Finished the drama and enjoyed it a lot. In my mind to show her with her real mother would undercut the Da Ra-mi story. In the drama she was her mother. I agree that it was crazy for her not to contact the ML in their final separation, but then she was crazy.
A word of praise for the OST. Simply put it was great! It is amazing the depth of romance that Wendy from Red Velvet inserted in the drama with her beautiful, haunting song -- Daydream. Here is the link for it, enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDqUyUxXFKg
sungkyung prettiest woman in kdramaland and that's not up for debate!! i can't wait for this, she picks good projects!…
Indeed Lee Sung Kyung is a beautiful, the most visual of her generation of actresses -- those over 30. But also we have the 21 year old Oh Yeju, who in my opinion is, if I might borrow Irene's great line in Red Velvet's song Psycho, "the original visual" of the new generation of Korean actresses. The chemistry she produced with Moon Sang Min is Under the Queen's Umbrella and Hong Min Ki in Love Your Enemy is off the charts. Couple with that the wonderful cuteness and prettiness Han Ji Hyeon, you have quite a line up of beauty with these three sisters. Because she is not extremely well know yet, and to build folks excitement, I offer this picture of Oh Yeju: https://x.com/yejusource/status/2009677562239451394/photo/1
One of great aspects of this D is richness of the costuming. Our FL looked radiant and ethereal as the Tea Queen. I have to say that so far, as far as historical Cdrama's go this one is the best, with all the plot twists and turns, in my opinion, of all those in 2025 and now into 2026. Now of course that could change for me with the ending. Because, a great drama demands a great ending. If they land the ending this could easily be one my top 10 Cdramas. I am rooting for it.
The screenwriter of To My Beloved Thief has been writing this since 2020 and even won a Script Excellence Award.…
First of all, I said I liked the storyline which is what "first class" means. Second I didn't say I was going to drop the drama. Why would I? I already said, to be redundant, I liked the storyline. Forgive me, thirdly, is it wrong to have an opinion? You may love all this recent body swape stuff in recent Kdramas but to me it doesn't help the story, which once again, so you will understand, that I like.
I am so tired of the body swap trope. Enough is enough! This drama doesn't need this. The storyline, which is first class, but doing this trope actually weakens the drama.
Looks like a great cast to me! With the long episodes I bet it will be more than mere romance, but also a really good family dynamic drama. Looking forward to the interaction between the sisters and their Grandmother. And, oh yes, the romance too.
The great thing about this drama is that it is a testament to the enduring power of love. In addition it shows how love and hate can be two sides of the same coin. Congrats to both the old and young Jiwons who all brought depth, meaning, and yes romantic comedy to this underrated, fine, Kdrama.
I know that the female lead is a fine actress and will do a good job. But the drama is a missed opportunity. Oh Yeju lighted up the screen with Moon Sangmin in Under the Queen's Umbrella. She was a romantic chemistry machine with Hong Minki in Love your Enemy. I am sad that the powers that be in this drama didn't have the foresight to connect the dots and cast her.
If you think Esther is a good actor, then no one's a bad actor at all lmao bc the bar is so fcking LOW. Like I've…
Why trash Park Shinhye, Cha Eunwoo, and Yang Yang? You speak with such certainty. Well, my response comes from Obi Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith, "Only a Sith speaks in absolutes." The funny thing is your absolutes only reveal your stupidity.
My goodness there seems to be a lot of Esther Wu haters out there. Don't believe me, just google this drama. My opinion is that these people are ridiculous. First of all, this drama is doing fine. I think on this platform it began with like a 7.9 or 8 and it now up to an 8.4. The same holds true with both iqiyi and viki where metrics continue to show a drama that is gaining not losing viewers.
There are lots of haters out there who are carping about her acting. Yet I believe that she is something else in this role. She has managed to keep the fine line between her little girl, pixie aura and this on fire angel of passion. He Yu has the good boy gone bad aura down pat. In fact, I believe his cigarette lighter moves was better than Chen Feiyu in Lighter and Princess. And his sultry looks are powerful. But it is the sweet little fire angel who burns him down and melts him to mush. That artfully done passion is why this drama continues to be popular.
Then there is implied incest nonsense. Yes, as little children they believed they were real siblings. But they are now adults who have been separated for years and they know that there is no biological connection! Who can forget the mother yelling to Mu Mu that is not her brother. Seems clear to me. How inane to claim that there is something dirty or immoral going on here.
Now about the director. Again I don't know much about him, except for for one thing. With apples, strawberries, and grapes he is an expert.
A couple of observations. The first is that this MC has pushed into the outer limits, of a cdrama, romantic tension and excitement. Before anyone disagrees with me, go watch the apple scene. The second is my prediction that He Yu, who was popular before, is about to enter the stratosphere of ML actors. He was really good in My Fated Boy, but here he is pure fire.
So far, like a fine single malt scotch this is a drama you come to enjoy sip by sip and with each sip it gets better. A large hurtle to overcome was the betrothal back home situation. Frankly, that arc is the weakest part of the drama. In fact it could have been covered with just a couple of episodes. And just as I was about to shout out enough with the tea trade stuff, the D had the good sense to come back to it's strength -- the love story with our main couple.
With our FL there is no romance curve. Rather it is a rocket. She falls in love with our ML totally, completely, and emotionally at first sight. If she can't have him she will have no one else. She will just wait for her next life because she has faith she will instantly recognize him there. Yet, things are slower for our ML. We have the above mentioned girl back home. And he has a complicated life. But when his friends confront him to face his feelings and dangle the possibility of arranging another groom for her he realizes that he loves her completely.
And so we come to our slow, wonderful drawn out confession scene. We viewers have waited for it for over 20 episodes and it is worth the weight. First we deal with the love triangle that never was. But then we have our future groom only dealing with Father. And then he finally comes to her room and he finds the door slammed shut. He then reads to her the boring confession letter in best scholarly voice. Door slammed again. And then she finally appears. In no way will she settle for a marriage born out of obligation (she has only saved his life twice). If he can't give himself to her, heart, body and soul, then forget it, she will just wait for their next life. With a blazing eye she tells him she did not understand one word in his erudite, boring letter. "Tell me what do I mean to you!!" And then he opens up. "You are the most important person in my life! What do you mean to can be said in just a few words, "You are etched in my heart." She had waited years for that and I shed a tear.
And then we have the wedding. I am a wholehearted, hardcore fan of the Story of Minglan. And dramas that pay homage to it gain big bonus points with me. You can't help but be reminded of the procession of Gu Ting Ye. When Gu Ping walks into the bridal chamber she asks him to take the heavy bridal crown off. She is hungry and he leaves to bring her food. Now that has to jog some memories.
Could this be another Minglan trope? Just like a FL who has a lousy Stepmom, but a wonderful loving Grandmother. Oh well, I think I have made my point, this drama is worth watching -- even for 40 episodes.
After her performances in Under the Queen's Umbrella, Love Your Enemy and her award performance in My Lonely Sister, Oh Yeju has to be in mix for the FL in the Princess Hours Reboot. Now of course there will be big competition with this, and she may not get it, but don't be surprised if she does. The same holds true with Moon Sangmin and Hong Minki who produced massive chemistry with her. Here is her as Crown Princess in Under the Queen's Umbrella: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/on-twitter--653233120972225139/
Of course a good romcom needs many things to be a hit. Good directing and writing the script are very important. But visuals in this genre vital. This drama has that in spades. Lee Sung Kung at 35 still stuns and Han Ji-Hyun lights up the screen. But then we come to Oh Yeju who just turned 21. People might quibble with me, but there is no one who has better visuals than her. Since she is not as well known with her career just taking off and because her MDL picture doesn't do her justice, I will post this link of her: https://x.com/oh_yeju/status/1981721214130233720/photo/1
A word of praise for the OST. Simply put it was great! It is amazing the depth of romance that Wendy from Red Velvet inserted in the drama with her beautiful, haunting song -- Daydream. Here is the link for it, enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDqUyUxXFKg
There are lots of haters out there who are carping about her acting. Yet I believe that she is something else in this role. She has managed to keep the fine line between her little girl, pixie aura and this on fire angel of passion. He Yu has the good boy gone bad aura down pat. In fact, I believe his cigarette lighter moves was better than Chen Feiyu in Lighter and Princess. And his sultry looks are powerful. But it is the sweet little fire angel who burns him down and melts him to mush. That artfully done passion is why this drama continues to be popular.
Then there is implied incest nonsense. Yes, as little children they believed they were real siblings. But they are now adults who have been separated for years and they know that there is no biological connection! Who can forget the mother yelling to Mu Mu that is not her brother. Seems clear to me. How inane to claim that there is something dirty or immoral going on here.
Now about the director. Again I don't know much about him, except for for one thing. With apples, strawberries, and grapes he is an expert.
With our FL there is no romance curve. Rather it is a rocket. She falls in love with our ML totally, completely, and emotionally at first sight. If she can't have him she will have no one else. She will just wait for her next life because she has faith she will instantly recognize him there. Yet, things are slower for our ML. We have the above mentioned girl back home. And he has a complicated life. But when his friends confront him to face his feelings and dangle the possibility of arranging another groom for her he realizes that he loves her completely.
And so we come to our slow, wonderful drawn out confession scene. We viewers have waited for it for over 20 episodes and it is worth the weight. First we deal with the love triangle that never was. But then we have our future groom only dealing with Father. And then he finally comes to her room and he finds the door slammed shut. He then reads to her the boring confession letter in best scholarly voice. Door slammed again. And then she finally appears. In no way will she settle for a marriage born out of obligation (she has only saved his life twice). If he can't give himself to her, heart, body and soul, then forget it, she will just wait for their next life. With a blazing eye she tells him she did not understand one word in his erudite, boring letter. "Tell me what do I mean to you!!" And then he opens up. "You are the most important person in my life! What do you mean to can be said in just a few words, "You are etched in my heart." She had waited years for that and I shed a tear.
And then we have the wedding. I am a wholehearted, hardcore fan of the Story of Minglan. And dramas that pay homage to it gain big bonus points with me. You can't help but be reminded of the procession of Gu Ting Ye. When Gu Ping walks into the bridal chamber she asks him to take the heavy bridal crown off. She is hungry and he leaves to bring her food. Now that has to jog some memories.
Could this be another Minglan trope? Just like a FL who has a lousy Stepmom, but a wonderful loving Grandmother. Oh well, I think I have made my point, this drama is worth watching -- even for 40 episodes.