ColourMePurple

Boring

Usually I manage to binge short cdramas but not this one. It took me a long time to complete and there were several times when I fell asleep or just stopped paying attention. The premise was ok but too confusing. Too many characters which isn't unusual for cdramas but the characters didn't have any special traits to make them memorable. I won't even be able to relay the plot to someone because I don't know what exactly were the positions of several of those characters.

Besides the story being terrible, there was no chemistry between the leads. There is very little romance. There is a cliched scene where they MUST be together. Lol. Why do cdramas use this so often? Are you incapable of developing romance between your characters?

The music (both intro and outro) is very slow and depressing and I got a bit tired listening fo it.

Other than the leads being looking and there being some decent action, nothing really hooked me. There was just brief moments towards the end that made me a little excited but that sizzled out fast.

There are better mini dramas, just skip this one.

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Good but not much of a thriller

I did like the movie though I wasn't aware of it being adapted from a game. But as a horror or psychological thriller, it wasn't at par with other movies. There are moments when it was creepy and weird but that's about it. So if you scare easily it won't be hard watching this.

I liked the acting of the cast and it certainly made me curious to try and figure out what was happening. I'm not sure if I would recommend it to thriller lovers though.

The simplicity of the set was great and also how many things were done differently in each loop. They followed the game's design to a T!

Spoilers below.
I'm not sure if many viewers got the same understanding from the movie as I did because it seemed to be lost on a few YT reviewers that I saw. The ML is told by his ex that she is pregnant. She is at the hospital waiting for him to making a decision. And then everything that happened before or after is related to the baby. Him seeing a mother on the subway getting harassed because her baby is crying. Blood dripping from the walls and ceiling of the looped subway station as if to suggest death/murder/abortion. Baby in the locker. Him wondering if he'll be a good father and then seeing a small boy and trying to rescue him. The loop was designed so that he tells his ex to keep the baby and raise it with her. Japan has a big problem with their low birth rates and an aging population. From my perspective, this was pretty obviously baby propoganda And that is what I didn't like about it. Though I did like this one line criticising the work culture and monotonous lives the Japanese live but people are helpless unless the government actively makes changes. I thought the concept was good but it's an average film for its genre.

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Enjoyable But Could Have Been Better

I quite enjoyed the series overall though I wouldn't call it a favourite in the transmigration genre. But there is a lot to love about it.

Firstly, the leads are incredible! The FL is stunning and she is a strong, graceful, charming woman with a good head on her shoulders. She is the brains behind the collaboration of the leads. ML is the executioner. He is strong yet gentle, brave and understanding and trusts the FL which is what makes their dynamic work so well. He trusts her even before she trusts him. More than their romance, I enjoyed their chemistry and banter.

Secondly, the other characters. I loved the SFL and Mr Bai the most. The scholars were nice too. It's always great when secondary and supporting characters bring life to the drama. I also liked the physician but sadly his role was small.

Third, the plot. No drama can succeed on acting alone. If the plot is weak, it all falls apart. The story of How Dare You has a good flow and never gets boring. There is also mystery about certain characters which helped kept me interested in the story. Fortunately we don't really have a misunderstanding and breakup trope or at least not really. Whatever happens is resolved almost immediately.

Fourth, I got emotional in certain parts and I feel the ML conveyed them really well.

I enjoyed the drama OST too. It suited the scenes a lot.

Where it failed to hit the mark:
I expected this to be more comedic than it is. The title also makes you think it will be more funny than serious. It starts off funny but gets a bit more dramatic and serious 7 - 10 episodes in. There is light comedy here and there to make you smile but no laughs from my end.

The action sequences. Usually the leads are involved in the fighting and action scenes as much as the side characters but that's not the case in this drama. Though I didn't mind the leads not fighting at alll, I felt the action scenes itself were kind of average or overly dramatic. And I'm a sucker for a good action sequence so this mattered to me.

The SML was okay. I don't feel much for him which isn't a good thing.

The ending. It was quite abrupt and tbh I didn't understand what happened at all until I read some explanations. I don't really like when directors expect you to fall back on the source to fill in your gaps. But I also understand why they did it that way. Since it involves censorship, I can't call it bad storytelling. Still... they could have compensated in other ways so it was disappoiinting.

Introducing a character late and then the twist. I'm not sure the twist was needed.

Romance. Though the leads' chemistry is great, the romance is okay. You won't find much of it since there is a lot of planning and scheming going on. Since everything was good, I didn't care too much so I'm mentioning this last. As romance can be huge for some viewers, I thought I would point this out.

To sum up, How Dare You is quite enjoyable but it also leaves you wanting a bit more.

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A bunch of historical fantasies roled into one

When it first started, it resembled almost entirely like Love Between Fairy And Devil but on steroids because of how fast the story was moving. I actually quite enjoyed it. Even the romance seemed to be moving pretty quickly and I wasn't quite buying it. But as the story unfolds, a lot is explained and it was enjoyable.

Somewhere down the line it got a bit boring and then started getting interesting again later. Towards the end, I was annoyed because there were just too many twists by this point. I was a bit irritated with all the characters rather than just one or two. I didn't really like the ML's acting at this point. The FL was carrying the plot.

The FL is actually the best part of the show. She is adorable and acts well. I didn't find the ML attractive initially but he grew on me. But his acting is sometimes great and other times not worth mentioning. Partly because of the story too so I can't blame him completely. He is definitely good at emotional scenes though.

Ep23 was probably the worst for me. It was excruciating to watch but they do redeem themselves in the finale. However, by that time a lot of my interest was gone and I just wanted to end the show.

For the most part it is decent, the episodes are only 30 mins long and the story does move at a decent pace. It's an all right watch. They did mash up and get inspired by other historical fantasy dramas too but it was a good attempt.

I love the opening theme song but there are a few other songs that are nice.

Overall the show is a hit or a miss.

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Terribly Painful to Watch

There is only one episode that is decent in this show and that is episode 7. The rest of this drama was so difficult to watch it took me 2 months to get through it. And even after putting it on 1.5x speed, I kept falling asleep in the final episode until I couldn't be bothered to rewind.

The biggest flaw is that we really don't have any character to root for. I had an intense dislike for both the male leads. The female lead characters were also meh. The older brother was the only decent character and I could feel connected to him and his story but we don't get to explore much of him. Nothing exciting happens. The dialogues are not something that resonate with you. There is no comedy to relieve the tension. The romance is very toned down. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the leads at all.

The cinematography and OST are the only decent aspects of the series but not enough to make you watch. I am usually generous with my ratings but I struggled to not drop this. I really kept hoping it will get better but it never did. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

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Cute with a wild element

I didn't enjoy the ML's character in No Gain No Love but I did like him better in this since he was written as a perfect character. I had an idea of what the plot was about and it turned out to be right so there was no surprise element but I liked some of the comedy. It isn't as good as NGNL but it isn't bad. The story is fun and cute and I enjoyed the bold elements. I am glad they took us into the world the FL created. I would recommend watching No Gain No Love first so you can appreciate this drama more. I think the 2 episodes were perfect for Spice Up Our Love.

I also liked the secretary's character and how different it was to the parent story. He is a pretty good actor and did great in all the different roles.

I was really blown away by Lee Sang Yi singing 'A World For Us'. Didn't expect him to be such a good singer. I enjoyed the song.

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Dramatic, Gorey, Enthralling

From start to finish, the presentation and story-telling of the show were gripping and exciting! Both the leads - the uncle and the niece play a fantastic part in this entire series - both together and separately! It definitely makes it a MUST WATCH.

If you enjoy action, thrillers, suspense - this show has all of that. You might have to put up with a bit of gruesome gorey killing sprees along with it so "Listen Well" - watch at your own risk depending on what you are able to handle. It did get a bit much for me. Though they try to spare you a bit with the camera panning to the killer rather than the victim. The story is actually not very complicated which is a plus point. There is a bit of back and forth with episodes 5 and 6 giving important background information but never for a moment did this show lose it's pace or get boring so don't let that make you hesitant.

The show is unrealistically realistic. It doesn't make superheroes out of nobodies. People are what you expect them to be and rely on their wits and other skills. Of course there are still unrealistic aspects to the show but the series completely draws you into the world despite that.

Just FYI, the story isn't complete and although there is no confirmation as of now but there probably should be a season 2. That is the only thing I wish wasn't the case. I would have liked an extra 2 episodes and the series to be concluded. Not sure what new season 2 could hold as expectations will now be through the roof.

The OST fits the series perfectly. The actors did a good job and I'm especially happy that Lee Dong Wook took up this project. He's just the icing and cherry on top of the cake!

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Slightly above average fantasy drama

The show started off interesting and it was good until the point when the ML gets his demon powers back. After that the story is the weakest with little happening. And quite a disappointing end.

The strong point of My Demon is it's OST and opening theme. The cinematography is good but not really used. They didn't try to showcase much of the Demon's powers except for comedic purposes. A lot of recent fantasy drama tropes have been repeated in this one so it felt boring. Still, among the recently airing/aired fantasy dramas, this was one of the better choices.

Repeated tropes included:
1. Chaebol parent forcing their child to get married where they end up in a contract marriage in order to make sure their parent does a health check up (similar to The Story of Park's Marriage Contract).
2. Past life connection - also in The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, My Man Is Cupid.
3. Mystery of a murder(s) - same as above
4. One lead realizing they have a past life connection and other lead slowly getting their past life memory back close to finale and - My Man Is Cupid
5. Cold ML, Warm FL - TSOPMC and My Man Is Cupid
6. A Superior being who is the boss of the supernatural lead - My Man Is Cupid
7. A SML that makes you wonder if they are playing a negative or a useless positive character - My Man Is Cupid, TSOPMC

There isn't much to the story that is new except that they added an element of religion more heavily than other dramas. It just felt a bit cheesy by the end because of it.

The couple make a really cute pair but at times their cuteness gave me sibling vibes rather than a hot couple. For the most part I wasn't bored and I'm giving it a 7 because I enjoyed the first half. Just wish it had more of a wow factor. The ending left a lot to be desired with the villain just turning out to be crazy for no good reason. Many of his actions didn't make sense. Like stealing the demon's book and not really ending up doing anything with it. And sacrificing his son. His end goal wasn't clear at all.

It's okay for a one time watch.

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Started great then got annoying

A lot of people rave about Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo so I had wanted to watch it since a long time. But after having seen it, I find it a bit overrated. I had an idea what kind of drama ending this was and this isn't about the ending but rather the turns the plot took that got too frustrating after a very interesting start.

Present day Hae Soo is a woman who had a series of unfortunate events happen to her and as she's sitting by a lake drinking her woes away, she notices a child floundering in the water about to drown. She decides to jump in to rescue him and instead finds herself 1000 years in the past. Now this was certainly an innovative way of time travel but by the end of it all, I began to wonder what was the point? It was only at the very end that it was explained but I was beginning to lose hope of getting an answer.

Initially, I loved every episode. I enjoyed Hae Soo's relationship with all the different princes. I loved her personality and teaching them modern vocabulary. The comedy was great with lots of cute scenes. The action was decent too as was the suspense. Then it started getting darker, Hae Soo was losing her spirit and there were a lot of time skips. The thing I found odd is, at one point someone refers to Hae Soo as being 29 years old and even after multi-year time jumps, she still refers to herself as being in her 20s.

It's understandable that life was difficult during that period with several discriminatory norms like "the king cannot marry a woman with scars on her body" and a lot of blood shed and politics trying to unseat the king. But that aspect of the show got really tiresome after watching 3 rounds of politics. At one point, the episode could no longer hold my attention and I just wanted to speed through to the end. I just about kept myself from skipping.

The actors all did a nice job. I liked the various personalities of the multiple male leads. Enjoyed their bonding and the changes they went through. Couldn't stand Queen Yoo and Princess Yun Hwa

My mental rating of the show went from 9 to 9.5 to 8 and finally 8.5 at the end. Though there were some emotional moments, I didn't really feel much for the most part of the series. The ending was decent but still left a lot to be desired. I wanted just a little bit more towards the very end since they seemed to have teased that there is something more but there hasn't been any talk of new seasons.

The OST is nice. A couple of songs stood out the most.

It's a good show to binge, but I don't see myself rewatching it.

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Better compared to the first season

Although season 2 is a good series, a huge reason that I did not enjoy Shadow Detective 2 is because of the gap between the two seasons. I wish they were released together or closer together. Splitting them up dampened the impact the series could have made. I had found season 1 quite confusing and difficult to follow and that made it harder to recollect incidents while season 2 was airing. The series also has a very long list of characters and names of people keep getting referred to so if you have a hard time remembering names, you'll struggle a bit to follow along.

The positive side is that since this season is about concluding the initial and current mysteries, towards the latter half of the series, it becomes much easier to follow along and there are fewer important characters to remember.

The pace of the story is quite slow and the tone is very serious so the dialogue delivery felt monotonous. That is what made it harder to watch even when things got interesting. There was not a single episode that I could continue without dozing off. I did enjoy the series when I could see the picture as a whole. The mystery aspect was stronger in the first season and the second season is quite different from that so it's possible to enjoy the first season more for that reason alone.

Ideally, in order to properly enjoy this show, one should watch both seasons one after the other. However, this series didn't leave a strong impact on me unfortunately.

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An emotional rollercoaster at first

For the first 6 episodes, I was crying because of how deeply I felt Bora's break-up. I was not expecting this. I thought it was a fun and light-hearted show. It does have plenty of those moments but it is also pretty realistic and I enjoyed that.

The female and male lead of this show are far from perfect. They mess up quite a bit but the good thing is that each of them are learning through their experiences and learning to grow instead of repeating mistakes. The main thing you see with them is that even when they don't necessarily like each other, they are considerate of each other. When they see the other in their lowest moments, they offer support without being asked. These are the things that win hearts and it certainly won mine. Though I did feel frustrated with the way each of them dealt with their exes at first. In fact, I was especially annoyed when Bo Ra allowed her ex to try to be friends with her. I would have blocked him and not given him an opportunity to ever contact me again. But that's just me. With So Hyuk, I could relate actually. Not being able to fully express himself. Although, I didn't fully understand his reason for it.

Let's move on to the side couples. HEAVY SPOILERS.

1. The best friend and her husband. Honestly, there were so many moments where I thought she's going to divorce her husband. They had no communication or understanding of what the other wanted. And I can imagine that after a while (beyond the ending of the show), everything will go back to the way it was.

2. The sister, Bo Mi and the soldier dude. Yes, they were cute but the sudden pregnancy just spells disaster to me. Neither of them were financially ready for a relationship, let alone a baby. Both are naive and clueless. A shotgun wedding might seem great for a drama conclusion but few years down the line, when bills pile up, they might start resenting each other. The only positive point is that the guy did not shy away from taking responsibility. They still should have figured their life out rather than acting like teenagers which I am guessing they are not. In fact, there's next to nothing we know about them. The show just seemed to suggest that Bo Ra will move in with So Hyk and Bo Mi and her fiance/husband will live in the house Bo Ra paid for. Convenient.

3. The CEO and the young office worker. I really expected him to reconcile with his ex-wife considering they ended things on a misunderstanding. They kept running into each other and it would have been nice if they could at least try on a new note even if it didn't work out. The office worker was too child-like. Not sure why they wrote such a character. The CEO also seemed a bit off to me at times. Like indulging in back-biting, giving horrible advice, not supporting the office worker in front of everyone, forcefully removing the partitions when clearly most of the workers aren't comfortable without it. He's not a bad guy but he still gave me weird vibes at times.

There are a few moments that I felt were not needed.
- Comparing the situation during the holocaust with self-care was far too extreme.
- Promoting books by Trump considering most of his businesses were failures.
- Quoting Elon Musk when most of his success is on the back of what others already built.
Not blaming the actors but rather the writers for adding these points. It made me think there is a disconnect between how Korean society thinks and the west. Or maybe it's simply a language barrier. Or maybe anyone can have an issue with a famous personality. I just have my reasons for finding these mentions unnecessary.

In any case, I still enjoyed the show because the lead couple made watching worthwhile.

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Kept me hooked with their mystery

Despite being 18 episodes long and a bit slow at times, there is enough drama, mystery and some very cute romantic moments that keep you hooked.

Although the series took a long time to finally get to it's conclusion, I enjoyed the characters a lot. Loved the bromance between Kang San and Si Yeol especially. Loved the romance between Dan O and Kang San. They were truly cute together. Jung Yoo Ha, Kang San and Si Yeol's contrasting personalities worked so well together. And the mystery of who is who and what will happen was worth watching. The ending is only predictable when you have 2 episodes left so the show makers did a good job in keeping us guessing.

Although I liked Si Yeol and Dan O's sister, Hong Joo, interactions as well, there were moments were she completely pissed me off.

All the actors have done a marvelous job.

The OST is also nice.

All in all, I had an enjoyable time watching it!

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Laidback Series

Divorce Attorney Shin isn't like other law dramas where there is a lot of dramatic cases and dialogues in courtrooms. It's a quite down to Earth style of story-telling.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding what drove Attorney Shin to change careers from being a pianist to studying law but it's not an over the top story. A lot of the cases that are dealt with in this show are quite realistic and sometimes divorce is quite necessary. Shin makes sure to never judge his clients.

If you are hoping for a romance plotline between the leads, there is none but there is romance as a secondary storyline. There is also a very mature version of bromance that grows on you.

The child actors played a wonderful role. Both mother and child and Shin and his nephew had heart-warming relationships.

Overall the show is quite enjoyable.

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Educational to a degree

Before you begin watching this series, you must know that it is rated 18+ for a reason. The first episode bares all quite literally. However, the rest of the episodes are somewhat milder with some explicit scenes in between.

The two main female leads host a podcast that deals with talking about sex from the female perspective. It also includes discussion on periods and premenstrual syndrome. Some of the information discussed in the show is good but I didn't find it exceptionally new. There was potential but it missed covering aspects like those who have never had sex to begin with. Most of it is related to those who have been having sex for a long time and issues they have faced. The series also tries to deal with healthy attitudes towards the discussion of sex with partners. Again it seemed to miss the opportunity to teach men explicitly to listen to their female partners which a lot of men don't seem to grasp very well or don't think they need to. They do cover healthy partnerships but they could have driven the point across further.

It's a good show to watch for conservative audiences that don't have much access to information related to sex. But it cannot be considered an all inclusive show about sex education. It's better to pick sex ed websites/videos and not entirely depend on such a show. It just discusses a range of topics that one can then further research into.

Although the plot is good, the characters are good, there were at least two scenarios presented without any real advice given. A lot of the advice seekers were left on read. I'm not sure why. In any case, it's not a boring show. Pacing is good. Good for a one time watch. I watched it hoping to learn some new information and have rated it accordingly.

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