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The biggest problem I have is honestly the way mental health was addressed, which, no matter how I think about it, was really problematic especially in the later episodes. While I understand that the character struggling was the antagonist, it seemed like they were just a hindrance and talk about suicide/self-harm were never sufficiently addressed as an issue.
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Not as good as its prequel
While I liked the overall vibe of these movies and how they were a mix between romance, life, and action, I just didn't connect much to this movie's plot. I wasn't a huge fan of Chungking Express but it was still better — I felt more invested in the stories and the characters had more personality to them. The stories felt more organized and I connected to what they were feeling more.Even then, however, I have to give credit once more to Kaneshiro Takeshi, who had the most intriguing part of the movie and certainly did his character justice. I wish we saw more of his character.
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Heart-warming, insightful, and relatable
I'd read the webtoon a while ago and really liked it, so I was looking forward to this drama, and it definitely didn't disappoint! On the surface it's a pretty simple rom-com; we see the characters go through ups and downs in their romantic lives and career journeys. But showing how decisions were made and what their thought processes were added so much to depth to what would've otherwise been a very straightforward plot, and it's just so creative.The characters are extremely realistic — flaws and all — and we end up with a slice-of-life drama that's actually really insightful and profound in its approach to relationships and emotions. I'm absolutely delighted with this one and really looking forward to season 2.
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Unproblematic, healing drama
I was really impressed with the writing of this show. Even though it’s generally light-hearted, it actually touched on a lot of heavy topics, like mental health and anxiety after being in a stressful and unhealthy relationship.The leads are really cute together, especially when they’re just getting to know each other. It’s pretty refreshing to see a drama where there’s no random childhood connection or “first love” trope, just two adults who met each other, liked each other, and put in the effort of being together.
I will say, however, that I don’t really care about traditional Chinese medicine, so anything related to that wasn’t very interesting to me — which is a shame because the leads’ romance was so heavily dependent on it.
The side characters in the show are also just okay. The second couple is pretty cute at times but the romance is simple and fast — it is nice to see a mixed friendship group without a love triangle though, and they were great as the FL’s support system. On the ML’s side, the other doctors are also just okay and not very memorable. In terms of the FL’s parents, they were characters that really had to grow on me; they felt really overbearing and frustrating at the start, but by the ending I appreciated the growth in their relationship.
The one big plot point that was really frustrating to me was the “hiding a cancer diagnosis” plot. It’s something that I’ve definitely seen in a drama before, and the way it plays out is always the same. I’m glad that it didn’t lead to an overdramatic fight between our leads, but I also feel like the way the characters ultimately resolved it was an underreaction that didn’t feel too satisfactory — it sounds contradictory, I know.
Either way, I think this was a light-hearted watch, similar to dramas like Love Me, Love My Voice, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, and You Are My Glory, where the romance is very mature and calm.
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Soft and quiet
Let me just start by saying I was in the middle of this drama when the Kamimura Kenshin news dropped, and unfortunately it really did affect my enjoyment of this show by a lot. I sped run the last half. I'm trying to separate those emotions from my review of the show, but I just have to admit that I didn't like it as much as I think I normally would've.I think the beginning was kind of rough. While I love the premise of a romance between a misunderstood delinquent and a good student who just tries to keep their head down, the amount of random and unprompted kissing in the first few episodes felt a little abrupt and confusing.
Over time, the characters and story definitely grow on you. I think the cinematography is great and the vibes of the show are really warm. The actors have good chemistry and the dialogue is really insightful and thought-provoking, and it's overall pretty well-written, with some really dramatic plot points that somehow manage to never feel over-the-top. The plot unfortunately does fall victim to the break-up and separation trope, and while I don't think it's completely out of left field here, I still didn't love it and I feel like their reunion should've been slower, even knowing that there's limited screentime.
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They got me so invested in all the characters and fleshed out the character development for pretty much everyone, which is really hard to do in a simple two hour movie. I was really emotionally connected to all the characters and yes, there was a lot of crying.
Essentially, this is so much more than a zombie movie. Yes, there are zombies and they freaked me out, but the story was so much more about human nature. There's a lot of social commentary about how the homeless is treated, about selfishness, about how easily distrust is sewn between one another...I felt a lot of references to Macbeth and Lord of the Flies when I was watching this — but with ten times the emotional impact.
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A slow burn
It took me a long time to get into this — I rarely watch historical dramas, much less something so heavy, so I had a lot of trouble with the character tree and not really understanding what the backstory was.About 25 episodes in, however, I really started to hit my stride. I was really interested in how the different plots would unfold, and especially in the tension between the main characters Mei Changsu and Jingyan as we gradually got a few identity reveals — none of them disappointed.
Overall, I ended up really enjoying this one and would probably enjoy it a little more had it not been for the ending, which I understand thematically but still feels tacked on. It always feels kind of underwhelming when a drama adds a mini plot after the main one is over. It feels unexplained and rushed, and I really will just…pretend it doesn’t exist, to be honest.
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A Painful Drag
I was really excited for this one and I know it had gotten huge but goddamn. This was insanely painful to watch.The main plot of the story is comprised of characters never communicating with each other, whether it's between family members or between the main leads. The family members don't treat each other with respect or talk through arguments — it's just yelling.
As for the romance, I've seen my fair share of nosy second leads but good god, the main leads just made it so EASY. The second leads barely had to do anything before the leads made assumptions, got jealous, and stopped talking to each other. Even after they got together, the relationship was comprised of keeping secrets or "not having the chance to tell each other" things until they found out through other means. It just all got really repetitive and was even more annoying because everything felt self-inflicted.
I also just hate the way they wrote the female characters in this drama — it was like the writers kept forcing their male characters to "take care" of them by making them immensely illogical and childish. Whether it was just being angry at the idea that two people in a relationship need their own space, or just trying to play hard-to-get to the point of messing with the other person's feelings, I just really despised how the women were portrayed. The main lead was really childish and overreactive, and the side characters were the same. TLDR: Nobody communicated. Ever.
Overall, this was an irritating watch and it took a long time for me to get through it — I know Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi are A-Listers but the chemistry was mediocre and the plot really dragged everything else down.
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Nuance and Cinematography
This is hands down the most nuanced and most fleshed out version of Hana Yori Dango (that I've watched), and for a drama that seems so chock full of cliches and out-of-the-blue plot developments and cliches, it felt like F4 Thailand was the most cohesive of them all too — I never once felt like things were underdeveloped or came out of nowhere. Side character arcs were all given their time and space.I really love how modernized this is in terms of all the tropes; HYD is basically a hodgepodge of all the tropes but F4 Thailand managed to pull them off without making them seem tired and annoying. The bullying, insecurity, economic class, familial pressure themes were kept really consistent throughout the entire show even as different characters come in and out.
I do think the vibe of the show was pretty modernized as well — older versions of HYD added a really dramatic layer to some of the scenes and I was glad that everything just felt a little more realistic (as realistic as HYD could be, at least). Gorya was a really likable protagonist who used her brain a lot and didn't rush into things without thinking. Thyme's character development was done really well. The downside, and I don't know if this has to do with the fact that I know the story, but it's that I never felt as though the stakes were very high.
I have to admit that HYD was never my favorite drama so there are some arcs that I wish weren't included but of course they were, and there were other arcs like Kavin/Kaning that I wish had gotten more time to be developed.
I also think that for the most part, the actors did a great job — but you could definitely tell who was experienced and who was a rookie; I felt as though I could feel Bright and Win's emotions with my entire soul, but when other characters were crying or breaking down, it sort of just felt like acting.
Overall, definitely the best version of HYD out there; I think a bigger HYD fan might enjoy it but I admit it was never one of my favorite stories anyways. Even then, I felt like cinematography throughout the entire show was beautiful and I really liked that there were even mini tropes that were gently subverted in small scenes. The OST is beautiful and these are pieces of artistry that anyone can enjoy.
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Thought-provoking and masterful storytelling
This is the type of movie that starts out quiet and funny, but spirals down into something more scary and dramatic, all without being jarring. The subtlety was one of Parasite's best traits, and it's why I couldn't stop thinking about the symbolism, the theories afterwards. I've found so many small hints that I missed while watching it and now it just blows my mind moreThe cinematography was beautiful. My favorite was the montage of the family carrying out their grand plan for the housekeeper, but throughout the movie you could tell that every scene was thought-out and its message about the distribution of wealth and elitism was depicted brilliantly in the cinematography alone.
Overall, Parasite was so cleverly made, and all the characters were very realistic, and the movie sets up people on both sides without vilifying anyone. The music was also edited in really well — when things were about to happen, the music got sinister and I felt nervousness. In the moment, though, there was nothing that really made me feel surprised. The epilogue and ambiguity of many plot points are things that you grow to appreciate, but it's a movie that you have to think about afterwards.
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Insightful but a little less charming
This series continues to be so creative with its portrayal of different emotions and thoughts, and I love how we get to see the importance of events that typically seem very minor or commonplace. Yumi's experiences are so relatable and I just really enjoy how down-to-earth this drama is.This season is, I think, a little less charming than the first. I think we see a little less of the cells of other characters, and the pacing is a little off. If I hadn't read the webtoon and didn't know what was coming, I feel like some plot points would feel a little rushed and half-baked to me.
Still, I really like the continuation of the series and how we got to see characters from season 1 grow and develop. Yumi herself grew a lot this season and it was great to follow. Looking forward to the next season!
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Brilliant characters and backstories, but confusing antagonists
I loved how character-focused this show was; though the multiple flashback-only episodes might seem long, I think these episodes actually turned out to be my favorite episodes in the entire show. All the parents have such interesting backstories and the romances add so much to their characters. With the characters so fleshed out, the relationship dynamics are all really strong, particularly the familial themes — in all three families.Where the show sort of hiccups for me is the actual action plot. It starts out very promising, with one antagonist leading the charge as they work their way through the super-powered people. As we get more information about the parents' backstories, however, the drama introduces more and more antagonists. There are more layers to the South Korean government, and then there's North Korea, and I feel like the main mission is never really clear. The antagonists get some last minute flashbacks and developments too, which I couldn't really bring myself to care for because it was just too late and the characters were too minor.
I commend this drama for pursuing a style and genre I don't think kdramas have ever ventured in before, but I wish the conflicts were a little more focused.
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Danger Zone Season 2: The Silver Lining
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Great, but not as great as S1
This was still really great and captivating — I couldn't wait to see how the mystery would turn out now that we were getting into who was behind the killer, and it definitely felt like the villains and the good guys were going head-to-head and you didn't know who would have the upper hand and where. There was a lot of great tension whenever they had to sneak into places or were trying to work undercover.I think the way the story plays out is just okay though; it doesn't quite feel as fleshed out, and there are reveals that I was looking forwards to that ended up being sort of underwhelming.
The best part of this season, however, is absolutely the trio of Ren Fei/Lian Yan Dong/Ji Si Qi. They hit this perfect balance of being in law enforcement and working outside of it, while giving off this "found family" feeling. I REALLY wish we got more of them, whether they were plotting or having an awkward meal together.
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The best short drama there is
For a short drama, this was amazing. I was impressed with the story, the production value, the OST…everything.One issue that has plagued a lot of cdramas is draggy pacing — it’s hard to manage when a show has 40 or even 50 episodes. Being so short absolutely worked in Provoke’s favor. Not a single minute was wasted, and it felt like the show trusted its audience enough to pick up on the story fast. It was simply really convincing.
The actors should also get their flowers for this. This chemistry between the main leads is very good throughout every single step of their relationship. The tension, relief, playful banter — it was all there. I really enjoyed seeing their dynamic develop, and the show really hit the sweet spot between making them stubborn and strong individuals and still having them communicate and respect each other.
The humor is really clever and well-timed, and the side characters all played their roles too. Ultimately this was great. It’s probably my new favorite short drama out there.
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