Smokescreen, disillusion, waste of time

"Call It What You Want" wanted to deal with a sensitive and important subject and promised to show new perspectives for viewers of boys' love dramas. Everything is rushed and it's a shame bc this drama had potential.

The disappointment is as high as the expectation at the end.

The writing of the characters seems to have stopped halfway as if the screenwriter wasn't sure if he should really demonize the villain, break Bas psychologically or not, put forward Ait's immaturity or not, assume James' lack of personality and heroize Marco or not.

Bit part spoiler.
The dialogues are flat, without strong messages to the victims, to the audience, especially the exchanges between Ait and James, "I love you, do you love him, I don't understand why you're doing this, etc...." and Marco who told Bas to hold a press conference to talk about the sexual abuse/rape. Even a 10 year old would know to report to the police. *sigh*

This drama was meant to expose the dark side of the BL industry, to make us aware of the seriousness of the situation behind the glitter and the fanservice. It should have focused a little more on the process that led to Bas' suicide attempt, shown how the industry's bigwigs get away with their crimes, shown the responsibility of the journalists and crew for these behaviors/ abuses. And I think it'd have been possible if Ait and James had been given a little less screen time bc they don't bring anything to the story in this S 2.

Leia Mais

Kawi and Pisaeng truly struck a chord deep within us.

The drama has always aimed to show us Kawi's perspective – how he needed to reshape his romantic fate, take charge of his life, and mend his friendships. Yet, at its core, "Be My Favorite" is Pisaeng's story. Pisaeng is genuinely the catalyst for the unfolding changes. He's become a guiding light for Kawi, a constant and reliable presence that illuminated his path. He's the one who showed Kawi that he doesn't have to fear his true self, that he can be confidently authentic. Pisaeng is the guy who reminded Max about the importance of fighting for what's just. He's the one who helped Pear turn the page without compromising her self-esteem. Pisaeng is the one who severed ties with Not to escape a toxic friendship. He's the one who gave his love without expecting anything in return, ready to make sacrifices – a patient soul. For all these reasons, we adore him.

Initially, I had reservations about the actors' performances, as neither Krist nor Gawin entirely won me over in their previous works. However, in this series, they proved compelling, albeit sometimes inconsistent – which I attribute more to directorial choices than the quality of their acting.

Was I eagerly awaiting each following Friday? Absolutely, because this story, punctuated with calls for social justice, managed to maintain a lightness from start to finish.

Side note:tTheir mutual trust, along with some of their conversations, will stay with me for quite a while.

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This drama is graphically violent so read the tags carefully before deciding to watch it or not. Honestly, I wish I could have skipped said scenes because it was horrible but it was a little late before I realized they were going to show it as is.
The best part of this story, the ending. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

==> Highlights:
== We're leagues away from Lakorns revenge stories with redemption arcs or the intervention of karma. Here the more the episodes progress, the darker it is and the more we want thunder to fall on the Akharaphaisansakul and reduce them to ashes. It really shows the rotten side of money, power and the secrets behind the alcoves.
== The characters, except maybe Kate and Prae, are really well written. Their actions are in keeping with their personalities and there is no attempt to polish them to fit into a box of acceptability. It's raw and it's easy to dislike them.
== The supporting actors are amazing. I salute in particular Foei Patara and Oat Voravudh who are totally inhabited. If you have seen them in other roles, the contrast with their performance here is striking.
== The ML's behaviour will make you seethe with rage. Is he an idiot, a conscienceless person or an extremely docile servant? You would have liked him to be more consistent, to be more proactive. The last episode didn't reconcile me with him but I got the writer's purpose.
== It is frightening to discover the weight of the media and the importance of image in Thailand in the business world.
== This drama under its violent side evokes without concession many social issues such as patriarchy, corruption, misogyny with an unfortunately realistic outcome. The way in which the struggle between nepotism and meritocracy within a family is presented is also interesting to witness.

==> Points I enjoyed less
== Sometimes I wish some lakorns would shorten their episodes, here I would have liked 1 or 2 more episodes to avoid the rush in the narration as well as to give a little more weight to Prae's character.
== Kate's revenge plan was promising but weak in it execution. She tried to weave a big picture but didn't take all the variables into account and I didn't buy the quick trust she placed in Vee. I wish she had lived up to Nawin in terms of schemes and intelligence.
== As it was their love for Prae that pushed them to work together for this revenge, we could have really just shown this common interest that the beginnings of a romance. Fortunately the script doesn't linger for long. You have to watch until the end credits to realise that this part of the story isn't an open ending.

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I started the drama to complete a challenge and this may have biased my perception. I'll never know but I wasn't carried away by their love story, even though I'm the kind of viewer who enjoys impossible love. In this drama, I didn't feel the chemistry between the couple.

This historical drama based on a true story tells us about the passionate and forbidden relationship born of love at first sight during the Japanese occupation of Korea between the literature student Kim Wu Jin and Yun Sim Deok, student opera.
Two solitaires who lived, or perhaps survived, in the face of social pressure and the oppressive presence of those around them thanks to their passion.

The plot is very slow and almost boring at times. The dialogues and situations suggest a gloomy climate, sadness and a form of self-effacement. There are very few moments when the characters are happy. The end isn't so suprising, it's a conscious decision, in their perspectives, their love kept them from freely life.

These words from Kim Wu Jin ran through my head for quite some time.
"Do you really live? No, I'm waiting for death to live. "
"I listened to the curses I was cursed with, they're my only refuge in this world tormented by the devil. "

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Transcending the simplicity?

Unlike many viewers I was not overwhelmed by this drama. Final note : 8.8/10

Yes the concept is different from Thai dramas of the genre but I had this feeling of unfinished business as if one or two episodes were missing to complete the picture. Nevertheless, it has the merit of being well directed and well acted especially for Mix Sahaphap whose first role it is. As for Earth, he has made enormous progress in his acting by finding a sort of balance between modesty and passion for his character. You can feel the chemistry between the characters, it's all fine and natural.

It's a wonderful romance, all tenderness and sweetness. There's an element of reality in the way it's done. There is a whole range of emotions and feelings that are exploited, guilt, fear of being judged by society, respect for one's elders, affection for children of the village, righteousness towards one's work and confidence in one's friendships and so many others. We go from laughter to tears, from anger to appeasement, from revolt to respect, from resignation to hope.

Each of the characters has a role to play in Tian's evolution and in the construction of their couple. It's just refreshing when there's no useless melodrama or characters to fill in the blanks.

Bonus: I really appreciate the fact that this drama shows us rural Thailand, far from the glitz, the nice houses, cars and expensive clothes and accessories.

Leia Mais

When choosing to watch a student-made film, one doesn't typically expect to come across masterpieces, although sometimes there can be pleasant surprises. Despite tackling a challenging subject, this short film managed to make me laugh, not because it was bad, but rather due to the evident budget constraints that led high school students to portray the roles of parents with teenage children.

However, despite the poor technical quality and performances that may elicit amusement, the film remains watchable due to the intertwining of the two main characters' stories. It is interesting to observe how these young aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters depict school bullying alongside an unstable family situation and the pressures exerted by parents who compare their children, leading to sometimes disastrous consequences.

This film made by high school students is a testament to their creativity and dedication, despite the limitations they had to face. While there are aspects of technical execution and acting that could be improved, it deserves to be appreciated for the important themes it tackles and the evident determination of the young filmmakers to share their vision with the audience.

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Some realities are black and white

Kalel, 15 is the story of a boy who looks in the mirror to assess his attributes. But unlike boys his age, he doesn't do it for vanity, but to survive. Surviving in a dysfunctional family, surviving with HIV, surviving others' judgement, surviving poverty, surviving being abandoned, surviving institutional indifference. Behind his impassive mask, Kalel's motto is to survive with dignity, the dignity he gives himself, not the dignity that results from others' endorsement.

His story is a sad one, but the way it is told doesn't want to bring tears to our eyes, we are here to contemplate someone else life w/o judgement. It's a life journey whose details I'll forget, but when I'll encounter a boy his age on the street with that same gaze, I'll wonder if all is well in his life.

Leia Mais

The first part of the film was good and most of the time the sequels are disappointing, but in this case it's better.
The story line is very well done and as I expected the second paragon (Kim Soo Hong) is definitely more intelligent and interesting. I like the way he approached his trial, the actions and questions he asked to push the guard Kang Rim to free himself from his past throughout their journey. And Joo Ji Hoon as Hae Won Maek is refreshing, I like the duality between the warrior and the man even 1000 years later. I didn't know Kim Hyang Gi as an actress but she is stunning as Lee Deok Choon, she is the face of innocence with a tigress inside her.
I will also add that the CGI is very well done, it feels so good to my eyes, the fight scenes are very well orchestrated, Goreyo here I come.
At the end, I had my answer on who these guardians were and considering their links the 3rd and 4th part of this movie will have to be epic.
If I had to describe this film: the path to redemption (without religious connotations)

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When your heart cries for a psychopath, the writers have done a good job !!!

Far beyond the thriller and profiling, Hello Monster is the story of a journey undertaken by two brothers to find each other against the backdrop of a police investigation, to ultimately remember their past and take the time to forge a bond that may be ephemeral but is so emotionally powerful.
All along the viewing, I kept asking myself this question: Are we born psychopaths or do we become them? And a sentence in the drama came back to my mind: Evil hide in a normal person. To act like a normal person, there must have been mimicry so we know what is negative or positive right? To be honest, I don't have the answer to my question. What I have learned though is that no matter what path we follow, we will at some point face the consequences of our actions.
What I like about this drama:
Park Bo Gum's very cold and at the same time very vulnerable acting as Min, he is the one who impressed me the most, an ethereal and cold beauty with an unhappiness that has been eating away at him all his life.
Cha Ji Ahn, the female lead, is straightforward in her words and actions.
I like Lee Hyeon's Cartesian mind. I like how he solves the puzzle of his past and relates it to his present. I like his notion of guilt without it becoming maudlin.
The story doesn't push us to any unnecessary twists and turns in the search for the truth and the criminals. The investigations are linear without frills and above all rational. Sometimes simplicity is the best possible plot.
What I don't like:
I understand the point of the romance but in the end even without the story would have been fine.
I recommend the drama and the OST, it's just perfect.
So far I haven't given it a 10/10 for a drama but this one is almost perfect for me so a well deserved 9.8/10.

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Love is just a word if actions contradict it

5 years after seeing Moon Lovers for the first time and having seen it for the 5th time this year, I'm taking my pen to this review.

I'm always a bit wary when I approach historical dramas as I often get stuck on the whiny heroines, the stereotypical male lead or the slow pace of the plot. This time the drama blew me away with its plot, the acting (Kang Ha Neul is amazing) and by its ending.

Moon Lovers is a poignant story of a sibling who loves each other despite the weight of their title and power struggle, but ultimately self-destructs without concession or mercy.
The opening is done in a rather light but not classic way. Hae-soo arrives straight from the 21st century in the heart of the Wang dynasty. In the first few episodes she introduces us to the 14 princes. There are the good guys without an ounce of malice, we come to like them easily. There are the bad guys, the ones who don't hide it, the ones we won't like at any time and that we curse until the fifth generation. Then there are the others, the ones we struggle to read, the ones we would love or hate, but who always manage to leave us hesitating.

In this whirlwind of contradictory feelings towards all this little world, the plots, the manipulations, the betrayals and the wounds fly, leaving us no respite and immersing us even more in their duel, in their loves.
Heads fall one after the other. Some in vain and it's frustrating, most to save someone and others to make the main characters grow.

For my part, I was 100% taken in by this scenario. It's not the most dynamic drama you'll ever see, there's very little action but you'll be made to read into each of the characters over and over again and it's enjoyable because there's never a dull moment. All the action has its place at the right time.
Emotionally it was hard, but I got over it at least until the most innocent, candid, lovable character ever fell unfairly. I felt like flaying the whole sibling. Without realising it, I had in turn been a victim of these manipulations, encouraged by insidious feelings that I had been forced to feel, that's the talent of the scriptwriter.
When I got to this point, I realised that this drama had no limits, no fears. That I would not come out of it unscathed, that it was already too late for that anyway. It was in my blood.

The end came and I have to admit that I shed my tears and yet I am usually the unflappable type. I suffered with them, sometimes because the emotions they offered were magical, because I anticipated the inevitable separation, the redemption (Wang Soo, I hate you as much as I love you)
The ending is as good as the drama, as good as what it offered us in terms of emotional rollercoaster. A painful and tortured ending, but so right, yes the right word is right.
And at the very last minute of this drama (after having seen it 5 times) I realised the excellence of the acting of the main actors. The skill with which some of them interpreted their characters. The subtleties they put into it.

Of the cast, the one I remember the most is Kang Ha-neul, the interpreter of the 8th prince Wang Wook. For me, he is the one who best presents the different facets of his personality, he is the wolf in the sheepfold.
IU was able to make the heroine the kind of woman I love. Strong despite flaws that don't prevent her from standing her ground. A feat, even more so in the middle of a drama where she evolves in a man's world.

Lee Joon-gi who plays Wang So (4th prince) even if he was not as excellent as in The King and The Clown, blew me away with his look that can make you love him or hate him and his smile when his character deigns to do so is to die for.

I close by saying that I recommend this drama to all fans of highly psychological and twisted plots. From my point of view, even if it means taking the risk of breaking your heart, this drama is a must-see. I think that like me, you will come out of it with this heavy and somewhat negative weight on your chest, while paradoxically all you will find to say about it will be positive. That's Moon Lovers a game of contradictions and manipulations that doesn't even stop after the last episode!

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