Reviews

Still worth drama

Just finished The Mystic Nine: Qing Shan Hai Tang and omg it’s way too short 😭 only 1h14m. I watched The Mystic Nine a long time ago and since I saw there might be a season 2, I came back to rewatch and also check out this spin-off. Even though the actors aren’t the same, the story still gave me all the feels. Honestly, this drama is still the best even if you only watched the original and not the whole series, coming back to it again feels so worth it. And can we talk about the bromance between Zhang Qishan and Er Yuehong?? I’m not even into BL, but their chemistry was so good, I loved it 🥹. Wish it was longer, but it brought back so many good memories.

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Unique but not for everyone

Gelboys is set to take a unique approach to BL. The reception of this series among the BL Shia Community has been quite mixed. While many viewers lauded the series for its captivating visuals, distinctive aesthetics, and striking compositions, others found it challenging to connect with the characters. Some fans appreciated certain aspects but struggled to understand the characters' motivations, leading to a feeling of emotional detachment from their journeys. One viewer described the characters as cold and distant, exhibiting a lack of emotional depth. Additionally, the pacing of the series has raised some eyebrows, with critics noting inconsistencies that affected the overall experience. Although the plot had the potential to stand out as unique, opinions varied on whether it delivered compelling intrigue; some felt it was well-crafted and believable, while others disagreed. On a positive note, many applauded the production quality, deeming it among the best they had seen.
In summary, Gelboys has received mixed feedback, highlighting that while certain standout scenes may attract viewers, essential elements like character development and narrative consistency might fall short for some viewers.
Our server Poll resulted in an overall average score of 7.5/10. This is an aggregated review from the BL Shia community. Want to know more and have your voice heard? Join us in Discord: https://discord.gg/zDynbwQpP4 and come talk about it!

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When Love and Hatred Exist together

"I hate you to the core but still i love you the most." This single line perfectly captures the essence of the drama. At its heart, its a story about the toxic yet unbreakable friendship between Eunjeong and Sang Yeon. No matter how destructive their relationship seems, they remain each other’s one constant.

Sang Yeon is clearly toxic but i never found myself truly hating her. Maybe its because her backstory was portrayed so convincingly or maybe because deep down, Eunjeong never stopped needing her. Thats what makes their bond so fascinating, it defies simple labels. To call it mere friendship feels inadequate. Its the kind of connection where they shouldnt be together yet they cant exist apart.

Romance and especially the love triangle, was also a big part of the drama. The triangle was complicated, but after finishing drama you couldnt really hate anyone in it. At times you might get angry on characters like Sang Yeon or Sang Hak and at other times you could even understand where they are coming from. In the bigger picture, i dont resent any of them for how the story unfolded. The romance between Eunjeong and Sang Hak was touching but her love-hate bond with Sang Yeon absolutely stole the show.

The drama leans heavily into melodrama and it had me in tears multiple times. The first real breaking point for me was Sang Yeon’s brother’s backstory, which was devastating and then the last two episodes hit just as hard. They were painful to watch, but in the best possible way.

What i liked most was how the drama never painted their relationship in black and white. It didnt glorify Sang Yeon’s behavior but it also didnt make her a complete villain. It showed how love, anger, insecurity, jealousy and dependence can all exist together in one relationship. That made the characters feel very real, even with their flaws.

I personally think that in real life no one should have a friend like Sang Yeon. But in this drama, i dont know maybe its not for me to decide whether a toxic friend like Sang Yeon should stay with Eunjeong or not. What i felt after finishing the drama is that Eunjeong herself needed her. And because of that, i still accept and even approve their toxic friendship within the story.

The drama also had a very strong atmosphere. The music, the pacing and the way side characters were written all added to the heaviness of the story. The subplots didnt feel extra, they actually made the drama deeper and showed how Eunjeong and Sang Yeon’s choices affected everyone around them.

In the end, even with its unusual and heavy storyline, i loved it a lot. For me, its a solid 9.5/10.

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I thought it would be boring, but I was completely wrong.

I saw an incredible scene from Enjoy, and I almost started crying without even knowing the context. After that, I decided to watch it (the scene takes place in episode 6). After episode 1, I couldn't stop. I stayed up watching until dawn and only stopped because I had to work really early the next day, hahaha. The plot is very engaging, with deep, captivating characters, with desires and dreams. Envious, greedy, and bitter characters with a villainous vibe even without being the villain, because after all, "we all have a bad side." There's no messing around, things happen, and you're surprised by the events and the attitudes of several characters. Right now, I'm rooting for the villains in the plot (I'm not sure if they are evil, because in this series, almost every character has a "bad" side, so what would a bad character and a good character driven to do bad things be?).

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Real and Addictive

Finally writing a review after re-watching it for the nth time.

I stumbled on this masterpiece a few years back, and alas, I was hooked. So much so that I finished watching it in a single night. And since then, I think I've kept on re-visiting the show once a year (if not more). I can't exactly pinpoint what it is about the show that keeps me coming back to it.

Maybe it's how the story is really well written and acted out with everyone doing justice to their part (yes, even the annoying characters did a great job). Maybe it's the chemistry between the leads where you are watching them look at each other and yet a whole conversation happens between them. And surprisingly, you get it.

The whole show is really well done. And very entertaining with great chemistry and comedic relief as well. But it's a show which makes me think, makes me wonder, but also lets me marinate in silence as I watch this realistic portrayal of life, love and long-term relationships. It makes you question your own morals and values because at one point, you do find yourself rooting for morally grey stuff. It's messy, it's quirky, it's grey and yet, so real. Though a part of me dislikes the ending (like many people), I also understand the need for that arch, cuz it's exactly that which makes it much more rooted in reality than just wrapping a disaster in a bow.

hope many more stumble on this show and find enjoyment like I did. Because it's for sure that I'll keep coming back to this one.

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It's gonna be hard to pull myself out of their world ? I adored every second with them.

This drama will now be on my list of favorites. the representation of autism in this one comforted me, so many beautiful lines of dialog Sang tae gets that just feels so true to life I could relate to being autistic myself. I do think if they also made ko moon young autistic as well with the way they connect being on different levels of the spectrum would've been so spot on I also just loved their best friendship 🖤
and gang tae was so relatable as well with the masking in general cause you dont just mask as an autistic person its valid and happens with truama in general and going on that journey to talk about how everyone's valid and important with what theyre going through is a beautiful lesson. him swallowing up everything to stay strong for his family was very relatable for me as well and they all just hit so hard in their little way and now I feel apart of their family hahahha you really go on that journey with them. all of their fights that make you cringe and uncomfortable are needed thats how you build a relationship especially with someone who is traumatized so its just such a special drama for that.
p.s my favorite scene is when Moon young and Sang Tae fight so hard they both drew blood 🖤 I will forever love them.
I also just loved moon youngs interesting obsession with beauty and learning she doesn't always have to be beautiful. her meltdowns felt so good to see with her beautiful face showing its okay to not be okay!
and with that I think im done spewing for now. anyway 10/10 the only thing id say i didn't like was how the mom was still alive at the end lol but its true kdrama fashion for her to be so I can't complain much lol

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Cute & Fluffy!

I really liked the actors who played Kosuke and Shinichiro
I thought they had a nice easy chemistry between them, which never seemed passionate but thats fine. Not all relationships are all fire and thunderstorms.
The setup of 2 highschool friends reconnecting as adults and finding that they always liked each other was nice and I liked that they showed the various stages of their relationships— from the happy honeymoon period to the arguments to the personal growth. It was all kinda superficial and fluffy without ever getting serious, but thats okay. This was a fun and cute watch for me.

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Must watch if you’re a huge fan of Liu Tao!!

If you enjoy watching slice-of-life dramas based around friendship like Hello, My Twenties! and Hospital Playlist, you would love this drama, too. It’s refreshing to see a show where none of the main characters are morally upright or perfect, but you can’t help but root for them. I didn’t particularly care for any of the love stories, but that didn’t detract from the watching experience, except for the Wei Wei guy who I hate with a passion.

Unlike Hello, My Twenties! 2 and Hospital Playlist 2, Ode to Joy 2 didn’t retain the momentum that it carried in season one. There were inconsistencies in storytelling and character struggles, especially with Andy’s character, but still, it was an enjoyable experience.

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boring...

This series had an unusual premise, but the execution didn’t really work for me. The whole "waiting 300 years and suddenly confessing" part felt rushed and a bit random, and I never fully connected with the characters. The pacing was slow, and the story leaned too much on the forced-love idea, which made it hard to enjoy the romance.

There were a few nice moments and the cast tried their best, but overall it just wasn’t engaging. For me, it ended up being more boring than exciting, and I wished the script had developed the plot and relationship in a more natural way.

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