blueberrybeep

A fun watch with a deeper insight into kpop's toxic fan culture

Worth the watch. It was enjoyable. A bit cringe and annoying sometimes but otherwise, it was a good binge.

I liked how the drama dives deep into kpop idols' life behind the scenes and the trauma they experience. The drama depicts toxic fan culture very well and how fast fans switch up on their favs.

As a kpop stan myself, the one thing I would nitpick about this drama is how the MC was lowkey in a parasocial relationship with the ML lol. Its not bad or anything like I get it she was literally his first fan and all but the one turn off was when she was mad/sad when she found out about him having an ex. That scene was crazy. Also the fact that she got over Wooseong's death so fast... like um that's ur ult group?! Anyways, this is a drama so I mean take it at face value lol.

But anyways, the drama was very enjoyable to watch. The romance scenes were kinda cringe and stretched out too much but its fine... not the worst lol.

Oh yea forgot to mention this but the MCs were lowkey dumb and annoying LOL. Considering the fact that he's a literal grown man and she's supposed to be a bigshot lawyer lol.... erm.... And the police team pmo too lol I'm no detective but I feel like I would be able to spot a CCTV within the first two eps... took them like 11 eps to find it.

I just felt like there was so much potential for this to be a 9 or 10. But yea... a 7 at most.

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Chocolate making with *awkward* slow burn on the side.

A decent drama to binge watch.

This drama just EXUDES awkwardness LOL. I don't necessarily mean it in a bad way, ig Han Hyo Joo's acting in this role was just perfectly exhibited. Both characters had lots of flaws to them but overall, the drama conveyed a good meaning and the mental illnesses that were included in the drama were well written and depicted.

In terms of the story, I particularly liked how we got to explore the production and stories that come with the different chocolates in the box. I was losing interest once the story shifted to centering around the company and the competition but its wtv since it was technically only the last episode.

My low-ish rating is mainly because its just not my cup of tea. I definitely thought I would enjoy it more before watching but the awkwardness and everything was just too much for my liking. But I see the appeal.

Also, the very last scene... It felt like Kentaro Sakaguchi and Song Joong-ki's appearances were just added to boost popularity lol they could've used those last few minutes of the drama for something else tbh

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Calm and soothing slice-of-life drama with a found family trope

I was looking for a completed drama to binge watch and came across this one. Started with zero expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. The drama is very simple and healing, which I think is what made it stand out. The characters are all comforting in their own way and I liked how there was no villain/bad guy. I hate how some slice-of-life dramas are going particularly well and calming and suddenly there's a murder in the small town or something- they're so annoying. I'm glad this drama didn't have any situation like that.

The story centres around a mother and her daughter's relationship. They have lots of arguments, misunderstandings, and make ups and this is captured in the first couple of episodes. It was very hectic, emotions running high, and just overall messy with a lot of things going on. But as the drama and plot progressed, it became a more calming, slow paced, and a bit melodramatic (which I enjoyed).

The small town setting of the drama gave amazing cinematography. It not only was well captured, it also added a healing atmosphere to the calmness of the drama.

I particularly liked Lee Ji An's character- it was crafted very well. Her personality and nature was well written, and Yeom Jung Ah executed it perfectly. I've never seen any of her work, but after this, I'll definitely watch some!

The drama also has two couples (as there are two female leads), so romance is also a big theme in this series. Hyori and Bo Hyeon's romance was... alright. I liked the idea of it but I think the execution was lacking a tiny bit. Don't get me wrong, Choi Yun Ji's acting was great. But Kim Min Kyu was pretty stiff throughout the whole show... I've watched a few dramas of his and I think he's just usually like this, but its just not my cup of tea. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Ryu Jeong Seok and Lee Ji An's romance. They were so cute and I loved how they were each others' first love. There were so many heart-fluttering and nostalgic scenes- in particular, when they were in high school.

I loved how they crafted every character in this drama. They all had so much depth to them and all of the actors/actresses executed them very well. I loved how we got to find out everyone's backstory as the drama progressed.

One downside of the plot would be the one year time skip. I feel like they could've done a lot better with that but the drama overall was great 9/10.

p.s. I really like Choi Yun Ji. She's so pretty and great at acting! I've only had a tiny glimpse of her in Resident Playbook so I hope to see more of her work!! Oh and Yeom Jung Ah too!

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An alright binge.

It was alright. I definitely wasn't hooked when I started the drama but it was an alright binge.

I think the villains and characters were pretty well crafted but the plot just dragged on way too much. Like it was kindof obvious who the main villain is since the start of the drama and it just kept dragging on SO MUCH. Also, it was so frustrating when the fl or the ml would just put themselves in such a bad situation. Like just bring backup??? Is it ever that hard?!?!

Second thing, I know this isn't a romance drama but there was def romance between Ji Ha Na and Yoon Dong Ju. But it was done pretty poorly imo. There was just no "oompf". Like he was just crushing on her this whole time and idk I just wish there was just a bit more to it. And it was like they just added the kiss scenes in there just to add "chemistry"... it wasn't really working tho. Don't get me wrong, I really like Park Bo Gum and Kim So Hyun. But it just wasn't doing it for me idk.

The saving grace for this drama was definitely the OST. It was SO good. The cast was pretty great too. I enjoyed watching the olympic avengers lol.

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Fun & light-hearted healing rom-com drama

Pretty easy watch. Started off... idk. It was alright in the beginning but as you get used to how the drama is, its very fun lol. Initially, I wasn't the biggest fan of the type of comedy shown (thought it was a bit cringe lol) but it grew on me haha.

Plot was pretty good. There were heavy topics but a lot of romance and comedy to balance it out. After all, it is a rom-com lol.

LOVE LOVE LOVEd the dynamic between Sun Jaegyu and Hangyeol. And the backstory?! I sobbed. They went through so much ToT. Jaegyu needs all the love in the world fr. And the scene with Hangyeol in kindergarten singing and he changed the lyric to "uncle" instead... I BAWLED. The plot was actually so well written for the uncle and nephew duo.

Not sure why they made Choi I-Jun a second lead. He had zero chance and made no progression whatsoever. I did like his character though. His bickering and bromance with Sun Jaegyu made the drama a fun watch. Although, he was a bit weird by following Yoon Bom around... but I mean, he is a big fan of her mom and so would do anything for her ig lol. Speaking of that, I wish they showed more of Choi I-Jun and the mom. Like how he became the president of her fan cafe etc. OH and that one line Sun Jaegyu told Yoon Bom's mom stuck with me -- he said that he knew her just because his friend made him sit through all the movies with her in it lol. Showed us a glimpse of their friendship- which I would've loved if they added more in!

Second couple was... okay. I enjoyed watching the scenes with Hangyeol and his uncle but the romance with Se Jin? idk. Its just alright I guess. The teacher couple was fun to watch though lol.

Wish the ending gave us a lil more lol. I don't particularly like when dramas just show a proposal or wedding at the very end. I'd prefer if we saw their lives after etc. but its still good nonetheless.

p.s. Lee Joo Bin is so pretty?!?!?

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its really good but needs a lot of brainpower to understand lol

my very honest review of blossom (as someone who started because of the super high ratings, praise, and pursuit of jade):

the first few episodes were definitely really confusing. there's a lot of characters, backstories, and overall just an information overload lol. i mean this is def not new for cdramas but i think compared to other dramas, this definitely took me longer to understand and grasp what was going on.

i really like the fl. she's not physically strong but she's so smart and intelligent. so its nice to watch and not be annoyed at the mc making dumb decisions lol.

the mcs have A LOT of chemistry. they're so perfect for each other i luv it. the confession is in ep18, and they finally get together in ep 19/20 (jumping straight to a wedding lol). took longer than i anticipated but there's a lot of interactions between the two before this and you can def see the chemistry without them actually being together, which is great.

the ost and cinematography are both really good. the shots are soooooo good. i came here after watching pursuit of jade and the cinematography did not disappoint.

one thing im not the biggest fan of is that there's LOTS of family drama and then political drama and just every single type of drama that you could think of tbh. imma be completely real... it was lowkey tiring to watch at some points lol. it just got really overwhelming. sometimes the plot is just SO heavy. there's so many different groups of people and so many people conspiring against each other and it just becomes draining and suffocating to watch. literally just problem after problem loll non stop fr. i was STRESSED 24/7

lowkey the overall plot is not bad at all. just has SO much depth lol. its very complex but its pretty well written lol (just watching it was a bit stressful for me loll)

the ending was great. everything was wrapped up nicely. i enjoyed it. everyone is literally dumb af but pulled through in the end cuz of our girl dou zhao <3 she da best. yantang is ok too. there's a five year time skip in the last like 10mins of the final episode. it was alright.

despite all the negative things i said, it was still enjoyable. i really liked the mcs and, don't get me wrong, the plot is good, but maybe im just watching it at a bad time cuz it was just a bit overwhelming for me. im just binging this in my free time so maybe i just needed something lighter to watch lol.

this drama requires too much brainpower to understand lol

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IGNORE THE HATERS THIS IS GAS

If you're thinking of starting this drama but saw the low ratings, START THIS DRAMA. Don't let the low ratings stop you. It's definitely underrated.

The first hate train is probably because of the plot but I think that's very surface level thinking (please don't hate me lol). The viewers just need to understand that the story is based on women who both had difficult lives and made choices they believed was the best for them at the time. And the plot centres around the fate tying both of them together and navigating through the choices they made. They are not perfect people, and that's okay.

The second hate train is most likely about the ending and I'm not saying that the viewers are wrong and I completely disagree... but read my review below first lol.

Onto my review:

Overall, I enjoyed all the episodes, from start to finish. Waiting for the episodes each week was a pain but it was all worth it in the end. I would say that I'm somewhat satisfied with the ending. It definitely was a tad bit rushed IMO but they I guess managed to tie everything together so I'm not completely mad about it. Both Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye's wishes came true, and their friendship now stronger than ever. I did wish that they made this a 16 episode drama instead so we could get more of the story post Miss Korea finale, but with 12 episodes, they did well. Instead of the wedding, I would've preferred more of Jeong Hee and Yeong Rye (and Jae Pil) since they didn't show a proper conversation between them (especially since the last one between YR and JH was literally JH crashing out on YR lol).

The pacing of the drama was not the worst- the first half during the bus days and a time skip for the second half. I enjoyed both settings and I thought the time skip was done well. However, I wish there was just a little more between JH and YR before the one year time skip though. Just one conversation or anything. Don't get me wrong, the one year time skip was alright- I liked how we saw both girls achieving their dreams and them still being great friends. But this one minor detail just made it feel like the ending was missing a teeny tiny something (hence the 9.5/10).

That all being said, the ending still isn't the worst IMO because of YR's speech during the Miss Korea finale. It held a lot of significance and meaning, and was the perfect response to JH's confession about her difficulties and envy towards YR's life. When YR was saying all of that, JH's facial expression was definitely showing exactly what we wanted to see- understanding and a possibility of reconciliation between the two- since YR was saying exactly what JH wanted to hear. It's like they were finishing their conversation from that night on the stage. And I while I wished for a proper make up conversation between YR and JH, this was enough. The viewers are probably mad because of JH's regret for not verbally saying that she's sorry to YR, and therefore projecting JH's regret into the ending being bad. But I just want to say, even if they did have a convo after YR got better, what more was there to say? These two already know each other SO WELL no words are needed to be said since they understand each other anyway. Conversation or not, they're staying friends for life lol.

The choice of actors and their acting were all great too. Kim Da Mi was superb (and pretty) like usual and Shin Ye Eun too! Heo Nam Jun (fine shyt) was good too idk why people thought his acting was bad. Everyone was great at acting- I was invested during the whole drama so I saw no flaws.

Last thing to note, and I'm going to reiterate this, so please keep in mind that THIS IS A DRAMA ABOUT FRIENDSHIP. People complaining about someone stealing their friend's boyfriend or dreams are crazy. Let me just put this out there: Just because they want the same guy or the path to achieving their respective dreams are the same, is it really necessary for one of them to back down? Two words, fair play. Just compete, easy as that. See where his heart lies- that girl wins. See who the judges pick- that girl wins. Let nature take its course, that way, there are no hard feelings and both of them can just be genuinely happy for each other. (JH and YR get it... why couldn't the viewers?)

p.s. Our underdog Jeong Hyeon. What a green flag. I wish nothing but the best for this fictional character.
p.p.s. The real winner of this drama: Sang Cheol. Walking away from the love triangle was definitely the best decision- seeing how happy he is lol.
p.p.p.s. Yeong Sik and Jeong Hee... I clocked it since she went over to their house the first time. Wish we got a tiny bit more than the one second of hand holding tho lol.

Plot rant:
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

Like okay, I get it. It definitely was insane that JH went and got with JP when she knew YR had feelings for him first but like he was interested in her so I don't see why that is a problem- since both of the girls liked him. And when the time skip happened, JH was out of the picture for SEVEN WHOLE YEARS like come on now... I don't see why JP can't like YR. I mean him and YR hang out all the time. Its been SO long his feelings for JH are gone why does it matter. YR was never a potential love interest for him in the beginning, but she is now. "Oh but YR can't be with him since JH and him had something" let's be real they weren't even dating (not a kiss or nothing) and she liked him for over seven years- who cares about JH! Both of them didn't even know if JH was going to come back so why does it matter.

However, when JH came back and asked YR to help her get back with JP... that was crazy work. But kudos to YR for setting it straight with JH (I did wish she said that seven years ago tho). I understand JH though. She had to leave her life behind and try to survive and now, coming back and seeing people from your past again... I mean, I would be longing for everything back too! But seeing how cozy your friend is your ex and then asking her to help get him back... yea... no. She needed that reality check.

As for the Miss Korea thing- YR "stealing" JH's dream? YR had NO IDEA JH was participating but even so, why can't she compete? Her dream is to attend university and JH's dream is to be Miss Korea, the path might intersect but why does someone have to back down just because their friend wants it too? Like bffr. And JH joining the contest because she found out YR was competing? LOL who gaf. She was given the opportunity, why can't she take it.

THE JAE PIL HATE??!! My man did nothing wrong. JP liked JH and therefore never considered YR a love interest in the beginning. Jae Pil's feelings towards YR in the beginning was like YR's to Jeong Hyeon. She just never considered Jeong Hyeon as a potential love interest. AND THAT'S FINE. And SEVEN WHOLE YEARS LATER he likes YR. Boo hoo its been seven years get over it lol. When JH came back into the picture its not like his feelings for YR was wavering. He just never went for YR because of how precious she was as his friend. But he got a reality check when Jeong Hyeon approached him and said he'll steal her away if he continues wavering. And so JP went to get the girl. Its as simple as that.

anyway thanks for reading my review <3

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Keep your expectations low and stay for the main couple.

Legend of the Female General was one of my most anticipated cdramas- I waited around a year for this drama... So, as you can imagine, my expectations were very high (despite not reading the novel before). I'm someone who enjoys dramas with a strong fl so that's why I waited so long, watching each episode whenever it comes out etc.

Now the review:

There were definitely a lot of plot holes, and unnecessary deaths that could've very much been avoided. But other than that, I would say that its a pretty good drama(?)- I'm not about to take off points just because of a few characters and plot lines.

The war/battle scenes were good but I am a teeny tiny bit disappointed. I would've preferred more quality and less quantity.

Can't believe it was possible for me to hate a character this much but Chu Zhao pissed me off until the very last episode... He Rufei and Xu Jing Fu didn't even make me this mad. Chu Zhao's appearance was so much more frequent that the main couple and it was so annoying lol. There was way too much focus on his character, background, and just anything he was doing. It felt like they were just trying to fill up time and using him to add (unnecessary) drama. His appearances just caused too much disturbance and messed up the flow of the plot a lot. Anyways, I would say the villains lacked depth and it was pretty messy since something would happen and eventually during the "revenge" (ig) they would just be thrown to jail or die- which is pretty underwhelming. They were very 2D and not convincing as a real "villain" ig.

I wish there was more to the ending. I binged the six episodes that came out today and I was shocked to see how much of it was just with the Emperor and in battles. The wedding and all was okay like I understand it was a hurdle for them since it wasn't approved but I just hoped there was a tiny bit more after or just anything. It took them too long to be officially together, and since I really enjoyed this couple, I was a bit let down by the ending.

Despite all the negative things I said, I would still give it a 9.5 since I still found it really enjoyable. The drama had my full attention and had me waiting for the new episodes every day. Makes me kind of sad that it's over tbh. If you're thinking of watching, I would say: keep your expectations low and stay for the main couple.

Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei had great chemistry and I really enjoyed them together for this drama. Hopefully they have another one together soon. Both their acting was superb. I couldn't imagine anyone else as Xiao Jue and He Yan.

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Great slice of life & law drama -- definitely watch if you like hospital playlist and law dramas

I was definitely intrigued and gravitated towards this drama because of its similarity to hospital playlist (that of course, being my favourite drama). And after watching it, I can definitely say it didn't disappoint.

I'm quite saddened by the fact that the other reviews are so lowly scored, but I understand that this type of drama is not for everyone.

Now onto the actual review:

Law and the City is a slice of life and law drama. NOT a romance drama. That being said, if you are looking for romance, this is not for you. However, if you are looking for zero romance, this drama is also not for you. Nevertheless, if you are open to trying something else, please please please give this drama a try.

There are definitely moments where the plot dives into Ahn Juhyeong and Kang Huiji's romance and their backstory but this is done essentially for the slice of life aspect. In my opinion, the lack of depth and minimal romance in this drama is what makes it outstanding. I loved how they focused on the different cases, concepts, and all the different characters' relationships instead of making it heavily reliant on romance.

This might be controversial but I think they nailed the plot by grazing over the plethora of experiences people face... and that is reality. The plot covered friendship, marriage, romance, workplace events, bullying, etc. either by the main characters experiencing it or through the cases that they take on. It feels so real and down-to-earth, and that is what stands out. It can be seen as quite monotonous or disengaging, but in my opinion, the calmness of the drama is what drew me in.

What was most memorable and held most significance, to me, was the friendship between the main characters. Their friendship is so raw, transparent, and most importantly, easy. Just simply, five friends who work in the same building, share meals together, and are always open to lending each other a hand.

The ending was definitely satisfying as we are able to see all the main characters' closure with Hyeongmin Group and a short time skip to their daily routine after accomplishing each of their dreams.

I have no complaints for this drama. 10/10

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PEAK CHEMISTRY BETWEEN MCs with a wattpad-esque plot

The plot is a bit wattpad-y but overall, it was alright. There were some scenes where it was just impossible to happen in real life LOL and the editing for this drama... let's just say it was really bad. The low-ish ratings for this drama is mainly because of the taboo/forbidden romance trope where they're like step-siblings (kindof not really). If you're thinking of starting it but is weirded out because of the relationship dynamic, it gets cleared out pretty early into the drama maybe like uhh episode 3/4? And once you know it, its really not that bad. Its like childhood friends to lovers core... except he knew her since she was born? But really, its not that bad at all.

He Yu and Esther's acting and chemistry.... LET ME TELL YOU, THEY'RE LITERALLY PERFECT TOGETHER. AND SOME SCENES WERE SO STEAMY LIKE I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT WHATSOEVER I FELT LIKE I WAS THIRDWHEELING FS. THE TENSION WAS INSANE. Both of them got me giggling, kicking my feet, and screaming into my pillow fr.

Also, IMO, I didn't particularly enjoy the super long timeskip. I see why it was added but idk its just a bit unlikely how she would wait six years for a man that ghosted her ygm. Well, if I'm actually thinking about it... she did wait like ten years to see him before so ig six years is nothing LOL.

The racing scenes weren't exactly my forte and I wish they showed more of Jiang Mu's knowledge of cars. In one of the episodes, she helped fix a car that the two guys couldn't figure out and in a few other episodes she was literally fighting and drifting/driving (fast) cars. I felt like her car-expertise was seriously overlooked and they could've expanded so much more on that aspect. I think they did cut the drama from 40 eps to 29 so ig that might be why we didn't see much of Jiang Mu in this type of scene... dang.

The thai dubbing was INSANE... well it was alright for some scenes but I just can't get over how bad it was LOL dubbing THAI actors whilst their speaking thai was just crazy. I honestly almost dropped the drama because of how bad the dubbing was but I was hooked with the MCs so I stayed <3. Good thing I did though!

As for the ending... idk. I enjoyed the scenes when Jin Zhao and the mom reconnected and all that but idk the skip to the wedding was just so fast. And Snakey coming back as a bridesmaid?! They cut too many scenes out for us to understand the plot lol I wish they showed more of the side characters like after Jiang Mu left Thailand Snakey and Nana weren't in any scenes whatsoever. Like I get why they weren't shown since technically they're still in Thailand but like come onnnn. Just give us a little something if you're planning on bringing them back as the MC's bridesmaids lol.

Lastly, I just want to mention how much I enjoyed watching San lai's character. He's so funny, reliable, and just overall a great guy. My king should've gotten a few more scenes in the latter episodes lol Fei Qi Ming did a great job portraying this character. I will be keeping an eye on him lol. Oh, He Yu too! I realized I've never watched any of his dramas so I will be looking into that as well.

Side note: Jiang Mu's outfits in this drama?!?!?! PEAK The stylist knew what they were doing fs she looks so good like in every outfit. I'm glad they didn't make her wear ugly clothes lol.

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