I have recently been catching up on my LONG list of movies, anime, and series, so I thought I would give some thoughts. Much of what I watch nowadays is from outside the country.
Reverse With Me (2025)
This Thai GL series is the second in a trilogy of stories that began with the series “Reverse 4 You” on Netflix. It is the tale of Karan (the daughter of the main characters from R4U, Four and Jattawa) and Kliao Khluen. There are similar supernatural elements in this tale as well, with the difference being that Karan can bring others back in time with her (and she has visions of the future like her aunt, Vivi), unlike Jattawa, who can only go ten minutes into the past. As the first episode unfolds, Kliao is injured in a hit-and-run, and it starts a chain of events that neither she nor Karan was quite prepared for, as they navigate a budding relationship. I don’t want to spoil it for those who want to give it a try. I liked the twists and turns in the story, and how much of the drama of the tale was thrust upon Karan and Kliao through the fault of others in their lives. Truly, my only real issue with the series is that I felt no chemistry between the two leads until the last episode. If you want to give it a try, check it out on IQIYI.com.
Sh**ting Stars (2022)
This is the tale of beloved star, Kong Tae Seong and the long hidden romantic feelings he’s had for the head of his PR team, O Han Byeol, who has also been carrying a torch for Tae Seong since they were two “wet behind the ears” newbs fresh out of college. This sometimes comical, sometimes bittersweet love story is carried out against the backdrop of the Korean Entertainment industry and the PR firms who are tasked with keeping their charges in the good graces of the fickle public at large. I liked this story, and often found myself laughing, crying, and angry during parts of the tale. The cast and crew do a good job of bringing this story to life. I recommend it to people who like a good dramedy and don’t mind reading subtitles to head over to Viki.com to give it a watch.
Birth of the Beauty (2014)
In some ways, this show is very much a play on the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, yet it also shows how society can be so cruel when it comes to people who are different than what’s considered normal. Lop that in with a betrayal and revenge story, and you pretty much have what Birth of Beauty is about. Having said that, there are enough twists and turns to keep people intrigued and interested.
Having said that, though on the whole, I liked the story of this series, there were a few episodes that didn’t need to happen. I’ll put it this way—these are the notes I posted on MyDramaList while watching this 21-episode series. I would recommend it, but just be prepared for a hard second half of the series. You can find it on Viki.com
SPOILERS AHEAD…
After Episode 3 –
My issue with this show so far is the former husband. Sara’s personality hasn’t changed from when she was Sa Geum Ran, but because she’s the beautiful Sa Ra, suddenly, she’s giving him a warm feeling. I hate this dude. If I were Sa Ra, I would move on and try to make the best of my new life. Honestly, as of episode 3, Sa Ra needs to be with Han Tae Hee. Tae Hee is now fighting for his life because he’s slowly catching feelings.
Update: Episode 18 –
I am a third of the way through the episode, and in some ways, this has become a hate watch for me. Honestly, from the moment Tae Hee was attacked, this show has been stupid. I honestly feel like they added the stupid just to have more episodes. Tae Hee should know by now that Sara is hiding her true reasons for pulling away, because she’s done it before. I KNOW he’s injured and not thinking very straight, but after recovering, he should have known that she’s not acting like herself and that something’s not quite right.
Sara should have listened when Min Hyeok told her why Tae Hee was attacked. Especially since outside her mom, only three other people know that she’s Sa Geum Ran. How would he know if no one outside a single handful of people knows? Also, Sara should know that Min Hyeok isn’t trustworthy, because of his actions with the business up to this point.
Tae Hee’s grandma, I can half understand, but honestly, it’s outside of her character to automatically believe anything about anyone without doing research first. Until the point of her associating with Chae Yeon, she was all about investigations and being untrusting of people she didn’t really know. Why all of a sudden would she automatically believe anything that Chae Yeon said as gospel without investigating first?
Episodes 15-18 so far are infuriating in a badly written and ‘wanna dropkick the writers’ type of way.
Update: Completed –
From about a quarter through episode 15 ‘til halfway through episode 19, I was really in a frustrated and annoyed way of thinking while watching, because the storyline went off the rails and jumped the shark just to add more episodes.
On the whole, the story was good. It had its poignant moments, as well as moments that made me want to reach through the screen and strangle someone, but with a good ending. I will say, episodes 15-19 turned what could have been an easy 9 for me into a 7.5.
If any of these sound interesting to you, you should definitely give them a try.
Right now, I’m watching Hyper Knife, starring Park Eubin of Attorney Woo fame. So far, it is very quirky and slightly unhinged, and I’m loving it. I’m also watching My Golden Blood, which is a tale about vampires and romance, and Top Form, which is the Thai live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga Dakaichi: I’m Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year by Sakurabi Hashigo. I read this manga some years ago, and so far, the series is living up to it.
