julwa

Personally, I really liked this drama. I watched each episode with pleasure and genuine curiosity. I think the whole story was carried out smoothly. The visual aspect deserves special recognition — it did not disappoint. There were many beautiful frames and shots connected to the places they traveled to. I also liked how the series portrayed the pressure that comes with popularity and how suddenly gaining fame can affect a person.

I also really enjoyed the relationship of the first main couple — Cha Mu Hui and Ju Ho Jin. On the surface, they seemed like complete opposites to me, but together they began to complement each other. It was wonderful to watch how much of a support Ju Ho Jin was for her, even though she wasn’t always aware of it. Overall, their relationship developed quite slowly and was interwoven with many dramas that could have been avoided through communication, but in essence, that’s what this series was about — trying to understand the language of love. Over time, we could see that they truly learned it and started talking to each other instead of running away.

It’s also worth pausing on her relationship with Hiro. In my opinion, it was also very pleasant to watch. I watched most of their travel scenes with a smile on my face. Even though she never had any romantic feelings for him, and I personally rooted for her to be with Ju Ho Jin, Hiro’s feelings were not irritating, and his support and devotion to Cha Mu Hui were wonderful as well. The fact that he learned Korean for her stole a piece of my heart, and he himself was a character I wished happiness for with someone else. Even though we didn’t get to see that, I’m glad the story showed that he began to fulfill himself as an actor in what he had always wanted to do.

Now it’s worth moving on to the character of Do Ra Mi. Personally, I found this storyline intriguing and, in general, I liked it for most of the series. Her character added a lot of color with her edge and intensity. That said, mental illnesses were heavily simplified here, which may not appeal to everyone. They were largely “cured” through love, which doesn’t necessarily reflect reality. Personally, this didn’t bother me, but I think it’s worth pointing out — in my opinion, it would have been even better if we had been shown how the character, thanks to him, begins therapy. What disappointed me much more was the ending of this storyline — namely, her leaving to go to her mother, which we never got to see. Because of that, I consider the survival of her parents to be unnecessary, since we didn’t witness it anyway, and as a result we also didn’t see her “farewell to and victory over” Do Ra Mi. As for her aunt and uncle, I have one word for them: “trash.” Treating a child so horribly — a child who believed she had lost her parents — while knowing the truth is rock bottom. You can’t sink any lower, and the fact that years later they still saw nothing wrong with their behavior says everything about them.

The last important storyline I want to discuss is the relationship of the second main couple — Sin Ji Seon and Ju Ho Jin. The chemistry between them was great, and I think we got far too few scenes of them together. They intrigued me just as much as the first main couple. I liked how, thanks to him, she realized that in true love you don’t have to fight for the other person’s attention or effort. The only issue I have here is that the storyline with her former fiancé was slightly oversimplified — in the sense that he appeared and then disappeared. What happened to him afterward? No one really knows (something was mentioned, but only in passing), even though he is the main character’s brother.

Read More

In my opinion, this is a very pleasant drama to watch. There are no breathtaking plot twists or edge-of-your-seat suspense about what will happen next. There are no characters whose sole purpose is to raise the viewers’ blood pressure either. The whole story is carried out in a rather calm way, but well enough that I wasn’t bored for a single moment. It’s that kind of “comfort drama.”

The same goes for the main couple — Song Ha Gyeong and Baek Do Ha. Although at first Song could be irritating, and her decisions (for example, the “relationship” with Seo Su Hyeok) felt simply stupid to me, they were at the same time consistent with her character. After all, she inherited the running-away gene from her father :D. As the series progressed, she began to change for the better, and I ended up liking her a lot. I really enjoyed their relationship. After confessing their feelings and resolving their past conflict, they weren’t just lovers but also best friends, and sometimes they had this relaxed, almost buddy-like dynamic between them. They didn’t have any major conflicts, they were a huge support for each other, and they were able to communicate. The storyline involving his twin brother and their conflict felt a bit convoluted and somewhat forced to me, but at the same time it was necessary for the plot, so it didn’t really bother me. Still, I’m not over the fact that he actually died in those mountains — I would have liked to see more of the brothers’ relationship. PS. There was one absurd moment when Do Ha fainted at work from exhaustion, then returned home, and the topic was never brought up again.

As for the admirers of the main couple, there were quite a few, but none of them were excessively irritating. Her ex — Jeon Nam Jin — was rather over the top. It’s hard for me to find a rational explanation for why she ever looked at such an idiot. A slight downside was that in the end we never found out whether he faced consequences for his actions. Her “ex” — Seo Su Hyeok — I already mentioned that their entire “relationship” felt irrational to me. He suddenly desperately asked her to start dating, even though from the very beginning he could see that she had feelings for Do Ha. She agreed despite not having any feelings for him. Then after they broke up, the three of them suddenly went on a date together — the whole thing felt heavily exaggerated. I also have to admit that Seo Su Hyeok annoyed me by inserting himself between them, even though he didn’t actually do anything wrong and I would describe him as a positive character. He didn’t try to force her to change her mind when she chose Do Ha; he simply let go. The last person was his “friend” — Yun So Hui. Although some viewers might find her irritating, she didn’t bother me and I actually liked her character. She was interesting to me, although to this day I’m not sure whether she liked the male lead romantically or not. She did admit that she liked him, but later I didn’t really see it.

Finally, I’ll discuss the second couple — I Seul and O Seung Taek. Seul was one of my favorite characters in this drama. To me, she had a wonderful personality and was an incredible support for Taek. Her love, in my opinion, is an example of true love regardless of circumstances, and it melted my heart. Still, I believe their relationship storyline could have been handled better. First of all, we could have been given more flashbacks from the time of his accident and the period afterward (this is more of a wish on my part, as it could have deepened their relationship). The second and most jarring issue for me was their breakup. I understand the idea behind it — he simply felt like a burden to her — but in my opinion it could have been portrayed better and later developed more through their conversations. There’s also the storyline with her father, which was ultimately brushed aside. From the beginning of the series, he was against their relationship, and then we suddenly get a time jump where he’s happily attending their wedding. It’s a shame we didn’t get any moment that helped us understand why he changed his attitude.

Read More

I fell in love with this series. One of the sweetest and most comforting shows I’ve ever watched. The whole “my brother’s friend” trope was exactly what I needed. The chemistry between the main characters was overflowing from the screen, which was wonderful. They were just as amazing to each other — mutual support and being willing to do absolutely anything for the other person. The kissing scenes were beautiful, but honestly, all of their scenes together were. As for the side characters, I also liked how they were written — every single one of them was understandable and well developed.
The only thing that really bothered me was the beginning, where they cast a younger version of the female lead but not of the male lead. The age difference between them was 5 years, but it felt more like at least 10.

Read More

I got completely sucked into this series; I watched each subsequent episode with real curiosity, wanting to uncover the truth. A lot was happening here—probably too much for some people—but I personally liked it. Plenty of secrets and dirty laundry on both families’ sides.

I’ll try to briefly go over everything, although for the first time I actually find it difficult to do so. Let’s start with the first main couple—Hong Hui Ju & Baek Sa Eon. Hong Hui Ju was definitely my favorite character. Her development throughout the series was very interesting. Through love, she gained self-confidence and the courage to finally fight for her true “self.” Overall, their relationship was amazing—despite many adversities, they were the most important people to each other and never doubted the meaning of their relationship once they understood their feelings. They fought for each other’s happiness, and therefore for their shared happiness as well. They didn’t push each other away when more brutal facts from their past came to light; instead, they supported one another. With the exception of the final detail that made him decide to leave to atone—but fortunately, she found him and put an end to that.

Now let’s move on to both families, where the situation was the most complicated. That complexity caused some storylines to remain underdeveloped. It’s hard to describe it coherently, because so many things are interconnected, but I’ll try.

It’s hard to even know where to start. In short, you could say that everyone was mentally ill, but I’ll begin with the real Paik Se-eon (the Hijacker). From childhood he had psychopathic tendencies, and instead of sending him to therapy, his family decided to cover up his murders and lock him in a room—then they tried to kill him, replacing him with the main protagonist. Sim Gyu Jin, the mother who later tried again to shield him from responsibility, led to his death, and she herself rotted in prison—even though she could have saved him by locking him up in prison or a psychiatric hospital. Baek Eui Yong—the father—cared only about his career, for which he was willing to do anything, even renounce his family, despite not being any better than them himself. Why was he free and not in prison? He knew about his son’s crimes and pretended that the kidnapped child was his. The same goes for the stepfather of the female lead, Hong Il Gyeong—he also knew about his son’s murder at the hands of that family and stayed silent about it until the very end. This whole matter was basically swept under the rug, and no one was held accountable.

Baek Jang Ho—his “grandfather,” who later suddenly turns out to be his biological father. WTF? Why was this dropped on us as casually as if they were talking about what they had for dinner yesterday? It wasn’t developed at all and came completely out of nowhere. Did he abandon him as a child? And then take him back, knowing he was his son? Who was his mother, then? And why did he grow up with Jung Sang Hun/Jung Jin Seok? So many questions and zero answers. It feels like this was thrown in just to force the main couple’s separation because of his guilt.

Outside of all that psychiatric mess, there was also the female lead’s mother, who wasn’t much better. Kim Yeon Hui forced her daughter, for a stupid reason, to pretend she couldn’t speak after the accident, and later forced her into marriage. She treated her horribly—and then what? Suddenly, after her disappearance, she realized her mistakes. The problem is that we never saw any sincere conversation between them, only a sweet scene of them sitting at the table in a warm family atmosphere. And then there’s the older half-sister—Hong In A—I had mixed feelings about her. At first I thought she was just pretending and would turn out to be manipulative. Later it turned out that wasn’t exactly the case, but I still couldn’t fully like her. She manipulated in a different way—she wanted to get closer to her sister by separating her from a relationship she believed was bad. She wanted her freedom, but at the same time couldn’t accept that her sister felt free with him and truly loved him. She had a big influence on his decision to leave.

In short, the only normal person in this whole family fucking mess—someone you could actually like and sympathize with—was the female lead’s biological father, Na Jin Cheol. The problem was that he was staying in a facility, so we didn’t get many scenes with him, and he didn’t remember much himself, so he couldn’t really help untangle the chaos.

In that chaos, there was one more person: Park Do Jae. I knew that handsome face had a second layer to it, so I wasn’t surprised he turned out to be a “traitor.” Still, I excuse him. He was seeking justice for his brother and redeemed himself once he learned that the main character wasn’t the one he wanted revenge on. I’m glad that in the end we were shown that they forgave each other and started working together again—although I don’t necessarily understand what exactly they’re doing now, lol.

The last storyline is the second couple: Na Yu Ri & Ji Sang U. At first, they both had feelings for members of the main couple, but they weren’t annoying about it. In the end, they got together, and I rooted for that throughout the entire series—but at the same time, I feel unsatisfied. This storyline was very shallow, considering they’re also main characters. On top of that, we were given signs along the way that they were starting to feel something for each other, but the final scene announcing that they’re together slightly changed my perception of them as a couple. I had the impression that Ji Sang U was still looking at Hong Hui Ju with a strange feeling, which makes me unsure about the sincerity of his feelings toward Na Yu Ri—but I prefer to convince myself that this look simply meant he was happy about his friend’s happiness.

Read More

It’s a very pleasant and comforting drama to watch. In my opinion, it isn’t particularly gripping, but it’s perfect for someone looking for a calm love story about feelings rekindled after many years. From beginning to end, the male lead is clearly in love and waits for the right moment to confess. The female lead’s feelings develop gradually, and at first she doesn’t even admit them to herself. At the same time, I had the impression that some things happened too quickly. This feeling was reinforced by their sudden marriage. At times, I simply couldn’t see a clear cause-and-effect progression, even though the story tried to justify it by saying that she wanted to marry someone quickly - that argument didn’t really convince me. It all happened right after their “breakup,” which she initiated because she was uncertain, and at that point nothing had actually changed. She was still unsure about his feelings. Even so, it was still a sweet and comfortable relationship to watch, especially for anyone who just wants to switch their brain off.

The second couple was also enjoyable to watch. They were a bit silly, somewhat childish, and exaggerated, but overall they added color to the series by serving as a contrast to the more mature main couple.

As for the remaining characters, I’d describe most of them as rather bland. They weren’t developed much and didn’t feel particularly important, which is why most of them aren’t very memorable. Still, most of them were fine, and overall there isn’t really a truly hateable character who would make your blood boil - maybe with the exception of the male lead’s father, but he doesn’t appear that often.

The only character who felt truly puzzling to me was Chen Xi, the woman who studied with the male lead. It seemed like she was in love with him, but those feelings were never reciprocated. However, this was never clearly explained to us, so whether that was actually the case is left entirely to speculation.

Read More

It’s an enjoyable series to watch. What really deserves recognition is the second couple in the show - I sometimes rooted for them even more than for the main pair, and their storyline seemed so interesting that I would gladly watch a series focused solely on them.

However, in my opinion, the series itself should definitely be taken with a big grain of salt—then many scenes simply become funny. The characters were excessively exaggerated; at times, it felt impossible that someone with that level of reasoning could hold such a high position.
The action often felt the same way. Supposedly, there’s a mafia plot, but while watching, I had the impression I was seeing a “mafia” made up of schoolkids—even though they were supposed to wield enormous power.
On top of that, the slow-motion scenes added even more absurdity (and I honestly felt like I was already my grandmother’s age, watching Turkish dramas :D).
Some storylines were left unresolved, and I didn’t really understand the ending—though maybe that’s just my own silliness.

Despite all this, I had a great time watching the series and laughed many times, which is why I gave it such a high rating. Still, I believe the plot itself and its potential for action were huge, and if not for the issues I mentioned earlier, it could easily have been a solid 10.

Read More

I think this drama is truly wonderful. Whenever I started one episode, I couldn’t stop watching the next ones for hours. Everything related to the work of firefighters was presented in great detail — living far from family, the immense pressure, constantly risking their lives, and the possible physical and psychological consequences of every mission. At the same time, the work of doctors was portrayed in a very similar way. Not every case ends happily for the victims, and that was shown as well. The acting also deserves special praise — it was excellent. Both the main characters and the supporting actors did a fantastic job in their roles. You could truly feel the emotions they were portraying.

The entire series was carried out very smoothly and realistically. This also applies to the relationship between the main couple — Xu Meng Qin and Song Yan. From almost the very beginning, we can see that both of them still have feelings for each other, which show through their smaller and bigger actions. Despite that, their relationship develops gradually, and personally, I didn’t mind it at all. Considering their past — especially on his side — being cautious made sense. Over time, we increasingly saw the depth of their love for each other. Around one another, they radiated happiness and became the best versions of themselves. Another big plus for me is that once they entered a relationship, they faced problems together. There were no forced dramas meant to separate them or unnecessary arguments, and yet they were together for a long time throughout the series. Overall, Song Yan is a wonderful man. His family was also wonderful, and I watched most of their scenes with a smile on my face.

I was also incredibly happy when Qin finally started setting boundaries with her “parents” and eventually cut off contact with them. However, I was slightly disappointed when her “mother” suddenly changed her attitude and they reconciled, because I was hoping Qin would cut ties with them — especially with her — forever. In my opinion, she caused far too much harm and pain to everyone around her to suddenly sit at the table smiling together. It really irritates me that she faced no consequences for her actions after everything, but maybe I just have a different mindset.

Staying on the topic of family, I personally found the storyline of Meng Yan Chen disturbing. He was in love with her and tried to drive a wedge between her and Yan. After all, he was her brother (adoptive, but still). They were raised together as siblings from childhood into adulthood. She always treated him like a brother, yet he still wouldn’t let it go. His storyline with Ye Zi is also quite strange — starting from the fact that she looks like his sister, the one he had feelings for, and ending with the fact that toward the end it is hinted that they might have a future story together — after she falsely accused him of attempting sexual assault.

Aside from that, there are also a few points that I think could have been interesting but were only briefly introduced and never developed:
→ The military character (Lu Jie). I expected them to meet again since they talked about it, but it never happened, so I’m not entirely sure why he appeared in the first place. Though I did laugh at the scene where he thought Xu was his wife and called her that.
→ The storyline of Song’s mother. Honestly, I thought that as an adult he would try to find her and we would see some kind of confrontation — especially after the scene where, as a teenager, he went to her house with Xu and she looked at him.

A more personal complaint — or rather sadness. I loved the duo of Song Yan and Suo Jun, and Suo Jun’s departure really hit me. I was hoping that despite the distance they would keep in regular contact and that we would get many phone calls between them. It’s a pity that didn’t happen, although I’m glad we at least got one call that softened my heart.

And one funny little detail that I noticed. When Song Yan’s cousin ended up at the police station, Qin drove him there by car. Later, her “brothers” arrived and she went back with them in their car. To this day I’m still wondering what happened to her car that she left at that police station XD.

Lastly, I’ll mention Da Peng’s fate. I won’t go into too much detail here, but I’ll just say that I loved him from the very beginning. Together with Doctor Nan, they were my second favorite ship in the drama, so my heart broke into a million pieces and it took me quite a while to recover.

Read More

In my opinion, this was an excellent drama. I got completely hooked and never once felt like it was dragging. A huge plus for me was that it portrayed the real problems Asian idols face — the ones that are often kept silent. Staying quiet about your struggles, being forced to smile when fans cross boundaries because otherwise a scandal breaks out. While watching, I didn’t feel like anything was particularly forced, although after cooling down and thinking about it a few hours later, a few issues did come to mind.

I’ll start with the murder case. Personally, I was deeply invested in it and watched each episode with genuine curiosity. I think it was mainly this storyline and everything connected to it that made me like the series so much. I’ll admit — I correctly guessed who the culprit was, although I was convinced that this person wasn’t acting alone, so that part surprised me. I also have to confess that at the very beginning I had Kang U Seong written down as a suspect (laughing through tears). And I’m still not over the fact that he died, because the flashbacks made him one of my favorite characters, and I wanted him to have a happy ending. However, I do have to nitpick something here. I’m not knowledgeable about law, yet even I was struck by this detail — though only after thinking about it later. How on earth did Se Na, supposedly one of the best lawyers, not check the evidence found at the crime scene from the very beginning and show it to Ra Ik? This is a crime drama. I understand that it would have solved the case immediately, but it just makes no sense. The iCloud issue is less glaring, though I still feel that the prosecution should have accessed it early in the investigation. So, in summary, there were at least two noticeable plot conveniences that could affect the overall perception of the drama — personally, they didn’t bother me too much, but I tend to overlook such things.

Now onto the main couple — Maeng Se Na and Do Ra Ik. For most of the time, I genuinely enjoyed watching their relationship. Almost every time (with a small exception when he found out she had been his fan), they stood firmly by each other’s side and were a huge support during difficult moments, protecting one another. It was also clear that they became better — and happier — people because of each other. He learned to show his true emotions, his real self, and that he too deserved love. She learned to slow down, to enjoy her life, and to stop running from her past. I also loved them individually as characters. They were different yet similar, and they complemented each other well. However, toward the end I had one reservation. With Ra Ik, we clearly saw that he fell in love with the real her. But with Se Na, I have mixed feelings. I think the core issue was that she was still his obsessive fan even when they were already in a relationship. Instead of supporting him more as a partner, it still felt like she was supporting him as a fan (his merch, the concert ticket). On one hand, it was funny; on the other, slightly uncomfortable, and those final scenes somewhat disturbed my perception of their relationship (though I’ll pretend that didn’t happen :D).

I’m also glad that in the end the boys reunited as a group, reconciled, and created an album with their late friend — that really moved me. I’m also grateful that none of them turned out to be guilty, because for a moment I was worried about Lee Yeong Bin — he was a bit too calm :D. I did miss further development of Do Ra Ik’s storyline with his mother, especially an apology from her. Although, judging by her behavior, I had the impression that she didn’t fully understand her mistakes, so maybe that’s why we didn’t get one.

Returning to the legal side of things, I’m glad it was shown that Se Na started fighting to restore her father’s name after he had been “wrongfully” convicted. It would have been even better if we had seen her actually win the case. I hope Kwak Jong Cheol rotted in prison :D. As for Kwak Byeong Gyun, I’m glad he cut ties with his father and started fighting for the truth. Despite his mistakes as a child, you could see from the beginning that there was goodness in him, worn down by his father’s manipulation, which made me feel a bit of sympathy for him. Though I did hope he would wise up sooner and work with Se Na to find the murderer. Cheon Gwang Su was also a truly wonderful character — like a second father to Se Na — and it was heartwarming to watch how he supported her in everything.

Lastly, I’ll briefly mention Hong Hye Ju, because I simply couldn’t stand her. She hurt Do Ra Ik, constantly shifted all the blame for her behavior onto him — even when she cheated on him. And later she had the audacity to come back and hide behind the excuse of love. Even at the very end, after everything, she tried again, as if she were the only one who had suffered in that situation. A toxic creature. I had to get that off my chest — because I also became his fan :D

Read More

I recommend this drama to anyone who needs something light and very enjoyable to watch.

Let’s start with the main couple - Cong Rong & Wen Shao Qing. Their relationship was sweet and comforting from beginning to end. They liked each other almost from the very beginning, and once they became a couple, there wasn’t a single moment where they doubted the value of their relationship. There were no unnecessary arguments or melodrama between them (well, there was one pointless argument, but it wasn’t serious), just a sweet, almost perfect relationship between two people who fit each other incredibly well and loved each other deeply. Watching them was a pleasure, and their chemistry was wonderful. Aside from the sweetness, they also had HOT scenes - their kisses were genuinely good. They were each other’s priority. They valued each other’s well-being more than their own and fought for it. Most importantly, they knew how to listen to each other and talk to each other. It’s also worth mentioning that their story began in childhood. Sweet - but also a little scary - was the fact that he waited for a girl he had known only briefly as a child for so many years. :D

Now let’s move to the second couple - Zhou Cheng Cheng & Wen Rang. They were opposites. She was loud, open, emotional - though her feelings weren’t always stable. He was quiet, distant, cold, closed-off, and pining for his ex for about ten years. Here we got much more drama, which wasn’t a downside. We gradually watched him open up to her. Feelings slowly started to develop, which threw him into emotional chaos, because he had been waiting for another girl for years. And of course, that girl had to appear. That’s when he realized his true feelings were for Zhou - but it was already too late to stop the snowball that had started rolling. Although honestly, it could have been stopped with a conversation, but in their case communication didn’t come naturally; they had to learn it - especially him. Despite everything, their relationship was interesting to watch, and the drama between them felt natural rather than exhausting. The two couples were a perfect contrast and complemented each other well.
However, with Zhou Cheng Cheng and Wen Rang I found two small flaws. First: Zhou still doesn’t know that the kiss in the taxi actually happened and wasn’t just a dream. Second: I really wanted more scenes between them after they officially got together! Everywhere it says they were also a main couple, but they definitely felt much more like a secondary one.

Now let’s talk about the admirers of these two couples. The ones connected to the main couple were perfectly fine. They knew when to give up. Qin Chu caused some chaos at first, but stepped back when she noticed the two were into each other, and she was actually kind and supportive afterward. Shangguan Yi didn’t exactly back off, but he wasn’t harmful. He threw in a few comments here and there, but quickly stepped back and behaved normally. Though I’ll admit, I wish we’d gotten a scene where he confessed his feelings to the heroine, because then she would’ve realized that the main lead’s jealousy was justified.
But when it comes to the “admirer” - the ex-girlfriend - of the second male lead, she was extremely annoying. Completely self-centered, even though she treated him like trash. She didn’t know when to stop, even after seeing he had turned toward another girl, and desperately kept trying to get close to him despite him showing not even a hint of interest. In my opinion, she was the only irritating character in the entire series.

The last point I want to address is the families. The best, of course, were the female lead’s mother and her stepfather, but the male lead’s parents and his grandparents - who were the second male lead’s parents - were equally wonderful. Watching scenes with all of them was genuinely pleasant. As for the others, they were fine/neutral, and we didn’t get any extremely annoying or toxic characters (though the second female lead’s parents were toxic at the beginning).
I’ll also mention the female lead’s cousin - Zhong Zhen. Overall, I’m a fan of his personality; he made me laugh many times. A wonderful character with one flaw. I wanted to tear him apart and swore I’d name him my enemy of the series if he interrupted the main couple’s HOT scene one more time - luckily for him, he didn’t.

Read More

I loved this drama. It’s such an enjoyable show to watch. There aren’t any annoying characters whose sole purpose is to irritate the viewer or cause unnecessary problems for the leads. I really liked the main characters and how they developed. Nan Xing is a bit silly at times, but she’s determined to achieve her goals and doesn’t give up easily. Xiao Wu Di may seem like a villain on paper, but we quickly see his good side, and he gradually becomes a genuinely likable person - without losing his bold, mischievous charm. I loved their relationship from the very beginning. Not only did they have amazing chemistry, but there was also this natural ease between them - you could just feel that they genuinely enjoyed being around each other. Everything about their connection felt real, so much so that it moved me to tears several times.

A huge plus for me was also the main heroine’s mother. An Ni Na’s character was wonderful and definitely one of the best parents I’ve seen in Chinese dramas. There was no unnecessary drama - just a sincere portrayal of a mother’s real love for her child.

Mao Xiao Jun was also a very interesting character, and while watching, I couldn’t help but wonder how his story with Nan Xing might have unfolded if the fire hadn’t happened. I’d love to see an alternate storyline about that.

And I’ll go against a lot of opinions here - I actually liked the secondary couple, Lu Zi Chen and Ye Qing. Their relationship was interesting to me, and I rooted for them quite a lot. However, that changed once she went back to being his assistant. From that point on, something broke. The dynamic became strange, their storyline felt shallow, and the proposal scene was just weird.

Read More

A very good drama that I can wholeheartedly recommend. I had a great time watching it - it was genuinely enjoyable. I absolutely loved the female lead: she was strong-willed, confident, refused to let anyone walk over her, and was fully devoted to love. Of course, she did have one flaw - during conflicts, she couldn’t bring herself to listen to the other side. I also loved the relationship between the main characters. Her initial love that turned into hatred, his realization of who she really was, and his fight for a second chance - it was all very engaging to watch. I also liked that obstacles kept being thrown in their way, yet they always managed to overcome them.

The secondary couple’s storyline was just as interesting. It’s a shame that toward the end, it became quite underdeveloped, because I definitely saw potential for much more there. The same goes for the plot about releasing their game. Since the drama’s main story revolved around it, I really missed seeing the final touches before its release, as well as the actual moment it came out. It would’ve been nice to see that they truly made a big impact on China’s gaming scene and created something innovative. After all, throughout most of the show, we were told it would be the first game of its kind in China - yet in the end, all we got was a short celebration of millions of downloads. That didn’t feel satisfying to me.

One more thing about Su Zheng. At one point in the series, I got the impression that he wasn’t actually in love with her and was just trying to provoke Gu Xun - which would’ve been both funnier and more interesting. This feeling came from episode 15, during the cake scene, when he approached the main couple looking like he was trying not to laugh - but in the end, it turned out differently :(

Read More

This was a wonderful series, and I really regret that I stopped watching it earlier. The plot pulled me in completely, and I wasn’t disappointed even a little. The relationship and chemistry between Do Do-hee and Jeong Gu-won were amazing and addictive, and I would love to see even more episodes of their story — obviously the happy part. Their personalities and his character development (in a positive direction) throughout their relationship were portrayed very well.
On top of that, all the side characters were well written and clearly distinct from one another. We had mentally disturbed characters (mainly Noh Seok-min and Noh Do-gyeong), who were brilliantly acted — interesting and terrifying at the same time. Their close ones, who suffered because of those disorders, were also portrayed well, showing the consequences and how it affected them during and after. There were also lighter, comedic characters that added humor to the show and briefly pulled it out of its seriousness (like the “Wild Dogs” gang or the relationship between Shin Da-jeong and Park Bok-kyu).

I found only two downsides, which didn’t really affect my overall rating anyway. First, I’m curious why Noh Seok-min became such a monster. Did he have any reasons that led him to develop mental illness — just like his son did because of him? One could assume not, since the series never gave us an answer.
The second issue is the lack of development of Ki Kwang-chol’s character — more specifically, why he was also manipulated by Noh Seok-min and involved in that sick situation.

Read More

I really liked the series. I was very intrigued by the main character, and their relationship in high school was wonderful to me. I also really liked the main heroine, especially her determination. The beating seemed a bit absurd to me, though, because he was thinking a few steps ahead, and that was thoughtless. I cursed the main character’s parents (especially the mother) a lot, because in my opinion, sometimes they went way too far—for example, wanting to decide about their daughter’s relationship when she was already an adult and had her life settled. Not to mention that after she was diagnosed with depression, they still wanted to send her abroad as soon as possible and only thought about that. The character Gao—no character has annoyed me so much in a long time (respect to the actor, though). I couldn’t stand his insecure personality, always looking for problems around him when he himself was the problem. For most of the series, I prayed for him to disappear from the screen—I suffered terribly and what was it all for? Just so that in the end he faced no consequences and built a happy life?

Read More

Overall, I watched this series a long time ago and honestly got a bit scared by the opinions, because back then I really liked it.

It was a show I watched with great pleasure, and I couldn’t wait to start the next episodes and learn more about the characters’ past and future. The relationship between them is very enjoyable, and the chemistry practically jumps off the screen (plus lots of sweet scenes — I’m in love). The characters are very well developed, and I appreciated how the series shows problems faced not only by the main couple. I really liked how childhood trauma can affect adult life. On top of that, the side couples’ storylines were interesting — for me, the best one outside the main couple was definitely Kim Ji-a and Go Gwi-nam. From the very beginning, I was rooting for them to end up together…

SPOILER!!!!
And thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Well, maybe just a little, because I would have liked to see a lot more of them on screen after they got together, but I can survive that — the most important thing is that they ended up together in the end. The only thing that really annoyed me was that the male lead initially allowed her to get close to his brother, even though he knew it wasn’t his brother who was kidnapped with her, but him. I figured it was due to his trauma and, as I later learned, also because he pretended in front of his family that he didn’t remember it — but it was still idiotic to me. Not enough to lower my rating, though, because I’m simply in love with this series.

Read More

Did I have a great time watching this drama? YES. Would I watch it again? YES. Do I recommend it? YES — but only to people who enjoy turning their brains off and aren’t bothered by flaws. Very often while watching it, I felt like I was watching premium ReelShorts. The acting from everyone (except Dai Gao Zheng) was, at times, overly exaggerated — which may be the script’s fault — but combined with the occasionally over-the-top action, it created exactly that kind of vibe. Personally, it didn’t bother me.

When it comes to the relationship of the main couple — Bu Yan & He Yu Chen — I think one trigger warning is crucial. At one point, the male lead, in a fit of anger, attempts to se*ually assault her. He does come to his senses and nothing happens, but the very fact alone means this is not a show for everyone. There are also forced kisses, and although her later reaction to a similar attempt by another man suggests that she did want them with He Yu Chen, simply watching those scenes may trigger negative emotions for some viewers. For that reason, I would classify their relationship as dark romance, and personally, I liked it. Both of them would burn the world down to protect each other. Their chemistry was amazing, and their love was clearly visible.

Personally, I like the trope of the “bad,” wounded boy who still has a good heart — and that’s exactly who He Yu Chen was. In my opinion, despite his wrongdoings, he was the most interesting and best-written character. I also liked the fighting storyline itself and was glad that, after many years, he legally returned to it. However, I still wonder about the exact reason why they deliberately destroyed his career in the past, because it was never fully explained (or maybe I just forgot?). Another “premium ReelShorts” element appears in the fight scenes. The color of the blood looked so unrealistic that all the wounds seemed like there was no budget for a makeup artist and a child painted them with watercolors. At least later, during the healing process, they looked natural. On top of that, some fight scenes were highly unrealistic — for example, a guy was beating him with brass knuckles, and he ended up with nothing more than minor wounds and scratches.

On the positive side, their children were adorable. I didn’t check whether the illness and its treatment were medically accurate, but I think the storyline was handled well. That said, we never learned how He Yu Chen managed to find bone marrow for his son when no one else had been able to do so for years.

Regarding the storyline involving her father (Bu Hong Hui), I think the theme of his friendship with He Yu Chen’s father and his “involvement” in his death was handled very shallowly. Technically everything was explained, but to me it felt superficial. The coma storyline itself and everything surrounding it was interesting, but again, there were several “premium ReelShorts” flaws. First, her father’s employee knew perfectly well that he planned to break off his daughter’s engagement to Tang Ze — they literally discussed the consequences while signing the share transfer. Yet later, when he talked to her during her father’s coma, he claimed that her father told him nothing beyond the share transfer. Did he suddenly forget? Especially since he wasn’t a bad character. Second, I was genuinely amused by the fact that they talked about her father waking up any moment, and then suddenly we get a two-month time skip, and only then does he wake up. We heard nothing about any complications during that time, so I’m filing this under my category. Third — what happened to his wife? He Yu Chen kicked her out of the house while the man was in a coma, and we never saw her again. The father went to sleep with a wife, woke up without one, and didn’t care at all. XD
A personal complaint from a different category: the male lead was never even slightly angry that she initially accused him of being involved in what happened to her father. She didn’t even apologize after learning the truth — we just moved on. And who was the female lead’s mother, and what happened to her? Maybe it was mentioned and I forgot?

I’ll dedicate the final segment to annoying characters:
-> Tang Ze — my “favorite,” because no one else raised my blood pressure like he did. A disgusting man who clearly had something wrong with his head. I won’t dwell on it — he was just a psycho with connections. What deserves special mention is his ending, straight from the “premium ReelShorts” category: we see him watching the main couple’s wedding from a distance, then we get white text on a black screen informing us about his fate (he went to prison for many years). I found it comical, but apparently there was no budget to show a police/court/prison scene.

-> Chen Wen Li (Xia Chang Yin?) — ironically, she was the only one in whom I saw any genuine goodness, though it didn’t change my opinion of her, because she annoyed me endlessly from start to finish. For contrast, we see her contact the police herself, but we never learn what happens to her afterward.

-> Bu Jing Yang — finally, we know absolutely nothing. He simply vanished into thin air along with his mother.

Read More