hmmm....

To be honest, there was never a point of this show where I was sure if I liked it or not. But there was something about it that kept me from dropping it all the way until the end! I think there's an interesting premise here, but I'm not quite sure it was executed well. An over-reliance on montage and rushed/choppy story made it hard to buy into the romance. Honestly, sometimes it felt more like a cautionary tale about unethical experimentation than a love story, but I was kind of into the vague horror of that! I don't think it was bad, but I don't think it was what I expected or wanted either. In honor of this indecision: 5 stars, dead middle.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
I found the story to be simultaneously the strongest and weakest point of this show. For it's strengths, it definitely had a message that it believed in strongly. The conversation around history and humanity was quite interesting, and I liked the way artificial intelligence complicated Chu Yiping's perspectives. There was a very compelling quality to the way he rationalized Ever 9's humanity, and a satisfying conflict with his Uncle.
For it's weaknesses, however, the love story was... odd? I don't want to say it wasn't clear or believable--I actually really enjoyed the unique ways these two people connected. But we aren't given enough time with them to truly feel that relationship or the strength of it. Too much is left in the montage, so a lot of the most emotional scenes feel fairly unearned. I would have liked to see some better pacing here.

ACTING:
Ah. I guess the problem here lies with the lack of progress. I think both actors were good at the more robotic side of the character--the early days when they were stiff, awkward, and uncomfortable. But I would have liked to see these characters pushed a lot farther as the relationship progresses. We never really get a proper sense of this astronomical change in Chu Yiping that the other characters talk about. And we only ever get glimpses of a natural humanity that could have sold the relationship. It was alright.

PRODUCTION:
The production quality was so hit and miss during this show, but I think my biggest issue was that it missed on things that should be easy. It's fine and understandable if a low budget production has some less-than-impressive special effects! It doesn't really upset my enjoyment of the series. But when there's sloppy make up? You can't afford to take two minutes to fix his foundation? I think it made some of the scenes feel more amateur than they actually were and distracted from the story.

In all, I can't really say I would recommend this show. But I don't think I would discourage someone who was interested in this concept from checking it out. I would say, it stays pretty constant--so if you aren't feeling the first episode or two, you might want to drop!

Leia Mais

exactly what I always wanted ?

I absolutely adored this show from start to finish. Something about the mix of tone was just so compelling to me. While the underlying romance (and other relationships) was so strong and taken so seriously, the rest of the plot wasn't afraid to have fun and lean into tropes in the best way. The action was fun and bombastic, the reincarnation lore was fantastical and epic, the friends were bright and funny, and the chemistry was truly off the charts. I know not everyone will appreciate the way this style sometimes undercuts it's own tension, but I really enjoyed the way the show didn't let itself get bogged down for long.

Of course, I have to give accolades to the cast. Billy is, of course, a wonderful actor (as always). Phaya always has his heart on his sleeve and Billy's ability to show that in every moment is really quite beautiful. Especially as a new comer, Babe is incredible. Easily one of my top actors (I'm lying to seem less biased, he's the top). Nothing ever felt forced or put upon between these two, and the characters were crafted so completely that they could be understood without words from start to finish. It was a really exceptional performance. (Of course, there were many, many wonderful performances from the supporting cast as well).

My only faults with this show were some minor pacing and story issues. I would have liked to see a bit more care and craft in the way information is revealed, especially regarding Phaya and Tharn's past lives. Art's arc in Ep. 7 was so wonderfully done in subtle flourishes and circling narrative, it was disappointing to see the main characters get a less thoughtful info dump of a flashback. In general, I think the writers could have trusted the audience to pick up on clues a little better, as characters frequently repeated information that, at that point, had become pretty obvious. But this honestly didn't affect my enjoyment of the story all that much.

I am absolutely looking forward to the upcoming special episode and whatever BillyBabe have coming next! I certainly wouldn't complain if that happened to be a season 2 ;)

Leia Mais

charming and fun, but ultimately inconsistent series

I'm dropping this series. CityBoy_Log was such a fun and lighthearted show that when it first aired. I really enjoyed kind of goofy and dramatic tone of these characters and found the acting to be a lot better than expected! There was a delightful catch-and-release rhythm going on, where they would end on a very dramatic cliff hanger that would turn out to be nothing important in the next episode that always had me laughing. Unfortunately, with the change to volume 3, this lighthearted tone was dropped for a messier, darker story exploring that more seriously explores themes around infidelity and jealousy. It's just not what I was interested in this series for and not something I'm interested in continuing on with.

-The Full Review-
STORY:
CityBoy_Log is an interesting BL in how far it goes to obscure the fact that this is fiction. Having the characters use the actors real names, professions, and work experience may be off-putting to some viewers. This fact didn't really bother me, but I was aware of TAN and Jaejun before I started watching the show... so the fiction was pretty apparent. I like playing with these lines of reality, but I think it might be beneficial to have a bit more clarity on the channel page itself.
For the first two volumes, I thought the storytelling was really clever. Simple, mundane experiences of these people got heightened into melodrama in a way that pure fun and enjoyment. The constant cliffhanger approach I mentioned above was delightful tug making it easily bingeable and exciting to watch. I really do miss this format of low-stakes drama gone melodramatic, and especially mourn the dropped cliff-hanger from the end of the second volume.
The third volume is just.... different. A lot of the silly enjoyment of the earlier episodes are undercut by characters doing annoying and cruel things to each other. While I enjoy a dark and toxic romance, I don't enjoy the swap from something sweet and goofy to something darker within the same series. The first two volumes didn't differentiate themselves enough to support this shift in tone.

ACTING:
I was pleasantly surprised! Despite having a pretty amateur cast, this show had a natural chemistry and a decent amount of talent. While some of the most dramatic scenes ended up a little bit stilted, by and large the performances were believable and compelling. The format also works in their favor, as awkwardness comes across as "candidness" and supports the concept of an unscripted vlog very nicely.

PRODUCTION:
While the physical production is simple and realistic (though nicely done), what really stands out is the vlog editing. It really does feel like a celebrities vlog channel, and plays with those vlogging tropes to help tell the story in a unique way. I especially like the addition of the still shots at the end of every episode that frequently raised the stakes of the cliffhanger event. It's really well done.

INTIMACY:
Despite my issues with CityBoy_Log, I will always praise the lengths they went to in order to normalize queer relationships on screen. It's been a long year of faked kisses and passion-less BL staring kpop idols, and I truly support Jaejun and Jihan being willing to go there with each other. My favorite part of the third volume is the easy inclusion of realistic sexuality between couples. They've clearly worked on their chemistry and aren't afraid to push the envelope of what "idols" are allowed to portray on screen. I think CBL was definitely a step in the right direction for K-BL in this regard.

In all, I still recommend the first two parts of CBL easily. But the third isn't a genre or tone I'm interested in exploring with this story. I'll be keeping an eye on the weekly spoilers in hopes that this show returns to what it originally had to offer.

Leia Mais

maybe if you're really bored?

I was so excited for this title because I love circus and acrobatics... but there is not nearly enough of that to keep me watching. With so little effort and budget put into the host club, it's really just the thinnest of gimmicks to differentiate a show without enough plot to stand on it's own. While the cast seems mostly competent and there's a decent (if slightly weird) sense of chemistry, this story doesn't really seem like it has any interest in exploring that. Instead, the plot just kind of moves around perfunctorily without any real sense of character or motives.

I'll admit, I'm not really interested in giving this show second or third chances. The show started out with blatant plagiarism of the kpop group OnlyOneOf in episode one--which the production team later admitted to and apologized for--and it's soured the experience for me. Combined with the way this appears to be one of the shows where Cheewin's got no strong sense of direction or vision? I'll pass. There's plenty of other shows to keep me busy. But maybe if you're just looking for background noise?

Leia Mais

pure romance with a heart of gold

I don't usually pick up titles like this, preferring my dramas to have a little bit more bite than Cherry Magic. That said, I'm glad I didn't give up on this one when it got dropped from YouTube. In the midst of a very dark seasonal line up of BLs, Cherry Magic was perfectly posed to offer a sweet, charming romance that makes you smile.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
At it's strongest, Cherry Magic is a wonderful exploration of stable, adult characters facing a multitude of insecurities, lost dreams, and mundane problems. The warmth with which this show explored these themes and allowed the cast to earnestly support each other through their problems was (despite being a little bit soap-boxy) a really wonderful thing to hear. The romances were sweet and genuine, and built lasting relationships that felt earned. It is, for once, easy to know exactly why these character fell for each other.
That said, it was also just a *hair* too long. Some episodes, especially the finale, tended to drag on so long they dipped from warm and romantic to saccharine. Not *every* lesson needed a long narrated monologue about what was learned, as it really cut up the pacing in some episodes. This show really shined when it kept it simple, and I would have appreciated more moments that were allowed to end before reaching that point.

ACTING:
I wasn't familiar with TayNew before the show, but I was pleasantly surprised with their performances! It's not necessarily a secret that the GMMTV style of acting is not one that I find particularly appealing, but I felt that these two actors managed to reign in the facade to present some pretty relatable characters with delightfully understated performances. There was a wonderful push and pull between their "best behavior" when they are trying to impress each other, and their real personalities when they become more vulnerable and honest. I was particularly impressed with any moment that Achi was given a decently long monologue opening up to Karan (such as confessing he is afraid of heights).
My stand out actor from this show is actually Jan, who gave Pai such a wonderful and exciting warmth and humor. Though her personal character arc was fairly short and largely resolved by the time they returned from the retreat, I always looked forward to her scenes. She brought a really necessary energy to the show, especially when Achi and Karan were dealing with more somber arcs.

PRODUCTION:
All production departments did a wonderful job here. With such a simple framing, focusing on mundane realities, there is not much to say (and that's a good thing)! I did see a post pointing out the costuming departments attempts to make New look smaller through the costuming, and truly it was an admirable quest and I'm surprised how well they did. As always, I wish these productions were willing to put a *little* bit more funds into their idol story lines to make them a bit more believable but, I suppose that's a lot to ask for a side plot of a secondary couple. In general, this show was lovely to watch with well designed scenes and production that subtly enhanced the story without taking on life of their own.

NC SCENES:
Not truly applicable, but no dead fish either! A nice balance between an inherently romance-based plot without falling into sexless bromance tropes.

In all, I'd highly recommend this show to anyone looking for something sweet and romantic, or a pick-me-up when they're really feeling their late 20s/early 30s.

Leia Mais

silly, stupid, and simply superb

Let's start out with the basics--Was this a good show? No, not at all. Was it my favorite show to watch every week and did I have an amazing time? Absolutely. She contains multitudes. This show is not a deep and meaningful exploration of love or masterpiece of storytelling. But it's short and it's sweet and it's very, very cute. If you like Mew or you like Just B or you like your romcoms a little (lot) goofy with quick, convenient endings, you'll enjoy it here! But there's not much more to it than that.

- The Full Review -

STORY:
This story is wildly paced. A slow start, an abrupt end, and about a dozen odd changes in pace and tone along the way make for a... unique viewing experience. Simplifying the plot and doing away with some of the extraneous plot threads would probably have better suited the run time, as well as tempering the hidden traumas to match the lighter tone of the script.
That said, it's fun! The reality show was a cute concept and it the script handled the humor well. The characters were charming and it was easy to root for them through all the mess.

ACTING:
I love Mew, and I think he's a wonderfully charming romcom actor. He's got a very lovable loser energy that boosts his characters transformation. My only real complaint is that I never bought the brooding bad guy persona. JM was a surprisingly good match for him, with an understated and genuine chemistry. His character was quite subdued, but still offered a range of personality without feeling stale or one-note.

PRODUCTION:
Lol. Lmao even. Why is there one dog at the dog cafe? Why are the translation earbuds splatter painted? Why does the manager have a giant painting of Uno with a guitar in his office? What was up with the rooftop pinterest tent? Many decisions did not make sense here. They didn't necessarily *hurt* the show, but it did make it feel... additionally amateur. Better choices could have been made with the budget they had.

INTIMACY:
Truly, I am including this category because it made me laugh so hard I cried. Why did this company evil edit their kiss? We know Mew can kiss. The footage suggests they can both kiss (Sorry, JM, I don't know you like that). Why did you cut 7 times and then start filming the back of his head? What... what was going on here? I just want to know what was so scary about a simple kiss that you had to ruin your own moment that way.

In all, I had a great time and I would watch it again... But I'm not sure I'd recommend it to the average viewer. If you're looking for something silly and fun, this might be a good, quick watch for you! If you don't like BLs that don't invest in their own story, this is probably not going to tickle your fancy.

Leia Mais