A Revenge Story Done Impeccably
Excellent melodrama packed with amazing, amazing, AMAZING acting (like seriously unbelievably good acting). "Why Her" delivers a story of revenge, heart break, trauma, and ultimately overcoming it through love and friendship.I've seen the critiques of Su Jae's character, but the reality is--we have here a compelling, multi-faced, and very broken woman doing her best to protect herself. I remember watching on of the earlier episodes and seeing her scream through the tears that she would rise to the top and make the ones who hurt her pay. In that moment, I thought, "This would be a super compelling villain origin story", but it made an even more compelling origin story for a deeply wounded but strong heroine.
The mysteries, the crime solving, the political thriller aspects, and even the sweet, sweet romance between the leads--they all made a brilliant drama. If you're looking for a really great melodrama, it's this one.
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Switched Identities in the Midst of High School Drama
A web drama with great pacing and good acting?! Seems too good to be true, but this is “User Not Found” through and through. This drama is a coming-of-age story that shows the importance of finding true friendship and remaining true to oneself.It’s a cute, slow-burn romance, yes, but the story is a lot bigger than just a teen romance. It’s the story of a girl who has to learn to be herself, of another girl who desperately needs to heal and believe in friendship again, of a boy who has hidden himself away from the world, and another boy who has to learn that friendship can only come by trust and honesty. The development of these characters is done excellently. Because it has more than the usual 12 ten-minute or so episodes, this web drama actually paces itself well. It pacts a substantial story in its 22 fifteen minute episodes.
If you enjoy high school dramas, “User Not Found” is a must-add to your list.
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Love That Defies All Odds
A beautiful drama with stellar acting on all fronts. I was hesitant to watch this at first, but I couldn’t get away from it. When I finally committed, it was done in two days.The storyline is fresh and well-executed. I feel like every episode was intentional, lacking fillers and tropes. Even when they (mild spoiler) lose their memories temporarily, it didn’t feel like a cop out. It made sense and pushed the plot—and their love—even farther into what was a truly, beautifully-done finale with a very satisfying happy ending.
The two leads were phenomenal together, with excellent physical chemistry and scene chemistry. They truly were perfect for their roles and deliver them perfectly.
Truly a brilliantly executed drama that is a must add to your list.
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Wasted Potential for this One
For the sake of William Chan, who I love, and the start of this drama, which was excellent, I gave it all I have, but I'm dropping this one. I may pick it up again in the future, but I can't seem to force my way through."A Date with the Future", despite its many strengths, falls prey to the C-Drama pitfall of poor pacing. I have never been so disinterested in subplots in my life. Specifically, the third couple's scenes always left me skipping, and the male lead in that pairing is bland both as a character and an actor, plus he's incredibly selfish. Not sure why we were meant to root for him.
The firefighting aspect was excellent, both the plot and the cast of firemen and the super lovable dogs, but 25 episodes in, and I just can't seem to finish. The leads have great chemistry and a great relationship, but even their relationship seems to have hit a plateau. Their characterizations were well done, but the slowness of writing did them a disservice in my opinion.
In general, this type of a show needed some type of driving force, something exciting and gripping, and it just didn't deliver. It's a big bummer, and probably a very unpopular opinion, but there it is.
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And just like that, 2025 is off to a great start!
“Love Scout” has set the bar so high for 2025. I felt like 2024, in my opinion, was a year of drought for good dramas (with “Lovely Runner” and “Blossom” as two huge exceptions), but this right here gives me so much hope!This show was a masterpiece romcom. What a story, and what a cast! The character development in our FL was heart-wrenching but oh so beautiful, and when the healing came, I wept with joy. This drama should be the golden standard for writing conflict in a couple. The situation came, and they took a break (not a break up) until she was ready to handle it. Then, they were stronger than ever.
The cast was awesome! Our two leads? Phenomenal… and with AMAZING chemistry. The ML’s daughter, Byeol? Absolutely the most lovable kid. Our second ML and FL? So adorable and so easy to root for in their subplots. And the quirky office staff? Well, same here. This was a great ensemble that delivers a solid performance.
The journey of healing shines so brightly through every bit of the show, and the writers give us an ending that truly does wrap everything up so beautifully. I was quite literally squealing like a little kid during some of those moments.
If for any reason at all you’re hesitating to watch this one, do yourself a favor and pull the trigger. “Love Scout” is a gem and making my all time favorites list.
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Highly Disappointed
Couldn’t finish. Gave it all I had, but I just couldn’t finish.I can’t exactly put my finger on one specific thing that made this drama weak. But, in general, it falls flat. The tropes are painful. The acting of the female lead is somewhat grating. The random plot twists are inane.
Raphael is the one bright star, but he can’t save it.
Bummed out, but I won’t be finishing it. It had great potential, but it was poorly executed. Definitely don’t recommend.
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Failed its Potential
I almost quit this one about 8 episodes in, but I decided to keep trying because I’m in between shows and I love Ryan Ding. I thought things were looking up after that. We finally saw some chemistry with the leads. The ML was finally getting likeable… Etc. But, ultimately… I couldn’t.I’m at ep. 23 and I can’t bring myself to finish. The plot has changed into the day to day aspects of their job; the villains who were compelling in the first half are nowhere to be seen. The actions of the ML are odd, and I just don’t get them. Not to mention, we finally found out the backstory… and it’s just ridiculously unbelievable. Overall, I’m bummed, but it’s gonna be a no from me.
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Falls Very Short
I wanted to love this drama with all that was within me. This era of Chinese history fascinates me, and “Fall in Love” is one of my favorite Asian dramas of all time.It has stuff going for it. Great costuming, an intriguing plot, SHAWN DOU , etc. But the romance is so appallingly annoying that I couldn’t bring myself to finish. I’m so sad about it. But the constant misunderstandings and even the willingness of both characters (especially especially especially the FL) to hurt the other is more than I can take. The toxicity borders on abuse, and the absolute lack of logic is maddening.
I was going to keep trying, but I soon found out that it wasn’t going to get better until the very end, and I wasn’t willing to watch twenty more episodes of it. It falls prey to poorly executed tropes and far too drawn out angst. The writing is infuriating.
It’s a no for me.
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The Spring Romcom We Needed
Initial Review on 3/30/25. (Will post concluding thoughts after finale):I came into this show with low expectations. The reviews have been unfavorable here on MDL. To be honest, I started it expecting to drop it.
What I’ve found instead is an absolutely charming romcom. It’s a gem so far! I can’t understand its 7.9 rating right now. In my opinion… The humor is spot on, the chemistry with the leads is spot on, the storyline is spot on. “The Potato Lab” manages to dance around romcom tropes while bringing enough newness to the table that I’m fully engaged. The cast is lovable and quirky, and I’m looking forward to each episode. So far, it hasn’t dragged in this first half. I am hoping to see this quality continue moving forward in the second half.
Fingers crossed.
Final Thoughts (4/9/25);
IGNORE THE HATERS ON THIS ONE. It’s a gem. It is a romcom that quite simply romcoms. It was a great watch. I had an absolute blast. From stellar acting from our leads to almost crying literally tears to going back to laughing my head off like the beginning of the show—the second half serves up a solid solid show.
The character development of our leads was especially impressive to me. They are flawed but both of them learned to work on themselves in order to be together. Even when things fall apart, they handle it within about one episode, and I was honestly shocked by how well it was handled. It reminded me of what we were given earlier this year in “Love Scout”—heck yes for communication.
Give this a watch. It was so so fun and romantic too.
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