Breeny
In Namjoon's Arms
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This Series Made Me Cry...
...and not in a good way. Like it angered me to the point of tears. Now don't get me wrong, the chemistry between ForceBook is great and the premise of the show was unique enough for me to tune in but it all fell so...flat.From the very beginning Theo (Book) was such an annoying character, very naive and privileged. Akk (Force) was the shining light of this series, truly the best character with a heart of gold. I am not going to lie, the first few episodes where Akk was helping Theo find his "Enchante" were endearing and cute and I was all in on trying to solve this "mystery" with them...until episode f***ing 8.
Now let's talk about this "mystery", at the start of the series we are made to believe that "Enchante" is 1 of 4 very attractive school representatives (how convenient). And that they are all head over heels for Theo (sureeeee), who they all literally just met. As I mentioned previously I was intrigued in the beginning, trying to figure out who out of the 4 "Enchante" could possibly be. The 4 support characters did as well a job as they could have done with that piss poor script that was handed to them. Not only did the writers give each of them a stereotypical "trait", for example: the romantic musician Saifa (Fluke Gawin), the mysterious artist Natee (Fluke), the cocky jock Wayo (Boom), and the uptight scholar (Aou)...they put them in these fever dream green screen cringe fantasies (you know THE one). And for what? To showcase that they are all just opportunist pricks? (except Saifa...he is an angel) I lost interest after the Wayo discovery (the fight scene was epic though). So you must be thinking, well if "Enchante" isn't the 4 school ambassadors...it must be Akk! Right? Wrong. Very very wrong. And thus comes my biggest gripe with this series...the f***ing plot twist.
Who was "Enchante"? F***ing Theo himself. THEO. JUST TO GET AKK'S ATTENTION ARE YOU KIDDING ME. And Akk just accepts this and loves him anyway (again...Akk is the biggest green flag to exist). So they are finally together which means the series can end right? Dear God it can end right? Nope. Because what is GMMTV if not messy. The last two episodes rush this nonsensical plot of Theo's parents getting a divorce and Theo being an absolute BABY about it. Like, you are a grown a** adult Theo, pull yourself together.
Which brings me back to my first point. Theo is the worst character of the entire series, and the fact that he is the main protagonist we have to root for...truly agonizing. He is narcissistic (only thinks about himself and what he can benefit from situations), naive (he tries to get his parents to get back together by replaying their wedding video and surrounding them by a romantic "date" with flowers and soft music...which surprise...doesn't work), and privileged (his parents are loaded and he thinks he can just throw money or opportunity at people to get them to do what he wants, case in point Saifa).
The only redeemable scene in this entire series, for me, is the scene where Theo leaves for France again the second time and all you see is Akk watching the love of his life leave without him again. I ugly sobbed. Mainly for Akk because he was hurting and I was hurting for him. Truth be told he deserved someone so much better than Theo but alas the heart wants what it wants, and in this case, Akk really wanted his spoiled brat.
In conclusion, Force was incredible. He was the reason I stuck through to the end of this series, I had only seen him in "Only Friends" before so seeing him in a wholesome light was so refreshing. The support actors were also great, and shined in their own way. The music was good, and Book was ok. If anything he was cute. I would recommend this series if you are a ForceBook fan, but if you're not....then maybe look for something else to watch.
*Au Revoir*
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Until I Sob Again
This drama was not what I was expecting. It was more than I could have ever imagined. I am not going to lie, I watched the "Between Us" series with BounPrem first before watching this. And I am actually glad I did, because I do not think I was ready at that point in my life to deal with such TRAUMA. With that being said I do not think this drama is for everyone. It can be incredibly triggering and it is a bit of a slow burn but with a really sweet pay off.For starters, this love story is centered around reincarnation. The first 5 minutes of the series opens with these two ill-fated lovers Korn and Intouch (Kao & Earth) fighting for their love against their parents where they inevitably...you know...*spoiler redacted*. I ugly sobbed for 20 minutes. Like...is this how we are going to start this drama? I'm strapped in. Let's ride this emotional roller coaster shall we? The story then proceeded to weave both past and present between Korn and Intouch and their reincarnations Dean and Pharm (Ohm & Fluke). The story in and of itself is so unique and well written. It showcased all the character's strengths and weaknesses while making sure that everyone had a part to play. The writing was truly a breath of fresh air, I love how it portrayed the real nuances of a relationship: the attraction, the annoyances, the grievances, the fun and the flirty. The script didn't shy away from making the characters feel real.
Which is a great segue to the acting. My god the acting in this? S L A Y E D. Especially Pharm (Fluke), his emotional performance throughout this entire series thawed my otherwise cold heart. But the real star....is Dean's Grandmother. GIVE. HER. AN. OSCAR. NOW. That woman had more emotion in her pinkie finger than I do in my entire body. Tears were falling from my face with every single one of her expressions. I docked a point for Dean (Ohm) cuz he was a little stoic and gave me the same face for half the show, BUT his chemistry with Pharm was EVERYTHING so I'll let it slide just a bit. Also, I just want to point out the support characters for a second, Win (Boun) was so distractingly gorgeous, I am so glad they gave him and Team (Prem) their own series because their relationship in this series left me starved for more. Team and Manow (Sammy) were the comic relief I was hoping for in this series, especially Manow, she was hilarious and made those cringy makeup product ad placements a little more bearable. Also, I know this isn't really a big deal but as a former hairdresser the first thing I notice is hair....and Pharm's cousin Sin (Ja Phachara) had one of the most distracting ugliest wigs in a BL. PLEASE save my man from that monstrosity on his head.
One thing that I had a love/hate relationship with was the music. The songs were great and I loved the OST....HOWEVER...did they really need to play the music so loudly during the most crucial parts of the dialogue??? Like we are getting an emotional moment then out of nowhere the instrumentals transition into a loud singing voice fighting for attention with the actors? Like I can hear you my guy, but right now I need to know why Dean is staring at Pharm so intently.
Overall, this was a semi-flawless BL. Chemistry on point. Screenwriting on point. Character Development on point. This series definitely has rewatch value, highly recommend if you are a fan of: slow burns, reincarnation stories, Oscar worthy crying, desserts, swimming?
Just watch it, you won't regret it.
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We Are...
...Tired. Oh so tired.I genuinely do not understand the rave reviews about this show. This show was average at best, the biggest MEH of my life to be honest. For starters, this show did not need to be 16 flipping episodes. Like what was the reason? Because I know it wasn't for the plot...you want to know why? BECAUSE THERE IS NONE. Now, don't get me wrong, I like slice of life dramas too...but this one was missing a crucial ingredient to most slice of life dramas. And that is the mini "beats" or "goals" throughout the story.
We started strong with Phum (Pond) and Peem (Phuwin) in the beginning with this whole "slave" trope that died out after episode like 4, and then there was no real "goal" or "beat" after that for those two. Besides Peem finishing his painting and Phum getting along with his dad...you cannot tell me we needed 16 episodes of that. 12 would have been just fine. If a toxic a** show like "Only Friends" can wrap s**t up in 12 episodes...."We Are" certainly could have.
Now let's talk about the couples...because that seemed to be the main focus of this series instead of you know an actual plot.
Phum & Peem: Now, I want everyone to breathe in for 3 seconds and out for 3 seconds, because what I am about to say is going to make some people really mad. They were my least favorite couple of the entire series. I was not a fan of their chemistry (or lack there of) or their characters. Now, this is NOT a jab at PondPhuwin...they are great actors who were just given a really sh***y script. In my opinion Phum & Peem's chemistry was not believable, the kisses looked forced and Peem constantly looked annoyed and in pain. I also could not STAND how they constantly had to ask about their feelings for one another. Like, y'all just made out 4 times and you still don't know if he likes you? Like be for real. At that point you are just not wanting to commit.
Q & Toey: Again, I am so sorry, but this was another couple that just did not do it for me. Also, I feel as if this couple had more screen time then our mains Phum & Peem. Like I saw more of their awkward a** banter than Phum & Peem's indecisive conversations. In terms of acting, I think Satang did a great job portraying that "cute" and "babygirl" persona...and Winny was alright. I will say I felt bad for Q during the whole "make Q jealous" segment where he was gaslit by his own friends about the relationship between Toey and Chain. Like if my friends ever did that to me I would be infuriated.
Tan & Fang: Now, this was my favorite couple of the whole series. I had no idea who AouBoom was before "We Are", and now they are all over my FYP because I cannot get enough of them. Was their story a little rushed in the beginning? Yes. Were they cringey at times? Also, yes. But did they have the best chemistry of all the couples? Absolutely, yes. In my opinion they carried this series, and were the scene stealers of a majority of the group shots. I also LOVED their character's back story where they revealed that they were actually enemies to lovers, I melted. My only question to GMMTV is: AOUBOOM MAIN LEAD SERIES WHEN?!?!
Chain & Pun: My 2nd favorite couple even though they did a whole lotta nothing. I just really loved Pun's character. He was so unhinged and made me laugh every time he did anything. I also liked how oblivious Pun was to Chain's advances and feelings. It was realistic in a sense (me feeling like Chain every time I flirt with my crush and they are oblivious to it). Their relationship felt the most relatable to me, two besties who have feelings for one another but are nervous to pursue anything. Marc and Poon did a wonderful job bringing us on that journey.
So I guess in conclusion, I recommend this series if you are a fan of one or more of the following things:
-PondPhuwin/WinnySatang/AouBoom/MarcPoon
-non-sensical slice of life dramas
-no plot
-neon bright drinks (iykyk)
-pouty baby girls
-going to school just to hang out and do absolutely no schoolwork
-school fairs
-sticking your nose into your friend's love life
-FRIENDSHIP
-art?
So yeah, if you're a fan of all the above and are looking for some wholesome s***, "We Are" is for you.
But if you are looking for something with a substantial plot and complicated characters....keep scrolling.
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Started off with a Bang, Ended in Disappointment
I had high hopes for this drama, I really did, for starters I am a fan of Park Min Young and her acting is as always, top tier.Let me start with what went well:
-Acting. All 3 leads as well as the support characters were strong in their performances. Special shout out to Go Kyung Pyo (Jung Ji Ho), his physical comedy was hilarious, and you can really see his background at Saturday Night Live Korea shine through. He's a natural comedic actor.
-Premise. The story is unique and I liked the thought of an independent woman taking something as traditional as marriage and making a profitable business out of it. I am also a sucker for love triangles so the fact that you have 2 good looking guys that represent her past and present fighting for her attention....perfection to me.
-Queer representation. So this one I'm a little torn about because on one hand I loved the character of Gwang Nam, and his family struggles as well as discrimination he faces in society are real problems. But his sole purpose in this drama was to just be Sang Eun's bestie, which is fine, but I wanted more. **Potential Support Characters Spoilers** And I will never forgive them for not making Gwang Nam and Jung Kwan a thing, especially at the end. We were robbed a mini BL storyline. In my mind, they are end game.
Now here is what did not go so well:
-Plot. The first 8 episodes were solid, I was truly engaged and there was an air of mystery over some of the characters and it was fun to try and guess what would happen next. But then it all fell flat. Literally, fell flat. There wasn't a conflict after episode 8, they could've ended the series at like episode 10.
-The "Second Male Lead" curse. Now I know what you all are going to say, this is standard practice for a K-Drama. But this one really bothered me, don't get me wrong, Kim Jae Young did a great job portraying Kang Hae Jin, but the writers wrote his character like some weak lovesick puppy, or should I say kitten. Normally most second leads are persistent for their love, and get rejected closer to the end. Not this one, thats all I'm going to say before giving away a spoiler. His character could've been stronger.
-Jamie (the cat). What happened to her after episode 9? lol This one is a joke but the cat was such a recurring character to just be forgotten later is funny.
-Antagonists. They were cringe. Like literally cringe. All the way down to their laughs and "intense stares". Wow another group of corporate greedy men who are afraid their "a**hole" behavior will be revealed. Also, out of the 3, only 1 got "justice" and it wasn't even a bad punishment. Unoriginal and uninspiring honestly.
-Gwang Nam's Family. Ok, I'm back to talking about him because he is my favorite character but I could not STAND his family. I also was not a huge fan of how the show "fixed their homophobia". The potential of making Gwang Nam famous....thats it folks, Fame. As soon as the possibility of fame and money came into play they were ok with his queerness. Be so f***ing for real. So we are going to ignore how horrible they treated him the whole series. OK.
In conclusion, "Love in Contract" had its moments. It was cute at times, it was funny at times, it was heartbreaking at times. But if you are looking for something with substance, don't watch this. But if you're bored and like Park Min Young dramas then this is for you.
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