An overstretched Nothingness

When I watched the trailer I didn't expect much, but it actually started really well. I ate my words for the first five episodes and I was so pleasantly surprised, but then it flopped. No depth was given to neither the characters nor the couple dynamics. Everyone in this story remained two dimensional from start to finish and it's a shame because all of them had so much potential to be fleshed out in 16 episodes. Instead of that we got a pointless back and forth between the two main couples for multiple episodes and almost zero screen time for the side couples, when there was so much room for development. Don't get me wrong, it does have it's fun and cute moments, but that's just it. Nothing really substantial. If they went for a 10 episode series it would work, but 16 episodes is just a waste of budget.

The acting overall was fine. The actors did their job. For me, Aou and Boom really carried the show, even with their limited screen time. They are very experienced actors and elevated their roles.

If you're interested in watching something feel good with zero drama just to pass your time and relax that's a fine show to watch.

Leggi di Più

A super progressive series

For starters it's not a bl, but has a lot of queer elements.

We are talking about a very progressive series. It may start as a simple and fun story, but it really addresses a wide variety of issues, without being stilted about it. Nothing is thrown at your face to force you feel some type of way. Everything is incorporated into the plot, from the characters' point of view and has an impact on the story. Whether you agree or not about it, it's still in your discretion. The point is that some things you usually don't see in other shows here are getting presented, which is very interesting. All the characters are also super unique and very well written, representing all sorts of people out there and are very cleverly put into the story. Still, it's not a very emotionally heavy story. It will touch you in the feels many times, but it keeps its light heartedness in general.

The cast is great. All the actors are top notch and do justice to their roles.

Like in every other series of P'Jojo, the music choices are very cool.

Overall, it's a great series to give a chance to. It includes some controversial topics, but if you appreciate a well written and well paced story without looking for too much drama or too much comedy, this one balances it well I feel.

Leggi di Più

Time well Invested

A brilliant series from the very well written story to the amazing cinematography to the exceptional acting. It perfectly combines mystery with romance and action all very cleverly put, evoking all kinds of emotions. It keeps you interested from the start till the end, making you speculate and theorise over the possibilities. The plot is so strong you really need to pay attention to all the details. It's also the reason the rewatch value in my rating is so high. I feel the second time it's gonna look like a new show.

I recommend this series only to those who enjoy a complex story with dark undertones.

Leggi di Più

A disaster..

Being already a fan of the manga, it was my most anticipated series of the year only to be left really disappointed. For the most part, the show stays loyal to the original material with all the necessary changes for cultural reasons, but the execution failed miserably. The story was buried under product placements and mass merch endorsement, one that I've never seen in any other bl going that hard. Some scene additions were totally unnecessary as well, offering nothing other than dragging the pace, when there was so much material to adapt already. All that combined with very childish music choices on the background. In all honesty, after a point I watched the episodes fast forward just to get on with it, with the only exception being the intro and the outro song, which I loved very much.

As for the cast, it couldn't have been more perfect. These four actors were excellent for the roles and did their best, but even with their skills I didn't manage to connect with the characters at all. And when the writing suffers there's so much an actor can do.

Despite all that, I do recommend this series to anyone who just wants to see a very fluffy and non dramatic story. It has its cute and fun moments here and there and if that's the type of series you enjoy you could give it a try.

Leggi di Più

Toxicity at its finest

A controversial show you either love or hate.

Toxic and emotionally draining, but that's the quality that makes it special. It doesn't feel like a fairytale, where everything is sprinkled with stardust. It's mature and focuses on the ugly and less attractive side of people, when they are at their worst and succumb to their lowest instincts. I enjoyed watching these six characters being humans. Petty and flawed. They will definitely frustrate you, you will love them, you'll hate them, you'll sympathise with them, but they are all multi dimensional they feel real.

Aside from the story itself the acting must be praised. Every actor gave it their best and the result was amazing. I will commend Khaotung a bit more for delivering --in a terrifyingly realistic way-- one of the best scenes I've ever ever watched on a bl so far.

As for the music, every song selected fitted each scene perfectly and amplified the emotions the characters conveyed.

Overall, it's a show I definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in a less perfect story.

Leggi di Più

Words aren't Enough..

A very refreshing storyline that blurs the lines of morality and simply gives you each person's perspective. It had great pace and interesting characters with their own goals and motives. No scene gets wasted, without contributing on developing the story itself or the characters to their journey of finding themselves. It mostly has a darker undertone and enough emotional scenes that will get you in the feels, but there are also more light hearted elements included that keep it balanced, so it's easy to watch and not that heavy. The acting was also pretty good and so were the music choices.

I would give it a higher rating if I had formed a stronger connection with all the characters. I feel that's the only thing this series lacked during my experience. I could deeply relate to one character only and cared less for the others.

If you haven't watched it yet, what are you doing with your life? ? I definitely recommend to everyone. This one is one of the best written stories out there!!!

Leggi di Più

Nothing to lose my mind over..

A decent story overall. I generally enjoyed the elements of realism when it came to the school bullying and the depiction of poverty and struggle in contrast to wealth and power. The characters for the most part were fine, but not that much developed. I get that the protagonists need more screen time, but I needed for the side characters to have their own goals and motives instead of their life revolving around the main couple 24/7. And speaking of the main couple, their love story I can't say it won me over. The actors did their job, but I wasn't convinced to root for them based on the writing. It felt kinda forced.

I was more intrigued in the first half of the show, but it kinda flopped after a point. The plot was all over the place, the writing wasn't that good and many things were wrapped up fast, which I guess has a lot to do with the number of episodes being fixed and not with the writers.

Still I'll recommend it to anyone who likes a typical romantic story with.

Leggi di Più

A series with a lot of heart

In all honesty, I expected the silliest and most ridiculous romance plotline of all bls. What I got, though, was a story with so much depth and character analysis you usually don't see in many shows. It consists of 16 episodes of 90 minutes each and no minute goes to waste. No scene felt like a filler to me. If anything I think the episodes could have more duration and still be interesting. The story is so detailed and slowly unfolds along the way giving us an insight to all the characters piece by piece. It tackles serious issues without getting boring or repetitive and keeps a very realistic tone despite the fantasy element. I like that no character is portrayed as ideal in the story and we get to see everyone's flaws. If I could change anything that would probably be some rushed elements, regarding a couple of scenes and some side characters with key roles that needed better writting. As for the acting part, I think everyone was excellent!

This series is one that I would definitely recommend if you are not looking for the usual fluffiness and want a story that invests a lot of time on human bonds and interactions!

Leggi di Più

A Messier Mess

This season proved to be more than necessary for me. It fixes a lot of issues I had with season one, regarding the depth of the characters and the distribution of screen time for each of them. It's much more balanced and easy to watch. The story gets more complicated with the addition of new characters and new storylines, so it's not like you'll lose interest. Still, I couldn't bring myself to connect with the characters that much this time either. And it doesn't have to do with the acting. The actors were all great, but it got tiresome to watch after a point. I love angst and mess, but dragging it for that long isn't my cup of tea.

However, I definitely recommend it if you've already watched the first season. In my opinion, season one can't stand on its own. Season two really completes it and elevates the story.

Leggi di Più

A Shell of its Former Self

A decent effort to continue the series without the desired results, though. Many of the elements that made this story unique and charming in the first season, were unfortunately absent. Off and Gun literally carried the second season. It would work fine if the story focused on developing the bl part, that had a lot of room for development anyway, and kept the main couple in a supporting or side role instead of forcing an unbearable development for their story that felt draggy. The addition of new characters as well, didn't offer anything substantial to the show other than filling time.

Still it had its fun parts no doubt, but it wasn't as good or as enjoyable as it was before. Had the writing been better, the second season could have been on the same level if not better than the first.

I definitely recommend it for the OffGun development at least.

Leggi di Più

A very feel good story

A very sweet and fun series to pleasantly spend your time. The plotline is not that deep, but the pace is good so it keeps you interested, without tiring you out with draggy and unnecessary scenes..

I honestly gave it a shot to witness the birth of OffGun, but I enjoyed it to its entirety. All characters are interesting and both couples are giving chemistry. I don't consider it that much outdated, given the year it was released. For me, it's a series made with care and even feels fresh in comparison to the series we get nowadays of the same genre.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves good romance and fluff!

Leggi di Più

Unpredictable till the End

A deep themed drama with a very solid story that engages you from episode one and keeps you on your toes till the end with the mystery solution. I was expecting predictability only to be rebutted time, after time, after time. The plot was complex with twists and turns, succeeding when many shows of the mystery genre fail with cliché plotlines. With that being said, I did have my issues with how some clues came conveniently to the story as a plot device or some parts getting rushed. It just felt too easy, I wish they were developed differently.

As for the romance, it didn't win me over personally. The way it was added to the main story was interesting and it did make sense, but I could live without it or at least with less of it. It didn't merge that well for me with the rest of the story. Sometimes it felt that the show turned bipolar, because its tone was shifted. Though, I understand it was for relief purposes, the result wasn't very smooth.

However, that says nothing about the actors themselves. They were pretty skilled with a lot of chemistry and portrayed their characters very well, just like the rest of the cast. I give a little more credit to Meiko, though. I really loved her performance!

I definitely recommend the series to mystery lovers who want something dark and complex with a bit of romance for the flavour..

Leggi di Più

A Messy Mess

As the predecessor of Only Friends, the two shows share a lot of similarities: love triangles, trash friendships, questionable decisions and a lot of toxicity in general, but in comparison this one lacks depth. I never really connected with the characters. I felt for the most part they were very superficially portrayed. They were all over the place, jumping from one story to another and never really lingered enough to understand them. This show either needed more episodes or less characters for me to work better.

The most interesting part for me was the bl storyline and that's because the dynamics of those characters were richer in emotions, compare to everyone else. There was a little more care in that part of the show that kept you interested to see what will happen. With that being said, like in many shows of P'Jojo's, some serious issues were tackled here as well, that other shows usually don't bother to explore and I really appreciate that.

Most of the characters may have not won me over, but the actors were all great. I'll give a little more credit to Singto and Plustor, though.

I suggest this show to anyone who loves drama and messy storylines. It's perfect for you!

Leggi di Più

Excited my Expectations

It grabs your attention from episode 1. The plot, in all honesty, is not something so different that you've never watched before, but the execution is what made it stand out and work for me. Its lovable characters, unique sense of humour and even the purple as the show's signature colour are some of the elements that helped it gain its own identity among the other bls.

Is it perfect?

No. As every show, it has its issues. The plot dragged a bit on some parts, some plotlines could have been more developed or built up earlier in the show and not get resolved that fast and I'll admit I have an issue with how one serious incident turned into a joke just for the sake of the plot, but the good traits still outweigh the bad.

As for the acting everyone individually deserves a praise. We got a very capable cast. Great and Inn did an amazing job in their debut bl series with Thor and Fluke being on par with them. Both sets of actors were so good I'd love to see them in another bl as main leads.

Overall, it's a series with a lot of heart. It may frustrate you at some points, but the journey is beautiful. If you like romance that's the story for you. And even if it's not you cup of tea, just for the acting alone it's worth giving it a shot.

Leggi di Più

Not a typical story

The first part kept me interested, but it actually mislead me into labelling it a certain way and have expectations of what the movie should be, when in actuality it's a story with a lot of symbolisms. I appreciate it for what it is and usually this kind of stories are within my tastes, but with this one I didn't manage to connect all the way. Maybe, the way it was presented didn't do the trick for me. If you watch it once you'll certainly need to give it another try to interpret the scenes.

The scenery, was beautiful and the acting worth watching.

I do not recommend the story to someone who expects a regular movie formula. If you are into more unconventional movies, then check it out, otherwise you'll get tired.

Leggi di Più