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Love Game in Eastern Fantasy: Just Press Play, Switch Your Brain Off and Enjoy
My experience with this drama was different from a lot of the reviews I read before watching it. The first few episodes were a real slog: I couldn’t get into it, and I had no idea what everyone else saw in it to like it so much. Part of the blame lies with the male lead, whose personality put me off, and whose weird obsession with his sister really didn’t help me connect with him. But in episode 9, things changed. From then on, I struggled to stop: I’d put on one episode and end up watching the next.
The good news is that the drama gets better as it goes. The lead gradually gains more nuance until you understand him and end up growing fond of him, and it’s not just him: the characters stop feeling flat and gain depth, which is quite noticeable in the second half. On top of that, I liked the main couple. They have good chemistry throughout the whole drama, and their performances won me over.
Where it falls short, for me, is the supporting characters. The second female lead and the second male lead left me cold. I understand that they and their relationship are necessary for the plot, but I found them bland and felt they were there to serve a function rather than to bring anything interesting. Their performances didn’t quite convince me either.
Another rough patch came between episodes 25 and 29, where I got bored and didn’t like the direction the story took. I understand it was necessary for the plot, because that’s where you learn about the past of the male lead and the second male lead, but the way it was executed didn’t quite work for me.
It’s also worth saying that this is a drama for switching your brain off and enjoying yourself. While you’re watching, and even more so if you’re enjoying it, you overlook small plot inconsistencies because they aren’t serious. They didn’t bother me while I was watching, but when I stopped to think about it for a moment, I do think the screenwriter could have done a better job. It’s not one to scrutinise too closely, but one to just go with.
All in all: it isn’t perfect, it starts slowly, it has a weak stretch towards the end, the plot has its flaws and the supporting characters aren’t up to scratch. Even so, the development of the characters, the chemistry of the couple and how addictive it becomes from episode 9 onwards make up for it, at least in part.
The good news is that the drama gets better as it goes. The lead gradually gains more nuance until you understand him and end up growing fond of him, and it’s not just him: the characters stop feeling flat and gain depth, which is quite noticeable in the second half. On top of that, I liked the main couple. They have good chemistry throughout the whole drama, and their performances won me over.
Where it falls short, for me, is the supporting characters. The second female lead and the second male lead left me cold. I understand that they and their relationship are necessary for the plot, but I found them bland and felt they were there to serve a function rather than to bring anything interesting. Their performances didn’t quite convince me either.
Another rough patch came between episodes 25 and 29, where I got bored and didn’t like the direction the story took. I understand it was necessary for the plot, because that’s where you learn about the past of the male lead and the second male lead, but the way it was executed didn’t quite work for me.
It’s also worth saying that this is a drama for switching your brain off and enjoying yourself. While you’re watching, and even more so if you’re enjoying it, you overlook small plot inconsistencies because they aren’t serious. They didn’t bother me while I was watching, but when I stopped to think about it for a moment, I do think the screenwriter could have done a better job. It’s not one to scrutinise too closely, but one to just go with.
All in all: it isn’t perfect, it starts slowly, it has a weak stretch towards the end, the plot has its flaws and the supporting characters aren’t up to scratch. Even so, the development of the characters, the chemistry of the couple and how addictive it becomes from episode 9 onwards make up for it, at least in part.
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