What a Spell

GMMTV did a great job with this Series and I’m not saying that because I love supernatural storylines. This was a creative and interesting series. It’s a good example that it doesn’t matter how many episodes a series has as long as it has a great script. It grabbed my attention right from the start. My only criticism is the comedy element. I understand what they were trying to do, but I found it annoying at times. The last episode had some weak parts to it, but it had an interesting scene at the very ending that suggests a possible 2nd season. The acting, cinematography, special effects, and FX make-up was outstanding.

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My review for each section of this series is based on the following criteria:
- Did it add anything to the original series
- Was there either an absence, advance, or regression of character/couple development
- Was the story concept interesting
- Script quality

This had a cute storyline (like the main series), but it’s basically two episodes full of nothing. Yes, it was sweet and fluffy but it doesn’t add that much to the main storyline. I had trouble getting into it because of some weird/poor direction choices. There were some parts that had long and awkward pauses between the actors’ lines and actions. I think the actors did a good job but may not seem it due to this. The end was also cute but does not lead to much character/couple development. It also had a very boring side story that was not needed. The background music choices were great and it had good cinematograph.

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Grabs your attention from start to finish

This was a very good series. The script did a great job hooking you into the storyline. It kept my attention up to the very end. My only complaint is the medical aspect is not very realistic, but it’s only a minor detail. After all, this is only a 6-episode series. The actors were great at portraying their characters. The cinematograph was beautiful and they did an excellent editing job. I love how they used the frost aspect as a metaphor for Ritsu loss of memory of Fumiya.

Random Note:

I know this is only minor, but the opening and closing credits don’t really fit the mood of the whole series.

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Horror with a Message

This movie had a very good story concept with an underline meaning. The script was great because it had a great mix of horror, comedy, and drama. However, it had some weak elements but there only minor. I also loved the underline theme about the horror of loneliness. It had an excellent cast which did a great job with their characters. The cinematography and special effects were amazing.

Random Note:

Warning, there are some gory scenes but there not that bad. Keep in mind that I grew-up watching horror films of the 80’s and 90’s, so my tolerance level of gore is pretty high.

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Makes you want another shot of expresso!

This was a very cute series. I love how they applied coffee metaphors about different relationship troubles. The only problem for me is this series was too short and had a very abrupt ending. The acting from Boy Nattapon and Todd Techit was good. As for the rest of the cast, the acting was decent. It had some trouble with the sound quality in some areas.

Random Note:

I enjoyed this series and would love to see them expand the mystic coffee shop aspect of the script into a longer series.

It was great to see various LBTQ+ representation in the series.

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More enjoyable than the series

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

The movie/series: This had some great story concepts. The script was good and tried to address some important topics. The acting from most of the cast was good considering this was their first series. There are some issues with the audio/sound quality.

The movie: Overall, they did a good job editing this into a movie and was able to weed out some of the unneeded storylines from the series. However, there were a few scenes that were deleted that I wished they kept. See spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. This is a good example on the importance of editing. The series suffered from some poor editing choices that made some of the episodes a little confusing. There were also some scenes in the series that did not make sense. They were able to fix a lot of these problems for the movie version. They were also able to cut out scenes involving few of the supporting cast members over the top/bad acting. As for me, all of the changes increased the quality and enjoyability level of the movie.

Random Notes:

I recommend watching the movie version first instead of the series version. If you’re in my region (US) it should be on MFlow Entertainment YouTube channel.

Was the “movie” that Plengrak and Duean Yi watched in episode 3 of Coffey Melody an Easter egg indicating this was going to be made into a move?

The opening and closing credit still say Second Chance the Series. This could have been an easy fix, but maybe they were just lazy or did not care.



******Spoiler Alert******
I wish they kept some of the scenes involving Near being bullied to give more context on the character and the reasoning behind his actions.

Why did they keep the scene with Sky and Paper under water at the end? By cutting the first scene from the series, this scene doesn’t make sense anymore.

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Overall, a very cute series.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

I did not see any of the seasons of the original series (Love Playlist), so I did not have any expectations coming into this series. Although the story concept is nothing new, it’s one that many can relate to. The script is good, but I was confused at times because of the time flashes back and forth. However, this may be due to editing choices. On a personal level, I loved how they handle the character Moon Tae Young and his storyline. Well, with the one exception. See spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. I thought the cast did a great job with their characters.

Random Note:

For those that did see the original series, I’m sure you will enjoy the actors from the various seasons guest roles throughout this series.

******Spoiler Alert******

I like how episode 6 was devoted to Moon Tae Young. It gave a very mature insight on the struggles of dating when you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. My only complaint is they wait until the very end of the last episode to introduce a possible love interest for him. However, I’ll forgive them if this becomes one of the storylines for season 2.

Let’s face it, there will probably be a season 2. My wish list is that they don’t screw up the relationship development with Do Min Joo and Park Do Yoon. They can focus more on the possible love interest for Moon Tae Young and introducing one for Kim Yoo Jin. They could even possibly create a love story between Yoon Seul and Ahn Jin Woo. Anything to prevent the tired “We broke up” over nothing storyline that plaque so many sequels

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??Why??

This was consistent with the series which is not a good thing.

The episodes were cute but not that interesting. Although I appreciated some of the topics discussed, the script was underdeveloped and felt like the actors were mostly improvising their lines. The acting was ok and there were some audio/sound problems.

Random Note:

I don’t understand why they felt the need for the special episodes. Both episodes could easily be edited down to 15 minutes and added onto the last episode of the series.

This explains the confusion on the number of episodes it had on Viki when the regular series first aired. It seems this was filmed around the same time as the original series but was meant to be released around the holidays. I guess someone at Viki screwed up.

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Not a Magical Watching Experience

I love series with supernatural storylines, but this one is a bit bizarre (even for me). The concept was interesting but the script had elements that don’t make sense. It starts off slow, but it does gain steam by the end of episode 6. However, the last two episodes are pointless. I like the cast, but the acting is ok. The sets and locations they used throughout the series were nice. It also had great special effects.

Random Note:

Once again, the synopsis on VIKI is not accurate. Basically 90% of the information is inaccurate. I’m use to VIKI having synopsis that don’t completely match the series, but this one has a lot of wrong information.

The synopsis on MDL isn’t any better. It’s doesn’t even describe the series at all.

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Another Must Watch!!!

I placed a potential spoiler at the end of this review.

This had an awesome story concept. The series grabs your attention in the first episode. It does get weak around episode 7 but please stick with it. It picks up again and keeps you guessing up to the end of the last episode. See potential spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more info. Some people may find it repetitive at time, but it is a series about a time loop. The time loop scenes were done to show how the butterfly effect worked. I felt they did a great job keeping the views interested. I think the medical scenes are very realistic, but I have no medical training. The script was good, but not great because some of the logic does not add up. However, it’s only minor and does not distract from the story. The script did succeed in showing how all the characters are connected in some way. I like the cast which did a great job portraying their characters. My only complaint is how the character Jinta was portrayed. This character comes across very condescending and annoying. I hate every scene he is in except the very last one. I know Jinta is this mystical character, but he could have displayed some compassion when interacted with the other characters. Jinta only displays this in the very last scene he is in. In fairness, I don’t know if this was a problem with the script or how the actor was told to play the character. As for production, the cinematography and locations were great.

Random Note: It’s cool that this series shares the same universe with Manner of Death.




******Potential Spoiler Alert******
The very last scene with Dr. Bun indicates there may be another series in the works that is set in the same universe. I don’t think it will be a second season of this series, but we may see some of the same characters.

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What can I say, I love series with a mystical vibe. This was an amazing series. It has a great story concept with a solid script. I love it when a series successfully connects multiple elements and characters together. It may have a few weak elements, but it did not distract me from enjoying the series. The cast was great and did an outstanding job. I have to admit there are a lot of side characters. I usually don’t like this, but it somehow worked in this series. The cinematography and special effects were amazing. I normally don’t comment on staging or set designs on a series, but this one did a great job. They were very skillful in separating the scenes between the two realms.

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Good with One Exception

I acknowledge this review will have an unpopular opinion.

This had a great storyline. This is a BL series that also exposes the many problems with the BL industry. It had an outstanding cast which did a great job portraying their characters. I also like how many of the characters did not have your standard ideas of gender norms. However, there are some problems with the script. There are problems with the story continuity, especially with the age difference between Gene and Nubsib. Here is my unpopular opinion, I have a huge problem with the full ending of the series. I was good until the very end of episode 12 (part 4 of episode 12 if you are watching it on YouTube). This is where I got angry. Yes, I actually got angry about it. The full ending felt very lazy, as if the writer got tired with the series. I felt it also downplayed all of the problems of the BL industry that the series was trying to expose in the previous episodes.

Random Note: There are grammatical/spelling errors with the English subtitles if you are watching it on YouTube.


******Potential Spoiler Alert******
This is more of a recommendation than a spoiler. You should stop watching episode 12 after Nubsib whispers into Gene’s ear about how Gene should end his novel. You are really not going to miss anything by skipped the rest of this episode. This is how they should have ended the series.

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I placed any potential spoilers at the end of this review.


This had a very interesting story concept with an excellent script. I only have one criticism, but it’s not really about the script. See potential spoiler alert at the bottom if you want more info. I like the cast and thought the acting was good considering many of the actors were new at the time. I don’t have a background in film production, so forgive me if I don’t express this correctly. The cinematograph is stunning. They did a great job playing with the different filming styles, such as black/white and vibrant colors. The transitioning scenes when Yeon Woo has the color rush and decolorization were remarkable. I also like the music.



******Potential Spoiler Alert******
My only criticism is the description of the series/move on Viki does not completely match what happens. It mentions parts of the storyline that does not actually take place in the series/movie. However, this is an ongoing problem on Viki. The description on MDL is more accurate.

Random Note: Why does the movie version only have the mysterious phone call at the end?

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It Was Different

I placed any potential spoilers at the end of this review.

This series had a refreshing storyline. Although it is set in a university, at least it does not involve engineering or medical science students. However, the execution of the storylines is not the greatest at some points. It does have great cinematograph. The acting was also good considering many of the actors are new in the field.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

My only criticism is the 6-month time jump was not done well and did not help the series.

I would like to see a second season or spin-off series with the two side couples. Especially for the characters Dome and Vee, maybe incorporate the word “waiting” in the series name. Just a thought.

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Give it a Chance

This series is not for you if you don’t like paranormal story lines with a side of sci-fi. If it is, you are in for a treat.

I love this series even with the bittersweet ending. It had a great original storyline. I also like how they incorporated several nods to Lovely Writer in some of the earlier episodes. Great script, beautiful cinematograph, and very good acting. I love the music and the special effects weree used very strategically.

However, the editing of the free cut version is not the greatest. They cut a lot of scenes which makes some of the episodes disconnected and/or confusing. The uncut version is definitely better. The cut version has many scenes missing that are needed to help the viewers fully understand and appreciate what is going on. They also cut scenes that help with the backstories of the side characters.

Disclaimer: I did a slight edit of this original review and changed the Story, Rewatch Value, and Overall Rating sections to reflect the cut version of this series. Edits were done on 1/6/2024.

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