An Idol Drama That Actually Makes An Effort!

It's a rite of passage in KPop for a group to have their own drama. But it is a wholly different story for that idol drama to do what a proper drama (or webseries) would.

"Can I Step In?" puts all previous idol dramas (that I have watched) to shame. It is funny, thoughtful, endearing and just plain adorable. Unlike most idol dramas, it also has an actual overarching story and a teeny element of mystery.

To better phrase the story, it's a short and sweet tale of 5 boys waiting for their new roommate having to undergo the shock of finding out that there's been miscommunication and she's actually a female. What follows is chaos as these 5 boys with diverging personalities, adjust living in the same house with 1 very enthusiastic, outgoing girl who recently returned to Korea from the States.

The acting across the board is extremely well done. Not one of the characters felt lacking in comparison to the others. Can I also just say (feel free to stop reading here if you consider even minor details as spoilers) I appreciate that we didn't get a reverse harem trope in this drama and everyone was just the most wholesome little ball of goodness ever.

If I have to nitpick at something, it would be at the lack of Jihu. I wanted more of my beautiful Yuto. All I can say is each of the boys owns my heart and I wouldn't be surprised if 3/6 end up getting offers for actual roles in actual dramas! Godspeed!

I don't have much else to say except for STAN ONF YOU COWARDS!

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Yes waiter, I'd like every single dramaland cliché on my plate please...

I'm shocked that no one wrote a review for this absolutely amazing, show-stopping, one of a kind, beautiful masterpiece. It is an utter disgrace.

My overdramatic self aside, I do believe everyone who has seen any of the titles that comprise of the name and plot for this one NEEDS to see this! Even if you haven't seen any of the titles this drama (yes, I believe this has earned the right to be considered that) parodies, you should still definitely check it out. Whether you're a fan of Monsta X or not, you will definitely find yourself laughing to no end.

STORY: I personally think it's genius how despite parodying the living heck out of multiple dramas, the story and characters still seem to have some individuality of their own, which is huge considering how quite a few proper dramas lack in this aspect. The ladies especially, take the cake here.

ACTING/CAST: Yoo Kihyun shines and is absolutely gorgeous as the naive, yet well meaning female lead Yeo Joo. He looks stunning in dresses and I really want him to act in the future. Im Changkyun (I.M) however, takes the cake in terms of acting. Portraying the evil mother of our bumbling yet somehow super cool male lead Nam Joo (Shownu), I.M shines and steals every single scene he's in. Definitely deserves a lot more recognition. Of course the rest of our cast, Joo Heon, Min Hyuk, Won Ho, and Hyung Won did well with their respective roles too.

MUSIC: There was tons of music, from classics to Monsta X's own discography, and it was cleverly placed, adding to the comedy.

Rewatch Value: I never really rewatch anything. But this I definitely will, anytime, anywhere.

Overall: I treated this like a parody of a serious review because this deserves that much attention and more! Definitely watch it if you have 30 minutes to spare. You will surely not regret this!

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"I'll be with you until the sky ceases to exist!"

Brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long one!

The only thing more tragic than our female lead is the lack of attention this gem of a lakorn received. It's an atrocity, a devastation. Of course the subber being an extremely unreliable person must have been the biggest issue, however, regardless of that, this lakorn deserves so much love that it never got.

I'm currently in two different headspaces right now. Part of me wants to shout from the rooftops about how much I've fallen in love with this lakorn (this is a first) and the other half wants to selfishly keep this to myself, hold it close and protect it from the eyes of the world. With such internal conflict I write this review that I personally consider an honor of being the first person to do so.

I believe it's about time I do a review breakdown otherwise this will go on forever like a hastily penned love letter.

STORY:
While looking at the MDL page for Poot Pitsawat I realized that there seems to be an almost unending list of adaptations and now I know why Thailand loves it so much. It's a tale of timeless love and sacrifice, something you keep getting drawn to. While I haven't seen any of the past adaptations I'm completely floored by this one (in case that wasn't already apparent.)

When I chose to first watch this, I was in a bad mood because something I'd been looking forward to see turned out terribly. I hastily chose this one because I thought it would take my mind off of it and boy was I right. Poot Pitsawat consumed my life for three full days and I would have finished it in a single sitting were it not for real life responsibilities. While I regret not knowing about this sooner, I also absolutely do not regret it because I got to watch this drama fully subbed. I would have died if I had to wait for the subs to be released.

The writing and pacing was perhaps the most consistent I've ever seen in a lakorn. I'm a generally impatient person when it comes to watching stuff, I drop dramas left, right and center. Therefore, I was extremely apprehensive about the 24 episodes count and was mentally prepared to speed through filler content. To my chagrin, or should I say amazement, that never happened, not even once. I was enamored to the extent that I watched 24 episodes worth of opening and ending credits without skipping once. When the 20th episode rolled around the corner I got terrified thinking of the end being so near and wanting it to go on forever. There were of course, itty bitty faults here and there but my biased self shall choose to overlook them.

The story is orchestrated in a way that it has two very clear halves. One story ends at episode 12 and another begins, with a few ties from before to keep the connection tethered. It was beautifully executed, and beautifully delivered. I assure you the subtitles do little to help as they aren't the best there can be, however, the beauty of the story transcended those subs and I found myself understanding every syllable uttered, even though I don't speak a word of Thai. There were no great twists and turns in the plot, but they also weren't needed to be there.

ACTING/CAST:
Where do I even begin? With the leads? The supporting leads? The villain? Or the character I came to love the most? It feels impossible to discuss them all in one single review, here's a rapid fire account of the people who made up for this timeless tale:

Marut: This man is just the epitome of someone who would give up everything and I mean it, everything for his love. I was never a fan of Film Thanapat and prior to starting this I had been disappointed by a different lakorn of his. But here he just won me over. Charming, playful, passionate, intelligent and often needlessly stubborn Marut was the classic hero done beautifully well.

Dao: This girl deserves an award for being the nicest female lead ever and also being kinda badass in her own way. This by no means states that Dao was super strong, quite the contrary. She was a trusting soul, willing to forgive anyone for anything. However, the moments of strength that made her eyes sparkle and gave her a strange kind of invincibility were so beautiful to see and for this reason I have fallen head over heels for Bifern Anchasa.
Together these two were just the cutest pairing in the world. I laughed with them, I cried with them. At one point it stopped feeling like I was watching Marut and Dao but instead it was Film and Bifern. Just amazing chemistry.

Sae and P' In: I shall not comment in detail but their arc was the one that impacted me the most. These two were an older, mirrored version of our two main leads and their exchanges gave me some of the best quotes I have ever seen. Case in point the title of this review.

Prapat: Hands down my favourite character of the lakorn. It made sense for Marut to go out of his way to protect his woman but Prapat did the same for his bestfriend. I even found myself praying that he'd be safe after everything ended. A lead's friend having such an amazing arc is to me at least, a rare occurrence.

MUSIC:
Hauntingly beautiful. It was sweet and it was melancholic, just like the lakorn. There were two soundtracks for this and while both were amazing, one specifically stood out for its amazing vocals and equally beautiful lyrics. Koo Cheewit or Life Partner is the OST most consistently played in various iterations throughout the drama and not once did I find myself getting tired of it. In fact I fell more deeply in love with it after each listen.

REWATCH:
I will rewatch this. I most certainly will. Perhaps not in its entirety. Perhaps only for some fleeting moments of comfort but I'm certain I'll come back to this time and again. This never happens, I never rewatch anything but this was impactful enough to make me want to go back and keep going back.

Overall:
The physical form is but a fleeting existence, a temporary vessel. However, a heart full of love lasts forever. That is my takeaway from this lakorn that without a shadow of doubt has made a profound impact on me.

If you've made it this far, you're a legend. I may not know you but I'm sending you a virtual hug! xD

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Bittersweet...

I'm surprised no one wrote a review for this yet especially considering how this seemed to be popular during its airing period.

STORY:
To summarize it in two words, I'd call this lakorn a "missed potential." There were tons of promising elements and while most of them nailed it in execution, the plot holes were so glaringly obvious that it got frustrating to stick around. I believe the lakorn was eight episodes too long. They could have done the entire arc from episode 5-9 in one single episode and without the unnecessary filler, the result would have been a tightly written, well paced 20 episode lakorn. The time travel element while pretty straightforward, did stagger and get wonky at times. However, I believe the triumph of the story is in its ability to create heartwarming situations out of anything and still make you cry like a baby.

The motif of past and future, actions and their consequences, while having been explored numerous times in time travel dramas, was done so in a much more emotionally charged context, you could feel yourself in the same situation.

ACTING/CAST:
If it weren't for the group of actors who played their hearts out as their characters, this lakorn would just be a mess. Due to the excellent performances all across the board, the lakorn shined despite the setbacks that the writing faced.

Film Thanapat (Pete/Pian) was absolutely amazing in his portrayal of both great- grandfather and great-grandson. His charm is just oozing throughout the lakorn and he's become one of my favourite Thai actors.

Vill Wannarot (Wan) was an excellent heroine. She was eccentric, quirky, hilarious, smart and endearing, and had great chemistry with Film.

Bifern Anchasa (Pink) is the reason I started watching and finished this lakorn. Perhaps the saddest, most self-sacrificing character in the entire lakorn, I cried my heart out for her and fell in love with her all over again. Since Film and Bifern are great friends IRL, that chemistry just burst into fireworks on screen and every little moment they shared on screen together was a delight to watch.

MUSIC:
If nothing else would make me cry, the music certainly did. It was absolutely beautiful and I'm sure I'll be going back to listen to the OST time and again.

REWATCH VALUE:
I don't rewatch anything. I will however, definitely rewatch certain Film-Bifern clips over and over because I'm biased that way and I could kill to see more of their interactions.

OVERALL:
Definitely recommended to everyone especially fans of time-travel romances. The story does get a tad too long so the 2x speed option as well as the skipping ahead options are your best friends.

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Contrary to what the comments and ratings here on MDL show, 'Irish Uppercut' is truly a delight to watch! As someone who pays close attention to the comments before starting a drama/movie, I was pleasantly surprised (and thanked myself for choosing to completely ignore them) at how well made this little web series is. It totally deserves to be a proper drama (more on that later), and is a better investment of two hours than most other series.

STORY: The plot description does not do this drama any justice. To be brief, Irish Uppercut is the name of a little restaurant set in purgatory (which just so happens to be the beautiful Jeju Island, though of course, with color distortions so you truly feel like you're in another dimension), run by Do Hae Na, a grim reaper who is not very good at her job. In order to keep her business up and running, Hae Na asks for help from Woo Shi Hyung, an arrogant chef who recently met his demise, while helping him participate in an Underworld Cooking Show Contest where the prize could very possibly mean a second chance at life for Shi Hyung.

Of course, second chances, grim reapers, and purgatory are all themes that have been explored before, but Irish Uppercut does it a little differently. It focuses on a man's ambition to set his life straight (despite having been through hell already) under any circumstances, even if it means betraying others. There's friendship, comedy, morality, and whole lot of good music. This is why Irish Uppercut deserves to be a full length drama: (referring to episode duration and not count) 8, hour long episodes would've been perfect for working out all the kinks, exploring character backstories and evolving the world under purgatory because there's so much that warrants explaining.

ACTING: Kim Ji Suk is a great actor and he did his role complete justice. Same goes for Kim Mi Kyung, a veteran actress. Bo Ra didn't really have much to work with, and so she did pretty well with what little she had. However, the absolute star of the series was Lee Moo Saeng playing the role of Hae Na's (Bo Ra) older brother. He stole the show every time he was onscreen and his character was awesome! Truly the cherry on the cake.

MUSIC: From hard rock to soothing ballads, this series really had it going in terms of music. Especially the song that Tae Min (Lee Moo Saeng) performs onstage, titled "Boss, Please Bring Me Some Water." It's hilarious, loud, and oddly touching, when watched in context of the scene itself. The full list of featured songs is available at the end credits of each episode, (or you can PM me for it.) Definitely worth checking out!

REWATCH VALUE: I usually never rewatch anything because it remains fresh even if I watched it a long time ago (the cons of having a good memory xD) but this series can definitely be rewatched as it is light and enjoyable, with a sprinkling of important life lessons thrown in.

OVERALL: I'd say definitely go for Irish Uppercut if you have two hours to spare. It can easily be enjoyed in one sitting, and still leave you with a happy feeling. Lee Moo Saeng's the MVP though! xD

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This is a collective review of both seasons of 'The Journey', since I cannot for the life of me understand why it was split into two separate seasons like that.

I'm a huge time travel/fantasy/history buff what with shows like Doctor Who and Timeless providing endless entertainment, therefore I had always been interested to see how Asia dealt with this genre, and I continued to be disappointed one way or the other.

Then while scouring MDL for interesting titles to watch (which has become a favorite pastime of mine) I came across this drama and the synopsis seemed very inviting, hence began my 2 day marathon. This is the first Chinese drama I have completed and in such a short time too. Not because of the low episode count but because I was pulled in headfirst into this roller coaster ride of a story, the ending of which gave me whiplash.

Going back to the question, in light of this drama it should have been "SHOULD you do it?" in lieu of would. And the answer is a big fat NO! "The fruit of the future is a result of the past." was a little quote thrown at the audience left, right and center throughout the drama, but in the grand scheme of things had little to no value.

~THE CONTINUATION OF THIS REVIEW MAY BE A TEENY TINY BIT SPOILERISH~

STORY:
For someone who spends hours on MDL scouring through the database for gems, this story was as new as it could get albeit with a hefty sprinkling of cliches here and there. It was a dream come true for me to see a new era of Chinese History every few episodes, when the norm is to set the entire story into one particular period. Season One (or the first 12 episodes) get a 9.5 from me in terms of story and *sighs* Season 2 (or the final 12 episodes) get an 8 solely because of the existence of those final 3 episodes.

The drama was heavily influenced from the West, and as I learned from the review above mine, that may be due to the author's plagiarism. But the story still managed to be unique despite those final 3 episodes which I've lovingly dubbed 'The Unholy Trinity'. It acted outside of the usual conventions of good and evil which was refreshing to see. Fantastical elements and creatures galore, it was heaven. I did not mind the lackluster visual effects as much as most people.

CAST (THEIR CHARACTERS AND ACTING):
(Fair Warning: This is where my beef with the drama resides and it'll come across as extremely biased.)

Zhou Yu Tong (AKA not your oh so typical female lead... Or so you thought!): Her character as Ye Yin was fun to watch especially in the first 12 episodes because of her ability to find humor in the most atrocious and life-threatening situations (a trait that would have you dead in minutes IRL) and her astute (well for the most of it) brain. She's not afraid to speak her mind and yet her character completely blows off her steam in the second half, transforming into this frustrating, dumber than usual, cookie cutter character that makes you want to pull your hair out. I've lost count of how many times I yelled at my laptop screen, urging her to say her feelings which she never did.

Fu Xin Bo (AKA I'd rather not say much for fear I'll curse him to hell and back): Kudos to his acting for garnering sympathy while simultaneously making me hate him with a fiery passion. This guy can act! In moments he can shift from kind, to adorkable, to a jerk to a plain SPOILER.... incestuous creep.

Saving the best for last, my newfound love...
Ma Ke (AKA he'll make you cry a river, oh who am I kidding an entire sea!): I've seen a fair amount of vampire stories in asian dramas but none of them and even the Western ones, come even close to this God of a man, whose looks can put the most beautiful to shame, whose character made me cry almost every other episode with his devotion to the woman he loves, (there's a term in my language Urdu pronounced Wa-Lay-Ha-Na, which is the most accurate description of the eternal and beautifully intense love of his) and his path to redemption which was heartbreaking to watch. I'm forever biased towards his character, and I doubt I'll love any other character in a Chinese drama as much again.

MUSIC:
Since I was so engrossed in the drama and Ma Ke specifically, I wasn't paying as much attention to the soundtrack as was deserved. However, it was a nice accompaniment in each scene and never felt constricting or out of place.

REWATCH VALUE:
I had a headache after bawling my eyes out, so I won't be rewatching this anytime soon or probably ever, but I'll forever be on the lookout for clips and videos of my OTP. Watch this if you enjoy crying every once in a while.

OVERALL:
I have developed a love hate relationship with this drama where I loved it at its golden moments, yet hate the ending to no end. I used to dislike love triangles but will now be avoiding them like the plague (for the time being at least).

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Semi formal variety esque games shows can't get more hilarious (and sarcastic) than this. The US line from some popular K-pop groups band together to test Eric Nam's patience and remind him that he's thirty and therefore, old...

We have a wonderful lineup of some amazing people, who wreak havoc and sometimes play games, entertaining us to no end:
Amber (F(x))
Peniel (BtoB)
Ashley (Ladies Code)
Park Jimin (Formerly from 15&)
Jae (DAY6)
BM (Kard)

And of course, Eric Nam as the tired parental figure who desperately needs a break.

The prizes are great! The games are greater and Eric being done with everyone is the greatest! There's no way you can miss out on this.

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I will keep this short (hopefully).

TL;DR. Highly recommended to those who don't want to think too hard and just watch a drama to fill a gap from a better one. If you think too hard on this it'll hurt (I should know, I did.)

STORY: I would be lying if I said I didn't see this coming from Day 1. The drama played exactly according to how I was expecting it to. That doesn't mean I was happy by its turn out, quite the contrary. For those who might be aware with screenwriting terms, there are two phrases that are often used when referencing to scripts/stories: a high-concept story (one that is written to mostly pander to the masses, think Goblin) and a low-concept story (one that is either targeted to a specific audience, or is a story that requires you to invest yourself into it, think My Mister.) This drama falls into the latter category, though not for its incredibly gripping storyline (because where was that lol?), but for the concept which made many run away.

That's the thing with interspecies romance stories. They always end up becoming serious. People hated this fluffy, comforting drama for taking itself too seriously, but I was thankful they took the time to constantly hammer it home how tragic the idea of an interspecies romance is.

CAST: Lovable characters played lovably by a lovable cast. That's a lot of love you say? Yes, yes it is.
Special mention to Seo Ji Hoon AKA Lee Jae Seon for being the best buzzkill! A left field character so out of place, that I wanted to slap, hug, kill and protect him from the world in the span of one episode. I lost my sanity over trying to shove him into a box so that my feeble mind could be at rest. No, I did not have SLS in any way, shape or form.

MUSIC: Starts off super chirpy and upbeat, then evolves (or should I say devolves) into some of the most tear-jerking ballads, that make you want to claw your hair out because WHY even? Kudos to the OST album though, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to everyone regardless of whether you watch the drama or not. Actually, you can call it a pass on the drama but LISTEN TO THE ALBUM!!!

REWATCH: I don't rewatch dramas. My memory (no flex) prevents me from doing so. Is this drama something you would generally want to rewatch? Not really. Would I watch clips of it over and over and over again? HECK YEAH!

CONCLUSION:
Come for the visuals, stay for the second leads, listen to the music on repeat, and hate on the writer for not explaining the fantasy element enough! I need to sleep this one off!

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Rivals to... Lovers? Friends? Enemies? Allies? It's Complicated.

There's no review for this little gem yet? What a travesty!

STORY:
Let me just say, I was sold on the concept from synopsis alone. Two con artists battling it out and forming a camaraderie by going after an heiress sounded absolutely crazy and totally fun. The story maintained solid writing for the most past, though it did falter at some points and felt a bit cartoony at others, that's perhaps due to the fact that I watched this over a decade after it was first released. Despite these setbacks, the writing and dialogue still managed to keep me engrossed throughout, in fact, I was left wanting so much more. While majority of the story was relatively easy to predict, there were two particular events I did not see coming.

The way it was structured and composed, Triangle would make a perfect eight episode, 45 minute, mini series broadcast by a network like OCN. The comedy, the thrill and dare I say even the romance, were well executed.

ACTING/CAST:
Ahn Jae Wook was both a charming and lovable male lead, and yet he never lost his enigmatic nature till the end. This duality is very noteworthy I believe, and is a reason why you keep guessing about him till the end.

Kang Hye Jung has silently crept her way up my bias list and now reigns supreme as the queen of the silver screen. This woman is absolutely brilliant with her screen presence and a genius at selecting roles that are eccentric, quirky yet innately lovable, finishing off her performance with a flair that is unrivalled by any actress I have ever seen. I believe this was my fourth film with her at its forefront and she owned the screen everytime she showed up. What a queen!

Lee Soo Kyung's was a supporting character disguised as a main one. Despite what little she had to work with, she played her role convincingly of the seemingly naïve, yet ultimately observant and perceptive heiress who was the target of our two leads. Her end left quite a bit to be desired though.

MUSIC:
Ah, where do I even begin? There was this one particular instrumental soundtrack that became such an earworm that I'm disappointed at being unable to find it anywhere. The ending credits song was also a beautiful one and all scenes in general, were accompanied by fitting music as per the scenario being played out.

REWATCH VALUE:
I don't rewatch things, and once the suspense and tension wears off it would be odd to consider going back to the film. However, I can safely say that Triangle is actually a bit of a classic that can be enjoyed time and again, so take this as you will.

OVERALL:
Triangle is a definite recommendation for everyone! It has something that will suit everyone's taste and while it may leave you wanting more in terms of both story and the dynamics of the characters, there is still a very warm, happy feeling that the end elicits despite the cold weather that the film boasts throughout its runtime. A beautiful contrast and parting note for all viewers.

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If the Male Gaze Were a Movie

Let's be real, this film has a very specific audience, and that's cishet men. That is not to say that no one else can enjoy this film. I must say I quite enjoyed it, much to my chagrin, and the 6.5 is indicative of that.

What led me to watch this film despite the tropey romcom blurb were the three main leads, all amazing actors in their own right. Alas, the performances are what make or break a film, and in this film's case, they very much made it.

On to the story, or lack thereof, if you're interested in enjoying the film, don't think too hard about the logistics of the entire plan, because it is incredibly stupid. The writing (I'll bet my non existent million dollars is also by a dude) makes no sense even from a romcom perspective, and there's barely enough scenes with the two leads to make their love story convincing. Dong Zijian and Elaine Zhong get props for trying their best to make something out of nothing, because they did have some chemistry together.

On the other hand, what this film does have are boobs, tons of them. Also problematic dialogues like the second female lead saying that women and airplanes are one and the same, thank you for taking us back to the dark ages, madame. You have your manic pixie dream girls, your simpleton who, for some reason has two incredibly gorgeous, accomplished women fawning for him despite having the personality of wet cardboard, and two dudebros who honestly got better character development than the entire leads' arc.

So there you have it. Take it as you will. In case you're not a reader and are more of a visual learner, just check out the thumbnail of the YouTube video posted in the comments below that has the link to the entire film. It will perfectly illustrate everything this movie is about.

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The most nonsensical ending to a film ever made!

Okay, I am sure there's been worse endings in cinema history, but bear with me for a little because I'm overcome with emotion right now.

STORY:
It seemed like the writer changed their mind ten seconds before submitting the final script to the producers because what was a bittersweet romcom with some risqué humor thrown in the mix turned into a flaming hot pile of garbage that was loaded into a bicycle that was on fire and that bicycle didn't have any wheels on it. If you think that sounds ridiculous, I invite you to watch the final ten minutes of this film. It's like every character got amnesia or a personality change and went batshit crazy. I don't mind the tragedy of this, in fact, I rather enjoy watching tragedies and I kinda knew the ending going into the actual film itself. It's the way that ending came about, stupidly and insultingly to the audience, as if they didn't care about the past hour and forty minutes we had to sit through to reach that point.

I decided to look past every single problematic thing happening in this film (the ML getting raped by someone, being chill about it, and then saying to the FL he can sleep with anyone he wants but he only loves her) but I'll never look past the horrible ending! I want to meet the writer of this film and shake some sense into them, and also demand my two hours back because I am full of regrets, and mad about it!

ACTING:
Decent performances across the board. I appreciate New for making me hate his guts when he was the reason I started watching this film, ha, the irony. I'm also on the lookout for our ghost boy who won me over with his puppy dog eyes, despite that oh so distracting unibrow. Supporting cast all played their parts well, especially the ACTUAL threesome, those were some cute men, and I'd rather have seen this movie revolve around those three.

MUSIC:
Surprisingly enjoyable, and incredibly spot on with the lyrics in every single scene. It seems like more care went into the music placement and selection than it did into the actual writing of the film.

REWATCH:
I wouldn't rewatch this film if someone paid me a billion dollars to see it again! Okayyyy, maybe for a billion dollars.

OVERALL:
Watch this if you don't have a heart, or are against the interspecies romance trope, you'll be satisfied. Don't watch this if you're looking for something light and sweet to pass the time, you'll get infuriated beyond measure. I have no idea how or why this film got greenlit. It's absolutely trash.

PS. If you think my rating is rather lenient for how harsh my review is, it's the average rating of all the components that made up the film.

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Gruesomely Sad

I find it tough to really dive in deep with a short film the likes of this one. To those who wish to watch this, the tags are a good indicator of what's to come.

Story:
I would actually really like to see this short film as a mini webseries of 8 or so episodes. It left so many unanswered questions and a "What now?" reaction when it ended. I was close to tears during the final moments because the depiction of bullying and its aftermath shook me. Two sides of my brain are at odds with each other where one applauds the end, and the other finds it too severe. The romance was very subtle, almost a blink and you'll miss it. I am actually unsure whether 'Romance' should even be listed as one of the genres as it is slightly misleading. The female lead was just there as a reminder that there is a part of our male lead that is still human.

Acting/Cast:
Jang Kyung Eob portrayed his character spectacularly, depicting conflicting emotions and reactions wherever necessary, I wanted to keep watching him and my heart broke whenever he got hurt. Chae Soo Bin did fine with whatever little she had to show.

Music: I did not pay any particular attention to the music, the background score however, was spot on with the overall mood.

Rewatch Value: I generally don't rewatch stuff and for this short film specifically I don't see why anyone would want to watch it more than once.

Overall: The supernatural, science fiction-y element of the story had me intrigued and I wish there was more time to explore it. M Boy is worth a check out just for this reason alone.

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What a delight! As someone who loves and yearns to explore the world more, this show served as the perfect bite-sized indulgence for both an Ahgase (GOT7 fans) and travel junkies. So grab some snacks, cast the show on a larger screen (trust me, the full splendor can only be witnessed in HD) and bring some friends who'll die laughing right beside you!

Now that the hype is out of the way, let's get into the nitty gritty shall we?

STORY (Or rather the Concept):
The show had our four Protagonists travel across Thailand in search of seven mini golden tablets, each corresponding to a specific Thai deity in a span of a few days. Very Indiana Jones-y but of course without the troubles and only with minor discomfort (Poor Youngjae xD). The locations were spectacular and awe-inducingly beautiful. There's a reason the country is such a tourist hotspot.

CAST:
One would think an incomplete band would not be as wholesome and enjoyable, but boy would they be wrong! For the first time we see such a ragtag combination of GOT7: Mark, the hyung with his shyness suddenly exhibiting childlike energy (running up a 300 step staircase in a race against the boys), Jinyoung, the cool guy, known for his smarts and calmness, finding himself clueless and helpless in alien surroundings, transforming into a clumsy little cutie, Youngjae, the sunshine, suddenly burdened with the responsibility of being the leader, had to go through a few bouts of rain, and finally the diva and the ever hyper BamBam, who was in an identity crisis most of the time, and admiring himself on billboards for the remainder of it, were really endearing to watch.

The boys had a great rapport among themselves and with comedian Hwang Se Sung, appearing every so often as a set of deities tasked with revealing their missions. The interactions of GOT4 with the locals were also endearing to see.

MUSIC:
Perfect in accompaniment with every scene, and seamlessly moving each episode forward, the music collection (with snippets of GOT7's own songs) was great and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

REWATCH VALUE:
I may be biased, but I could watch this show over and over again without ever getting bored, and always find something new to laugh about. Highly recommended to fans and non-fans, the boys' friendship is so beautiful you'll come to love them and their personalities. :D

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Memories Restrict Thoughts and Actions

The crux of this drama was to negate this statement, and you bet they did it. But I still stand by their initial message because real life doesn't work the way dramas do.

In a way this is almost ironic. A drama built entirely on a fantastical premise turned out to be so deeply rooted in reality that it made me wish this was better produced and made for a wider audience than it originally was intended to.

Denei Shojo Mai is incredibly different from its predecessor. While the latter was a sweet, heartwarming, light, and also poignant story; this drama maintains that poignancy albeit through a much darker, twisted, psychologically challenging perspective. Some of the turnabouts in this story were so realistic I almost cried out in agony at how this was such a missed opportunity to make this so much more impactful. Denei Shojo Mai could have benefited from sixteen total episodes, or seven to eight, forty minute episodes, for a better fleshed out story with better developed character motivations.

The performances across the board were pretty decent, especially Mai's. Mizuki's eyes hard carried the majority of her acting in this drama and honestly she didn't really need anything else to stand out. Our male lead was a fickle young man and consequently, the actor's portrayal really dampened my opinions of him (the actor, not the character.) Nevertheless, he fulfilled his brief and his portrayal of his character wasn't bad by any means. The two also had a beautiful chemistry, that made it all the more unsatisfactory to see such little interactions between the two. The interactions we did get were rather powerful in their own stead.

The OST was fantastic and since I am writing this immediately after finishing the drama, I didn't yet look it up. If I do end up doing so, I'll update this section of the review.

To conclude, Denei Shojo Mai is definitely a hard pill to swallow if you're a die hard fan of its predecessor, there's no sunshine and rainbows here. If you're like me (and I guess I'll leave it up to you to gauge what this means) you'll enjoy Denei Shojo Mai a lot more than Denei Shojo Ai. I couldn't stop watching this once I started it, while DSA became quite a bit of a chore for me to watch if I'm being honest.

TL;DR Denei Shojo Mai is a (terrifyingly) darker, more powerful (darkest timeline) counterpart to Denei Shojo Ai. Not for the faint of heart or those looking for something similar to the original. Also not recommended if you're not open to the idea of interspecies romance. Highly recommended nonetheless, it's a great mini drama!

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