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I think younger me would've enjoyed this a tad bit more but honestly, I'm a little disappointed by the show. Yeah, the romance was cute and adorable. Yeah, the main lead is handsome and sweet and the soundtrack isn't too bad (even though towards the end of the show it was starting to get repetitive) but I just wanted more in terms of writing and story.The first couple of episodes weren't too bad but towards the middle was when things started to drag. The older I get, the more I realize that I definitely prefer a drama with some type of story going on either that or something entertaining. There was times where I felt bored and I had to keep pausing because nothing much was happening. The stalker plot was beyond pointless but I understand why it was incorporated into the show because without it, there's basically no plot.
I find the stalker plot pointless because we never get any backstory/reasoning on why the stalker is obsessed with Im Sol and Sun Jae. After a while the amount of things that the stalker was able to get away with was starting to get ridiculous and the way he ended up dying was so stupid and forgettable. Instead of a final confrontation with Im Sol and Sun Jae, he gets hit by a truck and dies. The resolution for that plot ended so horribly that it just made everything that happened in the drama seem pointless.
The supporting characters are also weak since the writing is mainly focused on the main couple. I like Im Sol's mother and grandmother. I did not care for the best friend/brother plot line and Sun Jae's dad was okay. I can't take the actor too serious since he still gives me nightmares due to his role on Strong Women (man his character was annoying but funny on that show). The romance is cute and the height difference made me swoon a bit but I just wish the story was stronger because once you get past the romance aspect of the show, there's not really much that you can discuss. It's not a bad show but with the hype it was getting, I was definitely expecting something much more stronger.
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Don't even get me started with the ex girlfriend and her doctor. I did like Henry but I didn't like the way Hee-Jin treated him at times. You can tell Hee-Jin is using him to get over Jin-Heon. Other than that, it's a funny show at times. The beginning episodes were more entertaining to me compared to the ending. This is probably going to be my last time watching this show.
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I feel kinda conflicted about this one. I did enjoy the show but unpopular opinion but I think the Korean version was a bit more satisfying for me even though that version did drag out towards the end. The romance was definitely hitting and the leads in this version had much more chemistry compared to the original one. I did like how this version wasn't copy and paste and did some things differently. I also like how this version didn't add unnecessary things/drama compared to the Kdrama but the revenge arc was written much more better in that version compared to this one. I mostly watch the show for the revenge aspect and that was literally the highlight of the kdrama for me. I wasn't a fan of how damsel in distress they wrote Misa as. After a while, I was literally screaming at her to fight back when it comes to her confrontations with Reina and Tomoya. If Wataru didn't save her every time she got into a confrontation with these two, she would literally be dead. I wish we saw her gain a bit more independence and be more confident and no offense, a little more ruthless. It seems like she was still afraid of these two even though she's actively conducting a revenge plan between the two. It got pretty annoying after a while because the confrontations that Ji-Won had with Su-Min was literally the best parts of the original show.
Because the show has only ten episodes, many of the secondary characters aren't really developed which isn't that big of a deal breaker to me but I do wish the revenge scenes felt more satisfying. Reina wasn't as insane as Su-Min but the actress did a great job displaying her instability especially towards the last few episodes. I almost felt bad for her when she died. (Almost). Tomoya was blah. The scenery was beautiful and the soundtrack was hit or miss (usually miss).
I mainly enjoyed this version due to the romance but I wanted more soapy drama and wanted Misa to at least give Reina a slap a couple of times. Sometimes it felt like she was still too nice. Overall, a decent adaptation but with less drama and more time building on the emotional connection between the leads.
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My first review of 2025! I never pictured myself watching a historical Cdrama since these type of shows tend to have a lot of episodes. But despite that, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this series. Even though it did started to drag a bit towards the ending of the show, I loved how fast paced and quick the plots were introduced and resolved. I love all the drama and scheming and I loved the female lead in this. Even though there's comments on her being a bit Mary Sue ish, I love how fierce and determined she was when it came to accomplishing her goals. It made the show much more enjoyable to watch because I don't think I will stick around this long if she was passive and crying every episode. The romance in this series don't really hit for me like I wanted it to. I originally wanted Yingluo with Fuheng but why did Fuheng gave up on her so easily?? I don't like Yingluo with the Emperor... I never got the vibe that Yingluo truly loved the Emperor and I still hold some resentment on the way he treated the original Empress.
Overall, the drama is what kept me hooked but I think the first half of the series was stronger. After the Empress died, the show was still good but I felt like certain plots were becoming too repetitive and I felt like every new girl character that was introduced was just there for the sake of hating on Yingluo. This is a show that I enjoyed quite a lot but I don't see myself rewatching the series. The episode count is a bit too much for me. Maybe in the future, I'll watch the short sequel series on Netflix. Maybe...
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The relationship between the two main leads was really special and even though I kinda shipped Jin-Joo more with Jang Ki-Young's character, I had no trouble buying into the chemistry and relationships troubles that Jin-Jo and Ban-Do had. It was heartwarming to see the love they had for their son though, It was adorable.
All the side characters were likable and I didn't mind their side stories. My favorite parts of the show were seeing Jin-Jo interacting with her mom. They are probably one of my favorite mother-daughter relationships in a K-Drama so far. The ending was bittersweet and I was really satisfied with it. In the future, I can see myself rewatching this again and again because it was that amazing!
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I'm finally done with this show. It took me a little longer to finish because life happened but I'm honestly disappointed with how the last episode wrapped up the show. It felt so rushed and confusing. I did enjoy the show for the most part but I think some of the writing choices really annoyed me at times. I know it's a cultural thing and all but I really couldn't stand the way most of the parents (mostly the moms) speak and treated their children in this show. I also didn't like how most of their actions are brushed off and forgiven without clear apologizes and development. Mingyue's mother annoyed the hell outta me throughout the series. I honestly don't blame the dad for divorcing her to be honest. Ling Xiao's mother also annoyed me at times. I know she was struggling mentally but she treats others so horribly and everyone just brushes it off. I was hoping the last few episodes, we can finally see a clear resolution to this plot but they just briefly mentioned PTSD and had her move back to Singapore with the daughter. Speaking of the daughter, I felt bad for Ling Xiao's sister. Her mom is horrible but she doesn't have anyone to turn to compared to her brother. The show did a really poor job wrapping this storyline up and everything just felt so unsatisfying.
Li Haichao was definitely my favorite character in the show. Such a sweet guy and awesome father/father figure. To be honest, I didn't care too much about Ling Heping. He was okay but I lowkey think he's a somewhat absent father to Ling Xiao. He never fully defends him from his mom and seems so distant. I don't know, that's just what I thought. Out of the kids, He Ziqiu was the strongest actor and had the best writing/story arc. I'm happy to see that his wish of having a true family finally came true even though I think the reason why his mom abandoned him for so long was also half assed. On paper, I thought I was going to like Ling Xiao better since his storyline had potential to be really interesting but I don't know if it was the writing or the acting but everything about him kinda felt meh after the second half of the series.
Speaking of meh, the romance was a disappointment. Li Jianjian and Li Haichao had no chemistry. All their romantic scenes looked awkward and it kept grossing me out that they kept referring to each other as brother and sister even after they started dating. I don't ship them together but Li Jianjian had better natural platonic chemistry with Ziqiu. The romance was not needed.
I just hated how they dragged out certain storylines and when things were finally getting interesting or reaching a turning point, they just rushed through an ending. I wanted to know if Tang Can and Zique's friend got together? I wanted to see Haichao have a honest conversation with his mom that ends with her holding herself accountable and apologizing. Yeah, we got that letter but a face to face convo would have been better. I also didn't like how they dropped Haichao's deceased younger sister once his mother remarried and had another baby. It's obvious that both he and his mom still have trouble with the death of his sister/her daughter but it just felt like they brushed things off.
Better writing would've made this show much more enjoyable for me because I did like most of the characters (except for most of the moms... man, the moms are horrible in this show) but I just don't think the show ended in a satisfying note. Maybe I'll watch the Kdrama version of this in the future (hopefully the two leads in that have romantic chemistry) but I wonder how they are going to fit a 40 episode show into just 16 episodes?
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It started off good and then I got bored. I feel like this show had potential but everything just felt so underdeveloped. I wished Rio had a bit more of a personality. After a while, she started to feel so bland and a little too damsel in distress. I also didn't felt the romance between her and Daiki. In fact Daiki lowkey had better chemistry with his police partner Kuwata. I still think Kuwata had a crush on him or something. This show had too many characters but because it's only ten episodes, a good chunk of them are underdeveloped. I'm not too surprised about the ending reveal but seeing that the victim was a rapist and his father was a rape apologist, I don't feel bad for their deaths. I do feel bad for the reporter though. The best parts of the show was Rio and her brother Yu's relationship. I love how loyal and caring they are towards one another. I also love Kase's protection of Rio and Yu. For a second I thought there was going to be a love triangle between Rio/Daiki/Kase but luckily none of that happened.
I wish the show had better writing because it could've been a lot more interesting than what it actually was.
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The screen time that the second lead couple got should have went towards Min-yeop, and Sun-ki. The second lead couple are so toxic together and I felt like the only reason that they are still with one another is because they are comfortable with each other. Everytime they were on screen, I resisted the urge to not fast forward because I didn't care about their storyline.
Eun Chan and Han-gyeol were so cute. The bickering, the cute moments, and the angsts were all well done and you just can't help but root for them as a couple. I didn't care much for the soundtrack of the series and there was a couple of scenes that made me laugh.
All in All, this is the first cross dressing drama I got to finish fully. I plan on watching "Your Beautiful" soon but the female lead and her lack of a personality in that series annoyed me with the couple of episodes I previously watched. That's why I liked Eun Chan. She's spunky, kind hearted, but also stands up for what's right. Now that I am getting older, I can't really deal with the mute female leads anymore.
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This is the first JDrama that I ever completed. I had to watch due to the high ratings and I enjoyed the show a lot but it was really sad. I know it wasn't going to be a happy show but I really did wish for some miracle happy ending. I do wish that the show had a bit more episodes that way relationships/friendships/plotlines could've been developed a bit more. Even though the story was about Aya coming to terms with her illness, I do wish they explored her siblings's reactions to her illness a tiny bit more. I thought they were going to expand more on the older's sister feelings in regards to Aya being more favorited but it seemed it got dropped which is understandably since the show only has 11 episodes. I do like how fast paced things were even though at times I felt like it was moving too quick. I do prefer a quick show than a show that's dragging on and on.
The actors did a great job displaying all the conflicting emotions that took place throughout the series (joy, anger, hurt, sadness, happy etc). I was deeply moved by the series but I'm most likely not going to rewatch again because it's too sad.
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The last half of the show started to drag a bit due to the pointless introduction of Oh Yura but other than that, this show kept me entertained.
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Even though this season wasn't the best, I was still sad to have finished the show.
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I'm sorry but the two male rival leads had more chemistry than any of the supposed couples. Every time, they would stare each other down, I wanted them to kiss lol... I like the story better in the first few episodes. After that, it became ridiculous and repetitive. But for the most part, I was entertained. None of the characters are particularly likable and after a while, the female lead annoyed the heck outta me with her indecisiveness and lack of pride. The soundtrack was repetitive but the music was catchy to me. The ending wasn't too much of a plot twist since I read spoilers but man what an ending. Overall, this had potential but the writing sucked and the story started to drag and drag.
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I thought this show would be good but it wasn't really enjoyable at all. The first episode seemed decent but after that, the show went to hell. I found 90% of the characters extremely annoying and I wanted to drop this drama so bad but I managed to finish it. Go Dok-Mi seemed to be interesting at first but in later episodes, she became so wimpy and annoying. I felt like she had no backbone and always seemed to cry alot. Enrique is cute but also really annoying but he's a good person, I liked the second lead at first but towards the middle of the drama, he became even worse than Enrique. I didn't care about the romance at all and didn't felt any chemistry at all between the leads.
At times, the show became really boring and nothing interesting was happening. The ending was meh and predictable but I didn't care because I was finally finished with the drama.
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The show can be quite cheesy at times but it's also very heartwarming and amazing. The cast did an amazing job with the acting and even though the music sometimes felt out of place in certain scenes, the music was catchy. My favorite characters were Jung In Jae (Jang Nara) and Go Nam Soon (Lee Jong Suk). I didn't really have a least favorite character but the bullies and the mean girls did get annoying after a while. Despite enjoying the show, the ending was a bit of a letdown. Overall, this show was great plus it introduced me to Jang Nara who is one of my favorite Korean actresses.
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