Salatheel

Thanks for reading the view and taking the time to comment. It's always nice to find someone who agrees with your own perspective There was so much going for it at the start that I was pleasantly surprised. Creating a 40 episode story is a hard thing to do and there will always be times when it dips, but when a scriptwriter has shown they can put something good together, and then they just seem to lose all standards, it's very puzzling. I reckon you've got past the worst of it, but it never really regains the quality of the start. Deng Kai continues to be good though!

Yeah I get where you're coming from. The scene was unexpected and strange.

Thanks for the review, it was a big-smile read. Agreed about the frustration. For me it was, haven't these people ever heard of "conflict of Interests", I just couldn't get past the incestuous nature of everything. Also agree about the ease with which it all happened. I kept falling into plot-holes the size of a the Mariana Trench. But I have another take on the prosecutor romance angle. I think that he took her round so that his parents could give her the meal they regretted not giving her when she came to apologise. So I did a literal interpretation. I didn't get romance vibes at all (inert gas chemistry)... or maybe I just couldn't/wouldn't go there! :-}

Thanks for the review, I appreciated it and it helped me clarify a few things floating around in my head. Normally I don't go for the Hong sisters at all, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one. For me it has overtones of “It's OK to not be OK”, in both of them, the mental health aspect is tentatively explored but nothing too difficult arises to spoil the romance. In reality, without an impossibly understanding ML the FL character would never be able to maintain a connection and build a relationship. Here, as you commented, the ML is un-phased by stuff that should at least cause him to back off if not send him running for cover. I agree that Kim Seon Ho/Ju Ho Jin is bland when interacting with Cha Mu Hui, but that’s the impossibility that allows for the romance to actually happen. I think it’s an interesting dynamic and way of exploring mental health in general that happens in these dramas, the paring of soft romance and PTSD. I’m from a western culture, so am much more used to in-your-face on-screen examinations of what trauma does to you. But from what I understand of Korean culture, actually introducing MH issues into dramas at least gets the topic out in the open to be discussed. I might mull this one over for a little while longer…

Please activate spoiler alerts, it tends to ruin all dramas!! :-)

Thanks so much for your review. I'm currently on Episode 6, having already dropped this drama once, half way through episode one, I'm just so puzzled as to it's rating of a 9. It really can't compare to other dramas in the genre that I've seen with a lesser score. Hence me coming to read the reviews. I think your explanation re the partisanship due to the novel must be key to understanding it. To me, the script is banal in the extreme, so clunky and naive that I'm lol for all the wrong reasons and I so agree with you about the acting. Not sure if I'll watch much more...

Oooh, bang on! Haha "The Princess's Gambit".

Wow! I'm struggling to remember details for this show (I watched it 2 years ago) But from your outline, I would agree! In order to generate tension, trust is often something that is overlooked. More recently I remember a romantic drama in which the ML tries to strangle the FL at the start of the story, yet somehow, miraculously, she falls for him. Maybe on some planet, but not mine... haha

Yep. They do. Great example.

Not sure why this is on MDL, but Felix from Stray Kids also donates a lot to charity and is a UNICEF honourable member and ambassador. I'm proud of the Aussie boys in the band leading the way!

Great review! Well done for getting through it. It pissed me off so much, after three attempts and only as many completed episodes I gave up. Saojo's character was unbearable. I'm also not a fan of genius excuses everything. And I didn't really rate the music that I heard that much. As a musician I play for myself, but if you want people to listen to you, then you owe them at least your attention and preferably your respect!

Thanks for the comment and the recommendation. I'm struggling through Deep Affectionate Eyes at the moment. It's annoying the hell out of me (around the middle eps of the drama) as things could be fixed by just a straightforward conversation, but we are on a trip, not just around the houses, but the whole of China. Ah well onwards and upwards. I'll def have a peak at ADWAD.

You might enjoy "The Glory" which is a much better version of the enemies to lovers trope. https://kisskh.at/760993-gui-nv

Thanks for reading the review and taking time to comment. Like you, I found it increasingly difficult to stay immersed, which was a disappointment after a strong start. If I set out to review a drama, it has to be really unbearable for me to drop it so I struggled through to the end!

Great review which made mine unnecessary! Although the greater emphasis lay on the Cho character (and Lee Byng-Hyun was more than capable of supporting it) I really felt that Yu Ah In revealed the turning points for his character so beautifully in just a couple of shots, ably assisted by the director and cinematographer. For me the nuances around the balance between respect and confidence were so well illustrated.

A shout out too for a director who was unafraid to allow the camera to linger on the faces of actors who were more than capable of revealing hidden depths in micro-expressions. And to the cinematographer who chose that muted sepia colour palette and soft lighting. Still waters run deep...

Nice review. Detailed my own thoughts too, apart from "Crash Landing on You"! Sorry can't go there with you on that one, just too much of a propaganda exercise.

I get where you are coming from. I didn't think it was either! haha But I watched it on Viki and it is labelled "Thriller & Suspense, Drama" which must have been what they wanted it to be labelled in the agreement with the platform!

Great review, thanks! I absolutely agree about the last vol. I was right there until those last episodes, which to me had too much crying in them. Especially from Eun Myeong, who I felt had a bit of the raw end of the deal, both from his parents and from the writer and director. I also felt that the major relationships (partners) of the children were a little glossed over. I understand that the drama wanted to focus on the nuclear family, but I think these relationships needed filling out a little more. A lot was packed into those last episodes in terms of time passing and as a result, I felt the impact of some of the events had less attention and it became a bit more superficial than previously.

Having said all that though, I felt overall it definitely merited a 9 from me, which is a rarity.

At last Viki put MLSHR up it and I got to see it.

My opportunity to watch it was a long time coming. I flirted with the reviews at one point whilst wondering if I would ever get the chance, and if I did, would it be worth it. I didn’t want to spoil it for myself, so chickened out about half way through your review in case it had too many spoilers. But the phrase “cluster f@@k” forever rang in my memory and always bought a wry smile.

Now I can definitely confirm—Yep! that pretty much describes it.

With so many opportunities to really score a strike, it still managed to find the gutters again and again. It just flirted with the balls instead of having them. For me it was a roller-coaster of disappointed expectation, as character development opportunities were squandered at every turn in favour of stock reactions. And at the times when the cost of power was begging for recognition and genuine acknowledgement, they decided to play love songs over the top. Did they really hope that some fluffy romcom style photo opps would soften the oh so nasty hard bits?

Ah well, at least I understand the controversy now. I think it’s a heavily flawed 6.5 for me.

I have now read the whole of your review and loved it. Although for me even LJG wasn’t at his best. I think his performance in Flower of Evil is the pinnacle so far (as well as his debut film - The King and the Clown).

Sorry! No longer on my VIki either. The only other platform I have is Netflix and it's not on there. :( Try putting a question up on the kisskh group. there will be a pirate somewhere if you're prepared to go there.