Kate

Through the stomach to the heart - dinner table romance.

This drama truly embraces slow burn natural romance, and I’m not mad about it. Truly to be told - I truly enjoy how I cannot really point to a specific moment the leads fell in love with each other, I just remember small moments that built into a grand feeling.

It’s kind of an uneventful show, but I would not say it’s a flaw. Personally I enjoyed the mundane moments far more than when they actually tried to push forward the plot and the story. Highlight of the show? Dinner scenes. Li Yi Fei and Qian Fei hanging out in the kitchen area was what I enjoyed the most - building connections while performing daily tasks and slowly adjusting to each other. The whole dynamic, vibe, bickering, but also appreciation was all I needed, and honestly all I cared about. I love how they grew as individuals while slowly developing the feelings.

They just felt like real people. The flaws were not these awful big issues, just small things that depending on the situation could get really frustrating. Their positive traits and skills were also these unreadable, borderline supernatural skills. They were really good at their job - nothing more nothing less. Throughout the show they just kept learning from each other and improving as people and this is just the type of romance I love.

At the beginning of the drama I was convinced Li Yi Fei did not really know how to love the other person. He knew how to take care of someone, be nice, attentive even, but not necessarily love. On the other hand Qian Fei seemed to know how to love others, but not herself. It’s all nice and good to prioritize people around you, but at some point you need to focus on yourself. And that’s how their romance went - one learned how to love others, while the other learned how to love herself.

As any romance drama, this one also had to have additional supporting couples. I had some hopes for Jing Jing and Lu Ze. I always appreciate when the drama shows different couples in different stages of relationship - we get to see diverse types of conflicts depending on where the couple are and what their future plans are. Sadly, I feel like they unnecessarily inserted Qian Fei into their problems. And after that they were completely sidelined. The drama focused on Dang Yu and Jun Cheng and my focus completely drifted away. I am sorry, but I am just not into a love story that starts with stalking and acting dumb and cute will not erase the fact it was in fact stalking. They as a couple were frustrating ,the family drama around them was even more annoying.

The biggest positive surprise? Liao Shi Yu. Not even lying, I think she might be my favorite character. I love how professional, but also humane she was. While trying to put her feelings aside to run the business, she still had her slipups, but at the end of the day she knew what she did wrong. She valued other people’s skills over her own feelings towards them.

When talking about the characters I have to mention AI ex. I am so sorry, but the AI face swap was just too distracting. This man never looked in the eyes of the person he talked to - not once. The character itself was awful, but the face swap thing was so creepy that’s all I could focus on while watching his scenes.

For the minor flaws - I wished the drama actually focused more on friendships. I feel like every couple lived their own life and their plots did not overlap that much emotionally. Everyone was doing their own things to some extent. Sure, the girls met to chat about their relationship issues, but there was not much true overlap of what was going on in their lives.

Production wise leave any and all expectations behind. It’s obviously not a high budget production. Don’t know if I just got used to it, or it truly did improve in the second half, but the editing and mediocre aesthetics are not that distracting. The production just seems like bare minimum. Some soundtrack did not fit the occasion at all, some slo-mo moments made no sense, some transitions between scenes felt unnatural, but overall none of that was criminally bad.

The performances were great. Again, hard to judge AI ex - his whole existence was just frustration and confusion for the viewers. Were any of the performances groundbreaking? Career change? Breathtaking? Not really. But the chemistry was great and that’s kind of all one needs from a business slice of life rom-com.

Overall, mundane watch. Not necessarily mediocre, but it’s just.. lukewarm? And that’s fine. An addicting dry cookie? Needed palate cleanser? This is this type of a show.

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A rare case where more jumpscares would benefit the movie.

It’s based on a really simple concept filled with really effective jumpscares, and then made it more complex and took away the majority of the potential jumpscares and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

I don’t think it gives me enough substance to see the potential depth and build that psychological horror of the situation and male lead’s real life circumstances, but since it also took away a lot of the typical horror elements, it also does not quite serve as a good horror movie. It balances between simple, but effective and complex and reflective and does not really hit a homerun in any direction.

If I had to guess? Analyze? I’d say the theme of the movie is dealing with regret and guilt. The loop is not just about checking for anomalies, but also about dealing with your inner struggles. Male lead regretted his hesitation after hearing the news from his ex-girlfriend, he regretted not helping the mother in the subway. He regretted his inaction. Hence the ending somehow makes sense for me. It’s left to various interpretations though, there is no clear cut idea what it means. And that’s kind of how the whole movie rolls - throwing stuff at you without explanation, things that feel related, but not quite. You kind of get the full picture, but not really.

Ninomiya Kazunari did a great job as Lost Man, but I have to say my favorite performance was Kochi Yamato as Walking Man. Be it for his creepy blank expression, or even creepier smile. Or his desperation and regret, fear, anger. Such a tiny bit of the plot, yet such an expressive performance.

To be honest I feel like the movie was both too annoying and not annoying enough. I should feel the frustration of the lead being stuck in the loop, but I don’t feel like he was stuck in it that long… The number of mistakes he made was minimal to what would be expected, knowing how minimal some anomalies are. At the same time I was so annoyed, because he kept lingering a bit too long in the corridor even after noticing the anomalies. What are you exactly waiting for? There is no new development going on - you see something off, you turn around right away. And yet this man was checking them all out as if he was in a haunted house in an amusement park.

It was a decent movie, maybe the issue were my expectations.

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This is what happens when the side characters and the couple are more interesting than the leads.

Itt and Pai just acted like children, when whatever misunderstanding was going on, could have been solved with one conversation (which was also proven later in the series). Like, why is a university student acting like an elementary school kid bullying his crush? Their plotline was simply not interesting, especially if we compare it with Pure and Folk.

This could have been better if either we got Pure and Folk as main characters, or if they didn't give such an interesting backstory for Pure. But what we've got was a simple main plot that felt like filler, and a complex underdeveloped side story, which felt rushed because of the lack of screen time. I truly believe there was something interesting going on with Pure. It could easily be a series with the premise of "your past mistakes don't define who you are right now, as long as you learn from them". There was some depth in his character that could have been explored more.

One thing I for sure liked is the clear message about safe sex. I truly appreciated all the "sex talks" we've got and that the characters actually went to the hospital when they thought there might be a problem. This should not be a taboo and I loved how straightforward they were about it.

The acting was... meh? Again, I was not convinced by the main couple. At some point I was sitting in front of my laptop watching an episode and said "wow... They are about to kiss. They hadn’t kissed before... had they?". I literally did not remember a kissing scene in a romance driven show, which tells me I was not convinced by whatever was happening on the screen.

Truth to be told, I dropped the show, but after some time I saw a few screenshots of Pure and Folk and picked it up again for them. Do I regret it? Not really. Do I think I would miss something if I didn't watch it? Nope. Do with that information whatever you want :)

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The good parts were truly good, but the bad parts were so awful I was annoyed more often than not.

Both the premise of the corruption and the way good guys dealt with it had a nice and refreshing twist to it, but how some extremely cliche and sometimes senseless plot points were introduced ruined the experience for me. Does it matter how good of an idea you have if you surround it with bullshit?

By episode 9 I suspected where the drama was going, but some scenes did not make any sense with my prediction. It would make the characters look too dumb, so I dropped that idea. Guess what... it did happen at the end. By episode 13 I figured out the biggest plot twist and it just got me angry, because it made no sense. And I'm not some genius for figuring it out. The writing was just predictable.

As for the characters, some were great, some were bad, some barely existed. I definitely enjoyed the detectives’ team, and the investigation aspect was my favorite part of the show. Jin Kyung and Ho Gyu stole my heart and became my favorites. Jo Tae Shik was your typical hero cop, and if it was not for Lee Min Ki's acting, I would not pay that much attention to him.

The biggest let down? Kim Seo Hui. She just never learned from any of her mistakes, jeopardizing the investigation too many times to count. For the majority of the show she had nothing to do. I am quite honestly convinced this drama could have been more or less the same even if we write her off completely. If you ask me, she should be relegated to supporting character and her image should have never been used in posters.

The big bad wolf was boring and obvious, but then it's not like they tried to hide it. I did enjoy Dong Gu quite a lot though. His desperation was interesting to watch and I wished we had seen more of him on the screen. Other shady characters were... there doing shady things? I don't know. I hated how there were excuses and explanations made for some bad characters, but not others, when they were all equal trash.

Overall, this could have been so good. There were some episodes I actually enjoyed a lot. The dynamics between detectives was gold, the rivalry between Dong Gu and Young Min was exciting, but then they ruined it all with some really cheap and lazy writing and directing choices that I just couldn't ignore.

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Tragic tale disguised as a romance.

*The title is not a spoiler. The tragedy came from the journey the characters took, not necessarily the conclusion we as viewers received. To see the conclusion, you need to watch for yourself.

Visually stunning with mediocre main characters, a villain that stole the show and side characters that saved the production. That’s how I would sum up the whole experience.

Honestly speaking, the plot was truly interesting and investing. Every character was connected to the story and had an impact on it. There were many different motivations, expectations and goals the characters wanted to achieve. The lore was surprisingly rich and well explained, compared to other Korean fantasy romance dramas. And yet, Hwal and Sang Un were so boring and poorly written, they drained all the energy out of me, no matter how exciting the events themselves might have been.

On paper, it was a gripping revenge story, showing the dark and twisted sides of fate. How far can you go to avenge the death of people you love? What if the past you thought you knew was just a shred of the whole story? Sadly, thinking and discussing these topics was more interesting than watching it on screen, because the main characters just did not deliver the emotional impact the story carries. (On that note though, I want to thank Poia for the chats that made me appreciate that aspect of the plot more).

Dan Hwal started as an interesting gray character. Nothing outstanding, not too much depth, but I could easily see him lead the story and make it believable. Sadly, each “plot twist” and explanation of past events slowly stripped away all interesting aspects of his existence. Lee Jin Wook did what he could, but the character was just a walking stone with no emotional depth, so there was not much acting needed in the first place. The complexity we saw in the past storylines was completely lost in the present one.

Sang Un was simply a saint with Stockholm Syndrome. How to describe this character? Nice, good, protective, impossibly dumb? There is “being a good person” and there is “completely disregarding your own safety, because you see the good in a person who hunts you, kidnaps you and wants to kill you”. There was nothing novel about her. She was there to be good and pure. Her priorities were often misguided - while they were supposed to present her as a kind and empathetic person, often they revealed her total lack of comprehension of any given situation. Kwon Na Ra did well acting wise, but not even an Oscar worthy performance could have saved that character.

For the romance, there was close to no chemistry between the leads. The love story we’ve got just made no sense. Why did they like each other? I can rationalize it from Hwal’s perspective. He was desperately clinging to his humanity, so Sang Un being kind to him, not treating him as the monster he was, made him care for her. What did Sang Un like about him though? The girl has some massive issues, rock bottom standards for men, or both. While the love story might not be THE focus of the show, it was a leading story between the female and male lead, and for me, it was a waste of time. It was not enough for people who want an epic romance fantasy, and too much for people who wished to watch a revenge tale.

Then we get to Ok Eul Tae, who was the most vibrant and interesting character from the whole show. The only one whose motivations made sense from the beginning till the end. I want to congratulate the writers for writing such a compelling villain, I ended up actually rooting for him and not the main duo. Lee Joon was born to take this role. The emotional rage he showed was just amazing. Whenever it was confidence, anger, fear, disappointment, desperation or hesitation - I bought it and believed it all.

The whole cast did such a good job with portraying all the supporting characters. The duality they had to present between the past and present reincarnations was not an easy job. The reincarnations had to be different enough to incorporate the external circumstances that shaped them, but also similar to each other for viewers to believe these are in fact reincarnations of the same people.

The chemistry between the cast (with the exception of the romantic aspects between the main leads) made me truly invested in the found family trope this drama presents. Watching them slowly learn how to trust each other was truly the heart of the show. I’m a sucker for the found family trope, so this was a delight to witness.

The writing was sadly not daring enough for me. The show opened with an amazing conflict for the main couple and novel perspective for the villain, but with each new revelation, new flashbacks and plot twist, they removed every refreshing element of the story, making it into the tale we already heard many times in a similar fashion. Luckily, some revelations in the last episode saved the script for me at least a little bit.

While the conclusion was disappointing, the journey itself was quite enjoyable. The writers used the trope of reincarnation to the fullest potential, giving the story many layers that were slowly discovered and explored in the episodes. They were revealing enough information for the audience to build up their own theories, without exposing the whole plot from the start. It made me as a viewer engaged, trying to puzzle the background of the character together myself.

It’s not a show that serves all the answers on the plate. They don’t give you narration with heavy expositions and explanations. The characters don’t always say out loud why they do what they do, what motivated them to behave in such a manner. The storytelling is not linear. They show glimpses of what happened in different timelines, and we need to put the whole story together ourselves. For some it will be one of the strengths of the show, for some it will cause confusion and frustration.

That said, I wish we got to see more flashbacks of the past time lines and reincarnations. Cutting down the screen time of the different monsters and using it to explore the past a little bit more would not only make the plot more digestible, but also allowed me as a viewer to understand and empathize with the characters more. It would also enhance the emotional impact the story had.

There were a few plot lines that for me became either plot holes or dead ends, but that was the result of me usually overanalyzing the plots and dramas I watch. I’m confident in saying most viewers won’t be bothered by them, maybe won’t even notice them. While they caused me a little bit of frustration, overall, they don’t take away much from the quality of the show.

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls served me a visual feast. I have to admit, the first two episodes were a little bit too much though. Most scenes had this painting quality to them, but at the same time felt visually empty and too staged - often they lacked dynamics. They became beautiful screenshots, but they were less appealing in motion. The more modern approach in later episodes fits my taste better.

While the soundtrack was not memorable, all the songs did match the scenes they were played in, elevating the mood and creating the fitting atmosphere. 4MEN’ “Leave” became my favorite song from the show, thanks to the amazing vocals.

Overall, it’s a high quality production with decent writing and good acting. It could have been an amazing tale with truly interesting and tragic conflicts, but fell into the clichés and safe storytelling in the 2nd half, trying to bring all the novelty in the last episode. It’s a show that improves from discussions and chats with other viewers, as it introduces many interesting topics that are worth taking a deeper dive into.

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There were things to love, there were things to question, and there were things to criticize.

Objectively great rom-com, subjectively I had a few beefs with certain aspects. Specific parts and elements were perfect, but they did not quite make a perfect picture. Be in the characters, plot, set up, twist - some imbalances and conflicts just made me roll my eyes a few times too many. I had fun while watching the episodes, but I was never truly excited to start them.

Se Gye was the true unrealistically perfect male lead. His undying love for Seo Ri made all the best men on the planet combine seem mediocre. Handsome, hot, devoted, rich, smart and dedicated, but also willing to show vulnerability to the person he loves. As a romantic interest, he did not have any flaws. The man that no one deserves. What’s more? I adore how the moment he figured out he likes Seo Ri (which did not take him that long), he did not act dumb and was not led by his ego - he acted according to his feelings, did not hide them, did not pretend like he was not interested. Do I want one for myself? Of course.

As amazing as a romantic lead he was, it’s not the same story outside of the lovey-dovey scenes. From the start he was set up to be a masterclass of manipulation and schemes, a fool only to the woman he loves. So why did he keep making the dumbest mistakes over and over again by the end of the drama? You want to tell me that this man with what they claim is a working brain would not take precautions against whatever wild plan Mun Do might have, being fully aware his dear cousin had no issue killing people? Apparently, the moment you drove your enemy into a corner is also the best time to be alone at night in the dark parking lot, asking to be stabbed. He kept underestimating Mun Do without proper explanation, while also writers claiming he can predict every step Mun Do makes to bring him down… so which one is it?

Then we have our lovely female lead Seo Ri - I love this woman as an individual. From the opening scene I knew her story was worth following. Strong, brave, smart. Caring for people she loves. Her strong will to survive and lead a good life was truly inspiring.

I was excited for Seo Ri's scenes outside of the romance. Her slow journey into becoming actually content and confident and not just putting the front as a defense mechanism. Her search for who she was and how to navigate in the “new” world. Her growing career and how she slowly took the spotlight with her sheer talent. Her story was truly amazing.

As for the dynamic between the main characters vs their individual stories… For most of the screen time I did not care for Cha Se Gye as a character outside of his romance with Seo Ri. I did not care about Seo Ri as a character inside her romance with Se Gye. And that clashed badly. I was half excited for the romance scenes, because of Se Gye. Seo Ri gave me the bare minimum, and the last two episodes with grand gestures and sacrifices were not enough. Yes, I loved the last two episodes, but that does not negate the lukewarm romance I’ve got from her in the previous 12… Only in the last two episodes they tried to switch the focus for the leads - we dived deeper into the company politics and schemes on Se Gye’s side, and Seo Ri’s love and devotion to Se Gye. Too little, too late.

Their relationship just felt painfully uneven for most of the drama. She was his whole life, but he was not hers. They made him unrealistically perfect, and made her beautifully realistically flawed. And these two writing types do not match well together. It makes the viewer frustrated with the well written complex character, because they keep hurting the unrealistically perfect one. So when she blamed him for her own mistakes, or pushed him away, I kept thinking - do I even want them together? When he is always the one giving in? It’s kind of annoying to watch. If we talk about character writing she is so much better and more complex. But if you talk about my delulu feels, Se Gye is the gold standard. Love her as a female character. Love him as a love interest.

And I want to state it clearly - Seo Ri’s behavior was valid and made perfect sense. I understand why her character was written like that, why she made the choices she made. Does not negate the fact their relationship did not feel equal up until the last 2 episodes. For quite a big portion of the story she was too self-absorbed. For valid reasons. But one can be right for themselves and that makes them wrong for another person. Too many times she did not learn from her past mistakes at all, did not trust him no matter what he did for her and how open he was. And again, all valid behavior taking into consideration her past, but it's also true that it was all unfair towards Se Gye.

Still, the last episode was so strong, they did make me momentarily forget about that tiny frustration I felt when watching the show.

For the other characters, the two I was especially happy with their developments: Mo Tae Hui and Cha Dal Su. For my girl - I love how they did not let her burn and become the evil second female lead. She fought as long as she thought she had a chance, and when she clearly saw it wouldn't work - she gave up that romantic relationship and entered partnership. I loved that for her. She would work hard for a man, but she would not destroy herself for one. As for Cha Dal Su - obviously an asshole, but in a realistic way. I was scared they would make him oblivious to Mun Do’s schemes, so knowing he was up to date with the shenanigans made me happy.

On the other hand, Mun Do was a huge disappointment. Flat, poorly written, annoying. A lot of things shown about him made no sense. Did he even do any work himself? He kept spying and following Se Gye and Seo Ri personally, as if he would not have people to do it for him. I wish they explored his relationship with his son more - 2 or 3 phone conversations about the kid is not enough to validate his last scene with Seo Ri. It had no emotional impact, because they did not set it up enough.

Moving strictly to the plot.

What I love about this show is how unpredictable it was on a tiny scale. You had all the cliches and they all got a royal twist to them. The scene starts, I recognize the pattern I have seen 938475645987654 times in other dramas, I know how this ends... and then it takes a sharp U-turn. The end of ep 7 and beginning of ep 8 was a good example of that: you expect them to announce they are dating and even if not announced, this coming out in public as gossip. Nope. Seo Ri had a different plan to calm the media and explain the situation. Lead up being exactly what you expect, the conclusion not so much - love it.

On a more technical part of the storytelling and choices made - love how Seo Ri did not adapt to modern time on day one. She kept the speaking mannerisms of Joseon till the end - even if it became less and less obvious. And how Se Gye was just okay with her weird behavior. For the longest time he did not know about her time travel, he just thought she was strange like that and vibed with it.

Sadly, the whole past storyline was a complete flop except for the opening scene in episode 1. Underdeveloped and honestly inconsequential for the modern story for most of the show. They went with "past is mimicking the present" and not "present is mimicking the past" and it completely changed the viewing experience.

Less of the drama flaw, more of a difference in perspectives, but I always feel so conflicted about this whole "scarifying yourself for the other person's life" plotlines... It's hard to call it selfish since the character is giving up so much, but also... it is by all means selfish. Because if they were in the position of the person "dying" they would not want their loved one to give up anything for them. So at the end of the day they are choosing what will be easier for them - give up what's important to you, save the person you love, instead of living alone with the guilt of them being gone. What the "saved" person wants and decides is not even part of the consideration. It’s a well known trope and plot development, so it’s not necessarily a dig against My Royal Nemesis alone, but I wish if the dramas decide to use it, they would present it in more depth, as a moral dilemma it is.

For the big plot twist of Seo Ri from the past actually being the original Seo Ri from the modern times - great idea, mixed execution. I wish they actually set up the existence of said twist better. For most of the drama, the majority of viewers did not even consider the possibility of the twist existing and for me that’s a bit of a failure for the storytelling. It means the twist was simply not set up, just revealed in its full glory when the timing was right. It felt more like a cope to give a happy ending, and not the well developed part of the plot.

I am also honestly shocked how much I loved the last episode. Even though I am 100% confused about the past storyline… I guess that past story has an open ending, we are not meant to know what happened to them. The little “flashback” is more of the imagined ending by the leads, and not a confirmed conclusion. Still, what a solid last episode. I am so used to being disappointed by the last episodes of the drama, I am shocked with my current level of enjoyment. Not gonna lie, the angst desperate era Se Gye went through was everything I needed in life. Seo Ri stepping up and matching Se Gye’s dedication was also something I kept craving to see. The bad guys being published, the good guys moving on with their lives. Loved the details like using the deepfake team from earlier episodes against Mun Do. Little moments that put a smile on my face.

We obviously, as always in any drama in existence, had a whole set of dumb choices from not caring for danger, misunderstandings, miscommunications, saying you will be honest with each other, to lie and hide shit next scene - the usual sins of kdramas. Things we slowly learn to accept, ignore and move on.

As for the performances - bless Im Ji Yeon and Heo Nam Jun. Will start with Heo Nam Jun since it will be shorter - this man knows how to act in love. There are some actors who are so good at showing love with their eyes and micro expressions I could easily be fooled to believe they actually love their co-stars.

As for Im Ji Yeon, this was an extremely hard role to deliver. She truly had to give us everything - tragedy, comedy, romance, mystery. She had to feel strong and imposing because of her Joseon back story, but also vulnerable and delicate because of her modern circumstances. The slow changes in her behavior, mannerisms, way of talking, moving, addressing people. Showing how the character slowly adapts to her situation while not losing the hints of the past life impact. She did not miss one beat, not one scene seemed off.

For the production - this is a typical case of good, but not memorable. Do I remember one moment that stood out because of the scenery, set design, editing, camera work? No. Be it in a good or bad way.

Side note, can we get a new hair stylist for Se Gye. Heo Nam Jun should have his hair either all up or all down - this weird side bangs… not it.

Overall, a really enjoyable watch. A lot of unexplored potential might be the reason I did not rate it higher. I was good, but it could have been great. There are some shows that exist for pure entertainment and nothing would fix the plot to make more than that. But I feel like a few changes here and there could make this drama great.

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It’s not even fun bad… It's just bad.

How they got this cast to do this movie is beyond me. The best part were the bad subtitles that kept calling Hyeri “he” and later Yoon Gyeom “sis”. There were just so many writing and directing choices I did not understand…

First of all, there is no set up for anything. They don’t tell, they don’t show. Half way through the movie you will still not truly understand the past events, current characters; motivations, who is on whose side and why. Not explicitly telling every little detail about the plot is fine, most viewers can put two and two together. Here… they told me close to nothing. I feel like I had to basically write 50% of the plot in my head, to make any sense of it. The vague idea of the plot in Monstrum is interesting, but that’s it - just a vague idea, a first draft of the plot…

I can't really comment about the acting, because the characters were so painfully one-dimensional a brick wall could play them and the result would be similar.

The comedy was also misplaced and just in poor taste. This is not a slapstick sitcom, so why are we getting fart jokes?

Overall… It’s been a while since I watched something so bad I was actually annoyed watching.

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"You know... I always keep to the side of the road as I walk and I sit at the back end every time I take a bus. And I always choose the corner table in a restaurant because I hate making contact with people. I'm afraid of being noticed. You wanna know why? Because I'm afraid that I'd die right after I open myself up to someone."

Honestly speaking, I knew exactly how the movie was going to end from the start. It’s a story that was told one way or another countless times. Does it take away from its quality? No. This is not a mystery thriller that relies on plot twists. It’s a story that serves as a reminder to cherish what we have, seek happiness, be open to others and fight our fears.

It’s a moving tale of a boy who was so scared of dying, he willfully gave up living and settled on just existing. Then Ma Xiao Yuan, one could say, forces herself into his little bubble, slowly making it bigger to the point when it bursts, letting him see all the things he was missing out on.

Is it a sad movie? To some extent. The topic is, what it is. Unless you want an unrealistic fairytale, it will have its ups and downs. Somehow, it was still able to end on the uplifting, yet realistic note. It helps you see all the little great things you have in your life.

The acting - amazing. Both Jackson Yee and Liu Hao Cun truly aced the delivery, with the depth and emotions that would touch any viewer.

The directing was truly great. I especially enjoyed the adventures montage - it brought a smile to my face and tears in my eyes at the same time. Such a moving and uplifting moment.

Overall, it’s for sure a watch I would recommend to everyone. It speaks of a tragic topic with such a delicacy and tact it does not leave you depressed by the end.

“Everyone in life experiences losses, which we’re all afraid of. Yet when it happens, the most powerful weapon we have against it is to live each moment to the fullest. Every second counts.”

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Overcoming yourself, striving for improvement over glory.

A story worth checking by all young and older viewers, that shows the importance of striving for improvement, patience, healthy rivalry, friendship and many more life lessons that one is never too old to be confronted with.

The main plot lines of the show are Shi Guang slowly discovering his love for Go, his rivalry with Yu Liang and Chu Ying’s search for The Divine Move. The main stories are surrounded by countless amazing side plots that make the character grow, mature, learn and reflect on their actions. We witness many different hardships characters have at different points of their lives - each serving us important life lessons. I feel like I learned so much, not only from the main characters, but also all the supporting ones.

While I enjoyed most of the stories told, I could not help but feel disappointed with how The Divine Move story was concluded. Loved the message behind it, and it truly fits the show perfectly, but the execution seemed lacking - it did not impact me as much as I hoped it would.

All characters were unique and served a purpose in the story - it goes not only for main ones, but all the supporting, or at times even guest roles. Ones that showed up for two or three episodes had a visible impact on the main characters and the plot even long after they were gone.

Shi Guang was a hot tempered and impulsive child - this being both an advantage and a disadvantage of his, depending on the situation. Sometimes making decisions on the spot is the only way to move forward, but at times it might lead to severe consequences. Watching this kid mature, gain more grounded and reasonable confidence in his skill was an amazing journey, full of emotional scenes that made me cry my eyes out a few times.

On the other side, we had the complete opposite - calm, collected and reserved Yu Liang. Probably my favorite from the show. His character development was less extreme and, for lack of a better word, dramatic, but I admired his love for learning. Watching him put developing his skills over pride of winning matches was in some strange way touching, since many of us would not be able to do that.

Even though these two barely shared screen together, their chemistry as characters was undeniable. I am truly amazed how I could still see the massive influence they have on each other, on the decisions they are making and progress they are striving for, even when they did not really see each other that often.

Behind a lot of the developments was Chu Ying - true master of Go. His admiration for the game was inspiring. With his guidance, Shi Guang was able to improve, while he himself was able to rediscover the true joy and meaning behind the game of Go. That said, he was one of my least favorite characters. At times, his childish behavior was too much, especially since he was supposed to be older than the two main teenagers. I was also truly not on board with some decisions he made, as the consequences were mostly negative and could have been avoided.

Acting wise - truly phenomenal. Especially Hu Xian Xu. I was amazed by his performance. Not one scene, not one line, not one emotion was a misdelivery. The diversity in his acting and the natural way he presented the internal conflicts the character was facing just blew me away.

The whole cast did not disappoint. Even the supporting and guest cast presented the level of acting worthy of the main characters. Sure, the children acting as the young main cast could have been more natural here and there, but for such a young cast, I was still truly impressed with what they presented.

I have close to no complaints in terms of production and directing. Some CGI seemed excessive and the makeup on Zhang Chao was a bit distracting, but except for that - everything just clicked well together.

“Our Adventure” is such a bop, every time it played at the end of the episode I wanted to drop everything and go on an unknown journey. Just the initial tune had quite an impact on my mood, making me want to try a bit harder in whatever I was going to do - be it work related or even a simple hobby.

Overall, I would not say it’s a must watch for everyone, since there is no drama that fits all tastes, but it’s for sure a must try for everyone. Whenever you feel like it’s something you will enjoy or not, give it a shot - you might be surprised with the result.

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Extremely simple idea with extremely high production value.

First, I like to warn anyone who might want to pick it up - it's graphic. If you have a weak stomach, move it straight to the "not interested" list. They delivered amazing, beautiful, but gruesome pictures that made me uncomfortable with the content, but also in awe with how beautifully shot they were. No doubt the production value was the best part of the drama. It's clear to me a lot of thought was put into directing and editing, as well as set and costume design. The zombies... ladies and gentlemen... These were some good zombies. I was extremely impressed by the actors portraying them. The movement they presented was true perfection.

The acting was amazing for some, good for others. At times it was hard to judge since some characters (The Queen B) were annoyingly boring and unnecessary. Overall: A+. Especially with such a large "supporting cast" of all the background people and zombies. At times, dramas cast average skilled people for these roles, with hopes no one will notice. Here, everyone did their part well.

As for the plot and characters. There truly is not that much to say. It's the old tale we all know: power struggle and fighting for the crown. There is nothing new nor innovative about it. That said, since it's executed so well, it was not boring. Not to mention the zombie apocalypse going on in the background to keep us invested and excited. I was a bit disappointed with how they slowly toned down the shocking scenes to just go with zombies running and killing, since the creepy scenes from the beginning were some of the most memorable moments.

There were some characters I loved more (Young Shin and Master Ahn Hyung), and some that seemed pointless and not interesting at all (Jo Bum Pal and the Queen), but knowing it's just the first season, I'm hopeful they will deliver more later.

Was I disappointed in anything? Yes. Last episode presented two plot twists that were simply dumb in my eyes, and the longer I think about them, the less sense I see in what was shown. One of them makes a character look too stupid for the position they hold, and the other, to some extent, contradicts everything that happened before it.

Can you watch it as a stand alone without diving into season two? Technically, yes, but it would not be a smart idea. Season one ends on a cliffhanger and more or less middle part of the whole plot (if not just the introduction).

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Zombie movie with a heart and brains.

Truth to be told, it's hard to be original with a zombie movie. We have seen it all. So now it's not about how original the story is, but how well the tale is told. Here - it's close to perfection.

People who like horror movies often joke that if all the characters used their brain, the movie would end before it even begins. And yet, Train to Busan was able to give us smart characters and not bore us to death with easy ways out. There are no easy roads when you fight bloodthirsty zombies ;)

The biggest surprise for me was how much I cared about the characters. With zombie movies I try to not get attached since sooner or later, the majority of people have to go. It was impossible to do here. I cried with every death and goodbye. The movie kept me on the edge of my seat because I liked these characters, and I wanted them to survive.

The production value was extremely high. How the movie was shot, the costumes and make up. Everything was close to perfection. CGI zombies at times felt off in terms of their movements, but as far as I know, the majority of people did not notice it at all.

Overall, the right amount of action, thrills, emotional impact and character's development. Masterpiece of the ending. Definitely worth the high rating it has.

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What an amazing story we’ve got… almost. This drama has as many beautiful characters and storylines as problems with writing and development. And by the end, it left me completely confused.

Let’s start with the perfection that was the female lead. Dare I say one of the best I have ever seen in a drama? Yes. She was so strong and so amazingly flawed, it was hard not to love her, even when, at times, her decisions made my blood boil. She was fanatically loyal to people she cared about, even when faced with a moral dilemma. At times she ignored the wrongdoings of people around her, finding excuses for them and trying to justify their actions. When Yuan Song told Xing Er he cannot look at her confident and self righteous face, I couldn't agree more. At that moment I agreed with him and his reaction made perfect sense. But that’s the charm of Xing Er. She is just a human. She makes mistakes, her convictions are not always good and her decisions are not always correct.

Another character that caught my attention was Yuan Chun. The transformation she went through was amazing, yet so tragic. How she was driven into madness and self destructing. She was the true victim of the whole scenario presented to us. She was so innocent, and how these pure intentions she had were used by all the people she trusted and loved, broke her.

I must say, I quite enjoy the whole cast. Some characters deserving a bit of attention were: Xiao Ce - the charming prince with a good heart, Yuan Song - the cute prince with a bright smile, Yue Qi - the loyal bodyguard and the true MVP, He Xiao - the only one that truly deserves Yanbei.

That said, I was quite disappointed with both male lead characters. While Yu Wen Yue was painfully, boringly perfect, Yun Xun by the end of the drama was a dumb, easily manipulated villain without any true plan nor motivation behind his actions. Pushing him towards the dark side was a good idea and it worked for the most part, but the closer to the end we’ve got, the less sense I saw in anything and everything he was doing. I had no sympathy for him even though his character build up was based on the idea that we are supposed to feel empathy towards him, taking into consideration his past. For me, he could burn in hell and I couldn't care less.

And here we have the problems with the plot. For the most part it was perfect. I was truly amazed with the pacing. I was never bored, the plotlines were nicely entangled as we smoothly moved from one story to another. The problem is, at times we did not come back to some plotlines, and they were left unsolved. What happened to Xing Er’s sisters? We saw them meet when she was rescued, and then they were gone. Not even one line telling us where they are and what happened to them.

And it happened to the majority of the characters. We’ve got amazing setups, promising us more than we’ve got. The payoffs were simply weak. Xing Er’s core ability… nothing. It was mentioned here and there, the dramatic opening eyes and awaking her true potential at the end… and what next?

We know Xiao Ce is not just this dumb, playboy prince and he has so much more going on for him, why not show that? Why not show more of his duality? Cheng Yuan’s motivations were far better and deeper than we were led to believe for the majority of the run time. He wasn’t just a cruel and evil person. His decisions could have been logically explained as any other character. His ways of dealing with the problems were wrong, but it was not any worse from what we have seen from the majority of the other characters.

The romance… oh boi the romance. From day one we knew who the end game was, and I did not mind that. I wasn’t expecting some deep love triangles since the drama did not need it. Not even for a moment I thought Xing Er might romantically love Yan Xun. As much as he was obsessed with her, she was obsessed with the dream he created for her. For me it was just an unhealthy obsession she had for the better future and, later on, the need to save him from his own demons. Her heart was always with Yu Wen Yue. I loved their chemistry, their fighting scenes were beautiful and I've rewatched many of them quite a few times. I didn’t need more from it, just the longing, stolen glances, the lovers that should never happen. So why did we get that accidental kiss I am asking? Why did this happen when it was one of the most ridiculous and out of place scenes I have ever seen. The hug that followed a few episodes later had far more impact and conveyed greater emotions than any kiss they ever had. They were simply unnecessary.

The overall production value was beautiful yet questionable. The set design, costumes - perfection. The tragic CGI - painful. The scenes that made me laugh the most were the horse riding close ups when many times it did not look like people riding horses, the movement was wrong. What's more, often the sounds did not match the movement. For the OST though, I could not ask for more.

Truth to be told, I am surprised that with that ending (I don’t even want to talk about it) and the problems I had with the drama, I’m giving it 8/10 rating, but at the same time it makes perfect sense to rate it so high. The outstanding acting we’ve got probably helped a lot, so the frustrating parts of the plot were easily covered by the brilliant performance of the cast. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and watched it in 3 and half days. That's how invested in the plot I was. The ending ruined me. I needed a drink.

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The selfishness and selflessness of human connection.

I’m still in a daze after finishing the last episode. I am not sure how to start writing since I have so many thoughts and feelings existing chaotically in my brain right now.

Our Movie is the perfect example of well executed melodrama that does not rely on excessive angst that borderline crosses to makjang territory. It’s tasteful in it’s emotional torture towards viewers. And it is painful… Even though I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, I knew exactly how it will end, the slowly creeping dread of the finality of the story was exhausting. Exhausting in the most breathtaking and touching way possible.

Da Eum is one of the most beautiful characters I have ever seen. The way she was so full of life, even though she did not have much left to enjoy it. The way she was brave in the situation most would crumble in. But what's most important - the way she cherished herself and people around her. The way she genuinely loved her family and friends, the way she craved the connection and was not afraid to reach for it. Her determination, be it in love, dreams, living, was inspiring.

Was she perfect? No. She was at times childish, stubborn, selfish. There were times when she was irresponsible. And all these moments made her that much more human, that much more lovable, complex and interesting.

While her relationship with Je Ha was obviously the center of the story, I must say I loved her scenes with other characters as much. The conflicting tension between her and her dad - the way he struggled to let her live her life, knowing it will make it shorter. The soulmate bond she had with Gyo Yeong. The complexity of the past and present relationship she had with Jae In. Every interaction she had with any of the characters felt so meaningful.

On the other hand Lee Je Ha did feel a bit underdeveloped compared to her. I still love him, love his story, but somehow I do feel unsatisfied. A lot of things were left to imagine, and it feels like we mostly got the highlights of his story, bullet points of what’s important. That said, even though the title says "Our Movie” I do believe it’s Da Eum’s story so I am not extremely mad about Je Ha not being as developed. Maybe his story was presented in a more subtle way, and with how radiant Da Eum was, I just missed the timing to make the connection to him?

Then we have Chae Seo Yeong - how much I love this woman. The raw flaws and mistakes she made were infuriating, but at the end of the day she always managed to make the right choice, to support the right people, to admit to her faults.

I truly appreciate how there were no real villains in the story, or rather - depending on what perspective you take, everyone could have been a villain in someone’s life, even without doing much wrong. The writers made sure to present the same situations from different perspectives, making sure viewers understand that human existence is never black or white. Action you took out of necessity could have scarred another person for years. What started as a selfish behavior can turn into selfless conviction. No one is bad, no one is good. We are all just humans with flaws, desires, hopes, dreams, fears - they all affect our actions. Many things can be explained, but they should not be excused. We need to know when to apologize and fix what was broken. And this drama presents it all.

Acting… are there even words to describe how amazing it was? These roles could have been so easily under and overacted. It’s a balance game not to make Lee Je Ha emotionless and Lee Da Eum borderline manic. Underacting would make them hard to relate to and feel their emotions, overacting would make the characters seem like caricatures. Both Namkoong Min and Jeon Yeo Been truly put their souls into these roles. I smiled, laughed, and cried watching their performances. It was both beautiful and painful.

What I also want to talk about is the directing and editing. Masterclass. Other directors need to study this show and learn from it. It stands out among all the mainstream kdramas from the past couple of years with its unique styling and creative shots. They truly used everything they had, but with brains and meaning. The transitions used for the storytelling purposes, not just cutting between scenes - perfection. The various filters, screen ratios, camera angles and movements. There were honestly scenes that made me gasp.

The cherry on top was the soundtrack. I am 100% sure I am going to cry when I hear any of the songs. They were so well placed depending on the scenes, creating these memorable moments. If I were to pick my favorite, I’d go with “Love me more”.

So why not 10? There were some plotlines I did not see much purpose of. Example: majority of side romances. The same conversations that were important to present different perspectives could have happened in a more platonic setting, closely related to the filming of the movie. Sadly, some moments just felt painfully detached from the overall drama and the mood.

I also wish we had seen a bit more flashbacks of Da Eum before her diagnosis. I think seeing her interactions with Jae In and Gyo Yeong before her life completely changed would make the future conflict more clear and less one-sided. Technically they did wrap it up well, emotionally I am not satisfied.

All that said, what a heart-stopping and awe-inspiring story it was. It’s a drama that makes you sad, heartbroken even, but somehow not emotionally heavy. I felt exhausted by the last episode, but weirdly thankful. Rather than depressed, I felt motivated. The bitter-sweet taste of life.

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Sometimes we don’t need answers to all questions - the unknown is what’s scary.

Peaked in episode 2, when it was all about survival. Started to dig a hole to die in in episode 5, crossed the path to the afterlife in episode 8, just to have an unnecessary resurrection comeback with after credits scene. Some things should stay dead, and this drama is one of them.

I'm disappointed that I‘m disappointed. I loved the first four episodes when I knew nothing, the characters knew nothing, people were dying and almost dying and the fear of the unknown and unexplained was the horror of it all. But then they slowly started to explain the lore and the motivation of the ghosts and the supernatural and the origin of the app - it all became boring, leading to many illogical choices done by the characters. Making mistakes and making dumb decisions when you don’t know anything is passable. Making dumb decisions when you have a grasp of what is dumb and what is not is inexcusable.

And I’m not one to get annoyed by dumb characters in horror movies - this is literally the feature of the genre. If they were smart the plot would not happen. But there are limits to how dumb you can make the characters before it turns into comedy.

I found the truth of the app's origin underwhelming and ridiculous and not strong enough to have such a big impact in terms of supernatural consequences. Similarly they failed to give a proper motivation to one of the main antagonists of the drama - why were they doing what they were doing? Why does their reasoning change every few minutes? We all know - the plot needed it, so it happened.

Yoo Se A? One of the most boring characters in any horror. Matched with no personality Kim Geon U. They worked in their rom-com moments, I adored these, but anything outside of that was not quite delivered in terms of writing. I kept wishing they would switch the focus on literally any other character.

Preferably to Kang Ha Jun, Bang Ul and Haetsal - this is the trio I actually enjoyed the most. Do I want a second season? No. Do I want a spinoff of their supernatural investigations? Yes. Any scenes with these three were the best aspect of the whole plot and the show. They literally had the best dynamic and relationships. The skeptic that has a bad relationship with his sister who is a shaman, and her boyfriend that tries to make it all work.

And can we talk about Roh Jae Won as Bang Ul? The whole drama I more or less did not care about anyone’s safety, but his. The way Roh Jae Won was able to deliver solid comedy without breaking the tension of the horror - amazing performance.

What’s good? I guess the production. While the design of the ghosts and supernatural was not innovative at all and had that “catch a ghost” app vibe to it, it was delivered in a decent manner. The gore was good, the blood looked like blood and they did not shy from using a lot of it. What’s more, we did not see unreasonable fountains of blood from any wound that happened - yes, there was a lot, but in the realm of reality and possibility.

Overall, they overexplained it all. The best part of the horror genre is leaving some questions unanswered. With thrillers you want the mystery to be solved, with horrors you want to leave the ambiguity of explanation, because the unknown is what's scary.

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Sometimes stalkers are cute ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Love Mate has a strong old school rom-com vibe, leaning into exaggerated set ups, and one either likes it or not. Both Haram and Lee Jun were the extremes in their behavior. The introduction of the characters made both seem rather unreasonable and unprofessional in the best and most entertaining way possible.

Lee Jun tried to use his workplace and project he was working on to vent his annoyance, anger and trauma related to love - not really caring if the project makes sense. Ha Ram went full on stalker mode, always taking 5 steps too far in how he was approaching Lee Jun. Both frustrating, but so entertaining if you accept the over exaggerated set up as a stylistic choice - this drama does not try to be a realistic and relatable slice of life.

The chemistry was one of the best aspects, especially after the initial clash dies down. I do think Lee Jun’s change of mindset came a bit out of nowhere, but at the same time, it’s not exactly completely unrealistic - some people make fast decisions and switch their behavior accordingly.

While I enjoyed laughing about the characters’ antics and push and pull dynamics, I wish the writer did a better job with presenting the conflicts. What we’ve got was one internal and one external conflict happening one after the other. What would work better (especially since these conflicts were actually connected) is making them happen at the same time. It would make the external conflict feel less rushed and the whole context the characters were in more complex.

The acting was mostly good. Loved Cho Hyun Min’s performance - really natural facial expressions. Random thought, but I also loved how he said 완전 twice in the show. At the same time, while Cho Han Gyeol did a better job in comparison to many other kbl actors, he did not stand out with his skills next to Hyun Min. Some emotional scenes felt flat and forced.

Production value was nice - nothing too outstanding, but also nothing so bad it would be distracting. There were a few scenes in which I liked the composition.

Overall, a fun drama, probably better as a binge watch.

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