DramaloverPanda

I almost never review dramas that I love purely because they are typically saturated with an over abundance of positive reviews. But this drama seems to have the opposite and I'm not understanding why. I loved this drama. The actors, the characters, the story. I loved it all. The comedy hit well, each episode felt exciting and did not drag, the cast had chemistry, the locations were great, and the story was original enough that I did not find myself constantly comparing it to others I have seen.

A story about a genie with a twist. They packed in quite a bit of information but for me the thread of thought was easy to comprehend and made enough sense. Then you have a psychopath finds his lamp and their story begins to unfold with secrets and dangers coming to the surface.

To knock some points off I'd say there were two things that were unexplored or bothered me. First is Ga Yeoung's mother and family and them telling her they died just to abandon her. There is a bit of a plot hole here for me as the grandmother's longing for her daughter that is obviously selfish and also abandoned her mother with Ga Yeoung was hard to relate to. Then the feelings that Choi Min Ji developed for the grandmother in her younger state felt uncomfortable to me as well and added nothing to the narrative.

Otherwise I really enjoyed binge watching this and found myself laughing often and crying there at the end. I definitely recommend it for a fun watch.

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Beautiful visuals with horrendous story writing

Oh man has this become a bore. I have hung on for 10 episodes expecting it to pick up once the plot got its momentum but it has not and I do not have it in me to keep trying anymore. This show is about an obsessed ghost that attached himself to one woman and followed all of her reincarnations until one was finally able to remember him and he can kill her as revenge for her having killed him in her past life. This gets a bit messy when he finds himself drawn to this woman that is so much like the version of her he fell in love with. We have seen this same premise done over and over again lately so this show brings nothing new to your screen.

First, the cinematography and production teams did a great job as this is a beautiful drama to watch and the main couple is stunning. But that does not make up for the unremarkable story. The reincarnated lovers is something that has been seen a lot lately, as well as enemies to lovers. I have no problem with either of those tropes if the story is told well and keeps me engaged but this just does not do that. The characters are boring, both in modern time and in the Joseon period, there is no chemistry between the two to make you believe they are lovers and no engrossing story to keep you interested in how they end up. The show keeps regurgitating the same past story over and over again as if you have the memory of a peanut and can't recall what was seen the previous episode. And the snippet they repeatedly show jumps around in time and isnt even interesting or complete so seeing it over and over again is fatiguing as the viewer. They flash back frequently to their past life but not in order of events so even three quarters into the show they have not actually given you any information beyond what you found out in the first episode.

Then you have modern times which started a bit more interesting but has no focus either. The female lead is an amazing firefighter but only for the first two episodes, then she becomes some weak damsel in distress. The male lead takes over the body of a famous actor who has landed an important part in a drama but then that plot is dropped as well. A rival actor tries to run down the female lead and then is killed in a car accident which is ruled as suicide because of a note with no investigation. The problematic second female lead is just there to be obnoxious and comes and goes as the writers seem to need her to push the plot. So many storylines that are picked up and then abandoned. It's just all a jumbled up mess with no clear or logical direction which most viewers could put up with if the main couple had amazing chemistry but they do not, even the kiss seemed like he was kissing a dead fish!

Even the acting is not great. I loved the male lead in Shooting Stars but here he is lifeless and dull. His actor alter ego was annoying but far more interesting and that unfortunately only lasted for about 15 minutes of screen time. The biggest issue however is the female lead. I don't know if it is the character or the actress that sinks this for me but either way she really tanks the show. Her reactions either feel far too much or far too little and she shows no affection toward the male lead at all. The main antagonist, whom really does not present himself until about episode 10 is easy to hate but there is not enough reasoning for me to believe that this person would hang around for 1500 years for revenge.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

edit: after having skimmed the last 4 episodes I am completely confident in my earlier review and highly recommend you skip this one

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Finally! The much awaited special episode to finally see these two get to actually be happy together. But wait. In true Jack and Joker fashion, their happy ending must be hard fought for as they encounter an old villain that is set on taking them down. Now the group of friends that have yet to change their circumstances are thrust into another dangerous situation.

If I were to break down the universe in this series I would say that these characters live in a place that is primarily run by gangs and fear. In a poor small village the commoners struggle to just make it from day to day without being harassed or exploited by those who have more power. This special picks up where the series left off with Jack and Joker teaching at the school they opened for the children of the village, Save was made the new boss of the debt collectors in the area with Hope as his help, Tattoo and Aran make money where they can with inventions, and Hoy is still a driver. Not much has changed for these characters except that Boss Alice and his goons are no longer violently suppressing them. His absence however does not erase the fact that many of these people still owe money. While Save is trying to collect without violence and make a change for the better within the debt collecting scene he is only able to really impact the few around him as many other gangs aren't too far away and greed and corruption is wide swept and hard to eradicate. Even Rose mentions how her father and the head horsemen still play the games that mess with peoples lives. So what we see is this very small part in our characters lives that makes a minute difference in the world around them.

That being said, I found this special to be better acted by many of the side characters than I did in the series. And thankfully the over the top comedy is absent in this episode and instead has more natural interactions making most of it more palatable. We did see a lack of emotions where I thought there should be like in the proposal which felt a little flat as well as in the last section where everyone was so accepting of a death without tears or questioning it especially without a body. But other scenes were spot on. I actually liked the affectionate and silly interactions between Jack and Joke and their emotional scenes in the later half did a good job of breaking your heart. Hoy also was much more tolerable in this episode and his grief and anger were spot on. Tattoo and Aran were also fun to watch with their easy back and forth and comfort around each other.

But lets talk about what could have been done better. The rescue plan here is just as poorly thought out as all the heists done in the series. The characters going in with a half baked plan and expecting the viewers to suspend belief. First how did they get their 'weapons' in when they were waved with a metal detector? Carbon's escape from prison was so poorly explained but also I have such a hard time even understanding the character that is one dimensional evil. In the series he threw a child to kill her and here he attracted the group to try and get revenge for going to prison. What was the goal? To kill them all? Just one? To make Jack miserable? His goal is confusing to me. Even then I can ignore all this and just accept that they all walked into a trap and since their planning was poor it is easy to believe that they ended up in the worst possible position and they are all hurt so badly in the end. But after this scene the drama just ignores the injuries. Aran who was stabbed is now fine. There are no bruises on any of the characters, Jack's leg was so badly hurt that he couldn't get up to help Joke but is walking around fine two days later. Could we not have at least bandaged them?

Now lets talk about the wedding. This is the biggest part of the plot that most people have a problem with. I can agree with all the views in other reviews. But I will say that grief is different in everyone. Jack was barely holding himself together and if he needed this make believe wedding to not lose it entirely then I can see how the people that love him would go along with it. I think it would have been more easily accepted if they had made it a dream sequence. For example if Jack passes out from the grief and stress and dreams of the wedding he never got to have. But by adding the doll they ended up making it creepy. You can see how sad all the guests are but like pointed out by others, were they just watching Jack kiss a doll? There is being supportive and allowing a friend to grieve and be crazy so as not to also lose him to the sadness and then there is allowing delusion to go too far.

Also the very last scene where Joke gets up. Now we are not told how much later this scene takes place but there is no way he survived without medical help. He was shot twice and the blood on his shirt shows that at least one of those shots went in his stomach. And if he woke up much later and is more healed he would be very weak and have a hard time getting up normally. But he somehow survived and yet Carbon who only fell into the water was said to have had his body found. So how did he die? Could he not swim? What would make the seemingly more able bodied one die but the seriously injured one survive?

Putting logic aside I still find that I mostly enjoyed this. It had me in tears and willingly being blind to the obvious flaws much the same as the series did. Such is the magnetism of Yin and War. I look forward to a second season.

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When a show is made purely to capitalize on actors popularity and the plot doesn't matter

It actually pains me to see these actors in this poorly produced drama. This show premise has a lot going for it. Two brothers, Fadel and Bison, are hitmen due to their traumatic past leading them down a path of revenge and carnage but find themselves entangled with two persistent and magnetic men that begin to melt their cold exterior and make them wish for a different road. Kant, who meets Bison by chance during a one night stand, is forced into trying to expose the brothers in order to erase his own shady past to protect his younger brother. In his pursuit of Bison and evidence to damn him he enlists the help of his best friend Style to seduce Fadel and pave an easier open for Kant to sneak his way in. While not originally aware of who Fadel really is, Style pursues and wins over Fadel with his tenacious heart. But trouble brews when the brothers realize they have been played leading to a crossroads of how to handle their lovers as their anger and their heart are at war.

With a strong idea and competent actors this series should have been a home run. Unfortunately this show fails to realize any of its potential. From the beginning it is hard to believe that Fadel and Bison are in fact professional hitmen. The pair are likeable and entertaining but the poorly planned and executed 'jobs' and the lack of backstory do not give them credibility as professional killers. Instead the show focuses only on the chemistry and relationship between the pairs without creating any true coherent plot line. It becomes solely about the 4 main leads love story using flimsy story arcs to move the story forward and each arc is more ridiculous than the last. You have to completely abandon any logic to get any enjoyment out of this show. From professional hitmen that don't know how to cover their tracks, to kidnapping in pure daylight with no attempt at secrecy, to prison time that looks like college. Nothing about this drama made sense or was realistic.

Shot with a very small cast this show appears as low budget often with the characters being the only four to appear on screen. Budget wasn't even afforded for enough extras in the hospital or public areas to make any of the story feel real. Even the acting began to feel over the top. Not even the NC scenes were able to save this as they became cringey to watch the further into the story you get. Sadly I do not recommend this show and suggest you use your valuable time on something else and wait for better projects from these actors.

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A second chance romance that promises us a scheming male lead with a clever liar of a female lead. A stunning pair that lie and scheme their way into a marriage for love or benefits but come to learn that lies will always find their way to the surface. This story promises swoon worthy leads, witty schemes, and romance that will always push them back together. Except it never delivered. The calculating and meticulous leads spend the majority of the story being led by their noses by forces that create doubt and misunderstandings with ease delving their already shallow relationship into a territory where I began to root against them.

The start of this drama really pulls you in with its ruthless precision to the narratives each character has crafted and then the ultimate fall out when the lies come to light. But then the story takes a nose dive and instead of the banter and chase we expected as the leads find their way back to each other we are instead forced to watch the endless business meetings and constant doubt that is easily pushed onto the characters from outside forces that show just how shallow their understanding of each other really is. Personally I don't watch a lot of work or business related dramas as I find them boring so after the half way point of this drama I began skimming episodes.

An overall beautiful drama that is acted well but lost its grit from the beginning.

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the silliest of stories but with the funnest leads

This drama feels like it is held together with old glue someone found hidden in a garage that is barely sticky anymore. Relying on short bursts of comedy and likeable, attractive leads this drama is a bit of a disaster. I'm not sure what hex this show put on me though because I sat through the entire thing and I'm not completely sure why. It's like watching one of those bad sitcoms on TV where its a trainwreck but somehow you find yourself invested in at least one character so you come back again and again just to see what happens.

Manman is hired by Princess Aliya to end her unwanted engagement to the first Prince but Manman instead finds herself entangled with him instead. While originally intending to get away as quickly as possible, Manman accidentally discovers a link to her mother from inside the palace and while chasing that lead she ends up falling for the Prince entangling herself not only with him but also the second Prince. When jealousy and greed start to take center stage, ManMan and Prince Jin must work together.

The positive is that most the lead protagonists do a good job and I enjoy the chemistry and silliness of the three pairs of couples. The scene direction and camera angles are fairly pleasing. The drama is clearly low budget but the costumes and sets felt fitting for the story they were trying to tell. The music is fine and the acting is mostly okay.

Let me first address the male wigs, because come on, they were downright awful and so noticeable and I'm not sure if that was a wig problem, a makeup problem, or a lighting problem. But it was a problem and so distracting. The editing was also very abrupt most the time with scene endings and jumps. The Noble Consort was also miscast. She looked younger than the person that plays her son and was portrayed so cartoonishly greedy and cruel that she never passes as a believable character.

But, in all honesty, the plot and writing is really what just does this story in. The execution is so poor and completely reliant on the viewer having to believe the most ridiculous things just to make the story work. Unless you want to pick this up as a pretty drama to turn your brain off to then spend your well earned free time watching a better drama. Which can literally be anything but this.

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if you like your female lead consistently dumb

A completely unserious, beautifully styled drama with transmigration. To be honest what interested me in this drama is Liu Yu Ning and his latest string of enjoyable dramas. His presence in this drama does not disappoint as the misunderstood but also ruthless male lead. His character development and the unraveling of his story are so enjoyable to watch that I was riveted to the screen every time he was on it. What starts as a comedic parody slowly unravels into a dramatic tale of misunderstandings defining a person and their struggle to escape the cage placed around them. And then it stays there for a long time. One misunderstanding after the next with absolutely no growth or sense in the characters.

The story revolves around Song Yi Meng that is a mediocre actress paired with an exceptionally popular and high maintenance male lead in a historical drama. While reading she is transported into the world of the script and forced to play out her character's devastating role. With her knowledge of the script she skimmed through and her steadfast desire to avoid the same miserable fate that is written for her character she does everything in her power to change the story and escape her fate. But the rules inside the script are different and major scenes will always be played out no matter how much she changes.

The story is told from both the female and male lead's perspective so as the viewer you know how misunderstood and villainized the male lead is and how incredibly biased and naive the female lead is which leads to a very frustrating watch. To be honest I keep waiting for the female lead to figure out how wrong she is so that I can actually like her but halfway through the drama and I still can not stand her character. She is determined to not have the miserable fate that is written for her character and I can sympathize with that plight but she has no character development or situational awareness. She always sees the male lead as the villain no matter what is revealed about him to her. My dislike of her likely stems from my obvious more interest in the male lead, Nan Heng, and my knowledge as the viewer of his actual character and struggles. While I know she doesn't know that yet I still get incredibly frustrated watching her continuous mistreatment of him and lack of character progression.

Satire style comedy is also not often in my wheel house so the comedy does not always hit here for me. I love Nan Heng and his band of martial arts brothers and their interactions and even the references to other popular works but there are many times where the comedy feels more cringe to me. Also the drawn out miscommunication and misconceptions does begin to feel tiresome. The overly ridiculous Eighteenth Prince and obnoxiously biased and cruel Emperor also make this a bit difficult to continue watching but I think once the truth is revealed it will make up for the frustrations. Liu Yu Ning carries this show on his shoulders with his gripping portrayal of Nan Heng and his desperate fight to survive.

Having seen well into three quarters of the drama and the female lead, Song Yimeng, is still behaving with the same misplaced and blatantly ignorant aggression toward the Nan Heng makes this something I can no longer recommend. The plot feels glacial and goes in circles with her making one stupid decision after another. Skip this drama and pick a better one.

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the kind of show that makes you want to call home

This heartwarming and uplifting show will take you on a fun and chaotic ride back home and the people that know you best. The story follows three sisters as they return home to their small town in Jeju as they try to run from troubles and end up finding themselves again in the people they left behind.

Their hometown is full of chaotic and sometimes frustrating people but they are also the ones that know them best. The togetherness and small town family is heartwarming to watch. You watch as the girls are forced to confront the problems they were trying to run away from and find their way back to themselves and happiness. The acting from the entire cast is superb. This show also showcases a bunch of green flag men in these women's lives which is so fun to watch. I especially love the friendship of the 5 best friends that grew up together.

I did find certain parts frustrating to watch, primarily the story line about Yoong-sil's father but I could also sympathize and see in his character a realistic portrayal of grief. I do wish there had been more of an ending for the main perpetrator of the series but you were still shown that her acts were exposed so I guess that is enough.

All in all this is a fun watch that had me laughing and smiling and ultimately wanting to make a trip back home.

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Spicy in all the right ways

I started this show not really knowing what to expect and that first scene was a huge surprise! Especially for a show from S. Korea. And as I watched the more I enjoyed this. It was tastefully done, oh man did the cinematography crew blow it out of the water, and had a well written and executed story. This is one of those shows you start on a whim and quickly realize it was something you did not know you needed.

Definitely marketed more toward the female viewer this show follows two female lead best friends in their early thirties as they navigate sex, love, and relationships. One friend is anti-relationships and only wants sex partners while the other has been in a five year relationship but is wondering if it is giving her everything she needs. These woman feel real and their predicament will hit home for many other woman. The podcast that the show centers around where the woman work also brings in many very real feelings and stigmas surrounding sexual pleasure for women.

The show did a fantastic job of keeping you engrossed while also not making you feel like you are watching a XXX movie. If I had to complain about anything it is that the cast is too perfect, the men are all dreamy and everyone has the perfect body. But really is the eye candy that big of a complaint? It also in a way superficially explores relationship building here since the primary focus is finding pleasure for the women. This is not a long show so it was an easy watch.

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I picked this up wanting something fun to watch and this was perfect for that. The viewing experience is a lot like watching a comic, especially with the added sound effects and occasional pop art so in some ways you don't take this show too seriously. It is mostly light hearted with fun characters and dialogue that keeps you smiling and giggling in every episode. The production and cinematography was done well and the OST was cute. The actors all executed their roles very well and were mostly enjoyable to watch. Min Hyuk is the cutest male lead I have ever seen; every scene with him was so cute or funny and kept me smiling from ear to ear. But the actor wasn't just comic relief, he also carried his emotions so well with his gaze that you felt those smoldering looks while watching. The chemistry between the two leads was great.

What knocks off points for me were two things: first there were 3 characters I really disliked and did not see the purpose of them even being present in the story and the second is the tonal shift in the storyline toward the end. I'll explain better.

First the 3 characters I really disliked were Hee Ji who was Gook Doo's girlfriend in the beginning of the show, Kwang Bok who was one of the 'leaders' for the gang that was after Bong Soon, and Oh Dol Pyo who was the head of the Strategy Department. The girlfriend was there only to showcase Bong Soon's one sided crush but then her personality and actions irked me as there was no reason for any of it since that sub plot did not move the story along in any way. The last two characters were played by the same actor and I truly hated both. The gangster was just meant to be a ridiculous punching bag but since there were so many other gangsters that were all silly as well then this character was not needed. And Mr. Oh was brought in later in the series just to create a weird conflict within the Strategy Department for Bong Soon as well as be another comedic relief but again the character was just annoying and unneeded.

Now the story line. This show did try a little hard to mesh a couple genres together. It is a rom com/ comic super hero/ mystery thriller/ comedy all in one. In a lot of ways the writers made this work quite well. Where they faltered was from about episode 11-15 when the climax of the mystery thriller was beginning to really set in. While the story progressed well with the mystery part it was the constant scene shifts to unimportant characters and comedy scenes that felt so jarring that I was annoyed. I ended up skipping portions here of the gangsters side storyline and the parents in favor of just seeing the main plot and characters.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this show and highly recommend it especially if you are looking for a cute romance or a show to get you giggling.

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Did we watch the same thing?

I was reading other reviews after having finished this and am honestly wondering if I even watched the same thing as many of the other reviewers. I watched season one of Sweet Home a couple months ago so this show was newer to me than for those that watched it 3 years ago when it first came out, still I was excited when I saw a second season coming since the first left on a cliff hanger.

The first season was not shy about killing people off and I was actually frustrated that almost all my favorite characters had died while the ones I did not like; the selfish and useless ones, were the ones that survived. All the trailers for this season had Hyun Soo as the focus so I expected to find him as the main focus. But he was not, nor were any of the other survivors from season one. The show honestly did not have a main focus at all, it started so many subplots and answered not one by its conclusion making this this season only a prequel for the next season which is utterly frustrating. Kdramas are rarely given second seasons let alone third seasons mostly because they are able to complete full stories in the typical 16 episodes. SO having a second season that did absolutely nothing for the show feels odd.

The acting here was fine and the actors did great with the script they were given but from episodes 4-8 I found myself fast forwarding through more than half the episodes out of boredom. They decided to focus on new characters which would have been fine had they picked a couple but they jumped and skipped to what felt like irrelevant characters that you never had any time to build any attachment for so their scenes were just boring. The only two characters that seemed to stand out from the new bunch were Chan Young and Chief Ji, as well as the psycho doctor. But again, there was the beginning of a subplot with no follow through or conclusion so all you are left with is confusion and questions. I suppose that is what they want so you will pick up the next season but it does not make for a good show.

My advice would be to wait and watch this with season 3 when it comes out and you might find this more appealing but if you watch it now you'll be frustrated and annoyed. Characters you were attached to from last season are either sidelined or killed in ridiculous ways, the monsters go from being interesting and unique to carbon copies of each other that look like blobs of cement, and there is a one year time jump and nothing is explained about that year. Just wait to watch this when they decide to give you an actual story and not this weird in between.

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Did we even watch the same thing?

I am utterly flabbergasted at the high rating for this show. I went into this thinking it would be a light-hearted and fun love story with a side of palace politics and power struggles. What I ended up watching was a show with ridiculous characters and nonsensical plot that circled around the frustrating love story of the two main characters. I am under the impression that Xu Kai fans are what has inflated the rating for this show because the drama itself is not worth watching.

To address Xu Kai; I actually liked him in this drama and thought his acting was done much better than I have seen in many of his other works. He had great chemistry with Jing Tian and the other male cast members in his army. His stage presence is great and he pulls off the carefree soldier that is being forced into his role of royalty. Jing Tian also acted her role well according to how she is written. I did not like the character very much but she was acted well and the chemistry between the two helped tremendously. The character herself was just frustrating and I often times wanted Li NI to just give up because she was not worth it.

But having two great main actors will not make a show great if it is written and directed poorly. And that is exactly what this is. It is so poorly written that it is laughable. Almost all of the characters are cartoonish in their representations of their roles. The main lead's father that becomes the emperor is spineless and ridiculous. He acts and reacts in ways that are childish. His two older brothers are witless and ambitious but just plain dumb. The writer of this show obviously does not have a firm understanding of politics because the way this drama moves in circles with with nonsensical reasoning for their moves and countermoves. Every villain that is introduced, and there are quite a few, are one dimensional characters making decisions based on one specific desire and the people around them just follow along as if that person is not dumb. And these actors were even directed to make the most ridiculous facial expressions that make them cartoony to portray evilness.

I was already struggling to get through this after the main leads father, whom you can not convince me is a person that could have ever held power, became emperor. Even if he was a puppet king he was so ridiculous that I could no longer watch scenes with him in it. Then came the tedious and LONG storyline where the female lead is angry that the Li Ni did not save her useless Young Master. I could have gotten past it and said it was her grief reacting but it went on for soooo long. When they finally find that cute and watchable area where the two are clearly in love you have the intrusion of the love scorned Young Master returning as a villain but in a way that made absolutely no sense. Did no one ask where he had been for months? No one questioned anything and just let him back to lead the army with authority higher than Ying even though she was very close to the general. The forced wedding episode was unbearable to watch for its nonsense. Move on and you have the female lead then forcing the unwilling male lead to become crown prince in order to marry her. It is one ridiculous plot point to another with no connecting strings or firm reasoning for their actions.

The only reason I am giving this a 5 is because the costumes are pretty, the main actors do well, and the OST is nice. But the CGI is horrible, the rest of the acting is bad and the story line is ridiculous.

I really just can't tell you enough to please skip this drama.

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this has romance in spades

A stunningly produced drama with great acting, impressive sets, wonderful choreography, and a well thought out plot. Overall this story really delivered on its level of acting, character development, and plot coherency and progression. If you like detective type dramas that are heavy with the romance then you'll like this story. But what really knocks the rating down for me is how painfully long this felt. I am a binge type of watcher and I can usually get through a drama of this length in 2-3 days, but this show took me a week to get through because I kept pausing.

I love the story and the intrigue and was addicted enough to really want to know who did it which is what carried me to the end. But because the culprit was so glaringly obvious most the time I did not find myself guessing or sitting on the edge of my seat. And the obviousness being introduced so early into the case would make the fact that each case was between 3-5 episodes long feel glacial. I get that our protagonists needed to figure everything out and find the clues but the directors choice to also include the antagonists stories and the placement of them took away any suspense the cases could have delivered.

My other large complaint is that they made the protagonists boringly perfect. Both Qin Wan and Yan Chi were amazing at everything without any missteps. Qin Wan is an excellent strategist, doctor, and coroner. She is patient and composed and can predict schemes directed at her to avoid trouble. She is too perfect. I love that she is skilled and independent but realistically she should have some flaws but everything just came easy to her. Same thing with Yan Chi. He is a skilled martial artist, sees clues well, can solve mysteries fluently and quickly, and even is emotionally intelligent. He also has no flaws and the pair never make any mistakes. While good for the story it is also a bit boring.

I do love the romance though. The couples have plenty of chemistry, clear confessions and expressions of affection, and loyalty. While I did like the story as a whole and enjoyed the romance I can only recommend this in pieces. Do not try to watch in one go. But in small bits this was done very well.

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when the story is more about the villains

A story set in a dystopian kind of Korea with no real world building that leaves too much unsaid leaving viewers often a bit confused. After a virus devastated the country leaving the vast majority in poverty the rich elite take over and use claims for social recovery to make themselves richer and stay in power. The premise of the show is based on a judge that has persuaded the government to broadcast a live trial show to further push their narrative. But Judge Kang really ends up using the platform to derail the corrupt elite and try to punish them for their actions when 'justice is silent against power and money".

A thought provoking drama that challenges power and wealth with the hands of the majority through a public trial. The cases I actually found quite interesting in the first few chapters and looked forward to seeing how the Judges would fight back against the narratives the corrupt officials were writing. But the trials are a very small percentage in terms of screen time for this drama. Instead most of what you see is the group of rich individuals and their scheming with a few homey scenes of our protagonists.

I'm not sure I have ever hated a protagonist in a story as much as I hate Kim Ga On. For a heavily character driven drama this story how did they end up with such a poorly written character in Ga On? Written to be the moral compass to Kang Yo Han's morally grey Ga On instead is the most easily manipulated, wishy washy, pathetic character. His loyalty changed from episode to episode and his incredibly stupid actions make you wonder how someone like him would have even become a judge. Judge Oh's presence and short lived manipulation was a better portrayal for the role he never fit.

I did not love the acting for Secretary Jung but the character herself was easy to hate and make your blood boil. In that sense she pulled off exactly what she was written to do. But so much of the story is spent showing us these flamboyant rich elites that hold the country in their hands and lead with money instead of wit. Jung is well versed in the art of manipulation and flattery to get exactly what she wants which is to make it to the very top of the pyramid. And she very much manipulates every single person she comes across. While not overly genius planning she instead makes it so far due to the characters around her made to constantly make dumb decisions. With Ga On honestly being the biggest obstacle for Kang Yo Han.

All in all while the drama is shot well with a great OST the plot and main characters will leave you wanting to pull your hair out. If you are looking for a good revenge drama then this is not it. If you are looking for a political drama, again, this is not it. If you are looking for a romance then this is definitely not it. Because what this ends up giving you is an attempt at all three but with none of the genres truly landing.

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A story with substance

I enjoyed this show much more than I expected to. It took me a long time to pick this up as it is often raved about and I have watched far too many that were just as popular but fell kind of flat for me. This one, however, was a pleasant surprise. From the storyline, the cinematography, the characters, the sets, and right down to the chemistry I was blown away by it all. A complete story that explores grief, guilt, and love in a way that exudes charm and will leave sweet smiles on your lips without you realizing.

Is this a love story? Yes it is. But this is far more about self discovery. This story takes you along with Tian as he learns to find himself amidst guilt, desperation, and determination. Given a second chance at life after a heart transplant he struggles to ease his guilty heart by learning more about his donor and hoping to complete the things she wanted to do for her as a way to thank her. This journey takes him to a remote village where he meets people that will ultimately change him just as much as he had hoped to help them.

Things this drama did superbly: the characters! Oh man are the characters in this phenomenal. With realistic attitudes and motivations the characters in this story will stick with you far after the last scene. From Tian and Chief Phu to the kids and the villagers. Everyone will find a place in your heart and settle there permanently. The chemistry between the leads was there in spades but also the chemistry within the entire cast is what made this such a heartwarming story.

To nitpick what I did not love: Phupha's unclear emotions toward Torfun and whether he was drawn to the heart and similarities between Tian and her. I wish there had been a scene where this was specifically addressed. Also could have used a couple more true romantic scenes to really make it feel complete but that is just nitpicking.

If you havent watched this and if you are thinking about it and arent sure then definitely start it. I did not think I would like this and it is now one of my highest rated dramas of all time.

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