Reviews

Apple is the Thai GL equivalent of the anime One Punch Man

Any anime fan probably knows what I'm talking about with the headline and can stop reading because it's self explanatory.

For those who don't: One Punch Man Season 1 is one of the funniest anime ever made, with good animation and interesting, different storylines, while One Punch Man season 2 looks like lazy unmotivated hobby animators had 2 weeks to create a double digit number of episodes that focuse on this one storyline nobody really cares about and gets really boring and repetitive.

To put it in Apple's terms, season 1 is adequate/pretty good acting, a cute storyline, tv production like quality in sound and video, while in season 2 the acting somehow seems like they're just starting acting school, the story is all over the place and repeats itself over and over again (lack of communication, they fight, they don't talk to each other, they make up, rinse and repeat) and the audio and even sometimes videoquality is like it's filmed with a smartphone from 2016. A new high spec phone and 50 Dollar streamer mics would have done a much better job.

I understand it's a "web special", but that doesn't explain in the slightest why the quality of everything dropped as much as it did. Also, did they really need to put out 33 5 - 7 minute episodes? For me there was absolutely no way I could get into it because every episode was its own thing, with it's own intro of 1 minute, outro of 2 minutes and often a summary/review/replay of the ending of the last episode that lasted 1 to 2 minutes, just like it would've been with a 60 minute episode, only without the chance to "immerse" yourself into the story or the characters because there just wasn't any time for that before you had to skip the outro, intro and summary of the episode from yesterday again.

All in all pretty much a disaster if I'm really honest, especially when compared to season 1. A 5/10 is very generous and only because I liked the first season and I like Orm and Folk and they have pretty good chemistry together.

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Modern Snow White: Less Magic Mirror, More Toxic Social Media.

Watched this immediately after My Sassy Princess: Wake Up! Sleeping Beauty, and I’ll admit—it’s a step up. Honestly, these shows feel like they could have an order: Wake Up! Sleeping Beauty → Cinderella → Snow White, but you don’t really need one. This one has more complexity, deeper emotional beats, and is—despite being a disaster in its own chaotic way—actually watchable.

Episode 5 of the USA version had me completely over Beauty. Like, I almost quit watching because of her. But oh, the sweet, bitter karma of it all: Snow gave her VIP seat, thinking she was doing a kind gesture, Plu was trying to do something nice for Snow without realizing she’d already given it up… and Beauty? Everyone shoved her into crying. Do I feel bad? Not even a little. She’s the textbook villain who dishes it out but can’t handle the slightest taste of her own medicine. Absolutely delicious.

Plu—I’m torn. You can see he likes Snow, but because of his image and fear of his company, he keeps hurting her. It’s unfair. Snow is sweet, overly caring, and frankly a bit too selfless sometimes, which makes her misery even more painful to watch. I wish they gave her a little evil queen moment—a moment to smack back at the chaos instead of being walked over constantly.

Ma/Ton—poor guy. The genuinely nice friend who loves Snow quietly, and she only sees him as a friend. I mean… sometimes Prince Charming doesn’t need to be romantic, but come on. Heartbreak.

And the whole “ugly Snow” thing? Please. She’s very pretty. Too dark? She’s tanned. Too heavy? She’s healthy. Finally, a lead who isn’t a stick and the show acknowledges it. Small victory.

Episode 6—things perk up, finally. Snow starts showing herself online, and the views go from 11.5k to nearly 20k. Glory. But of course, chaos: Beauty’s true colors, Plu’s overbearing boss, and more of the cringe factory hits Snow hard. Still, I love the moments where she starts reclaiming her self-esteem. She’s been beaten down since childhood, and seeing the crew start to recognize her worth is genuinely satisfying.

This series is part fairy tale, part social media commentary, all sass. Yes, it’s messy, and yes, it’s chaotic, but it’s entertaining. The characters are ridiculous, the villains are deliciously cruel, the side drama makes zero sense sometimes, and yet… I could not stop watching.

💭 Final Mood:

“Train-wreck fabulous, bitterly sweet karma, social media chaos, Snow reclaiming herself, Beauty finally getting what’s coming, and Plu being a mess of his own fears."

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The GENIUS direction, camera work & ACTING

Episode One - The very first scene sets the groundwork for exactly what Fan Xiao (FX) is. Brilliant light play by the director honestly - there's this gritty metallic green light falling upon half of his face while the other half lies in a warm shadow, giving him an air of mystery and palpable danger. Loved this, and actually light play is also used again in later scenes. Like when FX and YSL are at a restaurant - the lighting is warm and hazy, signifying intimacy. Often low budget bl productions don't even bother removing the day time filters.

Episode Two - Absolutely loved the acting because every time FX is on screen is really intense. It might be a bit cringe but that's just how he is and we love him for that. Again, camera work goes crazy in framing FX just as he is. And curiously - FX is only framed as scary or intimidating when we see the scene from his perspective rather from from YSLs when he's framed as ordinary. Even soft, in one scene.

(to be continued as episodes come out)

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Very cute romance, friend to lover.

PLOT: Inseparable since middle school, FL and ML have never dared to confess their love. After college, their feelings are stronger, but the timing is never right (debts, boyfriend/girlfriend, pregnancy, etc.). Fortunately, their close-knit group of friends supports them through thick and thin.

+++ The two leads are adorable, with great chemistry, very natural and unpretentious.
+++ I really love the friendship within their group. The actors are talented and bring endearing characters to life.
+++ The story is coherent, realistic, and well-written. The direction is lively, with no dull moments.

The OSTs are very "Thai pop".

### The timeline (with back-and-forths and flashbacks) is sometimes a little confusing.
### Some overly obvious product placements (`皿´＃)

=> A very sweet love story, with a CL I'm looking forward to seeing again.
*****************************************************
Très cute romance Friend to lover

PLOT: Inséparables depuis le collège, la FL et le ML n'ont jamais osé s'avouer leur amour. Après la fac, leurs sentiments sont + forts mais ce n'est jamais le bon timing (dettes, petit(e) ami(e), grossesse, etc.). Heureusement, leur groupe d'amis, très soudé, les soutient dans ttes les épreuves.

+++ Les 2 leads sont adorables, avec une belle alchimie, très naturelle et sans pruderie.
+++ J'aime bcp l'amitié au sein de leur gpe. Les acteurs sont bons et donnent vie à des personnages attachants.
+++ L'histoire est cohérente, réaliste, bien écrite. La réalis° est vive, sans temps mort.
Les OSTs sont très pop thai.

### La timeline (avec aller-retours et flashbacks) est parfois un peu perturbante.
### Qq placements de produits trop évidents (`皿´＃)

=> Très jolie histoire d'amour, avec un CL que j'attends de revoir.

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Wasted potential

I had high hopes for this drama.. it started out great I fell in love with the overall vibe and especially the cast. but it doesn't live up to the expectations I had.

it's the same story repeated over and over again. Each time they try to make a buisness deal their stuff either burns down, gets destroyed or whatever. I get it that the characters must fail at first since Tae-poong is clueless when it comes to running a company, but it comes to a point when it's repeatable, boring and just straight up frustrating.

I also don't feel the chemistry between the main characters, Tae-poong confessing his feelings feels forced and Miseon's reactions to any kind of things he does for her are just awkward.

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Good drama, but had the potential to be much better.

What I liked:
I feel like there are very few romance dramas I’ve watched that actually explore the FML’s trauma in great detail, as it’s done here. In Hidden Love and WIFTY, we get a glimpse of the ML’s trauma but the FML’s issues are rarely discussed, if ever at all. It was nice seeing the reverse for the change. As with every ML that Zhu Yi has written, Sang Yan is such a green flag and I really liked how protective and supportive he was of the FML despite how frustrating she was at times. The FML, despite her issues, was a very interesting character and I think the show did a good job of depicting how she didn’t let her childhood trauma affect her ability to become successful in life.

What I disliked:
Given the premise, I expected this story to be darker compared to Hidden Love, with the FML’s trauma serving as a central plot point in moving the narrative forward. While this drama does a good job of illustrating how Yifan’s trauma has shaped her personality and career, it falls short in portraying her character growth, and how she was able to heal and move past her fears despite her past experiences. Throughout the story, we saw some signs of growth, such as her standing up for Sang Yan and going to her mother’s house after her uncle appeared to frame Sang Yan’s restaurant for food poisoning. Also her choosing not to forgive her mother for not taking care of her after her father died. Aside from that though, I feel like it could’ve been executed a lot better. Yifan never opened up to anyone about her issues, which is understandable to an extent given the negative circumstances she was in. Although I was getting increasingly annoyed in the later half of the story when she and Sang Yan were already in a relationship, and not only did she lie to him about what happened but she completely up and left him and her entire life in Nanwu without any warning. I understand that in certain situations, people with PTSD have a tendency to make irrational decisions. But I really wish she had at the very least, told her friends and Sang Yan the reason behind why she left. Their reunion felt extremely underwhelming too. I feel like Sang Yan and Yifan needed to have a more serious conversation about her issues. I was also hoping she’d finally open up to her best friend about her past trauma after they reunited, but that never happened. I feel like this show had more opportunities to delve into her communication issues and family trauma but instead half of its runtime was spent on the 2nd lead couple (which btw, barely contributed anything to the main leads’ story) and grandparent’s relationship, which I did not care for at all. Speaking of which, I thought the 2nd leads’ relationship had a lot of potential in the beginning, but fell short because much of their relationship revolved around Su Hao’an’s grandpa, rather than them actually getting to know each other as people. Another complaint I have about the ML and FML’s romance is the development of their relationship felt a little shallow for my liking. Aside from being conventionally attractive, I’m not entirely sure what it was about the FML that captivated the ML so much. Don’t get me wrong I loved seeing Sang Yan display his unconditional love for Yifan but some of his actions felt a little over exaggerated. For example, him following the FML home without her knowing, flying to Yihe for her graduation, following her around the airport. I also felt like it was obvious that his devotion to the FML was also probably the only reason she even noticed him to begin with. As a result, Sang Yan’s character felt a little bit one dimensional for me and I wish the story could’ve explored his struggles separate from Yifan’s.

Despite the glaring issues I had with this drama, it was still enough of an enjoyable experience for me to recommend watching it. Although if you’re like me, and get frustrated with a lack of communication, slow pacing, and too much screen time spent on the secondary couple, then you might be left somewhat disappointed.

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A sweet romance that somehow tastes bland

My review after finishing all 28 episodes: sweet but overrated. The drama has beautiful scenery and those typical slow-motion romantic moments. The story is a kind of slice-of-life with no heavy conflicts or red flags. Supportive friends, a warm family atmosphere, and both the female and male leads are complete green flags... everything you'd expect from a comforting, feel-good drama.

But in the end, it tasted like unsalted popcorn. What went wrong? Well, if the narrative itself doesn't create tension or excitement, that responsibility falls on the main characters - and here, they just don't deliver.

Unlike other dramas in this genre, you don't get that overdose of sweetness or that urge to step into the screen and be part of that community. Apart from the kissing scenes, the chemistry is missing, as well as that comforting sense of warmth. And although the narrative is consistently focused on romance, it still fails to pass that feeling to the viewer.

In the end, the drama feels like a utopia: a gentle, romantic world with no villains, yet somehow still rather flavourless.

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So well done - A balance of history, mysticism, and morality

Highly recommended

Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 3: To Changan

It balances history, mysticism, and morality — and it does so with a very poetic kind of pacing.
Not rushed.
Not flashy.
Just beautifully told.

• The mysteries are layered
They are never just puzzles: they explore motives, sorrow, justice, duty, and compassion - stories that reflect the human condition.

• The partnership of Su Wuming and Lu Lufeng
Their dynamic echoes the classical ideal: one sharp-minded, one warm-hearted, both seeking truth but never detached from the people caught in the case.

The two ladies are clever - they offer balance to the two male leads.

There is a sense of humanity

Even though the series uses supernatural elements, each case is ultimately grounded in:
• grief
• loyalty
• injustice
• sacrifice
• the fragility of ordinary lives caught in forces beyond their control

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Cao Xuanxuan’s Love Journey: A Light Step Into Ancient Mystery

🔹 What happens when a modern mystery writer wakes up in an ancient city and must solve cases with the man she is suddenly engaged to?
🔹 Would I rewatch? No.

📕 Overview
🔹 21 episodes, historical romance mystery
🔹 Adapted from an original screenplay
🔹 Zhu Xudan plays Zhou Na, who becomes Cao Xuanxuan after time-slipping
🔹 Zhai Xiaowen portrays Guo Zijie, the young county magistrate working beside her
🔹 The story begins when Zhou Na opens her eyes in ancient Yan City and realizes she is betrothed to Guo Zijie
🔹 As of this review, all 21 episodes have aired
🔹 I genuinely admire the leads; however, the script didn’t give them the opportunity to fully shine, and the writing felt uneven

🌸 How It Felt Watching
🔹 It felt like a show that you can watch while multitasking
🔹 Tone: playful, romantic, mildly suspenseful
🔹 Themes: partnership, problem-solving, trust
🔹 It reminded me of other time-slip romances, but without the intricate puzzle pieces those shows often have

✨ Cast and Acting
🔹 Zhu Xudan as Cao Xuanxuan: has a charming on-screen presence that makes her character engaging to watch.
🔹 Zhai Xiaowen as Guo Zijie: delivers an earnest performance, though it feels inconsistent at times.
🔹 Supporting cast: adds humor and simple charm, even if most roles remain surface-level.
🔹 I’ve enjoyed other dramas featuring the leads, which makes it even more noticeable that they didn’t have the same opportunity to shine here.

🎵 OST 🎵
🔹 Tomorrow Won’t Return by Qin Zi Mo
🔹 Fish in the Pond and Reflection by Lu Yi

🎞️ Production Style
🔹 I believe the script plays a crucial role in a drama’s success; even the most talented cast and crew can only do so much when the writing is limited.
🔹 This drama has a small-budget feel, which may not resonate with everyone.
🔹 The director’s choices reflected what the production could realistically support.
🔹 I genuinely enjoy both leads’ previous work, making it clear they didn’t have the same opportunity to shine here.
🔹 I encourage viewers to take a look and form their own opinions.

☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked: the easygoing tone and the enjoyable chemistry
🔹 What didn’t: I felt the detective logic was weak, the acting was uneven, and the production was held back by the script
🔹 I wished the leads had stronger writing to work with

☕ SpillTheDramaTea’s Rating: 4/10
🌿 Tea-Scale: Tried a sip, but it didn’t sit right.
✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, I was reminded of how much a story depends on strong writing to help talented actors shine.

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loving the OST for this show

I went in with doubts of the ml pulling off an historical royalty lead but he is nailing it. I’ve always liked him since Attorney Woo and he can definitely play a romantic lead. I also had my doubts about her the fl but she is perfect playing the troublemaker type character .

I’m enjoying this show. the whole theme of the show of their body switching hasn’t really started yet. I have a feeling it may be like Mr Queen in the way the character deals with their new genders. I loved Mr Queen so I’m good with waiting to see where this goes.

I haven’t seen any reviews about the music! I actually tear up when the main song comes on towards the end of the episode. I have even rewound the episode just to hear it again. I finally downloaded it on Apple Music and can play it anytime.

I think folks just have to remember that this show is tagged as a fantasy.

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Unnecessarily lengthy

The series could have been shorter like hidden love, most scenes seemed like a drag. It started well, the romance part was good, however I watched the last few episodes in 1.5X speed on Netflix, too much filler and wait time in between dialogues, male lead being hopelessly romantic and supportive from start. I never understood his craze or love for her, they even showed he liked her from the very instance he saw her and tried to woo her.
They never told us why the male lead left his job. She even left him twice and lacked communication skills being a reporter which is even weirder, chose a wrong profession clearly. Is there no restraining order against the offender to help protect the victim, the show didn’t address it. The convict roamed freely and did as he pleased, he even messed with the male leads business, I don’t know why he did it when there was clearly no outcome , he was after compensation as well as causing fear for female lead,
I was highly disappointed with the overall English subtitles seemed a miss for me, didn’t feel right at certain places, I am not a Chinese speaker but I felt the sentences could be framed better, so whoever gave the subtitles needs improvement. The outfits for the ladies were plain boring for first as well as second leads, don’t know what they were trying to achieve, as well as the second lead had weird hairstyles in some scenes.
None of the scenes exactly touched my heart for me to cry, hidden love was far better. I naturally kept comparing the songs, dialogues, acting, the depth of conversations between characters, especially Sang Yan played by Victor Ma, although Bai Jung Ting was good for the role. Zhang Ruonan looks naturally beautiful compared to other Chinese actresses who wear lots of makeup. However both leads could have performed better towards the end. I felt bored sometimes instead of feeling connected.

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Three Dads Are Better Than None

This series starts off a bit silly, lots of comedy, taking nothing seriously in it, but by the end of episode 2 this really turns into a well written, well acted story. There's just enough of drama, comedy and coming of age emotional tones to make this such an enjoyable story to watch.
I've always been a fan of Yuki Yamada, so that's what originally pulled me into watching. He was great as always, but besides Yuki, Arata Horii & Ryo Mitsuya, the two other protagonists he's teamed up with, make a well balanced trio. Three long time best friends, so different in every way, yet extremely close to each other. They're put into a surprising situation when a baby is abandoned at their home. It's great to watch how three totally different personalities come to terms with it.
For me, it was from episode 7 and beyond where the story goes into a deeper drama and somewhat of an emotional tone. It's truly a great story UNTIL ... oh that final episode. I found it somewhat upsetting to forgive someone so easily after abandoning her child for more than a year, but that's how things played out. I must say, however, as the final episode concludes, there was indeed a satisfaction in the entire outcome of the story. It's a fantastic final few scenes and it got rid of that bitterness I was feeling from several minutes earlier.
This story shows how a small child showed up at just the right time, improving the lives of three men, making them better people to each other as well as themselves.
It's quoted toward the end when asked what love is ... "Love is showing our bare hearts without a facade"
This drama/comedy shows us exactly that! Very enjoyable!!!

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Amazing performance amazing acting if they don't get a award for the acting I'm gonna be pissed

After watching episode 8 I'm so tired of everyone blaming Pheem for everything it's kind of exhausting Even Risa too I get especially at Risa because whatever she does she blames it on Pheem because she knows people will believe her

Risa killed their mother and framed it on Pheem what the heck we thought pheem did it this is insane. She knew people would believe it was pheem who murdered her because his mother died because of her mother. She worked with pheem to take Chet down and now pheem found out kicked her out she is trying to get into Chets head saying "you have no choice to work with me I will help you get revenge on Pheem"

she's very compelling she tries to get into everyone's head and it's working because she knows everyone's weakness. Explains why she didn't cry or mourn when her mother died but chet did she's very well written

Pheem is not innocent either. He's calculating he knew Risa's play from the start but He shot than And did it twice he's a manipulator too but he did it to protect Than if than dies they'll leave him alone he didn't kill than the aunt put some kind of drug in him to make him live pheem Shot him on the vest he didn't die but than won't forgive him either way. What he did was understandable

Chet chet chet... What do I say about him he's a very emotional person too emotional to be exact. But it was rooted by his mother his mother is the cause of everything the sibling rivalry between pheem and Chet because "Pheem is Mistress son he'll never be a part of the family" he throws tantrums Alot He rules with his emotions he's narcissism often feels exhausting. He's deeply insecure and that makes him dangerous but also exploitable for Risa I want to say I have empathy for him but idk. Just sympathy

Than. The true antagonist and the plausible true villain of everything even though we know he's innocent he knows everything about everyone he knows about the whole family but The thing about Than is. He will never Betraye anyone he loves even if they hurt him. He'll need more time to Forgive Pheem but he will forgive pheem because episode 9 preview said he does love Pheem still. Pheem also loves than.

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Beautiful story , great actors absolutely love this one

Love at first sight, well I just can say I loved everything about this drama , this is on a whole another level.. you can see and feel how they develop their feelings and how they both grow. I think it is perfect that we can hear their both thaughts not just from the Fl.. Well written and it is very poemic. It is also great to hear HJQ speaking canto. Ok I love everything about this Drama 😅

FL - Wang Gege is my absolute fav , and here she did a really great job. Her charater is really well witten , she is confindent , funny and capable , she plays it natural .

ML- I love this guy , the way he looks at her -amazing. You can see why he is scared, but the things he is doing for her sooo sweet.

Support roles -well done , and I like the end for her best friend , the granny and the dad I love them <3
I loved it also that the "bad guys" get their punishment.

The scenery is until the middle great and has beautiful moments , later it is just a great drama.
I watched also the version with ZZD , it is also very good but it is a little bit another wibe , this one was more detailed .

Overall you should watch both versions bc even if the same Idea you don't feel it so much .
Recommend absolutely .<3

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