Honestly, this is a rant not a review. I just finished this and I have to borrow a term Shang Zhi Tao kept repeating- "I'm exhausted". I too am very exhausted just making it through the story. This is one drama where by the end I would have been happy had they just moved on and found new happier lives. Their relationship was like a bad habit they kept repeating. I don't think I've come across any other drama couple who were so extremely bad at communicating with each other. It was tiring, repetitive and frustrating until the end. I probably should have just skipped this one.
About why the lead characters were so frustrating- He was always acknowledged as conceited, arrogant and selfish. From what I saw, She was equally every one of those things. He could say hurtful things, She could say equally more hurtful things. It felt like she always kept him at arm's distance, never really letting him into her life. For the same faults, he was always the one apologizing, repenting and giving in more. To the end, it felt more like persistence on his side and concession on hers. I felt Jing Bo Ran brought so much heart and passion to the role. Sun Qian was good but the character she played left me cold. They tried to make the last episode sentimental and romantic, but it didn't matter. They lost me long ago.
Everything light, warm and sweet in the best possible way. There was depth enough in the characters to make their journey meaningful and heartfelt. Loved it.
This drama showed real issues and emotions, with a very good cast. This was also why it was at times difficult and infuriating to watch. The relationship arc between the leads was good, except for one too many coincidences bringing them together. It was a good drama, but not one I enjoyed.
Engaging watch. This was almost all palace politics and scheming, may be the most I've seen in a series so far. The romance was nice, but the politics was more interesting.
Easy watch, nice actors, great locations and music. Yet there was no emotional depth. The character struggles and plot points came and went on cue. As cute and fine looking as the actors were, something was missing overall in the execution. I can't say I even really cared about them.
The actors were great and it was interesting to watch initially, but the story just did not hold up for me. Last several episodes just fell flat and dragged all the way to a sorry end. It was a struggle to finish.
Not an easy watch. The way it ended was okay. I don't think I would have felt right about a different ending for Hsiao Tung given what happened with Li Jen Yao.
The story was interesting enough to keep me going till the end. However it felt dated, the visuals were mediocre, there were many side character plots that felt dragging which I skipped. Most of all, the leads didn't really fit their roles very well and had zero connection. Overall it was disappointing.
The story , actors and performances were all good but the ending was unsatisfactory. For all the troubles they went through, the lead couple could have had a happier ending. I would probably not have watched had I known how it was going to end.
This was a well made drama with a bunch of very intriguing characters and great actors. I enjoyed the slower pace and the air of suspense it maintained until the final episode. Also, eight episodes felt just right, without dragging out the plot too much.
This started off well but after the half way point Dongbaek just kept getting more and more annoying. It was a combination of both Gong Hyo Jin's portrayal and the character writing that made me dislike Dongbaek towards the end. Like others commented here, I didn't understand why Jeong Ryul got so much hate for fair intent. Kang Ha Neul was convincing in character, but the romance did not work for me. Even the thriller story line was dragged so much that it lost impact by that point. Overall it was a disappointing watch for me.
I don't think I've come across any other drama couple who were so extremely bad at communicating with each other. It was tiring, repetitive and frustrating until the end. I probably should have just skipped this one.
About why the lead characters were so frustrating- He was always acknowledged as conceited, arrogant and selfish. From what I saw, She was equally every one of those things. He could say hurtful things, She could say equally more hurtful things. It felt like she always kept him at arm's distance, never really letting him into her life. For the same faults, he was always the one apologizing, repenting and giving in more. To the end, it felt more like persistence on his side and concession on hers.
I felt Jing Bo Ran brought so much heart and passion to the role. Sun Qian was good but the character she played left me cold. They tried to make the last episode sentimental and romantic, but it didn't matter. They lost me long ago.