Heartbreak and happy tears?

I started watching this with the short series in mind that is loosely connected to this and left a good impression on me.
Started a little disappointed with the actor choices but was pleasently surprised by their performance. Especially Shun's actor left a good impression, silent as he was most of the time. Nagisa's actor was another story. He had scenes that felt off amd awkward but also made me cry twice with his raw intensity.
The few intimate scenes and kisses felt real and were not awkward at all, the chemistry seemed very good and credible.

That said, Shun and Nagisa's lovestory is beautiful but not deeply explored in this and that's what I'm missing here...I would have loved flashbacks to the beginning phase of their relationship.
We are thrown into their broken relationship right from the start and I had trouble relating to Shun's still existing love for selfish baka Nagisa who just up and left for - what? A surf career? Wtf?!
Make this a drama instead, explore the depth of feeling, existential crisis of being gay in backwards Japan (sorry, they're still homophobic af) and a rekindling of their love and I'd be overjoyed...
As it is, it is still an emotional rollercoaster of a movie, family scenes are cute and hopeful, court and 'mum' scenes made me angry. In the end we are left with a realistic outcome that isn't satisfying at all (to me) and reminds me of the heartbreak of "Close-knit".

I cried quite a few times still and that left an overall good impression with me, i was very invested in the story, despite its shortcomings.

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Another tl; dr review

Oh boy. How to say this kindly....

Coming almost straight from The Untamed, you go into this with high expectations and come out not knowing what happened because 20 min into this you started playing with your phone instead.

This production seemed....rocky at best. It had a very cheap feel to it and i was mainly watching for Xiao Zhan who either really deserved the Golden Broom if this is his standard acting or he just had a bad director, a bad script and a bad bad fricken month. It was lacking, in everything.
It's a far cry from his portrayal of WWX or even the dude in Oh my emperor (which i dropped)

The other cast seemed less cringey to watch and the plot was thiiiiiiiin. I couldnt get into it. Only in the very end, i got a little interested in the MC and I might watch the sequel because of that....

Anyway, the tl;dr:
questionable performance from XZ, passable from the rest.
music... - uh, there was music?
plot: easy to follow, bit boring, predictable
Costume and set: standard
Fimlography/camera: mid to low qual imho.
Rewatch: nah, I'm good thx

Cheers!

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Bittersweet moments - don't skip this one, BL fans

Been a while since I've finished watching this and waiting for the movie to become available to me I thought I needed to write a quick review.

The standout performance in this comes imho from Kura Yuki. That rooftop scene will not leave the back of my mind, it hit me that hard. This young actor could portray so much pain and longing in this short scene with just a his eyes, it stabbed me right in the heart.

This isn't your average BL movie with tons of innuendo or kiss scenes or outraged family. This is a subtle tale of two boys dancing the edge of friendship amd love, almost too young to grasp the feeling. I am a little bit sad that we get only this short drama that wnds just when it gets really good amd thr movie will be a timeskip one that shows them as adults. I just wanted to see the boys performances some more, I was enchanted.

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japanes "gay" movies have come a long way......not

I've been avoiding anything lgbt japanese (except for manga) like the plague. Why? Because overall quality almost always just makes me cringe. (notable exceptions include Mood Indigo and His (the one with the kids)).

This movie, sadly, is no exception.
We have seen a rise in production quality (meaning cinematography, dialogue, set design, etc) these last few years, but the acting unfortunately still sucks ass.

for those looking for more semi - R - rated content far off youporn and co, you will most likely find what you're looking for in this, there's plenty of kissing (tongue too) and naked make outs. all very soft core (and I am really thankful for that).
the plot is thiiiiiiiiiin. japanese girls bmi thin. almost see through. chemistry is nonexistant.
the music was..uh...porn-y. and that's all I remember about this movie which I just finished 5 minutes ago. horrible

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What's the hype?

Another one that didn't enchant me.
I've been stalling on this for ages, finally after getting back into kdrama gave this a watch and I am not in love. Yet? I dont know....10 eps in, probably not.

Gong Yoo isnt enough to keep me going, the Reaper I find more annoying than interesting, the "bromance" as some reviewers call it is not something I see at all, mainly because the reaper seems particularly lifeless to me. Didn't like the actors looks in this either, sinister in his suit, too boyband-like without. (Might be my hatred of korean forehead hiding mushroom haircut tho, dunno)

I don't mind the age gap between the leads but I have to second another reviewer's view that they seem more like father/daughter than a romantic prospect. Can't really get into it.
Later when they kiss I felt really weirded out tbh, almost like watching siblings kiss. The whole thing is just so rushed, like, she meets him, declares her love and just like that, bc she is the bride of the goblin suddenly he loves her and she loves him, this dude she barely knows, just met and has not a single thing in common with? What?
She's a pretty girl, that actress, but smiling and waving at her "lover" like a 7yo kid is just way too nope for me.

The music was engaging so far, I especially like the score/instrumental parts.

The plot itself could've given way to so much more than we got delivered. It was all very inconsistent to me, there are parts throughout almost every episode so far that bored me into playing with my phone instead of watching while others held my interest like a thriller. This might have benefited from not trying to be funny and comedic all the time but instead focusing on the dramatic/sad parts of eternal life and everyday death. The scenes whenever Reaper picked up souls were all really heartbreaking, how average people are ripped out of life, just like that...or how a fallen cyclist can cause that much damage....ouch! Instead the drama seems to focus on establishing and selling a romance that is anaemic and forced at best.

And for me, that's really all there is to this. I found myself most attentive during the parts that played in the past (the manipulative magistrate, the sister and the mislead king, all these were more interesting to me than Reaper and Sunny), and I will stop watching after ep 10 because I am bored. So bored.

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The I-dont-ever-watch-Thaidrama review

Pressured by the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I, the I never watch thai dramas because cringey acting, weird story, etc has ruined it for me years ago type, gave this a chance.

Phuuu...what am i gonna say about this.

+ The one thing that stuck was oddly enough the title song. Catchy af.
That's actually one thing about ThaiDrama i approve of: the music seems to be kinda good most of the time. Liked it.

+ the actors. Looks-wise both started out not my type at all but especially Type's actor won me over. Still not that much of a fan of Mew but oh well, seen worse. Acting was fairly good too.
Chemistry was there, especially in the later half of this season.
+kissing/making out was less cringy than i thought, they actually acted well!

~ plot. I mean, who doesn't love a good rivals/enemies to lovers plot, BUT it had its faults. Like, the whole I hate gays bc I was abused (btw they never explore the abuse in a healthy way, no therapy, no healing etc) thing and then he lets Tharn actually abuse him. Wtf?!

- A lot of NON-CON is going on on this at the beginning and it's bad. BAD! Kissing a sleeping person, ignoring multiple NOs etc. That kinda thing. Just no!

Will I rewatch? No. I will most likely watch season 2 although I dont know why but that seems to be the charm of this series, you actually wanna stick with it, even through the bad and ugly, kinda fascinating actually...mh....

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Oh boy, buckle up and pay attention

Better yet, read the novel and watch the anime before this otherwise you'll make one of the many Jiang Cheng faces for 10 to 15 episodes (you'll know what I mean soon or just google it lol) - i.e. the plot is complicated af, you're thrown in at present day, switch to past, everyone has 3 names ... but when WWX and LWj call each other by their first ones you'll die of dokidoki every. single. time. Aaaahhhhh! It's so good.

So, what's bad about this? Let me tell you, it will ruin you. It'll ruin every other Wuxia and Xianxia for you. It'll ruin you for any other BL couple. Every other production will look cheap and heartless, every other music will seem insignificant after Wuji and you will forever stalk social media for Yizhan content. It's bad.

This has 50 eps and you'll wish it were 500. I'm serious!
Don't watch this if you're only starting out in the genre. Mark my words, people.

The tl;dr:
+ the actors, all of them. All!
+ the music. T_T
+ production overall, set, costume, cinematography, direction (you can tell they are top qual directors wow)
+ the way they laugh in censors' faces with the non-subtlety oh booooyyyyy
+ WWX's smile and LWj's eyes
+ the plot, the heartbreak, the drama!

- it's too short, I'm serious, 50 is not enough
- Chn gov those petty old farts with their censorship
- Jiang Cheng faces. I mean, Wang Zuocheng is a fantastic cute sweetheart we must protect under any circumstance but they kinda left him hanging there as the show's joke. Could've coached him a little there....this precious babe

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The tl;dr review for the lazy watcher

As someone that cannot watch most BL drama (esp. Thai and korean) because of bad acting and general cringyness let me tell you what about this censored romance was good and what wasn't imho.

+ the main couple's chemistry
Jason Xu was the embodyment of tall dark and handsome, seemingly at peace with his feelings while his counterpart Simon Gong was the spoiled goofy type in denial. Which brings me to:

- Gong's character was at times annoying af and my second hand embarrasment was strong. Was it the script? Was is overacting/ bad acting? We'll never know...

- the sister. Oh this sister. Why did they have to write her almost like a bimbo thorn in the MC's side. Why? Typical women bashing in BL once again.

+ the plot was easy to follow but not very intruiging, they could've skipped the bf's side plot with the thief imho. It was just slowing down the story for me. The only problem I had was: Xu's character seemed like a down to earth, calm and collected grown up and Gong's character just doesn't fit in there, behaving like a kid most times. Unplausible but probably so in the novel. Just a very unpleasant character...

+ overall production quality seemed good

- the music was nothing to write home about

+/- a lot of shirtlessness going on. A plus if it's Xu, very weird if it's 2 random dudes on a bed...

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I seem to misunderstand korean culture

First, the tl;dr:

+ acting was good, characters were mostly believable, the main couple had chemistry, and I love Hae-in's smile and short hair in this.

+ story: I loved seeing a woman my age as MC who dates a younger guy. It's exciting and relatable.

++ the side plot about workplace sexual harassment. <3

+/- depending: the music. You get Bruce Willis crooning save the last dance and C Bruni moaning Stand by your man in every episode. Either it sticks with you in a good way bc you like it or it keeps popping up in your nightmares.

- annoying side characters (mother, brother, stalkerexboyfriend), the only plus was him getting slapped repeatedly and that one coworker with the deeper voice that also didn't understand why them dating openly was an issue. I feel you, girl!

- some scenes felt very very long. Many walks, many hugs, many dinner scenes. Repetitive

Now the longer stuff.

The thing that kept bothering me throughout watching this was how a 35 (?)yo keeps living at home and how the parents and the brother seem to have a say in how and who she dates and how she lives her life. Wtaf? Co-worker-girl there spoke right from my heart when she asked Jin-ah wtf the problem was about dating the guy openly.

In fact, how everyone seems to think it's their concern that the two are dating is kinda mindboggling. It's none of your business, sister, brother, parents, coworkers, it's the couple's business. Period. And watching them all be pissy about being left out and lied to like they're entitled to any knowledge at all is making me angry af.

Which brings me to the thorn in this drama's side: the meddling annoying mother of doom. O. M . G. I started skipping scenes with her bc she made me so incredibly angry as well. You've had your youth, mother, now let your kids have theirs and stop complaining!

The dad was a welcome positive antagonist to thr mom, supporting the MC in his own way. Liked him.

I read a lot reviews that said watching beyond ep 9 isn't rec'ed bc of unnecessary heartbreak and they'll get together eventually anyway so I don't know if I'll ever finish this.

I kept watching for the subplot about workplace sekuhara bc it's a real problem and I really wanted to see it resolved, i.e. have the creeps be fired from the firm.

I came at this straight from Crashlanding bc I liked the main actress and sometimes I wished Jin-ah was more like a tough business woman that let's nobody step over her....ah well...

I have to second other reviews here, watch this until you get bored then just drop it and watch sth else.

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Gawd I hate nothing more than asian drama/movie kiss scenes. They're always horrible, cringy and eff up the whole thing for me.
That said, THIS was a pleasent surprise. I did watch this before reading the manga but after watching its sequel (which i liked even better - story- and acting- wise).

The sensei's actor is amazing to watch as he struggles between apparent arrogance, playing with the assistants feelings and trying not to show his real emotions. (Not an english speaker - sorry lame explaination). All the while not being awkward when acting in close proximity or touching each other.

I feel like because i did watch the sequel (that is actually a prequel) before, i had a better understanding how and why sensei came to bw how he is in Pornographer and his scenes with his editor are all the more bittersweet for it.

They skipped the somewhat tacky sex scenes in this - thankfully - so watch it not for the yaoi but for the storyline!

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Tl;dr

Chemistry:
off the fricken chart. Omg. And they don't tease us forever until the first kiss or "love you"s. Also loved how both main actors are not the super plastic surgeon molded twentysomethings but seem like normal (ok, not *normal* normal but super attractive) korean people.

Story/characters:
starts out great. NK is gloomy and everything looks rundown and sad. People are portrayed suffering hardships without complaining, the side characters are quirky and loveable, the real villains are EVIL, the rivals are just human too, everything has an honest humble feel to it. Made me google NK intensively and made me wanna punch Kimyongfuck's face even more. Ahhhhhh.

Anyway. Things start looking weird in the second half of this, when they are in South Korea. I mean, online gaming? Getting scolded? Way to destroy the tough ass military character with how dumb it all looks. Wasn't a fan of the kept house hubby. That was also the time the "relationship" seemed cooled off and strange. One would expect passion and desire, but no, we got fried chicken and child safety level browsing restrictions for him. Huh?
And don't get me started on plot holes. I mean, her brother basically confessed to hiring a killer and nobody cares? He walks free. Wut?

Music: cheesy, forgettable

Happy ending? 50/50. it's a cheat.

Rewatch? Nah, but liked the main couple a lot. Please do another drama, you two!

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So, to watch or not to...

If you're new the genre, sageuk, new to KDrama in general, a fan of the actors or just plain bored - yes, do watch it.

You'll be rewarded by an excellent Park Bo Gum, annoying, funny or infuriating sidecharacters, an easy to follow plot, few dokidoki moments (thanks to our crownprince there) and a hilarious fatsuit (what? couldn't they find a single overweight actress in all of Korea? - is what i first thought but it seems this is part of a weightloss plot - meh...)
That said, about halfway through, the plot drags itself by mere threads, I found myself playing on my phone onstead of watching, skipping scenes and being bored by all the artificial drama with the queen and the ministers, later with her mom (who i found the least likeable charavter ever) and the family stuff. *yawn* not even Park could save me. I just wanted it over already.
Chemistry-wise...meh, 5/10. but whaddaya expect, she's a minor ffs....

so if your taste runs more deeply into the whole historcal Korea thing, you have more refined tastes about plot, character development and don't particularly care about the actors, skip this.

Tl;dr: cute faces, shallow plot, music was bleh, but was entertained enough, won't rewatch tho.

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