Reviews

Great premise wasted by bad casting

The ML looked way too young to be the age he was supposed to. Idk if it was because he was supposed to be my age that I couldn't look past it but the actor should be doing college settings or at least entry level jobs there's no way he's a CEO.

The concept was so promising, especially since it involved gaming which I love, I just wish it had better casting.

I love the FL in Law and the City and I'm sure ML is talented but I could not get past the first episode. You could just tell he was a baby.

The story overall I have no idea how it played out but I just needed to vent my frustration, there are so many great actors in their late 20's early 30's and you couldn't get anyone else?

I'm sorry.

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Nail-biting three way fight

Kill Boksoon spin off movie set in a generation farther away from the original premise, where the monopoly of M. K. Ent. is already a past thing, now multiple startups are fighting to feed on the leftovers of this sunset industry, some even extend it into other business scope like tech and gaming.

In such desperate era, the story cleverly follows along the new coup d'etat leader of M. K. Ent. and his two young aspiring successors, but having bad blood between each other, as the ambitious buildup pitted them into a complicated three way fight for its high adrenaline triad fighting sequence ending.

It may not have that intense charisma of Jeon Doyeon and Sol Kyunggu have to offer, they're totally phenomenal previously, this movie did make sufficient effort to maintain that quality, as Im Siwan and Park Gyuyoung is still a very convincing pair on screen.

The action choreography, cinematography, and soundtrack, all are well done enough and it is a nail-biting movie that successfully keeps its unique world of killers emotionally valid.

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The problems with this drama

I won't repeat all the other reviews - I mostly agree with them - my big issues:

This is supposed to be a drama about a strong, independent female general who leads her life disguised as a man.

They have her doing all sorts of "cutesy" behaviors that are weak and dependent on the ML. Okay that isn't in itself terrible, but it is when you are supposedly portraying a female general... What the heck? And we go from wearing a mask constantly to disguise herself to no effort in disguising her female identity? Who is making these decisions and not seeing the absurdity?

Why have the Emperor who has seemed to make mostly decent decisions, decide to not only NOT allow the FL and ML to marry, but decides to marry her off to one of the villains? AND to add insult to injury, the FL hears it and blames it on the ML instantly instead of understanding that the Imperial Edict that he reads is NOT his words, but from the Emperor. That makes 0 sense. She is supposed to be strong and independent; not stupid and silly and weak. Why doesn't she IMMEDIATELY confront the ML and tell him she knows he doesn't want that - she doesn't believe it and they go together to fight for their right to be together. And how can the Emperor not think this will make his two strongest, most devoted, loyal subjects hate him now?

And the second ML is a villain and then he isn't and then he turns into the worst of the worst portrayed by a mental breakdown of evilness. Just stupid.

The last 3 episodes just ruin this drama.

I still watched it to the end and they throw us a crumb after a lot of ridiculousness in the last bit by letting our main couple be together, but it is hard to erase 3 episodes of just unnecessary, senseless dribble that didn't add anything, but make everyone dislike this drama.

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Overall I liked it?❤️

Honestly, I started this series with zero expectations, in fact the only reason I watched this is Lee❤️ It's one of those cliché engineering series, it has a lot of clingy scenes but overall I liked it. It's one of those light weighted series, where everything is just always happy and loving. Although a few of the scenes that I had watched on reels were not there so I'm guessing some scenes got deleted, but it was worth watching. Would I rewatch this? Probably No. But if you're somewhere who likes cliché engineering series, I would surely recommend you to watch it once✅💚

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This Show Feels Weird in a Good Way

Our first Japanese Mafia BL and it did not disappoint. This series is haunting, strange, and unforgettable, a story that dives into love, trauma, and redemption with a kind of poetic brutality only Japan can pull off.

Odajima’s past shattered my heart. No child should grow up in a home where love is replaced by violence and silence. His father’s cruelty and his mother’s refusal to protect him created a boy who learned to survive, not to love. When he killed his father, it wasn’t born from hate, it was the only way out. And when his mother asked to die by his hands too, something inside him broke beyond repair. From that moment, Odajima became a man who could take a life but never believe he was worthy of one filled with love.

Then comes Kataoka, his light and his undoing. Odajima was sent to kill him, yet Kataoka became the only one who taught him how to live. Their bond unfolds slowly, through teasing, warmth, and quiet gestures that speak louder than words. When Kataoka talks about marriage, it’s both ridiculous and heartbreakingly sincere, because you can feel that for the first time, Odajima is learning what love might feel like.

And then the title makes perfect sense, A Journey to Kill You. Odajima’s mission is to end Kataoka’s life, but his heart refuses to obey. The man who was never loved has finally found someone who does, and that is the cruelest pain of all, to love the one you were meant to destroy.

This series delivers some unforgettable moments: Kataoka half-dead in a hospital bed, still managing to flirt with a nurse saying, “If I stay here, my wife will get jealous.” I laughed through my tears. And then, that lipstick-on-the-lips-of-a-dead-man scene, shocking, bizarre, yet somehow deeply fitting for a show that constantly blurs the line between madness and devotion. Japanese BL never fails to surprise, and this one proves it again.

What I didn’t like was the inconsistent tone and low-budget feel. The first episode throws you straight into an SA scene that’s brushed off too casually, and it left a sour taste. Some moments, like the dead bird scene, felt random and disconnected from the emotional core. Kataoka’s violent outbursts contrasted oddly with his tender moments, making it hard to understand who he truly was at times.

Still, despite the flaws, A Journey to Kill You is a bold and deeply emotional series. It’s not just about love, it’s about pain, redemption, and finding warmth in a world that taught you only how to bleed. It’s unsettling, poetic, and strangely beautiful.

Ironically, the car scene in Episode 1 was the one everyone hated.
But in the final episode, that same setting became something else entirely, filled with emotion, chemistry, and one of the most beautiful kisses I’ve ever seen.

This is why we watch BLs.
In just six episodes, we witnessed two characters grow, change, and learn to truly see each other.
By the end, every glance, every touch, felt earned, a quiet reminder of how love can blossom even in the shortest journeys.


I even wrote a poem inspired by one of my favorite scenes, it was that powerful and beautifully tragic.

Odajima’s childhood is a wound that never heals,
a small boy trapped in a house where love was slain.
No child should ever bear such sorrow,
to wake beneath the same roof as rage,
where a father’s fists spoke louder than words,
and a mother’s silence hurt more than any blow.

She gave him life, yet turned away from it,
her gaze a cold winter that froze his heart.
His home was no home,
but a battlefield of broken dreams,
where laughter died before it could be born.
When he raised his hand against his father,
it was not hatred that guided him,
it was survival, desperate and trembling.
But fate’s cruelty was not done,
for the woman who should have saved him
begged to die by his hand as well.
In that moment, the last light in his soul went out.
How could a boy like that ever learn
what love is meant to feel like?

Then came Kataoka,
the man Odajima was sent to kill,
yet somehow, the man who taught him to live.
Kataoka’s warmth melted the frost of his years,
his teasing words, his careless laughter,
his gentle talk of marriage,
all small miracles that stitched Odajima’s heart
back together, thread by trembling thread.

But destiny is merciless.
His mission whispered, kill him.
His heart screamed, don’t.
For the man who had never been loved
had finally found someone who did.
And that, perhaps,
is the cruelest agony of all,
to be torn between duty and love.

When danger came, Odajima stood ready
to give his life for Kataoka,
but it was Kataoka who took the bullet instead.
Now he lies in a cold hospital bed,
his breath shallow, his heart fading.
Odajima weeps beside him,
his face shattered with grief,
his voice breaking as he pleads,
“Please don’t die… you are the reason I live.”

There is nothing sadder than this,
a man who spent his life unloved,
who finally found warmth in another’s arms,
only to lose it in the blink of fate.
Odajima’s heart beats now
not for himself,
but for a love slipping away.
And as the monitor hums its sorrowful tune,
the world watches a tragedy unfold,
a boy who never knew love
learning it only through loss.

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Dropped it, it was too long winded.

I watched this drama with a lot of people recommending and praising it. But I did not watch this for months because I was not sold with the actors in the story. I am particular to the actors, sadly. But I still gave this a chance.

My expectations was high, and I guess people's high praise made me more keen to see which part of the story they were giving flowers for, and I admit, I was impressed.

The actors might not be the best cast for the role, but the plot and narrative more than put it's weight in lifting the story, and they atleast made a decent job.

It was a good watch for the first ten episodes. I like the pacing and the plot in general, then it started to fizzle out.

What really made me drop this was actually a petty reason. It was already episode 15 and for the love of whoevers above, why is the stepmother still walking freely? She had been making problems left and right since the start of the story but our female leads just let her. The stepmother made another scheme creating a problem for the MC, but the MC was only bark and snarls but no bite, the stepmother was still walking freely. Did she ever plan to eliminate or to atleast contend with the stepmother. She did not even retaliate even once.

It is bizarre as the MC was clearly competent and has resources to back it up. Her stepmother is a huge problem for her, if not the main source of problem, and she did not even made a move for fifteen episodes. A lot of her problems would be gone if she only dealt with her in the first place.

Which made me into thinking that this was a writer's move. The writer avoided dealing with her as she was the source of conflict and a lot of plots won't be acted if she was dealt early on. I mean I saw a lot of similar MC who dispose their stepmothers early on the show, I thought this was an easy trope, but it had become a plot device.

I think that loses my faith for the story. For fifteen episodes, it was the same cycle of problems cropping out for the two leads and then them solving it on their own, and that's it. No precautions, no retaliations, no pre-emptive strikes. They're just reacting and it was tiring to watch them on and one.

I thought they were capable but they were as hopeless a powerless person. I know that's the theme they are going, but there's really no sense of victory every battle they passed.

I just can't take another 20 episodes of this same plot.

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action, intense thrilling

Storyline: thrilling and intense, not just gore scenes but actual plot and characters ' story involved
Acting: the actors really did a nice job, met my expectations, they portrayed every character well
characters: we see interesting and powerful characters, especially our main character Mantis, he's so interesting and strong, you love him and hate him at times (for being so high in his head), but in the end youre for sure rooting for him, siwan did a perfect job at playing this role, i don't think anyone else would fit this character.
fight scenes: were pretty clear and gore filled but like you can see the movements clearly unlike other shows and movies where you can barely see anything because it's too fast paced or low brightness
somewhat spoiler: it was really nice to see boksoon for a scene, i jumped when i saw her.

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HAS POTENTIAL BUT THE PLOT FALLS SHORT

This spin off connects well to the MK company from Kill Boksoon. That link makes the spin off feel natural, and it shows how the company's story led to this movie.

The first 10 minutes started strong. I liked seeing Min Gyu again. Right away, the film showed Mantis's fighting skills, I could already catch the mix of humor and gore. I especially enjoyed his fighting style with weapons, it feels refreshing compared to the typical assassin combat we usually see. The color grading and cinematography reminded me of Kill Boksoon but a bit upgrade, which was cool.

The middle act, however, didn't really build up much. It was just okay, with a few conflicts that weren't very surprising. Still, it was great seeing Bok Soon return.

The third act didn't land as strongly as I hoped. It was a bit predictable, though the fight sequences were undeniably entertaining. I just wish the writing carried more punch. Overall, it's a decent spin off with cool action and a good connection to the original, even the story could have been better.

Plot 7/10
Acting and Characters 8/10
Cinematography 8.5/10
Writing 6.5/10
Pacing 7.5/10
OST/Score 8/10

Overall 7.5/10

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A solid series, but it didn't connect the best with S1 and S2

[spoiler warning]

In my opinion, I loved AiB 3. I feel like the games were more nerve-wracking, the characters felt less manga-like (although this was never an issue for me in the first two seasons), and I liked how the series still focused on the survival aspect while still centering it around the concept of "love being a reason to live." I also felt like Yamazaki Kento and Tsuchiya Tao leveled up their game performance-wise, since they did SO WELL in acting out emotionally-charged scenes. It would have been a solid 10 for me if it weren't the third season of AiB.

Personally, what I loved about the concept of AiB is that the Borderlands literally represent the "border" between life and death. It's the place where people--who are in the brink of death--participate in the games to determine their path: either they live, or they proceed to the afterlife. So in a way, it is connected to the afterlife where there are beings that govern it. The air of mystery surrounding the borderlands is what made it so intriguing. In the first two seasons, I actually liked that they never fully revealed everything about it and that it remained relatively mysterious until the very end.

But S3 somehow made the borderlands more confusing, because how come Banda is coming in and out of the borderlands? Even taking frequent trips in the world of the living? That contradicts what happened in S2, because it has shown that the citizens are still bound to the rules of the borderlands. They could still get lasered off if they disobey the rules. But Banda is able to go in and out of it simply because he wanted to lure Arisu in to live as a citizen. Although the full benefits of being a citizen were never fully elaborated, I don't think they are powerful enough to do that.

I feel like that specific event didn't tie very well with the first two seasons, and it's actually the only reason why I ever deducted points. But otherwise, I still enjoyed it very well. If I would be honest, I enjoyed it most out of all the seasons.

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Gil-Gu my beloved boyfailureeeeeee!

Gil-Gu was the heart of this movie for me, so sincere in everything he does while still being an unintentional goof. I love him and Ahn Bo Hyun did an amazing job as well as Yoon A! Double roles aren't easy but she pulled it off flawlessly. My only gripe not having more scenes with Seonji, maybe exploring her head and relationships, but I'm not sure how that would have worked anyway

The cast around them added to my enjoyment as well for Ara, Seonji's dad and Hee Bum to the convenience store staff and teenage girl. I had so much fun with this movie and still teared up at the end. The score was lovely, both in the beginning with the scene changes and at the end with the emotional moments.

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