Had I Not Seen the Sun Part 2 (2025)

I am just going to cut straight to the chase with this one, HINSTS II was absolutely incredible not just a stellar story on its own but a sequel that delivers on almost everything the first part set up.. The drama feels so much sharper and heavier in the second part, which is exactly what you want from a Part 2.. Since the first part already laid a solid foundation for the story, the characters and the direction this will go, this sequel dives deep into that darkness.. We get a clearer view of how everything actually went down and most importantly we finally see the pain those monsters went through..

This story like the first part is all centered around the horrific incident and the aftermath of that trauma.. This time they did a brilliant job showing the lasting damage this event left on the main characters..

I think I should get this out first.. From a storytelling perspective, the 10 episodes make sense.. They cover all the questions, tick all the boxes, explain the whys and hows and show what pushed Li Yen Yao to that level of desperation.. It ties everything together neatly.. That said, this could easily have been 4 episodes shorter and still been just as good if not better.. For people who were waiting just to watch the guys who ruined her life suffer, it might feel a bit long.. Personally, it was totally worth it.. I just wish their pain had lasted longer.. They died too quickly and they didn’t even feel half of what she had to go through..

There is nothing more satisfying than watching bad people get what they deserve in the most brutal way possible.. But at what point does revenge turn into something darker than cold blooded murder itself?? You will know exactly what I am talking about if you have watched the drama.. We could argue about morality, humanity, conscience, ethics, whatever you want to call it.. But the truth is, something started that day and that ' something ' only had one possible end.. That’s what we saw here.. If this wasn’t the ending, then it would have been those scumbags walking away with a smile on their faces again just like last time.. Because in this journey, no matter which path they took, everything was always going to diverge into the same destination eventually..

It’s not a very clever drama with a cunning hero.. Most of the emotional nuance can get lost among the horrible things happening, the bloodshed, the brutality and the sexual aspects of the drama.. This is where the longer storytelling I mentioned earlier really comes into play.. The story gets the respect it deserves because it doesn’t rush anything and it lets us see that there are other extremely compelling elements to this sequel besides people being killed for revenge.. As the story moves forward, we see how the barriers she built to protect herself from those memories slowly break down, inching her closer and closer to the moment when everything collapses.. We watch her reach her breaking point and we see how because of that Li Yen Yao is pushed into a psychological spiral.. His inner and physical conflict only intensifies as he reaches that tipping point where he realises there is no other way left except revenge and justice for the pain that practically ended their life.. So that at least she can have a life or whatever is left of it..

Watch out for episode 5, that’s where things get confusing for some and everything makes sense for others.. And the way Chou Pin Yu's real face is revealed?? Honestly, that was ' peak cinema ' as they say.. And that scene with the plant she watered.. That was so well done.. That one moment showed exactly what she was going through, a glimpse of what is actually happening to her.. And again just like in the previous season, the transition from past to present was slick.. The bar scene in episode 5?? Perfect..

The casting for this drama was crucial to making the story work and this is definitely one of those cases where the cast truly shines.. Tseng Ching Hua carries that quality that defines both the teen and adult versions of Li Yen Yao.. He feels like a soul forced into the harsh truth of existence.. It puts him in this strange place between who he was and who pain turned him into.. I really like LYY's character arc, someone becoming desperate and hungry not just for revenge but also to protect the only person he loves.. The rest of the cast was really good too.. Alice Ko basically did for this part what Moon Lee did in the first, she carried the emotional weight of the story and pushed it forward with her performance..

There is a real ' why the f**k would he do that?? ' moment toward the end that honestly bothered me, his second last kill.. There was absolutely no need for it.. It suddenly paints LYY in a different shade, but then the show weirdly downplays it afterward as if it doesn’t really matter.. So what was the point of that?? Was it just to make his death feel inevitable?? But wasn't that already the case??

Now, the ending might seem vague or open, like what actually happened to her?? But it really isn’t.. She fulfilled her promise to him about following her passion for ballet.. Then she rereads his letter, walks toward the ocean and drowns herself.. The mid credit scene makes it clearer.. She meets him again in the afterlife or whatever you interpret it as and together they finally complete their last unfinished wish, preparing the Christmas tree.. And that’s it.. That’s the real ending..

There was never going to be a happy ending in this one, not for a single moment did the story suggest otherwise.. What we got was the best possible outcome for these characters.. And honestly I am glad they didn’t soften it or exaggerate it.. It was the perfect ending for a beautifully written, directed and performed story about two people and the agony that shaped their lives..

Overall, just like Part 1, this is a well made drama that delivers the best possible conclusion to the story.. I can’t say I enjoyed it, that’s not the right word, but I was completely riveted by it.. This story had one of the best portrayals of a character’s mental breaking point and it wants us to feel it, to understand it.. It’s not a pleasant watch and it’s not meant to be.. And honestly, seeing those trash people whose humanity was long gone, the soulless monsters finally face their comeuppance made this worth it..

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Hauntingly beautiful.

Had I Not Seen The Sun Part 2.

I didn't expect to like the second part more, but here I am, amazed at how perfect it was. It balanced perfectly the beautiful love story between the "butterfly and the moth" and the gruesome murders he committed to protect her.

Again I found myself forgetting that this man brutally murdered all those people, wanting to find a way for him to be forgiven, they were scum they deserved it and it was so satisfying to see these monsters cry in pain and beg for forgiveness.

Watching this part made me realize why the back story was told in such detail, all of it is important, the beautiful parts, the ugly and painful parts too all to better understand the mind of this man and the broken girl he loved so much.

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And the thunder rolls...

Had I Not Seen the Sun P2 continued the story of pain and retribution which began in P1. Questions were answered, monsters were destroyed and created, and justice was once again slow and ineffectual.

Li Jen Yao is out of prison and working for Big K as a cleaner amongst other jobs. More than anything he is searching for Chiang Hsiao Tung who has seemingly disappeared. One night he helps a blind woman who has Chiang’s butterfly tattoo on her hand. Is this the girl he has been searching for? How could she look so different? Somehow in this town of over 2 million people other interested parties from the past also bump into the damaged pair.

Sun P2 did some things quite well. The romantic parts sizzled and scored. Chiang’s brokenness, not only from the attack by her rapists but by society’s lurid need for despicable videos, and people’s trained response to blame the victim, resulted in her mind’s answer to an unanswerable question to her problems. Alice Ko may have been too old for her role, but I honestly enjoy her performances and was grateful for her screen time in P2. The drama highlighted how Chiang felt trapped in that one horrific moment, not only her, but the boy who loved her as well.

What didn’t work for me as much: The villains became even more cartoon-like completely going over the top, perhaps to justify their gruesome deaths more. Li sinking into monsterdom wasn’t a shock, we knew from season 1 that he would go on a killing spree, but his bloodlust spilled over onto people who didn’t deserve it. His last murder was almost comical, it felt like the old saying, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” “I’ve murdered this many people so, why not?” While Chiang’s mental state was the focus of her story, it would seem the writers underwrote Li’s. His most monstrous act didn’t seem to faze Chiang which was also problematic for me. Li was always portrayed in a simple binary. There was Chiang, his sun, and everything and everyone else in the darkness with him. While I enjoyed watching the romance blossom, it was at best a female wish fulfillment of a guy who would do anything, anytime, anyway for his girl with few thoughts and desires of his own. Finally, after all the angst and mysteries, the drama took a shortcut in the healing of a truly complex mental illness that was jarring.

There was a public service announcement with a number to call “if you need someone to talk with” at the end of the drama, not how to get justice, which just showcased that rape is a part of life for many women. Women who will never see justice. Women who must deal with a patriarchal society that blames the victim, shames the victim, and oftentimes turns on the victim. With the advent of the internet, their pain can be on full display for seemingly all time with few recourses because the silent monsters in the dark feed on it. There were so many important things this drama touched on, not least of which was how abusive parents cause terrible brokenness in their children and society. I was prepared to give Had I Not Seen the Sun P2 a higher score as I was watching it until Li went completely off the rails. A romanticized monster is still a monster.

13 December 2025
Trigger Warnings: Sexual assaults, slicey and bone crushing murders, self-harm, suicide

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After finishing part 1 last month and having my heart broken, I thought things couldn't get worse. Just as it would feel like I was healing, something would happen to just punch me in the gut again. And whilst I binge watched this. there were so many instances where I just had to pause and take a break.

Story
It's hard to talk about because I do genuinely think you have to just watch it for yourself to see how it all ends (assuming you've already seen part 1). There will be a moment around half way through where things will get more confusing before they can get answered, but you just have to trust the storytelling and know everything will come back full circle to part 1. And I do believe it's crafted so well that it'll be worth the wait in order to see everyone get exactly what they deserve. Of course I won't spoil the ending but there is one thing I wish had happened but I will include it right at the bottom of this review (it's not really a spoiler but more of a way for everyone to get closure after everything that happens in episode 10).

Acting/Cast
Honestly such an amazing performance from everyone. The terrible people did such a great job at making you hate them. In fact, I probably hate the characters more now than I did when watching part 1. And of course our main cast, they were so great and embodied their characters so well that I regularly got emotional watching them.

Music
Perfectly fits every scene. And just like the first part, I love the opening sequence/credits so so so much. So beautiful. I do need to see if anyone has made any playlists for part 1 and 2, or I might just make my own. [update: I found a wiki page with the OST so I just made my own playlist]

Rewatch value
I have given it a 10 for rewatch but I do feel like it'll be a while before I can rewatch it. But in the meantime, I will be listening to the music a lot.

Overall
Definitely a favourite of the year and I don't if I'm just good at picking them, but I always manage to find dramas from Taiwan that I just absolutely fall in love with. Just like many dramas I've watched from Taiwan, this drama will stick with me and I'll be thinking about it for a while. So if you have seen part 1, waste no time in starting part 2. And if you've somehow stumbled onto this page without watching part 1, go back and watch it because it's so special. Although please do check out the trigger warnings because it can be a tough and painful watch and episode 10 might leave you heartbroken.


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the one thing I wish happened at the end:
they make the documentary exposing everyone!!! omg, it pains me so much to know that only a few people would know the full truth

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They truly meant to be each other's lives :)

It took 16 years for Hsiao Tung to overcome her trauma and meet Jen Yao as herself, Chiang Hsiao Tung. 16 years of endless love from Jen Yao to Hsiao Tung, for whoever the personality that exists in her appears. But fate did not give them a longer chance to make up for all the lost of those 16 years :( Their story really hurts my heart... The world and their destiny are really not in line as if they are avoiding them. Whatever decision / ending Hsiao Tung chooses after reading Jen Yao's letter and braves the sea barefoot (because the ending looks ambiguous, whether it means this story ends with her giving up on her life or not), i will understand and respect it. Hopefully in another life Li Jen Yao and Chiang Hsiao Tung can be together in a warmer world, with destiny is on your side and be happy forever :))

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their happiness are short-lived just like the butterflies

[not perfect in english, pardon any english spelling errors and these are my personal thoughts after watching the drama]

upon watching the first season, i got really excited for the second season as i want to see how revenge was gotten. with the introduction of the first season, we get to see the story rather behind, craving to know what has happened and how did it lead to where they are today.

after watching the second season, i have to say the story was well tied up. in fact, you can see how yenyao had such an affection look towards pinyu and why pinyu has that sense of attraction. yes, it can get confusing as we are all seeing in pinyu's point of view, being confused about her previous identities.

the reason why i added the headline there was because i felt like all the characters here, expected those jerks, their happiness lasts awhile before realizing or getting triggered. i cannot believe how the jerks just continued with their life and acted like nothing happened or worse, getting used to something horrible, really inhumane- furthermore, when they tried to find the victim, wanting to apologize to them just for the predators to feel better and less guilty.

it really broke me when hsiao tung's parents' endless love for her... the way that they took care of her from afar when she lost her memories- the feeling of seeing someone so dear to you but unable to hug them, love them like you always do- they are all bitter gourds that deserves better ><

all it took was a trigger to break something that one has build up with love... i felt that yenyao does not have a feeling to kill until he saw tianqing kms- it sparked the killing for him, to protect her.

the revenge was super good and rather short- it was satisfying- i know it should not be justified but in this case, it was really needed when you know the story. in fact, for those who does not know the full story, like the news in the drama, you would be wondering: oh, why is he doing that. i am not empathizing and mention that killing is good etc... for this story plot, it was needed- (actually idk how to justify for myself but it felt that WE know that yenyao is killing bad guys which is awesome and THIS should NOT be applied in real life ok-)

the plot twist was good! like you would think that yenyao killed it all but when he started humming the song and they show what actually happened... i was MINDBLOWN!! and now, with someone so powerful has to live timidly, afraid when her actions might be leaked out - another type of revenge if you ask me!

i lowkey wished hsiao tung can walk it out but... how can she? maybe, it was the best choice for her to live in the world with him- i mean they were each other's everything. i manifest there will be an universe where yenyao and hsiao tung does not have to face all these bullshit and be happy <3

the acting was so good and felt so raw and real- i can really feel the emotions that the characters are portraying- from being confused, to falling in love, to the trigger, to acting crazy, to even killing- the expression made and the way it was portraying made me felt like i was there too-

if you love something dark with revenge, then you can watch it. if you dislike heavy content, then i think you can skip it-

this show itself was also to raise awareness on mental health. you are not alone and always remember that <3

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What did you feel? ?

I've a pair of girls ages 12 and 10. As a father, this was difficult to get through as violence against women and children literally makes me sick to my stomach.
This drama was able to invoke almost the entire range of human emotions I'm, if not all of them. That means everything from the story to the acting was done at a very high level. It was dark and gritty. I don't think I can say what hasn't been conveyed in the reviews that came before June, so I just want to vent.

Morality, I don't think there's much to say explain. The villains were wrong. The retaliation was wrong. I did not feel good at the end of this piece because I wanted the suffering of the bad peeps to last much MUCH longer. What I saw as far as "justice" felt exactly about along the lines of what happens IRL Punishments, if any is actually given, NEVER fits the depravity of such crimes involving women and children. It's why vigilantism, whether it's for multiple ppl or just a one time thing, is becoming real. You do NOT deserve 2nd chances. Most of its being done by men since repercussions are a joke. There's no "accidents" with this stuff. Booze and drugs also should never provide mitigation either like it does in South Korea and other countries. One count SA and your done, physical or chemical castration. If it's a child, life In prison on top of it. Murder? Take a life, lose your own. Period. Barbaric? So we're the crimes.
W/e the case, this drama is going to hit you HARD in a lot of places. I'm not sure what you'll be feeling at the end. I've only watched a handful of dramas from this country as I'm more driven to watch Kdramas and Chinese historicals. But this is/was a SOLID watch~

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Bouleversant

On connaît la fin dès le début, on sait que ce ne sera pas un happy ending, vu que le ML est en prison, condamné à mort (partie 1). La partie 1 pose les fondations de la partie 2 qui est beaucoup plus dure, âmes sensibles s'abstenir !
Le viol et ses conséquences tragiques pour la victime et ses proches est merveilleusement bien traité ; c'est dur, violent et surtout cela détaille certains mécanismes de défense que les victimes peuvent avoir. Combien de vie gâchées ?
Ce qui est vraiment dur, c'est de voir que ce couple aurait été tellement bien ensemble.

Spoiler ci après



On sait depuis la partie 1 que le ML est condamné, et pourtant, sa mort est bouleversante. Idem pour elle, la lecture du message laissé par le ML, message qu'on ne connaît pas, la pousse vers la mort ! Comprend-elle à ce moment qu'elle l'a perdu à jamais ? Ou que tout ce qu'il a fait c'est pour elle ? Et s'il meurt, c'est pour qu'elle soit libérée de lui, lui qui se sent coupable de tout ce qu'elle a vécu ?
Sinon il y a de bons moments, la mort de tous ces affreux est jouissive (un peu trop court à mon goût).
On notera que Netflix ne peut pas s'empêcher de mettre une couche de woke, petite cette fois, à vous de trouver !

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