Watched the first 2 episodes and love it so far! It's refreshing and unexpected. Tropes turned on their side with delightful lead characters. (Family and colleagues have zero boundaries but I expect that will improve.) I'm so grateful to @KaizenSubs for their hard work!
So long, show! My love for Zhu Ya Wen isn't enough to keep me tethered to this overstuffed story. Asian dramas require my full attention because I have to read subtitles. But the quality here isn't high enough to sustain my commitment.
The grouchy lady-in-peril dynamic got tired pretty quick as did the ML's masochistic savior complex. I actually love slow-burn relationships where two people team up to help each other grow. This ain't it. Instead, it's a frustratingly lopsided "relationship" and doesn't seem to involve much personal growth.
I'm gonna look for Zhu Ya Wen in KIDNAPPING GAME (2021) and in those propaganda films about the fight against COVID. As for romance, I'd rather rewatch the first 20-ish episodes of his *smoking hot* arc in MING DYANASTY (2019). He was also adorable in 2017's ACROSS THE OCEAN TO SEE YOU (skipping most of the scenes with that bratty Tang Guo Guo and the monstrous Yan Xiao Qiu.)
Superb feline actor. Wish he had a greater role; same for PETE.
One huge improvement over the book is that the movie tweaks the icky 18-year-old age difference from the original book (30yr old man and 12 yr old child). I admit I was irritated by the time travel paradox — they didn't even try to address it. Whatever—it was a fine way to pass a couple hours on a Friday night.
Mr. Zhu Ya Wen... where have you been? You are hilarious!!!🤣😂 Your little sarcastic facial expressions kill…
Zhu Ya Wen's eye work is unparalleled. He's soulful, mischievous, playful and absolutely delightful to watch. This show is a bit overstuffed but I'm sticking with it because I love his work (and his voice!) so, so much.
This is show is highly problematic because I can't stop watching. I've binged 19 episodes and need to get back to my job! Yes, I understand why AvenueX's first impression trashed this show for being silly. The initial premise is ridiculous—but then again, so was the the 1997 John Woo film, FACE/OFF. (I mean, John Travolta and Nic Cage "swapping" faces? Ha!)
Once the FL starts her journey, the show is fun and compelling. The FL's characterization reminds me of Princess Wei Young—perhaps a little too perfect? But I don't care, Jiu Ling is the FL I need right now: cool, competent, compassionate, and clever. Her friendship/partnership with Zhu Zan is fantastic. The man knows when to stand back and let Jiu Ling handle herself but he's there when she needs him.
Actor Jin Han is very good at playing evil or morally ambiguous characters so it's fun to see him be a straight-up hero with some broader, comical touches. As others have observed, he's not a "pretty boy" but the man's profile is sublime and he has very confident energy. I really appreciate his unique looks.
As an urban work drama with four romantic storylines, this 40-episode drama requires extensive skip watching. Why do Chinese work dramas so often feel like capitalistic propaganda or B-School homework? The women's personal growth and their platonic or romantic relationships were more interesting to me than the corporate shenanigans. (The other message was making babies=good. Make two babies in three years!)
All the performers were fine though I was initially drawn to actors Zhou Ting Wei (heartbreakingly superb in LOVE IN BETWEEN) and Lin Yu Shen's weirdly shexy mustache (which he also sported in LOVE IN THE KITCHEN). Zhou Ting Wei needs his own lead role; watching this man fall in love is such a treat.
The main irritants are He Xiya's noble idiocy (see ep. 5 and 15) and Lu Man's resulting grief-fueled hatred towards the ML.
As noted below, the subtitles are laughably shite. _Really_ shite. Pronouns are pretty random and the literal translations of some of the names had me chuckling at the wrong parts. (Land Tendrils is the BEST worst machine translation!)
YouTube also stripped out most of the original soundtrack music, which mutes the fun, romantic vibe. Then you're just watching quiet montage scenes or people yearning for each other in silence.
I'm having a hard time understanding most of the dialogue, the grammar and syntax are terrible, Most of time,…
Yup—these captions are tricky. My favorite is a doctor saying, "Me and your dad, I've been friends for years. His last physical examination, I found a tumor in my brain." (Ep. 34, 04:51)
Though overly long, MY BARGAIN QUEEN, offers a pleasant romance between two nice, attractive, smart and sensible people in their early 30s. The OTP is beautiful together. I mean, _really_ beautiful. The ML's flawless undercut complements his splendid bone structure and the FL shows off her dancer's legs in an endless array of tiny skirts and office shorts. I liked their chemistry and enjoyed watching their growing mutual respect and affection.
While not a passionate romance, this pairing felt believable and deep. And there were several moments where I barked with laughter.
The ML's assistant An An and the FL's mother are excellent secondary characters—clever and funny. Mom is a little pushy but not painfully so. The secondary romance between the morally ambiguous vice GM and the FL's young staffer is initially cute but the actors' 24-year age gap doesn't do them any favors. The ML's sister and her fiancé deserve each other in their shared awfulness.
I have zero interest in horrible people and not much more about corporate intrigues. That said, I watched the first 15 episodes at (mostly) normal speed and then skip-watched the remaining 25 episodes over the course of 3 days. Anything with the two leads has a nice vibe.
(Note: This is my first drama with Lin Geng Xin. He is incredibly fine with a lovely voice to match. This is NOT to denigrate the current spate of young actors, but he offers something a little more solid than the half-starved young actors dominating cdramas.)
Thank you for your concise, heartfelt article about Kurosowa! I'll always connect his films to my college days when I discovered Japanese auteurs. Thanks to my university's movie-loving community, we were able to discover great films on the big screen as they were meant to be seen.
It's been decades since I've seen DRUNKEN ANGEL but I think that movie may have been one of the first to use background music that contrasted the emotion portrayed on the screen—thus heightening the tension through dissonance.
Seeing RAN (1985) outdoors at a special screening in Chicago was one of my best shared movie viewing experiences of my life. The screen itself was purported to be the largest portable screen in the country. We sat on blankets on the grass as the night enveloped the audience. The thundering hooves and battle cries rumbled in the ground beneath us. And we stayed when it started sprinkling lightly towards the end. It was war and we were all in it together, after all.
The full OST is out🥳. Here a link to the download link: https://kdramaost.com/en/doramas/2301-on-the-verge-of-insanityThe…
@Kyle—Can't thank you enough for sharing this! It takes SO much effort to get the full OSTs, including instrumentals! My Zone is my striding-into-a-room song!
I see that My Zone's co-composers Yu Hui Hyeon and Park Sejun worked on VINCENZO and THE CROWNED CLOWN too.
Does Lee Sang Yeob have a happy ending or redemption? I really like the actor, but the rest of the cast doesn't…
@Marius92—Lee Sang Yeob's character does have an eventual redemption arc. He's brilliant here and much, much more than a punchable face. Across 16 episodes, he imbues Han Se Kwon with arrogance, insecurity, and regret.
Other other characters are surprisingly compelling—particularly Ms. Dang and Mr. Choi and Shin Han Soo. It's a superb cast all around!
One of the best character developments I have seen, especially dang ja yeong. Hats off to writers for tight plot…
You make an excellent point and I like how you describe the show having a "core value." Who knew that a show exploring the dignity of work and personal/organizational power dynamics would be so damn entertaining and gratifying?!
16: did I miss something? I never saw any remorse from Han Se Kwon.
He expressed remorse in two ways: (1) Investing in Banstone. I know, it felt more like glib opportunism but you can only expect so much from the guy. ;) (2) Expressing a heartfelt apology to Na Ri—the only person he allows to see his vulnerabilities.
Oh my. I can feel you though I have neen binging the drama since yesterday. I wonder WHY exactly this isn't as…
I was surprised such a high-quality show aired on MBC. Just this spring, MBC aired OH MY MASTER (aka OH MY LANDLORD)—one of the worst dramas I've ever seen.
The MDL thread was afire with hateful glee but I couldn't endure beyond 9 episodes of hate-watching.
I don't understand why OTVOI's MDL rating isn't a 9 or 10.
If y'all like Moon So Ri (Ms. Dang), I highly recommend catching Ep. 100-101 of MASTER IN THE HOUSE (2017). She and her husband, Director Jang Jun Hwan, hosted the guys overnight. It's a *wonderful* pair of episodes. (Their 9-year-old daughter was away for the shoot but her presence is definitely felt.)
The grouchy lady-in-peril dynamic got tired pretty quick as did the ML's masochistic savior complex. I actually love slow-burn relationships where two people team up to help each other grow. This ain't it. Instead, it's a frustratingly lopsided "relationship" and doesn't seem to involve much personal growth.
I'm gonna look for Zhu Ya Wen in KIDNAPPING GAME (2021) and in those propaganda films about the fight against COVID. As for romance, I'd rather rewatch the first 20-ish episodes of his *smoking hot* arc in MING DYANASTY (2019). He was also adorable in 2017's ACROSS THE OCEAN TO SEE YOU (skipping most of the scenes with that bratty Tang Guo Guo and the monstrous Yan Xiao Qiu.)
One huge improvement over the book is that the movie tweaks the icky 18-year-old age difference from the original book (30yr old man and 12 yr old child). I admit I was irritated by the time travel paradox — they didn't even try to address it. Whatever—it was a fine way to pass a couple hours on a Friday night.
Once the FL starts her journey, the show is fun and compelling. The FL's characterization reminds me of Princess Wei Young—perhaps a little too perfect? But I don't care, Jiu Ling is the FL I need right now: cool, competent, compassionate, and clever. Her friendship/partnership with Zhu Zan is fantastic. The man knows when to stand back and let Jiu Ling handle herself but he's there when she needs him.
Actor Jin Han is very good at playing evil or morally ambiguous characters so it's fun to see him be a straight-up hero with some broader, comical touches. As others have observed, he's not a "pretty boy" but the man's profile is sublime and he has very confident energy. I really appreciate his unique looks.
All the performers were fine though I was initially drawn to actors Zhou Ting Wei (heartbreakingly superb in LOVE IN BETWEEN) and Lin Yu Shen's weirdly shexy mustache (which he also sported in LOVE IN THE KITCHEN). Zhou Ting Wei needs his own lead role; watching this man fall in love is such a treat.
The main irritants are He Xiya's noble idiocy (see ep. 5 and 15) and Lu Man's resulting grief-fueled hatred towards the ML.
As noted below, the subtitles are laughably shite. _Really_ shite. Pronouns are pretty random and the literal translations of some of the names had me chuckling at the wrong parts. (Land Tendrils is the BEST worst machine translation!)
YouTube also stripped out most of the original soundtrack music, which mutes the fun, romantic vibe. Then you're just watching quiet montage scenes or people yearning for each other in silence.
While not a passionate romance, this pairing felt believable and deep. And there were several moments where I barked with laughter.
The ML's assistant An An and the FL's mother are excellent secondary characters—clever and funny. Mom is a little pushy but not painfully so. The secondary romance between the morally ambiguous vice GM and the FL's young staffer is initially cute but the actors' 24-year age gap doesn't do them any favors. The ML's sister and her fiancé deserve each other in their shared awfulness.
I have zero interest in horrible people and not much more about corporate intrigues. That said, I watched the first 15 episodes at (mostly) normal speed and then skip-watched the remaining 25 episodes over the course of 3 days. Anything with the two leads has a nice vibe.
(Note: This is my first drama with Lin Geng Xin. He is incredibly fine with a lovely voice to match. This is NOT to denigrate the current spate of young actors, but he offers something a little more solid than the half-starved young actors dominating cdramas.)
It's been decades since I've seen DRUNKEN ANGEL but I think that movie may have been one of the first to use background music that contrasted the emotion portrayed on the screen—thus heightening the tension through dissonance.
Seeing RAN (1985) outdoors at a special screening in Chicago was one of my best shared movie viewing experiences of my life. The screen itself was purported to be the largest portable screen in the country. We sat on blankets on the grass as the night enveloped the audience. The thundering hooves and battle cries rumbled in the ground beneath us. And we stayed when it started sprinkling lightly towards the end. It was war and we were all in it together, after all.
I see that My Zone's co-composers Yu Hui Hyeon and Park Sejun worked on VINCENZO and THE CROWNED CLOWN too.
Other other characters are surprisingly compelling—particularly Ms. Dang and Mr. Choi and Shin Han Soo. It's a superb cast all around!
If this is Choi Ban Seok being "clingy," I'm all for it.
(1) Investing in Banstone. I know, it felt more like glib opportunism but you can only expect so much from the guy. ;)
(2) Expressing a heartfelt apology to Na Ri—the only person he allows to see his vulnerabilities.
The MDL thread was afire with hateful glee but I couldn't endure beyond 9 episodes of hate-watching.
I don't understand why OTVOI's MDL rating isn't a 9 or 10.