kara

weirdly addicting

when i started this drama, i thought that i wouldn't like this drama but i grew quite fond of it (to drop it). the setting was unlikely to average jdrama. this story is centered around two women: imai natsu who accidentally inherited a huge sum of money as a care taker, and motomiya mitsuko who is helping her to gain leading role over the company. the story ends on a good note for both of the leads. now, one thing that bothered throughout the series was camera work and whatever kind yellow filter they were using. if there are more than two people on the scene this japanese style directing doesn't work. in my opinion, acting was the highlight of the series, especially the leads. the major issue that i have with writing were the lack of intelligence of some characters (natsu has the intelligence of a four year old), and poorly executed plot twists (that also might've been on director). regardless of everything, i couldn't look away.

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Hot Mess

PS: it's my first time writing a review so bear it with me
I must say that I feel underwhelmed about the whole drama. The casting choice was good and the special effects were all well done but something important was missing from the plot.
I liked the topics that were addressed and how those were adressed. From the characters' pov, the story was confusing and jumpy. It felt like a lot of important scenes were removed from the script. Instead of those, there were only action scenes.
Regardless of this factor, I completed it. I don't know if it was the smartest move to leave this drama with an incomplete ending knowing how past netflix series have been treated. Would I rewatch it? No, because I would grow to hate it

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the theme will expire if you keep going in circles

let's start off with the bad things about this drama. leads' story lines went in too many circles for my liking. this could've cut the series by 10 episodes at least. however, SY and LY acted the hell out of these characters. it's probably the best acting that i've seen from both of them. surprisingly, i enjoyed the side couples' story lines. the other story line that should've been shorter, was her mother passing away. k!lling an elderly person has become a standard so it ends up giving NOTHING to the story. the music was really off putting at the times. they were targeting international audience but it fell flat. i would've preferred if they used already existing english songs.

also, this drama have so many incredible one liners "the harder i work ,the harder i will fall", "the snacks will expire if you leave them out for too long", "it's your business if you you wish to stay in the past but i'm not obligated to wait for you in the same place" etc

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surprising news: netflix destroys yet another series to promote a remake

this whole season feels like "buy one get one free" offer. my criticism towards previous season felt really justified after finishing this dragged-out season.
no eul, in ho and gi hun heavily carried this season. i wish we could've learned more about in ho, since he's the most complicated character in the show. also, no eul was handled pretty poorly, but it was nothing compared to all other additional characters - or should i say, cannon fodder. they literally had no purpose other than to provide cute tiktok edits or pro-life propaganda (which no one really dares to bring up).
this season's saving grace was gi hun's character development. for the first time, viewers can see him struggle with the games in the way that has never shown before. in previous seasons, he had hope for a better tomorrow. after his failed attempt at leaving the games, gi hun becomes more vulnerable and unstable. unlike others, he never loses focus on why he first joined the games, which was to support his family financially. this is beautifully shown through him keeping jun hui's baby alive, which in the end cost him his own life. the scene where other players try to kill a baby to win the games was probably one of the most fcked up scenes i've seen in a TV series in a long time, but it was also so well written that i can't complain. as a viewer you can tell this scenario was written by someone questioning the future of the humanity.
honestly, i don't see anything wrong with the ending. there's no what ifs or buts. i'm just glad that the baby and junho survived. i had no hope for other characters. season 2 and 3 point was to promote the american remake anyway. hopefully, hwang can have a nice holiday on a remote island [without the games] as he wished for.

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One of the worst k-dramas released in 2025

Honestly, I can't point out one thing that I enjoyed about this drama. Sure, it had an unique premise, superhero who needs money to have powers, but writing went downhill pretty quickly. The pacing was horrendous. There were long scenes featuring antagonists doing their "evil stuff". This drama is something I literally finished only because I wanted to see how bad it could get. Spoiler alert: it got pretty bad. The biggest issue was the directing. Why do we need to see character in every angle before he/she moves? There was also a weird camera sequence in last episode with the apartment building. The editing didn’t help either, nor did the soundtrack choices. Why play intense instrumental track after someone at the gunpoint doesn't get his brains blown out?
It might sound harsh, but I couldn't tell whether the acting was bad because of the editing or it was just generally bad. After Typhoon Family, what a downgrade this drama is for Lee Junho. It's not even worse recent performance by him but for most of the cast. I'm only pointing him out because he was the one who made me tune in for this drama. The rest of the cast doesn't have that star power.
This drama feels like something only a five-year-old could enjoy.

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Too Idealistic for My Taste

The biggest aspect this drama lacked was an in-depth exploration of psychological disorders. The storyline that rubbed me the wrong way the most was Sora's, which is even worse considering he was one of the main characters. I didn't look up whether the drama was based on a manga or something similar, but his storyline was handled so poorly that it was hard to watch. By the time it reached its conclusion, I had already given up on the kid. Not only that, but his actor was probably the weakest performers among the younger cast.
The art therapy aspect of the series was nice, but the writer should have included psychiatrists, psychologists, and other specialists, especially when dealing with more extreme cases of school withdrawal. Overall, the casting was good and the drama itself was engaging.
I'd recommend this drama to anyone who enjoys cozy, character-driven stories.

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Better Than Expected

I started watching this drama on a whim and ended up loving it. It gave off the vibe of early 2020s kdramas, largely because the writer mixed comedy and drama so well. The highlights were the acting and chemistry of the main cast (the core four), the intriguing plot, and the ending.
However, the story telling it self isn't flawless. There are a few minor issues, and some of the casting choices regarding the supporting and guest characters were questionable. Overall, it was an enjoyable watch from start to finish.
I'd recommend this drama to anyone who has been missing good justice dramas.

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Minor Flaws, Strong Overall

I went into this series with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the pacing solid, but the overall cast delivered strong performances. Special kudos to all the leading actors. Elvira Cai is slowly becoming one of my favorite “underground” Chinese actresses. There’s something special about her performances and script choices. Also, I didn't think Jing Bo Ran had it in him to play such a complicated character. Another highlight was the strong on-screen chemistry between all three leads. The writing had a few minor plot holes, which I can overlook. What I can’t overlook, however, is the way the lead couple was written. Their relationship needed better development.
Overall, it’s a good crime drama by Chinese drama standards

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it's cute

I'll admit, I was drawn to watch this film because of the hype. No need to beat around the bush, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The acting is fine, but the storytelling is the real issue. honestly, I can't blame the audience. The hype probably came from the lack of strong k-dramas/k-films this year. it reminded me of the c-19 era when everyone was suddenly releasing good music, simply because people were hungry for something to hold on to. However, I’m not the kind of person who can survive on crumbs; I need a full meal. This plot has been done hundreds times in other EA films, (especially in China and Japan), where seems to be a strange obsession with killing off characters in romance films. Within the first ten minutes, I guessed the entire story arc, and I haven’t done that in a while.

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mothers are mothering

This drama really surprised me with how good it was. The best way to describe it is: a hidden gem. It feels like an oasis in the desert (current kdrama landscape). the number of female-centered dramas seems to be decreasing every year like the population of pandas, and I find myself hunting for them more and more. this drama's strengths are strong leading ladies, solid storytelling, and high rewatch value which most of the dramas lack nowadays.
i recommend this to anyone who enjoys the mystery genre with a little bit of slice-of-life.
personally, i'm already looking forward to confirmed season 2.

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