This review may contain spoilers
a political series
Overall: this is not a romance series and I tried my best not to judge it by that. Perhaps it's because I wasn't familiar with Thai politics, but seeing a bunch of characters (including those we were supposed to root for) be terrible was not entertaining. My attention frequently drifted. Originally aired on Monomax in Thailand. Later released on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6093/mandate-2025 (available in the U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia (except Thailand) and Taiwan).Content Warnings: past death, current attempted murder, blood, punches, coercion, manipulation, blackmail, drugging, corruption, drug addition/abuse
(if you want to watch romance watch)
episode 5, 22-35:30
episode 6, 18:15-21, 22-26:45, 36-42
episode 7, 45-52:45
episode 8, 12-16:30
What I Liked
- different premise with the politics
- older characters
- production value
Room For Improvement
- the first few episodes moved quickly and I found the politics confusing
- a character faked something about another character in ep 1
- I don't mind flawed protagonists but I couldn't root for one in particular based on what he did
- noble idiot trope
- cliffhanger ending
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm not going to lie, but I didn't think that this drama would beat Go Ahead just because of how short it is in comparison. But, I actually loved the pacing of this drama. It didn't drag at all, but everything was able to get covered really well. Since I watched Go Ahead before, I knew the plot before coming into this drama. However, I was still deeply moved by some plot points and I definitely shed a few tears. Overall, I LOVED LOVED LOVED the dynamic between the 3 siblings, it was so sweet and just refreshing to see. A little note about the actors. Jung Chae-yeon who plays Juwon is genuinely so beautiful and pretty. I love her hair, it's so healthy and shiny throughout the whole drama. Hwang In-yeop genuinely might be the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. Like, gorgeous as in, model he's too pretty gorgeous. Also, when he cries, he's such a pretty crier. His facial structure is just so symmetrical and perfect, with those high cheekbones when he smiles. Already though, I really liked the child actors that portrayed these 3 characters when they first met. I also love Hwang In-yeop. I think he portrays the older brother vibe so well. When he first showed up to fix his little sister's tie, his deep voice and playful vibe got me hooked onto his character.
Ok San-ha's mother is actually evil. How can you blame your neglected child for the death of your other neglected child? He was just trying to feed her since the mother was nowhere to be found. And the way she dares to tell Juwon's dad that he raised them bad, when she fully ABANDONED HIM. How is the mom still blaming San-ha for everything? Her own daughter ran out by herself and somehow it's San-ha's fault again, when the mother was NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. She gets me so aggravated omg.
Also, I love the dynamic between the 3 of them: they understand each other so well. Especially, San-ha and Juwon: San-ha can instantly tell how Juwon is feeling by her facial expressions. You can't hide anything from them. "You must be okay for Hae Jun and I to be okay." Dang...all these kids are really dealing with deep emotions and conflicts because of their mom. The emotions are acted out so well in this drama.
I think San-ha realized he started falling for Juwon in episode 5 after she defended him: "Only good things happen around Kim San-ha." The way he replayed all of their good memories together where Juwon helped him.
I love Juwon's dad. He is the sweetest, kindest, and most considerate person. He views all 3 kids as his own and is able to provide them with the best environment and life possible.
When Kim Sam-ha started crying after being out in the rain and realizing the care that everyone has for him, I lost it. This is his real family, blood or not blood-related. And then when they all took turns caring for him when he got a fever. ughh...I just love this found family.
Yup, Kim San-ha is officially a goner after she fell into his arms while trying to walk on the wall. I love how he protected her fall and her head though. Poor San-ha. He has to go through so much in life and be mature about it to deal with it himself. He deserves to have a support system like he does through Juwon's family. Yoon Juwon is really Kim San-ha's safe place. Whenever he is going through something, it is Juwon that he turns to for comfort and vice versa. Hae Jun is so understanding towards his dad's situation. Their relationship is beautiful.
The way that Hae Jun forced himself to go to America through his birth dad's money, so that his real dad could relax a little and not have to worry about paying for him. Whoo! Episode 9 broke me down. When they were all mad at each other and Juwon said one line about how they are not real family, since both brothers are leaving to go be with their real families. Then, I broke down even more when San-ha and Juwon were at the cafe and San-ha promised to be with Juwon forever after he came back from Seoul.
Kim San-ha's confession was the cutest thing ever. He was so worried that she would go on a date with someone else. "Give me a chance because Yoon Juwon is my entire world"!!! AHHH...I'm melting. Bro the way that San-ha still knows what Juwon is feeling without her saying it. He knew that she has feelings for him too, even though her mouth is saying otherwise. So, he took initiative!!! Why do all K-drama kisses happen under or near a tunnel? (Scarred from 2521) When Junwo was eating and tried to be more polite about it, I loved how San-ha said "Eat how you normally do. I like it when you eat healthy." This shows his care for her and how comfortable they are with each other.
OMG...why is the mom still doing the same things on EPISODE 13? There is no way she is still calling San-ha selfish after he gave up 10 years of his life to care for her. I did love when Juwon stood up to San-ha's mom though. Someone honestly needed to. When Juwon said: "I don't like it when you suffer, it breaks my heart" And then San-ha said I love you after, you could really feel their endless support for each other no matter what. Juwon truly makes San-ha a better person, as he instantly expressed a little bit more about the struggles he was facing with the whole family to be more vulnerable and not hide anything. Also, I love the part where Hae Jun sees San-ha and Juwon almost kissing, with San-ha just looking more annoyed than anything that he was interrupted.
I'm so glad that Hae Jun and his mom were able to make up, he really deserves that support and relationship back in his life. Yesssss...Dal and Hae Jun at the very end. I'm so glad that Hae Jun's life is picking back up again, he's genuinely so soft spoken and has such a pure heart.
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Outlived its hype
The thing about seasons of dating shows is that there’s always a standard that you end up comparing it with. After the mess s3 ended in, I didn’t have much hopes but the start of s4 was quite promising. I liked how outgoing the women were, but as the episodes progressed, you notice that the men are almost present simply as an accessory. The dates which were majorly initiated by the women but didn’t hold my interest. With the episodes being released twice initially and then single episodes, the season lost my interest. I was rooting for a few people (both individually) but that isn’t strong enough for me to sit through a certain story that’s being edited in.One of the best things about this show is the panel, but I’m afraid even that fell flat this time around. Probably because the most dynamic part of the panel was withholding their thoughts.
To wrap it up, I would say there’s drama from time to time but it’s also quite boring rest of the times. Maybe I’ll eventually get back to it if I feel bored enough or come across a still that might pull me back in but for now I’m calling it quits.
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Sexy drama
Bi Wen Jun can kiss!!! His chemistry with Zhang Yunxi is so hot!! Love this show and this couple. Good buildup of storyline, no draggy scenes, enough intrigue to keep you watching. A highly recommended watch if you want to watch a mature drama. The child actor is also extremely talented. His range of emotions displayed was quite interesting.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The best drama of 2025, no hesitation!
wow! this blew all the other dramas this year out of the water!The second part more than held up to the first and the rollercoaster of emotions you feel as the viewer mirrors totally the two leads tragic stories and that’s some skills being displayed, by the actors, the writers, the directors, everything was spot on, they scared you, they cajoled you, they gave you warmth and replaced it with horror and then pulled you into hope and a glimmer of happiness tinged with pain and then they showed you fragility of man and how we teeter on a knifes edge of morality, gosh it’s brilliant.
I especially appreciated that they didn’t sugar coat the horror of his killings, in the very graphic detail of the filming but more than that, they made you feel that it was justified to take those peoples lives and even the brutality of the killings felt right, but then Your faced with an innocent child and a brief moment where you believe, of course he’d have spared that kids life, but they didn’t , it was the killing of the child we saw what he’d become, the monster had indeed taken over and even though you could somehow understand the logic behind why, the reality is he killed an innocent child, he had lost control and then your faced with how easily humans slip.
His final hours sum up perfectly his life, the dark cell, the light high up from the window but behind bars, the present opened by someone else but put together again roughly by a an officer that gave a little kindness. A brief moment of delight snatched away and a swift and brutal execution as the shots rang out.
Given all I’ve said, His mother at the end was the hardest part for me to watch, ||being a mother myself, having been in that position myself I found my heart cold to her character and despised the pity and remorse that came far to late. It felt self-centred, which was exactly right for the character.
I actually thought the ending was beautiful, for all his sacrifice and love he ultimately gave her healing through his unwavering love and devotion. Through that beautiful side of him he achieved exactly what he’d wanted, a future for her as best it could be.
Even the ending credits, with the perfect music score and happy actors on set, helped you grieve what you’d just watched and then lifted you and reminded you that this is just a beautiful, yet brutal piece of art. It grounds you back in reality and I appreciated that because it is an emotional watch and I really would recommend doing that if you watch this.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a hard watch for me to get through. The first two episodes in particular were a real slog to make it through.The series as a whole is really obnoxious with the editing, sound effects, and gag jokes. It’s a very cringy slapstick-style comedy. The humor is immature garbage, and so are all the comedic characters. Mek is super annoying at the beginning, but he gets better. The chancellor is the worst out of all the characters though. The whole prank channel concept was horrible, but thankfully it was acknowledged to be problematic and the characters stop doing it. Every character’s content creation persona was ultra obnoxious.
The concept of a university chancellor shipping two students and forcing them to pretend to be in a BL relationship under the threat of not letting them graduate is so messed up that I can’t even begin to comment. She’s not even painted as a villain. She’s meant to be a comedic character. But it’s the whole basis of the plot so I just went with it.
Also, the whole obsession with followers and online validation that all the characters have is probably not the healthiest. Bear in particular is the worst. He only even likes Bomb initially because he was the only fan that paid attention to him specifically…their whole dynamic is a fan that idolizes someone and the idolized person who loves to be idolized. Mek even starts to like the idea of doing BL content because it gets him lots of followers.
Also, I know it’s just the norm in Thailand with BL content…but I can’t help but feel that the whole concept of people who are not actually romantically involved playing into BL relationships for the purpose of fan service, marketing, and ultimately money, is pretty messed up. Let’s stop encouraging parasocial relationships and shipping complete strangers. And let’s stop encouraging the need for online validation from complete strangers. People shouldn’t delude themselves into thinking these people are anything but actors and the industry as a whole should stop encouraging people to play into relationships for marketing purposes.
This was an ensemble romance, and the result was that there was inevitably not enough time spent on the couples I cared about and too much time spent on couples I didn’t care about. The main couple didn’t get that much more screen time than any other couple.
The only couple I truly liked was the established couple (Lee / Park). They’d been together for 7 years, and I love that there was a truly long term relationship showcased. Aside from nonsense miscommunication tropes resulting from bad writing, they were very supportive and loving to each other. They were equals, took turns leading, and had good consent, always backing off when the other pulled away or seemed uncomfortable or said they weren’t in the mood.
The Bomb / Bear pairing wasn’t compelling because like I said, it was just a fan that idolizes a creator and a creator that loves to be idolized. Bear is obsessed with having fans even in the finale, after a two year time skip. And Bomb is still obsessed with Bear, forgiving him for forgetting their anniversary for the sake of working on his YouTube channel.
The Tim / Mai pairing was the worst and the series would have been better without it. It was a big love square mess. Mai has been in love with Tim forever, but Tim rejects him because he wants to maintain the current friendship dynamic. The problem is that the current friendship dynamic is the result of Mai always hanging around Tim and catering to his every need because he likes him. And Mai lets this go on for years, even after getting rejected.
At the beginning of the series, Tim asks Mai to be his boyfriend and Mai says no…but I think Tim was just making a messed up joke there (considering he knew Mai’s feelings). He goes on to say he likes Kimhan and pursues / flirts with him, even wanting to do BL content with him. Mai finally has enough and says he’s tired of being taken for granted and that he should be able to live his life too…so Tim kisses him. Mai has been sticking around all this time because Tim keeps telling him he needs him in his life and wants him around forever, but he’s saying this with a friendship dynamic in mind. So when he kisses Mai, I think he was doing it purely because he thought it would be the only way to keep Mai in his life.
Mai walks away, but then he comes back the next day and says they can just be friends forever and it’s fine. He then starts to marginally pull away, though, and starts to stand up for himself and tells Tim that he has his own business and can make his own decisions. He starts flirting with Pete, but it seemed petty and not genuine because it seemed like he enjoyed when Tim would get jealous and be annoyed when Tim wouldn’t get jealous. And meanwhile Tim goes back to saying he likes Kimhan and flirting with him. When Tim finally asks Mai to be with him, I can’t tell if it’s because he truly genuinely wanted him, or because Mai kept pulling away and he felt this would be the only way to restore their dynamic. Also, when they get together, Tim comes and punches Pete for trying to kiss Mai. Mai was drunk, so maybe that’s valid, but then Tim kisses Mai himself. So either Mai was drunk and Tim took advantage of him just like Pete was trying to, or he was sober enough the whole time and was capable of making his own decisions with Pete.
And the main couple wasn’t that great either. First of all, the sisters (and parents) shipping and watching / posting BL content of their own brothers was weird. Kimhan had a semi-crush on Tim. More like a fan-crush, but he does visibly check out Tim shirtless after he and Mek are already romantically involved. He does always choose to spend time with Mek over Tim though, and doesn’t eagerly respond to Tim flirting with him. There an unnecessary ex-girlfriend jealousy arc thrown in, although it was thankfully much shorter than the Tim jealousy arc. I don’t know why the friends had to be involved and meddling in every aspect of their relationship. They were all present at their initial confession-gone-wrong scene, and Mek proposes at Lee/Park’s wedding (which is messed up but that’s another problem), and their friends are interjecting with their commentary there too. There were a couple consent issues too: Mek kisses Kimhan when he’s passed out sick, Kimhan kisses Mek when he’s passed out drunk, and there was one scene presented as comedic where Mek is trying to touch and kiss Kimhan but he’s running away and verbally / physically protesting. And neither are good actors…Kimhan’s crying scene was particularly bad.
There was all the miscommunication and self-sacrificing bullshit tropes left in. Mek gets a scholarship to study abroad, but then Kimhan confesses to him, so instead of responding, he says nothing. So Kimhan gets upset, and Mek proceeds to ignore him for the next week instead of communicating because he doesn’t know what to choose. He gets drunk and tells Kimhan the truth but doesn’t remember. Then he apologizes and tells Kimhan he likes him, and Kimhan accepts and they spend the next day on an extended date, and then Kimhan dumps Mek that night, telling him he doesn’t like him anymore, so that Mek will be free to study abroad. First of all, if Kimhan was planning that self-sacrificial bullshit, why did he accept Mek’s apology flowers and spend the whole day doing romantic things with him, and then dump him after the fact? Why didn’t he tell the truth about why he was dumping him? Why was long distance never an option even considered by either of them? And then we get a two year time skip, after which they reunite pretty much immediately, and Mek immediately moves back to Thailand and moves in with Kimhan. They get engaged pretty soon after too, all within the last episode-and-a-half.
I will say, all the couples had mutual affection without shying away once they got together, which I appreciated. There are a few NC scenes between Lee/Park and one between Bear/Bomb, but they were relatively short and chaste (shirtless kissing and implied sex only). None between the main couple or Tim/Mai.
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In love with both the leads
I swear, the chemistry between ML and FL is mad crazy. They look extremely cute together and you want to picture yourself in their shoes in those cute moments. Acting and music is top notch. We all know how great PSJ is but how perfect Won Ji An is 🤌🏻. She looks extremely beautiful throughout and is fantastic in emotional scenes.But I have to point out a minor issue in the series, it would be that the actors don't look they aged that much from there initial meet up to the latest one. And a significant time has been mentioned for the period.
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This review may contain spoilers
Best OST award goes to ...
This looked like so much fun when it was airing, and I finally watched it too now! What I loved the most were probably the female lead’s dresses and overall styling – it was IMMACULATE. Tens across the board. Her clothes and hair were always intricate, detailed, and so stunning, wow. Another thing I loved was the soundtrack. The instrumentals really turned so many scenes into highlights, I love listening to it (as I am right now as I am typing this 🤭🤭). The show was also genuinely very funny and I think that Li Yi Tong delivered her devastating scenes perfectly – as did Liu Yu Ning!The only thing is that I wasn’t as emotionally attached to the plot, so even though I was empathizing with the male lead (because everyone treated him so unjustly!), I did not really cry with him. However, this was a GREAT performance from Liu Yu Ning, he has the subtle eye acting down and does yearning just so well… 🥹🤭 (though I AM biased when it comes to him lol).
There were some things in the show that were handled badly though (or not at all). The emperor switching up on Nan Heng and making him Crown Prince was… weird. All of a sudden, his behavior was civil, basically loving, while his previous hatred towards the male lead was so irrational (like, why is he blaming a NINE-year-old boy for the death of his beloved empress? Makes no sense). The second thing that left a really bad taste in my mouth is Song Yi Ting sexually harassing Li Shi Liu/Nan Heng and staging a scene that suggests they were intimate in order to decide her marriage herself. This is wrong for obvious reasons as she drugged Nan Heng, undressed him and then herself… and this was NEVER mentioned ever again? She never apologized to him?! She actually wanted Shan Guan He (due to his cosplay as Li Shi Liu), but this doesn’t make this whole situation less rapey! And since they never cleared this whole thing up, her mother ended up being so rude towards Nan Heng after he got married to Song Yi Meng! That lady fully on thought he was a rapist?? And the show didn’t think to clear this up? So weird.
Overall, this show was fun and visually pleasing! The OST is stunning and honestly one of the most intricate and best soundtracks of the year for me! The characters could be quite irritating at times (yes, you, Song Yi Meng! AND especially Chu Gui Hong), and the whole Li Shi Liu/Nan Heng mystery took some time for SYM to finally uncover, and THEN it took time for her to finally be with Nan Heng (like damn, the patience Nan Heng and I had to exert…). But, you know, at least we get a double happy ending, so it’s okay, I guess!
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School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To
18 people found this review helpful
Sweet, fluffy and not that deep (and that’s okay because it still works!)
This is one of those dramas that isn't here to stress anyone out or to emotionally destroy and twist the soul. It's a pastel tinted BL that is like a comfort food. It is soft, light , gentle and unapologetically cute. It’s here to make you smile, squeal a little, and maybe clutch your chest when the sweetness gets out of hand.This is the story of Watari and Hioki , with your classic opposite attracts personality trope and the reason why it works is how natural and less forced they felt. Their teenage love is captured in that most soft, sparkly heart fluttering yet make your heart race over the smallest things way. It is full of giddy energy, shy looks and little of that nervous excitement.
Watarai is an interesting mix of green flag behavior. He is everything that I wasn't expecting from a "popular" high school guy from dramaland. He was affectionate, attentive and very obvious and sure about his feelings. He did get jealous, but what saves him is that he actually communicates. He clears misunderstandings quickly and never lets Hioki sit in uncertainty. That self-awareness keeps his possessiveness from tipping into something uncomfortable.
Hioki is way more than just the shy love interest. He is gentle but not weak, insecure but not spineless. His confusion around being liked feels realistic, especially for someone who has never been in that position before.
I also loved the kinder version of the "F4" gang! Watarai and company were a delight and I am glad we get to see supportive friends on screen plus them being popular and not bullying others was refreshing!
What you shouldn't expect from this drama is depth or heavy emotions. Since this is more on the lighter side, conflicts are resolved pretty quickly, but not in an unsatisfying manner. Some personal insecurities are touched upon and never explored in detail. Also at times the lack of realism becomes more noticeable especially how the "F4" are treated based on their looks. There are few overly exaggerated reactions especially from side characters that just exist purely to prop up the main romance.
The only thing that really didn’t work for me and honestly annoyed me a little was how the female characters were shown. It’s 2025 (almost 2026 in a few weeks) and we seriously don’t need the same old catty, jealous girl trope anymore. It feels outdated, lazy and honestly a bit exhausting to watch. Like I really thought we were past this or at least let's try to be.
Acting wise, this was the first time I was seeing all the actors and they did a fantastic job! All the emotions of being a teenager was portrayed well. Nothing felt overplayed. The leads actors especially did a great job and the tension between them was so genuine and cute.
Overall, this was all sunshine and rainbows that made my Saturday so much better! Even though everything is a little too idealised ,the low stake drama and fluff here did make me smile. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something easy and cute.
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Surprisingly good acting, but no respect if no. So no.
The male lead actor is actually very good. His micro expressions - small smiles, glances, and more, really dream me in, and are probably the reason why I lasted so long – all the way to episode five. But the story is spotty, and the plot has the male lead harass the female lead for so long, I’m giving up. I don’t know how many times she says no, but he never listens. And the part where he sneaks into our room and leaves handmade dolls all over it to supposedly help her sleep was just weird. I mean, cute for making handmade dolls, but like why would that help her sleep one, and two she is probably almost 30 years old. Why would she want dolls scattered throughout her room. Also super creepy to sneak into her bedroom in the first place.In the end, I like the older woman, younger man dynamic, and the acting is good, but I can’t get over the ignoring of her very adamant, very straightforward and very clear nos that no one listens to. Further, they get angry that she isn’t falling for him. Just because he’s trying really hard, by no means makes her refusals any less valid. That’s the exact opposite of what should happen. That’s a turn off, a red flag. She says no, and no, and no again, and a green flag would listen to her and respect her wishes (though of course that means you’d have to find a new way of getting them together, you poor director). Also this expectation that she owes him something because he’s tried really hard is not rational. She by no means owes him anything just because he's put a lot of effort into wooing her. That’s essneyjonal a conversation like this, “Oh, I bled for you, so you should love me now.” “Ok, so me not liking your personality, my past trauma, and feeling like we have nothing in common doesn’t matter anymore just because you stabbed yourself with a needle, ok, cool.”
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School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To
0 people found this review helpful
A masterclass on how to use clichés properly
While this show present us with clichés often found in highschool BL, it does it in such a good, earnest, heartfelt way that makes me ADORE it. The acting is top notch, the script, the directing, I love everything about this serotonin overload of a show. I really had an amazing time and it became one of the highlights of my week.The actors are so cute and did an amazing job at portraying the characters emotions, they truly embodied the characters. I hope we get a season 2!!! I beg you BL boss.
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Perfect rom-com with an amazing cast – one of the best BLs of 2025
Really enjoying this series! It's not popular without reason.I've followed PPW's works for a while and can really tell that their acting performance is the best here. Phuwin shines in emotional scenes (always cried with him), while Pond is born to play Thee. Overall, they picked the perfect actors for these characters, especially Pond and William as brothers. This is probably also the show with the most visuals – can't say no to eye candy!
I usually don't expect crazy production or cinematography from GMMTV shows (it's very hit or miss) but you can tell they invested a lot in this one. So many beautiful, intentional shots and the sets are amazing.
Every episode has been super entertaining so far and I hope it stays this way until the end.
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Biggest Letdown of 2025
I will preference this by stating that while I did read the manga and thus am not judging this work solely on its own merits, I did watch this movie with a friend of mine who has never read the manga and our thoughts were in alignment.The actors deserve praise for the clear amount of work they put into becoming competent dancers. The first 30 minutes of the movie has really gorgeous lighting and overall cinematography. The costume design was excellent. And... That's where my list of positives end.
While better than the manga on this front, the fact is that this movie is racist. The actors did their best to embody their characters as presented in the script, but the script itself is severely lacking. The pacing is awful. Rather than showing OR telling, this film opts for neither. The chemistry between the leads is hindered by a plot that only grows more and more incomprehensible as it wears on until the movie suddenly ends in a shock. In fact, the 10Dance competition, for which the movie is named, doesn't even happen before the movie ends.
I wanted to like 10Dance. I wish I hated it. Ultimately, however, I just want the time I know I will spend continuing to think about this movie's countless failings back already.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ambitious, but Tragic!
From the start, I felt bad for Nankrai: always the brother, never the lover. The best NC scene was in his dream. And I sure fell in love with him!I didn’t feel there was ANY chemistry from the actor, who played Victor. I believe it was a fault in his acting ability.
Although, it was realistic, and unfortunate, that TK only felt brotherly toward Nankrai, it was disappointing.
It was a cute, entertaining series, until the final 2 episodes, when everything turns tragic.
The storyline, as I said in my header, was fairly ambitious, but I was NOT expecting 2 deaths, a time rewind, then another death. How depressing can a writer make a BL series? Answer: VERY!
I would not want to watch it again for the reasons stated above.
I didn’t hate it, I just think it could have been more satisfying to the viewer. The main character being sacrificed at the end was, in no way, “satisfying.” It’s like, the only one who can lead a happy life, after everything, would be Victor. And I didn’t like him enough to want that to be the outcome. But, I guess TK did.
Just TRAGIC.
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sophisticated and artistic rendition
Adaptation of Inouesatoh’s popular BL manga, 10 Dance, is a visually spectacular achievement that captures the high-stakes world of competitive dance. Directed by Keishi Otomo, the film shines through its technical dedication and the undeniable chemistry of its leads.The highlight of the film is the choreography, which clearly reflects the year-long intensive training undertaken by the cast. Ryoma Takeuchi (as Shinya Suzuki) and Keita Machida (as Shinya Sugiki) deliver phenomenal physical performances, moving with an authenticity that makes them indistinguishable from professional dancers.
While the film succeeds as a sports drama, it falters somewhat in its adaptation of the central romance:
Plot Focus: The narrative leans heavily into the mechanics of the "10-dance" competition, often treating the characters' personal stories as a side dish.
Relationship Depth: For viewers not already familiar with the manga, the developing relationship between Suzuki and Sugiki may feel under-explored. The source material's deep emotional underpinnings are present but sometimes lack the necessary screen time to breathe for a newcomer.
Costume Consistency: Despite the high production value, a notable missed opportunity was the lack of costume variety for Takeuchi Ryoma on the dance floor; a change in attire could have better reflected his character's growth or the different disciplines.
The film concludes on an ambiguous note that may leave some viewers feeling as though something is missing.
Overall, 10 Dance is a sophisticated and artistic addition to Netflix’s BL library. While it might require a "head start" from the manga to fully grasp the characters' sentiments, the breathtaking visuals and the production team's hard work make it a must-watch for fans of the genre.
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