but still better than her previous work so I was okay with her ).

The 14 episodes was the cream on the top, anything more would've felt boring and anything less wouldve felt short. The Dead King was piece of shit and the villain was more piece of a shit - didn't feel a single shread of pity for him. The Current King, the Ml father showed a terrific show of helplessness which I really liked it. As always the Sejong and Tae oh acting was good, and the chemistry was so good to the point I loved their banter in the second half.

So if you want to watch this drama, Give it a try don't worry about the reviews - still don't understand why this one is less than 8. So give it a Try.

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It delivers what’s promised

It’s a fun, light, and interesting journey!

The premise is very well executed, with great special effects, strong side characters, and excellent development of the FL.

About Jisoo:
I’m not used to actress Jisoo, but after two episodes I completely forgot she was Jisoo and was able to see only the character. Some scenes were a little cringe, like when she gets bothered and shakes her head like “why?”, but I’ve seen other actors do this too. I guess it’s something Koreans do to vent frustration. Other than that, I really liked her acting.

ML:
I LOVED the way he fell in love. It wasn’t obvious; it was about the little things. After he realized his feelings, he was a real man. Even when things got complicated, he was able to understand his heart.

FL:
She is a little egocentric, and sometimes I didn’t like the way she treated her friend. But she had the biggest growth in the whole drama, and it was really nice to see. I also felt sympathetic toward her after finding out what happened in the past. Her character felt very real. I think anyone who has been in relationships can relate to her.

The plot:
The AI dating isn’t really the focus. It’s actually about letting go of the past and opening up to new experiences, but it adds entertainment value.
The scene when the FL goes on a blind date in real life was SO REAL. It showed the truth about modern dating in such a raw way. I was not expecting that.

The side characters are fun to watch, and I got very invested in the best friend’s storyline.

I didn’t catch myself fast-forwarding at all, and 10 episodes was the perfect length.

Definitely the best rom-com this year so far!

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OMG! This story was absolutely incredible, powerful, heartbreaking yet with a silver lining.

The opening scene should have made me realise that this was a one in a million story as we watch two bright young lives destroyed by suicide.

It is the companion side plot to the Between Us drama starring Boun Noppanut as Win and Prem Warut at Team and I’m glad I watched that one first as although their characters feature in this they are a very, very minor sub plot in this drama and watching them the other way round would not have worked so well.

The story centres around Pharm (played by Fluke Natouche) and Dean (played by Ohm Thitiwat) who are students at the same university. Dean is a final year student whose world is turned upside down by Pharm, a first year, when they meet for the first time and his lifelong search is finally over as he recognises his past in this new kid on the block.

Approximately 40 years earlier two young lads - Korn (played by Kai Noppakao) and Intouch (played by Earth Katsamonnat) fall in love in a world filled with homophobia and fathers who cannot accept their love. One fateful night (Intouch’s 18th birthday) during a heated argument between the fathers and the sons, Korn grabs his father’s gun from his waistband, tells Intouch that he loves him then blows his brains out. In, seeing his boyfriend’s body lying in a pool of blood rushes over and amidst a grief filled sob fest grabs the gun tells him that he loves him then proceeds to kill himself too.

As the drama unfolds we realise that Dean and Pharm are the reincarnation of Korn and In as they begin to have more and more flash backs letting them into to the lives of the two deceased men.

There are sad bits, funny bits and every emotion in between and Fluke and Ohm do a fantastic job of making their confused past believable. In the final scenes Fluke broke my heart as he has a mental breakdown over what happened to Intouch in his last few moments of grief before committing suicide too.

This story is a testament to the strength of love that knows no boundaries set in a world of homophobia and the tragic backlash of the double suicide that leaves the remaining family members guilt riddled and broken. This really makes the viewer stop and think about the devastating results of people’s prejudices and how utterly horrendous the fall out from suicide really is.

That said, in the final scenes there is forgiveness and the laying to rest of ghosts that paves the way for Dean and Pharm to commit to each other and this understanding of what happened and what the future could be turns this plot from a terrible tragedy into a story of redemption and hope.

Bravo to the actors and script writers for such a powerful story.

This is my favourite drama ever and I sobbed so much and so loudly through the last two chapters (to the point my husband who was in a different room thought I was laughing) as the ramifications of the actions first of Korn and then In became apparent.

Would I watch this again? Totally, absolutely and inevitably

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