K-Drama 
How do you let reuters make your own drama better than yourself, director?
Overdo was one of my most anticipated dramas of 2026. The millions of leaks from videos to photos made me more excited, and that pairing? everything. Quite a surprise to find out the production team used AI and the bad directing and editing, etc.It's my first republican drama and I know it's supposed to have a messy plot that is filled with drama and betrayal, but it doesn't really create any sense of that. I agree with others; this really does feel like a short drama with the lighting, editing, etc.
Im on episode 12, I think, and it's just hard to get into. I think the drama tries to evoke an emotion in viewers by making the story have a big dramatic effect, which makes the scene overdramatic instead. The editing honestly makes me feel like im watching a reality TV show instead lol. Sometimes certain scenes come off rather sarcastic as well.
Not to mention that this drama had billions of leaks during its shooting last year and it felt like I watched the whole drama lol, tho it did kill some of the excitement.
It's a shame that the production wasted such leads on a very badly executed story, and for those saying "it's a republican drama what do you expect?" it doesn't excuse the bad execution.
The styling is definitely very pretty; WCR looks stunning in each episode, and ZLH looks dashing. Besides beautiful visuals, the story doesn't offer much as of right now. I do hope ZLH and WCR get reunited for a new drama tho in the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
Awful story
Murong Qingyi reminds me of Donald Trump and his TACO moves. He is just all big talk and ends up chickening out. I hate his character. He thinks he is so smart when in fact he is a fool for love. The story is so confusing too. I had to read someone else's explanation before grasping why his own mother hated him so much and why he had two families. There's the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Murong Qingyi,shame on you.
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first 21 episodes are boring and make you mad all the time
visuals: awful, acting: good, story: 6.5/10, ending 4/10episodes 1-21 were boring, after that the story gets better, but still not one of my favorites, there's to much betrayal of the female lead to the male lead, i mean, I'm not buying it🤦♀️ wey to much, also to much deaths, I mean is it posible that 80% of the characters die in the drama? Its too much, then the end, so bad, no body gets a happy ending, i love Zhang linghe but this drama was very bad 😞, I'm sorry I had to say it, Wang churan is a good actress too,just the posructon and the story is bad 😔 so sad, I tough it would be an awesome drama after seeing pursuit of jade my heart broke with this one
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so disappointing
As a huge fan of ZLH – I'd happily watch him reading the back of a packet of cornflakes for an hour or two – but even his presence and energetic attempt at providing this drama with a degree of pizzazz will not make me want to watch further than the first three episodes. I'm sorry, but the ridiculous pace, the clichéd filming, the poverty of character development meant that this drama offers nothing for this viewer to latch on to. I admit to not having watched a 'Republican' drama before, and reading some of the reviews below, I gather it is a genre that has its own specificities, tropes etc. Even so, the drama's inability to credit viewers with a brain, a critical eye, and dramatic sensibility means, for me at any rate, that this drama is a flop. I truly wish I could say otherwise. This is one of the very few dramas that have not wanted to see through to the end before I made up my mind.Was this review helpful to you?
A drama this expensive, and support from the internal platform. Even han
Zhang Linghe’s Stiff Acting: Failing to Bring a Multidimensional Character to LifeThe most significant criticism is directed at Zhang Linghe’s performance as Murong Qingyi. As the son of a warlord burdened by past trauma, the character should possess complex emotional layers—a blend of vengeance, love, and vulnerability. Unfortunately, Zhang Linghe’s portrayal is remarkably stiff; a sly smirk is simply not enough.
• Flat & Monotonous Expressions: When faced with intense internal conflict, his facial expressions often appear blank and lifeless.
• Inability to Match His Co-star: His lackluster acting becomes even more glaring when sharing the screen with Wang Churan. Instead of radiating an intense "love-hate" chemistry, his rigid demeanor makes their romantic interactions feel forced and cold.
2. Bizarre Camera Movement That Disrupts the Aesthetic
The direction and cinematography in *Overdo* amount to a form of "visual malpractice." Many have complained about the highly unconventional camera movements, which distract from the story—reminiscent of low-budget, vertical "micro-dramas," further exacerbated by excessive "beauty" filters.
• "Short-Drama" Style Angles: The camera often moves in a hurried, erratic fashion, utilizing jarring transitions. Far from looking cinematic, the visuals evoke the feel of a low-budget, vertical-format micro-drama. At one point, the camera even focuses on the back of a character’s neck while Wang Churan is speaking—a truly absurd choice.
• Illogical Focus: The director frequently forces extreme close-ups on characters' faces or, conversely, zooms in inexplicably on their feet or the ground, with no clear narrative justification. This creates a disjointed visual flow that becomes exhausting to watch.
The story itself is good, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone prone to dizziness; the production quality is, in my view, visually jarring.
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Short form drama
Literally reminds you of those 2 min episode shitty short dramas.And using AI????? Like that was bad!!!
Bad over the top acting
Literally trying to hide all its flaws by looking visually appealing
the 60s like this? A fantasy....
Complete waste of time
I hope garbage like this that only focuses on visuals gets punished by the government
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Great Leads wasted on Melodrama
I started watching this series because I really like the leads and think they are competent actors capable of delivering good performances. Unfortunately the result was disappointing due to poor directing. The narrative and noir style lack nuance especially in a full length drama. Perhaps the series would be more palatable as afast -paced mini or short drama.
What ruined my viewing experience was the directing. The performances are extremely overacted and unnatural and are a distraction that takes away any possible connection to the characters or narrative! I dropped it after episode 4 because of the theatrical overacting, poor pacing and the flawed directing.
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Dropped After Episode 1: A Cliche Nightmare
The Lazy Intro starts with an exhausting narration explaining years of backstory before introducing the actual characters. Instead of letting the plot unfold naturally, the writers just read a history lesson. I felt absolutely zero emotional connection to the world.The Clumsy Girl Meets Grumpy Guy
The leads are painfully unoriginal stereotypes. The heroine is written as an impossibly loud, clumsy character who trips over thin air, while the hero is just a brooding, expressionless wall. They already had a forced, accidental physical encounter within thirty minutes. It is pure cringe.
Plastic Filters and Bad Audio
Visually, the aggressive skin-smoothing filters completely erase the actors' facial expressions. Combined with the distracting green-screen backgrounds and voice dubbing that does not even line up with their moving lips, the whole production feels entirely fake. I am dropping this immediately.
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Couldn't bear to continue
Being a big fan of Zhang Linghe and after looking forward to this for months, I finally managed to grab episode 1 on YouTube - in the days before I had subscriptions :-)Oh boy, what a disappointment. A lot of people have commented on the AI-generated titles and the use of CGI, but honestly I did not even notice that; what irritated me beyond belief from the moment it started was that awful, melancholic music that went on in the background relentlessly, regardless of what was happening in the action; the terrible, unnatural dialogue... And then there were the 'creative' visual choices. Why did we have to see the actors doing things through a bead curtain? Or a glass? Or reflected on a polished surface? Or their feet only? Was the director on mescaline?
The script was badly written. Everyone except Murong Qing Yi and his brother Yu were inexplicably awful. Qing Yi himself seemed liked the worst kind of scapegoat-come-whipping boy still trying to somehow ingratiate himself with the family from hell, and it seemed that the abuse he suffered as a child, for no real reason I could discern, just kept on coming. I found some of the scenes either ridiculous or cringeworthy, and it was really hard to take it seriously; yet at the same time there was nothing to laugh at because it was about as far from a feel-good show as you can get.
The dumb older sister Jin Rui was included, I suspect, to bring a bit of light relief to the production, but instead of the warm, funny antics of Jolin Jin when she played Gong Zishang in My Journey to You, Murong Jin Rui came across as a brainless, whining, selfish twit with all the appeal of a rotting banana.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of Wang Churan. But I feel that this drama did her a disservice as I am sure she is capable of much better work. Her character seemed selfish, manipulative, secretive in the worst possible way, and insincere. She seemed to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and yet still Qing Yi pursues her like a lovesick teenager.
Zhang Linghe... sigh. Gorgeous, emotionally intense, with powerful expressions and incredible presence as always; but even he could not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I managed five episodes but it was so depressing and awful to watch that I've filled in the gaps with spoilers and video clips, none of which fill me with the impulse to return to this show. Onward and upward, Ling'er. I've drawn a line under this one and am now waiting (im)patiently for The Road to Glory and Ci Tang. ❤️
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Stressful and intriguing
This is a surprisingly stressful and intriguing series. I did drop it reluctantly because of the theme. It is revenge for past history of child abuse and I found it too difficult to watch. Who's the bad guy is the question while I am watching. Trying to figure out what is really happening. It seems to be a spy series, but time will tell. The main leads are excellent but even the support cast are all well known.Was this review helpful to you?
My review
I’ve watched many Republican-era dramas, and I actually think Overdo’s plot is really good. I don’t know if I’m weird, but I truly enjoy this kind of dramatic story where every character has their own layers, complexity, and room for interpretation. I’m really enjoying the plot and how the story develops.Was this review helpful to you?
I've only watched the 1st ep as of now
The 1st ep wasn't that detailed or it wasn't that drawing for me to play the nxt epAll I see is the visuals of Zhang ling he and Wang chu ran and the costumes are reallyy great...but idk what to say abt the entire plot
Hoping it'll get better and maybe I'll watch after all the eps are out🫠
But ppl can chk out the first ep to see the visuals for suree
who knows maybe some can even like it!
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