completed《2024》

The girl who hides behind her mask and the free-spirited blonde guy who teaches her the beauty of this world. It’s nothing new; high school romances are, in fact, formulaic yet somehow, You Made My Dawn feels so calming and poetic (the title, their names, the theme). It’s simple, sweet, and very much comforting.

Surprisingly nice and calm for a story that is established in misunderstandings.

[20/01/24]

third rewatch overall - in preparation for Kingdom 3.

[20/01/24]

second rewatch overall - in preparation for Kingdom 3.

Two people find out that their respective partners are cheating on them with each other (a la Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood For Love) while in a cruise ship… where a murder mystery takes place (a la Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile). But make it romantic comedy.

Written by Sakamoto Yuji (Monster, Quartet, anone), produced by Netflix, and led by an all-star cast (Yoshizawa Ryo, Miyazaki Aoi), one would have great expectations for this film. Unfortunately, what seems to be a fun romantic comedy turns out to be a jarring mess of all things it wanted to be. It was neither funny nor romantic, and the mystery was simply an after thought. Absolutely no chemistry between the two leads either. It had its moments; touching on the subjects of classism and emotional vs physical affairs, as well as having an engaging final 20 minutes, but it definitely did not need a two-hour running time.

To be honest, I’m no fan of romances that (1) starts with long term unrequited crush, or (2) features the bestfriends-to-lovers trope. I prefer it when the leads start off as strangers. I May Love You, sadly, falls into the first category.

The first few episodes were difficult to watch, it even took me three attempts to continue it. It was four years worth of one sided love after all. Watching the rejection was bound to be painful. However, episode 6 had that pull that I apparently enjoyed. It was the moment when the male lead realized that she would no longer be by his side that had my jaw dropping on the floor. The tension was just insane. It was then did I know that the push-and-pull would be be fun.

I May Love You is the epitome of the ‘she fell first, he fell harder’ trope. It reminded me of What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim with the male lead being the CEO and the female lead resigning—but without the arrogance and narcissism on his part. He was sincere and groveling.

The drama kept its momentum (at least for me) even after the main leads got together. Although the focus slightly shifted towards the second couple, it was a fact that the main couple had no big misunderstanding or hurdle throughout their relationship. They were just two people in love, navigating through the entertainment industry, together. The chemistry was insane.

As for the second couple, I enjoyed their story as much as the main one. And don’t even get me started with the last (future) couple, oh I was gagged with just the thought of it.

Overall, it is a sweet lovely drama set in the movie industry. All four leads come with popularity and money, so that makes everything extra fun. Imagine all the hijinks at work (and crazy fans). Just remember to get through the first 4-6 episodes. Or the toxic diet culture the female leads are putting themselves into.

What a sweet and lovely ride. No complaints about the time travel, suspense or other technicalities either. This story is truly about Im Sol and Ryu Sunjae, not the complexities of time traveling or the villain.

Annoyingly childish at times; misunderstanding between the real identities of both leads were dragged and they were not the most mature with it either. Romance took to long to start; gaming (and game development) scenes basically took most of the screen time. I couldn’t care any less with any of the leads by the end of the drama.

Revenge. Stolen identity. Palace politics. A smoldering Duke trying to uncover the true identity of the Grand Chancellor’s daughter. First two minutes already had my full attention and in no time, I was patiently waiting for new episodes on the dot, every day, during its entire run. This drama pulled me right out of my drama slump just like how the female lead dug her way out of being buried alive.

Fast-paced, but with a solid backstory and an absolutely strong female lead. One who quickly got back right on her feet and was resolute on getting her revenge—without lifting any finger up. The male lead barely had any screen time at the start, but their scenes together managed to show how insane their entire chemistry was. They were equally cunning and ruthless.

The romance could have been more, but alas, The Double is ultimately a female-centric revenge drama after all.

The female characters, both the good and the bad (ex. Princess Wanning, Ji Shuran) and even the neutral (Consort Li), were all tightly written. They were all simply driven by their own circumstance—and while that does not excuse their wrongdoings, the complexities of their characters highlighted how two victims can make two life-changing different choices. 

I honestly watched this because people kept lumping Ling Buyi (Love Like the Galaxy), Xie Wei (Story of Kunning Palace), and Xiao Heng (the Double) together. As someone who was obsessed with the recently concluded the Double (and still has Love Like the Galaxy as her favorite drama), I wanted another slow-burn historical romance with equally cunning mean leads. And I certainly got it.

Story of Kunning Palace is a dark and gripping tale of retribution, revenge, and second chances. Having the demised empress and the mastermind behind the rebellion as the main leads, do expect them to be as ruthless as their future selves to achieve their own goals; or in the female lead’s case, to steer clear away from the power struggles and change the course of the lives of those she implicated behind. I especially appreciated the storytelling as it only shows the past when it is about to happen, highlighting the changes in the new timeline without further spoiling things that are yet to happen. It keeps the story interesting and avoids redundancy. The male lead is on another level too. Xie Wei was obsessed, possessive, and cruel. I was gagged.

• first watch: july 17
• rewatch: november 1

Simply titled as Trespassers on Netflix, this 90-minute little gem manages to pack a punch in the black comedy and unpredictability department. Surprisingly a lot more layered and nuanced underneath its fun, hilarious, and bonkers mini-heist premise too.

To those who are skeptical on watching this because of the ‘no kisses’ and ‘slight romance’ tags, do not be.

Summer Again got me screaming, giggling, and kicking my feet. While there is indeed no direct romance (censorship does not allow high school romances. see: every other youth c-drama where the leads get together in college), the main leads are definitely aware of each other’s feelings by the halfway mark. The male lead, for one, is aware of his own feelings as early as the first episode.

Tong Xu and Lin Nanyi are so in love and they know the feelings are mutual. They bring up how she used to call him her fiancé when they were kids all the time without being shy and they very much act like it. They look at each other with so much love. Physical touch may not have been present, but having acts of service, quality time, and words of affirmation as their love language is sufficient. Their relationship is the type where their actions speak for themselves. It’s giving the purest type of romance while navigating through the highs and lows of growing up together. It’s absolutely lovely.

Renai Battle Royal, simply titled as Chastity High on Netflix, tells the story of a newly merged co-ed elite academy with a strict rule on dating. Students caught engaging in a romantic relationship can face expulsion, so the poor female lead takes advantage of the rich by exchanging her silence with their money—through an anonymous identity.

While this 8-episode drama seems like a simple story set in high school, it delves into dark and uncomfortable matters without being self-righteous or dramatic. It deals with class disparity, family violence, teenage pregnancy, sexuality, and same-sex, teacher-student, & interclass relationships. It may not have started off with most righteous cause, but every little thing that happened ultimately led to their fight for the real enemy: the system.

Bonus: insane romance subplot between the poor girl and the playboy son of the governor. Got him begging fr.

To the Wonder is such a beautiful retrospect about one's culture, heritage, and identity. It tells the story of a Han city girl moving to a nomadic Kazakh village in the mountains—a setting bound to challenge one's definition of a fulfilling life and their views on modernity and tradition. It's slow and mundane, but also very much lovely.

No Gain, No Love was hella hilarious, unpredictable, and unconventional. It started off poorly but gradually became better as it progressed, unlike most dramas where they start off strong and then fizzle out later on. The first week (episodes 1 and 2) simply felt forced and disjointed. However, it brought out open communication among the characters and then delved into topics like polyamorous relationships and foster families. It was unexpectedly a sweet and sincere story underneath all the raunchiness and absurdity. Unfortunately, the last week (episodes 11 and 12) became completely out-of-place. The last arc felt so unnecessary, so that highlighted how incomplete and underdeveloped the overall drama was.