Reviews

Served absolutely NOTHING!!!!

The story was sloppy. Viewers who enjoy the psychological genre would like it more. As an avid fan of dramas like It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, I had high expectations for this one. And honestly, it was almost perfect… until her father died.

After that point, everything became a big fat mess.

The narrative completely lost its direction. The story didn’t follow through on its own setup, and Baek Ah-jin suddenly started making reckless and foolish decisions. She nearly lost her defining trait, her calculative, logical nature and it felt like the screenwriter abandoned proper character development altogether. Instead, the plot spiraled into something that resembled Wattpad-level writing, full of forced drama and inconsistent choices.

As a result, nothing really matched up in the end. The emotional payoff didn’t feel earned, and the resolution lacked coherence.

I’m not going to blame the actors for this, because this is very clearly a writing issue The cast consists of experienced, well-established actors who did what they could with the material given to them. A special mention goes to Kim Yoo-jung, who once again proved why she’s one of the strongest actresses of her generation—she genuinely elevated every scene she was in.

I did have some doubts about Hwang In-yeop’s character, though. In certain situations, his performance felt a bit stiff, as if the character wasn’t fully fleshed out or properly integrated into the story. Also, it didn't feel good watching a child making those decisions on her own. I know it's merely a drama and shouldn't be taken seriously, but it was quite painful to watch the child actress acting and for some reason Ah Jin's childhood felt almost fake artificial.

On a positive note, the OSTs were fantastic and will definitely be added to my playlist, something I’ll enjoy throughout the year. Shoutout to Minnie, Olivia Marsh, Cocona, Elaine, and Kim Lim; this drama wouldn't be complete without your voice!!

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It was nearly perfect

So close, but the messaging in the end ruined it. I was right in my skepticism of the message of this drama, and I was proved correct by the last episode, especially in those last 5 minutes. I'm not South Korean, so all I can do is read are statistics on the suicide rate. With that said, I think the message was skewed or maybe a little unsatisfying.

Yes, killing himself hurt his mum deeply, but did his coming back to life change his circumstances? Did things miraculously get better? Did he find a stable job, or did he end up finding satisfaction in being a part-time worker? Did he get back with the girlfriend that he dumped b4 deciding to off himself?

What about all the other lives that he lived? Did they end up dying as b4? Did their lives get better? Did the serial killer painter continue killing? Did the Taekang CEO get away with murdering his brother, getting high, and abusing his power while harbouring murderous thoughts? What about the high schooler? Is he back alive now and being bullied? The infant, what happened to him? How about the boxer? The assassin dude? What happened to all these lives?

I feel like they want us to dwell on his 'come to Jesus moment' and his realisation that suicide isn't the way, but there are just too many loopholes for me to be satisfied with that ending. Episodes 1 to 4 in part 1 were amazing. In part 2, episodes 5 and especially 6 were an absolute banger

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Jiejie romance meets legal case. Unfamiliar leads but good performance & storytelling

Jiejie romance is my favourite trope and I dead positive reviews about this drama on subreddit CShortDramas so I was excited to watch it. I was pleasantly surprised by the storytelling - I enjoyed this drama a lot.

What I liked:
1. Tropes - Jiejie romance meets legal case. There are a few vertical dramas that use these tropes but everytime it has a different storyline. Good amount of screentime & storytelling for those arcs.
2. Romance - I liked romance development even though it started with a one-night stand. Fun to watch the playful banters.
3. Dynamics - It was great to see interactions between ML and his uncle. I also enjoyed watching the dynamics between the uncle and FL.
4. Supporting characters - I really liked ML's uncle Inspector Fu (Du Yao was fantastic in this role). FL's younger brother & FL's bestie were great addition to the drama.
5. Styling - I liked FL's outfits especially that lime green business suit.
6. FL characterisation - I enjoyed the part where she told ML about her journey to become a lawyer.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonist - There was only a minor baddie in this drama which was FL's boss. He was handsy with FL and constantly harrassed FL.

Favourite scene
When FL's brother found out that ML was dating his sister

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My favorite part is the “But a dream” OST

To start this off, I will say overall this story was nice, the fantasy twist was an inch away from ruining it but it salvaged itself in the end.

I think one of my favorite things about this drama is that there was no 2nd leads, it was all a bunch of people in love trying to actually be together, from beginning to end, which in kdramas I genuinely think is unique.

The fantasy part, the body switching, up to episode 12 I genuinely disliked that, I felt like it was such a useless plot addition that changed absolutely nothing. However, in the last 2 episodes I was proven wrong, I’m glad they gave it an actual purpose, them switching bodies before they infiltrated that mountain base was certainly smarter since our FL genuinely won’t have anything to do there. And the body switching in the end, well when you think logically it feels useless since in the end they both are alive, but it tugged on my heartstrings so much.

The villain story pissed me off more than made me sad, like yea I get it too, he did so much for her for all those years, all he wanted was her, seeing him put the vow in her mirror just because maybe it might help her recover her memories was sweet, I also understand him “giving her away” because he believed that the king has money and will definitely spoil her more, BUT, bro did not even try, genuinely if he wanted to at the time, he could have. But I will say amazing acting cause their end did make me feel sorry for them, in the end they both loved each other.

The OSTs are all so good but “But a dream” is such a good song, I’m basically listening to it every day.

So yea overall, this was worth the watch.

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Unhinged FL & great action sequences but WXY's acting very much one-note

This drama was popular when it was release - there were many people requested for links on subreddit CShortDramas. I wasn't a fan of Wang Xiao Yi but Lan Bo always catches my attention. I decided to watch this drama once I saw it added to iQIYI catalogue. It was a good watch.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - Unhinged, no holds barred. She was hellbent on revenge against her family.
2. Dynamics - He was intrigued by her aloofness then became smitten . I liked that they struck partnership early in their relationship.
3. Styling - Red dress was a great choice for the club scene - Wang Xiao Yi was hot. I also liked the green dress & ML's navy suit.
4. Action - Great action sequences accompanied with good music.
5. Supporting characters - I liked ML's friend.
6. Revenge - Explosive & outrageous! I also liked how unpredictable the storytelling was.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - Lu family greedy for money.
2. FL's action - I disliked her for sabotaging her relationship with ML. She was pretentious herself.
3. Acting - Wang Xiao Yi excelled as kickass heiress but once again, she gave one-note performance when she wasn't doing action scenes. Another bored housewife expressions. Sadly there was no chemistry between her and Lan Bo.

Favourite scene
When FL in green dress was having a somewhat heart-to-heart conversation with ML

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Tsunami (The Great Flood) is not the Main Role in a Disaster movie, huh !? :O

**** SPOILER : THIS IS A RANTING REVIEW ****

I love Disaster/Survival movies.
So I was all excited n waited for this movie, seeing in Netflix "Coming Soon" but I'm highly disappointed now!!

Promoted as a Disaster movie n so expected a Full Length Disaster Survival movie but NO!

The Title, Cover pic n Summary cheated me :(
(So the Tsunami is not the main role but it's just a support role / a minor side role, Instead AI project is the main lead here, haha).

***

After watching first 20 mins, where there are Good CGI scenes of Flood and the struggle and when there is mention of some AI baby project, AI emotions builder project etc and there's a Time Loop -- I'm all excited thinking that I'm getting a combo of Disaster + Sci-Fi.
But NO!

IT IS EXCLUSIVELY A SCI-FI / TIME LOOP PLOT, WHICH IS NOT THAT CAPTIVATING.
Even Hae Soo Oppa's character didn't capture my interest (I like to watch his dramas).

***

A Full Length Sci-Fi movie with Disaster theme as subplot but promoted as an exclusive Disaster movie, actually gave a great disappointment to disaster movie fans (like me, who love disaster/survival more than Sci-Fi) and ruined the interest to watch the Sci-Fi plot.

(Just a thought -- Since AI is the new trending talk of the town, now-a-days, maybe the movie team wanted to be one of the first ones to grab a place in that buzz, with their movie on that theme but left with many disappointed audience and bad reviews).

*** THE PLOT :

The Sci-Fi Plot is Good
but somehow Everything (Acting, Direction, Execution) gone Messy.

This Plot can be executed better n with more clarity.
The Time loop or iterations, which are actually inputs to the AI project mentioned in the story -- These sound interesting but NO, it got confusing n uninteresting at one point.

Just the CGI scenes are Good -- loved them.


*** SOME MORE RANTING:

The Title should be
"The Baby project" or
"Finding the Kid" or
"The Emotions project" or
"The Time loop"
Only then, Disaster movie fans, like me, will not be misled!
Aigoo, me! :(

The disappointment is so great that I wrote this lengthy RANTING REVIEW, which I never did even to a very bad movie/drama :o


*** RATING:

My Rating is 6.5 / 10

My Final take on this movie:
If U are an exclusive disaster/survival movie fan n strictly not Sci-Fi, then this is not for U.

But if U are a fan of Sci-Fi/Time loop movies too, then U can give a try!
But watch with zero expectations!!

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A bit too miserable for my liking

I'm going to preface this review by saying that I didn't drop the series because it's not good or boring. It's actually really good but I hate that Thong's life doesn't get any better. It made me feel so depressed and irritated. I only watch up to where she started to become actress. I knew from the synopsis that she got bad luck when it comes to men, but I didn't know it would THIS bad with this many men. Only Montra (Jes) was good, everyone else was horrible.

Acting wise, everyone was good. I especially love Malee (Ticha) and Sri (Pat). To be fair, I like Pat Napapa in anything lol. Malee was such a worthy opponent for Thong. I like Thong's spirit, she's always prepared to fight for her right. Everyone is morally grey here at best. Though, again, Montra is the exception. But I wouldn't blame Thong for being morally grey. If she's a green flag, she would've been dead a long time ago. Baifern as always, did really well and there's not much else to say.

I might go back and finish the series someday and I recommend the series to those who haven't watch it.

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I'll watch it again

This one is masterpiece!
I'm feeling very lucky that I've watched it. Every single ep, evry single moment i was truly lost in Clariebell. Amay na sesh ep ta emon vabe je chuye gelo, onek pore upolobdhi ashe je amar cokh-a pani. Hea khub valo korechi aj shob porashuna, habi-jabi baad diye ei ep 7 r 8 ta dekhlam. Ashole ami thik-yi jantam protekta kharap upadhir manush kichu ekta lukiye rakhe. Ri jemon Doa er humanity, jodio ba eto strong she nijeke dekhato, jodio ba ektu hoyto ohongkar chilo. O jake valobashe ekdom ekdom ridoyer govir theke valobashe. R tachara oi rokom moody to ektu amio. Dede ke niye bolle or koto-je dayitto. Ami na thik-yi kheyal korechi Bell'er allergy'r shomoy o koto dayitto dekhiyeche. Koto beshi je sincere. 3d gang ashole villains ra moteo villain na, shudhu amader dekhte rakhar kichu baki theke jay. Amra shudhu bujhi na ektu alada manushder sathe kivabe kotha bolte hoy. Claire r Bell tara to main role ki bole baki thakbe. Tobe oi Bell er ex er bff ta, ami na etai shiklam, ami thik amar bff er protifol, just ami hide korte ei valo pari.
Ami na seshe ja mon theke bolchi ei rokom series gulo ja amay kichu shikkha dey, jate ki shundor soundtrack thake amar onek pochonder. Amar series gulor moddhe dekha "Chaser game w" r ei "Clariebell", " Whale store xoxo" je porimane nariyeche ami na ajo vablei jeno thik ager oi jaygay fire jai, jekhane prothom bar ami series guloke abar dekhchilam. Manusher jibon je koto shundor. Kharap somoy ashe, baje bebohar ashe, bully ashe, hingsha, krod, ebong seshe je oddhay ta sesh hoy, ekta movier moto jaa thik amader jemon kichu shikkha dey, temoni amader abaro bacte shekay.
Popular joto series, mindblowing tag er joto series, ami na bujhte parchi amar stranded ta ki. Ami mone rakhbo. Ami Doa'o korlam allahr kache, eder protekta Series amay chuye jak. Ami opekkhay thakchi. Aallh amay baciye rakhuk. Ami Dao, DeDee, Bell, Porn, Davika ei shobai ke valobashi. Ami aj onek khushi, lekha jeno sesh-yi hocche na.❤️❤️

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Unusual bullying horror movies

We’re usually served horror stories where the bullied kids die and come back to get revenge on their bullies, but this movie twists that idea in a really unexpected way. At first, I was genuinely confused, because it didn’t feel fair at all to the victims. Even after the bullies died, the bullying didn’t stop. They were still being tormented, just this time by ghosts. That reversal honestly made me uncomfortable in a way I didn’t expect, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Just when I thought I had figured out where the story was going, the movie hit me with another twist that completely caught me off guard… including an extremely unusual fetish element that I never would’ve imagined 😭.

The twists were wild enough to keep me hooked, and I can see why people are talking about it. It’s creepy, disturbing, and oddly playful at times, which makes it stand out from typical revenge-horror stories. I do feel like people who were bullied in school might really hate this movie, and honestly, I get why. If that’s you, I’m genuinely sorry.

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Surprisingly Great

There are only 14 episodes but each episode was more than an hour long. Even then I think they have enough plot to fit the episodes and didn't really drag like I thought it would. I've never seen the previous version so I couldn't compare.

I watched half of the series without subtitle, even the subtitle is just auto translate and difficult to understand. But this series is so good that I didn't even think about giving up. Initially I felt kind of annoyed that Tawanchai is such a goody two shoes, also seems like he doesn't understand Burapha's anger towards him. But as the series progress, he became more flexible so I like the character development. Meanwhile I also felt like tired of seeing Burapha so angry all the time. He barely smile too but he does smile with Ticha so yeah.

Although initially I started watching because of Son Yuke, I would say that the entire cast was great. Sure, some was quite stiff but overall they're all great. I watched Pong in Love Lesson 010 and was kind of interested seeing him in a different role. Puri (the actor who played Tat) always plays the villain in other drama/movie that I've seen him and I guess it's because he's just so good at it. Chatchai initially seemed like a one dimensional villain, but I really like the character development, and the actor did really well too. He has his vulnerable moments and I was so awed. Oh and I really like Seua (Akk), he's a good cop and really understand Tawanchai's dilemma with protecting Burapha his brother and arresting Burapha the gangster.

If you're looking for lovey-dovey scenes between Bu (like Jod likes to call Burapha lol it's so cute) and Ticha, they don't have a lot of those. But I still like the way they like each other. Ticha is very understanding and Bu really tries but life as part of mafia isn't easy.

Ticha's character is the typical good girl so I feel like Pango couldn't show her range but Ticha is also not a push over. She would tell Burapha what she feels and whenever he's crossing the line so I really like that. Joemchat is super pretty too, whenever she appears on the screen I'm always mesmerized. She's smart and knows when take advantage of a situation and not just wait for some guy to save her. Joe is super adorable, I initially thought Tawanchai would be interested in her. Kinda bummed she didn't end up with Seua.

Either way, it's a great series. I hope someday GMMTV would sub the series properly.

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Dance Challengers

The concept suggested by film trailer is two rival professional dancers falling for each other through teaching each other their respective dance genre specialties, but that's not what it delivers. The film is the most fascinating when exploring the psychology and athleticism of competitive dancers like when Suguki poses Suzuki in the female dancer positions to illustrate the grueling pain of dancing for hours and hours in heels in order to make him understand he needs to be supportive while leading his dance partner and the chilling scene where Suguki who everyone admires as the dancing gentleman cruelly puppets his near catatonic from ptsd shock dance partner by shouting instructions to get her through the competition. The movie fails to deliver on romantic tension or any feelings of yearning and longing outside of Suguki's yearning to finally be champion. Although Suguki is the one that initiates them working together and later to make out on the train, he never shows any kind of attraction or feeling for Suzuki aside from the flashback where it's revealed that he cried from the overwhelming feeling of inspiration when he first saw Suzuki dance. Suguki only loves dancing, he doesn't really care about any human being for themselves. Even his ex girlfriend that left him for another dancer, he just really liked how she danced with him. In the end he embraces his love of dancing for the sake of dancing rather than to be champion where he's not favored by the judges for whatever arbitrary reason by the slimmest margins though he's obviously at the top of the game, with Suzuki that he enjoys dancing with. Like how in Challengers everything is about tennis and tennis is about sex, here everything is about dance and dance is the sex. If this was how it was advertised, then perhaps it would be less disappointing in the romance department.

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Must watch drama

First of all, this is the first drama of Cheng Yi that I have ever watched, and I have already become a die-hard fan. As for the drama itself, I 100% recommend it. The story is excellent, the costumes are beautiful, and the editing is very well done. All the actors delivered great performances, the sets are extraordinary, and every character has their own story and importance.

A great villain always makes the hero even more compelling, and in this drama, the Black Fox is definitely no ordinary villain. He is complex and powerful, which makes the whole story even more engaging.

The only slightly disappointing part was that the male lead (ML) and female lead (FL) did not have much screen time together. There was also very little intimacy between them. That said, I understand this, especially since Cheng Yi is known for not doing many kissing scenes in his dramas. However, another issue was that their relationship felt more like master and disciple rather than lovers. The strong emotional connection that should exist between two people in love was not fully conveyed.

Because the drama is titled Sword and Beloved, I was expecting a stronger love story—more moments where they are together, showing deep emotions and expressing their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, that didn’t really happen. Still, this does not take away from the overall quality of the drama.

Despite these minor flaws, it will always remain one of my favorite and most memorable dramas. A high-quality production like this comes along only once in a while, and I truly appreciate it.

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Youthful and sweet : loved the friendship aspect

This high school BL is quite classical in its storyline : it is all about the budding romance between introverted Hioki Asahi and popular Watarai Tsukasa that start with a school trip in the beginning of their second year of high school. They go together through all the cliche milestones of Japanese school romance but it is done in such a lovely way that it hits all the marks.

The romance was really cute and fluffy : it was a very appeasing watch, devoid of angst and full of green flags. What I loved the most was the group friendship : seeing introverted hero grow in his own skin and feel comfortable with those seemingly unapproachable "F4-type" guys was really satisfying. I loved how the friends acted regarding the main couple romance, it was a breath of fresh air to see them all so open and cool about it.

Acting-wise, I particularly liked Fujimoto Kodai who played Hioki Asahi. He acted well the innocent side of his character with his relatable inner voice. Sometimes that kind of role can be annoying but here, he really found a nice balance, never feeling too weak or wishy-washy. I have more mixed feelings with Kan Hideyoshi who plays Watarai Tsukasa. Sometimes, his fixed glaring eyes on Hioki felt more unsettling than lover like (even if I guess he was aiming for obsessive vibe, it felt a bit forced). Chemistry was alright but not amazing, most of the story is very platonic in itself and sweet but I wish the steam would have been increased as the relationship progressed rather than remaining at a very mild temperature level. Not necessarily because I wanted NSWF scenes but I think the progression on the way they looked at each other peaked a bit too soon and that it never really leveled up as the story progressed.

I enjoyed overall the production value, it was quite standard for high school romance dramas. I liked a lot the opening generic song from DXTEEN, such a earworm.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a sweet high school BL. It is cute and fluffly, while very classical in its story, it hits the right marks and provide a satisfactory viewing experience.

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Three months later, I still think about this show everyday

Shine is beautifully written, with a top-tier cinematography, and tackles topics that are, to a certain extent, still relevant today. The characters (and their relationships) are complex, nuanced, and there is an explanation for all of their actions — which makes them painfully human.

Trin is the character that stole my heart the most. By the end of the fist episode, I was already attached to him, and my love for him kept growing after that. He’s endearing, touching, and even if I found him a little frustrating at times, I could always see the deeper reason behind his actions/reactions, and I could never stay mad for long. Thank you to Apo Nattawin for bringing him to life so brilliantly — his acting was flawless and he should get an award yesterday.

I could say the same about Tanwa: I adore him, and i believe that even the moments where I felt like he was annoying me were proof of how well-written his character is, because as soon as I’d take what I knew about his character into account, I would completely understand him. Mile excelled in this role too, I love how there was no trace of his previous character.

Maybe it’s because Kinnporsche wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was in Shine that Mileapo really came into their own in my eyes. This time, I could fully appreciate their chemistry, and I was taken aback. This is one of the reasons why I have to disagree with most of the comments I’ve seen, saying that SonEuro stole the show. The other reason is that Trintanwa have everything I like in a romance (a fictional one, at least.) They made me cry, they made me laugh, they made me melt — sometimes all at the same time — and they kept me at the edge of my seat until the very end. I can’t say I disagree with those who said they wished we could’ve seen more of them, but I also feel like what we got is enough to see how beautiful their love is.

Though I can’t say the same for Krailert and Naran, I like their characters individually, I liked the idea of their relationship (enemies (kinda) to lovers, forbidden love, doomed because they are on opposites sides…you name it.) and the actors really did have great chemistry. Even if this is the kind of love story that I generally stop finding interesting after the characters get together, that didn't make me love the series any less, as I at least liked the angst.

However, in the last episode, I couldn’t help but feel like their ending was a little drawn out. It was heartbreaking and also beautiful in its own way, but I wish some scenes weren’t as long so we could’ve seen more of Trin and Tanwa. But despite it’s flaws, the last episode (and the series in general) still gave me everything I wanted or needed.

And last but not least: Victor. If Trin is my favorite character, he and Tanwa both come in a close second. What I liked the most about him was his relationship with Trin; the love and protectiveness they had for each other was beautiful and touching, even if Victor’s romantic feelings always remained clearly unrequited (especially because of it, in my opinion.)

As for the political aspect of the series, it was fascinating, and like I said, still relevant today. I love how it showed different sides, how conflicts were represented at the intergroup level and at the intra-individual level, with characters questioning themselves, torn between their social position, the duties weighing on them and/or the orders they have learned to follow, the pressure from society and their families; and what they think is right or wrong, their morals, their loved ones — their hearts.

Shine also shows us the reality of the damage homophobia has done in the past in a raw, sometimes really brutal and graphic way. Therefore, some scenes are quite heavy and hard to watch, but even if they make us want to look away, I think they should make us reflect on how homophobia is still rampant nowadays, on the damage it still does.

One one hand, this series isn’t for an audience that needs to be spoonfed to be able to understand the plot and/or the characters, or that there’s more to a love story than the ship, who’s top and who’s bottom and etcetera. On the other hand, this is the kind of series that is always worth watching, for the message it carries and for all the things it teaches us.

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