As a dude who is watching this....
I honestly feel Hulu aka Disney+ executives had their way with this title. Watched my thousand of hours of k-dramas but as man trying to finish this piece was quite difficult. Frankly this drama should have been 12 episodes. Pink Min Young as expected flat. She has a underlying resting b$tch face I can not get pass. Appears to be always angry. The ML is s stoic, someone told him he needs to follow her lead and be her support period. that's it. He tall, rich, handsome and can fight. checked off all the boxes. I understand his back story but what made him "come alive" as a person? I must protect her? NO.Song Ha Yoon steals the show. She’s the villain in this story. But she’s amazing. Damn didn’t know she had such range as an actress. Very impressive. After coming off of “Devilsh Joy” where she’s a sweet angel from heaven to this story where’s she’s a crazy murderous wrench of a women… wow. And her character in this piece was complex. She gets all the cookies for this drama.
Plus “I can save her” ..... had to say it.
The drama sucks monkey balls. It has Hulu influence all over it. Strong feminist girl power vibes and it’s not balanced. The men are made to look like betas. The consistent berating of men. The constant kicking them in the groin, Annoying. Not a typical Korean dramas so you can definitely tell this had American influence. Please understand we left "woke" Hollywood to avoid watching such cringe for such this reason.
That’s my two cents.
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Anyone else found the son annoying.
The child was very annoying It's like he did not understand the world around him. You have water on the ground in your apartment and you want to swim in it. The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is wanting the swim? The folks in the apartment block or trying to survive and... he wants his mother to carry him? No! and the Mother, is a super "Mary Sue". plot armory protected her until the end. No healthy man can watch this nonsense. Do not waste your time with this feminist dribble. Netflix Execs had their hands all over this production. Please Korean for the love that all is Holy, do not take cues from America regarding modern day entertainment. There is a reason why Hollywood is broken today in 2025 and is in freefall.Was this review helpful to you?
We all know what we were going into too
Watching this version of the series made me go back and watch the story from 2003 . Wished this took a deep dive into the physiological aspects as to why Sumire-chan wanted a pet. Loved Noriko Iriyama in the role, she was faithful to her character. Loved the twist from Fukushima Shiori character and the addition of Aiba Shinobu. This story was updated for a more modern audience providing more closure than the 2003 version. Yes it different, but like most Jdramas, there is deeper meaning layered underneath. Loved the OST, watched the last at least 4 times.Was this review helpful to you?
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Girl boss with balance
To be frank my favorite couple was Fan ChangNing and Yu Bao Er.Those kids were so cute! and it was a blessing to see them persevere together thought out.
When ChangNing met up with BaoEr when he lost it I cried a little.
She brought peace back into the insanity he was going through.
The pink swear he’d make her a queen when he grows up 🤣😄😊
How he because ruler while mom was the background. Very interesting. 😌
What i found fault with:
They spent a lot of time in Chang Yu, home village. I understand they wanted us to bond with those living there but really?! And most of the time with Yan Song the scholar they kept poking fun at most of the series. (I get it, let’s stop beating the dead horse)
Very annoyed with the fact for the first 10 or so episodes Yan Zheng was injured, you could sense he was strong but we never got to see his true fighting form. Always injured in some capacity or another.
The plot armor provided to Chang Yu was insane. Compared to her lover, this 90 pound wet little women fought like a deity. I know her father was skilled but really?!
Ok they gave her a handicap.
She couldn’t read and she maybe had dyslexia. Then they kept mentioning how beautiful she was. enough already. 😩
Aside from the princess, How the hell in this age could she maintain such a “fair skin” complexion?
To China’s credit, they were the first where I found they wrote heroin very well. No girl bosses. They earn it and they despise “the message”. But! They came close this time. I’m glad they kept “the balance.”
Politics, was hard to grasp in the beginning. Like most folks watching the families dynamics involved, where their relationships stood…. took a while to process. Mostly because they were side stories until it mattered after episode 24.
What I liked.
Cinematography was excellent, the director did amazing work with each scene to bring depth and flesh out this vision what he wanted to express.
Felt the differences between the capital vs other places. Though everywhere was too “clean”.
The use of light and shadows, optics, usage of color palettes was well done.
Writing:
Expected from most c-dramas, and J-dramas respect and “reflection of culture” and superstitions. We don’t see this in kdramas anymore because they purposely make moves with an international audience in mind.
The cast writing and translation was excellent. Writing in general was excellent. They understood the assignment and tried thier best to translate it into a proper script. Some folks say pacing was a problem. Yea a little, like I stated earlier they could have shaved a couple of episodes from the beginning. Frankly the series for me started at episode 23
Couples:
Loved the last episode where Qi Min was falling for Qian Yu but was nauseous being around her.
This relationship was nuts. All he needed to do was let her go. She even told him I should’ve have saved you. My dude was an imposter all along.
Brother loved a “snake in the grass@ and mother knew.
Loved Qi shu and headmaster Yin Gongsun relationship. It’s only when they were in the heat of a war torn situation they were able to express themselves. And that Heimlich maneuver made them partners for life.
I’d give the series an 9.0.
Production - 10
Story - 9
Acting - 9
Visuals Fx - 10
OST - 9.5
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We have a blue print which worked for thousands of years why not follow it?
Another public service announcement (PSA) on how to handle parents who are getting up there in age and how a single woman deals with being alone. As a dude, this series provided some interesting information and points of view for handling aging parents however, regarding the FL decisions... nonsensical. She's 39. When she reaches her aunts age she will feel the weight of her decisions. Her mother made the best decision ever. Raising children is the most rewarding thing you can do for a family and a society. Leaving legacy, place your love and life into another person's life. NO ONE is suppose to be alone. who is going to help you reach the top shelf? who is going to ensure your health if it's not your closest family? Paid professionals will only do the bare minimum. what's happens when a person becomes senile? All the options she was investigating for her parents should apply to herself as well. That dude cared for her yes, he was messed up but she was too... There is a saying women control access to s#x. Men control access to relationships. He wanted a relationship with her. They could have continued to lean on each other until they heal.Was this review helpful to you?
