Reviews

Cute and sweet romance with healthy and honest communication. Enjoy!

Completed - 5/23/2022

The rating of this drama is solely based on my enjoyment and might not meet anyone else’s standard of a quality drama. “Ase to Sekken” also known as “Sweat and Soap” is just what I need at the moment. An injection of sugar to pick me up after a few serious and depressing dramas. In order to fully enjoy this drama, you need to know what you are getting yourself into.

I recommend this drama for those:
- Are familiar AND like Japanese weird humor and over-the-top acting
- Want a dose of sugary cuteness with a side of cotton-candy fluffiness
- Simple but FAST-paced romance plot

Since this is a pretty short drama - 9 episodes at about 24 minutes each - there will be no dragging in the middle of the drama.

A few notes:
1. Great leads chemistry with pretty decent kissing and PDAs
2. Hilarious ways of portraying the deed in typical weird Japanese humor
3. Cute and innocent romance with a very healthy dose of HONEST communication (Hooray!)
4. Fast paced romance from meeting to getting married - no misunderstanding or love triangle.
5. Weird scent fetish that took me a couple episodes to get used to
6. Weird sweating that I still find weird throughout the whole drama
7. No annoying characters - quite lovable side characters/colleagues
8. Though female lead is shy and introverted, she is not a pushover
9. Can't help but keep staring at FL's bosom. :)
10. Getting relationship advice while sitting on the toilet is a thing, apparently.

Rest your brain with this sweet and cute romance. Don’t think too much and enjoy the ride!

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Li Hong Yi is Super Hot

This is another one of those isekai time travel stories. It’s tropey and I wasn’t very impressed with the beginning of episode 1 when a girl bumps into a boy and rips his suit at his important occasion. However, as the story progresses, I was absorbed into the story by the narcissist Jiao Yang (Li Hong Yi) character who is a wealthy spoilt brat and scared of responsibilities. Though the character of Jiao Yang is cliché, his look is hilarious and eccentric.

To return to her own universe, Lin Miao (Kira Shi) must help Jiao Yang become the CEO of his father’s company. Though trying to avoid responsibilities, Jiao Yang also tries to prove himself, especially to his father who is almost tired of scolding him (Jiao Yang) in front of his staff. In contrast with Jiao Yang’s immaturity, Lin Miao is mature and capable, and very soon Jiao Yang falls in love with her and is inseparable from her.

Jiao Yang’s journey to the CEO seat is arduous, having challenges thrown at him at all times from all directions. Each time he takes up the challenge and faces it head on with Lin Miao by his side. Their moments together are filled with sweetness and silliness, and it is this sweet romance that has made this drama the highlight of my days.

There is not much of a plot here. Whatever insignificant plot there maybe has not been developed well. Plot holes are everywhere and illogical. I stuck on with this drama because of the romance which I really like. Initially Li Hong Yi’s hair style baffles me, but then I grow to like it for its wuxia appeal. Li Hong Yi has the charisma and look of a guy who is always being misunderstood by others and yet he adopts a I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude. Having said that, he’s desperate in proving himself to his father and to Lin Miao. Li Hong Yi’s performance is very convincing here.

Kira Shi has a mature look. As Lin Miao (current self), she’s perfect but as Lin Wei Jun (younger self), she’s overstretched a bit. I can’t say I like her as Lin Wei Jun (really hard to watch when she tries to act cute). The co-existence of Lin Miao and Lin Wei Jun is mind boggling and is not properly reconciled at the end. Therefore, despite being a time travel story, there are 2 people of the same person. This is a glaring intentional plot hole that doesn’t make any logical sense, and is very quickly swept under the carpet. The ending is sloppy. It feels like lazy writing to me. They just want to pack up and go home. What a pity. This could have been a very nice drama.

Overall, this drama is unexpectedly quite a fun watch despite the shoddy ending. I love the dynamics of the female and male leads which are perhaps the only thing that have kept me going.

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Synopsis is not accurate

Firstly, I would like to address that the synopsis is not accurate at all. The central line of the story is a straightforward, hard working, 35 year old woman with strong convictions who goes up against a staunchly patriarchal society where she’s underestimated and under minded at work in order to follow her passion. The romance(s) are more or less something that happens along the way from her perspective. Also, there really isn’t a strong love triangle as such, more like a rivalry between the two guys which is superfluous since she (at the time) doesn’t seem interested in either of them.

That being said….

This drama was so unexpectedly good! The actors were believable and the writing was consistent with character portrayal. It had none of the tropes I abhorred about Find Yourself where the FL is immature, unsure, and doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants- ending up with her flip flopping all over the place between two men and making both of them unsure of her.

I was also pleasantly impressed that despite the age gap, the actors had really good chemistry and were well rounded and developed characters.

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Not an average "sickness plot" movie!

This movie is outstanding. I didn't expect it to be this good. I thought it will be just those average Japanese movie where the female lead sick and stuff.. maybe this will be like Ishuukan Friends, as their main plot are Amnesia.

BUT IT IS NOT

Before I talk about the plot, let's talk about other things.
Don't worry I won't spoil anything especially the plot because it's more enjoyable when you know nothing. You're welcome.


This movie is aesthetically pleasing. Every scene is beautiful. The soft colours and how the sun shine through, it's really fit the concept and story.
The music is really good, but nothing special in my opinion.
The cast is perfect, especially the trio. They reprised the role perfectly. I don't think I should talk about both main leads, they did perfectly, a really cute couple. But I don't expect much from Izumi-chan yet she "stole" the show. Finally someone do justice to the couple's friend lol
I cried twice and one of them was because Izumi-chan's scene.

Now the plot, this is what makes this movie is not an average Japanese movie with sick lead.
The plot dynamic is perfect. Not boring at all despite it's slow pace. I love how it's actually a flashback, and being told simultaneously between Maori, Izumi, and Tooru. I also love how this movie bring up Tooru's family problem in a very neat way. This movie catch me off guards with the plot twist, it has been a long time since I cried because a movie! I just cried twice lol
Comparing with the trailer, I really love that it doesn't give any spoiler and no one would know what's coming. The 3 rules of Tooru and Maori relationship mentioned but finally explained at the end of the movie.
The explanation about memories and the system is really make sense too, I'm not an expert but it's not cliché and not romanticized the problem here. This is really matter when a movie, drama, or whatever it is took a plot about any kind of sickness.
As expected from a novel adaptated movie.

Now I'm not surprised with the fact about how successfull this movie even in South Korea.
So proud of my baby Micchie! (Yes, I actually watch it because of him)

Lastly, I hope Netflix could pick this movie for their platform! This movie fit Netflix style... and of course I would like to let everyone in this world enjoy this movie and know that Japanese movie is really good lol

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Moonlit Reunion was one of my most awaited dramas of the year.. But guess what, it didn’t live up to my expectations.. Maybe it’s just me.. Maybe I was in the wrong mood, or maybe my expectations were set too high.. I wanted more.. In the end, I could just barely bring myself to give it 8 stars.. The story felt a bit too stop and start for my liking.. Almost every time it seemed to be building momentum, it slowed down again.. With the kind of material they had, the drama really should have kept ramping things up consistently until the end, but it doesn’t..

The visuals were top notch and I really loved the cinematography.. The VFX though, were a mixed bag.. When they were good, they were really good.. But when they were bad, they were just plain bad.. Some scenes felt outright poorly done.. And the action scenes looked well coordinated.. It’s always fun to watch action mixed with magic, spells and demons and they did a good job with that..

I stopped counting the number of guys in her life halfway through the drama.. They really could have eased up on it after the incident with her cousin.. But no they had to bring in yet another guy in the very next episode.. The ML and FL already know they love each other, so what more do they need to prove?? Honestly they could have used that time to explore more important story arcs.. Twenty episodes in and we have only caught glimpses of how good the drama could have been.. If they had just cut out this unnecessary nonsense, the drama wouldn’t have felt so dragged out and would have been far more interesting.. Instead halfway through, we still don’t have an established story to follow, we are just stuck watching him get jealous over the nth guy..

They both have their secrets.. So how is this relationship supposed to work?? I can understand her reason for keeping it hidden, obviously.. But him?? He could have told her about himself, at least before marriage.. I guess his silence comes down to that promise he made to never speak of it again and the fear of losing the person he loves most if he broke it.. Still I think he could have handled it better.. Anyway, their breakup was inevitable.. When it finally happened, it was long, hard and painful.. But it had to be done for them to start over I guess..

Xu Kai was impressive.. He had very limited action scenes.. His fights, even though short and scarce it created expectations.. If he had a full blown fight, it would have been awesome.. That whole speech to the Miasma Demon after, ‘ Do you know what kind of person she is?? ’ was damn good.. And then the use of his sword with the line, ‘ Since it’s a secret, you should take it to the grave along with your life.. ’ Absolute 10/10 scene.. His face off with the FL was also really good.. Tian Xi Wei was equally impressive.. Their romance and chemistry were good.. Their romance was another thing we just didn’t get enough of..

I definitely need to talk about Wu Zi Shu, the FL’s sidekick.. Honestly, his track record is as evil as it gets.. He killed countless demons to harvest their cores to make her a full demon, without her knowledge obviously.. He kidnapped her while she was with the ML and unleashed the demonic fire, which could have killed countless innocents and the ML as well if he was an ordinary person.. He killed her evil cousin and his girls, revived her archnemesis Elder Hui and even released the dream demon to wreak havoc during her wedding.. He also had a hand in the demonic fire incident 18 years ago, manipulated Hu Zhu into a reckless chase that got her hurt and used that rat Elder Hui again to hurt Liu Tai Zhen and ended up killing Xuan Hui.. He said some nasty things to the ML that made the FL sound like an adulteress with immoral relationships.. On top of all this, he was the mastermind behind the demon uprising which he staged to lure the Changxi Palace to Chang’an and spark a war between humans and demons.. So, someone who did all of this and how did he pay for his sins?? With an easy death.. His last moments were the best he could get considering everything he did, that was kindness overflowing from the writers.. The more I think of it, the more it annoys me..

The last arc had its moments but again, it was underwhelming.. The amnesia storyline dragged on for too long.. The villains were defeated too easily and we still didn’t get a full blown action sequence..

I would say the script was good.. It’s just my personal feeling that’s swaying me toward so many negative remarks.. I am tired of good scripts being butchered for the writers kink for angst and jealousy.. This drama is a prime example of what could have been.. Such a powerful script with talented actors, not just the main leads but the supporting cast too.. If only they had refined the story and fine tuned it, it could have been so much better.. The ending comes a little too fast for my liking.. The last task felt very short and rushed.. And why did it have to be a rushed ending?? I mean you had 38 episodes to play with, yet we get another rushed conclusion.. Even though there is a post credits scene, it doesn’t feel like enough..

P.S. It seems the CDrama industry is blessing Cheng Lei with all its satisfactorily ending dramas…

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From Doubt to Delight - A Heartwarming Journey

I went into this drama unsure about it, even questioning if it was worth my time. In the first half, I was seriously ready to tell the female lead, "Girl... divorce!". But by the end, I was completely invested in their story. The drama turned into a surprisingly heartwarming and emotionally satisfying journey, and I ended up loving it more than I ever expected.

Plot Summary: At the beginning, the female lead is frustrated with her marriage. She lives with a meddling mother-in-law and feels like her relationship with her husband is stagnant. The male lead is close to being a "mama’s boy" who does not stand up for his wife, and their marriage is strained because of his mother's interference. The couple seems to be at a breaking point.

At its core, the drama explores the realistic challenges of marriage—the little frustrations, the miscommunications, and the changes that come with being in a long-term relationship. The female lead deals with a meddling mother-in-law and a husband who has trouble standing up to his family. It’s a candid look at how marriage can be full of ups and downs, and the idea that it’s not all hell or heaven—it's somewhere in between.

The male lead’s character development was one of the biggest highlights. He starts off as a passive figure, just going along with whatever his mother says, but by the end, he undergoes a meaningful transformation. He learns to stand up for his wife, becoming more self-aware and emotionally mature. His growth was something that really made the show feel rewarding.
I also loved the moments of humor and lightheartedness sprinkled throughout the drama. One particularly memorable scene had the leads involved in a dare-or-truth game, which led to some hilarious moments. There were moments when they were silly and playful, but also when they shared genuine emotional exchanges, making the balance between the two feel just right.

And that plot twist at the end? Emotional and satisfying! It added a whole new layer to the relationship and made everything come full circle in a way that was so heartwarming. I went from being skeptical to falling in love with their journey.

The final moments were what really solidified the show’s place in my heart. It was with a line about how "Prince and Princesses don’t always end up together happily ever after"—but it was real and grounded, showing how far they had come. Instead of a fairytale ending, it embraced the imperfections and unpredictability of life while still leaving us with hope.

Final Thoughts: Despite my initial doubts, this drama completely turned things around. It’s a perfect mix of humor, emotional growth, and real-world struggles in a marriage. I went from being ready to drop it to feeling connected to these characters by the end. If you’re looking for a drama that doesn’t just focus on grand gestures, but on genuine development and heartfelt moments, this is definitely worth a watch.
I’m giving it a solid 8.5/10—a fun, emotional, and surprisingly heartwarming journey!





Some moments i liked(SPOILER):






The Dating App Twist: The female lead downloads a dating app for work and matches with a man, not knowing he is her husband. She is upfront with him about being married, so they just chat as friends. However, unbeknownst to her, her husband saw the app on her phone and decided to match with her to understand her better. This twist was a huge revelation, and the emotional development that follows was a turning point for both characters.

Male Lead’s Growth: One of the most rewarding aspects of this drama was watching the male lead’s growth. At first, he simply obeys his mother, but as the drama progresses, he begins to stand up for his wife. His decision to match with the female lead on the dating app is a key moment. He realizes how much his wife needs emotional support, and this sparks his change. His slow but meaningful transformation was incredibly satisfying and heartwarming.

Mother-In-Law Dynamics: The relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law starts off tense and antagonistic, but it evolves over time. The mother-in-law, while overbearing, isn't portrayed as a villain—her actions are more a result of her generational perspective. The emotional development between the two women added complexity to the narrative and showcased the importance of understanding different viewpoints in family dynamics.

Key Moments:

Red Nails: One hilarious moment was when the female lead made her husband get red nails as part of a dare-or-truth game. It was a quirky moment that highlighted their growing connection and the playful side of their relationship.

The Bike Ride in the Rain: The final scene is a beautiful and emotional culmination of the couple's journey. They end up riding bikes in the rain, just like the grandma did earlier in the drama. The leads reflect on the realities of relationships with the line: “So prince and princess end up together living happily ever after? No, how can that be possible, even the North Pole is melting, how can anything last forever?” It’s a perfect nod to the imperfection of life and relationships, showing how they’ve grown to embrace each other’s flaws and cherish the small moments together.

Ending: The final twist shows how far the couple has come. The male lead’s growth and understanding of his wife’s needs come to a head in the final episodes. It’s a satisfying and heartwarming conclusion where they choose each other despite the challenges and imperfections, signaling that while "happily ever after" might be an unrealistic expectation, their love has evolved into something real and beautiful.

P.S. I realistically would've preferred if they divorced to be honest.

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Showing simple normalcy for generations of SK women being gagged&bound by society's endemic sexism

"Kim Ji-young: Born 1982" puts every die-hard Korea fan through their paces: how far does the love for country and culture actually go? The KMovie also does away with any illusion surrounding romanticized and socially idealized yearnings that revolve around the concept of 'in love-engaged-married-happy family'.

"Kim Ji-young: Born 1982" broke the 2 million mark worldwide as a bestseller (by author Cho Nam-joo). It is also considered the most borrowed book in two consecutive years after publication. The KMovie was also extremely successful. In South Korea, between October 2019 and November 2020 around 3.6 million people went to the movies to watch. In addition, numerous prizes were awarded throughout Asia.

Calmly, unagitatedly and almost objectively distant, the camera focuses on the ordinary life of a typical South Korean woman, wife and mother in her 30s. Actually, she doing quite well. We accompany her in her everyday life between laundry and kindergarten, with her (actually quite attentive, loving) husband, with her in-laws, with her family of origin, with friends, with flashbacks of her childhood and at work, and finally with the therapist. This could all be any live of many a South Korean woman. That's not special at all. It's so cruelly normal that it even hurts. By showing simple normalcy, the story also becomes an outcry for several generations of women gagged and bound by society's endemic sexism.

Gagged and tied up by such a conservative, rigid, discriminatory socialization that is literally burned into flesh, so hardly anybody even considers alternative role models and self-images. There is a lack of role models that give women something like self-love and self-confidence that go beyond identifying with role expectations by family and society. Women somehow grow up as prisoners of those restrictive expectations - in a prison with doors, that technically are not closed, yet in practice barricaded by the mercilessly experienced sexism since early childhood. Accordingly, there is a lack of awareness of human dignity beyond gender roles. For women and men alike. And as we all know, such awareness would be the first path to any change...

In this respect, "Kim Ji-young: Born in 1982" holds up a merciless mirror in a calm, objective and non-judgmental manner, which focuses on the great evil that everyone simply takes for granted. Apparently, around 68 percent of cinemagoers were women. At least, the other 32 percent were men, supposedly.

In one of the last scenes, (which, like all the others in the film, gains its power from the simple, unquestioned und yet unbelievable normality) the underlying emotional muteness is finally allowed to speak up - not loudly and rudely though, but objectively subjectively and, despite all the justified anger, consistently in all modesty calmly, too.
In the face of the spilled coffee, instead of accepting the comments and accusations of her social environment with shame, concern and apologetic words, the FL has her outspoken objections. She eventually stands up for herself... actually, you should think, quite simply, as if it were a matter of course. And yet: downright unheard of. Because: Shameless in the best sense of the word... she no longer lets others shame her for what and who she is. She is slowly but surely developing a somewhat healthy approach to her own self-confidence as a person with self-worth and self-love beyond gender - a person who cannot be reduced by tradition to just a family concerned role concept within a hierarchical society. From this, the FL nurtures a new attitude towards those who traditionally believe they have more value in the social ranking.

Just a comparatively small, handy book; just a two hour movie. The story of Kim Ji-young, born in 1982, has sparked a lot of discussion throughout South Korea. The common, everyday (South Korean) madness shown knows how to touch and quietly infuriate. For me in faraway Germany, too, the KMovie wasn't boring for a minute.









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--- Outlook ---

'If everyone would act up like that... where would we end up?' - In this sense, the book and the film also led to a horrified outcry within conservative circles in the country. The main actors in the KMovie, for example, had to endure hateful comments for even taking part in it. Just this factual inventory of normal madness of just about every woman in the supposedly modern, innovative South Korea got conservative minds going...
...on the other hand, women affected finally received the balm of cross-class compassion, which for a moment opened up the space for solidary, cross-generational sisterhood. As insignificantly common and simple as Kim Ji-young, born in 1982, may be, the social impact was equally great - the consistently overlooked, completely disregarded reality that has been systematically carried out for countless generations out of principle and tradition, discrimination against (in this specific case) South Korean women.

South Korean society is already shrinking. Earlier than expected. And much faster than expected. No wonder.
Women born in the 1980s by now increasingly began to feel painful about their corsets. A milestone!
Those who were born in the 1990s and 2000s, some among them started to increasingly openly dare to actively shake up the social corset - simply by no longer accepting their 'certain' female role. Another milestone!
However, there is still a long way between shaking up and breaking out or even redefining. Eventually, women can only take this step together with men, who also urgently need to work on their role models, their attitude towards women and a new social self-image. Only then can the shrinking of South Korean society be stopped - a shrinking that, in my eyes, is an expression of a massive imbalance between innovative, turbo-capitalist high-speed in the global fast lane on the one hand, and an ignorant, sexist conservatism on the other, which acts like a lead foot screwed onto the brakes. Nevertheless, growing forces are apparently pushing for an urgently needed, integral, truly progressive transformation of existing values.

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So I've completed this web drama about 3 or 4 months ago and I'm a little surprised people haven't watched it fully. I know on YouTube there is a user that still has only clips for just Alex and Benny but if you click here you can watch the series, that way everyone can give a review and and comment a little more on this because i truly do love this series:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2PK_v3m5m-LbkdySEUxZW5Cc00

-please let me know if there is anything wrong with the link or the uploads themselves and i'll correct it.

I love this series so much. It was much more than a BL series in all honesty. I mean sure, most people came only for Alex and Benny and they are both my favorites don't get me wrong but the story line revolved around much more than just the lives of two guys whom themselves had a pretty heart wrenching story line. It's about friendship and being there for one another, it's about having the courage to stick up to your parents for you individuality and happiness while maintaining that bond. It's also about not always needing a lover to make you happy or doing something that you feel you should do just when you know that you don't want to.

The actors were amazing, the scenes portrayed a mundane feel. It's a great balance of serious, casual and comical. I would recommend this to a lot of people and i would love for it to have a season 2 if they decided on one.

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Lovers is not a rom com but a more serious venue. The title suggests another corny romance but it is not. The story is about a gangster who learns love through a mature woman and tries to "go good." The plot involves a lot of personal complications and roadblocks.

Here's what is great about the drama. 1. The lead couple is very dynamic. Lee Seo Jin plays a tough mobster who looks and acts the part with perfection. Kim Jun Eun plays a no-nonsense physician who is both gentle and strong. The chemistry between these two is perfect. 2. There are no boring moments, a lot of good fight scenes, and no silly side story fillers with cartoon characters. 3. There is a great climax-ending the last 2 episodes with fight scenes and a well-defined ending. (I hate it when things are left up in the air.)

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SHORT AND SWEET

Four (technically five) short easy to watch, fun and sweet episodes.

I enjoyed every minute with Sky and James although i have to say that the time spent with the girl characters to provide comic relief were all wasted - time that could have been better spent in further developing the 2 leads' love story.

However with that said, even though i am left wanting to see more, i still feel like the story of James and Sky is complete enough and i am glad they didnt leave any unfinished story. This is a good series and i felt like my heart was lifted after the last episode.

Kudos to the team and to the actors. Overall rating 8.0.

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Beautiful and rare story about Humanity, Character growth and Forgiveness.......

LCR can be summed up as “The world is better because of you” This is not a fluffy romance drama and required a mature audience to unravel this beautiful story about humanity. LCR story is adapted from China Blue Sky Rescues volunteer including its rescue scenes. It portrayed different aspects of humanity through 6 main characters and their actions not always what audience wants to see…but happening around us…. It is a rare touching story of the real Hero in our world.

The drama tells the growth of 6 different people, all live in their own worlds some with dark past/traumas, whom received kindness through rescue and overcoming their own pasts/struggles to become light for others through rescue….

In the Mv songs…”When the world did not give me a good start”…That’s how our Leads childhood stories begin…both are orphans victims of natural disaster….and grew up taking different paths to patch their traumas….One savvy successful cunning lawyer and one smart, cautious cold doctor who close herself to outside world….As their not so great start begin, it took many twists and turn before they got together and when they did…one big revelations during their childhood trauma is unravelled (a huge surprise) that lead to their love struggle…..one that need a huge courage to overcome….

You all start with hating LB and boy how much I love him at the end despite all many tragic events he went through for being real, brave, courageous, kind, smart and forgiving…..LB is a true warrior…

We have 2nd couple who are big sweethearts and the 3rd ones that well can do with less screen time.

LCR showed a dozen + amazing rescue scenes. My favs are the earthquake, mudslide, and cave, some channeling Hollywood production…. Finale Glacier rescue is Epic, movie texture quality and cinematography and one that I did not think C Drama is capable of making such a harrowing scenes…

Acting:
Lyx a season actor he showed all aspects of LB multi-faceted traits eloquently, vivid, delicate and detailed. His ability to deduce the state of his character is thoughtful and accurate. In the last Finale rescue, he blown me away with one of the best acting I’ve seen in C drama and I just witness the explosive growth of this talented actor. ……..Hat’s off to Lyx for performing many dangerous stunts himself.

My first WQ full drama. I like her takes as cold doctor. She is truly an underrated actress with solid acting skill. Most support actors are good, only a few weakling…

All 6 main characters are original voice and they are all good, but especially LYX....This rare in C drama....

OST: I keep looping it and how the narration really fits this story of growth….not able to FF the opening song and ending song each time....

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A very flawed drama for die-hard LYX fans with a kick-ass FL ...**BUT**...

If you are a die-hard Luo Yunxi fan, Broker might be worth it as it really showcases his talent. He gives an emotional performance as a flawed and tortured anti-hero who falls in love with a woman who changes the entire course of his life. Broker could also be for you if you love your female leads strong, brilliant, independent, and mature. Victoria Song’s portrayal will have you wishing there were more characters like her in Chinese dramas. (I was going to add sensible to the FL's list of attributes, but unfortunately I can not due to her actions and words in the final two or three episodes.)

BUT. And this is a huge BUT. For everyone else? It’s kind of a toss-up. Broker is flawed and messy, and whether it’s for you or not will depend on your enjoyment or tolerance of soapy, unrealistic melodramas and other elements that some people love and others hate: the science talk, the office politics and scheming (only in the early episodes though -- it's great later), the secondary OTP, very tortured heroes/heroines/antogonists (To say Leo is put through the wringer, especially at the end, would be an understatement). As the series progresses, it also flirts increasingly with “dog’s blood (狗血)” plotlines -- until it VERY predictably goes all-in on the makjang melodrama in the final quarter. (A couple of the characters even reference “dog’s blood” dramas, which makes one think it’s a sly nod of self-recognition.)

Personally, I genuinely enjoyed nearly every ridiculous, soapy, melodramatic moment and couldn’t wait for the next episode. At the same time, I have a lot of caveats. I did park most of my usual standards aside and simply went with the flow. I tried not to think too much about details that didn’t make sense; annoying tropes; the rather ham-fisted effort at depicting anti-Asian/Chinese racism; the heavy-handed overtones of patriotism/nationalism; inconsistencies in pacing, tone, character depiction, and story arcs. Unfortunately, these last elements became very difficult to ignore at the end, especially in the final episode. While expected, the execution of the story arc was frustrating -- and almost cruel -- at times. (You can read my more spoilery views about the ending in the comments section below.)

REWATCH VALUE: If I could break it down, I'd give all of Leo’s scenes a 10 (no bias here :P) and many (but not all) of Victoria’s very high marks too.

MUSIC: Like many Chinese dramas, the instrumental background was sometimes too much, but the songs were solid. I especially adored the closing credit piece, Signature (署名) by Azora Chin (尤长靖), and Leo’s haunting theme, It’s Time To Stop (时间停止吧), by ANU.

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Offering some food for thought, can be quite lengthy :-)

I spent my afternoon sitting at a quiet, dimly lit corner to watch this movie, and by the end of it I was truly touched by the deep, profound story that this movie portrays.

Having received 11 nominations in the 56th Golden Horse Awards and winning 5 of them, with one being 'Best Film', I know I already have high expectations the moment I clicked into the movie, and boy did the movie not disappoint me. It totally threw me into a whirlwind of emotions. :")

Story and acting wise, I have almost nothing to pick on. The actors were brilliant in their portrayal and well, my ratings are clear enough, and you can watch and judge it for yourself.

Rather, I would like to bring up some themes that lingered in my mind after I've watched the movie.

[We've all been hurt before, and that's how we can become each other's sun.]

[A Sun, A Son]
The title of this movie holds two meanings, 'A Sun' and 'A Son'. What happens when a family is thrown into darkness when the 'sun' of the family is no longer there? What happens to the family when A-Ho has to move out of the darkness, what hope can he, or rather, they, cling onto?
This is a movie that speaks about relationships within a family: mother and son, father and son, elder and younger sibling, and many many more. But ultimately, this movie explores what it means to be a family, and to be yourself.
Also, note the use of the article 'a' for the title of the movie. Why is it 'a' and not 'the'? How does the difference in definiteness of these two articles change the meaning of this movie?

[Light, Darkness, or Both]
In this movie we have characters who stand out and thrive in the world brightly lit up by the sun. However, some recede into the darkness where they seek comfort and find out their own meaning and interpretation of what they're worth. But how about both? How does having both light and darkness in a character's life influence him in any way?

[Expectations and Hope]
For someone who has been in the light all along, how does he feel about it? How do societal and familial expectations weigh down on such a person? How does he find shade to rest and take a breather?
Whereas, for someone who was always in the darkness, will he be able to find his own ray of sunlight and move into a world where the sun shines brightly upon him and his future? Over here, how does societal and familial expectations differ from that in the aforementioned case?

[The Sun (literally)]
The weather changes throughout the movie helps portray the different settings and atmosphere for each character's feelings, emotions and state of mind. And I must say, the appearance of the sun (or the lack of it), as well as the amount of sunlight shining upon a character, plays a huge part in helping viewers understand what state of mind the characters are in. The visual significance of these scenes are enough in showing us the characters' emotions even without them having to portray them. That's how powerful and well-thought-out the cinematography is in this movie.

[Seize the day. Decide your path.]
This is a recurring slogan in the movie, and we can begin to wonder why it's mentioned in the first place (and many times after) and also how much it weighs on the different people receiving this piece of advice.

Well, that's all I can offer for some thinking after the movie ends. Do watch the movie, you'll not regret it ;)

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And just like that, you stole my heart away.

This is the first ongoing Kdrama in 7 years that I watched in real time. I think words will fall short if I try writing a review for this drama, regardless of it's seasons. I didn't watch the season1 ongoing bcs I never do that for any drama as I'm very impatient aand anxious to wait and think about what's the next. But sure, I was intrigued by the response it was getting during the s1 and even so I took 3 months to start it.

Anyways, I decided to watch the season 2 ongoing without a 2nd thought before a month and the reasons are obvious. Morever, slice of life Kdramas without solid plots can be watched ongoing easily. I am very glad for my decison and grateful for each and every moment.

Again, this ain't a review because this dramaa is excellent in all the aspects and don't need evaluations to be judged. The writer Lee Woo Jung jakka-nim and director Shin Won Ho PDnim are my most favourites, both individually and as a PD-Jakka pair, I can blindly trust on whatever they do.

Script, story progression, twists, character development, revelations, realizations, and all other realistic elements of life are very well placed and utilized in the drama and directon work is like adding feather to a cap.

I will be pointing out the highlights of this season and I think I might spill spoilers for those who have not watched it but let me mention them anyways because you know it's a slice of life story plus apparently the concluding season. So here I go:

# The season 2 started exactly where it had ended in the season 1.

# The story continues to be aas simple as the 1st season with no solid plot development rather showing the day to day life of YULJE.

# The most important thing of Hospital Playlist is the ordinary days of the extraordinary group of 5 friends who continued to inspire, motivate and teach us various different things even in this season.

# The definite character development of Suk Hyung, becoming open and clear from being shy and introverted person.

# Ik Jun is still that lame person who loves throwing PJs despite the seriousness of the situation and I think I can relate haha.

# After few months, SongHwa returns to Yulje but also gets busier with the management of VIP ward meant for "Daddy Long Legs Funds", surgeries, lectures and helping her fellows with their thesis.

#Jun Wan is still that serious yet silly guy who gets annoyed at anything. He had to go through misery but he managed to pull off his life better.

# Jung Won, still a kid by heart, continues to learn every other day from experience and despite his indecisiveness, can stay calm.

# Jun Wan and Song Hwa are still those maad foodie pairs who eat more than half of the food and even fight w/ each other for it.

# Ik Jun and Jun Wan still get into fight out of nowhere at their 40s over silly things, pulling hairs and punching each other.

#Jung Won continues to intrigue the kids for his love for them and somehow makes them to fall for him.

# The surgery scenes are not detailed for a fact but the OT scenes with variety of shades given the situations and severity were wonderful.

# Uri best boy Uju has visibly grown up by looks and by brain. He is in fact more quick-witted now and interacts like an adult with others.

# The kumo-chukha bonding between Uju Iksun and Uju is another adorable thing to witness.

# Just like previous season, Hospital and Playlist also focuses on the life of interns, residents, staff nurses and other staffs of the institutions.

# Uri twin interns Hong Do and Yun Bok continue to win our hearts by their cuteness. Yun Bok is loved by everone.

# Hong Do is still troubled by Jun Wan who asks him critical questions every other day and bothers him even after he changes dept.

# The Winter Garden Couple tries their very best to keep their relationship a secret from the hospital except for their dearest ones.

# Just like last time, we get to see different shades of gynecology dept, few of birth givings, life of their nurses, interns and residents.

# The Band continues to come up with very good songs and acing those with their skills. Song Hwa had a contract to sing once in 2 years. I always looked forward to discover a new track evey week.

# The bonding between 2 mothers whose babies were both on VAD waiting for a heart donation was very well shown. They were the marathoners who at some point were able to reach the goal.

# Min Ah was finally able to change Suk Hyung's heart through her determination and that was the best thing about this season.

# The life of caregiver nurses of the pediatrics was beautifully portrayed and that indeed was heart-touching.

# Undoubtedly, this season also showed us the bittersweet relationship between doctors and their patients. The way the doctors and handle the patients plus their curiosity and anxiety is very realistic along with the patient's way of respecting the doctors.

# Winter Garden Couple: The foregoing romance between Jungwon and Gyeo-ul that matures with time and they learn how to open up to each other. It felt good seeeing how their bonding was becoming closer.

# Kom-Kom Couple: The development and progress in the relationship status between Min Ah and Suk Hyung that journeys from Professor-Resident to couples and this is the best thing about the this season and in fact it took the entire season to happen.

# Ik-Song: Our most favourite, IkSong who are best known for their slow-burn romance finally ended up together which was sudden bit definitely happened at the most appropriate pace. Both of them needed their time and that's completely understandable.

# Bidulgi (Dove): Jun Wan and Ik Sun had the most difficult time. The couple went through a very rough patch and had to put an end to the LDR but after years crossed paths and realized their undying feelings for for each other.

# Silver Dragon: Suk Min and Sun Bin, uri lovey-dovey residents were away for a while and had some problems in the relationship but thankfully sorted them out and continued to make us feel cute

# The friendship between Rosa and Jong Su continued to bloom even in this season and in fact they became closer buddies who hung out and had meals almost everyday.

#The bromance between Jun Wan and Do Jae Hak, Cardio- thoracic chief resident, is another best thing. The way Jae Hak adored and respected Jun Wan even when Jun Wan was his professor and also the reason behind it was so very mesmerizing.

( Idk what else but I know for a reason that I got many more things left to talk about so I shall edit this review whenever I recall something important to add)

THE OSTs.
A majority of 90% tracks, like the last season, are the covers of old songs from 1970-2000 or after that and in fact 80% were also sung by Mido and Falasol, our fav band in their band practice.

My most favourite track of this season was is "SUPERSTAR" sung by Mido & Falasol. This is very inspiring and such a mood booster I swear. I both cry and then jump outta joy listening to it.

"Rain & You" sung by Lee Mu Jin, "In front of the post office in Autumn" sung by uri Suk Hyung (Kim Dae Myung), "Is it Still Beautiful" by Seventeen, "To You" by uri Ahn Jung Won (Yoo Yeon Suk) were some slow heart touching tracks.

Similarly, "Reminisce" by uri Kim Jun Wan (Jung Kyung Ho) and "Let's Forget it" by the band sad and heartbreaking tracks. "I Like You" by Jo Yong Pil and "I Like You" by Jo Jung Suk are both jolly ones. "Already One Year" is also a favourite.

I am glad they released 5 drama version band songs for this season

I really didn't knew whether to be happy about the 2h40m finale or be sad about the end of this season but to my unfortunate, they announced the end of the entire series that made me upset. I have always trusted ShinLee pair, their work and their decisions but this came as a shocking news and I don't think I am gonna accept it any soon.

All I can do is cry my heart out. I am grateful to the entire team, the cast, the crew aand each and every single person involved with Hospital Playlist for this amazing seasons and the fabulous season that brought out all kinda emotions out of me; made me smile, laugh crazy , cry mad, be heartbroken, etc etc.

I think it's unfair that we don't get to have another season when it's them who said it themselves but I am thankful for the almost 2hours episodes that we were gifted with in this season. Hospital Playlist is definitely my most favourite after REPLY 1988 and Imma flex about it for the rest of my life.

THANK YOU UNIVERSE FOR HOSPITAL PLAYLIST

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Decided to write a review for this drama solely for the purpose to provide a contrasting perspective compared to the more positive reviews. From my score, you can tell that I don’t regard this highly.

This drama started off cute and light-hearted with Ariel and Vin bickering. We also saw a lot more of the masked hero doing his thing. However, the plot wasn’t very deep at this point in the story. So, it started to lose its spark around episode 10-15. Around episode 20, we got a new setting and therefore the story picked up a bit but…it slowed down for another 10 episodes until they decided to quicken the pace again. It felt like I was on a rollercoaster for children; small build-up and boring falls that repeats five to six times. The overall tone of the story changed near the middle of the drama; it went from lighthearted to a more dramatic feel. The scriptwriter did try to insert random comedic parts, but they felt forceful and unnatural. Everything did unravel throughout time and many different issues do come up to provide depth and conflict to the plot, but I lost interest as the plot became more complicated. Not because I dislike conflict and details, but mainly because I found the story to be losing its focus. Too much was going on and I didn’t find the conflicts to be a great addition to the overall plot. Especially with Ariel's identity as the Divine Maiden. I think they could've delved more into it and given her more of a role to stop everyone from trying to hunt her. Could she have learned martial arts/self-defense? Yes, but did she? No. She left it all to Vin (and Austin) and was ultimately a damsel in distress at the end. Besides having an" extraordinary sense for business" she did very little to change her fate.

If you’re looking for a drama where the main couple is together often then look elsewhere. After the first 16-18 episodes, we rarely see them together. They meet and get separated frequently. This doesn’t bother me much if they carried the plot well (but they didn’t) and I got frustrated near the end when the reasons for their misunderstandings could’ve been omitted (i.e. unnecessary love triangles). This also could’ve given the director/writer some more time to dedicate giving their audience a more satisfying ending. I’m quite bitter to have spent so much time watching this and get such an awful ending. I actually laughed when I watched the ending because of its mediocrity. In short, it was a cop-out. Either the director/writer did not plan accordingly to provide a substantial and fulfilling ending, they overspent and decided to make the last episode a cop-out, or both. I don't mind tragic/sad/happy endings as long as they're done well, but this ending was none of the above. It was a badly written and executed ending. They took no responsibility for anyone’s story and provided a distasteful ending. For those curious, I’ll provide a comment below to spoil the ending if you wish to read it.

I was excited to watch Vin Zhang as a lead. I believe there’s a lot of talent that hasn’t been shown as he’s (in my opinion) slowly being type-casted. In the beginning, he would bicker and tease Ariel, so it was refreshing compared to his recent angsty roles. However, this changed quickly, and he lost his shine as the plot thickened. Which was a massive shame. Watching Ariel is the same as watching her in her previous dramas. She’s great at acting out a “dumb” and cute role. Due to her experience, she is also one of the best actors in the series. She portrayed her role well and did well with her more serious parts. But I do want to note that I have a really hard time taking her seriously when she’s trying to be tough. This is mainly because I think she has a face suitable for dumb/cute roles. Sorry, Ariel. Vin’s shine seems to be passed to Austin in the latter part of the drama. Austin has turned into someone who would bicker and tease Ariel, but I didn’t find him to be too memorable in this role. Then again, none of the roles are memorable for me but are these a fault to the actors themselves? No. They did well to portray their roles. I just found the roles to be poorly written...or just poorly implemented into a poorly written plot. I do want to note that I found Austin's character to more interesting than the leads near the end...so I guess that's saying something.

All-in-all, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re looking for a great plot and a satisfying ending. I think there are better historical romances to dedicate your time to but of course, everyone’s taste is different. So, I would recommend this if you’re looking for a semi-lighthearted historical drama. Just be prepared for an extremely poorly written ending because that's one thing we can all agree on whether we enjoyed watching this or not.

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