Kate

The drama had great highlights, but overall, majority of it seemed like a filler episode 😅

Also, thank you so much for telling me you read some of my other reviews, this is honestly a big compliment for folks like me who write these 🥰

Perfect ending would be honestly all the main youngsters leaving the town and going their separate ways 🙂

I was in love with episodes 1-6, fine with episode 7-10, and insulted and gaslit by episode 11-12 🤣

🔥 Kang Hui is such a well written female character. It was her solo show. Everyone else is just the background for her journey tbh. She was so complex, so flawed, so refreshing to watch.
🔥 Lee Se Young's performance was stellar. I can officially say I moved on from my dislike.
🔥 Hated Chun Pil as a character, but Choi Min Soo's portrayal of him was PERFECTION!
🔥 The whole drama is STUNNING!

👎🏻 Except from Kang Hui everyone seemed quite underdeveloped. Seok Gyeong is one of the most underused second male leads in the history of dramas, and dude had great potential.
👎🏻 That fucking ending just makes me angry. I was shocked scene after another. The fuck was going on 🤣
👎🏻 I just want to say... not every fucking character has to always end up in a relationship by the end of the show 🤡

For more in-depth ranting about the ending, you can check my review 🤡🤣
https://kisskh.at/profile/theKate/reviews/429558

I love when the drama write serious problem, and then by the end pretend the problems were not that serious and one talk can fix it all 🤡

and also thank you so much for your nice words 😭 It truly means a lot to me to know people enjoy muy reviews, especially even they actually disagree with the takes.

They tried to add a lot of variety of different elements to make it more interesting to a greater audience, and by the end of it all, they did not have time, or skill? to develop majority of plots and characters...

just local delulu analysis of new scenes from Ben and Sa Xin 🤡

I am so impressed and speechless with how well they craft Ben and Sa Xin scenes. They make it so fucking obvious there is a thing between them, but leave just enough deniability so it will pass the censorship.

When they were talking about commitment? FUCKING MASTERPIECE!

The way they were talking about how Ben cannot offer anything more than money to her. And Sa Xin confronts him that money is not what she wants, she wants commitment. To which Ben says that's one thing he cannot give, taking into consideration his situation.

And that's where the conversation shifts. Initially I still thought Sa Xin was talking from the perspective of Ben and Dr Pei:

"Is that so? You knew Dr. Pei wouldn't come, yet you still waited here alone until closing time."

But then...

"You knew joining the special force wouldn't pay well, and you could die at any time, yet you still stayed and became the captain. You never promised Rina to take care of me, yet every time we go on a mission, you shield me from danger, fearing that I might die before you. Tell me, what are all these?"

When did Ben decide to stay in the military? Why did it match exactly the time Rina died, and Sa Xin decided to join? The whole second part of that conversation was not about his commitment to Dr Pei, not even his commitment overall - it was specifically about his commitment to Sa Xin and keeping him safe 😭

His commitment to Dr. Pei is waiting for her for a few hours at the bar.
His commitment towards Sa Xin is literally being okay with dying to protect him.

The way this whole scene was presented from my delulu perspective:

Sa Xin waiting for Ben outside of the bar all these hours screams: wanting his crush to be happy, but also wanting to make sure he does not get hurt. The way he said he would leave if Dr. Pei showed up is basically saying - I can give you up for the person that will treat you better than I do. Another thing - him pointing out how Ben likes Dr. Pei because he waited for her in that bar, while he waited outside of that bar for Ben. Seems like he is admitting to something 🙂

Ben was honestly surprised by Sa Xin outside of the door. He told him he trusts him, but it seems like he now starts to feel like it’s not just him protecting Sa Xin, but also Sa Xin helping and protecting him. Sa Xin shows more of his mature sides, makes Ben confront his past and reflect on his current feelings. The way he called him out on “not being a man who is committed”, by pointing out all the ways he was committed to Sa Xin. I fucking cannot. Ben just gives me a strong: I have a crush on Dr. Pei, but I LOVE Sa Xin, but I also do not want to admit I love Sa Xin, so I'm fooling myself into getting more into Dr. Pei. But when I'm with the two of them, my eyes will tell you the truth.

LIKE SA XIN LITERALLY SAID THAT BEN IS A MAN WHO SAYS ONE THING BUT DOES THE OTHER. And the whole conversation pointed out how his actions are more true and reliable than his words. He keeps saying he likes Dr. Pei, but his eyes follow Sa Xin everywhere, even when he is with Dr. Pei.

He keeps teasing Sa Xin to see if Sa Xin cares. And when it seems like he does not anymore (like when he just left the bar right away when Ben told him Dr. Pei can help him back) he gets disappointed.

Exchange is cool, coz the whole exes in a dating show is a truly interesting bit.
https://kisskh.at/725901-transit-love-2
https://kisskh.at/745105-exchange-season-3
(have not seen season 1)

https://fr.mydramalist.com/710991-change-days-season-2 < this was less dating, since it was about couples who were together but were not sure they want to stay together. Kind of sad, a lot of frustration. But an interesting watch.

i felt no romance on her side, but I did on his 🙂

I mean last date of Sian and Jeong-su and the way he looked at her when she was sleeping - that was romance 😭 why she picked Jun-seo...

Lee Da Hee was so unfiltered with her emotional reactions this season I love her 🤣

someone different.

it;s hard to give equal time, when some people did not really form any pairs, seemed mah about everyone and it was not really working. It's not like I want to watch 2 people with zero chemistry chat about nothing coz "everyone should have screen time". But I think the issue was casting overall. I want more diversity, almost everyone here was one way or another already related to social media and media. I think that's why I like other dating shows more 🤣 Coz they have more "normal" people

I'm not saying going back is the correct choice, I'm just saying it makes perfect sense from his point of view and his current psychological situation.

Many people would go back. Once you see that suffer and you are also aware of the fact you do have the skills to help end it, the guilt of not doing it might be far stronger than the fear of going back. Especially for someone like ML, who to some extent has a savior complex, he cannot put himself and his needs above others. He cannot say no to people in need. It makes perfect sense for me why he wants to go back. Because he cannot live with the guilt of no doing so.

some thoughts on ep 23

I think I'm getting tired with how "realistic" this is.
Yes, the recovery from any psychological issue is a whole ass journey, but this is a show... it has to be presented in a way that reflects reality WHILE keeping the viewers engaged. But we are running in a fucking circles with little to no development.

Everyone is lying to everyone how well they are, and when the truth is out, they get annoyed they were lied to, when they are also the ones that go around lying and hiding the truth. How many times can they reflect on the same mistakes, and make them over and over again before I can get honestly annoyed? 🙂

The issue is not that they are not getting better, it's the fact they are not working together to get better, rather lying to each other. What the fuck was the point of the whole ass beautiful scene of them admitting they are not fine, when they are doing the same shit yet again. Another scene like that won't get me to tears, I will be rolling my eyes.

Also, not Zan about to call Song to talk to her FINALLY, but Ben be calling with: listen bitch, I'm not saying you have to, but you kind of have to get here coz shit ain't good 🙂 Also, the kid you care about? Dead.
Yeeessss... his PTSD filled brain needed just that 🤡

Now as a complete Ben and Sa Xin delulu fan, the way they are framing shit in episode 23 makes it seem like Ban called Zan to get him back to Eastern Country after he saw how broken Sa Xin became after Zero's death... like Sa Xin's pain was the reason 🤡

Also, the way he just took all that pain and anger and did not try to stop Sa Xin I'm like 🥹

Now back to serious, I have to give massive props to the show for being bold and not half assing how awful war is. The kids die in wars, and it's tragic... it's sad to know they were not able to see the better future. Fuck this shit 😭😭😭😭

Also, I do not think Zan will be able to move from his PTSD... I don't even think this drama can possibly have a happy ending. He is surrounded by constant reminders of what caused the trauma in the first place. And every new information he gets makes him feel more guilty and sad, more weak and incapable of getting better. Guilty for not feeling fine and not helping more. I saw in the previews for next episodes he will get back to Eastern Country and I'm honestly scared for him. Not only I do not think he is ready, I honestly do not think he could ever be ready...

Now to a bit of a criticism... it kind of starts to feel like a trauma porn... Like... no balance of anything. There are no ups and downs. It's just down, down.... and a bit more down until we are in a fucking hell of traumas and mental disorders and bad news and no happiness and no rays of hope. Especially on ML's part. FL at least can vent her sadness to him, and he just takes it all in, when he cannot even handle his own feelings, no to mention help others dealing with theirs. Dude is emotionally overworked and will shut down soon. And it's exhausting to watch.

I am sure you would have fun with this one hahahaha
It keeps surprising you 🤡

Well... majority of the plot can be understood without showing it on screen. We can understand how leads got over their psychological issues without showing it on the screen. Why even bother making the drama, we can just watch first and last episode and figure out what might have happened.

It's not like your explanation does not make sense it's the fact none of this was shown in the drama. It's not part of the show. It's a great theory of what probably happened, but it's by all means not part of the plot. I can imagine in my head all sort of scenarios for the supporting characters and built their development and depth in my head, it's still not part of the actual show. I should not have to add depth to the characters, they should have it based on the writing 🤣🤣

yeah but if you always put a mask, you do not just randomly one day decide to live your true self. Maybe with traumatic experience, but as I said, she "dropped the mask" before the traumatic experience. Whenever she was an egocentric ass, or she was just acting like one, why and how she changed or dropped the mask are both cases of character development that was skipped straight to the result. If they showed her actually observe Song a few time for few days and how she interacts with other. They met ONCE, and after some time they met second time in the orphanage and she acted like a different person. All that development work happened not on screen.

Stupid photographer changing one minute change of mind is fine because he was one scene character. You cannot writing wise treat random one time character the same as one of the supporting characters.