A plot written to give you Stockholm syndrome
As am determined to watch at least 80% of Ji Chang Wook projects before the end of the year,I picked up my suspicious partner without going through the reviews..
I told myself that 40 episodes of 30 min each will nt ruin me as long as JWC is on my screen
Also if you are C-drama watcher, you will know thata this is childplay.
1.If you like good and real acting from professionals,please go ahead and watch.
2.If you like good court drama and crime solving,please go ahead and enjoy this.
3.The support team and the friendship that came out of this was incredible.
4.If you are triggered by handsome criminals with mesmerising visuals,maybe skip it
5.If you get easily angered by a hot and cold female lead who take 38 episodes to decide,
6.If you have enough time on your hands to watch an amazing cast doing amazing acting
Key people to keep in mind:
No Ji Wook the versatile prosecutor played bythe multi talented Ji Chang Wook
Eun Bong Hee, the unluckiest FL turned lawyer,nicknamed "dirty but pretty" by No Ji Wook
Jung Huy-Soo,The smoothest handsome serial killer who started the whole nighmare
Note:It doesnt mean the whole drama was superb,but any plot hole that showed up was covered
by good acting.Like the child that witnessed the murder and was confused if he should testify or not.
I know it was added so that Procesecutor No Ji Wook can sort out his own story but the way it was never
solved or developed didnt make sense at all.Having in mind that this wasnt a small plotline.
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A WORKPLACE NOONA STORYLINE DONE INTELLIGENTLY
Let's get something out of the way first;The following review is from the POV of a millenial.So it will only be based on my own opinion.
And please dont listen to the comments who judged the whole drama based on the episodes between 35-40
The ML made the right decision to allow the FL to separate herself from an emotional fortress and reality.
He wanted to start over without all the complication of their "fabricated marriage" because He really had fallen in love with her
But she couldn't differiante feelings and ambitions
Am unashamed to say that I enjoy noona romance(older FL younger ML) and personally age is just 1234, a numeral number and I dont get triggered as long as it's within the legal bracket.With great luck,writers didn't put it in our faces repetitively and in the end it was never an issue that was visible.
Am a sucker for a FL who is strong with a badass attitude and the creators picked one of the best in the industry Ms Yang Mi,not only she came with beauty and determination but with her,she showed up on the scene with a brain and a glorious wardrobe.
In the field where the glass ceiling is higher than the Eiffel tower and decisions of who advances or who stays at the cubicle desk are made in the boardroom and in the bedroom.So you better be playing chess not checkers,and if you are a woman the game is even worse.
So the whole drama is based on a “tiny” white lie told by her mentor during her hiring process after she was rejected by everyone because of her status and this became a premise of her rise or downfall.
Enters our ML played by Xu Kai,Just your normal introvert but genius with a touch of OCD.who fell from grace and is hiding in his parent house who have decided that 4500 RBM per month is all he needs to survive,without knowing that for the last 2 years he is been someone’s perfect husband in a couple’s picture somewhere in a lawyer’s office and as fate would decide they meet at a party where he is giving in to his mom constant request to go on a blind date and our FL is trying to get her foot in the door by socializing and networking with the same people who don't want you to even come to the door.
From the time they bump into each other to contracts being signed and sharing the same space,their intellectual banter is what really kept me hooked,no matter how much the crybabies in the comment section kept on being impatient.
The two characters had the most memorable communication I have ever seen in the C-drama world.They really completed each other without even noticing that they are yin and yan.
She brings home all her frustration of the day and he picks her shoes which without malice she tends to leave at the door and he cooks,cleans and soaks her feet in the bucket to release her stress.As the drama is called, He is the perfect husband.But there is more….
How will they continue to survive as the truth of the lie keeps getting in the gossip circles closer to the office and their families who came with their baggage?
I was immersed in the topic and the character development that I don't think talking about production,Set,OST or cinematography is necessary because it was a top tier production and thank you to whoever designed all the sets and houses..Should i mention the wardrobe team? Yes they slayed all the looks,You could feel the Shanghai soul in all the looks and the location that were used..It felt like 1920 has incarnated into 2022.
OVERALL;This is a beautiful drama that requires the viewer to love the subject and patiently look forward to how Yang Hua will solve Qin Shi’s puzzle in any of her cases that has fiances in them.
WHAT I DISLIKED: The last episode.The jump of a whole 7 months from the airport scene where the FL thinks the ML has left the country..I won't say where he was to avoid spoilers but that last episode could have gone a lot better.
Yang Hua’s famous line in my books,He had many philosophical and poetic ones whenever he was drunk but this one was epic while he was sober.
“I have never been wrong about money and numbers”
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THE NAME SHOULD BE "FAST AND FURIOUS IN KAIROUTEI"
I picked this for Steven Zhang but the FL convinced me to stay because she was really good.Steve Zhang will deliver no matter how bad the plot is.I call him the male version of Zhao Lusi.
Sometimes you dont even know if he is acting because its just too accurate and his mannerism
and body movements feel like you are seing him in real life.
Am not familiar with the FL but from what I gathered she is a veteran,this explains why her acting
was really good and thanks to the write she was a strong character who didnt let the
bullies have their way.Should i mention she is the first FL in chinese drama to initiate intense kissing scene?
We always complain about chinese drama having long episodes filled with unnecessary scenes
but what happens when they have to fit a whole trope into 12 episodes? You will find the answer
when you watch,thats why I said they should have named it "Fast and Furious in KAIROUTEI
Thats how fast your brain will be moving from scene to scene,saved but beautiful cinematic shots.
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OLD IS GOLD
Every now and then I go back in times(so far have gone 12 years back) and watch a masterpiece like Healer when Ji Chang Wook,Park Min Young,Yoo Ji Tae and the mervelous Lady Kim Mi Kyung were still young and before they went to make numerous hits like Welcome to Samdarli,Whats wrong with Secretary Kim,Money heist-Korea and Its okay not to be Okay.The actors combined have been in more hit projects that can make up a whole movie Studio in itself, so seing them together in one drama back in 2014 must have been a thrill.
I felt the power that they brought to this serie 10 years later..No scene is boring or a filler, Everything suits together like a puzzle.Even if you were a critic,Its hard to find bits to pick on.Considering this was a decade ago, and how the film industry has grown with the use of CGIs and advanced tech,Back then thngs were still being done manually, streets were closed to shoot scenes,actors did their own stunts off the buildings,I understand that JCW does most of his own stunts and how can i forget the veteran who never ages Ms Kim Min Kyung, She is is been in more dramas than my neighbors'cats..how about Ms Park Min Young, I see her on my screen more than CNN Breaking news.
Overall as they say Old is Gold,indeed Healer is gold that will stay in our reserve mental bank for generations to come.
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Teaches you that revennge is not always the best option
I have this on my playlist for awhile and readin reviews,it gave out "My liberation notes" which is also on the list.If you want something fast and furious drama,this is not your drama.its one of those quiet,slow burn,with a melo music
The storyline is beautiful,the characters are recovering from the sins their parents commited
one is out to revenge the other is runing away from the past and they meet in the middle and it turns out to be an epic
journey that leaves you at the edge of your seat.
I loved the growth of both characters,one made the other come out of his shell and the ML made her heart soften
It was really a match made in heaven.
To be honest I dont have much to say about the cinematography and the OTC cos i was so emmersed in the story that
I hardly noticed.. That's how deep this drama was.
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EVERY DECADE OR SO A VERY PRECIOUS GEM IS FOUND..
Every decade or so, a rare gem emerges from the endless sea of recycled tropes and commercial fluff.A story so powerful it lodges itself in your bones. I call these dramas “DNA Adjusters” because they don’t just entertain,they shift something fundamental inside you. Definitely Not Today is one of those.Finding this drama was pure destiny. I wasn’t looking for it; it found me. It took four years, but somehow, the timing was perfect. I stumbled upon it while scrolling through a list curated by legendary watchers on this platform. They’d given it a perfect 10, and that was enough to pique my curiosity. One click later, I was eight episodes deep, not even realizing how time had slipped by. They’re short episodes, yes,but I could’ve watched 36 of them and still craved more. That’s how good this was.
The Story
This was my first Asian drama I ve watched with a “dark humor,” label and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Making light of something as heavy as suicide could easily go wrong. But after reading a few thoughtful reviews, I dove in and what I found was far from offensive. It was moving, sincere, and surprisingly funny in all the right places.
Told in a narration style voiceover, the main lead’s voice was so soothing, it felt like a bedtime story,comforting even while discussing life’s darkest moments. The animation sprinkled throughout was subtle, never flashy, just enough to add texture without stealing focus.
The suicide theme is delicate and rarely tackled with such raw honesty, especially in Chinese dramas. But here, humor paired with Viki’s timed comments,made space for empathy. We found ourselves rooting for the main character, especially the ML, whispering in unison: “Not today, buddy. Try tomorrow.” The female lead’s story was equally heartbreaking, deeply relatable, and a reflection of issues that are too often left out of mainstream narratives. I applaud the creators for their bravery in telling it.
Casting & Performances
The casting was spot-on. Instead of banking on the glitter of fame, the director chose actors who look and feel like everyday people. It gave the show an intimacy and realism that big-name dramas often lack. For a moment, I even thought it was a Taiwanese production it had that grounded, Taipei aesthetic that made me double-check its origin.
And then, there’s Leo Leong. What a discovery. I remember watching Meteor Garden, yet somehow, I missed him. But in this role, he doesn't just act,he becomes the story. There’s no vanity in his performance. No perfect angle or overdone styling. Just pure, honest emotion. He is Mi Chong,the boy next door that nobody really sees, quietly trying to end his life without causing a fuss. But fate, ironically, won’t let him go quietly.
To put it simply: I think I found the Chinese Park Bo Gum.
The Technicals
I could go on about the cinematography, the lighting, the editing (which was among the best I’ve seen), the English-language OST, or the wardrobe simple and true to the world they created. The natural, small-town settings gave the drama a soul. Every element worked in harmony to support the story, never distract from it.
This is a drama about deliverance. About healing. Two people drowning in despair, but instead of dragging each other deeper, they choose to swim using the last of their strength to the surface.
Definitely Not Today isn’t just a drama I watched. It’s one I’ll carry with me, for a very, very long time.
OVERALL:It was extremely BEAUTIFUL,It was extremely WELL DONE,It was extremely SHORT and It was extremely UNCHINESE
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A Documentary that will transport you into another universe
Its not been long since I followed Zhang Zhe Han on social media after watching "Everyone wants to meet you" And learning of what has happened to him but for some reasons I fell like there was more to this man other than his career,his cancellation, his come back or his story.And I started looking for anything that can tell me more about him outside what I read in the media,in the dramas or his music.
This document for me is healing,I wanted to use it with noise cancellation headphones because I wanted to block every noise and it became the best decision because it felt like I was in the same journey he was in.I experienced the same emotions and the same weather throughout this video.
Maybe Zhe Han will never read this comment but I would like to tell him this.From someone who have lost everything and had to start from zero..It will be OKAY..and am glad you have found a way home.It would have been worse.I have been there in the corner of desperation,facing criticism,gossips,slander,and I had no reason to live but am glad I held on and am here to tell the story.
Thank you for sharing with 12 million people your most honest,sincere and intimate moment of your new life.
Just know that you are loved by strangers around the world.
"The tragedy is not in the falling,the tragedy is in the staying on the ground after the fall"
Side note: Him and Jerry Yan can do make a nice duo in any work.You have the same vibe,maybe its the hairstyle
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Short and Poignant
Its not been long since I followed Zhang Zhe Han on social media after watching "Everyone wants to meet you" And learning of what has happened to him but for some reasons I fell like there was more to this man other than his career,his cancellation, his come back or his story.And I started looking for anything and this is one of those anything.
This is one f those short stories where you have to pick tyour own lessons.For us the choice to choose family over love seemed inhumane but for Wang Yue,This was a consideration
And am glad humanity won.
I really hope one day,we will see Zhang Zhe Han on the screen again
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You will definitely stay at the edge of your seat
There is only one drama that ever gave me the feeling of being on a rollercoaster with a chance of jumping off but you stay on.The PenthouseAnd The last Empress has joined it..How I ended up watching a kdrama with 52 episodes doesn't even make sense to me but I did,
cos it never stopped,there was crack on every corner and nothing prepared you for all the twists that kept on coming..
This is a makjang on steroids but I loved it, ignoring the crappy ending,the rest was entertaining..The good was good and the villains were really villains.
I know it's an oldie but If you ever come across it just press play and enjoy the ride
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This should have been called Ryusei Yokohama's gaze
The following is based on personal opinion of 4 episodes that I managed to watch:After watchin 52 episodes of The last Empress,a drama which was on crack to say the least
I wanted something extremely calming and where else can you get that except in Japan.
I remembered I had this on my PWL so I pressed play knowing that I was one of the few people
who didnt actually mind the Korean version..cos I have no issue with red flags that are redeemed.
Moving on,I watched Ep 1-3,and went straight to the last episode.Maybe because I knew all the
angst and frustration that was coming but also I was missing that camaraderie and group love
that was in the K-drama version.
Ruysei Yokohama's Aura overpowered the rest of the cast,It felt like there was a disconnect between him
and the rest.He is extremely talented and is good with heavy roles,probably he was overqualified for the this
or maybe I have watched way too many dramas that I cringed every time he looked into the FL's soul..
with the heavy gaze,a scene that was over used to be honest.
Overall,I think the other one was better in terms of screenplay and cast.I love Ryysei but lets just say
ths wasnt for me
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This review may contain spoilers
THE MATURE ROMANCE/ACTING WE VE BEEN STARVING FOR
THE GOOD:There is something that has been lacking in K-drama for awhile,versatile actors that started it alld
were forgotten for a minute,while young ones were paraded on our screen wsith their shaped noses
and perfect faces but lacking in acting and personality..I can name a few but thats not why we are here.
This was a perfect example of old is gold.The maturity in terms of acting and screen presence was top.
I noticed that the casting director had one visual in his mind,tall,dark and manly,all the side characters
almost had the same physical features and were really fitting in the frame not forgetting talented.
The color tones used,the mood,the melo sounds and sights,the camera angles and the OST were really done well
Though it was marketed as mystery,it didnt give out that eerly feling.The director knew what kind of architecture to
use in this drama,He went for an edgy mid-century style seen in Han Jeong Won's both houses,the whole production
set and wardrobe,the cars that shown the ML's wealth status,all were on point.
THE BAD:
K-dramas have always been known to be short and quick to finish but I feel like this drama should have been at least
10 or 12 episodes,the story was there and it could have been easly developed and expanded,but looking at Gong Yoo's
drama history,he tend to pick projects with shorter episodes.
Just Like all the viewers werent happy with the ending,I believe it would have been better,but with 8 episodes what else
were we expecting?
The ML's career as a producer was not something that was explored,If you werent attentive,you might miss what exactly
does he do,showing up at the studion and laying on the sofa while he is two assistants add extortions on the computer
didnt sell enough.He is "boss" O Hyeon Cheol seem to represent him on the career front but I would have loved to see a scene or
two where he is emmersed in the producton role.
THE UGLY:
I will be honest,Am not a fan of mystery trope so the fact that I enjoyed this drama means there was no mystery.
The whole time,you felt like there is something twisted that the director is trying to bring out but in the end nothing
came out.I can say that if you are a mystery hardcore and like twist,turns and psychotic elements,you will sleep on
this.
OVERALL:
This is my personal opinion,I came to the Trunk looking for mature romance and mature acting and thats what I got
and am satisfied with this as they added a pinch of good visuals and perfect production.
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This review may contain spoilers
NOT YOUR TYPICAL K-DRAMA..IN AN UNFORGETTABLE WAY
After wwatching Oh My Ghost and Jo jung Suk award winning acting, I was left wanting more and without skipping to another drama,I wanted to see him more and Jealousy Incarnet seemed like a good plot where he is the main lead,Hospital Playlist was there but
He is not the ML so i skipped that,I might probably pick it up later because of Yoo Yeon Seok,out of curiosity how they interracted.
I wanted to marinate this review for few daysm,but i realised i might forget how good the OST was,I think this is is the first drama that
I have watched and I want to download the entire OST.It was the best,not repetitive,mixed of korean and english,emotional,funny with
beautiful tunes and sounds that accoumpanied any comic lines and action.
What do you gert when you put Jo Jung Suk ,Gong Hyo Jin and Go Kung Pyo in one project? The bet love triangle in the history of love
triangles but in a good way.Because this is liteerally the whole plot,If you dond like love triangles,you might miss out on a great drama
if you misjudge it quickly.This plot keeps you on your toes and probably might give you a sencond male lead syndrome but everything
ties up nicely.Its love hate relationship..In the ednd you will come to fall in love with the least loved character of the drama.
The writers did something that i havent seen in mamy dramas,there was no typical relations here.Everything wednt opposite of what
the society expects.It broke barriers and taboos about a man who gets an illiness that is often assiciated with women...
THis is a packed slice of life drama and I loved that it was set in a televion network news room.we got to see what goes on behind the
scene of a news production.
Overall,I loved it and am glad it was 24 episodes long
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LET GO BACK TO PRE-2020 AND ENJOY GOOD OLD DRAMAS
Its been a minute since I met wrtiters that get it right from the begining to the end and i will say this Oh my ghost's writers did an amazing job writting captivating dialogues.WHat was funny was funny,what was serious was serious and everything in between.I will admit that I normally skip fantasy/spritual tropes but i dont know how i pressed play on this one,Maybe Its because am going back in times with dramas pre-2020 when directors and producers were giving us well thought off scripts or maybe Park bo young brought me here from "Tomorrow with you" She is slowly becoming one of my favorites actresses.but the stars of the show were Chef Kang Sun-woo's restaurant staff namely ,Seo joon/Cordon,Heo Min Soo,Choi Ji Woong and JO Dong Cheol.These guys carried the whole show on their backs, the brotherhood,the bromance and the family connection were out of this world.I have never seen such a team of individals in a drama that will go to the end of the earth for their leader.
The Kitchen scenes were so real that you wanted to vidit the restaurant and hear them say "Fire" or "yes chef" they brought the comedy,the wittiness,they brought the craze and anything in between.
I will not spoil the story by talking about the ghost part so please watch it and you will not regret it.
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If you are a Ji CHang Wook fan,this must be on your list
I watched K2 in 2024,for am in a mission to watch every Ji CHang Wook drama,am not even being paid to do so but the man is just mad talented that you wished he was on your screen everyday.The story is not new for the pre-2020 action/political dramas but stellar cast makes it very interesting and it keeps on the screen wanting to know what next
Unfortunetly MANY VIEWERS expressed the need to pair the ML with the lady villain instead of the FL who was at the center of the story,and i saw why they all felt like that.
Arent we all tired of weak Female leads and K2 gave us the supreme leader of them all..Every now and then i wanted to reach inside my screen and say come on Ann speak up"or do this,but she was just following a script and the writers reall did hr dirty.Nevertheless if you look at this from a human point of view or a reality angle,two strong characters often crashes whenever they are paired together and this would have been the Case if there was a romance between K2 and ms Villain but for sure it would have mmade the drama more intensse adding the love triangle of Ms glasses a.k.a Secretary Kim.So they decided to give K2 a soft love interest that needed saving otherwise where would he have found the need to use and re-use the action scennes that honestly unless you are an action fan,they just became unreal as they progress.
This is an old drama and by 2024 the story tellers and directors have grown and are experienced,Am sure if this had a season 2,It would break the box office.
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A time travel trope done exremely well
I have always avoided time travel trope like a plague.the world of dramas is already unreal,adding another brain frying imagination is tiring in itself.From an edit on the tiktok,i ventured into this unfamiliar territory and hoped for the best and ma glad I did.
The Synopsis was clear and it didnt derail in the story,which was well told by a very relaxed writer.am starting to think women screen writers are better.
The story is well told,the back and forth is well calculated that you dont notice at all..Normally time travel can be a bit complex which is the reason why
I dont find peace in them.I liked the way the write sedveloped the past story in details that you might think its a whole drama in itsself.and whenedver
Yoo So Joon would step into the future was just a matter of either fixing it or getting information that would help him in the past.
The drama moves at an accurate pace,unless your are extremely impetient, you would say that its a slow burn.
All the side stories were developed to fit the main story and the actors didnt miss a bit.The bromance between Yoo So Joon and his best friend Kang Gi Doong
was unreal,it was a loyalty class,He was the only normal person who knew his secret and he kept it safe for many years,without trying to force him to stop
traveling back and forth but being there in whichever world they met in.Lee Je Hoon the ML though this my first drama of his,am about to watch "Where the stars land".
Just because i find him fascinating,one of those actors with an aura of being present and swallowing a character that its hard to know if its real of fake.
Shi Min Ha will always shine in whichever role she portrays..She is a class A actress and i never have to worry about her peroformance whenver i pick her drama.
Overal this was a good drama from the era where K-drama produced quality stories.Fo someone who dont like Time travel themes,I sure was hooked from the
begining to the end,and i will recommend it at anyone looking for a stable and mature story.It did well on the romance that am adding it to my fluffy/butterflies
producing list that make you kick and screem with happiness.
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