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Good For One Watch, Slow Burn, Mix Is Captivating.
Good for one watch if you don't mind it dissolving into unnecessary, predictable, and angsty melodrama for a while. Overall I'm glad I saw it (mainly because Mix is a fantastic actor and I really enjoy watching him in his characters), but I won't watch it again.Ten 60-75min episodes. Great (8.5 or 9 out of 10) then Ep 7 started to slide into some clichés and frustrating character choices. Then Ep 8 & 9 were full of clichéd plot lines, all so predictable in their character stupidity. People said things or didn't say things in unrealistic ways to force the contrived plot points aimed at emotional angst to work. The screenplay became so melodramatic. I started watching at 2x the speed, rolling my eyes frequently, and so annoyed that I stopped caring about the story and stopped feeling for the characters. I just wanted to get it over with.
In Ep 10 the stupidity died down a little and it became watchable again and Mix's acting managed to get me re-invested in his character. The second half of Ep 10 was great and satisfying. One of the best airport scenes ever! I usually find them cringworthy but this one was understated, heartfelt, and perfect, even with other character's reactions.
Earth is not my favorite actor but he was surprisingly more nuanced in this than in Moonlight Chicken.
All of the secondary and tertiary characters did great.
This is one long, major slow-burn! It stays pretty PG, but the hearfelt way Ep 10 was done made it satisfying nonetheless.
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Slow. Sky and NC Scenes Are Reasons To Watch.
The sceenplay is weak and slow. You could probably watch Ep 1 to get started then skip to Ep 5 or 6 without too much trouble because Ep 2-5 are repetitious and extremely slow burn. Ep 6 is when things start to get somewhat more interesting and emotional. I'm speed-watching about half of this and don't care that much about the two side couples.The screenplay should have spent more time on the backstory because there's not enough weight and reason behind the brief flashback we get to believably be the crux of Venus's fallout with Sky.
The actor Tod playing Sky is surprisingly good, noticeably better than everyone else once the script actually gives him something with some layers to work with. He's got micro-facial expressions and nuances in face, body, and voice, especially when things are more emotional. He successfully tugged hard at my heartstrings even though the script is not well written. He has potential and I would be interested to see him act again, especially with a better script.
Once Sky and Venus get together there's even less plot but they actually act like boyfriends (unlike a lot of BLs where one partner acts disgusted by anything physical). Sky is in love and horny and they have a lot of sex. And a lot is shown. Someone commented somewhere that the show could have just been called "Sky in Venus", lol.
The two actors are pretty comfortable with each other but the chemistry feels one-sided; Tod successfully conveys attraction and desire (outside of intimate scenes as well as during) but Cheque struggles with this.
Cheque as Venus is pretty flat. It kind of works for the character (who's cautious and has his defensive walls high) but it's obvious that he's a newbie actor. He's not awful, but because he's lacking nuances he gets boring.
I may watch the intimate scenes here as a bandaid of sorts after watching an unsatisfying BL series with disguised homophobia (any where the "boyfriend" thinks physical, or even romantic, intimacy is gross).
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Adorable And High Quality.
8 min 30sec short film. General spoilers only. Relatable because it perfectly captures a growing crush, nervously feeling things out, and awkwardly/cutely confessing. Naturalistic acting and good chemistry. A satisfying ending and I would easily watch more of this story or these two actors together. There's not much to it but it's well done and thoroughly enjoyable.The production value is really high for such a short work. The cinematography is purposeful, as are the music choices, and both visual and audio editing.
On Strongberry YouTube channel. I have to say they are very consistent with great quality content!
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A Tightly Woven Cute Story.
Eight 16-20min episodes. The whole production is very well done and happily satisfying. The only weak link is the music, which was meh. Would highly recommend, though I probably won't re-watch frequently.Tension is masterfully and evenly sustained as the present unfolds and the past is revealed (university and highschool). There's a lot of jumping back and forth but it was fairly easy to follow, especially once I recognized this visual clue: in flashbacks the boys wear a highschool uniform that has a blue and red pattern on the inside of their collars! If you see that, it's in the past.
The premise kind of felt like a Japanese BL; a fantastical take on something mundane that sets up a romance, almost like it’s fated. The feel of this series remains very Korean though; strong storytelling with great acting, lovely cinematography, and a well-written script with a lot of earnest and sweet moments. There is some angst but also communication (eventually) and a satisfying resolution.
The two leads have great chemistry and their yearning is tangible. Kisses are just pressed lips yet still manage to contain emotions and passion in their gentle sweetness.
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Great Cinematography, Weaknesses With The Rest.
The cinematography was thoughtful, visually well-balanced, and frequently beautiful in composition (even with grittier settings). The rest of it was okay but had weaknesses and I won't watch again. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time though, so maybe give it a try if you're in the mood for something simple, short, indie, and overall sweet.FYI: If you watch on YouTube the first episode is actually titled "Ep 0", NOT Ep 1! (At least that's how it is on the Jupiter Entertainment channel in the USA.)
What I loved: The cinematography.
What I liked: The sweet bit with the post-its and how comfortable the actors seemed in their intimate scenes.
The acting was decent but no one was compelling. The music was forgettable but not distracting either. I was glad with how it ended for everyone but I wasn't that emotionally invested.
The weaknesses:
There are six 13-22 min episodes and it's all over the place. The way the story jumps around (between couples and in time) is confusing and transitions are very abrupt. There's too much story for the time constraints. The plotlines and emotional arcs for the two main couples feel very rushed.
The hetero couple seemed so random and out of place; their brief and cryptic scenes didn't add anything of value. I couldn't figure out their purpose. The time on them would have been much better spent on the two main couples.
There is some awkwardness to the English subtitles that seem to be a translation issue so I'll give the script the benefit of the doubt on how natural the dialogue is. The content of what's said, though, is fairly simple and unmemorable (no really deep or moving conversations).
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Great fun through Ep 4, then treat Ep 5 as a fluffy epilogue & stop!
For Ep 1-5 it's an 8.5/10. Great fun through Ep 4, then treat Ep 5 as a fluffy epilogue and stop at 38min. After Ep 5 it slides quickly into very poorly written, clichéd, repetative, annoying, plot-predictable, and eye-rolling ridiculousness with unnecessary melodrama (with unbelievable and poorly choreographed fight scenes).Ep 1-5: I was hooked within 20 mins. The premise was unique and the story was fun and interesting with relatable lead characters. There was great romantic tension and sweetness. Overall it was lighthearted and enjoyable. I eagerly looked forward to new episodes every week.
Ep 6-8 were a 3.5/10. I stopped looking forward to it and there was so much cringworthyness that I fast-forwarded more and more. I found the ending so cheesy that it wasn't satisfying.
After Ep 5 Kenji becomes the main antagonist. The actor playing Kenji is sooooo bad it makes any scene and plotline involving him lose steam and all seriousness. His over-active jaw movements make me cringe and laugh out loud at the same time. The part isn't written well to begin with, but the terrible, overly dramatic yet flat and shallow acting makes him the weakest link by a long shot and he dumbs everything down.
Some of the transitions between scenes are abrupt and the music is generic.
I can see myself rewatching Ep 1-5 at some point but I will never again force myself through Ep 6-8.
g_jun's review on MDL also sums everything up really well.
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Ting Jian Ta De Xin Sheng
2 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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Cleverish plot with humor and some romance and mystery.
(I rate vertically filmed micro dramas on their own sliding scale). General spoilers below. Made me chuckle or laugh out loud multiple times. Overall smartly written and quite enjoyable and satisfying; left me with a smile on my face. Gu Ming Han's facial expressions as the ML are fantastic and so fun to watch (a large part of the high rewatch value for me).I loved the premise and thought the show did a good job with it. It was fun and interesting that the ML could hear all the FL's thoughts, and the audience gets to hear plenty of the ML's thoughts too. Because the FL gets reborn in the body of a girl that was lazy and desperate for attention, it takes her awhile to change people's opinion of her.
The mysteries of who was behind what schemes was pretty quickly obvious to the audience, yet the leads figured things out at a believable rate and in a logical way (especially the ML).
Though this has a higher rating on my personal sliding scale, my guess would be that the ML may turn some people off. Because the overall tone of the show stayed light, I enjoyed this despite the ML acting like more of a d*ck than he needed to (with his words) for about 2/3rds of it (not sadistic, though there are choke holds very early on before he starts believing the FL is a different person than before). He does start to redeem himself and I can imagine him fully redeeming himself over time (we just don't see their life past their wedding). His actions improve fairly early on as he gets over his suspicions of the FL and starts to like her, but his words send mixed signals as he tends to mask his intentions; he'll protect her, but then make light of it. Two things I appreciated about this character that many in vertical dramas don't do: 1) It's a process, but the ML is willing to question his perception of the SFL and starts to put his guard up around her even before he fully believes she's as bad as the FL's internal thoughts indicate. 2) Later on, he recognizes in his own thoughts that he has some work to do to win over the FL because of how he's previously acted (though his words still take a while to catch up).
There are a couple moments of sexual tension, a couple suggestive lines, and a satisfying lip press kiss near the end. The FL shows and has thoughts about desiring the ML too. Happy ending with their wedding and another brief lip press.
All actors were good and fit their parts well. The SFL and SML have some psychological issues and try to murder multiple people to get what they want, but they stay plausible and believable (did not turn into caricatures).
Watched with good English subtitles on licensed channel @RomanticDramaTV (浪漫短劇社RomanticDrama) in Nov 2024:
https://youtu.be/crwP_GO0OYo?si=kc8O7c1IK5OQ43RJ
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Professor Qi Borrowed a Marriage
2 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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Sweet, mature couple.
A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale).The romance between the leads is very sweet and there's plenty of these moments. It's healthy and balanced. The two support each other emotionally, trust, and look out for each other. Both characters are fairly gentle people, but they have backbones and don't let other people walk all over them.
General Spoilers below.
A fairly realistic approach to domestic abuse and they showed some of the fear the victim can feel. I really liked the line by the FL: "...because with domestic violence, there's only zero times or countless times. And this is the bottom line." What didn't make sense was how the SML was able to freely harass the FL, purposefully cause a car accident, then stalk the FL again with no repercussions or legal restraints. He finally backs off at the end having learned his lesson, but it was really frusterating and disappointing that he was essentially let off the hook.
Some skinship and multiple hugs, though the hugs are upper-body (there's a space kept between lower bodies), and there are no direct kisses. There are a couple flirty moments though, which were enjoyable. The characters were definitely believably in love with each other with their eyes, but their bodies indicated that the actors weren't 100% comfortably relaxed with each other.
I did enjoy the FL's friends, the ML's brother and his wife, and the FL's parents. I also appreciated how multiple characters stood up the the ML's mother.
Overall this is a decent one-time watch, especially if you already like one of the actors, or like sweet and quick romances. I found the plot got more contrived in the second half, but the extended happy ending was a nice way to finish it off.
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ML is the best thing in this Noona romance
A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). On the fence about rating it a 5/10, because Noona relationships are less commonly explored and it was ultimately a healthy and sweet relationship. But I felt like there weren't enough happy/joyful moments between the leads to be fully satisfying, the FL character was unmemorable, the plot was a bit overdone is spots, and I was disgruntled with how they approached queerness and the topic of AIDS.It's an okay one-time watch for a Noona romance fan. The FL was good but the ML stole the show. Lu DanDong did earnestness, longing, desire, and heartbreak really well. He was believable as a 22 year old, and the FL was believable as a 35 year old.
General Spoilers below:
FL's godson (ML) is the son of her best friend (who is 40). The ML has been abroad the last couple years, is about to finish university, and is already a famous photographer. He's also quietly working for his father whom his mother doesn't like and seperated from a long time ago.
ML says he's loved the FL since he was 18. He pursues, supports, and protects the FL, though she rebuffs him for awhile. Once she makes up her mind to accept him and her own feelings, they refuse to back down in the face of opposition (mainly from the ML's mom). The mom tries to control the ML the whole show; she doesn't seem to care about his feelings or opinions.
There are a couple suggestive, heart-fluttering, and sweet moments but not much direct physical contact. There is a kiss or two but they were mostly head-blocked.
The ending is okay; happy but brief and without any physical contact.
I was disgruntled with the gay representation and then a bit weirded out by something the FL does regarding a potential infection of AIDS...
SPECIFIC SPOILERS on that below:
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- The scum SML certainly deserved retribution, but it didn't sit well that the ML and FL threatened to out him (as bi) to the public to make him step down. In addition to sleeping with the SFL, the SML also slept with an effeminate man and the ML set up a recording of it.
- Also, after a rough fight between the ML and SML, the hospital finds that the SML has AIDS and there's a chance the ML could have been infected through wounds during the fight.
- So the "bad guy" is shamefully bi, sleeps with an "obviously" gay man, and also has a bad "gay disease" that threatens the protagonist. I didn't appreciate the tone they presented all of this in.
- In addition to that, while they wait for the results, the FL wants to stay with the ML but he wants to push her away. He cuts his hand and she purposefully sucks on it! I get that she wants to show how much she loves him and wants to be with him, but that was just stupid and seems to make light of, or brush off, the serious consequences that disease can have.
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Qing Qi Tai You Ren, Jin Yu Shou Fu Liao Feng Le
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The leads are very good and kept me watching and rooting for them even though the plot got a bit repetative and drawn out. The couple of kiss scenes were electric with passionate, realistic embraces and kisses (with small to big movements).A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale).
General Spoilers below:
A high level of suspension of disbelief is needed for this story but it didn't really annoy me. There's multiple mistaken or missed identities. There is also a deranged 3rd wheel wanna-be who pretends to be the person the drugged ML slept with 3 years ago to pressure him into "being responsible for her" through marriage.
The ML's mother prompted the marriage between the ML and FL after she saved the FL one night. The ML doesn't really want a divorce but feels obligated to the SFL who he thinks lost her virginity to him and thinks was poisoned and sick for the past 3 years because of that night (she's faking it to manipulate his sympathy and guilt).
Unlike some dramas with a similar set up, the ML remains mostly likeable because he obviously cares about the FL but is conflicted and torn between what he wants (her) and what he has promised the SFL. He's frustrated and jealous that the FL has other men around her and just can't stop caring about her. The divorce gets signed but is never officially turned in.
The FL is smart, talented, and has a backbone. She pretends to love the ML to stay with him and cure him (hiding her medical genius identity for that never really makes sense, you just have to roll with it). After they part, she starts wishing the ML would put her first over the SFL, but is not a pushover and rebukes/rebuffs the ML when he can't commit to her fully. It seems both leads grew more feelings for each other than they realized while married.
Both the ML and FL have a couple of likeable friends.
There's some great karma for the coniving SFL (who twice drugs the ML in an attempt to sleep with him, luckily she's thwarted both times).
Happy ending with a brief kiss.
ML (not on MDL at the time I wrote this) is 張輻韜 Zhāng Yùn Tāo or Eric Zhang.
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Superhero-ish FL Gets Revenge While Finding Sweet Romance
A vertically filmed mini series (I rate these on their own sliding scale). Requires high suspension of disbelief but different and kind of fun with a great lead couple. The FL is rather badass and a genius. It was hard to be sure exactly because the subtitles weren't great, but I figured her late-blooming and wide range of abilities had something to do with her gene mutation, that was maybe triggered when she was institutionalized and given drugs. The story sort of feels like it's in the superhero or sci-fi categories in that regard. The romance is sweet with multiple cute moments and some good kisses. The ML is totally devoted and protective but respects the FL and her abilities so when she says she wants to take care of something herself, he steps back. There are terrible family members but also a lot of loving ones. The plot focuses on revenge and was a little hard to follow in spots, but I think that was mainly the fault of the poor translation. I was mostly able to shrug off any confusions because my main enjoyment of the show was watching the interactions of the lead couple anyway.General Spoiler on the ending:
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The ending is happy though rather abrupt.
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Zong Cai Fu Ren Lai Zi Nong Cun
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Surprisingly Good
A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). The screenplay and acting (of the leads) is better than many stories with the same basic plot points (I will refer to these as "plot clones" below). This one had multiple things that exceeded my expectations and thus I've rated it a little higher than I might otherwise; it managed to be more fresh, interesting, and even thoughtful in spots (when compared to other plot clones). I may even rewatch this after some time has passed.Both leads are good actors (enough so that I'll be looking up their other works) and they have great chemistry, and that's a good enough selling point for many.
What sets this production apart from many plot clones, in my opinion, is that:
General Spoilers below:
- Both lead characters were likeable
- While there was some push-and-pull between the leads (due to misunderstandings from other's lies), there was never any real animosity
- There were a couple of clever/funny/memorable lines.
- The FL was written as a genuine and smart character who was hardworking and had some skills beyond looking pretty.
- The ML starts to admire her quickly, and it actually makes sense, and he looks at her with warmth a lot.
- There are more kisses and intimate scenes than just the one at the beginning (though short they are satisfying).
- There is a wonderfully unique reaction of the FL to an advance made by the ML while he's drunk (I don't want to spoil it by saying more, but you will definitely know when you see it!)
- The screenplay actually shows the leads figuring out and processing all the lies they were each told and some of the emotional impact of that.
- There is satisfying retribution for the main antagonist.
- The SML (childhood friend) remains respectful of the FL and her feelings/choices.
- There's a cute/sweet proposal moment.
- Though not subtle, there are some good messages
- There are likeable and supportive parents or grandparents for the leads.
Now, there IS a reprehensible SFL who is desperate for the ML and does all sorts of shenanigans to get him, but that was expected (it's integral to these plot clones).
The costumes were good and flattering for both leads, and the red wedding dress at the end is gorgeous.
The English subtitles where I found it are sufficient; not great but not the worst I've seen either. The Humor in dialogue still manages to come across. The pronouns are often wrong ("he" instead of "she" for example) but that's a common mistake because, as I understand it, Mandarin doesn't have gender pronouns (just uses "ta" to refer to another person).
Thank you to Jwells who shared in a comment on the main page multiple links for this series on YouTube with English subtitles.
SPECIFIC SPOILERS below on the ending and the very basic plot points that this series shares with other plot clones.
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It's a HE with the leads starting the walk down the aisle for their marriage. The actual ceremony is not shown but it's a joyful and sweet ending shot.
Basic plot for this and other clones:
- A drunk/drugged one night stand with a stranger
- FL finds out she works for the ML who is a CEO
- ML doesn't recognize her
- The SFL takes advantage of this and pretends she was the one night stand and makes the ML "take responsibility" by becoming her boyfriend
- The SFL tries to sabotage the FL at work but this only enables the FL to showcase her good qualities
- The FL turns out to be pregnant
- The SFL pretends to be pregnant to force the ML to stay with her
- The ML eventually figures out that the FL was his one night stand and he is the father
There were a few other things that happened with the plot in this version in addition to the basics listed above.
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Bizarre.
Bizarre. A 12min long film that's not worth the time except for a realistic kissing scene at 5min 40sec in. Or unless you want to laugh at the cringness! It's a string of WTF moments.It felt like scenes were shot to compliment the dramatic classical music chosen, instead of the other way around. Kind of like mini music videos with not much connecting them together. The pacing is weird; more time is spent on the music video vignettes than on conversations or realistic/meaningful interactions.
There's not much dialogue, but what is there is awkward and overly dramatic, starting with a sob story that felt like over-sharing in that context. There's an immediate power imbalance with a director and a newbie actor and after their first meeting, the film jumps to them acting like a couple for awhile, then jumps ahead again. There's nothing to get emotionally invested in because we're not shown any of the progression in their connection/relationship.
I found this on YouTube in the USA.
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The comedic style didn't really work for me (didn't make me laugh) but it was consistantly applied throughout by the actors and director. There was a lot shown for the sex scene, but it’s also done in a comedic vein and I didn't find the way it was approached very enticing.
Edited: The Hangul that shows up by each person at the end are not speech bubbles (as I originally thought) but the names of the character / actor.
I won't rewatch.
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Lovely, With Heart-Warming Plot Twist.
The plot twist is easily missed because the translation of a word at the end is ambiguous in English! When the word "couple" is said during a phone call, think of it as "life partner" or "romantic partner". That will clarify the twist. This is based on Stongberry's (the production company) responses to viewer's comments here & on other platforms.20min. Loved this, only wish there was more, but it ends at a good spot. The 2 leads actually interact like an established couple. It's realistic and so cute/sweet. The arrival of the brother leads to both humorous and emotional moments. The twist at the end made me rewatch the film immediately and I enjoyed it even more!
Yes, the brother is rude and annoying when he arrives, but there IS a reason for this that the shift in perspective at the end explains. (Details under "spoilers" below, but I highly recommend watching the movie first.)
A nice comment from Strongberry on Vimeo said, "Sometimes we argue, but I think trying to understand each other is a true family. This movie wanted to show that kind of family."
Watch the movie first, then, if you still want clarification on why the brother acts as he does, I've shortly explained it then pasted another viewer's comment below that summarizes the situation AND Strongberry's response confirming it:
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SPECIFIC SPOILERS
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At first, the brother is rude on purpose to test out his brother's partner. At the end, a month has passed and the way all three of them walk up the hill with arms around each other shows they have grown a strong comaraderie, which indicates the brother doesn't stay unlikable.
Comment by estar:
"This was so sweet - especially when u get to the end and u "get" that the mother and brother know all along, and are just checking up on the big-brother's partner to make sure he is an "ok" worthy person. Yeah at the start Yeong Min is a total abrasive brat, that u wanna punch - but "getting" that he's not being a d*ck just to be a d*ck, it was a sweet conclusion to a otherwise fun, well thought out plot."
Response by Strongberry:
"...You have a good grasp of the meaning of this movie. Thank you."
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