Reviews

A Strong Pairing Let Down by Weak Writing

I am a huge fan of Raymond Lam and Tavia Yeung, especially when these two are paired together. They were easily my ultimate favorite TVB couple. That said, even they could not make me want to rewatch The Mysteries of Love. And it is not their fault at all. If anything, this drama just made me question what the writers were thinking.

The most frustrating part of the drama was the storyline between Nicole and Gordon. There was way too much push and pull, and they had far too much screen time. It completely dragged the pacing down. I read somewhere that Bernice Liu was originally supposed to be a special guest, but she wanted a bigger role, and honestly, it shows. Her character felt awkwardly placed, like she was never meant to be fully integrated into the story. Her presence just did not feel right, and by that I mean the character itself did not belong.

I get that she was a photographer who traveled a lot, which explains her constant absences, but if you watched the drama, you would be wondering why a so called special guest was given so much screen time. Then Adrian was added into the mix, turning it into a full blown love triangle. At that point, they might as well have let those three carry the drama, because there was barely any focus on the actual lead couple.

Raymond Lam is a solid actor, but this role did him no justice. His character came off as cringy and awkward, and while that might have been intentional, it did not make the character any easier to watch.

Kingsley’s character was another letdown. He was incredibly boring and very much a mama’s boy. There is nothing wrong with that, but his inability to stand up for his girlfriend was frustrating. His mother constantly made hurtful comments about Siu Lai, and instead of protecting her, he eventually chose to break up with her. This drama really shows that someone can be book smart, but that does not mean they are emotionally smart.

Tsui Siu Lai’s character was written as extremely selfless, giving, strong, naive, and considerate to a fault. After the breakup, she becomes emotionally unstable, which makes sense given everything she went through. What did not make sense was how easily she forgave Kingsley. It honestly felt like a slap in the face. Kingsley’s family looked down on her simply because she did not come from an educated background, and his mother was the main reason their relationship fell apart.

Then suddenly, Kingsley gives a dramatic speech during an award acceptance, saying that if anyone could invent a time machine to help him, he would go back and not hurt the girl he loves. And just like that, everything is forgiven. Siu Lai forgives him. Her family forgives him, despite being there for her and watching her grieve through the breakup. Kingsley’s mother suddenly acts innocent, asking for forgiveness on her son’s behalf. It all felt rushed, unrealistic, and deeply unsatisfying. Honestly, I really suspect that if they had not dragged out the love triangle between Adrian, Nicole, and Gordon, we could have seen far more meaningful development between Kingsley and Siu Lai.

For a drama with such a strong cast and a beloved pairing, The Mysteries of Love missed the mark. It had all the ingredients to be great, but poor writing, uneven focus, and an unbelievable resolution dragged it down. It is one of those dramas that reminds you that even the best actors cannot save a story when the writing fails them.

Read More

Funny Detective interesting cases

First off, the chemistry across the entire cast is simply perfect. When a drama has a cast that genuinely clicks, everything else naturally falls into place, and To Catch the Uncatchable is a prime example of that. It is one of those classic TVB dramas you can always go back to, and it somehow still gives you the same feelings you had the first time around. Curiosity and laughter never fade.

Even though it is a detective drama, the cases are not the main focus. They are interesting enough to keep the story moving, but if you are expecting something similar to Untraceable Evidence or Detective Investigation Files, you might be disappointed. The drama is much more focused on Mok Jok Dung as a character and how he is an exceptionally skilled detective working in a department where the rest of the team is clearly lacking. That is not meant as an insult. In fact, it is one of the biggest sources of comedy in the series. The contrast between Mok Jok Dung’s intelligence and his team’s incompetence creates many of the show’s funniest and most memorable moments.

Dayo Wong absolutely owns this role. His delivery is sharp, his timing is flawless, and his performance never feels forced. The pairing with Ada Choi is what truly elevates the drama. Their chemistry is on another level, and their constant banter feels natural. You can see their relationship slowly build over time, creating a strong foundation that makes their interactions both entertaining and emotionally engaging.

This drama is also a reminder of how special TVB productions from the 90s and early 2000s really were. If you ever have the chance to watch dramas from that era, you should take it. You will not regret it. There was clearly more care put into casting back then, and it shows in how well the actors worked together on screen. The chemistry felt intentional and effortless.

Read More

Waste of resources

From time to time, I watch Lakorns, although I often find them stressful and end up reminding myself that I should read reviews before starting a new series. It begins like a typical drama, centred on a love triangle — or even more complicated relationships — combined with hatred and revenge, which feels unnecessary but seem to be a standard feature of the genre.

The male lead is an actor whose previous work I have enjoyed; however, in this role he appears unconvincing, with limited emotional expression and little depth to his character. His storyline feels overcrowded, as he is involved in multiple complicated relations at once. His former partner returns full of regret and in need of financial support, and, despite the circumstances, he is the only one shown caring for her in hospital, with no apparent support from friends or family. Why all exes don't have family, friends to support in such scenes. Afterwards, he decides to support his brother’s pregnant girlfriend, who is in love with him and even asks him to divorce the female lead. Not long after, her feelings suddenly shift towards the second male lead, which makes the plot feel even more inconsistent.

The female lead is portrayed as endlessly forgiving and understanding to an almost unrealistic degree, accepting everything that happens around her without question, usual thai lakorn.

One aspect that I find particularly frustrating, making my blood boil is the recurring trope where the male lead uses physical affection as a way to assert control, such as threatening to kiss the female lead if she speaks or disagrees. This is a must in all thai Lakorns and does feel repetitive and uncomfortable rather than romantic. Is the only way to convince a woman in there?

So that about it, the story ends, nothing else, no chemistry, didn't feel any love at any point, waste of so many resources.

Read More

Ups & Downs Of A Family

This is a series that will grab you right away. It's kind of slow moving, but if you give it a chance, you'll definitely get hooked to keep watching. It's a bit of a complicated story with two brother in laws dealing with the loss of a wife/sister and having to rely on one another for several reasons. I think the one thing I found fault with, was that the main protagonist really wasn't such a jerk as the title leaves you to believe. Ippei has some faults, but overall you'll find him a pretty good person.
Jun Shison is great in his role as the loving father of two of the most adorable kids you'll see. Every time they appear on screen, you can't help but smile, especially the little boy, Asahi. He steals every scene he's in.
The last three episodes definitely get a bit more dramatic, and it makes you kind of wonder how this will end on a positive note. It makes for a good final episode. I think the one thing I would have hoped for was a bit more of a climatic ending. It was good, but I was wishing for a bit more.
Overall, a feel good series from start to finish

Read More

Mostly romance with a pinch of mystery

I don't usually write reviews for shows I haven't finished watching, but when I started writing a comment I realised it was getting waaay to long so a review it is instead. While only the first 7 episodes have come out, this won't really influence my review so it should be fine to post it now. Mostly no concrete spoilers but I'm still discussing plot so proceed with caution.


First things first, it's... entertaining? I want to say that it's at least fun to watch and by now it's pretty clear that the plot is just there as a stage and a pretext for putting the main characters in ridiculous situations to further their relationship, so I feel it's not fair to judge the show by what it's cleary not putting all that much focus on. It's still an easy watch, probably even more so for people who came for the actors or for the romance, so this isn't meant as a critique of the show as a whole.

But having come for the mystery (this is on me, I didn't realise it was a BL cause I didn't watch the trailer and I skipped the intro - and even romance dramas sometimes feature well thought out plot beside the romance so I thought I'd stick around and give it a try), I just have to vent a bit about how little they're trying with the police investigation!

• These kids are disappearing and getting picked off one by one while they're apparently being under police surveillance? Where was the officer responsible for the guy in the garage when he died? That was right out in the open, even the brother stumbled in at the end...
• Why are they so fixated on the killer being one of the kids to the point where they won't even consider other leads, like other friends or family (cough, sus doc) that could have been told about what's happening with the avengers?
• They have handwritten letters, why has no one even come up with the idea of comparing the kids' handwriting with those?!

There's plenty handwavy police action going on here and I try to take into consideration that that's simply cause the case isn't actually that important other than the fact that it's happening, but these few things really took me out of the story while watching. I'm not even talking about their superhuman healing powers and terrible wound care, I feel those are par of the course for this genre ;)

On to the positive, the acting is actually pretty solid, from some more so that others, but overall there isn't anyone who makes this hard to watch for me. The actor who plays jade does a really good job at portraying emotions believably and his acting feels overall quite natural, and the actress who plays chereen does a really good job with crying scenes. The inspector appears a little wooden at times but it gets better with each episode and it's easy to overlook once you get used to it. I like that the other police officers get actively involved (when the show remembers that there's police work to do) and all of them perform well in the limited roles that they have, so there's nothing to criticise here either.
But who really surprised me was the korean drug boss who gave what I might even call a standout performance (reminding me at times of lee dong shik from beyond evil or han jae ho from the merciless, neither of which are villains per say but who sure know how to act the part). I didn't check to see if the actor is korean but he sure gave a solid korean style villain performance in the rather short scene he had. Maybe I just wasn't expecting a side character to keep up with the main roles or even outplay them (given that this kind of drama doesn't really call for that sort of thing) but he did kind of steal the scene there ;)

All the rambling aside, if an entertaining romance with a police backdrop is all you're looking for, chances are you're going to enjoy this show. If you're looking for a well thought out mystery with police work that doesn't test your frustration tolerance, look elsewhere.
We're yet to see how the actual mystery part unfolds so I can't say much on that front, but they did put a lot of creativity and care in styling their murders (though definitely on the gory side and a little over the top at times) and they did genuinely manage to build up some suspence about what really happened between the college friends group. A little convoluted, sure, and allowed to play out with minimal police involvement (cause the cops are busy with other things, lol), but if the investigation isn't your focus you might actually enjoy the murder mystery part of this.

Read More

Concept great, poor judging attitudes

I really love Culinary Class Wars Seasons I and II. The contestants are fantastic and the judging is high quality, fair and interesting.

I wanted to love Cheonha Bakery: Bake Your Dream and it started out well, but after the very first competitor presented their bread, it went downhill. One judge in particular ruins the show - Noh Hee Young. There is just no reason to be rude and mean. She seems to enjoy that attitude. I wonder if she has never watched other cooking and baking shows that are so popular and have been around forever. One classic is the Great British Bake Off. They are well manners, polite, kind, firm at times, and honest without being mean. It was extremely repugnant to not even give one of the bakers a honest critique and not even allow him to enter the judges' table. How insulting and damaging to his self esteems and reputation. I found that to be so disturbing as well as disgusting. I'm disappointed in this show for doing that.

Kim Na-rae, while not as repugnant as Noh Hee Young, has a very snotty, know it all attitude that is really unpleasant. I suppose if everyone is lofty and high-brow, she would be their kind of judge. It appears to me that most of these bakeries are shops that ANY of us regular people could visit and afford. Their baked goods appeal to the general public.

Thank goodness Master Baker Lee Seok-won, Mimi, and Chef Kwon Sung-jun are also judges. They are thoughtful and offer their opinions and critiques with expertise and kindness. I'll give it one more shot, but I hope to never see another contestant who came with such high hopes and dreams and gave so much effort to be treated so cruelly and disrespectfully.

Read More

Most Boring Drama I’ve Seen Recently

I was really looking forward to this drama, but it ended up being a massive disappointment. Honestly, it’s probably the most boring show I have watched recently.

The Rough Start The first few episodes were pure suffering. The storytelling was so slow and poorly executed that I almost dropped the drama right then and there. It completely lacked "drive," and the characters weren't interesting enough to make me care about what happened to them.

Lack of Engagement While the story did get a little bit better after the first few episodes, it still couldn't hold my attention. I found myself doing everything except actually watching the screen. The script was so weak that even when I wasn't paying attention, I felt like I didn't miss much. It lacked the proper hook and momentum needed to keep a viewer engaged.

Final Verdict: If a drama makes you feel like you're "suffering" through the opening episodes, it's usually a bad sign. Cashero had no spark and a very weak script. I wouldn't recommend it if you’re looking for something that actually keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Read More

Put 3 artists together and they creat art.
Thank you Nuchy, Jittirain and Naisu for your art.

The way I scream when it was annonced, one of my favorite producer with one of my favorite novelist together with my favorite pairing. It was meant for me.

It was amazing!

I loved every painting, thank you to Naisu, it was nice to meet her thanks to Burnout out Syndrom.
You can tell that, they do care about art and painting.

I loved the characters.
Koh, Jira and Pheem are all red flag. I'm sorry for people who love Pheem.
Koh only care about his own profit and emotions. He love being in controle that's why he don't talk to people much. (And tbh I don't think he is the biggest red flag that Off have play, Pick was worst)
Jira doesn't know what he want (or don't want to accept it). And I' sure he kinda like that Pheem and Koh fight for him.
Pheem, I'm sorry but the whole "I want someone to heal me"... It's not very healthy. And the way he act to "win" Jira heart...
My favorite character is Ing, she does really care about her friend, without judgying.

All the OST are 10/10.

No need to say that all the actor and actress did a good job, they are trully one of GMMTV's best oone.

Read More

Amazing short dramas with banter and so light hearted

🔴🔴SPOILERS!!!!!🔴🔴
YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!!
A MUST WATCH!!!!


I seriously love this drama way more than I should😭. The trope was classic but I loved how the first 40 chapters only everything was sorted out, both of them formed a rapport and were so supportive of each other from the start.✨
Toxic male lead behaviour? What is that? A mother in law who hates you? Does that type of thing exists?
I love An Cheng so much considering the fact she was one of the love rivals, and my heart really took a dip when she invited Gu Nein to Mrs. Fu's birthday but other than that.... LOVED HER!!!!

It was nice seeing a love rival who actually had sense and ethics and the female lead and her mother... No words. Just say too amazing.
And their newly wed banter was a cherry on top? How he just always appeared in her house garden, whenever he upset her.
He was such a green forest and at one point I actually got scared of him when he was dealing with Yu corporation but who cares...
There was no excessive drama, everything was just too perfect but yeah, the writer shouldn't have killed his mom?😭

That was so unfair towards her 'and' him. She couldn't see his one and only son's wedding?
The scene where she was giving An Cheng that necklace, i swear to lord I lost it and burst into tears. Mrs. Fu didn't had much of a screentime but had such a huge impact on the storyline, it's almost terrifying.
She was a perfect mother looking after her son, and taking care of him, trying to find someone who would help him overcome his childhood trauma.

And don't get me started on the male actor, he was soooooooooo fine. Call me and idiot, but he was just too fine like a glass of Gordon & MacPhail 85 year old Glenlivet. 🙈🙈
And the female lead was sooooo cute, I have no words. She was so pretty and she did the businesswoman role sooo good. She was elegant, strong and had so much fire and never hid her thoughts. She is just too wonderful to describe. ✨🥺
And Mr. Lin?, first drama where it actually showed what the secretary of a world famous organisation's CEO has to go through. What things they have to do for their boss and etc. and I really feel like, no matter what, he should have been the ring bearer?

The script write was done so well, there were almost no loopholes in regard of a vertical drama. Loved it so so much. The fashion designer was awesome, gave everyone clothes which reflected their personality (which let me tell you is a big thing when you are watching vertical dramas).
Mo ling had different coloured clothes which reflected her rather free spirit, An Cheng had dark clothes which showed how closed off she always is and Mr. Fu had suits of different types which suited his personality.
And the cast appointment was I guess my favourite because everyone fits their role so much (Maybe except Gu Nian's mother but it's not like she has a lot of screentime.) The villains were dealt with quickly and everything was so smooth, I didn't even realize when the drama finished and when I finally did realize it, it was already too late.
I loved how they used Goblin's soundtrack so wonderfully and the songs were so fitting to the situation.

I know this is not so famous but if there's any way, I need a sequel man😭, it's way too good... Would love to see all the characters again.
A must watch for flash marriage trope lovers who are looking for a change and also for people looking for a lighte hearted watch with amazing character development and very healthy relationship between male and female lead✨
You would love it and trust me, want to re-watch it again and again because the dialogues are so catchy. I folded, a spoiler:

"Just watch your man turn this around and save the day"

AHHHHHH!!!!!!
Go check this drama out ... NOW!!!

[Note: The actor who has played male lead and the actress who has played An Cheng are in one more drama together. Jijun Zhang (the male lead) is the male lead there too and An Cheng is a important side character. The drama is 'Unbridled' Go check it out too]

Read More