Emzfmz

Rollercoaster that started off strong and finished meh

This series shouldn't be tagged as romance as the majority of the story lacks any sort of romance, it should be tagged with "slight romance". Instead the genre should be mystery and drama. The first 19 episodes is quite good, keeps you at the edge of your seat but then 2 to 3 filler episodes show up which feel forced and sudden just to let the FL make some allies and pull some strings. This could have been implemented earlier. After that the script suffered quite a bit with so many coincidences and things just magically getting fixed jut at the right moment. After episode 19 you suddenly feel like you're watching a makjang things become over dramatic, FL's personality wavers, etc. But at least it had a happy ending (though I'd say the ending was a bit weird because some ppl that weren't supposed to be there were there, I understand its a sentimental/artistic choice but still felt weird)

What I loved about this:
-Hanyan's mother's acting. *standing ovation* it was superb! You really hate her in the beginning but she slowly grows on you and for a lot of ppl you might end up loving her
-The leads were actually rivals/enemies of sorts and they didn't back down and trust each other for a while. I like slow burns like that because their union feels stronger than anything else.
-Both leads were somewhat morally grey, leaning towards white. I feel like ML wasn't even that grey, he just kept secrets. But FL did some scheming and was ruthless at times which I quite liked
-all bad guys got what was coming to them.
-Happy ending yeyyyy!
-cute babyyyyyy

What I disliked:
-Hanyan's father's acting. omg! just see it and you'll know
-This series is all about girl power actually and I love that but! the forced fed feminism in some scenes... I'm a feminist and they really put me off and ruined my immersion, the message was great its just the way that it was handled I think was terrible and not at all something that fits in a Historical fiction. Yes, its fiction, but if you set a rule for your fictional world you should stand by it and not break it only for a few characters/when its convenient.
-the rollercoaster of a script it had. like it was great one second and super cheap and cheesy the next (especially in the last couple of episodes)
-the FL's personality is this: Kind but willing to do anything for her loved ones (who are very few) and to survive herself. At least that what it was set as from the very beginning throughout most of the series. BUT... around the 3rd quarter her personality shifts back and forth and it feels like a different character each time. I understand ppl have complex emotions and they don't act the same way all the time but for fictional characters they need to have a very very plausible reason for a sudden change and her reasons didn't convince me enough.

Overall, I do recommend you watching this, but don't be expecting way too much. Its great when you underestimate it and don't try to think too much about how X happened when Y.

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An action packed story that keeps you interested despite its flaws

Some spoilers but no specific details

This started off very nice, and was still interesting till the end although I was not fully satisfied with a lot of things, the ending was a big fat useless cliffhanger with basically all the big plots still left unanswered. We basically just got rid of some "npcs" lol. And i just could not for the life of me understand how so many of these people (even the mc) survived the sht they went through: a machine gun blasting from every corner/ a shot through the eyes, stab to the throat and a burning house/ 2 freaking grenades!!!!!! and the list goes on. And STILL they all get up with a minor scar. Just very very unrealistic and a huge pet peeve for me.

a little bit of a spoiler here:
I like that the uncle wasn't invincible, like you could see him get beaten down buy a bunch of random dudes before he finally managed to take care of them and you could also see that he got scared from time to time. At first I was like mehh it takes away from the amazingly badass mysterious vibe they set him out to be in the first couple of eps... but then I thought this ACTUALLY makes him even more of a realistic character and less like the mc with the plot armor protecting her.

All in all this was a fun watch, I really wanted ALL those bad guys, especially THAT specific one to go out very, very painfully but I am at least happy Honda got avenged, he was my favorite character :'(

Edit: Oh wait I just realized something that annoyed me in the first couple of episodes and I don't think it was answered till the end. Why on earth were a bunch of killers obligated to protect the mc? like what would force them to do that, especially since some of them just took out whatever those implants were? Not mentioned, they never even showed up lmfao xD

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A Pleasant Surprise

I was originally holding off on watching this series as I don't really gravitate toward superhero genres (they usually make me cringe), despite the fact that I really like fantasy (if done well). I gave in one day and decided to give it a shot and I was genuinely surprised. I really like the characters, especially, ESPESCIALLY the parents and their storylines. Honestly, the kids' part was nice but it was a bit too cheesy for me but the parent's stories were what pulled me in and kept me there until the very last minute.

Now don't go into this thinking its all rainbows and butterflies, not at all bad for me but for the more squeamish, there is a lot of gore and blood. I usually don't give high ratings but this gets an 8 from me. I would have given higher if there were more loose ends tied, some characters had more screen time and the if the ending didn't feel a bit disconnected and rushed. But I guess maybe these will all be answered in the second season if there is any.

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Another 16 hours wasted ^ᗜ^

Okay, so this series started as a seven for me, I'm not a huge fan of any of the actors, so I went in with no bias as the premise sounded interesting. The first two to three episodes were quite good, a bit slow but because I had high hopes I gave it the benefit of the doubt... but then it all fell apart. The fl just got dumb and dumber, the ml just basically turned into a gaslighter under a disguesed as a man in love, so so many plot holes, side characters no one cares about, and many questions were created just to be left unanswered. When I reached the 10th episode I felt like I watched a 30-episode show where nothing really happened, most events were just fillers, new plot twists got added randomly, and so many more stupid things happened to make this whole show into a disaster. I sped through the last 6 episodes like lightning because I had gotten so far and didn't want to waste all my efforts.

As I write this, I originally wanted to give it a five, but the more I write the more I feel like it doesn't deserve it.

Spoilers from here on:
All the things that ruined this show for me:
-I have no clue why they decided to go the cheating route. No matter what the ML thought ro felt he was still dating the SFL. Granted she was a b**ch herself but still, you can't really like a cheater.
-His "love" started because of a spell. There was no reason or any event to trigger true affection. So how did they fix it? With the classic "actually he has loved her all the time... like since their past lives" Please... that's so freaking dumb and overused.
-He was sick, haunted. But then suddenly he wasn't for the longest time, but then it came back again randomly. like what??
-FL just carried the love potion around in her tumbler and every single man just decided to drink it. Like girl, you've already used it on the person you wanted (not really lol), so either pour the sh*t down the drain or keep it at home.
-SML just randomly fell for the FL because "oh, wow. now she's liked by another guy huh, I'm suddenly interested." •ᴗ•
-Why do all Korean dramas just NEED to have their main leads have met each other before? Its always: childhood, past life, they met one time before and one saved the other. UGH! Not to mention, one of them always has some sort of trauma.
-And WHy, OH WHY!? do they have to break up for like half an episode just to get back with each other again? Its just lame.
-also the past story was just lamer... it could have worked with better writing but this show lacks that along with all sense so...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Things I liked:it was fun
-I liked the sass of the ML
-and what else... Um... FL looked really pretty in her past life ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)
-Oh wait... The main leads did have good chemistry I'll give them that

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Super fun watch!

When you watch this show you need to start it with one thought: This is a slapstick sort of action comedy. It doesn't try to be anything it is not. And that's where it wins. This series is a funny, silly, exciting and satisfying quick watch. When I started this I didn't think I'd like it that much but I ended binging it until 4am lol

Ga-min is a very interesting and likable protagonist, pulling a double uno reverse: he looks like a nerd but is actually a big dummy but then actually he's like unrealistically strong! A strong body houses a strong mind indeed.

The story is nothing new or complicated, writing isn't anything fantastic, but its FUN! And honestly, that is the most important thing when it comes to any kind of show, particularly comedies. Acting was done well in the most part, and I LOVED the badass opening music.

I recommend if you are looking for something light hearted and fun!

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Dear X, Why Was That Ending Like That?

So this drama was… interesting. I went in blind, fully unprepared for the chaos I was about to witness. The first few episodes had me hooked. For like 3–4 episodes, I was actually rooting for A-Jin. I didn’t like her, but I understood her. Her abuse made her sympathetic, and I thought the show would maybe explore healing or consequences.

LOL. Nope.

The more she did, the more obvious it became that she was only getting worse, not better. By the midpoint I was counting down to her downfall. There’s been debate over sociopath vs psychopath, but honestly she’s a messy blend. (Neither is even a formal diagnosis, but she clearly has ASPD) But that’s not the point. The story is.

And the story… was strong at first. But after episode 7–8? Downhill.

Acting? Amazing.
Music? Very good.
Story? Lacked any actual moral backbone.

SPOILERS from here on out:
A-Jin didn’t get what she deserved. Not even close. Her husband (Moon… something, I can’t remember) escapes just fine. Jae-oh’s death? Completely pointless. It was the saddest moment of the whole drama and it made me hate A-Jin even more because he died literally for nothing. And the ending? The two main villains live. Sure, A-Jin’s image is ruined but she didn’t actually face real satisfying consequences.

Her bullies? Don’t care. They deserved everything.
But the rest? A mess.

And Junseo… I don’t even know where to start. “Let’s die together”?? Sir, be serious. He was my least favorite character. Pathetic, delusional, and enabling A-Jin in the worst way. His mother was awful to him and he still hands her his kidney like a party favor. Why bro??!!! He wasn’t even close to her.

I read the ending of the webtoon only and I have to say it was much more fitting. Petty and bitter, exactly the tone the drama should have stuck with. This “open ending” was just… there. Nothing to think about. A-Jin survives. The husband survives. They’ll probably make it work again. And guess what? She didn’t personally kill anyone so legally… there’s not much they can actually do to her besides public shame and maybe a few years in prison for instigating it.

Her sudden nightmares/memory loss? Random. If she was truly traumatized, this wouldn’t magically start at episode 11. She’s been through worse before. That whole arc felt thrown in last minute. But at least she was starting to act more like a sociopath than a psychopath so that was one thing. I just wish if they wanted to go this route, they would've started much sooner, especially after what happened with her-- now i throw this word loosly here-- "father".

And WHAT was that nonsense with letting the school bully stay with her in her house? Why didn’t she let the police get her? I think i missed something but that made zero sense. it was just like she was there so something can just happen.

By the end, the drama basically said:
“Everyone loves A-Jin! Everyone will die for her! Everyone she ruins will forgive her! Coincidence solves everything! Morality whomst??”

Junoh’s death was the only truly pitiful tragedy. And a useless one because A-jin never runied the husband.
Junseo was a just... ughh... useless ...
A-Jin never truly answered for anything.
The final 15 mins of the last episode left me like (ㆆ_ㆆ)

But despite everything… it was entertaining. The aesthetics, the acting, the vibes were strong. I would've loved it if they made it a showdown between the psychopath husband and the sociopath FML but no they decided to go the boring route... oh well.

Do I recommend it?
ʸᵉˢ… but with a warning:
You’re watching a story that’s not really realistic, no moral message, not satisfying but it is ₘₑₕ entertaining.

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Amazing!

I have never written reviews before but for this series I had to! I really like the subject of time travel so I decided to give this a try and I was blown away. Something that always kills a drama or movie for me is super dumb characters where a fact is so obviously in front of them but they just fail to see it just because it's too early in the drama. But in this drama I was so surprised to see the MCs are ACTUALLY smart and so badass!(90% of the time which is a lot lol) The story is really nice and you get engaged in it with the main characters! The subject of time travel is so hard to turn out good, but imo this drama pulled it off in the best way! IT'S DEFINITELY NOT like the movies where just a bunch of complicating things mix up in each other and at the end you will be like "but that doesn't make any sense!" Anything the MCs do WILL change time!

A MUST WATCH!

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So good I actually forgot how to breath!!

Honestly, this was another one of those great watches that surprised me. I thought it was going to be cringy and stupid like a whole lot of other time-travel/loop stories but this was executed really well. The adrenaline was always kicking and I felt like I was stuck along with the main characters in the loop trying to find a way out. To the point, I noticed I was holding my breath or pulling my hair out of frustration. Very good acting even from the support characters and not boring at all. I watched all of the episodes in one go!!

I definitely recommend it!!!

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Not So Perfect Match

Perfect Match isn’t exactly a perfect match for everyone, but despite its flaws, the heart of the show shines through in its family dynamics and emotional moments.

When I first started this series I really couldn't get into it for the first couple of episodes. I held off watching it, taking long breaks between each episode. There wasn't much happening in the very beginning of the series but there was that slight intrigue of wondering what's going to happen between the couples that kept me from dropping it. I'm glad I didn't!

Perfect Match is one of the few series I've seen with multiple couples and enjoyed but it is far from perfect. There are many cliches, annoying or recycled plot points, some very over-the-top events happening that took away the immersion, but overall it was worth the watch. I liked that each sister got their own screen time, but I disliked that the other sisters were basically abandoned/turned into side characters once they got their happy ending. Some storylines felt too long while others felt too short. The passage of time was quite unclear, there were mentions of children but we barely see any of them, etc. What I truly loved the most was Mama Li, even though I'm unmarried and don't have children of my own, I truly felt all she went through. Having to raise six daughters without your husband, money and terrible relatives, especially in those times is truly a difficult and scary task. And then after you have raised them like flowers, having to find truly good husbands for them... oof! She really is a trooper!

Out of all the storylines my favorites are in this order: 4th Lady<3rd Lady<5th Lady<1st Lady<2nd Lady

I would say the biggest character growth and the longest screentime had to be for the 4th sister. She really went through A LOT, her story was the most interesting of all. But she moved on from the "events" that happened to her way too fast. Like the rest of some plot points in other sisters storylines, some BIG plots weren't really addressed/were skimmed over too fast in 4th lady's storyline and because her story was the more "bigger stakes" one, it felt incomplete.

The Li sisters are better than me because 80% of what some of the MLs did would instantly make them a big FAT no for me lol.

Things I liked:
1. The husbands who were down bad for their wives
2. Smart sisters United!
3. Mama Li <3
4. The relationships between everyone in the Li family

Biggest problems:
1. No communication for creating plot twists/angst
2. Constant beatings... I'm looking at you 2nd and 5th sisters. Like I get MLs are supposed to be good men who don't touch women even if they are being beaten, but 5th sister beats everyone and all the other men just... take it? That ruined the immersion for me especially with how terrible some of the supporting characters were.
3. A somewhat recycled version of the same dynamic/story in every single couple. As an analogy: It felt like each sister’s story was basically the same sentence, just written in different scripts -- one in pinyin, one in traditional Chinese, and one in simplified. Different on the surface, but structurally almost identical.
4. Rushed. Rushed. Rushed!

Overall, this was an enjoyable watch. If you're like me and don't have much patience, I'd recommend you to give it a chance for at least 5 episodes. If you didn't find it interesting you should probably drop it, but if it was growing on you, definitely continue.

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Started as a queen move, ended in a messy stalemate

So this drama started off really strong. Like, one of the best and truest enemies-to-lovers setups I’ve seen in a while. And anyone who knows me that I eat that shit up!! These two weren’t just “oh we dislike each other” fake rivals. Nah, they genuinely wanted each other gone. The ML was ready to kill the FL, and the FL just wanted to win. No heart eyes, no “secretly I’ve always cared about you” bullshit—just solid hate, betrayal, and survival. And I loved that dynamic.

The way it slowly built trust between them felt so natural too. None of that “I saved you once now we’re soulmates” crap (even though that did kinda happen tbh but it's not that bad I promise xD). So yeah, the first half of this drama? A 9.5/10 from me. And coming from me, that’s a huge compliment.

But then… the second half happened.

It started dragging. The FL, who was actually smart up until now, suddenly developed a terminal case of no-brain-no-communication syndrome. Like... just talk to the man?? Why must every FL in these dramas completely lose the ability to communicate right when it matters most? All of your problems? Solved. If you just used your words 🙃

And then… that scene.
The dreaded, cursed, why-is-this-still-a-thing... amnesia 💀WHYYYYYY????!!!!
Be. For. Real. I’m begging writers everywhere—please stop. It’s either amnesia or childhood sweethearts or long-lost past life lovers. Can we not? PLEASE?? Is there a law that says we have to shove these into every drama or the skies will sunder and fall upon our very heads shattering the earth itself into a billion pieces???? *sigh*

The evil prince? Did his job. Gave us crazy, delusional, love-sick psycho energy. Honestly, with that script, I don’t blame him for hamming it up. He leaned into the chaos.

And then the ending… *SIGHHHHHHH*
So rushed. So weird. One moment the ML is in a coma. Next, FL is under a tree. Then ML appears behind her. They hug. Roll credits.
Did he wake up? Is she dead?
Are we in a dream? A hallucination? The afterlife? If you want a happy ending: Show us! If you want it open: Commit. Don’t give us weird heaven limbo desert tree-hugging transitions and call it a day 😑

Overall, if you ignore the chaotic second half and just enjoy the ride, it's an entertaining watch. Though I gave it the same score as Blossom (7.5), I have to say Blossom had the better script overall, even with its own missteps.

But yeah.
Good start.
Messy middle.
Meh ending.
Classic C-drama bingo 🎯

Emz somewhat recommends ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜

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A blooming flower among thorns

Blossom came out of nowhere and took the spotlight of one of the best historical dramas of 2024. The acting, story and cinematography is top notch. Biggest win for this drama is that everyone gets a good conclusion AND it has a GOOD ENDING!!!

The chemistry between the main leads are not spectacular but good still. The romance between them is quite nice. I wouldn't say it is low on romance, but is not in abundance which for me I think is just enough for the story its trying to tell. But still some romance scenes could have been given more time and not edited so much/skipped over so fast. ML character is quite nice and FL is likable and actually smart, she doesn't go around doing stupid things randomly unlike many other dramas. And what's best is that even though a lot of times ML does end up saving her, she's not helpless all the time, she actually saves ML multiple times or gets out of problematic situations by herself.

The drama kept me engaged until around the last third section, without spoiling I found myself skipping over scenes and questioning the sudden change of personality for some characters, it began to drag a bit until the last 2-3 episodes where it picked back up its pace and led to a good conclusion. Though tbf they did feel quite underwhelming.

Overall, this is a well made drama with just a few minor set backs that can be overlooked. I recommend. ദ്ദി( °ᗜᵔ) *.✧

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A nice little surprise with a bunch of shortcomings

So I started this out not really having any expectations and it has pleasantly surprised me. The humor was quite good (even the more sillier ones were quite funny), I actually don't hate the FL-she's quite likable in fact, the story was interesting...somewhat. The really good thing about this was that some plot points were quite fun to watch, it didn't bore me (well the parts with the ML and FL at least), like I was genuinely enjoying it. I'm mentioning this particularly because I am also watching like 7 other dramas at the same time and though some of them are good, they made me lose interest and get bored really quickly. My ADHD is flaring up for some reason so I'm constantly seeking another drama to watch on the side to cure this painful sickness (╥﹏╥). For this drama I started to get bored around the late mid section where I skipped over a bunch of side character scenes and watched the rest of the show in 2.5X speed (lighting-speed subtitle reading skill development practice lol). Literally didn't lose any important info at all.

Favorite part without spoilers: baby dragon! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Now the bad: the acting of the FL was quite good but everyone else's acting (including the ML from like the mid section onwards) was a bit cringy and unconvincing. I feel like ML is good at stoic and angry scenes while quite bad at romantic scenes like I don't buy it with his expressions. The costumes were okay, nothing too awe-worthy, and ew the CGI was so bad. But the worst thing this series had was the amount of times someone *dies* then comes back to life. Like you'd have a very sad scene and then literally the next scene its just like poof! nope, that didn't just happen sike!! (although... this is a common thing in a lot of xianxia/wuxia tbf which I think should be stopped because it takes all the weight away from the previous scene) And don't even get me started on the ending for the villains, every single one of them felt anti-climatic and I just sat there like (⊙_⊙) "that's it??? ain't no way???" There were so many 'oh we defeated the villain, just swatted them away like a fly, oh wait, no, their alive, how can that be, lets swat at them again!' moments I lost count. The ending of the story... well, while not bad, left much to be desired.

Overall, its a nice light-hearted series to watch especially if you are in a slump!

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Heartwarming, tear-jerking and hilarious

One of the best kdramas I've watched in a long time. Everything from the acting, the chemistry between all the actors and the humor was so good. I basically never cry but this managed to get some tears out of me. Of course, I didn't give it full scores as there were some questions left unanswered, such as CA moving abroad and how YC managed to marry her or how everyone reacted after EG left, and other small things ... but its mainly just nitpicking, fate always has a way and not everything needs to be shown. I genuinely fell in love with all the characters and I'm sad that the series had to end, and what a beautiful ending it was. You won't regret watching this, I promise.

Long live Life - Viva La Vida

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