Fae

Unethical and Awesome

Well... dang. This extra-mini-miniseries is demented but logical and fascinating enough (for me). The ML is metaphorically on another plane, FAR AWAY from the rest of humanity. He's NOT a status or wealth-snob, but he's so powerful, rich, and unfathomably confident, that he embodies the essence of an immortal god/demon. He's a morally-grey ANTIHERO character, that is severely controlling, fierce and deadly but is also diametrically protective, loving and forgiving (toward FL and his assistant). He doesn't allow anyone to control him, even his own mean/controlling mother. His smirk/smile reminds me of a young Damon Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries but he's legitimately powerful enough to be ABOVE the law, like Klaus Michaelson, ("I AM immortal!") 😈, and he knows it. He ALWAYS has a trusting, positive, compassionate outlook of the FL's integrity and personhood - even when she betrays him out of her ignorance. The FL is understandably scared (and frustratingly) small-minded in the face of this type of larger-than-life antihero. Like the rest of us ignorant humans, she's not able to perceive the bigger picture nor find the truth. The happy ending was way too abrupt. Their chemistry was only partially explored via the ML's passionate pursuit and his (mostly forced) 💋 kisses, so the ending is the beginning of their consensual romance.

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CUTEST WEREWOLF FAMILY, EVER!

I'm copy/pasting my review from my conversation with EmberZMars after we buddy-watched.

The directing and script are very fun, the perfect cuteness to balance the ridiculous. The storyline was unique! I didn’t predict anything that happened! The effects are a little cheesy, with the werewolves looking like furries, haha, but since its it’s a vertical drama, there’s grace for that stuff 😉, and it kind of made it endearing. The green, glowing eyes are pretty cool! I have never watched these 2 leads before. I thought the acting was good. The little boy is so cute. I loved the way he clenched his fists and said to his mom that he’d avenge her when he grows up. He’s so feisty, brave and protective of his mama. The main misunderstandings between the leads were driving me nuts, but it was cleared up by halfway which was awesome, way better than other dramas that drag it out until almost the end. Also, the ML apologized to the FL 2-3x, AND he was very genuine about it. I liked that his integrity INCLUDED humbly owning his behavior. I really like the FL’s strong, fighting spirit. She ferociously protects her son, and she stands her ground and can’t be bullied. She’s a perfect wife for an alpha werewolf who is responsible for a whole pack, and definitely being the mother of little cubs. One of my favorite scenes that made me laugh was when the ML rubbed the FL’s pregnant tummy and he said, “steeaak”, to the unborn baby and it kicked, then he listed a bunch of other meats and the FL went into labor and gave birth. Haha!!! These writers 😄. The leads had good chemistry in the second half, and GREAT kisses. I definitely liked that the FL reciprocated and initiated sometimes instead of being a still brick. I agree with Ember, the drunken / drugged intimate scenes always bum me out somewhat because its more special when the characters have their wits and are making a clear choice. However, this was indeed different because the FL seemed to really want to be in the moment, regardless. I loved their family loyalty and how they stood up for each other, even before the ML was sure his first son/cub was his. I was bracing for the moment he threw her to the curb like ML's who misunderstand in other dramas, but he never did 💚. Also, like viewer "jubie33" said in the comment area, I LOOOVED that the ML REMEMBERS the FL, even 5 years later after a one-night-stand. By the end, the little werewolf family of 4 were a tight pack! 🐺💚. Ember, thanks for sharing this drama, I really enjoyed it!!

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CREATIVE & TIMELESS

This is a very unique, artistically creative adaptation of the, "Captive Love from the Mob Boss" storyline. This production somehow feels timelessly vintage. There's classically warm, yet slightly dark and mysterious vibes. The color scheme is all black, greys, dark green and deep reds, with tiny pops of white here and there. The set is really cool and interesting. There's elements from the 1930's all the way to current times. The cars throughout were from all the decades, and were ALL black except one white classic convertible and the white/red community bus. The FL's iconically beautiful clothes look 1940's and the ML's fun and amazing crew of lackeys look 1970's - 1990's. The style of cell phones are from the mid 1990's, but the FL's temporary creepy boss mentioned Weibo (launched 2009). At the end, the white wedding dress and veil look 1930's and the 3 black cars are all from different decades 70's, 80's and 90's. Interestingly, when the FL was with her boyfriend in the beginning, she was very vanilla, wearing pastel colors, but after her full day with the ML, she looked more femme fatale, wearing reds thereafter. (I liked both styles, though).

In this version, the ML is not as unhinged. He definitely had some rough edges still but he controlled his anger a lot better and was overall more patient and kind (to the FL). Also, he never harassed or hurt innocent people or anyone in the FL's family. He just punishes the bad guys. The FL is uncomfortably judgemental in the first half, not seeing the ML's integrity. Her boyfriend is clearly a selfish loser, and I felt second-hand hurt feelings when she kept telling the ML he didn't measure up to how good her boyfriend was. I felt a little nauseated hearing her lie to herself. The story happily turns around, though and the ending isn't abrupt like in the other versions. This is the only version that allowed time for romance to blossom and therefore, consensual intimacy. The leads kiss 💋 well, too.

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Heartbreaking Karma

I really like Zhao Zhen Dong, so I hated seeing him as a cheater, BUT this was a VERY good drama with a well-done NON-rushed ending. I USUALLY only watch 'happily ever after' stories and try to skip over any dramas with tragic endings. HOWEVER... THIS drama is a rare life-lesson gem about sowing and reaping (NOT revenge). Its definitely sad but its ALSO satisfying BECAUSE karmic justice is actually served completely, fairly and with perfect pacing. Its the FIRST vertical drama I have EVER felt was worthy of 9☆'s. Even though it is a heartbreaking story, I didn't ever feel moved to actual tears until the very end when the ML told the lab tech that he would give them 100% of his wealth to make sure the experiment succeeded that his wife gave up her life for. That was when it felt like he'd accepted the consequences. Also, I was glad the writers allowed him to secretly see his wife again without him actually reintroducing himself to her. Seeing him when she woke up would have been insulting and disrespectful after all she'd been through because of him. He KNEW she didn't deserve that.

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MESSED UP UNDERDOG STORY

I watched this ONLY because I love Ma Xiaoyu so much, but I REALLY disliked the story. He played a despicable and unlikeable character so WELL, and I hated it 😉. He was a stupid, incredibly mean, JERK. 😢💔. I love underdog stories, where the lead causes their enemies to eat EPIC crow. That DID happen, but it was drowned out by massively long-winded dialogue. The first half of the script was dedicated to just ONE scene, where they beat around the bush, arguing about the FL's real identity ...forEVER. It started out cool but became SO tedious. The second "reveal" scene was wonderful, more in depth and yet shorter. I loved actress Fang Lei's teary eyes as she explained to her ex-husband (Ma Xiaoyu) what she'd been through and hinted who she was. The competition scene toward the end was terrible scripting. The ending was a bummer but justified because the ML definitely didn't deserve the FL after how he treated her, ...although it still felt sad.

⚠️ SPOILER ⚠️
Preface: Nothing justifies how verbally cruel the ML was to the FL, even though she deceived him, and even IF she wasn't his long-lost love, and definitely not for the shallow reason of her supposed ugliness.

So, on a BIG side note, I can't help but be devil's advocate... There is a HUGE aspect to this story that frustrates me. The leads were childhood sweethearts but hadn't seen each other SINCE childhood, so its understandable the ML can't remember the FL's adult appearance. The FL became the renowned and BEAUTIFUL author, Mu Ye, hid her identity (via an alias and fake facial scarring) and then HIRED her evil half-sister to be her "beautiful" stand-in, knowing her sister had repeatedly tried to kill her. When the FL went searching for her childhood love (ML), she felt extremely betrayed when she saw him pandering to the evil sister SHE hired to BE her. Her feelings were hurt that he didn't intuitively know the sister wasn't her (Mu Ye). The ML was THEN forced to marry the "scarred" FL (not knowing she was Mu Ye his childhood love), and so he held a monumental grudge against her. For 3 years the FL hid her identity from him (using the scarring and an alias) and never stood up for herself against his anger and verbal abuse. During those 3 years, the FL says the ML had the chance to recognize her and love her but there's never any acknowledgement that she had completely snowed and deceived him. She set him up. It doesn't justify his verbal cruelty, but the FL spent 3 years manipulating her husband (ML) by playing the passive-aggressive victim. From the start, she created and fostered a deceptive environment ALL around him, and even getting others to participate in the charade. The more I think about it, the more screwed up this whole storyline is.

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LOVELY SYNERGY

ALTERNATE TITLE:
"Leave It to Chance" (Kalos)

FYI: Excellent subtitles, but the translation service uses English names for all the characters instead of their Chinese names.

SYNOPSIS (Just the first 20 min ONLY. A few ⚠️ SPOILERS):
Quirky, Romantic Comedy. The ML, Charles Chance (a renowned lawyer and extremely wealthy heir), dislikes women and is a stingy miser. The FL, Shanice Brown (a high school PE teacher), is a responsible, independent, self-sustaining and generous provider for her exploitative family. She accidentally gets in ML's car, mistaking him for a private taxi driver, and tells him to take her to her friend's wedding. He happens to be going to the same wedding. At the wedding, they help the bride escape getting married, and their camraderie puts them in a hotel room together, where they have a one-night-stand. The next day, they part ways casually, thinking they'll never meet again. However, they cross paths in the hotel restaurant, where they are both being forced by their elders to go on blind dates. They are unsatisfied with their dates, and decide to get married to each other instead. They immediately go to get their certificates in a flash marriage. ML hides his wealthy identity from the FL and becomes her loverboy, house-husband.

REVIEW:
I agreed with the FL at first, ...the ML definitely seems shameless for being so miserly. But, I'm so glad I kept watching this cute drama. Even though the production is mediocre and there's some cheesiness, I didn't even need to fast-forward, because its such a fun story and script 🩷. Both leads are smart (the ML is particulary clever), and they destroy SO many tropes in a creative, humorous way. I just love their teamwork, synergy, and mutual support. Their chemistry is also great, even though it doesn't really show intimacy (they hardly kiss, and when they do, its just a still lip-touch). The ML is SO lovey-dovey, though, and always looks at the FL with doe-eyes 😍🦋. Its a happy ending, of course.

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BEAUTIFUL, PASSIONATE METAMORPHOSIS

*adaptation

OTHER TITLES:
• Promise You Joy and Sorrow
• In Love, Through Pain

GENRE:
Supernatural Romance

MY SYNOPSIS:
ML has been searching endlessly for an umbraborn (bloodmoon born) woman who has a bloodmark (birthmark), because she is the only one that can save his life. He will die unless he removes his ancestral scorchbane (fire poison) curse via consummation with the umbraborn FL on the bloodmoon of New Years Eve. ...But, it will make her weak and is progressively fatal. At first, the ML is conflicted, oscillating between selfish and mean to compassionate and protective, as he plans to sacrifice the FL. His plans to trade her life for his are soon upheaved when her beautiful humanity transforms him and he falls in love with her.

REVIEW: ⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️
I usually won't watch something with a sad ending, but I'm glad I watched this. The ending was spiritual and full of love and so it was bittersweet instead of awful. (Of course I would RATHER have a completely happy ending, which is why my rating is 7☆ instead of 8☆). Both leads and their tiny daughter did an incredible job showing raw emotion, PHENOMENAL actually. I really liked the FL's beautiful personality and expressive eyes, and I loved how much the ML transformed because of her. He was so incredibly passionate, as a person, a dad and a husband. His heartfelt 🩷 interactions with his daughter were soul-crushing. The kisses 💋 and intimacy ❤️‍🔥 with his wife were amazing. It was beyond chemistry - it was deep love 💓. The child actress is beautiful and her fervency for her mom blew.my.mind. She's incredible. It even sounded like her real voice, too, instead of the usual adult cartooned-voiceover.

The production aspect was okay but there was a lot of sloppy jumping between scenes and it felt overall rushed in several places. It had such a good storyline and script, though, that it really makes me wish the production had been higher quality, longer by an hour or so, and had a happily-ever-after ending. There was definitely a bit of ridiculousness, such as the HIPAA-style violations at the hospital and their little daughter's ability to handle adult-level arrangements as if she's a prodigy. However, I liked the overall story enough to overlook that stuff. 💗.

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I LOVE this couple.

The title of this drama, "Love is the Only Eternity", completely resonates with my soul 💗. Production, directing and acting all seemed great. I love almost everything about the story / script, EXCEPT that the ML's love is unrequited for too long (until almost the end), and also, the ending itself is too abrupt (for me).

Its so cool how, from the beginning, the ML was 100% honest with the FL's grandpa about his identity and motives when obtaining permission to marry her. Their inside shared knowledge kind of made everything else feel more secure, even while the FL was kept in the dark (until almost the end). (Technically, the FL forgot aspects of him and he's just not clueing her in). Although there was potential for MORE depth had the FL fallen in love earlier on, the leads have good chemistry, some great kisses, and some amazingly heartfelt moments that melted me (bathtub hug, star-tattoo story / proposal). The ML is always patient, giving the FL unlimited time to fall in love with him, and he consistently has the "deeply in love" gaze 😍 when talking to her 🦋🦋. I also love how at the end when the FL realized the ML was hiding part of his identity and temporarily keeping secrets, she ONLY saw his heart and how MUCH he loves her, instead of developing the stereotypical misunderstanding. In fact, both leads are a breath of fresh air because they always trust and stick up for each other, see the other in a positive light, and never succumb or accuse the other with the slander they got from the bad people.

The FL has such a balanced, likeable, personality. She is strong and mature, laid-back and cute. When she is harassed by the ex or greentea types, she is always wise and clever. She never acts dramatically or whiney. She knows when to slap and not take crap, and when to chill out and let karma happen.

The ML is THE PERFECT MAN (imo). He's responsible in life, full of integrity, humble yet confident, strong and brave. He's non-controlling, patient, respectful and lovey to the FL, yet severe and harsh with the bad guys.

These two are a WONDERFUL couple! My heart 💗 is so full after watching this mini-drama.

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DEFINITELY MADE of GLASS :(

GENRE:
Melodrama

ENGLISH TITLE:
"Glass Engagement" / "Glass Marriage"

SYNOPSIS (YT description):
“Forced to marry a blind disabled CEO, she loved him deeply despite knowing he loved another.”


REVIEW (⚠️ spoilers):
Production is mediocre. Directing seems fine. Acting is good. The storyline is tragic, sad and unfinished. The ending itself though, is neither happy nor tragic, but it SHOULD be. After the last tragic incident, it should have ended with a bang, but it proceeded with a mix of depressing hope. I agree with the FL, if the ML REALLY loved her and wanted to choose her, even a gun to his head couldn’t have stopped him. This ML was seemingly passionate about the FL but he didn’t consistently follow through. The FL’s new husband is a good person but is permanently friend-zoned. I’m glad he told the FL to make a clear choice so he can decide to move on. But it ended with the FL unable to choose what to do, stuck in limbo, just staring at the ML, who was holding their child. Its just very sad and my heart has a hole now. There’s a couple plot holes. There’s no chemistry, ONLY forced kisses and forced intercourse.

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SHALLOW & MEANINGLESS

This dating-reality-show drama is an example of what happens when there's sensuality without romance, because the kissing is great but there's NO romantic chemistry, butterflies 🦋 or story-depth. It all just felt shallow and meaningless.

True to K-drama production quality, the filmography and sound is good, especially for a vertical short. However, the script was uninteresting and the pacing was too fast. Everything felt one-dimensional. The characters didn't have scenes with sufficient self-reflection and the acting was so-so. Most of the characters seemed kind of flat, except for the FL's ex-boyfriend. He had *some* expression, but then why at the end did he seem unfazed that the girfirend he'd been pining for the whole drama, ultimately picked another guy? The FL herself didn't even seem like she was interested in ANY of the guys, and the one she decided on at the end was kind of mean.

Well, there's a first for everything. Out of the hundreds of K-dramas I've seen, this is my first GARBAGE K-drama. There was bound to be one.

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PLEASANT but MISSING POTENTIAL

SYNOPSIS (adapted from YouTube):
“The FL (legal intern / paralegal) went to the wrong table for a blind date, but unexpectedly found out the next day that he was her new boss (lawyer) at the law firm. At the hospital, her gravely ill mother mistook the ML for her son-in-law, so the FL just went along with it. The ML also needed a cover to get his mom off his case, so the leads signed a contract for a marriage-of-convenience to help them through the difficult days ahead."

REVIEW:
This drama has a nice, calm vibe and has the makings of a good story. The opening scene stole my heart (the FL mistakes the ML as her blind date and eats the dog’s birthday cake because it also happens to be HER birthday). I like these leads kindness, genuine nature and honesty. At the end, when the ML learned he’d misunderstood the FL, I didn’t feel like he apologized well. His description of WHY he misunderstood is all fine and good, but he never actually said, “sorry”. The drama ended an hour too soon so the leads didn’t have any romantic development. In the second to last scene, the ML tells the FL that he fell in love with her, she looks surprised, and then the last scene time-jumps to her being 7-9 months pregnant. The End.


In my own rating-system, I gave this 6.75☆.

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"I AM YOUR GREATEST RIGHT"

This is a morally grey drama (with a little darkness, warped cuteness and slight humor). There is satisfying revenge and justice, and a happy ending. The key scene that really drove the WHOLE point of the drama is when... The FL said to the ML / Mob boss: “As your caged bird, what rights do I have?” The ML replied: “I am your greatest right. What more do you need?”



I usually don’t care for revenge dramas, but I do like underground crime boss dramas. This one is well made and creative. The production, directing, acting, and storyline are all good. The self-defense / fighting “effects” are a little cheesy in the very beginning prison-break scene, but pretty good for the rest. (I thought it was interesting that the prison is co-ed). After the ML stole the “mentally ill” FL from the prison and brought her to his home, I thought it was so cute that the household maids dressed her up like a princess, not realizing she’s a hardcore bad*ss. The FL is so chill and didn’t care. She sees the bigger picture and is hiding her identity anyway.



Unlike some other mafia dramas, the ML’s cruel nature isn’t a false rumor. He really is true to the mob boss ‘persona’. There’s no pretense with this guy and he feels NO guilt. He’s completely raw and ruthless, but calm and NOT the usual unhinged type. His nefarious acts are not fakery, where he’s secretly a softy underneath. He really does kill people (bad guys) and controls the city. He is an UNCHANGING force, and everyone else submits.

As for the romance, the ML found the FL intriguing and and it grew into love (no, not the healthy kind – he’s still a mafia king to his core). At first, she sees a psycho killer that she needs to get away from, but he slowly grew on her, she stopped caring about escaping and she became part of his world. The ML is not physically abusive to the FL, never hurts her, and he treats her respectfully, but he IS controlling. Like a dictator, he makes “allowances” for patience. He’s possessive and passionate but never physically forces anything. This is not a drama where the FL helps the ML transform into a ‘better man’. She’s strong and feisty, she speaks up, and is never fearful or a doormat, but she truthfully knows her range of power, and she doesn’t seem to mind that the ML is king of the underground. She doesn’t try to change him. He gives the FL all the backing and support she needs to take revenge on her family. The leads have good chemistry and kisses. I do think MORE time was needed for their romantic development or for it to have started earlier in the drama.

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FANTASTIC FUN

To me, this was almost perfect entertainment. I really liked everything about it. The production quality and acting is good. The storyline is SO fun and it has a delightfully humorous ending. The characters are wonderful. I love that the FL has 5 brothers, showing all their different personalities, which felt relatable to me having 4 brothers. The writers gave the leads and the parents thinking brains this time, so they aren't annoyingly falling for the greentea's lies. There's more trust and so its a nice break from the usual vertical C-drama angst. The leads have endearing chemistry throughout... Its just that there isn't ENOUGH focus on their romance. The drama is mostly centered around the FL's badassery, and the romance is just part of that story. And, she really IS awesome. She's strong, clever, talented, fun, patient, and mature, with a fantastic personality. I love her character. She's one of my favorites out of all the C-dramas I've seen, both regular AND vertical. The ML is adorable and brave, with a lot of integrity, and I love how enthralled he is with her. When he looks at her, he is captivated. Zhang Beixi and Wang Qianhui are so well matched in this story. Maybe this drama just needed to be longer or have a part 2 in order to accommodate the romance parts. Or, maybe just trim some excess. Regardless, this is now one of my favorite vertical dramas. 🩵

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CLEVER, ZOMBIE CUTENESS

I really enjoyed this! It is probably my favorite zombie series / movie, and I'm NOT really a fan of the zombie genre. This was incredibly witty, adventurous, and funny. It had such a great vibe and so much out-of-the-box creativity. There was a bit of dark humor and a few serious parts as well. Unfortunately, the romance was only implied, so nothing ever actualized. The ending was left open in that way. I would've added a star to my rating if the main leads had developed romantically and had at least one kiss. However, this drama was done amazingly, even without the lovey-dovey stuff. Choi Jin-hyuk as a zombie 🧟‍♂️ might be my favorite role he's played. He was SO cute when he smiled in anticipation about eating tripe. Omg, he's handsome 😍 and his zombie-smile is pure sunshine that melted me. The melodic rock soundrack by artist "I'll" was AWESOME. I love the main song, "Be Ok".

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