Zogitt

Damned if you do and damned if you don't

The subject matter and presentation of this series are outside the box. It is not every day you get angels and demons working together for the greater good, but k-dramas can be quite "creative" at times.

My problem with this drama is that its tone is hard to nail down. It is obviously a dark fantasy but there are also very humanistic topics on display. Law and order, rewards and punishments are the four pillars of this show. The problem is that demons don't play by our rules and they are happy to hijack our justice system to serve their own purposes. It is this clash of values that caused me some discomfort.

Ultimately, you must buy into this show's premise wholeheartedly. Any waiving will undo the spell. If you stick it out, then the show is quite engaging and is a blast. If you start asking questions, then it becomes a self-serving mess. It is go hard or go home.

With the preamble out of the way, let's move on. At its core, this is an old-school morality tale. It is literally fire and brimstone stuff. The not-so-subtle message is that our police is ineffective, and our justice system is opaque with forces at play that might deliver questionable outcomes. Whether it is due to valid rules of law, incompetence or corruption, we shall find them wanting.

So rather than waiting for sinners to show up in Hell via natural causes, Justitia, the Goddess of Justice is send to walk the mortal realm after a bad judgement in Limbo. The odd thing is Justitia is shown to be a demon of the Netherworld and is the heir apparent to Bael. I don’t quite get the connection but please refer to my point about “ask no questions”.

To wit, Park Shin-hye is the undisputed star of this show. She is Dominatrix il Supremo personified and one helluva of a sexy demon/goddess. The ML is too righteous and prim to be sexy. They are the OTP by default, and it took him 2/3 of the show to crack a smile. He defrosts towards the end and they have a few swoon-y moments but let’s just say romance is not the main theme.

By now you should know the main thrust is the judgment and punishment of A-grade sinners with extreme prejudice and I mean EXTREME. There are blood and gore by the bucket. If you are sensitive to that or might be triggered by bullying, DV and sundry abuse/torture then please don’t even start watching. Even if you are ok with it, you will be desensitized by the end. It is relentless.

In that sense, this show is a one trick pony (but in a good way). It follows its internal logic to the letter. See crime, judge crime and dish out punishment in the most graphical way possible. Rinse the blood off and repeat. It is engaging because the show builds up the angst and emotional pressure until you are braying for blood at the screen. The antagonist is pure evil with no room for redemption.

Speaking of redemption, there are healing and redemption for everyone (except the sinners) towards the end. Life goes on is the final message. The last ep even includes some fan service. The unicorns must be freed! Even if they breath fire. ;)

There are moments when I thought I can’t watch anymore but they’d pass and the show draws you in again. You know where it is heading but you just want to see PSH kick some more perp's arse. I have a feeling she likes this type of roles more than the standard issue ones as well. I don’t blame her.

In the end, I enjoyed this series but with caveats. It is definitely not for everyone. It is ultra violent and moralistic. That should be on a warning label. Yet, it is not all blunt instruments. It does have a quirky sense of humour and a weird charm.

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A recipe for yummy food and tasty mayhem

The path to a successful sageuk dramas can be fraught. It can swing from boring to farcical and every stop in between. This drama managed to land in the Goldilocks zone where being entertaining trumps historical accuracy . . most of the time.

I won't waste time with a detailed recap. Let's just say it is the usual enemy to lover trope plus a big dose of time slip fantasy. The fact that the FL is a quintessential modern woman and the ML is the Jeonha gave half the plot away.

Where the writer-nim did well is to shake up our preconception of their power dynamics right from their meet-cute.

The FL certainly doesn't play by Joseon rules. This sets the tone for much of their early interactions. Of course, the FL has to play nice once she work out who are the apex predators. Yet she is one of the chosen few who can speak their minds to the King without fear or favour.

The writer-nim also hit paydirt with the k-dramas trifecta. Romance, food porn and sageuk makjang.

In terms of romance, the chemistry of our leads is strong. It starts slow but we are left with no doubt they'd die for each other as the show progresses. The palace is hardly a fertile ground for skinship, but there are cute and swoon-y moments. Our ML definitely gave it a good go. Woof!

Next we have the food porn. It is every bit as fanciful as you'd expect. It is an amalgam of French, Korean and Chinese cuisines. I'd consider it a win if they tastes half as good as they look. It is definitely a big step up from shows like Mr Queen.

Is the culinary competition between nations legit? I'll leave that debate to historians. Oh, that reminds me. The actors playing the Ming delegates are all Korean. They are good actors and they would have received Mandarin language coaching. Even to my untrained ears, they don't always sound right. I don't understand why they didn't hire some veteran Chinese actors for the roles. Two of them did speak some Korean as part of the plot, but it would be more convincing to have Chinese actors try to speak Korean rather the other way around.

Finally, we have a full-on makjang bloodbath. As with the loveline, this is a slow burner. The usual palace intrigue, power games and evil eyes from the harem once our OTP's romance blossoms.

There is nothing to hint at what is to come. Forget about tying loose ends with pink bows. This is problem solving with extreme prejudice. It was all over in minutes, discounting any time to count the bodies.

Unfortunately, this brings about the one serious deficit of this drama. It is quite understandable that the FL will return to the present. Everything is geared towards that. It closes the time loop after a herd of temporal elephants have rampaged through it. The butterflies don't stand a chance! ;)

What is less "satisfactory" is the appearance of the ML in the present. Obviously, this is necessary for a HEA ending so I can't complain. However, the how, when and why is largely brushed aside by the show. It is such a significant development yet we are simply told not to worry about it. Are they planning a bonus EP?

This is particularly frustrating as the series is based on a popular web novel so the ending is well known. There are plenty of posts and videos online purporting to be the "definitive ending explained". They all seem convincing, but bear little resemblance to the actual finale. It left the sudden appearance of the ML feels contrived and unsettling.

Regardless, the ML carried the show with able assistance from the FL. This is an unexpected blessing as he was a last minute replacement for another actor who got into a spot of bother with public opinion. Combined with lush food porn and above average production value, this drama is hitting above its weight.

Fundamentally, it is a romantic fantasy loosely based on a troubling time in the 1500's. The steamrolling of some horrible events might not sit well with some. The sweet romance is the grease for the squeaky wheel. Is it believable? I wish it is, but it can feel quite contrived at times when the FL have epiphany after epiphany. While the King watched indulgently from the sideline. This brings about the awkward question of whether the show's portrayal of King Yi Heon is totally fanciful or not.

In the end, the show might not be good history, but it is good entertainment. The Korean ratings will be telling whether the locals concur.

When is fiction better than fact? Peace.

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This show needs to go off piste

Ok, it's on me that I started watching this series. I was in-between shows so I was a bit desperate. I must admit that it was cute while they were up in the mountains and doing the snow bunny thing. It was a nice change of scenery. However, alarm bells were ringing from the start. 

While the setting is novel for a c-drama, the plot is tropey. The characters are also standard issue. Esther Yu seems to mostly play this type of cutesy, girlie characters nowadays. This is no exception but they seemed to have dialled it up a notch. Her high pitch voice is starting to grate on me. Lin Yi played his usual handsome and dashing role well. Nothing testing though. It was a decent pairing and they have their moments. Not super passionate by any means but you can ship them. Ditto, the production value and support casts. They are all par for the course for this type of drama. 

However, as soon as they leave the ski slopes, "real world" intrudes. All the usual tropes reared their collective heads. The queen bee mum, mock business shenanigans and the usual relationship complications. I have no doubt a HEA ending is guaranteed. The question is, do I have the patience to slog through another dozen or so eps?

I'm afraid the answer is no. As soon as a better show popped up, aka IU's Tangerine, I jumped ship. This series is watchable but it is stock standard stuff. It is also telling that about 12 eps were cut from the original series before it was aired. Ouch.

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A bubble (tea) drama

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that most drama will try to grab you and hook you as soon as possible. First impression is very important after all. This is why this drama left me perplexed.

I started to watch and halfway through the first episode, I had to stop and checked that I’m not watching ep.2 or even ep.3 by mistake. This was unsettling and caught me off guard. The reason for this is that the drama starts with little preamble. We are introduced to a large cast but there is not much to hook you. Much happens but what are their context? Why should we care?

This is probably a good point to pause and explain why I called this a bubble drama. I coin this phase because this show exists in its own bubble. There is little point in pinpointing the historical context. Costumes and backdrops are fairly generic. It also play hard and fast with some key cultural norms. I can understand they have to do it to make the story work, but it is self-serving. Its inconsistency means you are constantly second guessing the story's rationale. This extends to minor twists which are nonsensical but necessary to get the plot out of a bind. OBTW, if the show gets to the point where it is overloaded with artificial sweeteners then it will be a bubble tea drama. :)

Granted, most turnkey idol dramas are poured from the same mould. It is not a hanging offense if that is its only problem. In this case, we have some fundamental issues with the basic premise. For example, the title is The Rise of Ning. However, while she was sent away as a child, she grew up just fine and is well educated and provided for. She is fully supported by the senior wife as soon as she returns. Her grandmother dotes on her. She is resourceful and well adjusted. She is the heir apparent to the family fortune. This is just as well because her father is a hapless tool. How much higher can she rise, Queen Ning mayhaps?

She set about to right some wrongs done by her father's favourite concubine almost immediately. She and her spoil daughter neither have the means nor the brains to do more than simple dirty tricks. Tiresome and despicable they may be but hardly evil masterminds. What is odd is the official wife was long suffering but grew a backbone as soon as Ning shows up. There is also a mysterious "puppet master" but his motives are hazy. He might even be closely related to the FL.

The ML is also treated poorly by the family as a semi illegitimate son yet he is a great martial artist and a scholar to boot. There is no explanation of how he reaches those heights with limited resources. On top of that, he has assembled a crack team who is willing to die for his cause. I'm sure more will be revealed but consider at the 1/4 mark, we are still lacking a clear focus, it is testing. From my perspective, both our leads are already standing on solid ground with little room to improve. Compare this to recent shows like Blossoms in Adversity or The Double and you will know how low the protagonist can get.

Then there are the constant chatter about scandals and arrange marriages but that's old news and boring, to be honest. All the typical high society shenanigans are present and accounted for.

May be we can look towards the romantic plotline to lift the story? This is where it is even more problematic. Oh wait! Our OTP are supposed to be brother and sister sharing the same father. By ep.8, the ML has found out that the FL was not related by blood after all. That might fix the basic moral problem but the FL doesn't know that and any relationship between them would be technically incestuous. I'm sure she would find out soon as the Chinese censors would not allow this to stand. It still makes for some awkwardness as their attraction builds. The writer might lean more into this just to inject some angst in an otherwise flat drama.

Adding to its woes, I have to confess that I don't ship the leads. Yes, they make a handsome couple but their chemistry is questionable. We know they are the OTP because that is obvious. There is no plan 'B'.

On the other hand, the production value is decent if pedestrian, the OST is serviceable. Most of the support cast are from central casting but they try.

It is watchable and mildly entertaining but it never hooked me. So after 9 eps, I've decided to park it for now. It is not a hard “NO” but more “can't be bothered”. Peace.

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To be transported into a book is a Chinese curse

I'll be honest, I wasn't going to write an review initially but the later eps and the ending is worthy of a few choice words. So here goes . .

The first half is actually quite good. A lot of that is attributed to the ML. His character is morally ambiguous and definitely dark and brooding. I think this type of role suits him better. The FL has mastered the cutesy, bubbly girl role. She plays it to perfection here. It helps that the script injects just enough modern references to milk the odd wink-wink jokes without labouring the point.

The A-plot is the usual good vs evil/save the world xianxia trope. Nothing new but totally serviceable. Everything fit nicely up to the point of the ultimate confrontation. If you were expecting a final push then you will be disappointed. The story did a detour and our two CP’s goes on separate grand tours to make peace with their inner demons. The pace and feel changed significantly for several eps. They did resolve their backstories but the amount of effort expended feels disproportionate.

Regardless, the A-team reassembles for the final confrontation. It was suitably epic but it feels rushed as so much time was spend on their backstories. If you think that is the signal for some decent fan service then you are wrong (again).

If anything, the last ep was a narrative mess. The show throws everything into the pot and prayed. It has fate, time traveling, fourth wall breaking and leaps between the book world and the real world.

It is not the first time this type of drama has to realigned with the real world because of censorship issues. We are basically told what we just enjoyed and immersed in for many hours are just a figment of our imagination and we need to get a (real) life. Nice.

Most writer will try to play the fate card so that our leads will still fall in love in RL. Usually within a couple of scenes. In this case, it was particularly ham-fisted. It links our leads all the way back to junior high. But this only confirmed that the ML has a crush on the FL for years but she was totally unaware. Even with all the dream state confessions, she woke up with only a vague hint of what transpired. We got the HEA ending but it felt contrived. It is the ending we have to have.

BTW, the skinship quota for the series is fairly low. The 2CP did all the heavy lifting but their interactions are a bit wooden. The OTP finally has a “kiss” in the final seconds of the end credit of the last ep. Is this a joke?

This is where the show left me scratching my head. The bulk of the show is decent and enjoyable. It does flag towards the end but the ending is an awkward scramble to make sense of their tenuous link. One time watch for me.

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Old book, new cover

This show is based on the odd couple/road trip from hell trope. Variations of this theme has been done in other dramas. However, the first few episodes are engaging, and the fables are interesting enough to hold your interest.

The FL is a taciturn author who claims to be suffering from writer's block and needs to go on a lengthy road trip to get the creative juice flowing again. The ML is a try hard graduate who is desperate to get and keep this job. Of course, they hit is off like a house on fire . . . with them screaming inside.

The FL certainly didn't make the ML's life easy but at least she did produce the odd fable for our entertainment. There is no doubt who is the OTP.

With only a dozen or so hours to fill, you would think that the story would be very tight, and it was in the beginning. The first couple of fables were suspenseful and intense but the rest of the show becomes more and more languid. The pacing is inconsistent, especially in the later eps.

It is the second half of the series that fails to fire on all cylinders. Once we are firmly back in the ‘here and now’, the series runs through several subplots. They are cliché ones delivered in workmanlike fashion.

The inclusion of the real-life antagonist feels awkward. The show tries to transplant the darkness from the fables into the real world. It could have been very immersive and confronting but it didn’t quite hit the mark. The antagonist is a sicko but oh so one dimensional. You see what he has done and what he is planning to do, but you don't feel the dread. The fact that the FL literally put herself in harm’s way is unhelpful. The whole proceeding feels staged.

This also takes the wind out of the leads budding romance. It is in the background, but the other subplots subsumed its importance. The show made it work in the end, but it is not as swoonworthy as I'd have liked.

With a short run time, the show is watchable. I'm willing to forgive some trespasses, but the original premise has more potential. It is a shame that the drama falls back to time honoured tropes too soon. It is good enough, but nobody talks about runner ups.

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Why are people so unkind?

Writing this review is difficult. It is not because this is a bad show, far from it. However, it does deal with some serious mental health issues. Hence, we must deal with two sides of the same coin. How well does it do as a drama vs how does it handle the portrayal of mental disorders, their manifestations and ramifications.

Let’s tackle the easier objective stuff first. In terms of acting, the show is great. This is particularly true of the cadre of nurses and some of the patients under their care. Their characters are well nuanced, and has depth. I’m “happy” that all the nurses are shown to have RL challenges beyond their professional ones. They are human after all. Of course, there are some cliché characters, but they are on the periphery. Surprisingly, most of the doctors are quite bland and one dimensional.

Production quality is high. We are told that the show created the set based on a real hospital ward. The attention to detail is unmistakeable. However, I am perplexed by the use of glossy and slippery tiles in some public areas and thoroughfares. The FL slipped and hurt her wrist in ep.1 because of them. How could that pass a hospital’s OH&S guidelines?

Let’s move on to the tricky part. Mental health related show is always going to be a challenge to make. Is it drama or reality? This show walks a fine line. I do find it a challenging watch at times, but I’m totally invested. This is largely due to the acting of the key ensemble actors and the rollercoaster storylines. I’m not going to lie, some of the subplots are tropey and can be like a smorgasbord of chapter headings from a textbook. For me, they didn’t appear to have over trivialised the conditions for our entertainment. If anything, the show focused on several serious disorders which resulted in actual suicide, self-harm, deep depression plus other life altering indications. Some scenes are gut wrenching and very impactful. The show is not shy of triggers. Please be aware and exercise caution.

Needless to say, those of us who have not experienced such disorders either directly or indirectly can truly appreciate what the patients are going through and how it impacts on their friends and loved ones. I think the show made an earnest attempt. However, it is still a dramatisation. At some point, the sun must come out and illuminate the way out of the darkest pit of despair so that we can have a decent ending (yes, I know, there have been shows that have gone completely rogue). There is even 2 low key romances that helps to bring the mood to a more even keel. There is little to no skinship though which was a bit disappointing. Don't be fooled by the Netflix promotion. This is not a rom com.

As I mentioned before, I like this show and appreciate its core message. Not all cases will have a positive outcome. A daily dose of sunshine and unwavering support will help a great deal in the treatment and recovery process. There is no panacea. It will be a long and bruising journey. This is a very subjective subject so your personal experience and view will weight far more heavily than my words. Peace out.

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Maybe I need a session with Poong after watching this

Oh, woe is me. Part of my brain that is shipping the OTP and cheering on the gang of Gyesoo Clinic is swooning over the fan service. The ordinary viewer part is saying "meh" (with a Gallic shrug). The cynical reviewer in me is facepalming and asking, "why was this made?".

Let’s take a step back, Poong 2 is watchable and more enjoyable if you are a fan of S1 but at the same time a fan might feel cheated as well. Why is that so? I'm not sure I have a simple answer but let's have a look-see.

As I recall, S1 was cut to 12 episodes. The story progression slowed down towards the end and the development of the love line was arrested, possibly in view of the upcoming S2. After watching S2, my conclusion is that it is not up to the standard of S1. At best, it is a dubious sequel. At worse, a cynical exercise to milk the popularity of Poong 1.

Please let me explain. In Poong 2, the bulk of the side plots are superfluous to the main OTP plot. They padded out the runtime but contributed little. The ghost of Jo Tae-hak was largely a storm in a teacup which ends abruptly. The royal inspector plot was just a power trip of a vindictive and twisted man. The Princess subplot is probably the pick of the bunch, and it is cute in the end but even so, it is largely about an entitled person lording over others (many doors were harmed in making of this show). The plot involving the new governor Ahn is just bad. The man is a blundering fool with a sadist streak and too much power for his beeches. He is a horrible human being, period.

That is lazy writing in my book. Want more angst? Just add an antagonist who love to abuse their powers for little gain other than to make our protagonists’ life difficult. Not once, not twice but three painful times! After each round of maltreatment, the clinic just regroups and carries on. It is a zero-sum game.

Furthermore, the medical practice side seems to have been further simplified to a few cure-all acupuncture points and a bunch of extras milling around the clinic. The so called psychiatry side is very vague, more fanciful than realistic. It is dramatised to be sure but it also makes the palace intrigue and power trip storylines even more egregious.

To be fair, I do like how each member of the found family is given their moments in the sun. However, that can be integrated into S1 if they choose to. If we look at both seasons combined, I'd have to say that they padded it out to 22 episodes with filler subplots. If they had made Poong 1 tighter and have a normal 16 episodes run (instead of the 12 we got), we won’t need a S2. The decent S2 contents can easily fit inside 4 episodes including all the key developments in S2/E10. There is even room for extra skinship. ;)

BTW, airdropping Woo Do-hwan into the show to plug his upcoming Joseon Lawyer drama is either cute or cringey. Take your pick.

Acting from the regular cast is good as expected. The ML carries the show with able supports. I'd still question the chemistry between the leads though. They are cute together but not exactly pulse raising. The new support cast is mostly par for the course. I'd say the last episode is the only one worth a rewatch.

Like I said in the beginning, part of me wants to give this a higher score but the rational side realises that to do so would be sending the wrong signal. Peace out.

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Face/Off ancient Chinese style

I shall start with a mea culpa. I know it is unfair to compare two shows directly but because of its subject matter and lineage, I can’t help it. In fact, it is because of this lineage that I was excited to have found this drama.

The other show in question is The Killer is Also Romantic. It has the same director, period setting and short episodic structure. I have to say that I was quite impressed by TKiAR so I have high hopes for A Familiar Stranger.

To be honest, this Show is good, but it is not great. The issues are manageable but when taken as a whole, it is problematic.
Let’s look at the positives first. I do like the short format as it distilled a lot of the typical wuxia themes down to the fundamentals without all the draggy side plots or distractions. I really appreciate the Viki presentation because it thoughtfully combined the short 16x10mins episodes into 8 longer episodes ranging from 20mins to over 30 mins. It is still bingeable but more practical.

The central pillar of the show is the love line between the leads. That is very well done. The progress is logical and angst lite. It helps that the Show has a laser focus on the leads, and you can sense their longings and feel their love. The “daughter” is cute and wise beyond her age.

Now the issues. The plot is functional rather than well crafted. The theme is tropey and the writer didn’t push any boundaries. While the initial face change device looks promising and fantastical, it was an one trick pony. It came down to soulmates will always recognise each other no matter what. Other wuxia/xianxia dramas have taken this trope further.

The romance of the 2OTP starts out fine. Toxic and manipulative which is de rigueur of the palace intrigue genre. However, the show’s progression feels self-serving. It went the way it did because the plot mandates it rather than being sensical. It felt old school and contrived. Speaking of palace intrigue, once the Show gets going, there is very little actual intrigue. Just some snippets of dialogs and a bit of simple scheming.

This brings us to a key issue. The antagonist is meant to be an evil mastermind but while he is a bit of a homicidal manic, he is no mastermind. If anything, he turned into a weak and pitiful character. This took the wind out of its sail from that quarter.

I binge watch the whole drama in one sitting and I enjoyed it even with the caveats. The swoon worthy romance saved the show. A lot of its problems comes down to not looking after the secondary plots and characters. Almost as soon as the leads are off camera, you start to see plot holes and inconsistencies. A show of such short duration should be tighter and more impactful. It is still a worthwhile binge but not high on my rewatch list.

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A good romance drama tripped up by its own tail

Putting aside the supernatural aspect of the meet-cute of this drama, the core premise of the office romance plot is tropey but nicely executed. The “abilities” of the leads are icing on the cake. The leads are well matched to their roles. Their visuals, acting and chemistry are very good. The romance is cute and passionate in equal parts and comes with nice amount of skinship.

Let's be honest, the business and SF/ML subplot is meh. If they have focused completely on our OTP, it would have been even better. Alas, just when the show hits its stride and delivered us unto swoon heaven, the writer-nim went rouge.

It is true that the show always has a darker side, it won't be a k-drama otherwise. ;) It was hinted at many times and some traumatic event in the past was the likely trigger for their special abilities. For the longest time, it was low level stuff with just a hint of danger which is used to draw our CP closer together and move the plot along. Then it got dark, so very dark.

The Show decided that the only way to give closure to our CP is to retell their initial meeting and fateful parting 23 years ago. It is not unexpected, but it took a long time and a good part of that was already known or postulated. What is more problematic is that this segment contained more plot holes than the whole show up to that point. There is a fair bit of inconsistency judging from what was shown before and shown later. Even some dialogues between the actors are contradictory. I could have listed a page of them but I want to keep this relatively spoiler free. ;)

Adding to the problem is the way the Show portrayed the police. Their incompetence reached new heights in this show. It was baffling how the antagonist wasn’t caught in the first place and then managed to “hide” in plain sight for years. Again and again, the police are spoon fed relevant information but did very little which compounded the muddled narrative of the antagonist.

While the long recap is problematic, it was not the final nail. That honour goes to the last 20 minutes of the show. Did the production team review the script at all? It was a metaphoric train wreak that came out of nowhere. After we sat through the (literally) dark and gloomy recap and thought that we are back on track for some sweet CP moments, the Show went hyper! Yes, it was sort of funny for a moment but then it just escalated and escalated until I started to wince. So much bickering and shouting and for what?.

We also have closures of two side romantic subplots in the dying minutes. These were literally parachuted in with no warning or fanfare. Both romances were pushed aside by the evil plot and their conclusions felt contrived and rushed.

In the end, the show would have been better if it sticks to its core romance theme. Even though most of the subplots are weak and the support casts underutilised, they are harmless. Having said that, the Love Passionately for 7 days subplot is cute even though it did reminded me of Lovestruck in the City. ;)

The messy tail end was self inflicted and took a lot of the shine off a good romance. It is a real shame as the leads are well matched and the Show was on course for a satisfying finish. It is even more poignant when I recently read an interview of the ML where he said that he was so happy to be offered this script as he doesn’t have many opportunities to play a romantic lead at his age. Ouch!

OST is good and I’d have no problem re-watching the lead’s courting and romantic scene. Where is that YT cut?

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A creditable second season but have some issues

Let's get the caveat out of the way first. You really need to watch season 1 before you watch this. The show starts right after where the last season ended. There is a very quick recap but it doesn't cover any of the backstories so if you don't know the story already, it just won't make sense. Maybe you can pick it up as you go but it will be fairly bewildering for a while. Furthermore, it will be impossible to do a proper review of this season without references to season 1 so spoiler alert.
Firstly, hats off to the writer and director for attempting to do this series. It is not totally unique but certainly a new approach for a c-drama. As mentioned before, this show picked up where the last season left off. All the key characters are present but only one remembered what happened beforehand and the show recreated the story of the OTP's love story from a different angle and with different dynamics in play. On the whole it worked.
The basic framework is the same but they managed to spin new yarns that tied the two seasons together. While in S1, they went high fantasy to try to explain the plot, S2 only made passing reference of the spirit realm. Maybe they realised it was too much of a Pandora's box. This is a double edged sword as it removed the idea of a Supreme Evil Puppet Master. So much so that you felt that there is an imbalance between the fantastical act of transplanting two souls into ancient times yet the evil schemes are firmly based on simple human desire of revenge and power. Even though the villain from S1 was super campy, at least it fit in with the overarching fantasy plot and gave it raison d'etre.
The chemistry between the OTP was as strong as ever. To capitalise on this, the CP was almost always the focal point but this sucked the air out of the secondary characters. S1 was more balanced because the support roles were given more love and they provided some cohesion. They were still there in S2 but most of them are shadows of their former selves. There is a 2OTP but I found their relationship not very convincing.
As in S1, the pacing was good for the most part but it fell off in the last third of the show, similarly, S2 felt like they ran out of steam towards the end, it became tropey and predictable. 30 episodes is probably a stretch.
Production value is decent. OST is on par with S1. Mostly easy listening tunes.

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Light weight adaptation of the original

Consider the popularity of the c-drama original, it would be difficult to not draw some form of comparison. The simple, short answer so that we can get the elephant back to the zoo is that this was a problematic adaptation with a number of issues that made this version less than the sum total.
First of all, the k-drama version was 24 episodes long while the Chinese original has the same episode count but the runtime is twice as long. So the writer-nim had to trim the storyline and subplots to make it fit. They did a ok job most of the time and I definitely recognise some of the key scenes from the original and the show flowed in the right direction. However, there are definitely editing issues. For instance, in ep. 14, the ML of the 2OTP confessed very publicly to his crush but by ep. 15 the show seemed to have forgotten it ever happened. Later on, the OTP met up again after 3 years of separation and he begged her for forgiveness. She hesitated and told him that she needed more time. The scene faded to black and the next scene opened with the ML finding her asleep in his bunkbed in the hospital. They had a good long cuddle in bed afterwards which is quite a leap from "I needed more time".
This level of pruning meant that the show was reduced to a standard school/college romance but the story still spanned 13 years. Unfortunately, some of the nuisances, depth and character growth from the original got left on the cutting room floor.
This long timespan also exposed the biggest problem for this drama. The FL was trying her best to be convincing as a teenage girl in the early part of the show and she made it work a lot of the time but occasionally she would look too mature or tried too hard to act young. She had a much easier time later on when they had aged. A bigger problem was the ML. He is an idol and this was his first acting assignment. He definitely has the looks and can sing and dance but his acting abilities were not up to the more challenging scenes. It was just as well that the role of the ML was basically cold and emotionless but he took that to the next level. Even when he was suppose to be angry or frustrated his expression rarely changed. This presented the opposite problem to the FL, when he was supposed to be in his late twenties (and older), a doctor with years of overseas training, his lack of maturity/gravitas and limited range just didn't sit comfortably with his portrayal.
This lack of emotional range also impacted on the chemistry of the OTP. Not saying that they don't look good together but there was little passion. What skinship there was, was not convincing. Stuff happened but there was nothing to see.
The 2OTP was decent but mostly on rails. While they progressed as expected, there were moments when the show seemed to lost track of their progress and they just bunny hop around their relationship status.
One area that this show did do better was when the OTP met again after their separation. The original seemed abrupt and a bit contrived but this version kept it simpler and felt more organic.
The OST was good and bubbly to match the general rom-com setting.
If you have not seen the original then this is a fluffy, easy to watch school/college romance. If you love the c-drama original then it would be hard for you to give this a high mark.

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Sweet noona romance in a familiar drama-verse

Opening statement: Some reviews focused on this show not being a continuation of the GGS1 story and so it was a criminal misrepresentation. I don't find that to be a problem as it was a good standalone drama as it is. To be fair, it did share the same GGS1 universe and some support cast played significant roles in this drama as well while the leads from GGS1 both made cameos. There are timeline issues which I shall leave to purists to explain but the ending brought both shows to a satisfying conclusion. So my review is purely based on the show as presented with no strings attached.
On the whole, this was a good c-drama. Good production value and decent CGI driven robot combats. The OST was also well done with references back to GGS1 OST where appropriate. The OTP had good chemistry and skinship. It helped that we are dealing with mature adults. Furthermore, I loved the FL, she looked like she was really in love when she gazed at the ML and some of their CP scenes were swoon worthy. The ML was just a love sick puppy most of the time but that's his role in a nutshell. The 2OTP was quite interesting and they were a complete counterpoint to our leads. Their relationship began as love at first sight and it was more about passion and feels while the OTP focused on longing and falling in love gradually with your soulmate. It was refreshing to see both FL's were older than the ML's.
The support cast were generally good, especially the older actors. The grandpa was a gem in both GGS shows. Someone need to talk to the FL's father about his hairstyle . . it was a bit cringy. The K&K team members were all well fleshed out characters. Two of them also acted as comedic foils to good effort. There was definitely a Band of Brothers vibe.
So far so good, you say. Yes, it would have been if we only looked at those criteria. Where the show dropped the ball a bit was in the storytelling and overall length. The honest truth is that the show was too long. There really wasn't enough material for 38 episodes. The middle section was a lot of team management mumble-jumble and the last 2.5 episodes (after the world championship) was basically one gigantic fan service. Nothing wrong with fan service but some scenes were just fillers to pad out the episodes. Some reviews also commented on the robot battles being boring. I don't agree with that as it was at least fast paced and tactical. I have watched a whole c-drama based on archery and do you know how boring archery competition is? Even the competition in GGS1 was just a lot of people banging on keyboards and staring at flashing screens with the commentators going crazy in the voiceover. What I did find wanting was the lack of love for the 2OTP and a lack of tension within the OTP relationship.
The 2OTP started strong and even had a psycho ex-GF to keep things spicy. Unfortunately, once the ex-GF issue was resolved, the writer just seemed to loss interest in them. They are still around and do the odd CP thing but mostly stuck in a holding pattern. More subplots involving them would have made the mid show drag less telling. Ditto the development of the OTP. I have no love of the "drama for drama sake" trope but it was a little disappointing to see that the 2ML being hamstrung at every turn regarding the FL. Sure, he was a real gentleman and bow out of the chase with good grace but the show seemed to be determined to shut him up before he can even open his mouth.
It was lovely to see the OTP in love but it was also a long stretch of cruising on auto-pilot. I don't like to make direct comparisons but I can't help but be reminded of "My Little Happiness" which I watched recently. It had a similar 2 CP setup but that show was only 28 episodes long and the pacing and plotting was better. Quality over quantity is a truism.
In the end, the use of the GGS moniker was a double edged sword. No doubt it heightened the initial interest in the show and allowed them to milk the IP a bit more. This they succeeded up to a point. The setting, central idea and casting were all good but by extending their reach too far, they exposed their own Archie's heel.

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A fourth wall breaking period rom-com

What a delightful little fantasy/period drama (it is not really historical as it is not based on any recognisable history). It is light-hearted and fast paced for a c-drama. Lots of cute and funny moments. While the plot is almost farcical it was acted out with a lot of energy and heart. The plot is not new but the fourth wall breaking set up allow a lot of in jokes. The FL is relatively new but did a great job. My only complain is the 2FL was never punished for her bad deeds. While the show gave us the happy ending we wanted, the execution was a bit rushed and contrived.

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Light, easy to watch rom-com

I think what sets this c-drama apart from several other "girl dressed as boy" type of rom-com is the pirates setting. It takes you to a different "world" right away and that is refreshing. The plot is ok but can feel a little disjoined as it is structured like book chapters with an overarching backstory. Ultimately it is the usual revenge story with romance and pirate shenanigans thrown in. The OTP has good chemistry and a decent amount of skinship. The funny thing is that the skinship was more on show in the earlier part when the ML was wooing the FL and he is constantly teasing her and trying to steal a kiss here and there. After they declared their love, it was more subdued. The fight scenes where decent, more stylised than dramatic though. The support casts are generally good where most of them have exaggerated comedic roles. No terrible love triangles (they do play up the jealousy angle a fair bit which can get old) . There are a certain amount of misunderstandings but cleared up fairly quickly. My overall impression of this show is probably best summed up as uneven. Nothing horribly wrong with it and when it is good, it is a fun romp but it does have its awkward moments, especially when it is mixed in with a good dose of cliché. Likewise, the FL swings from cute and clever to annoying (oh, the screaming...). Thankfully, her character does mature and grow and becomes more enjoyable as the drama progresses. All in all, not a bad rom-com with low angst and cute/funny moments.

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