Reviews

dreadful and frustrating, but brilliant!

When many people say BLs are fiction, that is not entirely correct. The premise of the show of a sexless marriage is a common problem in Japan. The latest study in 2024 found that 48.3% of married couples are sexless, which is nearly double as many as in most other countires. If one of the partners "don't won't the hassle" and the other do need it, it puts a lot of strain on the mental health. This show depicts this reality brilliantly and I felt how dreadful that must be. I also felt heavy and frustrated as Hagiwara with his girlfriend. Kaori does not like to be intimate with him any more.

On the other side we have another sexless gay couple which are a couple for the wrong reasons. I'm not happy with the finale explaining Fujisawa reasons for his behaviour - it does not explain the refusal to be intimate. Guilt is always a bad motivator to be in a relationsship. Of course Sei is not innocent in this too. He let Fujisawa isolate him, he did not force the issue much much earlier and wasted years with a love which could never fulfil him.

After a wrongly sent email Hagiwara & Sei kept in contact per mail and discuss their lives even in sexual matters. As it must happen, they did not know they were co-workers. For reasons they discover that by chance and have a laugh. After another refusal of Kaori Hagiwara felt so deep in a hole, he contacts Sei and they meet and they have one of the most sensual scenes in a BL. I don't mean the touching and kissing, I mean the feelings they convey... I felt how they urge for the touch, to be close, to be one.

Of course their sexual affair did not get unnoticed from Kaori and both of them got in a chaotic situation. While Kaori did scrutinze Hagiwara's phone, Fujisawa went into a jealous rage, raping Sei which was not shown directly but he had the marks afterwards. Sei seems to think it was a deserved punishment which sounds insane for most viewers and left me speechless. While Kaori does not seem to be a bad person per se, she is not able to communicate her desires and problems with her partner. Kaori's talk with Hagiwara ended with the expected breakup because she is unable to comprehend what she has done and how Hagiwara felt. Sadly Sei also pushes Hagiwara away.

At least there is happy end and I'm not happy that we did not get another episode.

Cinematography, direction were on point, the cast acted their roles to perfection, making this drama very special. If you think, they all should have communicated better, don't forget, Japan is different from most countries. Feelings are kept hidden more, problems are often ignored especially in relationships and due to the work mentality - which is insane for every other country - they often don't have time to do so.

This is for sure a show to binge-watch and I can't tell you how highly I recommand you to do so!

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I Will Rewatch it for a long time

so good.. i hooked even in first episode. i read a manga too, they put some scene to other eps so i feel bit confused. but really, in this 3 episode(sept 2th) i already rewatch more than 10 times! i prefer to rewatch a good drama than watch a new drama that didin't good. but this drama actually so good. even this drama did'nt complated yet, but i really like it so bad!! しかも、キッスもあるからびっくりした😅😅😅 でもいいんじゃない。めっちゃいいね！お楽しみに❗



i hope we can get the sequel or season 2🙏🏻

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Zero Displacement

A Love Other Than Yours is a sickness. You trash-talk this show every day, rant about how toxic and blood-boiling these characters are, and yet somehow, you still show up for the next episode out of sheer curiosity. So, let me elaborate on this sickness for you.

Causes: An FL and ML who, after TEN YEARS, still haven't figured out how to resolve relationship issues without making everything ten times worse. Communication? Apparently, that's too much to ask. Common sense? Nowhere to be found.

Symptoms: Frustration, anger, trash-talking, wrecking your head and an uncontrollable urge to question every single decision these people make.

Side Effects: Developing personal beef with the main leads, losing brain cells by the episode and questioning whether you should continue watching or simply choose peace. (Spoiler alert: You won't choose peace.)

Cure/Treatment: Do NOT start this show unless you're prepared for a generous dose of toxicity, cheating, infidelity and enough questionable decisions to keep your blood pressure in business. Proceed at your own risk because once you start, there's no going back.

**Before I begin, I would like to clarify that these are my personal opinions, and I hope they will be respected. I've seen multiple people slut-shaming the female lead, so I want to make it clear that I won't be engaging with comments involving slut-shaming any character, whether it is the female lead or the second female lead. Criticising a character's actions and slut-shaming them are two entirely different things.**

THE STORY

The biggest issue with this drama is how poorly the story and its characters have been handled.

Mi Do and Nam Goon have been in a relationship for ten years. Apparently, they feel they've lost the spark in their relationship, something Mi Do acknowledges as well. In fact, she suggests breaking up as early as the first episode. However, rather than addressing what's gone wrong, they continue circling around separation, with marriage being brought into the picture as though it could somehow fix their relationship. Eventually, they decide to explore relationships with other people, bringing the second leads into the equation.

And honestly, this is where things get increasingly complicated without getting any better.

CHARACTERS

Lee Mi Do (Female Lead)

I believe Mi Do is supposed to be the protagonist of this show. The story largely revolves around her life, family and personal circumstances. However, despite being the central character, I feel she was completely sidelined and written primarily to facilitate the male lead's journey and his life without her, rather than allowing her to have an equally meaningful journey of her own. And as a woman myself, I genuinely feel her character has been written so freaking pathetically.

In the beginning of the show a lot of people were emphatic towards her depsite the kiss with TS. Her struggles with depression and everything she was going through made it easier to understand her actions. But as the story progressed, her actions and, more importantly, some of the things she said about other characters became increasingly difficult to overlook.

There were moments when her dialogues were so unnecessarily awful that they made her almost unbearable to watch. Whatever understanding viewers had initially towards her was eventually overshadowed by the way the writers chose to portray her.

I'm not here to defend Mi Do. She deserves criticism for her actions. However, I also feel the hate directed towards her reflects how terribly her character has been written. The writers had so much scope to explore her struggles, depression and personal growth, but instead, they kept putting her in situations that made her increasingly unlikeable without giving her meaningful development.

The most disappointing part is that Mido's depression stemmed from her career struggles, and the entire storyline seemed to be building towards her journey as a director. But instead of highlighting her struggles, taking up work, getting out of shady jobs, and finally achieving her dream, none of that happened. It's so fucking disappointing that they wasted so much screen time on that stupid sweet potato fraud. Like, what the actual fuck, man?

Nam Gong Ho (Male Lead)

His character is probably one of the most confusingly written characters in this drama.

Personally, I wouldn't immediately label his behaviour as emotional cheating in the beginning. However, the way he behaves towards his colleague makes it difficult to understand what he actually feels.

He is unusually considerate towards her and does things he normally wouldn't. This leaves viewers questioning whether he is simply being nice or subconsciously developing feelings for her without realising it himself.

There is a thin line between the two possibilities, and the writers never really clarify it. We don't get enough internal monologues or moments that reveal what's going on in his mind. The ambiguity could have worked if it had been intentionally explored, but instead, it leaves the audience confused about his intentions throughout the show.

Tae Seung (Second Male Lead)

I genuinely feel his character belongs in an entirely different drama. He feels as though he was written for some dark, toxic thriller rather than the relationship drama this show initially presented itself to be.

He is unnecessarily toxic, manipulative and, at several points, downright awful. And yes, the writers eventually attempt to give him a redemption arc. But does that make things better? Not really.

Personally, even if you dislike Mi Do to the core, I don't think you would necessarily want her to end up with him. A redemption arc doesn't automatically erase everything a character has done, especially when the writers haven't made that redemption convincing.

SuA (Second Female Lead)

Out of all the characters, I personally feel she is probably the least toxic and comparatively the most decent person. But that doesn't make her innocent.

She has her own flaws and has made questionable decisions. However, I think viewers sometimes judge characters based on the severity of what someone else has done. When one character commits something considerably worse, another character's actions suddenly appear less problematic in comparison. But that doesn't mean those actions were right.

I feel all four characters are morally grey to varying degrees. None of them is entirely innocent. The difference is simply the extent to which each has crossed their moral boundaries.

STORYLINE ISSUES

One of my biggest disappointments is how the female lead's depression, initially one of the central themes, eventually gets pushed aside. We barely get any meaningful exploration of what she was going through, how her circumstances affected her or how everything fell apart in her life. Instead, we get endless apologies without substantial conversations about the actual issues.

Everything that initially made her storyline interesting is practically thrown into the trash. And then there is that entire sweet potato storyline. Honestly, I don't even know what to say about it. It felt so unnecessary and disconnected that I genuinely don't understand what purpose it served.

Most of the side stories weren't compelling enough to keep the audience invested either. At some point, the only thing people really wanted to know was how the main characters would eventually end up. And that, in itself, says a lot about how the story was handled.

MY ACTUAL ANALYSIS

Now, if you want my exact analysis of this drama, this is where it begins.
I completely disagree with the writer's understanding of what a long-term relationship is supposed to look like. The writer seems to equate the absence of butterflies and initial excitement with the absence of love, which makes little sense to me. The adrenaline rush associated with the beginning of a relationship naturally fades over time, but that doesn't mean the love disappears or that you stop caring about each other. A ten-year relationship is bound to evolve, with passion and excitement taking different forms as familiarity and comfort grow. That doesn't make it any less meaningful.

What makes it even more frustrating is that we never understand. We never actually get to see WHY these two people drifted apart in the first place. What were those little things that gradually accumulated over the years until they reached a point where they wanted to end a ten-year relationship? How do two people who "supposedly" loved each other for ten years suddenly become so burdened by guilt over something that happened 27 years ago that they start questioning their relationship? Then why did they even get together in the first place? They could have simply remained friends, as they had for the previous 17–18 years. None of this is properly explored or explained.

We were shown all these happy moments and memories, but hardly any of the moments that actually led to their separation. The writers should have established what went wrong between them before introducing other romantic interests. That is such an important part of the story, and it was simply missing.

Now comes the incident involving Mi Do and Tae Seung. A lot of people have defended her by arguing that she was drunk and wasn't fully conscious of what was happening. But I find that argument difficult to accept, especially when it's quite clear that she kissed him back.

And even if we give her the benefit of the doubt, what about everything that followed? She deliberately concealed the incident from Nam Goong Ho, making an already complicated situation considerably worse. Honestly, this was the breaking point for Mi Do's character for me.

What disappointed me even more was her lack of basic consideration for her ten-year partner. She barely stood up for him when Tae Seung disrespected him, despite having known the latter for barely a month or two. And to make matters worse, she repeatedly gets physically close to Tae Seung while continuing to claim that she loves Nam Goong Ho. I find that contradiction incredibly frustrating. Her actions simply don't align with her declarations of love.

Then comes Nam Goong Ho and SuA, I know not everyone may agree, but I feel Nam Goong Ho had always harboured a soft spot for her, even before they started dating. His care and concern for her gradually developed into feelings for herr, which became more evident once they got together in the one "one month dating". I also find it difficult to believe that someone could develop such profound feelings in just a month, to the extent of still holding on to that person and going back to them even after two years.

Another thing I couldn't understand was the writer's intention behind keeping the main couple so involved in each other's lives despite introducing a one-month trial period of dating other people. What was even the point? They supposedly wanted to explore other relationships but were still emotionally entangled with each other. The entire arrangement made little sense. If you have problems, communicate and work through them; if you can't, separate. But this half-hearted arrangement served no purpose.

Just go to therapy, man!

Why are we making everything so unnecessarily complicated?

I also feel the writers never really intended to give us a convincing reconciliation between the original leads. The entire premise kept moving in circles without resolving the issues that brought them to this point.

THE CONCLUSION

Coming to the ending, I personally don't think Mi Do should have ended up with Tae Sung. A large part of her attraction towards him seemed to stem from the butterflies and excitement she felt were missing from her ten-year relationship. But what happens when those feelings eventually fade with Tae Sung too? Will she start looking for that same excitement elsewhere? If butterflies are the basis of choosing a partner, what happens when they inevitably disappear with time?

There is another aspect of their relationship I couldn't get behind. Tae Sung met Mi Do at a point in her life when he was, frankly, one of the worst people she could have been involved with. His behaviour was questionable, and his eventual redemption felt so sudden that I couldn't genuinely believe in it.

I don't know what was supposed to convince me that he had voluntarily changed as a person or that his transformation was substantial enough to build a healthy relationship with her. The development felt rushed, and I never really bought it.

Then comes Nam Goon and Sua.

Throughout the drama, Nam Goon kept giving mixed signals about how he actually felt towards Sua. Even if Sua wasn't entirely innocent, I still feel she deserved better than someone who seemed so confused about his own feelings. He spent so much of the story being uncertain about what he wanted, and somehow, we are expected to accept the eventual outcome without questioning all that uncertainty? It just doesn't sit right with me.

Personally, I don't think a relationship that begins while one or both people are still emotionally entangled in another relationship can have the healthiest foundation. This applies to both couples. You cannot carry the unresolved baggage of one relationship into another and expect everything to magically work out.

And it isn't just the romantic storylines. There were so many other plotlines that were either poorly explored or made absolutely no sense. For instance, the entire storyline involving blaming a child for the death of an adult. How can you hold a child responsible for something entirely beyond their control?

Then there is the relationship supposedly built around guilt. Why would you enter a relationship with someone if you didn't genuinely love them or have romantic feelings for them? If the entire foundation was guilt, what made you pursue that relationship in the first place? And why are we expected to accept that as a reasonable explanation for everything that followed?

And let's not even get started on Mi Do's directing career.

Her career was initially presented as one of the major reasons behind her depression and dissatisfaction with life. It was important to establishing her character and explaining why she was looking for something that would make her feel alive again. But after the initial second or third episode, what exactly happened to that storyline? It practically disappeared.

Something central to the female lead's personal struggles never received the attention it deserved. We barely got to see any meaningful development in that aspect of her life either.

And that brings me back to my original point. The drama introduced so many potentially interesting themes but failed to do justice to almost any of them. Whether it was depression, long-term relationships, guilt, personal growth or the consequences of emotional decisions, everything felt half-baked.

Honestly, I think this is one of the worst dramas I've watched this year. Not necessarily because the premise was bad, but because the execution was so disappointing. There was so much potential to explore these characters and their relationships meaningfully, but the writers somehow managed to make almost every storyline frustrating.

I kept watching because I wanted to know how everything would eventually unfold, but the conclusion didn't make the journey worth it.

And that's pretty much it. What a waste of potential.

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In the past year the BL community has had the odd experience of three expensively-produced BL productions reaching their final few episodes only to collapse under their own aspirations, angering viewers and overshadowing all of the elements that they might have gotten right.

In all three instances it can be said that these series (HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count, 2gether, and The Shipper) were trying to do something "different" with the BL genre. For 2gether, the intent was to reach a more global and conservative audience by toning down the gay aspects of Boys Love and replacing them with bromance. For HIStory 3: MODC and The Shipper, the directors aspired to transcend the BL genre and deliver something more realistic and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, the way both of these series did it was by killing off a beloved main character.

For me, a main character's death is as inappropriate in a BL production as a high-kicking chorus line would be in a production of King Lear. In the case of The Shipper, an artful story was already being told very well, and the series actually did seem to be transcending the genre. So many commenters on the MDL page have mentioned how the body-swapping theme sounded unpromising at first, but after giving the series a try they found that it played exceptionally well. Why, then, did the series end up killing off one of the main characters, even before they'd had a chance to actually be in a relationship with their partner?

I still have yet to learn how Kim's death in The Shipper served the themes of the series. At least in the case of MODC, the director had a theme that she wanted to promote ("make sure you cherish every moment with the person you love because you don't know when they'll be gone"). Attaching such a theme to a BL series proved to be a mistake, but she had her reasons.

For The Shipper, the character death seems gratuitous because its theme about ships, shippers, and the people being shipped doesn't need for anyone to die in order to get its point across. (Plus there's that tease about a sequel in the very last moments of the final episode. If Kim can live on in a sequel then why not in the original?)

Now, I've seen where because the main character of The Shipper is Pan and the "real" Kim has limited screen time, people have said that the series doesn't qualify as BL. Pan's journey, though, is mainly about discovering who the real Kim is, and as she learns more about him the viewers learn along with her and their affection for him deepens. By the time she hits the paydirt that yes, Kim and Way have a relationship that goes beyond friendship, we've become completely invested in that pairing. We're in it to win it! We thrill over Way's epiphany that he actually loves Kim, then get even more excited over the proof that Kim also loved Way, and from that point on Kim has become as important to the series as any of the main characters who've had more screen time.

How sad, then, that none of these revelations can ever get acted on or rewarded because one of the boys turns out to be dead. We discover that what's been served up is a full-blown BL storyline but with a tragic ending. And if anything doesn't belong in a BL storyline, it's tragedy.

It must be said, too, that the longer Pan stays in Kim's body the less appealing she becomes as a character, deciding to intervene with the people in Kim's life to make sure they know that he's actually not a good person. At one point I became disgusted by her judgmental attitude and smug sense of superiority. I'm not convinced that she ever truly lived that down, thus weakening her standing as a main character that people can sympathize with completely. In this regard Way is the much better person, and all the more deserving of the happy ending that the series squanders on Pan.

It also bothers me that the hetero-normative couple gets the happy ending while the m/m couple gets the dead boyfriend. Back in the 1950's, death was in store for most gay characters because the morality of that era demanded that they meet a tragic fate. In this sense The Shipper is terribly unenlightened and regressive. It would have been so easy to give both the m/f and m/m couples a happy ever after, and it would have more effectively communicated how every kind of love deserves nurturing and respect.

A happy ending for all would also have been befitting the BL theme of the series.

I would have liked to listen in while the creative team for The Shipper worked on the storyboards and reached the decision that Kim would be killed off. What the heck were they thinking? They obviously misread their audience in a fundamental way, and I can only hope that GMMTV takes heed of misfires like The Shipper when they hire the next production company to mount a BL series.

In about three months I plan to do an experiment where I'll approach a few BL fans at random and ask them what they remember most about The Shipper. I think I know what the answer will be. In the meantime I'll be checking in with The Shipper's MDL page every now and then to see how many comments are NOT about the crappy ending. (Not many, I bet.)

This is the danger of messing with a genre that people absolutely love. But, after what amounts to three disastrous decisions in three expensively produced series, I'm starting to wonder if anyone in charge really cares.

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****Contains a few Spoilers***
Let me just start off by saying this, It made me cry like a baby but I think I would watch it again. It totally gave me 'One Day' movie feels. the one with Anne Hathaway. The storyline was a bit predictable (kinda figured out what was going to happen at the end of the movie) but still beautiful to watch. The cute start, the getting together, and the bittersweet end. I don't think I have ever seen a movie that honestly gives us a pretty accurate description of a relationship like this. The whole, "just because you love each other doesn't mean you're meant to be". you can love someone to bits but sometimes it just doesn't work out. And they did it in a realistic way, there was no childish dramatics. it was honest, real problems that couples go through. God, it killed my feels. The actors played their part so well, I fell in love with them. She was so cute and he was so in love with her. The both matured and grew throughout the film. The whole relationship was so cute and the ending was done perfectly even though it hurt to watch. The music was so good. It wasn't like songs but rather piano to fit the mood. I like it. There are two theme songs for the movie that they played at the end. If you're in for a film that is cute but sad, watch this. I loved it despite crying over it.

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The Princess’s Gumboot more like…

NB. Unlike the majority of my reviews this one contains mild spoilers.

To be honest, this drama suffered even more from the comparison to Nirvana in Fire which I’ve just finished watching. I described that as “sophisticated and intelligent” but unfortunately this one is lame, painful and naive. In reality it is a romance in the enemies to lovers trope wrapped up in an intrigue/mystery plot that has about as much twist and tension as a scrunchy. Because whatever happens, you know beforehand that it won’t cause much of a problem to our dashing, devilish hero who will emerge shining bright like a TRESemmé ad with his wig still immaculate.

How do I know that? Because a good plot is one where the odds have real bite and there is both winning and losing, so that the audience is left insecure. But when death is the only stake from the get go, two things become obvious: firstly there will be no gradual increasing of tension and anticipation, only more of the same; and secondly, the hero/heroine can never lose, whatever the circumstances; come hell fire, explosions, high water, incompetent assassins, miracle survivals, impossible escapes and of course, the compulsory memory loss.

Another consequence is a stupid, one dimensional villain, who has to mess it up every time. The character of Prince Wu You was bafflingly extreme and contradictory but not to worry, he was just the aperitif and was soon replaced by another one. Unfortunately, Prince Wu Yin was cut from the same cookie dough but had an added creepily erotic nanny fetish over the linchpin villain of the piece, whose most notable feature was her absence from the majority of the drama. The loss of the only credible villain, Meng Hui Jin about a third of the way through was a sad day for the plot. One wonders if having an opponent equal to the task was something the writer was not skilled enough to handle.

I wasn’t convinced by the love story either. In fact the writer’s level of emotional literacy throughout, especially in the characters of the villains, hovered around zero. If on first encountering someone they try to kill you, just believe me when I say, you really are never going to trust that person again. Then heap on top of that a huge number of dodgy scenarios and a great deal of warranted mistrust and you have an unredeemable situation. So to think that these psychological obstacles could in some way be cast aside (however much two people lust after each other) is totally naive and snuggled-up-safe-in-bed fantasy-land imagining. And there you have it, I suppose I’m just too old and grounded in reality to appreciate this style of storytelling. I assume that this is a known fact to people who choose to read my reviews (and I’m genuinely grateful to you for being one of them), so no surprises here, lol.

This wasn’t a low budget love story. There was a cast of thousands, a big costuming budget and all the trimmings which were on constant display (they’d got them, so they might as well use them type of attitude). Which might go some way to explaining why our intrepid heroine felt it necessary to still wear a barnet full of ornaments and a silk gown whilst rough travelling hundreds of miles on horseback to rescue her brother. But despite all that jingling finery, the drama still didn’t make the cut because the script and the plot was sooo bad.

It began with a perfectly acceptable high stakes drama (if I was generous, a 7.5) and then, almost purposefully, slid down the long slippery slope to end in the farce that was the coronation scene (now plummeted to a 5) before falling apart completely (which is how we arrived at 4). There were too many threads that were hanging loose and not bound together into a cohesive narrative. The last three episodes felt like having to clean up after a party—washing up the characters, vacuuming out the various plot rooms and polishing off the last dregs in the wine bottle just so you can keep going.

As for the dialogue, it was superficial, explainy and lacked any sort of subtlety or emotional intelligence. When characters start explaining their backstory to people who lived it with them, then you know the writer was chucking an all-nighter to get the scene finished before the dawn shoot and patch the holes made by the scenes that got cut earlier on. This happened throughout, but most cringeworthy was Empress Lv in Episode 34.

The acting wasn’t anything to write home about either. But then it’s difficult to excel with banal lines and wooden direction. It’s hard to pick a winner but I’ll back Lui Ling Zi’s performance as probably the best of a very average bunch.

And the soundtrack? Was there one? I’ve forgotten…

However, to end with, there are one or two things that attracted a favourable response from me. I really like the sets for this drama. Particularly the gambling den, with its rich colouring and ambitious costumes. Also the cinematography followed through on that theme, with some dramatic lighting that provided an interesting visual feast (which saved it from a 3.5).

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Attractive, captivating, and also eye-catching—this is THE GLORY

Story

First, I want to talk about the story. It’s completely creative, taking a specific slice of Chinese history. At first glance, the costumes and jewelry might feel unfamiliar, but they are still incredibly eye-catching.

The original story comes from Cha Ke, and as expected, this author's works share a distinct mood and feel quite similar to each other. But instead of being a flaw, I see this as a strong point. Though the screenplay differs significantly from the novel, I believe this is for the better. Since this was one of the author’s earliest works, the storyline naturally isn’t as strong as The Double.

Well, I want to give a brief explanation about the storytelling.

This series was entirely female-centered. It didn't just use revenge as a tool to punish the villains but rather as a way to soothe the pain of the suffering characters.

This "revenge" helped heal Han Yan's wounds, and I really liked this perspective.

I just want to say that this series deserves attention and praise, as it had truly beautiful screenwriting.

The screenplay is incredibly well-structured, with a smooth narrative flow that transitions seamlessly from one episode to the next. Normally, I can't binge-watch a drama without getting bored at some point, but with this one? There’s absolutely no way I can say I’ve felt even a tiny bit tired of it so far.


Acting

I genuinely admire Chen Du lings' acting. The way she stares—her eyes alone convey vengeance and sorrow so vividly. It’s as if she doesn’t need any dialogue to express her emotions; her gaze says it all.

I also really like the male lead. He fits the role perfectly, and I appreciate how he brings his character to life. His portrayal and the character development are both done incredibly well.

The supporting roles? Absolutely top-tier. And how could we forget Han Yan’s mother? That woman is phenomenal.

The casting choices were spot-on, precise, and complete. I have no complaints whatsoever.

Music

The drama’s soundtrack was beautifully executed. Personally, I loved how meaningful and well-connected it was to the storyline. In fact, the opening theme was what drew me into the drama within the first few minutes—it’s just that stunning.

Direction, Editing, and Cinematography

Everything was handled professionally, exactly as expected from this team. Watching this drama feels like witnessing a piece of art unfold, and honestly, it’s mesmerizing.

It’s absolutely worth watching. Thank you for reading! ❤️

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Felt like a different drama

From the first time i saw the trailer, I was scared that it would be too different from the first season. The whole feel of the drama felt forced, not just the storyline but also the shots and pacing. Because of the change of directors, the season felt like a whole different drama compared to the first. While the first season had more of this lighthearted, comic feel to it, this season had a more serious, adult vibe. At first, I thought this would be appropriate since this is where they mature but it lost some of the dramas charm. Even though the first had this lighthearted vibe, it didn't take away from the seriousness of situations. This season made the maturity and seriousness feel forced.

The setting are also all different than the previous season which made it further feel like youre watching a whole different drama. The school, the houses, the convience store. Like, they had to change the CU to a 7-Eleven. Even though it had 2 episodes less than the previos, the pacing made it feel longer. And the OSTs was forgettable, unlike the first.

Eventhough I dont agree with the ending, i didnt like that the relationships weren't developed that much and it made me not sympathize with Jojo unlike the previous season. The drama didn't solve Jojo's real problem: running away. From the very start, when things get hard, she runs. She said that she put on the sheild to "protect" Sunoh, at first sure, i can see that, but when Sunoh found out about it, "all she can think about was Hyeyoung". Like, girl, you gave this guy that was so in love with you, hell for 4 years, and now he knows about it, you can't even think about how you've hurt him. She didn't give Sunoh the proper apology that he deserves. She said she loved him, but she loved herself more, leading to both their suffering. And with all this, unresolved problems, she runs to Hyeyoung. It felt like just because he's Hyeyoung, she should end up with him.

With all this, I think the story and especially the direction the director chose in filming this season is really disappointing. I think even if the story turn out the same but had the same style, or even the same colour palette of the first season, I would have enjoyed it more because it would connect; but from the first episode, I already knew this wasn't the same drama I waited for. I felt like it wasted the 2 years I waited for this drama. It made me hate Jojo and made me feel bad for Hyeyoung and Sunoh. I'll just pretend this season never happened.

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The drama delivers a great story of brotherhood and politics. It's not a very emotional drama, so maybe you will not cry watching this, but it delivers a great message of friendship, sacrifice for greater good, and idealism.
IMHO, because the drama is loosely based on real history (which they turned into a fiction), you don't see much of character development, but more into how the characters from two factions use tactics to fight one another. Not much character development means that the personality and the ideas of every character in the beginning stays the same until the final episode (except for the Empress'!).
Some people got disappointed on the ending, but I'm rather satisfied as it shows how the main character's heart and priority never changes. From the very beginning he knows that peace is the most important thing, and peace does not lie only in one family name. His determination and personality never changes until the very end.

I love how Regina Wan played the empress role. Very elegant, especially the way she speaks.

I also love the opening and ending music. Perfectly matches the drama.

To sum up, the series is worth watching if you're not looking for a too emotional drama, or wanting a good politics drama.

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Destiny is not a matter of chance it is a matter of choice. -: W.Bryan

Basing from the the first half this drama tells about the story of Ye Xi's love story in her every page of life that because of those men she always ended up dead.. Then a Divine Doctor that has always loved,cherished,cares for her trully and always saves her, But because of a curse that he could not fall inlove he could not express or trully openly say his feelings and always love and watch over her secretly..

This drama is just very fun,light, and Li Hongyi and Huang Ri Ying are just cute to watch espicially when Li Hong Yi is jealous :-D hahah.. I just binge watch every episode that is uploaded and wanting more..

I recommend this drama you won't feel boored its just a fun watch...

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"A very sweet, and awefully bitter dream."

The masterpiece of a Webtoon is adapted into a drama. My mind sank :(
It sank at the thought of sadness as I grew attached to the cruel story of an unchangeable past filled with regret and how it latched itself onto the people of the present. But, with a hesitant heart, I watched and was reminded again that as much pain as this story brings me, I love it so much.

In the context of the drama, this is a story that focuses on the past and present stories all at once. It was a story that helped me see suicide and life in a different way. The drama, while slightly behind the webtoon, did beautifully in depicting such an intense and challenging story. I really think this is something everyone should watch. The beauty of the story, the bittersweet journey knowing the ending, and the lesson it leaves for the present and to us as watchers. There were some added plot points that I felt were not needed even though I understood why they were added. It just made the story a bit messy.

The fact that I immediately went back to the Webtoon to bask in it because I was so reluctant to leave it is a testament to the power it held.

The acting, Ha Min and So Mang carried. Maybe it was because their story was so impacting, because the actors made them so real and alive, that the rest of the cast (aside from Sunhee) fell short. The emotional scenes really made it hard for me to concentrate on the present cast's emotions. It felt stiff at times.

If I am going, to be honest, I only know one song from the OST and so the rating is a bit low. If I had my way, I would have given the overall rating a 10 just for the story but :/ alas, here I am. I will listen to the rest one day (today probably) and try to piece together my heart but for now, the OST left little impact.

Now, I will definitely be rewatching this and rereading the Webtoon. Why? Because it is relevant. Because it taught me that while the result was due to other people and many circumstances, it was no one's fault. It propelled me to have the courage to unhesitantly offer a hand to someone in need. It helped me want to remember things in a positive light while being able to move past it and live my own. It was a story that resonated with me. One that made me feel for Ha Min because he was just really, really tired and wanted to rest a bit. It made me feel for So Mang that was so stuck in the past and full of guilt. It made me sad to see Ha min in his brother, Jae Min as he had to deal with being the outlet everyone is rectifying their guilt using. They are all very kind people that couldn't bear to hate the world that was testing them. :(

I hope, no one reading this has to bear with it alone and those that do, grab onto the hand that reaches out to them. I also hope, we all find the courage to offer a hand to someone in need. I hope this story touches you in some way. I hope you read the Webtoon after watching it.

For those who have lost someone, I hope the past liberates you as it did for So Mang in the end.

It is a shame, that Ha Min didn't see himself the same way So Mang saw him. That he shined so brilliantly and was her light. I hope everyone can see this in themselves, or at least believe it for someone in your life probably thinks that way :)

okay, I'm done. This review was just thought vomit and not very organized :/ Needless to say, I LOVED IT! YOU SHOULD ALL WATCH!! One thing though. The letter. I know most want her to read it and a part of me does too, but we know what she was to him and we know how he felt about her. There was nothing in that letter that would change that and so I think it is better left unread.

I could write some meta analysis, but we would be here all day. just give it a shot. don't be that person that comes back 4 years later, regretting the skip.

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I enjoyed it!

So far I am seeing this series being separated by two types of viewers- those who hate it and those who like it. I am in the latter. And that's okay! Cause everyone has different personal preferences. It's up to the individual to form thier own opinions when they watch this series.

Story-9/10
I was in the beginning giving this series an 8/10. However, the latter part of the series I actually liked as they touched on issues that I personally wasn't expecting them to touch. So for that, I raised my ratings to a nine (I still felt that it had something that I don't like, so I can't give it the full ten).

Acting-9/10
I actually liked everyone's acting. They were able to keep my attention and was able to get a chuckle or two sometimes out of me. I was very impressed by Choi Youngjae as this is his first acting gig as a ML.

Music-10/10
People are not going to change my mind! The music is a clear 10/10! Loved the OST and just hearing Youngjae singing so beautifully! I was so happy! I played the OST all the time for every episode. That's how in love I am of the song as well as Youngjae's voice.

Rewatch Valu-8/10
I give this an 8/10. Cause while I did enjoy it and don't mind rewatching it again, I just don't see myself watching it immediately- but I do see myself watching it sometime soon.

Overall-9/10
Overall, I enjoyed this series. Maybe I was the targeted audience (I highly doubt it). But what I do know is that yes, I would recommend this series to others.

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Facing the realities with courage and bursting the lock of patriarchy

I promised myself that I was going to write a review immediately after this drama ended. What can I say? Nothing but thirty is such a beautiful and well written contemporary drama. It’s a drama that breaks stereotype and shapes multidimensional women image (Not every time one size fits all)
My emotions are still raw because this drama was so relatable from high point to low point of each character.

The storyline which depicts the life of three women (Wang Man Ni, Gu Jia & Zhong Xiao Qin) who are approaching their thirties and all the struggles/uncertainties that comes with the age.
Wang Man Ni (Jiang Shuying) is an independent, career-oriented sales assistant who is driven and hardworking. Her immediate goal, at least at the start of the show, is to achieve professional success. Throughout the show, her resilience is put to the test, personally and professionally.

Gu Jia (Tong Yao) is a capable businesswoman turned full-time housewife In many ways, she seems like a perfect wife and a strong mother: well-educated, capable, and thoughtful. But, eventually, she too has to face life’s challenges.

Zhong Xiaoqin is a kind-hearted woman -sometimes to the point of being a pushover -, and has spent years at the same company without rising the ranks. Though her story might seem simple/ordinary at first, her peace is disrupted as her marriage takes a turn for the worse when communication problem arises.

Everything single thing is so put together from the interaction at work (especially Wang Man Ni’s job as a sale assistant/ luxury buying) to the set and the cinematography. The pacing is really good, too, not too slow but not super fast.
And the most beautiful part is, of course, their story which brings them all together as they face uncertainties together. It resonates the power of sisterhood and the importance of Feminism. Even if you are not a fan of contemporary c-drama I’ll recommend that you give this a try. If you are a fan of ode to joy, you’ll most likely love this.

The acting was spectacular, Tong Yao (Gu Jia) did a fantastic job as well as the other two leading ladies Jiang Shuying & Mao Xiaotong
You could feel every emotion they felt. Li Ze Feng did well too because you almost forget this is a drama and you want to hate him in real life so bad. The young actor who portrayed Gu Jia’s son deserves an award. So adorable and intelligent.

Every other character had their own unique personalities and portrayed it nicely. I mostly could relate to Wang Man Ni. You either love them or you hate them. Lol. I loved the small family that was shown at the end of each episode. It reminded me of those small neighborhood stalls in big cities that everyone comes across each day (either you interact with them or not). How sometimes you have to find your own happiness even if you are not in the best of situations. Keep working hard. It paid off at the end.

It seems like everything about the drama is perfect even its music is so apt. The entire OST is so enchanting played at right timings. (My favorite thing to listen these days). You’ll definitely be in your feels every time they come on.

Rewatch it? Definitely. It says “To be Continued” at the end so I’ll definitely be expecting a sequel (with the same characters) and I’m excited at the thought.

This drama is literally one of the best drama of 2020 and If you haven't started it yet then YOU should do it RIGHT NOW!!

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My guilty pleasure of 2020

OMG I loved and hated this drama so much!

The story is pretty great, and shows how simple actions have big impacts on life.

This drama is about family. The dynamics, the relationships between parents and children, brother and sisters, and even in-laws.

It was a crazy ride, and the FL is such a strong woman, so compassionate and forgiving (a bit too much forgiving, if I may say ... I got really angry about how mistreated she was by her family).

The main couple was super cute and mature. After they fell in love, there was no going back, no stupid break up, just a pure and strong bond. So cool and refreshing to watch!

There are a lot of other side stories that are really good too, and they are responsible for the different perspectivesyou get in the drama. There is always a story that makes you sympathize with a character. They are about redemption, about being too proud, and even blind to the reality. All characters have such a nice growth throughout the drama, it's really nice and it did not get boring. The plot doesn't drag at all.

I definitely recommend it! (I don't remember commenting so much on the comment sections... hahahahah)

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