NOT ADDICTING (AT ALL)

Usually when i write reviews i tend to be scared of saying i hated the series - the current world is full of rabid fansready to bite your head off in defense of their beloved show- but this one is quite the opposite because - im scared to say (that even if i didnt love it) that i didnt hate it as much as other people.

When they announced that there is going to be a Thai adaptation of the beloved chinese novel i was a little bit excited - first, both chinese adaptations didnt have the opportunity to finish the story and so i thought finally we' are going to see the ending, and second, I really liked the casting choice - granted i thought August was little too old to play the role conisdering the other 3 actors are quite young. Also after the disastrous HitBIteLove, I was really hoping to see Newyear and Jur (who is the only bright spot of that series) in a new and better series and although they casted them as support i was quite ok with it.

When i saw who is directing it my heart crashed- I am both at awe and fascinated how this director keeps getting a directing job because his previous works and ratings will speak for itself - but then they showed us a very strong first few episodes that I thought, wow, finally, the director is delivering something good. I loved the pacing, i loved the cinematography and i thought the location was absolutely beautiful.

And then the mess of the middle episodes happen. The silly silly annoying female characters (its almost a trademark of the director to portray girls as annoying characters in every series he makes). There was also quite a lot of glitchy editing that you'd wonder if you ever miss an episode or slept through something only to realize that you havent- its just the way the editing goes.

One of my biggest gripes is that they have not used NewyearJur to the extent that i was hoping for. Not only was Tiger almost non-exxistent in the last episode but did we really need that Only-Pop twist in the the finale? Really? Its like they forgot that Only and Tiger kissed at the penultimate episode.

Granted all theses points and comments, i also wouldnt discount the possibility that these issues may be a problem of adapting the source material. The novel and the original series is just filled with over the top red-flags from bullying to kidnapping to molestation and combine that with all the despicable characters. What this adaptation failed to do however, is make the series addicting - something both the chinese adaptation were able to do. It failed to make its adaptation unique enough and at the same time it was so afraid to fully immerse into the source material. What we get here is a very bland adaptation that is scared to make its mark. Im also sad to say that none of the actors here will be able to reach Johnny Huang's success after appearing in Addicted, in fact, for me it even diminished the shine of rising stars Newyear and jur.

Also one thing i need to mention - none of the earlier promos pointed to this being a Season 1 of 2. This is a very sh*tty trick by the makers. After all the fans clamour to finally execute a full Addicted Heroin series, they gave us this - its like a curse that none of them will ever get to finish the story. I think its finally time to give it a rest.

I also need to mention this very annoying trend that a lot of Thai series is making - the uncut and cut version. Does this actually work for them because its not only really useless in most of these series because sometimes there are almost no diffeerence to both versions or at the opposite side the editing of the cut version is so extreme the story just doesnt work anymore. If you cant decide what is the right version then there is a problem with your editor and director. Please enough of this. I have seen no one in the Thai industry who is doing this trick that is close enough to the caliber of a Snyder to warrant 2 versions of the same show per week so please just stop wasting our time and just do your jobs.

Will i recommend? No not at all - most specially if you have seen b oth chinese versions because theres nothing new here and you wont miss a thing. Will i rewatch? Seriously, not even if you pay me.

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What a wasted effort

The show started out strong but succeeding episodes failed to impress.

Full of cliches, corny and unnatural script, and the producing company's attempt to include all their talents in the episodes. I also hate the inclusion of the flambuoyant gay friends, not because i hate their gayness that stereotypes filipino gay guys, but because they were taking so much screen time. I went to see the story of the sakristan and his lover and not everyone else's. They are just too much.

The final 4 episodes did become better - it at least gave the 2 leads the platform to showcase what they can do as actors.

However, just like in thai BLs, and im saying this objectively, the biggest thing i hate about their stories is when one sees his bf kissing someone else and then he weeps and becomes angry and just decides they should break up. That is just lame storytelling.

I also dont understand why they needed to make Christian's father gay, and Zach's father a priest. I dont even know why they added them in the first place. What the heck is that- an attempt to stir controversy???

And the ending? Lets not talk about that ending. Lets just pretend Zach wrote that letter and Christian read it and then the end.

Will i watch it again? Not even if you pay me. Will i reccommend it? Only If you have 160min to spare while waiting for your delayed flight or of you are stuck in EDSA traffic. I do appreciate that it is released in Youtube and its free. Overall rating 6.5 and that is me being nice.

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NO WATCH, YOUR LOSS!

What a pleasant surprise, one of the best of the year!

I would say Im a little bias going in to the show. Shin Min Ah is one of the few Korean actresses that i reallly really adore so I am predetermined to love this just for that reason. Casting the very good looking Kim Young Dae is just an icing to the cake. At first it seems like an off-pairing because of the age gap, but they worked that in the story seemlessly and i didn't think, not even once did the age gap seemed apparent because they jived so well together -it's all thanks to the strong performances of both leads.

The story is a little bit off-putting at the beginning. A seemingly modern liberated woman engaging the services of a man to be her fake husband to survive in a corporate environment. HaeYoung seems to be a big red flag at first that will do everything to move ahead of her career. It was done in the guise of light and fluffy early episodes. As the episodes go by we discovered the layers to the characters, with the last couple of episodes being so emotional, gut wrenching and heart harming at the same time.

What sets it apart from some of the other May-December affair specially the one which aired almost at the same time (Im not saying it's Cinderrella at 2AM) is how each episode of this series seems important. They developed the characters and cliffhangers in a way that you'll keep coming back for more each week. What's more, the second couple and even the third couple, for that matter, were all engaging to watch.

I just hoped they didnt end it at 12 episodes cause i feel like there's still so much more to tell and i would love to see more of Hae Young and Ji-Uk together. I know they are adding 2 special episodes for the Gyu Hun and Ja Yeon fans and will also be first in line to watch it but i still wanna see more of the main couple and the other characters.

For me, one proof of very good writing is when you wanna see and know more of each characters - and that is very evident here even up to the support casts. I would have loved to see more of the male secretary Ha Jun cause he was being initially primed as the 3rd party to GyuHun and Ja Yeon's love story plus his character has very strong personality. Manager Jang and GyuHun's parent's stories also seemed unfinished (and what an underuse of the actor Choi JIn Ho). And should i also dare to mention the non-closure of UJae and I Rin's characters (with I RIn not even showing up at the the last episode).

So will i recommend? Yes, what are you waiting for?! Definitely one of the best K dramas of the year!

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MORE MORE MORE

Good story, good pacing, cute guys and good acting - what more can you ask for? I have one thing, I want more time with them!!! The series is too damn short!

This is a testament why Korean dramas are leading all other its asian counterpart, this is a web drama but it certainly doesnt feel like it. The plot and the execution including the sets are well polished, and all the actors did a terrific job.

I even found myself singing with the song!

I will definitely rewatch this series and heres hoping that Korea will produce more, and hopefully next time it will be a full blown mainstream series.

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Sweet B*thcy Life

A testament that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Its a story of two guys, both living alone and finding comfort in ach other through good food. One is an awkward cutie college student and one is a suave police officer.

What i liked about it is it's sweet and slow-paced approach to the story. Both characters hinted of having a sad backstory, but that wasnt the focus of the story and was only slightly brushed upon, instead they decided to keep it light and palatable that unfortunately if you look closer may make you feel that the show lacked depth. The intention of the show is just to show life is better experienced with someone you love!

Of course it didnt hurt that they cast two very good looking leads and the Japanese robotic (that should have been patented by now) acting worked out great in its favor. To be perfectly honest, nothing much has been happening every episode and the whole series would have been perfectly ok in maybe 6 episodes but seeing both of the actors just being cute together is enough to keep me watching the show. I also liked Isumi's friends especially Yohei, who acted more like a fairy god BL mother in the story.

HOWEVER, in what feels like a big clickbait BL thirsttrap, I initially thought that they were spoiling the story in the credits sequence which showed a lot of scenes of Isumi and Kyosuke being sweet together and holding hands in public. The truth is those sequences wasnt even shown in the actual series (the same exact sequence and a just a tad more was just shown in the last few minutes as a closing montage of their time together). There was even a time around the middle episodes when i was even questioning whetherthis was in fact just a bromance show and a one-sided unrequited love and that Amasawa only really saw Isumi as a younger brother and Isumi was only misinterpreting Amasawa's actions. Every next episode preview would tease us that something sweet will be happening in the next episode only for it to turn out into nothing the next week. It only really paid off during the last few minutes of the finale and by that time you feel like you just havent seen enough of the two as a couple together.

With that consideration aside, i still feel like it is a good enough show that would even be better binged in a day or two seating. Will i recommend the show? Yes definitely. Will I rewatch? Maybe not entirely.

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Confusing and Tiring

Just to be clear, Im only giving this show a 6 because of Kim and Copter, the show is a big confusing mess taking itself too seriously and tried to give us a big smorgasboard that didnt really work.

Let me talk about KitMark first, cause they are the main reason why i watched this show. Kim's acting can sometimes be silly but as silly as it is he is still lovable, and Copter is, as expected, always a pleasure to watch. Put them together in a scene and they just complemented each other well. The sad part is the series lacked consistency and at the last few episodes it felt like they were donwgraded to support characters.

Now lets discuss Bas and his character Wayu. I didnt enjoy him in 2moons but at least he was tolerable there. Here, the constantly crying Wayu is just annoying. His character was written like a princess who is more delicate than a real girl and is almost always vulnerable (and fainting or falling) and in need of assistance. He even needs help in washing his own hands for crying out loud. Girls act tougher than this guy in real life, its frustrating.

Whats with the supernatural element in this show? Thanu and Phai's destiny premonition or whatever you call that came out of nowhere but acceptable. But doing the same exact thing for Thanu and Wayu just pushed it to the edge of ridiculousness.

And then there's the fact that this show featured hundred thousand actors that everyone felt like minor characters. I hate shows that feels like nothing is happening after an episode, but this one tried to cram too much that you end up forgetting what and whose show it is in the first place.

One thing i also have to comment is the fact that this university has almost non-existent straight characters. I know this is a BL show, but for for the love of the goddess all girls were treated as shrieking accessories that oggles for cute guys even if he is obviously gay. I think in the finale they even forget that the real world has girls in it.

Will i rewatch, hell no, not even the KitMark scenes. Will i reccommend, maybe for tweens and for those who are still stuck at home and nothing to do but watch, but lower your expectations and i mean really low. Yes im glad that i at least get to watch Kim and Copter again, but i hope producers in Thailand realize how ridiculous it is to produce exactly the same low quality university themed BL stories over and over again - gay life is not this black and white boring.

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A must see. It is a 20 plus minutes of pure gold.

Two guys, friends, who have lost touch and have not seen each other for quite some time met again at an event, From the onset, we'll surmise that they used to be in a relationship, and must now face the truth about their past.

I must warn you that watching this mini movie will hurt, a lot, sepecially if you are a gay guy who has experienced loving the same sex and has been forced by society to stop.

Good cinematography, good script. It reminds me of a watered down version of a Hollywood movie Before Sunset. The sound however is a little too tiny i have to read the subtitles just too understand the conversation. This is how Pinoy BL dramas should be judged, not the titiliating indie movies a few years back.

I would have given the story a 10 if they didnt make the fiance a girl.

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A nice cap off to the Ai and Nhai love story.

Quite a few people hated the main series. I understand their concerns but it was different for me because i loved it. AI lhong Nhai was a guilty pleasure watch and its such a delight to see them end the series with this.

Lets not kid ourselves, it looks like it was shot within a day and on a limited budget but there was some good camera shots and sceneries here. The locations are amazing but they could have spent a little more time with the set - the empty bookshelf when Ton and Nhai is having lunch is so distracting they didnt even bother to put a single book or plant in it.

Like the main series there will be a few violent reactions again about the script (or the very poor way it was translated). I would also like to know how expensive it is to get the rest of the gang, at least Nhai's father, and why it wasnt possible for them to even make a cameo for this occassion.

I however love them bringing back Sippakorn and Jaonan. Seeing this lovely real life couple onscreen is like rainbow on a rainy day.

I am not sure if there is a demand or a clamor for this but i really appreciate them most for giving us this special episode to end the Ai Nhai story. The main series ended quite abruptly and this special felt like they planned to do it like this all along.

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I'm Happy and Merry That it Ended Quickly

The wedding singing sequence in the first episode captured me. (Side note - the decoration on that venue was absolutely fantastic), I thought it was a strong promising start. Unfortunately things didnt get better after that.

What i dont understand is if this series is meant for streaming or web, why cant they just add few more minutes per episodes. Aside from the obvious intention of patching the episodes together to transform it into a feature length movie - Is there a standard format that requires them to squeeze the playtime like this?

I love short series - when done right. The problem is, Korea has bombarded us with quite a few luckluster short series that are not only under developed but are totally forgetable and that is exactly what we have here. There is nothing in the series that made me want to care about the main leads. Characters keep making questionable choices. There wasnt enough to tell us their backstory, and they didnt develop their love story in a way for me to care about them.

The only thing i liked is the music bcause these two leads can really SING. Jae Hyun's finale song is heartmelting.

The sad truth is Im just glad it ended quickly and i can just put it behind me and forget about it. If these are the caliber of series that GagaOOlala can offer, i think they will have a hard time capturing subscribers.

Rewatcheability - 4 just because Sung Tae is so cute
Story - 5. What story?
Songs - 9
Overall its a 6.5 and thats me being generous. Watch only when youre stuck in a traffic somewhere.

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IM ONLY 12% AWAKE

I'm scared to write this review. For sure, I'll receive a lot of backlash again for saying bad things about it, but I CANT just keep silent.

First, let's discuss the good things. The outline of the basic plot is good on paper; it's the love story of a couple who have been each other's first loves. In all fairness, the first few episodes were a little slow but engaging. It also feels like they have enough of a budget, as the series looked decent enough. I also appreciate the subtle changes in technology that show the difference in timeline. And yes, the main lead's hairstyle changed after the time jump! Also, let's give props to the actors because they did a good job. Of course, Earth did all the heavy lifting, but we must also acknowledge that Santa did a good job for someone so young and not as veteran as Earth.

Now, for the not-so-good parts. First, and this is totally my own opinion, I hate seeing gay characters who are portrayed as softer and more delicate than marshmallow. It felt like a backward progression for our quest for acceptance when on the  other side of the world, a lot of female characters are being portrayed as EQUAL to their male counterparts. In this day and age, portraying gay men as crybabies and scaredy cats is simply unacceptable.

And then there is the endless crying, especially in the last two episodes. Why, for crying out loud, do they make Earth cry this much? I didn't even know why it was necessary to kill Seeiw's mother just so we could have a last episode that was almost entirely Earth crying. It is not entertaining. It is so boring and unnecessary that whenever he cries, fast forwarding becomes a necessity. In fact, no matter how hard I tried, I was only 12% awake in the last 2 episodes. There are other ways to show how good an actor can be aside from shedding tears. It was a series finale, and the episode could have been used to further the storylines of our characters.

Other readers will kill me for saying this, but as strong as the start is, this felt like a cheap imitation of Love of Siam and I Told Sunset About You; unfortunately, this show can't hold a candle against those classics.

I'm sorry, as much as I adore Earth and Santa, I just cannot rewatch this show. I'm giving it a 7.5 for the effort.

EDIT: To be fair, I thought I couldnt rewatch it but i have and have increased my rating a bit. Thanks for people pointing out that I was also a bit homophobic with my review, I promise Ill be better in the future!

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Oh goodness im trying to find good things to say about this series. It is just bad. If you havent read this review dont go further, just stay away. This is a toxic show.

To be honest, the only thing that kept me watching is Cooper (Golf) - what can I say, Im a sucker for cute boys (that didnt sound right) - his acting was a still raw at this point, probably because he was still too young here, and Im judging from a very low bar.

What I dont like about the series:
1. Im sorry to say but I dont know why Guide is the other main lead here , his character Bank has not enough charisma and personality and not believable enough to convert a straight boy into loving another boy, let alone be the object of affection of 2 guys.
2. How they presented the timeline just didnt work for me, and it was too obvious that they want to explain everything.
3. This is telenovela at its worst, it has the most number of sick people in a show that Ive ever seen - MDD, Alzheimers, Cancer and Heart failure. It is a futile and lazy attempt to create drama. Golf has the unluckiest family in the entire drama world -all the old members are/were sick or was beaten by an ex partner.
4. The ending - i desperately tried to search the web for the next episode, I thought they pranked me but did the show really end like that? I get that at least the 2 leads were together, as expected, but all the other characters and events just became unimportant.

When i was about halfway through all the episodes all i can think about is when will this show end. Rewatcheability - im giving it a 4 just because of Cooper, if youre a fan of this guy, then watch but if not run for your life. Overall im giving it a 5

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CUTE CAST, is that enough?

Let me say that i misjudged it too early after the 13th episode, by that time rumor of a second season is floating and it made me worried they will leave the first season with all the relationship in cliffhanger mode just to make us come back for season 2.

Lets talk about the series objectively. Story is nothing special and a bagful of cliches, in fact i would say that if you seen a few Thai BL, chances are, you know how and where this one is going. Pacing is also a little too slow for me, it feels like they stretched each scenes a little too long to fit it in 14 episodes. They could have squeezed the entire series in to 10 episodes and it will still feel the same.

If i watch another Thai BL with the 'i saw my bf kissing someone so i hate him and i want to breakup' scene I will just totally give up THai dramas. Comeon, dont tell me this is the only way writers in Thailand know how to create drama? They should create an eff*n real conflict and develop it properly.

Next, who the f goes swimming wearing shirts and pants? Are Thais really this prude? There was almost zero to very little kissing (and intimacy) in the entire series that it feels like a conscious effort not to show them, it made the entire series feel like a big bromance rather than a true BL story. Remember SOTUS? Yes i remember it too clearly, and its the same director, and is he aiming to bring in wider audience or what he has done is alienate hardcore BL fans?

The series, was saved by the beautiful cast. Bohn(Cooper) and Duen(Poy) are a really cute couple and yes id probably watch anything with Cooper. However, and this is a good however, the main couple is surrounded by an equally or maybe cuter couples - KingRam (Lay and Perth) and a more engaging BossMek (Intouch and Ryan). I hate to see the secpnd season without Ryan. Forget the fourth couple FrongThara as they were only annoying.

I am thankful that the season finale saved the series from being a total disaster by at least tying up the lose ends and never left us hanging with unnecessary cliffhangers. At least the entire series feels complete even if you dont watch the second season. Will i rewatch this season - probably not. Will i reccommend this series - yes!

Will I be back for the next round? Most probably yes, and I beg them to bring back Ryan or maybe atleast replace the actor with a different face but keep the same character Mek and not give Boss an entirely new love story.

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Better than a lot of craps being shown right now.

What to like:
1. Cutipies! Ben, Jim , Olan! Yum yum yum!;
2. Good subtle acting(except maybe Yana). Some people say that Ben is a bit humanoid with weird facial expressions, I kinda agree (its like watching a male version of Kristen Stewart who almost always looks like she needs to take a crap when she needs to show emotion) BUT its also part of why i like Teejay's acting, it is closer to how people actually act in real life. Also, i like his small nuances that shows the gayness of the character;
3. Flo, i love Flo;
4. Above average cinematography;

What to hate:
1. Creepy watching by the window scenes, like for real, its not polite to openly watch your neighbor through your window;
2. I know Ben and Jim are the main protagonists but the series treated the secondary characters like crap just to move the story forward
- BLs have a sad habit of relegating female characters as useless background characters. They could have made Yana a proper lovable character so we'd feel attached and sorry for her. I love Flo but she was a glorified sidekick, does she not have anything important going on with her life?
- How they handled Olan's character was a bit too low. They made us love him and then just dumped him like a sad kitty;
3. The whole Covid setting was used just for convenience but lacks consistency. Not everyone was wearing protection, the characters were always outside (using being a frontliner as an easy excuse). Is Leo a frontliner too, how can he go to Ben's place so easily? How can Yana hitchride with Olan without mask? If you dont want the character to wear masks, then dont use the COVID setup;
4. Things escalated too quickly - one day Jim was so inlove with Yana and the next he was announcing to the world his love for Ben. I know they tried to show him caring for Ben, even calls him wifey and all, but it wasnt implied he was gay enough to really be his lover. Was he infected with a gay virus? Was it the lack of chemistry? Was it Jerome's ineffective acting?
5. The way they were trying to ship Olan and Yana. I seriously hope they wouldnt put them together, cause it feels like they are going to do that in the second season;
6. I hate Leo and that useless Ben and Jim's families conflicts.

Would i rewatch, yes probably, maybe just a quick skimming before the second season. Overall its a good and appreciated effort from a big studio, certainly better than a lot of the crappy telenovelas in philippine tv. I hope a lot more can be brave enough to tell these kind of stories and maybe one day it will be more mainstream. Overall, i give it 4 stars aout of 5.

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Wonderful People in a Wonderful World

"In the middle of life's journey, I got lost and wandered. No matter how much time passes,losing someone precious to you will always be lonesome. I will try to keep going. If i keep going, one day the pain will lessen. I hope all those grieving find comfort. I hope the world will be more friendly to those in pain. I hope a beautiful world will come while you overcome your pain."

I never thought a story of revenge and salvation can be this satisfying.

Full on heavy drama shows are never my priority to watch. With so much content nowadays, you have to have a list of priority and this initially wasnt in my top, but i ended up eagerly waiting for each episodes. This series is anxiety-inducing but is also satisfying and inspirational.

The first episode hooks you in. The perfect perfect casting of Kin Nam Joo and Kim Kang Woo - as Eun Soo Hyun and Hang Soo Ho as perfect husband and wife ,and parents who tragically lost their kid due to a an accident - the death that could have easily been prevented had the perpetrator just took their son to seek medical assistance. The accident and the justice system's inability to punish the criminals made Soo Hyun take matters in to her hands - further destryoing her once perfect life by killing the man responsible for the death of her son. This is the story of her (and her husband's) disappointments, healing, salvation and triumph.

The series also introduced us to Gwon Seon Yul. A man-child seeking revenge to those who have destryoed his family - with a surprise casting of Cha Eun Woo. The character needed the depth of someone who has lost everything in life - someone you are supposed to despise but is too good looking to hate. He fits the bill perfectly and I am pleasantly surprised with how well he acted in this series - i never thought Id say this but with the right direction he has finally proven something and has indeed become an Actor here.

Fanatics beware this is the part were i say some things you might hate. The story, to be quite honest, is not really unique - in fact a lot of times it verges on the typical melodrama soap opera. The overall plot is predictable and we can see from a mile away who the real culprit is. The attempt to make Seon Yul's character the fadeaway villain is also not convincing - like I said in the last pharagraph Cha Eun Woo is just too good looking to hate and you know all their efforts for a fakeout is not believable. Also, I am sorry to say but for me, the pacing too can sometimes be a little slow (I watched most of it in 1.25 speed) with a lot of emphasis on quiet, thinking scenes.

With all that said, this is still a very satisfying and inspirational series and the series finale was executed beautifully - tieing up Soo Hyun and Seon Yul's storeis perfectly and leaving viewers with a feeling of hope that no matter how dire their cumstances are, good things are still bound to happen and that no matter how hard life is, thare are still wonderful people and this is still a wonderful world to live in.

Maybe a hard sell for a rewatch, but seeing it one time is enough to send its message. Overall its a 9.5, especially for the acting and direction. A show most reccommendable to watch.

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