Reviews

Tough Topics Bound & Highlighted By Tight Storytelling

Often, when I finish a book, movie, or TV show, I go on and on in the review talking about why and how much I either loved or hated it. Other times, like I this case, I have no clue what to say or where to start. Because words fail me. I truly don't know if I have the words to explain why and how much I loved this show.

I started this coz I was in a romance slump. I wanted something darker and above all, something that would make me think. And BOY did I get that. The production is high value as with many Netflix shows, the acting is incredible, and the plot is well-paced and engaging — the plot did lag a bit in the middle, and I thought that the characters were being a bit too reckless, but perhaps that's to make things more intense.

I think what made me fall in love with this story is the issues tackled and the characters themselves.

🔬Fang Yi Jen - I do not know much about autism, let alone asperger syndrome. However, what I know from other TV shows I've seen is that those with this illness are usually utter geniuses or used for comedic relief, or a combination of both. Compared to the regular person, Fang Yi Jen could be considered a genius.

However, instead of this story highlighting that, it chooses to highlight how this condition, unfortunately, makes him both a bad husband and father. Because of how hard it is for him to interact with pple and understand them as a 'normal person' would, he ends up lashing out, when the 'normal' thing would be to be patient — i.e., in the car with his wife and their crying baby.

When his negligence of his daughter in favour of his job ends up getting her hurt, he serves his wife with divorce papers and leaves, never looking back again. He thought he was saving them from himself, but that ended up hurting them even more. He neglected his daughter when she was young and till almost adulthood. If she had never gotten involved in those murders, would he have ever looked for her again? Likely not.

Eventually, he does try and does change for the better, but that does not mean that the poor girl and her mother never suffered. My heart broke so much for them. I loved that by the end, there seemed to be hope for him and his daughter. Fang Yi Jen is still Fang Yi Jen, but where he'd have ignored her before, he takes extra care and time to show up. He also says thank you. This is a personal opinion (observation?), but I feel like most pple only say thank you to strangers, never to those close to them. He now takes the time to say thank you, not just to Hai Yin, but also to the captain, and that one friend (?) he had in the lab section of the police force.

📰Hsu Hai Yin - Lord, did I HATE her in the beginning. She was all for the story. The real people and feelings behind the hard-hitting deadline be damned. However, once she learns the truth about the deaths, after her interaction with the twins' stories, she starts to change, thankfully for the better. This time, it's not just about the hard-hitting headline.

She starts to care about the people she's writing about and how her stories affect not just the subjects, but also others who might be going through the same thing. I do like that she was the one person who seemed to understand Fang Yi Jen the most. He still acts like himself, but instead of demanding that he be 'normal' he takes him for what he is. And eventually, her giving him the space to be who he is leads to a very beautiful friendship.

👧🏻Chiang Hsiao Meng - We feel the most impact in the last two episodes and I cried. Okay, I didn't fall to the ground sobbing, but balancing tears were wiped severally times. She was so, so sad. Her life after her dad was filled with considerable pain. Watching her in the hospital with the mum, then again when speaking to her dad was.... my heart was hurt.

The societal issues were also a huge part of why I liked this plot. Like Hsia Meng, most of the characters were also neglected. They felt like they no longer had a place or a voice in this world because those who were supposed to care for and love them abandoned them when they were no longer of use. Or no longer fit into the mold they wanted — aside from perhaps the story with the twins and Liu Kuang Yung. The twins were a story of jealousy and invisibility, and the latter was about guilt. I'll say that of all stories, I found Liu Kuang Yung's the hardest to empathise with

Rewatch value is an 8, as I feel that this could be a hard story for many to rewatch. Especially once you tie in all the victims' stories and why they chose this path over staying alive and fighting to see another day.

Not sure how to properly end this, so I'll finish with this quote from one of the directors
"In The Victims' Game, there's a group of people who want to let go, and there's a group who also suffers from pain and oppression, but still believes in the value of life. They're trying to bring back those who wish to give up. We hope that the series can make their voices heard when they're still alive."

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How to Train a Puppy With an Emphasis on the S/M in BDSM

Enjoyable pretty much exclusively because of the lead's role reversal master/pet dynamic. Pretty much everything else about this drama was bad to barely watchable, but it didn't bait-and-switch its viewers, so for that it gets brownie points.

The Good:
- Dynamic - The leads have a role-reversed master/pet relationship from the very beginning. FL quite literally tames and trains ML into becoming her puppy, and he not-so-gradually realizes that he actually loves it. I thought their relationship was handled quite nicely and progressed surprisingly well for a vertical.
- No bait-and-switch - In the sea of dramas that start out role reversal but then pull the rug and turn the leads into a traditional couple, this one DIDN'T do that!! The FL is ruthless in the beginning and remains that way until the very end (YAAAYY). She doesn't go soft or submissive at any point (even though she does warm up to ML). Same with ML, he's submissive in the beginning, and he doesn't do a 180 later on. If you're here for genuine femdom x malesub, this is the one!
- Red flag FL - That's the whole thing. She's epic!
- FL's outfits - Dang, she really had some niice outfits. Very atypical and flattering.

The Okay:
- Leads acting - FL was pretty good. She sold me on the ruthless, spoiled heiress. ML was alright. He did the submissive pup role nicely, but his crazy role was more cute (and cringe) than intimidating.
- Plot prospect - It had potential to be melodramatic and cringe but in an entertaining way. It didn't really deliver, though.
- Humor - It's not really a comedy, but there were some comedic moments, and they actually got me giggling, so I'll give them that.
- Intimacy - I'm putting this in the 'okay' section because the actual romance develops differently than one might expect. The leads have a very master/pet bdsm kinda relationship that seems to exist outside of their romance and only develops into it later. Because of this, though there is intimacy in the form of closeness and dominance, there isn't much kissing, and I thought that was a bit of a shame, even if interesting (reminded me of Love and Leashes).

The Bad:
- Supporting actors - This was some next-level bad, like oh my god. Every. Single. Supporting role couldn't act to save their life!! Not even a little bit!!
- Plot - It was just not good. Important things happen off-screen, random things happen for seemingly no reason, it's just a melodramatic mess. You need to ignore it and only focus on the leads dynamic.
- Other quality - You know the drill. This isn't one of those "surprisingly good" verticals, it's the low-budget cringe you expect. I keep remembering and laughing at the wounds that are just a smear of red liquid T_T save me from the cringe

Conclusion: Watch it for the femdom. Ignore for the rest.

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Me and Thee – Review / Thoughts

Me and Thee – Review / Thoughts

Me and Thee is a lighthearted, entertaining rom-com designed to make viewers laugh and enjoy themselves. It doesn’t aim to be heavy or emotionally intense, and that’s perfectly fine — not every show needs a deep storyline to be enjoyable. The series is engaging and fun, and its strength lies in providing moments of humor and charm rather than dramatic weight.

The plot is easy to follow, funny, and keeps the audience engaged. Even without deep emotional themes, it succeeds in giving viewers a satisfying, enjoyable experience. The comedy is necessary and welcome, and the show delivers it consistently, making it a joy to watch.

It’s frustrating to see people trashing the show after just one episode or rating it negatively simply because they dislike the leads or the genre. Judging a series before it fully unfolds is unfair. If someone doesn’t like rom-coms, they might not enjoy the show, and that’s understandable — but giving it a poor rating solely to attack the cast or prevent its success is unreasonable.

Some jokes and references are specific to Thai culture and the lakorn format. If I were Thai, I might understand some of the humor better. Even without deep familiarity, the show remains accessible and enjoyable for international viewers.

Main Characters
• Khun Thee (Pond Naravit) — honestly, he surprised me with his acting. He has truly mastered the role of Khun Thee, delivering a performance that is nuanced, convincing, and deserving of awards. This role shows growth and skill that even longtime fans can appreciate.
• Peach (Phuwin Tangsakyuen) — calm, practical, and the perfect counterbalance to Thee. Their chemistry is a major factor in the show’s appeal.
• Beach — it would be interesting if the series delved deeper into Beach’s past: what really happened with his father, whether he’s still alive, in prison, or other circumstances, and even his mother. This part of his story feels missing, though perhaps the director chose not to include it to avoid making the series too dark or heavy — it’s not clear.

Supporting Characters & Relationships
• Aran & Tiewan: Their relationship is compelling, though knowing more about how they met and why their conflict began could add depth.
• Mok & Rom: Their subplot is interesting and could serve as the basis for a spin-off or additional episodes in the future.

Conclusion

Me and Thee succeeds in delivering what it promises: a fun, entertaining, and charming rom-com. The story is engaging, the characters are lovable, and the humor works well. While it doesn’t aim to be emotionally heavy, it fills its niche perfectly. For fans of light romance and comedy, it’s a series worth watching and appreciating for what it is.

Rating: 9/10

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Pheem is evil. Than is stupid. Risa is a girlboss. Chet is a victim argue with the wall.

Maturing is realising that Chet is the true victim in all of this. Say what you will about this manchild, because I too wanted a car to run over him at the start of the series, but by the end of it, I just felt bad for the guy cuz of how terrible everyone else was around him. He was one of those villains that couldn’t even fully be one cuz everyone else was an even bigger villain than he was, so now he’s just there suffering all the consequences since he put himself in the line of fire. Quiet literally in this case.

Sure, he kept screaming at my screen every two seconds and kept saying shit and did nothing about it, but I could mute the series and I wouldn’t have to hear any of it. Pheem, on the other hand, even if I muted this show I could still see through the fucking bullshit. Not like he tried to hide it, Than was the only gullible idiot here, but I saw so many people defending this boy that I thought maybe he did have a justifiable reason for all his actions towards Than. Um, yeah, no. He doesn’t. This man is just straight up evil.

And I’m not even angry about that. If anything, I’m totally down for a morally grey character. His past shaped him to be who is now, and every single one of his actions makes absolute sense to me. Even if all of his actions ended up with him being completely alone after achieving all his goals. And him realising that maybe not all of it was worth it was heartbreaking. And it surely doesn’t help that Offroad is a phenomenal actor that managed to deliver all of these emotions so perfectly. No, what got me angry about his character, and why I don’t like Pheem, is the fucking audacity.

I’m sorry, but he made the conscious decision to shoot Than after his back was turned to him. Than and him put the guns down at the SAME TIME, and the moment Than TRUNED HIS BACK he decides to shoot him. And the kicker? The fact that he immediately starts crying and apologising about “hurting” Than. I’m sorry, HURT?!! HURT?!! YOU FUCKING SHOT THE MAN!! Talking about hurt like he kicked him or something. And the orange juice and flowers in the hospital the next day while he acts like nothing happened?? Asking his aunt to speak to Than on his behalf because he didn’t mean to FUCKING SHOOT HIM?? Delusional. Absolutely, 100% delusional. You enter a delulu contest but this man is your opponent, pack it up.

And let’s not even mention the fact that he showed Than the ring just to emotionally manipulative him so he wouldn’t be mad at him anymore. I genuinely laughed at that scene.

I honestly thought I couldn’t hate anyone more than Ming from My Stand-In, but I was so wrong. Ming wishes he could be as bad as Pheem. Though, Pheem is still better than Day from Love Syndrome in my eyes, so I guess that’s a win. Bar is in hell I tell you.

But speaking of My Stand-In… just like Joe, Than is a fucking idiot. He’s so kind hearted to the point of stupidity. I don’t wanna say naïve, cuz he does know that Pheem is terrible and is using him, but at the same time, he lowkey is as well. So imma just stick with stupid. Because essentially, that is what he is. Love makes him so stupid that when he agreed to forgive Pheem again and marry him, I wasn’t even surprised when Pheem faked his death. I mean, what did you think was going happen? Pheem has constantly been shown as the type of person that never does anything without reason. So why weren’t alarm bells ringing when he proposed? Than should have known something was up, but nope, he was so happy and in la la land in his mind that he once again went through a whole depressive phase cuz Pheem “died”. I felt bad for him, but at the end of the day, you asked for this when you got back with that psychopath.

As for the other characters, Risa was interesting until she got fucking unbearable. Miss girlboss became someone I was rooting for to someone I wanted dead. Which Chet’s bodyguard did the honours for me.

And speaking of, the bodyguard deserved more. He was the one character in this melo-dramatic family drama that was catching strays for no reason. He should have packed up his bags and left the moment Pheem showed up into the building. But again, just like Than, he’s also fucking stupid because Chet was his everything. They deserved so much more than this show gave them. Should have ran away to a far away island and lived their best lives or something. The true victims, I don’t care what anyone says.

Also, the dad. If Pheem was the villain of this series, then his dad was the final boss. This man didn’t have to lift a finger and he was already the mastermind behind all of this shit. If only all of these siblings realised the fraud he was and got together to kill him off, none of this would have happened. No wonder all his kids are insane. It’s in their blood.

In conclusion, out of all the DaouOffroad shows, this was my least favourite. Which makes me upset to say because there was no much going for it. But I guess the premise got lost in there somewhere, and the only thing keeping it alive was how phenomenal everyone in their roles were and the undeniable chemistry between Daou and Offroad. Istg these two could be two plastic cut outs of characters and they’d still make a show interesting. I’m so glad they keep exploring different genres for all their series and I can’t wait for their project.

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this drama is way too relatable, watch on your own responsibility.

I was really shocked when I watched this show. The first couple of episodes had me spiraling, because of how relatable it felt. The male lead struggles with sensitivity and way too much empathy for others and has it under his control after years of exhaustion until he meets the woman who looks like is about to combust every single time whether with happiness or sadness. She always tries to hide it but the man knows every single time she's not okay.
I feel for the male lead in this aspect. I have struggled with being too empathetic before. I know what you think - how is being empathetic bad? At first it truly isn't, it's a gift, but the more you give out, the more you need to be given back, but if those people don't give anything back, it's so exhausting and it leads to being burnt out. Of course it's no one's fault but it's really hard. Once you try to protect your peace, suddenly everyone will be very mad at you, because you're not available for them anymore. But it's very important you do protect yourself from that. I hope you, reading this and maybe struggling with the same thing will get a bit solace from this.
I never have felt this heard and seen before I watched this show, I hope you enjoy it as well.

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Morally Grey, Impeccably Dressed, and Dangerously Smart

I already consider this the dark horse historical drama of 2025.

Full disclosure: I was skeptical about the leads’ vibes and chemistry when I first caught glimpses of behind-the-scenes and filming clips — boy, was I wrong.

Not many dramas pull me in from day one, but this one? A delicious battle of wits unfolds between two exceptionally well-matched, morally grey leads who are equal parts scheming and captivating.

The visual tone, narrative style, and overall aesthetic are a feast for the eyes. The costumes and meticulous attention to detail fully immersed me into the story, and the OST only elevated the experience.

Hats off to the entire cast! Every supporting character managed to make me either root for them or despise them—often at the same time—but I was fully invested. I love that everyone has their own agenda, keeping you suspicious, even of the seemingly innocent. My jaded heart was immediately on high alert.

The plot is engaging, layered, and full of twists. Tea cultivation heritage, a powerful family dominating the business, murder mystery, abductions, reverse harem vibes, and some no-nonsense, badass female characters all come together in a rich tapestry that demands attention.

The FL is an absolute queen—smart, cunning, and calm as chaos swirls around her. She had me at her very first slap. The Rong family dynamics are just as turbulent, each sister compelling in her own right, and the grandmother… well, she definitely deserves a nod for cultivating the competitiveness and simmering resentments that fuel so much of the ongoing drama.

The ML's character has instantly joined my personal “Menace to My Sanity” hall of fame. Scheming, mischievous, and morally grounded when it truly matters, he’s ready to go all the way for justice—and for his woman. Watching him work his charm and plotting skills is pure joy.

All in all, this drama came out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Highly recommend—it’s a rare gem that balances scheming brilliance, morally grey intrigue, and satisfying storytelling with a gorgeous visual and emotional package.

Full transparency: I’m only on episode 21 out of 40, so yes—this might be a slightly hasty declaration. But some dramas earn your trust early, and this one carries itself with enough confidence, consistency, and narrative control that I feel comfortable saying this. Will be back with an update after this is done airing.

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Round and round to the end

Somewhere buried in the chaotic mess of these 40 episodes is a fairly straightforward message and commentary on the duality of human nature - its inescapable fallibility and simultaneous potential for achieving greats acts of goodness. These are perennial themes often seen in xianxia stories, and they are worthy of exploration. But 40 episodes to tell this tale was not needed. Every arc essentially said the same thing, and by the end, the devastation that was perhaps meant to wring the audience's tears only made me cringe in how poorly the story was executed.

I think the main failings of this drama stemmed from its confused story structure - it is a story told in reverse to bring out a big reveal, which ends up not being so impactful because there are 20-30 episodes leading up to it that dance around it while not saying much of anything in the meantime. The human emperor? Red herring - he doesn't really impact the story. Dream Shard Immortal? Even Zhao Liying looks bored in her scenes because the meat of her story isn't shown, it is merely said in a monologue by another character. But the most critical story is the one from 10,000 years ago - depicting the humans' struggle against much more powerful demons that builds up to Hong Ye, the human prince at the time, and his betrayal of the demons (Although, the way the story is written, those demons deserved some of the badness that came to them given their equally despicable behavior).

The story of Ning'an and Hong Ye 100 years prior to the present story is also redundant. Perhaps it would have been wise to cut out either this whole storyline or the one from 10,000 years ago and focus on developing the human-demon struggle and characters. By the end, only Bingzhu and Pianpian are somewhat developed supporting characters.

In any case, this was an unfortunately dull and derivative xianxia story that did not afford the otherwise capable cast any great opportunity to craft interesting characters. Instead of being moved, I was exasperated at the end. Hong Ye's sacrifice is hollow because the story is riddled with holes. This story affords only a superficial pass at what could have been a powerful story about two very different people putting aside their prejudices and grievances to heal the world of war and hate.

Fans of the cast may still want to check this out - I was myself really eager to see Tan Songyun again in a costume drama - but prepare for a very long 40 episodes.

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The Karmic Cycle had always been the theme of this series

When i started this series i honestly thought this was just one of those fantasy dramas that would fill my day. Started out slow and a bit of a confusing world building but they did pick it up as soon as we reach the middle of the story.

When we reach the story of the mountain elf, thats when i realized that the theme of this series is karma. The madam of that sect wanted to plant good karma for her husband who has turned to a demon because the husband wanted to cure her, in turn she has helped the mountain elf become good. Again the cause and effect. And it has already been established that even when the mountain elf consumed the water from the spring, he just felt empty even when granted with immortality. This is evident when we see the actual place of the spring, its empty, shallow, endless and dark.

The ending of the drama is not gonna be everyone's cup of tea but it exactly fits the entire theme of the series. Hongye finally understands the cycle. No one will be able to destroy the spring as long as there will be living beings with desires but no one will be able to access it anymore if he seals himself with it. As for xiaoyao, she will continue going back in time just to see hongye but the ending will always be the same. And that will be her unattainable desire.

I always say this to everyone, if the message of the series doesn't resonate with you right now, leave it. And when the time comes and you remember this series, watch it.

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