Corruption & politics & business & Don Quichottes

Every single korean drama dealing with business or politics is also always about the corruption. There seems to be no honest businessmen or politicians in Korea or if there are any they are quickly threatened or killed in order to shut them up. The rich and powerful always get away with everything, usually putting blame on "little" people, those who are not rich or have the power to rule.

I guess I have seen one drama too many having this plotline and I cannot stand it any more. Is Korea really such a corrupt country where the powerful can get away with anything? And they mostly do even when they are caught, the punishment somehow does not seem to equal all the bad deeds they commited!

Argon is that drama too many! It is a good drama at its bases but this plot is so repetitive. Usually it is a super honest policeman but, in this case, it is a super honest journalist who stumbles upon a huge cover up involving his own company CEO.

The beginning of this drama reminded me a lot of Newsroom, a US show about workings behind the screen of a late night news show. But once they delved into the highly predictable territory of rotten chaebols and politicians, I lost interest really quickly. I finished it since it was only 8 episodes long. And that was a good and a bad thing at the same time. On the good side the drama was finished quickly and I could let a sigh of relief when all the corruption plot left my screen. On the downside, I was not happy with the episode count because the drama had an amazing cast of characters which were not sufficiently explored. Apart from the main character, the Argon anchor, everyone else was left behind very quickly and was eventually used as aprop for the ML's redemption arc.
For example, there was the rookie journalist, a mercenary who was hated when she arrived but managed to keep her cool and prove herself. Another one was a journalist who ruined the show because he hero worshipped the anchor. There was also the slimy rival anchor who was more worried about ratings than reporting the facts and corrupt to the bone. There was also another journalist with interesting family only slightly hinted at but never really talked about. And so on and so on...

I really hope that Korea is not the country represented in these dramas: highly corrupted and easily corruptible individuals who rule over it and its economy together with the millions of hate filled envious and anonymous netizens who spew their frustration at the slightest misstep and arte used as a guideline. This is the real horror. Zombies and monsters are CareBears in comparison!

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Fall into novel done right

As far as I could gather, the chinese are expert in these kinds of plots.They produced a big number of these "fall into a novel" dramas. Koreans have done just a few and I have seen only two I did not particularly like: Extraordinary You and Pop Out Boy. The first one is hugely popular but the only thing I liked about it was the main male cast, a real eye candy who have gone on to forge huge careers for themselves. And I discovered the meaning of second lead syndrome there. Pop Out Boy was a cute little web drama, better than EY.

And then there is this one. The plot revolves around a young idol singer who suddenly finds herself a villain in her favourite webnovel. She unwittingly changes the plot of the novel and becomes a main FL in a love triangle. So as you see nothing new. But here is the turning point: this drama gives a scathing portrayal and expresses a severe criticism of social media and the power that a bunch of frustrated netizens hold in their little hands. And that is refreshing. The young idol singer is used to mean comments about her on SNS and even though she usually just waits for the storm to pass without commenting, it is visibly taking a toll on her. In order to escape it, she disappears into a novel and tries using the SNs for her advantage and it backfires badly making her realize that one needs to fight it and not just let it be and pay no attention to it.

Nana as the idol Yoo Jebi is perfect: innocent asn sincere and smart and realistic who suddenly gets to live her final year of high school anonymous. Gently and sweetly she brings about change in usual high school dynamics (there is "royalty" the F4, the four high school studs!!!And of cours a group of bullying mean girls! And the innocent punching ball! The usual high school cast of characters!)

No character is aware that they are in a novel: nobody thinks it is strange that there is noone on the roads (how did they manage to film so many scenes in public empty places? It does look like a "novel" village setting so maybe it was a soundstage somewhere...), that characters appear and then disappear without without anyone taking notice etc.etc. the usual novel tropes! And of course there is the second lead who almost gave me a SLS but the writers managed to put that threat under control quickly. Yoon Hyun Sook who played the SML was amazing, so sweet and pretty (I'd love to see him in a bl!lol).
This web drama did not have as many eye candy as EY but plotwise it was perfect. They even managed to figure out a credible solution for the main couple.

The resolution of internet troll problem is unfortunately overly optimistic! I personally do not believe in good human nature. People are not like that: everything most of us do is guided by the seven deadly sins and the internet is letting us get away with things that the good upbringing and education managed to curtail and limit before. Now it is feast for all, in blessed anonymity!

The story is really sweet, the actors are good, the writing logical,the world building credible and production value high.

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So much more than fantasy!

When I started The Warp Effect, I did not expect much: maybe a cute little time travelling teen lost but nothing more! What I got was the time travelling teen lost and then so much more.

This series has been on my PTW list for a long time and I started it yesterday while looking for something to watch. As I kept dropping one drama after another after trying them (one episode tryout), this one came up and without realizing it I binged the whole series in a day!

It tells a story about teens and sex! Alex is an 18yr old who would like to get laid but it always ends up as a disaster apparently because of a promise he gave to his late mother. Finally he manages to have drunken sex at a party and suddenly finds himself 10 years in the future with a set of polariod photos he took at a party and puzzles he needs to solve in order to set everything right.

The plot sounds a bit silly but it is actually really well thought out: it manages to strike the perfect balance between entertainment and education. Because this is a full fledged sex ed course! The education part covers everything about sex, gender, pregnancy, stds but it is never "in your face" preachy, it flows so naturally that it is amazing! The writers managed to create a perfect teen/young adult drama!

The drama tells the story of 8 high school friends(who were never in the same friends' group but they knew each other) who reconnect when they are 28 years old and why are they who they became and what happened at the PARTY. They cover the large spectrum of sexual orientation but it looks natural, for lack of better word! None of them is really characterized by it but it is just something they are: what is important is how they are, what kind of person they are. Through them though every kind of sexual orientation is explained. And then more!

The time travelling plot is fun, Alex being completely lost and trying to figure out is funny, the interactions between the friends are realistic.... secrets hidden for a long time are revealed and Alex is taught a lot so when he eventually goes back he would avoid making the same mistakes.

There was never a dull moment. All the actors were excellent in their roles and I was pleasantly surprised by New's comic timing. People are saying that Joong would have been better in this role: I do not agree. Joong acts like a dead fish: zero facial expression. Sorry for his fans, but when you see him here, he always sports a semi smile trying to be quizzical but just being empty. Fortunately he only had a tiny role!

The writing was perfect, the editing as well and nothing was superfluous. And then there is music: I have not heard such a great soundtrack in a long time. Almost every song is not an original one but the music editor managed to choose some beautiful, mostly american, songs that illustrated perfectly what was happening on screen.

I am trying to find something wrong with this drama but I am having hard time. There are probably flaws since nothing is perfect but I have not noticed them. GMMTV managed again to surprise me with a great show. One time (55:15 ) is an accident, second time (Mama Gogo) is a coincidence, the third time (The Warp Effect) is a pattern!

PS I just found the flaw: the poster looks like those creepy & cringy US movies "American Pie". So awful!

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Maybe God is a fujoshi?

What can you do to improve upon a perfection? Make it just as perfect but shorter!

Even if I still do not understand why they'd go and make a movie only two years after that amazing drama (Fujoshi, Ukari...) was released, at least they did not ruin it!

What She Likes... is a beautiful coming of age drama dealing with one's own sexuality and the acceptance thereof. What it is not is a BL! It is a LGBT movie. It deals with trials and tribulations of a young man who knows himself to be gay but he is aware the society is not that tolerant or willing to accept people who do not fit the preconceived and deeply rooted idea of what is "normal". So he tries to fit the mould and fails brilliantly. The backlash of a forced outing is huge.

Jun is an 18 yr old aware of his own sexuality but struggling to accept it himself. He is seeing an older married man and deep down wants to have what his boyfriend has: a wife and kids. So he starts dating a girl who is a huge bl fan, a fujoshi and who is hiding that because she was told once she was disgusting for liking bls. Jun somehow feels the same about himself so he does not say anything to his friends or his mother believing they'd find him just as disgusting.

Jun's questioning of himself is portrayed very realistically. I found the school class discussion very true: kids were just saying things they think adults want to hear, open minded and politically correct, accepting differences without prejudices. Until the kid who caused all the mayhem by outing Jun, calls them on it and is quickly made to shut up. This scene shows how the society in general does not want to talk seriously about hard subjects and prefers hiding them under the carpet.

The friends, Jun's close friends, are the only ones treating him as an ordinary kid when he was outed while everyone else looked at him like an exotic beast in a circus. And even though the world is getting to be more and more open and accepting all differences on the surface, deep down the problem remains as is shown in two examples in the movie: a gay kid whose parents took him to see a doctor and a closeted gay student who does not want to be seen with Jun.

The only scene I did not like, both here and in the drama, was when Miura "came out" as fujoshi in front of the school assembly. I found it so wrong on so many level but mainly it is not the same thing not it has the same consequences being a fujoshi and being gay!

The story is poignant, true and the actors are all excellent. It is a must watch!

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Cute fantasy ad

I do not understand why the majority of viewers are so disappointed with this short anthology series. Too much advertising? Have you lot seen Vice Versa? That is too many ads! Here, the drink is the main sponsor and it has been integrated perfectly into the story: it was mostly not disturbing or annoyingly invading the plot!

The main theme of this series is how to be more supportive and understanding of your partner. Through three different stories (well done equality & diversity!) a gl, a bl and a straight couples learn more about each other and what makes them tick.

In the first episode, Zero of Photography we get to see a longtime couple Ink & Pa (from Bad buddy). After an accident, Pa goes back in time to when she met Ink for the first time and realizes why taking photos of her is so important to Ink. Communication, guys!!!! And there is a cute cat!
The second story Zero in the Moonlight, is not based on existing characters or a series and its premise is original (fantasy involving moon: think about it!). Maki is a graphic designer who gets all tense and scary when she sees a perfect circle. When she meets her new supervisor Fong she realizes she has found someone who understands her in all her weirdness. In the beginning of the story, when they introduced the perfect circles phobia, it was really hard to believe. How come certain circles triggered her panic reaction and the others didn't. It was not very consistent. It was not compatible with her job either or, for that matter, with life. Once you suspend belief and find out the reason for it, it is quite cute and the actors have good chemistry. I would not mind a full series with this fantasy theme. And there were cats!
The third episode bring us Win & Korn from Cupid's Last Wish, back with another body swap story in Zero Support. Win has moved to Bangkok to support Korn's business but he feels that Korn does not really understand the sacrifice he made and their relationship suffers. So Win eats a lot while Korn criticises him for excessive eating. One evening when they fight, the lightning strikes and they swap bodies. This is a very funny episode. And even though, with every new drama, I am more and more convinced Mix & Earth should stop being a couple, they were OK her. But just OK. There were no cats i this episode, just a cow!

The drink this series is advertising, was used judiciously throughout this series. In the first episode it was used as a photography prop to take some really sweet and original photos. In the second, it was an item that needed advertising and a new graphic design. And in the third, the bottle was used as kitchen utensil. Frankly, full marks for creativity.

It was really a cute short drama stressing the importance of communication between the partners in a couple.

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Always looking on the bright side of life

UNPOPULAR OPINION

As far as I can understand, I am supposed to love this movie because it was made by deaf cast and crew. And, while I do admire them for the effort, I do not like the movie: it is as full of righteous feelings as it is boring and uninteresting. Though maybe, I should not say that since it is a true story.

The movie is apparently based on the director's life. It tells the story about two girls in love. When the first one comes out to her parents, she is rejected so her girlfriend takes he to LGBTQetc. deaf support group where they all take turns in sharing their life stories in the second half of the movie. They all seem to be in a world devoid of hearing people.

The whole concept of this movie is rather original since is almost entirely silent: only one character speaks while all the others sign. But everything else did not rise up to the occasion. the cinematography is bland and pale and sad. The acting is bad though it is obvious everyone tried their best but it is still not good enough. The music is awful: a sort of hypnotic, sad, repetitive, monotonal piano piece: there were like 5 notes played repeatedly, non stop. I actually fell asleep a couple of times and had to rewind it in order not to miss out on the plot.

You have to admire though, the bravery of these people who do not let their handicap be impediment to their happiness. Ultimately it is a very optimistic movie.

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Knowledge equals protection

If you are looking for a good sex ed course, you have found it! Frankly, this drama should be an obligatory watch for all teenagers and their parents.

What comes out here is the total lack of communication between the kids and the adults be it at home or in school. The adults expect the blind obeissance from the kids who need answers to their questions about life and are not getting them. So they just stumble blindly in the dark, hoping to guess the answer by trial and error. But in this case, the errors can be life changing!

This drama tells the story of three 17 yr old girls on the bring of adulthood but still so ignorant about life. They do not get the knowledge they need from adults, so they confide in each other and try to figure things out.

Sakura is an ordinary girl who feels pressured by articles saying the average age for the first sex experience is when you are 17.3 yrs old. Supported by her two friends she goes to her boyfriends house but bolts at the last minute. He makes fun of her in school so she hides in the biology lab where she meets Yu who confirms to her that she was right to do what she did. She also has an apparently close minded mother difficult to talk to.
Yuna is the sexually active teen, having already had 5 boyfriends the last of whom gave her an STD. She falls afterwards for a handsome boy who is actually a virgin and has no idea what to do.
Tsumugi is a quiet, studious girl not interested in love or dating and confused about her feelings. She is brought up by single father and is convinced he does not care about her but just sees her as a woman who needs to get married and have kids to be happy.
Luckily for them, there is the no nonsense biology teacher who gives them guidance they need.


The characters are a bit of cliché but they serve as examples and they were ultimately well presented. My favourite was Asahi Yu, a smart boy who doesn't are what others think of him (which is so unusual amongst teenagers who live for the likes from others). He is instrumental in helping the girls come out of their confusion.

It seems that this series tackles every problem involving sex a teenager might encounter: the first experience, peer pressure, gender, pregnancy, protection ...and they are all well explained through the stories of these three girls and their friends. They stresses the importance of education and communication.

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Reality x illusion

Attention: 18+ content!

This short movie is the sequel to Sex x Friend?

Yuto is still sleeping with everyone who asks and is halfheartedly being careful until his sex friend tells him he tested positive to HIV. Yuto takes the test and then goes to see his friend.

The movie depicts the utter recklessness some people are willing to do in order to find love and warmth only to realize that everything was make believe and that happily ever afters are few and far between. The crashing of one's illusions can be painful. And though they casually talk about doing the right thing sit is sad to see that good intentions were not completely sincere. Yuto, on the other hand, likes sleeping around and what happened to his friend was a huge wake up call!

These two short movies seem to have been made in the eighties. And though they are fairly recent, it goes to show that the human nature is so hard to change that people often think of themselves as invulnerable. Yuto, being miserable and depressed, seems to go back to making right choices for himself after the HIV scare!

I guess there is an educational message for gays her: cover yourselves, the virus is still out there!

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This short movie has 18+ content. Proceed at your own risk and peril!

Yuto is a deeply unsatisfied and envious man going to see his sex friend in a seaside town. He is crass and rude but is longing for warmth and love. His friend offers him that but Yuto refuses.

This short movie manages to paint the portrait of Yuto just by showing him walking through the town and enviously wishing all of it to break down and disappear. He loves having sex with his friend but does not want to date him. It is not clear why not? He probably does not love him.

The cinematography manages to show us the contrast between the overexposed surroundings and the darkness inside Yuto nothing seems to be able to move. Though the camera movements are sometimes rather shaky, and angles seem to be a bit off, it is well filmed. I was struck by the streets he goes through during his bus ride: they are ugly, dirty, only cars in site and they seem to be reflection of his inner feelings. When he arrives to this rich seaside neighbourhood it feels as if he is attacked by all the sunshine, wealth, cleanliness.

The movie just ends midway through a conversation. There is a second part.

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Refreshing

I could kick myself when I think I almost did not watch this!

I did not particularly like the first season: the over the top acting did not sit well with me. Until I read a few comments and realized it was supposed to be a live version of a comic. Afterwards everything fell in place. But still I did not want to watch the second series since they changed the main actor (he was so hot!!). Last night I needed something light and fluffy and short to watch after finishing a K drama full of corruption and backstabbing.

And I thought of this. And it had made my day! This was really so brilliantly well produced, written and acted. The story is the usual trope filled story of a contract relationship turned love between a cold rich CEO and a poor sweet girl. She is a comic book artist using the real life wheelchair bound CEO as her inspiration. After few silly accidental encounters and they end up in a convoluted contract relationship full of usual tropes.

The originality here is the female character: she is pretty, innocent and sweet but also is smart, brave and has a strong character, not letting anyone walk all over her. How refreshing! I really loved how intelligently she dealt with the usual obstacles put on her way: family, friends, exes of the CEO all wanted to get rid of her. Unlike the usual female character who loses all reasonable brain functions when she falls in love, the FL here stayed smart and actually used her head to think not to swoon.

There is the obligatory third party: another rich man smitten by her sweetness and smarts. But he knows when to back down and they all remain friends. Though beforehand there is the funniest wheelchair race ever: needs to be seen to be believed!

Only one thing: what does the title mean?!?!?

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Singing cookies

This is the second weirdest short movie I have ever seen. The first being Satyriasis (look it up: it is extremely bad weird). Something Crunchy Crunchy is weird but in a cooky, quirky, funny way.

It is a story of three packets of biscuits that, being unsold, find themselves thrown into the shop's cellar. These cookies sing their earnest wish to be eaten slowly by someone who'd buy them. The first cookie mocks the third one so the second one abandons him and goes to be with the third. They are eventually taken home by shop's clerk and eaten with gusto.

First of all, this is a full blown musical: the cookies sing about their feelings and aspirations. The music is not bad, just run of the mill ordinary musical numbers.

Second of all: this is also a cookie bl about love triangles (polyamory?).

And finally; there are animated sequences showing the life of those cookies on shop's shelves. Cute and unexpected!

To be frank, I really do not know what to think about this short movie. I guess it must be an allegory on something with cookies representing people being neglected, overseen and yearning for recognition and acceptance.

Or it just could be an ad to make you choose those biscuits?

Or an original way to have a hot bl in Korea 10 years ago?

This short movie is practically an obligatory rewatch if you want to figure out what the author wanted to say.

Anyway, it was an original watch, musical bls are very rare (another one I can think about is Just Friends? made at about same time!). Characters bursting out in song is really not something you see in dramas here...

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"Everything you do, they were all yellow" (Yellow, Coldplay)

"If we can dream, then why are we wide awake?" Doing It For The Money by Foster the People

Yellow is a predictable short webdrama about the four members of a rock band called Yellow. Ji Hoon is the lead singer still upset over a breakup with his longterm girlfriend a year earlier. Tae Min is a guitar player but unable or afraid to say what's on his mind either to his father or to the girl he likes. Japi is a drummer who suddenly finds out why his girlfriend dumped him two years ago.Dong Woo is the youngest member and he is just there. Soo Ah is a fan who's had crush on Ji Hoon for a long time

It is about their love lives, adversity and ultimately deep friendship between them.

This is a romance between Ji Hoon and Soo Ah. The second lead syndrome is very present. Soo Ah is a very annoying character, a happy go lucky, very intrusive fan who does everything in her power to get close to Ji Hoon.She made me think of Yoko Ono and I was afraid she was going to have the same effect on the group i.e. that they would break up because of her. But their friendship was stronger than the jealousy.

The music was really good here. And every episode ended with a quote from a popular rock song illustrating events in the episode. Clever!

And finally, my pet peeve -HAIR: Ji Hoon's cut is just atrocious, so much so I had trouble concentrating on the drama when he was on screen!

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From brilliant to...whatever!

What a rollercoaster ride! Unfortunately NOT in a good way!

This drama went from comedy to tragedy to mystery to crime to whatever! I am a difficult customer for comedy: I cannot stand the slapstick and humiliation kind of it. But here it is smart and clever banter between the characters. The opening credits are brilliant: it looks like an anime! Perfect!

It is a story of a quirky lawyer charging only 1000 wons (or 1 dollar) for his services. Baek Mari joins him as a probationary lawyer and for about 6 episodes they solve different cases using their smarts and humour. And this half of the drama is brilliant! The relationship between the three leads is cracking fun as they go around bickering and trying to get their clients off the hook. Perfect comic timing for the trio!
And then the drama takes a 180° turn and for the next three episodes, it is a completely different drama involving: rotten politicians, creepy chaebols, weak prosecutors and a lot of corruption and death. Here we find out the lawyer's story, who he is and why is he working for only 1000 wons. This part is so often seen in makjang dramas, family secrets and righteous hero trying to fight the windmills like Don Quichotte: and it is sad and serious. And sadly so predictable!
The drama then manages to combine the comedy with the revenge plot for the last three episodes managing barely to keep it in balance but never attaining the brilliance the first half of the series was. Because instead of the lawyers fighting for the little men we get lawyers watching as the rich fight each other. It ends with the corniest of cringy speeches you can imagine!

Namgoong Min as the lawyer Chun Jihun, was appropriately funny or serious or lovey dovey or fighting as need be. There are a lot of references to his other dramas which is fun, so pay attention to see if you notice those easter eggs! Kim Ji Eun was perfect as a high class, heiress lawyer who realizes there is more to life and law than her rich corporate clients. Her relationships with her grandfather and mother are so sweet and cute. She is the character who changes the most as she works with the lawyer and sees the change the law can bring. They are helped by a sort of a office manager/drycleaner serving as a balance between the two.
The support characters were varied: from the bad guys obviously bad to law office landlady and her friends to clients. I would like to mention two prosecutors friends to both lawyers. Seo Minhyuk is Mari's childhood friend who wants to marry her because his father told him to. So I thought we were getting another rich creep. Fortunately that is not the case: he is kind and smart and loyal and righteous. And he has a great relationship with his boss, Na Yejin (far a moment I thought something was going to develop between them but nothing!). She is an experienced prosecutor knowing how to balance well her own boss's demands and the need for in depth investigation. What did not sit well with me was that she, apparently a friend of Jihoon's, tells Mari his story. I was expecting more discretion from a lawyer.

This is a very colourful drama: it being a comedy it is understandable. The costumes, the cinematography is day shots, the music: everything is full of energy and joy. Things completely change for the next three episodes when everything is dark and ominous: black suits, night shots, sinister music. Then everything changes again....it is like this drama does not know what it wants to be! Unfortunately! If I remember correctly, the drama was shortened by 4 episodes and towards the end it was visible: at the end of episode 11 I wondered how they were going to wrap everything up in one episode. They actually did that rather well.

And if you are looking for romance, it is not here you will find it. Which is a shame because the two bickering lawyer have great chemistry. Nevertheless it is still a fun watch, just be aware you might be disappointed a bit.

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Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

A writer is told his scrip was not honest enough so he asks his actor friend to read it. The actor decides to enact the script and incite the writer to be honest about his feelings!

What a beautiful short movie telling a story of a couple of friends afraid to take a step further in their relationship. The question is asked: what does it mean to be honest to yourself? The actor recites Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 (written for an anonymous young man known as Fair Youth) as his confession of love. The writer realizes he needs to accept himself for who he is and be open with his feelings in order to be happy.

This movie is a bit on the gloomy side: the colours are subdued, the lights for the most of the movie, are dimmed: we only see the light of the day once they are honest with each other. The music is just as gloomy: a series of classical piano waltzes.

And yet, it leaves you feeling happy and optimistic: if you are honest enough with yourself , you can grab your own happiness with both hands!

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Beauty & the Beast

A naive, inexperience and innocent young woman falls for a brash, rude and fake rebellious girl in her class. They are put together for an assignment where they have to pretend they date. The first girls kindness melts the second girl's icy heart.

So nothing new and revolutionary here: just a simple story of opposites attract, enemies to lovers. I found the characters a bit extreme in their kind: the nice girl is extremely nice, the rude girl is extremely rude. So one evening they meet in a club. The nice girl cannot dance (I always thought that you just needed to listen to the music and move but I guess there are tone deaf people who cannot do even that! granted!) so she sits and downs half a bottle of vodka (aaahhh, liquid courage!) and that helps her stake a claim on the rude girl who is oh! so touched by that!

Even though this is a short webdrama, it is just a string of romcom clichés starring unlikable characters. That's what I did not like about it: not the clichés but just bad writing. The talk by the teacher at the beginning of the class, though was excellent and I think we should all listen to those wise words about love and relationships and respect. But then they went down the politically correct woke university road asking about pronouns, gender etc. Nice thinking!

Production obviously did not have much money and it shows: it is cold and sharp and it sounds empty. I did not notice any particular song or music, if you do not count the one it the club.

It is a correct single watch which has the merit of being a GL which are few and far between so as more are made, the better they will get!

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