vicki

testing my patience

Tomorrow with You started off strong with a compelling premise and intriguing time travel mechanics. The early episodes, especially up to around episode 11 or 14, had a certain magic to them that really drew me in. I was emotionally invested, even losing sleep over the main couple, which says a lot about their chemistry and how engaging the story was at that point.

However, as the show progressed, particularly in the final stretch, things started to unravel. The characters—especially the male lead—began making increasingly illogical decisions. For someone who could see the future, he sure made a lot of bad calls, like choosing to confront the antagonist despite knowing the police were already involved. These decisions often felt like they were only there to create unnecessary drama or set up tragic moments, like separating the couple for years or killing off characters. Many of these twists came across as obvious plot devices, which weakened the overall logic of the story and made the future-altering aspect feel underused or mishandled.

The reunion was touching and emotional, and yes, I cried—but that doesn’t mean it made sense. The way the male lead suddenly traveled to the future without the usual method (the train) broke the internal rules the show had set, just for the sake of plot convenience.

Despite all that, I did enjoy the relationship between the leads. They didn’t feel like a boring couple because they weren’t constantly together, and their time apart actually helped build the emotional weight of their bond. The detail about the emails the female lead sent through the years added a nice touch—it helped keep the connection between them alive and emotionally grounded.

Overall, while I definitely have issues with the inconsistent time travel logic and overuse of melodramatic tropes, I still appreciated the love story at the heart of it all. Not one of my top-tier dramas, but it had its moments—and a lot of heart.

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Very good until the ending

Okay, I honestly don’t agree with the bad reviews for this one, because I really liked it. I was hooked the whole time, and even though the ending didn’t answer everything, the overall experience was still so worth it for me.

First of all, Ju Ji-hoon as Kang Gon… wow. His performance was amazing. I cried many times, especially in his scenes with Kang Da-in. Their bond was just so beautiful and emotional, and it hit me every single time. There was this one scene, where Kang Gon was in a church yelling in pain—that scene destroyed me. I could feel everything he felt, and his acting there was great.

I also loved the whole part about trying to stop the disasters and save people. There was one specific moment during the train disaster that got me so emotional I almost cried on an plane (sitting between two random guys, so I had to hold it in). It was just so beautiful and powerful. And I loved how this little group of characters came together for a bigger purpose—it was really heartwarming in a way.

The villain, Jo Se-hwang —he made my blood boil. He was truly awful and you could argue that he had depth, because of how hurt he was by his father. I didn’t sympathize with him, but I feel like sometimes he was just evil for the sake of being evil.

Now the ending… I’m still confused. Da-in was saved, but Kang Gon didn’t return? And then the final episode had this whole thing with a key and a new magical item, and they didn’t explain any of it. I wanted a proper reunion between Kang Gon and Da-in in the real world, and it kind of felt like they just left things hanging.

But even with that, it didn’t ruin anything for me. I absolutely loved watching this. I got so emotionally invested, cried a lot, and felt so much while watching. And Ju Ji-hoon’s performance alone made it all worth it. Honestly, I’m really happy I watched it.

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Ah, the name fits well, it truly is a cruel city!

For like the first 8 episodes, I wasn't really that into it, and it might seem stupid to say that I overall enjoyed it if I needed 8 episodes to get into it, but that might just be a side effect of watching too many dramas. The plot felt very familiar and didn't stand out for the first 8 episodes, but it did pique my interest more once the romance sparked. What can I say—while I do enjoy my crime/mystery/noir shows, a good romance is what keeps me watching.

While overall, in the end, I do find this to be a good drama and recommend it, I have some criticisms.

Most importantly—Ji Hyung-min. What a frustrating, one-dimensional, rigid character. Such a contrast (in a negative way) to the more nuanced character that Shi-hyun was, although he could be frustrating at times too. This whole undercover cop thing was great in the sense of exploring the nuances that go into this morally grey area of undercover cops. But bro, Hyung-min sending his own undercover cop in without any training was just ridiculous. Ain't no way someone without ANY training can just do undercover shit, and he just let her (Soo-min) do it and then acted all self-righteous. For a main character, he was too frustrating.

Jin Sook was truly a GOAT. With each episode, I loved her character more and more—I think she is my favorite character in this one.

Overall, this drama has crazy good reviews, but I don't find it to be the masterpiece that people say it is. However, I would recommend it. It also very much reminds me of The Worst of Evil—same energy, and the names of these dramas really fit the stories. They show how fucked up this undercover cop thing can get. At the end of the day, we are just people dealing with other people, and it's very morally complicated. I enjoy this aspect very much.

Great OST.

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No Skips, No Boredom

⭐ Loved every second of it — and that’s incredibly rare for me.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this way about a drama. Even with shows I’ve really enjoyed recently, there are always points of criticism, or at least aspects that didn’t leave a strong impression.
But this? This was perfect — down to even the intro.
I’ve seen some negative reviews, but personally, I’m just grateful to have found something I genuinely loved from start to finish.
If I had to criticize something, I’d say Hu Min doesn’t quite have the aura of someone who supposedly maintained order in Eunjang and built this “epic fighter legend” image. However, I still enjoyed his character a lot — he just didn’t radiate that legendary vibe to me.

Overall:

OST: Amazing.
Acting/Performance: Phenomenal.
Visuals/Cinematography: Loved it.
Intro: No skip!
Story: Had me glued to the screen.
Pacing: Perfect.

Look, maybe I’m hyped because I just finished it... but after being a pretty critical watcher (after 200+ dramas), I’m just thrilled to finally enjoy something this much.
Weak Hero Class 2 definitely earned a spot on my favorites list. 💥

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moral ambiguity done right

I put this on just because recently I've been interested in Hou Ming Hao's work, I had the expectation that this drama is just about hunting demons, friendship and that it will be a comedy. Damn was I wrong and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Although it definitely is about friendship, they do hunt demons and there is humor, it is much much more deeper than that.

I'll start with my favorite part which is that finally moral ambiguity is done right. Most of what I've seen, xianxia/costume dramas have this boring/simplistic framework where good is pure, righteous; evil is demonic, corrupt and redemption is love fixes everything lol. This drama established from the start that humans can be cruel; demons are capable of love, loyalty and sacrifice, and evil is a consequence of suffering, fear and survival not identity. Humans and demons are treated as fundamentally equal - capable of the same kindness and the same brutality. That alone makes the story feel far more mature than most dramas in the genre.

Because of this, I genuinely consider Fangs of Fortune a masterpiece. The way the characters are written carries the story more than any romance ever could. In fact, I do think the drama falls short on the love aspect, and initially I wasn’t particularly keen on Wen Xiao’s character. But the more I thought about it, the more it clicked: love is intentionally secondary here. Wen Xiao is meant to feel insufficient. I think I am conditioned by dramas to expect love to heal trauma, redeem pain and provide emotional resolution. This story refuses that comfort. Love doesn’t fix everything and because of that, Wen Xiao feels incomplete, limited and sometimes frustrating… but also human.

I have to single out Zhao Yuan Zhou's character, he is neither hero or antihero. He is someone who has lived far too long, is tired and sees the world with clarity. He does not distinguish between humans and demons morally. He understands that suffering is systematic, that compassion is rarely rewarded and that goodness does not triumph simply because it exists. He is not softened into a romantic archetype. Instead, he remains exhausted, self-aware, and principled in his own quiet, devastating way. Characters like him are incredibly rare in dramas.

You don't watch this for twists, surprises and salvation, this story is for watching how tragedy unfolds and why characters make the choices that they do.

The humor worked so well, too. It didn't break the immersion and it felt like people coping, not just like writers inserting jokes haha, it was so well done.

also have to mention that the music was hauntingly beautiful
an absolutely fantastic atmospheric watch

💔

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The Good Bad Mother – A Bittersweet Masterpiece

I remember when this drama first came out. I was immediately curious about Lee Do Hyun's new drama. But I also knew it was about a difficult mother-son relationship, and I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it back then. For two years, this drama stayed on my watchlist, waiting for the right moment. I finally watched it and I’m so glad I did.

I’m giving The Good Bad Mother a full 10/10. In my non-expert opinion, this is a beautifully written, emotionally rich drama, elevated by phenomenal acting. Lee Do Hyun continues to prove himself with every role, and this performance absolutely cements him as one of my favorite actors. His ability to portray both physical and emotional pain, vulnerability, and resilience was just stunning.

This drama is deeply bittersweet. It broke my heart, and I cried so much watching it—but it’s not just a sad story. As the title suggests, The Good Bad Mother is about contradictions: the good and bad within people, within life, within love. It’s about regret and redemption, sacrifice and healing. While the focus is on a mother’s complicated love, it reaches far beyond that—it’s about life itself, in all its harshness and beauty.

What struck me is how the story balances this devastation with warmth and humor. The townspeople’s antics, their quirks and loyalty, provide the kind of comedic relief that doesn’t undermine the drama but supports it. It reminded me a lot of Reply 1988— in how it highlights the power of community. Watching this show made me mourn the fact that many people today don’t have that kind of tight-knit, supportive village in their lives.

I can’t speak to how accurate the portrayal of disability was—at times, it did feel a little idealized or unrealistic—but I appreciated the way the show didn’t shy away from showing how devastating and isolating that experience could be. The early episodes especially hit hard.

And then there’s the romance. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m still not over it. It was subtle, painful, and incredibly beautiful—another layer of emotional weight I wasn’t prepared for.

There were so many great lines and moments about life that I wish I had written down. I probably will go back and rewatch just to catch them again.

And finally, the acting. The acting. Every single person delivered—from Ra Mi-ran as the fierce, flawed mother, to Lee Do Hyun's jaw-dropping transformation. I was completely blown away.

💔❤️

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What Happens When Dong Jin Isn’t in Your Life?

Honestly, the premise itself was already kind of off, this idea that people get physically hurt if they fall in love with her? It’s interesting, sure, but the show didn’t really build a logical or believable world around it. The whole “10-minute rule” was kind of silly, and the way they used it felt super inconsistent. Sometimes it felt like they were trying to force drama with rules that didn’t even make sense if you actually thought about them.

The pacing was weird too — it was super slow in the beginning with a lot of repetitive scenes, but then everything suddenly sped up toward the end. Like out of nowhere, Dong Jin’s friend is also cursed? And Minjeong’s friend is her love interest? What?? It felt rushed and not well set up.

I get that the show wanted to focus on emotional isolation and maybe show that Dong Jin was this selfless guy trying to help others, but it still didn’t really land. I didn’t feel the love. When Minjeong confessed in the end, I was just like… okay? Sure, she worried about him, but love? I didn’t buy it.

There were some sweet little moments, and the idea of someone finally seeing and caring for Minjeong is touching, but the romantic payoff didn’t match the emotional build-up. It tried to be deep and emotional, but the lack of proper answers and the weirdly constructed rules just made it feel kind of hollow. Like… how many people are walking around cursed like that? And what happens to people who don’t have a “Dong Jin” to rescue them?

So yeah. It wasn’t all bad, but I get why the reviews are mixed.

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