mkfusenation
Portugal // BL Dramaland
Why can't people seem to appreciate flawed characters?
This review won't be a review per say but moreso another perspective of the show when compared to the majority of the negative reviews on this site. I feel the need to do this especially because a handful of these reviews almost made me decide not to watch this show. I won't go into a lot of details regarding the storyline since so many reviews have already done so. However, I'd like to leave my two cents here because most of the reviews shown here are negative and most of them are based on two things - Joe's naivety and Ming's toxicity.One thing about this series is that it depcts toxic relationships with very flawed characters. It's been advertised since the beginning, it's based in an infamously toxic chinese novel (by an author who's well known for her toxic main leads), there's sinopsis, tags, trailer, etc. And yet people still seem to be hiper fixated in complaining about it, as if it hasn't been advertised at all.
Don't like these themes? Don't watch.
This is the same issue with Kinnporsche (which has two directors in common). So many people review bombing with negative ratings regarding the toxic storyline. There was even a review that complained so much and at the end considered this one of the best series of this year - giving this a 6. At least be coherent with your words and your scoring.
I understand the issue people have with Ming, he's an obvious red flag who is toxic from the beginning, a very flawed character who is depicted since the beginning as such. Flawed characters have existed in stories, series and movies for a long time and oftentimes they give way to intrigue storylines and help capture the viewers attention to try to understand how this person behaves the way they do. Flawed characters are real and human and I don't understand how so many people fail to appreciate that this type of representation is needed in art too. Yes, Ming is a huge asshole and a toxic narcissist. That makes him an even more compelling main character.
As for Joe, he's an absolute cinammon roll. He's someone who falls in love with someone he shouldn't. I see so many people stating how he's naive for liking Ming and that it's not realistic. Excuse me? How many people end up in toxic relationships despite the clear signs? How many people fail to see the red flags because of the rose-colored glasses? It's as realistic as it can get. Fortunately, My Stand-in still manages not to be as toxic as some relationships in real life get - and not as toxic as the original novel, thankfully. I feel like this show actually managed to tell the story really well, they allowed for Ming's character to grow and for Joe to realize that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't escape his feelings for Ming.
Sure, y'all can say Joe's dumb - he is. But it feels weird to reduce his feelings and struggles to just that - naivety and stupidity. Joe and Ming are such complex characters and to reduce this complexity to just being dumb or toxic is like missing the whole point of the show. The story isn't told just by dialogue or just by nc scenes. There's so many small details the directors focused on to conect the storyline. The actors were amazing too, the change in Up's eyes depending on Ming's emotional stability in different parts of the show was mesmerizing to watch - he's such a great actor. Poom was also absolutely amazing as Joe, reflecting his emotional maturity before and after his death.
Flawed and difficult characters are extremely complex. They're harder to understand, harder to act and harder to love. It's a challenge for the actors involved in these storylines and it's a challenge for the whole team. Yet, they're the most intriguing, the ones that make our brains work to understand, to fill in the blanks. There's a reason why we love villains. It's the same train of thought. Flawed characters are relatable, even if only a tiny little bit. Sure, in Ming's case, I really hope he's not as relatable to everyone out there, but there's realism to his character, like it or not.
This is why I don't understand the hate. I understand the constructive criticism and I have my own too, but to review bomb a show like this based on something it has advertised since the beginning? I don't get it.
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I actually really liked it.
It's a pleasant drama to watch , not something you have to pay too much attention to the story plot in order to get it.
Overall, I liked it even if it didn't have much to offer. The story gets confusing at times but it's intentional, you get it sooner or later. There are characters you will like, chracters you will not but that is just like any other drama.
Don't be afraid to check it out, it's a good watch.
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Better than the first season!!
I feel like I have a very different opinion from everyone else ajsjajaFew Disclaimers:
- I did not read the original work.
- I am not biased regarding actors.
First, let's talk about the first season.
I enjoyed it, gave it a very wonky 7/10 and the reason why I didn't give it more was mostly due to acting or due to cringing way too much at some points. I was a big fan of Yeon Woo since the beginning but wasn't so of Yoo Han, I just couldn't get immersed in his story or character, I felt that if he wasn't such a big part of Yeon Woo's story I wouldn't care for him. This second season proved it. I must say this isn't because of Hyun Jun as a person, I like him a lot and he seems like a nice actor - this was about the character (in the series at least). I care about Yoo Han as if he was any other victim of what happened to him, I didn't care for him as a main character, didn't care for him as a love interest, didn't care for him as a probe. Yeon Woo's and Yoo Han's relationship had tons of flaws due to the innerent soulmate trope but I could see the hype around their relationship on paper - in execution, however, it was lacking - It wasn't believable to me at all. Sure they were cute together but that doesn't cut it for me - there was nothing about them that made me root for them except their genetic discrepancies that brought them together. I'm not gonna be like most people who rated the show lower and say it's because of low runtime because I've literally watched almost all BLs korea has ever made and believe me, some of them are SHORT. This one still managed to be one of the least convincing to me.
My main issues rely on this, sure I wasn't a big fan of everything being left in the open at the end and no real proggress regarding the investigations being done, but those are less relevant comments to this.
Now, moving on to this season.
I really enjoyed how they decided on a different approach to this season, actively pursuing the investigations and revealing more information about monos + probes which we didn't have before. Sure at times it kinda felt like info dumping which could've been done way better but hey - they tried. Scenarios and props for this weren't anything great either but honestly, that's common with web series, especially BLs - it isn't as if season 1 was better - it was actually way worse with all the cheap awful color rush editing. So can't say I had high expectations for that.
Now this is where it gets different - I like Se Hyun. I really like him.
Yes, I like Yeon Woo's new love interest, woo hoo!! Contrary to what previously happened with Yoo Han, I was able to emphatize with Se Hyun's character and to actually get invested in his story. I don't want to spoil anyone so I won't comment further on that but while I literally didn't care about Yoo Han's backstory, I kept wanting to learn more about Se Hyun.
Acting was also way better this season, from all aspects. Yoo Jun hadn't been bad in the previous season but here he did better which I'm really happy about! Hyuk as Se Hyun did a good job - I liked his expressions, cuteness and his playfulness, while also being able to portray believable sadness. I don't know if it was because Yoo Han was constantly wearing a mask in season 1 - I think facial expressions might have been one of the reasons why I wasn't able to emphatisize with his character - but then again, I've emphatized so much with characters who are written to be basically expressionless so it doesn't seem like a good excuse ><
One big downside I have with this season, however, is the ending. I really hope there's a 3rd season cause there's no way its ending like that. Time to go read fanfic or smth to fill that ending black hole.
Overall, it isn't perfect, far from it, but it's definitely better than the first season, in my opinion that is. I understand the people who are even reluctant to watch this because of Yoo Han - a friend of mine is like that - but I suggest you give it a try. There's people who enjoyed it, people who didn't.
For me, it's a solid 7.5/10.
My advice is: if you can't let Yoo Han go - stay with the first season instead of hating on this one; if you think you can let him go and have a new perspective - watch it, I think it's worth it ^^
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Good if it had half the episodes - Saengthian is the reason I'm giving it a 7
I won't waste much time doing a lengthy review, I'm just here sharing my 2 cents.Saengthian and the brothers relationship is the only thing that made me unable to give it lower than a 7/10 (actually a 6.8 but oh well). Saengthian turned out to be my favorite character in this series, even if I found him a bit childish in the beginning.
Good start but what happened in the last few episodes??? characters changing personality completely, tons of stuff left unexplained, bad choice of narrative - what directing was that?
I actually really liked it at the beginning and questioned the rating in here but I get it now. So much potential lost!? There were some beautiful shots along the way but overall I could blame the directing for most of my issues with this show. The random cuts here and there, the amount of plot holes/missing scenes, the weirdest camera angles at times, the instructions given to the actors during certain scenes (episode 10 I'm looking at you), etc.
Oh and don't even get me started on the writing. What the hell was this universe? Setting rules and set truths just to break them with no explanation? I started watching this show because it has the same screenwriters as My Ride The Series - which is a very beloved series of mine, especially when it comes to character likeability. However, I feel disappointed.
Also, the Saengtai in the show synopsis, "the man who dislikes strangers and talking to people unnecessarily" is advertised at the beginning but never makes an appearance. If he dislikes strangers and talking to people unnecessarily so much, how come everyone and their mother becomes his friend? How come he immediately gets along with Lomfon or Nara? With Nara, they even comment on it, as if that didn't happen with every single one of the other characters. If you're going to try and create an introverted character with leftover trauma and rarely goes out - then make it believable. Saengtai, who dislikes strangers, doesn't like working at the office but spends his day in a bustling coffee shop instead? He, who dislikes going out, is rarely seen at home during the day? Come on T-T
When finishing episode 6 I was wondering what they would do to fill up 12 episodes - for me the series could've ended with 6 or 7. If the show ended without the amount of things happening starting from ep 7, I would've given it a higher rating.
I'm sorry, but I can't make myself forgive the mess the last 5 episodes were. 6.8 is already too high for this show if I were to focus on those - but I'm focusing on the good moments this series actually has - like Saengtai and Saengthian's brotherhood, Dream's friendship, Nara's maturity, Bow's concern, etc. I'm not gonna lie, though reluctant to keep watching in between ep 8 and 9, then after ep 10, I still kept coming back and I was hooked every single time.
Overall, if you don't know what to watch to pass time, you can watch this one. But if you have a ton of better things to watch, I would not make this a priority.
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Totally Worth Your Time
I had to watch this movie for one of my classes at university - Chinese Culture - and I'm supposed to write a report on it. So yeah, me watching this movie was originally due to a school assignment but I immediately got excited once I saw the cast - I LOVE Bai Yu and when I saw him along with Deng Chao and our resident cutie Sun Xilun I knew I was in for a ride.And what a ride!
If you're wondering whether you should watch this movie or not then the answer's YES - it's definitely worth watching.
STORY
While the story isn't the best built or the most complex out there it will make your insides churn with all the twists and turns it takes. You will laugh, you will cry, you will clap and you will trash certain characters. But most of all, you will end up feeling connected to them, something not all movies are able to do. The movie is focused on two specific timelines - past and present - mostly focusing on the past to build the narrative. Due to the past being a junction of flashbacks to justify the present, there are some unresolved issues that we end up forgetting about so there's some random information that is given to you and isn't properly clarified. That is the only reason why I won't rate the story an 8 although I have to admit that's probably the fairest rating.
ACTING
WOW. That's my exact thought when I think about the acting. I often see people bashing Chinese movies for this and for that and honestly these people are missing out on a bunch of great acting. Deng Chao is a well known name in China, being super popular due to his acting - and that's deserved. I haven't seen his other works and knew him mostly from variety shows but this movie made me want to watch his other works. His acting just left me mesmerized. I believed wholeheartedly in the character he built and he made the movie a hundred times better. We don't get as much Bai Yu as I initially expected but that's completely fine because the amount we have of him is enough for him to steal the show. He's an amazing actor (have y'all seen Guardian???? such a great actor) and he does a great job portraying the given character. I could make a whole essay about his acting and how overwhelmed it made me feel but I won't ahaha. I just have to add that the Deng Chao x Bai Yu combination of father and son made me cry rivers and I'm still not recovered. Now, our cutie Sun Xilun. Xilun was only 14 when this aired so he was probably 13 when they recorded it and he still managed to be one of the greatest actors in this movie. He plays the younger version of Ma Fei (while Bai Yu plays the older version) and he did a wonderful job! When I saw him on screen I legit yelled "CHENG LING" due to his role in Word Of Honor (probably my current favorite Chinese drama) because I was super excited to see him and he did not disappoint. The support characters also had great actors behind them and overall I think this was a wonderfully acted movie.
Just want to add that Deng Chao did an amazing job directing the movie!! The directing is fantastic!
MUSIC
The music is a great part on why this movie made me super emotional. The music just helps emphasize certain emotions and feelings and it is used to the best of it's ability in Looking Up.
Would definitely re-watch whenever I wanna go on an emotional journey or just want to review this masterpiece.
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BEAUTIFUL
This!! This was such a beautiful and impactful short film!I totally loved it.
The story was beautiful, a bit underdeveloped at some parts due to the short time of the film but amazing at the same time. The main characters have my whole heart, both the younger and the older versions, they have such beautiful souls and nice personalities.
I don't want to go into much details as to not give any spoiler.
The cast was such a good choice, you can feel their emotions and the way they express them is so wholesome.
Now, my highest ranking, the Music value. OH MY EVERYTHING, this film has one of the best music selections I've ever seen on dramas. This is not exaggerating. When I saw other reviews I was like - "How good can it be?" - But whoaaaaa, it is really good. Each melody fits perfectly into the scene, the opening and ending songs are beautiful and overall it gives the whole film more life.
I'm just so happy right now after watching this one. It will mess with your heart but it is worth it in order to witness such a beautiful story. I've lost count of the amount of times I've said "beautiful" but that's all I can thing about to describe this drama - BEAUTIFUL
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Every Moment That I Think of You Special
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I liked the two alternative endings!
My favorite, surprisingly, is the one where they do not end up studying in the same city. The way Chen Zihao's emotions show on his face when talking with Yang Yuhang on the phone, they things that are said when both of them recall their moments together, I think this version is the most beautiful. I think I liked this ending even better than the actual main 2 episodes. The character's emotions are more tangible and it's more emotional.I'm glad I understand chinese, so that I could watch these two alternative endings, they really do give a different feeling to the overall experience of this mini story.
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A sweet fluffy short bl drama
This was such an easy and light watch! I had this show on my watchlist for a while without even knowing what it was about and yesterday I decided to go and binge-watch it. It was so good I stayed up until almost 3 am to finish it.21 Days Theory is a cute fluffy bl with an innocent love story between two highschoolers with the ocasional contribute of their friends and Q's mother and uncle. It's sweet, short and there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about it - but there's also nothing particularly faulty about it which makes for a wonderful easy watch.
The characters are all super lovable. Q is a dorky guy who keeps losing but his will to actually win isn't very strong either - he goes into auditions and competitions already expecting to lose. The reason he has the will to take X up on his challenge is more due to the other's teasing rather than his own will to win. He's also a sweet guy who cares about others, even if he doesn't always show it. X is a rather interesting character, he's super soft and caring on the inside but manages to have this playful and teasing outside that just gets into Q's nerves. Their dynamic is funny and cute, the way they grow closer is also sweet. X is also somewhat cunning, his plan was elaborated and not something anyone would've come up with - tho his plan didn't make much sense (poor guy akdaka), it did work to a certain extent. Q's friends, Toy and Frank are some of the best friends he could have, they're always ready to help him out and are super understanding - there's one specific line in the 3rd episode that made me even fonder of them. X's friend, Mook, the net idol, is also a good friend and she's also a likeable character; she's not full of herself or has an attitude - she's friendly and positive. Mind is also a nice character. The best side character tho, are Q's mother and uncle. Q's uncle is queer and he serves as a support to Q, even if the latter doesn't immediately see him as so admdkaka. Q's mother although hesitant at first is also ready to wholeheartedly support her son. She's also really nice and affectionate with the way she embraces X as well.
The acting was great, especially from the actor who plays X, Bever - he has a great flow to his movements and speech, acting seems natural to him and he definitely stands out. The other actors weren't bad either, Q's actor, Tee, is a cutie.
Production-wise this was way better than I thought it'd be for a low-budget production, the editing is very clean and it's well directed, better than many big budget shows.
Overall, this short series is definitely a gem in the huge repertoire of bls we get nowadays, its fluffy and sweet atmosphere combined with how easy it is to watch will have me coming back to it often in the future. Hoping for more bls like this ><
Thank you for reading and hope you give it a chance!
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Triage, An Underrated Masterpiece
So...It's fair to say this BL is a huge blessing to our 2022 repertoire of BL shows.Triage is many things but one word easily sums it up - Masterpiece.
I'd been excited about this BL ever since it was announced for various reasons:
- the plot is super interesting
- it's based on a Sammon novel
- has faint connections to Manner Of Death
- the small thing they did in 2019 caught my attention and I always thought it'd be good if given the right care, budget and investment
- I loved Tae in Paint With Love
However, since this show has mystery involved in it and it's based on a Sammon novel, just like Manner Of Death, I decided to wait until it finished airing to binge watch so I wouldn't suffer every 6 days a week for 13 weeks. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to watch it yet, that is, until now. And gosh it was so worth the wait.
While I waited for it to finish airing and for me to have time to watch it, I updated myself on how the show was being received and I was delighted to see a positive response from the general audience, which made me even more excited to watch it.
When I finally started watching it, I was a bit disappointed in the first episode - that was, however, my issue - since I had such high expectations, the 1st episode was a bit of a let down. Oftentimes episode 1 is one of the best episodes in a series, since it is made to hook viewers on the show. So when episode 1 wasn't as amazing as I'd expected it to be, it felt somewhat empty.
Episode 2 was more of the same but episode 3 was when I knew this series would be one of the best things I watched the whole year. It just becomes so good. The more I learned about the characters and the story that unravels, the more excited I was to watch the next episode. So, yeah, while I wasn't impressed with the first 2 episodes, this series quickly became one of my favorites - it wasn't love at first sight but it's a strong love that was gradually developed.
When rating a show I take into account the following: characters, plot, writing, cast+acting, intrigue, cinematography and enjoyment. My rating for Triage in these 7 categories is as follows:
> Characters - 9,5/10
Starting with the characters, every single character in this show is pretty complex, as is usual for Sammon, they're not only plot devices but each one of them has their own behavior, their own stories and it all translates into the show in perfect harmony. The two main characters, Tin and Tol, are very well flashed out, each one of them has a strong individuality and more than a bl couple, they're two people who are completely different from each other in more than one aspect but still manage to fall in love. They work as individuals in this story but connect perfectly as a unit as well, which is something not every story is capable of presenting. They don't need each other to be / to exist (I mean-) but they need each other to be the best version of themselves and that's beautiful.
Then we have the side characters. My favorite is definitely Dr.Sing (played by Tonnam) who is a colleague of Tin and has a major role in resolving the hospital side mystery and who changes shifts with Tin so he can do what he wants in each loop - he’s his biggest support fr. We have characters like Dr. Gap, Dr.Fang, Jinta, Rit, Art and Toi who are there as friends of the main characters and whose roles change in the different loops, but always making interesting participations. And then we have our antagonists, who are the main characters of one of the mysteries in the show.
> Cast + Acting - 9,5/10
I won’t spend much time in this category but I truly want to commend the acting in this series. Tae and Tee didn’t strike me as great actors back when they did 2moons but they’ve both been improving so much - we had gotten a glimpse of Tae’s improvement in Paint With Love and Tee as a side character in The Miracle Of Teddy Bear but it can’t compare to how they did in Triage. I thought Tae was great, he portrayed Tin perfectly, his rage, his anxiousness, his tiredness, etc. But Tee - Tee stole the show. In the first few episodes he didn’t stand out much but after a while, once his character started appearing more in different scenarios, you could see how his acting improved. Every emotion Tol felt was very clear through Tee’s acting - he was great. The side characters were great too and I want to praise Tonnam specifically. I was used to seeing him in more comedic roles but here he played a serious mature character and he was amazing in it, it didn’t even feel like he was acting, it was all so natural.
> Plot - 9/10 + Writing 8,5/10 + Intrigue 9,5/10
Now, as to the plot. I think the idea of this show is great. Sammon’s stories always have mystery involved and they’re very intriguing to read/watch. They’re the kind of stories that leave us hanging on the edge of our seats, eager to know the truth. The plot premise was wonderful. Execution, however, had a few flaws. There are some ideas that were introduced that never got their conclusion - such as Tin knowing the answers to his questions after saving Tol (we never got to know those answers) - and the final felt kinda rushed. We could’ve seen a bit more of them together, though that final line and scene is a great way to end the show ><.
> Cinematography - 8,5/10
This category includes imagery, editing, directing and everything related to the portrayal of the show. I’m not an expert in any of these so this is purely my opinion - there were a few scenes that could’ve been more polished, and a few others that could’ve been more attentive to details. However, it was a pretty well-built show.
> Enjoyment - 10/10
This is that one category where I can self-indulge and give the rating I feel in my heart it deserves - but technically doesn’t. I loved this show, I enjoyed every single episode (even the first 2 despite being slightly disappointed then) and I cried - I CRIED so much, so so so much. Tears of sadness, tears of happiness, tears of both these emotions mixed together - it was heartfelt chaos and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
> [Total = 9,29/10]
Overall, Triage is a show that undoubtedly gave us a lot. Some consider it to be the best BL, others consider it to be average, I consider it to be an underrated gem. It’s not my favorite BL but it’s definitely just as good as its predecessor (Manner Of Death) and greatly prepares the ground for what’s to come (Transplant). I had high expectations but it was even better than I could’ve expected. For that, Triage takes the crown.
This show is wonderful and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who isn’t affected by imagery of bl00d, vi0lence and medical emergencies.
Thank you for reading <3
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We all have a lesson to learn from this show...
(this review isn't a spoiler review, however, I do mention some information that may come accross as spoiler.irst of all, I have been wanting to watch this series for a while but kept postponing due to the comments on how we should be mentally prepared to watch it, which also oddly made it even more intriguing. I finally did watch it and I agree - you need to be mentally prepared to watch a show like this one.
That being said, was it as "traumatizing" or "life-ruining" as so many comments say? No. It was definitely shocking, dark and heavy but I wouldn't deem it extremely traumatizing or life-ruining, unless you can relate to the mc on a deeper level such as having experienced what he does first hand. There's only so much we, as viewers, can feel and relate to. However, of you do suffer from ptsd or are triggered by mentions/depictions of r*pe, violence, self-h*rm, su*c*de, etc, I would recommend you to stay away from this show.
I also want to point out this isn't really a BL show so if that's what you're looking for maybe this isn't the right choice. The theme of this show goes so much beyond that and explores way heavier themes that not everyone is ready to witness.
Overall, it's an 8 for me.
x STORY x
The main focus on the show is, as the title says, on THE EFFECT. The Effect of what people do, what people say, what people think. The effect of every little thing we do in our daily life, that to us is minimal, but to others can be life-changing or, in this case, life-ruining. Actions have motive and consequence. This show highlights that in a very dark, realistic way. That's really what makes this show so uniquely heavy, how realistic it is.
We follow our MC, Shin, as he starts university, makes his first friends and begins what should be one of the happiest moments in his life. We're then introduced to Keng, who is a university senior, an ambassador, who's so popular everyone knows who he is. And then we see how these people's lives intertwine and literally, have an effect on each other. The show then explores their friendships and how everything affects everything, and I mean - everything.
A thing such as rumors on social media can literally destroy lives and this show depicts that very realistically, tangling it up with mental health to give us a real emotional rollercoaster in the most horrifying way possible. The deterioration of Shin's mental health is gradual and it makes the viewer feel so bad because we're unable to help, we can only watch - that's how immersed one becomes on the themes dealt with in this show.
Episode 1 is light and rainbows and flowers and then it's from episode 2 onwards that it gets really scary.
Episode 2 ends on a way too terrible note. But really, what needs to be highlighted is every single action of someone has a motive and consequence, the effect, there's the effect that propels the action and then the effect that action ends up having. Really couldn't have chosen a better name for this show.
Episode 3 is the culmination of all the feelings ever shown on the show, love, happiness, fear, anger, shame, guild, sadness, pain, etc. It's heavy and difficult to watch, especially because this is a show where it's difficult to be impartial and not feel anything towards the characters/events. It becomes quite painful even.
x ACTING x
I have to say, the acting in this one surprised me. I didn't know what to expect in terms of acting but this was super well acted. I have to applaud James as Shin - you can see every single emotion in his eyes, how brightly they shine in the beginning and how dull they are by the beginning of episode 3. Oat also did a great job as Keng - the ability to portray almost two completely different people, the contrast of Keng in episode 1 and in episodes 2 and 3 is just way too massive and he did it flawlessly.
x MUSIC x
I never know what to say when it comes to musical value in dramas as I don't really care about it but here I can say the music score was very well thought-out and chosen. A few scenes made me sad but it was truly the background music that had tears well up in my eyes. It was the music that led me to cry in a few scenes too. It just goes along very well with the scenes it is inserted in.
x REWATCH VALUE x
If being completely honest, this isn't a show that I say I want to watch again the future. I mostly usually rewacht shows that make me feel safe and that bring me joy or shows that really made an impact on me. I might rewatch a show if I'm watching with someone else. And this might be the case for this one. While it isn't a show that'll bring me joy if I rewatch it, quite on the contrary, it is a show I feel like more people should see and I would like to watch it together with my friends so we could discuss the themes and topics inserted in it.
x OVERALL x
Overall, this isn't a show I enjoyed watching per se but watching it makes me feel like I learned something, that it somehow made a tiny part of me grow. I love it when shows make me feel this, like the time I spent watching them was worth it. I also want to say that maybe I'm broken? Cause in most reviews I saw people said that this show ruined their mood, left them with too heavy of a heart or that wouldn't recover from it. I am okay. I'm okay after watching this. I am genuinely okay. I do have a bit of a heavy heart and I'll probably think about this show in the future but maybe it's because I had prepared myself to watch it when mentally prepared so I was in a good head space for it but truly, while it was impactful, I do find some reviews a bit exagerated. And I'm a person who tends to cry and be overly emotional. I guess it really depends on people and their life experience.
However, as stated above, no matter how this show affects you, we all have a lesson to learn from it - reflect well on what it is before you say or post anything online and offline.
Stay safe and well everyone ~~
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I have a love-hate relationship with this one ; Or is it Hate-Hate?
So...I just finished the show and... - I'm confused.[I will warn when spoilers appear]
First of all, I am somewhat disappointed since I started viewing this one since it was hardly recommended on Advance Bravely's page (and I adore that one despite de chinese censorship since it still has the essence and the feeling in between the leads is undeniable) so I was hoping for something different than what it came out to be.
My expectations for BL content weren't too high because, once again, this is mainland china, there's obviously gonna be a whole wave of censorship. However, I was still disappointed that there weren't even any hints, any kind of connection in between the characters which in all aspects was a relief for me due to Yuan Yang's character but I will get there later.
Before that I really wish to commend the actors. The story isn't the best, the characters are a bit all over the place due to some things being changed from the novel to the series. But the actors did an amazing job. Especially the two main actors, Shang Bai (Gu Qing Pei) and Gao Ming (Yuan Yang), despite not having overwhelming chemistry (something that could have happened with other cast), the two actors when seen individually aced the show. Shang Bai did a great job portraying Gu Qing Pei and his business manner whereas Gao Ming did amazing portraying such a difficult character that is Yuan Yang. So I must really congrat them for that.
[SMALL SPOILER WARNING]
Now onto the characters. Gu Qing Pei is okay, he's likeable and a great businessman. My only problem that I have with his character is that he's too forgiving. It's okay to be a forgiving person but it's not shown well enough why he decides to forgive everything others do to harm him. Without a proper explanation, he just comes across as forgiving for the sake of it, and it's a huge contrast to an otherwise intelligent character. It makes no sense that he let people toy with him the way they did, especially Yang, not with how his character is portrayed for the most part of the show - it's contradicting and poorly written.
Now, Yuan Yang, how much I dislike him. And I don't really wanna like him. He's such an awful character and person. I love flawed characters, they're super intriguing and interesting when well done. But my problem with Yuan Yang is that he has no reasons to do what he does, there's no catalyst, it's just him being an awful person for the sake of it. And then we're just supposed to get over it because he's forgiven? What he did to Gu Qing Pei, the fact that he drugged him and did all that regards him as an awful person and I'm sorry but having daddy issues doesn't make it any less bad, there was literally no reason for him to do what he did. He does have problems with his father but he never really deals with them, just takes out his anger on other people in the most outrageous way. He's like a child throwing tantrums, but his tantrums seriously damage other people's lives. Only starting from episode 11 or so did I start disliking him a bit less due to the forced redemption arc but even then, for me to like him I would either have to forget all he had done till then or he would have to very well explain why he did those (which he would't be able to because there was virtually no reason for it).
What really irritates me as well is the fact that he hated his father so much that he wanted to destroy his career but the moment the later goes to the hospital he is all freaked out and calls him dad with a super soft voice. HIS DAD ALSO. I dislike the man so much. And I dislike his character development. After everything, at the end, he just ends up all nice and smiley to Yuan Yang and suddenly changes to a better person and actually starts caring about his family. There's no explanation, no story there, just a shift like day and night. I'm sorry but no, that doesn't happen that easily. You can't just make a character be bad and mean for 14 episodes and then just turn him into a super caring father and person on the last episode.
AND EVERYONE FREAKING FORGIVES EACH OTHER
(pArdOn mY irOny)
Gu Qing Pei to Yuang Yang - "yeah you almost killed me, almost ruined my career, made my life a living hell and all but since you're cute and did help me a few times after u urself screwing up I'll let it go and I'll help you with your spoiled project"
Gu Qing Pei to Wang Jin - "yeah u betrayed me and I told u that I considered u my friend and would never work with u again but u know what? It's okay it's all business so how about we work on a lot of other projects just because? oh but I don't want to have anything to do with your company" - *proceeds to let everyone get the idea that he is working for Wang Jin's company and can't tell the guy a NO*
Wang Jin to Yuang Yang - "we don't really know each other but yeah, u screwed me and my company up, you're a snake and you've hurt my friend. I have the means to confront you but u know what? I'll just forgive u cause that would be too much screentime for a support role"
Yuan Yang to his father - "okay so, u've been controlling me my whole life, made me do things I hated or didn't want because u only care about yourself and I hate you and I'm gonna ruin you cause no one opposes me! Oh you're in the hospital? You know what? nevermind, you deserve father of the year, #bestfather"
AND THERE'S A LOT MORE
LIKE ??????
[END OF SPOILER]
Overall this series wasn't a super great experience. Story could be better, development could be better, music is bad and could use some serious work. I won't rewatch it probably.
This series is a devastatingly good example of bad writing. You could do so much with flawed characters like this but instead they're just terrible people with no reason for it.
So why am I ranking it a 5? Well, because, although all this exists, I still enjoyed it and quite a lot actually so I feel like it deserves at least a positive rating. My google sheets suggested an overall rating of 5.5 acording to my ratings on different areas but because my high ratings have to do with enjoyment and acting, not the actual thing in itself, I don't want to give that extra 0,5.
When I had time I watched up to 5 episodes and only stopped because it was already too late. And right now it's 1 am while I'm writing this review. So yeah, it is intriguing and unhealthily adicting.
If you're looking not for a great show but for a hardly decent one, with good actors, enough fighting scenes, business world theme and a bunch of scenes to boil your nerves this is your show!~
Honestly though, you might want to give it a try, it's not perfect (far from it) but it's still an okay(ish) watch ^^ depends on ur mood however.
- eve ~
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The story is good, the whole basis is stable and the way it develops is also decently done. I love the characters (and love them even more now, after season 2) and all but the actors weren't really my thing. I mean, I liked most of the cast, they did a good job and their hard work payed of due to the popularity of the series. However, as I'm editing this (after watching season 2 with cast change), I can say that most of the love I nurtured was for the characters themselves and not for the acting the cast presented. Lots of people were upset that the cast would be different for second season but I really love second season's cast and I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to have this whole season with that cast instead of the short 4 re-tell episodes.
But enough of comparisons. Overall I really enjoyed this one, the music is also good.
It has its flaws, it obviously does. There are parts where everything seems out of place and it seems like the story is going nowhere. But if I were to speak about all the flaws it would ruin my idea of these series so I prefer to rate it and not go into much detail (my score does take into account the flaws though, of course).
At the time that I first watched this one I remember loving it. 2moons was all I wanted during the time I was watching it. But after finishing I couldn't really recall why I liked it so much. Still can't quite pinpoint why but I'm glad I enjoyed this cause season 2 is wonderful. My big issue with 2Moons is the main couple, Phayo, which I can't help but feel like they don't really fit as a main couple and are somewhat boring. This issue isn't only with this season though, the couple's story isn't one that pulls me in. The good thing is that the side couples do make it worth it, MingKit and ForthBeam are wonderful.
If you are looking for a soft, lightly funny bl, you might enjoy this one (I highly recommend watching cause season two is a whole 8/10). If you do not wanna go through the cast change then you can just watch 2Moons2 since they did a pretty good job at summing up this whole season is only 4 episodes.
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