Kate

To quote the drama itself: Ridiculous, huh?

I did enjoy the show a lot for most of it, but the lack of cohesiveness in terms of themes and tone made what could have been an amazing drama, into just a decent one.

Here’s the thing - most of the show did not have one big plot that puts it all together. It felt like a borderline investigation slice of life - and I enjoyed it, but mostly because of the leads. I loved how Jiu Xuan Ye was not this powerful, cold male lead that changes thanks to love. I appreciated how Duan Ban Xia was not this badass lady warrior with no fears. They were both well written characters with great chemistry that felt more like a cosy fireplace than hell fires. Even the supporting characters were enjoyable, not following the typical copy paste filler roles.

Honestly - Ban Xia was perfect. She was so real with her reactions, the effect her traumas had on her, with how her character developed and progressed. One of my favorite female leads so far from the dramas I have seen in 2025. She was both adorable and vulnerable, but also brave. She was not fearless, but she was willing to act despite her fears.

But then the characters are kind of all the show had to offer for me. I know many people loved the demon stories, but for me they tried to both keep them eerie and dark, but also many scenes felt more whimsical and fairytale-like. On paper they worked, emotionally they felt shallow. The tone was neither this nor that and it made me disconnect from the story.

And that leads me to the biggest disappointment - the ending. I’m not even saying the ending was bad because it was bitter sweet. It was just an ending to a completely different drama than I was watching the whole time. While I agree that the theme of sacrifice was present throughout most of the cases, it was always related to sacrificing yourself for the person you love or cherish. So if the drama ended around episode 34-35 with Jiu Xuan Ye using the sword to set it all back to how it was before they met to save Ban Xia - I would be far more okay with it. It would make sense in the context of the show.

But then the last two episodes happened. Why is Jiu Xuan Ye’s conclusion about him saving the demon realm? This was never part of his arc until the last second twist. Why is Ban Xia’s conclusion letting Jiu Xuan leave? When her whole arc was about fighting to be with him - her choosing to stay with him no matter what was her gaining the agency for herself. Because no matter what happened and what everyone said - it was her decision. And now she is like: well, I guess that would be a goodbye.

I just simply do not feel satisfied with the ending, because it does not make much sense for him with how the characters were throughout the episodes. I don’t even want to talk about the fake cheap deaths - that’s another story. The last few episodes are a typical case of ending leaving a bad taste in my mouth, even though most of the meal was great. Sadly, the last bite is what we often remember the most.

No matter how many complaints I might have about the conclusion, I have to compliment the acting. Song Zu Er - she knows how to cry! The angst she delivered was pure perfection. At the same time the bubbly happy moments were also delivered in a way they were charming and fun to watch.

We all know Ren Jia Lun is great. I do think he might need to move away from romance though. My man is 36 years old and still delivered some of the worst kissing scenes.

Overall, somehow disappointed. I wish they would keep the lighter tone till the end. I loved how normal the supernatural plot felt, but then by the end they tried to turn it into something bigger and more grand than they were setting up.

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Win and Bright had an amazing and natural chemistry since day one, but sadly not till the end. The slow pace, but extremely cute interactions we’ve got to see from the first episode were more than I could ask for if only they followed with a more cohesive take on their relationship.

Sarawat, for the good majority of the show, was for me one of my favorite BL characters out there. The “I don’t care, could not be bothered by others” attitude he had in the beginning episodes was so amazing and refreshing and when you pair it with how much of a cute, shy and romantically awkward, but clingy potato he is, I can die happy. Straightforward, but not in a rude way, we stan. But then something happened in episode 12 - that thing is called lazy writing. There is nothing worse than giving your character 180 just to create artificial drama and unnecessary conflict.

Tine was just a clueless bunny. Seeing how this was Win’s first role, I must say he has done an extremely good job portraying all the emotions his character was feeling. The new actors often either underact or overact, but I see some nice balance from him.

Since Tine was quite not aware of anything that was truly happening around him, it created many funny scenes that were natural and did not feel like a cheap comedy. Truth to be told, Tine was probably the best written character in the whole show.

The whole supporting cast did an amazing job, creating a nice atmosphere and many memorable comedic moments. The interactions between Tine and Sarawat’s friend felt organic and were enjoyable to watch.

What surprised me the most was the fact that I actually cared for the side couple and did not feel like skipping their scenes at all. Man and Type had nice dynamics and I truly loved Sarawat’s brother Phukong - cheeky little thing.

The plot is simple yet told in such an endearing way I just smiled watching each and every episode. Few small twists here and there kept the story more interesting and exciting. If we exclude the mess episodes 12 and 13 were, it's quite a nice, slower paced sweet romance. The chemistry between Tine and Wat was better in the first, than second half though. I put the blame here on writing and directing. Why? What happened?

I was just confused what Tine and Wat’s relationship exactly is and what they are comfortable with. I have no problem with shows being more on a romantic “PG13” side with one kiss happening as a finale, sealing the deal. I never expected TT or WRU type of content in this. But then why did things keep being hinted at and then scenes cut without proper closure? Why was Tine shy about the smallest romantic skinship, but at the same time be fine with more explicit things (that were hinted at, but never shown)? They felt like best bros, a couple that just started dating and a couple that has lived together for a few years at the same time… When a couple high fives instead of giving each other a kiss. I was lost at some point.

I have to talk about the production quality, because it was truly amazing… to a certain point. The set designs were perfect and the rooms of the character well represented who they are. Technical aspects like lighting or camera work were also good. Too bad I can’t say the same thing about editing. There were some pacing problems here and there that made me and some other viewers confused about the time progression. Some romantic scenes were cut in such weird places, it felt like they were trying to censor stuff. While I know it was not the case, it gave me that impression.

Any random complaints? First kiss from Sarawat and Win. Damn I felt like Bright didn’t quite want to commit.
The ever-changing hair of Bright too.

Overall, it’s a cute fluff story that failed when trying to do something else in the last few episodes. It started as 10/10 for me, but as the quality of writing and editing dropped, so did my rating.

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When the jokes land but the feelings don’t.

How Dare You was so high on the entertainment value side, it kind of lost me on the emotional impact it could have potentially have. The comedy was easily the highlight of the whole drama, they did pretty good job with the romance (be warned, it is rather slow burn in terms of developing feelings and figuring them out), but with how much the characters had to go through it felt somehow emotionally empty.

Out of the two leads, I do believe Wang Cui Hua’s story was better written and delivered, mostly because it was far more simple, less impactful and with that, blended better into the overall silliness of the tone. Not to say the whole drama was completely emotionally flat, because that’s not true. One of the aspects I loved about it was the internal conflict the female lead had between knowing she is in a fictional world and nothing is real, and feeling emotionally connected and caring for the characters she interacted with, since they did feel real to her. I appreciated how we slowly witnessed the shift in her thinking and how far she is willing to go and use “people” around her, the longer she stayed in that story.

With that, I feel like overall the women were treated better here in terms of writing and development. Xie Yong Er became my favorite character of them all. The best character development and surprisingly consistent writing (with one “small” hiccup). Not gonna lie, there were moments when I wished she was the lead and her story was the center of it all. Maybe because her stakes felt higher than Wang Cui Hua and her plotline had more ups and downs, I was more invested.

As for male lead - his set up would fit better into a show without the “comedy” genre. It was way too traumatic and tragic for the “entertaining idiocy” here, it actually made me feel uncomfortable a few times. Mostly because many things that were extremely serious were shown as a background drop never to be fully addressed nor explored. Maybe I’m just a watcher that focuses and connects to characters too much, sometimes it overshadows the plot for me, but the constant sadness behind his eyes and the lack of proper elaboration on the source of it took away from the fun and comedy that the drama centered around. Still, this is for sure the best role I have seen Cheng Lei in - sad, tragic, silly, fun, sexy, domineering, soft, caring, unhinged, the role truly expected him to deliver everything, and everything he delivered.

Then we have the menace in two personas - Xiahou Bo and Empress Dowager aka probably the weakest part of the writing. Did they feel like a threat? Not really. Rather than being scared for the leads life and well-being, I felt more annoyed with the background shenanigans. At least Mommy Dearest was consistently stupid, but Xiahou Bo was turning his brain on and off whenever the plot needed it.

What was good though, was the supporting cast. The small support system the leads had gave a good feeling of found family trope. While I did not find the stakes concerning leads high, the supporting cast for sure gave me more anxiety about their well-being.

Plot wise, big props for making me question everything in terms of “who is whom, how much they know, and what reality are they from”. It was well crafted confusion and I appreciate that.

Sadly, I struggle with deciding how much of a silliness and illogical things and lack of explanation, convenient twists I can excuse by the plot happening in the trash cheap poorly written novel (as stated by the leads themselves). This seems a bit too much like a cope for me. “This smart character acted dumb this one time, because the writer of the original novel is dumb” is not exactly an excuse I can just accept and move on.

The music was great, but sometimes the placement was questionable. Why are we getting badass fight music during sad and emotional scenes?

Production was great, though for once I wish it was more simple especially in the make up department. Wang Chu Ran’s face was whiter than my white walls.

Overall, it was a fun watch, but I just wish it was more emotionally impactful.
And that ending was awfully crafted.

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Exploring happiness through hardships.

When the Weather Is Fine is definitely a well crafted piece of cinematic art, but it’s not made for everyone. I don’t mean it in a snobbish, elitist way, it’s just really clear in what it wants to be, and it does not try to cater to all the viewers - you either take it or leave it, both decisions being equally valid.

It’s an extremely slow paced character driven drama that is much darker than it might initially seem. Hardly any of the characters presented does not face serious problems and issues they have to overcome. It does present a few side stories tho, that can brighten the mood, making sure we won’t get depressed after finishing each episode.

The journey we take while the stories unfold might be sad and frustrating, since many of the characters are rather shielded, slowly learning how to open themselves to the possibility of happiness. It’s not a drama to watch for escapism.

Being perfectly honest, till the last episode, I did not find Hae Won to be a likeable person. She points out everyone's flaws, while not taking a step back to see things from other people's perspective herself. The fact she was so flawed, was exactly why I enjoyed the show so much. Each character presented a completely different perspective on life and relationships - each being right and wrong at the same time, depending on the perspective taken by the viewer.

When the Weather Is Fine is an aesthetic feast. All the shots capture that melancholic and slightly removed from reality feeling - making Bookhyun Village feel like its own world, separate from the fast paced reality we live in. The soundtrack added to that sentimental feeling, making a truly cohesive picture.

That said, it’s not a perfect show. The number of flashbacks was surprising, especially since the majority of them were copy-pasted the same, not presenting alternative perspectives or adding to previously presented events. Another aspect that bothered me was the sharp change of mood between scenes - we went from tragedy to teen slice of life comedy in a matter of seconds. In the end, for some scenes, I was neither able to explore the sadness, nor enjoy the silly happiness of what’s presented - it just clashed too much.

Acting wise, almost flawless. I am not sure if I completely bought Park Min Young’s portrayal of Hae Won. Logically speaking her story was full of sadness, yet I could not feel it on many occasions. I knew it was tragic, but I did not feel it.

Overall, I would recommend it to people who like slow paced, character driven shows. If you prefer fast paced plot driven dramas with many unexpected plot twists and thrilling feeling, you will most likely not enjoy it that much. It’s a bittersweet story that allows us to peek into the lives of the characters, without presenting a sharp beginning nor the end.

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Interesting story with poorly written characters

This had some good potential. Even though, technically speaking, it deals with the same old story of corruption in politics, adding the Agency for National Security Planning and (basically) deserted agent made it a bit fresh.

Sadly, the writers were incapable of writing intelligent main characters and villains. At the end, it was not about who outsmarts whom, but who will make more dumb mistakes. There were no winners, rather - bigger losers.

Han Jung Hyun was probably one of the least consistent characters in the history of dramas. Presented as outstanding agent in the past, the future version of him made too many dumb mistakes for me to ever take him seriously. At some point I assumed that the Agency for National Security Planning only teaches and cares about fighting skills, because he barely ever used his brain.

Then we have Im Hyeong Rak, another case of random nerve impulses - turning on and off his brain depending on what the plot needs. Mastermind that was able to cover up all his evil deeds for years… and yet, he cannot predict the most predictable decisions Jung Hyun makes. He overlooks the most obvious course of action. True disappointment.

That said, not all the characters were as bad. Choi Yeon Soo, even if boringly good, was fierce and smart, trying to work, limited by the rules set by corrupted people, to uncover the corruption. Then we have Do Young Geol, who was my favorite character - one of the most entertaining to watch. I wished the writers and director gave a little bit more attention and depth to his slowly growing internal conflict. Big props to the younger cast playing Jung Hyun’s kids - solid performance.

The plot itself could be better. It feels like there weren’t enough hints or clues leading to a “plot twist” to make it interesting, the bad guys were bad, the good guys were good. The guys that were at first good, without solid reasoning turned bad… and I was just sitting in front of my laptop questioning everyone’s motives. There was not enough payoff from any of the plot lines.

Overall, I think the burning frustration I felt while watching was the most entertaining part. The drama could be renamed “Why y’all like that?”. When all the involved parties became aware of each other, and you would have thought the cat and mouse chase would start… The drama ended. The last episode? Anticlimactic would be an understatement.

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One word to describe this show: wholesome.

It was just an easy, fast watch. Distressed me completely, but at the same time, each and every episode got me hyped and excited. I was on the edge of my seat more often than not, even though I know nothing about esports. I'm not a gamer and yet this drama got me focused on all the scenes and I was never bored with the technical talk and in-game fighting scenes.

Best part of the show? The characters. I truly cannot express how much I liked each and every one of them (except Jia Shi's Team Manager, he can go). Ye Xiu is a dream male lead: mature, kind, driven, honest, hard working. Usually, this level of perfection drives me mad, but here I was just appreciating his existence. It would be hard to comment on every character, as the cast is truly massive, but one thing I can say is: with how unique and likable they all were, I'm sure everyone would find someone to relate to, appreciate and root for. Characters that caught my attention the most were Su Mu Cheng (loyal friend, but also a professional player), Huang Shao Tian (the talkative ray of sunshine), Yu Wen Zhou (the warm, supportive and understanding captain) and Wei Chen (the trickster that stole my heart).

That said, even though I loved the cast and the characters, there were some things that bothered me. One was Chen Guo and the fact, at some point, her constant mistakes made it hard for me to like her (even though by the end of the show I could clearly see how she fits into the picture perfectly). Another was a last minute redemption arc for one of the supporting characters. There was no character development done on screen to validate that.

Some people might feel overwhelmed by the number of characters showing up. I'm not lying when I say new faces were introduced every other episode almost till the end of the show. Everyone often wearing the teams' uniforms helps to distinguish who comes from where, but it still might be a bit too much for people who struggle with large casts.

The plot is simple: a path to glory. We follow Yu Xiu rebuilding his gaming character as he creates his own team and tries to fight his way back to the top of gaming league. While there is little to no development done on the male lead (he truly does not need it), he plays a crucial role in slow changes and the development of his team members. It was amazingly pleasing to watch them learn how to be a team, work together and support each other both in and outside of the game.

What's more to love? I have to applaud the effects in the drama. The game looks amazing. Not being a gamer, I would still love to play it. Even though it was not exactly realistic (the angles shown on the monitors would actually make it harder to play the game and the range of actions the characters could do was also "over the top"), it gave an amazing fantasy cinematic feel. If you ask me, I would love to watch a whole animated show about these game characters and their adventures.

I loved it so much, why not 10/10 rating then?
I had exactly 2 problems with this show. First was the ending. I know for a fact that the majority of people loved it and for those that will watch the show: will love it. Sadly, I am not one of them. It's hard to explain my reasoning, but the twist at the end, even though it made the drama even more wholesome and feel-good, stripped the show from a bit of the additional depth that the "original" ending brought.

Another aspect that made me lower the rating were episodes 32 to 35. I have no idea what happened. I know that the show needed some kind of breaking point and shift in dynamics, but the way they went about it just felt wrong. We saw the characters and their amazing development, just to see them back to their old selves for the duration of these episodes.

Overall, the show is great. The 40 episodes felt way too short, and I would love to see 40 more. I cannot wait for season two, hoping they will keep at least the majority if not all the original cast. The pacing was perfect, as I was focused the whole time I was watching, never feeling bored. The whole gaming industry in The King's Avatar felt like squad goals that I just wished to be a part of.

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One choice can define your future.

Lies, lack of accountability, denial, regret, shifting of blame, playing victim - the complexity of human experience, the cognitive biases we have that help us survive and deal with problematic aspects of our past, present and future. Rules for thee not for me.

While watching this drama it felt like the layers had more layers, the plot twists were just set up for more plot twists and I never knew what to expect in the best way possible. The thrilling aspects were accompanied by the presentation of flaws we all have to some extent, but would never admit to it.

With only 10 episodes and as many as 8 main characters, I do believe the writers and director managed to present a complex, detailed story with clear focus and ideas they wanted to showcase. It does not feel like a minute of a screen time was misused or wasted.

The acting, dare I say the best role from Jing Bo Ran? Yes. It felt like he was managing to do the job of 10 actors alone. He carried the show on his back. I do not want to take away from the hard work and clear talent of the other cast members, but it was truly Fei Ke’s story.

The production was great. I appreciate that the visual aspect was not neglected, which sometimes happens with more thriller and mystery shows. If I had to have any complaints, I;d say there were moments in the last episode so dark I truly barely saw anything on screen.

Overall, it’s hard to review the drama and show how great it is without giving any spoilers, but it is a show that is best watched knowing little to nothing about the plot. It’s a true pure mystery thriller with well timed plot twists, morally grey characters and a proper closure.

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I don't know man.

I wasn't really feeling the movie at the beginning. Everything seemed confusing, especially the relationship between the main characters. But that was more or less my fault, I wasn't paying that much attention.

The movie kind of plays in front of you, nothing happens, but you are still watching. The plot is the relationship... but not like in rom-coms when there are lots of things happening around the main couple. Here... almost nothing happens. And yet you keep watching.

I don't know what to tell you. It's literally a portrayal of the different stages of a relationship between two normal people. It's life. The characters make you frustrated, confused, and happy. Then the ending and post credit scenes make you cry an ocean of tears. Good stuff.

Weirdly enough... I kind of want to rewatch it…

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What an amazingly unproblematic drama with a great cast of characters. The good guys are good, the bad guys are evil, there are no unnecessary love triangles and cat fights between female characters. We've got a blooming romance with great pacing and interesting side stories. What more could one ask for?

Big appreciation to the main cast, who did an amazing job portraying their characters and all the internal and external struggles they were facing. Thanks to their hard work I, as a viewer, found it easy to connect to them and get deeply involved in the story presented. I'm a big fan of Zheng Qiu Hong and Johnny Bai and they did not disappoint in this project with their duality and variety of acting.

Both Bai Qi and Lin Xia are well written characters with smarts and wits, who are willing to fight the bad guys and make sure people they care about are safe. They show great passion throughout many brave acts, and you cannot do anything else but just root for them.

While the romance had great pacing, the overall story felt off at times. There were episodes where a lot happened, and some that felt a bit empty. While I know that showing these daily scenes was also important to develop characters and their relationship, having them more evenly spread throughout the episodes would be better.

The drama was filled with nice side stories, with Shen Zui being the ones that will stick with me forever. I wished we could see a full drama just focused on his character. If you watch the drama, you will know why.

I've got to experience happiness, sadness, anger and many different emotions while watching Fairyland Lovers. It leaves a hopeful message with both main and side stories. The love story was truly moving and made me cry more than once, though I overall do cry quite easily while watching dramas ;)

Overall, I'd say it's an awesome watch for anyone who wants to see some fantasy romance with a brave and strong female lead and caring and smart male lead, surrounded by a diverse cast of supporting characters that you end up loving.

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Hyun Bin as a con artist… could I have asked for more? I cannot lie, I had problems focusing while watching some scenes, simply because Hyun Bin looked too stunning.

Truth to be told, I am a big fan of con movies and because of that, it's not that hard to please me, I'll buy everything. That said, I believe there are more or less three types of con movies:
~ "complex con story that just clicks by the end and makes everything clear"
~ "complex and unrealistic con story that is just a pure entertainment"
~ bad con movies
This movie fits perfectly into the first category. The moment you think you understand what is going on and what are the motivations behind all the characters, it twists it all... many times. It also has my favorite element: con artists conning other con artists. This allows me to not feel guilt towards whoever gets screwed and just enjoy the ride.

The movie had my blood boiling a few times, got me to laugh at times; overall, definitely evoked some emotional reaction. It ended on a satisfying note too. The performance of the cast was extremely good, especially from Hyun Bin, Yoo Ji Tae and Park Sung Woong, which should not be surprising. There were quite a few plot twists I did not predict, and some I was happy that happened.

The plot is not some grand scheme that involves x number of important characters. It's kept local, with a smaller cast, but rather than making this less spectacular, it gives this feeling of a bit more realism (if we even can talk about levels of realism with con artist movies) which helped me get more involved in the story.

To summarize, everything is a lie in this movie and everyone is conning everyone. And I enjoyed it a lot.

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Anxiety as a genre, complicity as the message.

Shamelessly bizarre. And that’s why I love it. One of the reasons horror is my favorite genre is the fact there are no real limits in storytelling and presentation. You are only limited by your own imagination. With years of cinema, all stories have been told one way or another, so I truly believe now it’s less about what you say, but how you say it. And Best Regards to All goes with a bang. Full of uneasy shots that make you want to look away, but also glue your eyes to the screen - not relying on cheap jumpscares. It’s less about feeling scared, and more about feeling anxious and uncomfortable.

With all that creepiness, it still presents a rather solid, yet horrifying message of generational and social exploitation with a grim outlook on life and happiness. But what’s most important - how much suffering of others we can ignore to keep the illusion of normalcy and peacefulness in our own life. Especially relevant in the current global climate. If you came out of this movie assuming you are not part of the problem, you are in denial.

Be it visually or in terms of themes presented, it’s frustrating, unnerving and uncomfortable to watch. Yes, I am perfectly aware I keep overusing the word “uncomfortable”, but that’s the perfect word to describe the movie. It makes you confront things you rather ignore.

For the acting, Furukawa Kotone ate the role. The whole slow and painful journey to self-realization was presented in a perfect manner. The will to fight what she thought to be unjust tradition, the denial of what’s truly going on, the fear of creeping consequences, the resignation when faced with what she thought in unreasonable pushback. From opening to closing shot - perfect.

In terms of production and directing, some practical make up could have been better, especially around the eyes - it would not work in reality as they presented on screen and somehow I could not let that thought go. Except for that tiny detail, it was great - the blood and wounds looked real and that’s all one can ask for from horror movies. I also appreciated well placed and timed repetitiveness of the shots in different time points and contexts.

Overall, it’s just my type of fucked up shit.

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Just vibes and well delivered pinning with fine flirting.

Kwon Jeong U is the whole show and honestly he deserves better.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. There is for sure more to enjoy than just Jeong U, but out of the two leads, he for sure was the one that stole my heart. From the extremely charming personality with actual emotional maturity, awareness of his shortcomings and reflection on his feelings, to the actually good performances that balanced well between the confident facade and the nervousness that came with the new crush. I loved how he knew exactly how much he can tease to keep it playful and not hurtful (and with the number of extremely embarrassing moments Ji Won got himself into, there was content to tease for years).

On the other hand we had a lot of “verbal” set up for Han Ji Won and exactly none of that was shown on screen. He kept on “hiding” from the public, because he was famous, wearing the cap literally everywhere and trying to stay low-key, but… we saw not one person have any really excessive (or any overall) reaction to him. The only people who talked about his “celebrity” status were people he knew, and they all did it in a joking manner. Then there is this “introduced and dropped right away” information about the abuse in his past team from the coach. We saw one google search from Jeong U, him saying to himself “I want to ask, but I don’t want to hurt him by asking” and then… he actually never asks, nor digs deeper… Nothing is done with that whole serious revelation. So why was it even there? Just let them be normal athletes with no additional set up - that would work.

Even if I was not amazed with Ji Won as an individual character, I did like the dynamics between him and Jeong U. I like the teasing and flirting, the push and pull, the amazing fluff they delivered. The angst felt flat and I was getting annoyed a few times, but since I did get a decent conclusion, I can look past that. I love how both of them had the shy and playful era, depending on what moment of the relationship we were witnessing. They were just a great vibe.

And you know what was a great vibe too? Seung Jin and Eun O. And you know what I need? I need them to get the Unintentional Love Story supporting couple treatment - their own show. We know they like each other, we know one knows and one is painfully oblivious to it. And I need them to give me a proper closure, because they hinted at the closure and then the drama ended. And that’s illegal.

As for the production… damn. It was decent for most parts, but some of the editing was… questionable. We literally missed transition scenes. Especially during one moment we start a scene in a confusing time and place, with no real set up. I had to ask a friend if I skipped an episode or something, because that “transition” between plot points made zero sense.

Performances were fine. Truth to be told, Choi Rak Yeong and Kwak Geon Hee did easily the best. I liked Choi Jae Hyeok since he SOLD the fact he was in love with his eyes, and I’m always weak for that shit. I liked Yeom Min Hyeok in most scenes, but I do think anything highly romance driven was his weakness. I didn’t really get that “I like him/love him” feelings. Not as much as I’ve got from Choi Jae Hyeok

Overall, this is pure rom-com vibes, nothing more nothing less.

Ps. Yes, the kisses were good.

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Do Hyeon Su - the master of gaslighting… himself.

I dropped it in 2020 when it was airing, but that was my mistake - I took the show far too seriously. I should have accepted it for the clownery it was and just have fun with how entertaining it was.

I don’t even know where to start. Probably with the king clown himself, Do Hyeon Su. My man was so determined to convince himself he was in fact a psychopath, I was in awe. He was crying and having borderline panic attacks while at the same time claiming he does not feel hurt, guilt, sadness. It amazes me honestly. And then when he finally accepted that he in fact does feel things, he can love, what do we get? A fucking amnesia in the last episode, so he can yet again gaslight himself as a cherry on top of his clownery. I had to pause the episode, I could not believe my eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, on paper this plot is not as ridiculous. A person can be groomed into believing they are something they are not. But that would be an average person for you. And with how male lead was written, he was not average and I think the writer did not actually see how they wrote highly intelligent people, but also conventionally made them dumb just for things that were required for the plot. Examples: he did all that research on mimicking expressions and reading even microexpressions, and yet he did not once googled his actual diagnosis? Not to mention he himself knows he was diagnosed based on lies he told the psychologist. I feel like someone could have literally sat him in front of a world renowned group of psychiatrists who would explain antisocial personality disorder and how he does not fit the diagnostic criteria, and he would pretend to be deaf and blind just to not hear them. And for that clownery I am thankful, because it was one of the more fun aspects of the drama.

Then we have Cha Ji Won, who by all means also had a lot of psychological issues, even if they were not addressed in the drama. Obsessive tendencies? Sure. Lack of understanding boundaries? At times unfounded ideas of her knowing better what other people think and feel? Also true. Maybe because Do Hyeon Su was written with more depth, the female lead felt rather flat and two-dimensional - quite literally. One dimension of her existence was the serious and professional detective, the other was the bubbly loving wife. While on paper I liked that mix (you can be sweet and loving, but also badass - these are not mutually exclusive) somehow there was something uncanny about Moon Chae Won's performance.

The thing is - I like how the character was written. I also think Moon Chae Won is a great character and I enjoy many of her previous roles. Somehow I could not truly connect nor relate to her as Cha Ji Won. Yes, some scenes were phenomenal, but the overall portrayal was lacking…

As for their dynamics - many ups and downs. To some extent I lived for the angst between them, but since I found the setup ridiculous, I was not fully emotionally affected by it. Initial lack of trust and the cat and cat chase (there was no mouse here - they were both hunting) was extremely entertaining, but at some point when they started to work together, the sudden twists and throwback to negative assumption was a bit too much of an out of ass whiplash.

You know who I did enjoy though? Kim Mu Jin. Personally I think he was the best character. Extremely consistent in how he was written, what his personality and skill set was, what were his good and bad points. I love how he struggled a lot with trusting the male lead. How he was rather quick to believe the rumours and what was the explanation to it. Not to mention his amazing one liners. He had great chemistry with every other character he shared the screen with.

On the other hand Do Hae Su was really bland. I don't know if it was writing or the performance, but the hardships she had to face and the emotional distress she kept feeling did not translate on the screen at all. I don’t have much to say about her. She was there to push the plot forward and give reasoning and motivation for other characters’ choices.

I saw quite a lot of potential in Kong Mi Ja and I wish they developed her more. There were just hints of her feeling actually connected to Do Hyeon Soo. It could have been an amazing and heartbreaking internal conflict between her picking her own son, and the son she raised. But as many other things, at the end of the day it just felt flat. Baek Man U gave me nothing.

What’s more to like? The crime team. At first they seemed like such a weird mix of characters that do not fit together, but these differences were actually what kept them driven and in check. I love how loyal they were to each other, and how humane their decisions were.

As for the actual psychopath - what a fucking disappointment. Baek Hui Seong was boring. He was neither intimidating nor complex. Yes, they tried to show how at least to some extent he was looking for acceptance and validation, but the character spent most of the show in bed… no time for proper development. I also cannot get over the unnecessary black eyes of Do Min Seok in Do Hyeon Soo’s visions. That said - his relationship with his son was yet another wasted opportunity. Him trying to mold Do Hyeon Soo into someone like him. Him failing, and yet still feeling some kind of weird protectiveness over him. That’s some interesting aspects that could have been explored.

Quick question, maybe I missed it. But… how was his death ruled as suicide when he literally had his head smashed with a rock? They thought what? He ran into a wall until he died?

Performances wise? Amazing in almost all cases. I already talked about how Moon Chae Won was both hit and miss for me. Lee Joon Gi though? Damn. The way his eyes and corner of his lips twitched when he tried to suppress the emotions he was feeling - amazing, beautiful, breathtaking. I am not even completely mad about that last minute amnesia trope (which was so ridiculous I just…), because it gave us the scene between the lead in the work studio which was probably one of my favorite scenes from the whole drama.

Production wise it was fine? I am so mad about the styling of Cha Ji Won in her 20’. Why did they give her career mother hairstyle (aka exactly the same hairstyle she has in the present timeline) - they did nothing to make her look younger, so the majority of flashbacks just made me feel uncomfortable since I could not immerse myself into the scene. It was just a grown up woman in her 30’ acting cutesy.

Overall, I had fun for the wrong reasons. Kim Mu Jin was amazing, Lee Joon Gi’s performance was perfect, the story was ridiculous.

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Rule by compassion, not by fear.

One woman show filled with schemes, betrayal, twists and turns that kept me entertained till the last second. With a rather large set of villains and antagonists, you never know who will be the next target and how the dynamics will change. And in the center of that was Queen Im Hwa Ryung with her dedication to keep her sons safe.

It’s honestly a strange drama. The same aspects I love, I also thought were flaws. For example - the villains/antagonists. I actually liked many of them, found their motivations and reactions to everchanging circumstances entertaining. That said, they never truly felt like a threat. Which is strange because the stakes were high, people were actually dying. And yet, none of the bad guys felt intimidating - entertaining sure, but not intimidating.

I also loved Queen Im Hwa Ryung and how smart she was. She was great at reading the situations, knowing who works with whom and how to use that information. At the same time, she also knew that showing compassion can form better loyalty and actually set the person to a proper path, compared to fighting them with power and fear alone. But I wished her judgement was at least once wrong. That someone whom she gave a second chance stabbed her in the back.

Then we have the princes - all fun, all lacking depth. Each one of them presented a completely different story, be it being related to taboo subjects of the era, their relationships with their mothers, ambition or lack of it. But at the end of the day the only two princes that actually touched me on an emotional level were Grand Prince Gye Sung finding his identity and Prince Sim So about his relationship with his mother. All the rest was fun, but flat.

Touching on the plot, I feel like this is one of the better paced historical Korean dramas I have seen - it’s fast, but even and digestible. Every episode brought something new to the table, there were no filler plot lines - at the end everything connected, everything was used to create a larger and fuller picture. No actions and decisions existed in the vacuum - they all had a smaller or bigger impact on all the characters. Every time I thought a certain chapter was closed, new information kicked the door open for new possibilities to explain the past event, direct present time and shape the future of the characters.

The drama is listed as historical, comedy, drama, and politics. I am not so sure about the comedy here. It had amazing comedic timing and some of the better jokes I have seen in quite some time, but the overall tone and plot do not truly match the comedy genre. Just because there are good jokes in a show does not necessarily mean it is comedy. On Korean websites it’s listed as a black comedy and I would probably agree that’s a better description.

Acting wise, Kim Hye Soo delivered a phenomenal performance. Saying she carried the show seems unfair to the rest of the cast, since everyone did a great job, but it’s undeniable she stood out so much with her portrayal of Queen Queen Im Hwa Ryung. My second favorite performance probably goes to Kim Eui Sung as Hwang Won Hyung. I don't know why, but his reactions to everything that was happening was so expressive and funny to watch, even though I knew I should not side with him, he was so fun to watch I wanted to just see more scenes of him.

Visually stunning, but not overstimulating. Sometimes I honestly get tired when dramas try to look like a beautiful painting at every frame - it’s distracting. This show knew exactly when and what to highlight to create amazing pictures.

Overall, I just feel like the drama failed to evoke any negative feelings in me, which is strange with how many on paper awful and frustrating assholes we had in the cast of the characters. But I was kind of vibing with them, and found them more entertaining than threatening.

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The genres that are not quite fitting.

Honestly speaking, this is far more of a comedy drama, and I don’t see many thriller elements in it. The poster presents what the mood of the movie will be far more than the genres listed, so take that into consideration when watching.

I have to say, it’s been a while since a movie made me so excited to watch. I was interested in the characters, in the court case, in the truth behind the case. Each element was so well written and constructed, and intertwined into the overall plot, there wasn’t a second wasted of the screen time.

The movie seems like a low key battlefield between the professional judge who forgot the core aspect of her work and a Juror 8, who got himself involved in the case and now simply wants to do a good job with it.

The aspect I enjoyed the most was the character development and clever ways they indicated how and when specific Juror’s started to be more engaged in the case. Especially Choi Yeong Jae, with whom they did a brilliant job.

The acting was amazing. Not surprised with a cast like that. Having great and well established actors playing supporting, and even guest roles made each scene truly enjoyable. Big props to Seo Hyun Woo, even though he did not have that much screen time, his depiction of the defendant was stellar.

Is the movie realistic? Definitely not. I do believe the comedic leaning makes it okay though. It still presents the importance of the job jury has, the potential issues in the system, but also the benefits it might bring, while adding a lot of entertainment with the exaggerated scenarios.

On the other hand, saying it’s even loosely based on the original story is nothing but misleading. The cases are nothing alike, the result is not the same, the behavior of the jury is completely different. It especially bothered me with the last narration on the screen, where they mixed the events of the show with real life statistics - it was simply confusing. Before I did some research, I was sure that part describes the real life case from 2008, which was not correct. Hence I’m not sure selling it even to that extent as being related to real events was a wise choice.

Overall, extremely exciting, interesting and engaging. Has some amazing situational comedy, but does not forget to have good content behind the jokes.

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