The Ingenious One at this point seems to be NanGong Fang. He can fight, he is scheming and so far seems to be…
He is a real nemesis. Pity there is no one to oppose him. I would have liked our FL to at least put him in a chokehold once...especially when he skirts the boundaries of respect. But the scriptwriter let me down there.
Ok, rapidly losing its charm. All of a sudden this drama has changed from gripping and interesting storylines with complex plot moves and morally grey characters to something painfully pedestrian. For me, it's a let down given the cast and production quality. It could have all gone so much better than it has in the last 10-13 eps. At this point, it should be re-titled as "The lucky one" or even "The Somewhat Smart One" rather than "The ingenious one." My dude. You had 10 odd years to plan your revenge and this is what you're giving me?
Why does Mango TV happen to good actors, and (fingers crossed!) good adaptations?! Ugh. They are the worst with their subtitles and captions. Maybe Viki will pick this up. Or a fan of the novel who can't bear to watch it get butchered.
Not sure how I'm feeling about this tortured loveline. They are both too smart and are surrounded by clever people to not pick-up that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Sorry show runners, you have let me down. The rabid brother storyline is also draggy. I wish they had handled things better than the old worn out trope of Juliet and Romeo. Someone should bury that and leave it to moulder in peace.
Such a good drama. To call it a tropey rom-com is to do it a great disservice. Yes, the genre is familiar and the narrative shape is also deceptively familiar but the story they are telling in a fairly lighthearted fashion is pretty grim. A pretty girl, who comes from a poor but loving family, is ostracised and sees the worst of people outside her home because of the way she looks. It's interesting how her abrasive social awkwardness and 'rudeness' is an extension of her self-protection. Haneda-san embodies the saying that if you're going to be blamed for something then claim it as loudly and as offensively as possible before someone can pin it on you. She's not about to let others enjoy humiliating her. Better to just embarrass everyone and be the 'wicked woman.' I went into this drama thinking at best it would be a funny, somewhat charming, feel good story and at its worst, cringey and a time suck with some nice people to look at. But I got so much more than that. The sweetie tucked away inside the wrapper is tart, sometimes bitter, with the occasional hit of sweet. It's a a clever incisive commentary on misogyny - how some men embody it, and how some women internalise it; and how women are objectified. This most recent episode really highlights this aspect. And for the first time we see Haneda-san's real thoughts and feelings burst through her incredibly high self-protective barriers. Not to belabour the point but there is a lot traumatic social isolation behind those few lines. The ML always knew his own mind but he's really stepped up. In some ways, I think, he's coming around to decoding her personal protections and ways of behaving. As someone who probably has a strong sense of camouflage since he's been raised to be a commodity by his putative parents he's probably better placed than anyone (apart from her fam) about Haneda-san's oddities. An engaging watch. Thank you to ecotvsubs for translating!
Oof, Ep19 was brutal. Hats off to Chen Xiao - his micro expressions, his mannerisms, and the incredible emotive expression in his eyes is fantastic. I think, he's outdone himself in the acting category in this role. Such a fine tuned, deeply nuanced performance.
Aside from the leads my fav character is Mo Bu Fan he is flexible and easy going at the same time
He 's such an interestingly written and performed character. Morally flexible, pragmatic, far-sighted and definitely, a shrewd businessman. Definitely the man you want managing your money (if I had any!!). I'm really enjoying how they've progressed from side-eyeing and hissing at each other to adversaries to grudging pals (altho they'd both be horrified if they heard that characterisation! LOL). He'd be wasted up at on that mountain. ;)
Song is fab! Does anyone know who it's by and what it's called? In some scenes he looks lovely in others...the makeup is a bit off. Can't help but wishing this had Lee Se Young my Red Sleeves FL. :( They're chemistry was 🔥❤️🔥🔥. Hopefully, this will live up to the hype coming our way.
Chen Xiao picks good roles! Been a while since I saw such a morally ambivalent and at times, cold as a snake, ML. FL is BAMF and getting wiser to his schemes. Supporting cast is doing well too. Pleasantly surprised by Tang Xiao Tian. Last I watched him in was My Little Happiness. This is miles away from that role. And he's doing it well. Overall, interesting and complicated story line. Very reminiscent of Joy of Life albeit a smidge less aware and significantly less funny. 8 episodes in and the story is rocketing away: either they have a lot of story to tell or they are going to suffer from track B blues. Let's hope not.
So the stepbrother traumatized Yutaka about eating and wouldn’t accept him; then criticizes him for not going…
My god, just imagine, food and a dining table as a battleground. Appalling. It's surprising that his relationship with food is so good. Now, on with the joy, I say, and the sprinkling of BL feels. It's all so homey. I want to cuddle all of them.
This drama is my lovely soothing setting. Food that heals and brings people together...now that's my kind of place setting. Toxic family relations aside. Can't have everything. Tane-kun, as usual, is a gust of affection and cheer.
This is what happens when good dramas happen to crappily short-sighted production, distribution channels. :( Sigh. I gave up a long time ago. My hats off and sympathy for everyone still waiting it out. But I'm going to bow out. See you on some other drama page. 👋🏼
K-Drama 
At this point, it should be re-titled as "The lucky one" or even "The Somewhat Smart One" rather than "The ingenious one."
My dude. You had 10 odd years to plan your revenge and this is what you're giving me?
I wish they had handled things better than the old worn out trope of Juliet and Romeo. Someone should bury that and leave it to moulder in peace.
A pretty girl, who comes from a poor but loving family, is ostracised and sees the worst of people outside her home because of the way she looks. It's interesting how her abrasive social awkwardness and 'rudeness' is an extension of her self-protection. Haneda-san embodies the saying that if you're going to be blamed for something then claim it as loudly and as offensively as possible before someone can pin it on you. She's not about to let others enjoy humiliating her. Better to just embarrass everyone and be the 'wicked woman.'
I went into this drama thinking at best it would be a funny, somewhat charming, feel good story and at its worst, cringey and a time suck with some nice people to look at. But I got so much more than that. The sweetie tucked away inside the wrapper is tart, sometimes bitter, with the occasional hit of sweet. It's a a clever incisive commentary on misogyny - how some men embody it, and how some women internalise it; and how women are objectified. This most recent episode really highlights this aspect. And for the first time we see Haneda-san's real thoughts and feelings burst through her incredibly high self-protective barriers. Not to belabour the point but there is a lot traumatic social isolation behind those few lines.
The ML always knew his own mind but he's really stepped up. In some ways, I think, he's coming around to decoding her personal protections and ways of behaving. As someone who probably has a strong sense of camouflage since he's been raised to be a commodity by his putative parents he's probably better placed than anyone (apart from her fam) about Haneda-san's oddities.
An engaging watch. Thank you to ecotvsubs for translating!