Reviews

if you liked the drama, I suggest you skip this rant.

It is a nice slice-of-life story... it's tagged as a boy's love, but what you might expect from this series is more of a bromance, with BL elements sprinkled here and there...

The story is about a two childhood friends who have spent a majority of their elementary school days with each other. Out of the two boys, Natsukawa and Kazhuhito, the latter is supposed to have a crush on the former. They spend their elementary days frolicking and having fun with each other and their respective families and doing whatever school children do to enjoy their holidays. Natsukawa prepares icecream for Kazhuhito, takes care of Kazhuhito whenever he is scared, play a lot of games and up until this point, the story seems cute and fluffy; it is after this point does everything start to go downhill, atleast for me. They part ways in middle school and while Natsukawa becomes the caretaker of his sisters throughout middle school and high school - cooking for them, cleaning the house, and basically act as a second mother to them while Kazhuhito is pretty busy trying to make it big in baseball. As someone who really values their work, its almost unfathomable for me to think that while in the pursuit of something important like this, Kazhuhito has feelings for someone. And that too for a someone he hasnt seen since elementary school. Its not realistic, again atleast in my eyes, because let's face it, humans are not that loyal. And most of them have the attention span of a goldfish.

It is a slow burn, so the characters are meant to be awkward, caring and quite gentle in the way they express their feelings. But this idea has been stretched so thin over the production of this entire drama, that you begin to wonder if you are the fool for actually believing Kazhuhito has feelings for Natsukawa... and its so enforced, this idea, that it has almost completely dampened the chemistry between the leads. There is literally nothing that you can feel from them. I dont know why, but its just not there.

Oh, but you can definitely expect some "dialogues" here and there. I am from Tamilnadu, India, so there is a very popular dialogue from here from the movie "Manal Kayiru", where one of the characters monotonously asks his son-in-law if he is fine and does ask all the general pleasantries, which makes you feel as though he is reciting something that he mugged up. It really does feel like that. Those dialogues dont convince the viewer from any angle that Kazhuhito is in love with Natsukawa.

The last episode was actually quite nice though. They emoted their feelings of shock, happiness and joy of having found that they both like each other. Its quite cute and lovely. But apart from the last episode, the entire series was a snoozefest for me.

But again this is just my opinion, and is not meant to hurt anyone's feelings.

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A Fun but Muddled Mess of a BL

I am a little surprised to how popular this BL series is. The popularity could be the result of how sexual this show is and how different it is from your typical BL. I really enjoyed the first half of this series. However, halfway through, the series seems to lose its steam and the plot. When Kinn and Porsche became a couple and had BL couple-like moments that were cute, it felt completely out of place. Moreover, the main couple became less interesting than the character of Vegas.

A major problem with this show is that the characters are not consistent with who they are throughout the series. I don't mean characters have moments of growth. Porsche changes throughout the series, as does his little brother Porchay. On the other hand, characters like Vegas and Kinn are sociopathic earlier but then become broken teddy bears after a couple of episodes. It just makes sense and feels like a fan-fiction kind of logic.

Vegas, in particular, is a character who makes little sense. He is shown as a soulless, violent manipulator. Yet, after torturing Pete, he becomes a vulnerable, broken little boy with him. Vegas's father is cruel as well, but then he meets his sister and becomes a crying sack of shit.

By the end, we have twist after twist after twist, adding unnecessary complexity to the story to create a clean ending.

I was interested in the relationship between Porchay and Kim. I found Kim to be interesting, but an underdeveloped character.

Vegas and Pete became an irrational but interesting couple that I wanted more time with.

Tankhun was a load of fun in every scene.

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Doctors review on medical drama !

I'm a doctor and I hate that they butchered all the nomenclature and procedures. FL says she is performing cardiac tamponade. C tamponade is a condition not a procedure. In one episode she says get the ABJ done. It's ABG. ML just performed acupuncture and treats pneumothorax. Friggin BS is that ? Where did the air go. Where ? She does tube thoracotomy for pneumothorax on one person that's somewhat sensible. ML treats cardiac arrest caused by blockade. Meaning MI with acupuncture. How ? How did the artery get cleared man. Electricity from the needle went and melted it off? This guy is oriental doctor for humans and animals too. But it's a drama and not real life so I'll let go of it.
This drama aims to propagate to naive people that oriental medicine is equal to modern day medicine, if not better. Misleading is an understatement.
Since beginning ML tries to tell FL something about the fallot's tetrology girl, that she didn't know. But in the end he doesn't say anything about it. So even put that scene if it's not useful.
But one thing that just got me hooked till I finished is their acting. Chemistry, meh!

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Nothing to the plot, but cool FL.

There's nothing to the plot; it's very shallow and one-dimensional. The movie focuses on showcasing action scenes with a cool FL. However, all actors and actresses are very capable; everyone fits their role and has done a good job in acting. I had watched a rom-com series featuring the same FL (Wedding Impossible) just before watching this movie. She did a terrible job in the romance/rom-com genre. Her deadpan expression is more suitable for solemn characters like her role in this movie. With only one facial expression, she can't convey complicated emotions, which doesn't suit a romantic series/movie at all.

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Only if you have nothing else to watch...

Well, this year's japanese bls have been more of a miss than a hit! And this one unfortunately is on the miss side!

It is a cute slice of life, childhood friends to lovers, unrequited long-time crush, an endless string of clichés and repetitive tropes filled drama. Mind you, it was not bad but it was completely forgettable and something we have already seen so many times.

The actors had zero chemistry and the kisses were not even pecks, so why bother? The characters were also clichés: a former baseball player Kazuhito, cold and taciturn apparently emotionless but actually hiding his feelings really well. The other one was the opposite: jumpy, confused and indiscreet. It was so painful to watch when he was prodding the baseball guy about his love life, asking increasingly rude questions and even offering to sort it out for him and get him a girlfriend. Ryota is indeed a very unlikeable character. He seems young and cheerful but is actually immature and impolite and completely unaware of his surroundings: "Read the room, Ryo and shut the fuck up!"

The most interesting character was Haruna, baseball guy's best friend who cunningly pushes the two towards each other, inciting them to finally talk. I want to see a drama where he's a main character.

The baseball guy was too cute (I want to see more of that actor!) the other one was too creapy. Towards the ending, I kept thinking of Cherry Magic, thai version, where Achi accepts Karan's feelings out of gratitude but still very uncomfortable together. I had the same feeling here, less pronounced but still present: Ryo still seemed very uncomfortable...He was also worried for a long time about the acceptability of their relationship and even though Haruna explained some basic truths about Kazuhito, he semed more interested in keeping a roommate than getting a boyfriend. Very ambiguous!

Forgettable plot but well produced without major problems unless you count boredom.

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Uhmmmm..... what?

Basically, if you have never watched the series Eternal Love, you might enjoy this movie abit more. As for me, I watched the Eternal Love series first, then read the book and few years later only hunted down this movie. I would say that this movie is not good at all. It is like they are trying to put bits and bits of puzzles of the series together to make a movie starting from after the death of the mortal Su Su. The puzzles they are piecing together are quite choppy and, in certain areas, nonsensical.

I was actually quite amazed with the cuteness of the movie at the beginning, especially with all the woodland creatures etc in Qing Qiu. That was indeed a nice way of portraying it. However, as the movie continues on, I literally skipped on many scenes to fast forward the movie. The ending is also........MEH...

All in all, I would recommend a first watch of this movie if you have not read the book or even watched the series Eternal Love. At least the disappointment ain't that great and your opinion of it would probably differ from me or anyone else that has watched the others first.

Did not really hear all the music for this movie. I only have one song that was a duet by Yang Yang and a lady (sorry, forgotten her name) which I like.

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Enjoyable, but I would have been frozen.

Watched on opening night.

The only things I can fault in this film are some dodgy special fx choices, the largely irrelevant detail of the outdoors on the mountain being quite clearly fake (which, yes, it needed to be for safety reasons). And, wildly inappropriate layers for that kind of climb (a very small part of the film). If you can get past that, you’re good to go.

However overall this is a decent film. I’d say it feels more like horror/thriller instead of just thriller. The story unfolded in a way that made it overall more intriguing as you learn more and more about the characters. I enjoyed the direction it went in.

If you like the premise, go for it?

Notes: The ending is not the same as in the manga. The film is also bilingual (70% Japanese, 30% Korean).

Warnings: Gore.

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Second Chances.

I think it's time to admit that some types of mature romances aren't just for me. This was the case with this show.

Miyata Akihiro, a sincere and diligent editor of a business magazine by chance gets to meet his first love, Iwanaga Takashi while working on an article. However, he is still haunted by his previous experience as a teenager with the untouchable Iwanaga sensei, who had bet on their love. Now, as adults, Iwanaga once again expresses his interest in Miyata-san, who is determined not to fall for the easy-going Iwanaga-sensei again.

The characters, particularly Miyata-san is the reason I held on until the end. He was careful and cautious with his words and actions. I was never once annoyed or angered by his choices.
As for Iwanaga sensei... I have no idea about him even after the end. There was so much more to him than what was being shown, but I just couldn't feel anything for his character at all.
I enjoyed the flashbacks, but they seemed incomplete to the story, inspite of giving some glimpse into their past, particularly Miyata-san.
Both the actors nailed their roles, and the overall atmosphere of the drama was pleasant.
It seems to be one of those dramas, which I feel had a lot of potential, but somehow managed to miss me.

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interesting plotline, bad execution

When I saw this on Netflix I was elated. I mean, two academic rivals meeting each other again at the lowest point of their lives resulting in them finding solace in each other? AND falling in love in the process? That's literally my cup of tea. Unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed.

First and foremost, I disliked the romance. I barely felt anything between the leads. Their chemistry was nonexistent. I could tell they were going for a slow-burn romance. But where were the subtleties that makes a slow-burn a GOOD slow-burn? Instead we have Jeong Woo ignoring his own feelings towards Ha Neul, knowing deep down he likes her. Girl, the whole world knows you like her. I'm tired of those clichés.

The theme surrounding mental health was well explained. However, the comedic aspect ruined it all; it felt off-putting. Though, maybe that's just a preference considering I love mature dramas without comedy more than whatever-this-is.

Ending my review as I've only watched 5 out of 16 episodes

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A Lackluster Decline: When a Script Goes Off Course

I couldn't help but wonder if the writer experienced burnout halfway through the script or perhaps became overly medicated, leading to a loss of clarity. The quality of the script undeniably plummeted. We tuned in for an intricate revenge plot and got a hot mess of nonsensical actions instead.

And let's talk about the female lead—what a letdown! Her performance was so lackluster, and her character felt like an afterthought. She had one expression the whole time, like a deer in headlights.

Here's hoping Lee Jae Wook picks a more promising project next time. We know he can do so much better!

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i don't like this one

most of the actors are overacting all the time, too many filler, too many "coincidental" scenes between main characters (falling into each other,...). Additionally, there are many details that are given only once and are not repeated or developed or explained (the first time the male lead dies of depression - why is he depressed?, the scene where the female lead discovers that
her mom hides her illness - has their relationship changed?, the female lead can escape the fate of being crippled but find it difficult to save the male lead?). In particular, what annoys me the most is the pair of supporting characters (the female lead's brother and best friend). They're too loud and don't really contribute to the main story line

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Worth watchiing!

especially for Ryan Cheng’s acting. He’s fierce and intense (and very handsome). He and the 2nd FL have good chemistry and make the story interesting. The ML and FL didn’t have much chemistry but at least Esther Yu changed her annoying baby girlish voice to a whispering voice.

I love that the sister had a completely different personality than female characters in most dramas. She was shamelessly pursuing Jin Fan. I found her character was quite refreshing.

Overall, I recommend this drama. It wasn’t perfect in any way but still worth watching.

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Deadpan FL expression. Logic goes downhill from halfway of the story.

Since episode 7, when many revelations surfaced, the logic behind the actions of the three main characters in coping with the situations becomes increasingly absurd. Additionally, I think the series would have been better with 8 or 9 episodes instead of the current 12. At the current pace, there is too much dragging. The dialogues, even those between the main characters, are also dull. However, the show really pulls off some hilarious scenes, especially during the first half. They had me laughing out loud a few time, which isn't something I usually do.

Anyway, a major disappointment lies in the performance of the FL. Honestly, I can't fathom why she was cast for this role. Initially, I appreciated her portrayal of a realistic woman who doesn't conform to femininity but exudes coolness, particularly in her interactions within her friend circle. However, when it comes to scenes with the ML, she falls very short. There's supposed to be a spark, some chemistry, something romantic, but it's totally absent. Zero. None. There's no romantic vibe from the FL at all, while the ML has already done his part. Furthermore, the plot does little to support their supposed deep love for each other in such a short time, to the extent of risking and betraying the feelings of another person they both care about deeply. Their love lacks conviction. Additionally, the FL's portrayal in these romantic contexts fails to evoke any genuine emotion in me. While the marriage between the FL and the ML's brother might be a sham, watching the FL and ML together, I can't help but feel their love is just as fake.

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