ilovedramas293

First time I saw Gina Jin in anything, but I didn't find anything wrong with her. I did think she looked a little odd at first, but at some point, I started thinking she did look good in her role. She has a very fun and rebellious personality in this drama that gradually becomes more entertaining the more people she's surrounded by. She pulled off some really emotional moments and made me shed tears. Even if you ignore her, the rest of this drama is way too good to pass up.

You put my feelings into words way better than I did

Criminally underrated. BJT picked an award-winning, phenomenal script as usual. The side characters felt so real in this drama, living through struggles, prosperity, downfalls, and even tragedies with the changes from one era to another. Genuinely some of the most hilarious and lovable characters that I'll never forget. But at the drama's core is obviously the excellent mentor–mentee bond between Wang Xin and Mu Kai. Their mix of hilarious banter, heartfelt concern, and deep emotional moments was unforgettable. Both actors nailed the comedy and the heavy scenes, and their journey from enemies to family is heartwarming. Wang Xin’s personal growth is especially one that had my interest, primarily due to BJT's acting (no wonder he got so many awards), but also the way he grows from a capable but arrogant officer to someone that adopts every little detail that Mu Kai teaches him, making him into a seasoned professional able to deal with the worst crime situations. It was really interesting to see all the different kinds of crimes that happened back in those days, and without the technology we have today, it's incredible to see how carefully officers tackled those issues without incriminating themselves. This is obviously made with a love for the police, and I feel I've learned a lot about that era.

Now talking about the romance, it was very light but meaningful, especially in how it tied the Wang and Mu households together. Episode 35 had me bawling more than any other episode, and the drama still managed to wrap up every conflict maturely and properly. I loved seeing BJT and GJ's chemistry with each other, and I would loved to see even more of them. Everything intimate that goes on is mostly off-screen though. It was pleasing to see even minor characters reappear every now and then and grow alongside the main cast, which made me deeply attached to all of them with the lives they touched.

The OSTs hit hard, the acting was top-notch, and the story never let me go. A 10/10 slowburn I’ll never forget, and I wish it could have lasted even longer than it did. I'd love more recommendations like this.

Underrated crime thriller. I wouldn't have noticed this if not for BJT. He really picks his scripts wisely, and it's a shame this didn't get more attention. The story is well layered with plot twists, schemes, and mind games with very well-written and intelligent characters. Rarely does a drama form such a complex mystery with enough parts at once that I have to pause to fully grasp what's going on. The best part about this is also the actors and how they play their grey characters so ambiguously well that you're left suspecting everyone and re-assessing their motives and intentions with every piece of information thrown at you. This makes for a really entertaining legal drama with theatrics, but you just need to suspend your disbelief a little to be able to fully enjoy it.

It's very loosely connected that you can even just ignore that it's the same world of HL. They probably only send it's part of the same universe to promote TFF more, since Sang Yan being in both dramas is really the only thing connecting them. Actors don't have to be the same, and I think BJT is much better for Sang Yan here anyways. I had an amazing time with this drama. From your comments, it just seems like it may not have been for you. For me, there are no dramas that portray trauma like Yifan's so authentically without rushing to resolve it, and I love mature, slow-burning, and patient romances like this where the other person like Sang Yan recognizes when they need to keep space. I normally hate FLs, but Yifan has to be one of the most well-written and well-acted I've seen.

I normally hate FLs cause they're poorly written, but I found her very well-written in this. There's maybe only one time she actually runs away from a problem and that's when she is directly confronting the source of her PTSD and wanting to protect someone. She doesn't really run away any other times, and it's reasonable for her to cry when she needs to, as that's a good thing, rather than being cold-faced and emotionless at the start. She did leave the ML in the dark for a long time, but there are valid reasons behind it.

This is now one of my all-time favourites. I could not stop watching after the first two episodes, and I love the portrayal of Wen Yifan's trauma all the way to the last episode. There are no dramas that portray trauma like hers so authentically without rushing to resolve it, and I love mature, slow-burning, and patient romances like this where the other person recognizes when they need to keep space. Sang Yan's everlasting love and patience for Wen Yifan stole me away, and I hope the ML and FL actors get awards, because their acting and chemistry are brilliant. I truly felt for these real-life-like characters that I grew to love and understand. The second ML and FL leads are also great, and I was actively surprised by how much I was invested in their story, too. Only thing I would slightly modify is the HK arc, but it was very much needed. The final episode left me really empty in the end, but there was no way to improve it as it's already perfect like all the puzzles fitting into place for a sendoff to the bright future. Overall 10/10

Spoiler comment explains the FL a little more for those that seem to not understand her.

Glad this was my first ever Taiwan drama. Writing, directing, and acting for this are all great. Handles a tight script that never slows down and keeps up a proper pace until the end. Incorporating the calligraphy into solving ghost crimes is such a fun concept with this well-written trio, and there were a couple moments that really made me break into tears or laughter. I love how the ending is left on such a funny note and feels so Yiyong-like. It's great how this feels like a comic book live action, with unique cases that tie to Yiyong's end goal. This is the type of drama that I could watch multiple seasons of if the quality is kept. Hoping for a Season 2!

I don't see SFD in your watchlist. Anyways, it probably matters on the person. NiF is a lot more of a slowburn and Mei's schemes rely a lot on convenience which isn't enjoyable to watch. Considering dropping

I was really impressed with PBY's acting and how mental illness is portrayed in a very refreshing, respectful, and realistic way, which is exactly what I wanted more of. This had some really great insight and breakdown explanations of certain illnesses. Obviously, the writer and director did their research. However, this felt a little hollow because the focus continued to shift back and forth between patients and the light romances going on. People mention the romance is understated here, but I felt it ate up most episodes.

Main complaint is the unnecessary love triangle. Character development is great here (especially PBY), but the love triangle isn't. The colorectal doctor isn't needed in this drama. He's not developed as a character or even involved with the psych ward. He exists for the sake of crushing on PBY due to a lackluster reason, which made the romance between doctor and PBY meaningless. Had they only developed PBY's relationship with Yu Chan, the story would have been much more cohesive showing how it's never too late to pursue the one you love, as well as show how normal romantic partners can help support a loved one and be educated together. There's such great chemistry, great character developments, and really touching moments between the two that it just makes sense. Instead, the doctor coincidentally finds himself in the right places at the right time to extensively help PBY. Their relationship doesn't feel natural, and it also takes away from the long pain-staking process of recovery from mental illnesses by breaking the realism.

I tend to write longer reviews for every drama I watch, but overall, this is really average with nothing special to it. The ML FL and side actors carry this hard, as well as the director who knows how to take really great shots of scenery and moments in the drama. It was a really well-balanced drama about the consequences of memories with romance, healing, and mystery until around the halfway point, where the main storyline is lost, and the drama relies on boring tropes to stretch until the final episode. These tropes are overdone and really poorly-written for the sake of adding unnecessary drama, but the actors still do their best to make their characters shine. 7.5/10

Fun ride that hits some really emotional notes, but you have to ignore all the plot holes and nonsense. The writers didn't even give enough effort to think of any real motives for the killer's murders and just skipped that completely with a half-assed backstory. Killer wasn't even hard to figure out based on typical kdrama tropes. Also had a really hard time connecting with the FL who somehow always needs saving, is constantly shown to be inept, and switches emotions every minute like from sad to cheeky to rude to arrogant. None of the times that she was upset over the ML made sense to me, because she was the root cause that kept hiding everything about her family at the start. I think the FL and ML growing close was written alright, but wow did the FL mess so many things up for the ML out of her selfishness and not listen at all to his warnings even after they opened up. She didn't really do more than expose 2 small things for the ML. The chemistry between the two for romance is really not there, and it comes across super forced.

Wow, I can't stop smiling. I have not seen such a perfect finale for a kdrama in a long time! I'm just so happy for all the characters here. All loose ends were tied, and justice was truly served in the best way possible with all characters getting closure. The character development of several characters really sticks and served to bring that insanely well-written outcome in the finale. I don't understand why people seem to say the story gets boring in the middle, but I agree you have to really suspend your disbelief to enjoy the ride. I only got hooked from Ep 4 onwards, not to say the early episodes weren't already interesting. It just felt as though the main plot of this drama begins around that point, which is when the ensemble of characters surrounding Ro Um began to get involved, and we start to see more backstory, real character development, connections that form between everyone involved, and serious moral dilemmas. It's also so unique seeing a girl group leader in a drama, and one that's really competent and ruthless. The actress plays the sly and partly evil-genius of Ro Eum really well.

Somehow, it feels the synopsis of this drama really doesn't do it justice, since I didn't really expect this to be so heavy and depressing. It's also portrayed like a heist at major moments, with spy music, and a lot of scheming. The mindfucks are really great, and this should have sci-fi and thriller tags. The cliffhangers are really well-done, and there's so many segments where I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen in unpredictable situations. Not much comedy at all except Ro Eum with her 4th wall breaks and the hilarious probation officer.

My favourite part of this is definitely Ro Eum. She is so damn entertaining with all her ruthless schemes, plots, and disguises. Seeing Ro Eum's relationships grow was my highpoint of this drama, as well as seeing how two extremely opposite ends of the spectrum finally manage to find a middle ground (aka the hyper-empathetic law-abiding Moo Yeong and the sociopathic law-breaking Ro Eum). It's so heart-warming seeing Moo Yeong be challenged repeatedly, but continue to be the protector Ro Eum needs to reintegrate into society. There's undeniable romantic chemistry between these two that I would have really loved to see more of! Everybody embodied their character so well and grew into such a memorable and lovable cast that I'll deeply miss.

Ro Um is paid a large amount yearly for the 10 years stolen of her life. Legally, the final case, and her 10 years case are considered separately. They can't consider it in the verdict.

Hey, I highly recommend not skipping the middle. I'm on episode 8 right now, and I have to say the story picks up a lot, and I've been hooked ever since episode 4. I'm not sure what this person means by the story gets aimless, cause all I'm seeing are connections being built all over the place with really great development for character relationships and their self development.

Rewatched this for the 5th time. I still can't get enough. I have yet to find a crime/political drama on the level of Secret Forest. One of the few dramas I can call a masterpiece from beginning to end.

It took two episodes for me to get into it, since I found it too corny in the beginning. But then it hooked me and got funnier as it toned down the comedy and I was captured by this silly group working together. Overall fun and engaging, with some serious character moments sprinkled throughout. I'm really going to miss this silly group. They couldn't have picked a better cast for this drama, and I wish we could have got a s2. Largely liked how unique the crimes were and that this had no mention of police corruption unlike most crime dramas. Nothing was left unanswered by the last episode.

Ending was a little unsatisfying and rushed, and some parts of it feel dragged out. But overall, the drama continued to get more exciting with each episode from episode 4 and onwards. There's a lot of mindfucks and plot twists where you see everything introduced subtly connect together. Just know the early episodes are mostly comedy, but if you push through to when the plot begins, the drama turns very serious. Now, the OST is the best part about this and it still makes me teary when I re-listen to it and remember some emotional moments. Almost every character here has some form of really well-written character development, but especially the ML and FL. The ML is really insufferable at the start, but that's mainly the point, since it's mostly a self-discovery about the consequences behind him selling his soul to the devil, how that stole away his own heart for music, how he fight to get his soul back, etc. JKH kills all the high emotional and hilarious points of his role and it's great to see him and PSW act together after Life in Mars 9/10

One of my favourite actors of all time. His performance in Cruel City has got to be his best for me. Happy Birthday! 🎉

I love the older episodes like episode 164 is one of my favourites. So much fun