Latest to Greatest: TWICE and SEVENTEEN

I like to stay on brand, so I’ve been completely lazy about keeping up with this feature. However, I’m back at it again, bringing you two more groups to walk down memory lane with. The year is 2015 and the groups are huge, in member size. This time, I have two groups who are very active currently.

SEVENTEEN

(PLEDIS Entertainment 2015 – Present)

GREATEST
Adore U (2015)

I swear, if I had discovered them through this MV and this era, I would be stressed with trying to keep them all in track. SO MANY OF THEM! The song is addicting and the MV is so silly. I don’t really understand the concept except showing how silly and adorable they are. But I love the outfit choices. The white really suits them and you can definitely see how they would be kings of synchronization.

Overall Rating

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Iconic Moment: So many funny moments but I can’t get over Jeonghan with this long hair and in the beginning when he’s in the car and Woozi is just playing with it. MOOD

LATEST
Left & Right (2020)

5 years later, Seventeen is still giving us campy MVs coupled with amazing vocals, visuals, and tight dancing. You can see the glow up in some of the members, puberty hit ya good Dino and Hoshi. Woozi still a mini mighty powerhouse. But I love how the group pretty much have stayed loyal to their brand and each other. You can really see their connection just through the way they work together. Even though this song is the Korean Cupid Shuffle, it’s a bop.

Overall Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Iconic Moment: In the end when they stuff S.Coops in a car and shoot him off to space but only to crash land some meters away. And when he comes out, he’s still doing the dance. Hilarious.

TWICE

(JYP Entertainment 2015 – Present)

GREATEST
Like OOH-AHH (2015)

It makes sense that this MV had a zombie theme to it. One, The Walking Dead was huge during that time. And two, Asia basically turned into brainless followers when Twice is involved. This song, just like most of their title songs ended up being, is addicting and gets stuck in your head. The MV did a great job letting you see how each girl is different from each other. They weren’t going to be cookie cutter and their styling proved that.

Overall Rating

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Iconic Moment: I have two. The first is basically anything Sana did. She was hilarious. The second was seeing baby Bang Chan from Stray Kids play a zombie. How adorable. Just like when Dahyun and Sana were in GOT7 MVs.

Latest
MORE & MORE (2020)

The 9 ladies have absolutely matured in the last 5 years. The songs are still catchy and poppy but this track felt different from their others. I liked the experimental tropical fantasy pop this had. However, I just don’t think it was as long lasting as their others like Fancy or Dance The Night Away. Maybe it’s the almost 95% green screen MV that made me feel I was on the set of AVATAR and not the last airbender.

Overall Rating

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Iconic Moment: I think the only iconic thing is the choreography. I am feeling it the most.

How was that? Enjoyed my flashbacks? Are there any groups you want me to cover? If so, comment down below or tweet me at @eonniswamelanin

Sugar Baby’s Review Corner: Take My Brother Away

Take My Brother Away


Genre: Comedy, School, Youth, Family
Origin: China
Episodes: 30
Air-date: Jun 28, 2018 – July 29, 2018
Starring: Joseph Zeng as Shi Fen, Sun Qian as Shi Miao, Wang Xu Dong as Zhen Kai Xin, Hu Yong Tao as Wan Sui, Rain Lu as Miao Miao Miao

What’s your brother like? To Shi Miao, her brother Shi Fen is someone who would tease her and make her explode 100 times a day; not a peaceful day as the two are fighting every single minute. However, when troubles come, Shi Fen will become a caring, loving brother who protects his little sister at all cost.

mydramalist

I went into this drama not expecting much, but came out pleasantly surprised. I had never seen the anime nor the movie which the drama is based on titled Go Away Brother, so I had nothing really to compare it to. I just thought that it seemed a simple enough drama about sibling relationships to watch. Plus, I was kinda missing Sun Qian a little bit.

The overall focus of this plot is to show the somewhat codependent relationship between these two siblings. As someone who has an older brother it was quite easy to place myself in Shi Miao’s shoes. Right off the bat, I was laughing at the scene where they were babies and he stole her bottle because it brought up traumatic events of someone stealing my candy from me and then telling our parents I took his and then I was left with none….. GRRRR… Anyways, I found the story to be funny and engaging all the way through even when it had the very cringey moments for example all the horrible english that was spoken during their english class. I found the way that the episodes were formatted to be refreshing and remnant of the source material even if it could be a bit messy.

As for the acting, I have obviously seen both our leads in different roles already and I will say that Sun Qian definitely has strength in these comedic type roles. Joseph was really so cute as her older brother even if he seemed a little dim at times. I actually ended up liking his character a lot because you were able to see how biases alter our perception of others. I think that this is my favorite role of his that I have seen and it is a stark difference to his Heavenly Sabre role. So.. I’m just gonna say it yall… These two needed to tone down the chemistry a little bit… Like it was getting a bit you know… cough cough.. How Sun Qian best chemistry with the guy who is supposed to be her brother?? I HATE IT HERE. hahah

Overall, I did enjoy this drama for what it was and I would recommend it as a nice drama to just chill out and enjoy. It had a really believable sibling dynamic and was definitely meant to show how these two siblings navigate the world with just each other to depend on.

Story:7/10
Acting: 7/10
Music: 7/10
Rewatch Value: 6.5/10
Overall: 7/10

Sugar Baby’s Review Corner: Fake Princess

Fake Princess


Genre: Historical, Comedy, Romance
Origin: China
Episodes: 27
Air-date: May 17, 2020 to June 1, 2020
Starring: Eleanor Lee as Chang Le, Zhao Yiqin as Li Che, Garvey Jin as Li Heng, Cheng Si Yu as Gong Sun Mo, Sun Xue Ning as Zhu Yang, Wang Yi Tian as Nong Ying

So what if she loves money, don’t all mountain bandits love money? For a chest full of gold, the mountain bandit offers herself up to the black-bellied prince thus marking the start to a beautiful romance.

Chang Le (Eleanor Lee) was once a free and untamable female bandit. However, she becomes a fake bride in a marriage to crown prince Li Che (Zhao Yiqin). Stepping into the confines of the palace, Chang Le finds it difficult to adjust after being repeatedly humiliated.

Despite her situation, she learns to adapt like a feral cat showing her true stripes. Li Che who has treaded every step vigilantly finds himself gradually attracted by Chang Le’s liveliness. Each wearing a mask to hide their own motives, the two people find comfort in each other. 

Chinesedramainfo

I think I have made it known that I am Eleanor Lee trash? I can’t help it, there is just something that is positively endearing about her as an actress. I was immediately drawn to this show because it was an historical drama and I hadn’t had the chance to see her as the main character in one yet, and I always had a soft spot for a story surrounding a good switcharoo of the female lead and arranged marriage. I can’t help that I have things that I gravitate towards!

The plot wasn’t unique by any means, but it got the job done. I was immediately entertained with Changle and her actions. Throughout the twenty-seven episodes, I found that the first eleven or so episodes were more entertaining as it didn’t dwell on the politics too much. We were able to see the characters and therefore saw the shift and growth with the varying personalities. While the story was predictable and a little irritating in the latter portions, it still had a certain charm to it that didn’t make me feel exhausted like a certain drama. This is why historicals do not need to be more than forty episodes.

What I believe was one of the strengths of this drama was how well the females leads were written. Many dramas boast a “strong female lead” and it is limited to someone who is physically strong, but with this drama we had these three women who had differing circumstances, but were strong in their own way. They each had their own very distinct personalities and knew what they wanted, they had ambitions and didn’t become shells of themselves when they fell in love. I was especially fond of Changle (duh) as she maintained her integrity throughout the entire show. She was always authentically herself; a wise, intelligent young woman even though she was pretending to be someone else. I loved how her and Nongying grew a bond and helped each other. It would have been nice to see them all together at the end.

Another strength of this drama was undoubtedly our lead couple. I enjoyed the refreshing take of seeing a male lead that did not shy away from showing how much he cared about his female lead. I loved that they trusted each other and was loyal to each other. Li Che truly loved Changle and he believed in that love which in turn allowed the viewers to do the same. I will give Eleanor props because I ship this just as much as I did Nuannuan and Han Che and that’s on CHEMISTRY. I even enjoyed Gongsun and Nongying’s relationship as well. Also this is coming from me who believes that cdramas love giving everybody and their momma’s love lines too much.

Typically I would have rated this drama closer to a 7, but I think that it truly deserved a .5 extra for how lovely the main couple was. This drama is certainly a gem and even though it kinda flopped in China, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with recommending this as something breezy to watch. If I were to rewatch it would definitely only be the couple scenes.

Story: 6.5/10
Acting: 8/10
Music: 7.5/10
Rewatch Value: 7/10
Overall: 7.5/10

Favorite Song: Eleanor – Ordinary People

Monthly Roundup – July

Well … Here we are at the end of July. You know I realized that I haven’t been doing my favorites and worst and updating as I go like I said I would in January but have you considered that I am still doing these and that should be enough? LOLOLOL. I did a lot of nugus this month cause I was feeling generous ya know.

Black Lives STILL Matter and please arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor.

All By Myself

Zico – Summer Hate (feat Rain)

Initial: I think we should label Zico as a terrorist.. In other news, why is RAIN SO DAMN FINE. KIM TAE HEE SHARE THE COCK???? 🥺👐🏿

Now: GUYYSSS LET US CELEBRATE!! ZICO HAS ENLISTEDDDDD WE ARE FREE FOR 21 MONTHS!! YASSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

Chungha – Play (feat Changmo)

Initial: Before I go onto the song, Chungha, girl.. Delete your surgeon’s number right now!! Enough… Now onto the song, I actually like it. Like its nice to see her back to her latin roots a bit. It’s fun! Something for the summer!

Now: This is such a bouncy and fun song.. When is the album gonna come though?

Ash Island – Error (feat Loopy)

Initial: I never realized how… not very attractive Ash Island was until now. The song is like a moody autotuned boy group song, that would have benefited from some charisma. Still, it’s not bad.

Now:

BIBI – I’m Good At Goodbyes

Initial: Very chill vibe. Easy to listen song and overall vibe is nice and I could go for a blunt.

Now: I added this to my chill out playlist and listened to it recently in my car. It was banging.

CRUSH – OHIO

Initial: The song with Joy was so boring this is a welcomed improvement. Also he doesn’t look butt ugly in this one.. Just medium ugly. Nah but I actually stan the lyrics too??

Now: Ugh I am pretty mad that I vibe so well to this song hahaahah. It’s actually really good and has grown on me so much.

SOMI – What You’re Waiting For

Initial: I know birthday is controversial but like stockholm. syndrome is real. I hate that it just ends ya know? Also Teddy needs to try some new structure for production… Too much predictability isn’t good. Still, I love the early 2010s feel of the song.

Now: The chorus gets me every single time. I hate hate hate how the song just ends like booooooo.

HYO – DESSERT (feat Loopy and Soyeon)

Initial: You know oomf said that sometimes all you need is a bad song and yes that’s it haha. I thought she would have served given her hair is black for the first time in a decade!!

Now: I was so faded that I kept replaying this but sober omg this shit is trash.

Lee Hi – Holo

Initial: The lack of surprise I had seeing that she signed with AOMG hahaha. Anyways I love her vouce. I don’t say this enough. TO FREEDOM BABE.

Now: Yeahhh Yeahhh. I AM A LITTLE OBSESSED WITH THIS ONE.

Kang Daniel – Waves (feat Simon Dominic and Jamie)

Initial: For once in his life he looks cute. Here is someone who actually delivered a decent song after dying their hair black.

Now: Kinda in the same vein of Chungha’s in which it is a fun song when you listen but overall forgettable.

Soyou – Gotta Go

Initial: Did she get a new face? Mmm… Anyways idk nothing really special in one way or the other.

Now: Eh.

Jessi – Nunu Nana

Initial: So here is the thing with Jessi.. her entire aesthetic surrounds copying black culture and black women and it is so tired. Like how are you from Jersey and so clearly influenced yet there is never a black person anywhere to be seen. It bothers me a lot tbh.

Now: I refuse to play this again lol

Three’s A Crowd

SF9 – Summer Breeze

Initial: Let’s take a moment guys.. Wow.. I have not liked a SF9 song in a while but this is actually so good wtf. I like it a lot. Like wow. WOW. Also the MV is so good. The boys look so hot. Ohmygod.

Now: They are so hot. Hahaha. This choreo stages elevated this song so much for me. I am a thirsty hoe.

VERIVERY – Thunder

Initial: Actually not bad. I kinda dig it? Mmmm… Weird.

Now: x2

EXO-SC – 1 Billion Views (feat Moon)

Initial: This is a chill song. I think Chanyeol looks so fucking cute.

Now: We were gonna do a full album review but we didn’t so.. LOL. Sighs I guess I need to give back my Yeolmae card.

(G)-idle – I’m The Trend

Initial: This is a poor man’s Devil. So lame.. How Yuqi produced this and didn’t give herself any lines? Dumb bitch. Soyeon does not need to be singing.

Now: x3

Gfriend – Apple

Initial: psy_newface.mp3. The song is actually not bad at all. I like how straightforward it is. Mmm.. We shall see as time goes on. Labyrinth still that girl.

Now: Anyways Labyrinth outsold.

ONEUS – Come Back Home

Initial: I am not gonna lie. I kinda can dig it.. please don’t @ me. Am I drunk? Yes, but idk its working…

Now: I am sober and still bopping so I think that means something????

ATEEZ – Inception

Initial: I am an atiny adjacent ya know. I have accepted this. It’s a grower.

Now: Yeah I knew this was a grower! I haven’t picked a favorite off the album as yet though hehehe.

April – Hello Summer

Initial: I am actually genuinely happy that Naeun kinda reboosted their career. I was gonna say this is decent but then the chorus came and it was like “ah okay I see” LOL

Now: I know people hate the chorus, but it is legit my favorite part of the song hahah.

New Kidz On The Block

Red Velvet Irene & Seulgi – Monster

Such a dumbass motherfucking unit name. I swear. So anyways here is the second official female subunit from a SM Girl Group and arguably the most anticipated. The fact that they dropped the ball and didn’t deliver the MV until a day later? Lameos.

Initial: LESBIAN RIGHTS. Hahah. Anyways full review of album found here.

Now: SO LIKE WE ALL AGREE NAUGHTY IS SUPERIOR RIGHT?

XRO – Welcome To My Jungle

Hiphop duo from some nugu company. They were on like Produce and Mixnine. Let’s call em “fake MOBB”..

Initial: I was getting my life then I scrolled down to the comments…………. LMFAO.

Now: n/a

Heo Chanmi – Lights

Chanmi is like that bug that keeps getting squashed but wont die. Everyone remembers her from this famous video. And I think she has joined like 90 reality shows too. Anyways the “almost girls generation member” has finally debuted under FirstOne entertainment.

Initial: Reminds me of Chungha but less presence or personality.

Now: n/a

Chic & Idle – 3!4!

They are under liz entertainment.. I don’t think I know any of these girls. Apparently they are a combination of two groups that I have also never heard of before.

Initial: I like that it is not girl crush noise but it is still lame.

Now: n/a

Yoo Doojoon – Lonely Night

Member of Highlight formerly Beast returns from the army with a solo debut;. You go Glen Coco.

Initial: It’s chill. Kinda a vibe. Video isn’t too bad either.

Now: n/a

Blastar – One Way

A five member girl group from VH Entertainment. Idk any of them.

Initial: Damn talk about no budget.. idk what I was expecting but it wasn’t this… I thought it would be more dance based since quite a few were backup dancers but Mmm.. Anyways.. it’s not bad at all.

Now: N/A

Asian Drama Bingo : July Check-In

July was as lackluster but at least we figured out the answer to our watching; Netflix Party. See how we ended up 0 for 2 with it. Maybe August will be better.

Lazy Unnie’s Card

Picking up speed this month. Thank god for my new rule of not starting anything new until I get my currently watching list down. Also helped that me and Sugar Baby are buddy watching a couple of these.

Sugar Baby’s Card

One month I will stop being lazy and write reviews for dramas I completed… This month was not that month…LOL

OUR NEW TWITTER IS @EonnisWaMelanin

The Unnie’s Review Couch Corner: Abyss

“Abyss” is about a man and a woman who tragically die and are given another chance at life through soul-reviving marbles in a magical abyss. Go Se Yeon was a tough, accomplished, and an unrivaled beautiful female prosecutor who worked in the Seoul District public Office but gets into a fatal accident and dies. However, due to the mysterious magical marble—Abyss—Go Se Yeon is revived, but now in a totally different appearance. Go Se Yeon now possesses a common appearance based off of how “good” her spirit was in her previous life.

mydramalist
  • Starring : Park Bo Young | Ahn Hyo Seop | Lee Sung Jae | Lee Si Eon | Han So Hee | Kwan Soo Hyun
  • Episodes : 16 (60 min.)
  • Aired : May 16 – June 25, 2019
  • Network : Netflix

So we’re back again with another buddy watch and review. See what we thought about this one. If you saw our twitter (@EonnisWaMelanin) then you have a clue about our feelings on good old Abyss.

Abyss Review

Acting : 5/10
Story : 3 /10
Music : 5 /10
Overall : 5 /10

Recommended For : Save yourself 16 hours.

Fave Song : ‘Into The Abyss‘ by Suran & Coogie

Story: 1/10
Acting: 4.5/10
Music: 4.5/10
Rewatch Value: 1/10
Overall: 2/10


Fave Song:  Into The Abyss by Suran & Coogie

Lazy Unnie’s Playlist: ATEEZ – ZERO: FEVER, Pt.1

TITLE: ZERO: FEVER, Pt.1

ARTIST: ATEEZ

LABEL: KQ Entertainment

RELEASED: JuLY 29, 2020

I am SO ready for this release. This is the first group I started stanning prior to debut and have been a faithful ATINY since. I’ve loved ATEEZ’s approach to music and their dynamic as a group is enjoyable to watch. I already spent my morning yesterday watching their online concert, so here I am about to gobble up part one of their new Era. Bye bye Treasure, hello Fever!

INCEPTION – Title Track

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Just like last summer, ATEEZ asked ATINY to vote for their title track. It was between this and THANXX. Lucky for us, INCEPTION was the winner and we got this lovely haunting EDM track. The vocals are melody is haunting and matches well with the vibe of the MV. The hook is catchy and I legit can see myself singing it at random moments. One thing I loved about this was the transition between chorus and verse. It had a house element I didn’t expect but liked a lot. The MV was delicious. I loved how dark it was. And I swear, if Wooyoung keeps coming for me, we’re gonna fight. Seonghwa and San tho… my loves.

Dear Diary: 2016.07.29

Rating: 2 out of 5.

It’s legit what the title says, a diary entry. It’s dated four years ago and it is narrated in a young girl’s voice. She talks about having no dream. Until finding a friend and within that friendship, they found a passion and a connection. Sounds pretty symbolic to the journey of the ATEEZ members.

FEVER

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I can really see this being a title track contender as well. It feels very in the ATEEZ sound but what makes me like it the most is the chorus. It’s catchy and gives you feels. It’s not a fast paced or aggressive sound but it is powerful. Absolutely a favorite so far.

THANXX

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Their obvious second track of the EP, this is a EDM trap infused hip-hop song which kind of gives me the feel if Wonderland and Wave had a baby this would be it. I’m not entirely crazy about this one because it feels

TO THE BEAT

Rating: 4 out of 5.

For some reason I’m in love with this. Straight hip-hop track with minimal vocal inclusion. Hongjoong killed the first verse and had me hype the whole track going forward. With the beat as is, I would have sworn it was an NCT noise track.

Good Lil Boy

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

A reggae infused track. That’s what this is and there isn’t much more I can say about it. It isn’t terrible but it isn’t one that I will be bumping on repeat. The chorus isn’t really my cup of tea. Mingi’s verse is the highlight clearly.

One Day at a Time

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The amount of times I’ve actually listened to this just shows how much I love it. It’s been on constant repeat all morning. This is ATEEZ first full English track and it feels significant. It’s a song for ATINY, telling us that even though things are hard right now, they’re here for us. For it to be in English shows they are really out here trying to reach their global fans. Now that’s just the lyrics. The music is BOMB. It’s a tender pop track that makes me feel so warm inside. I would love for ATEEZ to play with this sound more often in the future.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is absolutely a new era for ATEEZ. Even though they gave us things that we equate with the group; strong vocals, catchy hooks and raps with an impact, it felt like the group has matured and branched out with more experimentation of sounds.

PRODUCTION: 3/ 5
VOCALS / RAPPING: 3.5/ 5
VISUALS / CONCEPT: 4/ 5
OVERALL: 3.5/ 5

Least Favorite Track(s): Good Lil Boy
Favorite Track(s): One Day at a Time, INCEPTION, FEVER

Lazy Unnie’s Couch: Oh My Baby

Aged 39, Jang Ha Ri is the ultimate workaholic. She hasn’t even had a boyfriend in the past decade, long ago decided to forget about looking for love, and instead has thrown her energy into her career. However, as she works as a senior reporter for a parenting magazine named “The Baby,” she is constantly reminded of the one thing she wants most in life – to have a baby of her own. She decides to cut to the chase and try for a baby but wants to skip one key stage – and resolves not to marry. But as she turns her mind to single parenthood, she suddenly realizes that she is surrounded by admirers: freelance photographer Han Yi Sang, super-smart pediatrician Yoon Jae Young, and the office newbie, the doting Choi Kang Eu Ddeum. Could any of these three love candidates help Jang Ha Ri in her quest to become a mother? And could her quest inadvertently send her on the path to true love?

mydramalist
  • Starring: Jang Na Ra | Go Joon| Park Byung Eun | Jung Gun Joo
  • Episodes: 16 (1 Hr. 5 Min.)
  • Aired: May 13 – July 2, 2020
  • Network: tvN

I love Jang Nara. And after watching her in the crazy The Last Empress, I was excited to see her in this more adult drama. To me, the idea of a woman wanting a baby without a partner or husband seems normal. Just pop down to the sperm clinic and pick you out a baby daddy. But that’s a very western world mentality I realized. Here, Jang Ha Ri doesn’t have it as simple. Her struggle to find a partner, have a baby and keep her career don’t actually run at the same pace on the path that we call adult life. Throw in the fact she’s trying to basically save the baby magazine she works at, things aren’t what you call easy.

When I started watching this, I was enamored. I needed to keep watching to see how this whole reverse harem would turn out. Ha Ri’s harem included her childhood best friend and newly single father, Yoon Jae Young, a young employee at her job, Choi Kang Eu Tteum, and finally a photographer who she has a mysterious past with, Han Yi Sang. Each man was different, all on different paths in their lives but in some way they kind of all complimented different aspects of Ha Ri’s personality.

During the first half of the show it was really firm in it’s plot of trying to find a way for Ha Ri to have a baby against all the odds she had. Even to the point where she tried to illegally purchase sperm, and getting caught for it. Through some other mishaps and some really funny cute scenes, Ha Ri decides she’s going to go with her dongsaeng, Eutteum, who somehow has an abundance of sperm. Now here is something I didn’t like. She decided she would go through with Eutteum and they had a nice chemistry but when the writer decided that the love triangle would be better suited for Han Yi Sang and Yoon Jae Young, Eutteum-shhi kind of fell to the sidelines. Yes, there was some one sided love going on and then a misunderstanding between him and one of Ha Ri’s co-workers, but in the end, I wanted more.

Speaking of the love triangle, it felt forced but not in the typical sense. It just felt expected to be between her childhood best friend who was more of a brother but now that he was newly divorced and Ha Ri’s mother kind of kept putting them together, and the distinguished photographer who was against having children. In the end, I just had wished she picked Eutteum lol. At least it would have been a little more against the grain. Han Yi Sang wasn’t terrible, I just found them to have very little chemistry together and their relationship didn’t really feel all that romantic. I guess it was because at their age there was no need for the cute stuff. Or the fact that they had no chemistry.

Ultimately, I ended up liking elements of the show and didn’t think it was all too bad. I really liked Ha Ri as a character. She was relatable as a writer and I loved how Ha Ri would narrate some of the articles she wrote. It made me as a viewer, care about what she was trying to get across. It allowed me to connect with her better. And I think that’s what I liked about the show from the beginning, Ha Ri’s struggles to really be what she wanted to be from even a young age. A mom.

Acting : 7/10
Story : 8/10
Music : 8/10
Overall : 7.5/10
Recommended For :


Fave Song : ‘Love Is All Around’ by I’ll

Lazy Unnie’s Couch: Put Your Head on My Shoulder

On the cusp of graduation, an accounting major searching for her career winds up living with a genius physics student who shakes up her daily routine. Situ Mo is a graduating student. As someone who got used to having her whole life planned out for her, she is at a loss about her future and can’t find the courage to make a decision for herself. Because the school districts have merged, physics major Gu Weiyi barges into her life. They clash repeatedly without noticing that they are slowly walking into each other’s hearts. To their surprise, they accidentally end up having to live together.

mydramalist
  • Starring: Fair Xing | Lin Yi | Daddi Tang | Zheng Ying Chen
  • Episodes: 24 (42 Min.)
  • Aired: April 10 – May 8, 2019
  • Network: Tencent Video

I could have almost had a baby with the time that it took me to finish this drama. It wasn’t that it was bad. On the contrary, it was incredibly sweet and wholesome. I wanted to watch it because it was promised to be like A Love So Beautiful. There were some similarities, like the height difference between our main leads, the two main couples were a group of friends, there was a school and… that’s about it.

This was a slice of life Chinese drama that was basically an opposites attract story. The plot wasn’t something that was deep or even complicated. There were times when you would think that there would be some problems from outside people trying to break the OTP up but nope, love is strong. A lot of the plot points was about their daily life and learning to live together. On the outside I can see how that would seem boring and nonexistent. I even took a while to finish because it got a little repetitive, but on a whole, the normalcy of the story was refreshing.

At first I thought that Gu Wei Yi was cold and dull. He didn’t really have a wide range of expressions and I was about to write him off as a shit actor. But that’s just how the character was supposed to be. He was a scientist and everything in his life had to have a logical explanation. So when presented with someone that doesn’t fit that equation, it kinda had him buffering at times. Those were my favorite moments. When the relationship between him and Si Tu Mo started to progress, he would look up things like “How to know when a girl is mad” or he looked up how to please her. It was all cute and funny.

Si Tu Mo was kind of your typical female lead. Spunky and defiant until she got in the relationship and then became super shy and girly. That was the only thing I didn’t like about her character. She should have taken that spunk that she had with everything else in her life and applied it to her relationship with Weiyi.

As for conflicts, the only ones I saw were the failed attempts at forming a love triangle from both ends. There was the celebrity that had eyes for Si TuMo and then Weiyi’s classmate. Both times there was no real chemistry to even think that they would be contenders against this OTP.

In the end, if you’re in the mood for a unproblematic drama that makes you feel warm and fuzzy, then this one is for you. Plus, look at how cute Weiyi looks with a cat in a bag! I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE.

Acting : 6/10
Story : 6/10
Music : 7/10
Overall : 7/10
Recommended For : If you’re in the mood for light and cute


Fave Song : ‘Have Your Plot‘ by Zhou Pin

Lazy Unnie’s Playlist: Hwasa – María

TITLE: María

ARTIST: Hwasa

LABEL: RBW Entertainment

RELEASED: June 29, 2020

As Sugar Baby likes to point out, I’m such a boy group stan. But I do love me a female soloist. Even though Hwasa is part of a girl group, I do like Mamamoo (older mamamoo except their problematic behavior.) Let’s see what she does with her first mini.

María – Title Track

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Unfortunately, I’m immediately comparing it to TWIT and both songs have the same vibe for me. It’s like they said lets recreate TWIT but make it Latin. I’m not saying that it’s bad, but it feels expected. It’s also not as addicting as its predecessor. I do like the back end of the chorus, it has a nice drop beat. The tempo change at the musical break felt unnecessary and could have just been for the MV instead of the full song. Speaking of the MV, I have no idea what the concept is here but I do know that Hwasa should ALWAYS have her brows filled in.

Intro: Nobody Else

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really like how it really highlights her vocals and doesn’t really sound like another Mamamoo song.

Kidding

Rating: 3 out of 5.

This was not what I expected when I first played the song. The beginning is this light jazzy start and then it goes into this more eletro R&B melody. Hwasa does this more monotone singing throughout which I almost forget to pay attention to. The chorus is my favorite part. Thank you Zico for that weird ride.

WHY

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a ballad that I didn’t really expect. It’s sweet and traditional and shows Hwasa vocal range. But the chorus is dark and synthy. I really like the song’s concept. Why don’t you love me? is repeated over and over in the chorus. I get it girl, I say it all the time to people who don’t know I exists.

I’m bad too (feat. DPR LIVE)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I love this. Yes, it’s another Latin infused R&B Pop song but it’s fun and the inclusion of DPR brings it to another level. I didn’t know they had a friendship like this but whatevs, cute song.

LMM

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I’m a sucker for a string track. Hwasa put on her Adele and sang the hell out of this. It’s so soul bearing and the musical accompaniment just heightens it’s dramatics.

TWIT

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was released last year as a single and was added to the CD version of this mini. This track took everyone by storm and had bird sounds everywhere for months. I like it more than Maria for sure but I guess this is just gonna be the kind of sound that she has now.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s not surprising that the golden girl of Mamamoo came out with this sort of sound. I tried to sum up my thoughts about this but I found myself being meh about it. It’s just meh.

PRODUCTION: 2/ 5
VOCALS / RAPPING: 3/ 5
VISUALS / CONCEPT: 2/ 5
OVERALL: 2.5/ 5

Least Favorite Track(s): Maria
Favorite Track(s): LMM