Reviews

Definitely you must watch!

This was the best BL I have watched in a while. If only someone made a fusion of Thai and Korean BL style; and here it is, like magic. I found this series because I like Ohm's acting in the Next Prince. Here I found his acting a bit stiff at the first part of the first episode but then his acting got natural and amazing. I was especially amazed by Toosafe, his acting and beauty. His talent really stands out and I think his connection with Ohm made great chemistry. Both so talented. Where are all the best producers to snatch them up for big productions, are they blind? This is the first Thai BL that I saw without the awkward robotic silence between dialogues. Actors talk with natural flow fluently like real people. The reason is possibly the director did not shoot it a mass-produced separate scenes and allowed actors do their acting theatratically . Amazing amazing work! I will check the director and the script writer too. They didn't do their job in the intention to serving.and selling to audience's weakness and attention like mass produced big budget GMMTV series. You can feel that their work is genuine.

Read More

The heartfelt emotions and reality

Directed by Aticha Tanthanawigrai, the main cast of "Thamepo Heart That Skips a Beat" stars Est Supha along with the members of the famous T-pop Boyband, "Lykn".
"Thamepo" is a series that helps the audience to explore and navigate themes identical to various real life situations. Exploring themes of love and loss, grief, friendship, complexities of life and identity exploration,the story focuses on Po and Thame, two people who works on the same professional field with different positions. They fall In love and overcomes the hardships of life.
While the summary may seem simple, it's open to interpretation.
As a viewer, I would say, this series expands to a certain extent of depth where a slight sense of observation, critical thinking and experience is required.
Being a fan of several pop bands, I'm quite familiar with the inner workings of the entertainment industry. However, according to my personal experience, there's often a huge difference between the reality and what's presented. This is exactly where "Thamepo" stands out to me. The series focuses on various aspects of real-life problems and challenges, one of which is the struggles and problems the artists has to face. On the 1st episode, Po joins as a director in the same entertainment company that manages Thame's group, "MARS". Thame being oblivious to the information suspects Po to be a Sasaeng, marking their first encounter as an unpleasant and palpable one.
However, both Thame and Po adjusts and gets along with eachother while Po was asked to film and direct a documentary for MARS.
MARS consists of 5 members including Thame(leader of the group, main vocalist), Junn(Sub vocalist), Dylan(main rapper), Pepper(all rounder) and Nano (the youngest and the lead dancer). The bond shared amongst the members is truly remarkable and heartwarming, sending a sense of awe and warmth to the audiences.
While working as co-workers both Thame and po developed feelings towards eachother and to get them together, Thame's group members play a significant role. Perhaps it is here that the theme of strong friendship is explored.
Though Po grew quite famous after working with Mars, it took him a lot of hard work, struggle and patience to reach the steps of success. Before working for Mars, Po had to step out from the work field for 3 years and, those 3 years were like a battle field for Po. Nevertheless he overcomes all the obstacles of life and took a chance to start over again, which ofcourse did not go in vain.
As for Thame, though he was a rising star with name and fame, his character completely justifies every aspect of the artist life. Sometimes, money and fame are not the only things that can suffice human life and its problems. They need emotional support, love and comfort to overcome and survive the battlefield. This is how "Thamepo Heart That Skips a Beat" navigates the themes of complexities of life and many more.
To me, this series is a beautiful chaos. It pushes you into a pool of emotions, completely drenches you and yet it embraces you with the warmest and loveliest hug, enough to melt your heart. This series healed a part of me that I never knew could be healed.
As a drama series, "Thamepo Heart That Skips a Beat " is a must watch for kpop/T-pop fans and those who are looking for something engaging, romantic and resonating. Also, if you are a keen observer who gets attached to series quite deeply, you might get ready with tissues as well.
And for me, "Thamepo Heart That Skips" will remain imprinted within the walls of my heart forever and ever.

Read More

I fell for the plot faster than Wei Shao folded for Man Man

Wei Shao barks more than he chews, and let’s be honest — he lives for the drama. From the second he laid eyes on Man Man, he was done. Like, done-done. Sure, he kept mumbling about sending her home, but his soul had already packed up and moved in with her. That man folded faster than an origami swan.

The show did a good job in giving the historical context. You could see he was completely bewitched by her, yet despite the evident attraction, he married her reluctantly, carrying grief, resentment, and about a decade’s worth of emotional repression.

Her beauty may have caught him, but what kept him was everything else — her wit, her love for the people, her strategic mind, the way she saw him when everyone else just needed him. Somewhere along the way, she became his safe place. She was the only person who didn’t drain him. She gave, too. So seeing him pretend not to be absolutely over the moon for every one of her attention, just to be caught red-handed in front of the mirror trying on the things she made for him... Sir. Please. You’re not fooling anyone.

He fell first, but she fell harder. Watching Man Man trying — softly, cleverly, and very strategically — to close that distance between them, while he remained blissfully unaware, was comedy gold. She was dropping hints, putting in real effort, and he was just standing there clueless. I was like ‘Sir? Read the room???’

What makes them work is their tacit understanding. Their non verbal communication is second to none. Qiao Man doesn’t just love him — she understands him. Knows when to hold back, when to act, when to push. And Wei Shao? For all his stubbornness, will stand up for her in a room full of knives.

Also, shoutout to the writers for not diluting her agency the second she got married. From day one, she was offering real solutions, negotiating for Yangzhou and playing the political game like she’d been doing it all her life.

And the chemistry? Even when they’re at odds, you can feel the tension simmering under every line. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s occasionally unhinged—and it works.

Oh—and their attendants? Agents of chaos. Meddling, noisy, hilarious. Every one of them is a supporting character worth their own spinoff.

Now, I have to scream about Liu Duan Duan as Wei Yan, Wei Shao’s cousin. My beloved second prince from Joy of Life is back, and he is acting with so much panache, it’s actually illegal. Every time he’s on screen, I’m either cracking up, side-eyeing everyone else, or just thrilled. He plays it with such flair — sharp, layered, funny without ever being cartoonish. He’s that last dash of spice that turns a great drama into a masterpiece. I’m obsessed. More of him in everything, please.

However, what's a complete miss is the duo of A’Fan and Bi Zhi. The second they show up, the energy in the room just evaporates. Like—who told the writers this subplot was giving?They walk in, and I’m suddenly hit with an overwhelming urge to do chores I’ve been putting off for weeks. Fold laundry. Stare into space. Literally anything else. It’s not even dislike — it’s that specific kind of boredom where you know you’re supposed to care, but your brain is just buffering like, “No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Read More

What Could've Been

“Do you believe in fate? Our paths carved before us, guided by an invisible hand.” – Arcane
This question has been on my mind all while watching Mouse. If those serial killers were acting not out of choice, but due to their genetic coding, can we really blame them? I mean, their only real crimes were being born with bad genes, and that’s not their fault. This is the sort of thought-provoking questions that the show should have tackled. So, why didn’t it?
Mouse had the potential to become a truly great work of writing if only the writers had focused more on driving home a message about fate, willpower, freedom of choice, human capability for both good and evil, and our ability to change our preordained destiny. Perhaps that simply wasn’t the direction they intended to take. Or maybe the writers struggled to effectively connect these deeper themes to their central subject matter. Either way, Mouse ended up being a gigantic disappointment for me. Oh well, on to the next one.

Read More

There’s a lot to like about Dear Hongrang, if you’re into costume dramas. It features stunning cinematography and well-designed fight scenes, a mysterious puzzle, complex characters, and a plot that takes us away from the typical court battles that plague most Korean costume dramas. Instead, we get to see a highly dramatic and gloomy portrayal of a wealthy merchant family with numerous secrets.

The drama manages to deliver a lot despite being very dense and having limited time to tell the story, with only eleven episodes when most costume dramas would take at least sixteen. And although the story doesn’t always flow together seamlessly, it gives us plenty of character moments, opportunities for reflection, and space to sit in the silence that lurks between the intense swordfights and the melodrama of the narrative.

There is a heightened soapy drama at play here with some interesting clichés and tropes, but the story still maintains to ground itself with its rawness, the acting, and the beautiful cinematography that just makes the world it’s set in richer. The narrative successfully amplifies the viewer’s emotions, as well as the ambition and intensity of the characters. The story manages to keep you in fascinated suspense most of the time, even though the episodes perhaps rely a bit too much on flashbacks and sometimes lacked balance between the side-plots.

I must say that I found the story sometimes too melancholic, and the gloomy atmosphere it created tiring to watch, even though the plot and characters kept me captivated. I took the occasional breaks in the middle of an episode and returned to it when I was ready. The story is heavy, as if it’s pressing down on us just like the characters’ past does.

And yet Dear Hongrang never seemed to try to be brutal just for the sake of being brutal. It seemed as if every terrible death we were shown was there to move the story forward or shed light on the cruelty in this melancholic, difficult, and harsh world that these characters find themselves in.

The love story between the main characters wasn’t for me, even though I enjoyed the chemistry, the tropyness as well as the longing glances. But I found it came on rather too suddenly, and I felt the episodes actually had enough to do with the mystery and family drama.

Dear Hongrang was a gloomy, demanding, and highly dramatic watch with a fascinating mystery and a heavy tone that is certainly not for everyone. But the pain of the narrative and the longing that the story carries and the sorrow of the characters stays with you for some time.

Read More

Not as great as Hospital Playlist, but it’s still a nice slice of life drama

I didn't expect much from this spin off but surprisingly I quite enjoyed it, not as much as Hospital Playlist though.

It's a good slice of life drama in a medical setting. It has funny moments and some realistic and relatable moments, and touching moments. I think we can all relate to the characters, as a fresh graduate who starts working at a new environment. We make mistakes, we are passionate but not recognized, or we work hard but our seniors take all the credit for it, etc.

Each of all the characters have their own colors and personalities, with both their strengths and flaws. One of the things that I love is that even though there is character development among the characters, they don't magically change completely at the end of the series, which is just one year later from the first epiode. They do become better and more experienced in their job, but still remain their strengths and flaws.

The romance is good enough. It's fun to watch the chemistry between the characters. Each couple has good chemistry and I love that their romance is slow burn, and it grows quite naturally.

I like most of the characters in this drama, except for the 2 bad senior doctors who keep bullying their juniors, but those kinds of people do exist in real life and in every workplace. Apart from them, the resident doctors have great supportive co-workers and seniors, and also build some special bonding with their patients. My most favorite characters are Pyo Nam Gyeong, Kim Sabi, Professor Seo Jeong Min, Professor Ryu Jae Hwi, Um Jae Il, Cha Da Hye, and Park Mu Gang. :)

One of the things I didn't like much in this series is that they seem to focus more on one character among the four main characters: Oh I Young. Actually she’s my least favorite characters in the series. I don’t dislike her like the two bad seniors I have mentioned above, but I just don’t like her as much as others. I don’t understand why they make a poster with 4 main characters, but she's the one who starts the first episode and ends the last episode. I also feel that her story is more focused than the rest. I wish there were more screentime for Pyo Nam Gyeong, Um Jae Il and Kim Sabi as well. I wouldn't mind watching if they make a season 2 for them.

By the way, it’s really nice to see our beloved characters in Hospital Playlist again as special cameos. Their appearances are fun to watch.

Read More

Comedy is Comedy-ing

Initial Thoughts:
Went in with my expectations buried six feet underground—didn’t expect to like this at all. I’m not into chef-centered dramas because cooking scenes usually bore me (cough Love Next Door cough). But Tastefully Yours said, “Let me make every single dish look so good you’ll want to eat your screen.” And it worked.

The Flavors (a.k.a. What Worked):

The FOOD. Oh my god. They made every dish look Michelin-star worthy. I’ve never wanted to live inside a kitchen more.

The ACCENTS. It’s set in the countryside and the Korean dialects? 10/10, music to my ears.

The HUMOR. It’s actually funny. Not rolling-on-the-floor type, but it has genuine warmth and charm.

The CAST. Kang Haneul and Go Minsi are naturals at rom-coms. The entire main cast? Vibe. Acting? Solid.

The Aftertaste (a.k.a. Personal Gripes):

The couple has chemistry, no denying that. But I personally don’t like the pairing. That’s just me being picky.

The plot is as predictable as sunrise, but not in a way that makes you bored. Think “Undercover High School” energy—cliched, but it works.

The MUSIC? Meh. Nothing stuck with me. Even the main song "Paints" felt like a weaker cousin of a Dali and the Cocky Prince OST.

Final Bite:
I don’t see this becoming an all-time favorite, but I’m definitely enjoying it more than expected. It’s cozy, it’s appetizing (literally), and honestly? That’s enough.

Read More

Best CDrama of 2025 so far

I think I will never get over this drama.

I always love fantasy wuxia dramas, and this drama has a very logic, intelligent and consistent plot, with excellent acting from the whole cast, including the leads and all the supporting actors. Its visual effects and cinetography is great as well, for a drama that was filmed back in 2022. I also love this drama's background music and makeup style for the characters. It really gives this drama a mystic and demonic vibe, which is perfect for a demon-hunting drama.

What makes this drama even more special is that it doesn't feel unrealistic at all, despite its fantasy elements. I felt like demons really existed while I was watching this drama. I really love the visuals of the characters too. They don't look stunning at all, but it fits their characters and historical facts. I also love the action scences in this drama. All the actors have shown great martial arts skills in their action scenes. They look like human beings were running around and fighting for real against demons, not different creatures just flying in the sky, like in a lot of other wuxia period dramas.

I love all the characters in this drama, especially our leads Banxia and Xuan Ye. Our female lead Banxia is really lovely. She is smart, soft and kind-hearted, and on the other hand, she's also very playful, brave and straightforward. She's very soft towards Xuan Ye, but she never hesitate to say what's in her heart, and always stands up for herself and other people. When she realizes she's in love with Xuan Ye, she's not shy but just follows her heart and shows him she cares about him. She also has playful and adorable sides that she only shows it when she is with Xuan Ye. It's been a long while since I met this kind of female characters in a Chinese drama.

The romance between the leads is just perfect. It's slow burn and very gentle. They just slowly go into each other's heart without realizing. They are perfect for each other, and treat each other with care and respect. Xuan Ye is really a gentleman. He's always soft and protective towards Banxia, even when he doesn't realize he's in love with her. He's slower than Banxia when it comes to love, as he's a lonely man with a lot of fear and insecurity developed by a tragic trauma. He has a sad past and he would gradually let it go after he meets Banxia.

Everything about this drama is so perfect, except for the ending. If it had a different ending or a season 2, I would give it a 100 out of 10. The ending is just unacceptable and it really ruins a good story. How come they give us that kind of ending after all the sweetness they give us throughout the whole series? It doesn't make any sense. I couldn't stop crying at the last episode and couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks! And what's worse is that it's not in the original script but it's Iqiyi who interfered and changed it. OMG I'm so mad! I haven't recovered from it and I think I would never recover, unless Iqiyi gives me a season 2 and a happy ending for our Banxia and Xuan Ye! :(

I still recommend this to everyone. It’s definitely worth your time. Just skip the last 10 minutes.

Read More

If you’re debating whether to start it, don’t hesitate! ;)

I absolutely love My Golden Blood! The chemistry between the actors is the best I’ve ever seen — it’s magnetic and pulls you into every scene. Each character is thoughtfully developed, and the acting is flawless. You can feel the depth and care that went into every performance.

The structure of the series reminds me of Harry Potter. In the beginning, you might not understand everything, but as the story unfolds, each element clicks into place. It’s a clever, layered narrative that rewards your attention. The director did a brilliant job bringing this complex world to life — visually, emotionally, and narratively.

If you’re debating whether to start it, don’t hesitate. Most of the negative comments I’ve seen are filled with bitterness and lack any real objectivity. They don’t reflect the actual quality of the series. Sure, you could give it a 9 out of 10 — but considering how much unfair criticism it’s getting, I believe it deserves higher just to balance things out and give new viewers a clear and fair perspective.

And about the “bad CGI” — it’s really just one brief scene in the first episode. Skip that moment if you must, because what follows is 11 episodes of pure magic and emotional depth. Don’t let one minor flaw keep you from experiencing one of the most captivating shows out there right now.

Read More

Brilliant, Absolutely Brilliant!

I cannot sing the praises of this show enough. Brilliantly written, fabulously acted, and with the perfect OST. This show is fun, funny, and uptempo. The comedy, the commentary on corruption, the classic story of choice and redemption are all perfectly brought to life. Namkoong Min slays as Chief Kim, managing to find the perfect balance between surreal and grounded to bring this insane character to life. Lee Junho plays the perfect foil to him, balancing ruthless and soulful. Their characters’ dynamic are pure fire and the chemistry is off the charts. Do not wait another moment to watch this series. It is absolute perfection!

Read More

When a good casting saves the drama

I rewatched this before writing a review cause I don’t usually write them.

My main issues with this drama, and the reason why I gave an 8.5, are the ending which I thought it was unnecessary to end the way it did and annoyed me too much and the ost is not that memorable I remember only one song from it. Other than that I really liked it.

Luo Yun Xi (kindly nicknamed as little lizard bc he as Demon Lord looked like one to me)is amazing as Tantai Jin, first watching one with him and I think he seems to be born to do this type of character. The way he matched perfectly with all 3 characters he portrayed with completely different personalities was insane. Bai Lu is a great actress not my first time watching her, but the first drama I finished still going through others, she carried her characters way beyond what they were written for. She pissed me off making the same mistakes and I still liked her as Ye Xiwu, made me love her, feel her pain and how torn she was on what to choose/do as Sang Jiu, feel hopeful for a better future as early Li Susu. Every emotion she felt I felt it with her even though sometimes I wanted to hate her I couldn’t do it. How she matured from an almost naive Susu to a great woman after everything she lived. Their chemistry, which is CRAZY GOOD, is a bonus point for me since we already got both of these extremely talented actors.

The supporting cast is good, although I have to say that the actress that played Pian Ran did so good with her role, she completely stole my heart. Let’s not forget to give a nod to Chen Du Ling(Ye Bing Chang), the fact she made me hate her no matter who she was and what life just showed she did good too.

I liked the FX but I do have to point they overdid with the coughing blood with every small injury.
The costumes and the settings are super well done and very pretty.

Till the End of the Moon has an okay story paired with a great main cast that most of the time carries the drama and are the reason to not give up watching. It might feel like the story is stuck in a endless cycle with characters making the same mistakes over and over again, but if you stick to it will be worthy enough for the 40eps. Although I’m still new to Chinese dramas, I’m sure that if they had chosen for any other casting this would become a boring story to watch. Overall it is a good drama to watch especially if you like this kind of drama.

Read More

Not as great as Class 1, but still good enough

Not as great as Class 1 but it’s still a good watch for me. The acting from all the actors is great, especially Park Ji Hoon and Lee Jun Young. Their eyes and facial expressions are really impressive. Ryeoun's character, on the other hand, is not as badass as I expected.

The plot is not as deep and emotional as Class 1. There are too many characters while each of them has very little screen time to dig deeper into their own story. So it was quite confusing. I don’t really understand the motives for their actions.

It felt a little bit rushed, to get all the things sorted and fully unfolded. The friendship between the characters also felt a little bit lacking for me. They have some great moments together, but I didn’t feel their connection as deep as the trio in Class 1.

Read More

My new comfort show, with great romance and strong found family concept

My new comfort show. It has great messages about women empowerment and great supportive bonding between women. Its concept of found family among the ladies is very strong and amazing. It's always great to see women supporting women, especially in an Asian drama.

Also, the romance between the leads is beautiful. They have a slow burn and genuinely healthy relationship, with great chemistry. Their love grows gradually and they treat each other with care and respect. Other side couples are enjoyable too.

I love most of the characters in this series, except for a very few male characters. Besides the leads, my 2 most favorite characters are the fifth prince and his wife. The guy is so funny and has a pure heart of gold, and his romance story is fun to watch as well. :)

Read More