I Need To Read More Romance Manga!

This Jdrama gave me renewed hope in Japanese rom-coms. Usually Jdramas tend to be campy and over the top for me. Don’t get me wrong, this one has its moments too. However, the actors seem to be aware of this and it comes off as laugh-out-loud rather than cringe. I liked that the actor they chose for the main lead was not a stereotype “flower boy”. He was very masculine, gruff, and not your typical Japanese Romantic lead. He looked like he should be working on a fishing boat, not a Mangaka. According to his bio, he is acting against type in this drama, but it works well! His acting and chemistry with our FL is stellar. And our female lead?? Comic genius! Her facial expressions and tone may seem too obvious at first, but what a great foil to our ML! The kid is heartbreaking at times and yet lovable. He has great acting chops as well. Overall I am so happy to have read a review article of this drama and gave it a chance. I would say it rivaled any Kdrama I’ve seen recently, and that’s very high praise indeed.

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This last in the series really dealt with the issue Takumi first mentioned in episode one. It fleshed out his character and his relationship with Gii. It also dealt with a very tough subject, sexual abuse, and how effects are felt for years later and even affect other relationships. I loved how it ended with Gii promising to always be there for Takumi. No matter what or where he is. What a great romance these two have!! Sigh. I would say that the first episode (different actors though), the third, and the fifth are the best as they deal mostly with this pairing. Episodes two and four have other character stories that draw away from our main couple and almost act as stand alones.

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First of all, do not watch this unless you can watch Season 2 immediately afterwards. It leaves you with a cliffhanger of sorts that would’ve drove me crazy if I hadn’t had known ahead of time. The villains were a bit cliche and silly at times. But the chemistry between the OTP was the bomb! And the kisses....they were probably the most kisses I’ve seen in a chinese drama ever. Even more than Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. The pairs chemistry saved this drama when overacting and plot holes would have made it a “5” for me. I DID like the original time travel aspect of it. I also liked that the main female was feisty and intelligent. Also that she remained that way throughout the series. She wasn’t perfect. Sometimes needed too much rescuing at times, but otherwise she stood out compared to most Chinese drama heroines.

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The Answer is in the Title

Taiwanese make some of the best BL out there. Their stories are original and usually well acted. This one was no different. I should have figured out the mystery of Wen Wen from the title. But somehow I didn’t. My mind kept going to Amber being a reincarnation or maybe body switch. But either way, the story showed that Wen Wen was the same person no matter her appearance. The love Le had for “her” was more than superficial, it was her heart and personality. The clue to that was the fact that Le was attracted to Amber’s qualities from the start because they were the same qualities Wen Wen had. I really liked the romance of the story. It was subtle, and centered more on friendship and deep bonds than sex. This is definitely rewatchable!

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Be MY Sugar Daddy!

So this drama had a very good start and good middle. I think it kind of lost its way towards the end and turned into a corporate-drama-romance rather than a cooking-commedy-romance. But it still ended well with a hint of cuteness that it had started with. The May/December romance was very well done, played classy. Both actors did a great job and had good chemistry, while you noticed the age difference it didn’t stop you from falling in love with them as a couple. They just seemed to fit each other. Whether it was their love of food, their quirkiness, and the fact that they just seem to really understand each other. I believe that this was a remake of a Korean movie… At first I felt a sense of déjà vu since I had seen the movie two years ago. But the Chinese put their own spin on it; this is where I think it failed towards the end and turned into a corporate drama, but it was nice to see it spread out to 24 episodes as well. If you like cooking involved in your romance, with some humor, then this one will be right up your alley. You just might have to skip may be a few episodes towards the end. But I would still recommend it to someone.

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There’s nothing new with this premise. But it is fun to watch anyway. Both suitors are sexy in their own way, it makes you wonder why she couldn’t just have both? One angel on her shoulder and one devil ;) The acting is better than some I’ve watched and the production value is really good. Plus the music doesn’t make me cringe. I would recommend watching the two episode prequel before this, however. The first episode is actually pretty funny and purposely has your standard manga tropes that were very tongue in cheek. It also build up the chemistry between the characters.

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There’s definitely better things about this season and worse things about this season, compared to the first. The chemistry still remains, with plenty of kisses! Some of the plot got lost from the first season, and some opportunities I think were lost that would’ve been good for the story. I don’t think they spent enough time in the future, for instance. And they could’ve spent a little bit longer on the identity switcheroo part. Also, the main female kept some of her feistiness from season one, but lost a bit of intelligence I think. Overall she was still a lot better than most female leads you see in Chinese dramas. The ending leaves a possibility of a season three. But unlike season one, it doesn’t leave you hanging necessarily. It leaves the ending with you satisfied, but with the possibility of their son growing up and having a story of his own.

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Well I finally got around to watching Tawipob (2011) , because it was so hard to find English subs of it, I was finally able to on DailyMotion. This wacky heroine from the future is fun and independent. It seemed to me that often the male lead was quite perturbed by her, and even a bit exasperated. But by the last few episodes his love seemed to have grown steadfast and deep. It was very romantic and he was always a true gentleman and man of honor. It was refreshing to have a mother-in-law love and approve of her future daughter-in-law. It was also nice not to have a scheming second female lead in the mix. I could’ve done without the historical background story. I think the politics played way too much into the drama. I felt like there were quite a few digs and slights against everyone who is “Caucasian”. And the lead heroine should’ve known better because she lived in the future and didn’t have as narrow-minded a viewpoint as her ancestors would have. I think that the stereotypes that were portrayed that all white people are bad and want to distroy other cultures and even find them disgusting was a bit heavy handed. Other than that the drama was pretty good.

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Stick with this drama after the first two episodes, I promise it’s worth it. I went in to it thinking it would be a filler between dramas, but it was so much more. By the end of it I felt so satisfied. The characters were redeemed, not by changing the past, but by changing how they reacted to it going forward and changing their own behavior. It really made me wistful for what marriage SHOULD be: teamwork, respect, friendship, and love. The acting was great and story gave me all the feels. Was it realistic? Sometimes, yes. Time travel premise, no. But it’s definitely worth your time to watch. One of the better Korean dramas I have watched in the last few months.

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I’m not normally a fan of Japanese dramas. I am more into Korean romantic comedies. But I have to say this was a pleasant surprise. This Japanese romantic comedy proved me wrong about the dark, dreary, and often sad endings that I think of with Japanese dramas. Instead it had sly subtle humor at times, outright slapstick humor, cute romantic moments, and characters that you got close to. Towards the end, maybe the last two episodes, the drama lost its way a little. But overall it retained its charm and made me hopeful that there are some good Japanese rom coms there. Plus the lead male was sexy! Woo! That was a bonus ;)

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There is a bit of the creepy factor with the 16-18 year old liking a 10 year old. But I will take it as an innocent love that blossomed into more when she was older. What I didn’t like was how the Kong character still flirted with other girls and “almost” slept with a soon to be ex girlfriend m, all while professing he loved the sweet and innocent Kaiwan. Hmm. Methinks his love isn’t as true as he says it is. The other couple (younger man and older woman),l seemed more realistic to me. Though I felt he was way more mature than her. She frustrated me many times! Overall the acting was better than some lakorns I’ve seen. Music was horrible as usual. I liked the story premise and wished they had been a little more realistic on the problems the older man and younger woman faced.

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Was I Just Bamboozled??

So I just finished watching the series. And I have a distinct feeling that I was just bamboozled. Some people might not be familiar with that word. Basically to be tricked, fooled, deceived, lied to, to be led to believe one thing while the truth is another.... and it kind of makes me feel empty. Let me explain.

From the get-go the series has been straightforward about its meta-ness and the BL industry. At times quite a harsh eye-opening reality for us BL lovers. Of the sacrifices to integrity and artistic expression that a writer may feel, the lie that actors may live in order to appease demanding fans, the overall sacrifice that people in the entertainment industry have to make when it comes to their family or relationships. The veil of fantasy and reality of the industry was constantly being lifted. So it’s not like that wasn’t always there in the back of my mind.

However, as I got more invested into each episode of the series I think I was slowly losing cognition of that fact. There was the realistic portrayal of facing your fears, facing the disapproval of your family, having the courage to defend a love that you believe in, and even going outside your own comfort zone. All of the scenes that the lead, Gene, went through started to feel very real. A testament to the actor’s skills, for sure. But it made me forget about the story that was within the story. This is where the bamboozled part comes in.

Up until the end of episode 11 and the beginning of the final episode 12, I would’ve said that this is probably one of the best BL‘s that I ever watched. Heck, I would go even further to say one of the best Thai love stories that I’ve ever watched. And then the writer, producers, director, whomever was in charge, ruined it. They ruined the whole drama for me.

They took all the real feelings that I had from these characters, and their story, and they reduced it down to one big meta-moment. The “gotcha!” moment. The wink-wink, tongue-in-cheek...bamboozled moment.
You ruined it for me Wizard. You shouldn’t have pulled back the curtain.

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This drama may have been Chinese, but it really reminded me of a Korean drama. And that’s a good thing! The production, plot, acting, pacing all seemed very much like a kdrama. Even the actor playing the main lead male looked Korean to me. My only two complaints were the somewhat abrupt ending and the use of a single mystery throughout all the episodes. I think for a police drama with supernatural tendencies it could have used a few side stories to hold my interest better. Otherwise I enjoyed it alot. I’m guessing it didn’t do well in China due to the lack of propaganda and unique storyline. I’m actually surprised it even got made! But give it a try if you enjoy romance with a bit of mystery, A supernatural element, and some multiple personality thrown in.

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