Reviews

A two speed drama that is . . competent

Oh woe is me. This is my third attempt writing this review. I normally have a good idea about what to write before I commit fingers to keyboard. I just can't seem to nail down the essence of this series. This show is not bad. It has its moments. I feel this disquiet at times. Like a splinter under your skin. Third time lucky? 😉


As a whole, the show is watchable and relatively angst lite. The romance took forever to develop. It also has a lot of business and chaebol style shenanigans which may not appeal to everyone.

If I'm honest, the chemistry of our leads is only lukewarm for the longest time. Considering their romance is the only show in town, it can test your patience. It finally picks up in the last few eps. The classic case of From Zero to Hero. ;)

How I wish the romance develops organical. There is no doubt they are the OTP. The stars are aligned. That is why I find it odd that the writer seems to swim against the natural flow. For instance, the FL was frantically searching for the ML because she thought he was in an accident. When she found him in the hospital, the show cut to her running towards him in slow-mo. In most romance dramas, this would be the cue for a heartfelt embrace and maybe even a kiss to seal the deal. In this case, she drops anchor, pulled up sharply a few feet away from the ML and then proceeded to enquired about his health breathlessly. Once she ascertains he is ok, she turned around and marched off. Eh?

This happened several times. The setup is there, yet the payoff is not. Sure, our leads are novice in love, but the whole point is to give in to your feelings. C'est l'amour! This feels stilted and drags out their romantic journey.

With the slow development of the love line, the show padded out the runtime with fillers of all kinds. Mostly about developments in the photovoltaics industry and scheming rich families.

While business subplots are nothing new in c-dramas, this feels a little pedestrian. Solar energy generation is already a mass consumer product by the early 2010's. China is definitely a key player. They tried to make it exciting, but we know how it all turns out.

Then we have the Chinese "chaebols". There are excessive displays of wealth and people behaving badly just because they can. I really don't know how comfortable this sits with the recent Common Prosperity push. Maybe they are going for historical accuracy . .

On the flip side, our leads do look good together. Their young lovers act is quite cute. Their immediate family are supportive and nice. Shame about the rest of their extended family. Most of them are spoil brats or relatives fighting dirty in the name of money and power.

Another splinter for me is the focus on the SML. The FL has a crush on him in college, but he rejected her at first. He has been conflicted ever since. Just when the FL decide to let it go and find true love with the ML, he made his move.

Such trope is a reliable angst generator. Unfortunately, our writers dragged this out for too long. The SML keeps popping up and interrupt the show's qi. I can accept this if the acting is good. Unfortunately, the acting of the young actor leaves me cold. He is just a walking wet blanket. He sucks the life out of most scenes. He would look glum and depressed. We don't share his pain. Yet we still suffered.

Speaking of acting abilities, the FL is in her element. It is hardly a breakout role though. On the other hand, while the ML is tall and handsome. There is a lack of depth. They tried to paint him as a tortured soul. What we got is a textbook good guy. He did try.

Maybe it is the whole "sunshine" theme, but many scenes appear to be over bright and has an yellow/orange cast. Our leads glow, day or night. That is odd in a modern c-drama.

On top of that, the flag waving is a bit egregious. The whole PV industry's growth and Brain-to-Computer interface are jingoistic. Sometimes it felt like I'm watching a tourism promo or being sold shares in some private/government enterprise. I'm sure it will appeal to mainland audience. I'm not sure if it will resonate with international viewers to the same degree.

It is not all bad. The series delivered the goods in the end. If anything, it was sugar overload. They went from the past, to the present (briefly) and the near future (even more briefly). You could bottle the last 6 eps and call it a day.

In the end, this drama is decent. I'm sure they will do well by the normal matrix. It just doesn't quite scratch the itch. We are presented with a typical A-plot plus bonus fillers. The fan service is welcome even if it took its time to arrive. It is a box of chocolates . . just not quite a top shelve one. Peace.

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is it still the taxi driver we know?

unfortunately to me this season felt underwhelming in both revenge and emotional intensity which was caused by a few factors:

————> structure:
three episodes for a case felt dragged comparing to the previous format of two episodes per case (seasons 1-2); what’s even more ridiculous is that all cases got two episodes EXCEPT the final one (supposedly the darkest) only got two and as a result felt incomplete

———> lack of emotional impact from main characters
doki became almost like a superhuman with massive plot armor (even more than in seasons 1-2); still somehow writers managed to put him in three near death situations and i do have a huge problem with this for one particular reason- they just brushed it off each time, we have a dramatic action then a fast forward to doki being fine again, no concerned looks, no team boning; in my opinion dramatic scenes like these only work when emotions are involved, otherwise they look almost ridiculous and stir nothing in the viewer; sadly it happened in the finale as well which honestly disappointed me the most- why did doki basically let himself get shot and then jumped off the cliff when he could’ve easily just pushed the other guy off? it just doesn’t make sense, the entire season he fights people without a single scratch and then walks right in front of the gun? was that supposed to indicate that he feels guilty and wants to punish himself because of that female military officer who died? if so then why didn’t we get a deeper dive into earlier than 10 minutes before the end of the season?
the other thing i feel extremely disappointed about is the complete abandonment of doki’s trauma and ptsd, i might’ve missed how and if it was resolved in season two but i’m not gonna lie i expected it to come back to the surface once he rejoined military; that storyline was important because it was reminding us that even tho he has enormous power he’s still human with weaknesses just like the rest of us;

——> lack of one main storyline
another surprise was the fact season three doesn’t have that one main storyline that connects all episodes together (unlike in seasons 1-2);
overall it feels like with each season taxi driver losses more and more of that heavy atmosphere (not sure why it feels this way since the cases itself are still intense but it does to me); the fact this series wasn’t afraid of discussing difficult matters and would offer consolation without too much unnecessarily light moments (which changed for the worse later on) was exactly what pulled me in and made me watch it in the first place;

——-> sudden shift in morals
season three paints a new picture of the rainbow taxi team- not they are not afraid to kill during the revenge, this is probably the most important thing about this season and something that just doesn’t sit right with me; in seasons 1-2 kim doki was doing what he was doing to help people who were wronged and failed by the system, he was always in that morally gray area but he’d never kill his target, this season not only does it happen a few times where he and his team are ready to do so but also it’s never discussed or showed in any way whether or not they have any issues with that; to me personally kim doki was a well written character precisely because he still had his moral code, getting rid of it feels untrue to what we knew about his values from previous seasons;

i did like the first case the most i enjoyed the dynamic between doki and the detective plus ofc between him and the villain; this case kind of reminds me of my beloved the worst of evil; the kpop case is also a noticeable one so this season is still definitely worth checking out

even after pointing all of these out and admitting i am disappointed a bit i still think the entirety of taxi driver is worth watching and its one of best dramas i’ve ever seen :)))
i’d gladly watch season 4!!!

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This was just straight bullshit

Like what? I mean, the guys are handsome, and I guess the premise is fine, but they fucked around in my face for 8 episodes. I would give it 7 (8.06) out of 10. I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, and then be done with this (this is gonna be lowkey short because the show is short).

THE GUYS ARE TO DIE FOR HANDSOME IN THIS. The main vampire guy looks like S.Scoups from Seventeen's twice-removed cousin. And the guy who isn't the tall guy in the other couple looks like TXT's Beomgyu if he had wispy ass bangs and slightly more sunken eyes. Very handsome men all around. They have pretty good chemistry, I think, especially our second couple, and that made this slightly more enjoyable. I like the vampire bit being secret; that was cute, and it was fun. The kiss and the dates were cute, and I did enjoy that. The intro was fun, and I liked the way they did that. Uh, yeah, that is it.

Lowkey reminds me of the story of biheyong whatever the fuck the giant globin bitch or whatever that show was. And that is not a good thing. It is too short to be good, I can't lie. They fell short, especially with plot and lore. It had one plot, and it was incredibly boring, and they spent the entire show in two places and really didn't do anything. We didnt get any lore on the vampires or on the human guy, besides the fact that he wanted to go to school, and I think that is where the show fell short. I have no reason to watch or enjoy the show if the characters have no meaning or writing in them, and they are just bullshit fucking characters. Also, the romance writing is doo doo water, like there was none, I swear to god. Yeah, just boring and they fucked around in my face for the entire show, and I was lowkey zoning out the entire time lmao. The start was also mid. OH, AND RIP TO THAT SEXY GUY WHO DIDN'T GET PUT IN A PAIR BECAUSE THERE WAS AN UNEVEN AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS.

Okay episode thoughts. "Same kind of vibe as bihyeong, which was good but really weird lmao and had a bad ending." "I am assuming that the annoying guy is the love interest. Uh, yeah, pretty plot lacking, but it's fine, and the guys are good-looking. Yeah, and this is short as fuck, so yeah." "Fun intro. They are trying to fatten him up, lmao. Please tell me the two funny vampires are a couple." "Crappy romance writing lmao. But they are very cute and scoups twice removed cousin is lowkey sexy af." " Okay, we are getting some romance building with this leftfield ass date. This lowkey doesn’t have any plot besides the vampires. I need a good vampire, though I can't lie. Jealousy with the second couple. What a handsome cowboy. Getting some cute moments, rip that hot guy with no lover lmao." "Curiosity killed the mother fucking cat bitch. And the mask is insane. We realize we have feelings for each other. That’s cute. Still rooting for my second couple for real for real." "I feel like I didn’t really know the characters just fucked around in my face for two hours, but it’s like it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but it’s also like not very good."

A pretty skippable show that you can have on in the background while you struggle to pay attention in class. Okay bye!

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Our Beloved Summer in a new shell, i love it.

I am so happy i ignored the ratings and watched the drama.

Unfortunatly, the k-drama fanbase does not prefer such shows, not even the korean audience. They prefer shows like True Beauty and Lovely Runner, and when shows do not have similar story they are instantly bashed.

I loved this drama so much. From the poster, the description i knew very well it's going to be a beautiful ride. If you are a fan of Our Beloved Summer, More Than Friends, and slow-burning mature shows you would love this one.

Now let's start with the review, i will keep it short:

I loved the storyline. Although the idea is not new, i loved the excution. The directing and cutting was so on point it kept me hooked.

I knew the FL was charismatic from Squid Game, but did not expect she is THAT good at portraying a character and living a role so well. Yearning is a word used for ML that express their consistent love over a long time, and PSJ did so well portraying his timeless love for her. And FL was so good at yearning, something that is rare to see from a FL.

I loved the bickering between them. Best friends relationship vibe. I loved that each past breakup was valid. I loved that they did not put excessive focus on her mental health. I was so scared that the writers make the FL super toxic and the ML keeps on falling for her. I am glad that was not the case.

I really really recommend this drama for kdrama veterans that love slow-burning shows, shows that are always rated low but when you watch them you find how amazing they are.

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From Cute to Cringe

The beginning was genuinely fun, which is what got me interested in continuing this drama. Yes, everything moved a bit too fast, and there wasn’t much real communication between the ML and FL, but at that stage it didn’t really bother me.

Unfortunately, things went downhill with the storyline involving infidelity. It felt extremely Hollywood-like — so much so that it was honestly painful to watch. I won’t go into detail about the sexual harassment and exploitation of the situation, especially since renmilktoast already explained this part very well in their review.

The lack of communication between conflicts and reconciliations was another major issue. Over time, it made the drama increasingly difficult to watch. However, what felt the most illogical to me was the ML’s mother’s character. All of her methods related to breaking up the marriage were never fully explained, and his forgiveness toward her felt completely unjustified and unrealistic.

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Dark drama ‼️‼️‼️

Honestly I have my hopes high for this drama since it’s Cheng Yi that’s the ml …tho he didn’t really disappoint me cause his emotions were raw and the looks in his face were what I was expecting…

But the ending of this drama is not satisfying 😞😞…cause after he got his revenge why did he still die with a villain 😪😪

Anyways let me not say the bad part only ..this drama is very dark…if you are not into dark dramas (scheming, bloody sacrifice, death ☠️ etc)

Even though this is my Celebrity crush drama imma rate it a 8.5/10 …

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My First Ever Completed BL ??

I must say I’m speechless 😶 and surprised of how good this drama turns out to be
I’m not gonna lie I was one of those that said Fan Xiao is not good looking that he might not have the potentials of acting well in this drama, but BRO ‼️‼️…he proved me wrong…
It has been a very worthy journey with rollercoasters of emotions….
If you know you can’t watch dark romance then this drama is not for you 😅😅…at some point I was screaming at my screen cause of the things Fx did to Ysl 😭😭😪😪…but I’m glad they came back together 🥹🥹…and the ending was 🙈🙈

Imma rate this drama a 10/10 cause it’s worth it 💕💕

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love heals as well as love hurts. sang yan is the biggest mastermind I have ever met and yearns so deeply I almost wish I thought of those plans for my future relationship. wen yifan, my precious girl. she has endured so much more than an average person could handle. she is strength and healed in personified. they both deserve to be loved wholly. i can't believe this masterpiece of a drama is real, I thank my past self for choosing to watch this. I need to rewatch this in the future to analyze all the hidden meanings in their actions . I may not have watched many dramas but this will leave a lasting impression on me. I love everything about it.

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VAN IS SUCH A MISUNDERSTOOD CHARACTER.

Man, I just finished this last Sunday (It's the last episode).

-Story:
I really like JeromeJinn story cause wdym JEROME can see the future?, The first few episodes might get you wondering "Why" or "Is he just hallucinating" but if you really watch the full series, You'll finally get it why.

-Prepare Tissues on ep 9 or 10 (I forgot which episode) but it's between that.

FARMVAN:
MAN I LOVE SURFJAVA SO MUCH IM GONNA CRY, this is Surfjava's first series tgt (before mu-te luv since its not airing), Surf delivered his Character (Farm) and Java ate with acting as Van.

Farm:He's like your friend who is becoming a fricking color blind and a simp and has a crush on your other friend.
Van:Man, This is the most misunderstood character, Cause He lost both of his parents maybe that's why he dates multiple girls, So he can forget his parents.

i just woke up and I dont know what to say, Apologies.

Just some spoiler lines:
"So i'm just supposed to accept who you're Van?"-Farm (Ep 6)
"Please don't leave me yet, I just got a chance to love you"-Jerome (Ep 9)
"I've loved you since we're seven"-Jinn (Ep 9)

this convo:
" Is the word 'Friend' short now?"-Mai (Ep 12)
"Yeah, shorter than 'Boyfriend'"-Van (Ep 12)

I forgot some iconic lines 😭

if you like Seakeen:
-Only boo (2024)
-Mu-Te luv (2025, They're the first few episodes)
-Weirdo 101 (2026, Upcoming)

Surfjava:
-Mu-Te luv (Might be last ep, Upcoming)
-Roommate chaos (2026, Upcoming)

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One of the Most Disappointing GMMTV 2025 BL So Far

Sigh. This series gave me everything… and then completely fell on its face. Head 2 Head was my third most anticipated BL from the 2025 GMMTV lineup, and it has quickly become one of the most disappointing shows I’ve watched.

Let’s dive in.

This series was rushed. Rushed to the gods. Not only did they air it while it was still filming, but they also seemed incapable of coming up with anything new for the leads to do besides repeating the same conflict over and over again. There’s an episode where the leads go to the hospital not once, not twice, but three separate times for entirely different reasons. That’s not drama, that’s diabolical.

What started as something I was genuinely enjoying quickly turned sour. Sea delivers a much stronger performance here than he did in Only Boo!, which actually gives me hope that he’s growing as an actor. I’m now even more excited to see him in my most anticipated 2026 series, Weirdo 101. Unfortunately, his character here is absolutely beaten to death by the dream mechanic. I understood that Jerome could see the future, but I did not realize he was apparently seeing a decade ahead. The show makes no effort to age the characters convincingly. We’re meant to believe they’re in their 30s, yet they look exactly the same, not ten years older, not even ten days older.

The story becomes a constant loop: Jerome dreams something, debates whether to interpret it, decides whether or not to tell Jinn, then it either happens or doesn’t. Rinse. Repeat. By episodes eight or nine, it becomes painfully repetitive and earns nothing more than an eye roll.

The side couples start off as a nice addition before becoming unbearable themselves. Surf and Java land comfortably in my “oh, I like these two” category, which makes me more excited for Roommate Chaos. Van, however, is awful. The series makes no real attempt to redeem him beyond “my parents are dead, feel bad for me,” while he continues being a lousy sleazebag dragging Farm along. The only interesting thing about his arc was the idea that he might have only loved Farm as a friend and felt obligated to feel more because of what Farm had done for him. That could’ve been compelling. But this is GMMTV, where happy endings are almost always mandatory.

The show does work on a comedic level at times, and I enjoyed the dynamics between the leads and their moms. SeaKeen in the physical romance department is… weary. Not terrible, but undeniably awkward. SurfJava do fine. Overall, though, this is a rushed, sloppy series that’s boring in most moments and ridiculous in others. And please, for the love of everything, stop casting the twins as the lonely comedic friend. It’s tired. It’s repetitive. Let it rest.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - Fun at the start, but like many GMMTV series, it completely collapses by the end.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Sea has improved immensely. He still has room to grow, but the progress is obvious. Standouts were Keen and Java.

Music: 5/10 - didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - skippable. Unless you really liked the actors, this does not warrant a watch. Save your time.

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If you like soft highschool Bl, Def watch this

First of all, I watched this for Lukemick but I fell inlove with Kenpaul and then settled for Chokunaston.

Little info's if you're struggling
1st couple:Lukemick
2nd couple:Chokunaston
3rd couple:Kenpaul

Luke-Kit
Mick-Shane
Chokun-Kim
Aston-Mon
Ken-Per
Paul-Tar

if you really dont like stressing over Bl, watch this even though you might get stressed over Lukemick's misunderstanding in the first few episodes, you'll get over with it since you're gonna get kissing scenes.

On Chokunaston's character, I really don't know the character that I can resonate with them but all we know is that Kim is a People pleaser or like, Cant say No to Mon and Mon is kinda numb or like he can't notice the fact that he's controlling Kim even though he doesn't want to do that.

On Kenpaul:MY BABIES, Theyre so friends to lovers done right cause first of all, They kissed right? so ofc it'll be weird its not like other bl's who's character will end up together, even though on Kenpaul they left us hanging with their relationship it's still very good, It's giving "He fell first, He fell harder" like idk how to explain it.

But I really wanna talk about the character development, especially Mon, Mon is someone who is very distant with his mom and can't really open up and always misunderstoods things but when he thought about it (after he had an argument) he changed and then when he got into an debate with Kim regarding the sports day, When Kim finally opened up about their relationship, Mon understood and Changed.


need a season 2 so bad plus don't mind my grammar.

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The Rise of a Maid

I've never watched a series that was this short from beginning to end before This was the first one I started and finished. Success stories interest me. These themes are frequently explored in Chinese dramas. There are even stories of women who enter the palace as servants and become queens. Of course, their experiences, their struggles against evil, and their rise through the ranks are captivating. I like these kinds of stories, and I've watched many similar series. This series was good. That aspect caught my attention. I watched it with curiosity. I liked it. However, I encountered the fact that it was kept too simplistic. Also, the story was superficially explored without in-depth investigation. The idea of ​​a servant ruling everything was excessive. In other words, it didn't work. Similarly, in this palace where those who gain power kill each other, it's almost impossible for this servant to rise through so much intrigue and planning over such a long period. Because she has no authority. She's just an ordinary servant. Anyone could kill her. No one would even ask. In such a time period, such a place, you're not only preventing death, but you're also imprisoning and punishing members of the royal family who are far more powerful than you. It lacks credibility. Maybe there are small things. You can prove your point. Or you can prevent some things with your intelligence. You're clever. You're intelligent. You're educated; you can get away with some things that way. But never everything. From this perspective, we can see that the series lacks credibility and realism. But if you don't mind such things, you can watch it with curiosity.

Apart from the lead actress Jade Cheng, I didn't like any of the actors. Jade Cheng really carried the series on her own from beginning to end. She was very successful. But there was no one suitable for her, no one who could carry the series with her. Aaron Deng was very weak; he could have been omitted altogether.The acting of the actresses playing the palace lady, the emperor's wife, and the concubine was terrible. It was obvious they were acting. I didn't like it. I only gave it a 7.5 rating because I watched it out of curiosity. As I said, the fact that it's a success story attracted me and made me watch it.

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