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Those who have love rule the world :D
Who Rules the World started off a bit uncertain for me, particularly with the romance feeling neutral and some wooden acting that initially had me concerned. However, as the series progressed, I found myself drawn into the complex political intrigue and well-crafted plot.I've asked around, and a lot of fans prefer the first half of the series due to its steady pacing. I actually preferred when the pacing picked up. There is some more political drag in the third quarter, and I felt the last couple of episodes were rushed. But I enjoyed the arc between Lanxi and his family, what happened in Liang, and the war. The last two episodes could have been more drawn out if less time had been spent on battles though.
The relationship between Lanxi and Xiyun evolved beautifully from friendly rivals to allies to lovers, built on a foundation of mutual respect that felt refreshingly healthy for the genre. While the comedy was minimal and the soundtrack remained fairly average, the world-building and scheming of the antagonists kept me engaged throughout most episodes.
I wasn't overly impressed with Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi at first. I would still have to watch more of them to develop a solid opinion on their acting. I think Lanxi was meant to be pretty guarded, and Xiyun a carefree heroine. Bai Fengxi came close to being a Mary Sue but I like that her impulsiveness sometimes got her into trouble, so she wasn't exactly flawless. Lusi's acting at first struck me as being a bit wooden. But her emotions did come through when Xiyun's brother, father, and Pu'er died.
I enjoyed this, but it's not one I'll be thinking about months from now. It just didn't have the same impact as other shows. But it was good. 😎
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Heart Wrenching Brilliance
When I first started watching "Black", I thought ut would just be an entertaining alternative for "Goblin". To be honest, I was a little confused at first because of the flashbacks. Then I realized they were feeding me crumbs that led to intriguing, horrible, heartbreaking mysteries that would ultimately all come together. Seriously, this drama did such a great job at addressing nearly every question it popped into my head (except for when No. 444 freaks out as Soo-wan tries to feed him red bean soup...I had to look up that apparently red bean soup is a food traditionally used to ward off bad spirits, it all makes sense now...). When I eventually rewatch it, I'm sure I'll catch things I missed the first time. The ending was a bit abrupt for me. I expected a bittersweet one, but I was definitely left wanting a little more time for Ha-Ram and Joon. Still, overall this will definitely go down as one of my top dramas. It covered such an impressive range of social/human issues, and more than anything, I just really fell in love with the police characters (the good guys, that is! Rip Crazy Dog, my heart is still aching :(. ) I didn't expect another drama to move me quite this way since "The Last Empress", but "Black" made me cheer, laugh and cry. I loved it.Was this review helpful to you?
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ML is the only saving grace.
FL was very annoying. This was my second short series, so I had a better idea of what to expect. The comedy and early episodes are cute, and I don't think the drama tries to be anything it's not. The ML deserves a better production and starring role for himself.For anyone confused like I was, Viki combined episodes to make them longer. Rather than 24x 10 min eps, there are 8x 30 min long eps. 🤪 It's very easy to breeze through if you need something light and amusing and can ignore how irritating FL is.
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The plot is all over the place.
But I felt that, despite the sad ending, there was a lot of comfort offered as well. Qinzhou was saved. Jinghe and Mei Lin got married. The alternate reality moment was cute. In the end, Jinghe was a good emperor and got to rejoin Mei Lin. I would have liked more focus on the Crown Prince instead of the whole Mingju subplot but I just viewed it as a story with 3 arcs. The last arc was not the strongest. For comparison, The Double was stronger but I did like this one. I would not recommend it except to fans of the actors though.Was this review helpful to you?
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Mysteries all tied up
But the ending could have been more satisfying. We were left not knowing whether the grandfather woke up and the result of Na-Na's trial. :( Also was a little disappoinged by Do-chang's date. That last scene was goofy but it didn't end on the optimistic note I'd have liked. Overall a nice follow-up to season 1. I'd love to see the team back in a 3rd season.That one theme was catchy. I loved the mix of new and reprisal for the OST. It would have been nice if the lady journalist from s1 appeared here too but the Chief's daughter made an interesting female side character.
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I watched for Choi Tae Joon
Soundtrack was mostly amazing! :) Loved Joon and Geun Young. However, the secondary leads were painful to watch... :s I see now what people meant in the reviews I read before watching. I watched this for Choi Tae Joon after seeing him in Suspicious Partner. It was great to see him as ML even if the character started out as such a butt. Who Joon really was trying hard for everyone. I loved PD Han, Writer Noh and Ji Hyang. FL was more down to earth, which I prefer. :) Not the best drama ever, but I enjoyed. Had one of the cutest finale scenes I've ever seen!!Was this review helpful to you?
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Frustrating Leads, Cute Side Characters
I needed a break after watching a psychological thriller KDrama ("Tunnel"), and Tdramas tend to be lighter in my opinion. "Hello Again" followed that trend. However, I was impressed with some of social themes that came up. Debt and loan sharks are no new trope in Tdramas, but this was my first series to see a female love interest for the female lead. Granted, it was unrequited, but I really adored Zhen Yi's character, even if the way she treated Zi Jie was a bit cruel. Speaking of which, the problem I had (and I think, based on comments, that most viewers had) with this show was the way Ke Ai treated Zi Hao. I appreciate that she was flawed, but it got to be infuriating to see her treat him poorly time after time after time.Equally frustrating was Zi Hao's enablement of this treatment. But if you take the show for what it is, it's still a cute romance story. I'd have to say the secondary characters are what made this show shine; Brother Gang, Wen Wen, Zhen Yi, Zi Jie, Daniel etc. But I don't know that I could stomach another 16 episodes of codependent Zi Hao and Ke Ai's emotional withholding just to enjoy those other characters. And to be honest, as hot as Bruce He is? Let's face it, Zi Hao's obsession with Ke Ai would have been totally creepy had he not been so attractive LOL But maybe I just prefer tsundere male leads. :) Anyway, cute show with great music (Amber An and Eric Chou!) and overall engaging if you can get past the frustrating female lead.
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