First Impressions: Mairunovich, Girl2k and Celestial Authority Academy Episodes 1-3

Mairunovich jdrama / based on manga 

Kinoshita Mairu is popular as "poison mushroom" (a pun for 'ugly'). She meets Tenyu who gives her a makeover. She's able to have the confidence to go on dates and meets Naru. Meanwhile her neighbor Mirai is not happy with the changes in Mairu. 

Back then I always wonder if it was a reverse harem because of the wallpapers. And I feel a special connection to this even though I haven't read the manga. I'm happy it got a drama adaptation when normally I would always root for the animation route. 

This may be tied with 3B no Koibito as my favorite among the first impressions from Winter Reverse Harem 2021. And this is the drama among the winter lineup where the reverse harem is not really defined. There are three guys alright but it's not marketed blatantly as a reverse harem and it's taking its time for the main characters to build romantic feelings which I appreciate. Some of the reverse harem from winter are short web dramas so the reverse harem is in full speed ahead.

I realized how I miss highschool jdramas after watching Mairunovich. And I was just saying this how I missed highschool kdramas with True Beauty. (Also a makeover drama. It dabbled on reverse harem too but for a teeny weeny moment). The makeover in Mairunovich is casual and not OTT which is perfect. Although she's now pretty her personality is still awkward and hilarious like nothing changed at all like laughing in the middle of the class because of the attention she's getting and getting revenge on the guy who tricked her. The mushroom references on her pillow and phone cover are cute even though it's supposed to be a pun for ugly. It reminds me of all pink references in Hajimete Koi. 

I love the other characters too with how 'real' Anya is or Naru with his fickleness. But except for our main boy, Tenyu. But no worries since his turn hasn't really started yet. Oh okay I don't exactly feel anything yet from Mirai but let's see since he'll be finally making a move on the next episode. Since Tenyu hasn't entered the picture yet as someone after Mairu, my heart is really hoping for Naru and Mairu to work out.  

I can't seem to pinpoint where I've seen Tengu and Naru until I remembered them from these promotional pictures. Guess which manga turned anime turned movie from last year? Yup, Kiss Him, Not Me!  

Girl2k thdrama

Momay is two thousand years old. She may be able to finally die if she falls in love. The prospective candidates are her boss Thawin, the client Mr. Prom, her mentee Moo Tod and the barista/who-lives-near-her-place Kampan. 

The name of their magazine, The Year, may be a good sign for Momay that this is THE year she gets to die. But the foreshadowing is giving away the ending that she's not actually going to die just yet but maybe the one who cursed her will be the one to die and that she will get old with the love of her life until they die.  

The first episode fared well but it went downhill at the end of the second episode. The way the conflict is being handled comically makes it look like a botched-up story. There are loose ends and stuff that does not make sense like glossing over the fact that the guy saw her stabbed. It's a shame because I actually enjoyed the humor of her office co-workers. It's bordering on corny-ish but tolerable.

It's hard to take Momay seriously. I don't know if the actress is intentionally underacting because Momay is bored with her life. Like nothing can shock her anymore. But living in a pandemic has really changed my outlook on life. I applaud how she still gets the motivation in living her life alone for 2000 years. But don't get me started with Momay asking the barista to cough on her face so she can get the virus. I swear if I saw the scene while drinking I'm going to burst. It was funny yet so oh so wrong. 

No favorite guy yet. And it doesn't help that the new boss looks sleepy all the time. Like you won't ever feel scared of him as your boss. And I'm confused with the barista. He's like a dedicated barista in the office but he's also in the coffee shop. And he goes too with their company lunch. He lives near Momay so they spend time together too but nothing's progressing. 

The soundtrack has grown on me. It's a cheesy addicting jingle that I can still hear inside my head. I also realized I haven't finished a thdrama yet but I've watched Thai movies. I thought my first thdrama will be Ugly Duckling Boy's Paradise but I dropped it after the first episode. Now thinking about I should have tried up to the third episode like I do now. I'm still undecided if I will finish this but maybe I will now for the sake of completing one. There's another upcoming thdrama which is Boys Over Flowers (Not a reverse harem, but see Levels of Reverse Harem) 

Can we also talk about the weird staircase where everyone is coming from the second floor? I think the entrance from the second floor. I NEED to see it. 

Celestial Authority Academy cdrama 

Song Lian Yu is the world's greatest novelist and enters the greatest academy as a boy. She meets the four princes: Duan Shao Xuan (his sister is the favorite of the queen), Qian Jia Gu (the son of the general), Cui Chu Yi (his grandfather is the secretary-general), and Gong Zi Ran (adopted son of the prince). 

I disagree with a comment before labeling In A Class of Her Own as a watered-down version of Sungkyunkwan Scandal. But I found myself thinking back again on this comment for Celestial Authority Academy. The story is missing the oomph that will make it at least different from all the gender-bender dramas. At least she wasn't sharing a room and one of the guys realized right away.

The first episode easily earned to-be-dropped status but surprisingly the antics are funny as it progressed. This might be just me. My sense of humor now is questionable now. I cracked up when they were introduced as the best in martial arts and greatest novelist while the other two are simply the son of the richest man and the son of the general. Lol. No one has fallen in love with her yet but the synopsis is: "And many men eventually fall for her." Confirming the reverse harem status is commendable but the straightforward blurb is funny. I would probably use this as a description but I didn't expect this from the official synopsis.  

There is a fun cat and dog relationship between the main characters. It's not the usual bully boy against a girl (pretending-as-a-guy). She can bully him on her own thank you very much. Also for someone so feminine, she looks androgynous when she's disguised as a boy. What sorcery is this?  

Episode 3 ends in an abrupt cliffhanger that is making me want to check what happened. Chinese dramas have abrupt cliffhangers as opposed to kdramas where everything goes in slo-mo and then rotates at 360 degrees. But just like In a Class of Her Own, I really don't care about the supporting characters. Can we skip them, please, and focus on the main cast?

Which dramas are you watching or have finished from winter? Let me know your favorites.

Purchase titles/ related to the titles mentioned: (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):

Kiss Him, Not Me 1 https://amzn.to/3vxeg7B

Kiss Him, Not Me!: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] https://amzn.to/3eEp2Ta

Love Reverse Harem Garden? Follow on: Youtube  |  Facebook  | Twitter  | Instagram 

You can support through Kofi. Shares and whitelisting the site are also appreciated. :)