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You Maniac Best Series of the Year
You Maniac is my most anticipated series of the year, and it stood by it, 2 Maniac has bought craziness & full of Chios with laughter and emotion, now looking forward to their chemistry building and chiotic self, WilliamEst are doing good job in building the hype, by Playing DeanMoth off camera and bantering and justifying their character, its fun to see their bantering with popcorn in hand 🤣🤣Was this review helpful to you?
worth watching
if you are a westie, and you watched Thamepo, the vibe its COMPLETLY DIFFERENT.but somehow its good to see them to enjoy plays new and complexed charachter.
if you are not, its a good tv series to watch…the cinematography, how they use the color shading to display Dean’s world and Moth’s. You need to look closely to their face expressions, how their body reacts and in general their body language to really understand how some lines really affect them.
in the end worth watching.
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Bad execution
To be honest, I found it hard to get through this series. There is something about the execution itself that feels off, and at times it almost reminds me of a school production. Throughout the entire show, I couldn't shake off the feeling of actors simply acting out grief, longing, and love. As a result, I only saw the production itself and couldn't believe in the relationships. This is a shame, because the core story is exciting and interesting. For me, it falls completely flat in its execution, and the actors are still a bit inexperienced here, which I think shows. I’ve had this recommended to me many times because, on paper, it’s exactly what I’m looking for, but it didn't move me at all. Perhaps it's also because I had just watched two grand series right before this—My Dearest and, ironically, The Red Sleeve—which made this one feel rather grey and muted in comparison.Was this review helpful to you?
A Gorgeous Shell Over a Hollow Core
The Orchestrated Wager Game of Deception and Lies: When Stupendous Acting Meets a Disappointing Plot!I had been anticipating this drama for a full year, drawn in by a powerhouse cast that looked tailor-made for the premise. While many fans were initially skeptical of the trailers, my disappointment ultimately ran far deeper once the actual series began.
Episode 1 offered a unique and genuinely compelling introduction, keeping my expectations high. By Episode 2, things truly ignited: Lady Cho and Cho Won launched into a gripping wager game, creating an electric vibe and a crackling chemistry that made it feel like a completely different caliber of storytelling.
Unfortunately, everything began to fade away and fall apart from Episode 3 onwards. It felt as though the writer changed overnight—an unpopular opinion, perhaps, and many won't agree with me, but one hard to shake once the narrative lost its footing. Rather than a tight, compelling plot, the runtime became weighed down by an endless noise of supporting characters serving little purpose other than to drag the pacing. It is a frustrating pattern, as Korean dramas are having to vow for starting brilliantly only to spiral downward fast and drastically, squandering immense potential. Add in a frequent misuse of the background music, and the immersive experience frequently broke.
The Highs: What Actually Works
Despite the writing missteps, certain elements kept it barely watchable:
■ A well chosen Cast of main actors:
●Son Ye Jin: Utterly magnetic. Her elegance in traditional Korean garments was striking, and while her character was cunning and manipulative, her composure and commanding acting were highlights.
●Ji Chang Wook: Played the charismatic playboy role to absolute perfection—a fit so natural it felt written exclusively for him. His chemistry with his co-stars was palpable, particularly with Nana.
●Nana: Delivered a top-notch portrayal of a mourning widow so convincing it scarcely felt like acting. She was a phenomenal addition to the main ensemble.
■Aesthetics & Cinematography: The filming locations and overall visual direction were gorgeous. The cinematography easily stole the show, often overshadowing a narrative that collapsed under its own weight.
Ultimately, The Scandal feels like a poorly written story propped up by high production value. I don't regret giving it a try, if only because it serves as another reminder not to blindly trust luring teasers, trailers, or posters. Being generous after fast-forwarding through episodes 5 to 8, it earns a 6/10—not a decent drama by any stretch, but just barely watchable thanks to an A-list cast and stunning cinematography that provided its only true worth.
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This is a must watch, it gives you a glimpse of Thai Bl industry
I’m only 3 episodes in and I already know this is going to be a problem for me 😂😭Auausave are doing such a wonderful job. Their chemistry is SO good, and I’m absolutely still rooting for ThirdWan I need these two to survive whatever chaos is coming their way because I am already emotionally invested. 🥹❤️
And James Su as a villain?! That was definitely NOT on my bingo card, but I am LOVING it. 😂 The fact that I’m already sitting here wondering just how much more evil Nine is going to get tells me everything I need to know.
Three episodes in and I’m already suspicious of everyone, stressed for ThirdWan, and waiting for Nine to reveal his next level of villainy. 😭
I have no idea where this story is going, but I’m seated. 10/10 so far.🍿🔥
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Good Performances
The writing was way too weak for my taste. However, it was somewhat compensated for by the outstanding performances from Riisa and Mayu, who accomplished the impossible by making their characters feel like real people who actually work as plastic surgeons.The writer didn’t seem to have a clear aim while writing this script. If you’re going to tackle social criticism surrounding appearances, you either have to take a stance in favor of it or against it. This drama chose to leave it up to the viewer, but unfortunately, that approach didn’t work for me.
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AI-generated garbage kills what could've been something decent
There's no justification for the amount of AI-generated scenes in this. Not only do they look off-putting and completely break the immersion, but they also look incredibly cheap. There's no world in which they had to make them with AI instead of shooting them with real actors.The story itself is ok at the beginning, but then, the last few episodes feel completely rushed, even though absolutely nothing happens in episode 9 and episode 10 is like 80% flashbacks to other episodes. Nie Chuan backstory is mentioned a bunch of times, but it has no relevance whatsoever in the main story.
I think the actors do a pretty decent job considering what they're working with. They manage to create a good chemistry between the characters despite everything.
Overall , it could've been a fairly decent show, but I guess they decided it would be better to do all this instead.
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Impossible to Revisit
What I really enjoyed about this drama was Son Ye Jin’s performance. I dare say this is her strongest performance yet. She perfectly captured both the essence of the script and the lack of it. Ji Chang Wook gave an okayish performance next to her. However, Nana felt completely dull, which is sad because her character’s motives are at the center of the storytelling.My main issue with the script is that it felt somewhat rushed. I blame it on the eight-episode quota. No doubt, the best part of the drama was the directing and production.
Overall, I don’t think I’d rewatch it, mainly because the writing lacks personality, leaving even established actors like JCW struggling to make their characters stand out.
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Relationship-driven and not a single dull moment
The pacing of this series is absolute perfection, and there isn't a single dull moment in the drama. Masterful. The main characters carry a huge part of the story all on their own and share an immense amount of screen time, which saves the viewer from having to wait and long for them to be together. This is the only drama I've seen so far that sucked me in from second one and never let me go. To be honest, I was blown away, and I didn't expect to be. I hadn't heard much about this series and thought it would be rather mediocre, but it had everything.Was this review helpful to you?
TEAM BOSS
A really fun drama, especially because it’s funny, which is a huge plus. I really like dramas with an office romance vibe. What I really hate, though, is when the second person suffers because of the love triangle. I felt really bad for Lee Chan and his story.Because of this drama, I really started liking actor Kang Hoon, and I think he should be in more K-dramas!
OFC, Team Boss!
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i love williamest and their series
finally the day had arrived !! YOU MANIAC SERIES IS FINALLY ON AIRED AND CURRENTLY ONGOING WITH 3 EPISODE ON EVERY SAT !!- this series is gonna be a big hit !
- never gonna stop watching this amazinhg series
- love how they portray their character so well
- lets going to see what happen if this two red flag met each
- its gonna be very angsty and amazing at the same time
LET HYPE THIS SERIES IN EVERY PLATFORM THAT IS AVAIL FOR YALL
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To little of the love story
Soo boring, if you're watching it for the love story (which is great, but it's like a minute of it in every episode). I really, really don't like the "case of the week" concept, and I think other shows does it better, like Suits. However, I think the ML is like the sweetest and I loved the love story, but couldn't get myself to see it all only for the hope of love scenes. Dropped it at episode six.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fell Off in The Second Half
During the first 20 or so episodes of this, I thought this might be one of my new favorite dramas! As soon as they arrive in the capital, though, it all went downhill for me.One thing I liked about the beginning was that they were both young and naive. Much of the time, the ML is already experienced or established in a career at the start of dramas so watching Guisi just starting out as well felt unique. Him suddenly becoming an accomplished court official made no sense to me.
I enjoyed him solving cases as a minor official in the smaller town and thought that line of work suited him way more! Especially as a realistic start to his career! He went from learning to deal with bullies at work to helping run the empire in a few months.
I also felt like the FL and the romance plot lost momentum in the second half. She became a supporting character, and they seriously felt like roommates to me after they finally got together.
I think I will find myself rewatching up to 27 a lot! And I’ll considered the rest as a season 2 I don’t need to worry about.
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would have worked better as a standalone story
in terms of being a prequel, this story doesn't really do ABAAB justice. there's little to no connection between the two stories apart from the names of characters and the gaming theme.my main point of conjuncture is that Three as character comes across as really stagnant when you look at ABAAB and BMPT together. In episode 6, Three explodes at his team for not playing well, but then some self-reflection (with the help of Soh) leads to an apology. Likewise, in ABAAB, Thi gets into a fight with Cher and Jack about them not taking the gaming seriously, which again is later resolved after some self-reflection (also again with the help of Zo). It's the same fight, same argument, same resolution but allegedly years apart, which makes it seem like Three has not grown at all as a person.
personally, I think the story would have done better (in my eyes) if it hadn't tried to fit itself into this universe and was just a BL about gaming. the plot is there (mostly. some of the gaming things are not as developed/researched as they should be, but I'm not picky I swear), but it pigeonholes itself into being a prequel unnecessarily.
also, I just find it hard to believe as an ABAAB fan that Jack was in a relationship the whole time but never mentioned his boy Ten once? Nor does anyone mention Praew or Tobtub's wife and baby? I think they added to many important characters just to have them disappear from the story. I think the reason I find it to be such a letdown is because I'm focusing on the fact that it's supposed to be a prequel. If I didn't have these expectations, the story would have appealed to me more.
but enough negatives. MaxkyBas chemistry still on point, I like how different Maxky's character is from Fourever You. Bas's characters between the stories were similar but I liked them both. their acting and chemistry is the glue holding this show together. actually all of the acting in this show was exceptional. wish we could've gotten some BeverTonliew moments given both are in this show but it's okay. the rage I felt when we learn about Ten and Three's backstory was very real, kudos to anything that can make me feel emotions lol. new series for Jay and Ben because their dynamic is solid. pretty fluffy and fun, Maxky's character had me chuckling, he's so extra.
overall 7.5 for me :)
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a drama that refused to explain itself
A well written and even nicely executed drama.If I had to give you one word to describe the goodness of this drama, it would be storytelling. The use of music to describe feelings, the use of seasons, and the use of the surroundings as well as the NPCs to dictate motivation and intent is beyond telling of great storytelling.
Some dramas, though very well made, still piss you off. This drama passed that test with flying colours.
I won’t get too much into the details, but i do want to mark off everything that pissed me off and everything that didn’t.
I had already read the spoilers for the story, so i definitely wasn’t going to act like every other offended viewer. Because yes, it’s annoying. It’s deeply offensive and unlikable. But at the same time, there are only so many dramas where the leads are genuinely evil people.
The main leads are not morally grey. They are horrible people. But don’t take the historical timeline as a means to justify their actions, because if anything, what they did would have been even more “scandalous” and problematic at the time.
Thank goodness I read the spoilers and knew the female lead was a wicked witch. So i wasn’t emotionally attached to any character development on that front. Same with the male lead and his unseemly virtues.
I would never like nudity in media, so without question, some of the scenes were skipped.
Pardon me, did i say some?
MANY scenes.
But it’s still not beating GOT in that department.
This drama has been an ambiguous watch throughout. i genuinely can’t figure out whether i like it or hate it. The techniques and cinematography were immaculate, and I doubt filmmaking is going to be one of the major points of criticism.
But there is another thing that is just as ambiguous, if not more: the dialogues.
There can be two reasons why dialogues can be a big issue in a drama.
One, you are simply too dumb to understand them.
Or two, you’re dumb and so is the screenwriter.
I’ll take the latter.
There were moments where I could appreciate the “show, don’t tell” strategy. If it wasn’t the entire show filled with it.
If you’re going to serve me a dish on a platter, at least explain the ingredients first. i might be allergic to peanuts.
But no. You expect me to understand everything they are saying with their eyes.
Eyes don’t lie, chico.
But here they did.
How am I supposed to sleep peacefully without knowing what he meant in the last episode?
Ambiguity to a certain extent is cinema.
But to this extent, it is blasphemy.
There were just too many indirect conversations. And i get it, you guys are literature majors, and on top of that, this is a historical drama. But for once, tell me what you mean in one fucking sentence.
This drama, though great in execution, fails to achieve the one thing i expected it to have: clarity.
So i lie somewhere in the middle.
I like it for its cinematography, its storytelling, and the acting.
I hate it more for the plot and the ambiguity of the whole thing.
I appreciate a complex plot with uncertain directions and events, and i can absolutely appreciate unlikable leads.
But never did I say I’d like them regardless. I didn’t like the leads. And that’s my problem.
If I can’t root for a character, i can’t possibly be happy seeing them happy. But the ending, ironically, wasn’t satisfying at all.
How dare the fl still survive and go completely unscathed?
I don’t care if you yearn for him for the rest of your life. If you can’t face some tangible consequences, I’m not satisfied.
Though the biggest question for me was: Did the ml like the widow at all?
I think he did. I also think the director deliberately made sure not to make it too obvious the change in his expressions whenever she wasn’t there said a lot more than his actual dialogue ever did. But honestly, i’d blame that on their lack of guts. I presume the source material had instances where it was much more obvious he liked the widow.
But i digress.
He definitely ended up liking her in the end. But he was just too entangled with the fl that he couldn’t possibly imagine his life without her.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, i was still shipping the two leads together. i knew it was probably better that they didn’t end up together, but there was still a part of me that wanted them to. We had two antagonists, after all, and I loved seeing a female character doing all the manipulation for once.
To my surprise, though, I couldn’t feel nearly as much chemistry between the widow and the ml as I did with the leads. Only in the last episode did I see some of that supposed chemistry.
It’s a shame, really.
The ml and fl’s relationship was nothing but toxic, and they proved me time and time again with the games they were playing. What started with love turned into obsession and desire for something unreachable.
and things that are forbidden are hard to let go of.
And ironically, he let himself get trapped in the same forbidden love with the widow.
It’s a shame because the widow got caught in the fire.
It’s quite obvious this isn’t for the masses but definitely a refreshing drama from all the supposed fluff going these days. i should feel conflicted about whether i like something or not and here i did.
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