Gripping and unsettling revenge story with some interesting narrative and production choices

This extremely dark movie is a revenge story centred around a crime committed in a middle school background. The plot is unsettling as the viewer witnesses a patchwork of criminal acts, toxic behaviours, mental health issues and disturbing scenes. I found the pace of the story really good as the film progresses and the motivations of some of the characters unveil. It might feel a bit over-the-top at some point but it succeed in being frighteningly believable somewhat. I appreciated the ambivalence of the ending and the fact that there is a greyish morale to it...

Acting-wise, the cast was overall pretty good. Matsu Takako is good as this distraught, cold and relentless character seeking revenge. She is a bit over-shadowed by the performances of the three teens actors: given their young ages and the darkness of their scenes, I found them pretty impressive and convincing, even though sometimes their acting might have been a bit too "over-the-top" or uneven.

Production-wise, it manages to showcase the different perspective of the stakeholders in a gripping way. Even the more narrated parts (which are "telling" more than "showing") are captivating to follow due to some inspired mise-en-scene. There was some elements that I felt a bit too exaggerated (in terms of visual effects or for example with the blood spattering...) to the detriment of the poignancy of some of the scenes but it was still super impactful overall. The soundtrack was suitable for the film but not memorable to me.

I would recommend this to people looking for a gripping revenge story, quite different in its narrative style. If you loved manga such as "Teseusu no fune", you might love this as it gives some similar vibe. Given the crime committed as well as the various topics approached in the film, it features heavily (a lot) of really triggering components. I would strongly suggest to look at the tags before watching this if you have any triggers. If you don't, this could be better to go watch it blind in order to not spoil yourself of course.

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Song Joong Ki as a pining wolf boy in the '60s countryside: a "must see" ^^

The story is centred around the encounter in the '60s in the countryside of a young woman and a "wolf boy", a young man clearly not used to human interactions and society rules. I loved a lot the premise of this movie as well as its setting in the past. It allowed a certain suspension of disbelief. What could seem impossible made indeed much more sense in the context of a small rural village in the sixties and after the war context. Story-wise, it was fascinating to see the development of the relationship between the two main protagonists. The only little default is the "contemporary" storyline which I felt did not add much to film overall.

This movie is starring some actors and actresses that I generally like. The pairing between Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Young works pretty well. The first one manages to transmit a lot of emotions without any need for dialog, the viewer is able to see everything through the eyes of his character. The second one does also a very good job as the central figure to the story, with a lot of poignant scenes successfully acted. Yoo Yeon Seok was excellent: I was quite shocked to see him in an antagonist role and he surpassed my expectations playing a despicable character. Jang Young Nam, in a supporting role, gives once again a great performance as the motherly figure trying her best to make lemonade with the lemons that life gave her.

Though some of the visual effects feel a bit outdated, the production value is pretty good overall. I found the sceneries and decors really well made: some were frightening and providing a chilling atmosphere, some were heart-warming and bright. There is one specific scene where music is particularly important that I liked a lot. The remaining soundtrack was not necessarily memorable.

I would recommend this to people looking for a good movie, well-acted with an interesting plot balancing pretty well several genres. It is a quite surprising and effective melange of slice-of-life and fantasy with some elements of thriller and romance. If you love one of the actors/actresses of the cast, it is a "must see". Strangely enough, even if the scenario has nothing to do with it, it kind of remind me in a way of "Titanic" in terms of relationships, characters and plot structure.

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Restrained & soothing slice-of-life story: expected and not that memorable

This short slice-of-life movie (about 45 minutes) is centred around a young aspiring mangaka and his cat. It is a soothing and sad picture: the flow of the script is kind of slow and lenient, not a lot is happening on the surface but it has deeper meaning than it appears. I found particularly interesting too see the main character living a solitary but purpose-driven life with his cat being his lifebelt.

The filmmaking was very appropriate in making us understand the key message, but maybe this was a bit too expected. Indeed, nothing surprised me and I did not find myself emotionally invested in the story. The music was subdue with some peaceful piano notes. What I enjoyed the most was the drawings showcased at various steps of the film and in the ending generic: those were totally relevant and fitting overall.

Still, The main actor performance was satisfying, it was full of nuances and he manages to work well with the cat, which was the central figure of the show. The cat had himself an internal voice and I'm still hesitant about this choice. I'm wondering if it is not a shortcut in trying to provoke emotions to the viewer who is told what to think rather than to show it and letting him free of interpreting it.

I would recommend this to people that like more restrained and quiet slice-of-life story or shows that are involving cats. It is really short, so you will not lose much time trying it.

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Unfortunately sequel not living up to my expectations: disappointing

I really loved the first movie and I am quite disappointed by this sequel. The story took a turn that I did not appreciate as it focalised much more on external events and people being obstacles to the main romance, as well as some over-the-top melodramatic tropes than on the development of the master-servant relationship itself.

The plot lost completely its appeal to me mostly in the second part of the movie, as the angst was coming foremost from quite soapy elements and much too quickly. There are 2 endings to this movie and I'm not fan of either of them due to the scenario becoming quite bonkers.

The main actors kept doing a good job but I was less invested in their couple. I think it is more likely linked to the scenario than to the cast but I was less enthralled by their chemistry together as the script gave them what felt like less opportunities to show nuances.

The music did not really stand out to me and the production was quite in line with the previous movie: standard and more what's expected in a series than in a film. As in the first movie, the subtitles unfortunately keep being appalling.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless you have seen the first movie. If you loved it and are curious about what happens to the characters, and do not mind some over-the-top narrative choices, you might give it a go to and see for yourself!

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Flawed in writing and editing but still highly entertaining BL office romance

This drama is foremost an office romance between two colleagues who become friends with benefits. It is quite classic in its content but there are still some interesting topics approached in the series in terms of safe sex, STD testing, consent... The office plot itself is lacking in terms of development: the writing is kind of minimal regarding the work environment as well as the relationship between the colleagues. It is difficult to understand what they do, why and what are the stakes but it remains thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable for sure.

The scenario is one of the weaknesses of the show: despite some good ideas, the traumatic events depicted in the show can feel a bit all over the place. There are so many unfortunate circumstances that it is a bit too much and over-the-top. Often, the transition between some scenes does not make a lot of sense because a quite choppy editing.

There are some pretty hot scenes: the chemistry between the 2 main leads is believable and oozing through the screen. I love the standoffishness, cat behaviour of one of the protagonist and the eagerness, puppy eyes of the second. I found the acting of this pairing quite good even if it could get better for sure with more experience (especially for the more dramatic scenes).

The secondary cast did an average job. The antagonist characters were too exaggerated, it was a bit of a miss for me but it might be more linked to the script than to the actors themselves. The role of the best friend as a comic relief was not that well acted, the actor seemed a bit awkward: I'm curious to see if he will be able to improve in the sequel as he will become one of the main lead.

The production is pretty great with some beautifully filmed intimate scenes, there seem to be a lot of trust between the main leads allowing them to be vulnerable with each other. The main song was nice but also an overkill. It was overused and very literal with the thematic of "wanting to be more than just a friend and becoming a boyfriend".

The flaws in writing does not prevent the drama to be super exciting to follow and I for sure will be looking forward the new work of this director and/or this pairing. With a more fleshed out script less caricatural in terms of obstacles, I'm sure it can get better.

I would recommend this to people looking for a hot and highly entertaining BL romance in an office setting and who do not mind a bit of choppy editing and a over-the-top storylines. Given the traumatic events happening repetitively to one of the character, you might want to check the triggers out before watching the show.

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No meaningful story, only cuteness and fun ! 30 minutes of fluff worth the watch !

After finishing the drama "Between Us", I was compelled to watch this very short drama special of 6 episodes of 5 minutes around the main couple of this series.

As stated by one of the actor himself, as a prologue to each short episode: "This project started because we want to do it. There is no any other reason, there is no drama. There is only fun and confusion. We just want to do it, so don't expect a meaningful story. Even if you want to find it, you can't find it. But if you want to find our cuteness, you will definitely see it. I've warned you!"

The above statement depicts perfectly this SP: it has not plot, no rhyme or reason, and is made only cute scenes and moments of fluff between Win and Team. There are adorable and it is a very relaxing, easy and enjoyable watch.

I would recommend this to people that love the main actors and or the BL series in which those characters are evolving such as "Between Us" (or even its parent show "Until We Meet Again" that I have not seen (-yet)).

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Consent and communication are sexy: sweet BL romance handling well what could have been problematic

It could have been just a standard BL in a university setting but I found myself really impressed and entertained by the show. The main romance is beautifully simple, it checks all the usual boxes of a BL college drama but it is innovative in the way the main protagonists interact with each other with a lot of important conversations about consent, trauma, love and so on.

The storytelling handles impressively well what could have come off as quite problematic if poorly done: the sex scenes includes consent checks in a natural way. The script is all about consensual relationship where the senior does not overtly subdue his junior in having sex with him: it is much more balanced than in most BL.

Still, the drama is not exempt of flaws: there are a bit too much of flashbacks, as well as too many secondary couples (4 in addition of the main one !) to manage to properly develop in a convincing way all the secondary relationships. Some are more interesting than others and it might have been better to focus only on the main couple and 1 or 2 additional romances.

I liked the ensemble cast, there was a lot of characters linked together in some way and the atmosphere felt really natural between them. The two main leads had a solid chemistry: whether it be in their crying scenes, or in the more sexy times, or in their funny banters...I was totally sold on their acting. My heart ached and rejoiced with them. I found so charming all the whining antics of Team and the adoring way Win was looking at him. The most rebellious is not the necessarily the one with the most piercings and tattoos... Some of the secondary role less central were a bit more average with quite a bit of over-acting but without undermining my entertainment.

I liked the OST, it was not standing out but nice. What I found really enjoyable was all the animal sound effects punctuating the conversations between the two main leads (kitty meow, lion roar,...): it was super cute and fun. Overall production was great, with some really lovely beach scenes. The super hot tattoos of one of the characters were entrancing and superbly highlighted by the filmmaking.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sweet BL romance which is constantly full of green flags with characters communicating with each other and having a nice evolution in their relationships. There are some dramatic elements to the plot but overall there are no major conflicts or non-sensical narrative choices: it is an healing love story wholesome and uplifting. I have not seen the parent story "Until We Meet Again" but I will likely give it a go after watching this drama already satisfying to me as a standalone.

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Adorable BL pairings, worth a watch despite some unfinished business taste for 1 of the romance

This BL college romance is centred around 2 main couples as well as 2 secondary couples. I loved a lot the two main romances, they were very different but wholesome in their own ways. There was some angst and pining, but overall also a lot of cuteness and fluff. The secondary storylines were less entertaining, with more (unaddressed) red flags as well as an odd pacing disturbing the main plot rather than improving it. The ending was a bit disappointing as it let a few open doors but hopefully the season 2 provides a better closure to the show so that the viewer is not left with some "unfinished business" taste for one of the romance. Even without a second season, it is still worth the watch thanks to the two main pairings.

Indeed, I found the two main couples really great thanks to the satisfying performances of the 4 main male leads. They are clearly beginners and some scenes are a miss...but they manage to be so cute that their flaws are more charming than anything else. The casting for Pete and Ae was amazing: the actors (Saint x Perth) had a genuine chemistry together which resulted in a super sweet portraying of a young couple starting a relationship. Their love is so pure, their relationship grow organically in a natural way. it is really a pleasure to follow their adventures on campus. Tin and Can couple (played by Mean x Plan), with the enemies-to-lovers trope, provided an interesting counterpart to the show. The secondary characters were less exciting to follow and the acting for them was quite average. It was even borderline bad for some roles such as the two comic reliefs (who were often over the top) as well as for some of the more traumatic crying scenes.

The soundtrack felt at first quite atrocious: a lot of piano songs were overplayed on top of the pop songs, the mix and transition of the sound between the scenes was not properly done. However, I finally found myself appreciating quite a bit the opening song of the generic, it was kind of repetitive but I enjoyed more and more as I was diving deeper into the episodes. In general, the production value felt a bit amateurish but it did not prevent me to enjoy the drama.

I would recommend this to people looking for a wholesome BL romance in a college settings. It is set up in the same universe as Tharntype (which is the sequel of Love By Chance) but it can be a bit confusing as the cast is a bit different for the same roles between the 2 shows,. I personally enjoyed Love By Chance more than TharnType: it is less problematic (except for the secondary storylines which are repetitive between the 2 dramas) and it is cuter. Still, be mindful of the triggers.

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Master-Servant BL platonic story, angsty and enthralling despite the bad subtitles

The movie depicts the very peculiar master-servant relationship between 2 men, one being entirely devoted to the other. The plot is quite simple in itself but manage to captivate thanks to their relationship feeling super taboo with its fair share of controlling and unhealthy aspects. Despite some rather caricatural arc (once again the female protagonist is atrocious), I was properly fascinated by the story.

I loved the chemistry between the two main male leads. It was totally believable, they took my breath away a couple of times with all the angst they were living through. I had to pause the movie at some point because it was so painful. The remainder of the cast is more average, they do a suitable job but nothing exceptional.

The music is quite atmospheric with some classical piano tunes rather well balanced with the story. The production value is good but more in line of what is expected from a series rather than a movie.

I would recommend this to people looking for an angsty BL story centred around a gut-wrenching Master-Servant relationship. Despite its short length, the movie manage to be enthralling despite the horrendous subtitles. Be mindful of the tags as the movie can be triggering.

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Movie does not live up to the manga due to the format constraint but is still quite entertaining

The movie is an adaptation of the manga "Silver Spoon" from the great Hiromu Arakawa. It is a slice-of-life story in an agronomic high-school in the rural Hokkaidō region.

If you have not read the original story, you might get a bit confused by the story as it a "collage" of scenes from its first narrative arc, there is some kind of conclusion but a lot of aspects regarding the development of the various characters and their future are missing from the plot. It is more than likely due to the format constraint in addition to the fact that the manga was still ongoing at the time of the release of the movie.

The acting is quite good, the actors are able to interact naturally with the farms animals. I found the adults casting a bit lacking in terms of charisma, there are much less colourful and inspiring than their "paper"-counterparts.

On one side, the music did not left a lasting impression on me. On another side, I found the film-making quite good with some nice shots of the "Ban'ei kyōsō" (= draft horses racing very specific to Hokkaidō).

I would recommend this to people that love the manga from which this movie is adapted. If you are nostalgic of it, you will enjoy seeing "live" some of the iconic moments of Silver Spoon. Be aware that the story depicts some less glamourous sides of the farm life, with the more realistic / gruesome aspects of it all (including a visit to a slaughterhouse), so you might want to skip it if it is triggering for you.

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BL high school romance, interesting content not developed enough because of time constraints

This drama is centred around the relationship of two high-schoolers that live together and develop feeling for each other.

The biggest flaw of the show is its shortness: there were so many good elements to the story that I really wish that the drama would have been longer to develop them more. It would have made the romance more believable if the pacing had been more balanced. All the narrative arcs were interesting in a way but it missed the mark sometimes as their developments were a bit too rushed and superficial.

The two main leads did a convincing job and the growth of the relationship of their characters was cute to follow. Maybe there was not enough pining and tension but it is clearly because of the script rather than the actors' fault. The side characters were properly fleshed out, even with not a lot of screen time, I was interested in their interactions with the two main protagonists.

I love the soundtrack of this drama: the opening song was great and overall every piece of music in the story was really pleasant to listen to. Production-wise, the show was pretty with some iconic scenes (most of them being shown in the opening generic which was a bit of a spoiler but also was great to watch those moments again at the start of each episode).

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL high school romance with a cohabitation trope. It might not be that memorable, but it is a cute short watch.

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Unexpected melancholic youth story

The story was rather unexpected to me. It does not really qualify as a romance but rather as a coming-of-age journey for two young people finding each other and building an uncanny friendship. It is a good concept but there are some elements lacking in the plot building to make me totally invested in the relationship between the main characters.

There are two timelines which both have their importance but there is unfortunately not enough time to develop both of them well enough. Moreover, the pacing of the movie felt quite uneven when switching from past to present. The flow of the plot gets better after the set up and there are some scenes between the 2 main protagonists that are thoughtful and leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.

The cast is overall okay: I enjoyed the performances of the two main leads playing the younger roles. I found the acting of the adults a bit too mild and subdue...but it might have to do with the script making their characters quite passive.

The soundtrack is nice but does not stand out among other Youth Japanese movies. Similarly, the production is quite standard for the genre: it is efficiently supporting the story-telling, nothing more.

I would recommend this to people looking for a melancholic youth story. It is a sweet-and-sour tale which might bring you down before picking you up.

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Hyper problematic BL, entertaining train-wreck

Let's not sugar-coat it: the story is super problematic and showcases a fair share of toxic behaviours: from homophobia to non-con and much more...If those issues had been treated more realistically and with more sensitivity (or just simply more logically ), it would have been better in terms of characters growth as well as relationship development. I found the build up of the romance totally non-sensical: the big shift from disgust to passion seems like a jump and the scenario did not make it believable at all. Overall, the side characters are not interesting and sometimes appear annoying or even unlikable.

Regarding the cast, they did not impress me. They did better in the cute / sexy moments than in the deep emotional ones. I do not blame the main actors as I think the issue is foremost the senseless plot making it very difficult to believe in their characters relationship.

But to be fair, not sure that the objective of the show is to provide a well-conceived BL romance, it seem more like some kind of fan-fiction scenario coming to live with queasy and dark fantasies not well addressed. There were a lot of directing and editing issues making the flow of the story too abrupt and nonlogical. That's why funnily enough, I even thought that some of the intimates scenes were dream sequences coming from the imagination of the protagonists because they seemed so out of place and out of characters...but they were real...

Despite all of these flaws, it is to be noted that the drama is entertaining to follow, with some hot scenes. The show is never good, but it gets a bit better in its second part (in terms of story as well as acting).

I would not necessarily recommend this to people as there are better BL stories. However, this specific series seems to be a staple of the BL Thai drama world so it might still be worth your time depending what you are looking for. Proceed with caution if you have any trigger.

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Bromance between Police Academy Students: a fiery midnight run !

This movie is centred on a duo of police academy students that find themselves investigating a crime in the middle of the night, literally running all over the place trying to help.

I found the pacing of the film really well done: it is never boring and manage to deliver a clear message. The protagonists are efficiently defined and well-conceived: the viewer understand very quickly their motivations, characteristics and their relationship. The plot is not that nuanced: it is not very critical on the current system and can be seen as a bit simplistic. But overall, what matters is that the story is earnest in its intentions and is gratifying.

The 2 main actors were awesome: they had great chemistry together, they wore their hearts on their sleeves and were really complementary. I'm not surprised by their amazing performances given their respective body of work.

The soundtrack was not overly present but I found the ending song upbeat enough to conclude in a satisfying way the movie. The filmmaking was really good in terms of fight scenes as well as training and practices scenes of our 2 "rookies"/ungraduated cops.

I would recommend this to people that love one of the main male leads and that are looking for a great and entertaining cop movie!

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Cute and platonic fluff showcasing only the main couple relationship

A cute sequel to the Theory Of Love drama, completely centred on the main couple relationship. The secondary characters are just here for figuration purpose.

The story remains pretty light with a much stronger comedic tone than in the original series. The power balance between the 2 main male lead stayed totally flipped. They have not found a complete equilibrium but overall the story shows how much the protagonists have evolved positively in terms of communication, expressing themselves and dealing with jealousy. It is clearly not perfect (otherwise there would be not plot at all) but it is better.

The main actors keep doing a convincing job. However, the script offers them even less opportunities to show deep emotions and the comical tone of the show can be a bit irking at time. There are also shortcuts taken in terms of production and storytelling: for example, when Off (playing Khai) is doing all his internal monologs, it is clearly a case of "tell" rather than "show". It is obviously the easy road to take: the filmmaking makes the actor's aside informing the audience rather than to have the directing, scenes and dialog doing the work.

The production and the OST continue to not really stand out: it is quite generic and expected for the genre.

I would recommend this to people that loved the parent series, and that want to see more of the relationship between Khai and Third. Do not expect too much of it, it is just cute and platonic fluff.

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