Reviews

An entertaining movie-watch, good for exorcizing WWII resentments. It is violent, as was the Japanese colonial occupation, and in one instance near the end of the film it is gratuitously violent. Our sympathy by then for the elderly protagonist avenging the deaths of his father, brother and sister is almost able to excuse his actions. But not quite.

Lee Sung Min and Nam Joo Hyuk are outstanding as an accidental pair: Freddie/Han Pil Ju, an elderly waiter whose family was brutally destroyed in the Occupation, and the student In Gyu, also a waiter, burdened by his fathers hospital bills and loan sharks. The actor Lee Sung Min has some recent and well-deserved successes, and Nam Joo Hyuk is about to finally make his post service comeback, which is why I picked this to watch.

Pil Ju carries out a meticulous plan to murder three Korean collaborators and one Japanese colonial official whose actions caused the deaths of his family. They are also now powerful people in South Korea who profited greatly from their betrayal of innocents. To begin with In Gyu innocently takes on the paid job of zooming Freddy around Seoul in a lovely little red Porsche. Then in increasing agitation as he realizes what Pil Ju is doing he comically tries both to stop his friend and extricate himself all at the same time .

Yes, the Occupation is long over (80 years now). Perhaps one should not encourage the holding of historical grudges. But as long as families still have remembered pain, resolution must be sought. This film justly abhors profiteering from war crimes.

Whether dramatic art actually encourages political violence, or prevents it via catharsis, has long been debated. See what you think. For my part the film is comical enough for sadness to be the dominant emotion rather than anger. The pain, brutality and cruelty of the long World Wars of the 20th century still casts a shadow -- but for those who do not know this history the film may lose some resonance.

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A simple Childhood Friends-to-Lovers story for those who want a light watch

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

Not sure what prompted me to watch this ‘older’ Korean BL in 2025. This is a simple story about childhood friends to lovers. There are certain aspects of this show that many viewers might like, in addition to the friends-to-lovers trope, such as, huge height difference, unrequited love, pining, green flag who dotes on their loved one. The drama also tries to add some not-so-angsty angst to make it more than just a fluffy drama. For a drama adapted from a webtoon in 2022, this is a pleasant and easy watch. But KBLs have gone through a lot of transformation in the last few years and have given us some really good darker and more mature shows. Therefore, watching this in 2025 does not satisfy me.

The acting is OK. I liked Kang Hui more than Ok Jin Uk, but he also has more acting experience. I am usually not a fan of the naive, shy and pushover kind of main character. Additionally, I also don’t find Ok Jin Uk to be particularly cute or good-looking for me to fall in love with his character. Having said that, the romance is not based on love-at-first-sight, but a growing love and companionship. Therefore, their romance is believable. The last couple episodes and scenes of life after high school/college are rushed. I am not sure if we need that and the drama should probably focused on better writing of the high school years.

“Cherry Blossoms after Winter” is a low budget production, so aside from a few scenes at home, coffee shops and school, there’s no fancy cinematography or lavish costumes. I do appreciate that the drama does not look cheap and I really like the songs in the OST.



Completed: 9/19/2025 Review #626

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A wild ride which ends surprisingly timidly

Behind the glitz and glam of the Japanese entertainment industry there lies a dark underbelly. Host clubs have been known to use predatory practices on their female clients. Those clients can rack up huge debts in the name of supporting their favourite host. New Japanese law aims to counter this has been enacted recently.

Maybe it is this high-profile change that sow the seed of this drama. Our ML works as a host in a popular club. The amount of money being spent by "princesses" are staggering. We bear witness to some disturbing fallouts. Into this nefarious world bravely walked our FL.

Our FL is 35 years old and the pressure on her to get married is immense. She is inexperienced in love, but I won't say she is totally naïve. To be fair, she has a strict upbringing and leads a sheltered life as a teacher in a catholic girl school. Her value system is quite binary. There are not many grey areas in her life. You can imagine her discomfort when she was forced to visit a host club when one of her students became obsessed with the ML. She is totally out of her comfort zone.

What sordid tales are contained within those walls? There is an opportunity to make some hard-hitting dramas. Yet, by the halfway mark, we know there won’t be any serious exposé on the Host Club industry.

While I'm a little disappointed by the missed opportunity, I can't complain too much as the focus on our leads highlights some serious talents. Not only is our ML's appearance striking, he is also a singer and model in RL. He is perfect for the role.

Similarly, our female lead IS the meek and strait-laced teacher. She is not a particularly good teacher, yet she never gives up trying. She found a new purpose while teaching the dyslexic ML. Their growing attraction is relatable.

This drama doesn't hide the fact that the A-plot is tropey. Their meet-cute is essentially Opposite Attracts writ large. With a bonus serving of Good Girl/Bad Boy to seal the deal. Our leads projected enough sincerity to make it work.

In essence, this show looks at relationships from two opposing ends. On the one hand, we have the loveless social contract, akin to a lifetime of role playing. While on the other hand, we have pretended ones where a female engage a handsome host to live out a fantasy, billable by the minute. Neither one is ideal, but they are symptomatic of our time.

We find our FL faced with just such a stark choice. Will she accept a loveless but stable life like her mum or will she rebel? As expected, this leads to much soul searching and eventual growth for all. It is their journey we are buying into.

Is the drama perfect? Not quite. There are some minor pacing and narrative issues. However, my one real gripe is how the show bends over backwards to land the happy ending for everyone.

To wit, the show makes sure we understand the hosts are honest people just doing a job. The two timing SML plays cupid for our leads. Owner of the club is a kind, fatherly figure under his gangster facade. The FL’s old fashion, control freak of a father only wants to sing, I mean retire and be a house husband. Oprah Winfrey will be proud as the show dishes out redemptions like free trips to Australia.

The last couple of eps is a surprising wild ride. They packed some big highs and deep lows. Our leads really bring out their A-game. Their romance blossomed and then wilted. It is hardly an easy cruise to the finish.

The actual ending was a bit rushed and feels contrived. Maybe they ran out of time. At least, the writer-san didn't leave us dangling. The last scene with the FL calling out the ML for writing the word LOVE incorrectly is delicious. They then practise writing it over and over in the sand until the whole area is covered by LOVE. How poetic! Just wish there is more fan service.

In the end, I can't recommend this show unreservedly because there are caveats. If you have read this far then I implore you to sample a few eps and judge for yourself. You can do worse, chingu. Peace.

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If You Get it You Get It

Don't listen to anyone who tells you this isn't good, watching this feels like sitting down and watching a highly-acclaimed HBO series and not a 'typical' Thai BL.

I see people online saying they don't enjoy it but it's not because it isn't good, it's because it's so good at storytelling and character development in a mature way that they are feeling whiplash from watching something so intricate and heart-wrenching that their yearning for the simplicities of regular BLs.

I knew within the first 4 episodes that it would be near the top of my all-time BL rankings and as soon as episode 8 ended I placed it right up top. Go watch, omg it's so good, I'll be rewatching for years to come.

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Sometimes, the audacity to risk brings us the most unexpected happiness..and such is life.

Shine- it is not one of the usual Bl storyline so don’t expect it to be very smooth-going drama. Also it is not even a BL series..it is Thailand's first gay series. Portraying the lives of people during 1969 with such excellence. There was a time i felt that i was actually living in it. The cast, SONGS, storyline, direction..everything was out of the world. It truly showed how the people back then suffered due to high-ranking officials, really glad that officer got jailed and he died.
Now comes my TrinTawna..i have never ever doubted Mile and Apo on their acting skills. Hence, again they didn’t let me or any one of us down. Seeing Mile as Tanwa was so hilarious and by the last episode..my heart cried with him. I’m genuinely so glad they got the ending they deserved.
Now my dearest Klailert and Naran, the most devastating love story. They were so happy together. Their smiles felt genuine whenever they were together. All those moments..secretly meeting..writing each other through codes..their debates..their love..everything felt so magical. Purest form of love, indeed. Son and Euro..you guys have no idea how your acting impacted on me. Your skills are unimaginable and brilliant. They didn’t deserved that. They deserved to be happy. I’ll always be sorry for Klailert..the only two people he ever loved were taken away for him. What was even his fault? Was him being a man loving a man..was that his fault? Like his first lover was killed and the second one was sent to away from him. And guess what..who did all this DHEVI. Yes..trust me i had huge sympathy for her till episode 7 but in episode 8 when she showed her true side that she is none other than those rich spoiled brat elite families children who will get whatever they like. Istg i hate her so much. Klailert and Naran, you guys will always be remembered as KlaiRung and Sarasawadee.
Lastly, my 2Vs’ Victor and Veera. Their deaths were not necessary at all. Like the things could have been the same. The Colonel would’ve gathered up the courage to tell the truth out loud. Like Victor had soooo many dreams. His dream life was about to began. What would you do that?? And Veera..the most honest police officer..and this is how honesty pays people?
Also will forever be grateful to Moira..that lady..i’m speechless. So glad for her character.

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I do not think Cheng Yi wants to be in this role

If he is not looking bored, he looks pained, or numb. There is zero chemistry or connection between the characters of any kind either the supposed friendships, family ties, or ML-FL. The story is just all over the place. Some of the makeup and characters are trying so hard to be strange or funny it is painful. The CGI and editing are shoddy. The fight scenes are predictable and not exciting or interesting to watch. Chen Yi gets to be a fashion plate with a lot of different outfits but hey at least he has cute clothes. Man I could go on and on but why. I am sticking with it because I am hoping at some point after the endlessly long scenery and character establishment there will be something more fun to watch, but not holding my breath. I am actually quite sad for CY because I know he has a huge fan following and I do think he is a decent actor or at least I liked him very much in Mysterious Lotus Casebook. But this is just not good.

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All the genres you can imagine in one buquet of delightfull special effects

I do not have many experience in the CDramas especially historical. I think I have watched meaby 4 xianxia's back to back. So I'll review this based on what I do know.

Where do I start? With the genre of this drama. If you are looking for a time travel meets cdrama meets xianxia world with an OVERDOSE of bold romantic scenes covered in special effects scenes including a 3 dimensional bolding then you have found your madness.

Story: Scenario wise, it was so complex that is was bound to have many plot holes. But what made me keep going was the unexpected bold romance. I WANT MORE. Please recast them again soon. Back to the main issues....in all the previous xianxias that I have watched I was used to the lifetimes being equally divided to the number of episodes. Yet here it was not the case. Which made it more difficult to follow. However I liked the fact that even though the lifetimes were uneven the main leads were developed properly both as individuals and as a couple. The other charaters....oh my.....a pure migrain. Some were made consistent ish. Some were left in the oblivian. Like literally you wonder what happened to them in the end. Some got what they deserved which felt really fullfiling. But a lot of them were completely usless and just to fill in the room and the tension. The emperors of the 8 palaces were another kind of evil....the one that genuinely belives that its good and that its every action its justified and to the common well of everybody involved. Basically polititcians with superpowers and god like aspirations. Some of their actors were amazing. Some of them were stiff as hell and made me simply skip their screen time. There are 3 characters in this show that really deserved more screen time and more consistency. First Ruling/Honglou .... her main purpose was to free her family from the demon relam, but she was abruptly turned from the Celestial Palace assesin into the FL's BFF after tones of betrayels. She then passed not one but TWO lifetimes in a SITIUATIONSHIP with Nianju....that we never knew how it ended because they had to constantely be putted on pause because on of the leads was dieing. About her family its also unclear what happened. Tingyan united the Demon Relam with the Celestial World but still it was no mentione of Ruling's family at all. She was also reborned curiuosely with no memory of her past life and even though both main leads had the capacity to remember things, Honglou did not remember much. The actress is gorgerous and very talented but I feel like she was just used over and over again. Besides she never got her wedding scene. The secound character is Nianju....he appears and dissaperas and you never know his next move. He is loyal to his master, to his lover and to his friend but somtimes he is like a silly kid and does not really know what to do to avoid pissing up the others. He never got a conclusion. After the first life of Tingyan he was used as a walking and flying GPS to find Tingyan's soul while his master played sleeping beauty. After the first life of his master ended he was used again as GPS to find his soul and to solve possible political issues. Any issues that is not his lover cause what do you mean they spended 19 years togheter and he still has not even proposed to her? And the third one is Bi An that was possesd by Yu Yan. She was born with Fengshang blood she was saved by the leads and considered them some kind of godparents. Cause they even named her when she was a baby. Then she grew up (the only character in this drama that actually got older) and was turned into the villan. After Yu Yan was sended into the celestial prison she was just left there on the ground...we never found out if she survived or not, what has she done after getting back her body? Did she died? Did she got reincarnated? Nope....all vanished cause the FL had to turn back to the present. The finale was mega rushed. We do not know what happend to any of the characters in the xianxia world. Sima Jiao's mother? The palace from the mortal relam, the demon relam and the imortal relam....everything vanished into thin air. AND...they messed up big time everything that happened into the modern world. Our FL got into a car accident. And from her flashbacks it looked nasty. She needed CPR (in the rain for dramatic effect), she needed a lot of doctors or nurses with seringes around her cause she was having sessures...and yet when she finally woke up instead of telling us she was in a long coma....nope....she has a concusion. Once she wakes up she can leave. She wakes up. She leaves the hospital. Teleports to her workplace. Takes another taxi even though she just woke up from a prior accident that also happened in a taxi and she believs herself flowerpower and abandones the taxi for the bicicle to make it on time to a meeting god knows where. She did not even had recovery time yet she has to solve everybodys lives AGAIN. She accidentaly meets her prince charming....THE END. Like what? You kept me 33 episodes rolling like Alice in wonderland only to end it up like that? Bruh....

Leaving aside my frustration about the lack of conclusion I actually liked how the action evolved and how the events were linked between each world. We got our modern era girl that travels back in time and into a fictional world in which she has no power and no will to gain any. Her main buisness is to eat, sleep, enjoy vacation time and ocasional 3d bonding with her master. She gradually becomes the most powerfull human being on the 3 relams. Going from Beifang Mountin prison, through the 8 palaces, into the demon world which is her birthplace in the xianxia world, then into the mortal world and then back into the modern present world. Her counterpart Sima Jiao also known as Jiao Jiao goes from being a monster locked in a mountin, to number one political enemy of the palaces, to being a fire god of two of the 3 relams and the Lord of kindness...to being reborn as a mortal king with no cultivation and then as a modern clicheic CEO... a roller coaster indeed. Layered perfectlly between words.

Setting and special effects: VERY MUCH on point. I have never seen a drama with this many settings and such impressive decorations. Also the wordrope worke plus the makeup was HUGE in this project. Like every new location unlocked new kind of clothes and jweleries and even foods. It was like a never ending Chinese Hanfu Parade. Delightfull. Both for women and men. Music was also beautifull and on point. Though I would have liked it better if they had more then 2 OSTs. Like they had so many special effects, so many sets and location for filming a wordrope enough to dress the whole population of China for a ball but only 2 songs?

Production wise I really liked the work done. Especially post production with all those effects that made even the most usless fights a delight to watch. I felt like a kid watching animes for a secound.

And special congrets to whoever was in charge of writeing and directing the romantic scenes in this show. With the kind suggestion of NEVER leaving the secound couple in the oblivian EVER again. Preatty please!

My praise for the main couple of this show. For them I would rewatch this drama someday in the future. They really elevate the rewtach value of this and not just because they were some hopless romantics. But they were GOOD in everything they did. When Jiao Jiao was pissed Artur's face was full of veins pooping out of his forehead. When he was sad, Arthur became kind of sober. When he was happy and loovey doovey, Arthur became snicky and kind of funny. Same for her....she has some beautyfull eyes and face features then made her look diferent then some other chinese actresses that I had scene. She transmits a lot from her eyes. Its like her eyes change togheter with her moods. And she had a wiiiide range of moods in this drama.

Soyi....in conclusion, solid drama having into consideration its magnitude. If I am not wrong the drama started filming in 2023 and ended in 2024. Which means that 2024-2025 alone was post production work. Hats down for how much the entire team behind When destiny brings the demon has worked to achieve this. Nevermind the plotholes....the romance was tooo good, and the effects made it a master peace. Did I mentioned I want more?

P.S Both Arthur Chen and Gao Han are so freaking beautyfull and hot. And the 2 female leads are like 2 princeses. Where have they found this quartet? I laughed so muc with their sillyness... I am going to miss them!!! To all 4 of them....xiexie!! You really got me out of my drama slump.

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Plural Marriage ⛩⛩️⛩ Fallout Edition °10° °masterpiece° Lite spoilers only!

This is why I don't give out many 10's. I save them for shows like this, that are far above the rest. SOYP is in its own stratosphere.

Talk about hate, love, HATE… Welcome to the Forbidden City, where the trees are treated better than the people. “This is power.”

Forget the trees, the Forbidden City is about to get a shakedown. Many will be killed, several will kill themselves, others will be executed, and 1 or 2 will go completely mad. “Even if you know, you should pretend that you don't know. That's how you live a longer life in the palace. That's how you can be the last one standing and laughing.”

SoYP is a 2018 release that is rated 8.8 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 70 exquisite 45-minute episodes. I was so caught up in watching this that I didn't take many notes. Any show that causes one to be sad around ep26 because it's already 1/3 over has got to be pretty dang good. Right from the start this looks and feels like Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, which was released the same year. {Ruyi's episodes 1-49 are a 9.3. While looking up its historical accuracy, I learned how heartbreaking the rest of the show is. It's over 80 episodes, so that's a hella-lotta hurt. I am not up for it now, so I stopped at episode 49, which is a perfect ending. I cannot recommend eps1-49 enough. It's nearly perfect).

We're following Ying Luo (YL), who is pretty, talented, smart, resourceful, and strong minded. She makes friends wherever she goes. She also makes lots of enemies. Smart? She could arguably out-talk Joan Rivers. Even the Emperor walks away befuddled. Wu Jin Yan (The Double) is the extraordinary FL. She inspires anger and jealousy from many other women. She enjoys teasing overly serious people. Teasing? Certainly, yes. But she's also capable of torturing those who take themselves too seriously. That includes His Majesty.

We follow these actors through many years. The characters begin young and they age; their performances near magically reflect that. Nie Yuan (Will of Steel, Three Kingdoms) is Emperor Qianlong. Oh.My. He is superb. Qin Lan (The Magical Women, The Rational Life-7.7) plays the lovely and fragile Empress Fuca Rongyin. The scrumptious Xu Kai (Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain-7.5, Ancient Love Poetry-8.6, Falling into Your Smile-5.7) is guard Fuca Fuheng, brother to the Empress. He looks dreadful with a mustache. Still, all the young (and not so young) girls love Fuheng - all the girls love the cherub-faced Xu Kai, but His Majesty is the daddy of all. Charmaine Sheh (Winter Begonia) portrays Consort Xian. Tan Zhuo (Dying to Survive, Game Changer) portrays the heinous Noble Consort Gao - she's a feisty one. Jenny Zhang plays Consort Shun. She was stunning as Wu Huan in Ancient Love Poetry-8.6. Here, she doesn't show up until nearly the end. The directors are Hui Kai Dong (Winter Begonia), Wen De Guang (Forever Love) & Guo Hao (Scent of Time). Screenwriter, Zhou Mo, also directed Royal Feast.

I wouldn’t classify this as a romance. It's a historical drama that contains some romance. ‘I like you… you /bad/ girl.’ YL and Fuheng gravitate from dislike & distrust to love. But His Majesty has his eyes on YL, too. YL isn't thinking about love when she arrives at the palace. She's investigating her sister's death. Her sister died under suspicious circumstances at the palace a couple years back. YL knows suicide would never have been an option, so she's sworn to catch the killer and administer retribution. This requires a lot of finesse. She questions people but she must do it delicately. They mustn't realize they're being questioned. She also refuses to play along with the mean girls. That, coupled with her unusually aggressive style and undeniable talent, queues up her adversaries. As soon as one enemy recedes, another rears its ugly head. 70 episodes allows for an array of dramatic vignettes.

Women's cages are “meticulously created by the men of the world.” YL soon learns that her sister is rumored to have had indiscretions with a man, and she may even have been pregnant. YL believes that if any of that is true, it wasn't voluntary on the part of her sister.

“I am the empress, before I am a woman.” Duty is one of the primary themes. That includes a duty to justice which is what our heroine seeks. Another theme is the dignity of every human being. Our protagonist is a “lowly” servant who shows that she isn't so lowly, in reality.

“If you give too much importance to gains and losses, how can you win? …If you encounter a huge hindrance on your way forward and you cannot move on, don't just keep thinking of your goal. Try calming yourself down. Focus your attention and do your task well… I want you to remember that not everything will go your way. As long as you are a human, you will have failures. So you must learn to wait patiently... Wait until you are strong enough. Wait until one day, you're not being restricted by anyone. Wait for the right time…“ Smarter than most people, YL is always thinking 20 moves ahead. I got upset with her once or twice, only to realize several episodes later that she had a long-con going.

Perhaps the main theme is about the nature of pride and power. The Forbidden City is not a nice place. All the toxins roll downhill. Even servants abuse eachother. People are terrified, under an unbroken threat of harsh (brutal!) punishment or death. The wives and concubines eat eachother over power and prestige, but they also long for love from his “majesty”. The children even moreso. A simple life with a single loving family would be better. Chinese historical works make the palace seem like the worst place on earth.

“Pain can awaken your senses.” “At this point, grief won't do anything. I'd rather think about how to take advantage of this incident to benefit myself the most.” This from someone who just lost her father. There's characters who seem decent but they get twisted, because power and privilege are corrupting. “People won't change that fast. If she really has changed, you must not have noticed it before.” One of the palace maids is able to make an upgrade through marriage. She becomes a cruel, power-hungry snob. It's part of Yanxi's dissection of the nature of humans and power, and one character points out that the current version of this person is the true individual. Once she became free to be what she wanted to be, that is what she chose.

Everything about this show is exceptional. The writing is like a mousetrap. Our FL will get into what looks like impossible situations. Her superior wits and sheer moxie is what saves her time and time again. The directing is superb. The relationships are subtle. The acting is stellar. The costumes, set, design, and overall artistry are sublime. The opening song, by Lu Hu, sounds almost silly with its heavy & ancient opera inflections, but I grew to love it. It seems to be loaded with irony. There's a waltz in ep51 that is lovely. The corner piece of the piece is YL's interactions with the emperor, which are priceless. He wants to kill her so badly he can taste it. But he knows he would be less of a man if he did so, and the empress won't let him, anyway.

In the last handful of episodes they go forward several years. The princes and princesses are in their teens. YL & the king's relationship is adorable and she's apparently “the fun mom.” About love: According to YL, the one who says it first, loses. Later, the emperor tries to coax her into saying it (👁💘👉) and has a many tantrums when she won't. But YL isn't one to bow to pressure. “Your majesty, regarding my answer, it's going to take a lifetime to know. Just be patient.”


QUOTES📢

If you talk too much you will surely make a mistake.

A woman's hatred is the most horrible thing.

How can the murderer escape punishment, while the victim gets trampled?

The more grudges you have in your heart, the more pain you will feel. The more gratitude you have in your heart, the more blessings you will have.

Being indecisive always leads to trouble.

Do you know what it feels like to be jealous? It's like a poisonous snake gnawing at my heart every moment.

One's vision and insight need years of cultivation. If a day won't do, then a year. If a year won't do, then 10 years. My skills are lacking but I will make amends with diligence.

Life is like moving against the current: One will fall behind without moving forward.

To obtain what others can't, one should endure what others can't.

Over time, I forget more and more who I am.

The world is so vast; how could anything be impossible?

Look at the galaxy above. Actually, no matter how noble people are, even if he is the descendant of an aristocratic family, he's still just insignificant within the vast galaxy. So who can really be more noble than anyone else?



〰🖍 IMHO

📣10 📝10 🎭10 💓6 🦋5 🎨10 🎵/🔊9 🔚10 ▪ 🌞5⚡5.5 😅3.5 😭5.5 😱3 😯4.5 🤢3 🤔7 💤0

Shazams: Opening credit song: Lu Hu 看 (電視劇《延禧攻略》主題曲)

Age 10+ Language: b!+ch, jack@$$ but there's very little of anything remotely objectionable. As soon as kids can keep up with subtitles, theu can watch. Rated TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned

Re-📺? Most definitely.


In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:


🎎 -
C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
Legend of the two sisters in chaos 7.7 - bittersweet,,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9

K🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

🔮🐉-
C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

⚡/😱 -
C🇨🇳: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;

🌐💓 -
C🇨🇳:
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
K🇰🇷 :
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
My Mister 9.5;

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Shine – unusual love in a closed world that slowly rebels

A beautiful story about forbidden, unrequited or incomplete love. Different couples, one big main story, and somehow all the strands are woven together.
As expected, Apo/Mile's performance is magnificent, but the other actors are also really good. The scenery, music, camera work and script are equally well done. I can hardly see any weaknesses worth mentioning. The series addresses the problems of the time, violence in education/family, the treatment of homosexuality at the time and the time of the hippies, political unrest, the rebellion of the population. Much of this is more relevant than ever, as the world is unfortunately regressing more and more (see, sadly, my home country of Germany, where conservatives form the government and right-wing extremists are being elected). In these uncertain times, this series hits the nail on the head in many ways, yet each episode leaves me with a positive feeling. I don't know how they do it, but they do.
The series also beautifully describes the loneliness that women felt back then, without any work in their lives. The emptiness they feel inside and their attempts to fill it with love is really palpable. Insanely well played by the Colonel's wife.
My only criticism: in the cut version, some of the actions are not entirely clear, especially in the last episode. For example, why Trin goes back to Paris is not explained. That's why I give it an overall rating of 9.5 instead of 10.
I can only recommend this series to everyone, and it definitely has rewatch potential.

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a quirky short film

Overall: this is a 13 minute quirky short movie where condoms have voices. I first watched it on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/1207/dom-2017 It later aired on Shortime (it was 100 popcorn in 2025).

What I Liked
- the way the guy bought it felt realistic
- made me chuckle a few times
- friendship

Room For Improvement
- them being very drunk beforehand
- the one guy trying to convince him not to use a condom

Note: this isn't a happily ever after, the main character's boyfriend cheats on him and then it's an open ending

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