This drama started out slow, but after a few episodes, the story picked up and became more interesting as it went. I like the juxtaposition of characters and I’ve seen both leads in other works and they’ve already proven their acting prowess there, especially when I have viewed four of Zhang Ling He’s works before I watched this one. So I knew what I was expecting. Who surprised me though is Ryan Cheng. I didn’t realize he was also the main in “A Familiar Stranger,” but maybe it’s because his character there wasn’t as flushed out as Gong Shang Jue’s.
The characters in this drama are multi-dimensional, that they are not necessarily “all good” or “all evil.” Despite what has been portrayed, most of them have the freedom of choice, whether to follow along the path that was created for them, or carve out one for themselves. This is why I admire Yun Wei Shan’s character and Yu Shu Xin’s portrayal of a skilled assassin. She cleverly integrated herself into the Gong family and made her own judgment, not solely relying on what had been fed to her, while also following the edicts of her organization.
Gong Zi Yu, for his part, turned from a playboy to a love-struck fool, from a supposedly incompetent “spare” to become the new Sword Wielder. Throughout his journey through the trials, Gong Zi Yu has proven himself to be more than a sitting duck everyone assumes him to be. His ingeniousness, coupled with his compassion for the people, made him a formidable leader.
I find myself second-guessing the true nature of the characters, which is rare for me as I have usually found them predictable in other shows. Even I find the pairing of Gong Zi Shang (Zi Yu’s sister) and Jin Fan (Zi Yu’s guard) hilarious. Perhaps the only person I truly detested here is Shangguan Qian. I really have no tolerance for her type of character, through no fault of the actress.
As for other aspects, the production, cinematography and the costumes were breathtaking. Likewise, the plot here is also intricate and engaging. Everything here in this drama is smoke and mirrors, and it is up to these characters to decipher the truth from all of it.
I nearly dropped this drama after watching one episode. In the beginning, the antics, though funny, seemed forced.…
As time goes by, the two slowly form an unlikely bond. We see both Hwi Oh and Min Kyung grow fond of each other and become accepting of the other’s quirks..We see them relying on each other during difficulties, and how they care for each other despite struggling with their own issues. Hwi Oh’s pursuit of justice sometimes lands him in precarious positions, as he did not have authority to conduct investigations because of his suspension.
On the other hand, Min Kyung had to deal with her POS ex and his manipulative mother. The deliberate sabotage of Min Kyung’s already fragile reputation, led Min Kyung to be shunned by the condo community. And here we see how endearing Hwi Oh is, by standing on her side despite the lack of proof to the contrary. However, even this wasn’t enough for Min Kyung who questions every motive of Hwi Oh going close to her. The previous trauma that she endured, made Min Kyung unable to trust anybody, even herself. Not wanting to seek help or seem weak, Min Kyung tries to tackle everything by herself, even if it’s to her own detriment. Meanwhile, Hwi Oh tries his best to be there for Min Kyung, becoming her protector and guardian.
But the story is more than the developing relationship between these two main leads. We have to appreciate the secondary characters, acted out by an amazing cast. They exist in the drama not merely to support the plot to its fruition, but they each have a role in asserting how society can stigmatize people with mental illness. The show also highlights the importance of not jumping to conclusions, especially when you don’t know the entire story. There are always two sides to a coin, and it may be worth your while to fully understand what’s going on before making hasty judgments.
I nearly dropped this drama after watching one episode. In the beginning, the antics, though funny, seemed forced. The main characters were not only stubborn, but clueless about each other’s plight, often making assumptions they were out to get each other. I almost gave up if it were not for Jung Woo and Oh Yeon Seo’s performance. Their pairing may not be your typical drama couple, but they brought out their A game in this show.
Jung Woo stars as Hwi Oh, a cop who could not control his temper. Despite his good intentions, Hwi Oh believes his outbursts are justified, considering what happened to his colleague. Meanwhile, Yeon Seo stars as Min Kyung, a woman who’s constantly paranoid and keeps looking over her shoulder. She thinks that everyone she encounters will hurt her, therefore she hardly ventures out unless absolutely necessary. She assumes Hwi Oh to be a relentless stalker, as he appears everywhere she is, not realizing he’s her neighbor. After realizing her mistake, Min Kyung lowers her guard after finding out that Hwi Oh was a police detective, currently unemployed because of his suspension from the force.
The rest of this post continues in the spoiler below:
It started out interesting until it wasn’t. Let’s start with the simple part and discuss the second couple, where Murao persistently followed Tanaka Yoichi despite his rejection, not because she was unattractive, but because she was a teenager. Despite being warned about the consequences of being involved with an adult and a faculty member at her school, she did not seem deterred. I really have no patience for people who are only concerned about their own feelings, despite bringing other people into trouble and not thinking about the consequences of their actions. That being said, I mostly overlooked the parts with those two.
Now on to the leads. The premise of their meet-cute was interesting, seeking refuge in a desolate corner from the rain (of course!) Then their friendship blossomed because of their quirkiness and commonality. And it all changed when Tanaka transferred to another school. Upon his return, Tanaka-now-Mabuchi becomes less carefree, and more aloof, even towards Futaba whom he liked back then.
We later learned that Kou had a hard time dealing with his mother’s passing, hence his dreary and detached attitude, which was perfectly understandable. But that doesn’t mean he can take out all his frustrations and dump them on his friends. I can understand how grief can change people’s personalities, and the first time he abruptly left Futaba without saying a word, was undesirable but reasonable. However, for a guy to keep doing this time and time again to a girl whom he supposedly likes, would not fly with me.
I used to root for Kou and Futaba to be together, but Yoshioka deserves better. Kou keeps ditching her and giving all these excuses, then becomes angry when someone else becomes interested in her. He’s just treating her like a toy, losing interest in playing with her until another child enjoys it. He even admitted to his friend, that even if he likes Futaba, he has no intention of dating her. Then he brushes off the accidental kiss as if it’s no big deal and gets upset when she ignores him as he did to her?????
Towards the end of the first series, I was no longer invested in their story and wished for Futaba to be with Kiuchi instead. At least Kiuchi is consistent, and transparent with his feelings. If Kou cannot prioritize Futaba, then she’s not that important to him. He could have sent a simple text, saying he will be late or that even if he can go to the festival, he needs to be somewhere else later. Anything really to give Futaba at least the time of the day as she had provided him. But no, he ghosts her and is more concerned about his classmate just because they shared the same pain of losing someone close to them.
If Futaba insists to be with Kou, what next? On the day of their wedding, something comes up again that he’s unable to attend? But hey, if that’s the kind of guy she prefers, then she better be prepared for the consequences and don’t come crying. I’m so pissed to even watch the second season. It’s not worth it to keep my blood boiling.
@bia for someone who don't like the premise of the story, you sure do exert alot of effort voicing your opinion. Are you trying to convince people not to watch, or yourself not to like it? It's like those people who find pornography disgusting, they click on more of those videos just to leave comments. Like a moth to a flame.
I actually think they are doing a terrible job at the way they portray Kou compared to the manga. They took out…
I agree that people should rate a drama based on its own adaptation, rather on what was omitted or added in the drama based on the source material or other adaptations. Although it is also natural for those who watched other adaptations or read the source material to make comparisons between each other. For me, I always treat each work as a standalone and review it on its own merits or faults.
2 
The characters in this drama are multi-dimensional, that they are not necessarily “all good” or “all evil.” Despite what has been portrayed, most of them have the freedom of choice, whether to follow along the path that was created for them, or carve out one for themselves. This is why I admire Yun Wei Shan’s character and Yu Shu Xin’s portrayal of a skilled assassin. She cleverly integrated herself into the Gong family and made her own judgment, not solely relying on what had been fed to her, while also following the edicts of her organization.
Gong Zi Yu, for his part, turned from a playboy to a love-struck fool, from a supposedly incompetent “spare” to become the new Sword Wielder. Throughout his journey through the trials, Gong Zi Yu has proven himself to be more than a sitting duck everyone assumes him to be. His ingeniousness, coupled with his compassion for the people, made him a formidable leader.
I find myself second-guessing the true nature of the characters, which is rare for me as I have usually found them predictable in other shows. Even I find the pairing of Gong Zi Shang (Zi Yu’s sister) and Jin Fan (Zi Yu’s guard) hilarious. Perhaps the only person I truly detested here is Shangguan Qian. I really have no tolerance for her type of character, through no fault of the actress.
As for other aspects, the production, cinematography and the costumes were breathtaking. Likewise, the plot here is also intricate and engaging. Everything here in this drama is smoke and mirrors, and it is up to these characters to decipher the truth from all of it.
On the other hand, Min Kyung had to deal with her POS ex and his manipulative mother. The deliberate sabotage of Min Kyung’s already fragile reputation, led Min Kyung to be shunned by the condo community. And here we see how endearing Hwi Oh is, by standing on her side despite the lack of proof to the contrary. However, even this wasn’t enough for Min Kyung who questions every motive of Hwi Oh going close to her. The previous trauma that she endured, made Min Kyung unable to trust anybody, even herself. Not wanting to seek help or seem weak, Min Kyung tries to tackle everything by herself, even if it’s to her own detriment. Meanwhile, Hwi Oh tries his best to be there for Min Kyung, becoming her protector and guardian.
But the story is more than the developing relationship between these two main leads. We have to appreciate the secondary characters, acted out by an amazing cast. They exist in the drama not merely to support the plot to its fruition, but they each have a role in asserting how society can stigmatize people with mental illness. The show also highlights the importance of not jumping to conclusions, especially when you don’t know the entire story. There are always two sides to a coin, and it may be worth your while to fully understand what’s going on before making hasty judgments.
Jung Woo stars as Hwi Oh, a cop who could not control his temper. Despite his good intentions, Hwi Oh believes his outbursts are justified, considering what happened to his colleague. Meanwhile, Yeon Seo stars as Min Kyung, a woman who’s constantly paranoid and keeps looking over her shoulder. She thinks that everyone she encounters will hurt her, therefore she hardly ventures out unless absolutely necessary. She assumes Hwi Oh to be a relentless stalker, as he appears everywhere she is, not realizing he’s her neighbor. After realizing her mistake, Min Kyung lowers her guard after finding out that Hwi Oh was a police detective, currently unemployed because of his suspension from the force.
The rest of this post continues in the spoiler below:
Now on to the leads. The premise of their meet-cute was interesting, seeking refuge in a desolate corner from the rain (of course!) Then their friendship blossomed because of their quirkiness and commonality. And it all changed when Tanaka transferred to another school. Upon his return, Tanaka-now-Mabuchi becomes less carefree, and more aloof, even towards Futaba whom he liked back then.
We later learned that Kou had a hard time dealing with his mother’s passing, hence his dreary and detached attitude, which was perfectly understandable. But that doesn’t mean he can take out all his frustrations and dump them on his friends. I can understand how grief can change people’s personalities, and the first time he abruptly left Futaba without saying a word, was undesirable but reasonable. However, for a guy to keep doing this time and time again to a girl whom he supposedly likes, would not fly with me.
I used to root for Kou and Futaba to be together, but Yoshioka deserves better. Kou keeps ditching her and giving all these excuses, then becomes angry when someone else becomes interested in her. He’s just treating her like a toy, losing interest in playing with her until another child enjoys it. He even admitted to his friend, that even if he likes Futaba, he has no intention of dating her. Then he brushes off the accidental kiss as if it’s no big deal and gets upset when she ignores him as he did to her?????
Towards the end of the first series, I was no longer invested in their story and wished for Futaba to be with Kiuchi instead. At least Kiuchi is consistent, and transparent with his feelings. If Kou cannot prioritize Futaba, then she’s not that important to him. He could have sent a simple text, saying he will be late or that even if he can go to the festival, he needs to be somewhere else later. Anything really to give Futaba at least the time of the day as she had provided him. But no, he ghosts her and is more concerned about his classmate just because they shared the same pain of losing someone close to them.
If Futaba insists to be with Kou, what next? On the day of their wedding, something comes up again that he’s unable to attend? But hey, if that’s the kind of guy she prefers, then she better be prepared for the consequences and don’t come crying. I’m so pissed to even watch the second season. It’s not worth it to keep my blood boiling.