From the get-go, Confession was promising. The first case was exciting, given the unpredictability of the suspect. And so that path led the characters to other, overlapping ones, and they led to the final destination. The writer gave liberty to the audience to explore various scenarios along with the characters. Next thing you know, you are invested in the plot. My favourite occurrences happened in the court - it was a pleasure to see Choi Do Hyun / the lead cleverly handle affairs. Sometimes, particularly in the first half, you would expect the plot to go another direction, and may even want that to happen (like myself), but the second half ensured me that the writer knew what they were doing. The pace was maintained - it may have slowed in the middle, but not unnecessarily. The characters had connections with each other due to a single event - it's nothing new in kdramaland. yet it was impactful. I had a few complaints with regards to how distant the characters felt, but my worries were eased by episode 11.
I was torn about how I should rate the acting. The actors were not given roles that were complex, but they were not simple either, so I was satisfied but not won over. I was about to settle with 8.5, but one performance stood out to me, and I believe I will not do the actor justice by being greedy. He had a small role, but it has left an impact on many, including me: the suspect in the first case, played by Ryu Gyeong Su. He stole the spotlight. He was the character I was most drawn to, and I anticipated his appearance each episode. Of course, the main cast did good with what they were given. Lee Jun Ho was persuasive in his composed portrayal, and others stayed true to their respective roles. What I appreciated was the female leads' harmonious teamwork, and their guts, especially Ha Yoo Ri.
I liked the instrumental they used. It could be loud in certain instances, but I liked how it added to the moment and nature of the drama. The OSTs were not played, so I have no comments on that.
I am not sure if one would rewatch it, knowing all the progressions in plot. If you are someone like me, you might want to watch Choi Do Hyun being a smartass in court.
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Wild goose chase.
Ancient conspiracy thrillers are right up my alley so I looked forward to Luoyang with bated breath. This is set in Shendu (now Luoyang), capital of Wu Zetian's Wu Zhou Dynasty (690-705). As the only female emperor in over 5000 years of Chinese history, Wu Zetian remains a controversial figure - an ambitious, usurper whose exceptional intelligence and leadership is only matched by her ruthlessness against anyone in her way, including or especially her own children. She cultivated informers and multiple secret police and spy rings that gathered evidence against her detractors. and maintained a careful balance of power between the important political structures of her administration. This is reflected in the drama in the clear delineation of responsibilities between the Judiciary, Inner Guard and Secret Police (Lianfang). During this time, the Wu clan and Li clan were embroiled in a power struggle which persisted until Wu Zetian intervened and clarified her succession plans. Nonetheless it ended in messy plotting, betrayals and twists that are drama worthy in and of themselves. This is rich fodder for conspiracy plots such as this one.The drama starts thrillingly with a bold daylight assassination of an informer and his daughter and the ensuing dizzying high speed chase through the streets of Shendu. All three main protagonists mortician Gao Bingzhu, foodie Baili Hongyi and inner guard Wu Shiyue are at the scene and invisible threads from their past pull them together to uncover a much deeper conspiracy that could rock the very foundations of Wu Zetian's empire. Clues emerge that connect seemingly unrelated cases and force the three protagonists to work together, at first reluctantly and with selfish agendas and then with growing mutual respect and trust that blossoms into deep friendships. I most enjoyed the tripartite friendship in the drama and would have liked to see it better explored rather than unnecessary romantic arcs. Huang Xuan nailed it with his cynical yet paradoxically idealistic Gao Bingzhu; whose shrewdness and insight into dark hearts of man does not extend to those he cares for. I also did not see much chemistry between him and Song Qian who impresses with her fight scenes but falters somewhat in her line delivery. Wang Yibo's performance is strong in some aspects but uneven overall with too many scenes where he is clearly unsure what facial expression to wear. This role does not elevate him for me from an actor that I don't mind watching but wouldn't seek out. That said the trio has enough combined chemistry that I am happy to watch them together again. As for Song Yi, she has gotten enough flack and her character was so poorly written that all I will say is this is a role such a wonderful actress should have just passed on.
I did not enjoy the first two episodes of the drama - too much was happening at the same time and the cameraman swung the camera so wildly I thought he was possessed. The action scenes are exciting and well choreographed enough they did not need to artificially augmented by cheap camera tricks. After the psycho camera settles down, the plot unfolds at an intense and exciting pace against a gorgeous backdrop of dazzling sets and with a deluge of colorfully garbed denizens - they must have hijacked and costumed practically every Hengdian tourist as extras on set I have never seen so many people crammed into each scene. My personal favorite set is the Unwelcome Well which looks almost too inviting to be a ghetto. While the costumes and certain props are anachronistic, everything comes together is such a vibrant and captivating panorama that it scarcely matters. This is complemented by well designed side characters that are based on well known historical figures. Hints of their personalities, scandalous affairs and alliances are quite faithful to history and add a nice ambiance to the setting. It set up for intriguing Dumas like plot twists that didn't materialize.
This drama builds to a top-notch, shocking and heartbreaking climax prematurely at episode 20 where both actors delivered standing ovation worthy performances. It achieves that perfect sequence of shock followed immediately by stunned comprehension and acceptance as all the clues rushed to the fore to blindside the viewer to the next unfolding twist. In the second half, the plot visibly loses momentum and digresses into romantic arcs that don't belong in this genre and filler maudlin flashbacks. The writing of the mini-threads in the second half is insipid with excessive gratuitous character implants, many of whom delivered cringe worthy performances.
In hindsight it would have been difficult to top the fantastic mid-drama climax but it is still extremely disappointing for the final reveal to be so bland. The hollow villain that everyone was on to as a bad guy early on but dismissed as too obvious turns out indeed to be the final villain, one that is not worthy of being called a mastermind. Both their motive and end game plot is not well articulated or convincing. Multiple clues and more interesting suspicious characters that don't play out leave me feeling like I went on a wild goose chase. I don't know if they ran out of money or wasted it on too many bodies but there is no sense of peril or excitement in the final showdown. Forget explosions or collapsing buildings, we don't even get one good last fight scene. The final insult is how unfathomably a feather brain like Liu Feng manages to find himself in the right place at the right time to deliver an unnecessary and uncalled for outcome. This is just a misguided attempt to deliver an audience shocker to make up for the nothing burger of a final reveal.
Even though this remains a very entertaining and highly recommended watch, the ending is a big let down that knocks 0.5 off my final rating for the show. I feel that an 8.0 is the best I can give to this show, which is still one of the better c-dramas of the second half of 2021.
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A short yet wild ride of a spinoff
When the spinoff was announced, I was quite eager to watch it. I am glad they didn't make it into a long 16 ep drag of a drama with boring storylines added to it but kept it short , funny and chaotic.Both leads had good chemistry in the parent story and even though their romance part properly started near the end of the drama it still managed to leave an impression. LSY , PJW and HJH are the perfect trio casting for this one and each did well with their roles.
You don't even need to watch the parent story to watch and enjoy this one.
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Such a Sweet and Smooth Ride
This is just such a sweet ride... Cotton Candy fluff, with so much sweetness and dimples you just might hurt your cheekbones from smiling...The drama itself is nothing revolutionary or so... There is no big message there is some drama and angst here and there but it is just enough to keep it from being a too smooth ride. The cinematography is good. And the intro song is as sweet as the drama itself...
The pacing is good, and kept me interested the whole time, the side characters may do some stupid things here and there but are over all lovable with the exception of a jerk but he is supposed to be a jerk so it works out fine. One of the side couples is composed of the male leads uncle and his lover these two are just so sweet understanding, fun and the ultimate bickering couple goals for old age. giving this drama that little extra spark to it... It also has some small trans representation done ok, not great but not badly either.
There are a few small side stories that where left a bit to unexplored but it does not affect the over all impression of this which is just smiles and fluff all around.. As we watch these two very kind men get to know not only each other but also find their place in the world...
or something like that
Some scores:
Bingeabilaty -10
Cuteness -10
Annoying -characters no
Second hand embarrassment- very little
Friendship-10
Family-10
So yes I loved it and hope you will too.
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1LIKES AND DISLIKES:
For me, the highlight of Entertainer was definitely the bromance between Seok Ho and the 4 boys of the Entertainer Band, especially with Ha Neul. I found it heartwarming to see all the obstacles they faced together in order to pursue their passion of music. The bond between Seok Ho and Ha Neul was very touching. By the end, it felt like the Entertainer Band was a family. I also enjoyed the different character arcs of the 4 members of the band, my favourite being Yeon Soo's (which was very heart-wrenching and emotional).
In general, I liked the realistic portrayal of the Entertainment industry that this drama showed, and the development of the characters throughout the drama- you could genuinely see the amount of growth all the characters went through.
What I disliked was the unnecessary love line between Seok Ho and Geu Rin. I felt little chemistry between their characters, but I blame the writing, not the actors or the age gap between them. Some of their scenes were quite cringey to watch, and I felt like their love line was forced and out of place. I don't really think that Geu Rin's character added anything to the storyline in general. The pacing of the drama was also a problem, but eventually it improved. I didn't mind the 2-episode extension much, and I think the storyline was wrapped up nicely.
ACTING:
The actors portrayed their roles very well, especially since there were a lot of emotional scenes in the drama (a looot of man tears). Ji Sung's acting never disappoints me, and I wasn't surprised when he completely embodied the character he played and brought it to life. I would like to see him in a more complex role in the future, though. I see a lot of acting potential in Kang Min Hyuk and he delivered the emotional scenes surprisingly well. Lee Tae Sun (Na Yeon Soo) is also an actor I will definitely be keeping an eye on. I can't believe this was his first drama role and he was one of my favourite characters.
MUSIC:
I enjoyed the OST's in this drama, and the track I liked the most was A Love Before by Eunji. I wish we got to hear more tracks from the Entertainer Band, but I did like I See You and It's Okay To Cry.
OVERALL:
I wouldn't say that I would watch this drama again, but I did enjoy watching Entertainer every week. It was a very emotional journey full of ups and downs. If you are looking for a drama that is full of heart and full of bromantic moments, this is the drama for you! You might want to bring tissues ;)
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Two-Face of a drama
This drama has two sides/halves. It started off as your regular Campus Romance drama. But after the 9th-10th episode it changed completely. If you watch this drama you will know what I am actually talking about. It's like the second half of the drama is not even written by the same person. The first half of the drama mostly focused on the Romance and Friendship part while the second part of the drama you see our Rookie Cops coming across a psychopath killer. Who is also crazy rich and has power and connections. But the funny thing is that they did justice to both of the parts. The second half of the drama didn't seemed forced and actually makes the story more interesting.The chemistry between the ML(Kang Daniel) and the FL(Chae Soo Bin) is good not great. Chae Soo Bin was excellent as Go Eun Gang. You can see her years of experience through her acting. I wouldn't comment much on Kang Daniel as this was his debut work and he would only improve in the future. But he too was quite good as Wi Seung Hyun. The bond between our boy gang (Wi Seung Hyun, Kim Tak, Seo Beom Joo, Yoo Dae Il) was quite a sight to watch. Especially the bond between Wi Seung Hyun and Kim Tak. Seo Beom Joo the funny guy added another element to the story. And Shin Ha Ri was so damn cute but selfish. Her jealousy was a sight to behold. I am not worthy enough to comment on Kim Sang Ho (Cha Yoo Gon [Police university professor]). He is just too good.
I still can't believe that the drama that started off all bubbly became a psychopath killer drama. The writers did a great job at writing such an excellent drama. This drama leaves you hanging to the very last episode. You don't know what's going to happen till the very last episode.You need to see it to actually know what unfolds at the very end of the drama. The last episode specially was very touching. And rest assured I am sure you would love every second of this drama. So just go and binge watch it.
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It's not Little Forest of Two People anymore - it's Four.
There's too inappropriately much airtime for the second couple to the point that drags the whole story down. From about ep.15 onwards, I can't bear watching the second leads' scenes anymore.First off, the second couple isn't worth watching as their acting skills are not up to par. Second, there's nothing substantial in their storyline, just some cliche boy falling in love at first sight > lying to get close to girl > girl being angry after knowing the truth > boy chasing girl -- but wait... why their story anyway?? It's supposed to be the first leads' story, isn't it? To be the most honest, I feel that the second leads' airtime is equal to the first leads'. I don't know why they have to put two totally different but equally weighed stories to compress in one series to be compared eye-to-eye for the weaker storyline to be suppressed and looked down on by the audience.
After a few episodes of too many improperly show-up scenes of the second leads, I start to be annoyed so much and have bad impression on them instead. I've been skipping their scenes the whole way through since early episodes (and still get their story -- see how simple-minded their storyline is?!) This series can be a lot more interesting if they'd reduce these wasteful scenes of the second leads.
Apart from the rant, I'd like to praise a bit about the first leads' chemistry. Their chemistry is great, so sweet and so authentic (unlike the second leads that I don't feel any chemistry between them at all.) I've watched Zhang Binbin in Love O2O, Eternal Love and The King's Woman before. I never liked his acting in any of them. He was either cringey or stiffed or forceful or all of above. He always looked like being forced when he had kiss scenes (even when it's with Dilireba. Both of them looked being forced to kiss in The King's Woman). I thought Zhang Binbin doesn't suit to play love scences. But in this series, he has done too good. I like all the subtle smiles and all the eye movements in his scenes with FL, especially love his eyes that I used to think were too cheesy because of the big eye size on a face that is too sweet for a guy. In this series, all of his features have become the complements for compliment.
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It could have been better... A lot better.
Here limited time isn't the problem but rather than utilizing limited time adding unnecessary events and character becomes the biggest con of the show, which truly disappointed me because it had much potential of being good but in the last, it couldn't become more than just okay okay drama for me.The historical BL is being unique topic to handle all alone... but adding a love triangle, flashbacks, many unnecessary situations instead of focusing on development between leads surely affected the show in many ways. Another thing I would like to point out that Ki Wan being in the attire of women most of the time. The story could have been better in many ways but it failed thoroughly for me. The ending was rushed and had much room for improvement. There were many unanswered questions that left us hanging.
Though I liked the music it was okay... but other than that everything was truly a failure for me.
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This show made you excited in the beginning, then you wonder halfway "How did they miss the mark?"
Head over Heels is one of those dramas that leaves you asking for so much more. It had a dynamic storyline with something new in every turn. The casting was great all around, and the plot gave such a dopamine hit when reading about it. I even digested and waited till I reviewed this one, simply because it was like a climax dream that you woke up from halfway in.I’m not entirely sure if it’s because of the westernization of dramas through Netflix or what, but while the story offered a lot, it didn’t deliver enough emotional pull for all the characters, only for the main female lead. It missed the mark when it came to fleshing out the other side characters, and it also left you confused as to why major plot points were introduced at random peaks in the story. It wasn’t like these additions brought a new dynamic that changed the direction; it felt more like, “Well, we only have so many episodes, so let’s just slap this important information here now so viewers won’t be left questioning.”
The drama had so much potential with its story, actors, and viewership. It simply left me feeling like, Damn, this would be so much better as a novel or with a full, well-developed script that included emotional plot points to draw viewers more deeply into the entire story.
Don’t get me wrong—it was okay. But it had so much room to be something truly great. It kinda missed the fullfilment of fans for these drama types, honestly.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Being perfectly honest, there was close to nothing I liked about this show. While at first I liked some supporting characters, in the end I was done with everyone except for Na.Technically speaking, the plot is nothing new: guy who didn’t know he was gay, finds out he is gay and liked his best friend (ignoring the bullshit plot twist by the end). It’s simple, you can make it work, but not the way they did it here. The biggest problem was the pacing. Good majority of the episodes showed Tonhon being a homophobic asshole, to magically be all “love is love” and accepting about his new found attraction in one episode. It was not gradual - he went from no homo to “love is love” in a matter of a few minutes of screen time and one day of drama time. Because of the poor directing and writing, the scenes that would usually indicate his jealousy (which would hint his feelings for Chon), truly just felt like he was angry at any gays getting close to him or his friends.
And don’t even get me started on “I loved you for a long time” bullshit, because I am about to (┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻━┻.
Speaking of Tonhon… What a mess of a human being he was. The show tried to convince me that he was so homophobic, because of his dad, but I didn’t buy it. He was a grown up man, he was not living with his parents, no one from his circle of friends was openly homophobic, and looking at some scenes in the 2nd half of the show, only his ex-girlfriend was homophobic. This leads to one conclusion: he was ignorant, unwilling to learn or to change his mind. I already talked about his unrealistic switch of personality, but what makes it even worse: he gives shitty excuses after breaking promises. The fact he kept claiming that he did not cheat on Chon was laughable. You kissed your ex. That’s it. There is no excuse that would make it not cheating (in the scenario they presented). Except for his looks, he had no redeeming qualities. I have to ignore the revelation of him loving Chon since they were kids, because it contradicts everything that was shown in the previous episodes.
At first, I enjoyed Chon a lot. I liked how he did not judge people based on their looks, occupation and sexual orientation. He was a sweet boy with a massive crush on his best friend. But then a whole “let’s bait/force Tonhon to come out and admit his feelings, even though he is obviously not ready” plot hit me in the face, and the only thing I could think about was: this is gross.
Ai, Ni and Miriam are guilty of the same “crime”. Again, I adored their characters at first, especially Miriam. The more I thought about the situation though the more borderline toxic they became. One could ask, what was toxic about the adorable Ai and Ni? Well… For starters, they enabled Ton’s homophobic behavior. How the guy was supposed to learn that being gay is not bad, when even his closest friends were agreeing to every homophobic line he was saying and went with all the crazy ideas of “what a real man should do” he had? I call that being bad friends. Miriam was quite a busy body and one of the biggest supporters of forcing Ton to come out. Enough said.
Amp was just trash. That’s it. Nueng was trash 2.0. He tried to rape Chon is a toilet, when Chon was drunk. And no one had close to any reaction to it. Like it’s not a crime. Like what he did was not disgusting. I am so done with this trope, and the fact the perpetrator is never dealt with in a just way. Yes, let’s just ignore and not seek any punishment for attempted rape. No big deal in the land of many BLs I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
I liked Chon’s mom, but then she went “if husband and wife have a disagreement they should sit down and talk about it”. LADY! This is not a disagreement. The dude cheated on your son. Honestly, her whole speech about “don’t let that one woman ruin your relationship” was out of place.
And now, the only saving grace characters wise: Na. His behavior at first was a bit frustrating. He seemed extremely overconfident and too full of himself. The more I got to know the guy, the more I started to adore him though. From the beginning he was honest and straightforward about his feelings and intentions. He was clear about the fact he is truly going to “hit on” Chon, and for him it’s not about making Ton jealous. Even after he got rejected, he was the one to support and talk with his love rival, making sure he is ready to accept his feelings and it’s not too much of a burden to him. He was just truly a good guy surrounded by trash and semi-trash.
Also, can anyone explain to me why they censored Ni and Ai kissing scenes, because that was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. It was so obvious Toptap and Mike did not kiss once during the whole show, and that’s why the scenes of them being lovey-dovey with each other were cut in such weird places. If the actors for any reason cannot kiss on screen, either don't write any kissing scenes for them, or recast the characters.
Anything else I enjoyed except from Na? The production value was high. The show was pretty. I also did enjoy the cute scenes we got by the end between Ton and Chon. Don’t get me wrong, I was still pissed how nothing makes sense plot and pacing wise, but it was cute for the few seconds here and there when I was able to turn off my brain. So yeah… that would be it.
And you know what is the worst? All the problematic things in the show were added, and they don’t exist in the novel. And I’m just sitting here asking: why? What is wrong with people?
Overall, this ain’t that guys. The only reason I finished the show was to see how bad it will get. And let me tell you, it got worse with each and every episode.
+ Can we talk about the fact Miriam is pregnant? Okay... no. I don't want to think about that ridiculous plot line at the end.
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Just Beautiful and Natural.
The Oath of Love is a much-anticipated drama that literally went to hell and back, leaving fans in an awkward situation. The Oath of Love, which was supposed to premiere in September 2019, was repeatedly postponed due to "Operation Qing Lang," which targeted celebrities with large, often chaotic fan bases. The drama was thought to have been postponed solely to put fans on their best behaviour. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the first episode of The Oath of Love after the very long two-year wait. And now I understand why the things we desire are usually the things that bring us the most joy.The Oath of Love is based on Bo Lin Shi Jiang's(柏林石匠) novel "Entrust the Rest of My Life to You" (余生，请多指教). Because of the success of the novel, The Oath of Love already has a large fan base, and as proof of the cast's star power, the drama surpassed 700 million views in three days.
This drama centres on an uplifting romance between a doctor and a cellist. To be honest, the story isn't particularly unique. It's just a typical rom-com like we see in c-dramas. Except for the medical aspect of the drama, there is nothing unusual about it. But it's the characters and, of course, the cast and their acting is what makes this drama so endearing.
I was expecting a typical, ice-cold, and serious-looking male lead and a confused and senseless female lead based on the synopsis. But I'm really impressed by the character arcs and portrayal in this case.
Lin Zhi Xiao (Yang Zi), the female lead, is a third-year university student majoring in cello. She is energetic, positive, and kind but, sometimes acts on impulse. She is determined to achieve her objectives and does not give up easily. Although she is a little inexperienced and slow when it comes to relationships, once she is certain of her feelings and intentions, she will move forward boldly.
The love from family is irreplaceable in a person's life. This is an important life lesson that this drama teaches us. Difficult situations can make us more mature in all aspects of life. This is what one should learn from Lin Zhi Xiao.
Gu Wei (Xiao Zhan), the male lead, is the chief surgeon at a gastroenterology unit. He is a very capable doctor, but he takes failures and setbacks far too seriously, which led to psychological issues. Finally, after meeting Lin Zhi Xiao, he learns to look past the setbacks and learn from them. They transform into each other's suns and shine brightly.
One should not take setbacks to heart and stumble there, unable to rise. One should learn to learn from them and make their life more colourful with love. This is what one should learn from Gu Wei.
Gu Wei has a cold and aloof personality, but he is actually very warm and caring towards the people he should be. Lin Zhi Xiao, on the other hand, is equally warm and caring, in this case, to everyone. Lin Zhi Xiao's character development is one if the best I have seen to date. When in comes to Gu Wei, he is already and adult and naturally, there won't be any more development for him. But, his personality is so endearing that you would wonder if such a person would ever exist in this world. Their distinct personalities is one thing that makes this drama really cute and charming. You will know it when you watch the drama. The supporting characters in this drama are good, but their relationship advice can get really annoying at times.
I must say that the romance in this drama is both healthy and consensual. Nobody forces themselves on the other, and no one intentionally hurts the other's feelings. Despite the characters' 9-year age difference, the plot's romantic development felt very natural. Even I, who is not really a fan of age gap, which can become really creepy if not excecuted well, liked this drama very much. This is all due to the cast's efforts in bringing the characters to life.
Speaking of the cast, this drama has a star-studded cast that will compel you to watch it no matter what. Actually, I came to see this drama solely for the cast, as they are my favourite actor and actress. If you've seen at least one drama with them in it, you'll understand their allure. Both Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi deliver excellent performances, particularly in serious and emotional scenes. They have serious acting skills that only a few people have or can have. Their chemistry was on fire, and their interactions were adorable to watch, which, combined with the naturalness of their development, made one wonder if it was all real.
Special appreciation to the cast:
I'm really happy at the fact that Yang Zi can portray a character, who is much younger that her, flawlessly but, I think she should broaden her horizon and take up more serious roles.
Xiao Zhan's glamour is growing year by year and so is his acting skills. But, I think and hope he should take up more roles like Wei Wu Xian form The Untamed.
If a drama features Xiao Zhan or Yang Zi, the OSTs in that drama are bound to be fantastic. This drama's OSTs and BGMs too were fascinating and were amazingly in sync with the mood of the story. Here is a list of OSTs:
"The Oath of Love (余生，请多指教)" (Theme song) by Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi (This felt incredible because of the combination of their voices, and it is my personal favourite.)
"The Greatest Fortune (最幸福的幸运）" by Xiao Zhan
"Somebody Liking Someone （一个人喜欢一个人）" by Yang Zi
Even though it has its flaws, this is a fantastic show in general. This has become one of my favourite modern c-drama rom-coms that can make your heart skip a beat. This drama is not overly depressing and contains numerous comedic scenes. Of course, not everyone will enjoy it, but if you're looking for a light and fluffy drama with an amazing cast and lead chemistry, this is the show for you.
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Anyways, coming to my opinion on this drama, I loved it (I guess that's pretty obvious from my ratings. lol). This drama didn't drag for me at all. I didn't skip anything. The relationships were so beautiful. The father-daughter relationship full of emotions that every daughter can relate to. I mean, let's face it, at some point we've all fought with our dads. But we still love them unconditionally. That's how kids are programmed into this world (wait, did I just quote Anastasia Grey? I think I did). Obviously, things between Seoyoung and her dad are at another level. But she still loves him and their reconciliation is beautiful. There are other amazing relationships that took my breath away. The brother-sister, the husband-wife. I loved Seoyoung's mother-in-law and OMG HER BRO-IN-LAW IS SOO HOT!! I really like him (not just because he's hot though, lol).
I can't believe Seoyoung felt so lonely when all these people were in her life, loving her and encouraging her in their own ways. Her husband is just..PERFECT. I think I'm going to rewatch this whole drama in a couple of decades. In fact, I think I'm going to buy this on DVD. All the high tv ratings for this drama aren't for nothing. This drama fully deserved them. One of my favorites.
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Queen Go Hyun Jung
If there's one thing to summarize the entire series - it is to establish Go Hyun Jung as the queen.This gripping and dark slowburn thriller is an exaggerated study of genes vs nurture - is someone pre-disposed to be something because of your blood or do we actually have the freedom to shape what we want to be according to our freewill and upbringing?
Okay lets backtrack a litlle bit, because there was a bit of backlash when the show was airing when they revealed that the copycat killer is a trans character but we also have to understand that this is an adaptation and the same backlash happened during the airing of the original french series which it was based on. Yes in the original the copycat was also a transwoman.
I know the progressives hated that twist and most of the question hovered around the reasoning they had to demonize a transwoman. I have a little bit of theory about the reason and i know a lot of people will hate it. Here it goes - a boy was brutally abused by his father and a woman came to save his life - yes the killing was sloppy and irresponsible but to his eyes it was also empowering and it set him free. He idolized the woman who defeated the demon for him and he fashioned a new life to MIRROR the life of his saviour - thats why he chose to become a woman. Was he actually a transperson or was he just copying the queen mantis? That is the mystery. I didnt see it as an attack to the trans community.
For me this show is a lot better than the original - first and foremost is the acting - Go Hyun Jung's Jung I Sin is so different from the original and made the role her own, her acting was subtle and so much scarier - that scene when she pulled and strangled the first suspect (which is not ont he original) is etched in my mind as it was so calculating believable awesome and terrifying. Jang Dong Yoon also did an excellent job as Cha Su Yeol who showed so much more vulnerability and his dynamics with Jung I Shin is much more believable compared to the original. The support cast also did a good job.
I also liked how they changed the ending a little bit which made it more effective like when Jung I Shil overpowered and stabbed Seo A Ra ,and when she actually prevented her son from killing her father (which kept him from becoming a criminal himself) and did it herself through that fire. And that open-ended ending - were they hoping to do a season 2?
The makeup to deglamorize Go Hyun Jung was also spot on and perfect for the character.
Would i reccommend? Yes the acting alone makes it worth it. Would i rewatch? Probably not as the topic is too heavy for repeated viewing. Overall i give it an 8.
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