Niniane
Netherlands
Cute but pointless
Writing a review about this BL is not easy, since there is not that much to review. Why this series is 10 eps long is anyone's guess, it could have been done in 4. Or even none at all. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. It's just.... not good.I'm a generous rater and my 7,5 is used for average drama. This is below avg, so a meagre 6.0 is all it gets.
Tin is cute as a button although a bit too childish. The way Park goes from I'll kick you to I love you was so sudden I thought I missed a scene. But I didn't. Pao is supposedly a teacher but works at an office? There is a whole drugs depression and angst plotline there that could have been explored but wasn't. The whole brothers-to-lovers is never not weird, mainly due to the consistent references to parenthood. Chemistry is spotty, mostly in the beginning and with the PaoKana side couple. I get the feeling this was a practice run for the screenwriter (also the MC) and the actors. I hope they learned a lot.
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Only watch on a binge!
I watched this BL on a 2-session binge and I believe thats the only way to watch this and still have a nice time doing so. The first episode threw me off bc of the weird double time jump. The first scene is never followed-up. Where is this helpful President everyone needs every morning?? The fact that Songkhram has liked from the very beginning should have been explored more. He never even tells Ai, except when showing the bracelet in the last ep. The firts 2 kisses were horribly bad. What on earth were they doing? The kisses after that were much better. Both leads act reasonably well, especially Bank. The chemistry is spotty, sometimes its there, sometimes its not. The NC scene feels very genuine and sweet.The side couples get quite a lot of attention and thats nice, especially for Pipe/Meen. To top it all off, we end with another double timejump. i HATE THOSE, EVEN IF DONE OK ok?
Overall a nice BL to binge and not waste too much time on. Nice, nothing special.
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Happy Ending Outside the Fence
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If you love somebody, set them free
This drama is about what kind of love and life do you want? Which is kind of a deep theme for the lenght of this drama. It seems they bit off s bit more than they could chew, but they try there hardest to make due with nwhat they have and in thet resoect, they did quite well.The main characters are a love triangle, one current relationship and one (possible) future romance. The current boyfriend is a protective and somewhat cold man, who schemes and plots to keep the status quo, under the pretence of protecting his lover. He never asks him though as if he thinks his boyfriend is a child or stupid. Only at the last second does he come to realize he should be helping instesd of controlling. The new love is 100% support and positivity.. This boy adores him so much he cant stop staring. He builds him up and makes him face the world without force, but while completely having his back.
Other characters play their part around those three, and they are all complex characters, that do not get the screentime they deserve at all. I needed some more back story and more explanation. What exactly happened that waqs so bad that got this writer completely cancelled? How did that book get printed from first just being on a laptop and why is writer Cha ok with that? Who lives where? Whats going on? I could have done with 4 more episodes and make it a nice 12 eps one. But this is a SKBL, and that just hardly ever happens. Too bad. So sad.
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Individual Circumstances
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We want more than just "promising"!
Korean BL overall has the same 'flaw': Great story or concept, wickedly good acting some amazing chemistry, but they tend to disappoint every time when it comes to the actual romance part. This BL is no exception to that rule. I was fully engaged from ep 1 through 7 and ep. 8 was an enormous desillusion. Really?? Thats the way you kiss your re-kindled first love when you finally understand each other? Thats the way toddlers kiss when they play house, i'm not even kidding. It could have been so much better with just a few degrees more heat.I would have liked more story from the side characters, an explanation on the sweater and the how and when they started liking each other, but I would have been so happy with just one real kiss.
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What did I just watch?
This is honestly the first time ever that I wondered what I just watched. This BL wants to be more than it could ever be with the limits of budget, acting and time.I'm sure there was a vision here, but what it was got totally lost. And as a consequence so did I.
The theme is very interesting: the end of the world due to the moon crashing into the earth a few days from the start of the series. A few people who couldn't get to the bunkers remain to fend for themselves in a doomed world.
This interesting starting point is shot off without any clear direction. Is it a tear fest? Many emotional scenes, deaths of loved ones, misunderstandings... A gore fest? So so much violence and bloody stuff. Not always functional to the story. Some violence and death seem completely unnecessary and only meant for effect. It has the opposite. A f*ck fest? There's a lot, and not from the main couple. Another case of effect chasing.
All this energy should have gone to telling a consistent and compelling story. There are only sparks of what could have been.
What is good: The relationship build up. The brother. The lovely Sis Mam.
What is bad: lack of clear motivation for some actions. For example: why would you stop someone from leaving when you just decided to let them go? Also weird plot parts. The world ending kind of defeats seeking shelter, even in a bunker. Why don't they ever worry about their parents. The lack of anxiety over the world actually ending. The science of the moon crashing does not add up. I could go on and on.
This should have been given much more thought, attention and budget for it to become a good show. They wanted more than they could deliver and that's a shame
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Everyone is evil
The thing i took away from this drama is that there was nobody i could really identify with. The character Giwi is the worst, but just about everyone and their dog has an evil streak and/or is an opportunist. The only one who was at least a little likeable was the cop Tin (Tay Tawan). But, for an inspector he is surprisingly gullible to the real character of the girl he is in love with. This drama is a parade of bad people. Spycho's criminales, corrupt politicians, blackmailers, murderers, entitled heirs et cetera. The people who we should believe are in love do nothing that convinces me they are and because these are very good actors (Mek, Foei and Joss) this is most likely due to bad directing.Don't get me wrong, i never considered dropping it, and I enjoyed ranting at the screen a lot. The acting was mostly on point and I enjoy watching these kind of dramas . it's just that this as not as good as some others I have seen.
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Beautiful & underrated
This is what small production houses can do! Just 2 actors, the Thai mountains, fitting music and a classic tale of love is all it took to make this highly underrated gem of a BL.The story is a classic mythical and mystical tale, told in pieces, so that we are continuously puzzling together what actually happened. In the end, we did not get all the answers, but do we ever in these kind of tales? The overall feeling is one of happiness and completion.
The acting is very good. Imagine no side stories, marginal side characters so all the work comes from just these two. Excellent! The Thai scenery should have been a paid actor, as this (intentionally) contributed so much to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will put in on my re-watch list!
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I cried. A lot
How great to watch Earth and Santa again. Earth is an amazing actor who does very well in emotional roles. In this production he hit the jackpot. How to process the realization that not only are you gay, but also in love with your best friend? This was the best part of this series. How sad and wholesome at the same time. We don't get an insight to when Santa's character Cake falls in love or realises this, at least I didn't notice. He tells his friends after he has been away for years (a time walk instead of a time jump. Well done!). I would have liked to see more exploring of feelings.What I liked: The wholesomeness. Great families, siblings and friends.
Good chemistry but little sexual tension. Just love. Loads of butterflies. The emotion is not too much although it's a lot. Earth is a beautiful cryer. Great side roles and an adorable side couple. Peak does not give up but is so sweet and respectful.
What I liked less: The lessons in disease and their causes. And how the father is to blame. Besides being blamed, he has not been in his kids life for decades but is welcomed back quite easily. That doesn't fly with me coming from a broken home. Santa/Cakes hair after he returns. Bleach gone bad.
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Best Taiwanese BL 2022
This was a joy to watch every single second. I was hooked from the first ep. Everything in this production is so good. The setting, the acting, the writing, characters, story development. While is most series there is some sort of lull in the middle, this one was never boring. Always something to be curious about, always a new surprising scene or development.The actors are on another level. The chemistry is completely natural, like they've been a ship for years. The love radiates off the screen in every action. It's a joy to watch. The natural development of the relationship is another point. Insecurities and obstacles are handled with care and logic in the most romantic way. Inconvenient situations are not shyed away from and the way the biggest argument is portrayed and shot is just.. *chefs kiss*.
The side couples (3 of them!) are not getting all the screentime they deserve, but that's because these also are sooo good. They are all very different, express and experience love in different ways and each of them is great to watch. The way the parents react hurt a lot, especially the father. I hope this is not something that is normal in Taiwan and I did not like the way is was just glanced over and not really addressed. The little dance at the end of the episodes was so cute. I'm really hoping for a second season to give the side couples a chance to blossom and the main cp to solidify their relationship.
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Major trigger alert would have been nice....
Let me start off by saying this movie should have come with a trigger alert. This includes suicide and (attempted) rape. If you have seen Thai movies or dramas before, this may be no surprise to you, but still was kind of a shocker to me.That being said, I really enjoyed the movie. The story itself is not too complicated. 2 surgeons and longtime besties start working together to uncover the truth behind the existence of ghosts. One of them is griefstruck by his mother's death and the other is obsessed with ghosts since his father appeared to him after death. They find that the ghostworld is not accessible to living humans and decide on drastic measures to finish their experiments. It all culminates i a eye opening and emotional climax, with neither getting what they wanted or deserved.
The acting of both leads is fenomenal, and the scene setting (hospital, abandoned lab) although cliché still very fitting.
The overall moral to the story; don't dig into things you are not sure you really want to know.
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Different and interesting
A series starting with an NC scene and ending with a cute scene. What's in between was, well, interesting. The story is layered, with flashbacks, family scenes and character development. Sometimes things are a bit confusing or choppy, and the inexperience of the actors shows from time to time, but Mos and Bank have great chemistry together. They make a fantastic couple. The NC scenes were not the best, but the cute scenes are amazing. The banter is just right and the looks they give each other would melt a gletcher.I am looking forward to the 2nd season where we will see what happens when Bank finds out they knew each other when they were kids and they come out to their families. And who's that boy at the door?
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The problem with BL: Storytelling!
If only we could have better editing and production in BL... So many times everything in a BL makes sense but the storyline. Plot holes, weird transitions, time jumps, sloppy characters, inconsistencies... It takes away so much, while it could have been sooo good. In this case, the chemistry between these rookie actors is off the charts. The plot is original, supernatural themed bl's are rare. The build up of the romance is stormy and messy but it makes sense. The problems are not with the main plot line in the beginning. It is the side stories that mess it up. There is an ex boyfriend that we know died, but we miss a full back story, as with the gl couple they seem to have thrown in there without telling us exactly where this came from. Since we BL lovers are romance and drama addicts, we need to know what exactly transpired to make them fall in love, how was their relationship and how did they die? The way these stories are brought is dangling a carrot, and then stuffing our nose with it. It comes down to bad choices in editing, wanting to put in too much while there's just not enough airtime assigned. It's a shame. Rating would have been at least 8 without these issues. Finally I want to add how beautiful Tod is. This boy is ethereal.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
180 Degrees Longitude Between Us
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One of those you remember forever
I knew getting into this it was going to be emotional. I had seen some spoilers and I thought I was prepared. I was not. This drama reels you in with the charm of Wang, gets you hooked on the sweetness of In, chews you up with the selfishness of Mol and spits you out with the heartbreak of all 3 of them. I really don't mind emotions, sadness or even bad endings, but I dread them since watching MODC. This one is not THAT bad, fortunately, and the ending is fitting the mood and feel of the drama, but I still hated it. I so much wanted In to get over his hesitation and fear and for Mol to get over her selfishness and think more about her son's happiness. Mol has very narcissistic tendencies and this triggered me a lot. In never gets angry with her, he never calls her out. Probably because he feels so guilty, but there's therapy for that, people!Suffice to say I was really invested in this drama and I binged it in a day. The acing, cinematography, music, it was all on point. The fact that we are actually only dealing with these 3 people without real side characters is a great choice, we really get into their motivations, conversations and emotions.
There were some inconsistencies and unclear parts, but maybe that's just that I missed it because I was crying too much. I don't know.
I dare not hope for a 2nd season where Wang and In find their way back to each other, but, you know, just saying....
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Wish granted and then some!
We got a 4 episode series of the same title in 2020, with mostly the same cast and this left us wanting, no, needing more. These 4 episodes will hence forth be treated as extended preview and this series of 10 full episodes (first 3 eps also available in Director's Cut) will be the OG. I was so looking forward to this one and I was totally hooked from the first second. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts, even more than in the extended preview. The drama has been taken down a tiny notch, but the butterfly dial has been cranked up to the max. There were some humorous scenes added and parents that are more relatable than before, Ploy is very likeable and I even felt sorry for her, although the way both she and Vee handled things is stil annoying af. But hey, we need at least some drama, right haha. Some scenes made me actually squeal in joy or burst out laughing. The sass of both of them, but mostly Mark is amazing. The murderous looks he gives Vee are hilariously scary. The heart eyes they give each other are next level lovey-dovey.I could have done with a little less obvious tropes, but the execution of these is so good, it is only mildly annoying. I pity Nuea, who seems such a great guy who just came along too late. The scene of him comforting Mark while they both cry is so touching. There are many iconic scenes in this series, not the least of which is the end scene. I cheered when I saw Mark come out from behind that curtain... I will not spoil any more. Just know you will absolutely not regret binging this one.
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Magic Mike but funny
I was drawn to this series because I liked Drag I love You so much. It is not as entertaining as that was, but it has plenty of hilarious scenes. The comedy comes from the over the top acting, which bounders on the cringey side, but just manages to stay away from it. It gives feelgood and pretty ripped man bods. What's not to like? The main character Annie is a powerhouse who stands her ground surrounded by predators. Her ex, her former partner, a creditor and her daughter are all asking for something from her. Suddenly a golden opportunity in the form of an inherited host club falls in her lap and she decides to make the best of it to make money and improve her life. While recruiting men to host at her club, she meets a colorful set of guys who all bring their own set of issues and talents to the club. She manages to make her creditor fall for her by giving him a sexy dance (LOOOL, this scene is gold) and as a bonus riles up her former partner, who then decides to also start a club to annoy and compete. Everyone falls in love left and right, some couples lasting, others failing miserably. I love that, although all relationships are heterosexual, they are not standard at all.There is plenty of women's liberation and feminism, great music and a serious note here and there. I was entertained every second and regretted that it ended. I don't know if I will re-watch, but I will certainly not mind a sequel.
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