Left In The Dark

Wow, this movie left me with all the conflicting feelings and thoughts. I decided to watch it solely because of Fluke since he is such a strong actor. I don't necessarily love everything he is in, but even if the movie/drama isn't great, his acting is pretty much guaranteed to be solid and a highlight which was the case here. He is definitely the silver lining in this movie and I would actually say the acting is in general. The actors were all pretty solid, but Fluke definitely stood out.

The premise here was really interesting and had a lot of potential, but the problem, I felt, was that there was a lot left unclarified. I, like others, initially wondered if Night was a hallucination or figment of Wine's imagination, someone he created to help him cope after Tee never showed up to that building and he just kind of snapped. The problem with that though, I realized, was that Night and Wine did go out into public that one time and were seen by someone and interacted with him which, to me, knocks that theory out. So, if he is real, then what exactly is Night. He's not a vampire in the traditional sense, he seems to be a human being who requires human blood to survive. So was this some kind of disease? Has he been dealing with this his whole life? Why did they never think to seek medical treatment? For something that's pretty central to the story, nothing is explained about it. I also felt like more background was needed on Wine. Why was he the way that he was? He seemed damage, beyond the heartbreak that Tee caused and Boy's manipulation. Why was he so desperate to be loved? I found it a bit disappointing how surface level all the characters were, but especially him.

The story also felt rushed in terms of the relationships. We see Wine jump from man to man. The fact that he knew nothing about Night and was immediately ready to have sex with him made me think he was maybe a sex addict. But, no, we're expected to believe that in an incredibly short space of time, he's fallen so deeply in love with Night that he is willing to kidnap his ex-lovers in order to get the blood Night needs to live. Again, it feels rushed and implausible. With Wine's history, I didn't necessarily believe that he truly loved Night. And with Night being an amnesiac, I didn't really believe that he loved Wine either, certainly not initially since it didn't even seem like he fully understood what he was saying. This was the biggest issue for me because that's the core of the film, how far will you go to save the one you love. There needed to be way more set up for that and those parts needed to be drawn out to see the relationship develop if it was to be believable for Wine especially to have felt the depth of love required for his actions.

I did, however, enjoy Wine's descent into madness, if you will. Fluke plays the role brilliantly. You gradually start to realize that his love for Night isn't so much love as it is obsession and he truly is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Night to himself and preserve what they have. I also found Tee and Boy's reactions to being kidnapped really fascinating because it showed their true colors and how they truly felt about Wine. Tee, who really did love Wine despite his previous proclamations that he didn't, fought him initially, then stopped. He told him he loved him repeatedly, even when Wine refused to believe him anymore. Boy, on the other hand, who always seemed to view Wine more as a possession than as a person, raged at Wine for using him and cussed him out until Wine put an end to him. Their relationship was one of manipulation on both sides, however, due to his age, the power dynamic was definitely in Boy's favor and it was pretty clear that Wine was just doing what he had to do to get what he needed.

I found the ending to be equal parts stupid, lacking explanation and interesting. I found Night throwing himself away eye rolling frankly. It felt out of place. I could see the meaning in that particular spot because that's where they found the guitar, but still, I wasn't a fan. I wanted a little more information as to why exactly Wine was arrested. Did Tee end up telling the police after all, was Boy's body found, or what exactly transpired there? Not a huge deal, I just like details. I found the open ending though, to be interesting. I tend to prefer my endings all tied up with a neat bow, but there was something about that last shot of the guitar sitting in the cell that I really liked. Personally, I take it as both Night and Wine committing suicide. Aside from, again, Night appearing to throw himself away, he's obviously not willing to hurt anyone to feed himself so he's going to die of starvation anyway. And after losing Night, I think that would be the final straw for Wine. I view him seeing Night in the cell as a hallucination and the abandoned guitar as a sign that he's killed himself. If you're an optimist, I suppose you could also see it as they've escaped together and left the guitar behind, but based on the vibe of the rest of the movie, I'm kind of doubting it.

Ultimately, its not a god awful movie, it just doesn't live up to its potential. I think with some tweaks it could have been far superior to what it is, but unfortunately as it is, it feels pretty mediocre. The highlight is definitely the acting. I'm not going to tell anyone to avoid watching it, it's less than two hours long and I wouldn't say its a waste of time, but don't go in expecting a cinematic masterpiece.

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Raw and Real

I will be the first person to say I enjoy BLs. I tend to watch Thai BLs which are generally cute and fluffy and easy to watch. Bonus are the few that have genuinely good messages and ideals. They also tend to be full of tropes and there are a fair number of them that have problematic ideals or are just problematic in general. This drama, however, doesn't just break that mold, it shatters into a million pieces. This is what BLs should aspire to be.

With Karl and Vlad, we get two very different perspectives of their sexuality and identity which is what the story focuses on.
-Vlad has known he's gay from a very young age whereas Karl has never had the freedom to really explore his sexuality or identity until he spends the semester break on his own. And for each of them, its a different journey. Vlad blamed the fact that he was gay for his father's leaving the family. He felt that he had failed in his purpose to save his parent's marriage. He thought his mother was ashamed of him being gay. It was a hard journey for him to become comfortable with himself and find pride in his identity and sexuality and once he did, he wasn't willing to go back into hiding, and rightly so. He's come to a point where he's not only proud of who he is, but he's able to educate others. When Karl flounders, dancing around the word "gay", telling Vlad that he doesn't look gay, rather than getting angry or defensive, Vlad gently corrects and guides him and Karl learns.
-For Karl, he's been living his deceased older brother's life for his entire life instead of living the life he wants, studying architecture instead of film like he wants. Fear rules his life, fear of telling his parents that he wants to transfer majors, fear of his feelings for Vlad, fear of his own sexuality, fear of what others will think, fear of the outside world. This drama highlights just how incredibly hard it truly is for someone to come out. Its not all sunshine and roses, even when they know the people around them will support them, coming to terms that their sexuality and identity does not match what society deems as "normal", that they are faced with telling family and friends who may or may not be supportive, that has to be terrifying. And I feel like they portrayed that so realistically here. But Karl does start facing his fears, little by little, first by telling his parents that he does want to transfer majors and then at the end, with Anna's encouragement, by going out into the world.
What this drama also highlights is the struggle of relationships where one person is out and the other is not. Despite their love for each other, Vlad and Karl are faced with a situation where Vlad is out and he is, understandably, not willing to go back to hiding his sexuality and Karl is still discovering himself and isn't quite ready to take that step. The scene there towards the end in the condo is bittersweet because of that discrepancy. But the open ending of them together watching the movie outside the condo in the open gives me hope that things will work out for them.

I loved our two female characters of Anna and Judit. BLs tend to do female characters dirty either by using them as objects, fangirls for the leads, or villains to cause conflict. Not the case here. They were both well developed characters with their own stories and reasons behind their actions.
-I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to like Judit at first. Her over the top behaviour and constant line that she was an ally seemed very fake. I didn't think she was a bad person, I just didn't really believe her to be as supportive as she said she was. But when she and Vlad had dinner together and he calls her out and everything unfolds, it suddenly all made sense why she acted the way she did. For the first time, he made her face her actions, the damage that her words had caused, and she finally apologized and she admitted that she was still learning too. It was a really great moment between the two of them. What I also appreciated about her character was that even though they had that conversation, Judit was still Judit, there was no immediate change, she was still over the top, she was still spouting her, "I'm an ally" spiel, which I found realistic. Change takes time. She'll get there eventually.
-For Anna, I also found her to be realistic. If a woman has kids, she's expected to be a mother 24/7, 365 days a year and if she takes a break, for some reason, that's looked down on. That is such a damaging concept, and I loved that Anna realized that she needed a break from mothering and she took it. Her comment that she didn't want to blame her daughter was so powerful. Mothers are human beings too, they needs breaks, they need time to themselves and there should be no shame in taking that time. I think she highlights the fact that just because you become a mother, that does not mean your life is over, you can still have your own hopes and dreams and strive for them. And in doing so. she is being a role model for her daughter to never give up. She was just such an amazing character to me and I loved her.
As a side note, although she wasn't a big character, I also really liked Sue. She was always supportive of Vlad and was someone he could really talk to. She gave it to him straight and was pretty no nonsense which I appreciated.

My favorite dramas are the ones that are like puzzles. You have all these pieces, actions or items that you don't think much of, that end up being part of a bigger picture and in the end everything come together like a puzzle. This was one of those dramas. Things like Vlad not liking his hair touched , the corpse in the closet story and then Vlad finding the picture of Karl's deceased brother in the closet, Vlad having a keychain that was a match to Karl's, there was just so much symbolism, so many little moments that turned out to have a bigger impact, it was fantastically brilliant.

The OST can make or break a drama for me. Music is what brings it all together, makes you feel more deeply, immerses you in the moment. The OST for Like in the Movies was flawless. I loved it. Each song was perfect for the scene it was used for and the lyrics too just fit so beautifully.

Literally everything about this drama was just so well thought out. The credits scenes were absolutely genius. I loved how they showed the progression of their relationship each episode. It was perfect. And the icing on the cake was the quote at the end of each episode. Each one was clearly carefully chosen and I looked forward to seeing them.

This was truly such a beautiful drama. I loved every second of the emotional journey it sent me on. I laughed and cried and came to love each and every one of the characters. I cannot recommend it enough.

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Strangely Charming

I am going to start off by saying this is NOT an example of a good BL. However, that being said, I kind of loved it. There was much awkwardness and less than perfect acting, dialogue, directing, cinematography, etc. yet it somehow managed to pull together a charming story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story was less BL and more mystery to be frank. The BL aspect really only comes about in the last episode. Like most BL's of this length, it felt like it could have been better if it was longer. There was just too much going on. The romance was rushed, the stalker aspect took up too much screen time, there was at least one unnecessary character as well as unnecessary drama. And then there are things like the class itself which makes little sense. Its supposed to be a Marriage and Family Occupational Therapy class, but all it seemed to entail was going out on dates and writing papers about it. Weird, but okay. Then there's the pairing up which I initially thought was going to be an opportunity to touch on the fact that being a heterosexual couple is not the only way to go and, yes, homosexual couples can have kids and a family too, but it was basically just a plot device to put our two leads together. And, of course, the post that gets everyone talking and is, for some reason, a kind of scandal. I never got a sense of why it was such a big deal and so incredibly overblown. It was pretty well established that Ji Woo wasn't really anyone people paid attention to and even Ro Ah isn't portrayed as being someone super popular, so what was all the fuss? All that being said, I was impressed that it actually had a linear storyline albeit one that was a bit overstuffed.

The acting was shaky. There were some really strong moments and there were some really weak ones. I felt like the more relaxed scenes like in the classroom, when Ji Woo and Ro Ah have lunch together, the double date, those were where the acting felt strongest. Especially the double date, it felt very natural and was fun and cute. The heavier, more dramatic scenes is where I felt the acting slip and seem more forced, not horrifically but enough that I didn't feel as much and wasn't as invested in the scene. Han Hyun Jun was definitely the stand out which is impressive considering this was his first drama role. I felt he embodied his character better than Kim Tae Hwan and was much better at using his eyes and facial expressions to convey emotion. Tae Hwan was more stiff and less expressive, almost robotic at times.

The characters were well done considering how short the drama was. While there was no way to give extensive background on any of them, I still felt all the information that was needed about them for the story to progress was present. I do feel like it would have been nice to have a little more background on how Ji Woo and Yu Na came to be friends aside from him drinking a bowl of liquor for her. And I also think that Ro Ah's friend, Nam Jun's role should have been greatly reduced. He didn't add much other than unnecessary drama and angst and I would have preferred to see that screen time used to develop the relationship of the leads.
- Ji Woo was fun to see him come out of his shell and become more secure in himself. He was such a sweetheart and I thought he was absolutely adorable. I don't think his character really brought anything new to the table, I've seen other BL's with very similar characters, but even so he wasn't boring. I feel like his change of feelings from Yu Na to Ro Ah was a bit sudden, but, again, since it's such a short drama, I can't really fault it for that. I do think the gradual change of his feelings was well done, little things that showed he was starting to fall for him. He was overall just a very likable character.
- Ro Ah, Ro Ah, Ro Ah, the man caused drama where there was literally no drama. I liked his character for the most part. He was a generally nice guy who fell for his junior and never expected to have that love reciprocated. But his level of self-sabotage was incredibly high. He spends the entire semester seemingly trying to win over Ji Woo, but the second Ji Woo says he likes him, he's like, nope, its all in your head and just disappears. His whole spiel of "what are the chances of your crush confessing to you" just had me rolling because, sir, pot calling kettle black. You're crush is literally trying to confess to you and you blow him off. And then we have his drama as he leaves with his talking about how he's made Ji Woo suffer and he's in pain. Exactly how did anything you do cause him to suffer? Literally nothing. He's the one who got his arm broken because he was trying to protect Ji Woo. And if Ji Woo was in pain at that point, it was because Ro Ah had just rejected him! There was just absolutely no reason for him to reject Ji Woo and it made no sense other than to up the drama factor and have the drama conclude with the two on the beach. This boy just had me face palming over and over again with his drama and shenanigans. He took falling on his own sword to the max.
- Yu Na was an interesting character and I liked that she actually had a personality. Most BL's fail to use their female characters as anything other than a way to cause drama between the leads, help get them together, be little more than props, or be the gay fangirls. Yu Na was her own person with her own story and I loved that. I also appreciated that she was willing to own up to her faults. She realized that she'd been using Ji Woo and manipulating him to an extent and she apologized for it. Despite using him though, she showed that she did truly care for him and I loved that their friendship remained intact despite his rejecting her.
- Hye Won just made me laugh with her strong/intense personality and also her crush on their professor. I don't know if some of those scenes between them were supposed to be humorous, but they were. That last scene between them was hilariously cringeworthy. Still, like Yu Na, I appreciated that she was her own person and she had her own agenda.

This drama tried to deal with some heavier subjects that aren't generally touched on in BL's and though the short length minimized their impact to an extent, it was still refreshing to have them presented. Stalking/the dangers of social media aren't issues that generally play a main role in BL's, but they are real issues, particularly for women. Social media like Instagram unfortunately serves as a hunting ground for predators where people post intimate details of their lives for anyone and everyone to see. I think it did serve as a good reminder to be careful about what you post and to keep in mind who may be looking. I appreciated that Yu Na learned that lesson and while she didn't hide, she did take precautions to make her new account private. Stalking is another issue that mainly women face. The fear Yu Na felt aware that someone was watching her was well portrayed and again, served as a reminder to be careful of what you put out there.

In terms of quality, it was hit or miss. There were some great shots where I really liked the lighting and other shots where the camera angle was good, but very few where I liked both. The sets were okay, but there were some not so great shots that I'm not sure were due to poor decision making skills or the set design. The music was okay but forgettable, nothing that I'll be adding to my playlist.

Despite the less than positive review, I really did enjoy this drama. It got a much higher rating than I think it actually deserves because I did enjoy it so much. Despite its many failures, it managed to charm me and convince me to see it through to the end. Its short enough that its worth the watch even if your unsure if you'll like it. Just consider it a short, fun, sweet diversion from the monotony of day to day life.

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Soul Stealingly Bad

I came to this drama shortly after watching Triage and I was very curious to see how the two would compare since they're both medical dramas. Triage is far superior in every respect. As with a lot of dramas, this one had an interesting and I feel like relatively unique premise, but the story got bogged down by inconsistent pacing, poor acting, lazy writing, and too many unanswered questions. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't.

The inconsistent pacing was incredibly frustrating, there was just so much filler. It never found a good balance of moving the plot forward and explaining what was going on. There was a fair amount of pointless dialogue and scenes where nothing was accomplished. The result was insubstantial characters and rushed moments that really should have been drawn out more. For example, near the end when Prakan realizes that Raam had spread rumors regarding his father twenty years previously, he understandably wants him to pay for what he did. The whole process of he, Nuch, Metha, and Tuaphee deciding to find the evidence, actually finding the evidence, revealing it to Raam, and having Raam fired takes all of ten minutes maybe. It was something that felt like it should have greater significance than it did. The amount of repetition also slowed the pacing. There were numerous repetitive scenes of Metha and Nuch misunderstanding each other, Prakan going back and forth with being friends with Tuaphee and then hating him, multiple pointless scenes of him getting drinks, etc.

Since the drama revolved around the romance between a doctor and a reaper, I have to point out the complete lack of consistency and sense with the reapers. First of all, the rules of the reapers oftentimes didn't make much sense and were obviously just added in to suit the plot or alter it in some way. The punishments for breaking these rules also don't really make sense. And then there's the reapers' lifestyles. They're reapers, so why they would need to rent a place to live, eat, sleep, etc., basically all the things a human does is odd. And since everything they eat tastes bitter, it didn't make sense to see Tuaphee eating as often as he was. There's also the matter of the tickets the reapers magically pull out of their pockets. They're sent a ticket for the person's death, but then the person may still survive? That needed to be better explained along with everything else regarding the reapers.

The acting was really lacking. Nut as Prakan was the worst by far. His expressions were extremely limited and I got bored with them after a while. There just wasn't anything special about the way he played the character and I really struggled to stay interested. I also didn't feel a whole lot of chemistry between him and Karn, mostly on his part. Karn was really good at showing his affection with just his eyes, but I really didn't feel it with Nut. A lack of facial expressions was an issue with a lot of the cast. Yacht, Cookkai, and Pat as Metha, Nuch, and Kheeta respectively all had the same issue at times. It's like they would just get stuck for a while before shaking it off and then would get stuck again. I'm more than willing to chalk some of it up to the directing and the lazy writing since I've seen Yacht at least in other dramas and know he can be quite expressive. However, the fact that he was playing a serious rather than comedic role could also have been part of the issue. The chemistry between Yacht and Cookkai was pretty good, not amazing, but not bad. I actually thought they were strongest when bantering with each other than when they were trying to be romantic. Tae was overall pretty good in his performance as Nathee. The character was lacking, but I thought Tae did a good job with what he had. I didn't really feel the chemistry between him and Pat, but I put most of that on Pat. You could tell Nathee had feelings for Kheeta just from the way he looked at him. I didn't get that same impression from Kheeta. Karn and Singto as Tuaphee and Khett were the two major exceptions to the rule and were wonderful. I enjoyed both their performances very much. There were moments where Karn really reminded me of Saint as Pete in Love By Chance with his expressions which is not a bad thing at all. I really enjoyed seeing the different way he played Tuaphee when he was wearing his Hawaiian clothes versus his reaper clothes. It was almost like playing two different characters to an extent and I liked the way he did it, it added a greater dimension to the character. Singto just brought that very relaxed, chill mentor vibe as Khett. I honestly would have liked to have seen more of him.

The characters were all pretty flat. This series had a smaller cast than a lot Thai BL's but I felt like the characters were even less developed than in some of the ones with massive casts. What character development there was felt rushed and in some cases was almost non-existent.
- Prakan was frustrating from the get go in the way he treated Tuaphee. The way he treated him like a murderer made no sense. The man is supposed to be an intelligent doctor and he can't tell the difference between killing someone and leading a dead soul to the after life? That right there gave me a pretty low opinion of him. His hot and cold routine was also frustrating not to mention repetitive, treating Tuaphee like a friend one moment and then like a killer the next because someone he loved died. The one case I am willing to give him a little bit of leeway is in regards to his mother's death. Blaming Tuaphee for not telling him his mother was going to die was, not reasonable, but understandable. It felt like a human reaction and it was one I could understand. That being said though, his reactions to death didn't make sense as a doctor, especially one who works in an ER. His relationship with Tuaphee was further frustrating to watch, because Prakan starts to obviously have feelings for him pretty early on, but then we have a whole slew of crap thrown in to repeatedly push them apart and they don't actually get together until almost the very end. I also struggled to believe he, and most of the characters actually, were medical professionals. The level of immaturity and lack of communication was just off the charts at times. It felt like the hospital was being run by children.
- Tuaphee was a far more interesting character than Prakan and one of the only reasons I stuck through this drama. I found him to be very relatable in that he knows he should really stay away from Prakan, but also can't stand being apart from the person he loves. In some ways, I found him to be the most human character. His tolerance when it came to Prakan was truly admirable, especially since Prakan spent quite a lot of time treating him like dirt. His unwillingness at times though to communicate got old. I get that he thought he was doing the right thing by separating himself from Prakan but at a certain point he should have figured out that communication was the only way to solve things. I did feel like their relationship was uneven, with Tuaphee being the one to make the most sacrifices while Prakan pretty much skated on by. When they were reunited, I also felt like he should have more fully explained to Prakan what being with a reaper really meant before asking him to commit to their relationship. They had that conversation later, but some aspects like the fact he would never age and they could never get married or have children seem like they should have been addressed at that time.
- Metha was an overall frustrating character because of his failure to communicate. He liked Nuch but wouldn't come out and tell her. He obviously regretted how his friendship with Prakan had taken a turn for the worst, but refused to address it. He was one of the most repetitive characters, just constantly in the same situations without really changing anything. And then once he did change, it felt too abrupt to me. It was like one minute he was an ass and the next he was a relatively decent guy. His willingness to do whatever it took to become chief of surgery was disconcerting and I really didn't like that it was brushed off so quickly and easily. I felt like that was something that needed to be addressed and he needed to acknowledge and I never felt like he did.
- Nuch was mostly awesome, some times annoying, more so when she was crying. Her wailing crying was so fake it hurt to watch. But aside from that, I really liked her character. She was a badass with a big heart. I loved her friendship with Prakan, they were so much fun to watch together and the way they supported each other was very sweet. I honestly think she could have done better than Metha, but I will admit that they ended up being a relatively cute couple. I do think their relationship could have been better developed, it felt rushed to me which is part of why I'm not overly infatuated with them. Her two instances of illness were completely out of the blue and horribly developed. The first time with her collapsing from exhaustion was reasonable, but there needed to be more lead up to it. The second time with the GI bleed was just absurd and an excuse to finally get her and Metha together. I found it completely unbelievable and contrived.
- Kheeta was one of the characters I was not particularly fond of. I didn't find him at all interesting and didn't feel like he added much. It was awkward watching him try to confess to Prakan not once but twice. I found his determination to make Prakan love him uncomfortable. If someone says no, then the answer is no. To me it showed a lack of respect for Prakan and his feelings. His relationship with Natee was not believable to me. He confesses to Prakan a second time and then seems to almost immediately turn around and hook up with Natee and develop feelings for him. I was very thankful that scene was short. Besides the fact that it seems out of character for him to just sleep with Natee like that, there's also the lack of consent. Regardless of the fact that Natee was making a move on him, he should have realized that Natee was drunk and unable to properly give consent and simply left.
- Natee was a bit more of an interesting character, but I felt like his character growth was a bit choppy and inconsistent. Similarly to Metha, his determination to do whatever it took to win was disconcerting. I never got a good feel for why he was such a complete jerk to everyone. I get that he had a rough childhood with his dad, but his rudeness to everyone except Metha and his immediate loyalty to Metha was just weird. I needed more background for him to really understand where he was coming from. Also similar to Metha, I felt like his change from jerk to good guy was too abrupt but was more balanced. He became an overall nicer person, but he still had his prickly personality. His relationship with Kheeta was poorly developed. It was mostly one-sided on his part and then suddenly they were together. I needed more of a build up on both sides to get on board with it.

There are a few other little things that I felt the drama lacked that I'll mention here.
- How much time elapsed between scenes and events was rarely, if ever, discussed or shown. While not always a big deal, there were some moments where it felt necessary to have that distinction. For example, in regards to Kheeta and Natee's relationship, it felt like Kheeta got rejected by Prakan and then almost immediately did an about face and said he liked Natee. I'm going to guess that more time passed than it seems, but it really cheapened the relationship for me and I didn't find it believable that Kheeta's feelings had changed that quickly.
- All three couples got together at more or less the same time. For Kheeta and Natee and Metha and Nuch, it felt rushed. I think having the relationships all move at their own pace throughout the drama with the couples getting together more one by one rather than all at once would have made more sense and would have been more organic.
- The medical aspect left a lot to be desired. That was one of the reasons I was really interested in this drama so I was disappointed to see it so poorly executed. Patients underwent surgery without being intubated, surgical gloves were not always worn correctly, doctors acted like they had no idea what to do in some situations, and other instances that just pulled me out of the moment. The absurdity of it just left me banging my head against the wall. I also found it very odd that two such young surgeons would be up for chief of surgery. I get that they both had shares in the hospital but that's the kind of position I would see an older, more experienced surgeon taking. The lack of really any senior medical staff was off to me.
- The one thing I will give credit to is that while a lot of dramas that pair off humans and non-human entities fail to really address the consequences of said relationship, namely that nearly all cases, the human will continue to age while the non-human is ageless, this one did not shy away from it. I appreciated that. However, the fact that everyone else who died appeared exactly as they were and then Prakan dies as an old man and his soul is young again was vaguely annoying. I know it's a small thing, but after so many inconsistencies, it would have been nice to have one thing remain. But, moving on, the final scene where Prakan has evidently been reincarnated and he can still see Tuaphee was borderline creepy to me because it intimated that he was going to wait for him to grow up and likely pursue a relationship with him again. I already found it vaguely off-putting that he did that the one time, especially since he viewed Prakan as a younger brother when he was alive and then developed romantic feelings for him after watching him grow up, but the fact that it seems its going to be a cycle pushed it into creepy territory for me.

The cinematography was quite good, there were a few really beautiful shots, especially at the end, that I felt really encompassed the emotion the scene was trying to convey. The OST was good, not as memorable as other dramas, but I did enjoy it.

For all that this is supposed to be a romance, I felt it was more like 90% angst and 10% romance. The romance really doesn't kick in until the last couple of episodes and by then its too little too late. Its sad that such a promising concept wasn't given the proper resources to really shine because I think it could have been spectacular, but the overwhelming negative aspects make it mediocre at best. This is not a drama I would really recommend and its certainly not one I'll be rewatching.

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A Refreshing Change

I decided to watch this drama for several reasons. First, I had just finished Together With Me: The Next Chapter and while I didn't love that drama, I did enjoy Max and Tul's chemistry and acting and was curious about how they would be in a very different setting. Second, as cute as the typical college Thai BL's are, I wanted a change and something more mature and with more substance. Since I've always enjoyed crime dramas, this seemed like it might fit the bill. Overall, I would say it did. While I felt the story was at times a little more complicated and convoluted than was strictly necessarily, I did very much enjoy it.

This drama had a lot more depth and covered far more territory than I could have every expected. I wasn't expecting a light and fluffy romance, but I also wasn't expecting some of the dark territory it explored. The subjects of rape, human trafficking, and drug dealing play heavily in the story. The romance, while certainly present, is not necessarily the main focus which I found refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but having a plot that was overall well thought out and executed and having more depth than just gratuitous kissing scenes was a very nice change. I liked that the show played their hand of who was the actual murderer pretty close to the chest. While I had my suspicions, I was never 100% certain until the actual killer was revealed.

The characterization was overwhelmingly good. Despite a relatively large cast, everyone had their place and their story though there were certainly a few missteps or a few things lacking, the characters were, for the most part, well-rounded which I was truly impressed with. I came for Max and Tul to see how they acted together in a more mature setting and they did not disappoint. I very much prefer their relationship here to that portrayed in Together With Me. I enjoyed the maturity and the vulnerability they both displayed. Their acting together and apart was on point and was definitely a highlight for me.

The themes of the drama were more complex and varied than in most BL's which I also appreciated. The prevailing one to me was that not everyone is as they seem, even if you think you know them. Bun really represented this as he realized the people he was closest to were not at all who he thought they were. Part of what I love about his character is his determination and focus to find the truth no matter the cost. Even after discovering people he knew and trusted were involved, he maintained his purpose of seeing justice delivered. Another theme is that we often have no idea what other people are suffering. Jane, Tan, Natty, and Nam had all suffered either in the past or present, but very few people if anyone knew the true extent of their suffering. I think it really highlighted how common that is, how most people do conceal their pain and sometimes by the time they find the courage or have the ability to speak out about it, it may be too late.

I was surprised at the noticeable lack of any kind of OST. I did like the intro music with the credits. I thought it fit well with the mystery of the drama.

I really didn't have too many issues with this drama. As with any drama, there were certainly some misses, but nothing that I felt negated the good. The pacing as with a lot of Thai BL dramas was hit or miss. Some things were sped up that it would have been nice to have more time to process and other parts were dragged out that could have been skimmed over more. One of my biggest issues was the speed with which anyone injured healed. Shot? Up in a couple days. Beaten almost to death? Walk it off the next day. I understand that due to pacing they couldn't have characters laid up in bed all the time, but it seems like they could have changed something to make it a bit more believable. There were also a few instances where characters were very conveniently in the right place at the right time that stretched belief.

I found this series to be very enjoyable and a very pleasant diversion from the usual. The story was engaging and intriguing and the acting and characters were almost universally fantastic. I'm very much looking forward to season 2 and I will certainly be watching this one again in the future!

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Bordering on a Masterpiece

I started this drama immediately after finishing watching The Untamed, which many viewers commented was a masterpiece. However, after watching Word of Honor, between the two, it is the true masterpiece. Oftentimes when it comes to Chinese dramas, I find them to be far too long with too many filler episodes or repeats of similar events; it gets tedious and boring. This drama is exceedingly rare in that I wouldn't have minded in the slightest if it was slightly longer. The last five or so episodes seemed rushed and the ending felt abrupt, not to mention depressing. With that, be sure to watch Episode 37 (its not on Netflix if that's where you're watching) as it gives a far more positive conclusion. Overall though, I didn't feel like there were really any completely pointless episodes. There were a few scenes were the dialogue dragged a bit, but not horribly so.

The story is solid. It flows well and really only leaves one unanswered question that immediately comes to mind, which is pretty good all things considered. The dialogue overall feels realistic and not forced or awkward other than at a few points. The story telling with flashbacks also worked well I felt. My only complaint in that regard was how many characters or younger versions of characters were introduced at once. It got a little confusing trying to pair names with faces and what their importance was. I also liked that the villains all got the endings that they deserved. Dramas like to have these absolutely abhorrent characters who commit unspeakable crimes and then they get off easy, either being allowed to commit suicide or dying from an illness or something equally lame. That did not happen here which I liked. The characters are nuanced and flawed and realistic, or as realistic as they can be. No character is perfect, they all have their faults with some realizing those faults and striving to overcome them, others who realize those faults and don't care, and still others who are completely oblivious. There's a good mix. Another aspect I really appreciated is that the villain wasn't immediately given away. I hate when dramas have a character smirking evilly in the background and then act like its a big shock when its confirmed. Here I was unsure of who was the true villain for a decent while. I had my ideas, but they did such a good job of keeping me on my toes and second guessing myself. I really enjoyed that.

The acting was fantastic. Again, this drama is a rarity in that I didn't feel that any one actor was truly lacking. The chemistry between Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu was flawless and their relationship was lovely to watch develop. As a side note, I was both surprised but also enjoyed their obvious romance. In The Untamed, the two lead's relationship is only hinted at, I assumed due to Chinese censorship, but in Word of Honor there was absolutely no denying that those two were a couple. Anyway, I also really loved the chemistry between Kexing, Zishu, and Chengling. Their relationship grew so much over the course of the drama and their little family was just perfect. I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed everyone's performance, but I'll leave it there.

Costuming as with most Chinese dramas was gorgeous. I appreciated the way their costumes reflected which face they were showing to the world. For example, Wen Kexing tended to wear more pastel colors when in the human world with Zhou Zishu and red when acting as ghost chief. Scorpion King wore black and leather when acting as Scorpion King but lighter colored, flowing robes when he was acting as the dutiful son. I also liked that Gu Xiang's clothing was made to be practical but also flattering. My favorite costume of hers is what amounts to a short layered dress with pants underneath; practical and feminine. The wigs, as always, looked terribly fake from certain angles, but I've gotten to a point where I'm not particularly fazed by that anymore since its so common.

The OST was gorgeous, I loved both the opening and closing songs and everything in between. The music was woven in flawlessly and really helped to enhance scenes and set the mood.

I will conclude by simply saying that this a very strong, well done drama and I highly, highly recommend watching it. It is one that I will absolutely re-watch in the future.

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Not Much Cooking

I watched this series solely for Off/Gun because they were so phenomenal in Not Me, but Not Me and Cooking Crush are polar opposites in every way. Cooking Crush is a rom-com but unfortunately neither the rom or the com was done particularly well and as a whole it lacked substance. It was generically cute with nothing to make it stand out from the legion of other Thai rom-coms. The cooking aspect, which could have made it more unique, was not utilized well enough to make a mark. With such a stellar cast, I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to it's potential.

Cooking Crush really leaned into the comedic side of things from the get go with heavy use of sound effects and exaggerated acting from its cast. But it wasn't well thought out, intelligent humor, it was simply cheesy and, in a number of cases, cringeworthy. In fact, it was so painful and not to my taste that I very nearly dropped it then and there. The main plot centers around Prem, a cooking student, who meets Ten, a med student, in a series of unfortunate events that eventually leads to Ten trying Prem's food and finding it to be absolutely delicious. He proceeds to ask Prem to teach him to cook which Prem refuses until he's in need of money to pay for his sister's school and agrees, though he charges an exorbitant price that Ten is all too willing to pay. From there they slowly fall in love, facing a few up and downs with time spent apart, the disapproval of Ten's father, and a brief scandal. The secondary couple of Dynamite, Prem's fellow cooking student friend, and Fire, a pharmacy student and Ten's friend, focuses on Fire separating himself from his domineering mother and finally having the freedom and opportunity to discover himself and come to terms with his own sexuality. Dynamite, having fallen for Fire some time previously, relentlessly pursues Fire, sometimes stalking him, in an effort to win him over which is eventually successful though they still have to contend with Fire's mother once she finds out. Secondary to the romance is Prem and his friends journey to be on a popular cooking show and the various challenges they face with it. It's a very simple series without much depth and it can stray into being downright tedious times. And for a show called Cooking Crush, I expected a much greater focus on the cooking and, once the cooking show began, on it. But while food is certainly woven throughout the story and is utilized well at times, there was a lack of detail that made it seem shallow. For all that Prem was supposed to be teaching Ten to cook, it felt more like a cooking demonstration as Ten wasn't seen doing a whole lot. The show, which could have been a great way to lean into the cooking aspect, was not well defined and key elements like the tasting and judges' comments on the food were left out. The pacing was slow. It could have very easily been condensed into ten, maybe even fewer episodes. There's a fair amount of filler with nothing going on or just sweet scenes between the couples which were not needed.

The characters themselves had both highs and lows to them, though Ten and Prem were certainly the highlight. One of the biggest downsides was that they were all supposed to be college students and yet the immaturity level made them seem more like high school students or even younger. There were also a few character inconsistencies, namely, Ten's father scolds him for using his fists to defend Prem, but a few episodes earlier he had slapped Ten himself. Despite that, there was some decent character development which I did appreciate.
-Prem is a budding chef who has the skills to succeed but lacks the confidence to do so. Prem's journey, besides romantic, is learning to develop his self-confidence and have faith in himself and his skills. Of course there's also his relationship with Ten, which starts out rocky, but quickly takes on a romantic note when the pair develop mutual feelings. Though there are moments of immaturity between the two, having their friends run messages between them being a big one, they are generally pretty solid together. Other than the aforementioned case and one or two other instances, communication is generally a strong point between them. Their support for each other is also quite endearing. I was, however, surprised when he started making unilateral decisions for his team after the drama with Ten punching Chang Ma. It felt out of character for him.
-Ten is a shy med student haunted by his past. He can be a bit of a hot head, but he learns from the mistakes he makes and more importantly is willing to admit to those mistakes and apologize for them. His love for Prem pushes him out of his comfort zone and helps solidify what he wants in life. His unending support and encouragement of Prem was very sweet. We should all have such support in our lives.
-Dynamite is characterized by his fiery personality that refuses to be contained or in any way diminished. He loves fiercely and gives his all, no matter the situation. Though his pursuit of Fire does stray into downright stalking, he's not creepy or threatening about it, just overenthusiastic, not that that makes it okay. He does eventually learn to respect Fire's boundaries and gains some maturity. Hiding their relationship from their friends though is not one of their smarter moves and does cause damage when Unky finds out he was left in the dark when Prem knew. It's a learning experience for all involved. And while he does grow and mature, he also never loses sight of who he is which I found admirable.
- Fire is the one character who experiences an identity crisis when faced with the fact that he might not be straight. Controlled and suppressed by his domineering mother, he is only allowed to explore his own wants and desires after she allows him to move out. And while he is clearly drawn to Dynamite, he is reluctant to voice the possibility that he may be into guys. One thing that I appreciated throughout this drama is that there are no labels. No one is identified as strictly gay or straight and none of the challenges they face in their relationships are related to their sexuality. It's refreshing. Once Fire recognizes his own feelings and accepts them, he's all in, quickly turning into a sweet, loving boyfriend. Perhaps a little too abrupt of a change for my taste. And while he may not see eye to eye with his mother, I did like the way their relationship was portrayed and how once he gained the courage to actually tell her how he felt, she respected that and was open to talking.
-Unky stood out to me with his passion and determination. The oldest of his friends, he faces the fear that they'll eventually decide to leave him behind, a fear that is the driving force behind his fight with in Ep 9. The way that they assuage those fears is very wholesome and creates a sweet scene. I do wish we'd seen a bit more maturity from him given that he was older than the others, but I suppose that's a fairly minor complaint. His budding relationship in the last episode with Pang was cute though I wish it had been introduced earlier.
-Chang Ma was an unnecessary character, at least as a love interest. I would have much preferred for him to be left as a mentor and friend for Prem rather than someone who came in and tried to stir up trouble. I actually quite liked him at first, but when he started pushing boundaries and vying for Prem's affection even though it was obvious he had feelings for Ten, official or not, he lost my respect. He did eventually get the message and helped to take the heat off of Prem's team after Ten punched him, but the damage was done as far as I was concerned.
-With the parents, I liked the fact that the gender of their child's partner was never an issue, even with Ten's father. He was concerned about Prem trying to scam Ten, not that Prem was also a man. And I loved Prem's grandmother and how supportive she was of Prem in everything. She was an absolute gem.

The acting was not quite as strong as I was expecting. I know how strong of actors Off and Gun are and this was not their best work. While the chemistry was there, it just wasn't at the same level as it was in Not Me or even Theory of Love. Neo was good as always, though having just seen him in Only Friends, his performance wasn't quite as strong here. Newbie Aungpao was entertaining as Dynamite and while it was obvious he wasn't quite as seasoned as the other actors, he still did a good job and was fun to watch. Dome was one of the stronger actors and I thought he did a great job giving a nuance performance.

The production value was decent. The uncut version has a much better flow whereas the cut version had some choppy scenes and cuts. I would definitely recommend the uncut version as it provides more insight into various characters and their actions/interactions. However, even in the uncut, there are still some awkward jumps and tonal shifts. With the cooking element, no offense to the actors, but not once did I believe they were actually culinary students. Their knife and cooking skills/technique was not up to snuff. This is where clever camera angles, close ups of hands and the like, etc. could have been utilized to fool viewers into thinking they were far more skilled than they appeared.

Ultimately I found Cooking Crush to be disappointing. Given the caliber of its cast, it could have been so much more, but the overly campy nature of it really suppressed their talent and it didn't have the weight it could have had. I would have loved to have seen a more serious take, with some humor still thrown in, and more of a focus on the food and how it brings the characters together. But that's just me, I prefer dramas like Not Me over ones like Cooking Crush. If you're an Off/Gun fan, you may very well enjoy it or if camp is your genre of choice, but if you are looking for something more akin to Not Me, this is not the drama for you.

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New and Improved

So many BLs focus on dramatic plots and scenarios that would never happen in real life and while those have their place and can be quite entertaining, there's something about the simplicity and normalcy of The New Employee that makes it stand out. It's not all burning passion and smoldering looks and kisses, but rather the quiet development of a relationship, realistic trials that any couple might face, and learning how to communicate and make said relationship work. The New Employee is a desperately needed breath of fresh air.

At only 7 episodes, this series had a limited amount of time to bring this story to life, but it did a good job working with that limited time. There were very few if any superfluous scenes, rather it all came together to make the most of it's time to develop its characters. Most of the various plot lines were done well with satisfactory conclusions; only one or two were left hanging. I found the ending to be both wholesome and satisfying. I loved that the four of them came together to create something and with all their talents combined, I can only imagine how successful they'll be. I appreciated the maturity of it. These were two adult men embarking on a new relationship, but that didn't take away from both the excitement of little things like dropping honorifics to say each other's name and the giddiness of holding hands for the first time or the anxiety caused by their first fight and learning how to communicate effectively. There are parts I would have liked to see fleshed out more, but I also didn't feel like there were any glaring holes and the pacing was good, so I really can't complain that much.

Seung Hyun is a late bloomer, a young man in his late twenties still figuring himself out and what he wants to do with his life. He's a relatable character and while he does come across as a tad naive with an almost childlike innocence, he's not childish. His relationship with Jong Chan is his first so he has a lot to learn, but he does, figuring out how to communicate and navigate fights and everything else that comes with a relationship. His struggles didn't feel overblown or exaggerated, but more like what anyone might face.

Jong Chan took the idea of the icy, unfeeling boss and made it his own. He's a focused workaholic, but he's not mean and not abusive. He works hard and while he might not be buddy buddy with his subordinates, he's also not unfeeling and they clearly respect him. His behaviour as a boss is juxtaposed by how he is outside work where he shows a warmth that is especially brought out when he's with Seung Hyun. He's honest and communication is clearly important to him. He keeps no secrets from Seung Hyun and is clear about his faults, freely acknowledging them while also working to overcome them.

Ji Yeon and Kang Hae were so refreshing. Having female characters who were not relegated to serving as the catalyst for one of the main leads figuring out his feelings or acting as a villain was a pleasant surprise. Both women were strong, independent characters who had their own stories and goals. I enjoyed Ji Yeon's and Seung Hyun's friendship and how she'd supported him over the years and his new friendship with Kang Hae and how they worked together was just as enjoyable.

Kwon Hyuk and Ji Yong were both superb in their roles. Their chemistry was so good, subtle and sweet and absolutely perfect for the roles they played. Kwon Hyuk was so good at balancing the focused professional at work with the warm boyfriend. And Ji Yong really brought Seung Hyun to life as a hardworking intern and enterprising ad creator.

The production quality was good. Some of the night scenes could have done with a bit better lighting, but that's really my only complaint, if you can even call it a complaint.

I thoroughly enjoyed The New Employee. It was a very pleasant change from the unnecessarily dramatic and poorly told series I've watched recently and I really cannot recommend it enough. That being said, if you're looking for fireworks and hot NSFW scenes, this is not going to be the drama for you. However, if you enjoy simpler, well told stories with a realistic and sweet romance, you should absolutely watch this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Finally Over

I you don't have a VIP membership with IQYI to watch these two episodes, don't bother getting it, they're not worth it unless you absolutely loved the rest of the series. It's simply more unnecessary drama, awkward NSFW scenes of Dino shoving his tongue down Rak's throat, and concluding with Chalam, Suea and Mhee talking about their notably absent lovers.

The whole plot line with Tart was absurd. Again, in what way is Rak such a catch that men are willing to throw any kind of boundaries and societal niceties out the door? I truly do not understand. But here comes Tart who's apparently harbored a crush on Rak for years and suddenly decides to pursue him and who gives a damn if he has a boyfriend. There's nothing likeable about the character. He aggressively and creepily pursues Rak, stalking him, even buying his phone number from a fellow classmate so he can call and text him. This culminates in a confrontation between Dino and Tart with Dino inexplicably resorting to his fists. This would have been a great time to acknowledge and potentially rectify Dino's temper, but the whole thing is conveniently swept under the rug. Even the two women filming the scene are stopped and convinced to delete the video with very little effort.

The second episode turns its focus to the characters of Chalam, Suea, and Mhee who talk about their lovers. It's very awkward because we never actually see their lovers' faces. We hear voices, see some hair or a shoulder maybe, but that's it. I'm going to assume it has something to do with the upcoming Buddy Line Y Animal series, but it just made for some strange camera angles and uncomfortable close ups of the actors. I was not a fan.

More of the same mediocre acting and poor production. More of the annoying comedic sound effects and more bad music. Although these episodes took the cake with the scene where Dino and Rak go meet his parents and the girl they wanted to arrange a marriage with. The back and forth with the music was maddening.

I will reiterate, don't spend your money for these episodes, they add very little of substance. Save yourself the two hours you would have wasted and find something worthwhile to watch.

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Light in the Dark

Light on Me is a relatively short, but sweet drama that I found engaging despite its faults. On the surface, it does come across as your typical high school drama complete with all the tropes you've come to expect from BLs. However, the more I watched, the more I saw that there is a depth to it, not so much with the story, but certainly with the characters. There's something about it that's almost relaxing and it made watching it very easy.

Light on Me does not break the mold of high school dramas. There's nothing new here, the same old tropes are used. However, aspects like learning to accept yourself and stand up for yourself are explored and add to the story. It took a couple of episodes for me to really get into the story. I struggled with Taekyung as the lead because he was so robotic. However, as other characters were introduced, I found myself becoming more invested. I will say that the robotics do extend to the other characters to an extent and it does make it harder to form attachments to them. It gets better as the drama progresses though. Some aspects like turning the sole female character into a villainess was frustrating. It's overused and the whole scenario of her spreading the picture was unrealistic and unnecessary. The passage of time was also not well documented and it would have been nice to have some idea of how much time had passed between events. The love triangle, which I am generally not a fan of, was actually really well done here. Both couples have their pros and cons and there's enough understanding that they really could go either way. I do wish a bit more time had been given to the build up of Taekyung and Shin Woo's relationship since it was endgame, but it was still done well enough that I can't complain too much. The pacing is slow and steady, which is part of why I found it kind of relaxing. There are no real extremes, it has a course to follow and it does so quite well with very little meandering. I appreciated that.

The characters are where it's at with this drama. There's an element with each of them that they are more than their appearance and outward actions and I really enjoyed that.
- Taekyung starts out as a loner who doesn't feel the need to have friends. However, despite his introversion, he's relatively confident in certain situations and honest to a fault. As he gets involved in the student council and starts to make friends, it becomes clear that he has a big heart and is actually a very selfless person. My biggest qualm was the fact that almost right up to the end, it seemed like he was still vacillating between Shin Woo and Daon. I would have liked to have a clearer picture as to when his feelings for Shin Woo started to manifest.
- Shin Woo comes across as cold and rude but in truth he's a sweetheart who just takes time to warm up to people. He's loyal to his friends and has great respect, both for Taekyung and Daon. The way he treats them both is a testament to his character. Despite his love for Taekyung, he's willing to step aside for Daon because at the time, that's who Taekyung loved. However, once things fall apart between the two of them, Shin Woo takes the initiative to step forward and pursue Taekyung. He's respectful of Taekyung and despite his own awkwardness, does his best to be there and support him.
- Daon was probably one of the most compelling characters for me. The evolution of my perception of his character as more of it was revealed was very interesting. He starts out very likable, a little too perfect, but a good guy. But as things progressed, I realized, he wasn't very genuine, he was very much a people pleaser and he lacked perspective and knowing how to prioritize. If anyone needed his help, he dropped everything to help them, meaning that Taekyung, if they'd entered into a relationship, would never be his priority. And eventually I just realized that he was selfish and really only cared about himself. But the great thing about him was that once he realized all that, once Taekyung pointed it out, he put out the effort to change and better himself. He stopped caring about what others thought and catering to their needs and that was so refreshing to see. Because despite those faults, Daon was not really a bad guy. The neglect and lack of love from his family obviously played into a lot of his mindset and actions. I think he had the most character growth out of any of the characters and I loved it.
- Namgoong was one of my favorite characters. I loved that beneath the goofy surface was someone who was far more mature, observant and wise than anyone gave him credit for. He truly cared for his friends and was fiercely loyal to them, helping them in any way that he could and sometimes that meant calling them out for their crap. He was just an all around good guy.
- While not a huge player, I really liked Mr. Seo for his wisdom and his investment in the students. He obviously cared about all of them and made an effort to connect with them. He's the kind of person you wish all teachers were like.
-Sohee is almost not worth mentioning. She's the token female character that it was decided should be the villain because she's loved Daon for three years and therefore, first come first served, regardless of how Daon feels. She somehow decides posting a picture of Daon and Taekyung together is a great idea to break them up and have Daon go running into her arms except that it blows up and Daon cuts her off. Predictably she apologizes to everyone, everything is forgiven, and they're all friends. Boring. She could have been so much more and I'm disappointed that this what they decided to do with her.

The acting certainly could have been better. Sae On in particular was far too doll like and it wasn't just the makeup. I understand the character was supposed to be introverted and awkward, but he was just wooden and lacking in almost any expression. Particularly comparing him to Yoo Seok whose character was also introverted and awkward, yet he's still so expressive and brings so much to the screen. Chan Yi's performance sometimes felt a bit empty, but for the most part he did quite well. And Woo Jin just brought Namgoong to life and was a pleasure to watch.

The makeup was a big issue. Particularly for Sae On, he had so much makeup packed on that he looked like a mannequin. The others weren't quite as dramatic, but all around it was excessive. That being said, I did like the fact that this was a longer drama. I wish more current BLs would keep with this because that made a big difference. The production value also felt higher and in general it was better quality all around. The music was great. I really enjoyed the closing song and several of the other songs worked in.

This was just a very enjoyable journey and my only issue is how long it took me to discover it. I would certainly recommend it as one of the best Korean BLs I've seen and hopefully future ones will follow in its footsteps.

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Near and Dear

Kiseki: Dear to Me is a lovely little drama that I found thoroughly enjoyable. While not without its faults, it largely makes up for them with an eclectic group of characters, a decently told story, good music, and some excellent acting. It does get a little bit busy and would have benefitted from a more streamlined and cohesive plot, but it's not to the point of being unwatchable. It thoroughly drew me in and I have zero regrets after watching it.

In it's simplest form, this is an enemies to lovers story but the premise is unique enough that it doesn't feel totally cliche. Bai Zong Yi is a studious, rather grumpy student whose life is upended when the charismatic and mischievous gangster Fan Ze Rui blackmails him into taking him in and treating his wounds. There's no sense that one has more power than the other and that contributes to the interest and entertainment as the two learn to live together and eventually fall in love. I appreciated that the time frame was made clear. There's no question of whether a scene is past, present, or future. It begins in the present with a short little scene and then jumps to four years previously in 2019 and carries on from there. However, there's a lot going on and while the developing romance between Zong Yi and Ze Rui takes the front, there's also the ongoing fighting with a rival gang and trying to sniff out drug dealers at the local school. It's a lot to pack in and the story suffers for it. A decent amount could have been condensed or cut completely to allow more time for character development, providing more detailed information and world building, or giving more time to the episodes set in the present. For example, it would have been nice to have a more clear understanding of the gangs and how they worked. Things jump forward four years after Episode 8 and while I don't generally like time jumps, I understand the necessity of this one. Now set in the present day, the story becomes more, not less convoluted. There's not much time to get everything wrapped up and some things are left hanging. The memory aspect was a big one for me. Both Zong Yi and Ze Rui suffer brain injuries, but with Ze Rui it's unclear if he truly lost his memory for a period of time or if he was just faking it the entire time. With Zong Yi, he suffered short term memory impairment which was not explored or well explained. He uses a notebook to jot down important events, but it doesn't seem to effect his life too much and is largely forgettable. There are also some irritating moments where dramatic or misleading things happen but turn out to be nothing. Two primary examples would be when Chen Yi got shot and that served as a cliffhanger but was ultimately nothing and the last episode where an attempt is made to trick the audience into thinking Ze Rui has died. Both instances were cheap and unnecessary. The pacing was all over the place, but generally felt rushed. Again, just trying to fit in way too much. Particularly towards the end, there were a lot of moving parts and scenes that should have held significance weren't given the time they deserved. There needed to be a better balance between episodes focused on the past and then the present and that just wasn't there.

I am generally not a fan of romances between adults and minors. There's too much room for the adult to take advantage of the minor and manipulate them. However, I was less bothered here because there was an element that it was necessary to the story. Also Zong Yi was seventeen and while he did have some young, impulsive moments, his feelings for Ze Rui did not feel impulsive and their love did feel genuine. And Ze Rui did have clear moments of conflict and he did try to create distance. All of that combined evened things out for me. I know the teacher/student aspect bothered a number of people, but personally, due to the nature of the circumstances surrounding it, I didn't have an issue with it.

The character development was pretty decent and was certainly present. Not as much with the main leads as I would have thought though, at least not positively. I did find the second couple of Ai Di and Chen Yi to be more interesting and satisfying to watch. The largest issue with the characters was an overabundance of them. There were too many side characters and relatively insignificant characters to try to keep track of.
-Zong Yi starts out grouchy and closed off, but once he falls in love with Ze Rui, it's like he has a personality transplant and is suddenly largely kind and gentle. While he has a few grumpy moments, they seem largely for show. I would have preferred a more gradual change to his character and I would have liked to see him retain some of his original characteristics rather than becoming a whole new person. He's also a little too perfect. Aside from the last episode when he's pissed that Ze Rui didn't think of him when he was stabbed, he doesn't express any anger or resentment towards him for what happened in the past. That felt unrealistic. He should have felt something other than regret that he couldn't protect them both.
-Ze Rui remained largely the same throughout. While he expresses guilt and regret for what happened in the past with Zong Yi, he doesn't appear to really change. He's still a manipulative person but he has a good heart. Frankly, I thought he got off way too easy. Zong Yi suffered a lot because of him, from serving jail time to having permanent brain damage that dashed his dreams of becoming a doctor. Ze Rui didn't apparently suffer any permanent damage from his head injury and aside from being stabbed by Zhang Teng's sister which doesn't seem to actually be that serious, there are no consequences.
- Ai Di in particular was a delight and hands down my favorite character. He was small but mighty and I loved his attitude. He was fiercely loyal to his friends and to Chen Yi, who he'd been in love with for years. Forced to play second fiddle, he nonetheless stays by Chen Yi's side to help him even sacrificing himself to protect him and do what's necessary after Zong Yi is injured in prison. What's so great about him is that he does grow and develop, yet he remains true to himself. There's never any doubt that he is Ai Di.
-Chen Yi starts out in love with one of the gang's bosses and only becomes aware of Ai Di's feelings when he and Ai Di sleep together after he's been drinking. He also discovers the birthday presents Ai Di had gotten for him over the years and eventually comes to realize both Ai Di's and his own feelings. His attempts in the present to win over Ai Di are both humorous and adorable. Once they get together, it's like nothing's changed and yet everything has changed. Their dynamic is the same, but they're obviously in love. They balance each other out very nicely.
-The other characters were largely unimpressive. Although I did love Zong Yi's father and sister and how loving and supportive they were. Their interactions were so wholesome. The boss and his man were an interesting addition. We don't generally see older BL couples, so I appreciated that they were included from that perspective, however, they were not well utilized and they had so little screen time that they felt superfluous. Zhang Teng was a pretty boring villain. I didn't really find the lollipop to be off-putting, I just found him to be over the top and non-threatening. There needed to be more to him to make him feel like a viable threat. Even his history with Ze Rui felt incomplete and rushed. Suh Ning as his sister out for revenge was not a well developed plot point. It was obvious she was up to something, but there needed to be a greater buildup.

The acting was well done, but the undisputed star of the show was Louis as Ai Di. He was so committed to the role and he was a stand out in every way. He had great chemistry with Nat whose acting was more understated, but still good. Hsu and Taro were both pretty strong, though it was obvious at times that this was Taro's first role and he's still young and green. They both did a fair amount of acting with just their eyes and I was impressed with their chemistry, especially considering their 10 year age gap. I did enjoy the cameo of the actors from Be Loved In House. I keep hoping they'll get another series. And it was nice to see An Jun of HIStory 4 again. He had more than a cameo role and he did a good job. There was also a cameo from two of the actors of Plus & Minus, though I wasn't a fan of that drama so I had to go look them up to figure out why they looked familiar.

The production quality was a mixed bag for me. There were some really great transitions and cuts and then there were some pretty subpar ones. The lighting was sometimes too bring and other times bordering on too dark. There was just a general lack of consistency. I did like the costuming, particularly for Ai Di. The man was a style icon. I loved his unique look and how well it fit his character. The music was also good and worked well where used.

It's not perfect, but it's fun. It's not a drama you can look at too closely because once you do, things start to unravel. But if you just go with it, it's a great ride. This is definitely one I would recommend and one I will be rewatching in the future.

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A Windless Windmill

The title Dangerous Romance is very much an oxymoron. There's nothing dangerous about the romance in this drama unless you want to very loosely connect it to the fact that it's an enemies to lovers story. It's Thai title, Heart in the Wind, is far more suitable and poetic. The name aside though, Dangerous Romance is a fairly fluffy drama with a few doses of angst and a touch of drama towards the end to spice things up. It's not complicated, it doesn't break the mold, but it's fun and I was mostly entertained by it.

The drama follows the fairly common enemies to lovers trope. Kanghan is the school's rich boy bully whereas Sailom is the school's scholarship whiz kid. Predictably and quickly, the two clash and then fall in love. Too quickly for my taste. Kang and his friends aren't just your garden variety bullies. They're not only physically abusive, but Kang takes things several steps farther by threatening Sailom's jobs and even takes a gun, albeit not a loaded on, to threaten him with at his home. However, when Kang saves Sailom from getting beaten up by debt collectors, suddenly all the issues between them dissipate and their relationship starts to develop. While Kang does acknowledge and take ownership of his actions, he never really faces any consequences for them and it all gets swept under the rug so to speak. Given how Sailom was willing to stand up to him, it felt a bit out of character that he so easily forgave Kang. Their romance, while at times a tad dramatic, is never dangerous. There's nothing forbidden about them being together, there's no impression that either of their families would object, and while they do have several instances where they're in danger, it's not because of their love. Aside from the first and last couple of episodes, the rest was mostly filler. Kang's moment of teenage rebellion lasts a couple episodes in the middle but doesn't really accomplish anything other than some very slight character development and a few sweet moments. The plot line with Name and his boss and cronies at the end was very nonsensical and generally just a mess. As a side note, the series is rife with tropes, from having actually met when they were younger to the accidental falls to the ever present sponge bath and on it goes. The pacing left something to be desired. The beginning was fairly fast paced, but quickly mellowed and became almost laggy at points before picking up again in the last couple of episodes. Part of the issue was the number of time jumps. It make things seem like they were happening faster than they were, like the development of Kang and Sailom's relationship.

I struggled with Kang's character in large part because there were aspects that made no sense. He clearly started developing feelings for Sailom early on, and then quite suddenly seemed to be torn between his feelings for Sailom and the sudden development of his feelings for Pimfah. Now whether he actually had feelings for Pimfah or he just didn't want to acknowledge his feelings for Sailom and so was deflecting, who knows. Regardless, it didn't work and was confusing to watch because up until that point, we'd had no indication that he viewed Pimfah as anything more than a friend. Similarly, after Saifah confessed to killing Kang's father, Kang distanced himself from Sailom and was, at times, quite cruel to him, despite obviously still caring about him. When he and Sailom reconcile, he tells him that he never wanted to leave him, etc., etc., however, no one ever forced them apart, it was his decision. There's also the underlying current that his family life and the issues with his father somehow justify his bullying others. It does not and it didn't sit well with me how quickly his actions were overlooked. And once he and Sailom did get together, he was almost too sweet. I would have liked a better balance between the sweetness and the bad boy persona he had. Sailom was enjoyable just for his razor sharp tongue. He had some fantastic comebacks to Kang's bullying which immediately increased his appeal. I appreciated how he stood up for himself and his friends and refused to back down. Some of his sass though was lost once he and Kang got together. There were moments where I expected him to fight for their relationship, but instead he just moped. In general, his character just became less compelling as the story progressed.

As side characters, I really enjoyed Auto and Guy. They were good, solid friends for Sailom and I enjoyed their interactions. Max and Nawa left me with mixed feelings because while I did enjoy the development of Guy and Nawa's relationship, neither character ever acknowledged their part in the bullying started by Kang other than to joke about it. I would have liked to see them owning up to what they did rather than it, again, just be swept aside. Pimfah was generally likable, although her inexplicable crush on Sailom came out of nowhere and was so quickly resolved that it felt almost pointless. Saifah left me feeling a bit frustrated, because he was obviously not dumb and yet some of the things he did made no sense. The hinted feelings between him and Name were sweet, but ultimately left underdeveloped and not needed. Same with Pimfah and Napdao. Kang's grandmother was a queen and I'm so glad they didn't kill her off as I was afraid they would. She was one smart cookie and I really appreciated how even though she loved Kang and clearly doted on him, she also didn't just brush aside his misdeeds and she didn't just view him through rose colored glasses. Kang's father, on the other hand, was a disappointment. His reasoning for how he was raising Kang was incredibly weak and he just came across as someone with weak character. I will admit that I did cheer when he showed up to Kang's football game though, if for no other reason than it made Kang so darn happy.

Perth and Chimon are both incredibly talented actors, but this was not their best work. Their chemistry lacked consistency and there were more than a few awkward scenes. The kissing scenes in particular just did not work and were almost uncomfortable to watch. Chimon also seemed to struggle with several of the more emotional scenes where he had to cry. It felt forced. The acting wasn't bad, I've just seen stronger performances from both.

There were several episodes that were unnecessarily flashback happy. I'm generally fairly ambivalent towards the sound effects used, but there were instances where they really didn't fit and stood out. The wind/windmill analogy was cute the first time or two, but then just got repetitive thereafter. One thing I did like though was the costuming, particularly the school uniforms. While not shabby, you could definitely tell that the scholarship kids' uniforms were older and less pristine. It added a dimension to the characters that was appreciated. I also liked the music, particularly the theme song although it was overused per the usual. I liked it enough though that it didn't get too annoying.

Based on the trailer for Dangerous Romance, I was expecting far more from it than I got. I was expecting it to be more fast paced and, based on the title as well, to have more at stake. Instead, it turned out to be a fairly generic piece of fluff that, while entertaining, didn't give anything deeper. It's underlying theme, Do you think all people are equal? poses an interesting and compelling question, but ultimately doesn't give a particularly satisfying answer. Nevertheless, if your expectations aren't too high and you go in with an open mind, you may find it to be a pleasant diversion.

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Tried It, Knocked It

I will be honest and say that I am still mystified by how high a rating this drama has. While certainly not the worst drama I've ever seen, it was far from one of the better ones. While it did gradually improve as it progressed, I didn't find anything noteworthy about it, other than I did very much like the dance sequence at the end of each episode. It's sort of cute at times, but more frustrating than anything, mostly due to Thi's character. I'll just say that I really don't get the hype.

The story is pretty basic. Gangster kid clashes with older nerd type college student and they eventually fall in love. That's it, that's the story. There's nothing particularly special or unique about it that I found which could be part of why I had a hard time getting into it. The pacing was also quite slow in the beginning and there was a feeling of repetitiveness at times. The pacing did improve as it progressed and I found myself more invested as the relationship also progressed, but it never fully captured me. This wasn't one where I was concerned that I was going to miss something if I was doing something else. There were plot lines that were left unresolved or just ignored. For example, Thi's parents were introduced as an obstacle to their relationship and Noey talks about winning them over, but they're never seen afterward or even really mentioned. Noey and Thi continue their relationship apparently without any further issues which begs the question of, what was the point then other than unnecessary drama. If you're going to create a problem, then stick with it and solve it, don't just leave it hanging. Noey's father is also left dangling tantalizingly. He's mentioned multiple times and you think that eventually someone is going to talk about him, but they never do to any real extent.

Character-wise, I liked Noey. He was interesting to watch as his character developed and his development felt relatively steady. His struggle with wanting to continue being a gangster and being a better person for his mother, sister, and Thi was well done. The polarity of his character was also interesting, the way he vacillated between the tough gangster and dreamy romantic. The uniqueness of his style and the way he viewed the world added layers to his character that really brought him to life and made him stand out. As much as I liked Noey, I couldn't stand Thi. His over the top reactions, awkwardness, and constant reluctance quickly became grating. His character felt far more stagnant in terms of growth and I just didn't find him to be particularly interesting. I honestly don't know what Noey saw in him. While the age gap between them is somewhat concerning, their relationship is very PG. Not that it makes it okay, but I'm also viewing things as a Westerner, and underage relationships are frowned upon on principle. That being said, neither one pushes things physically and the innocence of their interactions does make it more palatable.

Of the actors, the two that stood out to me were Tar and Mild. Tar was just so suave in the role. He was engaging and his acting didn't feel forced at all. Considering his age, I was very impressed. Mild nailed Nid Nhoi's deadpan delivery, but also showed her range in the more emotional scenes. As much as I was not a fan of Thi, Bom actually did a decent job with the character, especially given this was his first role. He was expressive, though a bit limited, but it didn't feel forced. His chemistry with Tar was subtle, but present. It worked given the characters they were portraying.

All in all, it's not a bad drama, it just didn't live up to my expectations given its rating. I was expecting more from it and it simply didn't deliver. The acting is the one strong point of this drama, as is the music, which grew on me over the course of the series. The one part that I really enjoyed, like I mentioned before, was the dance scene at the end of each episode and the way it mirrored the tone of each episode. Unfortunately it was one of the only things I liked. Not salty like Noey's cooking, not delicious like Auntie Tim's, just bland. This isn't a drama that I would recommend.

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In the Jungle, The Mighty Jungle

Ah, The Jungle, what a ride it was and a very entertaining one at that. It's an imperfect drama, but if you don't scrutinize it too deeply, it's interesting and fun. It was easy to binge watch over two days and had me alternating yelling at my laptop and cackling at the characters' antics. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

The Jungle has a pretty basic premise of a group of playboys who one by one find their one true love and enter into monogamous relationships. Intertwined with those stories are two longer mystery/crime plotlines. The couple stories were by and large cute if rushed and a bit repetitive. In general, each couple was given two episodes to develop their relationship. The repetitiveness came from the way they got together as it became pretty formulaic after a while: flashbacks to understand the characters, at least one fight for a lot of them, a love scene, etc. Also repetitive was having the mother as the root of the issue, several of the girls getting assaulted and not one, but two wedding crashing scenes. Some relationships were given more screen time than others and went beyond those two episodes, but in general the relationships progressed at an improbably quick pace. One couple in particular got significantly more screentime which was understandable, but made the other couples' stories appear even more rushed and disjointed. The story progression could have been better planned. It felt like things were moving pretty steadily and then suddenly we jumped to the past and stayed there for several episodes which affected the pacing negatively. It would have been better to start the whole drama with those episodes or interspersed them throughout. They weren't bad episodes by any means and provided necessary information, but it was a major and abrupt tonal shift that was just jarring. The longer running mystery/crime plot lines were interesting, but they each focused more on specific couples so they got more screen time than others. I would have liked to see those stories cut down a bit to give more time to the other couples. There are moments that are hilariously over the top and just absurd, but somehow still kind of worked. There are also some story lines that are left feeling unfinished or have holes that aren't explained, but nothing that I found to be unbearable.

The characters were by and large a positive aspect of the drama. The animal correlation to the characters was an interesting concept but not necessarily well done. The only character who I really felt fit with her animal was August as a lioness. She embodied that quite well. Gale as a rabbit was a close second. The others were hit or miss. Irin was the biggest miss as, despite all her butterfly paraphernalia, I simply didn't see the resemblance between the two. Given all the narration on the animals, I would have liked to see that concept played with more in terms of the characters' behaviour and personalities. It just seemed like a missed opportunity. I also found myself disappointed with how the ladies were treated. Once their relationship story had concluded, they were dropped. The guys kept showing up at the bar, but the ladies were conspicuously absent. They popped up maybe once or twice more, but that was it. I know the focus was on The Jungle guys, but I felt their girlfriends could have factored in more. There was also a lot of focus on the men as hunters aspect, which I also didn't find was utilized well. There were multiple times where it felt like the women were the hunters and the men their prey. Also, despite the men being called playboys, we didn't see that come into play a ton. Again, just more missed opportunities to play with that animal kingdom theme they had going.
-Petai and Gale were our first couple. They knew each other as children and were reunited as adults. Their story is cute if rushed. It didn't feel like they really had enough time to reconnect before falling for each other. The conflict in their story centered around an overzealous reporter and Petai's overbearing mother. Both issues are resolved fairly quickly and almost simultaneously. Their story felt a bit incomplete as Gale won the internship or whatever to Paris and Petai was going to be a pilot, but nothing regarding either decision is ever mentioned again. Although the impression is given that Gale is having success in her career.
This was my first time seeing Lee in a lead role, I'd seen him in supporting roles previously and overall liked him. I thought he was good, but not as strong as some of the others. Mook is an actress I've heard a lot about, but never seen. Aside from being absolutely gorgeous, her MDL picture does not do her justice, I liked her acting. She seems to have more subtle style which I appreciated. She and Lee had good chemistry and they acted well together.
-Nanfah and Pladao were one of the more conflicting couples for me. Nanfah comes out the gate seeming like a bad guy and he doesn't do a whole lot to dispel that notion for a good while. I don't feel like a good explanation was ever given for why he felt the need to lie and manipulate Pladao initially and it ended up just being brushed under the rug. Pladao's attraction to him when she thought he had killed her cousin was confusing given his attitude and behaviour towards her up until that point. Yes, he's attractive, but she seemed smarter than that. Their relationship ended on a weird note and I really just couldn't support them being together.; it felt like there was a toxicity to their relationship that was never addressed. Part of it could have also been that there was a lot to unravel with Nanfah's character and there just wasn't enough time to do so.
I had never seen Punpun act before, but I liked her portrayal of Pladao. She was very expressive without being too over the top and it fit with her character. Nanon remains as one of my favorite actors. It still boggles my mind how young he is and yet so incredibly talented. He did a phenomenal job playing both Nanfah and Nannam. Though there were more subtle physical differences such as hair style and fashion choices that helped differentiate them, it was Nanon's acting that really set them apart. You could just look at them and know from body language and facial expressions who was who. Superb job. I was also impressed that he was able to have great chemistry with both Punpun and Mild.
-Nannam and Nithan were another cute couple. It was adorable watching Nannam gradually falling for her. The juxtaposition of her inability to lie and his skills at lying made for some great scenes. While Nanfah was out and out manic, Nannam liked to operate more in the shadows, teasing and meddling. Nithan, on the other hand, was straightforward and her open. While I felt like their story was a bit rushed like the others, I did like that some time was devoted to showing how Nithan broke down Nannam's walls and gained his trust. Their engagement scene where she almost instantly realized that Nanfah was not Nannam was a great one and put to rest Nannam's doubts.
Mild did a great job in the role. I really liked her expressiveness. She was sweet, but also tough in her own way and Mild balanced out those traits well. She and Nanon played off of each other really well.
-Hack and Irin were one of my least favorite couples. A lot of their story felt repetitive, just rehashing the same issues over and over again. Hack having sex with Irin when she was drunk and obviously unaware who she was sleeping with did not sit well with me. All the talk of him being the worst of them also didn't add up to what we saw. Aside from the above incident, he came across to me as a sweet guy trying to be tough. I generally found Irin to be annoying, in large part because she did keep attacking Hack and thinking the worst of him, which, since we didn't see a lot of that, felt over the top and unreasonable. I also didn't like how she was playing both Pine and Hack. She had her good moments too, they were just few and far between.
I like Lookjun, I don't think she's the most diversely talented actress, but she does well with certain characters. This was not one of her stronger performances. There was a sameness to a lot of her acting, especially when her character was upset. It wasn't awful by any means, I just would have liked to see a bit more variation. Krist is an excellent actor and I really liked him as Hack. He does a great job whether he's being serious or funny and everything in between. However, I didn't think the chemistry between Lookjun and Krist was particularly strong.
-Nathee and Florence were probably one of my favorite couples and that's mostly due to Florence. I love badass female characters and she was in pretty much every way. I liked that she knew what she wanted, in this case, Nathee and she just went for it, unapologetically. I also appreciated that she knew how to take care of herself with her judo skills. She wasn't a damsel in distress like the other women tended to be. Honestly, I just adored her. Nathee's primary interest was his transformation from his work appearance to his Rendezvous appearance. They were strikingly different and not just his appearance, but his attitude too. I felt like there was more to Florence than there was to him as an individual, I think her character was just given more depth, but I really enjoyed their interactions. I also liked that they were high school sweethearts of a sort since that allowed their story to jump a few steps than if they had just met.
I've seen several dramas Aye has been in and she never disappoints. She's a versatile actress and I thought she killed it as Florence. This was my first time seeing Luke act and while I thought his character was lacking to some degree, I don't think that was his fault and he did a good job with what he had. He and Aye had great chemistry and were a lot of fun to watch together.
-Pine and August were another conflicting couple. On the one hand, I really liked August. She was a no nonsense kind of woman who knew what she wanted and she went for it. She didn't mince words, she just got things done. I loved that she remained true to herself. Pine was an ass. What happened with August didn't give him any right to treat Irin, or any other woman for that matter, the way that he did and continuously string her along. He seemed to have something of a hero complex but only when it suited him. He never really redeemed himself in my eyes and frankly I think August could do way better. I also thought it was a bit much having both the men that August trusted turning out be villains.
I liked Pat's acting, she absolutely came across as a bad ass, but she also had some really beautifully vulnerable moments. I liked the way she varied the character. Job well done. I like Off, he comes across as goofy, yet sweet, but his acting isn't as strong as it could be. A lot of the time it feels like he's playing a variation of himself or characters he's played in the past. That was the case here with Pine, especially during the flashback episodes it seemed like he was more himself, whereas the rest of the time, he was giving me Sean from Not Me vibes. That being said, I didn't hate his performance, I just think it could have been a bit more nuanced. I did think he and Pat had good chemistry though. They did a great job portraying the tension of their relationship.
-Hunter was such an enigma and I loved him. His role was so varied from making drinks to "taking out the trash" to giving life advice. His knowledge of everyone and everything fit with him being a bartender, but also added an element of mystery to him because so little information about him was given. I'm still conflicted on whether I like that he was given a backstory or not. On the one hand, it gave insight into why he was attentive to The Jungle and cared about them. However, it also removed that veil of mystery that had surrounded him from the get go and made him more human. Maybe part of it is that his backstory seemed a bit cliche too. Either way, I still very much enjoyed his character.
Mix is such a good actor and I liked seeing him get to stretch his wings and play a different kind of character. He absolutely nailed the role and he had great chemistry with everyone he interacted with.

The production value was good. I liked the sets, particularly the bar and the rooftop. The cinematography was also good, there were some great shots, especially in the bar and again on the rooftop. Those two places had the most scenes and their design was well thought out. The lighting helped add to the mystery of the bar, and gave it a darker, grittier feel. I really enjoyed the music, both the theme song and the individual songs. The theme song was killer, but I also liked the solos that each guy sang that was interspersed with their story.

The Jungle is not a great drama. It has it's flaws and failures, but it was also incredibly entertaining and I enjoyed every minute of it. Like I said before, if you don't overanalyze it and just go with the flow, it's very enjoyable and one I would definitely recommend.

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There Is No Solution

My oh my what a mess this drama was. The synopsis left me intrigued, but the short length left me apprehensive which it turns out I was right to be. While the general concept of it is interesting and could have been used to create a decent drama, what was actually done is pretty underwhelming. A mediocre story, cast, and characters coupled with plot holes, poor editing choices, and a major plot twist that actually doesn't work all combine to create a confusing web that never gets fully untangled or explained leaving us with more questions than answers in the end.

The general idea behind the story really does have promise, it just either needed to be better honed for the shorter number of episodes or there needed to be more episodes for it be fully realized. As it stands, it didn't work for me. The world building was seriously lacking with how the coffee shop worked. For one, there needed to be more explanation for where the cards came from. If it was something where people just picked them up, then fine, but Thana just seemed to have his and Ryou had his drop in front of him. There was no consistency. The scene jumps of characters being in one place and then suddenly in front of of the shop were jarring. The wishing aspect also needed more explanation. It felt like there should be some rules a la Genie from Aladdin, though I think it is mentioned here that reviving the dead is not an option. But the wishes the characters all made felt very cliché. There was nothing original about them. The flashbacks that happened throughout were initially confusing because they weren't obvious as flashbacks, so it took a second to realize what was going on. I didn't find them particularly interesting mostly because I didn't find the coffee shop owner, Kaew, very interesting. I really didn't care about her backstory and I think leaving her character as a mystery and focusing more on how the wishes and coffee shop worked would have been more beneficial.

The pacing was all over the place. Mai and Ryou's relationship was very rushed. I understand they couldn't take their time developing the relationship because of the short number of episodes, but I've seen other dramas do a good job in a limited time so I think they could have done better. And Thana and Phathit's story was a rollercoaster ups and downs. I frankly didn't find their relationship to be that interesting and I was more invested in Mai and Ryou's story.

Like I said, I found the wishes each of the characters made to be overall cliché, but also mildly interesting in a what were you thinking kind of way. Thana wishes for a new job. I honestly wondered at that, because he was so concerned about not matching up to Phathit, why didn't he wish to be his equal or something along those lines? And then the big plot twist is that it's revealed that Dena, for whatever reason, wished that no one would ever remember her, Ryou, Mai, or Nack, but would instead only know Darin, Phathit, Thana, and Naphat. It seems that this made them forget their childhood together or something like that. The logistics of this wish is, of course, not explained so we're left to guess. Now this wish is important to mention first, because Nack wished that he could kiss Ryou, a wish that doesn't come about until he as an adult Naphat kisses an adult Pathit. I will give credit to Nack for the fact that he didn't wish for Ryou to love him which is exactly what Ryou did, wishing that Mai would love him with his whole heart which then begs the question, did Mai/Thana actually love Ryou/Phathit or was it the wish making him do so?

Going back to that plot twist, there is rather massive problem with it. In Episode 3, at least, and I want to say something similar happens in another earlier episode, there is an instance where Ryou and Nack are grocery shopping together and Phathit is seen at the same store. This is when Mai gets locked in the locker room and Ryou runs off to go rescue him. There is a shot after this that has both Phathit and Nack in the same frame. Now if Nack is supposed to be a young Naphat, this is obviously impossible. I frankly found the plot twist to be very disappointing for a couple reasons. One being that, before it's reveal, I had liked these couple of brief glimpses of how their lives were connected, even tangentially. They never actually interacted, but they existed in the same sphere. And then there was the plot twist which just ruined that and also went to show just how incredibly poorly it was planned out. Besides that, there just never felt like there was a connection between the characters. They could have done something really cool with little hints and similarities that once it was revealed made you want to smack yourself on the forehead because, yes, Ryou made an offhand comment related to medicine or Thana said something about not wanting to be alone. There were so many little ways they could have connected them and I didn't notice any which is why that twist felt out of the blue and more like they were going for shock value than it was a well thought out, developed choice.

The characters really nothing special. There was one character that I genuinely liked, but I'll get to him in a bit.
-Thana and Phathit: I initially thought they were going to be interesting characters because of their dynamic as an established couple that had been together for over ten years. Instead, I didn't really find them to be any different from the less established couples I've seen in countless other BLs. I was expecting their communication to be much better than it was. After ten years together, I would have expected Thana to be less reticent to talk to Phathit about what was going on both in his personal and work life. And a little bit the same with the inferiority complex he had, it felt too fresh when Phathit had obviously been a doctor for a while. So those aspects didn't work for me. They didn't feel particularly realistic for their situation. Thana's struggles with work and feeling neglected by Phathit were more relatable though. Finding a job that actually feels like a calling is hard and when you don't have someone you can talk to about it, that makes it even harder. And while I understood that he felt neglected by Phathit, I had trouble really sympathizing with him because he never communicated how he was feeling until he lashed out. Phathit was relatable in his focus on work to build them future but at the same time neglecting Thana and their relationship. Finding that work/life balance can be a struggle, especially when you work in the medical field. And while Phathit was a good guy, he was not a mind reader and couldn't be expected to know what Thana was thinking when he didn't speak up. Thana's insecurity was a huge issue in their relationship and a large reason for the friction that developed between them. I was frankly glad that Phathit wasn't willing to just let him off the hook after he cheated. While Thana was obviously remorseful for what he had done, it also seemed clear that he had no intention of telling Phathit what had happened if he hadn't been caught which makes me wonder if he would have continued otherwise. Frankly I was hoping they would stay separated, but maybe the new beginning will work out for them.
-Mai and Ryou: The relationship for these two pretty much jumped out of the gate at a sprint. There's a bit of an enemies to lovers hint to the beginning of their relationship, but it's not well developed due to how fast their relationship progresses. While I understand time was limited to build their background and grow their relationship, I think more time was needed for it to really help understand their characters and to make their relationship more cohesive. Particularly with Mai, we understand that he gets lonely, but he was living alone just fine at the beginning, so when his parents decided to move, why didn't he opt to move into a dorm? Was it just because he wasn't ready to admit his feelings for Ryou? We also see his struggle as he realizes that he's starting to fall for Ryou when he tells Ryou that he can't fall for him and that he's straight. But we never fully understand why he's fighting so hard, his parents are never shown disapproving of the LGBTQ community. There's also Ryou's reluctance to admit his own feelings. It felt disjointed because we have him unwilling to at least verbally speak his feelings to then going to the coffee shop and wishing that Mai would love him with his whole heart. It feels like there's a lot of missing information with them that would help things make sense. I could go with the assumption that it's deliberate to feed into Dena's wish and how it worked, but I think that's giving it far too much credit. Their relationship is also lacking in open communication and then there's the instance where Mai very nearly rapes Ryou. Neither is a particularly great foundation to build a relationship on.
-Thana and Time: When Time initially showed up, I was certain that Thana was going to cheat on Phathit with him, but as more time went on and nothing happened, I grew hopeful that they were just going to continue on as friends and I really loved that for both of them because it was clear they had found something in each other. Of course, then they went and had multiple drinks, smoked and got together. I was very disappointed. Time was the one character that I actually genuinely liked in this drama. And by that I don't mean that he was a good person because he knew that Thana was taken and he still let things go to the next level. But as a character, I loved him. He was flawed, but I also found him genuine and straightforward. He didn't mince words and he called things like he saw them. Beneath the bravado, he was a good kid, willing to help a new friend and cheer him on. And I really liked him and Thana together. They had fantastic chemistry together, both as friends and in that brief NSFW scene. They fit together well and seemed on more equal footing than Thana and Phathit and it was nice to see Thana have someone he could talk to. Like I said, I was really hoping they would continue on as friends, I figured it was a vain hope, and sure enough, it was. My heart did break a little for Time during their last conversation, just because he'd finally found someone he clicked with and then there he was being abandoned again.

Acting was a mixed bag. This is now the third drama I have seen Gun in as a lead and, I'm sorry, but the man is just not that great of an actor. He has brief moments where he does well, very brief, but emotional scenes feel overacted, he makes the same face repeatedly, and any scenes that require physical intimacy are almost physically painful to watch. If you are that uncomfortable kissing men, honey, please stop doing BLs! He had zero chemistry with Mig of any kind and I am laying that solely on him, because Mig absolutely had chemistry with Bank. Mig did a pretty good job for his first role. It was obvious at times that he's pretty green, the more emotional scenes weren't as strong, there were some times where it felt like he was just delivering lines, but there were a lot of other moments where he absolutely nailed it. I think he has great potential. Bell is also brand new but, wow, does he know how to use his eyes. He has an expressive face in general, but his eyes especially just give his performance that extra je ne sais quoi. Bhu has had a bit more experience, but I can't give him the same praise. His performance didn't have the same brilliance as Bell's. He just didn't give Mai a whole lot of personality and often came across as a bit lifeless. He did have his good moments though where he was engaging, but he wore his character like armor almost and it didn't allow for him to shine.

There really is nothing luminous about The Luminous Solution. It's unfortunately quite dull and disappointing, sad considering it's potential. Despite it's short length, this isn't one that I would recommend watching. It's such a confusing mess, it's not worth the time trying to figure it out for such little payout.

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