Reviews

Just…ugh. The first couple episodes, I thought the reviews were exaggerating and it wasn’t that bad. But it just kept deteriorating. By the end I was watching at 3.5x speed, I was so bored.

To be honest, there’s nothing egregiously wrong about this. A lot of the time, when I dislike a show, it’s because of toxic relationship dynamics, consent issues, or other outright events in the show that piss me off. That’s not the case here. The couple is relatively green flag, and nothing bad really happens in the show.

But that’s the problem. Literally nothing happens in the show. There were two overarching plot lines - someone stealing designs and embezzling from the company, and the past life dreams. Both were so lackluster and anticlimactic that they felt like side plots and not the overall storyline. Both storylines drag for too long and resolve too easily. I think if they had played into the secret relationship aspect of things and had actual consequences for being together, that would have been a much more interesting storyline.

The dream storyline was just worthless. First of all, it didn’t even make sense. This woman (Lin) loved a man (Sun) who loved her sister, but the sister loved someone else and ended her engagement with Past-Sun. Past-Lin tries to kill her sister’s lover (for reasons?) and ends up killing her instead, so Past-Sun rips off the necklace she gifted him and locks her up in a cave. It ends when Present-Lin gifts a replica of the necklace to Past-Sun, therefore freeing Past-Lin and everyone lives happily ever after. Except why would Past-Sun want to free the woman that killed the woman he loved? Why did he forgive her so easily? And Past-Lin says that she and Past-Sun are destined to be together in the next life when she’s freed, so she clearly learned nothing. And none of that storyline paralleled the present storyline whatsoever. So what was the relevance? It would have been better if they just cut it altogether and stuck with the office rom-com concept.

Also, the CRINGE. I cannot tell you how many times I had to pause and just do something else because I couldn’t bear to watch. Khun Dad, for one. I find the term “daddy” gross enough, let alone straight up “dad”. The poses, the dialogue, the interactions…just everything was so goddamn cringy and also unbearably awkward. The pose Sun does when Lin opens the hotel door, the one-sided foot massage on the first date, their first kiss attempt, the dancing…please kill me. Like even in the special episode when they’re supposed to be effectively married, they were still awkward with each other. If it wasn’t for the cringe and awkwardness, this would have been so much more bearable.

Lin’s outfits were tragic. I have never seen more ugly clothing in my life. His high heels were particularly awful. His shirts and pants were ill fitting and his make up was so strong that I just kept wondering why his lips were so pink. The sparkly date outfit in episode 1 was a real choice. It was giving 14 year old on first date that picked something sparkly from the department store clearance rack. Also, it was a jewelry company but every single piece of jewelry was ugly as hell.

And the nepotism and rich-people-privileges were outrageous. Sun just gets handed the entire company when he wasn’t even working there before. His brother was secretly working as an intern, but when he’s discovered, he suddenly gets to take charge of the entire department. Sun was constantly throwing his money around — dates and trips and gifts that frankly would have made me feel bought and not wooed. Sun gets son-of-owner privileges because he can up and disappear for a week with no consequences, and Lin gets so much boyfriend-of-president special treatment that it’s actually ludicrous. He skips so much work to go out with Sun (basically unlimited PTO), his designs are obviously preferred, he’s guaranteed a job after graduation, he gets selected for work opportunities like work trips, and he gets to turn said work trips into romantic getaways.

There were plenty of stupid things as well. Like Lin saying he was never upset about Sun lying and just wanted to get back at him. Or Sun agreeing to be someone’s fake fiancé but not bothering to explain to Lin in advance. Or in the special episode, where they’re suddenly concerned about costs of clothing and accommodations when they’ve been throwing money around with no concern the whole time. The special episode in general was unnecessary. The finale already felt like a long, extended epilogue. We didn’t need another one.

I also felt that this show was heteronormative. I’m careful when using that term, because it is completely valid for a gay couple to have one masculine individual and one effeminate individual. That happens all the time in real life and isn’t inherently heteronormative. But the issue is when it’s depicted in a stereotypical, shallow way in a fictional series. You’ve got the masculine top that pursues and takes the lead and pays for everything, and the feminine virginal bottom that never returns the favor. Their outfits are very masculine / feminine accordingly. Lin initiates physical affection exactly once, in the finale, and he also takes the lead exactly once, in the finale. But Sun takes back control after like, 10 seconds, so did it really count? And it turns out that Lin is rich as well, and while he offers to split the bill once, Sun pays for basically everything. Why, if Lin is also rich? In the special episode, Sun doesn’t have a shirt and Lin is wearing 2 layers. He could have easily given his over shirt to Sun, but it’s Sun’s job to take care of him and not vice versa, and so he doesn’t. All of those things I could maybe excuse as cliched, bad BL tropes, though. The real clincher for me was when in the special episode, Sun looks at and rubs Lin’s stomach when they’re talking about having kids, as if 1) he can get pregnant and 2) he would be the one to get pregnant just because he’s the effeminate one / the bottom.

Also, it started off so overly chaste and ended so overly explicit. I mean, Lin was so extremely virginal. It’s said that Sun is around 30 and Lin is 8-9 years younger, but what 21-22 year old acts that overly innocent? Him puffing up his cheeks when trying to kiss for the first time, what even was that? He shies away from even hugs, let alone kisses. When they make it official, they do a forehead kiss instead of a real kiss. AT 30 YEARS OLD. They exchange couple rings before they’ve even kissed, and Lin gets shy after they do kiss. By episode 5, they’ve basically exchanged one peck and a few hugs and that’s it. But then it goes from hugs and cheek / forehead kisses and one solitary peck to a full on NC scene, no middle ground or build up in between. Then in the finale, we get a stimulated in-pants hand job, and in the special episode, we see crotch groping, nipple touching, and visible tongue kissing. The switch up was insane. I didn’t even feel like the NC scenes were particularly good. While both were both active participants, even if Sun took the lead, they felt overall mechanical, and just contributed to the overall awkward vibe that the couple had.

In terms of boundaries / consent, this was relatively green flag, especially considering it was a boss / employee situation. There were many instances of asking for verbal consent, even including hugs and kisses, and of taking no for an answer. When Lin says he’s uncomfortable, Sun respects it, apologizes, and backs off.

But that’s not to say there weren’t still issues though. On their first date, Sun spies on Lin taking a bath. They make it out to seem like Sun’s a good guy for moving on relatively quickly, as if it was acceptable for him to have been watching at all. There was also one scene where Sun takes off his shirt and kisses Lin’s knee while he’s on a call. Given their dynamic at the time, where Lin was uncomfortable with even hugs, I’d say Lin was probably uncomfortable. And afterward, even though Lin verbally consents to a hug, he seems uncomfortable anyways and keeps pulling away / trying to escape.

The boss / employee dynamic didn’t really bother me because they met before working together and Sun immediately told Lin to talk to him normally and act normal around him. So the power dynamic was instantly dissolved. When Lin’s mad at Sun for hiding his identity as the company’s president, Sun does chase after Lin, but he’s not super aggressive about it. Realistically, it’s sexual harassment because Lin indicated disinterest and Sun persisted despite the inherent power dynamic, but in relation to other BLs, at least he wasn’t forcing the issue to the point that Lin wasn’t able to say no. But that being said, he does manipulatively arrange a trip to Hong Kong with just him and Lin when Lin is still upset and seemingly disinterested, and Lin didn’t have a choice in the matter. So maybe that negates the whole “was able to say no” thing I just said.

The second couple (Sam / Yo) was more questionable. Sam follows Yo home, says he’ll tell everyone about Yo’s mom if he doesn’t give him something and then says the something he wants is Yo, outs their relationship without Yo’s consent, and is pushy about their first kiss.

Also, Lin’s friends spy on Chan / Juldis, non-consensually record them making out, and use it to blackmail them. First to get a ride, and then to prevent them from spilling about Sun / Lin’s relationship. Juldis was meant to be an asshole and comedic relief, but I actually thought their relationship was the sweetest out of all the couples, even though they were the fourth couple and barely got any screen time. I liked that Juldis was an ass to everyone but was so sweet to Chan, and their relationship dynamics were the healthiest and most consensual.

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Just…ugh. The first couple episodes, I thought the reviews were exaggerating and it wasn’t that bad. But it just kept deteriorating. By the end I was watching at 3.5x speed, I was so bored.

To be honest, there’s nothing egregiously wrong about this. A lot of the time, when I dislike a show, it’s because of toxic relationship dynamics, consent issues, or other outright events in the show that piss me off. That’s not the case here. The couple is relatively green flag, and nothing bad really happens in the show.

But that’s the problem. Literally nothing happens in the show. There were two overarching plot lines - someone stealing designs and embezzling from the company, and the past life dreams. Both were so lackluster and anticlimactic that they felt like side plots and not the overall storyline. Both storylines drag for too long and resolve too easily. I think if they had played into the secret relationship aspect of things and had actual consequences for being together, that would have been a much more interesting storyline.

The dream storyline was just worthless. First of all, it didn’t even make sense. This woman (Lin) loved a man (Sun) who loved her sister, but the sister loved someone else and ended her engagement with Past-Sun. Past-Lin tries to kill her sister’s lover (for reasons?) and ends up killing her instead, so Past-Sun rips off the necklace she gifted him and locks her up in a cave. It ends when Present-Lin gifts a replica of the necklace to Past-Sun, therefore freeing Past-Lin and everyone lives happily ever after. Except why would Past-Sun want to free the woman that killed the woman he loved? Why did he forgive her so easily? And Past-Lin says that she and Past-Sun are destined to be together in the next life when she’s freed, so she clearly learned nothing. And none of that storyline paralleled the present storyline whatsoever. So what was the relevance? It would have been better if they just cut it altogether and stuck with the office rom-com concept.

Also, the CRINGE. I cannot tell you how many times I had to pause and just do something else because I couldn’t bear to watch. Khun Dad, for one. I find the term “daddy” gross enough, let alone straight up “dad”. The poses, the dialogue, the interactions…just everything was so goddamn cringy and also unbearably awkward. The pose Sun does when Lin opens the hotel door, the one-sided foot massage on the first date, their first kiss attempt, the dancing…please kill me. Like even in the special episode when they’re supposed to be effectively married, they were still awkward with each other. If it wasn’t for the cringe and awkwardness, this would have been so much more bearable.

Lin’s outfits were tragic. I have never seen more ugly clothing in my life. His high heels were particularly awful. His shirts and pants were ill fitting and his make up was so strong that I just kept wondering why his lips were so pink. The sparkly date outfit in episode 1 was a real choice. It was giving 14 year old on first date that picked something sparkly from the department store clearance rack. Also, it was a jewelry company but every single piece of jewelry was ugly as hell.

And the nepotism and rich-people-privileges were outrageous. Sun just gets handed the entire company when he wasn’t even working there before. His brother was secretly working as an intern, but when he’s discovered, he suddenly gets to take charge of the entire department. Sun was constantly throwing his money around — dates and trips and gifts that frankly would have made me feel bought and not wooed. Sun gets son-of-owner privileges because he can up and disappear for a week with no consequences, and Lin gets so much boyfriend-of-president special treatment that it’s actually ludicrous. He skips so much work to go out with Sun (basically unlimited PTO), his designs are obviously preferred, he’s guaranteed a job after graduation, he gets selected for work opportunities like work trips, and he gets to turn said work trips into romantic getaways.

There were plenty of stupid things as well. Like Lin saying he was never upset about Sun lying and just wanted to get back at him. Or Sun agreeing to be someone’s fake fiancé but not bothering to explain to Lin in advance. Or in the special episode, where they’re suddenly concerned about costs of clothing and accommodations when they’ve been throwing money around with no concern the whole time. The special episode in general was unnecessary. The finale already felt like a long, extended epilogue. We didn’t need another one.

I also felt that this show was heteronormative. I’m careful when using that term, because it is completely valid for a gay couple to have one masculine individual and one effeminate individual. That happens all the time in real life and isn’t inherently heteronormative. But the issue is when it’s depicted in a stereotypical, shallow way in a fictional series. You’ve got the masculine top that pursues and takes the lead and pays for everything, and the feminine virginal bottom that never returns the favor. Their outfits are very masculine / feminine accordingly. Lin initiates physical affection exactly once, in the finale, and he also takes the lead exactly once, in the finale. But Sun takes back control after like, 10 seconds, so did it really count? And it turns out that Lin is rich as well, and while he offers to split the bill once, Sun pays for basically everything. Why, if Lin is also rich? In the special episode, Sun doesn’t have a shirt and Lin is wearing 2 layers. He could have easily given his over shirt to Sun, but it’s Sun’s job to take care of him and not vice versa, and so he doesn’t. All of those things I could maybe excuse as cliched, bad BL tropes, though. The real clincher for me was when in the special episode, Sun looks at and rubs Lin’s stomach when they’re talking about having kids, as if 1) he can get pregnant and 2) he would be the one to get pregnant just because he’s the effeminate one / the bottom.

Also, it started off so overly chaste and ended so overly explicit. I mean, Lin was so extremely virginal. It’s said that Sun is around 30 and Lin is 8-9 years younger, but what 21-22 year old acts that overly innocent? Him puffing up his cheeks when trying to kiss for the first time, what even was that? He shies away from even hugs, let alone kisses. When they make it official, they do a forehead kiss instead of a real kiss. AT 30 YEARS OLD. They exchange couple rings before they’ve even kissed, and Lin gets shy after they do kiss. By episode 5, they’ve basically exchanged one peck and a few hugs and that’s it. But then it goes from hugs and cheek / forehead kisses and one solitary peck to a full on NC scene, no middle ground or build up in between. Then in the finale, we get a stimulated in-pants hand job, and in the special episode, we see crotch groping, nipple touching, and visible tongue kissing. The switch up was insane. I didn’t even feel like the NC scenes were particularly good. While both were both active participants, even if Sun took the lead, they felt overall mechanical, and just contributed to the overall awkward vibe that the couple had.

In terms of boundaries / consent, this was relatively green flag, especially considering it was a boss / employee situation. There were many instances of asking for verbal consent, even including hugs and kisses, and of taking no for an answer. When Lin says he’s uncomfortable, Sun respects it, apologizes, and backs off.

But that’s not to say there weren’t still issues though. On their first date, Sun spies on Lin taking a bath. They make it out to seem like Sun’s a good guy for moving on relatively quickly, as if it was acceptable for him to have been watching at all. There was also one scene where Sun takes off his shirt and kisses Lin’s knee while he’s on a call. Given their dynamic at the time, where Lin was uncomfortable with even hugs, I’d say Lin was probably uncomfortable. And afterward, even though Lin verbally consents to a hug, he seems uncomfortable anyways and keeps pulling away / trying to escape.

The boss / employee dynamic didn’t really bother me because they met before working together and Sun immediately told Lin to talk to him normally and act normal around him. So the power dynamic was instantly dissolved. When Lin’s mad at Sun for hiding his identity as the company’s president, Sun does chase after Lin, but he’s not super aggressive about it. Realistically, it’s sexual harassment because Lin indicated disinterest and Sun persisted despite the inherent power dynamic, but in relation to other BLs, at least he wasn’t forcing the issue to the point that Lin wasn’t able to say no. But that being said, he does manipulatively arrange a trip to Hong Kong with just him and Lin when Lin is still upset and seemingly disinterested, and Lin didn’t have a choice in the matter. So maybe that negates the whole “was able to say no” thing I just said.

The second couple (Sam / Yo) was more questionable. Sam follows Yo home, says he’ll tell everyone about Yo’s mom if he doesn’t give him something and then says the something he wants is Yo, outs their relationship without Yo’s consent, and is pushy about their first kiss.

Also, Lin’s friends spy on Chan / Juldis, non-consensually record them making out, and use it to blackmail them. First to get a ride, and then to prevent them from spilling about Sun / Lin’s relationship. Juldis was meant to be an asshole and comedic relief, but I actually thought their relationship was the sweetest out of all the couples, even though they were the fourth couple and barely got any screen time. I liked that Juldis was an ass to everyone but was so sweet to Chan, and their relationship dynamics were the healthiest and most consensual.

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Red Flags and Green Flags

I really love the style of this show—the cinematography, the characters, the complex chemistry, and the darker themes. I enjoy a wide range of dramas, from cute and funny to realistic and dark. To me, a good story isn't defined by its genre, but by its ability to make you feel something and draw you in completely. This show does exactly that.

If you like cinematography that tells a story and characters that have layers of psychological gray areas, watch this. It’s not just a romance, it’s a story about what it means to be "true" versus being "perfect" and so much more.


Spoiler:



It starts with what seems "obvious" but quickly begins to flip your emotions (at least for me). At first, I could totally see what Jira sees in Pheem. Pheem appears to be the perfect person to "heal" Jira’s burnout and low self-esteem. Jira feels like he is on a chaotic, stormy ocean, and Pheem looks like a stable rescue ship, someone who is calm, logical, and reliable. He seems like the "good guy" opposing the "bad guy."

However there was something that did not feel quite right, upon re-watching some scenes, I clearly noticed the actual "fake green flag". Pheem is essentially a persona with no real personality. He goes to the Burnout Bar to "heal" people at their lowest point, but in reality he just wants to sleep with them, masking his selfish desires and ego behind a "noble healer" costume. Pheem doesn't actually want Jira to get better he wants Jira to stay in a bad state, so that Jira needs him. To Pheem, Jira is just a challenge to his own superficiality.

On the other hand, Koh is an obvious "red flag," but he is (mostly) honest. He is transparent about his flaws, which gives people the choice to "take it or leave it". For me, one big point is, Koh sees actual value in Jira’s art. This gives Jira the perspective and self-esteem he was lacking. While Koh is toxic, he doesn't pretend to be someone he’s not. He shows moments of true vulnerability and slow growth. His "bad personality" feels more like a defense mechanism that softens over time.

In my eyes, that is the biggest difference: Pheem is a (superficial) finished drawing who wants to keeps Jira in his position, while Koh is like an unfinished sketch (imperfect and raw) that gives Jira the desire to grow and create something real.

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An uninspired and tepid tale of high school first love

After finishing his mandatory military service, Ong Seung Wo is now back in the small screen. Seung Wo is one of the idol actors I look out for as his acting skills really shine through in slice-of-life K-dramas.

Love Track: When We Were Wired (Literal Translation: My First Love is Wired Earphones) is Seung Wo's comeback show. This is one of the episodes in a drama special aired over the holidays where each episode runs for half an hour. This has gone viral a bit for its unexpected ending.

In this episode, we have Han Yeong Seo (Han Ji Yeon) who is a diligent student studying for her College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), Korea's universal college entrance exam. Due to her unexpected rebelliousness, she met Ki Hyeon Ha (Ong Seong Wu). They formed an unexpected bond and met again years later as grown-ups.

Seong Wu is such a natural actor. He really suits modern day romance. I really liked his portrayal of a yellow flag in More than Friends. It still surprises me how he can also dance and sing and is part of Wanna One. Talk about being a multifaceted artist.

Ji Yeon's calm and soothing voice is the show's highlight for me. Her subtle expressions made relate to her character, if only for a fraction of second.

Two talented actors but this kdrama special is mediocre. The script does not do justice to what could have been a unique pairing of actors. High school days set in 2010s should have brought out nostalgic feels but it didn't. The only indication that this was a throwback to the past is we our main characters as adults. The theme was supposed to know yourself and your dreams but it didn't stir my emotions quite deftly as it should.

The ending would have been more believable if she was actually looking for him from the get-go. I rewatched the first scene and she actually didn't know that the place was his studio. The ending was a last minute random twist to break our hearts even if I agree with the message that some people in our lives only just pass through to help us grow while some are meant to stay. I'm still not entirely sold on Hyeon Ha because he seems to be only a happy-go-lucky guy but he did bring out the best from Yeong So. However, I still think he could have helped her some other way, aside from taking her fall in the teacher's office.

Anyway, why am I being so harsh on a 30-minute drama special? 😹😹 This is too short to truly stir up emotions and give a memorable story. A high school student a bit stressed out while studying hard for college entrance exam is nothing new. Ji Hyeon and Seong Wu did their best to elevate a lackluster script. Hoping someday they get paired up again in a standard length K-drama with a compelling storyline 🤞🤞

In summary, When We Were Wired's tepid tale of first love undermines Ji Hyeon and Seong Wu's talents. The lines were shallow and uninspired that I often found myself losing attention in a mere half an hour episode. This didn't evoke any emotions and an uncalled-for plot twist was added to make it a bit shocking and memorable. Honestly, I'm more convinced Yeong So's first love is her wired earphones and not Hyeon Ha. Maybe we should have stayed faithful to the title 😌

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It's one of the best

The drama was amazing, both actors are talented. The plot in the novel seems light when i read it at first, and not long i felt boring. But in the drama despite following the same plot but ofc with some detail, they made it a drama i'm waiting for the new episode everyday. Their chemistry was just insane, how they look at each other was just full of love. Zhao jinmai is a really excellent actress, too bad that she wasn't as popular as other actress despite being a child-actress. Shine on me is one of the drama i will rewatch for the comfort it gives after AASOL which is also played by zhao jinmai

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Definitely worth your time

One of my favorite drama. The story was long but worth to watch<3. I’ve learned a lot of things while watching this drama especially with the main characters.

Romance: 9/10
A lot of sacrifice were made in the story but it’s slightly exaggerated.

Action: 7/10
It’s not that it’s bad. There’s just not enough screentime of combats.

Following the story wasn’t quite easy. The names were hard to remember, the beginning was a bit rushed and it took me a while to understand what exactly is her goal. Episode was more understandable.

The visual is so pretty (although some parts we can’t get over the green screen)

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This started strong, dragged a bit in the middle, and had a rather disappointing ending. I watched the uncut version, so it had a happy ending, but I found it disappointing all the same.

I liked the mythological storyline and much preferred it to the crime storyline, despite the low-budget CGI. The crime storyline dragged a bit at times, especially in the middle. Did we need to see the whole love affair of Art and Kao played out? It was beautifully acted (especially by Art) and compelling of its own right, but had no bearing to the overall storyline so an entire episode dedicated to it was a waste. The filler episode dedicated to the side couple felt the same way, especially since we barely saw their romance through the rest of the series. The fact that Khem got shot at the end and they completely gloss over it and never mention it again is a testament to that. I would have rather had more time spent wrapping the story up, rather than the leads reuniting less than 10 minutes from the end. Some of the fight sequences dragged on too long as well, particularly the opening sequence. It took me a while to get started because the opening is a bunch of fighting and shooting and you don’t even know who’s who to know what’s happening yet. Also, the crime storyline was related to Tharn’s parents’ death while the mythological storyline was directly tied to the romance, so the mythological storyline enhanced the romance whereas there were definitely times where I felt the romance was overshadowed by the crime storyline.

I loved the concept of the romance - reincarnation, soulmates, forbidden love. But wow Tharn pissed me off so many times, and his reasoning and actions in the end cheapened the whole relationship, in my opinion. He disregarded Phaya’s concerns so many times — ignoring and dismissing his dreams when he himself wants Phaya to listen to his visions, or continuing to attempt to contact the doctor after promising Phaya he would trust him and stay away. He often acted flippant, ignoring calls or having an unfriendly attitude, for no real reason. He didn’t return the level of affection that Phaya gave to him. In the scene directly after they finally get together and Phaya has a nightmare, he doesn’t even hug him. And in the morning, he goes around pushing Phaya away and semi-rejecting his affection. Phaya was so sweet in giving verbal and physical affection, and I don’t think Tharn reciprocated in the slightest. Yes, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Phaya’s, but that’s the extent of it. The worst was when Phaya was in a coma in the hospital, fighting for his life, and Tharn actively chose not to stay in the hospital and instead went about working and investigating his parents’ death. And not only that, but he let the doctor console him, crying on his shoulder and holding his hands. It was like an on and off switch — one minute he cared and was crying, and the next he looked totally unaffected and dedicated to work.

And the end, when Tharn chose to stay with the doctor for an entire YEAR while Phaya was desperately searching for him, unsure if he was even alive, because he was worried about the doctor “suffering” was horrifying. Because what about Phaya suffering for that entire year? And the doctor was the one who has been trying to break them up and kill Phaya this entire time, so why does he deserve any grace? Yes, Tharn justifies it by saying he wanted to convince the doctor to stop breaking them apart in this life and future ones, but then in the special episode he talks about how the doctor was there for him and saved him after he lost loved ones AGAIN. Totally ignoring the fact that the doctor was the one responsible for killing said loved ones in the first place! And the fact that they gave the doctor a redemption arc, saying he “let” Tharn return to Phaya, as if that was something he had the right to dictate in the first place…I was seething.

Plus, Tharn tries to play this placating middleman in half the scenes where the doctor and Phaya are physically battling. Even in the past life flashback, Tharn just stands around while the doctor is actively strangling Phaya and begs him to stop instead of physically intervening. When he’s dying in the end, he tells both the doctor and Phaya to stop fighting as if Phaya is doing something wrong by trying to stop the doctor from killing him and stealing Tharn away. He chooses to go with the doctor in both the past and present life to “keep the peace” instead of fighting for Phaya like Phaya is willing to fight for him. Why is it Phaya standing up to the doctor and telling him Tharn doesn’t love him instead of Tharn telling him himself? He was never once straight up with the doctor — he should have told him point blank that he was in a relationship with Phaya and that he loved him, but he didn’t even once disclose his relationship status. Tharn is a spineless man with no conviction that’s willing to die for love but not willing to fight for love.

I also didn’t like all the secrets between Tharn and Phaya, and sometimes for seemingly no reason. Pharn should have told Tharn about the doctor way before he actually did. Tharn should have trusted and believed him when he did. And Tharn would just lie for no reason sometimes. Like why did he tell Phaya there were no updates to the Kao case when he’d just been told that the fiancé had agreed to handover evidence? Phaya finds out two seconds later anyways when Tharn has a vision of the fiancé being murdered and has to warn the team, so what was the point?

That being said, I really liked that both leads were complete equals and equally capable. They were both responsible for protecting each other, which is something you rarely see in BLs - normally they stereotype the top into that role as if the two are related. There’s no power dynamics either. Even if there are times where one might tell the other what to do, there’s never a case where they’re unable to refuse or are physically forced or coerced into something.

There were a few confusing things about the plot. One is the whole past life Tharn. It’s explained that Tharn was a female in his past life, and the dreams Phaya have show a woman played by a female actor. But in all the flashback scenes, the “woman” is portrayed by the same actor as Tharn - looks male, dressed male, but with long hair and addressed as if they were female. I didn’t understand that. Why not have the same actor play both the dream and flashback versions of Tharn? And even if you were going to have the male actor do it, why dress him male instead of female if she’s supposed to be a woman?

Second is the whole karma thing. It’s said that Tharn had bad karma from wronging people in his past life and they’re out to kill him and his loved ones in this life. His life is intertwined with Phaya’s, and he needs to protect Phaya because Phaya will rid him of his bad karma. But that’s not what ends up happening at all. No one is out to kill Tharn. The only bad guy we see is the doctor, who is out to kill Phaya and keep Tharn alive because he wants Tharn to himself. And the only loved one that is killed is a dead ex that was alluded to. (Side note but I take issue with the dead ex plot point, especially given that it’s only mentioned in passing once. Was that necessary? His parents would have been a better choice.) His parents’ deaths were attributed to the crime storyline and not the mythological one. And how exactly did Phaya rid Tharn of his bad karma, even if you take that to refer to the doctor? Because he loses to the doctor in the final battle in every life, this one included.

None of the Luangpor’s prophecy came true, so all the advice he gave seemed like complete nonsense as a result. Yes he provided the protective amulet, but he did nothing else useful. He told Tharn to live with him at the temple, except no one was out for him or his family because the doctor never wanted to kill him or his family. He kept going on about giving merit and mindfulness and meditation and enlightenment and how morals should be dictated by Buddhist precepts, but none of that ever had any tangible impact on anything. And because it had no tangible impact, it came off as preachy, like if a pastor character kept going on about praying and Bible-defined sin but neither had any visible magical results in the fictional universe. Plus he knew from the start that the doctor was evil, but did nothing to warn Tharn or protect him. So I don’t get what his purpose was or why Tharn and Phaya had so much respect for him.

And third, the idea that the whole high-power corrupt criminal / political network came immediately tumbling down the minute they caught Montree was ridiculous, especially given that he had an even higher power backer. It took them what, 15 years to catch Montree due to corrupt interference, and you’re telling me there was no corrupt interference getting Montree and everyone else associated off the hook this time around?

Also, I took issue with the whole messaging that legal justice always prevails, even if it takes longer, but that’s just blatantly untrue. They even prove it in the series, with all those rapists that got off scot-free and the whole corrupt political network. Just because there was eventually legal evidence to arrest one of the rapists does not negate that the others were under-punished or that many, many people were roaming free due to corruption. The inspector kept wailing on about following the rules and not letting personal matters interfere when he himself was breaking the rules and letting personal matters interfere by investigating his brother’s death and Montree’s association.

And fourth is more minor, but the 2nd couple had some kind of break up going on in the beginning, with Khem saying they were still together and Thongtai saying they were broken up. But it’s never mentioned again and they act like a couple through the entire series, getting engaged in the end. That should have been properly explained, especially given that there was a filler episode largely dedicated to showing how they originally got together.

The special episode was a bit lackluster for me. It was more crime/action focused, when I wanted something more character/romance-oriented. Since I preferred the fantasy to the crime in the first place, I just wasn’t that interested in the storyline. The only place the fantasy came in was Phaya’s past-life brother suddenly revealing himself and helping to defeat a henchman. It didn’t even make sense, because he didn’t show up when fighting the doctor, but he helped to defeat a henchman? The brother also warned that Phaya and Tharn’s powers would wane if they were too far apart, but nothing ever came of that, which was really disappointed. That would have been a much more interesting dynamic to explore. There was also a kid they had to take care of and a shall-we-have-a-baby dynamic, which is never my favorite.

There were some sweet moments and an NC scene in the first half of the special episode, but not much in the second half. We didn’t get an ending kiss either. And it really pissed me off that Tharn brought up the doctor in a positive light, talking about how he helped save him when he lost loved ones, when the doctor was the one responsible for their deaths.

There were some consent / boundary issues, but relatively non-egregious for BL standards. (Although I live for the day when consent issues as a whole aren’t normalized, and I don’t have to consider it a good day when they’re “only minor.”)

The scene that bothered me the most is when Tharn is in the bathroom, drunk, and Phaya comes in and reaches around him and helps him zip his zipper up. They’re not even really friends at that point, more just colleagues, so their relationship isn’t anywhere near that level. Tharn pushes him away and protests and then pushes him away again when Phaya says something about pulling it back down again if Tharn doesn’t need his help. Phaya also asks if Tharn is single, but the tone is kind of intimidating (I don’t know if that’s the right word, really). The whole interaction was kind of like a high school bully that’s only bullying you because they like you, basically. It also felt out of character, because Phaya is never that egregious with overstepping boundaries like that again.

Aside from that, there’s a scene where Tharn is drunk and leans into kissing distance, but ultimately doesn’t go in for a kiss. Phaya kisses his forehead. For their first kiss, Phaya grabs Tharn as he’s leaving and kisses his cheek, then his lips. Tharn doesn’t pull away but he doesn’t welcome it either - he gives a soft rejection (“let’s go to bed”) and avoids him after. Tharn liked Phaya at the time but wouldn’t admit it to himself, but the point is he wasn’t given the opportunity to consent because it happened so quickly and he likely would not have consented if he had been given the opportunity. Phaya doesn’t respect Tharn’s space in the aftermath - he kept pushing to get Tharn to let him drop Tharn home and to go out to eat, basically trying to get Tharn to stop avoiding him.

There’s one scene where Phaya pretends his bike is broken so he can stay overnight at Tharn’s, but he sleeps on the couch by his own choice. There’s also a different scene where Tharn grabs Phaya in his sleep, and Phaya takes that as an invitation to stay in the bed and sleep instead of going back to the couch. He also touches Tharn’s face and pulls him even closer to cuddle. There’s a point where Phaya invites Tharn over to his house because he wants to introduce him to his family. He tells his family in advance but only tells Tharn it’s a surprise, so Tharn doesn’t really get a choice in the matter. And overall, I felt Phaya was too grabby when trying to get Tharn not to leave. He was never forceful though, as in refusing to let go or actually preventing him from leaving, which is a step up from other BLs.

When Phaya thinks Tharn told the doctor about his dreams, he gets violent, including punching Tharn in the face hard enough for him to bleed. He’s also overly jealous of the doctor, sometimes reasonably given his knowledge of the doctor’s intentions, and sometimes unreasonably. He goes behind Tharn’s back and tells the doctor to stay away at one point, and also gets in a physical fight with the doctor at another point. But he never forces Tharn to cut contact with the doctor. He does request that he keep away from the doctor towards the end of the series and gets upset when Tharn wants to contact him, but it’s justified by that point because Phaya knows that the doctor is evil by that point.

The NC scenes were fairly explicit (naked ass, stimulated sex). They were okay, but a bit mechanical. The light orb effect over NC / romantic scenes was really annoying though. Their first proper kiss was a bit of a disappointment as well. It was shown from a really faraway camera angle and cut away too fast.

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This started strong, dragged a bit in the middle, and had a rather disappointing ending. I watched the uncut version, so it had a happy ending, but I found it disappointing all the same.

I liked the mythological storyline and much preferred it to the crime storyline, despite the low-budget CGI. The crime storyline dragged a bit at times, especially in the middle. Did we need to see the whole love affair of Art and Kao played out? It was beautifully acted (especially by Art) and compelling of its own right, but had no bearing to the overall storyline so an entire episode dedicated to it was a waste. The filler episode dedicated to the side couple felt the same way, especially since we barely saw their romance through the rest of the series. The fact that Khem got shot at the end and they completely gloss over it and never mention it again is a testament to that. I would have rather had more time spent wrapping the story up, rather than the leads reuniting less than 10 minutes from the end. Some of the fight sequences dragged on too long as well, particularly the opening sequence. It took me a while to get started because the opening is a bunch of fighting and shooting and you don’t even know who’s who to know what’s happening yet. Also, the crime storyline was related to Tharn’s parents’ death while the mythological storyline was directly tied to the romance, so the mythological storyline enhanced the romance whereas there were definitely times where I felt the romance was overshadowed by the crime storyline.

I loved the concept of the romance - reincarnation, soulmates, forbidden love. But wow Tharn pissed me off so many times, and his reasoning and actions in the end cheapened the whole relationship, in my opinion. He disregarded Phaya’s concerns so many times — ignoring and dismissing his dreams when he himself wants Phaya to listen to his visions, or continuing to attempt to contact the doctor after promising Phaya he would trust him and stay away. He often acted flippant, ignoring calls or having an unfriendly attitude, for no real reason. He didn’t return the level of affection that Phaya gave to him. In the scene directly after they finally get together and Phaya has a nightmare, he doesn’t even hug him. And in the morning, he goes around pushing Phaya away and semi-rejecting his affection. Phaya was so sweet in giving verbal and physical affection, and I don’t think Tharn reciprocated in the slightest. Yes, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Phaya’s, but that’s the extent of it. The worst was when Phaya was in a coma in the hospital, fighting for his life, and Tharn actively chose not to stay in the hospital and instead went about working and investigating his parents’ death. And not only that, but he let the doctor console him, crying on his shoulder and holding his hands. It was like an on and off switch — one minute he cared and was crying, and the next he looked totally unaffected and dedicated to work.

And the end, when Tharn chose to stay with the doctor for an entire YEAR while Phaya was desperately searching for him, unsure if he was even alive, because he was worried about the doctor “suffering” was horrifying. Because what about Phaya suffering for that entire year? And the doctor was the one who has been trying to break them up and kill Phaya this entire time, so why does he deserve any grace? Yes, Tharn justifies it by saying he wanted to convince the doctor to stop breaking them apart in this life and future ones, but then in the special episode he talks about how the doctor was there for him and saved him after he lost loved ones AGAIN. Totally ignoring the fact that the doctor was the one responsible for killing said loved ones in the first place! And the fact that they gave the doctor a redemption arc, saying he “let” Tharn return to Phaya, as if that was something he had the right to dictate in the first place…I was seething.

Plus, Tharn tries to play this placating middleman in half the scenes where the doctor and Phaya are physically battling. Even in the past life flashback, Tharn just stands around while the doctor is actively strangling Phaya and begs him to stop instead of physically intervening. When he’s dying in the end, he tells both the doctor and Phaya to stop fighting as if Phaya is doing something wrong by trying to stop the doctor from killing him and stealing Tharn away. He chooses to go with the doctor in both the past and present life to “keep the peace” instead of fighting for Phaya like Phaya is willing to fight for him. Why is it Phaya standing up to the doctor and telling him Tharn doesn’t love him instead of Tharn telling him himself? He was never once straight up with the doctor — he should have told him point blank that he was in a relationship with Phaya and that he loved him, but he didn’t even once disclose his relationship status. Tharn is a spineless man with no conviction that’s willing to die for love but not willing to fight for love.

I also didn’t like all the secrets between Tharn and Phaya, and sometimes for seemingly no reason. Pharn should have told Tharn about the doctor way before he actually did. Tharn should have trusted and believed him when he did. And Tharn would just lie for no reason sometimes. Like why did he tell Phaya there were no updates to the Kao case when he’d just been told that the fiancé had agreed to handover evidence? Phaya finds out two seconds later anyways when Tharn has a vision of the fiancé being murdered and has to warn the team, so what was the point?

That being said, I really liked that both leads were complete equals and equally capable. They were both responsible for protecting each other, which is something you rarely see in BLs - normally they stereotype the top into that role as if the two are related. There’s no power dynamics either. Even if there are times where one might tell the other what to do, there’s never a case where they’re unable to refuse or are physically forced or coerced into something.

There were a few confusing things about the plot. One is the whole past life Tharn. It’s explained that Tharn was a female in his past life, and the dreams Phaya have show a woman played by a female actor. But in all the flashback scenes, the “woman” is portrayed by the same actor as Tharn - looks male, dressed male, but with long hair and addressed as if they were female. I didn’t understand that. Why not have the same actor play both the dream and flashback versions of Tharn? And even if you were going to have the male actor do it, why dress him male instead of female if she’s supposed to be a woman?

Second is the whole karma thing. It’s said that Tharn had bad karma from wronging people in his past life and they’re out to kill him and his loved ones in this life. His life is intertwined with Phaya’s, and he needs to protect Phaya because Phaya will rid him of his bad karma. But that’s not what ends up happening at all. No one is out to kill Tharn. The only bad guy we see is the doctor, who is out to kill Phaya and keep Tharn alive because he wants Tharn to himself. And the only loved one that is killed is a dead ex that was alluded to. (Side note but I take issue with the dead ex plot point, especially given that it’s only mentioned in passing once. Was that necessary? His parents would have been a better choice.) His parents’ deaths were attributed to the crime storyline and not the mythological one. And how exactly did Phaya rid Tharn of his bad karma, even if you take that to refer to the doctor? Because he loses to the doctor in the final battle in every life, this one included.

None of the Luangpor’s prophecy came true, so all the advice he gave seemed like complete nonsense as a result. Yes he provided the protective amulet, but he did nothing else useful. He told Tharn to live with him at the temple, except no one was out for him or his family because the doctor never wanted to kill him or his family. He kept going on about giving merit and mindfulness and meditation and enlightenment and how morals should be dictated by Buddhist precepts, but none of that ever had any tangible impact on anything. And because it had no tangible impact, it came off as preachy, like if a pastor character kept going on about praying and Bible-defined sin but neither had any visible magical results in the fictional universe. Plus he knew from the start that the doctor was evil, but did nothing to warn Tharn or protect him. So I don’t get what his purpose was or why Tharn and Phaya had so much respect for him.

And third, the idea that the whole high-power corrupt criminal / political network came immediately tumbling down the minute they caught Montree was ridiculous, especially given that he had an even higher power backer. It took them what, 15 years to catch Montree due to corrupt interference, and you’re telling me there was no corrupt interference getting Montree and everyone else associated off the hook this time around?

Also, I took issue with the whole messaging that legal justice always prevails, even if it takes longer, but that’s just blatantly untrue. They even prove it in the series, with all those rapists that got off scot-free and the whole corrupt political network. Just because there was eventually legal evidence to arrest one of the rapists does not negate that the others were under-punished or that many, many people were roaming free due to corruption. The inspector kept wailing on about following the rules and not letting personal matters interfere when he himself was breaking the rules and letting personal matters interfere by investigating his brother’s death and Montree’s association.

And fourth is more minor, but the 2nd couple had some kind of break up going on in the beginning, with Khem saying they were still together and Thongtai saying they were broken up. But it’s never mentioned again and they act like a couple through the entire series, getting engaged in the end. That should have been properly explained, especially given that there was a filler episode largely dedicated to showing how they originally got together.

The special episode was a bit lackluster for me. It was more crime/action focused, when I wanted something more character/romance-oriented. Since I preferred the fantasy to the crime in the first place, I just wasn’t that interested in the storyline. The only place the fantasy came in was Phaya’s past-life brother suddenly revealing himself and helping to defeat a henchman. It didn’t even make sense, because he didn’t show up when fighting the doctor, but he helped to defeat a henchman? The brother also warned that Phaya and Tharn’s powers would wane if they were too far apart, but nothing ever came of that, which was really disappointed. That would have been a much more interesting dynamic to explore. There was also a kid they had to take care of and a shall-we-have-a-baby dynamic, which is never my favorite.

There were some sweet moments and an NC scene in the first half of the special episode, but not much in the second half. We didn’t get an ending kiss either. And it really pissed me off that Tharn brought up the doctor in a positive light, talking about how he helped save him when he lost loved ones, when the doctor was the one responsible for their deaths.

There were some consent / boundary issues, but relatively non-egregious for BL standards. (Although I live for the day when consent issues as a whole aren’t normalized, and I don’t have to consider it a good day when they’re “only minor.”)

The scene that bothered me the most is when Tharn is in the bathroom, drunk, and Phaya comes in and reaches around him and helps him zip his zipper up. They’re not even really friends at that point, more just colleagues, so their relationship isn’t anywhere near that level. Tharn pushes him away and protests and then pushes him away again when Phaya says something about pulling it back down again if Tharn doesn’t need his help. Phaya also asks if Tharn is single, but the tone is kind of intimidating (I don’t know if that’s the right word, really). The whole interaction was kind of like a high school bully that’s only bullying you because they like you, basically. It also felt out of character, because Phaya is never that egregious with overstepping boundaries like that again.

Aside from that, there’s a scene where Tharn is drunk and leans into kissing distance, but ultimately doesn’t go in for a kiss. Phaya kisses his forehead. For their first kiss, Phaya grabs Tharn as he’s leaving and kisses his cheek, then his lips. Tharn doesn’t pull away but he doesn’t welcome it either - he gives a soft rejection (“let’s go to bed”) and avoids him after. Tharn liked Phaya at the time but wouldn’t admit it to himself, but the point is he wasn’t given the opportunity to consent because it happened so quickly and he likely would not have consented if he had been given the opportunity. Phaya doesn’t respect Tharn’s space in the aftermath - he kept pushing to get Tharn to let him drop Tharn home and to go out to eat, basically trying to get Tharn to stop avoiding him.

There’s one scene where Phaya pretends his bike is broken so he can stay overnight at Tharn’s, but he sleeps on the couch by his own choice. There’s also a different scene where Tharn grabs Phaya in his sleep, and Phaya takes that as an invitation to stay in the bed and sleep instead of going back to the couch. He also touches Tharn’s face and pulls him even closer to cuddle. There’s a point where Phaya invites Tharn over to his house because he wants to introduce him to his family. He tells his family in advance but only tells Tharn it’s a surprise, so Tharn doesn’t really get a choice in the matter. And overall, I felt Phaya was too grabby when trying to get Tharn not to leave. He was never forceful though, as in refusing to let go or actually preventing him from leaving, which is a step up from other BLs.

When Phaya thinks Tharn told the doctor about his dreams, he gets violent, including punching Tharn in the face hard enough for him to bleed. He’s also overly jealous of the doctor, sometimes reasonably given his knowledge of the doctor’s intentions, and sometimes unreasonably. He goes behind Tharn’s back and tells the doctor to stay away at one point, and also gets in a physical fight with the doctor at another point. But he never forces Tharn to cut contact with the doctor. He does request that he keep away from the doctor towards the end of the series and gets upset when Tharn wants to contact him, but it’s justified by that point because Phaya knows that the doctor is evil by that point.

The NC scenes were fairly explicit (naked ass, stimulated sex). They were okay, but a bit mechanical. The light orb effect over NC / romantic scenes was really annoying though. Their first proper kiss was a bit of a disappointment as well. It was shown from a really faraway camera angle and cut away too fast.

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Mood of the Day? More Like Mood Ruined

This movie is honestly just a waste of time. Calling it a "time-wasting movie" is even being too kind. It’s just pointless.

So, the story’s about this guy who is a player, sleeping with women like his life depends on it. He meets his latest victim on the train only to discover that she’s not like the other girls. She’s different, or so she claims.

But nope. Plot twist: She’s exactly like the others. She ends up wanting the same thing ( if you know what I mean) every other woman in town has already had.

What’s even worse is how the movie tries to make their connection seem special. But the thing is, if he had spared the same energy and time to get to know any of the other girls, he probably would’ve fallen for them too. But oh wait- Mr. player doesn't give the other women time of day because they gave in too easily the first time despite the fact that he’s also giving it up the first time and not just once, but multiple times at at that. I just do not see the appeal in such character.

At the end of the day, this movie doesn’t offer anything new or interesting but rather offers quite a shallow story.

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Rak is the greenest green flag that ever flew.

"Us" is one of my all-time favorites. It's on my rewatch list, and even after several times, I still tear up in both happy and sad parts.

The screenwriters and director who built this beautiful love story from the dumpster fire of a novel by Chao Planoy did fantastic work and deserve credit for their willingness to make the necessary changes, which resulted in the best adaptation of any of Planoy's work to date. While it does still suffer from Planoy's tendency to throw every possible trauma at her characters, this adaptation manages to soften the conflicts that could have caused conflict between Rak and Pam and shifts the story into the type I prefer, where most of the challenges the couple must navigate that ultimately make them stronger are external to their relationship.

The chemistry between Emi and Boni is undeniable, and the acting and production quality in this series are excellent.

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Final Review: Enjoyable, colourful, and fun. Some issues towards the end but still worth a watch.

A vivid story with likeable characters that you end up rooting for, a great score accompanying it, and beauty everywhere you look. (From the actors to the scenery to the intricate costumes. It's all very bright and colourful and pretty.)


Pros:

- The characters are interesting. They all exist in a world at war, so none of them are free of biases and vices, but that makes them human and relatable.

- The main female character is charming. Often I find the main female character grating because she's written to be childish or unaware of what's going on, but even at the very beginning Xiao Yao is ingenious and likeable. She suffers from 'everyone likes me and most male characters are in love with me' but then almost all main female characters in Cdramas like this do.

- BingZhu is a fascinating character and is a highlight of this show for 90% of it. He's tortured, conflicted and principled and those three things don't work well together, leading to him having a horrible time throughout. (He's also fucked up and does some horrible things, but you understand why he does them.)

His friendship with Xiao Yao is also rather nice to see, because for once in a Cdrama like this I'm not stuck watching the second male lead pine for the main female lead and eventually realize she won't ever love him back. He liked Xiao Yao, but not like that and it was a delight.


Cons:

- Hong Ye as an all powerful demon king is interesting, but it doesn't help that this means they have a deus ex machina walking around so they chain him up and remove his power for a good part of this show. it means he's just decoration while Xiao Yao does shit and if he's your favourite that might drag a bit.

- The end is a bit of a mess. Still enjoyable and we do get closure for Xiao Yao, but it feels rushed and some of the character choices aren't my favourite.

Note: Spoilers!!
For example; BingZhu's character kind of gets assassinated towards the end when he willingly absorbs demonic energy to fight HongYe even though his entire character arc is 'I hate demons to my core and loathe all that they are (so I would never willingly become one) but I learn to see that the emperor is wrong to want to exterminate them all for his own gain since they are not all evil. I have seen the error of my ways. And yet I will go and fight the demon king I have learned to respect and work with - and who Xiao Yao loves - just so i can get back in the good graces of the emperor.' (Not to mention that PianPian absorbing the crystal heart is what caused her to lose herself, yet he's all of a sudden very willing to absorb demonic energy and stop being him.)

Second, at the end of the show they introduce three very interesting characters that we grow to like and then kill them off in very quick succession and without much fanfare just to power up BingZhu.

And you might not like the conclusion of Xiao Yao and Hong Ye's relationship.

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This drama exudes warmth.

Have you ever watched a drama where even the title perfectly resonates with the storyline? Shine on Me gave me warm feelings I didn’t even know I could have for a drama. I fell in love with the characters and the plot. Dare I say, I have never watched a drama and truly believed it was better than the book.
Maybe it’s an exaggeration, but the chemistry was absolutely on point, and the fluidity of the relationship was pure perfection—from the pursuit to marriage. I also really loved how the drama ended. In the drama world, most endings leave a sense of unfinished business, especially in some k-dramas and even certain C-dramas. I often feel like something is missing.
In books, we get epilogues and extras, and this drama gave me that same feeling. It felt complete. It was one of those rare dramas that ended well and left me with a genuine smile on my face. Best modern drama. This drama was 🎶the sun of my life🎶.

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