Marry My Husband: Japan

Beyond revenge: Well-written characters, Of Growth & Healing and Differing Fates

Disclaimer: I've not read the Manhwa or seen the K-Adaptation. Contains some spoilers ahead! Might be lengthy as I biasedly gush over the writing and depth of the characters. Feel free to disagree or not!

As someone who's admittedly not a fan of revenge plot (especially over-dramatized ones), this show really surprised me as it somehow hits all the right notes for me as by striking a delicate balance between the progressively heavier, darker revenge plot with some comedic moments and plenty of beautiful, heartwarming moments of platonic, familial and romantic relationships - all of it brought together by breathtaking cinematography, lighting and color palette.

Ultimately, what really drew me in were the characters and their progression. Whether you find yourself rooting for them, hating them, empathizing or sympathizing with them, the characters' grounded, consistent writing and/or growth were truly a joy to watch.

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✧ MISA
Koshiba Fuka's performance was truly the highlight of the show. I do find myself cringing whenever I notice instances of over-acting (I hope I'm not too harsh here) in Jdoramas but Misa's portrayal here felt so natural in every scene even as she progresses into different phases of her life which really showcased her acting range. IMO, even in her first life, Misa had qualities of a character you'd want to root for. What she really needed to learn was prioritizing her own needs and setting boundaries around toxic relationships. And that's exactly what she did in her second life - she's still the Misa (with her likeable traits) who struggles to be a villain, who’s kind and genuine to people she loves, except now she's also willing to take chances, stand up for herself, learn from her failures to ultimately becoming someone truly and unabashedly comfortable in her own skin. After all, growth and healing take time. What a joy to watch.

✧ WATARU
Takeru Sato's performance is a little stiff by design, because underneath the cold and aloof front is a socially awkward man who blurts out (mean) things which he doesn't mean. Think of paddling ducks: calm and collected on the (water) surface, but panically paddling to stay afloat. Underneath the tsundere appearance is actually someone who also needed to grow as an individual - even if Wataru had initially believed that he should dedicate his second life to Misa, to the extreme of wanting to pay with his own, a parallel to Misa at the start when it comes to neglecting their own needs. Despite his attempts in his second life to play a more proactive role in Misa's life, he still struggled with the occasional bad decisions and hesitation when the moments mattered the most - hesitating to ask Misa out (during the drunk Misa phone call), casting aside his true passion for research, not being upfront with Misa in the latter half and trying to take matters into his own hands. Like Misa, Wataru can and should learn to live the life he wishes to live. And like Misa, he too needed to make mistakes and learn from them. As much as we (Or just speaking for myself) love seeing more Green Flag couples portrayed on screen, it's hard not to appreciate Wataru being written as a more grounded character learning and working through his own flaws and insecurities (ie. believing that his role in the company was not due to his abilities but familial circumstances), some of which stemming from his humble origins instead of being born into a life of riches and comfort.

✧ REINA
Undeniably the second highlight of the show was Shiraishi Sei's performance as Reina. And her performance only got better and more unnerving as Reina's psyche got progressively darker and more twisted. I've said it before but I really enjoyed her backstory that allowed me to understand how she might have become who she is and how her defensive/coping mechanisms came to be. Backstories which explain but not justify her actions and character. I'm hesitant to psychoanalyze further to avoid potential stigmatization but my impression of Reina is more lastingly one of a tragic character. Perhaps an unpopular opinion but I'm left wondering how life could've been different had she had loving parents or adults who not only loved her but also guided her towards accountability when things go south. What might a second life for Reina, perhaps even further back into her childhood look like? Ultimately, I'm reminded of the phrase - Hurt people hurt people. Alas, huge props to Shiraishi Sei for doing such a phenomenal job.

✧ TOMOYA
I felt kind of bad that Yokoyama Yu had the least to work with in terms of Tomoya's character but the dinner scene with Reina made me come to terms that that's just who Tomoya is - a man who is the opposite of Reina - someone who's emotional yet reactive (Think back to the countless scenes where he lashes out without a plan, even showing his abusive side by taking advantage of Misa's kindness.). Yet, he's also naive and gullible in his own ways - seeing how he got so easily swayed by Reina and Misa's words and who can forget ...'how to get away with murder'. In a sense, Tomoya's lack of accountability and naivety are likely products of growing up in an overly sheltered environment. Tomoya's character arc parallels more closely with Reina but differs in other ways. Tomoya had a loving mother (To be clear, I'm not saying she's a good person. She's awful.) but one who had coddled him to the point of detriment. By comparison, Reina had none (No loving parent or any understanding of accountability). Applying the second life scenario again, unlike Reina, Tomoya offered a slight glimpse of 'what could had been' in his final apology to Misa (And no, Misa doesn't have to forgive him.) and him reaching the realization of how badly he messed up. But alas, too little too late.

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❤️ MISA & WATARU
Aside from the obvious heart-warming scenes Misa and Wataru both share on screen, the progression of their relationship felt natural all the way to the end. What I really appreciated was the full circle writing with how they both complemented each other as the story progressed.

Phase 1: Despite lacking in social skills, Wataru understood boundaries (ie. How repulsive he felt towards Reina and Tomoya) which was what Misa needed. Whether intentionally or unintentionally provocative with his upfront remarks and questions, he helped Misa realize that she is more than capable of standing up for herself (Yes, even against Wataru) right from the get-go.

Phase 2: However, doesn't Wataru remind us of people who are good at dishing out advice but horrible at applying them to their own lives? Re my previous point that Wataru still had the tendency to make the wrong decisions when it mattered the most. We see Misa became more comfortable pursuing and expressing what she wants while Wataru remained stagnant in his growth, likely because he was more focused on Misa's well-being than his own. Now, enter a more confident Misa to complement Wataru's flaws, not only by reminding him to heed his own advice but to also be more honest in expressing his true feelings.

Phase 3: Both Misa and Wataru acknowledging that they want and need each other in their second life, regardless of how things might go - that it's more important for them to walk together.

❤️ MISA & REINA
I really enjoyed how everything played out at the end, especially the parallels in their fate (Even Reina's with her mother's was an eerie parallel). This might be a hot take but I thought it felt more satisfactory seeing how their story arcs (through Misa's POV) are not restricted to the idea of forgiving / not forgiving, but in acknowledging the nuances of the circumstances and ultimately the need to learn, move on and heal. Understandably, if you want a more revenge-centric plot, I can see why this might be disappointing.

Another hot take being that ultimately it isn't about what we as the audience think is right (though I want to acknowledge that our varied responses are valid as they are shaped by our individual values and lived experiences) but what made sense through Misa's POV, her character growth and the story's themes.

IMO, Misa likely sympathized with Reina's painful childhood (and abandonment trauma) but she also possesses enough self-awareness to acknowledge her own shortcomings of not being more upfront with Reina earlier all while remembering that she is also not responsible for Reina's actions and behavior. Multiple things can be true at the same time. Misa can and should cut off toxic relationships which are beyond repair and ultimately that's what she stood firmly by even in the face of death. Had she done the opposite, it might not have sat well with me either. And ultimately, no matter how much Misa plots and schemes (understandably due to the plot mechanism), it felt more grounded and satisfactory to see Misa realizing that she needed to face her fears up front instead of running away or pulling strings from afar. Like how she first learnt to be direct and not let anybody talk down to her, here too did she need to be direct and leave the toxic relationship.

Even more impressive when you realize this seemed to be the way the writer managed to circumvent the plot mechanism (second life + time travel + death substitute) and relay a message or life lesson that could be applied practically - that there come points in our lives where we need to face our fears and problems head on.

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✧ SCREENPLAY & WRITING:
Writer Oshima Satomi's screenplay here excels not just through the consistent characterization of our 4 leads but also the tight writing. Most of the scenes and dialogues seemed to serve a purpose without feeling forced, cheapened or unnatural. Even the plot - how characters learnt about various information - flowed logically and naturally, for most parts. What truly impresses me is how satisfactory the rewatching experience gets once you start noticing the countless call-backs, references, motifs, parallels and foreshadowing being sprinkled throughout the show right from the get-go. There were definitely moments that felt too convenient but ultimately, I felt like this show's strengths are good and enjoyable enough to cover the flaws.

✧ BONUS THINGS I LOVED:
- Nearly all the scenes involving Misa's father were comforting and heartwarming to watch. Tsuda Kanji did a great job portraying the loving father.
- The 1-2 mins flashback of Misa remembering 'how she never liked it when others were in a bad mood' and 'how she felt the need to keep the peace' was a very subtle yet insightful look into Misa's psyche and very relatable due to personal experiences. Maybe this is why I find myself rooting even harder for Misa (and acknowledging that she is flawed like everyone else) and her growth as a person?

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In conclusion, I've said plenty and would definitely recommend everyone to give this show at least a try (and for me, multiple rewatches in the future). My reasons are obviously just my own for why I've enjoyed it and it's not a show without its flaws. If you've read this far, thanks for your patience and I hope that my word salad wasn't a waste of your time 😂

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Incredible story and satisfying ending

Just finished watching Marry My Husband Japan, and it was an incredible story. Takeru Satoh (as Suzuki Wataru) is incredible. I love his soft, protecting, loving energy throughout the series. He is a male lead with true integrity and remains faithful in his love and will to protect Misa. I love how the old timelines of evil, manipulation, sacrifice, and ego winning was flipped into the new timeline of innocence, love, and sacredness protected. Sometimes Misa’s naive behavior was annoying as she would walk into the lion’s den completely unarmed and inviting trouble and danger to follow her. That’s where Wataru’s protection was sorely needed.

The characters were believable and I have experienced people like Reina, and Tomoya, although I have not met a Director Suzuki Wataru before. I would love to meet him. As for Misa, I can personally relate to her- being the scapegoat and victim of being the sacrificial lamb. I was very happy for her when she was able to make friends with Miko (Suzuki’s younger sister), Tanabe (her high school crush), and Samiyoshi (her direct manager). The five of them in the new timeline really built up a solid friendship together and it made me happy that Misa was able to find people who cared about her and protected her. Something that really touched me about Misa and Wataru’s university life was how they described it as “a lonely school life.” I can relate to that too. Misa said how she never made any friends in university and Wataru had the same experience. Well I too had the same experience. The lone, inward life, introspection. With the innocent baby turtle Kamekichi as Misa’s only friend, and the silent protection of Wataru watching over her. Even though it would have been painful and lonely back then, the silent introspective life created a kind of sacredness in the atmosphere, even when they revisited it again. I know the feeling. It all paid off in the end. I loved how the series sprinkled in many moments of intimacy, a beautiful relationship, forming between Misa and Wataru instead of just clumsily plopping them together at the end. It made absolute sense that they would end up together, and it was only natural considering that their relationship had been blossoming since the beginning of the new timeline. Their relationship was truly golden, and I would’ve been heartbroken if anything had come to sabotage it in the end. But it was as if the spirits of their own parents bless the connection and allowed it to move forward into a fruitful and beautiful new beginning while saying, farewell to the horrors of the past..

Reina was truly twisted and evil and it just shows that some people when they are traumatized, they can end up being the worst evil on the planet. Instead of seeking healing through introspection, they seek revenge and Reina just callously murders and attempts to kill off anyone in her way. She didn’t really truly know what she wanted because all she seemed to pursue was what Misa had and she didn’t really know what she herself wanted out of life, except to destroy the happiness of others. Such people exist- with a kind of pathological envy for the innocent and sacred ones, and a desire to steal what they have. It was truly sad how the ego causes devastation and misery and suffering all around it- to make sure that everyone else is just as miserable as they are. So I am glad that those characters were eliminated in the new timeline. Thank God that true love was given a chance to survive and blossom in the end. As Wataru said, new life and greenery will bloom in the desert.

I have no interest in the Korean version because for some reason the K drama remakes or originals are usually such poor quality compared to the Japanese versions- I find them to be tacky and missing the reverent and sacred quality that I see in the J dramas. I have even tried to watch a remake or original K drama version after finishing the Japanese one and they are always so bad that I have to stop after a few minutes. If J dramas are a Michelin star restaurant, K dramas would be Arby’s.

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such a good adaptation

July 24, 2025

OH MY GOD!

This version of Marry My Husband is so good. I am so happy with the little tweaks that they did with the plot and such. And I can't fathom to think how hooked I was for this adaptation.

Even though, I know the general plot as I have read the webtoon and watched the Korean adaptation, this still hits the spot.

In comparison to the Kdrama, this one is more concise and I love the Japanese-zation of the story. It makes sense why they took this with this approach and I am so happy to consume this media. And there is not stupid sub plot like the korean version!!!

The chemistry of the leads are through the roof and even though it may not be accurate to the webtoon. I STILL MF LOVE IT.

SUCH A GOOD ADAPTATION, it brought me out of the drama slump!

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This is what a remake should be all about! Just so impressive!

Honestly, this is one of the best remakes I have seen in a while and this must be only my 3rd or 4th Japanese drama, the other dramas didn't leave much of an impression.

Thea actors were good!
The chemistry was lit!
The pacing was just right!

I know, I am using too many exclamation marks, but it was that good for me!

I have seen An Incurable Case of Love but I didn't much care for it, this one is a gem.

It doesn't at all feel like a remake. The actors bring their own energy and style to characters and they look amazing throughout it all.

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Phenomenal revival of the classic revenge drama!

Wow wow wow, this was sooo much fun! I've not seen the korean version, so I was going into the show mostly blind but it was beautiful! The cinematography was stunning, the acting was brilliant and most importantly I thought the pacing was perfect. They didn't drag out any of the plot lines, and I was genuinely shocked at every plot twist! I think there's been a many more competent, strong-willed fls being written as of recent, and Misa is definitely one of them. I was immensely satisfied by her direction in the show and how much more confidence she gets. Satoh Takeru is as always a delight to watch and having just seen him in an incurable case of love, it was so lovely to see him being a more nerdy character and smiling a lot more! As much as I hated the character, Shiraishi Sei did a phenomenal job as the villian, and I rlly did believe the incompetence of Tomoya. I thought the ending was very well done and satisfying (essential for a revenge drama) and I loved the montage of all the events happening in the 10 years until 2025.

As a side note and slight tangent- OMG THANK GOD YURIKO DIVORCED HER HUSBAND, maybe I'm still traumatised from the ridiculousness that was Dr Cha, but I was so scared the drama anti-divorce agenda was going to appear again but thankfully it didn't. I genuinely cheered when she went "ofc i've handed in the divorce papers" That's my girl fr

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It was all about second chances and living life to the fullest

Let me start this off by saying that this adaptation is by far my favourite one ! I cried, laughed, raged, ranted and enjoyed every second of this.

I've read the manhwa and watched the kdrama before this. I don't want to compare too much to the other adaptations but I was slightly disappointed with the kdrama so I went into this skeptical of it's execution. However I was pleasantly suprised and might even consider this as one of the top dramas of the year.

Let's start with the many positives:
1. A well written adaptation- The writers cleverly understood the plot holes and the missing gaps in the original work and kdrama. The scenes ebbbed and flowed smoothly and there weren't any space for us to question anything. There were some changes to the story but the original essence and story direction stayed the same. The changes made sense and just elevated the story even more.
2. Great casting and acting- The cast and acting direction were perfect. The facial expressions to the dialogue delivery, everything was done realistically with no unnecessary exaggeration. The chemistry between the actors was also great and I was feeling the emotions with them.
3. Cinematography and dialogue- You could really feel what the producers wanted to convey through the cinematography. Even though the story has dark elements, the overall lighting and coloring stayed warm and bright. The dialogues were also written very well. They were believable and realistic so I stayed invested in the story.
4. The overall message- The manhwa adaptation had a more comedic and dramatic tone. The kdrama had a more dark, exaggerated and dramatic tone, almost similar to a soap opera. However, this adaptation had a more hopeful and uplifting message which I really liked and related to.
5. No unnecessary drama or characters- The biggest reason why I was disappointed with the kdrama was the unnecessary dramatic plot twists and new characters. There is already enough side characters and plot twists in the source work so adding too many things made it feel forced and heavy. But here, they took away some side characters, stuck to the original storyline and even made it better by filling in plot holes.

Now, there are some minor cons:
1. Scarcity of romantic scenes- The leads had so much chemistry and romantic tension that I was waiting for them to get together to see their passionate relationship. They did have one awesome kiss scene but right after that, they acted like an old married couple. I get that they are older and mature, but I wanted some goofy cuteness and passion.
2. Some dramatic scenes- Though the writing and dialogue was better, there were some scenes which were just too dramatic to be believable. Since most of the drama was done in a natural way, the dramatic scenes stood out too much in a bad way.

Other than that, I have no other complaints because this drama was genuinely that good. Everything was perfect and this is definitely going to rank higher in my charts.

The kdrama had some negatives like the unnecessary new characters, out of the blue plot twists which didn't make any sense and the lead actress' overpowering presence which kind of overshadowed the rest of the cast and plot. But this adaptation took notes and worked on filling the plot holes, made the cast perform in harmony and actually delivered a good message that can be comforting to a lot of people.

Overall, I hope everyone gives this drama a chance because this just proved that the curse of the exaggerated jdramas with bad acting can be broken.

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To me, today

I found this because I very recently watched another adaptation of the same story, started it because of a recommendation, kept with it because of how interesting it got and finished it with a greater appreciation of just.. feeling appreciative.
Because despite being a story about second chances, it was always about taking chances on what you want.

The story is creative and crisp, the plot is solid and moves at a brisk pace, and doesn't feel too dramatic, even with the fantastical setting. The leads are characters you can root for, and they have great chemistry. It's a complete package and a good drama.

But I have watched this story before. The adaptation I watched was the K Drama, Marry My Husband and naturally, I couldn't help but compare the two. There were some things I preferred about the K Drama, and some aspects that were better executed here, in the J Drama. Both solid in their own right, but asking me, this is the one I would recommend before the K Drama.

Firstly, because the story is much more consice and palatable. One thing I really didn't like about Marry My Husband was the amount of filler scenes they had, and cutting out a lot of the stuff from the latter half in this version really helped with the story.

Second, the characters. I think with the exception of Tomoya (Min Hwan in the K Drama), I preferred how the characters were written in the J Drama. At points, I would say I preferred the character writing here completely to that of the K Drama. Misa was much more feisty and pro active, Wataru felt less like a caricature of "perfect human being", Reina was much more devious and cunning, and Tomoya was so incredibly pathetic as a character.
The way all of them interacted with each other was also so much more believable than in the K Drama, all of that felt highly dramatized and here it was quite representative of how human beings behave at times. The actors themselves did so well, like I said, for the most part, the character writing was much better here, and every actor took the brief and ran with it. The performances were incredible.

Third, the CHEMISTRY. Sorry but, Park Min Young and Na In Woo had zero chemistry, but luckily, Koshiba Fuka and Satoh Takeru brought it! Overall, the J Drama would be the version I prefer and would recommend.

You win some and lose some though, and there were tiny things like Lee Yi Kyung's portrayal of Min Hwan or Lee Gi Kwang as Eun Ho and his impact on the plot that I missed here. Plus, a couple of aspects I think they could have bettered upon - particularly the last few episodes. There were some moments that felt completely out of character for so many characters and though it can be likened to impulsiveness and emotion, I just didn't understand those actions. And one that really, really disappointed me? The ending! Not the actual ending but the ending our antagonists got. Without spoiling anything, it just didn't make sense to me and I wish it had been executed just a bit different.

There is however one thing that disappointed me in both versions.. the romance. Why you ask? I just didn't buy it. I had a hard time believing either of the couples in either version were really that into each other that they would sacrifice themselves for each other's sake (like the dramas were clearly trying to tell us), but I never felt that soulmates level connection anywhere.

That was a long drawn out comparison to say that you can watch any version you'd like but my recommendation is this one here. The overall impression this made was a lot better and even without comparison, it has a great story and message.

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This is how you adapt another show!

To be fair, this is not an adaptation of the Kdrama, but the webtoon the drama was based on but the fact that they decided to make this after the success of the Kdrama, makes me think they had their eyes on that show's progress, for sure! So, the fact that they saw that, said great and then went on to make a BETTER adaptation, deserves all the applause.
Here are all the ways this was better:
1. I like the aesthetics of this better! I like the warm lighting better than the blue/white light crispy quality of Kdramas. This is a matter of personal taste. So I'm getting it out of the way. I like warm tones, warm lighting, and natural skin tones better! I also found the outfits more realistic and cozy. They looked like timeless pieces that didn't scream 2025 trends in 2015. They also looks believable purchasable for the female lead. Yes, they make a point of her buying a pricey dress but she also buys a bunch of cheap stuff! lol The houses looked better too! Like lived in places. It just had a nicer production design.
2. With just 10 hour-long episodes, this show doesn't waste time on anything! Any sort of time-consuming melodrama that would buy time for subway product placement is cut out! They don't introduce a random villain in the last 4 episodes who burns through your nervous system like a flesh-eating fungus...sorry that got graphic! But the point is, this show stays very focused on the main plot which is surprisingly, not revenge...and that leads me to my next point.
3. This show has revenge in it, sort of. But the revenge is not the main plot, the plot is about living your best life and seizing the day and not leaving your life by someone else's expectations. Instead, to leave well, for you. That is such a strong and beautiful message that by the end, the revenge isn't even sweet. It's just sad that to see those characters ruin their lives by greed and envy and grudges. Meanwhile, our female lead gets to be more true to herself in a healing and lovely story. The fact that she gets rid of her abusive ex and her toxic friend is a bonus!
4. This is not an entirely super realistic story overall and it has romantic notions such as an ethical CEO who cares and is nice. Or the ability to rent good housing...BUT it's also not too dramatically theatrical. I liked that.

Anyway, HIGHLY recommended. Watch this instead of the drama. The chemistry is better here, the romance hits harder, the interior design is better and the story is delightful! Also watch it if you've already watched the Kdrama! hehe...

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A second life. A right and happy life.

This is a wonderful way to show how a remake must be done. Great storyline. There are no unresolved issues. Everything is wrapped up nicely. The actors magnificently played their roles well. Satoh Takeru never disappoints. But I applaud Koshiba Fuka as Misa. Love her sweet smile.

The secondary characters were also excellent. Everything was perfect.

My favorite scene was when Wataru shared his future plans with her. I teared up with that... And also when Misa finally wins on her bet to fix the marriage between the two.

Everyone is wonderful. Just applaud the writers...

10/10...

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The acting and cinematography overshadowed how unentertaining the screenplay is

The drama has little to no viewer impact, unjustifiable behavior of the villain, exxagerated music scoring, and some episodes were bland and lacks emotional impact to viewers.

First, the most important factor to me when rating dramas are their impact. Wether the drama is measured with their shocking plot twists or heart wrenching emotions. This drama lacks it but should have possessed it by not revealing the most important revelations at an early time. It pisses me off that some revelations will be revealed and then it will be revealed again at the point of the view of the main character. Almost all revelations were revealed twice. This writing breaks the elements of surprise and impact to the viewer. Come on, this is not how the writer should write it. Reveal them once and at the right time.

Second, the music scoring is very exaggerated. This is the first Japanese drama that you will hear such a suspenseful music scoring for a wordful girl fight. It’s like the music is for a brutal killing scene but look at the characters they are just staring at each other.

Third, a bland climax for some episodes. You see, all episodes must have their own story circle. Meaning to say, they must have their own climax, sadly some episodes were bland but due to its cinematography and exxagerated scoring, they managed to pull it off.

Fourth, the unjustifiable character of the villain. The important element for a Japanese drama is the villain’s motive, the reason why they’re acting like that. All motives should be valid. Unfortunately, the drama failed to present the villain’s reasoning properly on how they can be like that kind of person. All viewers must validate the villain’s background. To make a successful villain is to make the viewers agree with your motive but I highly doubt if they agree with the villain in this drama.

Overall, the production managed to pull it off nicely with great acting of the cast and the cinematography but I hope that they will pay attention next time on how they will write their show.

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