Great acting!

As it's now 2022, I'm a little late to the party. Still, the themes are relevant for a high school setting. Typical sex/drugs/rock 'n roll themes are used here. I'm not a huge fan of this much drama, but I wanted to write a review to say how good the acting was. These kids did an amazing job! At no point, in season 1 or 2, did I think about how a line should have been read or how something didn't look realistic, because the acting skills were terrific.

For someone who prefers to watch a fluffy series, I was actually disappointed that all the story lines got wrapped up neatly. That took quite a bit of the realism out of the story. I think Phai was my favorite character, and he got hit with some heavy storyline. There were other characters that I loved as well, but there were also ones that I hated and ended up skimming through. I have to say that I loved Tar's guitar playing.

Again, the acting was phenomenal for season 1 and 2. I am not planning to watch season 3 though, as there is only 1 character I liked enough to watch, and that's not enough for me to continue with such a heavy drama.

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I liked this

I just really liked this drama. In my opinion, it was so sweet and enjoyable. I laughed out loud a few times, I cried more than I expected to, and although I didn't think the male lead was overly handsome, I did swoon over his model pics a few times, 'cause sheesh! LOL. I appreciated that it didn't have a bunch, if any (for me), of cringe moments. I appreciated the support that the characters gave each other. There were moments that the plot line of some characters surprised me, and there were others that were predictable, and I was ok with them all.

This drama touched on some issues but it didn't shove them in your face, which I liked. Some issues got wrapped a little too neatly, but it's a drama, and if I wanted real life, I wouldn't bother watching a K-drama series.

I generally don't rewatch many dramas, but there is a definite possibility that I may actually rewatch this in the future.

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I have just finished the series. I have many thoughts, but I am specifically writing a review because of the actors. I am very forgiving when it comes to dramas, because they are just stories to entertain. Unlike real life, if you aren't entertained, you can simply quit watching. I, like another reviewer I saw, binged this drama in 2 days. It was a bit much, as I often had tears running down my face from about episode 28 through the finale. But I loved the acting so much, even if the story and characters were unrealistic.

Cheng Ran (Ran-Ran)--Ultimate good character. Most supportive best friend in the world. Best boyfriend/husband. My favorite character. Loved how he was attracted to Yan-Yan as opposed to being scared for her. Loved how he said he would do anything to prove his love, and did. (Tiptoeing to keep from crushing the eggs? Brilliant!) He had the best reactions to both Yan and Gu Chuan. I think he was most real to me. Liu Rui Lin understood the assignment.

Jiang Ling (Auntie)--my second favorite character. She was just cool. Bada$$ with her expressions. A side-eye from her would make anyone stop and think twice.

Xiao Ning--I saw a lot of reviewers calling her childish. I disagree, I would say "child-like." *shrug* Some people just are. It's in their nature to be child-like, naive, innocent. It's also the reason that people like that are firm in their beliefs, committed, only seeing the best in others. Plus, she was young and matured throughout the series.

Yan-Yan--Loved her. Loved how Cheng Ran couldn't fool her. Loved the process of her falling for Ran-Ran and then never letting go.

Gu Chuan--Just like Cheng Ran, I was happy every time I saw him on screen. I found it interesting how he portrayed emotion without portraying emotion. I think the directors did a fabulous job with him also.

Grandma--Zhu Ya Ying did a great job with the script. I thought her character was too easy-going though. Dementia patients will tend to be confused a lot, scared, and unreasonable, at least occasionally. Grandma was always firm in her beliefs (even if they were wrong) and way too calm.

I have more to say, but that just makes for an unreasonably long review. But oh....my fav scenes are Gu Chuan's confession scene and the League of Legends "First Blood" (etc.) reference. Had to mention those. :)

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Waste of potentially great actors

I wish that someone would have taken this cast and given them a script. The younger of the cast have great acting skills, but they had nothing to act on. I finished watching this series for the actors alone, not the story. The story was lame and disjointed in my opinion. Honestly, the behind-the-scenes was more entertaining. And I hate saying that, because I LOVE Boun and Prem, and wish them the best. I also enjoyed the other boys. The fathers seemed to be comedic relief without the comedy, and there was a lot of overacting that just came off as ridiculous. There was so much space that could have been filled with story....ANYONE'S story...none of them were complete. Instead, there was a lot of staring out over the ocean/river/sunset. It was a waste of a lot of talent. From day 1, it has seemed that this is just a little drama to keep Boun and Prem relevant until their next drama airs.

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Absolutely underrated

Just a quick review to add my 2 cents because I don't understand why people rate this drama so low

First: the music. I am rarely swayed by the music in a drama, but I absolutely loved the music in this one. I also love the fact that the singers in the band, both lead and backup, could actually sing. So many times, the directors (or producers or whoever) put someone up to singing a song when they really shouldn't. Not everyone is a born singer.

Second: I loved the characters.....pretty much all of them, especially by the end of the drama. Props to the side characters for carrying the leads to where they needed to be.

Third: I thought the storyline itself was unique. If one is looking for something really dramatic, this isn't it. But it was sweet and held my attention, and in the end you find out everyone's motives.

Please excuse the lower "rewatch" rating. I don't like to rewatch most dramas, It would have to be on the level of "Goblin" for me to want to rewatch. Not much measures up to that, at least in my opinion.

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An enjoyable drama

First: Other than Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) I have rarely come across an OST that catches my attention. But during this drama, I was surprised to find myself thinking, "That's a great song to put there" or similar thoughts. I mention this first, because it's so rare that the music impresses me.

Second: Rowoon. He's a good actor, and I am fascinated by how good looking he is. I hate the scenes where they put too much makeup on him....maybe the makeup didn't change but the lighting did. Idk. But he didn't need as much as they put on him most of the time.

Third: I enjoy Asian dramas, whether they be Korean, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, etc. I like the good ones and the bad ones. I can confidently say that this was a good drama, because I've seen so many. It had a high production value, good acting, and decent chemistry among the cast. It had enough drama in it to be dramatic, but not so much that it was cringey. It was, over all, a feel-good drama, which is nice because dramas are an escape, and it's nice to fantasize that there are happy endings. I teared up a time or two, but I never had to break down sobbing for the characters, so that was nice. There's enough reason to sob irl.

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IMHO

I loved the acting of both leads, and they did what they were supposed to do in all the scenes. They did not seem to shy away from the intimate scenes, and they played their parts well. But can I ship them? No. I couldn't find the chemistry that others seem to think was there. I thought Shi Lei had better chemistry with Stone and the waitress than with Real.

Shi Lei's mom was GREAT! I loved how she supported him.

I liked this drama, but I would not rewatch it. Hank Wang, however, is cute as a button, so I'll be looking out for him in other productions.

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Need better writers

I'm so surprised that people rated this season so highly. The acting was great in my opinion. However, there was too much story and not enough air time to include it all. I doubt there will be a season 3, as the actors are moving on. It made me happy to see the different actors as they came on screen but as far as the story goes, it was a waste of my time. And that's sad, because I rarely find fault in a drama and can overlook a multitude of sins. This was too much though. So I'm conflicted with my love for the actors and their acting, and my dislike for the story I just watched.

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Great way to spend an afternoon

I agree with some of the other reviews, this mini-drama is charming. I find it interesting that they reused the songs from "He/She/It" just as they recast the same actors as leads. I'm not upset about it though. The only thing that bothers me about "Ingredients" is that they kinda skipped the romance part. They went straight from flirting to wondering how they were going to live without each other, with only a kiss in between. It just seems to be missing an episode, in my opinion, for the story to be cohesive. I'm not wanting anything dramatic, but instead of getting to explore their feelings for each other, they went to cook....which was adorable, but still. Regardless, I did love what I got to see with my whole heart. The acting was amazing. The story was cute and fluffy and heartwarming.

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Questions...

This is not a polished review, these are just the thoughts I have now that I've completed the series:

--In the final scene with the director, why didn't Pang tell the other kids that they couldn't lose their potentials once they had them?
--What was in it for Ms. Ladda in her final actions?
--How did Mon and Korn end up back with the group, and when did they realize they still had their potentials?
--Did Chanon die or was he mentally incapacitated?
--What is the director's end-game?

I haven't watched Graduation yet....hopefully some of this will be cleared up. I have so many questions....

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I will remember this as one of my favorites

This drama got a lot more hate than I think it deserved. Although this drama was not perfect, it gave people exactly what they asked for: a sweet, supportive relationship between two imperfect people, amazing chemistry, hot NC scenes without being vulgar, real kisses, supportive friends, trauma/psychological management, gorgeous settings, beautiful visuals, and more. While I did not read the novel, which apparently has the storyline and characters more in-depth and fleshed out, I am satisfied with this series.

You can't please everyone, and there were things that even I did not like. My biggest complaint is Jade. This best friend, portrayed by Yim, was a constant irritation to me. He was supposed to be comedic relief and make the show lighter. Instead, he generally just came off as stupid and whiney, and it didn't fit the overall theme of the show. Yim is a good actor and his more serious scenes were spot on. I just didn't like his interpretation of the character or the direction of the character as a whole.

I didn't start out as much of a Net/James fan, but I did end as one. Their chemistry is undeniable, both on screen and off. James does a great job playing a pretty yet stand-offish character who naturally exudes sexual attractiveness. He is wary of others due to his traumas, both past and present. Net portrays a playboy type character with animal-like sex appeal who is utterly smitten with his hard-to-get target. Together, they navigate a FWB relationship, learning to support and trust each other.

I looked forward to this show and was not disappointed. I think both Net and James are good actors who will continue to grow their skills as they get more experience and learn to trust their own instincts better.

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Very enjoyable!

With one episode left to watch (currently waiting for it to drop on Netflix sometime today) I can honestly say that I am thoroughly enjoying this show. It is a true rom-com. It isn't original or anything crazy, but it's exactly what I'm here for: the romance and the comedy. There's a bit of drama as well but it gets dealt with in a satisfactory manner and adds depth to the show as opposed to turning me away. (If I wanted to watch the bad guys win, I'd turn on the news instead of a rom-com that makes me feel good when I see the underdog win.)

I have seen a lot of bad comments about this show, so I'll warn you that if you can't laugh at yourself and others without getting offended, then this isn't for you. If you respect your own culture/politics/religions as well as others, you should also be mature enough to be able to enjoy a comedy sketch without taking it seriously.

The actors do a good job playing their roles appropriately, and I have no problems with the directing and editing teams. There is sufficient chemistry between the characters to pull off believable relationships within the show. The settings are lovely and exactly as expected, and the music is appropriate and not distracting. It is overall, well made and easy to watch.

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Short but sweet!

This was adorable! It was cute and sweet and fun to watch. There were no cringey scenes (in my opinion), and we were saved from having to see those horrible cringey hairstyles that K-dramas used to do. And it was awesome seeing Monsta X during their debut days!

This was short so it was easy to binge, especially on days when you want to watch something but don't want it to be too heavy. I would definitely recommend this drama as a palette cleanser between the more serious dramas, or when you want to watch an episode on your lunch break, or when you're laid up in bed with a bad cold. It's not so silly as to be stupid, but it made me laugh out loud a few times. Plus it has it's heartwarming moments. It was also refreshing to see the male lead be the one to get teary-eyed over a crush, rather than having the female doing all the emoting.

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Simply adorable!

Too many times, I exclaimed out loud that this drama was adorable.

--The chemistry between the couples was more than I could ask for. Not just the mains, but the side couples as well, in my opinion.

--The cringey parts were dealt with logically. (For instance, she accidentally dials his number and actually says it was an accident instead of coming up with some ridiculous reason for calling.)

--The relationships were realistic in that the characters weren't always mature....I mean, who in their mid-twenties is actually mature?? (For that matter, who in their mid-anything is actually mature? We all have our not-so-mature responses.)

--The storyline itself had its fantastical, dramatic moments, but that's why we watch. I mean, what CEO is going to let his spoiled, unexperienced granddaughter take a leadership role in his company? (I could be wrong about this as I'm not in big business, but I can't see the shareholders letting this happen. Also, there's nothing wrong with being a little spoiled...LOL) And rarely do we get to see people get what they deserve, i.e. the bad guys getting caught and the good guys winning, but again, that's why we watch dramas.

--The romantic moments were surprisingly good. This is the first time I have ever considered the male lead to be "lustful but restrained." Vin Zhang did a fabulous job with that aspect of his character.

--The comedy had me laughing out loud multiple times.

--The only thing I didn't like in the entire drama was the product placement. While an effort was made to work the product placement into the script, that effort was bare minimum. I would actually preferred commercials to product placement in this instance.

--I truly enjoyed the soundtrack to this drama.

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