Reviews

The obsession of being a socialite

Art of Sarah is a sharp, unsettling drama about the obsession with status — particularly the desperate desire to be seen as a “socialite.” At its core, the series dissects elitism, narcissism, and the illusion of exclusivity that surrounds chaebols and high society.

The female lead is one of the most compelling grey characters in recent K-dramas. You fall in love with her when she boldly confronts fake elites and narcissistic chaebols, exposing their hypocrisy and performative sophistication. In those moments, she feels almost revolutionary — someone tearing down a corrupt system from within.

But then the discomfort sets in.

Because she doesn’t just challenge the system — she mirrors it. The same way these so-called socialites look down on others, she too begins treating those “below” her with similar coldness. That contradiction is what makes her fascinating. She’s not a hero or a villain — she’s an embodiment of how power and validation can corrupt, even when your original intentions seem justified.

The detective in the series provides a strong contrast. He’s logical, grounded, and quietly charming — someone who approaches the chaos with reason rather than ego. Yet one of the most striking lines comes from Sarah herself: the people who get conned are often the ones who believe they could never be conned. That statement perfectly captures the drama’s core message — arrogance and the hunger for status are what make people vulnerable.

Overall, the direction, storyline, and character arcs are stunning. The drama doesn’t just tell a story about fraud or ambition; it explores identity, insecurity, and the psychological cost of chasing elite validation. Art of Sarah leaves you conflicted — admiring its protagonist one moment and questioning her the next — and that moral tension is exactly what makes it so powerful.

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More like Bore You to Death

Half crime series, half comedy BL, Dare You to Death tries to mix together two apparently contrasting genres, while presenting a grittier, darker version of JoongDunk and, may I say, fails spectacularly.

The story tries to juggle between a very serious case of serial murders (and I will say, very gory ones too) and the development of a cheap romance between the main leads. The clash is honestly irritating: you will have two of the most incompetent cops ever seen on a screen shamelessly flirting while teens get brutally assassinated around them. The whole romance portion of the show is not only uninteresting and underdeveloped (you can't even understand why these two like eachother, besides finding eachother hot, I guess), but majorly inappropriate for the context of the whole show: after a while, seeing Jade getting jealous over Kamin on the crime scene of someone who just got crushed to a pulp by a falling car will just have you say "Can't these guys just do their job?".

Besides the boring romance, the crime/police part is honestly terrible, to the point that I doubt the writers of this show even bothered watching a single crime series in their whole life. Cops using guns to threaten suspects, undercover operations without any backup whatsoever, whole episodes spent on marginally important drug leads that lead to nowhere at all, no interrogations of prime suspects and key witnesses are just a few of the absurd things about this whole mess of an investigation that will make you feel like you could do a better job than these guys. The cherry on top was honestly the episode where Jade and Kamin wasted a whole day on a cute date because "they worked a lot so they deserved to rest": is the work in the room with us right now?

Acting wise, Dunk is as stiff as ever, but I at least appreciated Joong's performance, who is pretty good at portraying a goofier character for once. Regarding the supporting cast, they were ok, but unremarkable for the most.

In the end, while I found the show kinda funny during its first half, the latter one just got me so uninterested that I spent most of the time just gazing at the screen asking myself "How was this thing greenlit?" Dear writers, let's put the pens down for a while, shall we?

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Skip it ! I mean it !

If you’re planning to watch this movie, let me give you a genuine heads-up: I truly don’t think it’s worth it.And I’m not saying that lightly.

I usually love challenging films. I enjoy stories that make my brain work, that force me to analyze human behavior, question morality, and sit with uncomfortable themes. I’m not someone who avoids dark or complicated narratives. But this one? I honestly wish I had skipped it. It didn’t just disturb me... it made me feel sick.

The dynamic, the relationship at the center of the story… I don’t even know how to describe it properly. It’s not just uncomfortable; it 's wrong.
I kept thinking, *how did this move from page to screen?* Some stories might work better as books, where ambiguity can stay internal and abstract. But seeing this dynamic visualized made it feel even more unsettling.

I walked away not feeling intellectually challenged, just emotionally drained and disturbed. And if you’re reading this thinking, “Now I’m curious, let me check it out”… DON'T!!!!. This isn’t reverse psychology. It’s not clickbait to make you more intrigued. For once, I genuinely mean it: you’re not missing out.

Some films leave you thoughtful. Some leave you inspired. This one just left me uncomfortable in a way I didn’t need. So sometimes, protecting your peace is the better choice.

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Cute for a vertical short reels format!

I’m always bummed that people lowball reviews for vertical shorts just because they hate the format. As someone who avidly consumes this format on a daily basis, I can say that some are clearly superior to others. I wish they rated them according to the format instead.
-Anyway, the story adapted the same plot premise as Half of Me (webtoon/manhwa), but of course some plot details had to be changed or scrapped due to budget constraints and the vertical short-reels format --- which made certain parts confusing, rushed, and lacking explanation. For example, it wasn’t clear why Taekin was at Heechan’s home instead in the hospital or with his family, or what Heechan’s job was (which was explained better in the source material). Certain plot points felt like afterthoughts or seemed to come out of nowhere, but I guess the story had enough glue to make it work. The backstory of the two MLs was also revised, but it blended well with the direction they chose.

-Acting-wise, it was okay. Minjae was somewhat awkward at times, but it was fine if you didn’t dwell on it too much. Also pls, what is that hairstyle choice with the highschool Minjae?? 😭 it didn't suit his face.
-Nevertheless, the story was still cute, fluffy, and interesting. The interactions between the characters felt natural and fun to watch. There weren’t any cringe moments for me, which is a plus 😅. I also quite enjoyed it; there were moments that had me giggling.

(Also, it had three decent-ish peck kisses and two proper moving-lip kisses, lmao)

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A masterpiece ofcemotional realism and raw passion

A masterpiece of emotional realism abd raw passion. Fireworks of ny heart is much more than a standard drama. It is a profiund exploration of trauma, social pressure, and suppressed love. The most discussed scene, the kitchen kiss, has been misundertood by chinese as being too aggressive. On the contrary , if you look at the journey of Song Yang and Xu Quin, that moment is a masterclass in emotionale release. It wasn' t aggression, it was hunger born from years of deprivation. Yang Yangvabd Wang Chu deliver performance that feel modern and "western" in their subtlety. They give us a relationship that feels visceral, mature and deeply human. Must watch

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A must watch!

I had put off watching this purely because of its name, but had some suggestions to watch it and i am so glad I did! This is one of the best cdramas I have watched. The story is engaging right from the start. Each character was very well acted. The FL and ML were amazing and their chemistry was out of this world. Most often the kissing scenes are cold and really awkward - but these had the best kissing scenes of I think all cdramas I've seen.

The romance was well paced - the first ten or so episodes really dealt with earlier life, but while some said that was too many episodes and it dragged on, I felt they were needed as they gave a very well rounded background.

Overall, I loved it. It is a romance, but it had lots of elements to support it.

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Perfect Depiction of Loneliness and Finding Bright Moments in Life

When I first saw the trailers and bits of the movie, I thought it was set in the 80s. The cinematography of the movie made it seem that way, but I was surprised that the story actually takes place in the present time. Compared to other romance movies, Pavane's take on love did not portray it as something with grand gestures. This movie's view on love is simple, and this was highlighted through each character's circumstances in life. We have Gyeong-rok who grew up with a painful reality through his parents. We have Mi-jeong who has a difficult life as a breadwinner, stuck with the reality her deceased parents left. Then we have Yo-han who seems easygoing and has it all that in life, but actually succumbs to the darkness of loneliness. His line about the refrigerator light was a perfect visualization of what loneliness and sadness is after being left alone in a house.

What's likeable about this movie is that its view on love was not boxed to the idea that you only find love from other people. One could say that the romance between Gyeong-rok and Mi-jeong was not really the focus of the story even though it was hooking. They all had those dark moments, and another common ground they have is that they all had something they were passionate about. In some way, you could consider their passions 'love' also becuase it brought sparks in their dull lives. At the latter half of the movie, they were able to find the light together despite the mundaneness of their lives. Though it was cut short for some of them, it remains true that those moments will remain eternal even though time has passed. That's a realistic take on how some bright moments in life only come for a short time, but it's something you'll remember for a long time.

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Yeah I can't do anymore. Dropping at episode 10.

Yeah I can't do anymore. Dropping at episode 10. I tried to watch for the love of the game but production really did a mad stinker here. The music to make scenes feel like something it wasnt? They were also creating deep story lines for something that was shallow. Then using pairs for promotion just rubbed me the wrong way. I liked it at the beginning but they lost their way. Almost like they only planned the first 5 episodes and a clueless person took charge after episode 5. Su Min continuing to sleep alone too?

I truly didn't mind the reshoot thing and I still don't. For a group who "knew each other" they really were super awkward. It's working for MS and HG but because its not for YJ people are blaming the reshoot. I truly feel YJ would have performed the same even if it wasn't. They should have given new comers the advantages like they did for Min Seong. Put certain limitations, again that card play by Sun Wook was out of bonds.

The cast was really bad, no one here was TV ready. They all just killed the mood completely, having boring laid back personalities. "I wanna sleep/I wanna go home" Some's up the energy.

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"A Delicate Romance Where Time Plays Its Part"

Once We Were Us is a romance that doesn’t aim to impress with big plot twists but with the subtlety of its emotions. It’s a film about time, memories, and above all, how love can remain alive even when it is no longer present in our daily lives. It tells a simple story — two young people meet, fall deeply in love, separate, and then reunite years later — but it treats it with tenderness and sensitivity, giving it real depth.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the film is how it portrays the beginnings of a relationship. The youth scenes are bright, almost warm, with a spontaneous energy that feels authentic. Shared laughter, late-night conversations, and naïve dreams make the ordinary moments feel precious. It’s not dramatic declarations that leave a mark, but small everyday moments elevated by the direction. You can feel the fragile excitement of first love, a mix of innocence and ambition that makes everything seem possible.

The chemistry between Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young is central to the film’s success. Their connection is natural rather than theatrical. They seem genuinely comfortable with each other, making their interactions believable and moving. The silences are as important as the dialogues. In the present-day scenes, their performances are more subtle and restrained. Gazes linger longer, smiles are more fragile, and you can feel the weight of years, choices, and regrets in every exchange. This evolution in their dynamic is one of the film’s strongest points.

The narrative structure, alternating between past and present, enhances the nostalgic feeling. Each memory sheds new light on their current relationship. The visual contrast is also well executed: warm, vibrant tones of the past against the cooler, subdued palette of the present. This emphasizes how the past always seems brighter in our memories, even if it wasn’t quite that way at the time. This duality gives the film a consistent bittersweet atmosphere.

Another particularly beautiful aspect is how the film handles dreams and personal ambitions. It shows how love, no matter how sincere, can be challenged by professional realities, social expectations, and the pressure to succeed. The film doesn’t assign blame for the separation; it simply shows how two people can deeply love each other while moving in different directions. This maturity in the writing makes the story feel realistic and emotionally resonant.

However, the film remains fairly traditional in its structure. Some situations may feel predictable to viewers familiar with Korean romances. The deliberately contemplative pace can feel slow at times. But this slowness also contributes to the emotional experience: it allows feelings to settle and gives the viewer time to reflect.

What makes Once We Were Us particularly beautiful are the quiet moments: a look exchanged on a train, a conversation interrupted by emotion, a smile hiding sadness. These small details give the film its sincerity. It doesn’t try to force tears; it simply lets emotions emerge naturally.

In conclusion, Once We Were Us is a gentle, melancholic, and mature romance. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it masters it with elegance. It’s a film about memories, timing, and what it means to love someone at different stages of life, leaving a delicate and lasting impression after the credits roll.

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GMMTV’s Biggest Fumble

GMMTV really fumbled this so badly.

After the success and global buzz of Heated Rivalry, more people started paying attention to queer shows. Thai BL had momentum. International audiences were watching. Then Dare You to Death released on Netflix worldwide as a crime thriller BL. This should have been the moment. It could have pushed Thai BL to another level.

The concept was strong. Murder mystery. Police investigation. Slow burn romance in the background. That combination could have been powerful.

But the execution was disappointing.

The thriller did not feel intense. The investigation did not feel smart or realistic. The police did not feel convincing. There was no proper tension build up. I wanted clever detective work and real suspense. Instead it felt rushed and shallow.

The pilot trailer was so good. Dark. Serious. High tension. I watched it many times. That is why the disappointment feels bigger. The actual series did not match that vibe at all.

It felt like random ideas were mixed together without clear direction. The production felt messy. The editing felt rushed. The tone kept changing. One minute it is serious crime, next minute there is flirting during investigations. It killed the seriousness. And the romance was also disappointing. In a story like this, we expect slow burn. Quiet tension. Two people slowly getting closer while working on a case. Instead it felt rushed. The buildup did not match the payoff. Important romantic moments were toned down or removed. After all that tension, it felt incomplete.

And yes, I’m going to say it, the acting didn’t fully carry it either. Joong was fine. Not bad, not outstanding. But Dunk… I really tried to see the growth people talk about, but he still felt stiff to me. His body language, expressions, the way he carried himself, it didn’t feel like a real detective. It felt like he was acting the role instead of becoming it. In a crime thriller, you need presence and authority. I didn’t feel that weight. The college students were actually good.

I heard the original director and writer left last minute, and that the new director was uncomfortable filming certain romantic scenes. If that is true, it explains some things. But it still affected the final result.

This had perfect timing, a huge platform, and a strong concept. And it still fell flat.

That is why it feels like a wasted opportunity during a time when Thai BL could have grown even more globally.

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DEAR GMMTV, THIS IS A MESS, LET ME EXPLAIN WHY, THEN PLS DO BETTER

Warning: This review is really long and I wrote it entirely myself as a non-native English speaker. I genuinely tried to understand this series and ended up taking notes, rewatching scenes, and mapping the plot just to follow what was happening. If you don’t want to read all this, scroll to the TL;DR summary at the end.
I also want to make clear that this review comes from disappointment and a wish for improvement and is not at all meant to harm or hurt anybody who worked on the series or any viewers who enjoyed it. I watched the whole show and wrote a detailed review because I am actually invested and a fan myself. That said, let’s dive in.

So I watched this since I saw and liked Joong and Dunk in other dramas, so they already got a bonus from me here. But I still can’t describe how incredibly disappointed I am in this series and I seriously can’t understand most reviews here. It is so chaotic that I don’t even know where to start. And Jades super cringe, bad sticky tattoo which changes colors and magically appears and disappears, especially in swimming scenes, is the least of my worries here.
HOW DOES THE MAIN PLOT EVEN WORK?
Since the series never clearly explains the intention nor rules of the game, I can only try to reconstruct what the original idea might have been. A deadly truth or dare game meant to expose the sins of the “Avengers” group out of revenge. Each person receives a letter and must choose between truth or dare. If they choose truth, they admit their sins and die in a way related to their original sin. Or they choose dare, which is either helping the murderer or pick another victim. Nothing else makes sense to me, like this game can only function if you are forced to choose and if choosing different options acutally gives you a different output, if not this is not a game at all. If you think different, feel free to enlighten me. The problem is that the outcome rarely depends on the choices. Characters die even after completing dares. Some never receive both options. Sometimes multiple letters appear, sometimes none. At that point it stops functioning as a game at all.
Since the series is so chaotic I genuinely had to make a chart to even follow or understand the “game” content. Let me explain (here the 8 avengers in “death” order):
1. Puifai – Truth: Guilty for knowing all sins of her friends and not doing anything at all
Dare: Kill herself
Output: She pretends to kill herself, the letter at her place is fake, she is acutally the murderer. (Check ✓)
2. Tar – Truth: Guilty for r*ping Puifai.
Dare: ???
Output: Picks truth and dies. (✓)
3. Belle – Truth: Throwing acid on another girl (for who knows what reason, never mentioned) and forcing (?) Puifai for abortion.
Dare: Pick Cher or Jay to die.
Output: She picks Cher to die (but Cher is protected) and Belle is killed anyway (because Tonkla picked her). (✓)
4. Tonkla – Truth: Guilty for hit and run, killing a man with a stolen car.
Dare: Pick Cher or Belle to die.
Output: Picks Belle to die (which she does) and gets killed anyway. (False X)
5. Time – Truth: Secretly filming tapes (of his friends) and selling them online.
Dare: Bring the car.
Output: Brings the car, but gets killed anyway. (X)
6. Jay – Truth: Guilty for sleeping with Puifai (which I guess she consented to since nothing else is ever mentioned) and getting her pregnant (which he didn’t knew)? Puifai is kinda just mad that he didn`t help her.
Dare: Pick Cher or Champ to die (but Cher was already picked)
Output: He picks neither and gets out (✓)
7. Cher- Truth: Secretly sleeping around with her friend’s boyfriend and reveal Champ that Puifai was pregnant.
Dare: ???
Output: She never picks, she should have died because Belle picked her but ended living since Champ protected her, but died later on. (✓)
8. Champ- Truth: Buying drugs, sleeping around, helping Tonkla hide a body.
Dare: Drugging Cher and handing her over.
Output: He drugs Cher but the murderer still tries to kill him. (X)
9. Jade and Kamin – Truth: None existent.
Dare: Find the culprit.
Output: Well, they kinda do and they don’t die, so I guess that’s somehow correct. But it makes no sense that they are included in the letters at all (since they not only are not avengers, but also the motive for the murder was revenge and justice for their actions, but Kamin and Jade are not guilty in the first place) It was so incredibly funny to me that even the game masters where so disappointed in their police work that they had to dare them to actually do their job – so I had to include this here.
So as you can see I had to get really invested in this and still can`t make any sense out of it. Why force characters to choose if the outcome stays the same anyway? Why then play a game in the first place? The game is following neither any rules nor any structure. Sometimes they not even get both options to pick from or even get multiple letters? The idea had a lot of potential but it was really poorly done.

JADE AND KAMIN
In the first episode Kamin was introduced as a strict, somehow cold, successful supervisor. Who is professional, married to his job and strictly separates private and work. Somebody who follows laws and rules and will always prioritizes doing what is “right”. (Like questioning the police officer’s son, zero f***s given for hierarchy). Which I think was a good intention and interesting character design. He then also proceeds to give in to Jades flirting immediately and under no pressure, moving in with his subordinate, getting distracted from work all the time, makes Jade walk through the office naked and f***s on the office floor. He also later introduces a trauma of losing somebody, which we never learn what this person even was to him. But that trauma is not only not sufficiently covered, but also barely has any impact on him, his actions, or the series. He has no character arc and loses his whole backbone and personality in episode 2.
For Jade on the other hand I had the feeling that the intention was, that he is the nice, local, loving and caring police guy. Somebody who helps the neighbors and cares for his brother. Somebody who everybody likes, but who is somehow silently lonely and shy. (His brother Jay says he never dated except Yu, but Yu later says that they never dated, so it feels like some one sided interest to me. But it also shows that Jay actually knows a lot about Jade. They also help out the lady at the food street stall (while they really had more important stuff to do, but more on that later). But then Jade also proceeds to openly and absolutely shamelessly flirt with Kamin, showing no interest in work or solving the case at all. He also has an actual terrible relationship with his brother. Jade is not listening when Jay says something and screaming at him for no reason all the time. Jade did not ask his brother ONCE, how he felt when his friends died. Not even when he told him that the girl he liked (which is now “dead”) was pregnant with (most likely) his child. Jay has a serial killer threatening him (while he is actually innocent) and he never even thinks about telling his police big bro ANYTHING nor asking him for help. Like how much do you hate each other? (But then supporting that Jades boss moves in?!) And I didn’t even mention that Jade should not at all be handling the case, when his little bro is not only deeply involved but one of the main suspects …
The start of the relationship between Jade and Kamin had to be happening off screen. Because I didn’t saw it. Jade was from the first second intensively flirting with his new boss, which he just MET. And then proceeds, to FORCE him to move in with him. Then walks around almost naked and makes breakfast for the guy he barely knows. Both characters were introduced as somebody who would not blindly run into a relationship but then proceed to immediately act as if they had been close for YEARS. These people don’t know each other, they are boss and substitute. These characters would never act that way. There were no secret glances, no slow burn, no fire and no chemistry at all. It makes me seriously sad thinking how good these characters and their development could have been, if they would have actually had stick to their personality.

THEY DO ANYTHING BUT INVESTIGATE
I truly hope that the Thai police is not really as useless as shown in the series. After Puifai died they decided without any reason nor evidence that the murderer has to be one of the remaining 7 avengers, which of course is not the case. So they somehow decided to not only not investigate anything outside of this 7 people, but also never truly investigated nor (properly) protected any of them inside of this 7 people. It felt like everybody in this series considered the incredibly violet death of multiple students a minor inconvenience, even their own parents.
Even after they found the first letter (Tar) where is a picture of all 8 heads bloody and scratched out (which was a clear sign to me that somebody wanted all of them dead, but in later letters there are only the faces scratched out that are already dead, so I guess that was a mistake) they still never even considered that the culprit is propably not an avenger. The followed ONLY one trace (and that not even good), which was the korean drug king. Because apparently the ONLY way the culprit could get drugs in Bangkok is THIS drug dealer (which was ofc wrong). Furthermore, getting the drug kings customer list is not beneficial at all to them, since they never investigated a list of possible culprits they could compare it too.
They never talked to anybody at the university, which is where I would start if I am trying to find a shared enemy of a group of ridiculous students, who know each other from university. They only visited Puifais (who died Eps. 1) parents and home in episode 6, and never visited or talked to ANY of the other relatives. And not only that, it also took them until Episode 4 to even REQUEST Puifais autopsy report. Which is propably why they never wondered why Puifais autops was done by a different doctor and then just disappeared. In general, is the whole forensic team barely giving any information or needs multiple episodes to drop relevant information (But our investigation team was not interested in Puifais cause of death anyways, so why have forensics in the first place I guess.)
They never tried to understand the game nor try to figure out what everybody’s “truth” is. They also didn`t do anything about it after they found out what their truth was, even if some of the avengers committed serious crimes. Like why did nobody ever talked to the girl Belle threw acid on? You KNOW that Champ helped Tonkla to let the body disappear and you do nothing?! They asked for an alibi ONCE (which was for Champ in Episode 7) and then continued to not even check it.
I am not an investigator myself, but to me this does not at all look like they will figure something out, ever. More like, it is only 8 people, if we wait until 7 are dead we hopefully know who the culprit is.
They are also incredibly unprofessional: The first thing Kamin and Jade do after getting their own letter is telling one of their 3 remaining main suspects about it, just to name one example. At this point I had the feeling finding the copy shop in Bangkok which is even able to print shiny glitter red letters on black paper would have been more useful.

DO YOU HAV ANY MOTIVATION TO BE ALIVE OR DO YOU AT LEAST WISH YOUR FRIENDS TO NOT BE DEAD?
Everybody in the series was acting as several cruel murder cases is as threatening like Sunday morning coffee. Not even the avengers, after their friends died like flies, and they got threatening letters, were afraid nor did anything to protect themselves. Also none of the avengers told the police anything useful ever or put any effort to stop this. Like some of them are trying to protect their own actions because they actually committed real crimes, I get that. But why didn’t Jay or Cher said anything? Jay did nothing, Cher didn`t kill Puifai and beeing a wh*re is not a crime. They also collectively decided to not accept to be protected by the police. Which was meaningless anyways I guess, because even when they had police force following them around they somehow all died without anybody seeing anything.
Jay is actively and willingly sneaking out of the hospital to MEET the murderer. Champ who lives with at least 3 bodyguards/butlers decided to move to a house in the middle of nowhere with Cher, then also proceeds to actively and willingly meet the murderer. Like dude, you are rich, how about a long nice vacation somewhere anywhere but Bangkok or hm, maybe just stay where you are? None of them even tried despite KNOWING that they are about to be dead (no matter if they pick truth or dare).

CONSISTENCY WHERE?
The whole series felt like they filmed multiple scenes without any context and then asked an intern on their first day to put in in any random order. Jade and Kamin keep popping up at scenes without any explanation how they got there, why they are there, where they are or how they knew they want to go there. Why is the scene where they visit Puifais parents in Episode 6 and not when she was actually “killed”. There is no chronological order of the events from the game, which makes it even harder to follow the game at all. Random pool scenes. Kamin and Jade going on a “detox” date day or reparing/ cleaning the house while 4 students are dead and Jades small brother might be next. More random pool scenes. Why did they have a sleepover at the office one night? Why is the POLICE breaking in an (I guess) abortion clinic searching for Puifais abortion documents? First of all, you are the police, you don’t need to break in, second, how did you know this is even the right clinic when you had no idea about Puifais abortion documents (because well, apparently you were there to get them?) Who is the random man there, also trying to steal (?!) stuff? I am not even sure if this is actually an abortion clinic, because the scene just happened without any explanation about where or why they are. Kamin randomly starts smoking in Episode 8, like Kamin? I don’t think you do actually smoke. I mean that’s just a small thing but the order is just such a mess. The only consistency in the series was that somebody needs to tell Joong that when you swim freestyle your head is supposed to be under water (this is why you wear goggles). This not only makes you way faster (better aqua dynamic and weight balancing) but also makes you look way less likely to look like you are actively drowning (don’t forget to breath though pls <3).

THE SPECIAL OPS TEAM AND THEIR HAT CHANGING CAT
So the special ops team consists out of Yu and his boyfriend and a random third dude who is never introduced. This random third dude, who is always wearing an old style gray hat (which apparently he has multiple from in multiple colors because in Episode 9, when they are tracking down Jay, he took some time off from saving Jays life to change to a brown one) And this fashionable hat guy, is also clearly seen in the backflash scene where Kamin is telling Jade how he once lost a team member in a gun battle. But wasn’t Kamin coming from the U.S. and wasn’t he new to the team and nobody knew him before? So apparently hat guy has an identical twin in the U.S. special ops team who also loves hats, he is Schrödingers Cat, Kamin lied to Jade about his origin and the whole team is just pranking Jade OR this was just bad script and a “oh we need another random statist in this scene – you with the fancy hat, come here”. Pick your favorite.

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It's a sad but real movie about real problems. Difficulties in relationships that can't always be overcome by a couple. That's what led their relationship to this outcome.
Their main problem was that they kept their feelings and pain to themselves and tried to avoid conflicts, but the accumulated emotions eventually led to a quiet breakup.
Their reunion after 10 years really opened up the scars from their breakup, and they were deeply attached to each other. They had supported each other for so many years, and later became a couple and held on to each other, but the memories overwhelmed them.
I really enjoyed the acting. The actors' eyes were filled with love and regret. I'm not familiar with the actor's work, but MunKaYoung continues to amaze me with her versatile acting. At first, her character is quite unique and free-spirited, but over time, she becomes a calm and ordinary woman. I felt her pain, confusion, and rejection of the male main lead during his indifference. There was no point in clinging to this person. I believe that she made the right decision by letting him go.
Overall, this movie will make you think deeply. I highly recommend it.

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"That kind of thinking justifies anything"

Rarely do I find every film in a trilogy compelling. Even more rare is when the whole is greater than the parts. The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer brought the total of 579 minutes to a proper and fitting ending for a devastating and insightful story.

Kaji and two other survivors of the Soviet onslaught, struggle to find their way out of enemy territory. When they enter a seemingly endless forest, they discover a handful of Japanese evacuees. Kaji shares their meager supplies with the starving people. “It’s like meeting Buddha in hell.” The little troop dwindles as starvation and suicide whittles away at their numbers. After Kaji’s crew finally escapes Fangorn Forest, they stumble across a group of soldiers and are rebuked for surviving the annihilation of their squad. The men must later face Chinese armed militia and Soviet soldiers on the road home, even literally jumping through fire to survive.

Nakadai Tatsuyo, like Kaji, carried this trilogy on the back of his extraordinary performance. Throughout the films Kaji fought for all people to be treated with respect regardless of which side of the barbed wire fence they were on. Nakadai immersed himself in Kaji’s hope, determination, resiliency, flaws, and desire. This trilogy would not have succeeded so well in the hands of a less talented actor. Outside of Black River’s ensemble this was his first real main meaty role and he devoured it without overacting.

In the first film, Kaji dealt with how the Japanese inhumanely treated their prisoners. In the second film, Kaji sought to overcome the Japanese military culture of violence on Japanese soldiers. In this final film, the humanity lesson came full circle only this time it was foreign violence perpetrated on Japanese prisoners. Regardless of the power structure in charge, Kaji never backed down from demanding fair and humane treatment for everyone. His idealistic views were shattered when he discovered that the Soviet’s “promised land” of socialism was every bit as capable of inequality, cruelty, and exploiting prisoners as slave labor. Kaji came to understand that socialism being better than fascism wasn’t enough to keep his men alive. The only thing keeping him alive was Michiko and his promise to return to her. “I’m still walking on.”

The film was based on an autobiographical novel that resonated with director Kobayashi’s own view of the military and war. If you are planning on watching it strap in, as with the first two, there were no moments of levity. Although I did take perverse pleasure when Kaji gave the sadistic Kirihara a graphic demonstration of Jayne Cobb’s (Firefly 2002) chain of command philosophy.

Kaji found that whatever political or social philosophy one adhered to, human nature was the great contaminator. Wherever he went the strong preyed on the weak, and the weak did whatever was necessary to survive. Starvation and desperation drove people to lose sight of societal norms. How would they ever return to their old way of life after the ethical compromises made? “We’re all ruined.” The Human Condition films were long and harrowing, exploring what it meant to be human when the veneer of civilization had been stripped away and brutality was rewarded. Could one still find ways to be kind, show respect, and have courage in a pit with the merciless? What did it truly mean to be human? This was an extraordinary trilogy that grew stronger as it progressed with the message that ultimately, war has few winners and the price for most is catastrophically high.

26 February 2026
Trigger warning: Corpses with bugs, suicide, and rape off-screen.

Happy place note in a trilogy centered on pain and deprivation: Favorites Ryu Chishu and Takamine Hideko led a group of refugees in a Japanese settlement. Poor Ryu was only 57 but they made him up to look like 87.

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