I'm glad that I watched High&Low S1&2 and High&Low: The Movie first because this wouldn't have made much sense to me otherwise. I loved that this movie went sideways within the franchise and that it expanded on the "universe" in which High&Low takes place because it allowed me personally to understand the geopolitical situation, so to speak.

I also loved that it expanded on the Amamiya brothers. I adored the reveal that Hiroto isn't actually blood related to Masaki or Takeru but that it doesn't matter to them at all, just like it didn't to their parents. Their family background, what happened to their parents - ouch!

It was sad that Takeru died in the end but I think that once he picked up a gun and started killing people, there was basically no way back for him without some kind of a punishment or penance because this whole franchise is founded on the idea of not killing, that this is the one boundary the "good ones" - gang members they might be - don't cross. You knock each other's teeth out but once you bring a knife or a gun to a fight, you're done, you're out.

Also, I loved that Takeru died not while taking revenge but protecting Hiroto, that thanks to his brothers and to Hiroto in particular Takeru found back before his death, that he remember what he taught them.

The moment I sniffled? When Hiroto took the girl in his arms and said the same words to her like Takeru before: I'm your wall.

Oh, I also adored the short moments when Hiroto and Masaki had to go back to S.W.O.R.D. and not just there but to Sannoh in particular! Masaki's annoyance, Yamato's annoyance, Cobra's eye-rolling - yup, they so rub each other wrong. They're allies, though reluctant, but gosh, do they rub each other wrong!

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This will sound sacrilegious, I guess, but The Final is my least favorite of the Rurouni Kenshin movies. So first, let's get that off my chest...

This was meant to be a tale of revenge but instead of going deep and intense, they went blockbuster wide. In the fights, instead of simply relying on Satoh Takeru's awesomeness, they focused way too much on neck-breaking wire-work so the fights lost much of their intensity. And in order to let every character have his/her moment, the movie felt scattered.

Plot points were pulled out of the hat and dropped again without a second thought. Why did the priest have the diary that Kenshin took with him at the end of The Beginning? Did Aoshi live? And why were the Watchers even there? What was the point besides giving each a big fight? What happened to Sojiro? How did Saito and his men escape the trap?

But my main complaint: Kaoru was, once again, reduced to the role of a kidnapped love interest. Seriously, she owns a dojo but she gets knocked out more easily than Tomoe. Also, I liked her and Kenshin as a couple in the first 3 movies but here? I wish they just let them stay friends. After seeing Kenshin with Tomoe, someone who could truly grasp the darkness he faced, I found Kaoru... well, let's face it, Kaoru is way too naive and innocent to really understand what Kenshin had gone through during the war. She's kind and understanding but she will never truly get it.

And now to the good stuff!

Satoh Takeru. Just that. Satoh Takeru. In a movie that kinda lacked intensity, he had intense down to a pat. Whenever the movie just let him do his thing, it shined. Just him standing in the rain... and I was all, yeah, yup, that, this.

The last fight between Kenshin and Enishi. Specifically the moment when Kenshin let Enishi stab him. From the shock on Enishi's face, it was obvious that he didn't expect to land a hit. I think he never really wanted to kill Kenshin in the first place. Because Tomoe loved him. Enishi was furious with Kenshin - but there was the fact that Tomoe loved Kenshin. And when Kenshin first let Enishi stab him, then he apologized and then the crazy Chinese dude shot Kenshin... That wasn't what Enishi wanted.

The scene where Enishi read Tomoe's diary in his prison cell and he truly understood not only how much Tomoe loved Kenshin but why she loved him in the first place and that she died willingly and gladly for him, that her death wasn't Kenshin's fault. That moment when Enishi truly saw his sister as she had been...

The fight where Sojiro joined forces with Kenshin, the way they almost... danced around each other because their strengths and styles matched so perfectly. And Sojiro's happiness that he finally experienced what it felt like to have someone truly have his back. That did things to my heart!

So yeah, I was a bit disappointed in the movie but there were still many scenes that I will replay again and again because they were so good!

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What a cute little drama (only 8 eps)! I loved both the pairings, SunSky and PitchBank, though I do wish that PitchBank had been a little more developed, given more screen time. Both couples were so cute, though, that I wanted to pinch their cheeks!

I was actually surprised by how hard I fell for PitchBank, especially considering how Pitch was introduced. But he turned out to be so funny and sweet and loyal. The way he accepted that Bank and Sky came as a package deal which meant they would all get involved in Sky’s father shady business on a regular basis, was just marvelous. Also, he and Bank were pretty much the polar opposite of SunSky, with them, there was no drama, no big upheavals, just some confusion and miscommunication. But they clicked so fast and slipped into a stable relationship so smoothly…

With SunSky, I was mostly enamored with how Sun blossomed when he finally allowed himself to want Sky and love him as a lover, not just as a servant his master. He became so relaxed and smiley and overall simply happy that it was a marvel to watch. Wonderful.

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Personally, I didn’t really feel the romance but everything else about this drama was just about perfect. The characters, all of them, the friendships, the mother-son relationship… Thun had, hands down, one of the best coming out episode I have ever seen. Yes, pretty much a whole ep was dedicated to him coming out as gay to his friends and the girl who liked him and his mom, and it was one of the most wonderful, most wonderfully acted thing I’ve seen.

I adored Thun’s friends, how much they all genuinely loved Thun, how worried they were about him keeping secrets from them, how they were willing to face his wrath to get him the help they thought he needed when they convinced themselves he was on drugs, the way they went above and beyond casual friendship “duties” for him.

And his mom, his mom deserved a Mother of the Year™ award. She was so incredible, so fantastic. No wonder Thun grew up to be such an amazing boy with a mom like her. They pushed all my parent-kid buttons with their love and care for each other. That was beautiful.

Also, the mystery was so intriguing! I genuinely didn’t think that it would turn out to be that particular person, the murderer. Huh. I adored the whole reveal scene, the way Thun kept pushing and pushing and pushing to get to the truth because he promised Met to figure out what happened to him!

The ending felt a bit like a cope-out, TBH. I think I would’ve preferred if Met reincarnated and went looking for Thun as an adult. But that’s just me…

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Hands down, one of the best Kdramas I’ve ever seen. I mean it. Sweet, touching and heartbreaking, a slice-of-life series about people dealing with the fall-out of a terrible accident. It has everything, including physical and mental whump, PTSD, you name it. It’s like one of those amazing, 50+K slow-burn fics that break you and then piece you back together only to repeat that process over and over again… Incredible!

Lee Junho’s Lee Kang Doo is one of the most amazing heroes I’ve seen to date. To watch how his integrity and brash honesty changes those around him and all that without him even realizing how important he’s become and to how many people is a thing to behold.

The acting is simply phenomenal and I really hope that Lee Junho sticks with it. Not that he isn’t a great singer but I think he really found himself as an actor and I can’t wait what else he has in store because so far, all his series have been big hits for me, personally.

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This was a very sweet drama about friendship and family - with a smidgen of soap opera - whose ending gave me warm fuzzies.

It’s no secret that I watched it mainly and mostly for New Thitipoom playing Teedet and I really loved his character. I loved his love for plants and small animals, his almost terminal foot-in-mouth-is and his determination not to suffer any BS from anyone. Also during Teedet’s monologues, Newwiee’s voice was so wonderfully warm and soft.

It was cute - but too short!!! - and you could see how much the actors enjoyed playing their parts and acting together because, though they’re the original pillars of GMMTV, some of them never had the chance to act together. I guess this was their last stab at playing students for GMMTV before they jump to adult roles. And no wonder, considering that some of them will be 30 next year. I hope we’ll see them in something else together in the future but if not, then this drama was a wonderful gift to the fans of the three Royal Couples.

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The Most Wonderful Bromance

This was a wonderful series. The last time I was so caught up in watching a Cdrama was during The Untamed craze. Tang Fan, Sui Zhou and Wang Zhi, these three and their odd friendship made the drama for me. For once, though, it wasn’t just the characters but the story itself, the cases, the plot what caught my interest because the storytelling was wonderfully smart and woven together with meticulous care which at the very end bore fruit when the various people our heroes met during their previous cases came together to help them save the emperor and the whole Ming Dynasty.

So yes, the story was so good and the characters - the found family trope - were the sweet cherry on top. This drama was based on a BL book but because of censorship, the love story between Tang Fan and Sui Zhou couldn’t be portrayed as such. Instead we got the most wonderful bromance with deep devotion and much care - but mainly, no shoehorned love interest for either. So, just like in The Untamed, the leads might not have kissed on-screen but their love for one another was undeniable. And the characters were portrayed just wonderfully by the actors! Kudos for the excellent job they did!

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This was a great series. It seemed like the plot was simple but then came the big twist at the end and it left the plot open for a possible S2. Will there be S2? Did they plan the whole thing with the idea of another season already in mind? Or did they leave the ending open just in case it was a hit, so that they could bring it back if need be? Who knows? Not me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There were two things that I truly loved about the series: the casting and then the music.

The drama introduced me to Inukai Atsuhiro and it showed me a very different side of Suzuki Nobuyuki whom I knew from High & Low and Tokyo Revengers. And I became a big - or a bigger - fan of both. I love when that happens, when I find new actors to follow. So... nice!

And the score! The score was so good. Unlike movies, dramas rarely have a great score but this one did. And for me, it certainly added a lot to the experience.

I'm very happy with how the drama turned out. The development of Shiro & Ichiro's relationship was simply amazing. The way they went from a simple cooperation/cohabitation over friendship to something much deeper was a thing to behold. The depth of their trust and love for each other... mwah! Outright romances have less romance than this drama. Their looks, their little touches, the things they did for each other, that all honestly gave me butterflies! So good.

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This was a cute little drama. At first, I wished it was longer, both the episodes and the drama itself - 12 eps, each 20 minutes long, didn't feel like enough - but now that it ended, I think it was just right for the story, which was very simple and kinda thin for anything longer.

What really kept me watching was the relationship that developed between Doo Shim & Woo Soo. The way he became so smitten with her and the way she slowly returned his feelings, her relief that she wasn't alone in this shaman business anymore. That was really great. And also the fact that Woo Soo wasn't just an innocent bystander but that he got powers of his own. That was really cool.

So, yeah, a nice little series. And I do hope that there will be S2, this time with a deeper plot. Then I would wholeheartedly welcome 16 eps, an hour each!

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It’s a campy romp with a smidgen of horror and amazing music, though rather too modern for the setting, I didn’t mind that at all, though, because it certainly put me in the right mood for the whole thing. I laughed and I cried, it was funny and it was sad.

The main duo’s bickering was hilarious and their chemistry wonderful. And the ending open enough for a possible continuation. I loved the Netherworld setting, it was very moody. The story worked really well with themes like reincarnation, grief and letting go. Quite unexpectedly, I loved the character development of the villain’s family, the “evil” mother and her neglected stepdaughter’s relationship. That? Was very unusual, how it turned out. And I loved it.

Apparently, this series is based on a book and a movie and those who loved them, hated the series, it seems. But since I didn’t read the book nor did I see the movie, I didn’t care. Personally, I liked it. It’s definitely one of the best TW dramas I’ve seen.

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Honestly? This was the closest that I’ve ever seen a Cdrama get to an actual, honest to gosh threesome. I mean, certainly, all of the scenes where the two generals ended up in one bed together and cuddling where played up for the laughs but considering the requirements of censorship in China, I do think that they did the utmost to imply that, yeah, if the filmmakers were allowed? Them three would be an item.

This was a comedy drama. But as much as I love comedy, this was too much even for me. It bordered on parody so even those moments that were supposed to be taken seriously, I simply could not do that. Which is too bad because the main story of the two generals from opposing sites becoming good friends - at the very least - was quite an interesting one!

Best scene in the whole drama? The one where the main heroine and her husband, the general of the South Kingdom, helped their lover… err, best friend, the general of the North Kingdom, escape under the noses of both sides’ spies. That was just awesome. That they went that far and that he trusted them not to betray him.

I’m not using their names because a) I don’t want to spoil it too much and b) their names changed and then changed again so many times that it was hard to keep them straight.

So, yeah. The idea was great. The execution was… lacking. Though I still do hope that they will make S2, as implied at the very end.

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A great little drama literally murdered by horrible subs by MangoTV.

This is Mr. & Mrs. Smith wuxia style. They adore each other, bless their little hearts, but he's the palace's secret agent and she's a gun for hire - so to speak. And they don't know that about each other.

Goodness gracious, the shenanigans! Not only is the writing truly hilarious, the actors play their parts perfectly which adds to the overall funny - and yet loving - tone of this web drama.

It's too bad that Mango butchered the subs so badly. Because of it, the overall plot with the palace intrigue and whatnot is literally lost in translation. I kinda doubt that the visiting... official or whatever was really a "proton" 🤨

Also, the ending song is truly lovely.

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This felt... way too cutesy, I must say. Don't get me wrong, I love me sweet fluff from time to time but this felt too forcefully cheerful and cute. IMO, they tried way too hard and the end result just didn't feel really natural.

Which is too bad because the boys' back stories could've made for a really interesting drama otherwise. The found family trope was strong with this one and it's too bad that the writers didn't let that speak for itself. And when I say family, I'm not talking just about the four boys at the inn but also Yakyo and his pâtissier, Eisuke. Or the other restaurant owner, his little daughter and his clumsy help.

In the end, I found Tokitaka's backstory the most intriguing - and his relationship with Sui the most interesting, that everyone called them "mom" and "dad", respectively. But also Eisuke, whom I couldn't stand at first, turned out so fascinating! Especially his relationship with Yakyo.

Still, because of its overt sugary sweetness, it felt a bit boring. Too bad...

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