Rhea
Malaysia
The female protagonist is Ruan Nian Chu. She’s a theater actress. About 5 years ago, she had gone abroad in SE Asia and was kidnapped. She fell into the water and was rescued by Lee, an undercover agent. In order to protect her from the other gangsters, he faked sexually assaulting her and making her his woman. She stayed with him in his bungalow and the two developed a friendship that lead to love. During this time, there are two important characters that appear. Wa Sha is a female gangster who’s in love with Lee, the male protagonist. It sounds like he used her to get into the gang. She is the niece of the gang leader and hates Ruan Nian Chu because she could see that Lee likes her.
The other character is Tuo Li. A young slave/servant who befriends Ruan Nian Chu. He falls in love with her despite the age gap between them. His crush is found out by Lee who warns him that the two of them are from different worlds. During a business transaction between the gangsters on a yacht, the chip that held all the illegal dealings was missing. This was actually a setup by Wa Sha to frame Ruan Nian Chu. She kidnapped Ruan Nian Chu and brought her onto the boat. Lee was able to rescued her and tossed her out of the yacht with a life jacket on right before the yacht exploded. Ruan Nian Chu isn’t sure if Lee is dead but she spends the next 5 years waiting for him.
In present time, Ruan Nian Chu is at blind date when she sees someone who looks like Lee. She chased after him but he disappeared. She finds out from her boss that the actress who they made popular is ignoring calls from them after promising to act in their play. She goes to the sponsor event. But she’s not allowed to enter without an invite. She calls her best friend whose family happens to be the sponsor. Thus, she gets to enter. When she confronts the actress, she is brushed off. She sees Lee who’s working there as security detail. However, he pretends not to know her. He tells her that his name is Li Teng and she must have confused him with someone else. The actress throws the contract into the pool and tells her that if she can get it, the actress will sign the contract. Knowing that she can’t swim, she proceeds to jump into the pool. She is rescued by someone and it turns out to be Jiang Hao, another security guard. She is bummed that it’s not Lee.
Ruan Nian Chu has a pot of forget-me-nots that Lee had given her. It was the only thing she took with her when she left the island. Her boss was re-potting the flowers when he noticed a chip. He plugged it into his phone but thought that the chip was not working so he unplugged it. This was enough to show Li Teng and his crew that the chip was located in the theater company. Thus, they realized that Ruan Nian Chu must have accidentally brought it with her when she left the island. Li Teng set up a blind date between him and Ruan Nian Chu. The two dates but Ruan Nian Chu will find out that Li Teng approached her to get the chip. Although she was upset at first, she eventually decides to trust him.
We find out that after the boat exploded, Lee was rescued and in a coma for 2 years. He was disabled and worked hard to be able to walk again. On the day he went to find her, he received a call saying that the gangsters know that he’s still alive. So in order to protect her, he doesn’t approach her. One of his fellow agent brothers died. His wife became crazy and was locked in a mental institute and his baby daughter had to be adopted by Jiang Hao. Li Teng doesn’t want that for Ruan Nian Chu.
We get the return of Tuo Li who is actually not a slave but the son of the gangster boss. He blames Li Teng but he’s also in love with Ruan Nian Chu. He shows up again as a doctor at the mental institute. He had Ruan Nian Chu kidnapped and in order to rescue her, Li Teng had to bring 3 of his men with him. They’re supposed to fight to their deaths. However, in the end, Li Teng rescued Ruan Nian Chu and Tuo Li ends up unconscious. This was all pre-planned by Li Teng and his team as they were aware of what Tuo Li was planning.
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Nevertheless is definitely one of the most-talked about K-drama here in Malaysia during its broadcast. First reason, Song Kang and Han So Hee are the main leads. Let's admit it. Their visuals are no joke. Second reason, well, the 19+ scenes. When it was announced that Song Kang and Han So Hee will be having a show together, I was really rooting for it even though I don't know the story yet. I just want to see their chemistry together. I didn't even read the synopsis of the drama. So, I literally have no idea what the story is all about, which makes the drama more interesting to me.Slow-paced series
A lot of my friends know that I am not really into slow-paced dramas. Because I easily get bored with those kind of dramas. But let this be an exception. The slow-paced storytelling made me connected with the characters more. I was able to feel the heaviness they felt.I really love it when there is an ample time for this kind of stare. Those voice-overs during these scenes makes me more immersed with the situation. And this one of the reasons why Nevertheless is a realistic one for me.
A realistic story
Although I really wanted to slap Nabi for her poor decisions in life, I can't totally blame her. She came from an abusive relationship. She was healing. She was lost. It's really easy for us to say who to choose and who will be better because we're not in her situation. We don't know what's really happening on her mind. Or what her heart really wants. Same goes with Jae Eon. I believe that he also don't know what he wants. He always say that he don't want to be in a relationship. But I think, deep inside him, he wanted to be loved. He's just afraid? I don't know. But that's what I feel for his character. It's just that, the way he reacts is on a toxic way.
Both characters are lost. And when we're looking for answer on another person, we'll end up hurting them or hurting ourselves. But that's the reality of life. We always get hurt with our decisions. Because even if we know it's going to affect us negatively, we'll still push through.
-- Spoiler Alert --
I remember the quote, "I'd rather have 'oh well's than 'what if's". This is a great example of that. Nabi knew that Park Jae Eon will eventually hurt her. But she decided to continue liking Jae Eon and be in a relationship with him. At least, they tried making it work.
Another second lead syndrome
The feelings I felt while watching Nevertheless was the same feeling I got when I watched "A Love So Beautiful". My heart goes for the second lead, the good guy that the main lead didn't choose. Aside from the fact that I liked Chae Jong Hyeop, (come on! Look at his pretty smiles) I really liked his character here in Nevertheless. Yang Do Hyuk knows what he really wants in the first place. He likes Nabi. He wants Nabi to be happy. He is honest with what he feels. And because he loves Nabi more, he decided to let her go at the end. I really feel bad for him for choosing someone who doesn't love him.
During the first few episodes, I really wanted to ship him with Nabi. But while the story progresses, I stopped shipping him because I believed he deserves someone better. Although his love life wasn't a success, his career is. We don't know what happened next to him but I just hope that he will also find his happiness.
The scene stealers
Aside from the main leads' story, we are also rooting for these characters. They have their own story to tell. They also have their own struggles. Nevertheless showed us that there are different kind of love stories, different kind of struggles. These pairs made Nevertheless more interesting.
Final Thoughts
For me, Nevertheless is actually a good drama. But it may not be everyone's cup of tea. It really depends on you if you would love the flow of the story. For me, the drama has ended well and I don't see the need for another season. To be honest, I wanted Nabi to not end with anyone. But the ending somehow was justified because at least she was able to voice out what she really wants. And that is to be with Jae Eon even if Jae Eon might hurt her in the future. She took the risk.With this drama, I learned to understand people more, especially with their life choices. We're all lost and we're still figuring things out. But I hope we can all be strong to face those struggles may it be in love or in life, generally.
This series is available on Netflix.
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The Best Story depicts a sweet, simple, and sentimental high school romance. This BL drama doesn’t do anything too different from the norm, so the ordinary love story between two teenagers will feel familiar to you. There’s an age-appropriate wholesomeness that will definitely appeal to younger (and older) BL fans. It does a wonderful job at capturing the innocence of first love, including all the bashful glances, the playful teasing from your friends, and the butterflies in your stomach when you encounter the boy you like.Best and Dew are cute to watch together. There’s a little bit of conflict at the start, but the rest of their interactions are filled with warmth and positivity. I especially love the scene where Dew teaches Best how to shoot a basketball, showcasing their intimacy through a simple platonic moment. Other scenes highlight Best’s shyness or apprehension around his crush, which feel very authentic and relatable. Overall, their romance seems down-to-earth, relying on small ordinary moments to convey the romantic rapport between the main characters.
Where The Best Story shines is its beautiful cinematography. The drama looks gorgeous with lush colours, warm hues, and a dreamlike ambience that sets a distinctive aesthetic in all the scenes. If you look closely, the entire series is filmed in classrooms, school courtyards, and a tiny bedroom. Yet, the production team transforms these mundane environments with colour grading, lighting techniques, and intuitive camera angles, giving each scene a polished and stylized look. There’s some fabulous production work that elevates the quality of the series.
Although my review has been positive so far, The Best Story falters in its final act. The last episode should’ve focused on Dew, who doesn’t receive as much character development up until now. Instead, we get a big smack of bigotry, jealousy, and pettiness from the only two female characters in the drama. I really hate the conflict introduced by the evil mom and the scheming love interest, which clash so much with the pleasant vibe of the series. The last-minute melodrama feels abrupt and forced, as if the storylines are engineered just to drive a wedge between the couple.
All along, The Best Story has been building up a blissful and pleasant schoolboy romance, until the fantasy comes crashing down in the final episode. Not all BL dramas need to have a happy ending, but damn this one hurts. The ending makes me take off my rose-tinted glasses as I scrutinize The Best Story with a more critical eye. I start to notice the barebones plot, the shallow characterization, and the disappointing romance that goes nowhere. These storytelling flaws were always there, but I overlooked them because the series had seemed so charming until now.
After the last episode, I ended up feeling less enthused about The Best Story, but that shouldn’t diminish the excellent qualities of the series. There’s still a lot to enjoy about this BL drama, from the aesthetically pleasing visuals to the positive portrayal of adolescent friendships. Even if the story is nowhere near the best, it’s certainly decent enough if you’re a sucker for a wholesome high school romance.
***Spoilers Ahead !***
STORY
Simple story
Best is great friends with Bright and Ray.
The Best Story has a remarkably ordinary story about a high school student with a crush on his classmate. There aren’t any twists and turns, scandals and secrets, or curveballs and complexities. It’s simply an age-appropriate love story featuring down-to-earth teenage characters and their mundane lives.
The Best Story also does a fantastic job at portraying high school friendships in a positive light. Best really has the best friends in Ray and Bright, who are both so supportive of him during his ups and downs. Sure, there’s a little playful teasing from time to time, but these two friends are loyal to Best and always have his back. They offer him love advice, emotional support, and absolutely no judgment. They’re there for him when he needs his friends the most.
More than the romance itself, the emphasis on friendship may actually be my favourite part about The Best Story. Even if Best doesn’t get with the guy in the end, I think he lucks out having such a positive network of friends. Hey, who needs a boyfriend when you got your bros? ?
ROMANCE
Wholesome romance
Dew gives Best a piggyback after he falls unconscious.
The relationship between Best and Dew is very, very wholesome. Their romance consists of longing gazes, bashful smiles, and pleasant conversations. In fact, I don’t even know if there’s enough to classify what they have as a romance. It’s more like a schoolboy crush, which never develops into anything more.
You may be disappointed to know that Best and Dew don’t become a couple at any point in the series. There’s no kissing, no affection, and absolutely no physical intimacy between them. In fact, the tragic part about their relationship is that they never confess their feelings for each other. They come close on several occasions, but have to resort to cryptic Instagram stories to communicate their love.
Basically, Best and Dew have a crush on each other. However, it doesn’t work out before they can even start dating. The end. ?
ACTING
Good acting
The actor playing Best (War) looks so good on camera, radiating in every scene.
The acting from everyone in The Best Story is pretty good, but the one who catches my attention the most is Best’s actor (War Wanarat Ratsameerat). Mostly, it’s because of how telegenic he looks. This drama is my first exposure to the actor, who caught me off-guard with his wide eyes, rosy cheeks, and angelic smile. He looks so good on camera, almost radiating in every scene.
After watching The Best Story, my first order of business was not to write this review, but it was to look up every piece of information about War online. I checked his age, read his bio, translated his Twitter feed, stalked his Instagram, and marked down all the other BL series he appeared in. After consuming the entire experience, consider me an official fan of this actor. Where do I sign up for his fan club? ?
ENDING
Sad ending
Best cries as he walks away from Dew without a love confession.
I must emphasize how much I hated the ending in The Best Story, which really brought down my overall opinion of the series. Everything in the first two episodes indicated that we were headed towards a happy ending. Best was on the verge of confessing his feelings, Dew seemed to reciprocate the crush, and their romance was progressing nicely. OR SO I THOUGHT.
In the final episode, Best and Dew don’t end up together because of Fern’s outrageously out-of-line meddling. After Dew rejected Fern, they had a nice conversation and cleared the air with each other. Let’s be clear that he didn’t lead her on, he was completely honest with her, and he treated her with so much respect. Dew was the perfect gentleman, whom she immediately stabbed in the back. ? What was Fern’s agenda when she went to Dew’s mom and OUTED HIM behind his back? Did Fern think snitching on him would make Dew like her more? Or was she simply doing it out of spite? Either way, Fern had nothing to gain from outing her closeted friend. It was a scummy lowlife move and she had no right to do that to him. WTF!?
Homophobia
Fern tells Dew's mom that her son might be in love with another guy.
Dew’s mom is also trash, reacting horribly to a nasty rumour just because she suspects her son might be gay. She uproots his entire life, chucking him out of the house without listening to her son. What’s your endgame here, lady? Are you just gonna relocate your child every time he gets along with a male acquaintance? The next time Dew makes a close friend in Chiang Mai, will you panic again and deploy him to another city instead? ?
Worst of all, the mom character feels SO contrived. She doesn’t show up at any other point in the series, only existing for this storyline alone. She has no characterization other than being a stereotypical bad parent with no logic or compassion. It’s infuriating to see this new character suddenly show up in the final act, and her only purpose is to deny her son happiness. Ugh, I’m just so angry with this ending, like a painful curveball thrown straight into my face. It feels duplicitous to build up this sweet, sentimental gay love story, only for homophobia to win in the end.
Ending explained
Dew has read the journal entries and he's aware of Best's feelings for him.
What makes the ending in The Best Story so tragic is that we find out Dew had feelings for Best all along. As you may have predicted, Dew read those journal entries and he’s completely aware of how Best feels about him. Dew reciprocates these feelings, but he’s just as shy and doesn’t want to make the first move. He has been observing Best from afar, waiting for him to confess. Except the love confession doesn’t happen, and it will never happen now that he’s moving away.
The Best Story is a tragic love story about two schoolboys who like each other, but they don’t end up together. Best never confesses because he doesn’t believe his feelings would be reciprocated. However, Dew also doesn’t confess due to shyness, passiveness, and a little hopelessness about their relationship. With such a homophobic mother, can you blame him for not taking more initiative to pursue this romance?
What Best & Dew wrote
Best stops himself from finishing his confession on Dew's shirt.
What Best wrote on the shirt and what Dew posted online are partial sentences that say: “I like-“. However, they both stop themselves from completing the full sentence: “I like you.” Their love confessions are interrupted midway, each for various reasons.
For Best, he hesitated to finish his confession after seeing Fern’s message on the shirt, making him doubtful once again. Like before, he feels insecure about competing against Fern (aka. a girl) for Dew’s love. For Dew, he posted that Instagram story to let Best know that his feelings ARE reciprocated. Yes, I like you too! However, he’s also unable to complete his love confession. Dew is now forced to move away, plus his mom is strongly homophobic, so he doesn’t feel any hope about starting a relationship.
Best sobs because he got confirmation of what he always desired: Dew’s reciprocated love. Even though both of them know about their mutual attraction, they can’t be together due to circumstances out of their control. That’s what Best finds so upsetting, because he finally learns that Dew wants to have a romantic relationship. Except it isn’t possible for them to be a couple anymore. Sadly, their romance is doomed before it can even begin.
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The main female protagonist, Aom-am, has to put up with a lot of betrayal in this drama – and especially horrible is the one from her own sister. Yet, she continually forgives everyone. And she is a very strong individual yet still sensitive. The main male protagonist, Mike, seems like a jerk from the get-go and puts the female protagonist in a difficult situation because he is impulsive and childish. However, he seems to grow up a bit, Aom-am inspiring him to be a better person. The second male lead, Guy, is a really nice guy (haha, pun) and Aom-am meets him quite early on (before she meets Mike, I think), but while he was a much better choice rationally, I didn’t really ship him with her.
Mintra tries to steal Mike away from Aom-am, and is a really annoying character, in my opinion. I think Mintra seriously needs to grow up and stop being selfish.Aom-am’s sister and brother-in-law are seriously horrible relatives, the way I see it – they appear to be nice and innocent but they take advantage of Aom-am’s kindness in order to achieve their own goals. They don’t think about Aom-am, always expecting her to help them and forgive them.
Mike’s grandma is quite a character. She’s quirky but also quite clever and devious.
The OTP (One True Pairing):
In my opinion, Mike D’Angelo (Mike) and Manaying Sushar (Aom-am) seem to have great chemistry in real life and this made for such an incredibly believable couple in this drama. It was ‘hate at first sight’ for their characters, Mike and Aom-am, though. But along with all the drama that comes with…well…a drama, there were hilarious moments between the lead characters as they tried to get along in each others’ company, and some sweet moments as they began to fall for each other – and the whole journey was actually quite believable for a quite unlikely real-life scenario.
Plot:
The first three episodes or so were rather slow, in my opinion. Mostly, apart from setting up the main story, it was scenes of Aom-am sightseeing Korea. While the leading characters do meet in the first or second episode, they really only properly meet and have a real conversation in a couple more episodes after that. For someone like me who pretty much just wants to see the leading couple’s story start as soon as possible (because to me they are the most important part of the drama) it was a bit slow.
But I’m so glad that I stuck with it, because out of it came such a touching, sweet and sad love story. The ending was absolutely perfect and so sweet, in my opinion, and it tied up any loose ends.
Themes and Messages:
There aren’t really any solid ones that stand out in this drama, I think. I suppose the idea of forgiveness is heavily featured throughout, though – poor Aom-am is wronged often, and she does a heck of a lot of forgiving.
My Verdict:
I definitely recommend this Thai drama – this is quite a rich one in terms of plot and character. And the phenomenal acting is truly a beautiful thing to watch.
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So, I really watched this drama without the SKIP button!!!Maybe our ML and the supporting actors save this drama..Every aspects in Thai’s Drama were here…but, the acting save the day…nevertheless,
1)..Our FL act….bad!!Maybe she got partnered with our gorgeous, sexy, hunky and experienced ML, so her acting is awkward. I don’t like her voice…The voice is so weird when she talked.By the way, she should portray an successful and pretty woman but our FL is really like a high school-er. Maybe, she should stay act as the teenagers likes her old dramas.
2)The doctors…all the doctors in this drama where handsomely handsome, rich, educated and single..This is only can be found in drama land..but I really like this.It feels like a harem.Hahahah…If you watched dramas from GMM-25, all their actors are handsome which is a cleanser for our eyes…Perfect!!
3) Friendship between a girl and a boy…They can be friends!!I also believe in this theory..Sometimes, speak and sharing problems with our opposite gender is better..trust me!!and..watch out for your jealous GF/BF..they need to be explain because everything is becoming stupid when you in love. But, please don’t ask your GF/BF to accept your friends if they can’t and please considered their feeling too..
4)Loving, caring, sweet and polite TAWAN…This character is the stupidest in human world but these are the characters that we want to find in our BF..he is perfect and he is my second bias in this drama. He is like a knight but sometimes like a guidance..Wish someone like Tawan is around be.
By the ways, this drama only have 13 episodes with 30 minutes duration. If you want to watch a feather lightweight lakorn, you will love this.
there is no SLS because our ML, Son (Son Yuke Songpaisan)…he is everything!!!You must watch this drama to understand my feeling!!!Then, you will be a fan and start to watch his another dramas…hahahha..Like me right now..
AbOUT THE DRAMA
I gave 9/10 because awkward crying scenes of our FL. We cannot change her voice but the act should be better..I like Mook but her act in this drama is not on par with Son..
Finally, I recommend this drama for you to watch…Su Su!!!
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1.Pope-Bella Couple…This is the main factor that I choose this drama.By the way, they really didn’t disappointed me. Their chemi is superb. I can feel Pope’s honey eyes and their interaction feel really to me. Hahahaha..this drama erase my Jirayu-Bella couple that I always adore of. Now, this couple will be my first couple bias in Thai Drama. In addition, after 17 episodes immersed with Pope Thanawat, I decided that he will be the No 1 Thai actor in my heart. He is a babe for me while Bella will be in tier with my beloved actress. I will wait for this couple to reunite again in any genre of drama.
2. Blink-blink girls..another attraction in this drama. Young, beautiful and sexy should be tag on this group. I love all the girls in this group. Nia, Nipha, Bell, Mint, Aim and uncultured Nim. Each of them have their own charms and I love how they support each others and stay loyal to their friends. This is amazing. Luckily, I also have this group in my real life..We call ourselves the Fabulous Group. Thank to God for this amazing friend around me.
3.Family always be Number 1…After you watch this 17 episodes, you will understand the importance of good family. Good family will bring bless while the unbroken family will bring hell. I love how the writer create good characteristics for each families. Also, family will always be there when the harsh time.
4.Betrayal and cheating..I’m not from Thailand but this topic always popped out from Thai Dramas. This is really frustrating. The sons and daughters from that relationship is pity enough from my eyes. Anyway, there are many person suffers from this issues. man. As a woman, I really empathize all the woman that got betray by their husband. Their patience is magnanimous. This is the seed for all the problems in this drama.
5. When it is late, you are really late..This is for Max and to all stupid husbands. Every woman has their own limit for your stupidity. When you are late, that’s means you are really late. In the nutshell, please don’t take for granted for woman’s kindness.
6.Tasty and shiny oranges….This is a new knowledge about Thailand that I can found from this drama. The orchards are big and the oranges are everywhere. It feels like the oranges and the orchard are PPL in this drama. However, the scenery at the orchards are beautiful + how come all the oranges look shiny and pretty in the screen. Nevertheless, I think all actors in this drama already consumed Vitamin C ,enough for 10 years. Hahahahahah……….
This is no second lead syndrome for me because I already fell for Pope. I love Pope Thanawat as celebrity and I also love Ramin in this drama. But I have girl crush in this drama..Our Bell. I love Her in this drama. She is beautiful, straightforward, loyal, kind and etc. I like the character and the actress who played this Bell. I’m looking forward for Jacqueline Muench’s acting.
ABOUT THE DRAMA
As the fan of Pope+ Bella couple + my eagerness + excitedness to watch this drama, I with full of bias + unfair review will give this drama 10.5/10. This drama got 0.5+ because the amazing + superb + bias + love from me to Pope and Bella.This couple didn’t disappoint me with their amazing chemistry and acting…It really feels good when my bias or my favorite actors satisfy my expectation. That is the main reason why I become their fan and stand by their side. This drama is really good. It is not typical lakorn but still have the lakorn vibe. I love the fashion, I love cars used, I loved the buildings + interior design, I love the scenery and I love everything JUST hate that this drama did not achieve good rating in Thailand. I wish for 10.0% but this drama got average 5.8%. Luckily, I found this good drama.
1.Awesome acting...everyone really did good job especially Max. Their act is first class. As the result, I had many emotions along this 17 episodes. Their act really relive this drama. Good job to everyone.
2. Mint-Her mother combo– I love this combo besides the Blink blink girls. Their are many good things in this drama that I can learn and improve myself. However, this relationship between this daughter-mother is fantasy like where they can pinned point the wrong yet respect each others.
3.OST…Love all the OSTs.
In the end, this drama is good. I love this drama and apparently I will re watch this drama sooner.
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The Romance of Tiger and Rose
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Fun and Forgettable
My initial tagline for this review of The Romance of Tiger and Rose was “24 episodes of wasted potential.” I had planned to recap and break down episode by episode, but by episode 8, I was ready to call it quits. I decided to pause reviewing episodically and binged the rest of the drama instead. The subsequent sixteen episodes went a lot better and made me reassess my original opinion. Once I stopped getting angry at the little things, this drama became a lot more fun!The Romance of Tiger and Rose (Chinese title: 传闻中的陈芊芊) is about a young screenwriter Chen Xiaoqian who, after transmigrating into a world of her own creation, has to see through the story she wrote as the previously ill-mannered and short-fated villainess, Chen Qianqian. Things get complicated as her numerous intentional and unintentional interferences cause the plot to deviate, even more so after the main male lead, Han Shuo, develops feelings for her instead of her in-world sister and the original main female lead, Chen Chuchu.
What separates Tiger and Rose from other transmigration drama out there is its setting; Huayuan City, which Qianqian is Third Princess of, is a matriarchal society where women are heads of households, political officials, and in positions of power in every way that socially matters. Their neighboring and enemy city-state, Xuanhu City, where Han Shuo is from, is the exact opposite. This difference made for some hilarious setups… and it’s also, unfortunately, a failing point. Not a huge failing point. Or maybe it is.
Qianqian, Han Shuo, and Their ‘Ehh-pic’ Romance
We’ve all seen the “smart but ditzy female protagonist who charms the male characters with her unconventional quirks” archetype, and Chen Xiaoqian/Qianqian is that down to the tee. I say “smart” and “ditzy” because she seems to remember and forget her advantage as the near-omniscient author of her own script at the most convenient times. Although I often got frustrated with her because of it, her smarts win over her dumb moments by a considerably large margin.
Han Shuo took me a few episodes to get on board with, mainly because it took until he first fell for Qianqian for him to show any redeeming traits—that for all of his ambition and ruthlessness, he’s kind of an idiot in the best ways possible.
Even though their setup positions them akin to star-crossed lovers, their romance doesn’t come off as dramatic as the trope implies. While Qianqian’s mother doesn’t like Han Shuo, her love for her daughter wins out against everything else time and time again. And while Han Shuo was duty-bound to destroy his wife’s city and home, he revises his plans so immediately after falling in love that it doesn’t become an external cause of conflict to their romance for a long while.
As the story progresses, Qianqian and Han Shuo learn how to grow together as a couple, to trust, forgive, and overcome their individual shortcomings to become each other’s strengths. I love that they actually learn to communicate and come to not just love, but respect, each other, especially later on. It’s sweet to watch, if you can overlook certain unsavory choices and actions in the earlier episodes.
I’m not going to get into all the lies, assassination attempts, and emotional manipulations that happen between Qianqian and Han Shuo because as far as Asian romantic dramas goes, they aren’t that bad. (I know, I know. But having seen so many of them, it’s true lol.) However, the one scene I could not get pass was the attempted rape scene after Chuchu and Han Shuo took over Huayuan City. I genuinely thought the drama, for all its sprouting of gender equality and feminist ideologies, was going to address how very not okay it was via Xiaoqian and her modern-day sensibility. Instead, it’s simply played off as playful behavior from Han Shuo trying to test his wife, and the story never mentions it again.
(I actually have a lot of problems with the half-ass, borderline bizarre ways this drama came at the subject of gender equality, but 1) I recognize that my views came from a western upbringing and 2) this shit is too serious for an online review of a 24-episode romantic comedy series, so I’m not even going to try opening that can of worm. It is what it is.) For the majority of the drama though, they are just two bumbling young adults trying to figure out how to be in a relationship without being the worst of themselves, like every young couple ever.
Why Chuchu Disappoints Me as the Villain
I started out rooting for Chuchu—not in an I-prefer-her-over-the-female-lead kind of way, but I had hoped that she’d flip the script and wouldn’t let resentment and jealousy get to her. I wanted her to stand by her sisters, and to choose her relationship with them over power and romantic attachments. Unfortunately, that was too much to hope for. That being said, her path to antagonism makes a lot of sense. A person can only take so many years of abuse and bullcrap from their own family before they snap.
What I don’t understand is why her sudden infatuation with Han Shuo needs to be a part of it. Even if that needed to happen for plot purposes, why have her prioritize him over her own desire for power at times? It really dampens her effectiveness as a villain. Without it, I think she would have more room to be cruel and it would’ve made her a more interesting and badass character.
The Side Stories and Characters Made Up for a Lot
- Zi Rui and Bai Ji? Talented. Amazing. Spectacular. Showstopping.
- Su Mu and Yuanyuan? *chef’s kiss* Before Chuchu’s blackening, I had thought that Yuanyuan was going to be the main villain, and Su Mu her tragic accomplice/unrequited love interest. I’m glad to be wrong because they’re just the sweetest.
- Lin Qi? Questionably at first, but badass and loveable as hell. I wish she was a little less abusive towards the “musicians” in her “academy,” but hey, nobody’s perfect.
- Meng Guo? MY MAN!
- Han Shuo’s parents? Probably the funniest couple I’ve seen in fiction this year. I disliked Han Shuo’s father up until the feet washing scene, and the way he froze at his wife when she glared at him was so funny and indicative of his character that it made my opinion of him do a one-eighty. With Han Shuo’s parents, I could see exactly from whom he inherited different aspects of his personality, and I love that.
- Pei Heng? To be honest, he’s a better character on his own than as a second male lead. He’s at his most interesting and compelling when Qianqian isn’t part of the picture. I like that.
- The City Chief? She’s somehow both the best and worst mother ever. There are just so many layers to the mother-daughter relationships in Tiger and Rose, so much angst and complexity, that I don’t know where to begin. For instance, if she had shown Chuchu half the affection she showed Qianqian, things would honestly not have gone this bad. On the other hand, her unconditional love for Qianqian is literally everything a mother should be. Also, she literally doesn’t pay attention to Yuanyuan. What’s up with that?
I really appreciate each and every single one of these side characters for how well-rounded they are. Definitely one of the highlights of Tiger and Rose.
The Ending Is a Cop-Out
First of all, let me just say that I know the whole plot reason why Chen Xiaoqian even transmigrated is because of Mr. Han’s criticism that she doesn’t know how to write romance. I know that her whole purpose within the universe of Tiger and Rose is to learn how to fix this flaw in her script. The problem is that it matters very little.
I wasn’t following Xiaoqian’s journey as a fresh-faced screenwriter. We weren’t emotionally invested in her real life. We were being shown and told to care about these “fictional” characters she created. Yes, her relationship with Han Shuo is a huge part of the drama, but it’s the backdrop of the world Xiaoqian transmigrated to, and the characters we met there, that gave it life.
That isn’t to say that I dislike the ending. In fact, I think the succession ceremony was the perfect place and time for Xiaoqian to return to the real world—Han Shuo was dying, Chuchu’s claim to the throne got thwarted by bad omens, Yuanyuan finally stood for herself with Su Mu’s help—but I can’t help but feel like we’re owed a “what happens afterward.”
If Han Shuo was near death in the Tiger and Rose universe, and it’s heavily implied in that moment that Qianqian died right after the heavenly vision appeared, then what’s going to happen to the two city-states? Will Chuchu finally relent and give up her pursuit for power, or will she challenge even the result of the sacred ceremony? Will the two city-states finally achieve peace and some semblance of gender equality under a new leader, or will it devolve into all-out war again?
While we don’t need a full episode to wrap up loose ends, an epilogue of some sort would’ve been nice. Maybe the actors in the modern universe could’ve answered interview questions about the fate of their characters. Or maybe Xiaoqian or Mr. Han pens an afterword after filming concludes. Something, anything, because the drama is about a lot more than Xiaoqian’s future love life with someone who may or may not have been her husband in a different universe.
Final Rating and Recommendations
Tiger and Rose isn’t a drama I’d revisit, simply because it’s not that memorable, but it’s definitely one that took my mind off the real world for two or three days and made me laugh.
A tip: I didn’t watch the drama correctly on my first try because I took things way too seriously and nitpicked too much, so I would recommend others to not do that. Yeah, Tiger and Rose has some major flaws, and its takes on gender politics are questionable, but if you can look past all of that and see the entertainment value, you’re going to have a way better time.
It’s got a pretty solid cast, good storylines, and a romance between two immature people that ended up turning them better for each other rather than worse. Plus, the costumes are kind of nice. You can tell it’s not the most well-funded production, but aside from one or two things that stick out, the flaws are hardly noticeable. And the whole thing is only twenty-four episodes!
My rating: 6.5/10
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Ode to Daughter of Great Tang
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A Celebration of Tang Dynasty Fashion
Court Lady (Chinese title: 大唐女儿行) outdoes just about every other Tang dynasty drama out there in terms of costumes. When I say this, I mean that it seems as if this drama literally brought its characters’ wardrobes to life from the pages of antique paintings. If I were a historian, I might go into a detailed analysis about how good of a job the production team did. Alas, I am merely a casual enjoyer of Chinese period dramas, so you’ll just have to trust me—or watch it for yourselves, because it’s a solid story too.Fu Ruo’s Love Interests Are the Absolute Worst
Fu Ruo is your typical new-age female protagonist in the vein of leads like Yanxi Palace’s Wei Yingluo and The Story of Minglan’s titular Sheng Minglan. She’s quick-witted, compassionate, considerate, and a stickler for laws and principles. Her one failing, however, is her utter lack of conviction when it comes to her three love interests. She has no problem taking on and talking back to people in positions of authority—the Emperor, the Empress, Consort Yan—but against the drama’s male leads, she’s useless. I’ve lost count of the number of times I wish she would snap and rip into them, but the most she does is give them stern lectures, which doesn’t work because they don’t listen to her. It’s incredibly unsatisfying to watch her just endure their disrespect again and again.
(I secretly wish Court Lady was a lesbian drama about Fu Ruo and Li-baolin instead. That’s how much all of her existing romantic options suck.)
Sheng Chumu
Let’s start with Sheng Chumu, the primary male lead and a giant man-baby. To be fair to him, he’s an amazing character in every other aspect. He starts out as a womanizing liar who makes a shockingly quick turn for the better the moment he falls in love with Fu Ruo. The character growth he goes through, from a buffoon who can barely write, to a well-learned tactician and fighter, then to a respectable man devoted to his country, is nothing short of a miracle—even a little unbelievable if you choose to think too hard about it. That’s about where it ends.
Although Sheng Chumu claims he’ll stop lying to Fu Ruo, he has no qualms about manipulating her into situations she doesn’t want to be in. Case in point, him talking her into faking her death and eloping with him, despite her protest upfront and her continuous hints of unease throughout. After she’s coerced to return to the imperial palace by the Prince of Zhou (another dickhead), Chumu doesn’t even give her the chance to explain, choosing to believe that she’s chosen someone else over him despite her multiple attempts to tell him the truth.
His lack of respect for what she wants and his lack of trust in her are mind-bogglingly frustrating. I could not find myself giving a fuck when she eventually reconciles with and marries him.
The Prince of Zhou
Although not by a wide margin, the Prince of Zhou is objectively a worse love interest. Like Sheng Chumu, he has no respect for Fu Ruo’s wishes. He also has no respect for her job, which I count as a graver offense considering she works in the fucking imperial palace where she’s undoubtedly subjected to long hours and stressful responsibilities, all with the threat of death hanging over her head should she screw up or offend the wrong person. His inconsiderate monopolization of her time and mental bandwidth caused me so much anxiety as a viewer. What’s more, despite saying he won’t use his position of power to make Fu Ruo marry him, he uses his power to pretty much force her to do everything else.
This isn’t even getting into the underhanded ways he sows discord between Fu Ruo and the man she picks. As a character, he’s just all right. He doesn’t go through any amazing character development, serving primarily as an adversary for the Crown Prince.
Yan Zifang
Where do I even begin with Yan Zifang? Do I talk about the fact that he kidnaps Fu Ruo twice or Lu Yingying twice? Or how he decides to hold Fu Ruo to a promise their parents made, and becomes an unreasonable jackass when she refuses to take responsibility for his preconceived notions of her? Or his sense of entitlement to think that Lu Yingying’s affection comes and goes at his beck and call? Seriously, fuck this dude. He’s a terrible human being. His only redeeming qualities are his regards for his men and that he flip-flops enough to end up on the winning side. He deserves neither Fu Ruo nor Lu Yingying, and I’m pissed that his second kidnapping of Yingying gets played off as a happy ending.
A Great Take on Emperor Taizong’s Reign
Where the romances fall short, the political storylines thrive. Despite the different character names, it’s obvious that Court Lady modeled the reign of its fictional emperor after Emperor Taizong of Tang, who’s best known for the following: usurping the throne from his own father; his long and prosperous reign; the infighting between his three eldest sons; and being the origin story for Wu Zetian. All four we see in this drama to varying degrees of significance.
We see the threads of the Emperor’s past with his father, the Retired Emperor, carried into the present with the Prince of Liang and some of the Retired Emperor’s interactions with the Empress. The drama made excellent choices in making these forgone events matter in a way that doesn’t overshadow, but rather enhances, its current story.
I also love the little hints of Wu Zetian through both Fu Ruo, who serves as Wu Zetian’s infamous background as a daughter of a merchant, and Xiao Lu, whose budding friendship with the young Prince of Qin spells trouble for the future. The way Court Lady splits a historical figure into two is an interesting choice (and one that almost had me fearful that Fu Ruo might get taken as a concubine sometime down the line LOL).
But the lion’s share of the story lies in the rivalry between the older princes…
Like I said before, the Prince of Zhou functions more like a passive adversary to the sons of the Empress than an active rival for the throne. The majority of his time on screen is dedicated to annoying Fu Ruo, so much so that I find his participation in the political conflicts utterly forgettable.
The changing relationship between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han is the one that still amazes me weeks after I finished the drama. To be honest, it took some ten episodes for me to catch on to the fact that Court Lady’s based on the events of Emperor Taizong’s reign precisely because the two brothers get on so well. The fact that they’d eventually come to hate each other seemed like an impossibility to me early on. The way they slowly turn on each other, and their outright enmity for one another after the Princess Consort of Han’s death are masterfully done.
A Rushed Ending
I have a million things I want to say about Chen Ji/Fu Shui and his whole… thing with the crown prince, but a lot of it doesn’t matter given how badly the drama botched the last ten episodes. I’ve seen some talks of constraints regarding the number of episodes the production had to work with, which explains why the editing is as horrendous as it is. It completely fucks up the pace of the plot, and at times, left me wondering if I’d skipped entire episodes.
Fu Shui, his cohorts, and Consort Yan’s whole machination also unravels quite nonsensically in the last handful of episodes. First, Consort Yan seems to be one of the masterminds behind the takeover of the palace. But then it turns out she’s being threatened by her personal eunuch of many years? Fu Shui is supposed to slowly kill the crown prince via poisoning, but gains a conscience at the eleventh hour and… chooses to give him the antidote instead? Meanwhile, the Lu father-and-son pair, whom I originally thought to be the main villains, are… rebelling? Not rebelling? Marching on the capital? But then they surrender the instant they have a heart-and-heart talk from Sheng Chumu’s father? What?
The actual wrap up is nice: The villains all get the fates they deserve. Fu Ruo and Sheng Chumu make up and get married. More excitingly, Princess Xinnan marries Sheng Chumu’s brother. Li-baolin moves up in rank. The Prince of Liang saves Lu Yingying from death before his own execution. The Prince of Qin gets crowned heir, as per his historical counterpart. It’s a decent conclusion with a lot of convoluted crap you have to sit through.
Other Thoughts
- Lu Yingying is a treasure. I wish the Prince of Liang isn’t such a gross and irredeemable bastard because she honestly deserves a man who loves her as much as he does near the end
- While it’s stupid that Fu Ying falls in love with her mother’s murderer knowing that he’s somehow connected to her death, I can’t help but love her and Lu Qi together
- The production made a mistake going with background music so similar to Yanxi Palace. It was not a good part of that drama and it still isn’t in this one
Final Rating and Recommendations
While Court Lady’s romantic plots leave much to be desired, the drama itself stands as an excellent interpretation of the events of Emperor Taizong’s reign, even though it skirts the responsibility of having to be an accurate historical retelling by changing people’s names. What’s more, it is a marvelous celebration of classic Tang dynasty fashion. It’s fifty-five episodes of beautiful costumes and adequate storytelling, and an interesting “knock-off” of one of the most fascinating times in Chinese history.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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Cliches Work
Wondeuk and HongshimThere are several notable tropes that serve as the foundation of Wondeuk and Hongshim’s relationship, and 100 Days My Prince handled them in a way that makes the progress of romance between these two characters feel natural instead of relying on the audience’s expectations that they must fall in love because they’re the main leads of a K-drama.
For example, in typical Asian drama fashion, our leading man Wondeuk/Lee Yul grows up never forgetting his childhood love, Yoon Yiseo. But instead of him harboring some sort of linger obsession with a random girl he met who was nice to him once, as it often is the case in other dramas, he’s driven to look for her by the very real and understandable guilt from watching her entire family die by his father’s orders.
What follows is his amnesia, which not only does the job of providing the perfect foundation for a slew of comedy and miscommunication, but frees Lee Yul from the constraints that comes with being the Crown Prince, allowing him to become “Wondeuk” and fall in love with Hongshim while being, arguably, his truest self.
This drama puts in the work of making its main leads grow through shared experience and confrontation of not only each other, but themselves. And what comes out of a pretend marriage built on deceit, lies, and secrets is one of the sweetest, most honest romances you’ll ever find in Asian drama land—second only to Kkeutnyeo and Gudol (Hongshim’s best friend and her husband) of course.
Dissecting Kim Chaeon
Watching 100 Days My Prince early on, I thought Kim Chaeon was a lacking villain, created to play a role but with little reason to explain why he is the way he is. To tell the truth, I still kind of feel that way about him, even though he turns out to be a bit more complicated than I anticipated.
Kim Chaeon starts out as an enigma of an antagonist. You kind of don’t understand what he wants, so much so that I initially wondered if he was a red herring and the actual villains were the Queen and her family’s political faction.His actions comes off peculiar at first. He forces Lee Yul’s father to become king, but won’t allow him to keep his wife/Lee Yul’s mother as Queen. Okay? So he successfully replaces her, only to let the replacement queen and her family become the thorn in his side sixteen years later. But hey, that’s all right. His daughter is married to the Crown Prince. Except wait, he may or may not have masterminded the Crown Prince’s assassination…
Everything he does makes sense if you watch on and follow the threads closely. He wants to replace Lee Yul’s mother because she came from the former king’s family. Her replacement turns out to be more crafty than he anticipated, and he isn’t able to stop her family’s rise to power in time. His assassination of the Crown Prince, it turns out, is to protect his daughter’s crown princess position after she fell pregnant by someone who’s not her husband. So yes, his actions do line up to his overall motive—to be the true power behind the throne.
Except, at some point, the audience and multiple characters in the series have to start wondering why he didn’t just take the throne for himself all those years ago. Why stop short of absolute power? Instead of being king—and he could’ve been king—he chooses to be a puppeteer over and over.
Along that same illogical train of thought, in the face of accusations of treason, he colludes with a foreign force to bring down his country. And instead of loving his children and ensuring they live a happy life, he chooses to sacrifice his life and saves his family via the blank royal decree, except he’s doomed them to live out their days as prisoners and exiles.
We eventually get a glimpse into his inner psyche during his final conversation with his daughter where she tells him how much she hates being his child. He reveals that he had nothing growing up, that there’s an ever-growing desire inside him to not have to answer to anybody, and that nothing he does ever seems to fulfill it.
It’s only then we learn that this is a man who’s lived his entire life in survival mode, and who, despite all his cunning, doesn’t really understand himself or what he wants, which explains everything about this character to me. In universe, he’s a lost man living moment to moment, trying to stave the hunger he experienced as a child growing up in a dog-eat-dog world. On a story-level, he’s a one-dimensional villain whose only function is to be a hindrance to the protagonist, which he’s very effective at, even if it means his choices come off arbitrary and incoherent. Hey, this random line alluding to his tragic backstory should make enough sense to cover up the plot holes!
An Overly Upbeat Finale
Someone once said to me that you can tell how historically accurate a historical Asian drama is by how happy the ending is, and I agree. 100 Days My Prince, a drama of pure fiction, ended very happily.
For the people of Songjoo Village, life goes on for the better. Mr. Yeon clearly acquired some nicer clothes and renovated his house. Kkeutnyeo and Gudol are expecting their first baby while acting as warden to Kim Chaeon’s son, a job they’re collecting some nice cash on. Park Seondo is stripped of all his wealth and sentenced to eternal servitude under the new county magistrate, Park Bokeun. Even Machil manages to turn his life of loan sharking around.
In the capital, the Kim clan is no more. Lee Yul reconciles with his father, who fixes his marriage with the Queen, who, as it turns out, isn’t looking to unseat the Crown Prince in favor of enthroning her own son as much as she wants to spend more time with her husband, who just wants to see his eldest son married before retiring with his wife to the countryside. Even Eunuch Yang returns to serve by Lee Yul’s side, now with the leverage that he once almost died because of Lee Yul to make his job easier.
The last twenty or so minutes of this drama is also the weakest, if only because there are no consequential conflicts driving the reconciliation between Lee Yul and Hongshim, now a noblewoman. Realistically, it’s probably a good thing that the couple took some time apart after defeating Kim Chaeon to settle into their new selves. Narratively, the separation serves no purpose and drags things out too long. Nevertheless, watching our main leads finally coming together for real with the support of their friends is immensely satisfying.
Oh, and I’m so happy that the Crown Princess is alive and well with her son.
Other Thoughts
1) Jung Jaeyoon strikes the perfect balance as a second male lead—not too great that he overshadows Lee Yul, not too awful that you dislike him. His face-blindness is an amazing use of plot device by this drama. Plus, his relationship with Ae Weol the gisaeng is a highlight for me
2) The complicated yet clearly real love between the Crown Princess and Mooyeon is fanfiction worthy material
3) The whole subplot with the Ming Dynasty envoy and his daughter feels out of place and serves too obvious of a contrast to 4) Lee Yul and Hongshim’s situation
5) Prince Seowon is an angel
Final Rating and Recommendations
100 Days My Prince is insanely bingeable and insanely good. The main romance is the perfect example of when a fictional relationship can be based on cliches but not be dictated by them. The ending is almost too upbeat and cheesy, but you honestly won’t mind it after the emotional rollercoaster that is this drama. The comedy is top-notch, with amazing costumes and a well-plotted story, not to mention its amazing cast: To fans of Exo-K’s D.O., this is a must-watch.
My Rating: 8.5/10
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Liked the fantasy in the drama (as usual haha) such as teleportation.
The parts where Xia Xi can summon Ye Gu to her location whenever she feels fear after his tear dropped onto her pendant feels like Goblin. But I guess the difference for those parts is that Ye Gu is unhappy about her summoning him, especially at the start, but Goblin is usually happy about it and anticipates and prepares for it. Besides, Xia Xi just needs to feel fear and Ye Gu will be summoned. Enjoyed watching Ye Gu completing missions as a time messenger. His missions are usually to prevent people from dying or getting injured when they are not supposed to die/get injured.
It is funny that for the 2 times Yang Mu, the villain, is involved, Ye Gu’s mission is to cause a person’s death when the person could have lived. It is cool how he uses his supernatural power to turn back or stop time and make certain changes to obtain the outcome that matches the mission. It is funny how he has to improvise. The mission that left the deepest impression on me is the one where he doesnt have his supernatural power but he still had to continue with the mission and he uses his own body to save a boy from getting into a car accident.
The ways that Ye Gu appears every time Xia Xi is in danger, ranging from smaller issues like falling down and being afraid of bugs to life threatening situations, are very cool haha! All his entrances to the scenes are well-executed and are nicely combined with his face that shows no feelings. Xia Xi gets into so many accidents haha… It is funny how there is one time that Xia Xi was sleeping and dreaming that she needs to prevent her food from being stolen or eaten and summoned Ye Gu to her house. Liked the scenery when they go into some time gap space that looks like galaxy.
Liked the development of relationship and chemistry between Ye Gu and Xia Xi. It is funny how Xia Xi is not affected by Ye Gu’s supernatural power and is amused when she sees him completing his missions. She calls him rude once when he points at her face, attempting to erase her memories but to no avail. It is fun to watch how Xia Xi finds Ye Gu’s identity funny but cool. Liked the characters, Xia Xi and Ye Gu. Xia Xi is cheerful but with a sense of loneliness. It was fun watching Xia Xi purposely watching a horror movie at home to summon Ye Gu and her delighted face when he appears.
Xia Xi plays the active role and is often keen to interact with Ye Gu, helping in the development of their relationship. Ye Gu, on the other hand, doesnt express much feelings but is slowly being affected by Xia Xi. Ye Gu plays the role of a protector both in front of Xia Xi and silently behind such as making important decisions without her knowing. The similarity between the two is the loneliness both feel. Ye Gu doesnt make friends and build relationships due to how he lives an ever-lasting life and Xia Xi lives under the roof of a family who adopted her as the son knocked her down. Liked the part when Xia Xi moves to Ye Gu’s house as she cant stand her adoptive mother’s discrimination against her anymore.
Can feel the joy and simple bliss in them. Felt that Wang Yi Lun looks more good-looking when he doesnt smile (or doesnt smile too widely) haha…One of the characteristics of Ye Gu that left a deep impression on me (and I found it funny) is that he sometimes just leaves when he wants to for example, when Yi Chen asks him a ridiculous question, he doesnt reply and just walks off. And this characteristic adds more sadness to the scene where he meets Xia Xi for the last time and (if I didnt remember wrongly) Xia Xi replies to what he said and turns back only to realise he is not there anymore.
Liked how Ye Gu’s butler is cute. It is funny that Gu Ning buys everything that Xiao You promotes in the home shopping channel. Liked his interactions with Ye Gu. Ye Gu is cold towards him at first but they gradually become more of friends than just servant and master. Admired how he is persistent in his love pursuit. His relationship with Xiao You shows that everything is possible haha. Liked the character Yi Chen, Xia Xi’s adoptive brother, as he adds humour to the drama. Laughed at the scenes where he is amused the first time he sees Ye Gu teleporting, and when he tries to understand the type of guy Yao Xin likes and imitates Ye Gu.
Liked the interactions between Xia Xi and Yi Chen such as the playful ones and when they provide support for each other. It is seldom that the second male lead snatches the second female lead and it is good to watch Yi Chen doing that haha. It is funny how Yi Chen moves to Ye Gu’s house too to protect Xia Xi from Ye Gu. It is nice how Xia Xi’s adoptive brother and father treat her like family despite how they are not biologically related. Admired Xiao You’s fighting spirit when she chases her dream and how she treasures and makes good use of every opportunity she can get. Liked how she tries to help Xia Xi get together with Ye Gu towards the end. Felt that Yao Xin’s punishment is too light. She commits such a great evil deed and shows no remorse for so long but still gets to live and be with Yi Chen…(Sry for the spoiler) Liked the acting by the cast!
The plot that involves life and death situations gives the drama a layer of grimness. The company related plot is quite boring to me haha. Felt that this drama lacks enough tension and suspense to make me chase it but overall still good enough.
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Ugly Duckling Series: Don't
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Watchable shot I say !
Unlike the previous reactions, this Thai series has 4 stories about 4 young women who are a part of the Ugly Duckling club. So , warning to viewers, this is the ultimate Chick Flick well just like the U-Prince series which is also definitely catered for women to . But as I was saying the following are the 4 UGLY DUCKLING STORIESa)The Perfect Match
b)Pity Girl
c)Don’t
d)Boy’s Paradise
Now I will start with the summary and review of each UGLY DUCKLING story!
The Perfect Match
he Perfect Match is a story about a young woman named Junita, nicknamed Junior, who is a wealthy girl who lives in Bangkok and had plastic surgery because people said her face was fat. She did the surgery without knowing that she was allergic to chemicals, causing her to get acne and pimples all over her face that would take a year to fully recover. After the incident, her mom wasn’t happy that she is now “ugly”, nobody including boyfriend and her friends wanted to get close to her and whoever saw her would call her “ghost-face.”
During her lowest point, she came across the Ugly Duckling forum because her cousin Alice who happens to be a member introduced it to her, which consists of 4 girls…her cousin Alice, Maewnam, Mami and the newly added Junior.
When Junior couldn’t stand the rejection and teasing anymore from people, her boyfriend and friends in Bangkok, she begged her mom to let her study at a college in the countryside to avoid the social life of Bangkok, and to have face treatment done by a doctor recommended by the Ugly Duckling forum. And at college in the countryside in her new life as a not rich girl while getting treatment and imaging her dream guy from her favorite fiction that’s where she meets Suea. Suea is a very handsome, flirty, penniless senior, who is the first person to sincerely befriend her despite her looks!
And by some fate or destiny they were pair together as the assigned Senior and Junior pair, in which Suea as Junita’s senior will watch out for her as his junior in the college. In that arrangement Suea and Junior get closer and learn much about eachother and developed a great bond. But as they bonded, they learn to deal with eachother’s issues such as Junior’s insecurities especially over her now “ugly” face full of acne and Suea’s belief and knows from experience that although he is incredibly handsome, women are not only vain they will only look at him twice and date him if he was rich. So while Suea’s and Junior’s relationship develops as well as their understanding towards one another, they deal with Suea’s girlfriend’s betrayal, and a friend’s unpleasant predicament. As well as issues, they had to go through on their own, to find themselves and to see if their love is true!
Anyways on The Perfect Match, I thought this was a pretty good story! I totally enjoyed it! I exceptionally loved the main cast and couple who played Junita aka Junior and Suea, respectively Mook Worranit Thawornwong and Push Puttichai Kasetsin. I found Mook and Push really talented and played their roles respectively well. Mook expressed the shy, insecure, innocent and somewhat naïve Junita aka Junior exceptionally well. While Push also played exceptionally well as Suea….who is handsome, friendly, playful, foul-mouthed, naughty as in alot of innuendos implied by him but is still considered as respectful towards women.
Anyways.. out of the four Ugly Duckling stories, The Perfect Match is my absolute favorite from all the stories even though the characters especially the main ones Junior and Suea have flaws and issues that seem ugh… I thought they were well developed… positive points, flaws and all. For instance, Junita’s insecurity and naivety and Suea’s prejudice, harsh-mouth and hot-temper. But those flaws seemed to have toned down as the story progresses. Either way this 1st story of the Ugly Duckling series is a definite recommend!
Pity Girl
From where the story in The Perfect Match ends with Suea and Junior running through the park is where Pity Girl begins…
Alice smiles as her cousin Junior and Suea run past her as she comes upon a bench with a handsome guy lying down reading a book and a big tree looming beside the bench. Alice climbs up the tree to take a closer look and take a picture of a bird nest. She looks down and observes the boy reading the book and finds him really attractive she decides to take a picture but then he looks up at her, she was so surprised that she fell down the tree.
Six months later after falling from the tree, Alice now suffers having “goldfish memory”. She’s in fact so forgetful that she doesn’t even remember her boyfriend breaking up with her 14 times already. Every time she wakes up, she has once again forgotten everything besides Fuyu, who she calls her hero. But then a new boy in school named Aston has now vowed to be Alice’s own personal post it to help her remember everything. As Alice and Aston get closer, they deal with Alice’s ex and his current girlfriend’s antics, Alice’s real feelings for both Fuyu and Aston who both have feelings for her while dealing with Alice’s memory being revealed along with Aston’s past.
Anyways on Pity Girl, the story isn’t bad, I actually found it interesting but what annoyed me was the mainly the first episode or two. I honestly had to grit my teeth most especially in that first episode because I really wanted to give this story in the Ugly Duckling series a chance. Anyways I understood that in general the Ugly Duckling series has a more of a rom-com feel meaning in my observation as a rom-com it is not a drama but it does have slight dramatic themes and moments but it is much lighter and has comedic moments.
Here in Pity Girl, I kept in mind during the first episode that it is rom com and I should give it a chance, that is because since the main female lead is suffering from major memory loss and cannot remember a thing when she wakes up the following day. Similar to 50 First Dates actually. Anyways whenever she realizes she forgets something or get teased she cries loudly and overdramatically that what I have usually seen in comedies! In the comedies I saw with crying “dramatically was involved”, I honestly don’t remember being so annoyed but in Pity Girl I was… But then again, maybe that is why the story is titled “Pity Girl” .
Anyways those moments really annoyed me, but I repeat so again I really had to grit my teeth because I wanted to know what happens next especially since even though I wasn’t so into the main pair Alice and Aston, they really grew on me. They are really cute! Honestly out of the main couples in each Ugly Duckling series, I think Pity Girl is the most wholesome and innocent one despite the bullying Alice had to face for being forgetful. I can honestly say though this second story is not high on my recommend list but go ahead and watch it, it is not that bad.
Don’t
This third Ugly Duckling story, Don’t, begins with Aston coming back from abroad to go to school and finally be with Alice! And after meeting up again, they happen to see Maewnam covered with a box frantically running around at the school staying away from people…
Thus this leads to Maewnam’s backstory to why her head is covered with a box!
After confessing her love in elementary school to her crush, Maewnam is undeniably crushed when he rejects her in front of all his friends. He calls her ugly which caused a chain event with others calling her ugly and teasing her relentlessy too! At that moment, she was so traumatized she decides to wear a box on her head believing she is ugly.
One day, she is forced to return to school, Maewnam meets Minton and Zero. Minton who was a new student, despite seeing her walk around with a box on her head, was very accommodating towards her. As for Zero, was mean at first but later thaws up towards her. Minton is sweet, friendly, and new to the school while Zero is a notorious troublemaker who uses his fists to solve his problems. With Milton, Maewnam does not face any problems and is a friend she confides in.
While with Zero, although being around him causes her to get in unsavory situations, she was able her face her fears…literally got her head out of the box and is able to confide in things with him that she couldn’t say to her father, brother and Minton. As Maewnam, gets closer to both boys…she starts realizing her true feelings for the both of them…who she cherish as a friend and who she has fallen in love with…while finding out who was the boy who caused her trauma when she was little, making her hide her head in a box for years and dealing with bullies especially Zeros’ popular mean ex-girlfriend.
Anyways on Don’t, I thought this was a pretty good story! I totally enjoyed it! I honestly was a little weirded out at first with the concept that the main girl had to hide her head in a box for years, but I understood the concept and that the situation Maewnam was in… She is really young when she was bullied! Her confidence in herself was broken! And it makes her no trust anyone! Thus, leading to her being traumatized, believing she is ugly and had to hide her head literally in a box for years until she was forced to go to school and circumstances leading her to reveal true looks to Zero, who was the first to see her.
Anyways this is definitely one of the main reasons why bullying and name calling isn’t right! Because it can affect someone for years as well as the everyday life. Anyways, I adored the young actors in this flick… Mild Lapassalan Jiravechsoontornkul, Mek Jirakit Thawornwong and Chatchawit Techarukpong! If his name looks familiar to you… Yes! Mek Jirakit is related to Mook Worranit from The Perfect Match story! They are brother and sister! Anyways all three, are talented actors and I find that they played their roles well. I also found the plot twist in this story to be very interesting too, how it was played out. Anyways, either way, I totally recommend Don’t from the Ugly Duckling Series to your watch list!
Boy’s Paradise
Mami is a young woman who is happily living in her family’s pension she dubbed as Girls’ Paradise with a bunch of girlfriends, one of them is a girl she has a crush on. Mami vows to die before dating a man especially since she had a trauma when she was young on a boy she deeply cared about, thus turning her towards women!
Anyways this story Boy’s Paradise begins with the other Ugly Ducklings… Junior, Alice and Maewnam coming to Mami’s, their fourth and final Ugly Duckling member’s Girls Party! Their they see that Mami is greatly in favor of women and has a deep affection for her bestie girl friend. What Mami is not aware of is that her mother mother catches on to her secret girl crush . So, her mother makes an arrangement with the female friends especially the girl she cares for, in a way kicking them out and then rents out the house to three guys in hopes to bring her daughter around back to having affection towards men! The three men who comes to live in her home, now dubbed Boy’s Paradise is her cousin LJ, who she isn’t aware has feelings for her, Rayji, an actor-idol and CU, a photographer!
At first, she avoids all three men, but she then Mami gets pulled into someone else’s romance problems…Rayji’s… so she begs her new roommate C.U., to be her fake boyfriend. Thus, this is the beginning of either a friendship, partnership and/or relationship between Mami and CU. Also, during this situation she learns that men aren’t that bad and learns who her true friends are and who deserves her friendship.
Anyways on Boy’s Paradise, I found it interesting and the most mature story out of the three. Btw, when I say mature, Imean language wise. Alot of innuendos. Either way…though .It honestly not my favorite compared to the first Ugly Duckling story, The Perfect Match which is my favorite amongst the four but like I said Boy’s Paradise is definitely the most mature with a slightly complex storyline. Especially since the main girl went through a trauma which was not revealed later on, this explains why she is hates men and loves women but this is still find it as an interesting storyline. Also, I happen to love the actress in this story Esther Supreeleela, she is a very talented actress who also happened to be in the first story of U-Prince Series: The Handsome Cowboy with Push Puttichai Kasetsin.
BTW , if y'all havent read my previous reviews , please do read them out and support me as always !
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Suspicious Partner (also translated as Love in Trouble), is a drama that successfully blends the two opposing genres of romance and crime, unlike maybe a Strong Woman Do Bong Soo, which felt like we were watching two separate dramas. The show follows the story of two lawyers, No Ji Wook (played by the charming Ji Chang Wook) and Eun Bong Hee (played by the delightful Nam Ji Hyun), and the subsequent cases that they solve together, including the core central plot of proving Bong Hee’s innocence, when she is falsely accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend (played by Chansung).I classify Suspicious Partner into the ‘typical Korean drama’ genre that is filled with clichés such as the girl getting cheated on in the first episode(just like in Fight My Way), then, the female lead having no choice but to move in with the male lead, or working together in the same office. It becomes a bit too convenient at times, but you know what, as long as the whole drama is enjoyable, I honestly don’t mind. These type of dramas are also as important as the serious ones. As much as I loved Signal, Misaeng, and Something in the Rain, I don’t mind a She was Pretty, a School 2015 and this, once in a while. This show was my stress breaker when I was finishing off my architectural thesis, and it was perfect to take my mind off for a few minutes.
Talking about a few minutes, the half an hour episode format did not suit this show at all. Crime shows require time to explain the crime, the motive, the victims, the suspects, and this show already had a love story in place, so the short episodes ended up breaking the continuity. To combat this, the screenplay alternates between scenes of rom-com, followed by a few scenes of the crime thriller, and then back to the rom-com, and so on. At times, the romance does overshadow the crime plot of the show, especially with multiple cases lining up in the second half of the show, as well as the underdeveloped past of both of our lead characters.
Ji Chang Wook is in top form, especially in scenes involving the courtrooms, or his conversations with Jung Hyun Soo (played by Dong Ha). He is impressive, and he holds theses scenes together. Unfortunately, these scenes are far and few in between, and as much as I love seeing him romance Nam Ji Hyun’s character, these scenes showcase another range as an actor, and I really enjoyed watching him in this mode.
Choi Tae Hoon is amusing as Ji Eun Hyuk, and his chemistry and rapport with No Ji Wook were hilarious, but I wish there was more for him to do, especially the whole part of why he almost slept with Cha Yoo Jung (Hello Venus’s Nara), No Ji Wook’s girlfriend at the time, which totally went unexplained.
Is there any drama where a character doesn’t have amnesia and the lead couple doesn’t break up at least once? Yes there are, but this drama isn’t one of them.
It was both smart and dumb to suddenly put Jung Hyun Soo into a coma; smart because our characters get some time to delve into their past (whose reveal was a sheer disappointment), but dumb, because once Hyun Soo is out of coma, we are back to where we started, right at the beginning of the show. A few episodes are then wasted to get the confession out of Hyun Soo, which could have been saved to give more details onto the lead characters past, which was being teased from the beginning of the show.
The drama does pack a lot for its twenty episode run, and at times does drag, but the reveals are so unexpected, that it hooks you back into the show.
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Memories of the Alhambra
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How To Get Yourself Hooked ?
Augmented reality, scenic Spanish streets, swashbuckling action, slow-burn romance, a dimpled Byronic hero, Memories of the Alhambra has it all. Memories of the Alhambra is a genre-bending, sixteen-episode K-drama series currently streaming on Netflix.Like many K-dramas before it, Memories of the Alhambra has an epic cast and a storyline that twists and turns and flashes forward and backward. There are cliffhangers aplenty in this series of over sixteen hours.At its heart though is a romance. The slow-burning, possibly doomed romance between the arrogant, high-flying tech innovator Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin) and the demure and dutiful hostel owner and guitar maker Jung Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye). Jin-woo ends up at Hee-joo’s hostel in Granada, Spain. And how and why this rich tech world star ends up in her rundown hostel and the aftereffects of that stay is the story in a nutshell.
This is the Computer Game that Will Never End
Jin-woo gets a mysterious call in the middle of the night at his Barcelona hotel room, a call summoning him to come to the Bonita Hostel in Granada. The call is from a young man, looking to sell an extraordinary computer game he has been developing.
When Jin-woo’s competitor is named as a possible buyer, Jin-woo’s interest is immediately piqued. He heads to Granada. But the young man never shows up.Unbeknownst to hostel owner and responsible big sis, Hee-joo, it’s her little brother who is this programming genius. He has created an augmented reality computer game, where instead of sitting behind screens, players are out in the real world, utilizing Jin-woo’s innovative contact lenses to play in the streets and shops and squares of Granada.
The game brings to life medieval Granada, especially its warriors. Yeah, think Pokémon Go hotspots, but instead of cute little creatures to catch, players must fight assassins and soldiers and warriors and pirates and the like. For any role-playing game aficionados out there, this game is an RPG in real life, where players walk around, find weapons, gain experience points, earn money, fight and fight some more to move up the levels.
After trying this augmented reality game himself (and getting more than a few strange looks, as he battles enemies that no one else can see), Jin-woo is sold. It has huge moneymaking potential. But his nemesis is also on the scent of this game, has also received log-in information. And still, the creator is AWOL. The more Jin-woo plays, the more it starts to become apparent that this augmented play realm has real-life repercussions. Some rather serious and final.
Yeah, I don’t want to give it all away. But there’s a glitch in the game that starts making this augmented reality way too real. Think Tron here. Even with his lenses out and not logged in, Jin-woo becomes a permanent player, always playing, even far from the streets of Granada. So, how does he get out, stop the game, fix this glitch, and maybe find that missing creator? See Memories of the Alhambra to find out.
Wait, Where’s the Romance?!
Yes, the above description sounds like a fast-paced action thriller. And, indeed, in many ways Memories of the Alhambra is an action thriller. There are fight scenes aplenty (with a good amount of blood) and tons of RPG-screen shots of stats – vitality, hit points, experience, abilities, etc. Yeah, it’s pretty much like watching your son play an electronic RPG-game. And the CGI here is first rate.But what takes this show out of pure action thriller is the amount of time given to the development of relationships. The story is continually built upon non-linearly, meaning that in every episode there are windows into the past and the future.
These windows add more and more layers to this tale. Layers which explain where characters have been and where they’re going, giving us insight into why they act as they do. It’s an incredibly engaging story-building form. And what we learn is that there is much more to Jin-woo than a pretty face, two failed marriages, an enormous bank account with an ego to match. He ends up in Mr. Rochester territory for me – and I don’t say that lightly, diehard Rochester fan that I am.
The smarmy charms and sarcastic snipes begin to fall away. There’s a nobility there, a stoic suffering, an idealist, a man willing to take the hit, to lay down his very life to protect those dear to him. It is his mission to find the missing creator, Hee-joo’s little brother, knowing that it may very well cost him his life. And he does this because he loves her, Hee-joo, although he never says it. She is the pure, idealistic, feisty Jane to his Rochester.
Hee-joo sees him, the goodness in him, and as much as he warns her to keep her distance, she’s there – often crying or yelling at him or both (-: And as much as he tries to distance himself from her to protect her from himself and this never-ending dangerous game, he has trouble completely keeping her at arm’s length. Oh, it’s good stuff. Facades fall. Characters grow and reflect. And a romance flickers so tantalizingly between our two leads.
A Worth Watch
I watched Memories of the Alhambra with my tween son (the series is rated TV-MA for fight scenes). Mom’s getting her Rochester and Jane romance while son is getting a good sci-fi dose of augmented reality gaming. (Okay, I admit it, I also have a thing for butt-kicking action.) It’s a marriage made in heaven. It works and works well.Sometimes the K-drama propensity for long, slow-mo shots got me giggling. Hee-joo’s shocked big eyes got a bit infuriating at times. But it got better a few episodes in, and I know this is something of a K-drama trope.
For the most part, though, Memories of the Alhambra is a gripping, romantic, quest tale.The two leads have great chemistry. Hyun Bin as Jin-woo is the linchpin in this production, and he knocks it out of the park. He is fantastic in this role, playing the jerk, the charmer, the action star, the haunted stoic. In short, the Byronic hero – with dimples! (I have a thing for dimples – married a pair myself, which my son inherited). Oh, he shines here in this role.
Overall Thoughts
In short, Memories of the Alhambra has a broad appeal. The production is high quality, and the cinematography is lovely. The acting is great, and the story is innovative. You’ll laugh, cringe, roll your eyes, question, wonder, sigh, swoon, cry, gasp, worry. You should be able to convince the male(s) in your life to see it with you without too much arm twisting.
And yeah, it doesn’t always make sense – technically – like how the heck are they trapped in a game?! And yeah, there’re many none too subtle product placements. But then Jin-woo smiles with those dimples, and I forgive and forget (-:
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The Uncanny Counter Season 1
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A Kick-Ass start !
I appreciate So Mun's character development in the series. From a high school kid who is unable to control his emotions, he learned so much from being a Counter. From the very start, he's more powerful from the others. I didn't expect the ending though! He was possessed by another partner spirit. It never crossed my mind that it would be possible. What a twist! So he's like the most powerful counter now?I also appreciate Se-jeong here! I love her ever since I watched her from School 2017 and seeing her act in this series makes me appreciate her more. This is far from the roles she portrayed before (from cutesy to edgy). Her character is badass here and she is perfect for it. ?
I would like to see more of her and her story in the second season! Especially Mo-tak. They did him dirty by making the love of his life dead. I hated that scene! I was rooting for them! I also prayed that Ms. Chu won't die on this season and please don't let her die even on the next season. Protect her at all cost. ? I also want her to end up with Jang-mul. SHIP! ?
I'm glad that aside from his Counter family and his loving grandparents, So Mun has his loyal friends. They are a big part of his journey as a Counter especially during this early training days. They never left him even he's MIA most of the time .
The first writer left her job after 12 episodes and was replaced in the last 4 episodes. You can easily tell because of the sudden twists. So Mun was the center again and the other Counter's stories are left hanging. I like how the Counters and their Yung partners unite at the mid and ending. Even though they had conflicts in the past.
Son Ho-jun's cameo. This is unexpected but I had the feels that it might not end well and I was right. It still hurts even though we only got to see him in a short period. I really hope they won't lose another member even on the next season. ?
So Mun got the happy ending he deserves. He finally met his parents and this is where we all cried.? Haha! The new writer really knows how to play with our feelings. I almost believed that his parents won't recognize him.
The ending is satisfying as it gave us a proper closure. It also gave us a hint of what can we expect in season two. So why is this a top tier kdrama this year? Watch it so you will know! Haha. It will make you hooked on the first episode and the ending will make you anticipate for the second season. It gathered high ratings as it reaches the ending. The casts are perfect and the story is unique. The fighting scenes are also smooth and badass.
And you read it right! They announced that there will be a second season. Can't wait for it! I will miss watching this series. How about you? Have you watched this series? If not, add it on your list! ?
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This. This. This. THIS! Pete and Ae are serious relationship goals. Aghhhh. In the beginning of the show, Ae never makes Pete feel bad about being gay or that they have to draw boundaries in their friendship because of it. Ae is always extremely honest with Pete and never lets misunderstandings survive between them. This develops a strong trust between them. When Ae starts having romantic feelings, he tells Pete about them. When he feels jealous, he tells Pete about it. What I love best is that Ae is not dumb about Pete's feelings. He guesses that Pete feels romantically for him and he says that he can tell the way Pete looks at him is different from the way he looks at others. So may characters like Ae can't take a hint if it hits them in the face, but Ae doesn't press Pete, but is very aware of the way they treat each other. I love that Ae wants to see Pete constantly, even before they start dating.
Let's talk about the physical stuff. Man, LBC really goes for it on that regard. Rather than a chaste kiss here and there, Pete and Ae can't keep their hands (mouths, bodies, lives) off of each other). I am usually happy for a few kisses in a drama, but this goes way beyond it. To borrow a phrase from Maggie Steifvater, both boys were hungry, but Ae had been starving longer. Once he touches Pete, it's like the floodgates were opened. He can be gentle, or throw Pete against a locker long enough to get his tie off. What is great is that Ae always checks for consent with Pete, when it's their first kisses or when they have sex, Ae always make sure Pete is OK with it. Bless poor Ae for needing to google how to have sex with Pete, but it's good to see that he is fairly insecure, even when he acts so confidently with Pete. The physical side of their relationship is built up on how strong their emotional bond is.
So, Pete has to come out to his mom in episode 1 and she is my hero. She is sure to make sure Pete knows she loves him not matter who he loves. She fully embraces his independence and Ae. She can tell that Ae is a good man and is wholly supportive of them. I always love when a drama goes for a supportive parent, especially because it makes such a difference in LGBT relationships. I am glad they show Ae meeting Pete's mom and her approving of him. It's very important to have this kind of representation in this age.
Let's talk about Pond. I was super annoyed by how openly perverse he is (who watches porn this openly???), but he is a surprisingly complex character. Although he is overly nosy, he really does want to support Ae. He may tease him but is happy to give him advice and set him up on dates. He even offers to buy Ae lube and slips him condoms. Ae doesn't want this much interference, but it's so nice that Pond really looks out for him. What really pushed Pond over the top for me is his experience with ChaAim (Cherreen Nachjaree Horvejkul), who you may recognize from Puppy Honey.
He is so aggressively flirtatious with her at first, but when they finally start dating, he is so respectful of her body and choices. He is willing to go at her pace and never wants to pressure her. Really he has even more restraint than Ae does. I wasn't sure how they were going to resolve the way he is, but ChaAim handles him perfectly. Pond needs someone who can boss him around a little bit and ChaAim is perfect at that. Moreso, I love how supportive Pond and ChaAim are of Ae/Pete. Neither makes them feel weird about their relationship and I love the scenes with all four of them together. Actually this show is overwhelmingly supportive of Ae/Pete overall. It has a good message of tolerance.
Let's talk about Tin/Can. I think this show draws out their antagonism too long. I love hate to love relationships, but Tin is just a jerk for way too long. Pete gives him too much leeway. I get that he's got trust issues, but you can't just treat people like garbage without repercussions. In that sense, Can is a perfect foil. He doesn't let Tin get away with anything, which makes him more trustworthy to Tin. I think the change in Tin happens too fast. He goes from hating to pursuing him really quickly. No wonder Can has whiplash. Still, it's great to see Tin soften up. He is much more handsome when he is being vulnerable and kind.
I think aside from these stories, LBC is trying to tell too much. There's also a will they/won't they? thing with two stepbrothers and a weird high school student chasing the soccer coach thing. The story-lines are so randomly inserted and spread out that I just really didn't care about them. I was somewhat invested in the stepbrothers storyline, but the whole story is like less than one episode long. I don't think it builds it up enough and the entire story is just the younger brother keeping a secret while the older brother is supportive. It just didn't mesh well with the rest of the show. If they were going to keep these stories in, they should have built them up a bit. Otherwise, I'm just not sure it's worth keeping them in.
Final Grade: A
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