4
Sakura_Falling
Where The Cherry Blossoms Fall
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Toxic, Not Naughty
I am still wondering why I bothered to watch this drama. I wasn't a fan of Cutie Pie, toxic relationships made to look cute are not my thing, but the trailer made me wonder if this drama would put some of that in the past. I should have known better. Naughty Babe, quite simply, is a disaster. I'm not sure what was worse: changing the original story, the lack of plot, the complete lack of character development despite years having gone by, or the acting. Honestly take your pick.So let's start with the story. There really wasn't one. Honestly it felt like a toddler throwing anything and everything at a piece of paper and calling it a masterpiece. With only 8 episodes, they needed to stick to a central story line and they just didn't. The mystery of who messed with Diao's car and caused Yi to crash is probably the most consistent story line, but even it falls flat. The choice to change the childhood attack Diao suffered from a dog to a tiger was absurd. The CGI tiger was awful and the change didn't serve any purpose other than creating inconsistencies and erasing some of the development in their relationship from Cutie Pie. Because it was so disjointed, the pacing felt off. It never got a good rhythm going and I struggled to stay invested. Things like their plan for the wedding was just so nonsensical and out of the box, and not in a good way. They were in on the plan together, so why Diao kept going on about being afraid he was going to hurt Yi and break his heart and blah blah blah just didn't make sense. And the ending, maybe it was just me, but it felt like there was a level of favoritism for their son over their daughter. They interacted far more with him than they did with her, especially considering it was her birthday. Again, could just be me reading into it too much.
One of the biggest issues though truly was the complete lack of character development. It's supposed to have been what, 6 years or something since Cutie Pie and three since Cutie Pie 2 You and literally nothing has changed in their relationship. In fact, they've taken steps backward. I didn't watch it, but my understanding is that a lack of development was present in Cutie Pie 2 You as well. Relationships change over time, that's just a fact. That Diao and Yi's relationship remained so stagnant shows that the writers and production had no clue what they were doing. Because of the foolish decision to change the attack to a tiger, some of the issues between them that had been dealt with or at least acknowledged were rendered pointless and they were right back where they started. And you would think, after all the time they'd been together, that they would have figured some things out. But no, they are still unable to communicate effectively, they make assumptions, there's a clear lack of trust and understanding between them, oh, but they're madly in love. Cue eye roll. The imbalance in their relationship is still very present. There are times that Yi comes across almost as more of a father with his controlling ways than as a fiancé. And Diao, for all that he does stand up for himself on occasion, it never seems to be when it matters or when it would do the most good. Frankly, they're just frustrating to watch. And a bit disturbing, because, all joking aside, at the heart, their relationship is not one built on love, but rather years of manipulation and Diao being conditioned to rely on Yi. And that is simply not addressed. It just points back to the fact that nothing has changed since Cutie Pie and their relationship is just as toxic and discordant as it was then.
Lian and Kuea reappear and while Lian does have his useful moments serving as a sounding board for Yi and actually giving solid advice at times, Kuea causes some issues by sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and making incorrect assumptions that he then feeds back to Diao. Together they're alternately vaguely amusing and mildly cute. While their relationship in Cutie Pie displayed the same imbalance as seen with Diao and Yi, they seem to be on more equal footing here. Nuea and Syn also pop up briefly and bring a few moments of levity. The only other character that I actually liked was Yi's father. He had a decent balance of comedy and seriousness that worked fairly well.
Nat and Max are not the strongest of actors and expecting them to carry their own show was asking a lot. Of the two, Nat was the more compelling to watch. His expressions are limited and there's really no nuance to his acting, but it feels more authentic. Max is just wooden and his emotions always felt very surface level. It looked like he was acting.
The production value was meh. There was nothing special about it. The product placement was incredibly annoying and distracting. It's been a minute since I saw a drama that was so in your face with it. And the music felt pretty generic. Nothing like Cutie Pie which had some decent and catchy songs.
Naughty Babe is simply a continuation of the toxic relationship first shown in Cutie Pie and a further romanticization of it. I don't generally totally regret watching a drama, but I fully regret taking the time to watch this one. There is frankly nothing positive about it and unless you are a die hard Cutie Pie or Diao/Yi fan, I would avoid it like the plague. You'll never get those hours back.
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Lightyears of Poetry
I believe everyone at one point or another in their lives has wished for the chance to go back and change the past, do things differently, fix past mistakes, etc., I know I certainly have. What Be My Favorite does so well is show that making those changes isn't as simple as we might like to think. It requires personal growth, pushing outside our comfort zone, thinking about more than just oneself and sticking around to maintain those changes, plus a touch of magic, of course. This drama was so beautifully done, so well thought out and executed, it has certainly become one of my favorites.The story, dealing with time travel, could have been great or a total flop. The way it was handled made it great. Rather than getting into the mechanics of time travel and trying to make it too sci-fi, it explained just enough for things to make sense and didn't go any deeper. The story as a whole though did feel deep. This isn't just a fluff drama, it actually has substance and quite a lot at that. It touches on various issues, but rather than being preachy like some dramas get, those elements were added in an organic way that flowed and worked within the story. Those issues included LGBTQ+ rights both as a whole and more specifically the lack of those rights when it comes to medical care, alcoholism regarding both the pros and cons of drinking alcohol and why some may choose not to drink and that is totally okay, and grief in understanding that there are some things that simply cannot be changed and learning to grieve for that loss, but also accept it. Despite the sci-fi elements, there was a very realistic feel to everything. Aspects such as the gap between the rich and poor were shown, how someone does in school does not define them or their abilities, that we won't succeed at everything and failure is a part of life but doesn't need to define it, and our actions truly do have consequences both good and bad.
The pacing is very nearly perfect. There are one or two spots that are a touch slow, but not obnoxiously so. One aspect that I really liked was the way the passage of time was handled. Comments, brief shots of calendars and the like helped make it clear that time was passing. But the crowning touch was the montage in Episode 10 which was absolutely perfect and so much better than a sudden time jump. Not only did it provide a myriad of cute moments between Kawi and Pisaeng, but it also showed how their relationship had progressed over time. Other dramas should take note, this is the way you do it.
I don't think there was a single character that I didn't like in some capacity. No one felt superfluous, they all served some kind of purpose. What helped was keeping the cast pretty tight. Yes, there were scenes with more characters, but they kept the core group small. Not having a second couple helped a lot and allowed the full focus to be on Kawi and Pisaeng which was good since the build up of their relationship was a bit of a slow burn. That focus enabled them to better show their changing feelings, particularly with Kawi. The best part of their relationship though was the communication between them. I cannot even describe how refreshing it was to see such a healthy relationship portrayed where both parties truly respected each other and actively sought to communicate with each other. Even better was that it was shown throughout and was a core aspect of their relationship. And the importance of communication was echoed in other relationships, between Pisaeng and his mother, Pear and her parents, and even with Kwan and Knot.
Kawi was a great character. His growth was so well done as he learned to step outside himself and take his life in his own hands to influence it rather than just letting things happen to him. He made conscious decisions to fix things and make changes to himself. It was his willingness to acknowledge his faults and then correct them that enabled him to change his future. Pisaeng was another great character. Similarly to Kawi, he had his faults, but he too was willing to address and correct them as he actively listened to the criticisms he was given. His obvious respect for Kawi as a person and as a lover was clear and refreshing. Also refreshing were the characters of Max and Pear. Max was not just the token gay friend, he was a fully realized character who served as a sounding board for both Kawi and Pisaeng. And his advice and comments were usually pretty on the nose. He supported them both unconditionally while adding a good dose of humor at times. Similarly, Pear was not the token female friend. Again, she was a fully realized character and, as a woman, I cannot describe how much I loved that. She wasn't the jealous ex-girlfriend or wannabe girlfriend and her only purpose wasn't to be a supportive friend, though she was that. She had her own hopes and dreams as well as struggles that she had to deal with. Communication was again a key element with her in regards to her relationships with both Kawi and Pisaeng. Pisaeng's lack of communication regarding his feelings towards her was actually a source of pain for her, despite the fact that was exactly why he hadn't said anything, so he wouldn't cause her pain. It showed that sometimes silence is not golden and being open is actually the better option.
I've seen most of the cast in at least one other drama if not more, so I had high expectations for them and they did not disappoint in the slightest. Having only seen Krist in SOTUS, I was excited to see him play a character so polar opposite from that of Arthit. He was phenomenal, completely embodying the character of Kawi with all his quirks and awkwardness. And his chemistry with Gawin was fantastic. They played off of each other beautifully and had such a great connection. I will say it's a subtler chemistry than seen in other BLs, but I really liked it and felt it worked within the context of the story. I've seen Gawin in a few dramas and was thrilled that he finally got a leading role. He acts a lot through his eyes and he does so effectively, this time was no different. Despite having less experience than other cast members, he absolutely held his own. Aye is a seasoned and talented actress that I've seen in several dramas. She did a great job at giving Pear depth and really making her emotions and turmoil understood and felt. Similar to Gawin, Aou is less experienced, but I've found him to be quite a versatile actor. He gave a grounded feel to the character of Max as well as a certain level of assuredness that gave his character more substance.
The production was very well done. The cinematography was beautiful and the music was fantastic. Both Krist and Gawin are very talented singers and they certainly did the soundtrack justice.
Despite the numerous lessons and themes woven into the plot of Be My Favorite, I think one of the biggest takeaways is simply to live in the present. Too often we look to the future, imagining how things might be and we miss what's right in front of us. Kawi's life improves when he stops looking to the future and instead lives in the present. I think it's a good reminder for all of us. I cannot recommend this drama enough, it is truly one of the best I've seen, one that I foresee I'll be coming back to multiple times.
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I Have A Theory, This Drama Kind Of Sucks
I decided to watch this because I really enjoyed Off and Gun in Not Me and I've also really enjoyed Earth's acting in dramas I've seen him in. But as much as I liked Not Me, Theory of Love really didn't do it for me. The conflicts just kept dragging on and on, back and forth, and it got really tiring after a while. I wanted to see the characters settle into their relationship and have a chance to see that relationship grow and we really didn't get that which I found disappointing.The story concept, while nothing new, was still promising. I liked how it revolved around different rom-coms. It was the execution and the characters that just didn't work for me. I get unrequited love, I've been there myself, it absolutely sucks. But Khai is such an unredeemable ass at the beginning that it didn't take me long to stop sympathizing with Third and thinking that he really did need to just over him because the few nice things he did really did not make up for the amount of mean/cruel acts he suffered at the hands of his supposed best friend. Also the repeated scenes of him standing in the shower fully clothed, I don't know what reaction they were going for with those, but they were awkward bordering on amusing. And then, of course, once Third finally gets of Khai, Khai realizes he's actually in love with Third and the cycle repeats with Khai pursuing Third and that turns into a whole other level of tedious with countless scenes of Third getting sulky and suspicious of Khai. On the one hand, I don't blame him, but I also feel like it was severely overplayed and the lengths he pushed Khai to show his love were a tad ridiculous. The ending was kind of cute, but also felt a bit abrupt? I'm not a big fan of time jump endings like that because I feel like it leaves a lot of questions unanswered of what's happened in the interim and where everyone is now in their lives and few, if any, of those questions really get answered. Ultimately though, I think what I struggled with the most was the why they fell in love with each other. For Khai, I can understand it more. The video was the catalyst for him realizing his feelings and Third has always been there for him, has always care for him, but for Third, I don't get it. Love at first sight, okay, sure. But there has to be more to it than that and with Khai being such a colossal jerk, I just don't see how he could have done enough nice things for Third to continue to love him for three years.
The side stories were not my favorites. I actually think I would have really liked Two and Un's story, but like with most Thai secondary couple side stories, it was just severely underdeveloped. I suspected that Un liked Two when he dragged him out of the pond and again when he asked Two to help him with his project, but then they just kind of abandoned them and there was nothing until you suddenly hear him telling P'Shane that he's heartbroken. And then he somehow knew where Two and his friends were there at the end so he could confess his love? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for them getting together, despite their somewhat nonsensical story, they had good chemistry and I liked them together, I just would have liked a better developed story. As for Bone and Paan, as much as I liked Bone's character, I was not a fan of their story, mostly I was not a fan of Paan because it was so obvious that Bone was into her and she did not shut that down and basically led him on. I'm also just not a fan of teacher/student relationships even when it is in a college setting and they're consenting adults. There's still a power discrepancy there that makes it questionable to me. I did admire Bone's conduct for the most part. Other than going in for a kiss when she was drunk, which was not okay, he did make sure to give Paan the information she needed so she could make an informed decision about her relationship with Gap. I was really glad that they did not end up together in the end and that it seems like he found someone better.
I liked the acting overall. Gun seems to possess the ability to slip into whatever character he's playing. His eyes are so expressive and while I certainly found Third to be incredibly annoying at times, Gun's ability to show his character's pain was spot on. Off naturally has a bit of a tough guy look, so portraying Khai as a jerk seemed to come pretty naturally. But I also felt he did well with the softer scenes. Like Gun, he was able to express a lot with just his eyes.
I really liked the OST. The music really fit the mood for each scene. I especially liked the piano pieces that were used for several scenes. The cinematography was fantastic. They did such a great job . I really liked that they used movie names as the title for each episode. I thought that was really creative and fun. As a side note, I also really liked that the characters were Film Majors. It was a nice departure from the typical Engineering/Medical majors in most BLs.
One of the biggest issues I had with this drama though was the way women were treated. There were so many comments made about women's bodies, objectifying them. Every comment was about how pretty she was or how big her breasts were or something along those lines. There was literally never anything positive said. And when it came to Khai, the way he went through women and how it was minimally addressed. Also, with the reputation he had, I can't imagine that many women being okay his treatment of them and willingly putting themselves into that situation. In any case, just the overall objectification of women in this drama left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Considering how popular this drama was and the lead actors in it, I was really excited to watch it and was hoping it would be a new favorite. Unfortunately, it just really didn't do it for me. I feel like it could have been so much more and had a lot of wasted potential. It wasn't a bad drama, but it wasn't a good one either. I think this is one you have to watch for yourself to see if you'll like it or not.
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Step by Step: Uncut Version
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One Step At A Time
Step By Step is one of those dramas that I feel you either love it or hate it. I found it to be different from most standard BLs with it's office setting and focusing on the office dynamics and work relationships as well as the romantic ones. It was initially pleasant that the leads' relationship wasn't rushed and had time to develop, but I do feel that it lost it's way towards the end. It's not a perfect drama by any means, it didn't always seem to know what to do with it's side characters, there were plot lines that popped up out of nowhere and others that were simply ghosted, there weren't always good explanations for why characters reacted the way that they did, etc. Still, I personally enjoyed it and thought it was a pleasant diversion.The plot is nothing fancy, essentially an office romance between a boss and his subordinate, which of course is going to cause drama. What I liked about it though was the attention to detail in regards to that office setting. We actually get to see the characters working, going to meetings, presenting, and so on. Maybe because I'm at the ripe age of 32, I didn't find it boring, but I can understand those who did. Personally it felt like a slice of life drama with an office focus, but more realistic than others I've seen. Yes, there's the ridiculous and over the top moments and things that would never happen in actual office, but I enjoyed that quality of peeking into a world I'm not at all familiar with fictional though it may be. It did feel like the story started to lose steam a little over halfway through and didn't seem to know where to go from there. And then there at the end there was a lot of drama thrown in which, besides being unnecessary, felt rushed. And I have to say that the ending, while cute, was rather anti-climatic. Despite it's length, it still felt like there were unanswered questions.
The pacing was a mess. Most of the drama and actual issues with our leads' relationship were relegated to the last three episodes and that's because they didn't actually get together until Episode 10. I have no issues with a slow burn which this definitely was, but I think the story could have been better spread out, allowing them to get together sooner and actually have some time as a couple before the drama started and then showing them handling those issues as a couple or delving into their characters more to show why things ended between them the way that they did prior to the time jump. Time in general was a struggle with this drama as it was hard to tell how much time had passed. It didn't feel like much time had passed, but then things like Ae's pregnancy would make me realize that a lot more time had gone by than I thought. Especially in an office setting, it felt like they should have been able to more clearly show that time progression. There was also the issue with the side couples/story lines not getting the attention they deserved which, again, could have been rectified if the pacing and story planning had been better. As it was, we were left with a very unsatisfying ending for Jaab and Jen who essentially just disappeared as the story progressed, Ae, Khanun and Beam were also shuffled off to the side and only showed up on occasion after a while, Chot and his boyfriend were thrown in at random times, and there were other parts that just needed better planning.
One of the biggest things I felt was lacking was insight into the characters' thoughts and the reasoning behind their reactions. Two examples would be Jaab's sudden rejection of Jane and Pat's reaction to finding out Jeng was gay. Jane was a fairly minor character throughout the series, so I can understand to an extent not going in depth with his emotions and mental state, but given that we are given the impression that he is in a happy, committed relationship, I do think there needed to be more insight into why he was so swayed by Jaab. With Jaab, he's liked Jane for a while, so why when Jane reveals that he and his boyfriend broke up, does he say they should just be friends? They shared a kiss, it was obvious Jaab still had feelings for Jane so what was with that? There was no explanation, no reasoning, nothing as to why he didn't want to give a relationship with Jane a shot. Similarly, Pat's reaction to finding out Jeng was gay seemed over the top and unnecessary. Why was he so shocked and put off by that revelation? Pat's reactions to things involving Jeng didn't always make sense, but this one and his decision to ghost Jeng for two years felt like taking things to the extreme. There needed to be more explanation as to why Pat reacted the way that he did for me to understand and sympathize with him.
The characters ranged from good to mediocre. There were a couple of gems in there, but most of them didn't leave much, if any, of an impression. Overall, I found the way characters were treated to be a bit disappointing just because it was so all over the place. Some characters had great character development and others were left stagnant.
-Pat was definitely more on the mediocre side for me. His childishness, tantrums and changeability made him a hard character for me to really get on board with. More insight into his character, why he was the way that he was, would have been helpful. As it stands, he really did just come across as immature and there were times that I really struggled to understand what Jeng saw him in aside from that he is a cute kid. Jeng talked about how smart he was and that's something that should have been shown and utilized more because while he did seem intelligent, it didn't seem like he was extraordinarily so. There also needed to be more insight into his feelings for Jeng. While initially he was obviously attracted to Jeng before realizing that he was his boss, once that revelation came about, his interest seemed to cool. Afterwards, there were a few hints that maybe he was developing feelings for Jeng, but when he went back to Put, it put those feelings in question. Regarding Put, that conflict felt like it resolved far too quickly. We went from Pat not wanting to see him, speak to him, anything, to, what felt like in a very short time span, being willing to start a relationship with him again. And then Pat goes from crying over their breakup to confessing he has feelings for Jeng. I almost felt like I had whiplash with the way Pat's feelings seemed to keep jumping around. I also wanted to explore more as to why Pat didn't believe that Jeng's feelings for him were real and why he didn't feel like he deserved Jeng initially. I was frankly a bit disappointed in Pat's character growth. He talks at one point about he's grown so much and is no longer as emotional, but I didn't really see that a whole lot. He still seemed overemotional and overreactive to the end.
-Jeng was definitely one of the best characters. He was very interesting to watch, especially as his feelings for Pat developed which I felt was well done. His feelings were clearly built up, starting from polite interest which then grew into romantic feelings. There was never any doubt regarding his feelings for Pat. I wish they had done as well with Pat and his feelings. I also appreciated his character growth from no nonsense, perfectionist boss to someone who was able to let loose a bit. Part of what also appealing about him was that he wanted to change for the better and he made an effort to do so. There's the element that Pat did inspire those changes, but he made the conscious decision to change on his own. His maturity especially in contrast to Pat was refreshing especially when it came to things like Pat blaming him for essentially not being a mind reader. Pat seemed to think that he should be able to change with a snap of his fingers, not realizing that change does take time, and I was very impressed with Jeng's patience. I would have liked a little more time spent on his background and his relationship with his parents, especially his father. A lot of that was just skimmed over and there at the end, it didn't really feel like things had been resolved between him and his father. Still, I felt that he was overall a decently well-rounded character and I really liked him.
-I didn't have particularly strong feelings about most of the remaining characters save for a few. I found Jaab to be a weird combination of interesting and boring. He had moments where I was invested in him, but there were a lot of other moments where I almost wanted to skip his scenes because he wasn't doing anything for me. Once his relationship with Jane petered out, I really lost interest in him. I did like some of his interactions with Jeng though and the support he was willing to provide eventually. Jane could have been a much better character if he was fleshed out more. As it was, there just wasn't much too him and that made it difficult to relate to him or really feel anything strongly about his character. I was disappointed with that because I did like his relationship with Jaab and I wanted to see more of it's development. I really liked Ae and I wish there had been a bit more of her. Her confidence was awesome as was her obvious love for her friends. She was always ready to go to bat for them and she was just in general an awesome character. I like strong female characters and I feel like they tend to be lacking in a lot of BLs so she was a pleasant surprise. I did find the revelation that Beam had been in love with her to be a bit out of the blue since I hadn't gotten that impression earlier on and it just felt unnecessary. Chot was another gem, I loved that he had a well balanced personality. He had just the right amount of over the top without it being grating. Plus he was just a sweetheart in general, always there to listen and be supportive, an understanding friend and lover, and just an all around lovely person. I could use someone like him in my life. The last character I want to mention is Jeng's father. He was too much of an enigma for me to really appreciate his character and he definitely needed a bit more fleshing out. His actions and thought process were left very ambiguous which works sometimes, but not here. I wanted to understand his treatment of Jeng and Pat as it felt more than a disapproval of his son being gay and getting involved with one of his subordinates.
As for the acting, can I just start off by saying how refreshing it was to see them cast an age appropriate actor for Jeng's role. I couldn't help but thinking about like Moonlight Chicken and how they tried to convince us that Earth could pass for an almost 40 year old. Hair, makeup and clothes can only go so far and trying to make actors look and act older than they are really does not work. Man was perfect because he both looked and acted the part. He gave a certain maturity to the role that someone much younger simply can't. I enjoyed the nuance of his performance and thought he played the part perfectly. This was Ben's first acting role and it showed. He wasn't bad per se, just compared to Man, he felt green. His expressions didn't vary a whole lot and some of the emotional scenes felt forced. I do think if he'd had more experience, he could have better conveyed some of the emotions and thought processes of his character. I was pleased that they cast two actors who are clearly comfortable speaking English since the fluency matched both of their backstories. I've seen far too many dramas where they give their characters backstories of having grown up in the US or spent a lot of time there and are supposed to be fluent, but the actor is clearly not comfortable with the language. I completely understand that learning another language is a challenge, so no disrespect to those actors, it just personally pulls me out of the story when it's clear that they're not as comfortable with the language as the story is trying to make them seen. Both Man and Ben were articulate and clearly understandable and delivered their lines effortlessly.
Despite it's flaws, I overall enjoyed Step By Step. It's not perfect by any means and could have been better with some tweaks, but for what it is, I found it entertaining for the most part. The build up of the characters' relationship, the setting, and the characters themselves had a different feel from other BLs I've watched recently and I liked that. It felt distinctive in it's own way. As I said before, I think this drama is rather polarizing in that you will either love it or hate it without a whole lot in between. If you go in without any major expectations and understand that it is flawed, I think that can stave off the disappointment that some might feel. For my part, I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it, just be aware that it's not for everyone.
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The Lighter and the Princess' Gown
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A Lighter Click and A Piggy's Dream
Watching the trailers for Lighter and Princess, I was deeply hopeful that it was going to be as good as it looked. Neither the synopsis or trailers gave a great idea of the true story, but I was very intrigued by what I read and saw. It surpassed my hopes and expectations completely. Once I started it, I couldn't stop. It drew me in and refused to let me go until the end. No drama is truly perfect, but despite its few flaws and imperfections, the impressions it left me with and the way it mesmerized me from the first scene to the last, it earned that 10 completely.I love the story. I love the depth of it, how everything connects, how there is a reason for everything. Something you don't think much about comes back around and is explained and does mean something. It is such a beautiful puzzle and I adored seeing it come together. The pacing was nearly perfect. That is nearly always an issue for me in dramas, but here they did such a good job of keeping the pacing on track and moving at a consistent pace. There wasn't a slump after those emotional high moments and no matter what was going on, it kept me engaged.
The acting was phenomenal on all fronts. I wasn't familiar with anyone and they blew me out of the water, particularly our leads, Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jing Yi. Both together and separately they were so good. Their chemistry together was absolutely electric. They played off of each other perfectly and they were completely believable. Chen Fei Yu has the most amazing intensity with his eyes, regardless of what emotion he's portraying. He also made good use of microexpressions and his body language to convey his emotions and intentions. Zhang Jing Yi was equally good. She struck that perfect balance of being innocent but not naïve. She brought such a strength to her character and I really loved that. I also really appreciated that I felt like there was a very clear cut difference between how she acted as college age Zhu Yun and adult Zhu Yun. It fit the character perfectly. Like Chen Fei Yu, she could convey some really great intensity with her eyes alone in certain scenes that was fantastic to see. The supporting cast was equally amazing. I really enjoyed all of their performances as well, but these two just really stood out the most to me.
The characters were such an interesting and diverse group, I really enjoyed getting to know all of them and I appreciated that we were given the opportunity to actually get to know them. Obviously some characters got more screen time than others, but no one really felt neglected, even with the time jumps. Those who didn't make appearances again were still briefly mentioned with where they were in life so they weren't forgotten which I really liked since a lot of dramas and shows do tend to just forget characters when that happens.
-Li Xun and Zhu Yun are obviously our main characters and main couple. I loved their romance, the slow burn of it. I know the hate to love trope is overused, but when well done like it was here its quite enjoyable to watch. They're a prime case of opposites attract. Li Xun is a genius, but cold and detached, arrogant and condescending and completely independent. He doesn't need or want anyone. Zhu Yun isn't a genius, but she's smart and unlike Li Xun, she's warm and friendly, helpful and supportive, and her life is being controlled by her mother. In Zhu Yun, Li Xun finds the warmth he's lacking, someone to draw him out his shell, who will stand by him no matter what and love him unconditionally. And in Li Xun, Zhu Yun finds her independence, the strength to begin to stand on her own, something outside herself that's worth fighting for. In essence, they complete each other. My biggest qualm is that I do feel Li Xun could have had a little more character growth although I do feel like that's part of the point and Zhu Yun does make a point of saying that she thinks he'll continue to soften, it just would have been nice to see a little more of that.
- Gao Jian Hong was such a complex character that I'm left not entirely certain how to feel about him. He's not fully villain, but also not fully a good guy either. I do like where they left him, with hope for the future. I honestly find him to be a bit of a tragic character. So much potential to be wasted. And I think he is a prime example that we have to live with the choices we make. The flashbacks to his times with Li Xun and Zhu Yun were hard to watch because they did have so much potential together and it was sad to think of all that was lost. I was really not expecting things to turn out the way that they did with the three of them. I do think overall though, his character was well-developed. My only slight complaint is that his emotions seemed a little all over the place there in the last episode or two, but that could also be attributed to the brain tumor, so I can't complain too much.
- Xu Li Na started off as a character I was not a fan of at all and ended as a character that I came to respect. When she was initially introduced, I thought she was going to turn out to be far smarter than she acted and was going to try to steal their app. When that didn't turn out to be the case, it became obvious she was going to be another woman in love with Li Xun. I felt bad for Jian Hong because he obviously really liked her and it kind of felt like she was leading him on. When she rejected him, I thought that was the end of it. But with the time jump, I was surprised to see that they were married and as events unfolded I wasn't sure who was more pathetic in that marriage: the man who married a woman he knew didn't love him or the woman who married a man she didn't love. Either way, neither of them came off looking good. I was proud of her though, when she finally let go of Li Xun and seemed ready to free of herself of Jian Hong. Until she finds out about his tumor and has a change of heart which leads to some very sweet moments between the two of them. I liked her ending and the idea that she and Jian Hong can actually find love together and start over. I didn't like her at the beginning but she had some really great character growth and by the end, I was absolutely rooting for her.
- I really enjoyed the other side characters as well. Ren Di was such a bad ass, but I loved that she was also willing to always listen to her friends and be there for them. Even with gaining fame and fortune, her character remained relatively unchanged which I thought was awesome. Fang Shu Miao was so funny and cute. I really enjoyed their friendship both in college and as adults. I also appreciated the realism of their friendship, that it wasn't always sunshine and daisies, that there was the occasional conflict and then they figured it out and moved on. Fang Zhi Jing made for an interesting, well-rounded villain but also in a realistic manner. He wasn't a villain in that he was plotting against everyone or coming up with evil schemes, he was a villain in that he was simply a selfish, cruel, greedy man.
The OST is gorgeous. There isn't a single song that I dislike and I felt like they were all used well. They worked well to heighten the mood of certain scenes. I enjoyed the opening song in particular, but honestly you can't go wrong with any one of them.
The cinematography is equally gorgeous. This was clearly a very well thought out production and it shows. The aesthetics are nearly perfect, everything is in its place, well-proportioned. The lighting is very well done, particularly since there are a number of scenes in darkened rooms, I was impressed that they were able to give that impression without obscuring the actors' faces at all.
It seems a good way to start out 2023 with a drama that is so nearly perfect. I truly cannot recommend it enough. I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved the story from the romance to the friendships to the characters and everything in between. This is one drama that I will be coming back to again and again I'm sure.
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Utterly Forgettable
I wasn't fully sure what to expect with this drama. My sole interest was in the casting of First and Ja as Gun and Golf, respectively. I think I was expecting more romance than there is. Ultimately, this is less of a BL drama and more of a coming of age drama. It's not totally devoid of romance or BL moments, but if you're looking for steamy moments ala Don't Say No, Love By Chance, etc., you will be sorely disappointed as thus far there has been a single, very chaste kiss. What it does have is more depth to it and unique, compelling characters. It doesn't always seem to know how to use said characters and it does seem to leave some of them in the same place for periods of time with little development, but ultimately I've enjoyed the diversity. That being said, it has also struggled with pacing, conflicts between characters being dragged out, character development, the costuming/makeup and being downright predictable at times.The story really is more about the friendship of the five central characters than anything else. While Ja's character Golf is considered a main character, even he's more on the fringe. Gun, Em, Name, Champ, and Nan have known each other since they were kids and that's exactly the age the viewer meets them, as little boys. The fun part of this drama is seeing the boys age, from little kids, to high schoolers, to college students and then after. This drama is definitely a slow burn and sometimes it feels like its about to go out. There are definitely scenes that could have been shortened or cut completely that would have streamlined the story without leaving anything important out. Time in general is just kind of an issue with this drama from the slow pace to all the time jumps. Some of them are well documented with a title stating that time has passed, but other times you have to try to figure it out for yourself from what the characters are saying. This is primarily during their college years where it gets confusing. In terms of romance within the story, again that really does take more back of a back burner. While romance is central to some character's stories, since each character has their own story, that's why I don't I feel like the romantic aspect itself is central to the drama.There are three couples: Golf and Gun, Nan and Chompu, and almost-couple Em and Name who I trust will get there before the end. Their relationships are all unique in their own way and I've enjoyed watching them grow. My favorite time period with the group has been their college years. I feel like this drama has a more realistic depiction of college than others depicting the struggles of burn out, school/life balance, working on projects, etc.
While I came to this drama for First and Ja who have been wonderful, the actor I truly have to give kudos to is Title Teshin. While his character was one of the ones that was left stagnant for a while, his acting is anything but. I can only imagine the challenge of playing a mute, since you can't use your voice to convey how you feel or what you want to say. He absolutely blew me away with the level of emotion he was able to convey just with his eyes and body language. The scenes when Gun and Em leave for college and when he was telling his mom that Em had promised him to stay in contact were so incredibly powerful to me. They just broke my heart and I wanted to reach through the screen and give him a hug. The other actors have been great as well, but he's the one who stole the show for me.
This drama has such a diverse set of characters and I love it, particularly the inclusion of characters with disabilities and the treatment of them as actual human beings. At the beginning of the drama, it was so heartwarming to see the boys accept Name so completely. Just a "he doesn't talk much" and they were all totally fine with that, he was instantly one of them. And with Chompu, I appreciated seeing a woman in that role and not as a recluse, but as a woman in college who knew her worth. What I haven't loved as much with these characters is the lack of character development. With some characters there's very obvious growth, but with others it doesn't seem like there's been much of a change from their high school selves to where they're at now.
-Gun is a very likable character, he's adorable and he really is a sweetheart, but he's definitely one of the ones I don't feel like had a whole lot of growth. To be fair, he didn't get as much screen time as an adult aside from his break up with Golf. But aside from the lack of acne, there didn't seem to be a huge difference between where he was in high school and where he was at the end. At the time of their breakup, he still wasn't really communicating and was still keeping things to himself. He obviously loved Golf and didn't really want to break up with him, but rather than sit down and communicate how he felt, he immediately jumped to breaking up. I was initially very disappointed with how that was resolved because it seemed far too easy, but I was glad that Name's narrative at the end gave some further insight into their relationship and that they had learned from what happened and set some boundaries. Not the most satisfying way to resolve it, I would have liked to see the growth myself, but it works.
-Golf is a little more interesting since, while he is billed as a main character, his storyline was shorter, completely tied to Gun's without a chance to really see him as a character on his own. So the change seen is more tied to his relationship with Gun than directly to his character. When first introduced in high school and college, he's fairly carefree, I didn't get the impression that he was the kind of student who studied all the time and his relationship with Gun was sweet and easy. Fast forward to after college and suddenly he's a workaholic, forgetting or ignoring important dates, not checking in, essentially completely neglecting his relationship with Gun without an apology or any signs of remorse until Gun breaks. Now I mentioned above that Gun fails to communicate how all of this affects him, Golf, in turn, fails to recognize how he is neglecting his relationship and the damage he is causing by doing so. They ultimately fail each other. I would have liked to see more character development of Golf as his own person, however, that really never happened. I was glad to see that he had some self-realization that he had been neglecting Gun, but also his thinking didn't make sense to me. He was working so hard so they could move to the US, but he hadn't run this by Gun? Moving to a whole other country is a huge decision and not one made lightly and without your partner's input. And then to suddenly spring a proposal out there was a bold move that somehow worked out and again an extremely unsatisfactory ending to a conflict that deserved an actual sit down conversation to figure things out. I liked Golf, I just wish more was done with him.
-Em is one of the characters who I felt had more character development. He actually seemed to grow as a person. I loved his relationship with Name, both as a friendship and with the way I felt it pretty naturally took a romantic turn. I really appreciated how he implicitly accepted him when they were children and the fact that he didn't talk wasn't an issue in the slightest. While he came across as very easy going, he also struck me as a deeply empathetic person. He understood Name when others didn't and I think that empathetic nature is what allowed him to do so. I do, however, take issue with his plot with Name's mom. While I understand he had good intentions, I found it manipulative and damaging. Considering how close the two are, he should have been aware of the damage it could cause and he should have steered Name's mom toward a different solution. I was glad that he told Name everything, but that whole conflict was dragged out for far too long. I was glad that he stuck by Name afterwards and again, his feelings turning from friendship to romance felt pretty natural although I wouldn't have minded a little more of a gradual build up there though I understand why they couldn't. I did find it very sweet that his gift to Name was the hourglass and he told him that he was giving him the rest of his time. Very smooth. I think ultimately, what I love most about his character is his unwavering support for his friends, but particularly Name. No matter what, he is there to help and support them.
-Name has the greatest character development out of anyone in this drama with overcoming his fear and beginning to speak. Him speaking to Em before anyone else was the sweetest and most heartbreaking thing to watch, especially the bus scene when Em leaves. While he does have the most development, he is also left stagnant for several episodes during his conflict with Em and his mom. That got frustrating to watch seeing him in the same place after a while interspersed with great moments like when he tries to speak in front of the mirror or when he's writing on the sticky notes to his mom. One of the hardest scenes to watch though was when he contemplates suicide and is only prevented from taking the pills by his mother's collapse. That was never mentioned again which, on the one hand, I understand because he's moved past that, but on the other hand, I think is something important that should be addressed. And while I don't condone Em's or his mother's actions, it was sweet to see him realizing how much his mom really does love him. Since overcoming his fear, it was lovely to continue watching him grow and try new things, aided and encouraged by Em, of course. His conversation with Champ was fantastic to watch, to just see how far he's come, from not being able to speak for himself to actually being able to help others speak for themselves. I'm not a huge fan of Champ, but that was a great scene. And, of course, I was happy that he and Em finally got together and, in the end, apparently open a café together.
-Nan probably has the second greatest character development, changing from a self-proclaimed playboy to a man devoted to only one woman. I found his development really interesting to watch mostly because I felt it was portrayed in a relatively realistic fashion, going from woman to woman to finding one who finally fully captures his interest. His pursuit of Chompu after their breakup feels less realistic. Part of the problem is that whole time issue I mentioned. I never got a good sense of how long the two of them were together. The translation I watched said years at one point, but something said later on contradicted that, so I'm not sure. My general impression though was more like months maybe, in which case his pursuit of her seemed a tad aggressive and kind of stalkerish, honestly. I get that its supposed to be romantic, but it did lean a tad more towards creepy. That being said, I do like his relationship with Chompu, particularly that he realizes that she wants to be seen as normal human being and that he doesn't immediately jump in to help her. I don't think he would have had that level of perception when he was younger. And on the flip side, he finally realizes that she loves him just as he is and wants him to be himself as well. You can definitely see that he's matured while he's also still his goofy self. Now if Chompu would just rip off that stupid wig...which thankfully it looks like she eventually does since its gone during Name's final narrative. Thank god!
-Champ is probably my least favorite of the gang. I feel like his character is the least interesting and frankly could have been completely omitted with very little lost. His claim to fame is really only his grandfather's pickled fish and the fact that he's the smart one of the bunch. Aside from that, I don't feel like there's much to him. I don't feel like he's really developed as a character, certainly not positively. He went from being a sweet kid who loved his family to treating them like dirt. I still don't fully understand that. I get that he was angry that they didn't tell him about his grandfather being in the hospital, but they were doing what they thought was best and trying not to cause him undue stress and he's been punishing them ever since? For years? That's a lot of anger and resentment. I'm glad they get things resolved in the end and he goes back home and reconciles with his parents. The scene with his parents eating dinner and having the pickled fish again was sweet, but he remains my least favorite character and the least developed, in my opinion.
The nostalgia is strong with this drama. I'm at an age where a lot of this was relevant for me growing up so it's been fun watching it. The letters, in particular, got to me just because it used to be such an exciting event to get a letter from someone or even to write a letter to someone. Now all I get is bills. lol
The music for this drama has been unusually bad. I'm used to the repetitive soundtracks with Thai dramas, this one just feels more tedious than usual. And the background music is way too loud. Whoever did the editing did a poor job of it because it is incredibly distracting and annoying. Also, repetitive, again.
Probably the worst part of this drama though has to be the makeup and the wigs. I don't know who looked at these men in those wigs and said, yup, that looks good, but they should be fired. They are god awful and they both distract and detract from the quality of the drama. If you want them to have different hairstyles to show passage of time, then get some decent lace front wigs, not cheap anime cosplay wigs that wouldn't fool a mannequin. Ja's is probably the least offensive. Honestly, he's giving me serious Sin vibes from Until We Meet Again with that look, but the wig's so ill fitting you can his own hair at the nape of his neck that the wig doesn't cover in one scene. I honestly don't understand why they needed wigs in the first place. Besides the wigs, Gun's acne was nearly as bad. Besides the fact that it would change between takes within a single scene, it looked so fake and really nothing like acne. There are literally YouTube tutorials that show you how to do something more realistic. I just, I don't know with this part of the drama in all honesty.
While I am enjoying parts of this drama, there are other parts that I have not enjoyed as much.
-The predictability of some parts was just a little too obvious. For example, Champ's grandfather's death. As soon as the grandparent starts coughing or something, I'm calling it. It's an overused trope, in my opinion, and an unnecessary one at that. The fact that N was Name's mom was also pretty obvious. There were a number of other moments like that where it was just very obvious what was going to happen. Subtlety is definitely not this drama's strong suit.
-Probably my biggest issue though is the manipulation of Em and Name's mom. I understand they had good intentions, I understand his mom was at her wit's end and she wanted her son to open up to her, but seriously, that was the best idea you could come up with? To further isolate him and take away the one friend he had? That I don't get. It has to be the worst thought out plan ever. There's no doubt that they both love Name, but they seriously went the wrong way about helping him.
-I nearly always have this issue with Thai dramas, so this really isn't a surprise, but too big of a main cast. They are trying to cram in too many characters and stories into too short of a time period and it doesn't give time to do them justice. This is where removing a character like Champ who, in my opinion, adds very little to the story, would give more opportunities to develop the other characters stories and relationships which I'm far more interested and invested in.
-This is my nitpicking more than anything but the pointed time period references are a tad annoying. I feel like they could have found less obvious and repetitive ways to do so.
Overall this wasn't a bad drama. I can't say it was a great one, but the concept was interesting and I really did enjoy the coming of age aspect of it even though I wasn't expecting it to play quite as much of a role as it did. I don't expect that I'll come back to this drama, there just wasn't enough about it that I liked as a whole to pull me back. It really is a slow burn and while those are fine to watch at least once, sometimes twice if exceptional, this drama is not exceptional.
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The BL to End All BLs
Enemies to lovers is a fairly common trope in BL dramas, and I've seen it used with varying degrees of success, but never as well as in this drama. Here it was very nearly perfect because for once, we have an actually healthy relationship. The story didn't feel cliché, the reasoning behind people's actions while, perhaps a bit overblown, were still understandable to an extent, and the development of the leads relationship felt very natural. This was just a very well done drama that was a joy to watch.The story is centered on our two leads' families who have been enemies for years due to business reasons. Or so the boys were told. They were raised to constantly compete with each other and thus have been enemies since childhood. However, there have been moments when they've connected and had a tenuous friendship during this time, though its doubtful either one would admit that it was a friendship. Once they reach university and their two faculties start to collide and they also discover they live right across from each other, feelings start to emerge and the rest is history. One of the things I really appreciated about the story is the parents' rivalry wasn't over a failed romance. I feel like that is used a lot and is extremely cliché. I think what actually happened is so much worse and is far more justifiable for what transpired afterward. Don't get me wrong, they blew things way out of proportion with dumping their problems on their kids, but by the same token, I also kind of get it. The pacing was quite good. There were a few draggy moments, but for the most part, the story moved along well. I really enjoyed the relationship build ups of both Pran and Pat and Ink and Pa. I felt they both developed quite organically, and I was excited to see a well done lesbian relationship in a BL. The few times I've seen them in BLs, they've been done pretty badly. And the ending was hilarious and so very them.
The acting was quite good all around but Nanon and Ohm definitely take the cake with their chemistry. They are both talented actors together and apart. Together they just play off of each other really well, their interactions are very natural, and, again, their chemistry was fantastic. Apart, Nanon I feel is very expressive with both his eyes and more subtle facial expressions while Ohm is more open with his facial expressions and uses his body more. I enjoyed watching both and the supporting cast was great as well.
The characters were all so varied and interesting. I really enjoyed getting to know all of them and see them grow. The character development was great and the best part for me was that while all of them grew as people, they also stayed true to themselves. For example, while Pran and Pat figured out their relationship, realizing that they loved each other, the potential consequences of that love, and developing a mutual respect for each other, they still ultimately remained true to themselves and I appreciated that while their attitude towards each other obviously changed from enemies, there were some things, like their competitiveness and way of speaking to each other that really didn't. Pran though is overall just such a sweetheart and his fear of them being found out just kind of broke my heart. He's loved Pat for so long and now that he has him, I think he's just terrified of losing him. Pat is also a sweetheart in his own way. He's a prankster, but he has a good heart and he'll do pretty much anything to help Pran or one of his friends. With Pa and Ink, I found their growing relationship to be very sweet. There were hints of it when Pa was still in high school and then once she was in university and the two were able to spend more time together, it became quite obvious that there was a mutual attraction. I liked both girls' characters. They were both strong women which I definitely appreciated and Ink's possessiveness of Pa made for some pretty hilarious scenes. Korn was just adorable as Pat's friend. I loved his loyalty to Pat and how supportive he was of his relationship with Pran once it was revealed. That scene with him refusing to let Pat sit with them and then popping up ten seconds later to give him food was so freaking cute. I also really enjoyed his relationship with Wai there towards the end. I almost could have shipped him with Wai, but I think I prefer that they left them as friends and colleagues. Wai has me a bit divided. On the one hand, I overall liked his character. On the other hand though, his exposure of Pran and Pat's relationship was super messed up. That's not something you do to your best friend. However, I can also understand how betrayed he must have felt and in the heat of the moment, he wasn't really thinking through his actions, so I'm willing to give him some grace. He came through with the video to clear Pat which he didn't have to do although an actual apology would have been nice. Again, I really enjoyed his friendship with Korn and their banter at the end of the drama. I don't really have much to say about the parents that I haven't already said other than that I thought their acceptance of their kids' sexual orientation was awesome.
The best part of this drama, besides the fantastic story, acting and characters, was just how many stereotypes that typically pop up in BLs that it absolutely destroyed.
-The husband/wife labels that pervade most BLs were chucked right out the window. Pran calls Pat out for calling him his wife and when they reverse the roles, Pat realizes how it sounds. His reasoning was simple enough, he just wanted to show that they're closer but Pran essentially says they don't need to use the label of husband/wife, they're close enough as is as boyfriends. It's a sweet moment that also highlights that there really isn't a need to place labels in LGBTQ relationships as to who is perceived as stronger/weaker.
-The only gay for you stereotype is also removed here. Not only does Pat candidly state that he is bisexual saying that he likes all genders but Pran also essentially states that he is gay while saying that he may someday like girls as well. Pa actually makes fun of this stereotype within the same episode. The whole scene is pretty great.
-Enemies to lovers relationships seem to always have some degree of toxicity to them. Writers and directors are good at making them look cute and fluffy on the surface when in actuality they're very unhealthy. I have definitely fallen prey to some of those in the past. What is so refreshing about Bad Buddy is that there is none of that here. There is no toxicity, their relationship is genuinely healthy. Yes, it has its ups and downs like any relationship, but they work through their problems together, they actually communicate with each other. Neither one forces himself on the other, there's a mutual respect and love, despite their bickering and occasional disagreements.
-The defined top and bottom stereotype is gone. In every BL I've ever seen, one character is always the top and the other is always the bottom. From my perception, they completely tossed that in Bad Buddy and went with a versatile relationship which was super interesting and also refreshing. I think its something that should definitely be more common.
The OST was fantastic. Music honestly plays a subtly major role in this drama. It's music that initially brought Pran and Pat together as they wrote Just Friend?, music that broke them apart when Pran's mother found them playing together and transferred him, and then music that brought them back together when seeing Pran play their song made Pat start to realize his feelings. Besides that, there's also the song that Pran writes for Pat declaring his love. And the scene there at the end of Pat and Pran singing together was so sweet with Pran's mom hearing them and leaving them be. I loved her little smile. Nanon's voice is amazing, I could happily listen to his songs on repeat for days.
This is frankly the BL to put all other BLs to shame. It has set the bar so high that it will truly be hard for any others to top it. Everything about it was just so incredibly good. I honestly wish I had watched it sooner because this is what a BL should be. I cannot recommend this drama highly enough and it is one I will absolutely be coming back to in the future.
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An Eternal Nightmare
After watching Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms when it first streamed, I was very excited to watch Eternal Love of Dream despite the change in story. However, I was very disappointed in it and found it hard to watch. It took me several months to get through it which rarely happens.Pros:
- Bringing back Vengo Gao and Dilraba Dilmurat was the best part of the show and frankly the only reason I persisted through it till the end. Their chemistry, as before, was flawless and their acting was on point. No complaints there!
- The cinematography was lovely and I found the sets to overall be more realistic than in TMOPB.
- As always the OST was beautiful.
- Costuming, again, was perfect. I appreciated how each tribe had their own general but unique style without all looking the same.
Cons:
-This may seem minor or petty, but I was not fond of some of the recasts, Cheng Yu in particular. The new actress appears significantly younger and some of her scenes with Lian Song just didn't work for me with the obvious age difference, she just seems too young for him. The actress in TMOPB seemed to be a more comparable age and the two actors played off each other much better, in my opinion.
-The plot positively dragged for me. The constant misunderstandings between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua from the very beginning to quite literally the very end got exhausting after a while. The fact that neither seemed to learn from past mistakes was also frustrating and that more than a few of their misunderstandings seemed very forced, that if they had just used some common sense there wouldn't even be an issue, just compounded the issue. A'Lanruo's Dream was a particular challenge to get through. There were aspects that were not explained well and it got confusing at times with what was going on and who was who and what their relationships were. Most of it got ironed out in the end, but in the moment it was confusing and frustrating. I also never got a very clear picture of why A'Lanruo was hated so much by everyone or why she was abandoned as a child. There were hints, but nothing definitive so the blanks within her life were another source of frustration.
- I very much liked Feng Jiu in TMOPB, but I realized very soon after starting this drama that part of that was because she was seen in small doses overall. With her as the lead in this drama, I definitely found her to be a little more over the top and annoying at times. When she's a fox towards the beginning was particularly cringy and a challenge to watch. I would have really liked to see her character develop and mature and mellow from the childishness to a more measured level.
- The side characters were a mixed bunch. Ji Heng in particular annoyed the crap out of me. She was a basically pointless character whose only purpose was to sow discord between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. Xiao Yan deserved so much better than her whininess. Xiao Yan on the other hand was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing Lian Song and Si Ming back. Chong Li was a welcome addition as was Qing Ti. As a side note, I found the dismissal of the deaths of Meng Shao and his family more than a little irritating. I came to really like Meng Shao and appreciate his character development so the fact that his death was barely mentioned and even then just in passing as part of the royal family was off-putting. He wasn't a main character, but he had enough of a part to deserve a little more recognition.
-The villains were okay but not particularly impressive. Miao Luo's obnoxious evil laugh got old real fast and I never found her to be particularly threatening or interesting. It could be that I'm just forgetting, but I didn't get a real sense for why she was evil or what her motivation was other than because of how she was created. At least with Nie Chuyin his motivation was clearly power and the desire to rule. I honestly would have found it more interesting to have him as the main villain as he was far more compelling and interesting to watch.
- As with pretty much every drama I've watched, the CGI definitely leaves more than a little to be desired. The episodes with Feng Jiu in her fox form were a bit painful to watch, in more ways than one. The bad effects and her behavior combined made those some tough episodes to get through.
-A relatively minor issue, but I always get frustrated with these fantasy dramas and how unclear they make the passage of time. You watch a few episodes and think a few days or months have gone by only to find out that nope, its been a few hundred years. I feel like they could make that a little more clear.
In the end, did I hate it? No. Did I love it? Also no. It wasn't a bad drama, but it wasn't a particularly good one either. It pales hugely in comparison to TMOPB in pretty much all aspects. It's certainly not one that I'll ever have the desire to rewatch but I also don't necessarily regret watching it either. It simply wasn't quite my cup of tea.
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Venus in Retrograde
It's always disappointing when a drama doesn't live up to expectations, but usually there's at least something redemptive about it. Venus in the Sky though just bombed and it bombed hard. It's glacially slow with episodes that are far too long with far too much repetition. And once the leads finally get together, we get multiple NSFW scenes that seem more about pushing the limits than showing that these guys are actually in love. I just did not feel the chemistry. It's a pity because it did have the potential for more.The story is lacking severely. There's not much of a plot and the drama suffers because of that. Venus and Sky were college friends until Venus confessed that he had feelings for Sky which Sky didn't reciprocate. Venus's response was to block Sky and cut off all contact. Three years later they meet again by chance at which point Sky has realized that he actually does have feelings for Venus and sets off to win him back. The first episode isn't bad. It sets things up decently, though there's some confusion regarding time frame and what's past and what's present. From there though it becomes a slog of increasing repetition as Sky tries to win over Venus and Venus repeatedly rebuffs him. It would have helped if there was a bit more variation to how Sky goes about this, but there's not, and it's not until around Episode 7 that things start moving along which is far too little, too late. While Sky does eventually wear Venus down and they do get together, the story continues to drag as repetitive drama with the side couples is brought up and Venus and Sky act like horny teenagers. It's tedious to say the least. I suppose the ending could be considered cute, but I was so done with everything that frankly I was just relieved to be done with it.
I didn't find myself particularly interested or attached to any of the characters. I generally liked Day, Bom and Kla, but not to any real degree. They just served as the occasional pleasant diversion from the constant annoyance of Sky and Venus. The characters lacked depth and it made them feel quite superficial. Venus's anger towards Sky felt excessive. I get it, he broke your heart, he was giving mixed signals previously (they really did act like a couple, so I get that Venus thought Sky might reciprocate his feelings), but three years is a long time to hold onto that much anger. And even if he was hurt by Sky's rejection, it wasn't as if Sky deliberately led him on. Without a better reason for his anger, it created a disconnect for me as the viewer. Otherwise, I just did not find him to be a particularly compelling character because there was so little to him. He was boring to watch and his reactions felt repetitive. Even after he and Sky got together, I just could not bring myself to care about him. Sky spent most of the time acting like a whiny child. I was over him within the first couple of episodes. He had zero respect for Venus's boundaries, physical or emotional, and essentially stalked him. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but I found his approach to be disturbing and deeply concerning. And his pushiness continued after they were together. There were times where it felt like he cared more about his physical needs than what Venus actually needed. The scene where he lets Venus initiate physical intimacy while he's sick and doesn't stop him is a prime example. There was also the element that his feelings for Venus were not well explored. The realization of his true feelings obviously came after Venus cut him off, but was that the catalyst for that recognition or was it later? I think that's something that should have been given time to look into. The communication between the two of them was alternatively decent and then completely lacking. Sky had a tendency to misinterpret situations and then go sulk about them without actually discussing anything with Venus. The side couples really didn't interest me much. I initially liked Janus, but eventually got tired of the repetition with him promising to tell Bom about things and then proceeding to tell him nothing. That inevitably led to a fight and Bom storming out the door. I did like Bom. I appreciated his patience and kindness. He was a sweet guy and I felt bad that he had to deal with Janus's determination to take everything on his shoulders. Tong and Kla were even less interesting. Again with the repetition of not communicating and then getting into fights. Kla was a cutie though and he did try so hard to make things up to Tong and make him happy. I will say that the side couples did have some good conversations and at least with Tong and Kla there felt like there was progress made in the relationship on that front. Janus and Bom also made some progress, but part of me wonders if Janus really learned his lesson.
For all that they had some very steamy scenes together, I really did not feel the chemistry between Tod and Cheque. Part of it could be that I simply did not like their characters, but I also found their acting lacking. Neither one showed much range. Cheque seemed to alternate between looks of condescension and scowling and maybe two other expressions. Tod was either overly perky, moping around, or sleepy and he just cycled through those expressions as needed. They were just boring to watch. Most of the other actors struggled with the same lack of variety of expression.
While there is a fair amount of product placement, it doesn't feel too in your face mostly because of the way it's promoted with Janus's business. It still took more of a priority than it should have though. One thing that really stood out to me and that was off-putting was the almost complete lack of background characters. Sky works in a hospital, Kla works in a hospital, Janus owns a 7-Eleven, and yet the hospital always looked practically empty, we never saw any other doctors or medical staff aside from the main cast and one or two nurses who were there and gone and there were rarely any customers show in the store. It made the world feel very isolated and unreal.
There is nothing about Venus in the Sky to recommend it. It's a long slog with very little reward. If NSFW scenes are your thing, I would recommend watching Episode 1, maybe 2, and then jumping to Episode 7 or 8 through to the end, you won't be missing anything by skipping the rest. Otherwise, I would say best to just avoid it.
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Love Syndrome III: Uncut Version
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No Love Lost
I was not expecting greatness from Love Syndrome III. I had watched Unforgotten Night which was pretty much trash, but I actually liked the characters of Day and Itt, so I was interested to see a drama with them at the center. I knew they were going to be different from the characters in Unforgotten Night since it was a different production company, but I was not expecting the characters to be essentially polar opposites with nothing in common. I was unprepared for the extreme toxicity that permeated almost every relationship in this drama and left me with a sour taste in my mouth. This is not a drama worth watching.Again, I came into this because I liked Day and Itt in Unforgotten Night. They are absolutely unbearable here though. Itt is a man child throwing temper tantrums and stomping his feet, obsessing over cake like a two year old and Day is his mother indulging him one second and then scolding him the next. What the heck kind of relationship is this? They scream toxicity from almost the second they are together on screen. They are both extremely jealous and possessive. After two years together there should be a degree of security in the relationship and there is none.
Following Day's accident, Itt becomes more bearable as he takes on more responsibility and becomes less selfish, but it's Day's turn to become a raging asshole. We're treated to multiple episodes of him taking Itt for granted and using and abusing him basically seeing how far he can push him before Itt throws in the towel. His asshole level slowly goes down as he begins to regain pieces of his memory and then just to spice things up a bit more because this drama isn't ridiculous enough, we have a random villain from Day and Itt's past return. Of course everything turns out fine and we end things with a wedding. It's a ride to say the least.
The biggest issue with this drama is the toxicity. Essentially every relationship is toxic in one way or another.
-Itt and Day are toxic in pretty much every way possible. Their relationship is toxic at its very core. It began because Day wanted to get revenge on Itt for masterminding a plan to have his friend Gear rape his brother Night. I mean, it's essentially a case of Stockholm Syndrome. They are both possessive of each other to an unhealthy degree. If anyone even glances at the other, they get jealous to the point that they're ready to throw punches and they get angry at each other. Also, things like Day pretending not to remember Itt again to punish him is unimaginably cruel and not something I could ever imagine doing to someone I professed to love. They're communication is yelling at each other and fighting. There's no, let's sit down and have a reasonable conversation. It seems at the end like maybe they've progressed to that point, but certainly not at the beginning or while Day's lost his memory. The biggest concern is that there's this underlying sense that their relationship is something to aspire to, that having a boyfriend who is both fiercely loving and possessive is desirable, and tries to sweep the ugly parts under the rug out of sight.
-Gear and Night have a toxic beginning, but at the time of the drama actually seem to have a very healthy relationship. They are very much the exception. Very little is given regarding their background aside from the fact that Gear did rape Night and then somehow or other they did move forward from that to a relationship. I have mixed feelings regarding that. I don't think it's realistic and I think there are connotations with that that could be damaging, but within the context of this drama, there is also part of me that's glad that there is one relationship that isn't drowning in problems.
-Nik and Neil are the other couple that seem relatively healthy. On the one hand, you do have Nik who likes to flirt apparently to get Neil's attention, but I think Neil does mention that there's a reason for his behaviour and they do seem to overall be a happy and solid couple and I do adore how Nik sticks up for Itt against Day.
-Mac and Nan, okay, this one is the most disturbing to me. It is heavily implied that Nan has been holding Mac against his will for some time, not allowing him to go home, presumably keeping him as essentially a sexual prisoner and really no one bats an eye. Itt clearly doesn't like it and he does protest it, but he also doesn't really do anything about it. And it turns out that Nan has been blackmailing Mac with a fake video. He does eventually let him go home, but then Mac comes back to him? Like what? We have another Stockholm case? It was just so messed up I could barely comprehend it.
One thing that really bugged me was the inconsistency with Day's recovery of his memory and his behaviour. It felt all over the place. There were some scenes like the one at his cast removal party between he and Itt that felt far too intimate for where they were at the time with getting to know each other again. They just ran hot and cold and I felt like I was getting whiplash sometimes. Flashbacks were heavily used which were useful to some degree but quickly became repetitive when the same scenes were shown multiple times. Practically every guy they met was in love with Itt which was unrealistic and weird. I mean seriously, he had four or five guys falling for him. Please, he's cute, but he's not that good looking.
Throwing a villain in towards the end was pointless, particularly such a weak villain. There was absolutely nothing threatening about P. He was cartoonish with his maniacal laugh and the camera angles used. He was just boring. Literally the only purpose he served was to give Day the bonk on the head he needed to get his memories back. That whole plot line was so nonsensical, particularly their plan to get P to surrender. Did they actually think Itt was just going to sit back if he thought Day was in danger? Did they not consider that maybe if they explained their plan, that maybe he could help out? They literally only had themselves to blame for it all going south.
The acting wasn't as good as it could have been. I was disappointed in Frank. I've seen him in other dramas and thought he was a pretty decent actor but he seemed to struggle here, especially with the more emotional scenes. His crying was painful to watch, very forced and fake. I first saw Lee in Tin Tem Jai, another terrible drama, and I think he's a good actor who has yet to be given a role where he can really stretch his wings. He didn't have a whole lot to work with here, but he made do with it and I think he did a decent enough job. The chemistry between Lee and Frank was hit or miss, sometimes I could feel it, sometimes it felt contrived, but they have another upcoming project so hopefully with continuing to work with each other, that will all come together. I hadn't seen Kokliang since his turn as Tar in TharnType and I actually really enjoyed him as Nik. He was so sassy and fun and one of the few positives in this drama. I loved him standing up to Day for Itt. The others were decent in their roles but no real standouts.
This was just an all around toxic drama (I know I've said that word a lot, it's justified) that's not worth your time. There is really nothing redeemable about it, in my opinion. Evidently they're supposed to be dramatizing the other web novels as well. I sincerely hope they don't because it sounds like the story only gets worse. Unless you like garbage dramas, I would recommend watching something of a higher quality.
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Sky's the Limit
I had high expectations for Our Skyy 2, too high, it turns out. I was looking forward to a continuation of stories I had come to love or at least tolerate. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided to get creative or lazy, depending on the case, with a number of these stories and those mostly failed to deliver. It's not all bad, there are some that are absolute gems, but it's not what I was hoping for and I am a bit disappointed in how it turned out.Episodes 1 & 2 - Never Let Me Go - 5.5 Stars
Of the dramas being continued with Our Skyy 2, Never Let Me Go is my least favorite. I didn't think it was a great drama to begin with and it's one that seemed to have a pretty conclusive ending that didn't need any further embellishment so I didn't have high hopes for these two episodes. That turned out to be a very good thing as they were completely underwhelming and frankly, quite tedious to watch.
The story just seemed ridiculous. To go from the more serious tone of Never Let Me Go with being hunted down and trying to survive to these two episodes where we suddenly have fortune tellers and magical bracelets and curses and jumping through time, it was incredibly jarring. There are far too many plot holes, too many questions left unanswered and not nearly enough time to properly flesh everything out.
The few things that I liked were that Palm and Nueng did communicate. Not necessarily well all the time, but they made the effort. It was certainly an improvement over their almost total lack of communication in NLMG. Despite not feeling like it really fit with the drama, I was intrigued by the historical setting. If the special had fit in better with the original drama, I think I could have liked it. The power swap was interesting with Palm suddenly being the rich and powerful one and Nueng as a servant. It created a different dynamic between them at times though I think it could have been played with to a greater extent. I liked the side couples of Phum/Petch and Kan/Kla. I found them more compelling than Palm and Nueng, particularly as Petch and Kla. And while they couldn't be together due to the time they lived in, it was gratifying to see their descendants able to be together without fear.
These two episodes were just a mess. They didn't add anything of value to the story and just felt really out there and disconnected from the drama. If you're like me and not a fan of Never Let Me Go, don't waste your time on these episodes, you won't be missing anything.
Episodes 3 & 4 - Star In My Mind - 7.0 stars
Between Star in My Mind and Sky in Your Heart, I much preferred Sky in Your Heart. So going into watching these two episodes, I didn't have high expectations. Imagine my surprise when I found that I actually overall enjoyed them and found them equal parts funny and endearing.
These two episodes are essentially just fluff without a whole lot of substance. Nothing dramatic happens, it's basically just Khabkluen and Daonuea being in love and telling each other how much they love the other. I liked that what was showcased was a healthy relationship. They actually communicate with each other and when things turn romantic, Khabkluen makes sure that Daonuea is okay with what is happening.
Their friends were entertaining. Their antics and the way they teased their two friends was amusing. I also liked the way Typhoon was handled. They could have made him sad or bitter, unable to move on from Daonuea, but instead they not only showed him moving on but even revealed that he was able to be friends with Daonuea.
These two episodes exceeded my expectations which, to be fair, wasn't hard since they were pretty low. Still, they made me laugh and smile and delivered some good moments. I think they demonstrated how to write a romance without the need of a lot of skinship to distract from the substandard plot or characters. I would recommend these episodes as they just tell a feelgood story.
Episodes 5 & 6 - The Eclipse - 8.5 stars
The Eclipse is one of my favorite BL dramas and I was really looking forward to these two episodes. I found what they did interesting and creative and even though it wasn't a hit with every scene, the characters are what really made these two extra episodes special. It was the characters that I fell in love with in the drama and they are what made me really enjoy this continuation of their stories.
Of the episodes that have aired thus far, I felt these two had the best combination of story and fluff. I thought going with a continuation of Wat's moviemaking was a unique choice since it played a relatively minor role in the original, but a good one. The scenes with the characters imagining themselves in various movies was incredibly cheesy, but also somewhat entertaining. It does feel a bit rushed at times, but with just two episodes, they didn't have a ton of time to fully flesh out the story and it's still good as is.
I did like that there was a clear progression in the characters' growth. They were not exactly the same as they were in the original. I liked that Akk and Aye were shown as having to actually work at their relationship. They were always a study in opposites, but with the drama from the series behind them, that comes to the fore, and they need to learn to communicate and compromise. I do wish there was more of a focus on them learning to communicate. Akk keeps things bottled up and there's no way for Aye to learn from or try to rectify the problem when he's being tight lipped. Kisses are great, but they don't solve the problem. On the flip side, I liked that Thua did communicate his feelings to Kan. There was still the element there that kisses solve problems, but I felt it was a better progression than with Akk and Aye.
I love the friendships here, especially between Akk, Wat, and Kan. The way they support each other is just so wholesome and I really love that even though Akk and Kan aren't into the indie movies that Wat is, they are still willing to encourage and support him in his dream.
My biggest qualm, honestly, was Aye pretending not to remember it was Akk's birthday. I know he was trying to surprise him, but every time I see that come up in dramas, I can't help but think it's just a recipe for disaster as it nearly always leads to issues.
I really enjoyed this special. Some of the lines from it just really hit home, like when Aye talks about the difference between "place" and "space". I think its safe to say that The Eclipse and many of these other dramas became a space for a lot of us where we feel warmth and love and I think that is just beautiful. This was a wonderful addition to The Eclipse story that you don't want to miss.
Episodes 7 & 8 - Vice Versa - 8.5 stars
Of the stories told thus far, this was the most wholesome and the most well done. It had twists and turns that were fairly well done and entertaining, good character development, good music and generally just told a very endearing story. I wasn't sure what I would think of this one based off the trailer but it completely surpassed my expectations.
I loved that the story didn't go where I thought it would. I honestly thought it was going to revolve around Tess or Pakorn's love child and Talay and Puen left having to raise the kid. And that's certainly the initial impression. But then there's the twist that he is actually Tup's nephew and he and Tou had the brilliant idea of having the kid pretend to be Talay and Puen's son to help them reconnect since work has been pulling them apart. And then there's an added twist when it comes out that Puen is in on it and a further twist when Talay overhears Puen, Tup, and Tou's conversation and puts the pieces together. He and Jigsaw plotting together was the cutest thing ever. Though I would have loved to know how Tup convinced his sister to let him kidnap her kid for who knows how long.
Again, everything about this special was so wholesome. I appreciated that Talay and Puen recognized that there was a problem and actively sought to fix it. Focusing too much on work and neglecting a partner is a fairly common issue, I feel, and I liked that it was addressed. I loved the creativity of the calendar and giving each day of the month a theme of sorts. And then when Jigsaw landed in their laps, they pretty much took it in stride. They worked together to take care of him and even when he went missing at the zoo, they really didn't blame each other. Things weren't blown out of proportion, they each took responsibility for the fact that they got distracted and apologized to Jigsaw for neglecting him.
I was impressed with the character growth of Talay and Puen. It's nothing astronomic, but it's there and with such a limited time frame, it was well done. I appreciated that they communicated with each other and had an actually healthy relationship. I loved getting to see more of Tup and Tou in this universe. They added a good dose of entertainment.
This was an excellent follow-up to the drama. I really did enjoy every moment of it and any complaints I might have are miniscule. I loved the relationships both romantic and platonic, the family dynamic between Talay, Puen, and Jigsaw, the realistic challenges faced, and the way that the characters interacted. This is one that I may come back to in the future.
Episodes 9 & 10 - My School President - 7.0 stars
There is one reason and one reason only these two episodes are getting as high a rating as they are and that is solely because of the cast. I had serious concerns after seeing the trailer for MSP and those concerns were absolutely valid. This special could have been so much more than it was and I'm truly sad at the lost opportunity.
I cannot even begin to explain how lazy the premise of this felt. They could have jumped to them in college or after college, though age wise that would have been a stretch, or, heck, the summer after they graduate. Just about anything else they could have come up with would have been more interesting and creative than what we got. It's not a word for word or scene for scene copy, but it's close enough that I struggled to stay invested because it's already been done.
Everything felt rushed, probably because they were trying to fit a 12 episode drama into 2 episodes. It also felt choppy for that same reason. The continuity was lacking and it just felt like we were jumping from one scene to the next. There needed to be a bit more filler to join everything together. I also felt like the quality was just lower. The music was pretty decent, but there were multiple times where the instrumental parts overwhelmed the vocals to the point they were very hard to hear. There was also the ballroom dance exam scene which dragged on far too long and it was painfully clear they hadn't had nearly enough time to practice because their movements were so stiff and clunky.
Now when I say the cast was the one saving grace, I am not even kidding. They were literally the only reason I persisted through both episodes. They are all so charismatic and they do have that ability to draw you in. But even they seemed to be lacking the energy that was present in the drama. Everything just felt subdued. I think I really noticed that with Sound and Win. They were such firecracker characters in MSP and it felt like the fire had gone out of them and they were a shadow of their alter universe egos. Same with Tinn and Gun to an extent. They just didn't have that same spark. I did like the Tiwson and Por got to be realized as a fully fledged couple. Their interactions were adorable and I'm happy they got more screen time. I do think trying to throw in Khajorn and Phat as another couple, albeit more of just a suggested one, was unnecessary.
The one other aspect that I actually quite enjoyed was the inclusion of other BLs in their MV there at the end. I thought that was cute and clever.
These episodes have some cute and funny/cheesy moments. They do change some things up so it's not a carbon copy of MSP, but if they wanted to go with an alternate universe story, there were so many more creative ways they could have gone about it. I didn't hate it, but neither did I love it and I think I'll always be left thinking of what could have been.
Episodes 11 & 12 - A Boss and a Babe - 7.5 stars
Starting this drama, I had a moment of dread thinking they were going with a body swap story or even another alternate universe a la MSP. However, I was pleasantly surprised when that was not the case. Considering that I wasn't a huge fan of the drama, I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was worth watching.
One of the biggest problems I had with the drama was the almost complete lack of sensical plot. Here, there was a more clearly defined plot and it worked pretty well. The focus on getting Gun to understand that he didn't have to be so overbearing and harsh towards his employees and that work is for work hours allowed us to get to know the characters better, Gun especially. It also allowed for some genuinely comedic moments with Cher acting as the boss and Gun as the intern.
Character wise, I liked getting to know Gun better, his way of thinking and perceiving people and actions. I also appreciated getting to know Cher more. He's more perceptive than you would think and sometimes his antics can make one forget that he's actually pretty smart. While that's not shown extensively here, he does have his moments to show that intelligence. And the length he went to both to help Gun destress and show him that he needed to be more attuned to his employees feelings and needs showed how much he cared. It was very wholesome to see. And of course he got to have fun bossing his boyfriend around and getting to be the boss for a day, but it's pretty clear Gun doesn't really mind. I also enjoyed the return of Cher's friends, especially Three and Zo. That scene with them pretending to fight was pretty entertaining. The group's friendship was one of the positives from the drama and it remained so here. The fact that they were so supportive of Cher, even agreeing to his ridiculous plan, just showcased that they're the kind of friends everyone should have.
I think this addition to My Skyy 2 is my favorite thus far. It was pretty much what I was hoping for from the entirety of the series and I have my fingers crossed that they won't annihilate Bad Buddy or Thousand Stars and will stick to this formula. I enjoyed the fact that these episodes were more than just pure fluff, they actually had some depth to them. It was a good way to conclude their story and it seems fitting that they're sent off with a dash of humor.
Episodes 13 to 16 - Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars - 8.5 stars
As these two stories were so tightly intertwined, I'm going to rate them together as it's difficult if not impossible to separate them. As every series previously had their own two episodes, I was not expecting the combining of these two and while there are aspects that I ended up liking, in the end, I do feel it was unnecessary and I don't understand why it was done.
These are two of my favorite BL dramas, so I was very much looking forward to the continuation of them. However, I found myself in many ways disappointed, particularly with the continuation of Bad Buddy. Rather than continuing where the drama left off, it decided to pick up after Pat and Pran pretend to break up. With all that goes on, it didn't really make sense from the stand point of them having to hide their relationship because they don't really seem to be trying that hard to hide it. And then trying to combine their story with that of Tian and Phupha's felt forced. There didn't seem to be a purpose for combining these two stories which made it harder for me to get on board with. After Episode 13 which was focused on Pat and Pran, the remaining three episodes felt much more focused on Tian and Phupha which means we didn't get to see as much of Pat and Pran as I would have liked. There also felt like there were multiple discrepancies between A Tale of Thousand Stars and these episodes which really pulled me out of the moment. The disagreements between Tian and Phupha felt poorly developed, ridiculous and not really in line with their characters.
Episodes 15 and 16 are where things picked up and I started to enjoy it more with Episode 16 giving us a solid ending. The story got a bit repetitive at times with them getting lost, but once that part was over, we started getting some of the sweet scenes that were generally lacking in the first two episodes. Episode 16 was my favorite both due to the play, which was very fun to watch and made me weirdly emotional, I don't know why, as well as Phupha giving Tian their thousandth star which was incredibly romantic. I also found it entertaining the nods to they gave to Bad Buddy between Tian and Phupha with Phupha asking Tian to rate his "performance" and the ending which was a combination of the endings from both Bad Buddy and Tale of Thousand Stars.
Character development felt a bit slim with all parties. Bad Buddy mostly because they didn't really have any way to grow since we already know how things end between them so it left them a bit stuck. I also didn't feel it much with Tale of Thousand Stars since I didn't feel like the characters were quite the same as they were in the series so there was a bit of a disconnect for me.
This joint venture started on a bit of a low note, but managed to end on a high note and served as a fitting conclusion for Bad Buddy/Tale of Thousand Stars and for Our Skyy 2 as a whole.
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Our Skyy 2: My School President
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My School President No More
There is one reason and one reason only these two episodes are getting as high a rating as they are and that is solely because of the cast. I had serious concerns after seeing the trailer for MSP and those concerns were absolutely valid. MSP was one of the dramas that had a lot of places it could be taken, so to have them choose to do an alternate universe with essentially the same story, just some roles switched, felt indescribably lazy, not to mention boring. This special could have been so much more than it was and I'm truly sad at the lost opportunity.I cannot even begin to explain how lazy the premise of this felt. I know I've already said it once, but seriously. They could have jumped to them in college or after college though age wise that would have been a stretch or, heck, the summer after they graduate. Just about anything else they could have come up with would have been more interesting and creative than what we got. It's not a word for word or scene for scene copy, but it's close enough that I struggled to stay invested because it's already been done.
Everything felt rushed, probably because they were trying to fit a 12 episode drama into two episodes. It also felt choppy for that same reason. The lack of continuity made it feel like we were jumping from one scene to the next. There needed to be a bit more filler to join everything together. I also felt like the quality was just lower. The music was great as always, but there were multiple times where the instrumental parts overwhelmed the vocals to the point they were very hard to hear. And while in MSP it at least looked like they were actually performing live, I didn't get that same impression here. It really just seemed like they were lip syncing and quite obviously too. There was also the ballroom dance exam scene which dragged on far too long and it was painfully clear they hadn't had nearly enough time to practice because their movements were so stiff and clunky. There just wasn't any smoothness or grace in the moves and transitions.
I haven't felt the product placement thus far was super obvious or annoying in Our Skyy 2, but I felt it in these episodes and it was annoying. The commercials are more than enough, blatant camera shots of products are not necessary and they just detract from the quality.
Now when I say the cast was the one saving grace, I am not even kidding. They were literally the only reason I persisted through both episodes. They are all so charismatic and engaging , but even they seemed to be lacking the energy that was present in the drama. Everything felt a bit subdued. Don't get me wrong, they still did a good job with their various roles, it just wasn't as strong as MSP where they pretty much all rocked their characters.
I think I really noticed the off energy with Sound and Win. They were such firecracker characters in MSP and here it seemed like the fire had gone out of them and they were shadows of their alter universe egos. Same with Tinn and Gun to an extent. They just didn't have that same spark. Part of it with them, I think, is that Fourth and Gemini didn't seem at home in their alternate characters. That could just be my perception, though. Fourth just has that mischievous, chaotic energy that really lent itself to the character of Gun in MSP. And while Gemini certainly has his own mischievous moments, he lacks the same chaotic energy and appearance wise, he comes across as more mature. I'm sure they had a lot of fun swapping roles, but I didn't find it fully believable. I did like that Tiwson and Por got to be realized as a fully fledged couple. Their interactions were adorable and I'm happy they got more screen time. I do think trying to throw in Khajorn and Phat as another couple, albeit more of just a suggested one, was unnecessary. Honestly, and absolutely no offense to Aun as an actor, but they could have just removed Khajorn completely and nothing would have been missed. He just didn't add that much other than showing how his alternate universe character is a complete 180 from his MSP character.
The one other aspect that I actually quite enjoyed was the inclusion of other BLs in their MV there at the end. I thought that was cute and clever. He's Coming To Me is on my list of dramas to watch so I didn't catch that reference, but Bad Buddy and Tale of Thousand Stars were obvious and fun to see.
These episodes have some cute and funny/cheesy moments. They do change some things up so it's not a carbon copy of MSP, but if they wanted to go with an alternate universe story, there were so many more creative ways they could have gone about it. And that really is the biggest thing for me. It lacked the originality, the fun, the creativity, the very vibrancy of MSP and instead what we got was a shallow facsimile of the original. I didn't hate it, but neither did I love it and I think I'll always be left thinking of what could have been.
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Only 12% Is Good
I came upon this drama by seeing a snippet of it posted on Instagram. That scene is arguably the sweetest and best part of the whole drama, the rest is a slow, repetitive slog that even the acting skills of Earth and Santa can't quite redeem. The story itself isn't bad despite the fact that it's entirely predictable. I wanted to like it and there were certainly aspects that I did like, but as a whole it just failed to engage. The lack of character development, the excessive crying, the slow pacing, and repetition, coupled with the final episodes being overly preachy and moving away from the romance of the rest of the drama resulted in a less than stellar product.Like I said, the story itself isn't bad even though it is predictable. The problem comes from the slow pacing and repetition. The first couple episodes were more of a slow burn that I didn't mind so much because characters and the background were still being established. But once that was established, it became frustrating that it felt like very little was happening or progressing a lot of the time. The repetition was throughout. Eiw would feel hurt because of something Cake did or feel neglected and would sulk until they finally made up or, mostly after the time jump, vice versa. Despite the pair constantly talking about how they'd known each other since they were babies and how much they cared about each other, their communication absolutely sucked and I didn't feel that was ever really addressed or resolved.
Another detractor was the constant water works from Eiw. I don't think there was a single episode where he didn't cry at least once and he spent the vast majority of the final two episodes in tears. On the one hand, kudos to Earth because that had to be exhausting, I hope they kept him well hydrated with the amount of water he was losing, and for the most he was believable, but it was another aspect that was very repetitive. I was truly hoping after the time jump and the changes that he made to himself, there would be less crying, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
The character development felt like it was lacking despite the number of years that go by. Yes, Eiw does make a change and come out of his shell and learn to socialize, but it feels superficial. Ultimately, he and Cake are still wrapped in their own little world where very little has changed. Even Cake coming out and saying that he would be gay with Eiw felt shallow. Maybe part of it is that while Eiw's feelings for Cake were developed and explored which was an aspect that I overall liked and felt was well done, we get none of that with Cake. He just comes back after 4 years and suddenly his love for Eiw has transformed from that of a brother to romantic. It felt far too abrupt and without reason. I wanted to see how Cake came to the realization that he loved Eiw romantically. The other characters felt equally stagnant. Again, despite the passing years, it didn't feel like there was much, if any, difference between them as high school and university students. Any changes were communicated verbally, not by actions.
The last two episodes were the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. We suddenly move from focusing on the romance between Eiw and Cake to Eiw's mom is dying and we're going on an anti-smoking campaign. It felt disjointed and like it didn't fit with the rest of the story. The vast majority of these final two episodes are spent with everyone crying, people constantly saying that his mom is going to be fine which was obviously a lie, Eiw blaming himself which while on the one hand was realistic to an extent, was again repetitive because we've gotten this from him several times previously. Not everything bad that happens is your fault, hon. But he's bound and determined to make it his fault. And then there's the anti-smoking PSA which just felt awkward and out of place. The doctor's explanation that the fact their father smoked was the cause of their mother's cancer was complete and total BS. Yes, third hand smoke is a real issue, but to so definitively say that was the cause of cancer was ridiculous. And then Eiw talks about how he asked his dad at every festival and holiday to stop smoking which I didn't find believable. I don't know many kids who would have enough of an understanding of the dangers of smoking to do something like that. Maybe once they were older, but I got the impression he'd been doing that since he was a little kid. Also, that's why he was mad at his dad? Not for abandoning their family which is also never explained why he did so, not for apparently failing to maintain contact, but because he smoked. That didn't seem realistic to me. And then there's the ending with Cake's friends suddenly deciding to throw out their packs of cigarettes and we're treated to a close up of them in the trash. None of it felt very cohesive with the rest of the story.
In terms of the characters themselves, I found them all to be a bit underwhelming. While I liked Cake for the most part, I found Eiw to be annoying and boring much of the time. Cake was much more nuanced with his emotions and reactions to things. He was interesting to watch. Eiw though spent 90% of the drama whining, crying and nagging. There was definitely an element of what on earth does Cake see in him. He got better after the time jump once he had more confidence, but the character was never my favorite. The other characters just kind of felt like they were there most of the time. The romance between Hom and Peak was lackluster and not believable to me. He stays hooked on this girl that he met a handful of times and doesn't really know for years? Also, timing, sir. His decision to pull her aside to talk about their relationship, or lack thereof, and ask her for another chance while her mother was dying was incredibly cringe inducing to watch.
The acting was a mixed bag. I liked Santa as Cake. For this being only his second drama in a main role, he did really well. He managed to convey a lot of emotion with just his eyes, but was equally good using facial expressions and body language. His acting made Cake the most interesting character to watch. Earth, Earth, Earth. He's a good actor, I know he is from other dramas I've seen him in, but I feel like he was so underutilized in this drama. His ability to realistically cry is impressive. Despite the amount of crying that he had to do in this drama, it rarely felt forced or fake. But he can do more than that, and I don't feel like he was really given a chance to shine. He was pigeonholed into this role of being weak, naggy, and overemotional and his character wasn't really allowed to develop beyond that. Prem was good as Eiw's older brother, Pao. Despite being a year younger than Earth, he was realistic as an older brother and I really liked him in a more mature role. I think this is actually my favorite role he's played.
The production was overall pretty good. I liked the way the changing technology was used to help show the passage of time. The cinematography was pretty good. There were a handful of shots that I really liked and the rest was decent. I can't say much for the music because I didn't notice it all that much, which can be seen as a positive since it wasn't distracting.
I didn't hate this drama, but I also didn't love it. Frankly, I found it to be pretty forgettable. It has some good moments, some sweet scenes, but I ultimately just found it to be lacking in almost every respect. Is it worth watching? Meh. You're not missing out if you choose not to watch it. Honestly, if you want to see the best part, just Google Cake's love confession from episode 12. It is truly the highlight of the drama, in my opinion, and one of the best confession scenes I've ever seen in a BL. Otherwise, the rest really isn't worth the time or effort to stay invested.
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Between Us, It's Not Worth The Wait
Creating spin offs focused on the side couples that captured the audience's hearts has been a thing for a while. Sometimes it's done really well, but in a lot of cases as showcased here with Between Us, it just ends very poorly. The thing with side couples is that they're just that, side couples. They can bounce in and out as needed to provide whatever is needed, some levity to keep the show from being too heavy, a nudge to keep the plot rolling, a touch of ingenuity to get the lead couple together or back on track, etc. They're not central to the story, but they do play an important role. The problem comes though, when you try to take them and make them the leads. Unless both stories are planned out at the same time, it's bound to get messy which was the case with Between Us.I watched Between Us and then promptly went and skimmed through UWMA which means that the differences between the two were positively glaring. Since these two dramas were obviously not planned out at the same time, there were inevitably going to be differences, that was unavoidable. However, with that being said, I think they could have done a much better job of making those differences less obvious.
-The most obvious were characters that were prominent in UWMA that were just completely omitted in Between Us, namely Dean's sister, Del. She became a good friend of Manow and Pharm and was frequently seen with them at the swim meets and such and with Manow in the drama club. I don't know if the actress was unavailable, uninterested, or if they deliberately omitted her but it was weird to have her absent. Same with Alex who was also part of the drama club and again was almost completely omitted aside from one comment about him that Manow made in Episode 1. If they didn't want those characters in there, then so be it, but find a way to explain why they don't show up. Pretending they don't exist is not the way to go. Your audience isn't stupid.
-Similarly, part of Manow's journey was her discouragement of not getting any acting parts and just working backstage. This was another fairly major change since she acted in a short film that won a prize in UWMA and acted in something for the club's open house as well. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked the change, but it just felt like they didn't care about consistency and staying true to the original story.
-Sticking with Manow for a second, her and Pruek's relationship was also completely different. This is another change that I liked, I actually adored their relationship, more than Win and Team, if I'm honest, they were so wholesome, but again, nothing like what transpired in UWMA.
There's definitely more but I'll stick with those so I don't keep rambling.
The biggest problem though with Between Us, is that there simply wasn't enough story to stretch for 12 episodes. There just wasn't. Again as side characters, as a side couple, Team and Win were fantastic, they were the comedic relief together, separately they were confidants for Pharm and Dean respectively. It worked. But with them as the leads, their characters also changed. Team was almost infantilized. He was whiny and childish. His constant complaint of "Hia" became increasingly grating as the drama dragged on. And Win, who was teasing and mischievous in UWMA, was suddenly possessive and overprotective. The teasing came out as well, but to a lesser extent and as the drama went on; their relationship took on an almost parental note which was weird and felt unnatural. Their relationship in UWMA, for as little as we saw of it, felt natural. That's part of why it was so charming. What we needed was something that told us why they worked. Not a one night stand, not family drama, or a traumatic back story, just them, what was it about their personalities, who they were, that just clicked and unfortunately we got everything but that.
But while I feel like starting their relationship with a one night stand wouldn't fit with the narrative initiated by UWMA, it could have worked. If they had showcased what started out as just sex slowly developing into something more. But instead, they kept their relationship painfully awkward, particularly on Team's part, hesitant to touch or be touched, and the kisses were just not great. There should have been a steady improvement, but there wasn't. I'm going to guess neither the writer or director have ever been in relationships and have no idea how they work because seriously, there should be growth and development, not just physically, but emotionally. But again, we have the weird parent/child dynamic between the two that never goes away. We have Win's apparent fear of commitment that's never really addressed. There's also Team's completely unfounded fear that he's not truly special to Win that's also not addressed. Those are two aspects that would have been interesting to explore and could have given insight to the characters, providing growth for them as individuals and as a couple. We also have scenes like the one where Team apparently sits in the rain for two hours waiting for Win to rush to his side. Really? You're visiting your parents, they're probably 10 minutes away, but you're going to call your boyfriend who's two hours away. And then Win, who has a car, decides to ride his bike. The levels of stupidity in that one scene were just off the charts. And then the episode where they finally admit they love each other but spend half of it chasing each other around. Basically, by the end of the drama, I wanted to bash their heads together, not that I think it would have actually done any good.
The other thing bogging down this drama was, as usual, the myriad of side couples. Now the two I didn't mind were Manow and Pruek, as I already mentioned, and, for the most part, Tul and Waan.
-Manow and Pruek had a good, steady development in their relationship and I loved his endless support of her. Seriously, Pruek is boyfriend goals. If he has an older brother exactly like him, I want him as my boyfriend thank you very much. I also loved how he just accepted her as she was with all her quirks and oddities. He took everything in stride no matter how weird and it created some truly adorable scenes. I just cannot describe how much I adore them. I liked the depth given to Manow. I loved her in UWMA, but there was more to her here. She wasn't just the funny friend, she was a whole character. And she had so much personality! BL's and dramas, in general, take note. A woman does not have to be a skinny, pretty little thing with no personality to be appreciated. Not that Sammy isn't pretty, she is stunning, but I love that she doesn't fit that typical mold. I wouldn't have minded more of a focus on her struggles and efforts to be an actress despite not fitting society's idea of how an actress should look, but I'll take what I can get.
-Tul and Waan, for all that they didn't have a whole lot of screen time, were an interesting couple if nothing else. They added an element of intrigue with the whole will Tul get the cajones to tell him who he really is or not. They reasonably developed characters with a mostly believable story. I liked their interactions both through their game and in person. Their ending was a bit rushed for my taste, definitely a 0 to 60, and the chemistry seemed to be a bit lacking there, but I didn't hate it.
-Bee and Prince were my least favorite side couple. They had some cute moments, but I didn't feel their relationship was well developed. When I first wrote this review, I really didn't get Prince's struggle and it seemed over the top. Now, having seen more how celebrities in Thailand and Asia are treated, I have a much greater appreciation for his dilemma and the trials he and Bee were bound to face. So that aspect I felt was well done. But as a whole, their relationship felt choppy. They hadn't interacted enough before they were in love for me to believe it was something lasting or to even fully see how they got there. Still, I did find myself rooting for them and for their future together.
-Pharm and Dean are of course in there, but they're not added into the story very well as a couple. Honestly, they're just kind of there. Dean, as president of the swim club and Win's friend pops up more than Pharm, but past the first couple of episodes, he's mostly there as a sounding board for Win. Since his and Pharm's story has already been told, I don't really have anything to say about them, other than, I did like Pharm more here. I don't know if it was because I can tolerate him better in smaller doses, he seemed more mature, which he did, or there were a lot fewer scenes of him being all shy with Dean after they'd been together for a while. Whatever the reason, it worked.
-They weren't a side couple but I was not fond of A and Sea. Frankly, they were jerks toward Bee and if I was him, I would have dropped them as friends. There is good natured ribbing and there is bullying/mocking. In my opinion, they went past good natured straight to bullying/mocking. He was obviously serious about Prince and rather than offering their support, they just mocked him. Who needs or wants friends like that?
And this was yet another drama that clearly thought its viewers had short term memories and so must show flashbacks at least once every ten minutes. I'm exaggerating, but the number of flashbacks really was unnecessary and excessive. Other than the music reused from UWMA which was just as lovely as I remembered, I wasn't overly impressed with the OST. It was mostly pretty forgettable and there were definitely moments where the music was too loud and it made hearing the actors' voices hard. The cinematography varied. Some of it was really great and beautiful, but then there were moments of shaky camera work, some awkward shots or lighting that really detracted from the quality.
The acting is honestly pretty mediocre. I didn't find myself impressed with any of the leads, no one really jumped out to me which was kind of disappointing. But then again, that's pretty much how this whole drama sums up. Boun and Prem for all that I did like them in UWMA lack chemistry. They have a couple of scenes that should have been hot, but frankly I didn't feel anything. Other scenes, where they were messing with each other or even when they were having a few heartfelt conversations, there was chemistry. They just severely lacked it physically. And should say that not everyone was mediocre. Sammy was once again a delight as my girl, Manow and Bosston kept giving me warm, fuzzy feelings every time he was on screen, so I will give credit to those two for keeping me invested.
I came into this drama really wanting to like it. I was excited for Win and Team's story, to see it unfold and develop. Unfortunately, I ended up disappointed in so many ways from the change in both their characters to the lack of development in their relationship to just how bland the story was overall. If you enjoyed UWMA, I really can't recommend watching this. Actually, I just can't recommend watching this period.
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Jumping Out Of This Bed
Going into this drama, I really didn't have high expectations. Based on the title alone, I figured it would be something pretty mindless, something I wouldn't have to concentrate on too much. And in many ways, I was correct. It suffers from a severe lack of story or plot, the characters, while charming in their own ways, are not well fleshed out, and thus far, there's just a lot left out. That being said, it also has some nuggets that I actually really appreciated like the focus on consent, the way mental health is addressed, and the absence of a few all too common tropes. Those nuggets don't make it a good drama, but the fact that they are present is promising and makes me hope other dramas will follow suit in that regard.Again, the storyline/plot is severely lacking. While I wasn't expecting anything deep, I did expect there to be some semblance of a plot. Instead, the first 6 or so episodes is essentially made up of our leads flirting, mostly on King's part, and a fair number of awkwardly cut bedroom scenes. And then suddenly, it's like they decided that they actually did have a story to tell and the sex scenes all but disappeared and now its time to focus on Uea's trauma and fixing everything. On the one hand, I like that justice was served, but it also didn't flow with the rest of the story. The final episode didn't add anything really other than more lovey dovey scenes between our leads and introducing Tutor's character of Mai from Middleman's Love.
Speaking of Uea's trauma, good lord did they dump on the poor guy. What I initially expected and could have gotten on board with, was something where both Uea and King had some kind of trauma which came to light as their FWB relationship developed into something more and they helped each other cope. Instead, everything falls on Uea. He's abused by his mother and sexually assaulted by his step-father, his ex AND his boss and those are just the big ones. How he's functional at all is beyond me. And King? Well, there's nothing really wrong with his family other than his parents wanting to arrange a marriage for him and his mother seeming a bit hard-headed. Again if the trauma had been shared between King and Uea, I think it could have created something interesting, but with it all belonging to Uea, it just feels like overkill. The sexual assault perpetuated by his boss, however, does open the door for two positives. First, the fact that even though Krit is related to the main boss, there is no leniency. It was gratifying to see someone higher up in the company taking care of his employees, to the point that he gives Uea information to see a psychologist. The second positive is the fact that Uea's deteriorating mental health is addressed at all. He talks about seeing the psychologist and he's on medication to help keep his mental health in a good place. With so many of these dramas you have characters that clearly need professional help, but their mental health is never addressed or is skimmed over and it's treated like having a hot boyfriend solves all your problems. No, it doesn't. It helps to have someone there to support you and love you, certainly, but they can't replace actual professional help.
The character's themselves don't make much sense. A good part of that is because they're so one dimensional, King in particular. And maybe I'm just forgetting, but I don't recall Uea's animosity towards King ever really being explained other than he just doesn't like the fact that he's a player. For the way he treats him initially, it felt like it should have been something much more personal. I understand not being a fan of a player, but his reaction felt over the top. There also wasn't enough background information to understand his relationship with his family. All that's shown is the trauma and nothing else. I know trauma affects everyone differently, but I wanted to know more about his state of mind. With the level of abuse he suffered, why did he maintain any kind of contact with his family aside from his sister? Why, as an adult, did he let his family continue to treat him the way they did until he finally just snapped? Same with Krit, he was clearly being sexually harassed, and yet, he didn't even try to report it? And his interactions with King showed that he could stand up for himself and speak his mind, so why didn't he with others? There's just so little to the character that it was impossible to even begin to try and understand his mindset and what he was thinking. Same with King, I don't have a good feel on why he loves Uea so much aside from physical attraction. And some of his reactions just don't make sense. His assumption that Uea was willingly with Krit the night Uea was assaulted was completely irrational. He knew Krit was harassing Uea, he knew Uea didn't like it, so where did that thinking come from? Furthermore, with the whole arranged marriage, why he didn't shut that down right off the bat didn't make sense either. Why was it so hard to tell his office mates that he had no interest in this girl, he loved someone else, this was being forced on him by his parents and he was looking for a way out? I'm aware that both these instances were likely included to fuel the drama and to create a rift between King and Uea, but if you're going to create drama, at least make it believable to some degree. I also took issue with Uea's treatment of King even after they were together. There were times where he was clearly baiting him, daring him to break the rules he had set in place. I didn't appreciate that, especially when it came down to refusing to let King touch him in any way there towards the end, even in a non-sexual manner. It was so clear that he was taunting King and enjoying himself doing it. It's one thing if it's mutually understood that this kind of behaviour is okay and desired by both parties, but I never got that impression from King so it just made it uncomfortable to watch.
The one positive with both these characters was the aspect of consent. Considering what he'd been through, consent was obviously a big deal to Uea and I liked the fact that they laid out rules before beginning their FWB relationship, although King didn't always strictly follow them. I also appreciated that King really did respect Uea and made a concerted effort to follow his rules for the most part and always made sure that he was okay. The one downside is that Uea was drunk their first time together and I'm guessing King was not fully sober either. However, this is somewhat addressed later on when Uea gets drunk again and comes onto a sober King who does not let the same thing happen twice. Uea even mentions afterwards when King asks for a reward for showing restraint that he behaved as he should have. It's something that's not often seen in a lot of BLs, certainly not repeatedly throughout the drama and I found it's inclusion to be a big positive.
The acting is hit or miss. Net and James are both attractive young men, there's no denying that, but to be an actor, you need to be more than just a pretty face. They are both old enough and have been in enough other dramas that I expected more from them. James' acting felt wooden at times and he is not good with emotional scenes. The crying with no tears got old fast. It feels fake and takes away from the emotional impact the scene could have had. Net is better, but his expressions got a bit monotonous after a while. He did have some great moments where he absolutely nails a scene, he has the ability to convey a lot of emotion with his eyes alone. Their chemistry was also hit or miss. There were times where they seemed to match really well and other times it felt forced. I liked Yim in Cutie Pie, his acting and character were two of the only things I liked in that drama, but here he just felt very one note. It doesn't help that Jade just isn't that interesting of a character, but I feel like he could have done more. He also suffered from the whole issue of crying without tears which seemed very fake. Honestly, the only actor that I felt gave a good performance thus far was Ya Janya as Uea's aunt. I know she's barely featured, but her emotions and reactions felt more raw and real than anyone else's.
The production value is a bit meh. There's some awkward editing, scenes that were just cut weird. Some of the cinematography got a bit repetitive. There were angles that just didn't work, odd lighting and in general it was just a hodge podge because there were some really beautifully shot scenes, it's just that none of it was consistent. The music was overall pretty forgettable. I gave it a 7.5 because while it wasn't memorable, I also didn't find it distracting.
As expected, the final episode didn't make much of a difference. It's basically forty minutes of fluff and not much else. I think this drama could have been a lot more than it is, I think it could have gone deeper and been more than just the sex scenes and trauma, but unfortunately that's not what happened. It has a few positives and I will say that I think they are major positives, but the negatives just far outweigh and overshadow them. Here's to hoping that Middleman's Love is better than this mess.
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