Tempest

A little slow in the beginning but catches up pace midway.

I have been putting this off for a while because of the description of the drama didn't interest me that much. But a few days ago, I came across a edit on YouTube that made me change my mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1qk0lN1gaY

Someone in the comments said that Cui Shi Yi gave more to the relationship compared to Zhou Sheng Chen. I thought it would be very one-sided like the comment said, but until episode 16 it has been anything but that. They have this special connection since the moment of their first meeting. He has always treated her gently, there's no toxicity in their romance at all. They care for each other and it is plain for a person to see. These two had such good chemistry.

The only issue is that not a single person in this drama fights for their relationship. They all just give up & marry whoever they are being forced to marry. None of them have any choice in it. Even the so called Imperial Decree doesn't seem to be all that powerful. I mean how come he rejected the decree to adopt her as his daughter. So he is willing to fight for that notion but not for the actual relationship. Since they were all gonna die, they might as well have done what they wanted. Gotten married. Rebelled!

I wish Zhou Sheng Chen was a smarter and bigger picture kind of guy. I think I have been spoiled watching characters that can have it all or at least are capable enough of thinking that far ahead so many of his choices don't make sense to me.

Wang Xing Yue's character for a pitiful for a moment and then hateful for most of his story arc and he presented the essence of the character so well. He is one of the underrated gems.

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The relationship between the leads is pretty mature. Rao Jing & Zhao are also cute together.

I like watching office romances because they mix fiction with the realities of the office dynamics. But I'm not a fan of tropes where they have to hide their relationship from everyone. Here they are doing it because of office policies and so I can be okay with it. I like the relationship between Tu Xiao Ning & Ji Yu Heng, especially how both are understanding of each other. Ji Yu Heng has clearly been in love with her for years but Xiao Ning has just started to develop feelings for him.

Things are going to get complicated as they plan to keep their relationship a secret. Adding characters like Tang Yu Hui to the mix is a disaster waiting to happen. I am okay with a romantic rival as long as they don't use any underhanded techniques to drive a wedge between the main leads. The way Yu Hui has started doesn't look promising and is bound to create misunderstanding. I do hope she goes the other way and turns out a better character that what I have seen.

Between Tu Xiao Ning and Lu Si Jing, it is easy to see that they weren't meant for each other.

Her friend Ling Wei Yi on the other hand seems to have easily forgiven Qi Yu. They did break up mutually but the breakup seems to have been instigated by Qi Yu, so I thought Wei Yi would take her sweet time forgiving him. Wei Yi was kinda tone deaf about the money thing and Qi Yu didn't want to give in even a little bit. They needed to find a middle ground, but there were so many times they could have done that. Maybe they'll grow up in the future and realise that it doesn't really matter who earns the money or how much of it is to be earned. Unless you are willing to work together, there's no hope. Qi Yu's first instinct is to breakup whereas Wei Yi's is to patch up. Here's to hoping they don't get together again.

Since the beginning I have thought that Rao Jing and Zhao Fang Gang have great chemistry. ( This could be the delulu me who likes couple that start out bickering) So I hope to see them turn into a couple.

How tacky can Tang Yu Hui get? Confessing her feelings for Ji Heng on his girlfriend's birthday during her birthday bash. She even has the audacity to call out Xiao Ning for things that aren't even happening. Her delulu ass is jealous and doesn't realize she is the only one who has been doing shady thing that she is blaming on Xiao Ning. This girl has gotta go. I'm tired of her meaningless chatter. Well they listened and she is finally gone!

I love that they are all working together for their future and how they are all focused on their careers. What I liked about out two main couples is that they are very mature about the decisions they make.

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This one is set in the palace where Niao Niao has to deal with bratty princesses.

I can't help but rant about all the bratty characters, which include princesses that have no sense & get off bullying people who aren't royalty. Eck.

Love the dynamics between the emperor, empress and Consort Yue. I am not into polygamous relationships, but once in a while I see a few (fictional ones) where the all involved respect and value each other. I do feel like the empress is a bit meek but at the same time, she is also a gentle queen who has treated Niao Niao with kindness her mother didn't have.

I don't want to get started with the mother. Distance from Niao Niao is the only good thing she could do for her, for she sure as a hell isn't a good mother to Niao. Always choosing her own pride over her daughter's feelings, the poor girl grew up so well even with all the emotional damage.

The two scenes that attracted me to the series are:
One: When in part 1 Niao gets drunk and Bu Yi has to carry her home. I loved that one. Hoped we could have seen more of drunk Niao and Bu Yi moments.
Two: When in part 2 they break up and he says he won't regret it. I hate that kind of stuff in my dramas, they make me curse at the character who is responsible for the breakup. I hate it that it is Bu Yi and it happens to Niao Niao who has only had people abandon her. One more person to abandon her. (Yeah yeah, it is for her own good). This part attracted me not because of how Niao Niao suffered but I wanted to see what Bu Yi does to make up for it.

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Starts off well, with Mei Cheng Yi being a good father the two kids and also a good son-in-law to his late wife's parents. Xu Kai Xin on the other hand is so damn chaotic and I love every second of it, as an character she is so entertaining to watch. So far it is a bit hard to like Mei Cheng Yi as a romantic interest for Xu Kai Xin because he assumed that her being chaotic is the reason that her husband cheated on her.

(Ep 8) Look at Qian Hao attacking Hu Xiao Jiao like the animal he is, when he cheated on his ex-wife there was no ounce of regret, remorse or shame, but now that got cheated on he suddenly wants to choke her? What a disgusting man! Well,

(Ep 19) That dance was hilarious! Wow!

Overall, it was a fun family drama. The only thing that I have a trouble with is that violent man (Qian Hao) having access to the kids, him being given so many chances when all he cared about was his unhealthy obsession with a mother who herself has no boundaries and they are all so damn shameless. He is violent to the woman he married, he tries to kidnap his child, he is also shameless with his words and deeds.

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Some people's cringe is fun for others

I read the reviews before I started watching the drama, the first episode seemed fine to me, but the second episode onwards it was very cringey. There's no story. Its just sloppily put together moments. They have taken a concept and decided to do whatever they want with it.

The actor portraying the ML is handsome but his clothing makes him look like a cheap rent-a-cop. His stylist in this drama failed so bad. In the latter episodes he did seem to have some good suits but that's about it.

The plot is not coherent enough for me to sit through more than 10 episodes. As I was watching it, I kept thinking that things would get better now but no, it just was never interesting. The lead couple had chemistry that was not properly utilised by the story.

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A drama that makes you wonder: Is there a Han Dong Jin out there?

This is my second time watching the drama and I loved it even more this time around.

Han Dong Jin and Sim U Ju were just perfect for each other. There was so much more to the story than their romance and even with the quiet moments, they managed to outshine the rest of it.

I wanted to see more moments of them spending time together as a couple.

The one scene that felt a bit out of place was Hye Seong hitting Sim U Ju. I mean it was Sim U Ju who stood by her side and believed her when she was being harassed by the woman in the bank but she didn't have the same respect for Sim U Ju, thinking the worst given the opportunity. Going so far as to slap her, trying to pull the elder the sister card.

Apart from that I did like Hye Seong and Yun Jun as a couple.

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Although I am a fan of slow burn, I enjoy dramas and books that also invest a considerable portion of it on the moments they are together as a couple. This is where this one falls short for me in regards to romance. Nanting takes forever to make up his mind and while the tension that builds between them is interesting, it is only the final few episodes where they are together as a couple.

Cheng Xiao has become my fav character played by Tan Song Yun so far and she has done such a great job in most of her dramas. This generous, brave, just, and flirtatious woman who knows how to respect herself is what I want for every woman in this world, be she fictional or real. I want them to respect themselves.

As a viewer who has no practical knowledge of how airlines works and their day to day lives, this drama seemed more like a documentary at times. An interesting one at that.

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Loved each and every character! This is what life should be about.

In most of the drama, Kim Joo Hyuk's portryal of Choi Taek (The future 'How I met your mother' version) doesn't seem like the Choi Taek we have seen through the ages. At least not until the final few episodes. The future Choi Taek seems more like Kim Jung Hwan, more like they might have swapped bodies.

Episode 9 gives us pretty straightforward clue that the future husband is Choi Taek but his personality seems so different that it must have kept viewers back then on their toes. (Thankfully, I knew the identity before going in) Since she said 30 years, I understand the changes but it still seems like a complete personality transplant to me.

This is my first Park Bo Gum drama and his smile is so damn adorable and goofy. Reminds me of Jung Hae In's adorableness from One Spring Night. (I saw the latter first,)

Talk about Jung Hae In and there he is in episode 13. What a great surprise.

Episode 15, that's when Chou Taek finds our that Jung hwan likes Deok Sun. I did feel a little frustration for the lack of romantic development at the point but then I liked how things turned out as well. I adored the way they loved and respected each other, especially Choi Taek and Jung Hwan.

I wanted to see more of Taek and Deok Sun's dating era, but it was cut short.

Although the drama was great and I will come back for seconds, I do feel that they could have done a better potrayal of the future Choi Taek, because other than a gimmick that keeps people on their toes it didn't make sense. Because in the final few episode he seemed more like Choi Taek. Instead of showing such drastic change in personlity, they could have been a bit subtle about it.

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A drama that I had to complete at the cost of my sleep.

I'm not sure why I hadn't come across this drama before because it was beautiful in its portrayal of love and familial relationships. I do feel that they went a bit overboard with some of the arcs letting things go on for a long while, but it was tolerable because the couples are such a sweet people.

Yes, the drama would have been a 10 for me but Tan Jian Ci's character was just eck. The character development happened too slow for my tastes and his father is not better.

ML's mother is a piece of work and another annoying aspect in the drama, but better to have a mother like her than to have a father like the FL had.

Other than these few things, the story was well-written and well-executed, I wasn't bored. I felt warmth when these two got together and I hope that everyone in this world gets to experience this kind of relationship.

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Started out well, but I felt lost by the ending.

The beginning was very interesting, their problems were clear to the naked eye. The bickering was realistic and reasons for divorce were sound, but by the end of the drama they made it seem like those reasons were not valid. The narrative became confusing and unsatisfactory.

I liked the Korean version better because of the way it handled the romantic relationships between all the couples.
The one thing that bothered me about this drama was the lighting in all rooms, they might have intended to make it seem cozy but it gave me haunted house, gothic vibe, especially with the ML's mom's house.

It wasn't bad, but somewhere along the line it lost me. Still worth the watch because the actors were phenomenal.

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Not bad for a 36 episode drama! Better than some brainrot I have seen recently.

I like how even when things were not logical this drama tried to keep things interesting.

All over we had flawed characters, a plot centered around money that kept changing hands, a little bit of a major lunatic falling in love with a mild lunatic, and then come the family problems. Although it tried my patience a little, it does have some rewatch value for me. I don't know why I liked the leads so much, but they were entertaining.

Even though I liked the Seo Gang Ju and Lee Da Rim ending up together, I was hoping the writer had utilized the chemistry between Da Rim and Tae Hung a bit better. Why give us those moments on rooftops where they both seemed pretty cozy if they were just going to treat it as afterthought. This was one love triangle I wanted to play out well.

I am not a fan of the ML's parents, the father is deadbeat, he is also a crappy husband but then his wife isn't any better.

Ko Bong Hui [Da Rim's mother]: A better mother to Darim than she was to her other kids. As much as I don't like Charim and Murim, it is easy to understand where they are coming from. They could have had better attitudes when their mother was running around desperate for money, they could have all sat down and discussed this like adults.

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I avoided this because the poster made me think it was GL and I wasn't in the mood for it.

I didn't even recognize that it was Park Bo Young on the poster! I can't believe I almost missed this one. Because Park Bo Young happens to be one of favs.

Out of all her recent works, including Melo Movie and Daily Dose of Sunshine, I like this one better. The story was engaging, the characters interesting and multi-dimensional, and the drama was immersive. I rarely felt the need to skip any scenes.

This is what I like about some of these quality kdramas, everything is just right.

I did enjoy enjoy the story, the only reason I am not rating this 10 is that I felt that something was a bit missing, I can't place my finger on it, it could be the misunderstanding between the leads that wasn't very convincing, but then I think about the Mi Ji's turmoil and reject that notion.

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I regret watching it. I regret watching all the episodes expecting it to get better at some point.

Sunny again tomorrow? Nope it is raining cats and dogs with only a day or two of sunshine. The characters and story are that bad. Now, I understand why these long-running dramas have such poor ratings. Who wants to watch, people being selfish assholes all the time?

Not me! It is so hard to find heartwarming dramas these days. This drama felt like I had acid-reflux. It had one woman so selfish that I wished that her parts in the drama would just disappear. She cared for no one and nothing, always hurting people to get what she wanted.

If you don't mind spoilers and have come so far, the reveal about Han Hee being the daughter happens in ep 112, in the last few minutes of that episode. Although Jin Hui tries to take revenge for how Han Hee was treated, it was a bit tame. I wanted more because we ahve 111 episodes of them treating her poorly and they don't stop at 111 but continue treating Han Hee poorly after that as well. So yeah, this is the drama that has made me want to take a step back from these longer-running dramas.

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