Basic celebrity saga with mystery
I started watching this because I wanted change. This drama tells the story of seo ah ri who was rich then became poor. Later she tries to become influencer. This drama portrayes the influencer industry in Korea. We get an insight in the hate culture, the luxary which everyone is jealous of. And shows us the behind the scene of likes and comments. There is also commentary about class system in korea. The cast is impeccable. Though some side charcters dont have much to do. This isnt the worst thing I ever watched nor the best as well. But it is entertaining!Was this review helpful to you?
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Dont be scared beacause of 76 episodes they are just a delight to go through!!
I started watching this after my finals started, as the series hit harder when you are about to give your exams!!! So I asked Deepseek (the chinese AI) to recommend me some chinese historical drama. It recommended a bunch of dramas. This one looked the most promising and had stellar reviews on MDL.This is a very enjoyable drama. We follow Zhen Huan as she enters the forbidden city and rises to become an empress. The first few episodes are just her getting used to the palace. We are also introduced to other concubines. And we slowly get a taste of palace politics and, boy, the politics are BRUTAL!! But Huan is smart. She learns and finds better ways to protect herself. What I liked was this drama doesn't let you catch your breath. It's plot twist after plot twist. Over the course of 76 episodes, I cried, laughed and worried.
The characters are also so different !! Noble consort Ning she is evil, but she didn't hide. And that evilness was also due to the palace having to share your love with dozens of women is hard. I was always contemplating, is this character actually bad, or is she just trying to survive?! Although we cannot forget the fact that whatever the concubines did, it was out of choice and, as huan says, 'every action has consequences'. Obviously, Zhen huan is my favorite character!!! She was just trying to have a normal relationship with the emperor. And the emperor and other concubines did not let her do so. The emperor is truly a different story, but I think somewhere he seems to represent all the other kings. The insecurity, suspicion,weight of wearing the crown. But this emperor annoyed me quite frequently. He was great at finding plots at a national level, but in his own harem his concubines easily fooled him. And dare I say WOMEN are the best strategisers. I mean, if you look back at all the plots and schemes, they should be part of the court to help the emperor and his ministers!!!! Still, I could understand the antagontists' motivations and hated them for it!!
Zhen Huan's life was full of drama, which was a delight to watch!! This drama also gave detailed insight into the dynasty and I kid you not- I was reading about chinese harem before my i.t exam, so yeah, this was a compelling watch. I heard it is historically accurate and Zhen huan's character is based on a real concubine. I really hoped Zhen huan would get a happy ending with Yun Li, but it did not happen, alas. I LOVED THIS DRAMA. Go watch it now.
(P.S. please skip the start and end credits as they give major spoilers)
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nothing special!
This show was entertaining to watch but nothing special just another rich high school mystery drama. In this drama there is a prestigious school named jooshin high school where only rich kids attend but scholarshipp students are also admitted as a way of showing that they're giving back to the society. But in reality these scholarship students are discriminated, bullied and humiliated. And the show starts with showing death of such scholarship student kang in han. Whose only crime was getting close with jeong jae i "the high school royalty'.Enters kang ha who has a secret but he appears bubbly and his closeness with jeong jae-i annoys her ex kim ri an whose sidekicks tries to warn kang ha. but foe him its do or die .
This is nothing new as we again see rich kids being bratty and always showing off their wealth. all the luxury brands are paid actors in this drama as you will always see them with characters.
Things I disliked -
1)There are confusing instances in this drama like we might think that jae i was pregnant with kang in han. Only for us to figure out she was pregnant with ri an's kid!
-Another confusing thing was kang in han spying on her. Why did he had recording camera pen ?this was never explained.
2) kang ha's romantic interest in jeong jae i despite being aware of her involvement in his brother's death.
3) Adults in the school bowing down to students and having no authority and one of the teachers literally having an affair with student . that teacher had audacity of questioning kang ha despite killing his brother
4)Rushed conclusion - the drama concluded hastily with nothing ground breaking. all the scholarship students should have shown the rich kids that they are nothing special and their privileges dont make them any more important .
the cast is good. I only loved lee chae min's acting. just one time watch drama for passing time!
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The korean nostalgia dramas always slay
I started this drama because of choi hyun wook and the setting of the drama. this drama is set in 1995. and with various other dramas set in the this period which were really good sparked my interest! this drama differs as it doesn't only portray the 90's . its beepers , radio shows , music but also the question of life. the drama's tagline can be viva la vida which is uttered by the characters quite often. it means long live life! and that is so amazing . because we are always running behind something and forget to live. we see the characters in dilemma while deciding what to do with their life . essentially ha eun gyeol time travels to 1995 and tries to stop an accident but through this time travel he meets his parents when they were young and ends up seeing them in different life. he is CODA which makes him feel distant from his family sometimes. but he heals with the time travel. there is so much depth in story as we chung ah's character who starts enjoying life and communicating while meeting loved ones. this one is for the heartbroken 25 21 fans as in this drama we get two love stories though this drama can be sad at some point it is a must watch !!Was this review helpful to you?
