Sam

Beautiful and realistic tale of love, friendship and actualization

I first watched this beautiful drama back in 2020. I loved it. It recently appeared again in my YT feed. It reminded me how beautiful the drama was.

This is a story of two painfully introvert people falling in love. ML and FL are extreme introverts. They often struggle with saying “No” to people, they struggle with expressing themselves and are sometimes taken advantage of. There is a huge gap between how gifted the ML is vs how ordinary our FL is. This gap makes her second guess their relationship. But in spite of all of that, they find love.

Our ML is a naturally gifted, elite pianist. But he is exhausted by the constant pressures of people’s expectations. He has been so busy in meeting those, he has come to hate his skills. On the other hand our FL is very mediocre with her chosen instrument. She is painfully aware of it. People around her like to tell her that. Even her family, although loving, reminds her of that. She yearns to be better at it. She tries, but is unable to overcome her natural lack of talent. When she asks Park Joon Young, “do you know what it is to lack the talent”?, you can feel her pain. It gives him and us a pause. How painful it is to know that you have hit your limit and no matter how much you try, you are not going to get better at something you love? PJY is so bloody talented that he takes it all for granted. Not his fault but he is so immersed in his own troubles that he’s forgotten to count his blessings. Her one remark reminds him of that. Just beautiful.

I love how the ML and FL’s characters are realistically flawed. They are not perfect but together they work wonderfully. It’s very easy to mistake CSA for a weak person. She is not weak. She is just an introvert. But she can assert herself when needed. She breaks it off with PJY when it becomes difficult for her and irrespective of possible repercussions says “No” to her catty professor.

PJY is also a very complex character. He is struggling with his family situation, exhausted by constant pressures; he values her friendship, asks her to wait for him but also loses his patience when she keeps bringing up the gap between their natural talents. During the span of the drama, he learns how to let go of his past, learns to love his gift again and comes to appreciate CSA for her perseverance and love.

The story is wonderful, music more so. The side characters are realistic, at times bratty but overall good people. This is not a lighthearted fluff. It’s a serious depiction of beautiful as well as painful sides of love.

Read More

A pleasant watch though a bit rushed

Strong and smart FL literally falls through a time hole like Giselle from Enchanted. She learns to navigate the new strange world and makes a space for herself. ML is not your typical cold, rude robot; just a bit reserved due to his past.

You need to keep your logic in the back pocket. Then you can enjoy this rom-com. It’s not very fluffy, has a just-right balance of mystery, romance, comedy and drama. But logical it is not. The time travel theory, as in most cases, trips on its own feet and leaves a few open questions.

A few more episodes would have helped for sure. The romance feels rushed and the ending even more so. We don’t get much of an epilogue either.

It’s aesthetically pleasing with clever dialogs. It is mostly carried by the actors. Lee Se Young absolutely rules. I don’t think the role challenged her a lot. In spite of it being his first lead role, Bae In Hyuk does very well. I’d love to see what he does next. Just somebody do something with his hair. Except the last scene, you don’t much see his fore head. I found it very distracting and weird. The supporting cast is pretty solid.

Overall, if you want something light, not-much-challenging, pleasant watch, give this one a try.

Read More

Proof that sincerity beats plot twists

I love going into a drama without reading reviews or forming expectations. Sometimes that gamble pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t. With My Sweet Mobster, it absolutely did. I only wanted something light for a Saturday afternoon; instead, I found myself laughing, giggling, and kicking my feet through all 16 episodes. (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Story
The ML is an ex-mobster with a heart of gold who runs a meat company and hires ex-cons determined to turn over a new leaf. After some misunderstandings, he meets a sweet FL who is a “WeTuber” (read: YouTuber). Through a series of mishaps, she ends up living in his house alongside the sweetest group of thugs you’ll ever meet. They fall in love - and of course, there’s a childhood connection. His past resurfaces, complications follow, and yes, it all works out in the end.

The storyline is undeniably predictable. The childhood connection is obvious early on, the villains rarely surprise you, and the love triangle never truly threatens the main couple. But the predictability works because of the emotional sincerity. The tension doesn’t come from twists; it comes from watching these characters choose kindness, loyalty, and love again and again. Knowing where the story is headed becomes part of its comfort.

At its core, the drama asks: can you really leave your past behind? People talk about rehabilitation, but how many are truly willing to give second chances?

Characters
Seo Ji-hwan and Ko Eun-ha are at the heart of the story. He’s an ex-mobster; she’s a bubbly, optimistic content creator. Reformed bad boys supposedly make the best husbands, and Ji-hwan proves it. He’s selfless to a fault, dropping to his knees for his employees without hesitation. He knows society won’t easily accept him or his brothers, but he keeps trying anyway. All he wants is a decent life for them. His self-awareness makes him push Eun-ha away at first, but eventually he allows himself to want something more.. a family, a future.

Eun-ha is pure ray-of-sunshine energy, the kind of FL you instinctively root for. She apologizes when she’s wrong but never becomes a wilting wallflower. Life knocks her down; she gets back up. This OTP is the drama’s beating heart.

The secondary characters add so much charm. The gang of rough-around-the-edges ex-cons are the kind of brothers every favorite ML deserves. The principled SML, Jang Hyeon-u, is sincere but ultimately never a real threat. Even the secondary romance, though small, adds sweetness. The villains are standard fare - effective, if not groundbreaking.

Performances
This was my first time watching Uhm Tae-goo, and I genuinely don’t know why it took me so long. Ji-hwan isn’t morally grey. In fact, he’s practically shining white, which can sometimes feel boring. But Uhm Tae-goo makes his goodness compelling. He brings out Ji-hwan’s shyness, quiet longing, and uncertainty about whether he deserves Eun-ha. You root for him completely. And yes, I would absolutely wear a T-shirt that says, “I heart Uhm Tae-goo’s raspy voice.” It’s dreamy.

I’ve seen Han Sun-hwa before, but this is the first time I truly loved her performance. She makes Eun-ha bright without being naïve. Even though the character doesn’t have a huge arc, Sun-hwa keeps her from ever feeling one-note.

The supporting cast all deliver solid performances. Not a single scene feels dragged down.

Overall
Yes, it’s predictable. But the execution is warm, sincere, and comforting. I don’t regret spending my Saturday afternoon with these characters. This drama was a hidden delight - and I’m very glad I hit “enter.”

Read More

I Came for the Plot, Stayed Because My Brain Clocked Out + Dimples (´｡• ◡ •｡`)

To begin with, this was a filler drama for me. I wanted something to pass the time while waiting for the last two episodes of Spring Fever. Plus, the storyline seemed interesting. It gave strong vibes of Double mixed with Blossom, two of my all-time favourites. I wouldn’t say I was entirely disappointed, but it definitely wasn’t a satisfying watch.

Story
This is a historical, blast-to-the-past drama. Two stepsisters are married off to two cousins from a noble family. The “evil” stepsister ends up marrying the ML and suffers greatly. The “good” one - our FL - carves out a seemingly happy life despite being married to the opportunistic and immoral cousin. Out of sheer jealousy, the evil sister kills the FL… and then dies herself.
Both get a chance to go back to the day of their weddings.

This time, the evil one chooses the other guy while forcing the FL to marry the ML. Cue kitchen politics, where the FL triumphs every single time. There’s another death-and-reincarnation cycle, which somehow swaps the couples again. Add a standard villain who gets his just desert, a redemption arc for the stepsister, and a HEA for the leads.

Things I liked
— ML: The actor is cute. My shallowness approved of his dimple. He also did a good job.
— FL: The actress has a lovely smile. Her character has a lot of spunk and is very resourceful.
— Short episodes: All episodes are under 20 minutes, and there are only 26 of them. The drama didn’t demand much commitment. With some fast forwarding, I finished it in about two hours.

Things I did not like
— Weak script: A classic case of an Idiot Plot. Nearly everyone except the leads operates with below par intelligence. They scheme against the FL, but their plans are dumber than the dumbest - so naturally, they fail. Rinse and repeat.

Grave incidents keep happening. The FL uncovers the perpetrators… then the scene changes, and everyone promptly forgets. They’re worse than Dory. They even forget there was a child at the beginning of the drama.

The plot also felt like a swingers’ club. In the first life, the stepsister is with the ML and the FL with the smarmy cousin. In the second life, they swap spouses. In the third go-around, they revert to the original couples. Oy vey.

Lack of research: I didn’t major in ancient or modern Chinese history, but this drama seems to flip ancient societal rules on their head. Divorces happen at the drop of a hat. The ML and FL are in-laws in the third timeline. When they want to get together, a minor scandal appears and disappears instantly. Nobody bats an eye when they finally get married. The leads and the erstwhile evil sis even have a round of drinks and joke and laugh about their swingers’ club. ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

Concubine is allowed to run the prince’s household. Also, the legitimate daughter is married of to a concubine’s son and a concubine’s daughter is married to the prince. Say what?

The cousin cheats in the civil exam and still somehow gets appointed by (I think) the prince. It’s like emperors, laws, and consequences don’t exist.

Why make a period drama, I wonder.

Overall
This would have been a complete yawnfest if not for the ML’s cuteness. It’s a dumb plot that requires you to stop thinking altogether. It’s short, and that’s the biggest positive I can give it. Otherwise, it’s a solid meh.

Read More

No Grey, All Glory - Why Si Jin Hits Every Note

Si Jin is pure entertainment - fun, loud, and completely unsubtle. It has no patience for grey characters. People are either good or bad, full stop. Redemption never comes with excuses, and evil is never rationalized. Bad people get what’s coming to them. I love that.

Story
A standard second chance story with a convenient blast to the past. The FL dies tragically at the hands of the ML, who never meant to kill her. She watches her family and love destroyed, then wakes up years earlier to meet him again. Together, they take down the same evil and save the kingdom. Familiar? Yes. Effective? Also yes.

Characters
You can tell this came from a female author. The ML isn’t just a green flag; he’s a whole forest. The FL is no wallflower either. She is spunky, bold, clever, and fully competent. Yu Qi (aka Yu Jin) steals the show. He is smart, brave, deeply in love, mischievous, and refreshingly honest without being a jerk. Premium drama-boyfriend material. Jiang Si holds her own, resourceful and decisive, using future knowledge like a functioning adult. A competent female lead. What a breath of fresh air!

The baddies? Two main psycho cats and a parade of annoying jerks. So unapologetically evil that subtlety left the chat. Their villainy hits like a sledgehammer. Everyone else? Chess pieces on a board while the leads and evil cats run their dramatic, chaotic game.

Acting
This is the real USP of the drama. This is yet another historical for Zhang Wan Yi, and I’ve seen quite a few of them, but somehow, he never blends into the background. Every one of his MLs feels distinct. This one is no exception. And honestly, if he is using his OG voice for dubbing? I’m obsessed. That low pitched, intimate way of speaking is dangerously soothing. The man should seriously consider moonlighting for “Get Sleepy” and narrating bedtime stories. I’d be out in five minutes.

Jing Tian impressed me too. She matches him beat for beat, and her prettiness never overshadows her acting. She fully brings gutsy Jiang Si, who is confident, clever, and unflinching, to life. Hats off.

And the chemistry? Please. It deserves its own chapter. Absolutely sizzling.

The supporting cast splits neatly into goodies and baddies. The goodies, mainly FL’s family, friends, ML’s extended clan, give the drama heart. Special shoutout to Zheng Hung who is so darn noble, he gave me a toothache.

The baddies. Not quite up to the same level. Princess Royal and her bratty daughter are evil, yes, but the performances lack nuance. My hatred came from the script and dialogues, not the acting. One note villains, nothing to write home about compared to the leads.

Weaknesses
Script..No two ways about it. Things conveniently happen to help the leads. It’s like they’re handed a cheat sheet for escaping every problem. Characters who would normally be killed to protect secrets are left alive - only to drop crucial info neatly into our leads’ laps. The leads never lose. Their plans always work. Meanwhile, villains twirl metaphorical moustaches, smirk ominously, and set traps so laughably simple that the leads slip out like bars of soap. It’s not clever plotting. It’s just sloppy writing. Dramatic? Sure. Believable? Not even close.

Oh, so many plot holes. How does Yu Qi resist the Nanwu spy’s drug? Why doesn’t Si obsessively hide the mark? How does the brother swim to shore? Why do the bratty princess’s servants abandon her on her wedding night? And how does the fourth prince somehow divine Yu Qi’s entire plan and show up just in time? The script doesn’t bother explaining. It just hopes we’ll be dazzled by the leads’ chemistry. Spoiler: I was.

Overall
Pure entertainment. Fast paced, glossy, and confident in what it wants to be. The performances carry the weight, covering up the script’s many holes. The humour lands, the chemistry sizzles, you love the goodies, and you loathe the baddies. Just don’t ask too many questions. Turn your brain down, sit back, and enjoy the ride. I did, and it was a blast.

Read More

Delightful Zone of Chuckles and Feels

This drama had me cackling most of the time. It’s a neat balance of funny, dramatic and serious. But for me, the funny outweighed most of the other things.

A modern day goody-two-shoes FL gets sucked into a fantasy web novel after leaving a stinging review. On that note, I feel I’d better be careful when I review dramas unfavourably. Who knows! Anyhoo. She gets sucked into the fantasy world but the catch is she becomes a character who is evil, selfish and cruel. Our FL is obviously quite the opposite so she has to correct the past actions of her vile version and figure out a way to return to the reality. She is asked to complete levels to come out. Love Game in Eastern Fantasy is her journey through that world, where she makes friends, meets her love, learns magic and eventually helps defeat the real evil. She is accompanied by the ML who has some dangerous secrets, his sister who is a real sweetheart, an upright, skilled magician-fighter and a cute little demon. What enfolds is a hilarious and heartwarming magical story.

The story sounds tropey. But it never takes itself too seriously; except maybe at the end. The script is tight, except a few episodes which I felt were rather too stretched. The whole Marquess and the wedding fiasco took a lot more screen space than it deserved, although the whole thing was farcically hilarious. Similarly the whole finding Mu Sheng’s mother adventure or Mu Yao and Fyu Yi’s encounter with his psycho sister could have been wrapped a bit faster. But apart from these minor flaws the story and screenplay are pretty controlled. Romance is secondary here. It’s there but it’s more like background music. It’s not the focal point.

The CGI could have been better. Some props were so obviously fake that it gave me the feel of watching an old classic. In today’s tech world, it’s an uncomfortable pill to swallow but the cast and direction more than make up for it.

Ding Yuxi has already established how talented he is. His Mu Sheng is a perfect ML with a right mix of bratty and brave. He is devoted to his sister which makes him suspicious of everybody who tries to get closer to her. He is touched by the thoughtfulness of modified version of Lin Yu but that does not make him lower his guard. She has to earn his trust through her actions. DYX has depicted Mu Sheng’s swagger and vulnerability right on the spot.

But the star of this show for me was Esther Yu. Her Miao Miao is to die for. She is hilariously goofy with high EQ. She is so relatable. Her innocence, bravery, loyalty, goofiness as well as smartness come alive under EY’s craft. Miao Miao never loses the sight of her goal of returning to the reality but in the moment of need, she is ready to sacrifice it for her friends. She is emotionally intelligent to understand Mu Sheng’s dilemma but at the same time clueless to the Marquees’s fanboy. Esther has done a fantastic job here. I simply loved her Lin Yu / Miao Miao.

The supporting cast has done pretty solid too. Zu ShunDan’s Mu Yao is kindness and sweetness personified. Yang Shi Ze’s Fu Yi is so righteous and morally upright that he is borderline boring. Shout out to little Cui Cui. So darn cute.

Direction is on target. All little touches like when Lin Yu automatically starts to kneel down with others in front of Mu Sheng make the drama what it is. Full marks there.

The final battle with the main antagonist was a bit of let down for me. I was also slightly confused by the whole Mu Sheng’s mom turning into the Resentful Woman thingie. The Resentful Woman was established as some big bogeyman from the beginning that her end was a bit underwhelming for me. Also the end of building a sky ladder was slightly stretched than necessary. But again, these were minor detractors. They did not diminish my fun in any way.

All in all, this is a fun drama. A solid green in my entertainment ledger. The humor lands, the heart is real, and despite some wobbly CGI and a few stretched arcs, the cast carries the story with charm and commitment. If you’re looking for a fantasy romp that balances laughs and feels without taking itself too seriously, this one’s an easy pick.

Read More

Retribution 101

The Double could easily be a daily soap. Thankfully it is not and it is much more entertaining. The Double dabbles in all the virtues and vices - self sacrifice, revenge, karma, selfishness, psychotic obsession, manipulation, kindness, cruelty, hyposcricy, cowardice and bravery. You name it, you got it.

The story is engaging. At the very center of it is Jiang Li a.k.a Xue Fangfei, a virtuous, loyal, beautiful young wife of a newly appointed scholar, who unfortunately catches the psycho princess’s eye. Under her pressure and his own cowardice, he not only loses himself but has to kill his wife. Xue Fangfei manages to survive because of brave kindness of a total stranger Jiang Li. Just for the crime of helping her, Li loses her life. Li, whose life is a series of tragedies and betrayals, makes Fangfei promise that she would help clear Li’s name from utterly false and criminally cruel allegations made by her step mother. And that’s where the drama begins. There after it’s a series of incidents that eventually not only restores Jiang Li’s good name but even punishes literally everybody responsible for ruining it in the first place. Along the way, Fangfei takes her revenge by destroying the would-be killers. And as a bonus, she gets her happily ever after with a handsome, enigmatic Duke who never gives up on her. At one point, he is the only decent man in her life. He sticks with her and she with him. Together they manage to save the kingdom as well.

This is the story. It’s melodramatic in the sense the villains schemes seemed OTT at some points. But at no point, Li seemed hopeless or lost in her counter-schemes. That shows that at no point the story had any confusion about the direction it wanted to go in. There are a couple of unnecessary tracks, which if edited out could have made the story even more tight.

The screenplay is not 100% in sync with the story. Maybe it was due to some weird decisions to edit out stuff. For example, I still don’t know why the Duke stared at Xue Fangfei at the very beginning. It’s shown as a kinda flashback. But I don’t understand the reason behind it. It also does not clearly tell why Shen Yurong tangled with the princess in the first place. Sure, she noticed him, but I am sure he could have avoided many if not all of those encounters. He was said to be a virtuous man who did not take bribes. So why did he let the princess get to the point of obsession? These small details actually are important which throw light on the characters and their motives. At least for me, these details decide whether I sympathize with a villain or not. Because this motive is never shown, I could not sympathize with the princess or Shen Yurong. Sure, Shang Yurong was kind of a tortured character but all I saw was, his selfishness and borderline narcissism which creates the whole mess. Princess, although has a backstory and battles with some serious PTSD, did not make me feel sorry for her. There was not a single act of kindness from that woman. For me, she was truly irredeemable.

And that brings me to the characterization. Since it’s based on a novel, characters are all predefined. The drama does not have a lot of leeway. It can only deviate so much from the main source. They can only pick and choose which characters to keep. This drama does a solid in that section. 99% of the characters aren’t superfluous. They serve a purpose and carry the story forward.

Which automatically leads to the actors. All the actors have done pretty decent job in the drama. Wu Jinyan excelled in the scenes when she returns to the capital under the guise of Jiang Li and inadvertently crosses path with her would-be murderers. You can feel her rage, hurt and pain in these scenes. At the same time, her pretend contriteness when she first returns home is not over done. Well balanced acting.

Wang xingyue played an enigmatic and borderline cruel Duke Su. I enjoyed anytime WXY was on the screen. But I gotta be honest, at times he appeared wooden and awkward in some scenes, especially in the close up scenes where he had to smile or soften towards Li. Duke Su’s cold and calculating demeanour was perfectly captured by WXY, but in the romantic scenes it was a hit or a miss for me. Some of their flirting was done so naturally that it gave me a melty feeling but some was so wooden, that I was frowning at my screen. At the risk of getting tarred and feathered, I will say that there was no natural chemistry. Any chemistry that I saw and liked was mostly a product of story, careful editing, and my natural desire for our leads getting together. One thing though, not at any juncture, the story tried to become a romance. It had romance but that happened in the background. At no point, it overpowered the essence of the story.

It is around 40% about leads, the rest is villains. There were so many. That’s why it felt like a daily soap. They just kept coming. Sure, our leads managed to overcome them every single time. But I also felt somewhat exhausted with their scheming and general villainy. On that note, I do not agree with anybody who says the princess or the step mother are grey characters. Nope, they are not. They had backstories, yes. But at no point, they showed any mercy towards their victims. At no point, they behaved like good people and in the in the very next, would happily slit throats. Nah, they were just cruel and evil. The only grey character was Shen Yurong. He was so delusional that he wanted to get back with his wife he tried to killed. He kept helping her through out. But all of that was not counter balanced by his initial atrocity. He, for me, is a grey character.

I have one gripe though. The deaths of duke’s lackeys was so so so unnecessary that my jaw dropped when they happened. They happened in the last 10 minutes of the show. Why?why would you kill perfectly healthy, skilled warriors - not one but both? What were they even thinking? SMH. IMO, that whole battle was senseless and way unnecessary. Those last 15 minutes could have given us a good epilogue where Li slowly humanized the Duke. In stead they gave a 5 minutes extra episode which felt very choppy due to its disconnect from the last episode.

Anyhoo. The positives are lot more than the shortcomings IMO. If you have any doubt about watching it, watch it solely for Duke Su’s fans and WXY’s martial practices. It will get yiu your money’s worth.

Overall, I’d put in the solid green in my entertainment ledger.

Read More

A solid “A” drama

It’s been awhile since I watched a historical c-drama. I’m happy that I got back to the genre with Love Like the Galaxy.

It’s a delightful drama with all the usual tropes. The “tropiness” however did not grate on my nerves. That’s mostly because the characters grew consistently from the beginning to the end. All these usual tropes were organic parts of the story. They did not seem contrived and created just because. I guess I’m one of the jaded ones. The tropes do not give me the feels anymore. Most of the times they seem as interesting as a shoe polish. I was pleasantly surprised by this drama.

All except one thing - the way most of the eligible young ladies are jealous of Niao Niao. And the script constantly pulls them down to elevate Niao Niao. Even a simple dance performance by the princess fails because the group falls on each other. Because why? She did not practice enough? That’s lazy writing. It’s low-key misogynistic. I’m not going to cry anti-feminism. I’m watching the dramas for entertainment and not enlightenment. But the young women in the show are petty and frankly plain dumb. Their diatribes against Niao Niao seem like proverbial red flags to the bull. They at times are added only for Ling buyi to come to spectacular rescues of Niao Niao. They are so petty, that it’s not even funny. That was the one trope that had me RME. It was alright the first time, not the second or the third or the tenth time.

Anyhoo. That one thing aside, this drama was a delight to watch. I love how all the characters are superbly imperfect. There is no shining halo behind a single character. Even the epitome of the kindness Empress, fails to raise her daughter well. The kind and adorable Emperor is oblivious to his Empress’s pain. Zisheng and Shaoshang are imperfect enough for them to grow and evolve. Really good stuff.

Zhao Lusi, IMO, was perfectly cast for this role. She really portrayed that stubborn, independent yet vulnerable Niao Niao in all her glory. Niao Niao wants to be acknowledged for herself, not just a fiancée of so and so. She yearns for parents’ love yet at the same time she doesn’t mope and drown in self pity for the lack of it. She is loyal to those who show her kindness but not blind to overlook their wrongdoings. I loved how she is practical during her first betrothal to know that it is not a love match and is ok with it. She is not entering it blindly. Zhao Lusi faithfully portrayed all those qualities that make Niao Niao a fascinating main lead. I am thankful beyond anything to not have her talk in fake baby tones. Brownie points from me. ;D

Leo Wu as Ling Buyi nailed it too. The way this stoic general softens when he catches her glimpses is fascinating to watch. He also has his own story line. He does not become a love puppy even after their confession. He maintains his personality. That credit goes to the story but also to Leo Wu for portraying these traits the way he does.. IMO his performance is a step ahead of Zhao Lusi. One shout out to the fight scenes, especially the one at the gate. It was fantastically shot. It shows how tactical his mind is. It shows his awareness of his surroundings even in the midst of his fight. Again good stuff.

All the supporting characters and the cast selected to play them made this drama what it was for me. It’d be a stupidly long review if I were to go in details for the, may be some other time.

All in all, I loved it. Give it a try if you haven’t already.

Oh and PS; may be extra point to the chemistry between our ML and FL. To use the cliched adjective, it’s sizzling.

Read More

So Glad I Hit a Play

I am in my C-Drama phase. So naturally like a well adjusted person, I am currently watching nothin' other than historical C-Dramas, genre non-withstanding. Although none I have watched recently was a dud, there were very few which compelled me to share the joy I felt after watching them. Blossom is probably in the top 5 of such c-dramas.

Ok so gushing mode triggered, fair warning.

I loved this drama. Like absolutely loved it. I would be watching it again, then again and may be yet again. It has solid "A"s in every thing that counts for me. Although the concept is not at all original, the story and screenplay make it feel fresh. The narration is tightly controlled. There are no loose threads; there are no unnecessary tracks; there are very few filler scenes. I kid you not. I started watching this last evening. I binged through the night. At 5:00 AM this morning, I realized that I should rest my eyes. It was a tough decision to make. But I grabbed 4 hours of sleep and then continued from there. I was that riveted. I had to click on the next episode. I couldn't help myself.

Characters and actors. There are so many characters, and 99% of those have back stories and reasons. With most of them, you understand why they are doing what they are doing. It probably helped that I did not hit an FF even once. So may be that was the reason why every character felt real?!? Dunno.

The main leads are to die for. They are so intelligent and fierce and loyal, that I rooted for them not just because I was supposed to. I wanted them to have a good ending. I was invested in their struggles. Song Mo and Shou Gu are going to live rent free in my heart for a long time. Their initial tussle, power play, mistrust, mutual respect for each other's capabilities and the instinctive pull towards one another are presented so darn well. There is no insta-love. They are not enemies either (although Song Mo actually greets Shou Gu with a sword across her throat). They are two people thrown together by their fates. But they are essentially very smart people. So even though they find the other intriguing, there is no lowering of their guards. It happens all so organically, that when they eventually trust each other, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. I gobble that stuff. Give me a good slow-burn and I am your minion. This drama does that well.

Meng Zi Yi rocked. Her Shou Gu is another badass h who does not need to be bratty. She does not possess any martial skills. Her brain is her asset and she abundantly uses it. This is a blast to the past drama, where she gets a do-over after getting backstabbed by her good for nothing husband and at the same time, meeting a stranger, Song Mo, who basically dies for her. She makes full use of it. She does not have any altruistic motives in the beginning. She is not out there to save the world. She just wants to avoid her own tragedy. By the end, she willingly enters the fray to save her loved ones, most importantly her husband. In her first life, she is painfully betrayed by her loser, cheating SOB husband and her younger half sister. Yet, in her second chance, she gives her all for her loving husband. “You and I are different. I trust the person I love”, her simple statement to the Empress showcases what a mature and brave woman Shou Gu is. Meng Zi Yi captured Shou Gu's sharp wit so darn well. Her large eyes and ready smiles do help.

As good as MZY is, for me, the star of the show was Li Yun Rui. I had seen him in a couple forgettable supporting roles. This was his first major drama that I watched. Me likieee! In the first scene, with that amazing silver grey hair and a slow & tired drawl, he just reeled me in. Since Legolas and Aragorn, I have a thing for hooded, tortured heroes. No wonder I fell so hard for Song Mo. Li Yun Rui brought Song Mo to life. His darkness, tiredness, and undeniable goodness grabbed ahold of my heart through the screen. I waited for him to come on the screen. Even a simple twitch of his eyebrow added to the depth of the scenes. I can also gleeful attest that Song Mo maintains the same charisma through out. Shou Gu does not outshine him in the second half or vice versa. That's my pet peeve. A to-die-for ML roams around with a lost puppy expression once the marriage is consummated or something.

Li Yun Rui is a seriously good looking guy too. In my magnificent shallowness, I confess that I started watching the drama because I was captivated by his beauty. Typically that adjective is not used for men. I am gonna. He is utterly beautiful. *Sigh*. Even if he didn't perform the way he did, I would have been happy to just watch him on the screen.

IMO the leads did not have the so-called sizzling chemistry. They just worked together very well. They fit.I was more than happy with the outcome. I guess that's what good actors bring to the table. Their scenes still made me squee. Like a simp I was smiling whenever they got all flirty.

I want to specifically add one thing. The baddies are aplenty in this drama. But amongst those, Song Yi Chun, Song Mo's dad, is the most despicable character in the drama. I won't go in details, but I hated his guts. It's not even that the actor did a magnificent job or anything.. the character is vileness personified. Duke of Ying aka the worst father of the century, deserved to die a more brutal death (pardon my bloodthirstiness) . That scum.. Ugh. Then there was Wang Ying Xue aka the wicked-witch-of-the-west stepmother. Oh boy. I just wanted to jump through the scene and bitchslap her. That evil tweet was just that evil. And I also hated that slimy Eunuch Wang. He also got off easy. I needed him to be punished by the Emperor. Strangely, I hated him more than his master. Huh.

There are enough goodies to make it tolerable. Bless 'em! Honourable mention, Ji Yong. The show tried to get me to dislike him, but nay, I did not fall for it. Not for nothing I have been watching dramas for years. I have learned a thing or two ya know? His morality and motives seemed dubious but I knew there was more to it than what was on the surface.

The drama is not perfect though. It takes some atrocious cinematic liberties. Shou Gu's schemes do not fail, like not once. Song Mo, gets the miraculous antidote for his poison, in spite of everybody and their dogs crying it wasn't available. In spite of making elaborate plans in the middle of the show, Song Mo conveniently forgets 53000 odd soldiers from the Ding army and yet comes at the top.

Also, I gotta say. *SPOILER* I hated the death of the elder brother of the bodyguard duo. Apart from the fact that the brothers were funny together, I was worried about ma boy Song Mo. Who would watch his back now?? Argh..

But these were some minor issues that I forgot as soon as I thought of them. This was a solid solid watch for me. Now all I am worried about is hitting a post-series depression until I find another Song Mo-ish ML.

Read More

Refreshing

Classic example of how actors, directors, writers can transform a rather run of the mill story to a quite quite enjoyable and wonderful drama. Lovely Runner does not have a great story, nor is it unique.. But its presentation is charming, refreshing and enjoyable. Major kudos to the actors, director and the team.

The plot does have some loopholes but that is to be expected of a time travel drama. My only gripe is that we don’t get to know why the villain does what he does in every effing time line. He is just incorrigible and sticks around like a two day old candy. But in the finale, poof.. he goes away very easily. I don’t want to put any major spoilers here but such an easy end makes him just a prop to make the show last for 16 episodes. It didn’t detract from this otherwise charming drama for me. But it just kept bothering me like a mosquito bite. Why did he keep on keeping on? Like either say why or just go away.

Music is wonderful; it stays with you afterwards. But the USP is the actors. Casting a good looking pair sure works lol, but if they just look good then the drama loses its momentum around eighth or ninth episode. Here ML and FL, SML, friends, mom, dad, bros and grandma’s are all just fantastic. The mix somehow really works. Apart from the OTP, the healthy and positive family dynamics on both sides were so nice. Keeps you engaged. I’m rather getting tired of the over-demanding, shrewish, moms and dads who look down on their kids. Plus as many have said before the height difference between ML and FL makes it cuter. The last episode also kept me smiling like a simp. I know.. I’m very shallow.. eh..

Loved this one. Wanted to give it a 10 but the caricature-ish villain deducts half a point for me.

————
Edit:

Rewatched it today.. very unusual for me to revisit the drama so soon after the first watch but was feeling low because of something, wanted to get lost in the k-drama world and this was a random pick.. It struck me once again. How on earth our ML and FL are so darn cute together! It’s not silly cute but cute cute. Our leads’ strong performances actually change the tone of that cuteness as per their age. To me at least, the cutes of their teen age romance was different from the cutes of their mature romance. The pitch and vibe of their togetherness changes as per their age. Hats off to both the leads for throwing themselves in their characters. Sometimes the couple-ness (I know I made up this word..anyhoo) feels amazing in the high school years. But when the characters enter the matured phase, the chemistry either fizzles out or it seems contrived. It’s very difficult to see the leads as grown ups, in spite of all the hair style changes or wardrobe changes. I had this difficulty in WIFTY and Our Secrets. But here the transition was smooth. And the credit fully goes to Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon. Job well done you guys!! And that’s why I am bumping this to 10, in spite of my gripe with that very bad man.

Read More