Reviews

A Comforting, Emotionally Engaging, and Wholesome watch

Just finished watching it, and honestly, I enjoyed it even more than Season 1. The biggest strength of this season was definitely the relationship dynamics between the couples and how naturally their connections developed over time. Unlike many reality romance shows that depend too much on unnecessary drama, this season felt more genuine, emotionally grounded, and sincere. The relationships were given enough space to grow naturally, which made every emotional moment feel more meaningful.

What impressed me the most was how beautifully the show captured the smaller interactions between the participants. The teasing, awkward conversations, caring gestures, moments of hesitation, and gradual comfort between the couples made everything feel realistic and heartfelt. Watching them slowly open up to each other and build emotional trust created a warm and wholesome atmosphere throughout the season.

Another major highlight was the chemistry between several of the couples. Their conversations felt natural instead of scripted for entertainment. There was an emotional sincerity in the way they interacted, which made it easy to become invested in their journeys. Some pairings especially stood out because of how effortlessly they balanced friendship, affection, and emotional understanding.

Compared to Season 1, this season felt more emotionally mature and better paced. The emotional progression never felt rushed, allowing viewers to genuinely experience the growth of each relationship. Because of this slower and more thoughtful storytelling approach, the heartfelt moments landed even better and felt more impactful.

Overall, “When Our Kids Fall in Love Season 2” was a comforting, emotionally engaging, and wholesome watch that managed to improve upon Season 1 in many ways. The authenticity of the relationships and the warmth shared between the couples made it a genuinely enjoyable experience from beginning to end.

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Expanding the Scope of Season 1

Season 1 of Gel Boys was a very small story in comparison to season two. Oh, the angst of season 1! But what was unique about season 1 was how the narrative kept the story firmly rooted in the cultural milieu these characters inhabited: a technofetishist world where young adults must navigate timeless rites of passage in a suffocating landscape: first crushes, becoming comfortable in your own identity, constructing and deconstructing who you want to be. But the cultural milieu is unique from previous generations owing to the technology available to this generation and as such, the technology creates new obstacles previous generations did not have to navigate, while offering a 2.0 version of "classic" rules of these rites (i.e. mix tape versus creating a playlist together). Season 1 navigated the timeless and the timely beautifully.

Season 2 widens those thematic examinations and invites the next generation of Gel Boys into the fray. The narrative framing (jumping between present day with the children of Gen 1 Gel Boys and the past) was unique insofar as we did not know which parents Gelz and Baby belonged to: which couple broke up and whose family was on the proverbial rocks. I thought the pacing for this "mystery' was just taut enough- it didn't unnecessarily belabor it, nor did it offer red herrings just to exacerbate the conflict. It was written to perfection.

Season 1 really drove home the point that parasocial relationships aren't just between fans and celebrities. Social media often means that parasocial relationships are created between "every day people"- classmates, coworkers, colleagues, etc. This examination was transplanted into the wider social media landscape by turning Foud and Bua into celebrities, but stayed true to season 1's examination by continuing to demonstrate how parasocial relationships effect your day-to-day experience with reality. While Foud and Bua had the celebrity parasocial relationship to navigate, they still had to navigate the parasocial nature of the romantic relationships they created. Realizing parasitic relationships are unsteady ground on which to build true connection was examined more deeply and broadly in season 2, while never disrespecting what is psychologically positive about parasocial relationships. The examination was thoughtful, heartbreaking, and never crossed the line into preachy.

The acting from our four main leads continued to be the series strength, along with the entire team's ability to build a world so unique and alien yet so familiar. The set-design, costume design (et. al) and how the director made the cultural milieu another character attests to the talent, dexterity, and vision of the entire team. The familiarity of the world rests in the human experience that was written, acted, and supported (through cinematography, editing, camera angle, etc) throughout the entire narrative. Joy, heartache, heartbreak, grief all present. The maturity of the characters (in juxtaposition to season 1) was evident and these characters weren't simply plopped into a "two years later" timeline without evidence of growth and maturity. From episode 1 it was clear that the characters had matured and morphed from the events of season 1 and were ready to test themselves and their relationships with newfound, burgeoning maturity (and get it wrong, sometimes).

The Gel Boys series is a unique entry into the BL canon not only because it represents a cultural milieu at a specific time and place, but because the story had a human immediacy that was able to cross generational cultural barriers. From writing to directing to acting, there was not a single missed beat or misfire.

One area of weakness that fans noted was the reason why the adult couple broke up. I don't want to spoil anything so I will leave it at this. Relationships have "classic" breakup reasons that are distinctive because of the time in your life when that break up happens. Reasons why relationships fail at 15, 20, 30 and 45 are often dependent upon what your life and its responsibilities define for you at that age. The reason why our relationships fail at 20 are sometimes very different as to why our relationships fail at 45. I understood the reason all to well (being on the other side of 45). I felt it in my core. It felt valid and real.

Highly, highly recommend both seasons.

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A nice surprise

I have to admit I wasn't familiar with Ping as an actor at all. And this is only the second series ever for Teshow following The Dark Dice. Consequently, my expectations weren't particularly high. However, as a couple, Teshow and Ping really surprised me in a positive way, and they carry the seriesalong with Sing and Chimon.
Like most GMMTV productions, the story is a feel-good series. It has a solid foundation but isn't anything extraordinary. That’s why, for me, the rewatch value isn't really high unless you’re a huge fan of the actors. The music just isn't my taste, though that’s usually the case with BLs anyway.
I hope TeshowPing get their own series again next year. And I would love to see Teshow play something like a horror clown bad guy. His smile would be perfect for that.

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All in all, pretty standard (and sweet) show.

This was entertaining in that mindless, brain-candy way that made it easy to watch. There’s nothing wrong with that. Occasionally we just need a show to be pure mindless fun, and that’s exactly what this one was — cotton candy.
The plot was easy to follow, and the atmosphere was one of its strongest points. I really like this type of sweet BL series — with a little angst and lots of fluff. But it’s not a masterpiece by any means. This is pure GMMTV vibes through and through. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

The plot is really simple.
Sun and Bay are trying to carve out their own slice of happiness. It might be messy and complicated at times, but it’s theirs. The major life complication? Their fathers are in conflict. If you’ve watched Bad Buddy — yeah, something like that.
Boat and Kong — it’s complicated here because I liked them so much. Did I get any actual romance from them? No. Hints of romance? Maybe — though probably not (except for a few minutes in the last episode). And yet there I was every Sunday, waiting for my five-minute dose of them.

I debated hard between 7 and 8 stars for this series. A a friend let me know recently that my scale for good grades of— that “7 means alright, 8 is good but not amazing” (9 = amazing, 10 = I had a blast) is actually more positive than how most people on MLD interpret the ratings So since the show was good, I first thought 7. Then my pushover conscience got to me and I bumped it up to 8… only to let it fall back down to 7.5. I just wanted more sweet moments (especially Boat and Kong) and fewer fathers.

Would I recommend this to you all? Yes. Rounding up — I had a blast regardless.

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The Legend of the Female Pig Butcher

‒Review‒

"He's so handsome, no wonder Big Sis saved him from the snow ... Nonsense, it's about saving lives, not looks." This exchange between the FL Fang Changyu and her kid sister dives into the heart of show. Then, as FCY wipes Zhang Linghe's face gently with a towel as the camera pans in, we then get a close-up of the two girls looking wide-eyed and mesmerized. "Wowww," they let out a sigh of amazement. So why is Pursuit of Jade the international hit costume drama of 2026. Why? Because it's woww-so-pretty in its visual cinematography, and most of all its actors.

There's really no point for me to do a deep dive into the plot as it's the visuals that will pull you in, and the visuals that will convince you how much it's about 'saving lives' or errhmm the story.

What I liked
✅Director, Director, Director - Zeng Qingjie is now the God of Idol Dramas, able to elevate good looking people to new heights. And it's also the colors, camera shots, etc., nuances I'm too clueless to articulate except that it's obvious enough to be much more aesthetically pleasing. Other dramas that come to mind: A Dream of Splendor and Road to Splendor, which even had captivating real landscape shots.
✅Visual story telling - And it's also how Director Zeng uses the camera and editing to tell the story. He's able to take the same basic script, but tell it in a way that make the characters and story seem much more profound. I watched for 18 episodes because he provided the anticipation of profound characters and an epic story.
✅Tian Xiwei - She's been known for being a cute, innocent girl in other dramas. PoJ highlights how she has been elevating her acting game. Here, she's able to deliver credible action-oriented scenes, whether butchering pigs or fighting bandits. And embody a credible attitude of a orphaned pig butcher and medieval village peasant, good enough for idol anyways. I also liked her portrayal of the princess in Guardians of Dafeng where she was able to humorously deliver the obnoxious, entitled airhead princess, but also the character growth. And held her own as the rookie cop alongside a veteran cast in the non-idol drama 'Born with Luck'.
✅Zhang 'Saving Lives' Linghe - Without gege, this show wouldn't exist or become an international sensation. With the help of Director Zeng, ZLH was able to look more natural as a wounded general. Granted, part of that was director's magic, as he skillfully hid ZLH from extended expressive scenes, and relied on angles and editing cuts to bolster the effect of his acting.
✅Deng Kai and Snow Kong - same thing, look good + directorial magic
✅Humor and action - both were well done, and helped keep me around for 18 eps.

What I didn't like
❌Zhang 'Gap-Year-General' Linghe - The enemies are plotting, a grave threat to the kingdom is looming, and the most fearsome heroic general is out in the countryside selling his looks for $3.50 a pound with a side of pig entrails
❌Military Strategy - WhyTF even bother with generals when you can just recruit an army of female pig butchers to crush the enemy. They can kick ass, look good, and even take care of the butchering and cooking. And they'll take a lot more than a 20% pay cut compared to men and not unionize. Just convert your male generals to backup duty for those few days every month. Seriously WhoTF is wasting this strategic arbitrage?? Did Hegseth transmigrate into ancient China??
❌The Story - unfortunately not nearly as impressive. Hearing about plot crashes ahead, I didn't see the point of sticking around after 18 sped-up episodes.

So can we just make Female Pig Butchers the next aspirational role for female empowerment? There's been enough female generals, I think pig butcher is a much more representative that affects more lives. The ratio of pig butchers to generals in medieval China must be 1000-1. It's time to focus on where the people are.

--Category Ratings--
- Overall - 6
- Plot - 5
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 6
- Acting - 7.5
- Visuals - 9
- Audio / Music - 8.5
- Rewatch - 5.5
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 8
- Subtitle quality - 8.5

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A nice remake

Another remake of a Thai BL, this time it had improvements, but it also lacked in some points.
I thought the little cameo appearance of Thomas and Kong was fun.
It was a shame the runtime was shorter, i missed a lot of the original story. They cut a lot of the screen time of the second and third couple and that really was a shame. For me those two couples were the highlights in the Thai drama. |
The visuals, cinematography and music were good.

The actors all did a good job. I liked it that Hinata was kind and innocent and not childish like Teerak in the Thai version.
The actor who played Sora was also an improvement, his acting was less stiff that that of Thomas.
Hinata and Sora didn't have much chemistry and their kisses and NC scene were ok, but not great.
I loved the chemistry between Mikoto and Yu and their kisses were great!

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Satisfying Revenge… But Was This Really an 18-Year Plan?

Well. I said at the end of Part 1 that I needed to see whether The Glory could land all the pieces it had placed on the chessboard.

And... Kind of? 😂

Let me start by saying that I still enjoyed The Glory Part 2. I binged all 16 episodes of this drama in basically two days, so clearly the series had me.

The performances remained fantastic. I wanted to see these horrible people get what was coming to them, and there was absolutely satisfaction in watching their lives unravel.

But by the end, I had one major problem: I don't believe this was an 18-year revenge plan.

I believe Dong-eun spent 18 years preparing herself to pursue revenge. That's different.

Because so much of what eventually brings these people down depends on circumstances that Dong-eun couldn't possibly have predicted.

She couldn't have known 18 years ago that Yeon-jin would marry a wealthy, successful man.
She couldn't have known she'd have a daughter with Jae-jun.
She couldn't have known what relationships, addictions, jealousies and secrets would develop among the group as adults.

Some of the most useful information Dong-eun gets isn't the result of some meticulously constructed master plan either. Hyeon-nam suggests stealing a phone. They discover information. Dong-eun adapts.
And to be fair, Dong-eun is excellent at adapting.
Give that woman a new piece of information and she'll find a way to weaponise it.

But that's excellent improvisation.

It's not an 18-year plan.

And I think Part 1 had made me expect something much more meticulous. I wanted REVENGE CHESS.

I wanted Yeon-jin to discover Dong-eun's plan, try to counter it and then realise: Oh shit. She knew I'd do that too.

I wanted reveals that showed Dong-eun had been ten moves ahead of everyone.

Instead, once she put enough pressure on this already dysfunctional group of terrible people, they largely began destroying each other.

That's still satisfying.

It's just not the revenge story I thought the first half was setting up.

Some of the punishments also felt downright haphazard.

Jae-jun's ending is probably the best example. Hye-jeong puts something in his eye drops that affects his vision. He uses them while driving. He crashes. He survives. Then he somehow ends up at a construction site, where someone...apparently Ha Do-yeong...pushes him into wet concrete. WHAT?! 😂
That's not Dong-eun executing an intricate revenge plan. That's a man having the worst day imaginable.

And strangely enough, Jae-jun was probably the only one of the original group I felt even a tiny bit sorry for. He was still an awful person. But discovering that Ye-sol was his daughter seemed to awaken something genuinely human in him. He was HAPPY to have a daughter. He wanted her. He was proud of her.

It didn't redeem him, but it made him more complicated than simply “horrible rich bully,” which made his ending hit differently for me.

I also expected the revenge itself to be a little more brutal.

Listen. I KNOW how this sounds. 😂

But after watching what these people did to Dong-eun as a teenager, I expected a little more poetic justice.

Nobody gets burned?! Not even a LITTLE curling iron?! COME ON.

Then there's Yeo-jeong. Sir. YOU SHOWED ME A DRAWER FULL OF KNIVES. You told this woman you'd be her executioner.
You had that slightly unhinged little smile while helping her carry out her revenge. I was READY for this man to reveal that underneath the sweet doctor exterior was somebody you absolutely did not want as an enemy.

And then...
Not enough psycho!
😂

I didn't necessarily need him to become a murderer. Dong-eun herself doesn't cross that line, so it would have been strange for her partner to suddenly start stacking bodies.

But I wanted something a little more deranged from him while still keeping him on the safe side of the line.
The darkness was THERE. Lee Do-hyun sold it. I just don't think the story did enough with it.

Which brings me to my biggest structural issue with the ending.

For me, Dong-eun reaching the rooftop after completing her revenge felt like the natural endpoint of her story.
I didn't want her to die.
But everything after that felt like the beginning of another season.

Yeo-jeong's mother appears and stops her. Dong-eun learns more about his suffering. Suddenly we're moving into HIS revenge story. There's another plan. Dong-eun and Yeo-jeong reunite. Their relationship finally moves forward. We get the kiss, the “I love you,” and the two of them heading into the prison to begin another revenge mission.
And I kept thinking: This should have been the next story.

Yeo-jeong's trauma was interesting enough that I wish the series had either woven it more substantially throughout the main revenge plot or saved it for a proper continuation.

Instead, his story felt comparatively underdeveloped until the end.

So Part 2 didn't quite deliver the mastermind revenge fantasy that Part 1 had me expecting.

But I still enjoyed the hell out of watching it.

Lim Ji-yeon was phenomenal.
Song Hye-kyo was perfectly suited to Dong-eun.
Lee Do-hyun made me desperately want approximately 15% more psycho from an otherwise lovely man. 😂
And the entire cast made these characters compelling enough that I flew through sixteen episodes.

7.5/10.

Very good. Very satisfying in places. Still addictive.

But Part 1 made me believe I was watching an 18-year master plan unfold.

Part 2 made me realise I was watching an incredibly determined woman who had prepared for 18 years—and then became very, very good at working with whatever opportunities presented themselves.

There's a difference.

And unfortunately for The Glory, I wanted the chessmaster.

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Now THIS Is How You Start a Revenge Story

I went into The Glory because I was craving something darker, more mature and serious, and somewhere around episode three or four I realised:
Oh. I'm IN.
By the time I reached episode eight, I basically couldn't stop watching.
The premise itself is horrifying. Moon Dong-eun is brutally bullied as a teenager, failed by practically every adult who should have protected her, and spends the next 18 years preparing to take revenge on the people who destroyed her life.
And I LOVE a good revenge story.
What immediately hooked me was the feeling that Dong-eun was moving pieces around a chessboard while everyone else was still living their lives completely unaware that the game had already started.
She isn't running around screaming about revenge.
She's quiet.
Watching.
Learning.
Positioning herself.
And Song Hye-kyo is actually perfect for this role.
I've never personally rated her as one of my favourite actresses because I often find her performances very restrained—almost expressionless at times. But with Dong-eun?
That quality WORKS.
This is a woman who seems to have shut down parts of herself just to survive. Nothing appears to move her much anymore, which makes those occasional moments when something cracks through that exterior even more effective.
But LIM JI-YEON?!
Good God.
She is acting the HELL out of Park Yeon-jin.
Beautiful, polished, wealthy, successful—and absolutely demented.
Both Lim Ji-yeon and Shin Ye-eun, who plays the younger Yeon-jin, completely sell this character as someone who doesn't simply do horrible things but genuinely seems to enjoy the power she has over other people.
And Park Sung-hoon apparently specialises in making me hate him. 😂
After seeing him in Queen of Tears, here he is AGAIN being an absolute douchebag. He has this arrogant, slightly suave energy that works ridiculously well for these characters.
Then there are the two men who increasingly fascinated me.
Ha Do-yeong, Yeon-jin's husband, starts playing Go with Dong-eun and gradually becomes intrigued by this strange woman who has deliberately entered his orbit.
And I kept wondering:
Why is this man thinking about her so much?
Is he attracted to her?
Suspicious of her?
Fascinated by her?
Does he simply enjoy finally meeting someone who challenges him?
I genuinely couldn't tell—and I liked that.
Then there's Yeo-jeong.
At first I thought we had the sweet doctor who was going to provide a little softness in this otherwise very dark story.
NOPE.
😂
Once he understands what happened to Dong-eun, this man is basically like:
Oh, you're destroying people? Wonderful. How can I assist?
And then we discover that our sweet doctor has some darkness of his OWN.
Suddenly I'm looking at that little smile very differently.
My one criticism of Part 1 is actually about the revenge structure itself.
I almost wish the series had hidden more of Dong-eun's preparation from us.
For example, rather than watching her recruit Hyeon-nam and then seeing Hyeon-nam gather information for her, I would have loved to see this seemingly random woman taking photographs and only discover later:
WAIT. SHE'S WORKING FOR DONG-EUN?!
I wanted more of those massive reveal moments where we discover that something seemingly unrelated was actually part of Dong-eun's plan all along.
Almost like a heist movie.
Show me the result first.
Make me wonder how the hell it happened.
Then pull back the curtain and show me that Dong-eun positioned that piece six months ago.
Because the idea that this woman has spent 18 years preparing for revenge made me want to believe that she had accounted for EVERYTHING.
Still, after eight episodes, I was completely invested.
The acting is fantastic. The villains are genuinely horrible. The story is dark without becoming difficult for me to watch, and despite the deliberate pacing, something is always moving.
Most importantly, I NEED to know what Dong-eun has planned for these people.
9/10.
Part 1 built the chessboard beautifully.
Now I need to see whether Part 2 can actually land all those pieces.

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Amazing

At first, I honestly wasn’t a fan of the story of Match Point. But as the series went on, I slowly understood why Bay and Sun did what they did. Because of the conflict between their dads, they were left with almost no way to interact, even though Bay had already liked Sun since they were young. 🥹
Everything became even more meaningful when Bay finally found the courage to tell Sun the truth—and that was where their story truly began.
And Teshow and Ping… their chemistry is EVERYTHING. 😭🎾 For their first series together as a BL couple, they really did an amazing job. Their acting, chemistry, and the way they brought Bay and Sun to life made the series so much more enjoyable. The entire cast also did a great job.
In the end, Match Point became a journey I’m glad I stayed for. And now, I just want one thing: another TeshowPing series, please! Their chemistry deserves another story. 🥹💙🎾

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A lot of hype, but ultimately an average drama.

Social media gave this drama a huge boost, so I had high expectations, but I’m slightly disappointed.
It was missing something. The beginning was pretty good, but things started to drag around episodes 20–30 (as happens with most Chinese dramas); the pace picked up again towards the end, yet the final episode felt underwhelming.
The overall chemistry between the female and male leads was on the level of a casual "Hi, how are you?"... If a drama aims to portray a believable romance, then the scenes themselves need to be believable.
What really thrilled me were the ML's fight scenes. Perfect. But there were too few of them.
The rest is just average, unfortunately.

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Missing a great opportunity by playing it safe with the rom-com playbook

As part of my second-language practice, I'm focusing on what someone my age and with my experience would want to know before watching a drama. I chose this drama because the social network campaign caught my eye with appealing scenes that are “nice to watch”; the visuals and chemistry of both leads were great, and it fits my current trend of watching rom-coms with a happy ending as a dopamine source. My conclusion after watching the drama is that they missed the opportunity to produce a good drama, playing it safe with a “Rom-Com by the playbook.”

I didn’t read the book, but the plot, full of opportunities, was interesting for a self-improvement rom-com, with an ML as a powerful, foolproof airline CEO fighting to prove his value to the family, and a beautiful, smart semi-Cinderella in an irresistibly fitted uniform, following her dream of becoming a pilot from a flight attendant. They develop a credible, attention-grabbing enemies-to-lovers relationship and show the characters' growth despite their different personalities, incompatible careers, and backgrounds. The visuals were great, with good rhythm and no slow episodes, and the production was sometimes impressive, as in the emergency landing sequence.

Instead of exploring the complexity of such a different personalities with a relationship starting with the wrong foot, the production appealed to the playbook only focused on the usual rom-com stereotypes: the rich family accepting at the end the other lead, confessions while drunk, unnecessary breakup with the stoicism of one of the main lead know what is better to ease the burden but no caring about the emotional effect, the umbrella under the rain, the “close to accidental kiss” when almost falling down, the super-efficient 24/7 assistant, the love counselors without experience in dating, all the supporting character being die-hard fans of the leads like if they were idols, staff over celebrating main leads achievements (I have never seen people launching paper sheets in a board meeting or in an office to celebrate), a hidden family story, the ML randomly appearing just in time to save the FL, the sunset scene during a turning point moment of the relationship, bad guy with unmatching ugly shirts, expensive cars, luxury houses, amusement parks, leads being successful in business without experience, plenty of previous scenes as memories all over the episodes, long-distance relationship with one the leads traveling as part of the career improvement, a marriage proposal using the most expensive resources and inexplicable logistic (at least the scene at the bathroom pushing for an answer was funny and credible), and fantastic marriage scenes (how could this happen in real life without infringing airport security). I can’t help but think of tons of look-alike scenes in the international rom-com industry, which are good, but it would be nice if they showed more real-life ups and downs and evolution as the relationship developed, which the interesting plot opened the opportunity for.

The main leads acted well and conveyed emotions, with excellent chemistry and visuals that were the backbone of the drama. Their scenes of flirting, acceptance, fun together, and reconciliation felt credible and refreshing. The FL's evolution from being used to being alone and her difficulty sharing her feelings was well acted, showing the transitions and taking advantage of the script's possibilities with a non-common character. Her quote, where she tells her friends that different backgrounds expand horizons instead of being unsolvable obstacles, was a smart summary of her point of view. On the ML’s side, his business-related dialogue and behavior were weak, and the script felt like a straitjacket; he still showed his evolution from a ruthless CEO to a loving partner, learning to get along while keeping his grip on his job and working hard to maintain boundaries between business and personal life. Regarding the main leads' intimacy, the kissing scenes were adequate and timely, making them credible; and in the sleeping-together scenes, even when they could have developed more passion to support their relationship, they at least avoided the typical lack of credibility of excessive puritanism in maintaining un unreal chastity by stopping for respect after passionate kisses flooded with desire, while staying alone in an inviting apartment.

As for the secondary leads, their transition from antagonist to couple felt interesting at first, but instead of a funny character, they created an irresponsible second lead male who felt like something out of a cartoon, lacked credibility, and could never attract a smart woman. The female antagonist had little opportunity to develop; her transition from pursuing the ML, pushed by her parents, to focusing on her career and building a new romantic relationship instead of becoming a villainess felt credible. Unfortunately, their relationship felt like an attempt to inject comedy into the drama; it was too messy, bordered on sarcastic, and the serious moments didn’t help. The drama missed the chance to develop an interesting long-time friends-to-lovers plot, where they know each other's pros and cons and how they might overcome them.

The pilot and purser flight attendant plot felt more interesting, realistic, and deserved more attention, since it showed how attachment makes you stay in an impossible dead-end relationship and how hard it is to end it, even when you get plenty of signals that are usually ignored out of fear of being alone. The outcome felt expected and realistic, and I liked that neither of them is at fault; they were simply incompatible because their life goals didn't align, and she finished the relationship by pursuing self-improvement as a way out.

As expected in a drama by the playbook, we can find the list of required stereotypical characters: on the FL side, the man-eater friend, who, in the end, we assumed she found love; an almost dumb friend who needs a lot of care; melodramatic situations to play with our feelings; in this case, it was the death of her “almost boyfriend,” with no explanation and without even a formal relationship. At least that situation gave us one of the drama's best quotes, when she asked herself whether it was better to fail than miss out, which became the basis for the FL's acceptance of the ML. The FL's mother never showed a clear definition, and the sudden acceptance, without developing the relationship, felt fake. On the ML side, the parents were too exaggerated, especially his mother's behavior; his secretary was a joke and not even close to what the position required; and his assistant made it hard to believe he had what was required at that level. Instead of improving the drama, all those characters made it even less realistic and credible.

The supporting elements, such as the lighting, photography, direction, and cinematography, were good, with the OST supporting the scenes as an integral part of them. I am not an aviation expert, but the scenes felt credible and showed the importance and responsibility of preparing to protect passengers' lives. All the plane emergency scenes were very good, almost at a super production level.

I could find tons of mistakes, making it look like they were in a rush to meet the expected schedule to produce a rom-com; here are some of them: the wardrobe sequence, like changing the way they were dresses in continuous scenes (too many to mention); very difficult-to-follow time of day in key continuous sequences in which you will never know if they were in daylight or at night; meetings on weekends at night (I’ve never seen this happen in my decades in the corporate world); incoherent sequences as when they reconciliate, I couldn’t understand the sequence from being booked in a hotel, waking up up together in her house, going to the cemetery, receiving a plane as a gift, and meeting her mother in the gallery. The worst was the building's security: the antagonist's ex-girlfriend, with a thug, could reach the FL's door, stay for hours, and break into the apartment, but a delivery boy took too long to clear security. And let alone the FL’s apartment door: in one scene, the ML could get into the apartment, cooking while she was using the toilet, but in a critical scene, he was stuck at the door for hours when he was worried about her. Besides making the drama lose credibility, it gives the impression that relying on the leads’ chemistry, technical resources, proven scene formulas, and the editor's improvisation was enough to earn good reviews.

In summary, it is a nice-to-watch drama that leaves the expected good feeling of dopamine from a rom-com with a happy ending, even when you feel that it could be better if the production didn’t try to play it too safe, relying on the playbook of proven scenes with strong technical execution, focusing on easy-to-digest entertainment based on the leads’ chemistry, and avoiding the risk of developing credible character evolution by exploring their behavior and evolution in the different challenges they faced, leaving the sensation of a great plot with a missed opportunity.

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The Power of Food to Solve Almost Any Problem

In my opinion, this is easily one of the best K dramas in 2026.

Funny, touching and inspirational, The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is a dramedy that believes in the power of food to resolve almost any conflict. The power of food to lift one from clinical depression, to give one purpose, to heal hurts, to turn an enemy into a friend, to secure victory in a military war game and even convert a collectivist into a capitalist. An absolutely uplifting zero-to-hero masterpiece.

This was an unexpected delight that I stumbled upon on my flight to South Korea. Its storyline and direction are both original and creative, outshining other food-themed dramas like Tastefully Yours or Bon Appetit, Your Majesty...both of which lacked this level of depth.

This drama also features a great ensemble cast --even those in supporting or cameo roles deliver convincing performances! I find that any project that Lee Sang Yi and Jin Goo agrees to be a part of boasts an excellent narrative. Would watch it again!

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A Fast Food-like Drama

As usual, I am sharing what someone my age and experience would want to know before watching a rom-com with a happy ending as a dopamine source. Using food as a metaphor, I'd say, “This is a fast-food drama.”

Explaining myself: with fast food, after a repetitive process, anyone with the proper training and sourcing the right ingredients gets food very fast with known quality, an expected, not complex flavor, and immediate satisfaction. The joy is brief; it doesn't do much for your health, and the aftertaste doesn’t last long.

This drama follows the same principle: a safe rom-com that relies on a mechanical, well-performed process, uses proven formulas, and offers little to project onto; you know what you will consume, what you'll receive, it is fast with no complex development, and, in the end, only temporary satisfaction, bringing little to your mental health beyond immediate distraction.

We found the usual self-improvement rom-com, featuring two almost 30-year-old virgins: the dominant CEO with personal traumas, and the nice, innocent, and kind FL, trying to improve herself after living through tons of unfair situations where people took advantage of her kindness, improving thanks to the CEO’s support and transformation.

As expected in the fast food process, here the production selected from the typical scenes to receive good reviews in the make-it-fast rom-com: the “accidental kiss”, the CEO with traumas to be rescued by the FL's kindness, the hardworking FL that overpasses all her coworkers with her smartness, the coworkers insanely supporting the FL, confessions while drunk, the ML appearing out of nowhere to save the FL, the first kiss and first time intimacy for both leads, bad guys being punished, people with wrong behaviors turning friend due to the good dees of the main leads, frequent repetition as memories, the unnecessary breakup and the reconciliation after the life risk of some of the main leads, the temporary split in search of self-improvement of one of the leads, (in this case with difficult-to-understand trip to France after stabilizing their relationship, without thinking about the message to your partner when you want to leave for few months?), the transformations and self-reflection of the other lead to support the dreams, and of course, the last episode’s proposal. I expected the rom-com scenes, but when they are too superficial, it made me feel like something was missing.

Even with the predictable plot, the leads' acting met expectations: the leads had good chemistry, the FL's expressions conveyed the irresistible charm that made the CEO fall in love with her instead of more beautiful and successful women, and the ML showed convincing expressions in his evolution and in how he managed his troubles and setbacks, and in how he slowly fell in love with the FL. Like many Korean dramas, the production was polished with few noticeable flaws. As for the antagonists-turned-friends, they were too stereotyped; at least they weren't portrayed as villains, but as “nice people understanding they had no chance.” The leads’ overly exaggerated friends came across as a cheap attempt at humor rather than genuinely funny. Nothing good to say about the FL’s mother, whose character could be deleted without any impact. The lighting, photography, and direction were good, and the OST supported the scenes as an integral part of them, with a good rhythm and no boring episodes.

In summary, the drama was enjoyable to watch and worked well as light entertainment, as long as you aren't looking for deeper emotions or dramatic situations, you can live with the plot holes, or you need something to connect with personally. It is a standard Korean product from the light rom-com drama factory: a happy ending, proven scenes, little artistry, nothing new to expect, and designed to deliver exactly what viewers want to satisfy the domestic market and foreign fans of Asian dramas. Like fast food, it offers immediate satisfaction through a known flavor and convenience, where you can’t expect a dopamine-lasting sensation that you would get at a good restaurant.

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Worth rewatching.

This is not my first time watching this show, and it probably won’t be the last (I am a sucker for Jang Uk). The number of bad reviews for this season was a shock to me, actually; I, too, find the first season better, but not for the reasons many stated here.

The common feedback seems to be: “the first actress was better!” and “there is no romantic chemistry!”. As those are subjective interpretations, I will just say that, to me, Lee Jae Wook can even develop chemistry with a wall. And for the second actress, I think her acting is good. Not better or worse than the first one, just good overall (I also like Jung So Min, but I wouldn’t call her acting in part one “peak” as many reviews here do. I mean, her “I-know-something-you-don’t” face was basically the 😏 emoji)

No, the real problem with this season is the writing. First, let me address the strong points before I start to break down the failed details: Throughout every Hong Sisters’ show, I always find the strong character development to be a fixed constant – which is also true in part 2 of AoS. As much as people might not like Naksu and Jang Uk’s new personalities, they are perfectly fitting as a follow-up to part 1’s finale. Jang Uk is a depressed mess, having been stabbed by his one true love, and Naksu now has a more “gleeful” aspect, having forgotten all the tragedies of her past.

HOWEVER… The plot. Where is it? If you asked me what the protagonist's main goal was at the start of this season, I would have a hard time responding. Jang Uk wanted to die, and Bu Yeon wanted to escape her prison. Okay, she achieves her objective in episode two, and Jang Uk never really does anything about getting her to develop her powers so that she could remove the Ice Stone from inside him. That’s why we, the audience, keep anxiously expecting the moment when they’re going to realize that Bu Yeon is actually Naksu. But when they do, nothing changes. This information does nothing to enhance or move the story in another direction. All we are watching is Jang Uk and Naksu falling in love again, which, don’t get me wrong, I love and find super cute, but I can understand that it may feel like a gigantic filler, especially when the ending of part 1 was so impactful.

And what even is Jin Mu’s objective? Why would ANYONE volunteer to be a soul shifter when, day in and day out, we see them running wild and getting petrified? They SAY that is because the rich can be rich forever, young forever, powerful forever, blah blah blah… But we never really see this taking place. None of Jin Mu’s followers has ever seen a successful case of someone who’s been through the alchemy of souls and whose life became better afterwards. You could argue that Master Lee is an example, but it only worked nicely because he shifted into a dead body. None of Jin Mu’s soul-shiftings did that.

Seo Yul’s storyline was the one that made the least sense. He finds out Bu Yeon is Naksu, and his first thought is to die together? Why, my good guy? Why would you not say a single thing to anyone about the pain you were suffering FOR THREE WHOLE YEARS? Was So-i sending you medicine from the capital to the North Fortress all this time? Is mail a thing in Daeho? When she figured out that there was a cure, why would you still not do anything about it? (Speaking of So-i, we can all agree she was the most plot-devicey character ever made in this entire show, yes? Okay then.)

About the two-ish final episodes: I have different opinions from my first and second viewing. The first time I watched it, I was too deep into the story to wonder why all that was even happening. This time, however, it hit differently. Once I reached the part where Jang Uk and Naksu recognized each other again, I lost any interest I had left in the story. The whole Fire Bird plot is meaningless and is only there to add impactful visuals. The OG Jin Bu Yeon/Seol Ran says that they must wake the Fire Bird even after the main threat (Jin Mu and the other mages) had been defeated, because… reasons.

My final thoughts are that I like this world and these characters a lot, so I will probably watch it again in a few more years. Part 1 definitely feels richer and more developed, but despite its simpler plot, Part 2 has its moments. I’m overall grateful for the number of episodes we were given to enjoy Jang Uk and Naksu’s story.

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They can kiss

Is this the longest title of a BL I have ever witnessed? LOL. Well, it is the plot! Yes, it’s as simple as that. 😂 But honestly, I didn’t expect to love this one so much.
This might be my favorite JBL, along with the other ongoing JBL I’m watching right now. Yes, the plot is as simple as the title, but I swear, this is SO cute. 🥹🥹
There’s no overacting or exaggerated reactions. It’s just a calm confession with very calm flirting, and somehow, that makes everything even cuter. The whole series has this soft and natural vibe that I really enjoyed.
The conflicts presented are mostly hidden traumas that might not seem like a big deal to most people, but can actually be a big deal to someone who experienced them. It really shows how one person’s actions, even if they seem small or harmless, can affect someone else’s life.
I also love how the conversations, confessions, and misunderstandings were handled. They weren’t resolved in an easy way, but at the same time, they weren’t dragged out unnecessarily either. As a viewer, you can actually see that they are capable of working through their own problems themselves, and I really appreciate that.
Both characters also had their own character development. Asamiya learned to slow down and not overwhelm Mayama, while Mayama learned to express his feelings more and tried to keep up with Asamiya’s pace. They both adjusted for each other, and because of that, they were able to meet halfway. And that’s probably what I love most about their relationship. It’s not just one person constantly adjusting for the other. They both learned, changed, and made an effort to understand each other.
The chemistry between the actors is so cute too, especially with the height difference and everything. I love them both so much, I swear! 🥹
And the kiss???!! THEY CAN KISS!!! HARD!!! HAHAHAHA. 😂🔥
Overall, this is such a simple story, but sometimes that’s exactly what makes a series work. It doesn’t need unnecessary drama or complicated conflicts to make the relationship interesting. It’s just two people slowly learning how to understand, love, and adjust to each other.

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