Love is messy

and sometimes it isn't enough. I appreciate what the writers were trying to tell with Hara and Eun Beom's story, but they missed the mark. Especially with how highly unlikable the main characters were even the secondary couple were annoying. It was hard rooting for any of the 4 characters. I found the two females even worse than the males. That's saying a lot with how unlikable EB was. Hara needed to grow up a lot so did BW, for being celebrated lawyers both were equally awful. I think that was one of the biggest mishaps in this drama aside from the plot holes. I get the trend of making realistic dramas with flawed characters, now a days, but with how awful the world is many of the times the audience doesn't want to watch these kinds of dramas. No matter how important or intriguing they may be. I did however, like how the divorce cases Hara and Eun Beom handled paralleled their relationship. Sometimes it propelled them forward and had them learn lessons right before they reverted to being unbearable once again. Eun Beum especially felt like he was going around in circles until the very end where it seems he finally learned that he needed help and to grow as a person.
I get that the writers wanted HR and EB to be human instead of cardboard cutouts of other dramas but still you got to move your characters forward or it becomes tiring for the viewer. Aside from this I did like how Eun Beom's trauma felt real, this happens in families when a tragedy happens, and I feel it's something that isn't shown or talked about a lot in society. People shut down and push everyone else away. Their defense mechanism is to run away which is what EB did. As for Oh Hara for her being a lawyer she had to be one of the nastiest, more immature fl I have seen lately. She never cared about what anyone else wanted but herself. I'll give her this tho: she finally matures in the last two episodes. For that, I was happy. And let's not talk about how nasty her best friend was, I don't even want to talk about what a waste of space this character was.
Anyways enough ranting about the characters. Now onto the plot I feel like this drama would have been better if it would have avoided the misunderstanding trope at every turn. Also, the plot moved forward only to backtrack from episode to episode. I think the writers lost the plot around ep 6. The story seemed to drag its feet from then on.
Although one tiny highlight was how the series showed that sometimes love isn't enough. No matter how much two people love each other if there's no communication or trust then it's not gonna work no matter how many times people try. If the couple is vastly different and want different things in life well then, that spells doom, sometimes it's better to let go than to hold on. And that was the root of HR and EB's story and I guess the lesson the writers wanted to leave the audience with.
The open ending fit the characters the best,honestly after eveything I can't see a happy ending for them. Maybe in the future but now? NOPE. So, I'm glad the writers went with the realistic ending and wrapped up the story fairly. For those who wanted them together, the hope is there.
Overall, I give this a 6.5and that's mostly for the acting and the OST not the writing.

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Not Much to the story. The first three episodes

basically go nowhere and almost made me drop this. It's just one of the ML basically stalking the other and being overly annoying for 17+ minutes. We do get some flashbacks to their past but it's not enough to push the bad story telling aside .If the first 3 awful episodes can get past then the story finally finds it's footing aroung episode 4. At its core it's a typical story of misunderstandings and non communication that makes the audience want to slap both of these characters upside the head, sit them down and get them to talk without any pettiness or anger. I mean most of their problems would be solved with communication no? Still underneath that it tells a relatable story of feelings developing between two friends. How those feelings can change everything causing misunderstandings and fear that leads to a break in the relationship. For that reason I gave it a 6 because I can relate. I've been there and I thought that was told well.
I think the cast did a good job for what they were given. And I loved the music and the locations. Plus. the last scene was pure cuteness and whole some if not my rating would have been lower than a 6.
I think Korean BL's are still finding their footing which is why I have a hard time finding one that I really love. Although. I think with some of these stories they are on the right track.

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Simple, workplace slice of life drama

with a side of fluff. Got to say that I loved this. It was simple but so cute and wholesome. I love how healthy the mains were. And, How they helped each other grow as people and in their workforce. Yes, there was a bit of angst thrown in there for the sake of it in the end it worked for character development. While I did find the romance rushed( I mean what can you do with 7, 20 min episodes?) but I think both the main actors did a convincing job with it.

I liked how their romance was mixed with their work because it was true to their characters. Both were workaholics who strived to be better at their job and make their dreams come true. In the end they achieve that, even if they have to start from scratch.

All in all 8.5. I usually have trouble with Korean BL's but the New Employee was different and is going in my favorite Korean BL's. I enjoyed it thoroughly and highly recommend it.

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An epic Masterpiece in all proportions

An amazing drama that I'll never forget! Everything about this was amazing. The chemistry between Soo Ming and Lee Bae Wok, the characters, the character arcs and development, the worldbuilding and the acting. I got to say that both Jang Uk and Naksu/Mae-Duk are two of my most favorite characters ever in drama. And that has a lot to down to how both Soomin and LBW potrayed these characters with so much nuance and realism. They lived these characters and so did I thru them.
Uk and Naksu's character development was also a delight to watch. Nothing forced at all their changes they experience realistically, as they grow and change and grow as the story moves along.
Now onto the story, I'm a big fantasy lover and I was super excited when I found out AoS was a Korean fantasy drama. It had all the aspects that I love: magic, worldbuilding, the characters, the friendships, and of course the romance. I also loved the touch of comedy sprinkled throughout especially when the episodes were dark. It offered a nice balance.
Loved all the emotions AoS made me feel, I regret not watching this when it was airing I feel like watching live would have left me on an emotional rollercoaster every week! phew.
Got to say that Alchemy of Souls is one of the best dramas I've seen and one of my top ones too. Can't wait to get on and watch part 2. After that ending I need it lol.
10/10 for everything.

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Good idea. Just not executed well enough

I'm proud that BL's/ Korean Bl's especially try to move away from the real of what is expected from them. The Director Who Buys Me Dinner was a mix of supernatural and fantasy which is good because BL's deserve more themes and different stories. Yet since it was only 14-16 mins an episode, less by all the summaries and the previews in the beginning and end of the episodes + the normal 8-10 episodes, it really affected the plot. Since the episodes are so short there really isn't an opportunity to tell the story correctly. The series suffers from a lot of plot holes that left me confused and I still don't really understand the curse or their past connection. The ending is bittersweet too, I liked it enough but I feel like it could have had a better finish.
While I liked the performances of the cast in the last two episodes there's still room for improvement esp if they are going to stay in the BL industry. Some of the acting in the intimate scenes left me feeling awkward too. Still it's important for Korea to tell these stories as much as the writers and producers tell the male and female romance ones. For that I'm happy that Korea has done that and are giving fans more BL's lately. The Director Who Buys Me Dinner was another step in the right direction.
Overall I ive this series a 6.0 because I enjoyed it and thought it was cute. Is there room for improvement? Yes, but I'm satisfied enough for what this series gave me. Loved the OST tho.

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This one was a tough one for me to rate

As much as I thought this was so good in terms of quality and acting, it just didn't capture me like it should. I liked the study of human thought, emotion trauma, love and how everyone deals with the same situation in different ways. How adults can be incredibly selfish or cowards and end up hurting the people who least deserve it. How a mother's" love" can sometimes be the worst thing for her child. And how love doesn't always win because people are too stubborn to fight or it sometimes. I wish I could give it a higher rating----------

Yet I didn't feel what I was supposed to from all the above. I did find the dialogue, situations and acting compelling still I struggled to get thru the episodes. I guess this series as mature and well written as it was just wasn't for me. I didn't drop it because I liked the acting and I wanted to see how it all ended. So I stuck it out to the end.

I got to say tho the two leads had phenomenal chemistry the sexual tension was palpable even if it led nowhere in the end. The heartbreaking end made sense. I just don't see how it could go another way as sad is it was it made sense for the characters.

Overall I give this series a 7.5 and that was definitely for the acting that was incredible. maybe others will enjoy this one more than I did.

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Breathtaking views and good dive into Thailand's culture

Got to say I enjoyed seeing the different places the characters traveled to and learning each piece of Thailand culture where Win and Korn visited looking for the holy water. I was impressed. I'm usually not a fan of body swap stories so I wasn't expecting much from this one. TBH in the way of plot I got what I expected. However, I did like how there was one plot point when it comes to body swapping that was different and fresh, I rather liked it. Other than that, there was not much plot wise.

I only really watched this for EarthMix and they didn't disappoint. Their acting and chemistry was on point like always. And I really enjoyed Jan's work here. First time watching her, and I really liked her. She did a great job switching between Win and Lin. She was cute and funny when she needed to be. What can I say about Mix? I liked that he got a lighter character in the way that he got more comedy and he pulled it off. Guess that made Win more complex since he was mostly a jerk until episode 7 or when he got comedic moments. It was good to see him spreading his wings and not just drama this time. Earth was good as the sweet well-mannered Korn. I fell in love with Korn immediately and hated Win thru the first half with everything he put Korn thru.

For the most part I enjoyed Korn and Win's love story. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers so I liked how that was handled here aside with my problems with Win's character. Tho I do feel like he had character development. I'm surprised this story came from the same team of Enchante since I feel like the story and characters were handled much better here than on Enchante despite some flaws. I did enjoy the little life lessons the writers thru in there too.

Overall I give this a 7.5 because it was better than I expected but not a masterpiece per say. Will I rewatch? probably but only if I want to get my EarthMix fix. The acting gets a 10 of course because I feel like the whole cast was superb.

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Surprised I didn't think I would like it as much as I ended up doing it.

When I saw the trailer, the story intrigued me, but I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. But I did and a lot. I know a lot of people were disappointed in the end because it was billed as a crime, thriller bl and well it's not. Ok, it is for like the first 5 first episodes and after that- well- it just focuses on the love story between Min and Q. And Q learning how to heal from his past trauma thru Min's love. That may sound cheesy to a lot who were expecting more from this series. But to me it didn't bother me at all. I really liked watching the love between MinQ develop , for me it was handled perfectly. Plus, the OhmLeng chemistry was on fire. I really fell in love with them. Many thought that after what happened with Ohm's past ship, he'd never have chemistry with anyone else. Wrong! Kidnap proved that the kid is a chemistry magnet. He is so talented that he knows how to create magic with all his costars.
Leng surprised me for a rookie he was not bad at all. He stayed with Ohm in most of their scenes together and was at ease in the romantic scenes. He still needs work, in some areas, yes but he is much better than other actors: rookies and not. He has the potential of being one of the good ones on GMMTV. If he stays with Ohm, I have no doubt he'll continue growing.
As for the story, yes it had it's faults but I liked it and it kept me entertained every week. I know I'll be rewatching it and putting it in my faves list for sure. 9.5/10

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Be My Favorite? Yes it definitely is!

When I heard about this series I wasn’t going to watch because I wasn’t a Krist fan at all at first. But, that’s another story for another time. All I’ll say on that is that I’ve changed my mind on Krist and he’s now one of my favorite actors. Now on to the meat of this review: when I watched the trailer I was intrigued and decided to give this bl a chance. I’m so glad that I did because it ended being my second favorite bl of all time. There was just something about this story that resonated deeply with me. How many of us want to be Kawi? To be able to go back in time and change past mistakes in our lives? I’ll say most of us do. But like Kawi we have to learn the same lesson: “live a life that we are proud of so we don’t want to go back and change it.”
I appreciated the life lessons this series taught me as I watched. I cried, loved and cheered along side Kawi and Piseang.
Kawi may not be an easy protagonist to like because he’s so human and makes a lot of mistakes in the first episodes but I understood him. I’ve been there so I got it. I loved having a protagonist I could relate to so well. As for Pisaeng it was so easy to love him because he was one of the greenest flags ever. The way he loved Kawi is the way we all want and deserve to be loved. Pear was a queen, I loved that she was her own character not just there to be a problem between PisaengKawi. And Max was the friend we all want.
As for Pisaeng and Kawi’s love story, i loved it. It was told so well. I love how the writers took the time with it and how they completely showed us Kawi falling in love. I have to say GawinKrist’s chemistry was pure magic! So much so that they became my favorite pairing ever. Their chemistry bordered on soulmates, plus they just had this naturality to it. Krist &Gawin just balanced each other out so well. I love them that as all.
As for rewatching value? This is definitely on my rewatch list and I will do it over and over again. BMF is worth a thousand rewatches. Highly recommended to anyone who hasn’t watched yet.

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Low budget drama that hit all the right beats for me.

It’s not perfect and the story gets repetitive in some parts, but it’s still enjoyable. The romance was the best part. It’s pretty non toxic with a touch of Harlequin romance. The ML and FL go thru so much stuff on,y to realize that they are 100% soulmates.. I also like the character growth the FL, Yexi, goes thru. She starts as the normal, run of the mill female lead but by the end she’s totally different and stronger. I like that the writers did that. I also liked the complicated relationship between the ML and the 2ML. They hate each other but at the same time, share a strong bond of understanding, respect and friendship between them. The supporting characters except for maybe one, don’t do much for the story. But I guess they were needed because this couldn’t be a 3-4 cast member drama ?. The story wasn’t much to write home about since it’s mostly centered around Yexi, her journey and her journey to find love. But I did enjoy the journeys. It is a small budget drama but I feel like the cast and everyone in the production company did a good job. The main villain as annoying as he was, I think was one of the best I’ve seen lately. I felt how horrible he was and his actions made sense. I love LHY so I watched this for him and I’m glad I did because it was a good watch despite its flaws.
Overall I give it an 8.5 because I feel the story stalled a few times but overall I pretty much liked it. Will I rewatch? Probably.

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Simple, Cute, Slice of Life Drama

that I completely enjoyed. What I enjoyed more about this series is how mature the characters were. Takara and Amagi behaved way more mature than a lot of Male Leads that I have seen in other BL series. For being teenagers, they sure knew how to communicate and fight for their relationship. Whenever there was a problem while yes, the drama was there it didn't take long for Amagi and Takara to solve it. When that wasn't enough, it was time for their friends to step up! Katori has to be one of my favorite best friend's in BL. He was always there for Amagi when he needed him. I really loved their bond. The friendships were good here even Tanaka stepped up when he needed to.

Yes the story was simple and not much too it but I loved how realistic the plot was to teenagers like Amagi coming to terms with his feelings of first love and all that entailed. Although Takara wasn't as epressive as Amagi, it was good to get inside his head once in a while. Also his love for Amagi was the cutest thing ever. Bubbly and Cold protagonists is one of my favorite tropes and I feel like it was executed well here.

The actors did a fine job with their characters.

The only thing that bothered me a bit was the use of timeline. Those flashbacks to tell the story where mighty confusing, esp in the first episodes. I think that's why I give this a 9.0. Because overall this was a fun, fluffy & just what I needed kind of series. I liked the minimal use of angst and the overall cuteness because with all the ugliness in the world this is the kind of series that is needed. One that I'll probably rewatch a lot and one of my favorites of the year.

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Dark and hauntingly beautiful at its core.

A story of two men that should not be together, right? Well, that's only at the surface but there's so much more to this story. Haoren and Chihiro are two young men who are completely damaged: mentally, physically, and emotionally. One because of his tragic past and the other because his family is homophobic. When they first meet it leads to a toxic relationship where there's a lot of pain, abuse and humiliation in the beginning. The first 3 episodes are extremely hard to watch because of the emotional abuse. But in the end, it's a road that both Haoren and Chhiro needed. To a normal bystander this is a relationship that should not succeed. At least it's what it looks like at first. Underneath the toxicness that surrounds them at first both Haoren and Chichiro come to understand each other, value each other and heal together. Their journey takes them to a place where they can learn to love each other and make one another happy. Despite all the pain they have been thru in their lives they give each other a peace they have never had before. That peace is what not only becomes healing from one to the other but also within themselves.
And that's the beauty of this story. The writers knew exactly what they were doing here and giving these characters character development in 8 episodes where the audience can feel that it's worth it to root for them. Not only as a couple but as individuals. It also leaves the viewers with hope that no matter how dark life may get there's always a light within a tunnel be it in the form of another person or your own persona.
Highly recommended tho it may trigger some esp in the first episode. All I'm going to say is stick with it because it's all worth it. The cast was amazing in this too. One of Japan's best BL's but it may not be for everyone, I enjoyed it fully.

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An interesting look at the school system and parents with a mature romance.

I'll admit that this drama made me think about things. About how some parents are willing to destroy their children as long as they achieve academic success. It's sad what lengths they go thru and how the school system actually highlights this instead of finding a way to protect their students. But I guess if the kid's parents are not going to protect them who else can. Before watching this I never really thought about this, but I got to say this series is thought provoking. Not only on the parents and school system but other heavy subjects as well. I feel like the writers handled all the sensitive subjects well: like eating disorders, school and parent pressure, mental illness, abuse both physical and mental, cyber bullying and social pressure.
Sometimes this series got to dark tho but the lighthearted romance did lighten the mood. I like how the characters were older. We rarely see a romcom centered on a woman in her thirties, so this was a breath of fresh air. I like how it was handled and the characters made me root for them. The teen romance was also handled well imo and didn't take much away from the main storyline. What did take away from it was the serial killer plot. I understand what the writers wanted to do here and how abuse can lead to someone becoming a monster. Important to tell but not always necessary in a romcom. Especially, when the plot is centered too much on this one plot and forgets the main story. However, I did like how it was resolved in the end. And I also liked how the characters were smart FL especially.
The cast did a great job and I found some of my favorite actors while watching this.
Overall I give it an 8.5 because like I mention I feel like the killer plot took away too much from the central story. Other than that I really enjoyed this series and would recommend.

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The acting really caried this series. The story was meant to be intriguing

and while yes it touched on very important issues like: corruption, greed, abuse both physical and mental, mental health issues & prostitution, I mostly felt meh about it. I don't know what it was but for the most part I felt like the episodes dragged until there was an action part in the story. It was actually the cast that kept me engaged. Off Jumpol is one of my favorite Thai actors so of course I'll watch him in anything and while he was pretty awesome here, I'd have to give this to Mond. He stole the show with his incredible acting. He's definitely a rising star imo. It was a pleasure to watch Off and Mond working together again. I loved them on Not Me and felt like Mond and First were the actors that have had the best chemistry with OffGun as a group. Off and Mond proved that again in this series. Jan was incredible once again, she's rapidly climbing on my best actress list too.
I think the series accomplished what it needed to do and set the tone up for the next two series in the Midnight Series. Will I watched it again? Unless I have to figure out a hidden connection to the other series, I'll probably not.
I give this a 7 because I liked how smart Mote was and the acting but the story was so-so. The OST was ok, mostly just loved the song they played at the end. If people want an action/thriller that's not that thought provoking this series could be it.

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Emotional, satisfying and beautifully written

Wow! What a ride this series was from start to finish. This is how angst is done. When I first heard that the original miniseries was gonna get a full series: I was skeptical. To be honest I wasn't much of a fan of the original so I wasn't expecting much. To say I was pleasently surprised is an understatement. Although the story/plot can be considered the normal cliched one: Love Mechanics was more than that. I enjoyed how fleshed out everything was. The characters weren't cardboard cutouts, they were layered and multifaceted. That's what made them real. Vee could be frustrating at times but at the same time the audience could see and understand his inner struggle. Like wise with Mark sometimes he made people want to hit him, when he didn't stand up for himself but like with Vee it was understandable why he put up with Vee's bs. That's the makings of good writing. Not to mention how well War and Yin portrayed their characters. I wasn't a fan of their acting in the miniseries but I loved them here. Both grew so much as actors and were able to transmit everything and make the audience feel with the characters were. They are in my top actors list now. The rest of the cast was good too.
The ending was incredibly satisfying in the end everything leading up to it made sense. I also loved how the boys father's were layered. All the characters felt real on Love Mechanics. So much so that it's hard to say goodbye. And for that reason and how good the writing is it's going in my top of the year. The series may not be perfect to everyone but it was to me.
That's why OVERALL I give it a 10. Definitely going in my rewatch list too.

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