BellaGoth

Highly recommend Hikaru no go, excellent drama in general and there's no love interest for the main leads. They have a rivals to friends dynamic. Beyond Evil is another exceptional drama without any love interest for the main leads. If you can deal with blood and gore and are open to watching Hollywood content then Hannibal is an excellent choice.

One of the best actors of his generation actually but severely underrated because of Soop's under-promotion. Hopefully he gets more opportunities when he returns from the Millitary.

Agreed! I am on ep 6 and this drama is surprisingly nice so far! SHK is excellent in this, his charm radiates. Viewers' obsession with young pretty men as leads has unfortunately led to an endless stream of overhyped and terribly acted romances and underrating of relatively decent dramas.

Seriously, they're acting like only their opinion is valid and arguing with everyone. Didn't realise this is some fanclub dedicated to the drama and not a neutral comment section. Some people do way too much. No concept of accepting criticism or diverse opinions.

Good for you. To me, the main cast sucks at acting.

The show is entertaining so far, albeit too long and filled with awful characters, but the acting is legitimately terrible. It's ruining my immersion.

LMFAOOOO

What I learnt after finishing the drama is that this should NOT be watched as a whodunnit or a mystery. The slow-paced narrative revolves around character-building, PTSD and the development of the ambiguous, nearly romantic relationship between the male leads. In order to fully enjoy this drama, you have to be invested in the strange pull that exists between them. The mind games are fun to watch but you'll easily figure out the killer after some time. This drama glosses over that aspect and focuses on the emotional consequences of the events. It's a unique approach in comparison to the regular Asian thrillers/mysteries. I had some problems such as the stagnation of Joowon's character but the final payoff was good enough.

To conclude, Shin Ha Kyun is mesmerizing onscreen. He is one of the biggest reasons why this drama, despite some flaws, is a compelling watch. Also, the direction and the music= excellent.

Hanadan had a similar pace too but somehow, I was struggling to connect with the pace of this. Maybe because they started off by showing Thyme quite sinister and switched it way too quickly so the comedic scenes and his interest in her seem rushed. Tone consistency is a major problem that I had with Vincenzo as well. I guess I was looking for something a bit more realistic this time from the premise established in the first episode.

Couple of criticisms: Firstly, the pace is way too fast for my liking. I think Thyme transitioning to the attraction phase too quickly so Thyme/Gorya lack a spark right now. I really want to feel the chemistry between them (started the show mainly to see that) but I am not enjoying the disjointed humour. Also Bright seems to struggle in comic scenes, should've kept his character serious.
On a postive note, the accident kiss wasn't cringey. Gorya's reaction was especially adorable. GMM should cast Tu in romcoms, she has that charm. Also, Ren and Mira seem lovely, I like them as a couple because of the potential.

Surprisingly decent first episode. Really liked some of the cinematography especially in the scenes between Ren and Gorya. The bullying is very realistic in this, the drama itself seems quite raw in a good way. Regarding the characters, I was delighted by Tu as Gorya, she's the driving force of the show. Hopefully they can nail the build-up to Thyme and Gorya falling in love.

Not just the bitter AIB stans but also many kdrama stans who dislike the fact that this drama blew up worldwide without their beloved kdrama staples. This series has no hot oppa, no romance, abundance of violence- everything they dislike or ignore. Had this been a mediocre romance or "healing" drama or something with hot/popular actors as leads, trust that you'll not see many of these complaints. Sure this series isn't perfect (I personally thought DP was the best Netflix original so far) but it's an engaging series with relevant themes, striking aesthetics and great acting. Can't say same for most of the highly-rated dramas on here.
Aib stans are very funny too, that terribly-acted drama is shining in SG's reflected glory but the fans are busy pulling SG and its cast down.

Yup, anything to defend the beloved WKX and the severe drop of quality in the second half. If they could add so much filler that didn't exist in the novel then they couldn't flesh out ZZS's character? They had the energy to do everything but write a fully-fledged MC. It's so unfortunate that the essence of the final battle has been altered to portray WKX as the hero yet again and show ZZS as a non-factor who's only there to react to the ML's actions. The ML who's literally deceived him. A mess.

Agree with everything. Have you seen the teaser for ep 33? As expected, WKX was faking and flew in to save the day while ZZS wasn't even included in the plan. Even his elaborate scene of pulling out nails has been rendered ineffectual by this drama. What kind of plot is this? WKX can deceive his so-called beloved senior after all the chants about Axu being important to him? ZZS will die because of his plan but leave it to the viewers and the writer to somehow justify their beloved WKX's deception. They have successfully ruined the bond between the two as well.

Exactly, if they wanted fillers so bad why couldn't they invest time on exploring the MC? ZZS is literally the rehabilitation center for WKX, his personal narrative is non-existent. The writer is busy developing boring side characters instead of spending one minute on ZZS. ZZS has turned into your usual useless FL providing support to WKX. At least focus on showing more of his feelings towards WKX but no. The Shidi trope was enough to negatively affect their intriguing dynamics, this nonsense just adds to it. The first 10 or 14 episodes and the chemistry between the actors cannot overcome the visible flaws of the second half.

Precisely. Most people refuse to address the unfair treatment of the MC because who cares about him anyway? Most of them are here to watch WKX and enjoy Wenzhou candies. I can't even complain about viewer bias because the writer is the one responsible for the existence of such bias. If the writer refuses to support the MC, how can anyone expect the viewers to connect to him? ZZS is literally just there to support WKX. Like all basic female leads, he is only relevant rn because he is loved by the great male lead and is the source of unfailing support and affection. This drama absolutely refuses to delve into his individual trauma or feelings. The writer could have done so much with ZZS slowly losing senses, ZZS's past, his feelings for ZCL and WKX, his death anxiety but noo, random side character strategies are more important than the literal MC. The CP loses a lot of charm too because of the unbalanced narrative. They could at least spend more time exploring his feelings for WKX.

Was this their so-called ZZS-centric arc? The way they have turned the MC into a supporting character to prop up the ML is criminal.
This drama is all about WKX, his revenge, his tragic background, his struggles, his pain while ZZS has turned into a wallpaper FL serving as his moral compass. ZZS got a random confrontation scene and we're back to the regular business of WKX's angst and revenge. Do ZZS's personal struggle and pain matter? No. Only WKX's reaction to them matters. At least explore his feelings towards WKX , let viewers connect to his feelings for once. I still kind of enjoy them as a CP (despite the senior-junior trope) but the writer's lack of interest in ZZS' character continues to disappoint me every week. This drama is one of the least faithful adaptations rn. People are going easy on it because they're getting a cute CP but everything else about this drama is a mess. Plagued with bad editing (esp ep 32), excessive emphasis on useless side characters and their nonsense, I can go on.
Not surprising that it's struggling to cross 1bn in views and the writer is dodging constant criticism re. her WKX bias.

Yeah I know that it doesn't actually imply any blood relationship but I feel the excitement has vanished from their relationship because of this trope. ZZS' current affection is built on this revelation so he has become oddly brotherly and protective imo. The thrill of him gravitating towards a mysterious stranger as it happened in the book is all but gone. I could have lived with less skinship and flirtation but the flaws in characterization and relationship dynamics have indeed disappointed me. Anyway, yes I am hoping they'll introduce an interesting next arc for ZZS only, without physically involving WKX in any way. ZZS is fascinating in Qi Ye and Tianyake so I really hope to be pleasantly surprised by the final arc.

Yeah I am bothered by the shift in their relationship dynamics because of this trope. It makes ZZS seem like a platonic older brother figure fussing over his wayward younger brother. His affection for WKX is shaped by the new revelation, I can't just close my eyes and overlook it. Their relationship in the book was exciting because of two strangers forming a bond, the introduction of the childhood trope has really ruined that excitement for me.
I have read all the justifications and I can agree with some of it in theory but I am instantly uncomfortable when I am actually watching the drama. This apart, ZZS' characterization gives me a proper headache when I think about it. He barely has any individuality of his own, all of his struggles are linked to our great male lead WKX. He alternates between a disapproving mother figure and an affectionate older brother figure for WKX, where's the equality in their relationship that exists in the novel? Is getting away with some skinship is really worth it if it comes at the cost of the characterization of the MC and the interesting dynamics between the leads? They'll probably throw in some contrived political plot for ZZS only for our great male lead WKX to rescue him lmao I am so disappointed as a book ZZS fan. I don't know who this man is but this is not Priest's Zhou Zishu to me. Anyway, finally I am thankful for ZZH and Gong Jun's lovely onscreen chemistry that manages to conceal many writing flaws.

I can be convinced to not dislike it if they didn't force it so much. Every touching moment ends with this particular address, it ruins the intimacy of every scene, reminding me that ZZS' affection is almost platonic. Again, if you aren't bothered by it then that's good but I am. I believe that their relationship has undergone a subtle but profound change because of this trope. That apart, I also have serious problem with ZZS' inadequate characterization so this drama is doubly letting me down rn.