Reviews

Osmanthus Milk

Most people might think of this drama as an intimate one—and it definitely is—but there’s so much more to it than that. What really makes this drama stand out is how it surrounds you with the rawness of a relationship. A real relationship isn’t always about happy moments and romance; it’s also about differences, misunderstandings, conflicts, and learning how to overcome them together.

This drama feels quite different from the average Chinese drama because it shows the real struggles of being with someone who works in the same office, or someone who is completely different from you. It doesn’t make love look perfect or effortless. Instead, it shows the little things that make relationships complicated, messy, and yet so real.

And somehow, that realism is what makes the story so easy to connect with.
I really love the kind of intimacy this show portrays. It’s not just physical—the emotional closeness between the leads feels completely different from what you usually see in dramas. There’s something so natural about the way they connect, as it is not glorified and that’s what makes their relationship so special to me.

What I loved the most, though, was the relationship between the female lead and her friends. I honestly wish they had gotten more screen time because their bond was one of my favourite parts of the drama. It beautifully shows how, when you’re in a strange city, you can find people who slowly become your family—people who embrace you, understand you, and sometimes even stand by you in ways you never expected.

If there’s one drama I’m definitely going to recommend, it’s this one. I genuinely struggled to find anything I didn’t like about it. It’s warm, intimate, realistic, and just feels incredibly easy to connect with. ❤️

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Morally bankrupt characters

The series started out great and then progressively became worse. It has one of the worst male leads that I have come across in KDramas and that is saying something, considering Korean writers don't quite know what a man is, let alone a good man. At the beginning of the series, I felt sympathy for both Dong Ha and Bom Yi but as the series progressed that feeling became replaced with utter disdain. Dong Ha completely failed as a man, as a brother and as a father. He cares for no one apart from himself. No right thinking man could do the kind of things he kept doing, over and over again and the worst part is that not once did he feel any qualms about it, drowning in self pity. His performative victimhood became annoying to the point that I actually wanted to punch him in the face. Dong Ha, Bom Yi, Ji won and most of all the writer treated Dong Wook in the worst possible manner. He is the only character who deserves any sympathy. He is expected to lose over and over again and not just accept those loses but be gracious about them too. No one in this series cared for his feelings. It is a common theme in most dramas to treat secondary characters badly. Leads often use supporting characters and then abandon them because to the writer and supposedly the audience their feelings simply do not matter. Dong Wook is the only good character in this series and for that he has been skewered. Obviously he cannot make anyone fall in love with him or prevent anyone from falling out of love, but what he can do is cut ties with people who don't seem to care about him at all and his supposedly older brother should be the first on that list. I fail to express the disgust I felt for Dong Ha. He is everything a man should not be, should never be.

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A breath of fresh air after watching The Early Spring

Yes, I know the title is oddly specific, but it is for a good reason.

I watched The Early Spring and then this series back-to-back. Each have their own merits, but they are polar opposites.

I'm not going to bore you with another dissertation on Early Spring (please read my review for reference). However, my reaction to this series is heavily influenced by how I felt after finishing TES. I enjoyed that show, I loved the acting of the leads, but certain aspects left me dissatisfied.

To be honest, I didn't have high hopes when I started watching this drama either as it gives off a strong filler vibe. All I can say is . . bring it on! :)

First and foremost, Wei Zhe Ming can write the textbook on playing this type of ML. He is perfectly casted. He can be forthright in business and then becomes a lovesick puppy when he is wooing her. There is nothing unique about his character, but you will make millions if you can bottle his essence. ;)

Another good casting choice is Liu Xie Ning as the FL. Her range is board enough to allow her to play the head strong airline pilot as well as the romantic female lead. There are times when she is the master of her domain, then we'd watch her melts in the ML's arms and we swoon. I can ship the OTP unreservedly.

There is also a decent amount of skinship. They felt natural and sweet. Nothing red hot, just passionate enough to make it clear they are in love.

Similarly, the support cast pull their weight. There are so many nice people in both leads' family and their friend circle. Sure, there are misunderstandings and old wounds. Everything is sorted in the end.

Is it too sweet? Yes, it should come with health warnings. However, it gets away with it because it is unabashedly romantic (cough, unlike some other show . . ).

It also helps that the show has a strong core logic. There are no nonsensical plot twists. Everything progress at a steady pace to its logical conclusion. Some might find it predictable. I won't judge.

Of course, there are angsty moments, it is a drama after all. Thankfully, they are there to move the plot along and pave the way for a satisfying resolution. It is not angst for angst’s sake.

Is the show perfect? Hardly. There are tropes on top of tropes. Somehow this show made them work, most of the time. It is good enough to keep you engaged.

Most of the characters are from central casting, including the standard issue BFF's and second and third CP's. The second leads are smart enough to take the hint and get out of the OTP's way.

The show tries to make some social commentary about gender bias in the workplace as well. You can see where all the old prejudice comes from. There are a lot of middle-aged men who are lording over their domains. Enough said.

The production quality is high. Some settings are very posh. One thing that did caught me off guard is the standard of the CGI. I don't know why they did that for the single engine plane. It can't be that expensive to hire one for a day for some B-reels. It is particularly egregious with the scene where the FL took the ML up in her small plane. It was laughably bad.

In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by this series. It has a laser focus on our leads. I also appreciate the honest storytelling. I gave it a bonus 0.5 because I was feeling a bit disheartened after finishing The Early Spring. I needed this to restore my inner peace. I wouldn’t mind putting it on my rewatch list for a rainy weekend. Peace.

P.S. How does the FL changes into a structured gown within moments of the last passenger deplaning?

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FIRE OMEGAVERSE MORE PLEASE!!!

All shade, some of these comments are giving HATER 😭 because I genuinely really enjoyed *Knot*. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. The pacing, especially toward the end, is probably my biggest issue with the series, and I honestly think this story should’ve been spread across two seasons. There were way too many characters and storylines fighting for attention when the main couple alone had enough going on to carry an entire season. But despite those issues, the chemistry, acting, characters, soft moments, music, and overall production really made this series for me.

Starting with Nakhun and Phatsa because THAT is where the show had me. I loved their relationship, especially watching Nakhun realize that biting and marking Phatsa was a mistake and actually taking responsibility for what he did. Obviously, he basically forced Phatsa into this entire situation by marking him in the first place, so I appreciated that the story didn’t suddenly have Phatsa lose all of his independence afterward. Nakhun was surprisingly patient with him, listened to what he wanted, and allowed Phatsa to continue being his own person.

And THANK GOD they let Phatsa WORK 😭. He was still a boss, still involved with the company, still making decisions, and still doing what HE wanted with his life. Phatsa did not suddenly become helpless just because he was an omega or because he was marked by an alpha. That’s probably one of my favorite things about his character.

Phatsa stood on BUSINESS the entire series. He did not take BS from anybody, and I think that’s what made him feel so different from a lot of the omega protagonists I’ve seen in Omegaverse stories. He could be vulnerable without suddenly losing his backbone. He knew when to speak up, when to put somebody in their place, and when something wasn’t right. Oat and Boat were honestly perfect for these roles too. Their chemistry sold so many of the quieter moments between Nakhun and Phatsa, and I genuinely believed their relationship.

Now… Nakhin and Ongsa.

AHHHHHHH 😭 I’m sorry, but I wish they had stayed background characters IN THE BACKGROUND. Every time we left Nakhun and Phatsa and switched over to them I was ready to hit skip. Boom boom, no storyline, nobody cares, NEXT! 😭 Their acting together was okay, and I don’t necessarily dislike either character, but their storyline felt like something the show simply did not have enough time for.

And Ongsa BABY… please stand UP. 😭 Every time we got another variation of “But I’m a beta 🥺 there’s no way this big strong pure alpha could actually love ME…” I was like ONGSA BE QUIET. YOU ARE SO TEA. WHY WOULDN’T HE??? 😭

I actually think their relationship could’ve worked much better if the writers had either saved it for season two OR established that they already had some kind of relationship before the series started. Make them friends who clearly have feelings for each other, make them secretly dating, SOMETHING. That way we wouldn’t have needed to spend so much of season one establishing the who, what, when, where, and why of another relationship while the main storyline was already fighting for screen time.

AND MY MANNNN NAPHITCH!!! 😭 He is so cute. Naphitch and Sangnuea are both very tea, and I actually enjoyed having them around, but AGAIN—this could’ve been season two material! There was enough there to expand on later instead of trying to squeeze another storyline into an already packed season.

I will say, though, I did NOT like Naphitch marking Sangnuea. That decision didn’t really make sense to me, and I don’t think the story did enough to make me understand why it needed to happen.

But one thing I absolutely LOVED was Phatsa putting Naphitch in his place and basically turning him into less of a delinquent 😭. Phatsa walked into that house, looked around, and basically said, “Ain’t no way this how y’all living.” AND THEN GOT THAT HOUSE IN ORDER. That’s exactly what I mean when I say Phatsa stood on business. He wasn’t just strong when dealing with Nakhun; that was genuinely his personality.

Their mother was also an angel sent directly from heaven. I loved her.

The father, on the other hand… 😭

That entire “I NEED TO FIND THE PURE OMEGA 😡 I MUST BECOME THE HOKAGE” head-ahh storyline had all that buildup just for it to end the way it did??? THAT was probably one of my biggest disappointments. There was actually so much potential there! The obsession with finding a pure omega, the family conflict, the implications for Phatsa and everyone else—it could’ve been a genuinely interesting overarching threat.

And once again, that would’ve been PERFECT SEASON TWO MATERIAL.

That’s really my biggest criticism of *Knot*: I don’t think most of these ideas were necessarily bad ideas. I think they were ideas being told at the wrong time. Season one could’ve focused primarily on Nakhun and Phatsa, their marking, the consequences of it, Phatsa maintaining his independence, their relationship developing, and the family dynamics surrounding them. Then season two could’ve expanded Nakhin and Ongsa, Naphitch and Sangnuea, and especially the father/pure omega storyline. Suddenly, all of these side characters would’ve had room to breathe instead of competing with each other for screen time.

That’s also why I don’t really agree with judging the ENTIRE show by how messy the last four episodes became. I completely understand being frustrated with the ending because I had problems with it too. But those four episodes don’t erase everything I enjoyed before them.

Overall, I really did enjoy *Knot*. I loved the characters, I loved the acting, I loved the chemistry between Oat and Boat, and Phatsa is easily one of my favorite Omegaverse MCs because they actually let that man have a BACKBONE. 😭 The series had the ingredients; I just wish the writers had been smarter about pacing them out instead of trying to serve the appetizer, entrée, dessert, and next week’s dinner all on the same plate.

Messy pacing and all, *Knot* is still one of my favorite BLs and, in my opinion, one of the best I’ve watched. I just desperately wish somebody in that writers’ room had stood up and said, “Baby… we can save some of this for season two.” 😭

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The success of this film lies in the direction of photography

This is a great film but why? What is all the fuss about?

People say it’s the lead actors chemistry- it’s true that they look very together but that’s because the camera catches them very well.

It’s a combined masterpiece by the actors (need chemistry to film), the director (need to guide what actors do) and the DoP (director of photography - maybe a different person to the Director or the intimacy coach they had?) - it’s the lingering shots on his hands, his minute expressions, her face, their faces together. That’s what makes it so powerful.

This film really explodes when they start putting their faces close, there is so much tension! You read passion and restraint.

Remember this is a drama, they are acting, so what is so good about this film? They manage to make it feel real. That we are having a front row seat to the highly charged passionate romance.

It’s not that women want to be treated badly, it’s that they want to be passionately desired by a man who respects and loves them as well. Someone who is grumpy and rude to everyone else is a pussy cat for her. That’s what is getting women excited.

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they could have kept this mess

started so strong before the roller coaster dropped us in hell. after a while, phatsa cluelessness and lack of agency was driving me crazy. so many pointless scenes of endless talking. what the hell was the point of that sideplot???? it took so much away from the main story that should have been dedicated to the main couple learning to love each other. then phatsa's deadbeat dad wanna show up and try and run things. and the nerve of phatsa being asked to have a baby to complete their nasty dad's dream??? and the acting???? nah...give me a break. this was TERRIBLE lmao.

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I just rewatched

I love this series no doubt, I always say this but everything about it is beautiful; the story, the characters, the music, etc.

I hate to use this word but I think Hira and Kiyoi are so toxic that it makes them imperfectly perfect. During this time and the first season Hira doesn’t see Kiyoi as a person but rather someone he’s able to worship, on the other hand Kiyoi loves the attention that he gets but things get complicated when feelings are involved. He doesn’t want to be seen as a king or something out of reach, he wants to exist on the same level and that is completely normal to want. It’s selfish when you love someone and they straight up tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t when they feel the same way. I wish more people understood Kiyoi, yes he lashes out and doesn’t know how to control his emotions but he’s human. It’s not an excuse but his feelings are valid because Hira WAS weird and creepy. (Don’t worry I love him also <3) Anyways most of their issues evolved because they didn’t know how to communicate. You’ll love this series if you watch it to understand the plot AND characters!!

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