Reviews

Thanks for handling our hearts with so much care

This drama was like a warm balm healing a bad cold , cure to a hearbroken fever, one day at a time. First of all, lead pair are beautiful together, both playful, both adorable, both hardworking and focused, both pretty clear-headed and both supported with just the right little nudge by their immediate families (her parents/ his grand pa!) to help keep them going on their paths.

Secondly, The Best Thing is visually quite an aesthetic production, prettiness decorating every scene; there are flowers and pastel hues and smiling faces even during adversity, it's all so comforting! It leaves you with a calm countenance, a pleasant awareness of the drama and of yourself, a soothing happiness, a subtle smile. I would like to be at peace like this often quite frankly! This is the lasting impression of the drama even months later!

Thirdly, overall it's a really good cast, the main couple are gorgeous, they have a palpable emotional connection, the parents/ grandpa are simply adorable, showing some rare dynamics like only the husband knows how to cook! The friends on both sides, at the hotel and the restaurant, are well written as well, they have their own arcs without imposing too much on the main storyline.

Lastly comes the story ! Traditional Chinese Medicine is a winning theme, it surprises me that many people still don't realise how our body stores emotions in ways that it may eventually start manifesting as an illness. I really appreciate how the drama focuses on healing, the research put on natural medicinal decoctions as well as foods that can support the healing process! It is also commendable that unlike portraying blind bias for only one medical approach, western medicine is used as an intervention during a complication. It is not a fight, but a respect given to both traditional and modern medicine, recognising their unique importance.

My only complaint is that Music could have been better. TBT deserves all the love it gets for handling our hearts so gently.

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Honestly, what’s not to love about this series? It’s a lighthearted romantic comedy that’s fun, engaging, and surprisingly deep on an emotional level. The unlucky Phopthorn gets into a serious accident and wakes up in the body of the arrogant, snobbish Apo Yue, heir to a billion-dollar empire who happens to be engaged to Suriya Suriyadechakorn, an aristocrat from a luxury hotel dynasty with the unusual ability to read minds. That mind-reading twist adds something fresh and unique to the story. I’ll admit, I was worried it might be used in a manipulative or invasive way against Phopthorn, but instead it became something that brought him and Suriya closer together, strengthening their bond.

The cast as a whole is excellent, but Park Anantadej and Big Thanakorn completely steal the spotlight whenever they’re on screen. Park’s Phopthorn, with his sweet, gentle nature and kind personality, wins over everyone around him. On top of that, his comedic timing is spot-on. Big, as Suriya, nails the aristocratic posture and sharp tongue, yet surprises with a performance that’s unexpectedly tender, warm, and affectionate. The chemistry between the two really caught me off guard. It’s sweet, sexy, and genuinely believable, which makes both the characters and their romance feel authentic.

Special mention also goes to Poppy, Lookwa, and Parn, as well as the standout guest appearances from Keng and Namping.

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Bland pairing!

Boring story and no chemistry, thought it would get better after a few episodes but it only got worse! I blame the director and the script.
The ml and fl characters could have been written in a better way by giving them interesting complimentary on screen personalities, but even the actors are not able to deliver! It's a shame, Song Wei Long and JinMai are individually quite capable, but together they are proving to be quite bland!
Also, too much unnecessary time spent on 2nd male lead in the first half, who is equally tepid by the way! Overall very disappointing!

Chemistry is not defined by physical touch, it is in how the CP is able to connect with each other and their ability as actors to convey this connection on screen ( since this is a visual medium) , and honestly Shine On Me is not successful in bringing the emotions to the viewers. It is lacking a lot by a mile. Amidst a Snowstorm of Love for example is amazing in that regard, that's a drama slow burn done right! Korean dramas do this rather well as well, I highly recommend "My Liberation Notes". "The Best Thing" is an excellent modern drama with similar aesthetics but simply a thousand times better in every possible way.

**Update**
I never review a drama without watching it completely, so well now it is over and I will have to stick to my original rating.I want Song Wei Long to get a really good script, he deserves another opportunity because this purposeless story combined with poor screen writing and Direction has been a solid dampener for him! Jinmai has been luckier in the past,she doesn't need our good wishes on that front!

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Cute, comfy, ultimate mid … then WTF!

✨ THE GOOD (IT’S NOT TRASH, RELAX):
The leads have decent chemistry , nothing electric, but warm enough.
Some genuinely sweet moments sneak in and do their job .
It feels like a proper rom-com while it’s happening, like the perfect mid ever.

🙄 THE “WE’RE TAKING OUR TIME… TOO MUCH TIME” PACKAGE:
The show slow-walks its way through the romance like it has all the episodes in the world without mentening the fu**king slowmotion anywhere and everywhere .
Lots of build-up with damn slow motion , soft tension, shy looks… okay cool, we’re kinda invested.

🤦 THE “WAIT—THAT’S IT??” ENERGY:
Then the ending hits like a shrug.
Super fu**ing unticlimactal "shonen" without even a real climax, no emotional punch ,nothing just “welp, guess we’re done here.”
Feels straight-up cut short, and what supposed to be 2hours became two damn minutes like someone pulled the plug mid-kiss.

💔 THE “YOU HAD ONE FU**ING JOB” DEPARTMENT:
good idea but flimsy delivery soooo flimsy even for a rom-com
and what really bothers you, is this one had enough ingredients to be a solid rom-com.
But it never quite commits. Characters feel mildly in love, mildly unsure, and mostly either polite about it or too damn stupid.

🎯 FINAL VERDICT:
A decent, cozy rom-com that builds nicely… then forgets to finish.

✔ Watch if: You want light romance and low effort comfort.
❌ Skip if: You need payoff, closure, or an ending that doesn’t feel unfinished.

💥 Best paired with: Mild enjoyment, mild disappointment, and yelling “THAT’S THE END?!” at your screen.

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Spooky enough to entertain but safe enough to sleep!

This has an interesting setup: a guy so committed to chasing fame that he voluntarily moves into places literally advertised as haunted. Not might be haunted, but guaranteed haunted.

Where the movie absolutely wins is the overall vibe. The settings are well chosen, the spaces feel eerie without being overdone and the aesthetics are genuinely good. The movie understands how to build atmosphere with silences and screams (when needed), empty rooms, unsettling framing. I did get startled a few times.

That said, I wouldn't say this is a pure horror watch, it’s… not that scary. Even with my very limited horror experience, the tension never fully crosses into "I regret watching this alone" territory. It’s spooky, yes, but more in a controlled, curated way. We have a bit of everything - horror, romance, comedy (very unintentional) and the classic Japanese slice of vibe too.

The ML Kuwata Yahiro is painfully oblivious though. Not in a subtle, endearing way. More in a 'sir, the ghost has announced itself three times already, please get scared' way. And honestly, it became unintentionally funny. At some point,l just accepted that common sense is not part of his skill set. But he does get better as we proceed.
Haruhara Karin was also an important character here. She felt like she was in the supportive role all along but then at the end it all tied up together.

I also liked how they navigated to different locations and each house has its own backstory. It prevented the movie to be repetitive and even though it was predictable at times, it wasn't boring.

The acting across the board was fine. No one was embarrassing. Though Watanabe Shota has improved quite a lot from the last time I saw him.

Overall, this was a decent and entertaining watch if you are looking for haunted settings, moody visuals, and not a  terrifying and nightmare inducing movie.

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Vast improvement from the first instalment.

I am positively surprised. While technically this movie presented the same issues I had with the previous one (weird mix of genres, slice of life drama and romance, too short of a screentime in the locations themselves), somehow the directing and storytelling is smoother and it made it all work out.

I think the poster actually quite well presents the ratio of the horror and the other elements in the movie - it's not that scary, there are not that many ghost scenes, any tensioned built is smoothed and mellowed by the more mundane plotlines, that are in fact also entertaining.

Initially I questioned the need of Karin as a main character, but soon the plot became more clear and her existence not only valid, but necessary for the story to unfold the way it did. While I do think some twists and turns were more obvious than they intended them to be, it was still a rather enjoyable watch.

Performances, directing, editing, sound design - all great. No major complaints. Male lead was way too chill about everything that was happening around and to him for most of the movie, but that’s more of the writing than acting issue. If a ghost had hots for me and started to make moves, I’d be gone not only from that house, but also from the country. Just to be sure.

Overall, I’d say watch this, skip the first one. They are not connected plot wise so they can be viewed as different stories in the same universe.

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story sends a horrible message!

The acting was really stellar, the set was believable and the NC scenes were portrayed in a way where I was at times wondering if penetration was really happening.

What I simply can't look passed is the message this movie sends out.
You cannot cure someone's suicidal ideation by r*ping & traumatizing them for life.
This should not have been categorized as "BL", "BDSM" or gay. It's not a love story, and BDSM is also only BDSM when consent is involved, not when one party gets kidnapped & r*ped for weeks.
This should be a Horror, (psychological) Thriller.
Had it been portrayed as such and had the movie shown the actions of the perpetrator through a critical lense instead of trying to justify them it would've ranked way higher for me.

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all in the dressing

The "salad bowl" concept is the idea that Tokyo is a messy collection of cultures rather than some perfect, seamless melting pot. I love how this show respects that metaphor. In a melting pot, everything is supposed to dissolve into one beautiful flavor, but the Japanese monolith does not actually allow it. It is that rigid wall of culture that forces the individual parts to stay distinct, keeping their own texture because they are never fully invited in. It highlights the friction in places like Shin-Okubo or the industrial pockets of Edogawa, where the "one Japan" image meets the reality of the people it refuses to absorb. This is the actual reality of the world they built, and it defines everything from the cases to the characters.

Nao is just incredible as Mari. It is honestly hard to explain, but she just breathes this specific energy into every single line and every single scene. It is alive and refreshing. She makes the character so believable. She is a cop who actually bothers with the crumbs... the cases that the rest of the department treats as afterthoughts. I really liked that the show does not lean too hard into that tired "one cop against the world" trope. It is not that everyone else is a villain or too stupid to be believable. It is just that Mari cares about the community level cases with an intensity others do not have. She just wants to be good at her job and help the people actually trying to survive in that bowl.

I found the way the show handles Arikeeno’s and Oda's history has a level of gravity that caught me off guard. Professional survival in Japan demands a "dual life," a performance of normality that is mandatory within the police force and rigid corporate hierarchies. The 2023 Understanding Act failed by prioritizing majority "peace of mind" over actual protection, which basically sanctioned the harassment and sidelining of anyone who does not fit the mold. Because workplaces view anyone who is not a "family man or woman" as untrustworthy, a mask of conformity is required to navigate a culture of deep, persistent suspicion. Seeing how certain parts of a private life can be used as a threat makes Arikeeno’s stone-faced exterior feel like necessary armor. It is a heavy, honest look at the kind of trauma that comes from having your personal identity treated like a threat to society.

While I noticed the show occasionally uses strokes that are a bit too broad, it offers a necessary look at the real problems foreign residents face in Japan. It handles the labor market reality with actual depth. Many of these people are just looking for a better life and recognize they are helping a country that cannot keep its workforce full because of the birthrate issue and population decline. I know firsthand how wonderful and accepting most Japanese people are, so I appreciated that this isn't a blatant condemnation of the country. It is more about the friction in the system. It is a lens to give some focus.

The show gave me some truly heartbreaking tales of people trying their best to work within that system, like the elder care case. It is a sharp contrast to those who just abuse it. Even when the villain veers into a bit of a caricature or feels a little clownish, it was never enough to distract me from the weight of the story. It is the only part that feels a bit too drama-fied, but the rest of the show is grounded enough to balance it out.

The focus on language is the best part for me. It is rare to see a drama actually lean into the struggle of communication like this. The delivery was sometimes rough, but I expected that with a drama focused on language. It makes the world feel more grounded. Instead of everyone magically understanding each other, I saw the friction and the work it takes to get a point across. It makes the cases feel urgent because I could see how easily things get lost in translation.

In the end, it comes back to that salad bowl. It is a beautiful and messy collision of lives that do not always blend perfectly. Even with the rough edges and the occasional broad stroke, it is the most human look at Tokyo I have seen in a long time. It actually makes you care about the people trying to find their place in the mix.

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Short-length series about inner court struggles

PLOT: The FL and her sister infiltrate the Palace to survive. The sister gains the Emperor's favor, but [due to the plots of the other consorts] ends up being sent to the Cold Palace and dies. The FL, an intelligent and cunning maid, remains in the service of successive consorts to clear her sister's name and expose her murderers.

+++ The story is fairly coherent, focusing on the Forbidden City, the rivalries between consorts, and the struggles for the Emperor's favor (wealth, power, status).
+++ Limited budget, but the sets are beautiful and some costumes are magnificent (other costumes, however, look very cheap).
+++ The actors are attractive, but their acting skills are uneven and inconsistent. The Emperor and the ML (the Emperor's uncle) lack charisma.

### It's difficult to get invested in this story because something's missing: less clumsy direction? More convincing actors? A more subtle plot? In any case, the recipe is incomplete...

=> Worth watching just to pass the time, nothing more.
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Short-length series about inner court struggles

PLOT: La FL et sa sœur entrent au Palais pr survivre. La sœur gagne les faveurs de l'empereur, mais [complots des autres consorts] finit envoyée au Cold Palace et meurt. La FL, intelligente et rusée, reste au service de consorts successives pr laver le nom de sa sœur et dénoncer ses meurtrières.

+++ Story à peu près cohérente, focus sur la Cité Interdite, les rivalités entre consorts et les luttes pr avoir la faveur de l'empereur (richesses, pouvoir, statut).
+++ Budget limité, mais les décors sont beaux et certains costumes, magnifiques (d'autres costumes, par contre, font très cheap :)
+++ Les acteurs sont beaux, mais ### leurs acting skills sont inégales et variables :) L'empereur, le ML (oncle de l'empereur) manquent de charisme.

### Difficile de s'investir dans cette histoire, car il manque qqchose : 1 réalisat° moins maladroite ? des acteurs plus convaincants ? 1 story plus subtile ? En tous cas, la recette est incomplète ...

=> A voir juste pour passer le temps, rien de plus.

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abandoned and avoid this drama

I watched when i was on Zhao Zhendong fever and I regret to waste my time and decide to dropped after 13 minutes. This is another Meng Na and Zhao Zhendong dark history on their drama portofolio. Plot is repeat formula, no depth and too lazy to make character more engaging. Feel scriptwriter wrote torturous script that no one in their right mind would shoot and then somehow managed to get in a Meng Na and Zhao Zhendong involved. The character are not engaging, we have been knew ML is total jerk and FL has zero charm. Intense kisses on the first scene are not saving it.

Avoid this movie unless you have sadomasocism preference and love repeated generic plot.

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