Reviews

quantity > quality

Maybe I've watched too many other shows recently that have particular outstanding qualities not found here.
Maybe when I go into a drama with big expectations, I always get disappointed.
Or maybe when it's Gu Man, I see various Gu Man things that I'm not the biggest fan of (China #1: either China goes to Mars or develops leading hightech breakthroughs or whatever, patriotic Chinese researchers are leading the field in other countries but return to China to advance their homeland, the Chinese government has oh-so-many initiatives that are oh-so-perfect, and some snide remarks that white people food is inedible and inferior unless it's a sponsor in the show), or how she covers at least three industries... but that brings me to my actual complaint.

For me, Shine On Me has too much quantity over quality.

Recently I've felt a bit underwhelmed by how few songs My Page In The 90s makes do with (3-4). Meanwhile, Shine On Me has 17 songs (seventeen!!!). Of those, I like about... one and a half. Even the Liu Yu Ning song is in the bottom third of Liu Yu Ning songs. It's played exactly once, and then thrown in once more at the very end when the producers realize they paid for a lot of songs so they might as well use them all again. Chen Xue Ran this is not.

Character-wise, the quantity onslaught starts with her college roommates in the first episode. For some reason, she doesn't have the standard assignment of four girls in one room, but we instead get six. Then for an extra flimsy reason, they're 'paired' with a room of another six guys. At work, a female lead in a drama is guaranteed one best friend by law, but this one has at least three of them.

We have a mostly useless SML. After he served his purpose, he still gets a decent *quantity* of appearances. But not only that, he also gets a whole boatload of own side characters. They all have names, they all get scenes. But it's so low-effort that two girls with no differentiating features are called 'Min' and 'Mia'.

Even the (fortunately largely ineffective) villains come in groups. Typically they're delivered as a set of three. I find it a bit problematic how the show propagates the idea that the children of selfish and mean people are themselves bound to be bad human beings, but this is going too far off topic.

Other than the FL's cousin Jiang Rui, who stood out in some way in nearly all of his scenes, none of the side characters in SOM were consistently good / entertaining. A bunch had their moments, like particular small mini arcs or scenes in which they stood out, but ... I just came from rewatching another show after two years where all (!) the side characters had stayed somewhat memorable and felt much more like real people than random characters. It doesn't help that Gu Man or the other screenwriter sometimes override some random character's personality and literally just put words into their mouth to replace having a narrator.

I'm still not sure if I find Shine On Me a bit meh because my other recent shows just had *cuter* cute scenes of the leads being cute together, or all the other stuff in-between just wore me down.

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Compelling Start ...and then the plot lost itself.

I am gonna be honest..is it great? No! ...But is it non-watchable...Also no!
You could definitely watch this to get your BL fix when nothing else seems interesting...The lighting and cinematography were really good.
Fair warning, though, you will feel like screaming at both the leads...sometimes the miscommunication is dragged..like one instance of Toh overhearing an incriminating sentence uttered by Jimmy would have been enough (after which the next sentence is undoing the first impression, but of course Toh is long gone by then, and did not hear the second half)...we did not need multiple such 'coincidences'.
Anyways...among the things I liked, at the top is definitely Plaifah and Ter's relationship. Though it started a bit racy and red-flaggish, it actually evolved to be the healthiest one by the end. They were sexy but also sweet; they communicated well, and both seemed to respect each other for their roles in the relationship. I stan!

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Okey cute.

Devo dire che sono contenta di SurfJava. Se si considera poi che questo è stato il loro primo lavoro assieme (visto che lo hanno girato prima di H2H). Quindi come sono stati molto validi in quella devo dire che si riconfermano. That being said, mi sembra che un pelo si sia discostata dalla trama del primo trailer, ma questo come dire, non ci possiamo fare nulla. Ora al netto di tutto, anche se ho amato SurfJava, qua lo devo ammettere, non mi sarebbe dispiaciuto vedere OhmLeng in queste vesti, ma come dico sempre, non si può piangere sulle ship versate. Questo mi riporta sul seminata, cieè che non vedo veramente l'ora di vedere Roommate Chaos per vedere cosa possono fare SurfJava assieme a MarkOhm e a SaveFranc, quindi in un ruolo diciamo comprimario, visto che in questi quattro episodi sono stati molto, molto validi. E niente, mi è anche piaciuta la parte della nonna del personaggio di Java e di come la sua malattia lo abbia aiutato ad essere una persona migliore e che capisce quali sono le sue priorità, fino a spiegarlo anche al personaggio di Surf, per il quale apparire sembra alcune volte più importante che essere.

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Who says zombie movies can't be fun?

The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale is probably the kind of movie that matches my slightly questionable sense of humor because I laughed way more than I expected. The whole premise is ridiculous in the best way possible. A zombie showing up and somehow turning into a business opportunity? Honestly, the absurdity alone already sets the tone that this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s exactly why it works.

Normally I’m the type to nitpick things like “that’s not how zombies work,” but this time I just threw that logic out the window. It’s fiction anyway, so why not let the creators have fun with their own interpretation of what a zombie can be? Instead of being purely horror or survival chaos, the story leans into comedy while still keeping a surprisingly warm heart at the center.

By the end, it wraps things up in a really satisfying and feel good way. It’s funny, a little ridiculous, and oddly heartwarming all at once. If you’re looking for something light that doesn’t require too much brain power but still leaves you smiling, this one is definitely a fun watch.

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actual ragebait show

was excited for this child-care and in-law romance theme but am thoroughly disappointed

fl is actually braindead

the ml is not bad but why does he just let the fl and 2ml do what they want... should've just left with wooju smh and the 2ml... literally why is he everywhere

was so excited cuz wooju is so frickin cute but wtv idc fl and 2ml gave me a headache

was getting ragebaited so hard by this drama had to drop

update after watching ep 11&12: couple scenes were cringe, fl is still so frickin dumb until the last ep. i genuinely thought she would improve. i had hope. but im actually so pissed off like everything bad that happened to wooju was because of her like is she rtarded omg and how did the ml only crash out on her ONCE if i was him id take the kid and leave like since the first time. like literally why was the door even open who in their right mind would not close the door when you have a toddler around omg just thinking about this is giving me a headache. i actually hate this drama sm.

initially, before finishing the last two eps, i was gonna give it a 3/10 but im changing it to a 2/10. 1 pt for wooju and 1 pt for me actually finishing it loll (cuz despite how much it the fl pmo, i still actually sat down to finish it LOL)

i actually hate the fl. i haven't hated a character this much in so long. im like seething just thinking about her.

notes: watched properly until ep4 but ff through the whole eps for 5-12

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Pathos and Passion

This isn’t a BL; it’s a gay film, gritty passionate and political, touching upon the real grim choices some gay men face, choices the working poor face and the sometimes crushing contradictory privilege wealthy gay men labor under. Lee Young Hoon delivered a stellar performance deserving greater recognition than his career has drawn these many years past. Admittedly melodramatic the climactic ending seems all the more comprehensible in view of the very real trials gay men have faced forever and particularly South Korean men at the time this film was made. If you’re looking for a fluffy formulaic BL about an elite boys school seme and uke, this ain’t it. If you want a convincing facsimile of real tears, passion and redemption, as a cinematic mirror held up to life can hope to reflect No Regret has few rivals.

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Very emotional and sometimes, very painful too.

If you want to watch a great romance drama, I highly recommend Start-Up. The love triangle is very original, the story is amazing because it breaks stereotypes on top of the symbolism, and most importantly you see how they rise to success together. The episodes might be long, but it's super addictive. I love the female lead and the male lead too because he's the nerdy/socially awkward type. And well all the characters honestly. Truly an amazing love story but also about life, relationships and dreams. (And the setting is actually so entertaining and interesting.)

Lastly, two things:

- When she said, “I like you because of your hands,” it symbolized everything he gave her — kindness, reassurance, comfort, warmth. Through his gestures and the way he was always there for her, his hands became a metaphor for the emotional support he consistently offered. Of course, Dal-mi thought he was the Do-san from the letters, so when he asked what she liked about him other than being him that's what she answered. So at the end, she says "You're the reason."

- The “first love” argument doesn’t really hold up, because the entire letter situation was orchestrated by her grandmother and Ji-pyeong to comfort her.

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A romantic story about life beautifully told in a slow-breathed and melodic narrative.

Now, We Are Breaking Up is a melodrama with a makjang intrigue, both mature and modern, which creates an interesting contrast to the more traditional storyline. The focus on the women is really good, and the friendships along with the work scenes add dynamism to the drama.

While the drama may not be conventionally entertaining, it captivates in an impressive way. Why? Because it's poetic and relatable, because of its mature and philosophical dialogue, because of its title meaning so much more, because of its cast/OST/cinematography, because of its setting, the opening, and the leads being the first to speak French so well in dramas.

It's not a drama focused on cheesy lines, butterflies, or surface-level moments. The chemistry here reflects how professional adults with such personalities genuinely connect with each other.

Even though it's slow-paced, if you want to watch something adult, melancholic and classy, you can have a great time with this drama. And some of the tracks were so good that I still listen to them, like Tangle Destiny, Tempest and 10 Years Ago.

To end on a good note, I will share my opinion on the ending in the comments. What I can say is that even though it's a melodrama, it leaves you with a warm feeling.

Favorite scene: https://www.reddit.com/user/_sunoh/comments/1ph4gcy/now_we_are_breaking_up_episode_12/

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More Than Friends, a melancholic and memorable rom-com.

Lee Soo is one of the best male leads ever written, but overall the drama is great and unique too. Fairy tale metaphors, landscapes, discovery of Seoul through teamwork and different jobs (photography and calligraphy), stages of life and love (school, adults), beautiful quotes, timing, coincidences and missed opportunities, family relationships, FL's own issues (in the end it was more about her, but Soo stayed patient and worked on himself, but that never means he has to change his whole personality and I hate when people think that way - he is not bad, and they are also just ignoring the lonely cocoon he's created for himself - what he lacked was self love and the vision he had of relationships was from his divorced parents), complex SFL, great contrast with the SML (simple, kind CEO character, his job had to do with literature), his own backstory and his relationship with FL being sort of a contract, creating new opportunities despite being too late, both halves of the drama divided by a turn of tables, fresh take on tropes, 3rd couple and overall "group of friends" story. The best part was the ML's story because of how real it is. I got insanely attached to him, the way he cared about Woo Yeon (her name literally means destiny) for her dreams and I loved how The Little Mermaid was referenced through him. Ong Seong Wu is also my favorite actor since then, I love the OST titles here and he did a song for his character that's so sentimental, the OSTs were always perfectly placed in the drama. Anyway, Lee Soo was just a kid, nothing nearly as bad as what some people want you to believe.

"I don't take photos of people and myself", this was the beginning of his story. He actually gave me inspiration to take photos on my trip at the time I started watching it, haha. Overall, this drama is a slow-burn character study so it's important to be patient.

The moment I fell in love with this drama was the end of Ep 6, where my disappointment turned into fascination and crying my heart out because of Lee Soo. Afterwards, he really became the star of the drama. What I thought was a ridiculous cliché was just so beautifully done and thought-out. I was literally still on my trip, and I barely slept that night. I also remember I watched his short movie "Seong Wu is Alright" and loved it.

P.S. Ong Seong Wu actually likes photography, so of course he took the role.

Quotes:

"But life is a series of exchanges. No one can control them. The only thing that should have been different is not what happened. It's this feeling that I became aware of far too late."
"A missed opportunity turns into regret. If there are no more opportunities to miss, I will make sure to create them myself."
"In a world of misunderstandings, it's dangerous to make assumptions about others. So you should ask the question yourself. You should hear the answer directly."
"Love must touch someone's inner confidence. Then, love will not be dragged away by the other person, but will draw the other person towards you." - from a book's quote at the end

Lee Soo's father to him: "(When couples break up) A man becomes friends when feelings remain, but a woman becomes friends when they have no feelings left."

When Lee Soo asked his divorced mother to consider getting back together with his dad: "Son, do you know what is the most important thing in a long-term relationship? The memories. Your dad and I had good memories, but we have more painful ones. I have no confidence in overcoming those bad memories."

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Praying for a Netflix release soon!

I loved Dokja’s personality in the movie, so it annoyed me to see people saying the original version is “cooler.” Good if he is I guess, but that's not what I'm here for. The characters and their stories might not be the same, and sure, they don’t use firearms in the original—but so what? The movie was incredible and diverse as it was (and honestly, I’ll take a sniper over yet another sword any day). The overall storyline stayed the same according to a friend (yes fans who loved it exist, they are just not the noisy crowd), and the CGI is insane, which they claimed to be bad when I've never seen something that good. Many of them either didn't watch it or in a bad quality, because there is literally no way you can say that. I downloaded it in 1080p so it was perfect.

On top of that, the entire cast was amazing. Their performances were genuinely strong, yet the criticism started the moment the actors were announced. At that point, it feels less like criticism and more like bias. I've seen how they look in the novel and manhwa and the casting seems right to me.

People also forget that the novel is huge. You can’t adapt 2,000 pages to the screen just like that—there are limits. Honestly, it’s better if the adaptation is different because it offers a new perspective, and this is only the first movie out of five. It would be such an amazing journey if the live-action were to continue as planned.

The video-game-like elements and style (even first-person angles), the psychology, the camaraderie, the concept of rewriting the ending you didn't like (and why), the whole “this character wasn’t important and I changed that” mindset—at what point was any of that bad?
And the final fight? Pure adrenaline.

I've rarely had so much fun and it had strong emotional parts too. This was a dream come true for me (especially as an SAO fan, but it also reminded me of As the Gods Will). Like something I had waited for my whole childhood up until now... It's that special. Loved how it was cosmology mixed with Korean mythology, haha.
P.S. My favorite characters were Dokja, Sangah (she was so cute and I love healers/supports), Jihye (always been a fan of snipers) and Bihyung the Streamer Dokkaebi.

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