#tv drama review

[true-love-1997]

スカイハイ(Sky High/Sukai Hai TV Drama Review)

ようこそ、怨みの門へ。」“Welcome to the Gate of Resentment.” This will be a review for the 2003 drama, “Sky High,” based on the manga created by Tsutomu Takahashi. Before we get into this, I would like to give a fair warning this review does contain spoilers, and my own personal commentary on the series which you can feel free to agree or disagree with. Furthermore, this review will mostly focus on the first episode which you will find out why later. Without further due, let’s get right into it.

In the first episode we are introduced to murder victim Noriko Sekikawa. She is found dead outside, she goes to her own funeral, confused and still without the knowledge of her own death. She meets Izuko (who was, at some point, Mina Saeki, this is revealed in the prequel movie). Izuko presents her with 3 choices: 1) Accept death, go to heaven, and wait to be reincarnated, or 2) Not accept death and wonder as a ghost or 3) Kill one person but in exchange you must pay the price and go to hell, never to return. I’ll just throw my two cents here, but the only good option here is the first one. I can’t understand why people in this show struggle so much between the choices, it’s not rocket science. Anyways, back to the story, so Noriko died while pregnant with her and her husband (Masaru)’s child. Noriko is unable to believe she had died and was killed by somebody, claiming that nobody would hate her enough to do such a thing.

Izuko helps her investigate the cause of her death and Noriko learns she was killed out of jealousy by her and Masaru’s friend, Misato. Noriko goes on to see Misato play “comfort the widower.” Misato starts coming over to their home all the time, going as far as seducing and getting Masaru to marry her. Noriko, unable to handle Misato taking her husband, chooses the option of cursing and killing Misato, but before we conclude here, Noriko, out of concern for her own unborn child, asks Izuko if her unborn baby will go to hell too. A year later, Misato ends up giving birth to Noriko’s unborn child, and right after giving birth, Noriko kills Misato. Noriko watches her baby sadly, wishing she could have watched the baby grow up. But the price of taking Misato’s life is Noriko going to hell forever. The episode ends with Izuko expressing sympathy for Noriko being unable to watch her child grow up. An unknown voice in the Gate of Resentment Realm assures Izuko it cannot be helped, it is her job to guide the souls to their destination, wherever it is they choose.

Now I would like to move onto my personal commentary and explain why the 3rd option is not only a bad choice, but an asinine one as well, both in general and in the context of this episode. Let’s start with explaining the general reasons and then apply it to the episode, because like in mathematics, you present the formula and then apply it to the problem. In the world of Sky High, if you kill someone, no matter how justified it is, (this includes self-defense, etc.), you will go to Hell. This has been revealed in the prequel movie. Now, what is hell in this universe like? Based on what we are given… (these facts are revealed both in the prequel movie and future episodes). Hell is a fiery place, when the gates opened, we are shown this. In hell there is no past or future, Izuko says this in episode 2. Hell is eternal, meaning there is no way out. (This was made clear since episode 1).

Now, does this sound like a place you want to spend for the rest of eternity? Do you need to get revenge so badly that in order to achieve it, you would subject yourself to a fate like this one? Let’s rewind back to fact no.1, killing someone instantly wins you a place in hell after you die, meaning the victim’s killer is going to hell is already guaranteed regardless of the victim’s choice at the Gate of Resentment. By choosing option 3 all you did was send your killer to hell sooner rather than later, at the price of sending yourself there, too. So, in the end, all you accomplished was screw yourself over in the most permanent, terrible way imaginable. And this is not your only option, you could have just not bothered with revenge, taking comfort that justice will be served someday, choose to go to heaven, and move on. I cannot stress this enough.

Next, we will apply this knowledge to Noriko and her situation. We know Noriko gets her life and happiness stolen by Misato. In fact, not only was Noriko the one to die, but Noriko’s baby died too. That’s how horrendous Misato’s crime is, by the way, she killed a pregnant woman. Noriko then sees Misato seduce her husband Masaru, and as she watches them have sex, she is upset and talks about how she will never have Masaru hold her again (in Japanese the word 「抱く」 “daku,” could mean embrace, but also to have sex). Now, that scene was one of the most disturbing scenes of the episode, as we see both Misato and Masaru betray Noriko. I say one of the most, because there is a scene that comes before this one that tops it. I think the most disturbing scene was when Misato takes the shoes meant for the unborn child out of Masaru’s hands, and tells him to, I will just summarize, she said forget about Noriko, stop grieving over his dead wife, and be with her instead, and Masaru does just that. And then they have sex. Now that is just super depressing (and disturbing) and we can also conclude Masaru is also a shallow and fickle man with little loyalty to his dead wife and child.

I can empathize with Noriko’s anger at this horrible betrayal done both by Misato (somebody whom she believed was her friend) and her husband, Masaru. I do not mean to downplay the injustice Noriko has to suffer in any way, as it is truly horrible. But Noriko still has to remind herself that she is dead now, and so is the baby. No matter how happy Misato may seem, consider Misato’s future: she will go to hell after she dies because she killed Noriko and her baby. This will happen regardless of which option Noriko chooses to do at the Gate of Resentment. We know Noriko ends up choosing to option 3 which just allowed Misato to go to hell only sooner I need to emphasize, because going to hell was inevitable for Misato anyways (because of the evil she had done), at the price of Noriko’s own eternity as well. Why would Noriko choose to do this when she could have chosen option 1? I know Noriko couldn’t handle the thought of Misato taking her husband, but from an eternal perspective, does that really matter? Especially when you consider how quickly Masaru moved on after Noriko’s death? Do you really want to throw yourself into hell for a man who doesn’t love you enough anyway and allowed himself to be seduced by another woman only a short while after you and your baby died? Doesn’t option 1 look even better after you see what a foolish and unfaithful man your husband was? Had Noriko chosen option 1, she could have gone to heaven, prayed to be reunited with her unborn child when she is reincarnated. I say this because in episode 2 it is revealed you can reunite with your loved ones in reincarnation, if you both want it badly enough. And wouldn’t Noriko’s unborn baby wish to be reunited with his mommy? Noriko could have forgotten all about Misato and Masaru, be born as a different person and potentially find happiness again someday. These “could haves” are really sad when you consider how Noriko chose option 3 in canon, and I hope I made it clear enough why her decision just doesn’t make any sense.

Last but not least, I will explain why I chose only to mainly focus this review on the first episode. This is because the things discussed in regards to this first episode can be applied to other subsequent episodes as well, and it would be simply redundant. The only exception to this is a future episode towards the end of season 1 about Mina/Izuko’s past. I would like to close this review saying I would rate this show 3 out of 5 stars. My reason being that the concept and scenery of the show is pretty cool. And even though I find the premise to be a bit weird, the story-telling was creative and can emotionally impact you—whether they bring negative or positive emotions. They make you feel something. But the way the characters in this show struggle to decide which option to choose when the correct one cannot be more obvious, without seeming to wrap their heads around the gravity of their situation is just too much for me. I hope I did not discourage you from this review, as everything, if Sky High has captured your interest in some way, I would like to be the first to encourage you to watch it, and form your own views/opinions about it. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it very much!😊

Sources for images: 🌸🌸🌸 🌸🌸🌸

[destinywillowleaf]

one of a kind living in a world gone plastic

baby you're so classic

@most-tragic-character-tournament

(all my thoughts in the tags)

[xiaoshengnu]

𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖆𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊 - final review

overview : episode no - 76 episodes, genre - historical (gongdou)

a timeless classic, the slay to end all slays (and I mean literally and figuratively) empresses in the palace follows the story of zhen huan as she experiences life in the palace, hardening her from a sweet young girl to a stony empress dowager. 

l⃣e⃣ t⃣’ s⃣    b⃣e⃣g⃣i⃣n⃣

when I say you will never find a more iconic show ever in the whole of cdramaland, I mean never. empresses in the palace is an absolute juggernaut of a drama, it is absolutely insane, the writing, the drama, the characters, the absolute minute little details and its respect of the viewer’s intelligence- an A* and beyond. and it's internet and cultural presence in china? IN. SANE. 

o⃣u⃣t⃣     o⃣ f⃣     t⃣ e⃣ n⃣

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 9/10

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 10/10

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 10/10

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 10/10

𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕖 - 9.8

o⃣u⃣t⃣    o⃣ f⃣    f⃣ i⃣v⃣ e⃣

𝖍𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖌𝖊𝖒 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - 💎💎💎💎💎

[ I know that when the drama first came out, it was considered pretty unique for how brutally it presented harem life, but even years later and amongst so many newer dramas which have borrowed tropes and ideas from it, I don’t think you’ll be able to find such an incredibly solid drama. a five gem.  ]

𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍 𝖛𝖆𝖑𝖚𝖊 - ✨✨✨✨✨

[ it is so incredibly long and a pretty emotionally tolling drama - even longer than legend of haolan but it is just incredible, a full five star rewatch value ]

‘keep reading’ for detailed review

oh my god this drama.

oh my god.

where do I even begin? I remember watching my parents watch this drama when was I was still really young so I didn’t know what the show was called and what it was about, and although I didn’t remember the whole of this drama I could still remember some hazy snapshots pretty iconic scenes- like at the end where she does to sleep, or when she gets sent to the island- so when I finally decided to watch empresses in the palace a light bulb went off and I suddenly realised that THIS was the show that I'd remembered from my childhood. THIS was it. so it is quite nostalgic for me. 

it is honestly such a timeless classic, there’s nothing that will ever beat it. nothing. every fucking second of this thing has a purpose, and everything the characters say and do- and even the background of scenes have minute details which relate to the overall plot and trajectory of these characters. like the amount of YouTube videos analysing this one drama is insane. when critics praise a piece of visual art as a “living breathing organism”, “a masterpiece”- they mean this. 

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 9

just. amazing. what can I say. there’s absolutely nothing that can beat this drama with how it wrote the plotting, the intrigue and the absolute cunning the women had to possess to stay alive in the palace. the ending of the drama is literally perfect. SO perfect. younger me thought legend of haolan was good- but compared to this? this is really truly another level. there’s so many instances in the drama where the drama never really tells you what exactly happened, but at the same time gives you just enough information to just guess what had gone on. equally, there are some times where there really doesn’t appear to be any scheming but with close analysis (and with the help of trusty youtubers) suddenly things become thrown into light. 

however, I had to knock down a few points because every plot has flaws and for this drama, I think it was mostly the use of tropes and the ‘female lead syndrome’ that sometimes quite clearly shows in the drama. There are also some areas in the drama where the plot does get shaky, but there is never not a reason why a scene is included in the drama. its just such a watertight drama. if you ever need to learn the art of show but don’t tell, this drama has it all. I love that sometimes it leaves it up to the viewer to work the plot out, which mirrors the way in which the concubines had to guess and predict in order to survive- which wasn’t always for certain or always accurate, almost literally pulling the viewer into the world of harem life.

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 10

I LOVE THE CHARACTERS UGH. I love them. they’re slays to end all slays. from zhen huan (the original girl boss, gatekeep, gaslight- FIGHT ME) to su peisheng- honestly so iconic. every single major character was well written, well developed and multi-dimensional, and no-one was evil purely for the sake of earning the drama cash. everyone in the drama gives you a reason to root for them, I found myself even feeling for the emperor in the end. 

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 10

the production was beautiful- the lighting, costuming and makeup were literally so perfect it's unreal. so many iconic scenes came out of this drama- like the yimeiyuan (plum blossom garden) scene with it's beautiful moonlit set and plum blossom decked in snow.

 I love the designated colour palettes of the various concubines everything seemed very thought out to fit their personalities. consort hua was decked in bold colours and extravagant patterns, consort jing being calm and gentle was consistently dressed in soft blues and greens, while shen meizhuang is seen wearing mostly purples and pinks. one particular costume that lives in my mind rent free is zhen huan’s blue outfit with the white plum blossom embroidery in the episode 28- absolutely stunning.

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 10

honestly, if you took a shot for every time I've described this drama as perfect, you would definitely be on the floor by this point. The acting was absolutely now flawless. at no point in the drama did I ever feel drawn out of the story by the acting- sun li is jaw-dropping as zhen huan, her duality is absolutely insane and her crying scenes- ugh omg so good. 

.

.

𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘!!

favourite character(s) :

zhen huan ( if your favourite character in this drama isn’t zhen huan, what are you doing???? she is an absolute icon in her own right. it’s literally impossible to not root for such a wonderful character- team zhen huan all the way )

consort hua / nian shilan ( ik ik, ik now she’s evil and everything, but I love her- she has a baseline which she will not cross and she does have a loyal heart. she loves the emperor almost unconditionally and while she would kill a concubine, she would never harm an unborn child. she seems to care for her servants, who are loyal in turn and I would argue that her being willing to employ a crippled eunuch is a sign of her more softer and caring side. and do I need even mention her snarky one liners?? slay. anyway that’s my essay in defence of consort hua )

ye lanyi ( a queen fr, she takes no-one’s shit )

.

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖜 (source mydramalist)

lead actors : sun li, chen jianbin, cha silfun

director : zheng xiaolong 

screenwriter : wu xuelan

[deafening-enthusiastic-dreamer]

Family By Choice

She is so adorable and talented, I have seen her in so many dramas lately, she is doing a great job.

Father- Daughter duo I didn't think I needed, but love anyway.

Feeling a chaotic vibe- Just how I want it to be... I am genuinely excited for this.

Going to be a fun ride!

[soul-from-another-era]

Are you okay? no mf i just finished 25 21 series.

[stelly38]

I thought Cambridge Spies was *the* most British thing I’d ever seen, until I watched Maurice shortly after. I’m still on my Toby Stephens kick, which explains Cambridge Spies, and lord, is he pretty in it. But I also wanted to ogle the very young, stunningly beautiful Hugh Grant in Maurice, so I watched both.

I nursed a bit of a crush on Grant back in his Four Weddings days, around the same time as Maurice, but I’d honestly forgotten how incredibly, ethereally gorgeous he was, like some androgynous nymph out of a Waterhouse painting, smooth and luscious, too perfect to be real. For the record, I do love today's older, rougher Hugh, who has managed, over time, to turn ass-hole-ish curmudgeonliness into a charming brand all his own.

My overall impression of Merchant Ivory flicks is that they are much like paintings: pretty to look at, and if you stare long enough, something in your field of view eventually moves, but it takes, like, days. Days. I don’t know if my attention span has been worn down over the decades like everyone else’s, or if these movies need some tighter editing, but good lord, at two hours and twenty minutes, not much happens in Maurice. Or is it EM Forster?  Maurice is a Forster adaptation; and similarly, so is A Room with a View, which also flows like molasses. I’ll never know if it’s the writing or the editing, because I’ve never read anything of Forster’s except for Room, which I attempted when I was a teenager and quit halfway through, because what in the fuck was he going onnnnn about? And I even had a better attention span back then, in the nineties. I said to my husband after Maurice ended, perhaps he and I needed a course on Forster to truly appreciate the literature and the movie adaptations. It’s unlikely to happen, but there it is.

Maurice follows the lead character, played by James Wilby, as he discovers and wrestles with his latent homosexuality. Hugh Grant plays Clive Durham, Maurice’s good school friend and first (unconsummated) love. The two men pal around London and the countryside as they age well into their twenties, spending time together and apart, both grappling with their sexual identities in different ways. The movie also casts a very cute Rupert Graves as Maurice’s first lover, and Ben Kingsley (with hair and a weird American accent—what a hoot) appears in a cameo as a shrink who attempts to hypnotize Maurice into heterosexuality.

My bitching isn’t a condemnation of Forster or Merchant Ivory; the film was a rather pretty little trifle to look at. I thought the story was good, and I love that a major film studio was tackling the horrors of being gay in Edwardian England so long ago (1987, when AIDS was still considered “the gay cancer.” —Hats off to them.) And I’m always game to watch pretty boys cavorting about. There was a good deal of that, one scene with full frontal nudity (gasp!)

Speaking of pretty boys, several feature in Cambridge Spies, which takes place about thirty years after Maurice, shortly before WWII. The prettiest of them is Toby Stephens, who is just dashing dressed in wide leg trousers, fedoras, and the well-tailored suits of the era. He plays Kim Philby, one of the notorious Soviet spies that comprised the group known in real life as the Cambridge Five. Rupert Penry Jones plays Donald Maclean; Samuel West is Anthony Blunt, and Tom Hollander is Guy Burgess. Since American public-school curriculum doesn’t teach any history but its own, (much of which is white-washed lies, but that’s a kvetch for another day), I never knew about the British turncoats until I watched this, which was last week. Yay for me.

Spies is a four-part miniseries, the last two episodes of which are far, far more entertaining and engaging than the first two. It’s good they decided to balance the episodes thusly, as I was ready to throw in the towel after the second one. The only reason I continued on was because I’d already invested time in watching the first 50 percent—in for a penny, in for a pound. I think the writers wanted the first two episodes for back-story and character development, but there is little that reveals the principals’ various motivations for spying other than that they were all friends at Cambridge, and they shared a deep hatred of fascism. Weird that that was all it took, right? I dunno, maybe I missed something—these were the two most boring episodes.

The entire series really belongs to Tom Hollander. He steals every scene he’s in; he has the best lines, the most cuttingly funny remarks, and he’s the craziest and loosest cannon of the bunch, hence, the most entertaining. Previously, I’d only known his work from 2005’s Pride and Prejudice (the boiled potatoes), and from his creepily-repressed turn as art critic John Ruskin in Desperate Romantics. He’s great and memorable in those, but he is phenomenal in Spies.

Hollander’s Burgess, as well as West’s Anthony Blunt, are gay men, compelling because they'd opted into an overwhelmingly straight-male power structure: espionage. Spies doesn’t really speak to this much, rather than to have Hollander portray Burgess as an out and proud gay man, I suppose as much as one could be on the brink of WWII in England. But it is striking to see the difference just three decades made in how gays were perceived by English society (or not) when you compare the attitudes on display in Maurice to those in Spies. Homosexuality was the worst sin one could commit in the world of Maurice; but by the time we get to Spies, it’s barely an issue. I suspect that homosexuality was still offensive to many in England at the time, as that country’s decriminalization law only took effect in 1967, but for some reason unknown to me, the writers and producers of Spies made it mostly a non-issue.

Overall, Spies was a good series, educational for me, at least, and I got to stare at Toby Stephens for four hours, including a couple safe-for-granny sex scenes. Would I write home about the show? —probably not, but it was not wasted time.

Tom Hollander’s best scene (and they’re all good) is a tantrum he throws during a trip to the States, where he drives across suburban lawns, destroying several white picket fences, then stands atop his car screaming “God Bless America” (in a good American accent), and decries this country’s never-acknowledged social and political hypocrisy.

Brilliant. And funny.

[marvelmaniac715]

I made my mother watch tv shows I like, here were her thoughts:

Doctor Who - we watched all of Modern Who, a season and a half of the First Doctor, the Second Doctor’s final serial and have moved on to the Third Doctor (I just couldn’t sit through anymore black and white tv 😅) safe to say she enjoyed it

Good Omens - this one was dicey since she’s Christian and I wasn’t sure what she’d think of the themes, but she liked it for the most part, vastly preferring Season One to Season Two (it was actually the first time I watched Good Omens but I knew about the twist at the end of Season Two… it was very hard to fake shock but my mum and sister weren’t at all interested in the heartbreak)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - we watched the entirety of the show in a very short amount of time and are now two hours into the Lightning Thief audiobook, she loves it

Wandavision - this, along with Hawkeye, was the only Marvel show that I could convince my mum and sister to watch, and although she’s sat through a few Marvel movies with me I can sense that it is very much not her thing

The Goes Wrong Show - my entire family enjoys Mischief Theatre so she did enjoy it but won’t do repeated viewings because she thinks it’s less funny if you know what’ll happen (I very much disagree and have watched every episode many times)

Bluey - this show is what inspired me to make this post, she caught me playing a Bluey game on my phone (don’t judge me it’s a comforting show) and I convinced her to watch some episodes with me, we watched the first four episodes (up to Shadowlands) and she laughed approximately five times in total, it reminds her too much of Peppa Pig (my favourite show when I was little) and she winced whenever Bluey or Bingo laughed (she’s got a thing about kids making noise when playing outside) but I think she’ll watch more episodes with me

EDIT: For some reason I put the word ‘three’ in the title, no clue why, ignore me, I’m super tired 😭

[cameronlockhart]

In addition to being entertaining, The Penguin has also introduced me to another celebrity crush in the form of Cristin Milioti. I’ve never heard of this actress before, but let’s just say Sofia in this show isn’t ONLY frightening me. 😉

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

I forget sometimes you guys have not watched half the shows I have,

you guys would EXPLODE if I tried to explain mort lore.

(from yk dream works's Madagascar?? yeah that guy? little brown lemur? yeah fucked up, almost completely crazed fever dream lore.)

anyway I was thinking about the cinematic parallels with chef and Chris from total drama and how it's literally the same fucking thing that happens in Hannibal mostly.

murderous eccentric loved by many: Chris

manipulates, doesn't care how many he kills because it's exciting: Chris

mutilates and disfigures people for his own enjoyment: Chris

wealthy: Chris

gets sent to jail because he's a fucking murder: Chris

pulls a good guy and turns him evil and is gay for him: Chris

I can go on and on, uh you may be saying

"what the fuck?? that happens in this show??? what's it even rated??"

it's PG, guys.. it's a kids show. total drama is surprisingly dark, it's awesome I suggest it if you like weird shows that are a spoof of survivor.

but my god is the show literally just Chris being fucking murderous and gay for chef the entire time.

THIS MAN HAS KILLED 78 PEOPLE HE CANNONICALLY WENT TO PRISON FOR IT. CHEF LITERALLY GOT HIM OUT.

(mostly it was the show getting another season, idk how they got him out of jail. 100% it was chef tho)

like they are full on murder husbands, this show is so chaotic and cringe but mostly just "CHRIS WTF" it's fucking great.

literally inlove gay murder husbands, it's fucking crazy how similar it parallels Hannibal (2013) while being older than it.

I love this show it's awesome.

[herigo]

[mandoreviews]

📽️ The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)

TikTok made me watch this movie, and I did not regret it. I’ve actually watched several movies because of clips shown on TikTok, and I don’t think I’ve regretted any of them. This was a very sweet, predictable, entertaining movie. Yes, I could see the ending from a mile away, but all the stuff before then was what made the movie so sweet and enjoyable. I have to say that this was one of the best tv movies I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend it.

Sex/nudity: 1/10 (some kissing, a woman is pregnant and unmarried but there’s no mention of sex at all)

Language: 1/10 (if there was any it was very mild; giving it a 1 because I honestly don’t remember if there was any or not)

Violence: 0/10

Overall rating: 8/10

[kdramahunter]

lovely runner

it took me forever to actually sat down and do this review because no words could amount to how I felt when I was watching this show. I'm literally writing this with the OST playing in the background and on my second rewatch, it's serious business.

The plot is all up on my alley, perfect amount of fiction with real world. The acting is incredible, both leads are able to transmit every single emotion. At times I felt all giddy inside and I couldn't tell if it was due to the chemistry or just the incredible job they both did at acting.

But heavy emphasis on how good they are at acting, I've seen other dramas with both of them and they are always so good, Extraordinary You with Kim Hyeyoon is in my top 5 dramas of all time.

This plot can be messed up so easily because things can be forgotten, but my props to the writers because they did an excellent job of adding things without ruining the flow of events or the rules they had set at the beginning. The jumps they make are executed in key moments that help you get even more entranced with the story.

One issue I tend to have with kdramas is the balance between characters, there was no problem with this at all. The leads steal the show hands down and even though the side characters are set for support, you end up getting interested in them as well, but they don't take the focus away from the leads.

I got confused sometimes but my doubts were answered quickly. It's just so well done I know I will constantly rewatch it and it will stay in my top.

Plot: 90

Acting: 100

Ending: 95

TOTAL: 95/100

recommend? YES!!! absolutely

links:

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[lazzarella]

Going to try to start posting more of my thoughts on shows as I watch or re-watch them because it's my blog and no one can stop me. Anyway! Starting with Hidden Agenda because that's the most recent one I've finished

My expectations were tempered going in—not because most other people said it was terrible, because I've learnt not to put much stock in others' opinions on media as they often don't line up with mine, but because I didn't care much for JoongDunk's scenes in Sky in My Heart. (Tbf, there weren’t that many.) But I liked the premise (it very vaguely made me think of one of my favourite movies, Plan B, even though it's actually nothing like it—just a connection my brain made) and I saw that AouBoom were the side pairing, so I figured I'd give it a go! Not like I'm marrying it, you know?

Anyway, I ended up having a blast! 

Look, did I sometimes wonder if I'd blacked out for a minute or two and missed some important scene or piece of exposition because I was lost about how we got somewhere? A few times, for sure. And could some of the acting have been stronger? Probably, but I've seen way worse acting. Like way worse. Way. Worse. Plus it was never unwatchable for me? And my secondhand embarrassment threshold is pretty low. And did it just pile on a bunch of drama (especially toward the end) that sometimes got resolved super quickly even though it probably should have taken longer? Again, yes. But, somehow, it all worked for me?? It did a lot of things that usually bug me, but there was *something* about this show that kept me hooked.

Like I said, I had a blast! I enjoyed pretty much every minute of it, and I was never bored. I thought Joong and Dunk were super cute together and definitely not shy about the kissing, Aou and Boom may not have had many scenes but I just love them together, I was impressed by both the level and variety of drama they managed to pack in (there's a stalker and both mommy and daddy issues and homophobia, just for starters), and it has some incredibly pretty cinematography! And lots of really good hugs!

I know this is a not a very insightful ‘review’, but I'm a little rusty! But, yeah, genuinely had a great time with this show, it's a solid 8/10 for me! 

[eggwhiteswithspinach]

This is my filter, but I truly believe that when people frame friendships with other genders as a "waiting spot" for developing further romantic relationships, it really takes away from the quality of the actual friendship. After all, the best friendships are ones without ulterior motives, and when you genuinely care for each other.

#HospitalPlaylist

[deafening-enthusiastic-dreamer]

Love Next Door

I loved this shot - giving thriller vibes

Finally we got to see how their relationship came to an end. I liked how they showed it, it felt true to the story, something we could see happening in real life and no matter how much its hurts, its still the truth.

I felt soo bad for him. But the dialogue where he says, no matter how much i like you, you don't get to tell me how i feel for you.

It hits different, ngl It hits hard.

Kill Me Now, Ahhhhhhhh I can'ttt

Cryinggggggg

I can only imagine how hurt both of them must have been, and for her to go through all of that just unbelievable.

[carameldrizzl3]

The layout is staying the same but my posts may be different. I’m having you guys choose bcs I’m INDECISIVE ASF. Please and thank you it’s very much appreciated 😘

Here’s a pic of Oliver for your continued cooperation 🤍🤎