Women are the real protagonists of this story, from the wise and kind queen Inhyeon to the terrible villain Jang Hui Bin.
The plot is really interesting, full of intrigues and conspiracies.. a look at korean history and a tender and fresh love story between the king Sukjong and Dong Yi.. It may seem like a never-ending drama since it has 60 episodes, instead it was really nice and smooth..and it seemed to have really followed Dong Yi's whole life..
There were many unforgettable characters like king Sukjong, a wise leader for his people and a skilled politician but also a kind hearted and even funny person.. thanks to Jin Ji Hee's acting^^
I also loved many supporting roles..who can forget the eunuch? XD
Han Hyo Joo is one of my favorite actresses and I don't need to say that she was great as Dong Yi.
I loved the setting of the royal palace, the sumptuous and colorful costumes and the lovely music. The OST gave a nostalgic feeling to the whole drama.
If you want to know more about korean history in a beautiful and interesting way this is a drama for you^^
Ps: sorry for my English
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This review may contain spoilers
This was honestly a lot better than I expected it to be. I'm not a huge fan of the "they break up because of stupid misunderstanding and get back together later" plot and so I had been avoiding this, but I ended up really enjoying this one. I should've known the writer of ALSB and PYHOMS wouldn't let me down!I'm usually a huge friends-to-lovers trope fan and even though I felt for the second lead in this drama, I actually didn't have SLS and I felt like the main lead was actually really soft and proactive, despite being indifferent to other people, he was always really nice to the female lead from the very start and it was refreshing to see a ML so upfront about his feelings to the FL and SFL.
I also have to say that Zhou Xiao is EXACTLY THE KIND OF FEMALE LEAD THAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR, and she's exactly the type of character I relate to — very independent, crazy with her friends, chill about most things, and unassuming when it comes to romance. In so many dramas the female ends up being ditzy when they fall in love and that never happened to ZX. She was super smart when it came to things OTHER than romance and even in a relationship she had so much of her own thinking and independence and focused on friendships.
The big plot point actually didn't bother me at all and I feel like the pacing was done really well. It wasn't blown up into a tragic sob story and was more of a "this is why things are the way they are." The build-up to it was there from the very first episode with his mom's phone calls. Still, I've never been a fan of time jumps and that was no different with this one — I felt like the characters were never the same afterwards.
Also, the sismance was really good! Honestly I could have seen more of it but it was super fun to see how they stood up for each other when romance fell through or when they needed help. It's kind of one reason that I loved the FL so much — she was still there for her friends even after getting in a relationship.
The family aspect was overall pretty good as well. The FL's dad annoyed me a little but ultimately I really liked the little tidbits of humor throughout the drama and how the different family dynamics worked.
I kind of wish that the SML had gotten a better plotline because he could've been a lot more in terms of his own character and not just "the sidekick," and the same could've been said for the studious roommate that never got her own sub-plot. Ultimately though, I really enjoyed this drama and honestly will now watch ANYTHING by this writer!
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This review may contain spoilers
A career of the dismantling of a wife´s self-esteem and the almost impossible attempt of recapture
A highly valuable socio-critical study about being a wife, a mother, a granddaughter in South Korea today (actually 2012). The KDrama offers an in-depth (at times disturbing) insight into everyday Korean reality around the hierarchical concept of family and the upbringing of children. There is also a lot of local color about the simple everyday life of the lower and upper middle classes.The framework is provided by the madness about education, which in South Korea means that mothers in particular are under enormous pressure to perform (long before it really reaches the pupils themselves). The mothers are expected to support their child for the glory and honor of the family in such a way that it later has the best outlook on a professional career. Career in that sense is starting early...
"A Wife's Credentials" puts a critical magnifying glass on exactly this social dynamic. It also puts the magnifying glass on the disadvantage for women who give up (should give up!) their job with marriage/family life. Additionally, the KDrama also spotlights the issue of sexual assault in the workplace, the stigma of a single parent and finally social hierarchy.
It centers on So-rae, a once-creative young graphic designer and children's book illustrator who (one could say rather accidentally) stumbled into marriage and is now forced to prove herself as a housewife and mother in an ungrateful environment. A little bit of sunshine is provided by her son. However, in the end he too might be taken away from her. "A Wife´s Credentials" is basically illustrating the career of the dismantling of a wife´s self-esteem and the desperate, almost impossible attempt of recapture.
More than once you want to shake and shake even more not only So-rae but also many others. Yet, this is all due to family values and the social context in South Korea (...I wasn't aware of its extent the first time I saw the show). The tremendous injustice that So-rae is confronted with from several sides in addition to what she actually allows and gives in to, is rather disturbing and can eventually get on your nerves. For me as a woman, too, (yet being sozialized in Germany) it was sometimes extremely hard to bear.
This social study of a woman´s life (in South Korea) is painful to look at, yet told in a highly authentic manner. Thanks to veteran high-end actress Kim Hee-ae at its best, So-rae's emotional processes are brought to life even more authentically. With the example of her male protagonist facing the same subject - an unhappy marriage and a potential divorce - the dramatically differing social stand of men and women are presented rich in contrast!
The soundtrack stands in fresh contradiction to the sobering subject matter, which repeatedly embeds the events in a cheerful, confident atmosphere and encourages facing the challenges of life optimistically.
The various side plots profoundly round off the picture of contemporary society of that time. (Compared to more recent dramas, society´s expectations in that respect unfortunately doesn´t seem to have changed).
--------- SIDE NOTE --- Divorces ---
... in South Korea are still hardly socially accepted. At least ´adultery´, which was at the time of the KDrama still an illegal issue, that could be punished (in fact even with years in prison) is no criminal act anymore. However, a law is still in force, prohibiting adulterers in South Korea from starting divorce proceedings. Plus, in order for the divorce to be legal, both spouses must agree. And if so, at least significant monetary compensation must be expected. However, this obviously doesn´t help prevent adultery (especially among husbands) to happen. It´s rather a matter of hypocritical morals - a South Korean study in 2015 found that of surveyed men 50,8 percent cheated at least once. It is among men almost considered normal with no consequences for the valued concept ´family´. Whereas among women it was 9,3 percent - and there it seemingly happens more often at a point within the reationship, when the wife might also be prepared to end the ´failed family project´ - but cannot simply do so.
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At last, I deliberately want to mention the relationship between So-rae and Tae-oh, which is told in such a refreshing way that goes beyond the usual clichés. For once, no silly chastity. No romantic exaggeration. Real. Grounded. Not a hero, who would do everything unimaginable for his loved one so that the sun would rise in the west (...yeah, a little bit, though...) ... Instead, an appreciative, loving, grounded, not completely selfless, but patient partner at eye level and at your side, if woman needs him. Not Mr. Perfect, yet a man, who is prepared and willing to grow in relationship (even if it might be bothersome at times).
Finally, the coherently told story convinces with an ending that provides emancipated happiness - noiselessly, softly and with balanced steps.
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This review may contain spoilers
The epilogue or continuation to ep 36 and the ending to the series.
If you have watched 36 eps of Word of Honor, then do watch this as it wraps up the series and answers the questions you may have after ep 36. This small episode shows what happened to Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu after we last saw them in the armory. We also get to see Gao Xiao Lian's family. A happy end to the series and for WKX and ZZS. Nice to see them be together and retire from jianghu to teach the future disciples of the rebuilt four season's manor.Ep 36 leaves off with Gao Xiao Lian calling everyone to a meal and here we see Deng Kuan (her husband) come to collect their son for the meal with mother. We see the disciple practicing 18 steps of Qiuming that only WKX knows so he is learning from WKX. ZZS turns up to instruct him and then WKX shows up to disagree with his teaching methods as he tends to do. Deng Kuan then whisks away his confused son, saying that the two of them have been fighting like this their entire lives and says that they are now immortals. In 36 we are shown that Chengling has rebuilt the manor near the ice mountains. So, all of them live nearby. Great that their family of three is still together.
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An incredibly intense espionage thriller
Before getting into the review, here is some historical background for the film:The film is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. There are several powers in play at this time: the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, and Imperial Japan. Imperial Japan invaded Manchuria (located in northeastern China) in the early 1930s and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. It was here where they hoped to establish a base from where they would continue their expansion into Asia.
In 1937, after many years of conflict, Japan occupied Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. The Nanjing Massacre occurred at this time. After the fall of Nanjing, which had been the capital of the Republic of China at that time, the Kuomintang moved the capital west to Chongqing, under Jiang Jieshi's leadership. During this time, the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang formed a temporary alliance, suspending the years of civil conflict between them, although their vie for power continued.
In 1940, Wang Jingwei, who was once a member of the Kuomintang but had always been in opposition against Jiang Jieshi, collaborated with Japan to establish the Wang Jingwei regime. They claimed to be the leadership of the Republic of China, when in fact they were a puppet government of Japan, overseeing the Japanese-occupied territory in eastern China, under Japan's control. They established their capital in Nanjing and used the Kuomintang flag. The Axis powers recognized the Wang Jingwei regime, while the Allied powers still recognized Jiang Jieshi as the leader of the Republic of China.
From 1937-1941, Japan had left a few neighbourhoods in Shanghai unoccupied, because that was where the American-British joint settlement and French Concession were located. Many people fled to this area to live at that time. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, the entirety of Shanghai became occupied by Japan. Many cities were bombed during these years, including Guangzhou, which experienced bombings for 14 months in 1937-1938.
During this era of war, which is also called the War of Resistance in China, espionage networks were established to try to undermine the enemy. Hidden Blade tells a story about these individuals.
---
Even without knowing the historical context, Hidden Blade presents a visual feast of vivid characters and imagery. Cheng Er uses a non-linear narrative approach to reveal the stories of these characters. The main characters, Mr. He (Tony Leung) and Mr. Ye (Wang Yibo), are both enigmatic and morally ambiguous. We meet Mr. He, the charming man who hides intimidation behind a pleasant smile, and Mr. Ye, a rootless man who does not shy away from violence. Tony Leung does not disappoint as the veteran actor that he is, as the man who can tell stories with just his eyes or a slight smile, and he delivers a charismatic performance that reaffirms why he is such a revered actor. Wang Yibo delivers a phenomenal performance to match. Mr. Ye is a compelling character who is mesmerizing, perplexing, suave, and incredibly human at the same time. Wang Yibo does a fantastic job of portraying this complex character with mysterious motives, who seems to hide much more than he lets on behind his cool and composed appearance. He excels at playing a character whose inner turmoil is silently repressed.
The cast of side characters are also worth mentioning, with memorable performances from all of the actors. I take half a star off only because I feel that the female character stories could have been explored further. Zhou Xun makes a special appearance as Ms. Chen, and although her part is brief, she captivates the audience from the moment she walks onto the scene with her package of pastries and she leaves an emotional impact on the audience even in the short time that she has on screen. Jiang Shuying (Ms. Jiang) and Zhang Jingyi (Ms. Fang) are both charming as well, however their opportunity to showcase their strengths is quite limited.
The cinematography is well-executed and the attention to detail is remarkable. In one interview, Cheng Er reveals that even the ties that are worn by the characters are all actual ties from that era that have been collected. The music also compliments the scenes beautifully, adding further to the tension which Cheng Er builds so skillfully throughout the film. The choreography of the fight scenes is also top-tier and will not disappoint.
As a movie depicting times of war, there are several scenes that are difficult to watch and Cheng Er does not shy away from showing the cruelty of what people may have experienced. General content warnings without spoilers include torture, suffocation, death of an animal, implied rape (not depicted), as well as genre-typical violence that one may expect from an espionage war thriller.
Overall, the cast and crew have created a incredibly intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you thinking about many scenes even after finishing the film. There are many parallels drawn throughout the film and it is a film that only gets better with rewatching as one lets the details marinate. At the end you're left with a lingering admiration for the individuals who struggled to free themselves from the oppression that they lived under. In doing so, they have sacrificed their own lives, their relationships, and even their own values in their effort to forge a path forward, towards a future where the nameless ones might once again stand in the sunlight.
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The Honest Verdict ;"Oh My”, This Was A Dire Drama ...
Have you ever found yourself watching a show, and generally wondering whether the screenwriter had a dartboard, was blindfolded and throwing randomly to see what random plot point to come up with next? Well, most drama watchers out there can probably agree that this perfectly describes ” Oh My Ladylord".
Before critiquing the drama , it is important to start on a high note.Against all odds of the female animosity trope, there was a surprisingly profound relationship between female lead Oh Joo In’s mother Yoon Jung Hwa ( Kim Ho Jung) and male lead Han Bi Soo’s mother Kang Hae Jin ( Lee Hwk Hyang). However, this is also where the series hits a major snag also. The main leads’ mothers were simply more interesting than either of our main leads.
It shouldn’t have been this way by default. Nana ( playing Oh Joo In) and Lee Min Ki ( costarring as Han Bi Soo)are both really good actors. ( Alongside Kang Min Hyuk playing second male lead Jung Yu Min.)Sadly, however, whilst the actors did put effort into their performances, they were fairly limited towards what they could actually do with Jo Jin Kook’s questionable script.
To start off this problem, it is important to talk about our female lead Oh Joo. Oh Joo wasn’t an inherently " terrible" character in the beginning. She had a strong, heartfelt relationship with her mother and seemed to defy the typical cliches of being the " spoilt and aloof actress" also. However, the show soon goes down hill when Oh Joo is introduced into her romantic pairing with Bi Soo. It isn’t necessarily the chemistry between the leads which was " bad", but, rather how she was reduced to the equivalent of storyline cannon fodder not even halfway into the show.
This moves us onto the next prominent issue. The dreaded creme de la creme of tropes; the love triangle. There’s nothing entirely wrong with love triangles per say in a drama, but, the problem with " Oh My Ladylord”’s love triangle happened to be that it was incredibly hard to root for any
chemistry in Jo Jin Jook’s trio of one-dimensional main leads.
To give Bi Soo some credulity , he wasn’t entirely a “terrible person at heart”. However, as this is a formulaic romantic drama where flaws have to be exaggerated for plot development, Bi Soo’s aloofness, jealousy and selfishness at times just became tiresome and repetitive .This is exemplified when around the halfway point of the drama, Bi Soo was so caught up in his attempts to make Oh Joo fall in love with him, that he did not make time even once during a pivotal revelation in this episode to visit his own dying mother. (Then, there is also the poorly-written fantasy element tied-in with Oh Joo, which did not add anything of relevance to Bi Soo’s characterisation.)
The final component of our love triangle is Jung Yu Min. The archetypical ” second male lead” who has ” been in love with Oh Joo for a long time”, Yu Min was just shallow and uninteresting . He had potential to be intriguing and well-written ,but (typical of cliches), Yu Min’s biggest problem occurred by his infatuation with Oh Joo. This is because Yu Min exists only as an obstacle in the story for Bi Soo’s affections . He had no sense of individuality with family, friends or his job outside of the romantic pairing. Even after Oh Joo confessed her ambiguous feelings whilst they were " dating" , it was predictable that Yu Min lashed out manipulatively at Bi Soo rather than just sitting down to talk with Bi Soo and Oh Joo like a decent human being .
Then there’s the biggest elephant in the room with the drama; the genre. Genre shifts can work well to a show’s advantage, and then there’s " Oh My Ladylord".
Admittedly the screenwriter does attempt to make amends by bringing the fantasy elements again into the storyline, however , this resorted in the overall genre shift being nothing more than a lazy plot Macguffin. ( In an attempt to make a poorly-written romance story interesting with little success. ) The ending was even worse, attempting to deliver a tearjerking solution to an otherwise horrible storyline , but , with little success.
So, is " Oh My Ladylord" actually worth watching? This is entirely dependent upon expectations. If you’re a fan of trope-filled, terribly outdated storylines with toxic relationships then " Oh My Ladylord" is right up your street. However, if you’re looking for a modern, well-written and dynamic romance tale with a supernatural twist, then look elsewhere because " Oh My Ladylord" certainly isn’t it.
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As for the female lead and male lead, they portrayed their roles very well done, they both nailed it.. They acted naturally. 👍🏼
The storyline is also unique, no cliches and I swear you wouldn’t get bored watching each of 20 episodes.
Music, acting, rewatch value, storyline, etc. good job to those directors and screenwriters...
Hoping to watch whatever upcoming roles they are into...
I’ve heard KJH issue,the way he handled it and the way he apologized, he’s forgiven... everyone of us makes mistakes, we all have our own flaws... In other words, we are not perfect individuals.... So let us move on and look forward to more of his shows... He’s an amazing actor in any way.....
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One of the best K-BLs out there!
I knew from the start of this drama that I was going to love it… and I stand correct!Noq this is how you do a KBL-Drama! Acting, OSTs, Visuals etc. were just amazing! I have this drama as one of my most favourite BLs ever. The chemistry was amazing too… though the kiss could’ve been a bit better lol but that kiss in EP 10 showed how much they improved.
I would like to see a Season 2 except I want the focus to be more on the other lead couple as I think there are still things we need to learn off of their story. And I need my kiss! (Tbh kisses in this drama aren’t even needed cause their chemistry is just that great)
This is sitting up there with one of the best BLs released this year (2023) highly recommend to those who have yet to see this :)
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I have never seen such an amazing chemistry between the lead couple. EVER. Whenever they were together it was like seeing fireworks. Seriously.! I have seen so many dramas but this has by fare the best chemistry ever.
Wallace was amazing at his role. His acting was superb and so believable. As was XiaoRans. An amazing female and male couple. APPLAUDS!!!
The acting was generally great from the whole cast and deserves a perfect score.
Wallace was so great at his jealousy scenes that I melted every time. Not only by that but the kisses killed me on the spot. That's how good it was.! xD
And yeah the guy is FREAKING HOTTTTT. Ahhhh. I will never get a guy like that.
The story was great and really intense. It hooked me really well and kept me wanting to watch more and more. Episode by episode.
A lot of stuff happens but not at the same time so it's build very well. I liked the flow. It was almost perfect. ^^
I got MAD, SAD, IN A KILL MODE, DEVASTATED, HOT, HAAPPPYYY, OVERJOYED and COOLED down again. So this was a very joyful ride since it ended happy too. YEAHH
Though I'am still in a mood of not knowing what to do with my love for the 2. lead guy. He was soo sweet and deserved more too. But I already knew and wanted her to end up with by BIAS, the lead guy!! :D
Anyways I would say this is a very recommendable drama for u guys who likes HOT chemistry beside some action and drama. Especially if you are in a drama-slump. It will wake you up right away. If I were you I would watch it! Believe me you have never seen anything like this. The chemistry! WOW.
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A GUILTY PLEASURE NO ONE WILL ADMIT TO.
How do I explain My Day? A perfect storm, a chaotic mess that keeps you coming back for more like the series is just all over the place that it makes it super interesting, I mean the fact that it has an 8-star rating generally and I am giving it a 6.5 despite everything should tell you enough.On to my review, I will first start by saying if you come to My Day with expectations of Oscar level acting and scenes, then you will be disappointed, annoyed, and disgusted. But if you have an open mind you will actually come to enjoy this so much. BTW, gmmtv have NOTHING on oxinfilms in terms of sliding in advertisements, like in fact, gmm can learn from oxinfilms, lol. When I was watching My Day I was watching 17 other ongoing BLs weekly, yet out of the 17, My Day, Gaya Sa Pelikula, and Still 2gether kept me excited for the next week's episode. PLUS EPISODE 8, IT HITS YOU OUT OF NOWHERE, OMG
I am going to be reviewing this as episodes 1 to 3, then 4 upwards because I warn you now, 1 to 3 have been some of the worst episodes I have watched in a BL or series, by episode 4, they step up their game a bit and by episode 5, you have hit some good stuff.
NOTE; Some shows are just to be enjoyed, not necessarily analyzed, discerned, methodically detailed, or examined for ultimate correctness. Sometimes, a show is just for a little humor, laugh, and entertainment. I totally agree that this series is "campy," a little "off-beat," and possibly somewhat politically incorrect at times. But, it does have some "heart," and an occasional "feel good" moment
EPISODES 1 TO 3
Episodes 1 to 3 are just plain chaotic, weird and happens so fast you get whiplash. Like the scene where Sky was begging Ace for a job or how fast Ace suddenly went from mean and terrible to cute and fluffy with Sky. Like then the driving scene and restaurant scene were just......... To summarize it all, episodes 1 to 3 will make you want to lose your mind
EPISODE 4 BEYOND
It's not like I am saying after episode 3 you will start getting perfect episodes, but the series gets better and more enjoyable there is still some cringe here and there but overall, it does not take away from the fun of the series. So the thing about My Day is more of the story of 2 people falling madly in love, giving us the gay version of romcoms and Disney movies per se, than being a story with a specific storyline, like struggling with sexuality or family or any of that. It's meant to be about Sky and Ace Tan getting together, I mean there is the layer of Ace's dad being the worst and a homophobe but it is not the focus of the series, the series is about them falling in love mainly.
There were parts that were like loud and obnoxious but like they are ultimately okay, sometimes their acting was sport on and good, then other times, you would be so perplexed by the acting, as their facial expressions, expressing emotions and tonations were just kinda bad.
There are parts that were like the scene draws out or a part that is so unnecessary to the story but like I don't mind them, anything to make an episode longer is worth it cause I didn't want them to end, like Moira and the entire dog kidnapping scene was such a waste of time but I mean it gave us Sylean insulting Moira savagely, lol.
EPISODE 8
The blessed episode, they sealed themselves in the league of MaxTul, MewGulf, and SaintZee... Like everyone that watched that episode thought that was the ending after the fireworks, then BOOM, they hit us in the face, like Woah Ohh.
Episode 11
Episode 11 so far has been one of the best episodes in terms of control of everything, emotions, acting everything as a whole, like I never expected to feel pain in My Day but episode 11 did that, but the ending confused me a little I won't lie but it wasn't bad or anything
OVERALL.
I love the chemistry between the actors, they go so well together and their ever-present sexual innuendos made it so much better. They were cute and fun, easy-going and a nice way to relax, like episode 6 'dry and wet' remarks or the 'he is used to big ones' or 7 and the reference to 'prove to me you are the top' and all the Sky is the top chant. I loved seeing them on my screen. I mean there was the acting misses but ultimately it was an okay series
Miss Becky was a guilty pleasure, lol, I stan her.
Then also the music is kinda great like I got a few songs from the series so far.
the found it in was interesting like Banana Ketchup or Yam Flavoured Ice Cream or Yam Bread. it picked my interest in trying food from the Philippines
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The only flaw was how much they butchered the English language... wow it was so bad. But I found it kind of entertaining still, I guess they tried their best.
I also really hated Mosheng's wardrobe... I don't think I'm the only one.
Overall I definitely recommend this drama, you will not regret it.
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But the story is quite interesting and cool, I like how it wasn't focused around a guy struggling with his sexuality or any of that drama but rather they knew what they wanted and they kind off went for it straight. Yes, there were moments when I physically cringed but on an overall basis, I liked the show, because they were able to pack everything into 4 episodes and gave it a good finish.
STORY: So when the series kicked off after Vee and Mark slept together, I thought it was going to be a Together with me remake when Vee said his girlfriend cannot find out, but then I like the fact that they didn't make it the stereotypical struggle with being gay or not but rather a struggle with love itself that so many people have. The struggle between a loveless love but love you have grown used to, and new exciting love with all the ups and downs that come with it. I like the fact that they were a bit appropriate for once, not portraying them as backstabbing cheaters, but allowing Vee to "properly" break it off with ploy before appropriately getting with Mark. The only downside to this may be the fact that the big drama was not all that (btw never agree to the last kiss with your ex) and the story was cringe and unnecessary sometimes, like Pack, he literally was just a tool to get Vee and Mark back together
Music: They were superb with this, I actually enjoyed the music
Acting: Acting was good too
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Way too underrated :)
Alrighty, I'm writing this review because I feel like this drama is way too underrated and deserves better. It needs to be protected from all the bad reviews out there! I honestly didn't expect to fall for it that much but that's exactly what happened :DStory: When I heard that the ML was suffering from mysophobia, I was like "Oh, this is an interesting premise". And it was! At some points I could even relate to him because I also had encounters with OCD and I know how that feels like. It was just beautiful to see how his symptoms started to improve. Love is so powerful and it was just super heartwarming to witness his great development!
To be honest, it took me like 3 episodes to really get into this drama but after that I was hooked! I love how the romance developed and this drama had also some great character developments!
Acting/Cast: Okay, let me tell you one thing: I absolutely love the cast and the acting was fantastic! Even the side characters were super cool and funny! The SL was a nice guy as well!!! Also, this drama had the best kissing scenes I've ever seen in a drama!!! It was absolutely NOT K-drama-like and I was pretty surprised about that. But wow, if you have already seen this drama, you will understand what I'm talking about haha :D You could basically feel the chemistry between the ML and the FL! And something I found very interesting is that the two of them have a huuuge age gap. 12 YEARS!!! But their acting was so good that you absolutely couldn't tell.
Music: I'm still in love with the OST songs!!! Every time the song "Gravity" by KLANG came on, I was feeling super hyped and happy!!! It's definitely my favorite song from this drama. Also the song "Glory Days" by Sentimental Scenery was super super good! The producers definitely know when to play the best songs hehe :D
All in all, I really really enjoyed watching this drama! It definitely put me in a good mood! The only thing I kind of disliked were the last two episodes or so... I loved the ending but I really did suffer before that haha XD But as long as it has a happy ending I'm okay with that and 9/10 is a super good rating after all!
I can totally recommend it to everyone who's looking for a nice rom-com! Let me just tell y'all that this drama is worth the watch and that you won't regret it! :)
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1Seeking shelter while striving for home.
Another good Korean BL that in a vague manner presents many interesting ideas and opens the door for some personal reflection. What do we want from life? How can we achieve it? Can we force it or the timing has to be right?We witness enough of Lee Yoon Dae and Cha Soo Hyuk’s past and present to understand why they are suffering and why it is hard to break from the vicious circle of the misery. Lee Yoon Dae might have escaped, but he has no direction. Cha Soo Hyuk has the direction, but does not know how to escape.
Personally, I did find Soo Hyun more interesting. The way he was trapped in a toxic environment, the way he did not know how to give up the responsibility that was not his in the first place. Truly heartbreaking, but also understandable and relatable. Trying to deal with more than you can handle, always pretending that you are fine, you are strong enough to keep going. Living in a paused life.
On the other hand, Yoon Dae managed to voice his grievances and remove the toxic people out of his life, but it left him alone, lost with no direction, no plan. Wanting stability, but not knowing how to achieve, where to start. Wanting someone to care for him, testing how far can he push the boundaries before he gets abandoned.
While the potential of finding what they needed in each other was there, the question became - is the timing right?
A vague story needs a solid performance to carry it, and I'm happy to say both Lee Jae Bin and Jang Woo Young delivered. I did find some moments in Jae Bin’s acting a bit tense, but nothing too distracting. Jang Woo Young simply ate the role, there is nothing to improve in my eyes, nothing to correct.
For a short, rather low budget drama, the production value was great. Loved the use of dim light, loved the rather dark and grimm setting, perfectly capturing the somber reality the characters were living in.
We also need to talk about the intro, because this is easily the best intro we have gotten from any k-bl ever. Perfection does not even capture how perfect it was - from the style to the music. Then, it should not be that surprising, the whole soundtrack was great.
Overall, yes, it was vague, yes, it lacked detail, yes - the presentation of the ending could have been improved, but it’s still a good show with well captured serious topics that gives you more than just a romance.
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