The Best of 'Kiss'

Of all the ‘Kiss’ series this is by far my favorite. The pool scene in the first episode was incredibly cute and then the way they tied it in in the last episode had me swooning. While the story line is a tad cliche, I enjoyed watching Pete and Kao work through all their drama (a lot of it self inflicted). Normally characters as overly possessive as Pete are hard for me to like, but I enjoy Tay's portrayal so much and I know the added stress of dating a closeted person amplifies Pete's insecurities. I am confused about how supposedly no one in the gang, besides Sandee, knows about Pete and Kao when their relationship was outed in Kiss The Series. I'm not sure if the writers forgot or if they were just trying to have added pressure on Kao's reluctance to come out.
One of my favorite elements in the show are the parents (Pete's dad and Kao's mom) . I especially love the relationship between Pete and his dad. I wish every parent would be that understanding and open. They did a good job with Non's character because I really wanted to fight him haha.
There were enough romantic scenes to satisfy me. Sun and Mork’s love seen was so well captured and tender. Pete and Kao are #3 in my heart (after Arthit/Kongpop and Pete/Ae). The drama in the last couple of episodes really had me clutching my blankets and tearing up. Overall well acted, good script, endearing characters. High re-watch value for me. And I have to add that wow Tay really lives up to his name, he is indeed very handsome.

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What can I say I'm a huge Perth fan so when I heard he was going to be in this show I ran to watch it. I overall enjoyed the show, but I have to say at the end of episode 7 I was left with a dazed and confused feeling. I can't lie I really don't understand what's happening lol. It's a hard line to toe in supernatural type TV shows of keeping the audience roped into the plot without giving away too much and simultaneously not confusing tf out of people.

I never watched Lost, but I know the premise and I can see how parallels would be drawn. This show is reminiscent of a few other Netflix shows of this variety OA and The Dome (not a Netflix original). I enjoyed the cinematography and production. I love Thai dramas, that may be in part because I feel like they're the underdog in the realm of Asian dramas, so I love to see them get bigger budgets (apparent by the lack of ad placement, but yea this IS Netflix we're talking about).

I have already mentioned that I love Perth(Krit) and it's so nice to see him all grown up after LBC (wow the glasses, drooling). I was also happy to see another LBC vet Mark(Jack) get a better storyline (ironic I know considering his fate) after the TRASH character he was in LBC (not his fault). I think Krit and Jack made a cute couple and what a real dilemma to put them in that few people talk about. The actor who plays Long in TharnType said (after he received a lot of hate for his role) that he's happy people are angry because that means he did his job well in portraying that character. Maybe I should feel the same way about March(Anan) I just knew his character was going to be a problem and I thoroughly dislike him. However, I also disliked him in Kiss Me Again so I'm still on the fence about him as an actor. Why have I only seen Pam(Jan) in these psychotic roles? She's doing a good job I just want more diversity for her. Really there's no bad acting going on in this show. I very much enjoyed all the actors in their roles and their contributions to the plot.

I really hope they'll get a season 2 (please bring Mark back lol) because yea I am really confused and I need some clarity.

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Ugh, I have so many mixed feelings about this show. Where it really excelled in some arenas it royally dropped the ball in others. Honestly, I wish this were a parody then I could laugh and give it a 10/10. I'll start with the things that I enjoyed.

I have been a fan of Saint's since LBC and truly he has grown as an actor. I really enjoyed his portrayal of Tutor I'd give him a 8.5/10. I liked Fighter a lot, more than I thought I would based on episode 1. Zee is really a very talented actor. I thought their chemistry was incredible and overall enjoyed them as a couple although I hated how hot and cold Fighter was in the beginning. Tommy did a great job as Zon although I thought from a writing standpoint that his character was so so. I think all the actors did a great job with what they were given. I also really loved Japan, but felt that it was such a terrible waste to include him in the show. The production was out of this world. It was so good that it makes me more than a little upset that the rest of the show did not live up. I had to chuckle because someone said the show seemed like an advert for Thai tourism, and while I needed no persuasion to visit Thai beaches, I can see how it comes across that way. I personally enjoyed the scenery because it's more than I can say about the plot.

Which leads me to where is the plot? Really, look at the show past it's shiny exterior of attractive actors, production, and scenery... the plot does not exist. Rather what we have is a premise (Zol writes a BL that comes to life) and no delivery of any plot. I think Zol only appears once after episode 4 and they only make vague references to being in a BL novel after like episode 6. The writing and direction is where all the problems lie in this series. From episode 1 we are led to believe that Zon will be the main character (so subsequently his pair will be the main pair) but Saifah and Zon's storyline take a HUGE back seat to Tor/Fight. It's hard to have two main couples and give them equal screen time so I really for the life of me cannot understand why they felt the need to have SO MANY tertiary and quatenary couples. At times it didn't even feel like Tor/Fight and Zon/Saifah existed in the same universe. They really felt like 2 completely separate storylines. As I said I thought Tommy did a great job, but Zon's character was poorly written in my opinion. The complete 180 in Zon's character from episode 2 to 3 still has me scratching my head. The enemies to lovers trope is so old and I have never seen it so poorly executed. I feel bad any time I have to bring up the quality of subtitles in shows, it makes me feel ungrateful, but the subtitles in episodes 1-5 were a special kind of terrible. Not to mention that there were entire exchanges without subs at all. I was really dumbfounded I couldn't believe that with a seemingly decent sized budget that was the best they could do for inter fans. I also felt like the directors tried too hard to make this show compete with Tharn/Type. The bed scenes were INTENSE. A little too much for me personally. I'm sad for the way the show was impacted by COVID-19, however, I'm not persuaded that the last 3 episodes would've flowed any better or that the show would have had a better ending otherwise.

There's a lot more I could say, but I don't like my reviews to be crazy long. I'm not saying don't watch it, because it definitely has it's moments, but it really was an underwhelming show in my opinion.

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It's against my M.O. to watch airing dramas (i live for the binge watch) so I started this by accident and have not for one minute been disappointed. This show cements why I can't watch airing shows, I feel so anxious waiting for the next episode!! I will update this review after the show is completed, but for now here are my takes.
I love love the plot so far! So unique! Very Romeo and Juliet-esque as far as Korn/In's story goes. I admittedly had a hard time getting into the first episode. I'm not sure if I don't like Earth as an actor, or if I don't like the roles I've seen him in (this and LBC), but I got over it ** I like Earth more now, but he's still not one of my favorite actors. His style is FABULOUS though. THE MUSIC! Wow, a lot of the music is instrumental and really gives off film score vibes which makes this feel more like a film than a tv show (I mean honestly it is SO GOOD!! I ran to download the OST). We don't deserve Boy Sompob. Big props on the production too. Very, very well made show.
Imo, aesthetically Dean/Pharm are not my favorite couple, however, both actors do an amazing job with the portrayal of their characters. Fluke really warms my heart, his Pharm is one of the all around cutest characters I've seen. It had to be stressful to cry as much as he did. I really love Fluke he's one of the more seasoned young Thai actors and one of my absolute favorites. Ohm definitely nails the brooding but deep down a sweetheart character. He really looked ready to devour Pharm at any minute. And I honestly love the secondary characters as well. WOW Win! Swoons, I love a chignon. So far I really can't find fault with anything in the show. Small caveat I don't like Alex, but that's the point. I'm a little worried about where they're going with his storyline. I sincerely hope this isn't headed for a tragic ending. I really hope the show continues on this strong note!

Update
This is the first series that I've ever rated as a 10. I expected nothing less out of the same studio that gave us LBC. I have already rewatched the series in it's entirety, as well as having rewatched multiple episodes individually. I laughed, I cried (A LOT), and my heart went "squish" lol. My heart was ready to explode from equal parts anxiety, sadness, cuteness and frustration especially during the last 2 episodes. I enjoyed the chemistry between all 3 couples and was only a little bit sad that Win/Team don't really get any screen time (there's A LOT going on with the main couple Dean/Pharm). There's a camp that felt the show was boring.... well to each their own but I was NEVER bored not for 1 second. I also don't agree that the ending was rushed, forced, or poorly done. I was/am content. Also kudos to studio Wabi Sabi for uploading their episodes with subs the day of release (As an inter fan I can't do anything but stan).

This series is as close to perfection as I've ever seen (especially coming from Thailand and especially to be a BL), but I won't pretend that it didn't have ANY issues at all. For one, I hated how often they commented on Manoaw's weight. There were some issues w/ the sound: background noise competing with the actors voices (most notably the aquarium scene and the fountain Christmas lights scene), as well as a couple scenes that were too dark. The face Ohm makes when he's disgusted w/ himself (the kitchen scene) is so crigne, yikes. If you're used to and enjoy shows with high drama and conflict, yea, this show probably comes off as boring. I was living for the sweet and seemingly uneventful events. I enjoyed the show IMMENSELY! It will be at the top of my all time favorite BL list. Run and watch it now.

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I've only ever felt compelled to write a review on an ongoing series one other time (UWMA). This is going to be one of my favorite series of 2020 I can already tell. So far it is incredibly cute and I really applaud the social commentary. I'm so glad they didn't cancel the series after they had issues with unofficial channels leaking several episodes.

I think that the overall plot is cute. Some worried that this and EN of Love would be essentially the same series, but EN of Love has nothing on My Engineer. They're not even remotely similar outside of the engineer/doctor coupling. EN of Love wishes it was My Engineer. But I digress... It's interesting the way they spun the secret crush trope with Duen bringing Bohn flowers as a "punishment". I didn't expect Bohn to confess to Duen as early on in the series as he did, but I liked that they didn't draw that plot point out for too long.

I've liked Cooper since My Bromance. So far I think he's done an awesome job although some of the things Bohn does really irritate me and are very reminiscent of Golf from My Bromance. It is not cute nor healthy to be that possessive over someone and it's shocking (I mean not really but you know) that Duen continually forgives Bohn for that behavior. Cooper/Poy have very cute chemistry and very believable first time love type interactions. I usually am not one of those people that prefer the secondary couple to the main couple but OMG I LOVE Ram/King!! I think they are so adorable together and King was persistent in a not creepy way. I really enjoy watching Ram slowly open up to King. Perth and Lay did an incredible job. Also Perth's English *heart eye emoji* was better than his Mom's (I know they just say foreign they don't say where she's from and there's no reason to assume English is her first language). I actually enjoy the 3 main couples and feel like their stories are well developed. I like Thara/Frong, but I feel like 3 couples is A LOT and is seldomly done well so adding a 4th couple is just doing a lot. Their couple is cute, but i don't know if it will be fully realized by the end of the season (not surprising that it wasn’t). Look I thought I was crazy at first but they really did dub the voice for Mek's character and I honestly am scratching my head. I know why they did it, but I felt like there were so many other options they could have done. It's a bit distracting to be honest. Poor Ryan because they also gave him contacts in the beginning and I just thought that they neither A. Fit his character or B. Looked natural. But overall the acting is very well done.

I was honestly put off at first by episode 9 because of their heavy fixation on who would be the seme/uke and what attributes make an uke vs a seme. BLs are notoriously problematic in this area and just when I was ready to fast forward they took the high road! IT DOESN'T MATTER. And whatever works for an individual couple is that couple's business. ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOLKS. Well Done.

Will update this after the series is over but so far 10/10 would recommend.

**Updates

It was cute through and through. The ending wasn’t anything super spectacular but i enjoyed it. I kind of figured they were going for a season 2 because the way the plot was being laid out didn’t leave room for a satisfactory resolution in that time frame. Best kiss Ram and King <3. I really love their couple. We already see the setup for the misunderstanding between Thara/Frong in season 2. It’s still at the top of my list for 2020 BL dramas. I hope season 2 goes more smoothly for the studio. I’ll be waiting.

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Sigh, this is the first time I've been disappointed with something that has come out of Studio WabiSabi. It's really difficult to do a short series well and I commend them for better execution on Love Mechanics vs TOSSARA. I can appreciate what they were trying to do, however, it didn't completely deliver.

I thought the acting was overall good. Vee and Mark have better chemistry than Gun and Bar. I give Yin slightly higher marks than War, but they both did well for their first roles. Everything overall was better than TOSSARA. The production was good, but I've seen better from this studio. I really don't like this storyline. They want to make Ploy out to be the bad guy (which I mean she is) but her cheating doesn't absolve Vee from *checks notes* THE CHEATING. Come on now! I'm soooooo tired of this plot. The music is fine but not really memorable.

It's only 4 episodes and it's not terrible

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This show is on many top BL drama lists that I have seen. I have been putting it off because Off (no pun intended) just doesn't do it for me, but you know the saying "oldie but a goodie"? Well this is that "trope-y but a goodie".

There is nothing new under the sun here, but as Third said "it's not cliche it's classic". Tropes and cliches exist for a reason and in this case it's well done. Some tropes are more frustrating than other's, but for me personally near the top of the list is the unrequited love trope (more so the secret crush/love), especially when the love interest is a trash person. You can't help but feel for Third in this show while simultaneously feeling like "wtf are you crying over a situation you have control over". You really can't help your feelings, but you can't be upset that someone disregards feelings that they didn't know were there (even though honestly Khai is a pretty crappy friend). That's pretty much par for the course for that particular trope. Two/Un's storyline was not well developed, but I wasn't upset about it. For a storyline revolving around film students the production and cinematography are great. I also really enjoy the music. I very much enjoy the style of this drama with the voice overs.

I think Off is a good actor despite his lack of physical appeal for me. Gun is just the cutest little thing and I enjoy their on and off screen chemistry. White's roles are usually hit or miss for me, but I like him in this role. I appreciated the slightly unexpected twist in Bone's storyline. I was happy to see Neen in another role outside of SOTUS, but I think in some aspects her performance fell short (especially during the Two/Phon showdown).

What can I say? It's a well done classic that I would recommend.

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My New Obsession

Wow, I haven't been this enamored with a BL since UWMA. What do I even put here. The show delivers on every level. Sam and Yu are so cute together and they have sweet sweet chemistry. I think I have watched every FMV on youtube I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF HOW CUTE THEY ARE!! I think Yu did an amazing job acting outside of his native language. I am quite frankly obsessed with him. While my heart is screaming we only get 6 episodes!! My other commitments are grateful that the rewatch doesn't take days haha. Seemingly all the "only gay for you" characters in BLs are always angry and uncomfortable when they realize their feelings. I am so happy we got precious Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi interactions and that Yi seemed completely comfortable to be with De. The confession scene honestly had my heart busting so many uwus I thought I would die from the cuteness. I have rewatched that episode no less than 6x. I also don't know what it is but I'm a sucker for a pool kiss. Please go watch this RIGHT NOW!! Thank the heavens season 2 comes out next month!!

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I absolutely love Ohm, so I was looking forward to this show ever since the trailer was released. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the show. It's not a BL, as I would categorize it, it is an inclusive show that includes BL characters. I feel like I was not in the intended audience for this show. It came across as extremely juvenile to me. I really don't like the body switch theme in the realm of BL or BL adjacent shows. It makes me cringe so much. I also don't understand the obsession with towing the incest line.

As I have already said, I love Ohm (I mean I really love Ohm). He has not had any role that I did not enjoy him in and let's face it he's gorgeous. I thought he did an amazing job cementing the acting in a cast full of newbies. I also always enjoy seeing Jennie. I thought all the actors did a good job. Nothing stood out as glaringly bad. I feel like the writers wrote Pan as Kim to be over the top to really differentiate the two of them, but I thought it was too much in the beginning.

The production was good. I just felt like they made everything so over the top cute. Everything was super bright and pink and just gave off cutesy/childish vibes. Even the OST is super cutesy. Honestly, the last 2 episodes saved the entire show for me. I mean they didn't have to make it THAT sad, but I was craving an injection of some seriousness. THE LAST TWO EPISODES!!! I wish I could insert a meme here. Even though you can see the plot twist coming from a mile away, oh my heart *grips chest*. Really the ending bumped my rating up much higher than it originally was based on episodes 1-10. If you're looking for a BL this isn't it, but overall I would say give it a try.

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CA (caution advisory) this is a show definitely worthy of the American TV-MA rating.
This is a great show. It's going to go down as one of my favorites BL or otherwise. I was crying from episode 1! The show feels so unique and refreshing because they avoid most of the BL tropes and cliches (at least with Pete/Ae).
Honestly, I wanted to give the show a 10/10, but I really did not care for the secondary storylines. Pete and Ae carry the entire show for me. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that right off the bat Pete came out to his mom in the first episode and she accepted him! I was so happy to avoid that trope. I really love Ae's character he is direct and never shies away from Pete. I also love that they avoided the whole "only gay for you" trope. I can't emphasize enough how much I like Ae's character. He was never at any point embarrassed to be around Pete and when he realized he had feelings for him he didn't push him away and/or get angry at him. 99% of the issues that arise in these dramas are from a lack of communication and that doesn't really happen with Pete/Ae or else it is quickly squashed. This feels like a really genuine exploration of first love. There's a lot of sex and mention of sex in this show, but I really appreciate how they present it. It felt real and carefully done.
I really wish they had made Tin/Can's relationship platonic because where they had otherwise been really good at avoiding tropes this relationship falls into so many (guy with a rough past is angry at the world until he meets the happy-go-lucky character (who he is mean to in the beginning) that opens his heart and makes him trust again)/ the enemies to lovers. But damn, it took until episode 14 but they reeled me in. They got me. I mean Tin's scene in the shower! Ugh, my heart was breaking.
You get the feeling early on that they always envisioned a season 2 (which is confirmed and set for 2020) although after shooting the first season the director said there wouldn't be one. The secondary storylines are very poorly laid out and convoluted leading you to believe they will delve into these storylines in-depth in season 2. I have no idea where the Tar/Tum storyline is going or what are the circumstances surrounding what happened to Tar and how that relates to Type and his BF. *Update: i watched TarnType so i no longer have these questions, although is still don’t know where they’re going w/ Tar/Tum. I highly recommend it!* This forbidden familial love trope is one of my least favorites. I also don't know or frankly care about Kla's crush on No. I HATE the way they set up their relationship, That's rape. It was rape and for the life of me i can’t understand how they spent time dealing with Tar’s emotional issues from being raped only to have one character rape the other (ugh!!).
I wasn't sure but I came to like Tin/Can's storyline but the rest of them weighed down what was otherwise a fantastic show. I highly recommend it. I definitely will re-watch at some point (just as enamored with the 2nd rewatch) although I'm skipping over some parts. I was also unsure about season 2, but after seeing the trailer I have slightly higher expectations. I am among the many heartbroken that Saint will not be participating in season 2 :(.

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This show had so many good moments to unfortunately end up cemented in mediocrity. I liked the premise and the setting gave me Lovesick vibes in this current market saturated with college set BLs. The story really could have gone somewhere great and just never delivered on any level. This could’ve been a great coming of age story with self discovery and coming into one’s sexuality and navigating the already confusing realm of first relationships coupled with a less than accepting society. It’s sadly easier to list the things i liked rather than the things i didn’t like about this BL, but I’ll do both.

I mostly enjoyed the acting. I thought Mork and Tee made a good couple and though it’s apparent that Frank and Drake are newbies their chemistry was cute and roles mostly well delivered. I really appreciated that outside of one daughter-in-law joke by Tee, they mostly avoided the one of us is the guy and one of us is the girl stereotype. The show tried to tackle some pretty heavy topics like suicidal thoughts, serious health concerns, repercussions of living in a bigoted society, and underdelivered on every single one. But i mean they tried lol. Gourd and Morn were my favorites. I really felt for Gourd and his secret crush and didn’t feel a lack of cuteness b/c of constraints surrounding the age of their characters. I also appreciated that Mork’s friends were so supportive and the fact that the secondary love interest Au was 1. Not a girl and 2. Not a lunatic.

Ok, now dig in, here’s where they went wrong. First, Tee’s mom sucked! What a hypocrite, but i mean the acting yikes. The plot holes are numerous and the plot progression had me like the kombucha girl meme, confused and unsure then pleasantly intrigued backed to confused. They never develop or rather reveal Tee and Mork’s background story very well and Ton’s character especially felt underutilized. I’m still wondering if Tee suffers from some mental illness (depression or other) and they never explain why he faints all the time and what condition Mork has (I’m guessing something related to what his mom had, but again they never get into that either). I’m surprised by the poor production especially coming from a studio as large as GMMTV. The sound quality in multiple scenes was horrible which was annoying to me, but didn’t hinder my understanding as an inter fan reading subtitles, so i can only imagine how poorly it comes across when you’re listening for comprehension. WHEN GOURD MOVED HIS DESK THE CAMERA SHOOK. I was cackling haha.

Look it’s cute. Drake and Frank have a fan base and are appearing together in GMMTVs currently airing (2020) series 2gether (as background characters don’t get your hopes up lol). The series didn’t make it into the “waste of time” category, so if you’re a BL fan and you have the time I’d say watch it, but I will not be rewatching it.

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Wow they wasted no time getting into the "action" lol. This movie was interesting to say the least. I definitely enjoyed it and had the feeling of anticipation trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Wine is definitely mentally ill and I still have some questions about the reality of it all. As this is a BL movie I was ready for a tragic ending, but this plot twist has something else in store. I like a good supernatural theme here-and-there and it felt well done. The music set the tone well, although for me not overly memorable.

I LOVE LOVE Fluke (and really that's an understatement). I first watched him in Until We Meet Again (his most recent work) so going back and watching his earlier works has been honestly a thrill. He really did a good job in this movie and his acting has only improved. It's no wonder that he can play such an emotional role so well since he's had plenty of practice over the years. And honestly he's just so cute, which I won't lie makes some of the sex scenes unsettling because he seems so innocent. Fuhrer did an amazing role as Night. I felt he portrayed all the emotions very well and I definitely felt the sense of loss/confusion.

Look, I'm not going to get too much into continuity errors (anyone with a high school level background in science would know that blood would coagulate in those bottles but I digress lol) and anything can happen in these cinematic universe's especially when you're dabbling in the supernatural. Overall I would recommend this movie especially if you love BL and/or Fluke as much as I do.

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This was GOOD! I'm so happy they made this special. I always thought Bright and Win had good chemistry and it really shined through in this special. The special really outshines the entirety of season 1. There were a lot of complaints that the chemistry fizzled out towards the end of season one, which is true, but I just want to say that shows and movies are not shot in chronological order so the awkwardness that seemed out of place for the storyline may actually have stemmed from them shooting those scenes earlier on before they were completely comfortable with each other. Granted they are actors, but still newbies. I digress.

Mil with the redemption! I really disliked Drake's character in season 1 and I'm so glad that they redeemed him. And I must say WOW Drake looked fantastic. Obviously Frank and Drake have history so their chemistry was on point. I really liked all the couples and it's amazing that they had better scene distribution in these 5 episodes than the entire first season. I really enjoyed the progression of the special and the lack of literally everything that I disliked about the first season. I honestly want to recommend skipping the first season and just watching the special lol.

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If I were writing this review after watching the first 2 episodes this would be a completely different review. Thanks to tenacity (or obsession haha) I never drop shows and in this instance I'm so glad. This turned out to be such a cute show and honestly made me laugh out loud at parts. The plot is so very very cliche, fake romance turns into real romance. I have a love/hate relationship with tsundere type leads and was honestly put off by Ye Shuwei in the beginning. It was actually the mom in ep 3 that shifted the mood of the drama for me. I really liked Bei Erduo and enjoyed the blossoming chemistry between her and Shuwei. I thought Erduo and Liza's friendship was so sincere and genuinely presented to the audience. I actually enjoyed the side story between Liza and Yu Sheng especially because they didn't get the stereotypical ending, although I did not like how Liza's individual story ended. I'm kind of tired of the entitled rich socialite being obsessed with the ML and doing everything in her power to sabotage the FL. Although cliche, this drama has everything that makes a great drama: chemistry between the leads, quality music, quality acting, and quality production. The first 2 episodes are meh to be quite honest but hang i there! It's worth it.

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