Reviews

From Anime to Live

I really enjoyed watching the anime series when I finally pressed play to watch it (I saved it on my playlist since it appeared on stream, but never took the time to look at it until now)… and was pleasantly delighted when I found out there was a live version of it, but as a movie instead!! I love the choice of actors for the main characters pairing of Miyo and Kiyoka, and enjoyed it just as much as the anime. Miyo’s half-sister Kaya was pretty hilarious too. Too bad she didn’t have the light colored hair like she did in the anime, it seemed to match her personality haha. Both the anime show and the live movie get ten stars across the board.

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Prequel

What I know is that this season is the prequel to the first season and is adapted from the manhua "My Sweetest You" (English), well that's just the base of the story having characters such as Su Bei, Lu Nan, Su Man, Gu Yan but the actual story seems completely different from what i had read.
One, thing also strikes me that the drama's first season was released in 2021 and the leap is of seven years but there is one scene of the plagiarism where the paper states 19th march, 2012 hence the overall story is based on the year 2018.
So, please do not watch season 2 before season 1 and confuse yourself out.

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Beyond all expectations. WAY beyond.

The Hollywood trash that is, Godzilla 2: King of Monsters, was on TV the other night, playing to itself before I remembered it being pretty bad and turned it off. My point is that it reminded me this film was out, so I thought I'd give it a go.

To be honest, after Shin Godzilla absolutely shattered the mould of what a giant monster film should be, I couldn't possibly imagine this being able to compare to it - Shin was just incredibly inventive, insanely fast-paced and packed a punch. If Shin had a weak spot though, it was that it was - even for a lifelong viewer of subtitled films like myself - stupidly difficult to try to keep up with all the text and follow what was happening on screen!
Well, that and the fact that, by effectively reinventing the genre, it was hit-and-miss with audiences.
I'd also really, really enjoyed the animated films years ago when they came out, so I didn't expect this to be much good - I mean: we'd had pretty much the ultimate sci-fi in the cartoons and wonderful innovation in Shin... in this, we moved back in time to post World War 2. Gotcha.

SURPRISE! This was BRILLIANT!

I just finished the film and I still can't believe what I saw - this is writing at its finest with the cast to pull it all off. Survivor-guilt, desolation, people trying to pick up their lives after all the destruction, and then along comes a freaking KAIJU!
This one hits all the feelings.

So, not much of a review - there are plenty of those here already, so, like Shin, I went for a different approach - but I will definitely advise you to watch this.

I did consider knocking off a point for the predictable ending but... nah! After all these people had gone through, the message of hope was plain nice.

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A journey of military corruption

Having not yet seen season two, season one could stand on its own without one. In only six episodes, this series put me through a journey of much more. My heart swelled in both warmth between our two young MLs and from their desperate crossroads of choosing to do their duties and being human.

While the plot is grim, I wouldn't consider this as dark fiction as it's a very realistic depiction of corruption. There's no excess dramatization, no saviors, and no particular antagonist. It simply portrays the difficulty in choices everyone has to make or continuously make at some point in their lives. This one was just uniquely centered around the military dynamics. If you are someone who ever chose to join a company, a sorority/fraternity, or any group that has any type of hierarchy, how many would speak up for another if it meant risking your own position and livelihood? And even if you were to speak up, would you even have any ability to even make a difference? Then those who blame their immediate authority fail to recognize that the same authorities themselves have high authority to answer to. In the situation of the military, it's even worse than being an employee at a company where you have the option to quit and find a new job.

Most series want to showcase a hero who steps up and manages to somehow defeat all that is bad. This one captures the realism in how multiple people try their best in their own capacity to do what they can, and how a small act of kindness can go a long way. Unlike what we want to believe in our idealistic worlds, the "good and righteous" does lose the battles most of the time so those who live under a rock in stubborn ignorance may not appreciate this series as much. Reality is far darker and stranger than fiction and this series definitely does not have a feel of over-exaggeration.

All of the actors did such a fantastic job in their respective roles. What really elevated the series was the natural injection and focus on the relationship between the two MLs. Their bonding with one another shone some light and humor on the hands they were dealt with and it made the series much more digestible to watch.

P.S. I think every organization out there needs a Han Ho Yul, because he's someone I would totally want around.

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The secondary characters are the only reason you'd wanna watch this.

Between the batshit insane, unhinged female villain (the actress ruined her voice for weeks after shooting due to excessive screaming), the somewhat comic relief yet murderer husband, and other interesting side characters, there are a few decent servings to choose from.

It's a shame that the main leads aren't interesting though. They're not really the main draw and are rather boring.

Normally when the hysteria ramps up near the end of kdramas it bothers me but in this one it's quite funny because of ramped up dramatic irony. So it becomes a lot more watchable. It's a convoluted mess of betrayals and backstabbings and plotting and it's fun enough.

I would say this falls under the "Soft Revenge" genre. It's a revenge story but not that intense, and with a big focus on romance too. And the hijinks of some side characters.

What's with the insane product placement though? It's so funny with the characters saying uplifting marketing crap in-between two serious scenes. Comedy gold.

Yeah, not great, but certainly watchable and contrary to many kdramas, full of surprises until the very end. Song Ha-yoon is certainly the highlight.

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True Beauty: A guilty pleasure.

There's absolutely nothing extraordinary about this drama, but it does a very good job at being medium. Really!

Here's a few of my thoughts (no spoilers)

Writing - It's a shame that the bullyng and the characters traumas weren't really developed. It had a lot of potential, but they just covered it with comedy. So even though the drama has interesting and important topics, they weren't explored as they should.
Also, why so many embarrassing scenes? I never skip scenes but this button was definitely used on this drama.

Couples - The drama focused so much on the romance that at some point people forgot about the first plot, Lim Jun Kyung problem with her appearance and the bullying.
The whole "Who's she ending up with" wasn't necessary and made the story worst in my opinion. But I liked the final couple, so I'll give them that.

Acting - None of the actors showed a award worthy performance but they didn't disappointed me as some people said they would. It's decent.

OST's - I loved every single song in this drama!

True Beauty made me laugh, tear down, made me angry, sad and root for the characters. It's worth watching and I recommend if you're looking for a funny, silly, easy watch drama.

Overall it's pretty decent although I wouldn't watch it with my friends who aren't part of this kdrama world cuz it would be embarrassing. A true guilty pleasure.

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I recommend

Thanks to the writers of this drama for giving us less common trope filled plot. This is the one drama that the romance being as muted as it was, was actually not bad at all. The focus of the drama was overcoming adversity and doing it with love and our FL did it with such aplomb. Although her family members took sometime to come around to her way of thinking when they finally did the family became unstoppable.
I have seen a lot of horrible emperors in CDramas but this one does take the cake because he was horrible for no reason other than he was d emperor.
Anyways to say I highly recommend this drama will be an understatement.
Happy viewing new viewers, enjoy the ride

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Dont' expect an ending!

Just had to warn you that the story does not have a finale so I was a bit miffed to have spent 3 hours to watch it. But it is not a bad time-killer as the story does have an interesting plotline for a low budget mini drama. I actually kept watching when I would normally give up if the story and acting are too silly or has lame dialogue but this one was intriguing even with the standard tropes of romances. To some degree it was actually more intriguing than Fox Spirit Matchmaker Red Moon Pact airing now which to me is a super time killer that I'm watching simply because ML is good looking.

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A boxer and a nun...

Finally! I finally managed to finish it! And it only took me three weeks! Truth be told, if it had not been for the Back To The Past Challenge, I would have dropped it ages ago! Not even Kazu's charm could save this for me! Actually, his over the top acting and the zero character development were the main problems I had with this drama. But not only....

The story follows a promising boxer who loves eating and falls in love with a nun. Put like this, it sounds promising and fun. And that it was, for about 3 episodes and then it became boring and repetitive!

Boxer is a young man of uncertain origin: we don't get to know his (or anyone else's ,for that matter!) backstory. He lives in a boxing gym with other boxers and is training to become champion. But he has to keep his weight down so he eats in secret and puts on 10kg overnight which he looses in 3 days. I was really bothered by this weight gain/loss issue: it seemed extreme. But since I know absolutely nothing about boxing, who am I to criticize. It just sound illogical and unrealistic. A very big part of the first half is spent on the boxer eating and then training to lose the surplus kilos. Those kilos were never obvious: the actor himself is very thin!
One day while jogging he bumps into a nun and falls hook, line and sinker for her. She's an orphan, brought up in the convent, kind and pretty. He follows her around, declaring his love, asking her out...ignorant of convent life. He keeps barging in, jumping around, screeching, in short he behaves like a 5 yr old child. From the beginning to the end of the drama. With a 5min break in the last episode when he grows up. But only for 5min!

The side characters are a mixed lot: the gym owner who is oblivious of everything else but her gym so she never notices her own son being bullied in school or the huge crush her chief trainer has on her. The other boxers in the gym are there only to be a bouncing board for the main boxer's musings and problems. We don't know much about them, except for one when he receives a visit from his father and the whole gym starts lying to cover his failure.
The adversaries in the main boxer's matches are all basically the same: scary on the surface but deep down poor boys just trying to survive (family abroad, make son proud or pay debt!). And of course our dieting boxer beats them easily!

They should have made this into a film because here we just have about 6 filler episodes, case of the week type while the main plot remains still, unmoving. Boring and annoying!

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YES , it IS Cliché, and it doesn't hide it!

This is base don my expectations of this type pf dramas and issues withot.
So when I go for a poor girl/rich guy, I alredy accept that the plot is gonna be quite ridiculous ,in favor of the good things that could come of it (for me, mainly comedy , and eventually good romantic chemestry).So when a drama of this trope seems to want to remind me of the ridiculness of its premiss and treat me as stupid because I accepted it , through though and "rationnal figures" ( The evil rich family), to me , the whole point of the show has been missed, which makes it a pure waste of time. Also the dynamic happy-lucky-go girl/rational-strict guy is one that trully gets on my nerves.
So, when I start this drama, what really pleased me is, although the roles of all the characters is cliché and falls in line with what i described from a writing perspective, the execution and portrayalof the characters is completely embracing the ridiculness, which makes it a real fun drama.Everyone , including "the evil" grandpa could be made fun of and is here to make us laugh.
Everyone is ridiculously funny to the same level, and you can just relax and enjoy without this vibe getting trampled upon.
Now wether it's gonna be cringe or not has to do with your own cringemeter and treshold on that matter.
Yes the story is passable at best , but this not the area I expected to be good at anyway.I did what I wanted it to do, and if you're jot looking just for fun and cuteness , this is not going to be for you.

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Oh my Omegaverse, what is this masterpiece?!

*Spoiler Free Summary of my review*
First I was going to rate this drama at 9/10 but I rewatched the drama and this time I watched the Uncut version of the show and decided to rate the drama 10 out of 10. I think this drama is worthy of applause.
Compared to the only other BL drama that included the topic of certain dark concepts, Pit Babe's creators made sure to portray and represent the ugly realistic horrors of those certain dark concepts in a better manner than what I've seen in this industry. I believe the creators did a fantastic job of showcasing these dark concepts respectfully, tastefully, and sensitively. I enjoyed both versions of the drama, though the uncut version added more depth for some of the characters with extra content not present in the cut version. I would recommend the uncut version as the best version of the story, its progression, and its finale overall.







*SPOILERS STARTS HERE*
(Content warning: trigger warnings topics with SA, forced pregnancy, child abuse, abuse, and International Human Trafficking)

I loved the show. It had its novelty with the Omegaverse genre - something I have never seen displayed in media other than in written fiction. Babe as the main character makes sense considering he’s been through it all in this drama and so much of the plot revolves around him.
I can’t help but compare and contrast this drama with the only other BL drama I’ve watched that focuses on Human Trafficking. This drama did not have main characters that felt more like NPCs that were so horny for each other that they barely contributed to the progress of the story. This drama was not tone-death and irreverent over the horrors of real-life crime like gang violence, SA, business corporation, kidnapping, child abuse, and international Human Trafficking.
There were no excessive scenes of abuse against women (though none of the cast were female, I still appreciate the absence of women-targeted violence in the drama. Such things are too common in some shows, BL or not).
The main characters were all affected by the consequences of other horrible people's actions but the drama shows light at the end of the tunnel with a happy ending for the X Hunter team. And I mean the team, not just the main characters. Everyone deserves a happy ending, got a happy ending and that makes me happy too.
This drama was way more intricate, complex, dark, novel, and respectful than I could imagine. This drama didn’t hold back on exploring the genre with secondary gender designations, society’s view of those designations, and any favoritism or discrimination those classified into those designations deal with daily. (The human trafficking conversation morphs into an underground shady black market organization that helps supply the supplier with the financial needs to continue finding ‘special persons’ and ‘adopt them’ into an organization that means these young children harm.)
My favorite characters were Babe, Charlie, Jeff, Alan, Kim, North, Sonic, Pete, and Kenta. Sorry, not sorry about Way.
The montage of moments between the characters and Way at Way’s funeral, makes me realize that this scene was needed. They need this moment to decompress, recover, reconcile, and reflect on everything that has happened. The stakes were very high in this drama what with the Human Trafficking topic and whatnot - a funeral at the end wraps up all of these chaotic emotions and puts an end to this crazy roller coaster of events and emotions.
They went through a lot together and they lost one along the way. (No pun intended this time, I swear!) I’m just glad that it was Way who took one for the team. If this was anybody else, I might have been mad. I guess Way can now be forgiven. I believe his loss helped contribute in the end just like in his life, he helped create X Hunter with Alan and Babe. Now the X Hunter team has new members and a bigger family.
I like that Babe left Way his necklace on his tombstone. Babe has such a big heart, I think it’s admirable how much love Babe has to give. Despite everything he went through, he was still capable of love and forgiveness. This is part of the reason why I was not a fan of Way.
In the uncut version of episode 7, Babe and Alan are talking about Way and his behavior to the news of Charlie dating Babe. Babe tells Alan that in the past, he felt like he “...didn’t dare to love or have a boyfriend. Part of it was because Way made me feel like I wasn’t worthy of loving anyone. He often says that, ‘being alone is the best option’”. Even Alan can’t give excuses for Way’s behavior.
Yes, Alan is aware that Way liked Babe for a long time but once Babe says what he says, Alan lets it go and just advises Babe to give Way some time. I believe he said that so that Way can adjust to their new relationship.
Honestly, this cut scene from the original version should have never been left out. This is such a crucial conversation regarding Babe’s and Way toxic friendship. Babe is upset that Way is so angry enough to throw Babe’s necklace away. It feels important to note that finding out that Babe found out about Way throwing Babe’s necklace away, makes this dynamic so much more heartbreaking. Knowing the betrayal that Babe will suffer in the future because of Way, it feels like this is a profound scene that should have stuck in the original version.
Way was gaslighting Babe for years. Making him believe he couldn’t be loved, he couldn’t date and he couldn’t do anything romantic with anyone that wasn’t Way. That’s not fair to Babe or Way.
Babe reunites with his father, Uncle Reval, and finally has a long overdue heart-to-heart conversation with him. Babe says he wants to start over and hold no resentment in his heart. He’s glad that his father is back in his life though he doesn’t think he can forgive his father right now. Understandable.
I can understand why Babe was so ready to fall into Charlie and hope for a real relationship with him. He breaks his rules for Charlie and gets easily jealous when he thinks Charlie isn't sincere about him. Babe was dying for love and I'm glad he finally has it now.


Creators!! Please bring back Kenta and Pete for season two, I need more of them individually and together. I believe Kenta deserves a redemption arc after he killed Tony and saved the day. Kenta and Kim had growth and character development. They both represented strong-willed characters that never wavered from their original beliefs until they naturally adapted a new way of operating due to personal decisions. Yes, in the end, their decisions helped other people, but they made those decisions because it’s what they wanted. It feels more believable and natural that way and I applaud the writing for having such memorable characters and I hope to see more of them in the next season. I hope Kenta embarks on a long and healthy redemption arc that involves intensive therapy/counseling and reconciliation with the other ‘special persons’ that he unfairly dragged into Tony’s proximity. Give my boy Kim some well-deserved rewards in season two. I want the best for my boy Kim, he deserves it all.
Of course more of the OG couple: North and Sonic needs to come back for season two too. Thank you!
Tony's death was cathartic to watch. I pray all of those kids at the auction were saved. Mentioning them in the second season would be nice. #SaveTheChildren
Alan and Jeff with their matching bracelets made me Super Shy and proud at the same time. Alan is a walking Green Flag, how can you not love the man?
Winner was ironically named. Neither first nor last, just painfully average. He became another blind follower to Tony and he was a great contrast to Kim in regards to a true opponent. He’s a henchman who aimed too high and who didn’t know how low he could go until he was a beaten corpse on the floor. He will not be missed.
I hope the second season expands on the International Human Trafficking subject since this is a bigger organization than what existed with Tony. I want to know what will happen next for them and that the cast is truly safe from being kidnapped, evaluated, and sold for their special abilities again.

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Fluffy and thoughtful

Fluffy and thoughtful... and that is exactly how I like my J-dramas. It strays outside the romantic comedy box quite often but does not suffer for it.

I liked the casting and thought that the characters were well designed and very believable. Each was credibly played by their actor. There are no extras. Every character is permitted to have their independent story and say their personal piece.

I had not seen Hirose Alice in anything before and was a bit surprised to see that her background was in modelling and not the stage. She's much more than just a pretty face with a big grin and the directing made her look very good. Her performance was confident and her expressions were right on. Her motion and personality could fill the screen. As a lead she impressed me and I'll certainly watch her again.

If you like underdog stories, noona romances, or college ensembles I highly recommend this series.

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