I like the development of Xiao Fei and Qing Hui's relationship. It's very natural. I know some people keep ranting about the age difference, but what do you expect? It's a noona romance.
I haven't had this much fun with a Taiwanese drama in a long time. I love the male lead. Ben Wu has natural charisma…
Also, the chemistry between the leads are amazing. Their relationship is so heartwarming and natural. I know I was praising our male lead, but I love the female lead too. I especially loved when she gave Su Can that reverse back hug and then kissed him. But now I’m scared because things are too happy for them now and we’re only on episode 8. So, I need to get my heart prepared for the foolishness to come.
I haven't had this much fun with a Taiwanese drama in a long time. I love the male lead. Ben Wu has natural charisma to him and every time he's on the screen he makes my heart flutter. Especially with the things he says because it’s so genuine and kind.
I'm also really enjoying the realistic maturity of this drama, especially with Kai Ting's relationship with her fiancé. I know some people were probably irritated that she had chose to get back with her fiancé, but so many women all over the world do this for various reasons. As women we're often taught this lie that men will be men so if they cheat you shouldn't hold them that accountable. Like there is some DNA inside of men that makes them unable to remain with one woman. It’s stupid but many women and men think this way. So, when Kai Ting started to question what she did wrong, I was not surprised. Because it’s what many people think when they get cheated on. “What did I do wrong?” “How is that person better than me?” “What can I do better?” But I loved how she came to the conclusion of leaving him. It's hard to get back with a person who has cheated on you because all the trust is gone.
As for Ching Ching, this is a new level of extreme. I have never seen a woman so desperate and overall lacking self-respect. At first, I thought that girl was a younger sister but to find out they were in a three-way relationship was baffling. I just can’t believe her husband fed her that bullshit and she decided to do it. The whole arrangement sounds like a literal nightmare. Her husband is an asshole and I can't wait for him to realize what he lost. He got comfortable and always thought Ching Ching was going to be around. But I'm so happy for her that she left.
Hands down one of the most frustrating dramas I've seen in a while. The characters refuse to grow and the relationship between the main leads refuses to change. It just makes everything slow from the beginning till the end.
I just found the reasons and excuses the leads made for not being together when it was clear they wanted to be together were stupid. Unnecessary angst. Unnecessary misunderstandings.
I love Pope, but I don't know how I felt about the first episode of this drama. He seems uncomfortable in this…
I agree. I didn't realize he was going to play a role where he had to be somewhat mean. I'm so used to him playing the nice guy. So when he yells in this lakorn, sometimes, it does come off a bit awkward. He's not terrible, it just at some points his acting doesn't seem natural.
My stomach was constantly in knots watching this drama, but I had so much fun with it. The acting is great, the characters are complex, the score and music is excellent (with the exception of the song when they kiss), the directing is amazing, and the greatest thing is the story is good. When you have all of these elements, a drama can not be anything less than great.
The twists and turns are things you’ve seen in other dramas, but the writer made sure to use them in refreshing ways, so they never felt recycled or stale. I loved the character Pil Joo and I think Jang Hyuk did an amazing job. I thought Pil Joo was a complex grey character and I’m glad that he wasn’t a black and white morally righteous character. It made his story more compelling knowing that he was so hell-bent on his revenge that he would willing hurt innocent people in the process, while still trying to help those he hurt. I especially loved his ending. Often, when we get these revenge dramas, the protagonist realizes that he shouldn’t have given his life to revenge and I’m glad that he said he wouldn’t have changed his mind even if he read his mother’s will properly. It just showed how much the scars of what happened in his childhood had affected him. It really made me believe his words when he said it was either revenge or death for him.
Boo Cheon was another character that turned about to be complex. I thought he was just going to be some bratty chaebol but when you realized that he was not as bad as the others around him, it really made you pity him. I especially started to feel bad for him when he found out the truth about Pil Joo. Not because of the betrayal itself, but because he thought Pil Joo was revenging him when in actuality he did not care about him at all. Watching Boo Cheon go against Pil Joo was the equivalent of watching a mouse go after a cat, instead this mouse was not nearly as smart as Jerry. I won’t say I pity him as much as others did because though Pil Joo and his mother controlled his life, I do think he made some horrible choices that can’t be ignored.
As for Mo Hyeon, she was the character that annoyed me the most. I think she was too white in a world where most characters were grey. But I will say that it was interesting watching how they broke her. She never went back to the girl she was before, but nonetheless she broke out of the cage they put her in. I’m also happy this drama did not rely so heavily on romance. I thought it showed just how much Pil Joo wanted to take revenge that he would not even allow his love for Mo Hyeon to get in the way of it. I’m also happy that the writer did not feel the need to have them together in the end.
Overall, this was a fun revenge drama up there with some of the best revenge dramas.
I feel like I'm one of the few people who was ecstatic that Yoon Kyung did not pick Ju Won. Though I thought they were cute in the beginning, every time they had a date I always felt something was missing. Sometimes they would be really awkward, and at first I thought it was because they were both shy, but after a while I really started to see that they were uncomfortable around each other. Plus, Ju Won started to annoy me because he always complained about the way she showed interest. I'm like do you want her to jump through hoops for you. I felt that when Yoon Kyung was with Jang Cheon, she had much more of a natural chemistry with him. Also, the last episode proved to me that Jang Cheon was over all better. Even till the end knowing it would be their last conversation on the show, Ju Won would not express his feelings for her. Honestly, I think she would have picked Ju Won if he expressed how he really felt. And then he picked Ji Hye, not because he liked her, but because his pride wouldn't allow him to pick a girl he thought wasn't going to pick him.
A very dark drama but riveting nonetheless. Maria is truly a character to be remembered. Suzuki Honami gives a great performance. Maria is a phenomenal woman and to watch her story will bring tears to your eyes.
As cheesy as it sounds, this drama was like watching a train wreck that you could not take your eyes off. It was already something sinister hanging over the drama in the first couple of episodes even when you see the romance blooming between Maria and Shiro, but I knew the moment Shiro injured his hand everything would go down hill. I don't think he was ready for the reality of who he would be without his hands. But like someone else said, despite me feeling bad for Shiro, I felt that he was undeserving of Maria's love. I felt like he was black hole just swallowing everything Maria had to give, but just when you thought Maria couldn't give anything more, she would find little pieces inside of her to give. I knew she could not fall in love with Kamiya because she gave her heart to Shiro, but I wanted so bad for her to be with him. I thought they had a better understanding of each other and would have been happy together.
It was amazing to watch a sweet man like Shiro crumble into nothing. I never hated him despite all of those things that happened even though all of me wanted Maria to leave him, because in my opinion, she proved a strength that no man nor woman could have. Don't get me wrong, he became very frustrating to watch. His lack of trust for her, his insecurities, his resentment, his self pity, and worst of all his pride. A man's pride is a force to be reckon with. But the moment I felt something akin to hate for his character was in the last episode when he demanded Kamiya to give him money and claimed that he gave Maria to him. It really pissed me off. I'm like you sucked this woman dry until there was nothing left and all you can do is boast about how you gave Maria to him. Even without the knowledge of some of the things Maria had done, it was like he did not appreciate any of the sacrifices she had made for him. Despite those things, the actor Mikami Hiroshi gives a wonderful performance as Shiro. He plays every part of Shiro amazing, the bad parts and the good.
I didn't particularly like the ending because I felt like it was pushing dramatics to another level, but besides that this is a great drama. You won't see anything like it. Wonderful story, wonderful performances, not only by our two leads but by our secondary characters as well, and wonderful directing. Another great piece from the 90s.
And I had a super crush on Kamiya. Besides their first encounter, he was able to see all the good in Maria. He loved her so much even if a part of it had to do with some scars from his past. He was one of the few people to see how truly amazing Maria was.
Loved it from beginning to end! It's easy for a character like Kahoko to be annoying but I thought the actress gave a great portrayal and made the character very endearing. I also loved the relationship between our leads.
I'm watching this and all I'm thinking to myself is am I supposed to like the male lead? Because I think anyone would choose the second male lead in a heartbeat.
One of the things I did like about this drama was watching Miho's character grow. She was very frustrating in the beginning. Too prideful and judgmental to those around her. She was also very childish and didn't even realize this, constantly criticizing others but not herself. For example, she judges her friend Kyoko for staying in a relationship with a married man. She sees this relationship as wrong and doesn't believe this man treats Kyoko right. And to be honest, Miho is right about this (I would probably give the same advice to my friend) But I always say it's easier to give advice on a situation you've never been in. Towards the end of the show, you have Miho in a similar position with a man that doesn't treat her right (yes, that man is our male lead) but she refuses to let him go. Even going as far to sleep with him even after he confesses to sleeping with Kyoko without remorse.
After disliking Miho so long, I actually started to feel bad for her. She definitely was not ready for a relationship with a man like Shintani who was too honest at times, brutally so actually. From the beginning, he let it be known that he could not commit to a serious relationship with her because he still had not gotten over the death of his divorced wife, still feeling guilt that he had been the cause of it. And though she decided to accept a relationship like this, I don't think she was ready for the reality of it. Shintani feels cold at times. Where any other man would run after the woman he hurts, he refuses to do so. It's often Miho running to him to mend their relationship, and eventually as a viewer, I felt like my own pride was being bruised. When he sleeps with Kyoko he just lies in bed smoking a cigarette. When he explains why he cheated, he doesn't even feel that sympathetic, stating that he already told her that he couldn't commit (meaning that included sex too). He was a very jaded character and for someone like Miho who just stepped out into the world on her own, this definitely was not the relationship for her. But even till the end, when they go there separate ways she still is very much so in love with him. A very strange relationship, yet a very honest one, showing the realities of why people choose to be in relationships even when its only hurting them. The feeling of loneliness and the need for comfort can go so far.
As for Kyoko, she was just crazy to me. It was like she wanted all of Kyoko, not just her time, but everything. I don't think I could have been her friend after everything that happened. At some points it seemed like she was in love with her.
If your more so into sweet romance, I wouldn't recommend this. Like most jdramas from the 90's this is giving a more realistic take on love. The realistic version of love where everything isn't perfect or happy.
Honestly, I liked Kyoko with Yabuki. I knew she was going to end up with Suga and I didn't mind that because I liked them together too. But it was something about the way she was with Yabuki that made me want to see them together. They had chemistry and I swooned when he kissed her.
Mariko was such a bitch. I could not stand her. I hate people who whine about their lives constantly for attention. All the men want Mariko and she decides to like the one guy who wants her friend. Then she makes the biggest deal out of it, making Kyoko lose Suga, to later reveal she really wasn't in love with Yabuki but more so the idea of him (the poor version to be exact)
Then to make me truly hate her, she spends the night with Suga and the next morning goes to Kyoko's place just to tell her this. She knew she was going to hurt her by saying it but she does so anyway. This is the worst friend you could possibly have. Someone who pretends they care about you when in fact they don't and there jealous of you too.
I'm also really enjoying the realistic maturity of this drama, especially with Kai Ting's relationship with her fiancé. I know some people were probably irritated that she had chose to get back with her fiancé, but so many women all over the world do this for various reasons. As women we're often taught this lie that men will be men so if they cheat you shouldn't hold them that accountable. Like there is some DNA inside of men that makes them unable to remain with one woman. It’s stupid but many women and men think this way. So, when Kai Ting started to question what she did wrong, I was not surprised. Because it’s what many people think when they get cheated on. “What did I do wrong?” “How is that person better than me?” “What can I do better?” But I loved how she came to the conclusion of leaving him. It's hard to get back with a person who has cheated on you because all the trust is gone.
As for Ching Ching, this is a new level of extreme. I have never seen a woman so desperate and overall lacking self-respect. At first, I thought that girl was a younger sister but to find out they were in a three-way relationship was baffling. I just can’t believe her husband fed her that bullshit and she decided to do it. The whole arrangement sounds like a literal nightmare. Her husband is an asshole and I can't wait for him to realize what he lost. He got comfortable and always thought Ching Ching was going to be around. But I'm so happy for her that she left.
I just found the reasons and excuses the leads made for not being together when it was clear they wanted to be together were stupid. Unnecessary angst. Unnecessary misunderstandings.
The twists and turns are things you’ve seen in other dramas, but the writer made sure to use them in refreshing ways, so they never felt recycled or stale. I loved the character Pil Joo and I think Jang Hyuk did an amazing job. I thought Pil Joo was a complex grey character and I’m glad that he wasn’t a black and white morally righteous character. It made his story more compelling knowing that he was so hell-bent on his revenge that he would willing hurt innocent people in the process, while still trying to help those he hurt. I especially loved his ending. Often, when we get these revenge dramas, the protagonist realizes that he shouldn’t have given his life to revenge and I’m glad that he said he wouldn’t have changed his mind even if he read his mother’s will properly. It just showed how much the scars of what happened in his childhood had affected him. It really made me believe his words when he said it was either revenge or death for him.
Boo Cheon was another character that turned about to be complex. I thought he was just going to be some bratty chaebol but when you realized that he was not as bad as the others around him, it really made you pity him. I especially started to feel bad for him when he found out the truth about Pil Joo. Not because of the betrayal itself, but because he thought Pil Joo was revenging him when in actuality he did not care about him at all. Watching Boo Cheon go against Pil Joo was the equivalent of watching a mouse go after a cat, instead this mouse was not nearly as smart as Jerry. I won’t say I pity him as much as others did because though Pil Joo and his mother controlled his life, I do think he made some horrible choices that can’t be ignored.
As for Mo Hyeon, she was the character that annoyed me the most. I think she was too white in a world where most characters were grey. But I will say that it was interesting watching how they broke her. She never went back to the girl she was before, but nonetheless she broke out of the cage they put her in. I’m also happy this drama did not rely so heavily on romance. I thought it showed just how much Pil Joo wanted to take revenge that he would not even allow his love for Mo Hyeon to get in the way of it. I’m also happy that the writer did not feel the need to have them together in the end.
Overall, this was a fun revenge drama up there with some of the best revenge dramas.
As cheesy as it sounds, this drama was like watching a train wreck that you could not take your eyes off. It was already something sinister hanging over the drama in the first couple of episodes even when you see the romance blooming between Maria and Shiro, but I knew the moment Shiro injured his hand everything would go down hill. I don't think he was ready for the reality of who he would be without his hands. But like someone else said, despite me feeling bad for Shiro, I felt that he was undeserving of Maria's love. I felt like he was black hole just swallowing everything Maria had to give, but just when you thought Maria couldn't give anything more, she would find little pieces inside of her to give. I knew she could not fall in love with Kamiya because she gave her heart to Shiro, but I wanted so bad for her to be with him. I thought they had a better understanding of each other and would have been happy together.
It was amazing to watch a sweet man like Shiro crumble into nothing. I never hated him despite all of those things that happened even though all of me wanted Maria to leave him, because in my opinion, she proved a strength that no man nor woman could have. Don't get me wrong, he became very frustrating to watch. His lack of trust for her, his insecurities, his resentment, his self pity, and worst of all his pride. A man's pride is a force to be reckon with. But the moment I felt something akin to hate for his character was in the last episode when he demanded Kamiya to give him money and claimed that he gave Maria to him. It really pissed me off. I'm like you sucked this woman dry until there was nothing left and all you can do is boast about how you gave Maria to him. Even without the knowledge of some of the things Maria had done, it was like he did not appreciate any of the sacrifices she had made for him. Despite those things, the actor Mikami Hiroshi gives a wonderful performance as Shiro. He plays every part of Shiro amazing, the bad parts and the good.
I didn't particularly like the ending because I felt like it was pushing dramatics to another level, but besides that this is a great drama. You won't see anything like it. Wonderful story, wonderful performances, not only by our two leads but by our secondary characters as well, and wonderful directing. Another great piece from the 90s.
And I had a super crush on Kamiya. Besides their first encounter, he was able to see all the good in Maria. He loved her so much even if a part of it had to do with some scars from his past. He was one of the few people to see how truly amazing Maria was.
After disliking Miho so long, I actually started to feel bad for her. She definitely was not ready for a relationship with a man like Shintani who was too honest at times, brutally so actually. From the beginning, he let it be known that he could not commit to a serious relationship with her because he still had not gotten over the death of his divorced wife, still feeling guilt that he had been the cause of it. And though she decided to accept a relationship like this, I don't think she was ready for the reality of it. Shintani feels cold at times. Where any other man would run after the woman he hurts, he refuses to do so. It's often Miho running to him to mend their relationship, and eventually as a viewer, I felt like my own pride was being bruised. When he sleeps with Kyoko he just lies in bed smoking a cigarette. When he explains why he cheated, he doesn't even feel that sympathetic, stating that he already told her that he couldn't commit (meaning that included sex too). He was a very jaded character and for someone like Miho who just stepped out into the world on her own, this definitely was not the relationship for her. But even till the end, when they go there separate ways she still is very much so in love with him. A very strange relationship, yet a very honest one, showing the realities of why people choose to be in relationships even when its only hurting them. The feeling of loneliness and the need for comfort can go so far.
As for Kyoko, she was just crazy to me. It was like she wanted all of Kyoko, not just her time, but everything. I don't think I could have been her friend after everything that happened. At some points it seemed like she was in love with her.
Then to make me truly hate her, she spends the night with Suga and the next morning goes to Kyoko's place just to tell her this. She knew she was going to hurt her by saying it but she does so anyway. This is the worst friend you could possibly have. Someone who pretends they care about you when in fact they don't and there jealous of you too.