Reviews

Partners in solving crimes, partners in life, JBL comedy is back!

I started this show mainly for Mister Shu which i had loved since Kamen rider more than 15y ago...and what can i say, this show has been a blast.

It is cute, very funny, easy to watch, you do not feel bored at all and the 20 mins pass so quick. The chemistry is great not only when it comes to their acting but I aslo feel like they have great physical chemistry and a charm about their interactions that can only make you root for them to be partners in solving crime and...in life! The whole police office staff is great, adding the perfect amount of comedic relief and slice of life aspect and there is something very domestic about it all that I just love so much. I'm also very appreciative with some of the deepest moments, for example the ending scene of ep 6 that was absolutely stunning and I can already feel that they're about to grow together as people but also as members of the police staff.

The ending felt a bit rushed but considering they had 20 days to shoot, two silly cameras, a main lead still in uni and a dream, i can make peace with that ending and i hope we get a seadson 2!

Very good, japanese BL is truly back with this one, I recommend this feel good comedy drama when you feel blue!

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She is a prickly pear

Currently, our screens are filled with FL being gifted with a do-over and/or a sickly/disabled ML plotting his revenge. This one ticked all the boxes. Once more unto the breach!

Alas, it didn't quite pay off. Not a total loss, but it was a frustrating watch for me. Please allow me to explain.

On paper, this series has a nice throughline. While the dynastic inheritance plot is OG, there is always room for one more. ;)

When the series started up, the FL came on with a bang. She is no nonsense and takes no prisoners. On the other hand, the ML appears sickly, yet he can still fight the good fight. He saved the FL multiple times, both as himself and in disguise. So far, so good.

Issues start to pile up for me as the show progresses. This is largely due to how the FL is written/portrait and the associated plots.

To wit, the FL seems to sit inside a Teflon coated bubble. She is ruthless, but everyone in her circle is ruthless. She is smart and cunning. She knows what she wants. That's a plus, right? Alas, this is Ancient China. Women's rights won't be invented for a while . . a looong while.

Sure, I have watched plenty of strong FL in other shows. They back it up with a sharp sword or they are great merchants or uber skilled craftswomen. She is none of those.

Our FL goes big. Court politics is no joke. She knew that and told us from the start she needs someone with power to back her up and that's where the Crown Prince comes in. Yet she ends up pushing him away until EP.20. Even then she insists she does not love him. Nice, it makes the ML look pathetic.

She also seems to be untouchable. The king dotes on her. She is allowed so much autonomy. It made no sense when compared to other female protagonists.

She also has amazing plot armour. Every attempt to harm or discredit her fails. We are seldom shown how she discovers such plots. It is like magic.

To be fair, this also happened to FL in other shows, but they are loveable and likeable. Our FL is a prickly pear. She has 1 friend and 100 enemies. Her treatment of the ML doesn't exactly endear her to me either. Sometimes I wonder whether I should cheer on the antagonist! :p

Speaking of antagonists, they are a motley crew. Most male in her orbit are obsessed with her and most females hate her. Friends? Frenemy? Enemy? Take your pick. ;)

At the start of the show, the sweet original Princess dies, and the soul of the FL takes over her body. Instead of going back in time, 3 years has lapsed. The FL shows little interest in the past. At least not personally. The nice princess is subsumed. The FL remembers both lifetimes, but it is like flipping through a photo album. She taps the memories for useful intel. She is an enigma. I am still not sure if she is/was good, chaotic or evil?

Her motivations can be a mystery. She talks about the greater good. Yet I don't sense her being a particularly righteous person before her demise. This permeates the first half of the series. She exists in this moral grey zone. She can be ruthless in one scene and saves a beggar in the next. What is she striving for? Good of the empire? People Power? Personal gains? Revenge?

This goes double for the romantic storyline. We have crushes, unrequited love, obsessions and more. What we don't get is True Love™. The FL pretty much tells the ML she doesn't love him at every opportunity. He comes off lightly, BTW. The rest are still picking up their shattered psyches. :p

This is frustrating because the show loves to tease us with a love ballad whenever the ML tries to woo her. Better luck next, next, next time. (Groan)

This is amplified 10 times on their wedding day. The ML moves heaven and earth to bring her father and brother back from the frontier just so that their little family unit can have a quiet celebration. She was so happy and then she reminded him, while in bed, of their no-touchy "business" agreement. How romantic! I was hoping this will be the turning point I was hoping for. Instead, the plot turns even more inwards. 🤷

Production wise, it is good. Hengdian has turned costume drama production into an industrial process.

In the end, I am exhausted. In isolation, none of the issues I listed are deal breakers. However, when taken en masse, they made me question my life choices.

I don't hate this show. It has its moments. Unfortunately, after 21 eps, I still can't ship the OTP. I feel nothing. I am sure there will be a happy ending (although I have heard mumbling about that as well).

Au revoir, I'm done. Other dramas are calling me. Peace.

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Exhilarating watch

youth is right now

watching it made my heart race so fast because I can feel their youth through the screen which is why I love it. I never knew youth drama can be like this; exhilarating.




youth is right now

watching it made my heart race so fast because I can feel their youth through the screen which is why I love it. I never knew youth drama can be like this; exhilarating.



youth is right now

watching it made my heart race so fast because I can feel their youth through the screen which is why I love it. I never knew youth drama can be like this; exhilarating.




youth is right now

watching it made my heart race so fast because I can feel their youth through the screen which is why I love it. I never knew youth drama can be like this; exhilarating.

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A Mind-Ransacking Masterpiece

For me, this drama will truly ransack your mind. As you get to know the characters, you'll constantly uncover hidden secrets, layers, and clever clues. That intricate plotting and mystery-solving aspect is easily one of the biggest reasons why I rate this high.

When it comes to the music, I totally love it. They used songs and BGM at just the right emotional moments. Though, to be fair, there were a few times where I felt like the BGM was a bit too loud, or used during scenes that honestly didn't even need any music playing.

As for the entire cast—both actors and actresses—they all did a phenomenal job bringing their roles to life.

Let me talk about some of my favorite characters, or the ones who really stood out to me throughout the drama.

Starting with Shen Xi He, I honestly couldn't like her character at first; she came across as way too timid and cold. But as the story progressed and you get to know her deeper, I found myself growing to really like her. She is strong, resilient, and fiercely knows what she wants. My only minor critique—not really a dislike, just a missed opportunity—is the lack of showing us what the original Shen Xi was actually like. Even though it was mentioned early on in the episodes that the original was gentle and contrasted with the new Shen Xi, I wish they had given us at least a brief flashback to see it firsthand.

Then we have XHY, the Crown Prince. Is it weird that I never disliked his character? There are always different sides to people, and XHY showed that to us so well. On top of that, he never stopped or interfered with Shen Xi He’s plans—instead, he was always quietly right there supporting her.

As for characters where I'm torn between feeling pity or pride, we have Prince Li and Shen Yin Rou. We watched the pure side of Prince Li unfold, though I was often conflicted about whether he was truly a good person or not, especially as we witnessed his maturity and difficult choices.

Meanwhile, Shen Yin Rou chose the path that she genuinely wanted for herself. Honestly, for a while, I really thought they would end up together—there was definitely some chemistry there! Yet, they each chose their own separate paths, and in a way, that's what made their arcs so hauntingly beautiful.

Let's also talk about the absolute dedication of the Xi, Mo, Yu, Tian, etc., and the loyal helpers of both the male and female leads. The unwavering loyalty and devotion they showed to their majesties added so much heart to the story.

Now, for the character, story, and couple that I like the most: Bu Shu Lin and Cui Jin.

I love how BSL/BSY portrayed the harsh reality of why having a son was considered so important in that era, and how heavy family responsibilities always came above everything else

But at the same time, BSL showed us such incredible passion and fierce determination. As for Cui Jin, he felt like the most grounded and normal person in the entire drama. I love their story—it was catchy, fun, and provided a much-needed, lighthearted getaway from the intense push-and-pull dynamics of the main couple.

Let's appreciate the intricate palace politics, the sharp character writing, and the fact that the female lead isn't just a passive pawn. However, some sheer density of the plot requires full attention, meaning if you miss a single episode or dialogue heavy with hidden meaning, you might find yourself scrambling to catch up.

There is just so much to say really, but Blossoms of Power leaves a lasting impression long after the credits roll!

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Ein Meisterwerk

Ich schreibe nicht oft Bewertungen, aber dieses Drama war ein besonderes Meisterwerk. Ich habe gelacht, geweint, micht geärgert, laut Leute verflucht und mitgefiebert, als würde es mich selbst betreffen.
Die Geschichte war fantastisch gemacht, die Liebesgeschichte eine ganz besonders süße "slow burn" Romanze mit einem ML zum Dahinschmelzen und gleichzeitig manchmal verprügeln.
Die Kampfszenen waren fantastisch gemacht und ich hätte mir tatsächlich mehr davon gewünscht, was sehr selten bei mir ist.
Normal meide ich es mir so lange Dramen anzusehen, da ich meist nach 20 Folgen abbreche, wenn es zu Längen kommt, aber hier war davon nichts vorhanden, keine Längen, keine unnötigen Szenen, alles perfekt durchdacht mit einem genialen Titelpaar und genauso genialen Nebencharakteren.
Das ist eins der wenigen Dramen, dem ich wirklich 10 Sterne gebe, selbst meine Allzeitfavoriten schaffen das teilweise nicht, da ich etwas finde, was mir nicht zusagt oder ich manche Szenen skippe.
Aber hier? Kein Stück.
Und da ich es immer wieder genießen möchte, habe ich mir bereits die Bluray bestellt und wenn ich hier fertig bin mit schreiben, werde ich die Serie nochmal von vorne starten.

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Excellent except for spoilt brat "princess"behaviour ",

I highly recommend this drama. The directing, editing acting are absolutely brilliant. Song Wei Long has all the correct micro expression and bad -arse attitude to fit this role unlike his previous other role. I am very impressed. Zhang chingyi acted well too, unfortunately the script writers made this FL role into a totally annoying spoilt-bratty princess.

A lot of miscommunication until Episode 22 onwards there's some realisation that they simply love each other too much and sacrificed too much,but it came across as FL being unreasonable and "over testing"the boundary

A word of caution for Chinese producers and writers
(It's time Chinese producers or even the Chinese government look into this level of women "model", it's good that women have equal power and standing as men in society but acting spoilt and unreasonable, demanding is NOT COOL. It's giving the impression to the whole world that China women are totally demanding SPOIT BRATS!!! There are many millions of pure bred Chinese women who are highly educated OUTSIDE of china amongst third generation immigrants who would never behave like this, it's totally shameful if Chinese women are evolving into spoilt brat demanding unreasonable females -it annoys everyone if cdrama continue to show this kind of behaviour )
Other than that, this drama is really really good but I didn't give a 10 simply because they made the FL totally weird and unreasonable

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Murder Mystery Club

I'm not going to beat around the bush: it's fine.
This is a republican mini so the standard is somewhere below the floor though. They have school production budget and a dream - where I completely demolished Overdo with star power, money and gigantic production, this has none of those things and so I have to say this is okay.
As someone who is not oriented to romance, I went into this specifically for the bromance and main trio dynamic and on that level I was left a bit disappointed. They could've done more with it. The three of them come together towards the end, but there is no time for development of any kind, story wise or relationships wise. Then again in 10 minutes, what can you do.
Honestly, I don't even know what to say. Would I recommend it?... No? Unless you are actively looking for a bad melodrama that won't take much of your time.
I love the ending though, there is so much self awareness in there, it's actually impressive. Talk about school production value lmao...

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Dark sweet romance

Actors: superb
Music: great
Storyline: amazing

Now let's gossip

Both families are messed up... totally messed Up,,,from ep1/10 it's been an emotional rollercoaster but fun plus the nc scenes which I found super cute and sweet .
I loved the couples chemistry and how even if problems come their way they still get back together in a twisted dark way.

Honestly it's a red flag drama,if u not into red flag dramas don't watch ,Caz no one is a green flag but they not crazy...thats only normal thing about this

Finally the ending was like yoh...a part of me wanted more drama but I think I wld have ruined it....I'm happy and content abt the ending


It was a good rollercoaster

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Story was interesting but…

The story of Overdo was interesting. Four prominent families all vying for power, prestige and the institutions of their own ideals.

the backdrop is the turmultuous time of the China Republican era. I’m not sure how historically accurate this drama is but there appears to be some very corrupt people around at that time all with bad motives.

Our heroines are girls that have been kidnapped by the elite, installed in an orphanage and abused , trafficked and killed for amusement. they escaped and plan revenge for justice.

Our heroes are brothers. Two by blood and one, due to a hospital mistake was adopted, Two were treated well by the parents (Quinq yu and Bose) even if their destiny was somewhat controlled by a wicked and selfish mother.

Quinq yi was the outcast abused by his adopted father and shunned and abused by his biological mother. his life goes from one bad event to another. despite that his older brother shielded him to some extent and he became a doctor. but ruthless and corrupt men in the peripherals of high society are trying to bring the family down and take their place.

Love is found and lost, found again and lost again through circumstances and in the pursuit of revenge, justice and ideals. Betrayal is inevitable as one or more tries to keep the promises to ancestors, friends and family and protect their loved ones.

Many have thought Qinqyu was a doormat. but I don’t. he understands the hardships and evil behind the situation he and SuSu have faced. maybe not everything but enough to know she has her reasons and that it . may not preclude a love for him.

they will all team up from time to time to fight the bad guys but will love and hate each other out of necessity.

the main actors were brilliant but many supporting actors were just too dramatic for my liking.

The production was not the greatest. fight scenes were generally poorly executed. backdrops were so fake looking.

The worse for me were the continual memory flashbacks and a rehash at the end of what life might have been.

the ending was so painful to watch. it was left open which is okay but so cringe worthy.

the music was repetitive.

such a shame this show didn’t live up to expectations. the director and producers let some very fine acting skills go to waste.

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Masterpiece classic hilarious fun, "real" kdrama UNTIL TOWARDS THE END OF EP 7

It starts so well .... imo 9.5/10 drama.... so funny.... great acting....
and then.... boom... almost at the end of ep 7, the drama falls apart and becomes the usual sexist trash, loser immature weak FL and a cold loyal servant ML. Yuck. So stale....
I watched 8-10 to see if it will improve ... but those are terrible too. So I dropped.
THERE IS NOT MUCH CHARACTER GROWTH, the characters are too similar to what they were at the start. That's the problem. So the overall feeling is shallow, and the same behaviors and plots get stale after watching for a while.

UNTIL TOWARDS THE END OF EP 7 - Wow this is a masterpiece, a classic, a GEM. Soooo funny. So well acted. So well made - the script, the acting, the camera/production, the styling, the music... Every scene is packed with fun details. UNTIL EP 7 WHEN IT BREAKS DOWN AND FL IS MADE DUMB STUPID IMMATURE MORON AS USUAL IN KDRAMAS... wow why do they always have to ruin it?????

The drama has beautiful bodies - omg tons of super great legs!

SO THIS IS A REAL THING, THIS IS WHY KDRAMAS BECAME FAMOUS - AND WHICH MORON DECIDED TO KILL IT OFF AND MAKE IT MORE LIKE KWOOD - TO MAKE MORE $$$$?

Watching this drama in 2026 when the kdramas are already dying. Actors are soooo skinny and lifeless, destroyed by dieting and plastic surgery, faces so tight to the point of not able to move the muscles, and eyes bulging out,
roles are poker faced and very still and boring. FLs are chaste elementary school kids stupid naive immature weak as if they live in 1800s but these days they are successful at work, MLs are poker faced servants that loyaly save FL non-stop and loved her since age of 3, very little dialogue, almost no meaningful dialogue, 1-dimensional "only good" leads with stupid 1-dimensional "only bad" villains.... etc... Basically THE WORST TRAITS OF OLD KDRAMAS (sexism, whiny FL and robot ML) BUT WITH STARVED TIRED ACTORS IN A SERIES OF STILL SHOTS WITHOUT ANY FUN, AND SCRIPTS THAT TOTALLY FLOP BY THE MIDDLE OF THE DRAMA
.
WHICH MORONS DECIDED TO KILL KDRAMAS LIKE THIS??? AND HOW DO THOSE DEAD KDRAMAS MAKE SO MUCH $$$$ THAT THEY ARE STILL BEING MADE???

This drama has BEAUTIFUL people, The drama is worth watching only for beautiful strong radiant bodies and faces, exuding GOOD HEALTH.
This makes for interesting plots and yes amazing scenes and yeah visual appeal.
FL wears sneakers and runs and sneaks around, there is a lot of physical and slapstick comedy and female characters can participate bc they are physically fit.

FL actress and all female actresses did not have to act at all, just watching them is enough :) omg so many nice legs here! OMG!!!!
Luckily FL is a great actress. I cannot think of any current actress who looks and acts like her. She is truly fantastic.

The script and the acting is fantastic. ML is expressive, FL is strong and independent and openly sexy.

ML actor is a fantastic actor too. Wow he can act! And all the other actors are great as well.

The camera, the filming, how it is put together, the hilarious music...

Truly a masterpiece, a classic, a gem. Up to middle of ep 7. The soup scenes are just cringe dumb.

Yeah FL is not perfect, she has her cringe and insecurities, AND SHE IS SLIGHTLY DUMB .... out of insecurity and blind need to obey others... she just cannot say no or even say she needs to use the restroom... but she is ok! She is a very realistic ordinary woman who suffers from sexism. She is still A LOT better than most other FLs bc she figures things out and SPEAKS UP and is not afraid to take action. So some faults are ok :) it balances out... I did not see the end yet so I will update if need be.

Yeah ep 7 is trash, the soup scenes are terribly dumb
My criticism is her DRINKING TOO MUCH... and not saying "I need to go to restroom".... that was so cringe... (and all those other ppl - adjumas and her suitors - just do not see it - a very stark REALISTIC portrait of sexism in Korea..). ML is not perfect either - he is a selfish slime keeping her by his side - but on the other hand, he keeps saving her and he is already in love and he knows it :) he is ok :) he is a realistic man :)

I LOVE this drama. UNTIL TOWARDS THE END OF EP 7 :) WHEN IT FALLS APART :) AND FL BECOMES A LOSER AS USUAL. SO UNTIL END OF EP 7 .... To me this is a real thing. The modern ones are mostly counterfeit, they are not kdramas but Kwood soaps. Most modern dramas do not even have the first half ok... they are trash from the start


======COMPARISON WITH A MORE MATURE ROMANCE
====
I watched Discovery of Love a long time ago and then rewatched it. That one is super powerful and changed my life. That drama is difficult but not draggy. There is a difference. it is difficult bc it goes DEEP into psyche and rooting out some very deep egoistical habits, e.g. addiction to complacency

Discovery of Love has a super profound message. It shows utmost evil and egotism and personal inner death disguised as pleasant convenience. The acting is FANTASTIC the dialogues, the scenes... wow!!!! that most slimey scene when she hides in the closet to seduce him and he takes it and forgives her cheating... wow!!!! Also it shows the process of MAKING A DECISION and then sticking to it. It shows some clarity

I didnt like the ending, I think she has not put in enough effort and has not grown enough, he had to notice she wore his bag and necklace..

Marriage Not Dating on the other hand is more showy and "action packed" but a lot more shallow and eventually it is about more shallow parts of the psyche - trauma requiring someone to not be alone or to be alone, confusion, very bad communication, not being aware of what you feel, being sidetracked into dating, flirting, s.x, dating experiments, etc ... It is a very young ppl drama :) ... It addresses some childhood trauma but does not go as deep as Discovery of Love, which nails some very basic fundamental principles of egotism , e.g addiction to self-comfort and easy way out, without thinking of consequences

Marriage Not Dating makes plot out of FL not being able to say I NEED TO GO TO RESTROOM NOW and then pooping around and causing other consequences. FL is so immature..... That makes it "difficult to watch" bc it is simply stupid. Sure you can say it is a satire that tries to show externally what the characters go through internally. Sure! I take that. But imo Discovery of Love conveys a lot more by implying it, by carefully selected scenes, like FL hiding in the closet to seduce SML and he accepts it. THAT SCENE IS 100% CREEPY. It is watching deep layers of egotism unmasked.
Mariage Not Dating has so much plot bc of obvious manipulations of ML's mother and ex and FL and ML falling for it. That makes it difficult to watch bc again it is shallow simple cartoon-like, villains are 1-sided bad and ML and FL are 1-sided good. The main characters wrestle a lot more with external evil instead of their own egotism.

Discovery of Love has no fluff "stupidity" plot or 1-dimensional characters in a cartoon battle. The characters wrestle with themselves and with each other and each one of them is complex "good and bad". And they TALK and interact deeply with each other. That makes it "difficult to watch" bc it is DEEP all the way from start to end
FL is weak but she is a super crafty parasite. So she is hard to detect and uproot.

Discovery of Love is about "ordinary functional successful people without any problems".
Marriage Not Dating is a flashy drama about flamboyant and "off the charts" characters.. FL is almost alcoholic and is very promiscuous and rash, FL has 3 guys to pick from and cheats with 2, ML has 2 girls to pick from, ML's mom and ex are extreme sociopaths, etc.

Marriage Not Dating can be titled "s.x and the city" and Discovery of Love is "how to keep love alive for decades"

Discovery of Love shows deeper layers of egotism... The more quiet, polite and calm egotism is, the deeper and stronger it is... and that kind is shown in that drama
Marriage Not Dating is more raw, more "childishly naive" more "young and lacking wisdom" drama, it is drama for ppl under 20 or 25 or maybe 30 if they are really late bloomers lmao ppl who are just starting their love life and have NO experience. The drama is about STARTING the journey.
Discovery of Love is for ppl who have some love experience, walked that road a while and now finally encountered the real road blocks. The real road block is not your mother or your ex, it is YOURSELF.

Marriage Not Dating starts as a heavy duty rom com - there is so much com, it is hilarious!!!! and then goes into ... soap :) It has so much action and locomotion but we do not get to see how the characters work inside themselves, how they wrestle and how they grow. So that is why it is a difficult watch for me - bc it is SHALLOW. Her mom, his mom, his ex, her current, ... his confusion, her confusion, ..... it is a hot mess of characters and events.... but it is shallow. We do not see some deep conversations or self reflections. Well that drama starts from "i will give you money to lie that we are dating" and then progresses into "ok lets date"

Discovery of love has very little comedy... It is a drama about mature love and about turning every unturned stone to find love under it... It is a deep digging psychological drama about being true and honest with ONESELF
It starts with "I ran away from responsibility, so I force myself to pretend I am ok and I use a boy toy as a consolation prize" and "I was dumped without any explanation, I missed you for 10?yrs, now I know what to change to win your heart and I am doing it" and "She seems so nice but why do I feel so shitty and fake with her"

Eric Moon as the ML and the actor who is SML are absolutely perfect. FL actress is the same in every drama I saw her and she is always a flakey female. She was perfect for this role

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A selfish way to write love maybe?

In my opinion Natsuo deserved better, cause Hiro never seemed to like or accept Natsuo for the person he is or the things he likes (like his T-shirts).

Hiro's perspective also seems rather selfish when he learns about Natsuo's past and why he has a hard time getting close to people and so getting close to him in the past. Natsuo never meant to make Hiro feel bad, he just used the only way he knew to get closer to him. But of course I don't wanna take away Hiro's right to be mad, cause he experienced the past in his own way. I just wished he could have looked back and reflected on things more.

Later in the story Natsuo takes care of Hiro because he hurt his hand. This is also the moment Hiro seems to realize he likes Natsuo. For me the question is, does he like Natsuo or does he just like being taken care of and cared for?

In the final episode, when the truth finally comes to light, Hiro tells Natsuo that his reason for doing the things he did is payback for the past and how much he hated him up until now. In my opinion Natsuo forgives him rather fast without a real apology in return. Also I think Hiro should've done more to try to show Natsuo how much he loves him in the present.

But in the end I'm just happy Natsuo is happy, cause that boy really deserves a hug for all the love he's been missing all his life.


Lastly, I did'nt expect Hiro to be the top in their intimate scene in the last episode, but also it totally makes sense. It was very beautifully done.

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