My Dear Gangster Oppa (2023)

could have been amazing

Overall: imagine if Muffin was actually a police officer and we saw her beat up some baddies in one of her outfits, or what if the mafia boss was actually a secret huge romantic at heart? There were so many ways the writing could have been innovative with this premise, but the cliche writing really ruined it, especially in episode 6. It is based off of "The Ideal Relationship" which I have read but I reviewed the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: deaths/murders, non con touching/attempted sexual assault, violence, drugging, manhandling, stalking, attempted murder, kidnapping, manipulation

What I Liked
- the intro credits style was an homage to the source material
- how Guy was set up as a queer character from the beginning
- the video gaming sequence, unfortunately we only saw 1 sequence
- cute/sweet moments
- Guy showed agency
- laughed a few times (although mostly at huge plot holes/nonsense writing)
- Wahl's girlfriend in episode 6
- (neutral) comedy noises

Room For Improvement
- cliched/nonsense writing (i.e. Tew's idiotic "plans", Guy probably had 6 bullets in his revolver but seemed to shoot waaaayyyy more than that in episode 8)
- Kenji's backstory makes zero sense, maybe if Tew had used him as a human shield then it would have made sense, they made him into a cliche cartoon villain with nonsensical actions/motivations, even episode 7 didn't make enough sense for his motivation, also way too much screentime taken by Kenji
- the voice over was a fast way to set up a character/beginning but not my favorite way to start a series
- the music was sometimes not what I would have preferred, also think they could have removed the comedy sound effects and just let the comedy come through on its own
- tropey (ie multiple accidental fall and catches)
- avoiding physical affection in episode 5 (although Guy was better by the end)
- cliche plot point in episode 6
- Wahl had way too much screen time, needed to devote some of that to Guy/Tew building their relationship

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A Journey from Excitement to Disappointment.

As a fervent MeenPing enthusiast and admirer of the outstanding chemistry between the actors, my initial enthusiasm for this series was at its peak. The connection they built in AilhongNhai left me emotionally invested in what seemed to be another promising installment. However, as the plot unfolded, the rollercoaster of emotions turned into a tumultuous journey with more downs than ups.

The first episodes were a delight, offering compelling moments and acceptable action scenes that held my attention. However, as we approached the conclusion, the plot seemed to lose its way, careening downhill without brakes. The figure of the "villain," Kenji, or as I prefer to call him, turned out to be a monumental letdown. Far from embodying the genuine malevolence I expected, he became a confusing and unconvincing character.

Adding to the disappointment, many of the secondary characters seemed to contribute nothing substantial to the narrative. Their presence felt extraneous, lacking the depth or development needed to enhance the overall story.

Moreover, the action scenes in the final episode were a particular low point. It appeared as though the mobsters had never handled a weapon in their lives. The choreography and execution were subpar, detracting from the intensity and realism that should accompany such crucial moments in a series of this genre. Additionally, the feeling that they attempted to hastily wrap up the last episode without care contributed to a rushed and disappointing final experience.

The combination of a lackluster villain, underdeveloped secondary characters, poorly executed action sequences, along with a rushed closure, ultimately left me with a bitter taste. In future endeavors, I hope MeenPing focuses on holistic storytelling, ensuring that every character, whether main or supporting, contributes meaningfully to the overall narrative, and that action scenes are executed with the finesse they deserve, avoiding the sense of haste in the conclusion.

postscript, I must note that I give this rating considering the first half was quite good; however, the ending significantly impacted my overall perception.

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My Dear Mediocre Oppa

One of these days I will stop anticipating that any kind of mafia drama will reach the same pinnacle as KinnPorsche, but it is not this day. While I wasn't expecting My Dear Gangster Oppa to reach that caliber, I was anticipating something sexy and gritty, albeit more lighthearted. And while the first couple of episodes were actually pretty decent, it quickly went downhill bogged down by a weak villain, pointless characters, and poor development. It had the makings of something interesting and unique but ultimately just ended up being painfully mediocre.

The plot was interesting if not well-developed. There more than a few plot holes that marred it. But the concept of two guys meeting through a game and falling in love with the catch being that one of them is a gangster is not your run of the mill mafia story. The first couple episodes did a decent enough job of building on that plot and I was intrigued. However, once Thiu left the mafia, it felt like it lost it's way. A fair amount of unnecessary drama was introduced and the plot no longer felt as cohesive. One element that I quickly found frustrating was the lack of risk. Nothing really felt at stake. At no point did I find it believable that any of the characters were truly in any danger. That was likely in large part due to the fact that the characters' various enemies seemed incredibly inept. Particularly in Episode 8 when Thiu and Tul take on a house full of gangsters and Tul ends up with a relatively minor injury and Thiu is perfectly fine. That's not realistic and it really took away from the experience for me. The action scenes in general were a bit of a low point. The gaming element was a good addition, if a majorly underutilized one. Considering that's what brought Thiu and Guy together, I would have liked to see it play a larger role. In particular, that CGI scene of them playing in, I believe, the first episode was very cool, but we never get another like it. There needed to be a greater balance between the mafia aspect and their day to day lives. It is fairly trope heavy, particularly towards the beginning. Lots of accidental slips and falls that leave characters in each other's arms or in compromising positions. It got old fast. The pacing started out steady but then deteriorated as the drama progressed. The last episode to two episodes felt very rushed.

At only eight episodes long, it struggled with its characters and paying proper attention to the characters who should have been focused on like the leads and paying too much attention to side characters who contributed little to nothing. In shorter dramas like this, I already anticipate that it's not going to have the level of character background and development that I would typically like and it was only made worse by that distraction. Characters like Wal and Kenji took up far too much screen time that should have been devoted to building on Thiu and Guy's relationship. And other characters like Tul and Boss could have used a little more screen time to build up their relationship. I was actually impressed that they went as in depth with Thiu and Guy's backgrounds as they did. Frankly, they could have cut them down a bit to just focus on the relevant parts.

While Thiu had the dressing like a gangster down pat, his demeanor and actions did not fit the role. Obviously time mellowed him out from the revenge driven young man who joined up, but I would have expected him to be more ruthless and less merciful than he was. And while it's not specified how long he was a gangster, it was long enough that it seemed like sticking to the rules and keeping your promises should have held more weight than they did. Aspects like promising Guy he wouldn't return to his boss all while fully intending to break that promise did not sit well with me. I feel like that could have been a fairly simple conversation of if Kenji's in power, he will come after them again and won't stop until one of them is dead so this is not something that can be avoided. I do think Thiu's immediate trust in Guy and essentially falling for him at first sight could have been better explored and explained. Where Thiu was not the most trusting person, Guy was pretty willing to open himself up if someone gave him the opportunity. I found him to be cute at times and wildly annoying at others. His actions didn't always make sense and he came off as needy and childish at times. Even so, there were moments when I appreciated him like in the last episode when he got Boss to go after their guys. He wasn't just a damsel in distress, he actually did take action from time to time if not the most well thought out action. I did feel like he fell for Thiu unrealistically fast. He's been in love with his best friend for years and then someone new pops up and he's almost instantly in love. I understand the shorter run time meant they couldn't build up the relationship a whole lot, but I do think more could have been done to show that attraction growing over a longer period of time. Still, despite his and Thiu's differences, they didn't feel wildly unmatched and made for a fairly decent couple.

Wal was an incredibly frustrating character and he got far too much screen time. He just wasn't that interesting of a character and his sudden conflict of feelings was misplaced and unnecessary. It felt like a continuation of the gay for you trope, except that he maybe met someone there at the end. Still, I wasn't a fan. His pursuit of Guy too right after Guy and Thiu had broken up felt borderline manipulative.

Kenji was just painful to watch every time he was onscreen. Everything about him was over the top and cartoonish and not in a way that was funny or worked. It was just very cringey. He didn't feel like a real threat, mostly because his actions didn't match his mannerisms. If he was truly deranged, he would be acting first and asking questions later. But he was constantly giving Thiu chances like when he went to save Guy. If he really wanted to hurt Thiu, he would have killed Guy then tried to kill Thiu as well. Win or lose, he'd have done the damage. Honestly, he could have been a really interesting character if they'd really leaned into the deranged behaviour, but instead he just came across as impotent. The background given to explain his actions was very weak and really explained and added nothing.

Tom, Phai, and Muffin as Thiu and Guy's gaming friends were fun additions and were actually relatively well done. There was enough to them that they had substance to serve as supporting characters, but there wasn't an excess of information about them either. Their banter and camaraderie was well displayed and most scenes they were in were fairly entertaining. Tul and Boss lacked the screen time to be any kind of believable side couple. I did appreciate Tul's loyalty to Thiu, but would have liked to know a little more about what made him tick and why he was so loyal. Boss's fluctuating loyalty between Tul and Kenji was largely swept under the rug and his loyalty to Kenji was not particularly well explained other than Kenji had saved his life. I think they could have made an interesting couple, but there were just hints and not a whole lot of actual development.

The acting was pretty mediocre. Meen and Ping weren't bad as a couple, but I wasn't getting fireworks either. They didn't have the natural chemistry that some couples do and as such there were times when it was better and times when it really fizzled. Ping seemed to struggle with the more emotional scenes. The tears and emotions felt more forced than natural. Meen could have been more expressive. I get playing the serious gangster, but a little more depth would have helped him seem less wooden at certain points. As much as I did not like his portrayal of Kenji, I will chalk a portion of that up to the writing and direction, Tommy could have done worse. It was a challenging role for his debut and I hope he has further opportunities to showcase his talents.

My Dear Gangster Oppa left me feeling disappointed. I wasn't expecting anything amazing going into it, but I did think it would be better put together than it was. As it stands, I can't really recommend watching it. There's no aspect about it that's good enough to warrant sitting through it. There are other, better dramas currently airing or that have recently concluded that I would watch first.

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Well, that happened.

I'm not sure I've watched as series that's had such a reversal in my opinion of it. I was excited after the first episode - I like Meen & Ping, and I had hoped for a better vehicle for them than Ai Long Nhai, and here it was! But it was just a trick.

The first couple of episodes were good and engaging, with an odd and silly intersection of gaming and gangsters - I thought it would be campy fun, but instead, we got an endless stream of people making inexplicably bad decisions - solely to get the plot to progress from step to step. In order for there to be final drama, Tew has to spare the life of someone totally psychotic and evil when doing so put himself, Guy, the Boss, and everyone else associated with them in mortal danger - in fact it was double suicide, because he disobeyed the Boss to do this. It was so completely stupid and out of character that it pulled me completely out of the story. Maybe if the villain had been compelling instead of the offspring of a non-binary clown and John Lennon it could have worked, but Kenji is such an awful actor that his scenes gave me secondhand embarassment. (Tommy has a day job as a model, so he'll be fine - and he is fine, underneath the clown suit they make him wear.)

The rest of the series is a meandering mess, with an intriguing secondary couple that doesn't go anywhere, and a ton of side characters that could have been integrated into the story - like what if instead of being a sneering Beetle the villain had been sophisticated and smart, and it took the whole crew to take him down using their individual skills? But nope, all we got was Elton John on a bad hair day chewing up the scenery and also making insanely stupid decisions.

In the final episode there were lots of time jumps, over the types of things that it would have been interesting to watch, like the secondary couple getting together, but it was apparently necessary to cut all that out to include lots of scenes of Tew cooking boring dishes and having the same conversation with Ping on an endless loop.

OK, the positives - Meen is hot. I'm not even sure that's subjective. In fact the whole cast is attractive to the point that it made me watch the whole series (with judicious fast-fowarding).

Winner Tanatat is wasted on a side role, but he absolutely nails it and makes Wal a fully-realized character rather than just a villain-esque dick. He managed to play Wal as a loyal and loving friend while still giving him an unpleasantly domineering edge, but never so much as to send him over the line into villainy.

The fight scenes were not exactly cinematic in quality, but there were impressive for a small production like this.

I can't recommend this. Meen takes off his shirt a couple of times, which is worth seeing, but he probably does that on social media somewhere and you can stare at the glory that is his body all you want.

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Some people are just to good for this show...

Never have I ever completed a drama where the acting was this bad without the drama beeing so bad it was hilarious... as this drama was just bad... Though it did have som exceptions that I will get to in a moment but:

The acting 11/14 -Bad
The fighting scenes - Bad
The Blood Splatter- Bad
The Friendships- 4/5 Awkwerd (not in a good way)
The styling- 11/14 bad
The filming- bad
The characters- 11/14 Bad
The lines- 1 good line in 8 episodes the rest cinge, meeh, bad...
The secound couple- unintersting, cringe wtf...
The villain- Annoying awfully stayled and just why?

The lighting- ok

Thg Gangster Male Lead Meen- Adorable, good looking, sweet, but why the hell did he fall for the geeky guy?
The Gangsters lackey- Adorable!
The Biker Gamer Nitta- Way to good for this show, in every way possible! Give this woman a leading role and a good script, stat!

The kisses and kinship where actually pretty ok..

And while there may not have been much substance to this show our gangster was pretty to look at, unfortunalty the pros did not get near to cover for all the flaws...

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Had a promising start but ultimately flopped

The drama had a promising start, but from midway through, it started to flop. The plot was somewhat unique. We have all seen couples get to know each other because they team up in the gaming world. But one is not an ordinary Oppa; he's a gangster Oppa. In the beginning, it was quite interesting to see how this gangster and the normal boy would get together. But everything happened quickly, and the plot became quite messy. For instance, it conveys that Wahl is Guy's best friend, but he has more feelings than a friend, though he has a girlfriend. And for Tew and Guy, after a couple of interactions, they got really attracted to each other. especially Tew; his gestures show that he liked Guy from the very beginning. Okay, let's say it's love at first sight.
The other thing is Guy's acting. I acknowledge he's looking good, and I liked his acting in "Ai Long Nhai," though it's not very standard. But here it's crappy and gibberish. I can't stand the way he acts. He needs to improve his acting so much. Or else the director could have changed the actor. We all know that there are many potential actors, but they don't have many chances to show their colours. And this Kenji guy gives psycho vibes. It would have been better if the stylist had changed his hairstyle. It's worse. I hope the ending will be better.
 

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I Kind of Like it..?

Going into this, I was a little skeptical, but as of now, I really think this series played out to the best of its ability. Was it flawless? No. Were there some bumps along the way? Absolutely. However, overall, this series offers a fast-paced viewing experience, mostly entertaining, featuring some aesthetically pleasing characters that I can't help but appreciate.

Let's Dive In.

So for the most part, My Dear Gangster Oppa is good, at least in my opinion. My only struggle with this series was sitting through the "mafia" or "gangster" part of it all. I think it works in some parts, and then in others it doesn't. Like the backstory is neat, the way in which Thiu has to get out of the mob is great, and even some of the more specific details make lots of sense, however, I was just really bored with the whole Kenji storyline. Like you're in a mafia, just kill the dude and move on, did this really have to escalate for an entire 8 episodes? But I say that because I am also just not the biggest fan of these recreations of "KinnePorche" (again, in my opinion) -- and maybe not necessarily recreations, cause other series can make a plot surrounding the mafia and whatnot, but I always just think back to KP whenever that happens and it's just not as top tier as that was.

Moving on to the romance, I think Meen and Ping had great chemistry, except their characters moved into a relationship way before I think the characters were ready for one. It's obvious they both have some feelings for each other at the beginning, which again, the build-up to the relationship is my favorite part about BL in general. But I feel like before they can hit their climax of feelings, they're already kissing and having sex and becoming boyfriends. It's a lot to move into, especially after Guy becomes aware of Thiu being in the mafia, having so much anger that Thiu didn't tell him, and then subsequently not caring about that anymore out of the blue. I love slow burn, I'll love it till the day I die, and this couple was not that at all. They were quick-paced, and they fell in love pretty quickly. However, Meen and Ping do chemistry rather well, so their kiss and NC scenes were all great.

Moving onto Wal, I actually really like him. He's severely unpopular, and most people wish he wasn't in this, but for a slight second, this actually felt like it could've been a love triangle, and that's also something I love. Wal was a guy who was terrible at admitting his feelings, and due to it, he hurt his friend who, at the time, was also reciprocating his feelings. I'm also a sucker for friends to lovers which is another reason why I was rooting for them, but of course, it wasn't going to happen for many reasons. Also, I'm shallow, and Winner (Wal) is gorgeous.

The side couple that wasn't really a side couple was pretty disappointing. I think they had a nice build-up, but it doesn't go anywhere. Slightly aggravating. Also me just being nit-picky, but the scars on Thiu's body... why were they like an orange/yellow color? I'm no doctor, I have no idea about any of the scarring tissue and whatnot, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't turn a sickly yellow tone? I wish the makeup department could've at least used some foundation to blend it in a little better, but whatever.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Good, some parts draggy, some parts boring, but for the most part. good. The romance isn't the best I've seen, but it did capture my attention a lot within the first couple of episodes.

Acting: 8/10: I think it was good for the most part. Some actors felt a little mediocre, but it doesn't take you out of the story any, just that it could've been a bit better.

Music: 6/10: Didn't pay it any attention and it wasn't distracting, so good!

Recommendation Value: 5.5/10: This wouldn't be something I'd recommend, just because I personally don't see it as something that is indeed in need of a watch. But the actors are beautiful (I want to stuff Winner in my pocket) and if you like a mafia story, then sure.

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Good Source, Poor Adaptation

I've read and really enjoyed the manhwa this series is based off. The manhwa is short, only 45 episodes, but really well done and sweet.

This series started fairly faithful to the source material. The first few episodes were my happy place. I've never had 45 minutes fly by so quickly. I loved both Meen and Ping in their roles (but, please, someone teach Meen to throw a proper punch prior to any other gangster/thug/fighting roles in the future!) and thought their chemistry and dynamic worked really well here.

The problem came in when someone decided they needed more plot than the source material contained. The source is sort of a quiet, slice of life-ish vibe. They invented the Boss (Paiboom) and Kenji for conflict and plot that, quite frankly, the original story didn't need and that was poorly executed in the series. Every single issue I have with this show somehow feeds back to the inclusion of this "plot." Tew made stupid decisions because of it. It was poorly fleshed out, decisions within it were poorly justified (if at all) and it was rushed to the finish line to fit within the 8 episodes we had.

The one deviation I really liked in this adaptation was Wahl. Am I supposed to dislike him? Yes. Did I? Nope. Almost never, actually. He is far more unlikable in the manhwa, actually. In the manhwa he never has actual romantic feelings for Guy's character but this inclusion makes him more sympathetic and turns him into someone with feelings he isn't facing or comfortable with rather than just someone who enjoys being the center of his bff's world and has overbearing reactions to being worried about him. I also give a lot of credit to Winner for how he handled the character. He made Wahl likable in a way that he probably shouldn't have been. (Am I the only one who wants a Wahl spinoff with the cute guy in class in the last episode?)

Overall, the first half of the series was cute but the last half I could have done without. I wish they had kept Tew's character as a self-made gangster who was his own boss. His minions, their reactions to their boss smiling at his phone and their adoption of Sanghwa (Guy's character) was so fun and cute. I really missed seeing that in the adaptation. I wish they kept the tension of Guy getting over his crush on Wahl and Tew being happy over having a friend and slowly realizing he didn't just have friend feelings. That focus would have suited the series (and the leads) better than the forced conflict.

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I have my complaints

I was here only to watch MeenPing together again after AiLongNhai.

I obviously didnot expect much of a story here but didnot expect absolute nonsense either. I really like how Thiu ang Guy's story progressed from online friends to lovers but then what happened to it? unncessary plot line just to extend the story ruined it for me.
I wish they showed more of Guy's character understanding Thiu's world and embracing him despite the indifference's . But i saw nothing of this happening. i Wish they focused more on Meen and Ping by just showing a little of others.

What came out of this that both the leads acting got better than their previous work. If you are here for the MainLeads, you can watch this by skipping almost 60% of the series.

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One of the Worst for 2023!

he series begins interestingly enough. Even with a worn-out theme of a withdrawn boy who has an unrequired love for his best friend, it was charming for a while. However, this series very quickly falls apart when it tries to get into the nitty-gritty of an actual story. The supposed Thai Mafia underworld was filled with laughable caricatures of epic comic proportions. They looked silly, acted silly, and frankly were silly. Sometimes over-the-top trying to look bad (while always coiffed impeccably) but never really able to shake the sanitized version of a what has to be seen as nothing more than an after school special. I continue to state, there must be at least a minimal standard for acceptable acting and for me that is the ability to cry when necessary. So, if you cannot cry you cannot act and all you are doing is performing. This is such an underwhelming series that I am astonished at how bad it really is. But it presents well. Its theatrics are perhaps intoxicating but this time, I am not buying into it. The screenplay is so second-rate. The acting is at best mediocre. The story itself is so lame that it looked like it picked ideas from other BLs and stuck them in and hoped it all worked.

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Great fun through Ep 4, then treat Ep 5 as a fluffy epilogue & stop!

For Ep 1-5 it's an 8.5/10. Great fun through Ep 4, then treat Ep 5 as a fluffy epilogue and stop at 38min. After Ep 5 it slides quickly into very poorly written, clichéd, repetative, annoying, plot-predictable, and eye-rolling ridiculousness with unnecessary melodrama (with unbelievable and poorly choreographed fight scenes).

Ep 1-5: I was hooked within 20 mins. The premise was unique and the story was fun and interesting with relatable lead characters. There was great romantic tension and sweetness. Overall it was lighthearted and enjoyable. I eagerly looked forward to new episodes every week.

Ep 6-8 were a 3.5/10. I stopped looking forward to it and there was so much cringworthyness that I fast-forwarded more and more. I found the ending so cheesy that it wasn't satisfying.

After Ep 5 Kenji becomes the main antagonist. The actor playing Kenji is sooooo bad it makes any scene and plotline involving him lose steam and all seriousness. His over-active jaw movements make me cringe and laugh out loud at the same time. The part isn't written well to begin with, but the terrible, overly dramatic yet flat and shallow acting makes him the weakest link by a long shot and he dumbs everything down.

Some of the transitions between scenes are abrupt and the music is generic.

I can see myself rewatching Ep 1-5 at some point but I will never again force myself through Ep 6-8.

g_jun's review on MDL also sums everything up really well.

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Definitely Worth Giving a Try

Honestly, I went in with the lowest of low expectations. I do like MeenPing but AiLongNai kinda fizzled out halfway through for me. I've never seen a Thai adaptation for BL manhwa before and I know Korean adaptations of BL manhwa usually only cover half the story anyway so I wasn't expecting much, BUT HOLY DID THEY PROVE ME WRONG!
I usually don't like action romance but this one seems to balance both very well, the set up of the characters was interesting and their interactions are really cute. They really stepped it up this time around and I have little to no complaints about the show so far other than the fact that this series is only 8 eps.

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