baby don't stop by nct

let me start off by saying that i absolutely admire whoever made this drama possible!!!
as a filipino bisexual, seeing more and more well made filipino bl dramas like this one makes me so happy??? we're stepping forward and saying: heY these two guys are in love and that is normal bc people are allowed to love wHo the heck they love fuck whoever thinks it's weird

i have many praises for this as this was made during truly tough times... the fact that 90% of the time were video calls but the cast were still able to carry the right emotions is absolutely commendable

oH i'm glad you asked!! how was the chemistry?
well, let me tell ya buddy, it was like i lived as a spy for 2 days, squealing on my bed and wrestling my pillows, almost broke my neck in the process (dw it's not serious)

...yes, the nickname "baby" may sound cringey but oHmygOD it works in here
i only accept this monstrosity from caireel
honestly, even though the acting did feel flat a few times, i can nOt deny that it was natural with lots of cheese.... and i loved it

pearl oh pearl i love you
um hand in marriage? this girl legit carried every mess on her back like she's juggling ping pong balls she's legit the best friend everyone wished they had
she has a loveable personality i really dig her energy

i think what i loved the most was the conflicts in the end like yeS it was frustrating and quite dramatic but it made sense due to what both the main leads went through in the past... they're both still healing and i love that it's shown that their relationship is not perfect they're still figuring shit out and that's okay

the brownie points in this is it doesn't simply focus on the main leads being all lovey dovey (well it does buT) this drama tackles a bit of mental health and consent as well
-mental health: terrence feeling like he has no one to talk to and the drama takes an interesting turn of gavreel actually listening to terrence's thoughts instead of painting terrence as a permanent villain and dismissing the guy

-consent: i love that gav would add the word "consent" when teasing cai and honestly, that kiss at the end of the episode was so sweet??? gav waited for cai to move closer as a way of agreement to the kiss, when both of them were on the bed and gav asks "what do you want to do, baby?" anD cai replies "it's up to you"
the fact that gav doesn't do anything before getting cai's consent is so so so gOOD

Leia Mais

prepare thyselves

one word.
intense.

this wasn't your typical high school romance where the fl and ml bump into each other and they instantly make their vows for an everlasting future together. yeah this isn't a fairy tale.

in here, we have the exploration of different themes such as the feeling of first love, the gravity of loneliness and what it can make people do and also the aftermath of one's choices.

to be frank, i wasn't entirely sold on how this teacher who is definitely broken and has many deep rooted issues suddenly fell for mr. kanai.... however, i do like the portrayal of that eery aura of ms. minigawa's character. the creepy smiles and ill intentions under the saint-like interior and you have a recipe for a nasty nightmare.

the interactions between the main leads are quite interesting and while everyone are rooting for these two to have a happy ending, i find myself thinking the opposite. yes, they are cute together. a mutual understanding was there and they comforted each other at their lows. with how they started out as replacement for each other's unrequited love, there is bound to be some time needed to recover from that.

i kinda found their farewell a bit dramatic because they're obviously still going to see each other in school lmaooo but i do love the ending and seeing hanabi meeting with her new friends; something she didn't have before.

overall, this was nicely written and well produced with heavy elements on the psychological aspects and yeeh smiles are creepy now.

Leia Mais

before reading this, beware that i'm writing this at 2 am and my thoughts are not that coherent (are they ever? the plot thickens)

so once upon a time... in a university setting we are familiar with , we are met with a chaotic frantic fred (zon), hardworking and intelligent joe (tutor), a charming and troubled brad (fighter), a charismatic and flirty edward (saifah) and other side couples that we only got to see snippets of because hA does there have to be a reason for multiple side couples except to sprinkle some filler scenes here and there? the side couples are cute but hmmmm it just didn't feel necessary to have that many side couples

the pacing of the story.... it was not good... it started with zon and worked its way to bring in fightor then we head to saifahzon town.... they turned into a rocky road then because we didn't get to see saifahzon much and it honestly felt like saifahzon became one of the side couples even though they're also a main couple...
liSTEN i love fightor with all my heart and soul and i understand that there was depth in fightor's story but damn did it pain me to see saifahzon's story underdeveloped :(

things i'm annoyed about:
-freaking teens
-tutor's phone not having a gosh darn password
-fightor never locking their door (you idiots will get robbed i stg fighter u rich af please lock the door for once)
-fighter's dad (yes he apologised but he looks like squidward so no forgiveness for u)
-that freaking kid

what i liked:
-saifahzon
-zee's acting
-fighter being wild af
-fightor switch
-kae the chef dude
-guest roles (it was kinda cringy but hilarious nonetheless)
-the ost !!! (y'all should watch tommy, zon's actor singing)

final thoughts? if the pacing was done right, i feel like fightor's story would've felt more whole and made much more sense and in the same way, saifahzon didn't feel so out of the blue.

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a nice mood booster

this drama is literally the equivalent of the "do you ever look at someone and think, 'what's going on in their head?'" meme. if you're looking for the slightest drop of logic in this, you're leaving empty handed. you were warned at the beginning of every episode. it's nonsensical, chaotic and quite over the top but that's what makes it so entertaining.

what's absolutely special about this is that underneath the layers of the intentional comical editing and over exaggerated characters, there is still a pint of meaningful scenes. this drama (i know it's a sitcom but) tackled a character than ran away from home who is now on his way to finding his dream, an orphan pursuing his dream, a short breakdown about consent, chaotic people being each others' family and support system.

the main leads are adorable... i can't deny that. however, they can not cry for their dear life. i can't help but giggle during the crying scenes but i do love the way pun and nott characters were portrayed. the romance was super cute and the main leads definitely worked their way on their communication issue. while the ending hurts, it made sense for them to part ways. they needed time figuring themselves out and along with their dreams as well.

overall, i definitely enjoyed the chaotic charm this has. it's definitely not for everyone. if you are looking for something to shut off your brain and consume bits of pure lovely nonsense, this is for you.

Leia Mais

weird aftermath taste

i was personally curious when i read this has cross dressing tag and i was wondering if the story was going to either be done poorly or amazingly.... sadly, it's the former.

i failed to see the love between the main leads. momose gave off major creepy vibes and i didn't find him likable at all. the way he was pressuring yashiro to dress in women clothing in such a forceful manner and also the sexual assault aha ha ha idk bro but that part just made me pause and try to digest what the heck happened.

the only cute part was momose shopping with yashiro. if that was how their relationship progressed and they had actual proper conversations, i would've believed they loved each other. however, all i see is a guy with a fetish disguised as someone who's helping a person be comfortable about their self.

overall, i'm not rewatching this anytime soon.

Leia Mais

a quick finish

when i first read the synopsis of this before it came out, i was absolutely hyped because it seemed like a fresh concept. when i dived in and completed the drama as a whole, i'm left thirsty and empty. it's like i got pulled in so deep only to bounce back to the starting line. all i have is questions and there's literally no way to answer them unless a second season is possible which i highly doubt.

let's talk about the positives (and a tad bit of negatives):

-interesting concept
the world where monos and probes are introduced is very much intriguing. it was nice to see a whole different concept and not just another cutesy highschool (despite being set in highschool lol) cliché type of drama. i think the mono/probe idea was explained well enough and makes up for great tension and buildup for the story.
however, it would've been nice to see if there were other monos like yeon woo and perhaps, there'd be a different take to his perception. i'm not saying yeon woo's thoughts annoy me but i'm just looking for more depth to the universe presented.

-decent cast
yeon woo's actor did an amazing job showing the
emotions of panic and fear and overall, he definitely made the character show how loneliness, loss, longing and desperation look like. the crying scenes weren't cringy but devastating and believable.
yoo han's actor wasn't bad and he definitely made his character lovable and portrayed what it's like to love someone that you'd literally memorise a whole ass color palette. it's worth noting how soft his voice was which adds extra bonus point to him being a babie.

-beautiful ost
the ost is beautiful without a doubt. with the romantic scenes and the main leads being cute, the ost fits so well that i might have to add it to my spotify playlist later on.

what made this drama lost its momentum is the final episode. i understand the episodes are only 15 ish minutes each which would explain why it fell short but it just doesn't make sense. everything got resolved so fast despite the heavy things that hit the fan. the way the drama ended made it seem like the writers were not sure as well of the conclusion so they took the easy route of making things conveniently happy. while i'm happy no one got hit by the white truck of doom, it just leaves the drama as a solved case even though it's unsolved. what happened to yeon woo's mom? how was his aunt okay with him and yoo han? was yoo han's family okay with yeon woo?

overall, it's still a good watch and i don't regret giving it a go. now, i'm just going to sit in one corner and be delusional about a second season.

Leia Mais

A Beautiful & Tragic Gem

as someone who watched wuliang first, this made my heart ache. this short film revolving around Xiao Wei, Pei Rong and Wang Sheng makes you question, 'where does love come from?' 'how does love come to be?' or 'who loves who?'

with a stunning production and amazing cast, this short film definitely HITS you in the right spots. you will feel the pain the characters felt, the love they felt and the confusion xiao wei felt. i haven't watched the original but this remake really nailed it. there was something absolutely ethereal and haunting about the story.

xiao wei was a very interesting character because he is morally grey. he couldn't understand what he was truly feeling so for him to have 'emotional' connection to the husband and wife took a wild turn for all the characters.

overall, this was yet another amazing short film. i can find myself watching this again because there was so much that happened in just 31 minutes that i need time to process. my one advice would be to watch this before you watch wuliang to avoid feeling an empty void in your heart.

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too soon... but not really?

i'd be guilty if i say that the reason this movie caught my eye was because im si wan is in it. after seeing countless of tiktoks about this movie, i just knew i had to give this a go.

boi, did i not make a mistake giving this movie a chance. the buildup to the suspense and thriller part of the movie was INSANE. at some point, i was thinking this will focus on being a psychological thriller because the villain had me HOOKED. however, an hour in to the movie, the pace was aiming for an emotional tone and it was then i realised, "oh shit, this situation hits far too close to reality i'd be delusional to deny"

in a messed up situation wherein people are in danger, there are those who have their survival instincts kick in intensely. looking at how our own world is in shambles with so many problems going on, this movie dives deep into a pandemic situation and shows how there is still humanity present. although it was heart-wrenching to see the people in the plane interact with their families, i personally wasn't a fan of the pacing from absolute thriller to this almost makjang feel.

one thing i wasn't sold was how quickly things got wrapped up. in my opinion, the ending was rushed. it wasn't even shown whether the main characters got to see their family when emotional buildup was there for them. however, all in all, this movie did well to keep me focused, barely leaving my seat despite my wifi making me watch this for more than two hours.

Leia Mais

an instant hook

while the concept of time loop didn't arouse my interest at first, i pressed 'play' and that's when i was stuck in my own loop of not getting out of the hands of this drama.

a big warning for this drama is that it truly pulls you in and you can't help but want an answer for the mysteries that uncovers for each episode. this drama was VERY addictive.

reset did a pretty good job at keeping its audience entertained as the suspense wasn't randomly thrown in but it was made to be filled with thrills and tension. besides the suspense, the background stories for every character wasn't dragged out. it suited the pace the drama was going with to the point that the story didn't feel overwhelming. it was short but straight to the point.

so, if you're looking for a good mystery drama, reset might be for you. my advice is to watch this at daytime if you don't want to end up walking like a brain-dead zombie the next day.

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hella wild

my first impression of this was that there'll be a wholesome movie about two guys exploring the unknown. the more you delve deeper, it becomes an interesting view on how one can be intensely obsessed in uncovering inexplicable events and the afterlife.

this is not entirely an extraordinary movie but i like how we're left at the edge of our seats every minute. the thriller aspect was nicely done and blends well with how unpredictable the main characters were. with the unpredictability, there was a sense of humour that sparked because you ask yourself, "is he gonna do it??? lmaoo no way". i felt that sometimes the expressions of gla was a bit over-exaggerated but he definitely made up for it as the movie progressed.

overall, this was a fairly entertaining thriller that explores obsession and grief in a unique way.

Leia Mais

i was looking through youtube to find bl movies and i happened to come across this. there was nothing entirely headache inducing in this very simple and cute story. it wasn't gripping or super engaging. it's an "okay" movie.

the relationship dynamic is not extraordinary. one thing i want to note is that the actors did well with the kiss scenes and also the emotional scenes are convincing. the frustration that one feels from their parents when you're told to do nothing but stick your nose to your books is spot on.

migo's character caught my attention when he let go the moment he realised it's an unrequited love. usually, we would see the other to plot revenge and all hell to break loose just because one's feelings wasn't returned. so plus points for nice guy character.

overall, this is a cute story but it lacked enough depth in the relationship between the leads.

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a truly beautiful piece

winter begonia is a drama that will put a spell on you and take you to wonderful, heart-wrenching stories about family and friendships.

what i love about this drama is that it doesn't just pull you to look at certain characters. there are complexities to each character and even though one may be an antagonist, you can't help but feel the slightest pity for them.

shang xirui and cheng fengtai. i was absolutely stunned with how strong the bond of these two are.

cheng fengtai:
such love and care was evident and i can nOT for the life of me figure out how well composed cheng fengtai appeared to be at the most chaotic moments yet he still approached shang xirui in a calm manner. (i could never ooF) cheng fengtai did have moments where he snapped but he was still able to get back on track and i just freaking admire the heck out of this dude.

shang xirui:
wow oh wow this guy. yes, he may appear to be a nutcase and immature but oH damn he reALLY really really values his friends and people around him. he's willing to go to hell and bacK just to see cheng fengtai, people from shuiyin house and anyone he sees vulnerable and in need of help safe and sound.

the ending may be ambigious but i like to think that if they were to meet again, the bond they had will continue to strengthen. perhaps... they're busy together making opera movies in hong kong? *sobs*

Leia Mais

the sound of excitement going down the drain

magician ✅️
musical ✅️
interesting premise ✅️
decent visuals and aesthetics ✅️
acting on point ✅️

so, what went wrong?
this is a magical-esque drama with thrilling vibes that also happens to give the viewers a reality check of how everyone's circumstances in life isn't simply a fairytale. the sound of magic makes use of fantasy elements in its message of believing yourself to take a step forward, regardless of how shaky the road can get.

for the first episode, i was a bit iffy of how the drama was going to utilise a mysterious character like ri eul. in a way, i was anticipating a thrilling execution to his story in the following episodes. however, little did i know, the level of enthusiasm i was feeling in the first episode didn't follow the rest of the episodes.

three main characters yet all stories were not developed that much. ah yi had her family thing going on. il deung had his inner struggles that could've been given a tad bit more spotlight. ri eul surely has a whole ass story to tell. even the romance was yeeted out of the story. all i can say is six episodes was not enough for many topics to be covered which is why it felt rushed and kinda all over the place.

i do not hate open endings but for a drama that teases you so hard with this mysterious character, it should've opened the lid a little for a slightly better ending. there are just so many questions.

maybe, the female lead's story could've been compressed a little because it wasn't really unique. il deung and ri eul spiked my interest and i kept waiting for something to happen but i was served none. i guess i'm at fault for having expectations.

personally, i wasn't digging the songs. although the lyrics were fitting to certain scenes, it wasn't enough to catch my attention. if i were to choose out of the twelve songs, my favorites were 'a curse of asphalt' and the ending song 'fantasy'

overall, i did enjoy it somewhere in the middle but it didn't last long for how underdeveloped the stories were for all the main characters. it could've been better.

Leia Mais

demon hunting, kick ass superpowers, concept of life and death, forgiveness, fight against corruption, red tracksuits and a group of lovely individuals. all of these describe the drama "the uncanny counter" and i believe it's uncanny how wonderfully done the writer did with painting characters that are flawed perfection. i'm not saying this drama is perfect but the chemistry of the characters are.

to be frank, i found the beginning episodes to be nicely paced and while the bullying parts were quite triggering at times, seeing eonni gang kick some bums were pretty entertaining. moon's character development wasn't underwhelming and it was great to see him not stoop low but stayed humble with a considerable amount of confidence. he is not petty and is willing to see the good in others despite how bad he was treated. although hyuk woo wasn't easy to forgive, i found his redemption arc heartbreaking. he doesn't have anyone in his life and witnessing true familial nature that is moon's grandparents probably made him reflect on things a lot.

this is probably one of those dramas where i have no problem with the cast AT ALL. everyone delivered their roles amazingly and i can not imagine anyone else playing their characters. moon, ms. chu, rich guy, mo tak, ha na, the villain (he do be fine), the evil spirits and heck even the other supporting characters did well.

the ost is godsent. absolutely beautiful and fitting to the scenes. from intro to outro, i definitely want a full playlist of all the songs from this drama.

okay. with positives comes the negatives. i actually felt like the last few episodes were draggy. while the actors of the politicians did good, i found myself skipping some of their scenes because it didn't interest me. i understand they have a big fish to catch but it felt a tad bit repetitive. when they did catch the guy and managed to summon the evil spirit, i don't know what i was expecting it felt anticlimactic. for the finale, i did enjoy seeing my faves enjoying themselves and such but the flashbacks of their fight scene and them with their grim reaper suits was cheesy and cliché. regarding moon's academic activities, did this boi forget he goes to school? i get it's behind the scenes but it's kinda weird we saw less of him in class/ at school as the episodes went on.

nevertheless, i still loved this drama as a whole as it features strong characters that emotional back stories but still managed to have comedy and action aspect. overall, this is a great watch and i'm not sure what's in store for season 2 but i'm looking forward!

Leia Mais

From the beginning, this felt like it was going to be a disaster. When you have a book and only four episodes to make out of it, yes, you will panic but you have to at least summarise the story in a way that makes sense to the viewers.
You have to find a way to not make it seem like you crammed everything in.

It was noticeable that Gun was not a convincing character. The people around him would praise him to be super charming but I can't really see it? Gun's actor is cute and I feel like they didn't properly direct him to have those said charming/swoon-worthy traits to be seen as convincing as possible. I read as well that a different actor was supposed to play as Gun but they had to change it real quick for some reason so I guess there was an issue with timing.

The way the main leads' relationship developed? How? When? How? Why? Out of the blue, we were made to believe Bar has fallen for Gun? Was it Gun's oddly persistent way of courting Bar? Gun continuously following Bar around when there was no sign of hope that Bar was even slightly interested? Then, boom, the two lived happily ever after?

Overall, this probably would've been good if the scipt and plot was written better. Keep this in your "I have nothing else to watch so here you go" list.

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