Great drama, great ending and great chemistry!!
This Chinese drama is refreshing!! YES, finally one that is done right, although I believed it was filmed in 2019?Zhao Jiang Yue is a top manager in the company, just turned thirty and has never been in love or in a relationship. Gina Jin who plays the FL is off the charts in this- gorgeous, beautiful, dressing makeup and hair all done so well! Very good acting as well. I loved the way she teased her bf. Her male counterpart Gu Jiaxin is the son of the CEO, forced to be ZJY’s assistant by the mum. Although he’s a rich kid and didn’t want to work at the company, he’s thoughtful and kind, and eventually starts falling in love with ZJY.
Their chemistry is SO SO GOOD!! The stealing glances, the hand brushing against each other, the “I will protect you” manoeuvres, the intensity, the longing.... my gosh!! Can’t get enough! The other side couples are not too bad as well. The only criticism I have is the character Li Yan Ran. She appears after a few episodes, and she is the MOST ANNOYING PERSON EVER!! Her character just ruined the whole drama- seriously. I understand the writers need a female rival, but this does not cut it. UGH!
The music OST is also very enjoyable and memorable. Definitely highly recommended drama- very refreshing and feel- good overall with a great ending!! Must watch :)
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Scorched earth.
This is an artfully related dark crime thriller about a long, life blood sucking and soul destroying quest for justice. A body in a suitcase, a bomb scare, an incriminating old photograph and a looming terrorist threat captures headlines and puts acclaimed investigator Yan Liang on the case. He quickly discovers that these events are linked to a decade old cold case. The narrative navigates three time periods and alternates skillfully between the original team on the case led by prosecutor Jiang Yang (Bai Yu) and the present investigation led by Yan Liang as both investigations proceed down a parallel path. This is done so seamlessly it is not at all confusing; indeed all of the characters, events and clues flow fluidly and clearly. The pallete is sparse and dark toned consistent with the title and tone of the drama.While the mystery and suspense part of the drama is very well written and doesn't reveal itself too soon, this is really more of a character drama about Jiang Yang, a brilliant young prosecutor with a lot of fire in his belly. Without a doubt, this is Bai Yu's best acted role to date. His signature gigantic forehead was so well concealed I didn't recognize him for awhile. The way his Jiang Yang's indomitable idealistic youthful spirit is extinguished into a subdued, quiet desperation and almost but not quite defeated acceptance is one of the most moving and nuanced portrayals I have seen in a long time. He deserves to win awards for this role. I wish I could say the same for Liao Fan's Yan Liang but I was not wowed by his crime solving brilliance which is supposedly signified by pondering and obsessive ball bouncing. Despite some failed and misplaced attempts at humor, Yan Liang's present day team also lacks the rapport and chemistry that oozes out of Jiang Yang's "hot pot" team. Anchored by Bai Yu's powerful performance and a solid cast overall, there is still an unbalanced or somewhat lacking feeling. This is amplified by the fact that the adversary is just powerful with unlimited resources and tentacles everywhere. There is no well developed mastermind at work - all we see are a bunch of petty villains who employ rather crude tactics to suppress the truth.
The drama peaks at the end with the final reveal in a truly masterful and heart wrenching performance by Bai Yu. Yet I am left feeling unsatisfied; I am missing the satisfaction of a showdown and fitting consequences for the villains. Indeed the repercussions seem far worse for those who resort to scorched earth methods to uncover the truth. Thus to me, this is a dark drama - it far from glorifies the quest for the truth and justice. It leaves a lingering sense that it is far more worth while to just live a good and happy life.
This is an excellent watch but be warned, it is dark and sad. I don't consider it to be quite in the same league of the Bad Kids and give it an 8.5.
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That said, I also like the male lead. Like some characters in the series, there seem to be many "layers" to Xia Chun Yu. You just gotta keep watching to discover another side of him, which adds to the mystery of the entire story. The supporting characters and their respective stories are just as nice, as they compliment the main plot.
However, it does get a bit draggy towards the end... Regardless, I'd still recommend watching it if you're looking for something that's not too heavy (in terms of content).
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Let’s start with the main topic of this show, around which everything revolves: the rape. This show does not take for granted the fact that everyone knows the meaning of the word and, on the other hand, it offers a comprehensive explanation of it. The characters become more aware of what it means to rape someone as time passes by, letting even the viewers improve their knowledge. But what I enjoyed the most is the choice of pointing out the huge social justice problems that come out when survivors actually try to make their voices heard. The fact that the chances of being actually supported for accusing your rapist are so low is still a major problem of our society.
There are a lot of other things I enjoyed, of course: the gay couple shows us a typical reaction intolerant parents may have about their children’s homosexuality and why it does no good for the boy’s wellbeing, who’ll probably start to keep everything inside and may even decide to blame himself. I also liked the constant reminder that we, as a society, tend to judge without having an overview of the situation, talking at someone’s back instead of arguing with them about that problem.
Almost everything in this show is perfect and I have to admit I’m not able to list every single detail of it as I would like to. In the end, I consider ‘The Judgement’ a really interesting and important television show.
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Silence, Love and the Value of Friendship
This is my first review but I just had to write about Silent. I really loved this show. I was hesitant to love it up until the last episode because I was afraid that it would break my heart as so many Japanese dramas & movies tend to do. But this was beautiful all the way through and every character was so rich. There were several opportunities for the show to go in a way that would have disappointed me but the writers resisted. Watching Sou's growth throughout the series was so endearing and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. Meguro Ren did such a great job of playing a complex character and one that was so different from the only other drama that I'd seen him in, My Love Mixup. Kawaguchi Haruna is luminous as Aoba. All of the side characters were also so layered and interesting. Special shoutout to Suzuka Ouji as Minato. The character was my underappreciated MVP and this young actor did such a good job with him. I can't wait to see what he does in the future. I loved the last episode which brought tears to my eyes as it ended. I highly recommend if you don't mind a quiet, slow paced show that will steal your heart.Was this review helpful to you?
Story: The overall story was great but there could been somethings cut out. The main leads should been together faster without so much drag to it. Let's just say the ending was perfect but with only a tiny flaw in one of the side stories. I really liked how the story went and cried at some point. It was somewhat emotional but no enough to let you cry every episode.
Acting/Cast: The cast was amazing everything went out well. Though the main leads weren't that glamorous and good looking, but their amazing acting should be praised. In the story, the sisters looked similar which made it more believable.
Music: Let's just say the music wasn't that good but was worth mentioning. Most of it was just background music and sometimes actually ruined the moment. But there was some good songs in an episode or two.
Personally, I believe whoever is wondering and want to watch a simple yet dedicating drama. This one is for you! The endings of each episode were usually extremely suspenseful which made it super addicting. Stop reading and start watching!
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I also really loved how relatable it is, and throughout the series, the overall message is that every love story may or may not have a good ending which is a very relatable message. The overall thing I hate with this drama is the second lead syndrome you get, it just breaks my heart. This series was truly a masterpiece though. The soundtrack is very memorable, and I am obsessed with this.
And lastly, the acting was amazing and everybody had chemistry. I really loved this series and I recommend it to anybody. I would definitely rewatch it infinite times if I could.
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The Sweetest Slice of Life Drama
First off, it takes a lot for a show to keep me invested for 16 episodes; I do not complete most of the shows that I watch because I often lose interest, and, after a week of working hard, I often don't feel pushed to pick up a show again on the weekend when I have time to watch TV. I am still surprised this show kept me captivated for all of the 16 episodes. I kept coming back every weekend (it's the only time I can watch). Many people don't seem to like the show or appreciate it, so let me clarify who this show is meant for.This show is meant for:
-People who like slice of life: Nothing much happens in this show; you just go about 4 teenagers living their lives at a vocational school. All four have dreams, and we witness them work hard to chase what they want in life.
-People who like to see relationships slowly unfold: This is especially true of the second couple. You see them become friends; and then you see them get closer to each other. You actually see them fall in love,and you understand why they fall in love with each other. This is the highlight of the show for me. There is no love at first sight or rushing of feelings here; both of the romances are sweet and portrayed with sensitivity.
-People who want to see relationships done well: There are no silly breakups; there is no toxic behavior or selfishness. You get to see 4 teenagers facing their feelings head on, acting on their feelings, and being respectful of each other's wants. I also loved that no one allowed their feelings to impact their dreams; both FLs stood by their guy; they were loyal and loving. That never impacted their attention to their futures, and I loved that. Your romantic relationships should never get in the way of your ability to make a future for yourself. The men were also very loving and respectful to the woman in their life. They never over-stepped or pushed, and they always respected what their girlfriend wanted.
-People who want to see characters develop: In the beginning, Youngjoo was a sullen kid, angry with everyone, and friendless. By the end, he admitted to his faults; he encouraged Seoyoung to chase her dreams; and he had a friend group who had his back. In the beginning, Seoyoung was single-minded about going to college. I loved her ambition, but she was the type to give up everything to achieve her dream. Now, she realizes that achieving one's dreams at the cost of someone else is not worth it. She can go to university without having to ruin an innocent family to do so. I love that they each brought out the best in each other. Individually, they are both better people now than when they started. I think this is what makes School 2021 special for me; they took everyday tropes, and they carried them out with sensitivity and nuance.
Do NOT watch this show if:
-You want action, drama, or anything complicated
-You want a plot that is new or creative in any way (this is a show where high schoolers act like high schoolers; you just see them go about their days.).
Not only was I charmed by the show; I would say it is one of my top 5 kdramas. You're really missing out if you don't watch it. Also, the first episode is a bit slow; give it 2 or 3 episodes before you judge.
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1This review may contain spoilers
it could've been good... but it wasn't.
besides apo (the only good character in this) and the swimming club friendship (aka puth, song and kluay being babies), this show was a train wreck. we had a rape scene that was never addressed and waii didn't even bother to apologise to apo.... we had a great lesbian character turned into a predator (which is very harmful to the lesbian and lgbt community) and then become straight? bi? what tf was that clownery??? we had some of the most terribly written female characters ive seen (wan being shown as crazy and evil and then being slutshammed, mai being possessive and manipulative, and fay being a victim of the cliche cheating plot) and forced romantic dynamics (yes this applies to waii&apo as well as kluay&achi). i wont even get started on that age gap couple bullshit.waterboyy could've been a good show, but gmmtv made every single decision to make sure it was a disaster. and tbh thats sad because the cast is amazing ):
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This review may contain spoilers
The ending truly ruined it all
This review will contain heavy spoilers for the ending.Revenge of Others was a fun ride, until the last two episodes that is. It's pretty rare for me to have the ending of a show completely change how I feel about it. There are good endings, meh endings and bad ones... but I've seldom felt that disappointed. Maybe I had too high expectations, maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Revenge of Others' ending is cliché, lazy and basically just a middle finger both to the audience and the rest of the show. Early episodes were good, with flaws, yes, yet it was still solid. But nowadays, most kdramas are great at what they do, so you need the entirety of your work to be good, not just the beginning, not just the middle. It feels like Revenge of Others was half-assed, and any good this show had is overshadowed by the ending.
The most interesting thing about a TV show, as opposed to movies, is that you have time to grow attached to the characters. You become familiar with them and grow curious. You could say you actually care about them (especially if you're watching while the show is airing). That is the exact reason why you can't just dump a few lines on the viewers and call it a day. That's not only bad writing: it's like spitting in the face of said viewers.
So what was so wrong with that ending? To put it simply, the creators of the show tried SO HARD to give it a happy ending, despite it not matching the tone of the series, that they ended up... basically not giving it an ending at all. How did they do that? By not telling you anything and letting you decide what comforts you. Okay, let's be fair. They do tell you a few things, but not about what is important.
> Soo Heon has a brain tumor? Okay, he drops out to do his own shit for a while and you're free to imagine whatever pleases you after that. Did he die? Did his condition stabilize? That's up to you (who even cares, brain tumors are not that serious now, are they? It's not like he got his head banged way too many times. If the doctor is as qualified as his wife, he probably misdiagnosed him anyway). With it being such a central plot point, you'd hope for something a bit more conclusive than a "for now he's lucky". Truthfully, the tumor is just a plot device to make you doubt he is the killer because of the induced violent behaviors. So in the end, I just wonder what was even the point of us worrying about him?
God forbid they'd actually use his condition to truly talk about the hardships that come from it all. Not saying the show should've solely focused on that, that's obviously not the plot, but it would've been nice if it had been treated more seriously.
> Is Jae Beom in prison or not? You choose. Was there even any proof that he was manipulated by Gi O Sung? Did he completely take the blame? Does it matter? Should we care? Apparently not, since the show decided to completely erase his existence the moment he stepped in that police car. If he is lucky, the car was actually an interdimensional rift that took him far away from the land of trash ending kdramas.
Don't get me wrong, open endings are fine. I actually love them to death and dislike when everything is spelled out for you. However, this is not an open ending (and if it genuinely tried to be one, it's appalling). This is just a rushed, awful, uncreative and lazy ending that has (unfortunately) been seen again and again, either because the writers didn't know how to write a proper one, either because they were scared of negative reactions from the audience. Both options are bad.
This is an ending that screams that the writers had so little faith in their show, their characters and universe, that they believed viewers would lose interest the minute the mystery was finally solved, that they wouldn't be willing to give one more hour to properly say goodbye to the characters and learn what happened to them. And well, that's truly a shame since an entire episode dealing with the aftermath would've been a perfect way to wrap this up, because surprisingly the characters ARE interesting. As a viewer, I want to know what happens to these people, I don't want three fucking sentences from a narrator telling me: "this happened, oh and this too, everything was solved and we're living happily ever after, nothing is wrong in the universe!!!!"... For Christ's sake, either show me or actually write a proper open ending!
Those few sentences don't even cover everything that needs answers. I mentioned it earlier, but Jae Beom's story seems to end the moment he's taken away by the police, as if he wasn't a main character too. At this point I feel like they forgot to include him in the ending. Chan Mi vaguely mentions to Soo Heon that he confessed, but that is the last time we hear of him. Can you believe that we don't even know WHAT he confessed to? Did he confess to killing Park Won Seok only? Did he confess to the car shop murder too? What, you actually wanted to know that? Cope.
I don't understand how you can put so much care into developing an interesting storyline and characters, just to give up on giving it proper closure.
Seriously, I can't believe this. As far as I'm concerned, Gi O Sung is dead and Jae Joon supposedly disappeared forever, because that's definitely how DID works. That means Jae Beom literally has no choice but to take full responsibility, despite being taken advantage of and manipulated by the very person who tried to kill him. Because let's think about this for a second:
-He would first have to prove that he was pushed from the roof by O Sung. O Sung is dead, there's no way to prove it;
-He would then have to prove that he did indeed have a split personality, but since Jae Joon is gone forever after a few words from Chan Mi, good luck with that;
-Even if he managed to do that, he would have to prove that O Sung had gaslighted Jae Joon into believing Won Seok had pushed him, which led to his revenge, and that he, Jae Beom, wasn't aware of any of it. But guess what? O Sung is dead, Jae Joon is no more, so yeah, no doing that. They might have a few people testify, but I highly doubt that would lead to anything.
Not to mention, when talking about the car shop murder to Chan Mi, Jae Joon mentioned that Jae Beom would've covered for Soo Heon. Just because they are friends. Just because he is a good person. Which leads me to believe that after getting his memory back, he would be so guilt-ridden that he wouldn't even try to defend himself anyway. He seems like he would believe he deserves the worst punishment. At this point, the only thing that could save him is his parents' money, which I doubt he would agree to use to get himself out of this.
So while Gi O Sung got the easy way out, Jae Beom will be the only one to suffer because of his deeds. In a way, O Sung killed him twice: the moment he pushed him from that roof, and the moment he himself fell to his death. While I do believe Jae Beom should face consequences for what happened, I don't believe jail time is the right thing. He should be admitted to a mental health facility. Ultimately, I would've been more satisfied if he had managed to kill himself. That would've been easier for him. Honestly, I cannot understand for the life of me why kdrama writers always think that death is proper comeuppance for plain evil characters. Dying is easy, life in prison is hell. O Sung should have to live through that. He should have to deal with everyone hating his guts and have his freedom stripped away. Had the show not been going for a happy ending, maybe that not happening would've been fine, but since it's not the case it just doesn't sit well with me that one of the kindest characters is getting this treatment, while the worst one just... died.
Aside from that, there are other elements that don't really make sense to me. For example, it's never really made clear how Jae Beom and O Sung's fight at the stables ended. Jae Beom seemed like he was ready to murder or at least severely beat up O Sung for what he did to him, while the latter would do anything to cover his own ass. Yet, the following day O Sung is unscathed and Jae Beom is chilling on a boat. How did that happen?
And whose boat was that? I'm guessing it belongs to Jae Beom's family but then when he was reported missing... isn't it one of the first places that should've been checked? I know the police are all sharing one unique brain cell but that's like the ABC of investigating a disappearance. The show runners wanted us to believe O Sung had killed/abducted Jae Beom, but come on... They try so hard to confuse the viewers and play the reverse psychology card, yet most people could guess who had done what and why ages before the end anyway.
Then we have this scene where every single student learns EVERYTHING through various text messages and immediately believes it, then proceeds to suddenly realize that "oh yeah, gi o sung did this and that!!!!", as if they all used to be aware of that fact, but collectively forgot, because no one seemed to have beef with him before that. I guess they could only remember him being super manipulative after reading those texts. Sure. Then they all lie to the police because of course, there's not a single outcast out of the loop, or someone that's scared to lie. It's a TV show, yadda yadda, but how can I not laugh at that? They didn't even HAVE to lie! Gi O Sung's fall was not only an accident but also self-defense, he was literally threatening a student with a box cutter after having abducted another??? I get they reaaaaally wanted to go for that tacky “If everyone decides to corroborate a lie, then it becomes the truth”, but that was so bad.
I want to gloss over a few other things too:
-Ok Chan Mi started out as a good character but got dumber and dumber as things moved on;
-Shin Ye Eun's acting (and a few others) seemed awkward at times. I'm not sure whether that was the script or not, but I've seen her in other shows and I remember her being fine;
-I get Jae Beom was her friend for a long time and overall a good person, but would Chan Mi realistically get over "him" killing her brother that fast?;
-When she was on that call with her brother, how could Chan Mi not hear Jae Beom's voice as he talked to Won Seok?;
-O Sung wanting to kill Won Seok was stupid considering they both had dirt on each other. They could've just left it at that and no one would have talked. But I guess since Jae Beom is technically the one that killed him, O Sung just didn't care;
-Everyone always seems to fall for O Sung's lies for some reason, even after it was established he could not be trusted;
-Jae Beom's timeline at the time of Won Seok's death wasn't clear and it was annoying. Was he back to school full time? Won Seok was surprised to see him again, so was he not discharged from the hospital yet? Then how did he leave without being noticed?;
-Did Jae Beom actually have a twin or was it split personality right from the beginning? This doesn't necessarily need an answer but I would've liked to know for sure;
-Jae Beom's parents knew about his DID but never tried to do anything about it. Maybe because it would give them a bad reputation (who knows, they don't explain why), but wouldn't you try to at least discreetly talk to a doctor about it? I don't think it's that hard when you have this much money;
-No one else ever noticed it except for O Sung? How did he even know? That would've been nice to learn about. It's like they're trying to give as less details as possible about the manipulation part, as if it wasn't a major plot point that the viewers would like to know about;
-The evil alter ego plot twist trope needs to stop. There are ways this could be interesting, but apparently never in kdramas. The way DID is constantly misrepresented in these shows is so tiring. I haven't even researched the topic that much but even I know this is not how it works. It was so badly presented in the 12th episode that I wasn't even sure if they were actually going for that or for some weird ghost possession bullshit. At this point I'm not even certain what I'd prefer;
-I'm not an expert but I'm positive we now have means to determine whether someone jumped, fell or was pushed from a building.
A few positive things:
-The dynamic and chemistry between the characters was quite good, and their friendship was really compelling;
-Most characters were interesting, there wasn't anyone I was particularly annoyed with;
-As I've said, I haven't researched DID that extensively (I have given up on a decent portrayal anyway), but I thought the way Jae Beom and Jae Joon were differentiated was a nice touch. I found the scene with Jae Beom signing using the wrong hand + name smart. The moment he switched the gun to his other hand as he tried to kill himself was heartbreaking;
-The show is entertaining and gets you hooked easily, it's mostly the end that acts as a wake-up call, making you realize that overall, the writing wasn't that good.
In conclusion, this is another example of a show that could have been a good one if not for its ending. In my opinion, the ending of a show is one of, if not the, most important part of it. If you mess that up, then you leave people with a bitter aftertaste, no matter how good everything that came before was. On the contrary, a particularly good ending can completely blow your mind and turn around your perspective of a show/movie. So you can't and shouldn't ignore a bad ending just because the rest was okay.
I feel like many interesting questions could've been brought up too. The writers could've addressed the topic of the Korean juvenile justice system (which is apparently known to be particularly awful), with how easily characters seemed to get away with the crazy things they pulled. Or if a murder is caused by the manipulation of a vulnerable person, then who's to blame? What punishment should be given? Are mental health issues like these even taken into consideration by the court?
I don't know, this was such a waste. I really wish they hadn't rushed the ending like that, my rating would've been much higher otherwise. It could also be a bit lower, but I tried to keep in mind the qualities from the earlier episodes too (consider that 6/10 is only 1 point above average/mediocre).
Well, what is done is done. I don't think I would recommend anyone to watch this unless they are prepared to face the disappointment.
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It's not in my habits writing reviews for a Korean drama, actually it's the 2nd I write but this time I had to, because it was such an exciting and incredible experience. I want to always remember the emotions I went through while watching this drama, I really screamed, smiled and cried a lot (well did not cry that much but some scenes were so touching and lovely which had me in tears) I already feel very empty now we're already in the end. I'm wondering when I'll be able to watch and find such a gripping and fascinating long Korean period drama ?!
I started SFD while it was airing but I had to stop cause I knew waiting each week for only two more eps would be a pure torture for me, so this was only three weeks ago I decided to properly marathon it and aigoo those three weeks went way too quickly. This drama is simply addicting, once I finished an episode I felt the urge to watch the next one, it leaves you no choice but to go watch immediately what's coming.
Maybe now I should tell how this drama managed to captivate me like that and how every ep killed me, first reason is all those references from Queen Seon Deok and Tree With Deep Roots, and I bet all people who watched those two fantastic dramas are/were feeling the same, I was always so impressed and reminiscing about the quotes and characters of these dramas, simply yes I was speechless and always thinking those two scriptwriters are real geniuses to make me going crazy and happy like that. Secondly it's all those political intrigues, the way Sambong and Bang Won were portayed here, how they could manipulate people and control them the way they both did and most of all their ability to read in their opponent's minds, I admire both them for that. I love smart moves and political intrigues in dramas and this drama had all of that. And third reason is that I always wanted to watch a drama which would show how Joseon Dynasty was established and here it was so wonderfully explained and done.
When I think about all the cast I have no words because all actors were so into their characters and we could feel how much invested they were for this long historical drama, they delivered such a electrifying , sincere and wonderful performance, I literally fell in love with all of them, just maybe from my point of view I did not like Seo Yi Sook 's acting (Moo Hyeol's grandmother) it's very personal and I just did not find her very convincing, otherwise all other actors did so well, zero complaint about them simply the opposite, they were all phenomenal.
Of course first I have to comment about Yoo Ah In and Kim Myung Min's awesome's portraits, they were totally the characters they played ''Lee Bang Won'' and ''Jeong Do Jeon'', it did not feel like they were acting, it was simply really as if they were in front of me, like I was seeing each one of their every actions and moves.
Frankly speaking I'm not so fond of Kim M.M but I will never ever forget his flawless performance here, one word : grandiose. As for Yoo Ah In, his facial expressions, words, moves gave me goosebumps, he was too imposing and magnificent. I think I said enough about these two amazing actors, they would definitely not leave you indifferent.
It's hard for me to choose a favorite character cause I think the writers here wrote them so perfectly, there's no one I love more than the rest, well maybe Gil Tae Mi because he added so much fun to this dark and very tense atmosphere, he was so cool, skilled, sometimes stupid and hilarious even when he was about to kill some people, I just couldn't hate him ! Another one I liked a lot was Lee Bang Ji and I personally do think his character was so well written , I'm just a bit too sad he did not have (in my humble opinion) as much screen time as other dragons, in some scenes I was completely missing him and was wondering where he was and what he was doing, I love him because his care for his sister and his loved one was so sincere, beautiful and pure, he did not want to involve himself into politics and all what he did was only because of their dreams and ideals, he lives for them, that's how unselfish his love is for both of them, I can only admire him!
I would like to write some words about other dragons and characters however I think I already said too much, just I will say these things : Cheon Ho Jin as Lee Seong Gye did an awesome job, he never fails to surprise me, I don't know much about Lee Seong Gye and did not read anything about him except that I know he was the first king of Joseon and from what I saw here in SFD he really had a tragic and sad life.
Boon Yi I like her a lot and especially her relationship with her brother which is so beautiful genuine and filled with so much tenderness, I always have a thing in drama for brother/sister's bonding and in this one it was simply just so touching, I was always so happy when they were only together on screen, discussing, eating playing together. Boon Yi is a very caring, brave and smart girl, I really appreciate that she never gives up on her dreams and till the end she believes in it and simply wants to be happy with her family and people.
Moo Hyeol I love him so much in the first place ( eheheh TWDR yeah) so badass, unselfish, generous, strong and sweet at the same time, I always found his way of fighting so cute and funny but in the end he had to grow up and become mature, it was very painful to see and Yoon Gyun Sang did a really great job with his Moo Hyeol's portrayal. I also wanted to say I loved all these supporting characters as well especially Ha Ryun, Yoon Rang (very charismatic woman), Lee Bang Woo, Lee Ji Ran, Jo Joon, Gil Seon Mi and Hong Dae Hong and for sure the drama would be totally different without them <3
Needless to say the sceneries, settings, colors and costumes were so gorgeous, every costume fitted perfectly for each character, I particularly loved Boon Yi's dresses so simple and yet very eye-catching, suited her personality so well, I also loved her hairstyle <3 I would say the same for all other characters' costumes especially those Yoo Ah In, Byun Yo Han, Cheon Ho Jin, Gong Seung Yeon, Park Hyeok Kwon and many other wore, very colorful and elegant .
The Ost was really great and the ballads were always used in appropriate moments though there weren't to my taste, I loved BGM more and songs Muiiya and Cheongsanbyeolgog (I think it's the title) more. In any case the ost was wonderful so no complaints from me.
I'll end this review with those four fantastic quotes, I had shivers all over my body when those sentences were said.
-''The King is just this country's flower. The Roots have to be this land's scholars, confucian scholars and officials"
-''If you want to fool your enemy, you'd have to fool those around you including yourself''
-''How can betrayal be a sin ? In this turbulent times, believing someone is a bigger crime ''
-"Since the world began, the weak have always been stepped on by the strong. Even a thousand years ago, even a thousand years from now! The Strong steal from the Weak. In this world the only truth is that the strong take and swallow the weak ... this is only the constant truth"
I would probably rewatch this drama as it brought me so much feels since the very first second, Political dramas are generally too heavy for me but I always found Political Historical dramas to be to my liking as I've already seen many and I noticed the writers always manage to make them so interesting and appealing especially when the characters are so well written like it's the case here.
Highly recommended, it's the first time for me to watch such a long drama and to not feel the length, 50 eps of pure awesomeness and if you want my opinion I did not see the time passing.
Last but not least, this is one of the most intelligent dramas I watched and I would recommend for people who haven't wacthed Tree With Deep Roots nor Six Flying Dragons to start with SFD first and then watch DR.
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Reason 1. Jong Hyun Soo/ Dong Ha . The villian in this drama did outstanding job, this is the first time I followed specific character, witch is not the lead with such intencity!He actually was the one who kept my interest to this drama, and the only one who I really wanted to know more about! I just have no words. If he doesn't get an award, it will be final disapointment in SBS after they missed Lee Joon Gi last year!
Reason 2 The office team scenes. I truly enjoyed every single moment of them, they were hilarious and pleasure to watch! Great interaction and chemistry between all cast!
Reason 3 Ji Chang Wook and Choi Tae Joon - and I don't mean just looks, but acting :)
The rest.. I'll just say, starting from the middle of drama there were more and more moments, were I felt bored, except scenes with Jong Hyun Soo... And the worst for me was the last episode.. After great ep 37 and 38, two last ones were just.. well, I would't miss anything if I wouldn't watch them.. And it's a pity, because last episode is the one that leaves final impact from drama, and unfortunatly I felt nothing... But overall there were a lot of moments that I enjoyed, laughed and cared. And all the actors dida great job! It wasn't a bad drama, but it didn't left strong feelings in me...
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This review may contain spoilers
Just Watch It! (This is long).
This is my very first review, so please bare with me.Story:
Regarding the story there were some plot holes here and there, and I feel like the running time of each episode was poorly used in many occasions, some added things felt unnecessary to the plot as a whole, and some things could've been explained in a better way.
Yes, the pacing...
I love a slow burn romance, the whole enemies-to-lovers trope, but watching this show week by week was actually painful, and not in a 'oh my God, what happens next?' kind of way. It was actually frustrating, and when I thought things were about to pick up, it slowed down completely.
Still, I have to say that I absolutely love the concept of "The Little Prince" involved in this story, and how he falls in love and ends up with the fox.
Acting / Cast:
Let me have my shallow moment...
The first time I saw anything about this series, what called my attention was how attractive both main leads were. They have different vibes, and I think they fit perfectly in what was presented, but the real question is, what about the often mentioned chemistry? Looks are not enough to measure weather there's chemistry between a pair or not.
Jin Yu Zhen is a complicated character, with unresolved and complex feelings, your seemingly stoic, heartless, asshole kind of character right there. I do think Aaron Lai nailed it, especially when we saw the transition of JYZ opening up little by little, showing his true colors.
Honorable mention to the last episode, I felt his desperation all the way through the screen.
Shi Lei is not only someone with that bright, beautiful, dimply smile, I like how he had a personality and how he wasn't afraid to stand his ground no matter what. Hank is a newbie as far as I know, and he did good, I like his acting.
Honorable mention to Shi Lei "coming out" to his mom, that scene was beautiful, and necessary.
So, in conclusion, they do have chemistry, a lot in my eyes, I liked to see how Shi Lei fell for JYZ little by little, how he had an "oh shit" moment, realizing he was caring a lot for him, and how Jin Yu Zhen reciprocated his feelings and cared for him just as much. They had a lot of cliche moments, but I didn't mind it at all. There was tension, and want and longing.
The second couple can be a big hit, or a big miss, sometimes they even steal the spotlight from the main couple, and this time I have to say they were cute and all, but I unfortunately didn't really care for them. There wasn't enough substance, I don't know how to put it better.
Yan Zhao Gang was a good guy, with good intentions and he mostly had some great things to say, the type of guy you go for advice, I like the actor playing him, and I don't think he's bad.
Wu Si Qi on the other hand, was the shy, young and inexperienced guy. Cute? Yes. Still, I don't know, but I cared even less for him, I felt detached. I don't blame it necessarily on the acting, but oh well.
The rest of the cast does the job, I found some of the meant-to-be-funny moments to be actually funny, and I liked their interactions.
Shi Lei's mom has to be mentioned, she was his wingman, the real MVP, a mother who cared for her son's happiness and well-being. It's refreshing to break from the stereotype of a mother who's disappointed, mad or angry, against the fact of her son/daughter being in love with someone of the same sex.
Music:
I love soundtracks, and I have to admit that the "I do, I do, I do" is catchy.
Rewatch Value:
I wouldn't mind re-watching the whole thing now that it ended, maybe it would feel different than watching week by week.
Overall:
I know this review is very mixed, I tried pointing the flaws, but also the good points of this series, at the end of the day all I can say is to each their own, don't let anyone else's opinions and thoughts stop you from watching something, do it, see it for yourself.
For me this series is worth watching, it's simple, it's cute, it's easy, and the end is refreshing.
Hope this helps.
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Proof that even good acting can't revive a lackluster script
The first 15 episodes were so good. Really kept me engaged and every time I finished an episode, I was left wanting for more. But it somehow went downhill from there. Just cliche after cliche after cliche. Mind you, all those cliches weren't even executed properly. I haven't read the novel but from the spoilers I've seen, it seems like the scriptwriters didn't either. The plot's a mess, the characters are boring, their actions are predictable, ACTUAL interesting characters aren't utilised properly and the pacing is absolutely terrible. The acting's the only redeeming quality of this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
What started off as just your normal cliche' filled K-drama, appeared to be a pretty decent story. It seemed it could possibly surprise you a bit, and then you set yourself up with great expectations. Then, out of nowhere, the storyline starts to fall apart at the seams. It's like the writer wrote themselves into a corner just after the first five episodes. All this talent from actors... wasted on pathetic dialogue and pointless scenes. But worst of all, it went from just your usual amount of cliches to being riddled with cliches. Could they possibly get anymore in? Was there a contest for Drama With Most Cliches happening somewhere????
You remember in Dragonball Z how there would be almost like 5 minutes of the characters doing nothing but standing around staring at one another? Yea, that sucks. You know how 1 song plays on the radio 7 times in one day? Yea, but imagine that 1 song playing 7 times within just an hour... every... episode. A horrible, horrible song. No wait, a horrible, horrible chorus of a song THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE. A chorus of a song that will haunt you in your dreams and make you want to punch your computer screen as soon at you hear its impending arrival. Love cannot be the "moment" of anything!!! It's an emotion, damn you!
Something strange happened, though, and it's that I came to completely root for the bad character. This had nothing to do with how the story went, but with how well Kim Woo Bin played his character. If there would be any reason I'd have to recommend to you, dear reader, to watch this, It would be him. The chemistry between the two main characters was non-existent, and Park Shin Hye proved herself (at least to me) to have been a very poor casting selection for the role as she was dull and brought nothing to it. Lee Min Ho seemed to do much better in scenes with every other cast member besides her. Actually, most of the other actors showed fairly good effort in trying to work with what they were given. However, none of it can quite come together for the supporting roles if the main ones are so bad off.
Outside of Kim Woo Bin, other unexpected thefts of the spotlight for this show were: Krystal Jung as Lee Bo Na; the wonderful dynamics between Kim Sung Ryung as Han Ki Ae and Kim Mi Kyung as Park Hui Nam; and Choi Jin Hyuk as the crown bearer Kim Won.
If you decide to watch this, go in with no expectations at all and understanding it will be hard to quit even if you find yourself hating it. It is, indeed, an addictive drug with bad side effects. You've been warned
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