I'm still confused

At first I thought that the problem was me - this is a series that seemed very interesting based on the trailer alone, so I wondered if I my expectations were too big to begin with.
After watching 10 episodes (and having a hard time finishing the last two), I realized that the problem is in the series itself.

First of all, the idea that is supposed to be at the base of the series is not very clear. At the beginning I thought it would be some kind of spicy enemies-to-lovers story, but the ingredients weren't quite there - the reasons for Uea to dislike King so much are not solid enough to be convincing, and King's opinion of Uea at the beginning is a complete mystery. When the FWB situation started, I hoped that these things would be explored more as the series went on, but it never happened.
Instead of that, the story took an unexpected turn as it revealed Uea's turbulent past. I didn't mind the presence of such themes, but I was expecting them to be taken seriously and to be explored properly, which (again) never happened. If anything, it looked more like whoever wrote the story wanted Uea to have as many traumatic experiences and toxic people in his life as possible. I started to wonder if someone in the production team believes that "trauma is sexy" or something like that.
The series itself ended up failing with both the FWB story and the abuse survivor story, by never diving deep enough in either theme. The agreement between Uea and King becomes secondary very quickly, and Uea's problems only seem to grow in number. The relationships between the characters (not only Uea and King, but also their friends, colleagues and family) were also never shown properly, making their interactions always sound ambiguous - I was never sure whether one was supposed to be a close friend or a well-intentioned acquaintance. The miscommunication (which I was half hoping would not be there) and the awful pacing did the rest of the work to ruin it for me.
The acting is good enough, but since the story is so lacking in the first place, I was not able to enjoy it as much as I wished to. As for the music, it was too repetitive to add anything to the scenes. The sexy scenes were pretty mostly because the actors themselves looked pretty, I believe.

I was able to finish the whole thing thanks to some miracle, but I have no intention to touch this series ever again. I wish the writers chose one route and did it well instead of adding so many elements and handling them so badly. Its potential was wasted entirely and I can't bring myself to recommend it to anyone at all.

Citeste mai mult

Beautiful hidden gem

I didn't know what to expect from this short series, but I really enjoyed it more than I thought! There's a lot to love about it.
- Let me start with the obvious: it's a WELL-MADE GL. It's not one of those absurdly pure GL dramas where the two protagonists just seem like two affectionate friends, but it's also not one of the usual lesbian shows that are completely shaped by the male gaze. There's good balance of heart-fluttering, romance, and sensual elements, which made it quite enjoyable to watch.
- The story is simple, but also straightforward. Whoever wrote this was aware of the little screentime they had for everything and used it extremely well. It was definitely more fast-paced than other Japanese dramas I've seen in the past, and while there isn't the usual quantity of character introspection, it compensates with not feeling boring.
- The two protagonists have each their own charm and it shines with their personalities. They also have excellent chemistry with each other! They really seem very fond of each other and their relationship develops naturally without feeling forced.
- The music is also very good, the songs are beautiful and make the important scenes feel even more impactful overall.
- If there's anything I disliked about it was the supernatural side of the story not being explored as much as I wish it was, but there was not enough time for it anyway and I believe that I was given all the necessary elements to follow the plot without being confused.

I found the episodes with English subtitles on YouTube. The series is very short, you can watch all 4 episodes in less than 40 minutes, so I really recommend watching it!

Citeste mai mult

Incredibly wholesome and rich

When I first watched the trailer for this series last year, I was expecting a superficial/empty series, and basically just decided to give it a chance because Earth would be part of the cast.
I started watching the show yesterday, expecting to be busy with it for the rest of the week, but ended up binge-watching all the episodes in two days: in fact I just finished watching the last episode and ran here to write a review.
I don't think I can express smoothly how much I enjoyed this series. I already said I started watching for Earth, but his presence alone wouldn't make me sit through more than the first episode if I didn't like it: it wasn't just because there were many familiar faces in the cast either, but it really was because of how well all the actors portrayed each character, and how the setting and the plot were taken very seriously from the beginning to the end.
In fact, Mama Gogo is not just about a strip club full of handsome half-naked dancers. It's about the themes of friendship and found family, about learning to appreciate life values that go beyond just making a lot of money and having a comfortable life, and also about learning from one's mistakes and growing from them, no matter your age. The series also touched on the subject of how entertainments for women are considered gross/unacceptable, as opposed to the same kind of entertainments for men being considered the norm.
I applaud the entire production team for the wonderful job they did with this. I was seriously expecting to just enjoy this superficially, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite Thai series of all time.

Citeste mai mult

Successfully satiated my craving for a calm domestic romance!

A woman who loves to cook and a woman who loves to eat find the perfect arrangement with each other, and their relationship starts to blossom just like that.
I believe that the best point of this drama is its simplicity. The plot is very simple and even the events in each episode aren't anything too elaborate, which allowed the feelings of the characters to truly shine on the screen, and it also let the most important moments have a much bigger impact on me. I've seen other shows that revolve around food and show the most delicious, mouth-watering dishes, but I had never watched one where the food made me feel as touched and moved as this one.
The two main characters have good chemistry with each other, and I loved to see how they always reached to each other through their meals. The episodes were short and not so many, yet their personalities were well detailed and I was amazed by how well they fit together despite being so different.
The series is mostly free from angst, but this didn't stop it from including multiple important themes, such as heteronormativity, harmful traditional values, discovery (and acceptance!) of self, and more. This drama also isn't afraid of being openly about the LGBTQIA+ community, rather than staying away from the theme and leaving everything in the subtext.

It was a cute watch that surprised me in the best way. I've heard that the season two is coming and I'll make sure to watch it. I recommend this drama to whoever enjoys slice-of-life stories and meet-cute romances!

Citeste mai mult

A kid learning to act

I really liked this short because it shows clearly and in a beautiful (and painful) way how a gay kid comes to discover his feelings, all without needing a long time for everything to unfold. I also really liked the choice of making Chul Soo part of an acting class - I believe it delivers a powerful parallelism.
I'm keeping this review vague when it comes to the plot because, as a short movie, I believe it can't be said much without spoiling almost everything. All I want to say is that it hits very hard, and it might hit much harder if one had a similar experience as a queer child. The entire movie feels so plausible that I wouldn't be surprised if this was based on a true story.
The acting was incredibly good. I had no expectations since the main actors are all children, but Nam Hyeong-Jung delivered an amazing performance. The piano pieces of the OST also match the different scenes very well.

I recommend watching if you have the chance!

Citeste mai mult

A masterpiece

I watched Semantic Error for the first time several months ago, so I can't really tell you what are the differences between the series and the film - all I know is that they're very small differences, with no major changes. In case you haven't watched either and you're indecisive, I'd recommend picking the film if you have the time to watch the whole thing in one go (it's about 3 hours long). I feel like watching the film let me enjoy and understand all the scenes to the smallest details a lot better than the series.

I really wanted to write a review for Semantic Error, since in my opinion it's one of the best Korean dramas out there - yeah, dramas, not BLs. I rarely, if ever, use words like "masterpiece" to define anything, even when I really like it, but this time around I believe it's deserved, since Semantic Error has NO FLAWS.
- The story is a very well-made enemies-to-lovers romance. The two protagonists don't start off hating each other in a way that makes their romance seem impossible, but their mutual dislike also has solid foundations that makes it believable. The various events of the story all have the right time they need to be shown, and the pacing is immaculate too: at no point did I think that a certain part should have lasted longer, or that some events happened too fast or not fast enough.
- The characters are all great. The two main actors are very good and expressive, their chemistry is wonderful, and their character development is a delight to watch. The secondary and support characters are also well placed and well utilised, with a special mention for Jae Young's group of friends (looking so comfortable and at ease with each other like real friends is not easy) and Ryu Ji Hye (she had a hard character to portray and she did it so beautifully that she stood out to me a lot).
- The camera work and the small details here and there make the whole show much more charged of meaning and enjoyable. The symbolisms of Jae Young and Sang Woo's character development are powerful and enrich every scene even more, to the point that every moment of the story feels important and memorable. The music and the effects also played a huge role in this.
- As I watched the film and saw everything for the second time, instead of feeling bored or uninterested for watching the same things for the second time, I was surprised at how I took everything in and let it sink deeper. The more I watched, the more vivid the story felt. I loved it.

This is highly recommended for anyone who likes romance, be it BL or not, because it's just too good to miss. It's fun, it's enjoyable, it's romantic, it's sentimental, and it's just so well made. I feel like the entire production team put a lot of effort and care in this project and it shows. You can watch it as a series or as a film, just WATCH IT.

Citeste mai mult

Better than what I was expecting

All I knew about KinnPorsche before watching was that it's supposed to be about Mafia, and that the kissing/sexy scenes are some of the best that can be found in a BL series. I expected to hate this, but I have to say that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
For the Mafia part, I'm already used to the theme being romanticized to ridiculous extremes, so my expectations vere really low to begin with. It still didn't feel like actual Mafia (if it did, I would have wanted all the characters dead or in prison no matter what), but it's still better than other representations I've seen.
For the kissing/sexy scenes, I have to say that the fans were right! There are none of those awkward tight-lipped kisses where the actors look like they'd rather be doing anything else. There's good chemistry with the couples, enough to make one think that the attraction and the feelings are there. The cute/romantic moments among the couples were adorable and pulled at my heartstrings the right way, which is what I like to look forward to in a BL.
The music is on point most of the time, special mention for Jeff Satur's "Why Don't You Stay" since it's obviously the best song. They also didn't exaggerate with the sound effects, which is the bare minimum but still appreciated.
Unfortunately, the good sides of this series end here.

The plot is very confusing. The characters seem to change alignment and intentions at every other scene, and they also seem to move and behave according to what it's necessary for the writers, rather than common sense and logic. The powerful means of the Mafia are forgotten when they're needed the most, the highly necessary bodyguards are left at home when a family member needs protection, and so on. Even the main characters are guilty of this.
As for the couples, as good as they might look together, their intentions and wishes are always so confusing that it was hard for me to appreciate their stories.
KinnPorsche are the protagonists, yet I still don't quite get how did they fall in love. I understood that there was at least some attraction from Kinn toward Porsche, but they jumped from barely tolerating each other to being madly in love with each other. It's truly a shame, because they do look convincing when they're together, but the plot doesn't hold up their relationship.
VegasPete were more convincing just because their relationship is unhealthy all over. We weren't shown much about them though, so I can't really say much.
KimPorchay were easily the worst couple. I still didn't get Kim's feelings toward Porchay; it felt like it was supposed to be a romantic relationship, but to me it looked more like a brotherly one, as if Porchay was Kim's new little brother. The thoughts and feelings of both were such a mystery that it was impossible for me to appreciate their dynamics at all. Part of this might be because of the actors, though: Barcode is a lot younger than Jeff, so even when he was supposed to look in love, he just looked like a very affectionate little brother.

In conclusion, even though I enjoyed this series to some extent, I wouldn't recommend it. It's not really an action series, not really a romantic one, and not really a comedy, just a very confusing hybrid. It can be entertaining if you're mostly focused on the ships and don't care much about the plot, but that's it.

Citeste mai mult

It was worth waiting one more year for this

This drama was set to be released in 2020, but due to some reasons they had to push it back for another year. It was definitely worth the wait.
I mainly watched because Earth is my favorite Thai actor (and also criminally underrated), so when I saw that he would be one of the main characters I immediately added this series to my list. The premise of the story also seemed pretty good, so all I had left to hope is for GMMTV not to ruin an otherwise beautiful story. (It happened to other series in the past and at this point I don't trust them with anything)

Now that I'm done watching, I can say that it was really beautiful. It's definitely not perfect, as there were some details about the story that annoyed me: the decisions made by some characters about certain situations that didn't make much sense to me, for example, or how one or two things in the plot weren't talked about as much as I wished to. Other than this though, it was VERY good: the series kept its focus on the story and the relationships among the characters without going overboard with comic reliefs or fanservice, and even the product placements didn't feel overwhelming.
Talking about fanservice, there is little to none of it in this series, which I highly appreciated. On top of this, there are no side couples, which let the two main characters shine all the way and let their relationship develop without it feeling rushed.
Extra kudos to the writers for talking more in detail about various important topics. This series deals with touchy themes and issues that are hard to tackle for any writer, but in my eyes they did a very good job. Even when the plot focused more on those issues, it never felt heavy or overwhelming, but also never shallow enough to be hard to understand.

The chemistry between Earth and Mix was off the charts. I was very proud of Earth while watching, but also amazed by Mix since this is apparently his first role. They had me glued to the screen the whole time and I'll definitely watch anything featuring them in the future.

I highly recommend this series. It's touching, very sweet and romantic, but also with a good dose of heartbreaking angst. You won't regret it!

Citeste mai mult

It wasn't what I was hoping for

I guess I should be blaming myself for this, but after watching the first two episodes of Twinkling Watermelon, I was VERY interested in what could happen to Eun Gyeol after traveling back to 1995. The premise of the story also made me wonder how would the plot unfold, and what would be the overall message and the ending. My problem with this drama is that, unfortunately, even now that I'm done watching all the episodes I'm still wondering what were they supposed to be.

The beginning of the story introduces us to Eun Gyeol and his life as a CODA: the way he had to grow up and be mature at a young age, the responsibilities and burdens he felt on his shoulders throughout his childhood and his teenage years, and the way he felt guilty whenever he tried to actually live his youth.
As he went back in time, I thought to myself: "okay, so I guess that this time-travel will teach him to actually live his own life and stop looking after others and sacrificing himself for them, right?"

...except that Eun Gyeol does the exact opposite for the entire drama. He looks after his parents, works as hard as possible to fix their problems and make them happy, even puts himself in danger for their sake. The theme of living his own life and letting others live theirs is barely hinted at until the very last episode, where it's exposed like some sort of lecture rather than something Eun Gyeol has actually internalized and made his own. It also goes against the entire plot, because Eun Gyeol changed the lives of both his parents for the better, which actually ended up influencing the future of many people for the better as well. It felt more like Eun Gyeol was truly supposed to take care of his parents after all.

I also wondered if this time-travel was about him learning that his parents had to struggle in life, and that he wasn't the only one who had to suffer, but I really hope not because that would be a horrible theme. His life as a CODA and the struggles he had to face in his youth are not magically erased just because he finds out that Yi Chan and Cheong Ah suffered as well. Especially with the ending, I felt like Eun Gyeol's hardships were just swept under the rug and there was no actual communication between him and his family, which was truly a shame.

Something else that I couldn't understand at all was On Eun Yu's presence in the story. I might be biased here since I didn't like her character at all (and as much as I like Seol In Ah, I don't believe she was a good casting choice for a teenage character), but I seriously believe her presence was useless for the sake of the main plot. Even her "plan" didn't make any logic sense and felt like a huge waste of time. The screentime spent for her story could have been used to better explore Yi Chan and Cheong Ah's characters, or even better: it could have been used to create a more complete and satisfying ending. It really felt like the writers wanted to give Eun Gyeol a love interest at all costs, which was frustrating to see.

I can't say that I hated the story. It has a very interesting premise, most of the characters are loveable and it's a drama that makes one want to binge-watch everything in a day. I laughed, giggled, kicked my feet, got angry and cried with the characters, which is always great. There were multiple plot holes, but for the most part they were easy to ignore. I just had bigger expectations from it.

The production overall seemed good to me, but I wish they showed the characters better when they spoke in sign language, and I also wish they didn't use voice-overs whenever someone signed. The acting was also great, I especially loved Shin Eun Soo's performance as Yoon Cheong Ah and Choi Hyun Wook as Ha Yi Chan (and their moments together! So adorable!). The pacing is perfect in the first 10 episodes or so, then it started to feel a little draggy, but it wasn't too bad overall. The music is pretty good, I really liked the song choices for the different performances both in the past and in the present.

Overall I can say I had fun, so maybe give it a try for yourself! I can recommend it if you're looking for something that is both fun and tear-jerking.

Citeste mai mult

The good things turned bad and the bad things turned worse

[SPOILER-FREE PART]
I enjoyed watching the first part of the series (I wouldn't call it a masterpiece and it's not even a favorite, but definitely fun!) and I was hoping to see a somewhat worthy conclusion for this story in the second part.
Unfortunately, it looks like everything about the first part that I liked so much was nowhere to be found in the second part. On top of that, the writers somehow managed to worsen the aspects of the drama that were already bad to begin with. At some points while watching I started feeling like they were just making a fool of me.
For these simple reasons, this time around I don't have a list of things that I liked about the drama: the list of the things that I don't like just got horribly long.
[END OF SPOILER-FREE PART]

Starting with the things that were already bad that got even worse:
- The worldbuilding wasn't solid from the get-go, but I was at least hoping that things would stay relatively tame in that regard. Well, I was wrong! This Part 2 managed to produce a new magical artifact and create new magical powers at every turn, all while making the characters completely unable to use their magical means for no reason, all based on what the plot needed from them. The number of times I thought "wait, did that exist all along?!" and "why are you not using your powers/artifact?" might not be infinite, but it's still embarrassingly high.
- While P1 was not rich with fighting scenes, their number was still reasonably high. In P2 there's even less fighting. Also, while the FL used her sword in a couple of instances in P1, here in P2 she barely touches the sheath once and never again. I was looking forward to the rebirth of Naksu and hoping for some badass fights involving her, but I got nothing in the end.
- Introspection doesn't exist, which is amazing considering the amount of time that the characters spend talking about nothing in P2. Most dialogues are just a bunch of poetic lines thrown there for dramatic effect, which only made me feel more alienated. Even Naksu/Bu Yeon wasn't explored at all, which says a lot about how her potential was wasted entirely in the end. Overall, there was a lot of material that the writers could have used from P1, so I can't understand why they chose such a terrible plot for P2.
- I was hoping for the female characters to get better at the very least, but they didn't change for the most part; if they changed it was for the worse. Naksu/Bu Yeon turned from being mature, witty and a little grumpy to being the cardboard cutout of a sheltered princess who whines and pouts whenever things don't go her way: it was painful to watch because her character was actually the most interesting part of the entire series and P2 just ruined it completely. Jin Cho Yeon had the chance to grow from being a plain aspiring wife, but she didn't develop in the least. Heo Yoon Ok turned from being useless to just being annoying. So Yi also had the chance to be more interesting as a character, but her motives revolved entirely around Seo Yul and it got boring very quickly. There's no meaningful bond between women unless it's between a mother and her daughters or just pure hate, which was just sad.
- The love triangles made even less sense in P2. Seriously, WHY?!
- The writers seem not to have learned anything from the ending of P1, because the ending of P2 felt just as rushed and unsatisfying, other than being excessively over the top. I felt like I was watching an Alchemy of Souls parody of some kind.

I wish this was over, but no. The following are the good parts of P1 that were ruined in P2:
- Theme? What theme? This time around the plot is entirely about pointless romance and magic stuff being thrown here and there. If someone could put some fantasy and romance tropes in a blender to make a random plot, this would be the result.
- The dynamic between Bu Yeon and Jang Uk was terrible. Since their master/disciple relationship was nowhere to be found, it really felt like they stayed together all those episodes for the sake of the plot. Her moments with Jang Uk didn't catch my attention at all.
- Bu Yeon/Naksu's personality is nowhere to be found in P2. The fact that she's like that because she lost her memory made sense, but she felt like an entirely different character (a very frustrating and boring one!). The wit and the charm of her character are completely lost here, as well as her mature attitude that made a good contrast with Jang Uk. She turned into a spoiled lady who is obsessed with the idea of eloping for romance and it made me wish she just disappeared from the series for good multiple times.
- Jang Uk's training and rise to the top during P1 made his few fights and adventures very interesting, but in P2 he just became too OP and his fights became very boring. Even the final episodes weren't interesting, because I already knew he would win easily and save the world. The only result was that all the times he conveniently forgot about his powers for the sake of the plot were even more annoying.
- For some reason the props and the special effects looked worse this time around. I also hate how they decided to give Park Jin short hair out of nowhere.

In conclusion, I can't say that I was heartbroken over this (again, Alchemy of Souls isn't even a favorite), but I was definitely disappointed. I can't even recommend watching the series for fun at this point, because this Part 2 just ruined it all.

Citeste mai mult

Dared too much?

First of all, let me stress this: the synopsis on both Viki and MDL is a different story from what actually happens in the show. I recommend watching the first couple of episodes to get a better idea of what it is about.

I believe that the vast majority of this drama is very good. Toward the end I was set on rating it with an 8 at least, because I really enjoyed myself while watching, for multiple reasons:
- The main plot is about a series of murder mysteries, all overarched by the tensions between the Qian and Qi people as they live side by side in the Qian capital. Like this, there are multiple themes (even more modern and close to us than one might expect) that are brought up along the way: revenge, jealousy, envy, abuse of power, and so on. There was also a good mix of more fun and relaxing moments in between, which helped easing the weight of the plot while never feeling too abrupt at any moment.
- The main characters were chosen very well and I got attached to them easily. The FL is weak and definitely not a fighter, but she compensates this by being very smart and a skilled detective, good at bonding with people and at using the right words at the right moment. The ML, on the other hand, is skilled in martial arts and has supernatural abilities that let him have the upper hand in fights and let him notice details that would go unnoticed to others, but he's not good at dealing with people because of his temper. The two complement each other perfectly and their dynamic is entertaining and endearing at all times.
- The secondary characters are interesting and well written as well, with a special mention for Chi Lan, whom I thought was shining in every scene. They all filled their roles well, I never thought they were useless, nor did I ever think that they were getting too much action compared to the protagonists.
- The well written mysteries and the development of the investigations got me glued to the screen. I'm not one who enjoys detective stories in general, so the fact that I was so invested really caught me by surprise!
- The special effects were great, in particular the fighting scenes were shot beautifully.
- The romance was VERY well paced. Seeing the character development of both Su Jiu'Er and Han Zheng was very satisfying, as well as seeing both of them gradually warming up to each other and care for each other's safety and happiness more and more. They got me all smiley and giddy multiple times.

What I believe ruined the drama in the end was the inclusion of problems that couldn't be resolved in 36 episodes. By episode 34 I realized I had to brace myself for a very rushed and unsatisfying ending. I still have lots of unanswered questions about multiple aspects of the plot, way too many, which makes me feel like I only watched half of the story and not the entire series.
One of the main flaws of the series was the lack of proper rules for the powers of the Qi people, which I was ready to let slide if the ending was good enough, but the two last episodes just made these flaws way more blatant than before.

With a proper ending this drama could have been a gem, but the ending just ruins it. Watch at your own risk.

Citeste mai mult

So absurdly satisfying and good!

Giving a 10 to all the categories feels ridiculous even to me, but I had to be honest with the ratings and those are my honest feelings about this series: the plot is excellent, the acting is excellent, the music is excellent, and the characters are memorable and very easy to grow fond of, even the support roles.
This series is not the kind that leaves you completely mind-blown, nor a cinematic masterpiece. What I believe makes it earn its score is how everything was taken care of extremely well, from the plot to the characterization to the various themes in the story.

Starting from the plot: it's very good. Since I've read and watched many (MANY) love stories with similar premises and tropes, I tried to guess the events and the conflicts from the very beginning, so you can imagine my surprise when the story just kept surprising me at every single turn - and I mean it in the best way possible.
If you've watched some series before, you might have felt frustrated by the plot for one reason or another: maybe because the main characters didn't communicate properly with each other, or because of silly decisions, or because of characters being annoyingly naïve or clueless, or even just because of tropes that were placed there to bring conflict and troubles. Sometimes I even start arguing with the screen when that happens.
Whoever wrote My School President probably finds them annoying and frustrating too, because there is none of that in the entire series. The plot flows nicely without obstacles that have no reason to be there other than to make things dramatic. This series is also the proof that you don't need any of that to make a story interesting, because I was almost unable to take away my eyes from the screen until I finished watching all the episodes. And I didn't argue with the screen (or felt the need to) even once.
I also believe that the mood of all the scenes was handled perfectly. The cute scenes are actually cute without feeling embarrassing or too mild, the funny moments are actually funny and never juvenile, and the dramatic and sad moments are handled with great care without making too big (and heavy) of a scene when they happen. There's great balance in all of it.

The acting is also great. The best performances were from Gemini and Fourth, and I have to say that it was an amazing first impression: the feelings and inner thoughts of their characters are vivid in their gaze and their actions at all times, I was amazed from the very first episode and that is also what got me so engaged. The dynamics between characters are also immaculate: all the friends feel like actual friends and there's no hint of awkwardness among them - if anyone told me that Chinzhilla is an actual band in real life with the same members as this series, I wouldn't even question it. The dynamics between parents and sons are also excellent, probably the best I've seen in any series so far. No character is flat, all of them have some level of depth and more facets than it might seem at the beginning.
The relationship between Tinn and Gun develops in stages, and I was able to see the characters slowly transform across the episodes. It's something I don't get to see often enough in any story and I loved it.

I usually don't pay attention to the music, but this time around it's necessary since it's one of the main elements of this series. Each episode comes with a new beautiful song that helps exploring the many emotions and situations that the characters go through, and the variety and quality made them all very memorable. It's not a musical, but music is a key element both for the plot and the character introspection, and I loved how the OST was used so well to communicate that.

Definitely one of the best series I've watched - not just among BLs, overall. It's hearwarming, cute, VERY satisfying, and just so, SO precious.
I recommend staying away if you're looking for "hot" kiss scenes or anything like that. If you're looking for pure chemistry and a healing plot, this is a must watch!

Citeste mai mult

Almost perfect for a childhood-friends-to-lovers story

As soon as I realized that the main leads for this series were Santa and Earth (the same as in the first episode of 7 Project), I was very excited to watch. I had already seen Earth in other projects with secondary roles, so I was happy to see that he got to be the protagonist of a series for once. I was a little annoyed to see him in the role of a high-schooler (which is how I feel about any actor in his late 20s with a teenage character), but I decided to give it a go anyway.

This is a very sweet coming-of-age/slice-of-life story. The pacing of the story is a little slow, but I believe that this is also the reason why every scene felt very natural. The acting was very good and I loved how vivid every situation felt. It was a little sad at times, but not in an unbearable way - for the most part I found it very romantic and the bond between See-Eiw and Cake was portrayed very well. While the show only actually focuses on the relationship between the two main characters and not much else, I appreciated it as I was fully invested in the story and couldn't wait to see how it would go on.

What actually felt disappointing were the last couple of episodes because of how out of place they were compared to the rest. There was no sufficient build-up for the events, and I don't even believe it brought anything relevant to the story to be worth it. Overall, they felt like an attempt from the writers to bring in more dramatic events and more angst (and hurt/comfort) to the characters, which is a pity since everything else was so well-made.

I recommend watching this series despite its flaws in case you like the friends-to-lovers trope. I'd also recommend not watching episode 13th and skipping to the last part of episode 14th for the ending, but rather than butcher your experience from the get go, it might be better to see for yourself and make your own opinion.

Citeste mai mult

I don't get it

This is the first time I watch a Pinoy series and end up feeling this disappointed.

I usually don't mind scenes that are meant to depict sexiness, but since they make me bored very quickly I'd rather have more plot developments and character introspection. Well, this series has so many "sexy" scenes that at some point I was wondering whether it was meant to be a story or just an elaborate Jaime-themed thirst trap. Rather than being able to enjoy "the view" (or whatever those scenes are supposed to be), they made me so uncomfortable that I had to either skip forward or look away.

The idea for the plot is there, but the characters' intentions are all so ambiguous in every episode that they make everything confused.
Starting from Jaime: he seems to have a vague interest in Heart at the very beginning, but he finds Winston's profile right after and seems to have a much bigger interest in him from the get-go. I was 100% convinced that he had "volunteered" as a match for Heart just so that he could get closer to Winston, but then he seems genuinely surprised as he realized that he's "falling for Winston". They were concerned with showing Jaime's horniness and flirty behavior so much that they forgot to give us a better perspective on his mind, which ruins the entire series since he's obviously the Main main character.
Winston was shown slightly better than Jaime, but not so much. We were shown that he has a bad relationship from his father, that he genuinely loves his friend Heart and wants her to be better, and it's pretty clear that he is completely lost when it comes to liking a man, or having a man flirt with him. What's still unclear to me is his relationship with social media and his fans, because I don't understand how filming every moment of Jaime and Heart together could possibly be helpful to anyone except... well, himself. This topic was hinted at in the series, but never really explored.
Finally, Heart. We're never really shown anything about her, probably because she isn't the main focus of the series, but the entire time she looks like she's merely going along with whatever Winston suggests just because he's her friend and he means well. There are a couple moments when Heart and Jaime seem to be getting closer to each other, but other than that it literally feels like she's third-wheeling. The dynamic was supposed to involve her a lot, but it just feels wrong instead.
The parts where the characters talk to each other felt kind of unnatural. It was always either flirty lines, or lines that seemed to come straight from a list of inspirational quotes about love and life. I feel like I was supposed to be impressed by it, but instead it felt like a maneuver to make the show "deep" that failed miserably.

Finally, I believe that the main reason why so many people are asking for a second season is that the story doesn't have a proper conclusion. The question marks about the characters are all left unresolved, the main characters aren't a couple (not Jaime and Winston, but not even Jaime and Heart!) and the finale just feels incredibly unsatisfying because of that. It feels like there should be at least double the amount of episodes to give everything the proper room to be properly explored, but there isn't any - and since the time of the existing six episodes was used very recklessly, I'm not sure having six more episodes would really solve anything.

I'm not giving a lower vote because, despite everything, I was able to finish the series - the actors did a good job with what they had to work with and the music is pretty good too. Unfortunately, this doesn't make it a series I'd recommend.

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