Should Have Said No

Having finished the complete Don’t Say No Series the trailer for the special episode looked good but over-promised and under-delivered. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly. The good. Lots of Leo and Fiat in love who are beautiful to look at. The trailer promised lots of steamy scenes and there was only one and it was undermined when there was no real story (or climax) to speak of. Both Ja (Leo) and First (Fiat) gave it their all acting-wise but there was not much to be done with such weak material. The bad: there is no story to speak of. Leo and Fiat return home after three years in England. They have a glamping trip with friends and that’s it. At one point their friends try to listen in on Leo/Fiat having sex (same scene occurred with Korn&Knock in Together with Me) and nothing else to speak of. Now the ugly. If you love the characters of Leon and Pobphan you will be screaming at your screen. We were cheated of a reunion. A travesty of epic proportions which made me nearly want to burn my laptop. How dare they promise a reunion of these two sweet, lovable characters and have them near-miss each other time after time. Then feed us some bullshit “things will work out if they are meant to” line. It left me with such a bitter feeling even the hot image of Leo rolling on top of Fiat couldn’t make me feel better. Damn you LINE and MeMind.

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Suspended disbelief for the sake of a kiss

In film theory there is a term called “the willful suspension of disbelief”…it is required of the audience so you can believe that the actors you are seeing on screen are believable and their story is real.. Just like a 300 year-old vampire (Kim Jun Ho) is willing to forego life as a human because he has instantly fallen in love with a high-school boy (Choi Min Hyun) and refuses to suck his pure blood for the sake of immortality. Thus is the plot line of Kissable Lips, the latest Korean BL offering.

The plot is simple enough and the boys are lovely to look at with just the right amount of yearning and angst (a requirement for a good BL). However there are some very odd aspects to this drama, the logic around killing humans (isn’t that what vampires do?), a principal who really serves no real purpose and why does the “bad vampire” have red eyes as opposed to the protagonists blue eyes? And the ending…..

I did check that this review was a SPOILER … why Jun Ho have to die with no real reason or purpose? the death scene was agonizing to watch not because it was sad, but because it was dumb. He could have force fed him instead of whimpering like a baby. I did not get it. There seemed to be no reason for the death or even the relationship. I felt frustrated. It was unsatisfying.
I also disliked the music, it seemed to be really loud and took away from the death scene making it even more clichéd.

Kissing? Yes! Even more than you would expect from a Korean BL. There is a positive trend occurring in this regard which is nice to see. Korean BLs use to be about lingering looks and tight closed mouth kisses lol. They are are finally becoming somewhat more realistic.

Overall…not bad a bad series but not great. I cannot wait until the day when Korea will produce a truly epic 16 episode BL series. Until then Kissable Lips, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Semantic Error, Tinted With You….it is. Enjoy!

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A so-so love

I am 26 episodes in and I think the only reason why I’m sticking with this series is the female lead Xu Qing You who is not your typical pathetic, jealous, needy type. Her relationship is pretty strong despite an ex girlfriend who pulls out all the stops to get the male lead (who is weak in my opinion) Some don’t like the relationship between Xu Qing You’s brother, Xu Wei and her best friend Fang Qi, but I find their romance somewhat endearing. As far as Chinese dramas go this one is not bad. It’s not bad but it’s not amazing either. There is some tragic past with the male lead Mo Ling Ze that needs resolving. Xu Qing You’s father is a total ass and is in kahoots with her cheating ex until finally he realizes he slept around on her. Her mom seems to be at least decent but her parents are story filler and serve no real purpose. It will be interesting how they wrap it up. Truthfully I’m not expecting much.

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Glorious

I loved this series from start to finish. Good vs. evil is a universal theme and it was delicious just waiting for these horrible people to meet their karmic ends.

I typically dislike Song Hye-kyo‘s fish mouth acting but I have to give it to her in this role. She was excellent. It’s a shame they kept making her pretty by covering her scar makeup and she lost a considerable amount of weight for the role which spoke to her commitment.

My favourite was Lim Ji-yeon as Park Yeon-jin. In every scene she was so over the top mesmerizing. I just hated her so much. Actors that can make me scream at my television get a special kudos. I also loved the complexity of Kang Hyeon-name’s character as an abused domestic worker. Perfectly portrayed by Yeom Hye-ran. Her cute smiles and laughs. The violence was so hard to watch, but I think the director didn’t trivialize it or simply it.

The weakest part of the series was the love story between Moon Dong-eun and Joo Yeo-jeong. It would have been a plausible platonic relationship. With both their psychological challenges it would make sense. . Screenwriter Kim Eun-sook wrote Guardian: The Lonely and Great God so there seems to always be some expectation of romance in her dramas.

Overall the series was close to perfection.

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Unsure of ending or purpose of plot

I watched this entire series hoping for redemption…a happy ending where the lead actors would become adults and stand up to their parents and live an happy life together. What we got was some vague goofy smiles on a bridge and a message of “It was good enough we had a few months together and that’s enough to last a lifetime.” What a crock.

I’ve spent some time in Busan and the Hyatt where the love affair began so it was nice recognizing the scenery but this was not enough to redeem such a badly written drama.

The good: Support characters including her needy friend played by Choi Hee Seo, Sehun, even her sick girlfriend were pretty good to watch.
The bad.: the leads had NO chemistry. No amount of lust/love between Song Hye Kyo and Jang Ki Yong. SHK has this waxy persona unconvincing as a person of deep feeling and connection. JKY tried his best with a weak script. His thousand watt smile can temporarily hypnotize you. But not long enough to like the series.
EVERY PARENT IS EVIL, SELFISH, DOMINATING and expects their children to live for them. I hated every one of them and button mashed the fast forward while yelling DIE!

I was glad this is finally over. I am still I am not sure why I watched it until the end except I must have had a spell cast over me. Probably JKYs smile. Such a train wreck of a series.

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Sweet and uncomplicated

As the title claims this drama is sweet. I sometimes find Chinese romance to be stiff with the female lead being over the top, either incompetent or clingy and the romance to be forced. This is not the case here. The female lead Ding Yi Yi’s character Tian Tian De is likeable and is well matched to the male lead Zhao Zi Qin (playing Su Mu) Chinese dramas often reinforce traditional female roles so it was nice to see some nods to respecting women in this series. Su Mu listens Tian Tian. When she tells him to stop drinking he does. He knows she is conflicted about studying abroad so creates the conditions for her decision to go. As an audience you are willing to forgive plot gaps like Su Mu’s Aphasia (a condition where one loses the ability to speak) which comes and goes as well as his OCD, because the couple is so cute to watch and SuMu’s repeated affection for Tian Tian is endearing. Also nice is there are no evil women in the series trying to plot against this couple. SuMu’s ex even grows to love Tian Tian after she saves her from a scammer. The only downside of the series is the ending which was rushed and confusing . You don’t know what happened to Tian Tian’s study in the UK, or how much time has passed before they end up in the container together. Have two year’s passed? The ending seemed unsatisfying after such a nice drama. Don’t let it deter you though. It’s an enjoyable watch.

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Generally satisfied but Lost in transition

This series is the definition of a slow burn. You know what is going to happen but just have to get use to sitting back and watching the main leads fall in love over time. The re-used plot device of a bad guy made good by the love interest never gets old. Somehow I didn’t find it annoying that Kaitoon conveniently forgot his dates with Non. Although Non deserved better. Having to wait an entire season for a hand hold in the sand was a bit anti-climatic . Showing a glimpse of season two is just cruel.

Now here for the confusion…between King and Peet. I can’t figure out what happened to them. I understand Peet left King because of depression (as described in the video) but what was in the note? That was not translated and I am confused. Did he commit suicide? Did he die? I am totally lost. Then he ended up with this junior he nearly ran over in the taxi cab. Can someone explain what’s going on? Is he going to be with the junior?

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A Few Errors in this Too-short Drama

The story is simple enough, enemies turned lovers in this case, Chu Sang Woo (played by Jae Chan of Dongkiz) was wronged Jang Jae Young (Park Seo Ham) who left Sang Woo doing all the work on a school project. He files a complaint against him which means he can’t graduate. This not graduating business is not resolved and the plot advances to the revenge portion of drama where Jae Young taunts Jang Jae Young with red track suits and coffee hoarding. Until at some point Jang Jae Young’s feelings change, and he starts to like this uptight, rigid programmer. Long story 8 episodes short, love blooms between lines of computer code and graphic design.

I was surprised by how good Jae Chan’s acting was since this was his first role. There was no stiffness or awkwardness in his performance. He could have played a one-dimensional character but he had some great subtlety in his dialogue and visuals. I really commend him for taking on this role. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in Korea and I know that there is not much tolerance for the LGBTQ community. Even veteran actors like Park Sung-woong took grief for his performance in Method. It’s a breath of fresh air to see more diverse dramas being made. I would love one day not to see a BL label though. Love is love.

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Oddly charming with a happy but bizarre ending

CEO powerhouse Shi Qianjin gets into a car crash but before she can get carted off to the afterlife, she manages to strike a bargain with death. She has 30 days to settle her debts. She is given a watch only she can see. Soon she finds she can stop the death clock when she is near pet mortician Zhou Qingyan. She’s pretty vicious in how she manipulates him through money in the early episodes invading his home, bossing him around.

The series is a reasonable 16 episodes. I liked the slow romantic build between the leads as opposed to the fast paced relationship of the best friends who got together in episode 2. There is nonsense ups and downs as Shi Qianjian tries to control her empire, keeping “Old Zhou” (his nickname) 2 metres near her, and stop her nasty uncle from trying to take over her company and throughout the story there there is a love rival or two.

The series completely lost me at the last episode. There is a happy albeit confusing ending. I still can’t quite figure out what happened. The term “jumping the shark” completely applies here. The writers clearly didn’t want a “typical” happy ending so they killed the male lead making it part of Shi’s “dream”. Please if someone can explain this mess I would appreciate it. Overall the series ok, perplexing, but certainly not worth re-watching.

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An enjoyable drama with some questions?

There is not much to add to the discussion on this drama that hasn’t been said. Korean BL dramas are finally getting bolder although they will never compare to their Thai counterparts. This one as a story about first love and high school did a good job of showing awkwardness and blooming romance. The juxtaposition of Shin Woo’s confidence in his identity as a young gay man compared to Shin Da On who hides himself was really interesting. It cost Shin Da On the love of Woo Tae Kyung and his own happiness. It is the central theme of this drama that to be brave, and to be yourself is important. Woo Tae Kyung, the protagonist just is. He doesn’t question it. He likes who he likes, and is crushed by his trust.

Though I am lost on a few things…. What is with the teacher? Whose shoes are those? When he says the name at the end what does it mean? Also Shin Da On’s parents are clearly wealthy, they sit on the board of the school but you never see them. Does he just live alone? It seems interesting.

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Ping pong love story

There seems to be a shortage of new story ideas in Japanese manga because the young girl torn between two love interests has been constantly reused. This series offers nothing new or particularly interesting. I am not sure why I watched to the end other than to try to figure out who Fuuko ends up with. I found the most interesting thing to be the sweeping snow scenery at the end of each episode which seemed to last about 10 minutes. Throughout the series you watch Fukko fall in love and out of love with Shinpo cousins, Daiya and Ichi. Episode two she’s in love with Daiya. By episode four she’s in love with Ichi. Included is superficial and cheesy dialogue like “I will protect you”, etc. Fukko is a weak and needy character who spends all her time crying over one cousin or the other. She has no inner strength or redeeming characteristics as far as I can see except she likes children and doing hair. Which if you know Japanese traditional stereotypes- female characters are well regarded for their traditional abilities like sewing, handiwork, motherly abilities etc. The worst thing about the series is the music. I had to turn the audio off every time it launched into the sappy love song. There are so many better Japanese series of a similar type including Two Loves Under One Roof and the Flower and the Beast. Don’t waste your time with this.

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Strangely addictive and enjoyable

I resisted watching this series for along time. The plot of a subordinate female nurse (Nanase Sakura) in love with a taciturn handsome doctor ( Kairi Tendo ) has been over-used. However I’ve watched this series a few times and there is something oddly charming about it which grows on you. The female protagonist seems annoying and cringey at first but you grow to love her just like Dr. Tendo does. I laughed out loud at her funny responses like when Kairi told his father how he intended to marry her. She immediately started to jump up and down and then quickly says “my apologies I lost my composure “. She is an authentic character, pure of heart character. The lead couple have good chemistry and the supporting cast is decent as well. There are no annoying characters in this series. Even the “competition” for Kendo isn’t vicious or manipulative. Overall the series was an enjoyable, light-hearted distraction.

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