K-Drama 
This review may contain spoilers
Made a good choice to watch this…. 10 stars are too few considering messaging
The first few episodes are like a normal drama where fl struggles because of being female…. Reminded me of Moon lovers(bad example) but didn’t dwell on the sufferings but the overcoming of obstacles.There probably were nuances of the maturity that I didn’t catch because I was not expecting it.By ep 10 I was hooked to the story. I started watching because of a reel that explained the lack of tropes both macro or micro. The originality was mind boggling in that one could make such a complex storyline so simple to understand. The villains and jealous characters get way less screen time than women helping each other through hardships. This is how real women behave. I always wondered why women are portrayed otherwise and realised today that those were mostly show by and to men. This one has a female director and that shows in every sequence of events. Okay, I agree that the fl has way too many skills and smarts than a normal person, but let’s roll with the feminist thought behind that. Apart from that, I can’t fault any other logical loophole.
I want to go on a rant about how the ml gets himself a royal decree to marry fl without her or her parents’ consent. At first I feel sorry for the ml. That stems from the conditioning we’ve got as a drama watcher community and not any real feelings toward this issue. Imagine someone you and your parents were a slave to and struggled to finally become free of. You then start a modest life within your means and are about to wed someone who likes you just enough and your parents are ecstatic. You are guaranteed a certain amount of freedom to do as you please career wise. This master guy then swoops in on your wedding day with a royal decree to marry him…. Of course your plans have been ruined and you hate him. Who wouldn’t? No one was surprised when ml divorced his first wife for controlling his family through her family’s power. But why the double standard when the same happens with fl? They mention this in many episodes and drive the message home quite efficiently, I must say.
There is constant reference throughout the series about how there will be a time when girls and boys are given equal preference in birth, schooling, career etc. it was as if they were speaking to the audience, not just as a dialogue. Very inspiring.
I was disappointed in myself when I wanted ml to live longer. This was fl’s story. I could very well compare her to my own grandmother who’s been a widow for over 25 years now. But she didn’t have the courage or example or support. Y other grandmother was a widow for 20 years and was strongly independent and opinionated. They are extreme and the fl was somewhere in the middle but completely good to the core without the human flaws. We forget most often women live way longer than their husbands. These widows are a marginalised community and we dismiss them without much thought. This series was just perfect in depicting how to behave. Thank you all involved.
I liked that third sister has only daughters and splits her husband’s wealth among them. Also liked the closure to the first wife. I believed they would touch on her lightly but we got a good glimpse of how her life panned out and the misogyny she endured.
Overall my first 10 star series for the year
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This review may contain spoilers
Why so American?
Felt more like a Disney adaptation of a Korean story than an original Korean story….. if I wanted an American story I would go for Hollywood…. Overall, I felt like I watched some dubbed version of a weak American PG13 Hallmark movie…. Someone else had posted in this section that the villains don’t have proper motive…. I agree. The villains were hollow. I like romance, don’t get me wrong. I always have. I liked the romance. If there was going to be politics, it should have been more logical. Arbitrarily placed rules that pop up without sequencing or logic.
Loophole: If I An was a reagent, wouldn’t that mean he was also part of the so called cabinet? Wouldn’t he be head of the so called royal council/family? But he was supposedly the most sought after person in the kingdom. There is no sense to this.
If the Grand Prince is the opposition to the royal council, then he should have close ties with the cabinet members even without the PM. At least, he should have had money. But he is dependent on the cabinet to approve his expenses. He is either the most powerful person or just a puppet. Can’t be both at the same time.
I could find many others if I gave enough time. This was clearly a romance genre meant for 13 year old girls produced by mentally teenage Americans. Sorry to have wasted 12 hours of my time on this. It banked too much on nostalgia.
Scene: IU in the same hospital room as Son Hyejin. Byeon Wooseok running in a similar fashion to Hyun Bin. Many of the actors were also part of the CLOY cast. It felt nostalgic, but did nothing to enhance the current story.
What happened to Huiju’s talented board members? They play no role in the plot. They could have been very useful. What exactly was the royal FIL wanting to achieve by killing a reagent? Democracy? His own sovereignty? Not clear. Why exactly did the king have to abolish monarchy? It already looked like a watered down monarchy with the king as a decoration rather than tool. So what purpose did that serve? Wouldn’t it have been better to punish all the wrongdoers?
Clearly, the political side of this drama is ********. I liked the romance, but it was not enough to cover for the very American plot. Someone dm me when the Kdrama scene becomes better. I’ll try not to watch any more till this ridiculous Americanisation persists🥲🥹😢😢😢
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A fantasy but feels really possible
All the episodes were fast paced. I loved the portrayal of teachers and students.The main cast of 4 was very interesting and comedic with real feeling. Even though this was a comedy/action genre, the usual lack of feeling was absent. They somehow felt like real people with superpowers instead of comics with fighting skills.
I liked the different school visits. Every time a new school was shown, I tried to remember where(which series) I had seen it before. Was a good side quest during the series. Not going to go into that much.
The plot itself was strong mainly because of its simplicity. The loss of daughter and fiancé giving the lead cast purpose in their lives. They then try to be impartial in their investigation. That is the part that is fantasy as far as I’m concerned. No one human has that much objectivity. It’s their superpower, let’s say. This simple plot line was beautifully woven through the various activities that the ERPB undertakes.
I really enjoyed the first 4-5 episodes for the sheer novelty of beating up thugs in the guise of school children. I also liked how every case was unique in the earlier episodes. The last 2-3 episodes were somewhat repetitive if not boring exactly. I would like to have seen the killer kid end up differently…. Not sure what ending I’d give him as a story teller, but it would have surely been darker. I also have to laugh at the sheer idiocy of the opposition presidential candidate for not performing an independent background check on someone who has murdered. He could have then claimed to have better ideas for the ERPB and won the elections.
My favourite storylines in no particular order:
The online gambling
Parents harassing teacher for no reason
The med school mother
The vocational school
I guess I liked all the stories not linked to the main plot line.😅
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Totally worth the time
I was skeptical about this one since there wasn’t a good series recently…… total 10 stars and worth the 3 days…. Loved the last episode post credit scenes… loved the story and the actors…. All the characters were played by wonderful actors….. will keep coming back for favourite scenes…. Worth another watch probably…. Won’t get to it until can remember… when I start forgetting dialogue willl certainly rewatch.Thought it would be something like LLTG, surprisingly refreshing after a good series slump.
It’s my first review…… it has been that good… I felt jaded before watching and refreshed after….. hope people keep coming up with new stuff
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