Enjoyed the thematic and the bromance, less convinced by the romantic side of the relationship

I enjoyed the story for what it was: a sweet and platonic (b)romance between a city student emotionally wounded and a joyful and simple farmer. I found interesting the fact that farmer was younger than the city guy because that allowed the development of a refreshing hyung-dongsaeng relationship where the older man has a lot to learn from the younger one (in terms of farming work but also on life outlook).

Unfortunately, I was less convinced by the last third of the series. For me the romance never really picked up the pace: it remained quite at a more friendship level than at a romantic one. I had trouble believing in the chemistry between the actors. I honestly appreciated a lot the performance of Do Won as the city boy: he is to be fair super good-looking and I found him pretty charismatic in his role. However, I did not appreciate as much Yoon Do Jin, acting as the farmer: he played well enough the simple-minded guy but I had trouble enjoying his scenes when he starts acknowledging his feelings. He acted in a much too young / boyish / "simp" way making it not really possible for me to see how the character could move from a dongsaeng figure to a potential love interest.

The production was rather nice with some pretty and cute scenes in the countryside. I appreciated also the soundtrack of the drama: a few pop songs balancing well with the show.

I would recommend this to people looking for a cute and rather platonic BL story in the countryside with little angst. It has a likeable pairing which for me lack a bit of chemistry and passion, but it is still a very sweet watch.

Leggi di Più

Not a lot to say so far but I want to watch this BL series for sure!

This special drama consists only in 1 episode of 15 minutes and is clearly the prologue of the BL series "Stay Still" . I am not really sure why this episode is separated from the main show because it is the introduction of the story and shows how the two main leads met each other. So it makes little sense to have it separated as a "special" episode.

There is not a lot to the plot so far but it made me want to watch the full drama for sure. It is my first Hong-Kong production so I do not have a lot of comparable points. The series has an "indie" feel to it which I found pretty interesting, it seems like a slice-of-life series with dark/dramatic undertones.

The actors introduced here are good-looking but there was little to see at this stage. I'm really curious nevertheless to see how this is going to play out.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a BL story set in Hong-Kong. So far, nothing has happened but I enjoyed the atmosphere of the episode and it successfully managed to make me curious of what's going to happen next.

Leggi di Più

Cute 15 minutes ad for a laundry liquid, totally dispensable

This special episode is in fact a 15 minutes ad for a laundry liquid by the two main characters of "My School President".

The actors are still super sweet and cute together, but unfortunately I was a tad disappointed by the central plot element. It did not ring true to the personality of both characters in the context of the main story of the drama from which this special episode derivates from. In a nutshell, the plot did not make sense given the relationship between the two main lead at this specific stage of the story.

It is still a fun and cute watch, with some WTF moments that made me smile as the characters were singing and dancing around the laundry machine XD.

I would not recommend this to people, you can skip it as it will not bring anything in terms of story concerning the original drama. Anyway it is short and cute, so you might give it a go if you particularly enjoy this pairing.

Leggi di Più

Riveting thriller movie, quite disturbing: a "must-see" but an unlikely "rewatch"

I enjoyed the film, it was a riveting thriller to follow and I was surprised by some of its twists. The movie is set up in Japanese-occupied Korea, which provides an interesting background to the story but is unfortunately not that exploited. I must say that I preferred the first part of the movie to the rest which required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief given the overall context of the plot.

The cast did a good job playing multiple-layered roles from various perspectives. Some of the characters were truly repulsive and I felt physically ill watching some of the scenes featuring the craziest sides of the antagonists. I would have appreciated a bit more nuances from some of the characters, but I'm convinced that the actors did exactly what was expected from them (especially in some of the over-the-top, oversexualized and violent scenes).

The soundtrack was enjoyable but it is foremost the overall production value which is praise-worthy. The majority of the story is set in an enclosed space: a very remote manor mixing strangely UK and Japanese building styles. The decors, costumes, accessories and directing choices worked great all-together in conferring to the movie an oppressing, dark and creepy atmosphere.

I would recommend this to people that love movies directed by acclaimed director Park Chan Wook or even enjoy thrillers in Victorian-era Britain (as the film is an adaptation of a novel set up in that time). If you have watch any works from Park Chan Wook, you know that there might be some triggering aspects...It is for sure the case here, so be mindful of that if you have any trigger.

Leggi di Più

BL office romance: platonic and cute, with a cohabitation trope and some amusing bickering

The story is quite simple but effective: the two main male leads find themselves forced to cohabitate and work together. Despite the short length of the drama, the script manage to make the viewer care about the characters and be invested in their relationship and professional successes. The plot is not really original but it is a compelling watch with some very cute moments.

The main actors were pretty good. I found their acting totally believable and they had a good chemistry together. Maybe some of the more comedic scenes or dramatic ones were a bit overacted, but overall they did a good job conveying the feelings of their characters. The performance of the supporting cast was also quite solid even if the side characters were a bit caricatural and not super developed given the shortness of the series.

The soundtrack was really pleasant with some catchy songs even though quite forgettable. In terms of directing, I was happy that the director did not shy away from the couple of kisses, it remains rather chaste but it has the merit to exist and to be visibly showcased.

I would recommend this to people looking for a cute BL office romance. If you like cohabitation trope, bickering and secret relationship in an office setting, this one is for you!

Leggi di Più

Such a fun and thrilling ride with an amazing cast!

This action movie is set in 1988, a period providing an undoubtedly interesting background story-wise with its dark political situation and at the same time its bright context with the start of the Seoul Olympics. The plot is quite simple and not that original but it is for sure really fun to follow. It starts fairly light with some humour and as the story progress, the tension and the stakes increase, providing a lot of captivating and thrilling moments.

The casting is amazing with a lot of known faces. The alchemy between the leads is totally believable: the friendship and family spirit within this group of hot-heads is immediately obvious to the viewer. Despite the film not digging very far in the characters' past and links, the performance of the actors made it very easy for me to grow attached to this band of misfits and to root for them.

The film making and production value are really great. The fashion and style of this era, the details on the sets, everything is superb and totally immersive. The cars are fabulous and the movie has some truly beautifully made car chase sequences. The OST with its hip-pop vibes and old school South Korean songs is absolutely on point and such a nice throwback, completing the immersion.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a good action movie and/or that are searching for a story set in this crucial period of time for South Korea. If you enjoyed the context of Reply 1988 and if you like car chase scenes, this one is for you!

Leggi di Più

Short, addictive and disturbing BL story

This drama showcases a disturbing BL story. It is not that graphic at all but somewhat dark and twisted, as it is centred around the romance between a bully and his "stalker". Their relationship is almost a master-servant one, with one of the guy being apparently ready to do anything for the other. There are also hints of S&M undertones as the most subservient of the character seem to be looking forward some of the abuse as a way to get closer to his classmate who fascinates him.

It is a short drama (6 episodes of 20 minutes) but it is addictive: even though the pace can feel a bit languishing at time, it is clearly done with purpose. There are some quite dark intentional directing choices in parallel of some more poetic and quiet instants. However, one of the consequence of the shortness of the show is that it is difficult to have huge characters development as well as complex plotlines.

The cast does an OK job, and Hagiwara Riku (as the disturbed and bullied protagonist) is carrying the show. The alchemy between the main leads is primarily driven by the intensity of the script and the directing decisions taken.

I would recommend this to people looking for an addictive dark short BL story and who do not mind romanticised toxic relationship. Be aware that the show can be triggering and mind the tags.

Leggi di Più

Enemies-to-lovers BL story! Very cute despite some nonsensical plotlines

A BL story providing a refreshing take on the well-known enemies-to-lovers trope. The drama manages to stay interesting during its 12 episodes but some storylines are less inspired than others. There are a few plot elements that are quite nonsensical in terms of conflicts making the show feel a bit too soapy for some of its narrative arcs. The show remains however highly entertaining to follow.

The pairing of the two leads is super cute with an exciting premise to their romance as both their families and their friends from university are at odds with each other. There are some thrilling moments (especially at the beginning) with some tension build up between the characters as the feelings become more prominent. Their relationship stays mostly platonic and focus more on cuteness than on spiciness but the alchemy is there between the actors for a winning recipe.

Except for the female characters (friend and sister) who are rather likeable, the secondary characters are frustrating (particularly the parents of both leads and some of their male friends) and behave at some points very immaturely. The acting job for those roles is acceptable but could have been better.

The overall directing of the show is quite generic, clearly the budget was not there and production value is rather low. What was overly present though is the product placement: I rarely saw so much of it within one series, it was all over the place and hyper obvious. It was totally "in your face" and I would have appreciated more subtlety.

I would recommend this to people looking for a fun and light BL romantic story with a nicely executed trope of enemies-to-lovers and who do not mind some childish plot elements.

Leggi di Più

A good conclusion to the story with some predictability but impactful with its great cast

This is the second part (and conclusion) to the drama Death's Game in 4 episodes. I quite enjoyed the story, it took some very interesting turns with once again the incarnations being the main stars of the series. There was some predictability with the ending and I wish as a viewer to have been treated to a longer epilogue but there is a certain beauty in ending the series like that.

The cast remains fabulous with some of the new incarnations shining through in various ways depending on their backstories. I particularly enjoyed the 8th and 9th reincarnations which were the most developed with the expected 12th reincarnation as well. Kim Ji Hoon really once again impressed me, so far I have seen him playing extreme characters and I'm curious to see him in other type of roles because he was crazily impactful here.

The production value is as stated in my review of Part 1 quite outstanding and I still enjoyed a lot the ending song for each episode (which was kinda the unique music of the series). I loved the titles of each episodes, super insightful and I found the gore and violence really well done with some truly horrific and frightening sequences.

I would recommend this to people that have seen Part 1 of course. It is a proper conclusion to the story, it does not aim for subtlety but is impactful. The performance of the cast (from both Part 1 and Part 2) makes it a very good watch even if there are some little things I wish would have been a bit more developed regarding the lore itself. As Part 1, be aware that this series is super violent and graphic, so you might want to check the tags if you have any trigger.

Leggi di Più

Sinked because of poor editing & writing, despite steamy looks of hot ML

This short Chinese web series was entertaining in its first half but fell halfway through completely apart. There were some hot and exciting scenes and I liked the enemies-to-lovers trope the script was going for at first. It took a turn that I did not dislike in the second half but there was clearly not enough time to make it make sense and to be interesting overall. I especially do not understand why they decided to come back on past elements from the timeline in the two last episodes of the series rather than to incorporate it as flashback in the main story.

In addition to those very strange storytelling choices, the editing was all over the place. It can be expected from that short format series but I still think that it could have been better. The introduction song was alright but overall the soundtrack was overpowering in most of the scenes. There were also some jarring sound issues (especially if you watched the series on YouTube where it was sensibly worse).

Acting-wise, I admit I somewhat enjoyed the performance of Richard Li but mostly because of a strong eye-candy factor. Overall I liked the steamy looks he was throwing at the FL but he was still lacking in the most emotional part. Ming Jia Jia as the FL did not impress me at all. It might be linked to her role and the script but I did not care that much about her character which is problematic as you want to be able to root for the heroine. Last but not least Patrick Quan delivered an over-the-top performance but given the scenario, he had clearly little room for nuances.

I would not recommend this to people as I feel the series fell apart mid-way through. The most exciting part of the drama can be seen in the intro generic, so honestly if you watch it, you have seen the best of what the show has to offer. I did not mind the choice they made regarding the romance, it was interesting but what was really disturbing is the way it was edited with the couple of last episodes coming back on past elements of the story.

Leggi di Più

Way too predictable mystery, same flaws as the series but beautiful context + location

The story is centred around a singular mystery and I appreciate the fact that there was enough content in terms of plot for a full length movie. I also really enjoyed the context and location in which the characters are evolving.

However, I anticipated all the revelations of the scenario, nothing came as a surprise and the resolution of the mystery was super expected from the get go, which tempered heavily my enjoyment of the story. I found the teaching moments provided by the main character interesting in their content but it was too heavily given without any subtlety, for me to really resonate with it.

Acting was okay for the main roles but with some really weak points for some of the support parts. I also regret to have seen almost no Garo, as it is the interactions of this character with the hero Totono that were the best part of the drama to me: it was totally lacking here. I am super happy to have found back Hagiwara Riku in a support role and I am curious to see more of Hara Nanoka as well.

Soundtrack was okay, with the generic song that I like from the drama, very slice of life in a way and less overpowering than in the main series. Production was very good with some beautiful landscapes.

I would recommend this to people that loved the drama Don't call it Mystery. The qualities and flaws are consistent between both series and film. Therefore, if you enjoyed the drama, you will likely enjoy the movie as well. On the contrary, if like myself you had already lukewarm feelings for the drama, the film will definitely not change your mind.

Leggi di Più

Not enough screentime for interesting elements + subpar acting: underwhelming overall

This BL series is centred around the encounter of two high school music students as they met and develop conflicting feelings for each other in the midst of their common interest / link with jazz music. Honestly, I'm not the biggest connoisseur of jazz music but I decided to give this drama a shot anyway. Unfortunately, this show missed the marks on many aspects in my opinion.

Story-wise, it was super disappointing...I have the feeling that the most interesting part of the drama was not given enough screentime. There was a nugget of information regarding a specific relationship toward the end of the series but it was clearly not enough...I also had some issue with how the main and the secondary relationship evolved. All the heavy lifting were done (for both couples) mainly by one of the character and the evolution felt too abrupt to be believable. There was also on the last episode a "noble idiocy" move that makes no sense at all and just frustrated me a bit more...

Acting-wise, the actors were too bland. The scenario had some quite angsty moments as well as toxic scenes between the characters...Nothing against that, it can be entertaining and it is all fiction, so I'm not looking for always all green flags characters...But in order for it to work for me, it requires for actors to be emoting so much more than what was the case here. They needed to pour much more passion into the acting in order to make the chemistry much more exciting. The best performance on the series was Song Han Gyeom as Seo Do Yoon and I wish his character had been even more central to the story as it was my favorite.

Production-wise, it felt a bit cheap which is not really an issue for a school series. Here the main default is relating to the music scenes and soundtrack. The couple of pop songs that were used as opening and ending songs were okay to me but all the scenes were the actors were playing instruments felt totally unrealistic. The songs / tunes they used as playback for the music sequences were not really matching and it looked quite fake overall. A bit of a shame when the plot is focusing so much on music.

I would not recommend this to people as there are better BL in high school out there. There are a few moments that are cute (mainly relating to the friendship building between two characters rather than the romantic relationships), as well as some elements that could have been super interesting if more developed and better acted. However, the numerous flaws in terms of scenario, acting and production (especially of the music scenes) make it a series that I would not recommend.

Leggi di Più

Very disappointed by the writing and pacing, too many secondary couples without substance

This BL is about the encounter of dentist Jin Xun An and restaurant-bar owner Bai Lang who suffer from a serious tooth ache and is terrified by having to go to the dentist. I found the story interesting at first in a slice-of-life way...Unfortunately, it felt apart very quickly because of big issues in terms of pacing as well as in the writing itself. At the end of each episode, I realised how slow the development of characters went, and how little happened in each episode.

In addition to the main couple, there were also 3 storylines around 3 secondary couples which were unispired and not really developped in any purposeful or meaningful way. It felt like random fluff but without any substance or care and details for the characters. I really think the series overall would have benefited for the script to focus solely on the main couple and only one additional couple. Preferably on the bartender and apprentice one. That's the one that was the most exciting and cute....and sadly enough there was almost no screen time for them.

The acting was quite average. The main actors had some cute moments but nothing really exciting. The chemistry was cute but not flaming hot. I think I wanted more from it but the script was not helping at all.

The production was standard with nothing really noticeable here, except for the various meals which looked very good (lunchboxes and cocktail from the resto-bar that looked really appetizing, characters cooking tantalizing dishes...). The OST was relatively ordinary and left no memories at all on me. The ending sequence with the cute dance was fun but I did not like the main song.

I would not recommend this BL as I felt there was pacing issues and the writing was really not strong enough to have interesting elements during the full duration of the drama. There are not enough good ideas and plot points for the length of the series, the screenwriter could have taken some shortcuts on some repetitive developments and focus a bit more of her energy in building one secondary couple (-just one of them) to improve pacing. I enjoyed much more comparatively the two other BLs that I have seen from the same screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (namely "We Best Love" and "Kiseki Dear to Me"): those two were not without flaws in the writing but were really nice to watch despite of it. In the case of "My Tooth Your Love", the acting and the production are not strong enough to compensate the issues in the storylines itself and make it exciting enough.

Leggi di Più

A really nice and heartwarming youth romance - a stand-out in this genre <3

This movie is about the development of the relationship between two highschool students, through an exchange of a diary. The premise of the story is super simple and worked very well. It was just a super cute and heartwarming youth romance featuring some lovely friendship as well. The pacing of the plot was good and the evolution of the relationships between the protaganists felt very natural.

The acting was very good: the female lead was a really sweet chipmunk and the male lead was handsome with a lively personnality. Both worked very well together as well as with the secondary cast acting as their friends. I will for sure be looking for more dramas / movies with Takahashi Fumiya because he was really charming and gave a lot of charisma to a role that could otherwise have felt very flat.

The production value was pretty great: the decors are colorful and warm with a lot of details. The soundtrack is really diverse and in line with the story and the love of music of the main characters.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet highschool romance. It is pretty classic for the genre but it is really well done and was able to brought me a lot of feelings when I watch it. The filmmaking, the directing and the acting combined to a well-conceived scenario will provide you all the feels.

Leggi di Più

BL story with an original cute concept but not fleshed enough

I found the concept of the pets coming back to life as humans super interesting and cute. It was a chance to have a lot of fish-out-of-water moments and to have the characters act out all the stereotypical sides of their inner dog/cat. Unfortunately even if there was such scenes, it was not enough for me and I would have liked to see this aspect of the story more developed. Overall this interesting and fresh idea for the show's plot was not fleshed out enough. It required a lot of suspension of disbelief (which I was up for) but did not take enough advantage of the trope to make it totally fulfilling for the viewer.

Despite the short episodes, the drama was kind of slow-paced and a bit missing in terms of feelings and passion because of the focus of the directing being more ambiance-based rather than scenario-driven. The atmosphere of the series was soothing but it still felt at some point a bit as a waste of potential for both the concept and the actors. Indeed, the acting was good overall (especially knowing that the main leads are rookies) and the dramatic scenes were well pulled off. It could have been better in terms of romantic chemistry but the friendship was very believable and sweet.

I would recommend this to people looking for a short story with a fresh concept giving off an healing vibe with very cute characters and who do not mind relatively slow-paced and platonic relationships.

Leggi di Più