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ShanTeaTime
Buffalo, NY
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A Show That Demands Peace
I had heard about "Crash Landing on You" because its gained quite a large following! It's arguably become one of the most popular K-Drama series I've ever heard of. So since I just had finished "It's Okay Not To Be Okay", I figured why not pick up another K-drama to watch? Though I didn't like this one nearly as much as IONTBO, it had some really solid stuff in it and my mom loved it. So that's a plus!The premise of South Korean and North Korean star crossed lovers really interested me. Since that's a very real issue and could potentially discuss many important things surrounding that divide. Which they did in various ways! Which were my favorite parts of the show. The romance plays a primary part of course, but that other added stuff was the gold to me. It was so interesting how North Korea was represented in this show. You definitely don't see it in a necessarily good light, with so much poverty and neglect for its citizens. As well as downright mistreatment in the judicial system and lack of medical resources. It's so much fake happiness and control. However, it made me so happy to see the people portrayed as kind. They aren't bad people, just many of them are stuck over there for various circumstances and its an extremely complicated situation that isn't black and white. There's good and bad on both sides, what's really the problem in N.Korea is how its ran by dictatorship rather than freely.
The characters were (for the most part) really well done and portrayed. I loved that Seri was not just a damsel in distress. She's a business woman with no nonsense. Who worked her way up and had struggles on her own. She's given a personality and isn't reliant on the relationship to define her character. Jung Hyuk was well done, after awhile of watching I was like "okay show, don't beat up this man too much please! It's making my heart hurt. Dude plays the piano and is actually a literal sweetheart. So leave him alone!" The side characters who became a side couple Dan and Seung Jun (or Alberto lol) were actually pretty solid. I felt for each of them and sympathized. So when Seung Jun dies, I felt terrible! I understand why he did and I'm glad to an extent that Dan is finding her own independence. It just was unexpected that he would out of everyone. All of the soldiers in Jung Hyuk's group were likable in their own ways. My faves were Eun Dong (precious child) and Ju Muk (his love for dramas made my heart sing!) Getting attached to them made the ending that much harder to watch.
So the romance is nice in this, even if it was a little too fantastical for my taste. Meaning endearing looks and peck kisses don't scream "believability" to me lol. So I kinda started to get annoyed with the trope of dramatic pauses in this especially concerning those characters interactions. They were sooooo slow at delivery sometimes and I'm not blaming the actors at all because its the direction. But holy crap! Such a solid cast of actors though seriously. The entire plot of Jung Hyuk's brother getting murdered was devastating, but amazing to watch. The Man Bok's (the rat) storyline could've been its own story. Eventually though I was like thank god were out of the North by episode 10! Because I was getting sick of those sets. Seeing the boys from the North interact in the South was so funny and entertaining. I kinda wanted more of it! Also Jung Hyuks just doing a bunch of good deeds around Seoul was so wholesome.
Now we'll get to the stuff leading up to the ending and the ending itself. People were doing a lot of dumb s*** towards the end. Like going places alone and driving in front of bullets rather than into the shooter himself which I still don't understand! Either way we lead up to the ending. I predicted it pretty early on. I had a feeling the soldiers would have to return North. It was ironic that there's writing at the border that states "peace" while the North is literally ripping people apart from their loved ones. And in handcuffs no less! It was devastating and I sobbed. I didn't want to see them go back because at that point I would die for any of those boys! I wanted them to have better lives and be happy. That didn't happen and it was disappointing. Jung Hyuk and Seri get a bittersweet ending where they see each other 2 weeks every year, which is kinda crappy but its something. He still had to serve under the North though which was like, eww. After all of that. I just wish they weren't stuck there by the end. The conclusion with the moms talking about ending the arranged marriage was beautiful. I really loved that. The ending was meh in some areas, but really solid in Dan's storyline of independence. So idk.
Finally, I wanna say the filming locations in Switzerland were GORGEOUS. It made me want to visit there so bad! Overall, I don't think "Crash Landing on You" necessarily deserves the overmassed hype it got. However, I think its an important series! If I were to rewatch it I'd watch it for only certain scenes and storylines. It was still an enjoyable experience overall and I hope someday there truly is peace between the South and North. In a way that saves all the people and sets them free <3
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A Good Attempt At Something Kinda Different
So initially here were my thoughts on this show. "Wayyyy too slow could not get into it and boring tbh" and I dropped it because the pacing was so freaking slow at times. Also the story hadn't had me invested enough to care. However, I did pick up the show again and it improved with more time but it still didn't hit the mark I wish it could've. The show is divided into 2 halves, high school and college life. I much prefer the college life, where the high school section could have easily been cut shorter. We really didn't need all that exposition and petty fighting over clubs. Though the stuff centered around the mom was nice and it broke my heart.Other than the pacing, the main couple and its actors I wasn't too fond of. Which is a huge problem! Them together was just irritating. With their lack of communication skills and passive aggressiveness. I didn't care if they got together or not by the end! Their acting was not great as well, which makes sense because I think they're newcomers? But I needed more from them, especially Pai's character. I didn't buy him at all. The parents in this show were also literally all trash (except for the sick mom of course) either non-caring or total hoes. Honestly thank god for the side characters/couple in this because without them this show would've been a horrible horrible trainwreck. Pure and Folk are way WAY more interesting than our mains, they brought so much to the narrative and it got me actually interested enough to finish the show. Unfortunately it takes until the halfway point to see them!
The discussion of HIV with Pure's character was great and so important. Also the friends-with-benefits arch in the relationship was a nice progression to see. It felt more real. I also appreciate that Pure is very clearly bisexual or pansexual, its even visually represented in a way that was hilarious. However, the choice to have him be represented as kinda hoeish could come off as slightly biphobic. Being bisexual myself I didn't initially go there, but I could see how those watching could so that's something to keep in mind. Going back to Pure and Folk as a pair though, it was hella cute and much needed for this show.
I also wanted to say I actually really liked how the side characters intertwined with the mains. They intervene sometimes in arguments or whatever and its super positive! It's also interesting that I thought Pure and Waan were meant to be the side couple at first because it was presented that way. But nope they are just friends and Waan gets a girlfriend! I liked that too, subverting expectations can really help a story feel fresh. There are things from this show that I loved, like really want to see in other shows! But it just couldn't get rid of all the other unnecessary tropes or unneeded plot. Which is a shame because this could've geared up to be (haha) one of the top shows of the year. I would say watch the second half once they're in college, skip the rest!
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WISH YOU : Your Melody In My Heart
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These Short Series Are Killing Meeeee
So before I go into the review I just need to say, WE WANT LONGER SERIES!!! Korea is notorious now for making short BL's and it's driving me nuts. "Mr.Heart" did it, but with that I didn't really feel the need for more necessarily. This series though I could definitely see having been an amazing full series! They had great casting and music, so why not just lengthen the episodes? Having 15 minute episodes doesn't give enough time to develop plot and characters enough. We wanted more and we needed more. Though they also released a film version on Netflix and I actually prefer it that way! It flows better as a short film and they added some contextual scenes.First off, the music in this is BEAUTIFUL holy crap. That first scene of In Soo singing curbside was amazing. Great cinematography in this of the city, really pretty. The story was interesting and I liked seeing bits of the business behind becoming a musician in Korea. I would've loved to see a whole series of it, but what we got was still good. The final episode could've been better though. I didn't like the suicidal implications the show was giving, to just throw that away as a misdirect? Wasn't a fan, but seeing the two leads make their own music and business together was nice.
I'm actually curious how this series happened, because the two leads are kpop singers in respective groups? Using their real names in an lgbtq drama!? That's amazing and much appreciated. I hope for more of this down the line (which it seems like there are more and more series being announced for 2021), but definitely with longer premises and episodes!
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Give 'The Gifted' A Chance People!
Didn't know much going into this, other than that it involved high school students with powers. This series definitely exceeded my expectations I can proudly say! Love the use of individual episodes for each student/students so we learn more about them. The plot keeps you engaged as to what's going on in the school and who to trust. Even though the visual effects are nothing outstanding, they use clever camera tricks and lighting to help with the illusion of powers or "potentials". I hope the second season got a bigger budget though because it deserves it!Some deep and dark themes in this, including mental health and unfair treatment/bullying. Also using students as guinea pigs essentially to help the "gifted" ones accel past them. I love that they actually discuss the idea of since the "gifted" students are treated better how the other "normal" students feel about it and take out their anger on those kids who literally had zero choice in the matter. Its corrupted and very interesting. So my favorite characters were Gun as Punn, I knew him going in and he didn't disappoint. His episode was my one of my favorites hands-down, I love anything having to do with psychological effects on a person and he played the various emotions perfectly. His potential is the one I would personally like to have in real life, without the psychological side-effects though of course! I also really like Sing as Ohm, his character had me cracking up especially in his episode. Nanon as Pang was really solid too, the leading up to his discovery of his own "potential" was great and I noticed the hints along the way. His potential is honestly to me the scariest and the most powerful. Everyone did a great job though in their respective roles, I just have my faves.
So I think the individual episodes are where the series is at its peak and the episodes involving the teacher (Mr.Pom). Holy crap did his background get dark, we knew the "non-gifted" students were treated unfairly...but damn this is when we really LEARN how messed up the misaligned treatment really is. His character had so much buildup of being a cliche villain with poor intent, but he ended up being just another pawn in the heads plan. I ended up really feeling terrible for him, it gave him that added layer that he needed to be a character you can latch on to. The only critiques I had in this show were the pacing sometimes was slower, the headmaster was too stereotypical evil for me and the ending felt copoutish. I know there's a second season now airing, so its clear they were planning that from the start but still. I hope the second season gives more background to the headmaster and doesn't end in such a jumbled way.
Random thoughts during the show; The best friend character Nack looks straight up like Bam Bam sometimes in this show from Got7, it threw me off so much lol. Also I feel stupid for not knowing the twins Jack and Jo were played by actual twin actors. I've seen them both in so many shows and I thought it was one person! But nope, this show also taught me that it is two actors who are twins. Go figure.
Finally, don't not watch a show just because you see BL actors in it and it's not a BL. That's stupid period, watch it because it's a good show!
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What Even Was This Trying To Be?!
Well...I watched this...barely. I, like many it seems, watched this series to see Mild as Tee. Well he was indeed the strongest part of the series. His character was cute and he actually got a good dramatic scene in this to show off his range more, which was shocking because that is not the tone of this show at all. But other than him, I can't really find much else positive to say about this series unfortunately.There was wayyyyy too much going on in this that it's so confusing and chaotic. The overuse of sound effects was obnoxious as hell, more so than other series I've seen. There are not many likable characters in this, many of them are either doing way too much or not enough. The sister character I literally wanted to strangle all the way until the end of the series. Also wtf even was "Thor's" plot line with the gym owner friend? I'm sorry but that was so dumb. The show struggled clearly to try and be funny and quirky, but it just missed the mark by a mile. Nothing could be taken seriously or by face value even. The fake-out romantic moments were so fu***** annoying! It's fine if it happens once or twice, but holy sh** it was endless!
Though I thought Pond's character was okay, albeit dense and treated as eye-candy a lot which irritated me. He actually looked good with Tee by the end, for example that post-it wall at the end was cute. But dude, close your damn eyes when you kiss. That always bothers me in any type of romance, especially if it doesn't change by the end and it didn't. So basically I ended up skipping soooo many scenes in this because it just dragged on and on, and I could not handle it anymore. I don't really think missing those things affected my overall feelings of this show, because if I couldn't get into it by episode 5 it was a lost cause anyway. I got the gist of it and I think it's definitely one to skip altogether. Watch Mild in "TharnType" because that's his best role to date. I also have to leave off with how LineTV needs to fix their subtitling issue BADLY. This show's subtitles were so off I had to rewrite them in my head to make sense! It's not a fan-made site and tons of international fans use it now (like me!) so please double-check your translations and hire new translators if that's the issue! Be like Viki even and have reliable fans input their own! It messes with the viewing experience.
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Cute Little Side Story, Not Enough Development
Yes I watched "Reminders" first, now that we've got that out of the way. This little mini series was cute. I thought Mean's character 2 was way more likable in this series than in "Reminders". Sure the character is still a total goof, but he's lovable and squishy! They also fixed his hair, thank god! No more weird semi-mullet. Plan's character Wish continued to confuse me. I never ever found him attractive physically in LBC, but in "Reminders" and this he was? Maybe it's the dyed hair? Other than looks though his character was more understandable this time around. He wasn't overly cruel or kinda using 2 for his kindness. I understood his frustrations with feeling useless without a job and jealous when 2 lied to him. Though I think it was slightly overboard at the end, it resolved pretty quickly though that felt like because of the time constraint of the series itself. Either way, this was alright!Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Why Only 3 Episodes!?
I think this series had a lot of potential...if it was longer. 3 episodes does not make a cohesive story arch, let alone 3 seperate ones. I will say, I loved seeing Perth and Saint play a couple again. I miss Ae and Pete so much! Though this couple (Pin & Son) they played was nothing like Ae and Pete, they still worked off of each other very well. Perth is a fantastic actor and he shows that again in this series in the final episode. Even if there wasn't much screen time given to showcase much! However, I appreciate that of the 3 couples the 1 that got a love scene was them. Thank you lol!They brought back Mean and Plan as well, though this time around I wasn't feeling it. I enjoyed seeing them on the same screen, but the characters they played in this kinda sucked. Wish (played by Plan) had fantastic hair lol which threw me off because he looked pretty fine and I never saw him as attractive in LBC, but the character was pretty cruel for no contextual reason. Unless I'm missing something? Then Mean as Two was just really really strange to see. Two is kinda supposed to be a little dumb and naive, which doesn't suit Mean at all. He's better off playing strong silent characters. This entire series felt like a weird alternate universe of LBC and I was both intrigued and confused. Noh and Phun I have never seen before because Love Sick never intrigued me, but in this they were alright! I liked that they were pretty level-headed. I wish the series had gone on longer, but I get this was kinda just an actor promotion. I wish Saint was going to be in LBC season 2, but if there is a season 3 DON'T RECAST HIM or try to have Pete gone again! I'll be pissed and I want more of Perth and Saint.
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Disappointing But 1000% Better Than The Sequel Series
"What The Duck" had so much promise at the beginning. I was actually really interested in each of the characters stories and was also anticipating Mew coming into the show (love him so much!) First things first, this show is shot really well. More cinematically than many other television drama programs. It also has a solid cast, though I wish they would've utilized some of them more. Like my man Mild Suttinut Uengtrakul, whom I know from TharnType when he played Techno. He's got such a presence on screen and his character kinda sucked, all of the side characters felt pretty weak.I will say also I think Pree and Rambo's storyline overall was stronger than Pop and Oat's who annoyed me after awhile. I may be biased, but Pree was my favorite character in this show. Him and his sister Mo. They had the most common sense, they were likable throughout the show and they are both so beautiful to look at XD. Mew again got me with his acting as well, he broke my heart in this series and so did Art. Those two also went all out for this show, like dang that first scene of them was...something lol I wasn't expecting it! Though their story line was kind of a letdown at the end (the godawful sequel series made sure of that) it was interesting enough throughout for me to be okay with it. However, Pop and Oat never got there for me which is a shame because they had moments. I almost turned off the show though when the Oat sexual-assault implication was revealed, thank god it wasn't true because I would've never gotten past that! I would say overall watch the show, but expect a lot of plot that's unfulfilled and not a whole ton of romance from the lead leads. You'll get that from Pree and Rambo in a few episodes but that's about it. Also beware of the shows crudeness, it's frank and doesn't really bat an eye at it!
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My Beautiful Man: The Movie
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We Are Eternally Grateful For This Movie Continuation
I had zero clue where this film fell into the timeline of the series. I knew it was after season 1, but had zero clue it was after season 2 as well! Which I love, because seasons 1 and 2 were both great. This was even better, because of the added budget for the film. Some of the shots in this were incredible, super gorgeous seriously. The series has always had an aesthetic that I drooled over as a filmmaker, but this took the cake. That last shot of Hira and Kiyoi under the transparent sheet was literally like something out of BTS's "Blood, Sweat & Tears" which is one of my favorite music videos of all time. The film shows their relationship very well, how they've grown and how they will continue to grow now that they've confirmed their forever. The stuff intertwined within the story was good too, but lets all be honest. Were here for the coupleness that is Hira and Kiyoi! I know there's not really a "need" for another film/season in this series...but I want one. I really enjoy these two and want more artistic BL filmmaking like this, I Told Sunset About You, Colour Rush, Until We Meet Again, etc. Its just so much more meaningful than any cash grab could ever dream of being.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
We Best Love: The Runner-Up Strikes Back
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Fighting The Urge To Rewatch The First Season (Again)
I'm not sure why I never wrote a review for this? Probably because I was upset initially that our main boys were split up for like 5 years from the first season to this season! I understand why (stupid father) but it felt unnecessary. Although without it I'm not exactly sure where this season would've went. It's no secret that We Best Love is one of my top BL series. Its got amazing acting, storyline, chemistry, music, etc. So this second season was probably never going to live up to that. However, it was still pretty darn good. So watch it! Just be prepared to be frustrated for a bit before things go back to where they need to be.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
This Is Not A Simulation! This is Life!
Another example of an amazing Korean BL with too short of episodes! Our leads are amazing, such heartfelt loving moments, cute soundtrack and story. But with 15 minute episodes I wanted so so soooo much more! I hope we get a movie version of this at least like Viki has been doing that includes extended scenes, because I enjoyed this too much for it to just end here. Seriously Viki...do it please or I'll lose my mind. Although a second season would be even better, we've been getting those more frequently too for BL's.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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I Might Watch This 609 Times And Still Be Confused
So this show totally flew past my radar. I had no idea it was coming out and thats saying something! I've followed Fluke and Ohm for awhile now and really like their chemistry. Though I don't think UWMA will ever be defeated in how amazing they were in that, this series also showcased their acting abilities in different ways.I also didn't know Plustor was in this! Yay! And plot twist, DO NOT TELL ME that Plustors character and Nat are exes in this series lmao. Yes indeed they are! Is this casting an alternate reality!? That was so funny to me. So let's get into the characters.
Mum's character was...douchey at the beginning for sure . He grew on me but only because of the influence of Dew. We love me caring about the side couple because of Plustor more than Fluke and Ohm's storyline lol.. though I did like seeing both of their stories and how they intertwine. Though the plot got so convoluted that I couldn't keep it straight and I just went along for the ride not knowing half of what was happening lol.
One of the things that didn't make sense is Mum's sister never mentioning him to Dew. Like she likes him and doesn't bring up her brothers name ever!? That was weird. Also the Dew getting shot plot kinda didn't even really matter in the end. Like you're led to believe its that guy whose in love with Mum's sister, then you think its the sister which was actually a cool twist that was wasted! Then the uncle putting a hit out on his nephew. I was confusedddd dude. Multiverse plotlines are really hard to do, so I applaud them for trying but it didn't completely work out.
Watch this show though! It was good for what it was and I wanna see more from our side couple!
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What A Beautiful Set Of Bois
Had no idea what I was jumping into with this one. I've had mixed reactions to Japanese BL's. Loved ones like "Cherry Magic", "Love On The Line" and "The Novelist" , but sometimes they get quite repetitive. As well as now really showing the leads dynamic very well, aka they don't have much chemistry. Well this show definitely was a pleasant surprise!First things first. I really like the animation aesthetics in this. They really added to the storytelling, it also made me think of "Heartstopper". I love how our main character Hira is so shy and awkward. He really is one of the most awkward main characters in a BL I've ever seen and that's saying something! So high praise to the actor. Though one plot device with the character I didn't like. I understand the violence symbolism of the gun motif was him expressing his inner thoughts and feelings. However, it was still too much lol. I live in America, that sh** is too serious.
Kiyoi's development with Hira is interesting. I saw little nuances of him liking him back from the start. Sticking up for him, the little smiles and wanting to just be around him. So I could tell something was up from the beginning, which is a good thing. It shouldn't just be completely one sided infatuation. I love that ep 5 is completely dedicated to Kiyoi and his backstory. We saw everything from his POV too now which is what I wanted. I also love seeing Hira kicking booty in this episode! We got to see our shy boy screaming and I loved it. At first I thought their first kiss seemed so out of left field, but if this is how Kiyoi has been feeling this entire time. Totally makes sense now. Boy is in love and the jealous type! I was frustrated thinking Kiyoi needed to stop being so chill or acting chill about everything. However ep 5 on explained this very well and I understood where he was coming from in his reservations.
Moving on. The intro of Koyami (our official love triangle boy) was interesting. I really like him and he clearly likes Hira a lot. So I felt conflicted. But because the love Hira has for Kiyoi I knew the switch up could never be. However, all I'm saying is but THE TINY CAKE Hira got himmmm. So sweet! The final talk between Hira and Koyami hurt my heart, but it was really well done. Koyami is genuinely also a good person, like he wants Hira to be happy, Koyami FOR THE WIN. It was nice to see the other love interest not be shady for a change. We got our happy ending and I hope Koyami gets a boo too! He deserves it.
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Gameboys 2 Much To Handle
So this is basically the Gameboys film but with some clips added in. It pads out Terrence and Wesley's story, adds in some character to Achilles and Pearl. Those were great, there's also some stuff added to Cai and Gav's story which were very much appreciated. I wish though that this had more and it was its own thing. There's too much good chemistry here not to continue on with the story. The extended ending definitely makes me want to see more, but I mean what else is new with this series!? Please release a season 3, we wanna see a wedding lol and I want to see more of our side couple. Pearl and Achilles deserve boo's too! Like TWICE said we want MORE and MORE!!! XDVond je deze recentie nuttig?
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I Want Kim Bum Or Rain As My Doctor!
I want to keep this review fairly short because this series was so stretched out and frankly too long. Sometimes these K-Dramas falter at the standard 16 eps since the episodes are like an hour long. Sometimes its a good thing. This one was too long.I really love both Kim Bum and Rain. For different reasons, but love either way. So seeing them together was surreal af. Their banter was great and both killed it with the acting. The women in this show definitely were weak characters, which is a shame. I didn't care about them at all (minus Bo Mi to a point). The story had a lot going on and I got confused during it on multiple occasions. I also became pretty uninvested towards the end. Sure, this got much better once we found out Kim Bom's character can actually see ghosts since childhood and become possessed. But I just wanted Cha to wake up already so we could get past the coma ghost thing. I wanted irl repercussions and problem solving. It also helped that Cha kept his memories of being a ghost once he woke up. Which was good since his character had so much growth during this series, which was one of the best parts.
Seung Tak was the more interesting character along with Cha. I liked learning about it but it took awhile to get there. Like I said, most everything else I was like I don't care or okay? I will say though Tess stole my heart. Man made me cry and that was the only time in this series I did. If you like/love our main 2 like I do, you'll enjoy seeing them. If not I would say don't bother. There are better K-Dramas and even better medical based K-dramas. Though the medical accuracy in this was shockingly pretty good.
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