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My thoughts on the Heart Killers:
The Heart Killers was an unexpected gem! Initially, I started watching because I was a fan of FirstKhaotung, but I quickly found myself captivated by both couples, especially Dunk. I was genuinely surprised by how much I ended up liking him in this series. At first, I wasn’t sure how well he’d fit the role, but he truly nailed it. Dunk was perfect for his character, and honestly, he quickly became one of my favorites.One of the things I loved about the series was how we saw the characters grow throughout the story. Take Fadel (Joong), for example. He starts off as someone who keeps everyone at arm's length, scared to love because he’s afraid of losing those he lets in due to his painful past. You could really see the emotional toll this had on him, but over the course of the series, we watched him grow, open up, and become more vulnerable. It was a beautiful character arc that added depth to the story.
The chemistry between the couples was undeniable, and the devotion they had for each other was so heartwarming. They literally went to prison for each other😆🤭. The series was truly a rollercoaster of emotions, and it will definitely be missed.
I also have to give a special shoutout to Dunk – you can really see how much his acting has improved. He’s grown so much, and it’s exciting to see how much potential he has for future roles.
Overall, I loved The Heart Killers, and I would recommend watching it. It’s a series filled with great performances, emotional depth, and unforgettable moments. Definitely worth the watch!
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Very Thai Romcom BL
Maybe I am the only one in MDL who enjoyed watching Hidden Agenda. It was nothing extra ordinary in terms of storyline. It was simple, cute, romantic, something that can make you feel giddy. I would say for first time BL watchers this might be a good start. Now why I liked Hidden Agenda so much is definitely JoongDunk. They have such great on screen [and Off screen] chemistry that all their dialogues felt so natural. I enjoyed it a lot. Sure the ending part was quite unreasonable for Zo to behave like that with Joke but other than that I really liked it.Was this review helpful to you?
2020 drama underdog that I surprisingly looked forward to
Eternal Love Rain is possibly one of the most uncomplicated, easy to watch, romance drama with basic conflicts and villains for 2020.Most might not like this because it’s a lot like junk food and sweets, but I am some of the few who actually liked and waited eagerly for all the episodes. I like it exactly because the episodes were short, the story was very uncomplicated and it was easy for me to relate and understand.
The actors are not as popular as those in other dramas but for small production like these, I think they did their part. I specially would like to commend the actor for Li Ji because he might be the oldest but he pulled it off being the crown prince. Overall, the main and supporting cast were ok.
On the romance part, it was very PG 13, which for other dramas I would be disappointed, but for Eternal Love Rain I think it actually works because it makes Xiu Rui/Wang Run Ze’s acting more acceptable like he’s really a pure/innocent dragon on his first romance/love. I am also some of the few that are not bothered by Yin yin/Camille Hua’s high pitched voice because I understand that some people do get high pitched when they are excited (like me) and her character is almost always happy/excited. Lol. I just found Wang Run Ze and Camille Hua’s scenes together to be so adorable/precious that I don’t mind the awkward kiss scenes. Lol.
Regarding the conflict and villain, this story has got to have the most uncomplicated villains and conflicts for any period drama. The show did try to humanize the villains (Mo Cheng Feng and the Xiu Ren) and gave them fitting ends. The conflicts are also easily resolved after 1 or 2 episodes.
Anyway give this show a shot if you’re lookingj for something light to watch. Just watch it at 1.5x speed so you won’t get as irritated.
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some things are best left buried in time
the only good thing about this show was chalarm and his comedic moments.the plot was below average at best, definitely not part of the BL shift going on. the casting left a lot to be desired, and those cast in the leading roles barely had chemistry.
with all the good BLs airing right now, you can genuinely do fine never watching this series.
I do think there’s quite a few in the supporting cast that are genuinely good actors, or at least show real potential, but as for the main pairing… I just hope they can get a better support system or guidance. maybe they needed to workshop more, they looked uncomfortable at times and I had to talk myself into continuing the show in hopes it got better. needless to say, it didn’t.
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This review may contain spoilers
Would recommend this drama!!! Starts really good. The male lead is a person who seeks for precious gems. He gets into. a car accident and accidentally meets the female lead who is a tribe leader. She takes him in and takes care of him. He finds out she has a precious gem and he wants to take it for himself, so he needs to gain the trust of the female lead. The female lead promise to give it to him only if they get married. He basically teaches her about how to use a phone, eat instant noodle, and take selfies. She has a really good memory. Female lead is a naive, innocent, simple minded girl. The male lead is more dark, cold and mysterious ( he wanted to only use her at first.... but then you know ,... they fall in love) He basically drugs them the night of the wedding and he escapes. ( lol thats the background)
The female lead tries to find him in the city, there she meets the second male lead. lol he wants her to be in a live stream with him( thats his job) The male lead is trying to find the cave were there is a lot of precious gem. Also the evil characters in the show want to find it for themselves. In the process the male lead finds an elder who once had connections about finding the cave/ he had a secret box that he kept with him. They keep trying to open that box to see whats the secret behind it all.
I really liked the male lead's relationship with his two childhood friends. One is a computer genius and the other is knowledgable in gems, they all help to try to open the locked box.
Some parts in the middle was kind of draggy/ a little slow, like the plot was developing it pick up closer to the end. ( dont want to spoil too much )
What really sold me was the female lead. She is so cute, gulliable, innocent but at the same time smart, brave and honest, speaks her mind. She is the ray of sunshine that melts/ heals the male lead's scar.She brings positivity and genuineness. The chemistry between them is alright. I felt the female liked the male more lol , therefore some of the kissing scenes to me didn't strike my heartstrings as much as some in other drama, but in the end i felt the feelings ( lol watch for yourselves). I also liked how each character was able to get some romantic character development. The story was well rounded and had a happy ending. So please go watch :)
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Without spoiling anything I can't say much about it, but you should watch it and be surprised. :)
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This review may contain spoilers
“Misunderstandings” with atypical characters just hit different
Hear me out.While it has all the elements of a cliched contract marriage romcom, the characters’ personalities and values set this story apart from the rest. The male lead is somewhat neuroatypical. He has an almost over-logical way of thinking, and is unable to express himself to others. The female lead is passionate about her career and doesn’t consider marriage an important part in her future plans, which is slightly unconventional in “traditional” Japanese culture. This light romcom when viewed through an atypical lens can make for an easy, yet thought-provoking drama about understanding. The popular song 「Heart」 by Aimyon serves as its theme.
“Misunderstandings” is probably in my top 5 things I dislike about any drama because most of the time it’s used as an easy way to add conflict in a story and separate the couple for no good reason. But here, it’s used to highlight how the male lead struggles to communicate and understand what most consider to be conventional behaviour and feelings. Most of us take this understanding for granted. Think about it - we can say “I love you” to a best friend to mean platonic love, and say “I like you” to a new acquaintance to mean romantic love. How do you *KNOW* when is which?
Aside from the leads, supporting characters also explore their own version of unconventional “love” and “relationships” — which (in my opinion) Jdramas do best! What does it mean to be married? Is that really the only way to be “happy"? [SPOILER WARNING for side characters] A man wonders why his wife wants to get divorced in order to have a common-law marriage (where you are still lovers/partners in every way except on legal papers), A women who chose her partner not based on love, but to start an “ideal family”. A fangirl devoting her love to an idol. I loved these mini-insights that can easily be overlooked.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE CHANGED:
Of course, any drama has its flaws.
The last three episodes might be frustrating and slow for some, but I still found those episodes to be interesting. If you consider these two people not fitting into the mould of “normal”, there’s a need to explore a relationship that works best for them! Isn’t that the most important thing?
I also understood the reasons for the cliched setup and abundance of misunderstandings but could have done with a few less, especially the meddling love interests. And finally, I felt the leads could have had more build-up and chemistry with each other, and I wanted it to end slightly differently, but overall I was still satisfied with the romance.
TRY IT IF YOU LIKE:
The contract marriage trope, 『Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu』 (Japanese, 2016), "Because This Is My First Life" (Korean, 2017)
It’s not a character study on neurodivergence, but if you watch it with this open mind, you might gain a new perspective. Even if you’re not interested in the atypical angle, there are enough sweet doki-doki moments to keep a romcom fan entertained.
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Kang Tæ - Joo is a suave, unrepentant lady's man who goes about his romantic liaisons with cool practicality. He's your regular joe with high ambitions. He sees the beautiful rich women who fall over themselves for his manly charms and good looks as his ticket to bigger and better things. He’s a realist, with little patience for idealistic folly.
Some people have described him as a jerk, but to me he isn't. He never misleads the women in his life about his intentions nor does he try to hide the fact that he's essentially a gold digger. He's certainly a lady killer, a breaker of hearts, but not a mean spirited one. Women can't help but fall for him, but to Tæ-Joo that's neither his fault nor his business.
I don't always agree with his methods of achieving his goals, but I respect him. I admire his ambition and drive to make something of his life. It’s far better than the laziness, inertia and complacency that grip today's youth. So what happens when a brutal realist and a starry eyed idealist meet and fall in love? Well, chemical waves short circuit and the whole goddamn house burns down.
The show features an intense love quadruple which serves as the main driver of sending your emotions into a tailspin. Normally I hate these type of romance dramas, but this wasn’t bad at all. It kept me anxious but not angry. And as other reviewers have pointed out QSS isn’t your run of the mill kdrama with chaste kisses and secret glances. It’s wild and it's hot and it’s passionate. Sex is not taboo. The characters are age appropriate in their behaviours, if not always in their deeds. I loved it!
What I enjoyed even more, though, were the extremely valuable life lessons imparted:
- Life is a gamble, you can win a fortune or lose everything.
- Opportunities come only once, don’t pass them up.
- By the same token, know that whatever path you choose in life comes with consequences you have to live with.
- Most of the time money doesn't make you happy.
- Love, though fragile and fleeting, is the most important experience of human existence.
- We want what we can’t have, but don’t appreciate what we do have until it’s gone.
It was just amazing. I felt like by the end of the show I learned and grew right along with the characters. This is why I gave the drama an 8, instead of a 7.
The only downside, and why this drama didn’t net a 9, was that I wanted more ‘happy and in love’ screen time with our leads. There was an overabundance of negative angst. Not the exciting, sexually charged type of angst you’ll experience in say … Lovers. I’m fine with negative angst as long as equal amounts of positive angst balance things out.
Characters, on the other hand, were very three dimensional and human, all having their negative and positive attributes. I have to continuously commend the Koreans for writing such layered characters who I didn't see regularly before my foray into Asian entertainment.
Of the four main ones I felt like the female lead Eun Soo was the weakest link, mainly due to how she was acted by Jung Yu Mi. First of all, the actress looked like an underaged teenager and was much too childlike in her portrayal. As the drama progressed she matured a little and you realize she isn’t completely a pushover, but that she’s written as the stereotypical ‘strong’ Korean female lead afflicted with misplaced pride, noble stupidity; defiant, stubborn, obtuse … for totally idiotic, nonsensical reasons to the very end. Don’t get me wrong she remained a sympathetic figure throughout the show, but there were moments when certain behaviours of hers raised my ire.
Eric Mun as Kang Tæ-Joo was absolutely divine. Eye candy and talent, for a voracious cinephile like me it doesn’t get any better. And you could tell he’s Korean - American too because the guy has mad swag. I was swooning! This is the first time I’m seeing Mun in anything and I can understand why everyone says this is his best role. I can not imagine who else could play this character better than him.
But while Eric swept me off my feet and impressed me, the true stand out was actually Lee Kyu Han who I had recently seen in Smile, You and did not like! I thought his character was useless and a pest, but here wow … he played the ruthless, lonely, misunderstood, vulnerable businessman to a T. I sympathized a great deal with him even when I was supposed to hate him, especially toward the end. Finally, Yoon Ji Hye did great as the desperate, insecure rich girl.
Everyone pretty much threw themselves into their roles to create a truly engaging watch.I wanted a bit more from the ending, but was still satisfied with what we got. This was gooddrama, folks. Romance done right. It’s crazy and a little far-fetched as only Korean dramas can be, but totally worth it. If you don’t already have Que Sera Sera on your list, add it now.
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I LIKE IT SO MUCH! will rewatch tomorrow! SO WORTH IT
this is actually a healing movie and all the song is SO CRAZY like it’s SO GOOD my favorite is “sky full of stars” one it’s unforgettable and I got goosebumps. I THOUGHT the lead actor was a vocalist but I just found out he’s a rapper on his group for 9 years?? 😭 HE SINGS SO WELL ngl and his voice range?? GOD he can play any genre and he’s so good with instruments. I love the actor’s acting, they deliver the message and play the role so well, their chemistry 👌 After watching this I wonder do I have a box, and if yes, what is it.....Was this review helpful to you?
What I enjoyed the most about it is that - FOR ONCE - even though one of the main characters starts overweight, the moral of the story is NOT that "skinny = happiness". The moral of the story is that your physical appearance alone doesn't define you.
Of course, your outward appearance matters, since it's the first feature people can see and judge, but who you are as a person is just as important. You're not any less worthy of living/being successful because your physical appearance doesn't match society's expectations. You shouldn't have to change your physical appearance for others.
It's really nice to see this kind of moral, especially in a Kdrama (even tho The Miracle is only a web drama per se).
Unfortunately, that point alone is not enough to disregard completely the flaws of this drama.
Mainly the main romance. It was too hasty, too shallow, too cliché. Even if it was cute, it fell flat. For a seemingly romance-focused drama, it's a bit unsatisfactory to say the least. Also the story had a lot of potential, but due to its short format, most of it was cut short.
The acting was also not outstanding, but I did nonetheless really much enjoy the performance of the two sisters, as well as the one Yang Hak Jin gave. Their acting had a kind of "rough authenticity" feel to it, which i personally liked.
As for the soundtrack, the songs are pleasing to the ear, but even so nothing memorable.
Overall, The Miracle is refreshing, sweet, full of positivity...and short; you can basically view those 12 episodes in about 3 hours. So if you're looking for an uplifter, and don't mind turning a blind eye on apparent flaws, look no further.
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If you are not very patient (like me), you could skip a few episodes in front and still be aware of the entire story line even towards the later half of the drama. As Eun Jae/Sohee carries out her revenge, you will see that it is related to the past events that has already happened in the earlier half of the drama which in my opinion, was too long (but not draggy, yet) for me.
Story 9/10
The story is a kind of cliche faithful wife who serves her husband's family despite their ill treatment... you kind of get the drift. But the excitement kicks in when Eun Jae/Sohee makes up her mind to return with a new identity for revenge after Gyo Bin pulled a failed attempt to murder her and her baby (only the baby is dead, but Gyo Bin doesn't know). Every single episode has you on the edge of your seat, relishing those moments where Ae Ri goes crazy as Gyo Bin cheats on her with his supposedly dead wife.
Acting/Cast 9/10
I deducted a point because of Ae Ri and the real Min Sohee. I simply cannot stand their characters and at some point I wish the scriptwriter will just kill them already. Then again, this goes to show how well every character portrays their role to have me as the viewer feel so much for them. Besides, all the awards that the actors swept due to this drama are enough to certify their skills.
Music 10/10
Can you not love the music? Enough said, every song has me hooked and I find myself replaying the songs even after I finished this drama. Can you believe it, I'm still not tired of the music after 129 episodes of it!
Rewatch Value 7/10
If you're asking me to rewatch episode 1 to 129... My answer would be a no, 129 episodes is simply too long. But I'll definitely be willing to revisit some episodes that were exciting for me.
Overall 9/10
If you have plenty of time on your hands (or if you simply crave some bad woman action), be sure to check out Temptation of Wife. It brings you through the most dramatic marriage life ever through Eun Jae's experiences and you simply cannot help but to feel sorry for her.
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The curse was gone, but messily and realistically. Though the journey was far from perfect!
The storytelling is in a very classic Hwang Daseul style—delicate and nuanced.The drama dives deep into the complexity of trauma, self-discovery, guilt and love through the journey of DoHoe and Ju Yeong.
DoHoe's journey is filled with pain and inner conflicts, much of it rooted in the toxic environment created by his abusive father who runs a Taekwondo gym. Several moments conveyed the inner struggles of characters with small but very significant details.
Because of his toxic upbringing,he is someone who struggles to confront his past and doesn't allow or think worthy of himself to heal. His inability to face his wounds is both heartbreaking and frustrating at the same time. As a result, his relationship with Ju Yeong is complicated by unexpressed emotions, the trauma that was never addressed and the weight of the past that neither of them can escape even after 12 years.
Ju Yeong was the emotional anchor that kept Dohoe from drowning by constantly reaching out and putting in more effort despite the hurt and confusion Dohoe threw at him. There were few brief moments of comfort amidst that frustrating yet realistic push-and-pull dynamics between them. JuYeong often compromised trying really hard to bridge the emotional gap that DoHoe can't seem to cross. The imbalance does seem unfair but at the same time, their love story is portrayed as both beautiful and painful showcasing how even when people are deeply flawed and overwhelming, sometimes the connection between them can be profound and will last.
The chemistry between the actors was undeniable and their emotional journey felt raw and authentic. It mirrors the complexity of moving past trauma and being in a relationship when both of them are carrying their own and shared emotional baggage.
While the narrative is filled with emotional highs and lows, the pacing felt rushed throughout. The rapid shifts in the character arc without addressing their actual issues in detail left me craving for more. I wanted to understand them better. It felt like there was so much more beneath the surface, a whole world which just didn’t have enough time to really explore.
While the supporting cast like Hyean Ho added a new layer to the story, I am still a bit unclear on the mysterious circumstances surrounding his and Dohoe's past. They introduced him for bigger purposes, but his character felt very undeveloped.
And my biggest gripe was the editing. It seemed choppy and confusing. There were many scenes that missed the mark and their meaning relevant to the story because of this.
Overall, while the drama isn't without flaws, it keeps you hooked with its nuanced portrayal of love and healing. It's a powerful attempt at exploration of how our pasts shape us and impact our future decisions.
Sometimes addressing those past ghosts is the first step towards healing. Definitely recommend.
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Felt rushed
GREAT START - WEAK FINISH!It could've been better, the first episodes were nice but the ending felt rushed. So many scenes were left behind. It felt like we were jumping from here to there. We got the ending we hoped for, but it was still underwhelming. The first season was okay, the second was somewhat decent and this one felt rushed, at least to me. I keep talking about the ending, but it could've been much better.
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