Reviews

Good really doesn't prevail in this depressing & violent action drama

when I say I completed this, I mean I saw the beginning to the end (but skimmed everything in between.)
Why ?
I watched the first episode & it was depressing. I suspected that this was going to be less action/humor so I Skimmed until the last episode, I watched that & was sad to see that my instincts were right- it was an exhausting drama. I had SO hoped for something more light hearted than Typhoon family, but this is also really really depressing in tone.
Here's what i didn't like:

1) The lead character's romantic relationship...was not romantic, them being together was just lazy on both thier parts.
Character Kang Sang Ung's girlfriend : Kim Min Suk. I particularly loathe this kind of female character. She impatiently takes the lead in her relationships, arrogantly bossing around those she says she " loves" ,(though does she EVER actually say she loves anyone ? )She makes unilateral decisions for her boyfriend as if she's his parent & he is a child. He in turn lets her for the sake of not creating an argument. That sums up their relationship. Feel any romance in that ?

2) The drama highlights & dwells on the normality of the hopelessness of achieving financial stability while living in a city ( in Korea)

3)Lots of violence & whenever good prevails, evil revives itself & the fight starts all over again

There is a "happy" ending of sorts for some characters, (yes, the main ones) BUT let's not forget that the main character will have to hand his curse down to his own child someday, so becoming a parent is not actually all that "happy" now is it ?

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fun, chaotic, and completely confusing

I really enjoyed watching this drama. At first it was pretty funny and Se gye's muscles made this drama even better! However the plot wasn't plotting. I think not even the producers knew what they were doing during the last episodes... Like was it that hard to make the shaman lady or anybody else explain what was happening at least so that we could understand the whole joseon-modern world thing better?? Anyway, this drama started off really strong and I get why it's so popular on social media, because this had a lot of potential, but they decided to confuse us and leave us with many many many questions. Nevertheless, it's for sure a drama that you will neeeeeever get bored or tired of watching.

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The Best Series Ever

Ticket to Heaven is honestly one of the best series I’ve watched. Every episode took me on an emotional roller coaster—making me laugh, cry, smile, and completely forget about the world for an hour. The storytelling, cinematography, soundtrack, and acting were all incredible.

Episode 5 completely shattered my heart, while Episode 6 was simply iconic. Watching their married life felt like witnessing a genuine happily ever after. It was warm, comforting, and filled with so much love that I couldn’t stop smiling.

This series made every Saturday something to look forward to. I’d avoid social media, turn off my notifications, and stay away from the internet just to experience each episode without spoilers.

Thank you, Ticket to Heaven, for giving us such a beautiful story and unforgettable characters. This wasn’t just a series—it was an emotional journey that I’ll always remember. 🤍

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Be Careful What You Wish For

I’ve had this series sitting in my Netflix downloads for such a long time, but I finally finished it last week. Lol. Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The idea of an app that can grant your wish but eventually takes your life is actually pretty interesting, and the first few episodes immediately pulled me in. It was creepy, suspenseful, and surprisingly emotional without relying too much on gore or cheap jump scares.

I also liked how the series was not only about the curse itself, but also about the jealousy, guilt, secrets, and insecurities that already existed between the characters. Some of their decisions were definitely frustrating, but they still felt understandable because they were just scared teenagers dealing with something completely beyond them. Bang-wool was easily one of my favorite characters because he brought some humor and warmth into such a dark story. The middle part became a little slower when they started investigating the history of the curse, and I wish Na-ri’s storyline had received a clearer and more satisfying conclusion.

Still, I really enjoyed watching it, and now I honestly can’t wait for a sequel. That ending clearly suggests that the curse is not over yet, so I’m really curious about what will happen next. I guess Na-ri might become the next Si-won? or maybe she will have an even bigger role in continuing the curse? Either way, I need Season 2 because they cannot just leave us with that many unanswered questions!

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cute lovestory

Honestly, this is what I would watch after a super sad drama!
It's a pretty wholesome love story without any unecessary plot twists and all in all I think it represents many realistic relationships out there. The leads were pretty considerate of each other and mature, especially during the last episodes. However, this can easily get boring....
Also, the supporting characters on this drama were pretty pitiful. Because what do you mean the waitress girl was giving all her money on her gambling addicted boyfriend??? At least there was some character development but still. It's a pretty mid drama ,but for a j-drama it's one of the best I've seen and it wasn't cringey.
I would recommend it to someone that is looking for something chill to watch because there's barely any plot, otherwise don't waste your time.

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Pyramid Game, one of the best in its genre, but Baek Harin deserved better

Pyramid Game is honestly one of the strongest dramas in the school survival/psychological thriller category. The concept is addictive, the tension stays high throughout, and the way it shows bullying and power games inside a classroom is really intense and well done. It’s the kind of show that keeps you watching just to see how far things can go.

But for me, the most interesting part was definitely Baek Harin. She’s such a complex and intriguing character, and every scene with her feels important. The actress did a great job making her unpredictable and layered, not just a simple “villain” type character.

That’s why her ending in the drama felt a bit disappointing. She honestly deserved better writing and a more impactful conclusion. Compared to the webtoon, where her story is handled in a more satisfying way, the drama version feels incomplete. At least in the webtoon, her ending gives her character more weight and closure, which fits her better.

Overall though, Pyramid Game is still one of the best in its category. Just wish Baek Harin had the ending she really deserved.

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I only finished this show because of one character, and honestly that says a lot.

I’m not particularly into GL, and I wouldn’t even really call this a GL drama anyway. It tries to be a psychological thriller, which is usually my kind of thing, but the execution felt chaotic and all over the place from start to finish. I won’t spoil anything, but the story just didn’t hold together well.

The only reason I kept going was Hyeri’s character. She was easily the strongest part of the show. Her performance was so good that I found myself actually invested in her scenes, trying to understand her motives and what she would do next. She carried every moment she was in.

The other lead didn’t work for me at all. In fact, I remember starting this drama last year and dropping it halfway through the first episode because I wasn’t interested, mainly because of that character. I only came back to it after seeing Hyeri’s name and deciding to give it another try.

In the end, I pushed through the entire series just because of her performance. She was the only reason I stayed engaged. I even checked out some of her other work afterward, but nothing really hit the same. Still, this role stood out a lot, and I hope she continues doing darker psychological thriller roles like this in the future.

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Compelling story with some missed opportunities

I started watching Ticket to Heaven with some trepidation. A BL with a religious theme? Seemed like it had the potential to be great or a complete disaster. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

ACTING. After watching them in mostly light fare, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at the range of both Gemini and Fourth. I also liked many of the other actors. There were some serious scenes that conveyed real emotion.

POSITIVE TRANS REPRESENTATION. I don't know the name of the actor who played the trans character in Ep. 6, but she did a phenomenal job of creating a sympathtic, positive role model.

RESPECT FOR THEME. I appreciated that the story maintained respect for the Catholic religion while exploring the difficulties of young gay men growing up in that environment.

LENGTH OF SERIES. Six episodes felt just right to me.

CONS

DEPTH. While I was fine with the length of the series, I would have liked it more if it had gone deeper into Tan's struggles, which could have been addressed in place of certain other scenes, which dragged on and didn't offer anything important to the plot.

TIME JUMP. I get it, the story dated from 1996. But when they jumped 20 years at the end, it wasn't believable at all, with the exception of the Father with his added face wrinkles (good job there, makeup crew!). There was a reference to Kongdech having some grey hair. They tried to age Barth with different glasses and clothes (didn't work), and Tan looked exactly the same. No way someone is going to look the same after 20 years. They should have used different actors at the end, to make it credible.

DISAPPEARING CHARACTERS. Barth's mom was great. It would have been nice to know what happened to her. And what happened to the guy who was bullying Barth in Ep. 1? It would have been satisfying to see him get his comeuppance, like seeing him tied to an anthill and covered with honey or something...

While I feel there were some missed opportunities for a more powerful presentation, overall it was a pleasant experience for me.

I'm giving it 7/10.

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Man, this one had so much potential! This is a sentence I have previously only used for Thai BLs, but here it is entirely deserved.

The drama had it all: Cute and talented actors, a tried-but-true premise of "opposites attract but have to put in effort to make it work", a solid technical crew -- but then the whole thing is watered down by an unnecessary rival and inconsistent characterizations.

The drama starts out strong -- we get a meet-cute between an outgoing Kansai dweller and a reserved man from Tokyo, a "love at first sight" trope and tasty-looking food. All of the cast give their characters life in just a few scenes.

The plot progression in the first few episodes, which focuses on the two men who slowly get closer and learn each other's likes and dislikes, and how to talk to each other, would be good too, if it wasn't for Soga's poor characterisation: He is a divorcé, so he should be able to recognize attraction and desire in himself, right? But he very much acts as if all of this is new to him, and he has never even thought of himself as someone who could be in a relationship -- and it's not that he is confused that it's a man; nor is he asexual (he very bluntly proposes sex in a later episode).

So, his character is already inconsistent (but somewhat in accordance with J-BL "rules"), but then it gets worse: Sakae's ex, who left him a while ago, is back and wants to restart the relationship. Much of the short runtime is wasted on this love rival side plot instead of further exploring how two people who have next to nothing in common could make a relationship work.
I think this as well as the inconsistent characterisation of Soga's is why other viewers feel that there's no "chemistry" between the leads.

And it's worth of note that as soon as this is resolved and our couple is again on the search for the middle-ground (quite literally!), their dynamics start to get interesting again. Unfortunately, that is the point where the runtime ends already.

This could have been a cute and light story about two people who are very different, who tend to pull back to make their partners happy and who learn that to make a partnership work you have to find compromise that fits both of you.

Was it good?
It has much potential to be one of the J-BLs with tight writing and interesting character dynamics which I so love. Unfortunately, it id not use this potential at all.

Did I like it?
I really want to. I liked the start and the end, but the middle dragged the whole thing down.

Would I recommend it?
Not really.

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