Reviews

It started out AWESOME. I was super addicted. I'm a big fan of this genre, especially when it's done well and I felt like a lot of that was there at first: the story was interesting, there was a lot of chemistry between the leads (and holy molly those kisses....), the cinematography was pleasant to look at....

But that all quickly went downhill when the Big Misunderstanding that plagues many dramas hit and not only was it really not executed well, but suddenly everything just kind of fell apart. The writing was mediocre at best, the acting was cringe-worthy, the story was less than exciting, and I really did not care much for the leads anymore. Such a pity! There were still a few shining moments in the later episodes that tried to bring back a little of that initial charm this drama had but overall: I was over it.

I was also not a fan of the ending. It was a really frustrating and confusing last episode that did not leave me satisfied at all. The very end itself was awkward and didn't make sense. Whatever.

I can't completely say it isn't worth a watch, since as mentioned before the first half was really, really good. It might also be a little better if you can just binge your way through it in it's entirety without having to break for new episodes later on as I did. *insert shrugging emoji here*

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Watch this ALONE & WITH HEADPHONES

HONESTLY, WHAT IN THE BDSM did I just watch.

There were some really harsh moments - actually the entire movie was extremely HARDCORE. I had to pause it many times just to ask myself "Really What are you watching", but obviously I kept watching to finish.

The story started off very weird and gave no insight into what was actually taking place, but as the story progressed some pieces were put together and it made a little bit more sense. They tackled a lot of demons one battle in life, especially when they lose a loved one. The psychosis and trauma that occurs during this movie are eye-opening.

The acting is superb, I will give them that! They really get into their roles, but again WHAT AM I WATCHING. I was still confused even after watching the entire movie.

******disclaimer - I gave it such a low rating because:**********
1. I would never watch it again
2. there really wasn't an OST
3. It was very raw... a little too hardcore for me in the beginning

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I binge watched this drama in 2 days after finally deciding I was going to give it a shot. Updated edit after a rewatch: I'm hesitant to compare this against NiF 1 anymore (even though I still do think it was better produced, I'm more emotionally attached to the characters in NiF2) because I think they're such great companion stories for each other. While 2 is a sequel (it takes place about 50 years later after the first), it's an entirely different story with a different premise. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster - this show will earn your tears and your emotional investment.

Story
The story focuses on the family of the general of the Changlin Army (the army that was created in Mei Changsu's memory). Ting Sheng, the head of the family and of the army, was one of the slave boys that Mei Changsu had saved in the original, and was later adopted by Prince Xiao Jingyan. Ting Sheng's oldest son, Xiao Pingzhang, is his right hand man and the named heir, while his younger son has lived a spoiled and sheltered life (in the sense that his family lets him have a lot of freedom and not have to worry about the responsibilites of being in a military family)  and spends most of his time on Langya Mountain. Both sons are supremely talented - Ping Zhang is an incredible military strategist and represents his family in court with the Emperor to navigate the political waters. Ping Jing, while young and a bit brash, has had his sharp instincts honed by his father and brother and has street smarts in spades. While very different, the two brothers are very close, and much of the first half focuses on their family's bond.

While the original story focused on one central storyline, the sequel follows the ups and downs of the  Changlin family - because of this, the plot isn't as tight as the  original as it is much more complex. The political stuff was a bit too much at times (and infuriating), but the reasons behind most of the conflicts were logically sound.

One of the pluses of the drama was that there was a strong focus on relationships - be it family (THE CHANGLIN FAMILY - ugh, I'm still recovering from all of the feelings), romance, friendship, the bond between a person in  power and those who serve him, or the relationship between the past and future (sooo many name drops - it was kind of fun to figure out who was related to a character in the original story). The original had elements of this of course, but due to the story being about the Changlin family (who are also a military family), the emphasis on interpersonal relationships is much greater. The romance was also much better in this one than the first, in my opinion - Ping Zhang and his wife have such a great, healthy relationship and the mutual respect (and love) that they have for one another is wonderful to see. The younger couple was cute as well - and I liked the fact that while both could lead very independent lives, it was the times that they were together that made them the happiest.

Probably one of the biggest criticisms of the show is that it is centered around a boy/man who is barely 20 when the story begins - but to me, this is one of the best selling points of the shows. Perhaps younger viewers may not appreciate this, but the freshness and youthful enthusiasm of Pingjing was an absolute delight (more so because is he is played by someone who is right at that age), and watching him grow up and mature was both bittersweet and awesome. There are times where you wish he was more self-aware, but he's not a stupid character - just a very young one, and that's part of the charm. I can honestly say Pingjing is probably my favorite drama protagonist in the last...I don't even know how many years.

There's also this bittersweet satisfaction knowing that we are, in a way, watching what the 19 year old Lin Shu would have been like, because we never got see him go through that growing up process - we went straight to adulthood. It's noted by several characters that both Lin Chen and Xiao Jingyan, who were probably Lin Shu's best friends, were both incredibly fond of Ping Jing and spoiled him accordingly - in part because they are very similar in personalities, though obviously the roads they walked were very different. It's a subtle reference that I really enjoyed - they are not the same people at all, but the spirit of Lin Shu/Mei Changsu lives on through Pingjing.
 
I found in particular the discussion of nature vs nurture to be pretty interesting - this is a topic that is pushed pretty hard in the drama, as the debate follows multiple characters who walk on different paths. The idea of fate is also nicely interwoven in - no matter how much effort we put in, no matter what choices we make, are we always going to end up at the same destination?

(Edited after rewatch): This isn't the same story as Nirvana in Fire and if you're expecting that, you're already going to be disappointed. NiF was a story of triumph, of redemption (more so than revenge, in my opinion), mingled with bittersweet elements. Mei Chang Su set out with a specific goal in mind so he had everything planned out and the climax was when he obtained that goal at the very end of the series.

NiF2 is very different - it's more like a chronicle of the Changlin family, with a specific focus on Pingjing and the people around him. For some people, the climax of the story probably happened around episode 36, and I agree, to a certain extent. I think the point of the story isn't about the fall and redemption of the Changlin family - it's about family and bloodlines; it's about growing up and living with yourself and the choices that you make. I understand what people mean by the anticlimatic ending and the final arc (and I do agree that the writing was a bit poor towards the end), but to me, it felt right and matched everything we had learned about all the characters up to that point.

Acting/Cast:

Huang Xiaoming and Liu Haoran as the two Changlin brothers exceeded expectations for me. This was also a heavily criticized decision when the production first started, because Huang Xiaoming is known as an idol actor, but like Hu Ge before him, he turned in a strong performance - if HXM doesn't overact, he has this natural warmth that comes from his real life personality and it worked so well for his big brother role. Seriously, never doubt these directors - they know what they're doing when they cast people (well, for the most part - see below for what I didn't like about the casting choices).

Pingjing was a really tricky role to play (and to cast for) and I feel like it has to be acknowledged - you're talking about a story that spans about three or four years and the character goes from a carefree, sheltered prince to a solemn, matured young general (this isn't a spoiler - it's in the synopsis). So basically your casting options would be: 1) Pick an older actor (early to mid 20s) - a la Hu Ge in The Disguiser - which...wasn't great. They would be able to handle the second half well, but you would cringe your way through the first half. If people already think (then) 19 year old LHR was a bit hard to watch acting as a 20 year old, I have no idea how they'd tolerate this.

2) Pick a younger actor (late teens, presumably) and hope that they don't look like a child pretending to be an adult when they reach the second half. In the Chinese market, there just simply aren't a lot of candidates that would fit all the criteria (age, looks, height, acting talent, public recognition, temperament, demeanor, and ability to pull off both arcs). As great as Daylight Entertainment's reputation is, they also have to have someone who has some degree of popularity as the main role. The word that is most associated with Liu Hao Ran on Chinese media is "youth" (even before  NiF) - it's not his age, necessarily, but a spirit that he has in spades - and it served him so, so well in this role. He was able to rely on it to carry him through the first half, and then the natural contrast between his youthful demeanor and the burden on his shoulders really tugged at the heartstrings in the second half. I cried when he cried, I laughed when he laughed - he embodied the character perfectly for me. He's not a polished actor by any means - but he's got a good foundation and definitely grew as an actor throughout the drama. Again, he just turned 19 when he filmed this - 19!

The shining star in terms of acting though, definitely goes to Sun Chun, who plays the brothers' father. What a masterful performance by a veteran actor.The character felt 100% real and he really fleshed out every aspect of Changlin Wang - as a father, as a friend, as a brother, as a general, and as a loyal servant of the Emperor. The way he delivered his lines - oh man. If China actually did legit drama awards, he deserves one.

Sun Chun, Huang Xiaoming, and Liu Haoran also had phenomenal chemistry as father and sons which made some of the later scenes all that more emotional for me. (If you want something cute, go look at their weibo comments and posts to each other throughout the drama - it's like if the family lived in the modern age and could access social media, ha. Some of the other cast members also occasionally pitch in their opinions on where the story is at).

Squeals for Zhang Bo, who was great as the head of the Imperial Guard - I will never ever forget his performance as Sun Quan in Three Kingdoms about seven years ago and he was just as awesome in this role. He just has this natural charisma and gravitas that works so well on screen (and gets better as he ages). Why is he not more popular?! Tong Liya and Zhang Huiwen turned in decent performances as the main two female leads (though of course like the first one this is a very male-dominated cast) - Tong Liya in particular had some great scenes. I liked Zhang Huiwen's Lin Xi, but wish she was used more, particularly in the second half. Guo Jingfei probably had a blast in his role and I was torn between laughing because I knew he probably enjoyed the performance and also superbly creeped out because he turned in a very good acting performance.

I am conflicted on how i feel about Wu Haochen, who plays a pretty important role. I think his acting was solid (especially in the final arc - he was phenomenal), but somehow he just never visually fit into the part and it became distracting to a certain degree. I know that there's been a lot of comments about his appearance and I've never really been all that concerned about looks when it comes to acting, but the visual presentation took me out of his scenes more often than not. I had no issues with him in Ode to Joy, so I wonder if it's because he doesn't quite fit the "gu zhuang" look. I also just never cared about him - especially in the second half - I just wanted to see more of Pingjing - and I think that's because while Wu Haochen did a good job acting, he never made me feel anything about the character. In the original NiF, Prince Yu (played by Victor Huang) was definitely not a protagonist but I really felt for him (and part of that has to do with charismatic Victor was in the role).

 If there is one criticism that I have of this production team, it's their tendency to reuse actors that they've casted in previous shows - sometimes I like it as it's kind of like spotting Easter eggs, but sometimes it can also be very trying. I wasn't fond of the casting choice of Qiao Xin (she was already in the original as the oh-so-memorable-for-bad-acting Nian Nian!!). It'd be one thing if they reused an actor with great acting talent, but Qiao Xin is definitely...not that. Also, you could have done away with her character completely and it would probably been fine - I just found all of her scenes completely unneccessary.

The cast overall (especially the veterans) weren't as phenomenal as the supporting cast in the original, but the main cast really carried the show well, so it was okay.

Music
I love how the music is the same, yet just a tiny bit different. It brought back just the right amount of feels. The theme song has two different versions and has a much more stronger tone than Hu Ge's song in the original - probably due to the more military, war-bent nature of this one.

Rewatch Value
I took one star off because there were about ten episodes straight where I was just crying nonstop and I don't know if I can handle that again. But the emotional roller coaster is worth it, and I think I will definitely be rewatching very soon.

Overall
This is very different story than from the original Nirvana In Fire. As I mentioned previously, I think the first was a better production overall, but the second one has me invested way more in the characters, and if you don't mind a younger main character (and are interested in watching a growth arc), i think you may find the show a blast to watch.

Sequels are probably never going to live up to the original, but I love that they changed almost everything (the story, the cast) and still maintained that definite "Nirvana In Fire" vibe - it is definitely worthy of being considered a quality stand-alone show.

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Brilliant Scheming Drama Full of Smart Characters, Equally Matched in Term of Wits & Mind Games.

I always want Ren Jialun in heavy scheme political drama and I finally got my wish with Love of Nirvana. I love how clever and matched everyone is in this games of wit and how everyone literally aware of everyone's scheming and mind games. The steps are either 2 or 3 ahead and you only see it when it happens. Some of the chess moves are really unexpected, surprising and also served as plot twists. I usually can only guess the first step as the 2nd step usually comes later when you see the water repels on the course of the actions.

THE PREMISE

At first, you need to understand the premise of this drama on how the ML and FL first met each other. The ML is from Yueluo, a slave nation while the FL is from Liang, the nation that enslaved his people -- so obviously, he only has contempt and hatred towards the Liang people. The point when you watch this drama is see the leads as enemies at war instead of love interest since that is what they truly are -- all they wanted to do is to kill each other, genuinely. The romance only come much later when they finally see each other for who they truly are -- which is the same kind of people of the opposite sites. They did not romanticize it at all which I appreciate. It supposed to be seen as torture and nothing else -- she is a Liang woman assisting a Liang official and mess up his missions again & again -- its as simple as that. If you can get over this part, then you gonna enjoy the ride since this drama is full of twist and surprises.

THE COMPLEX CHARACTERS

All the three leads are characters who is not only complex, but also full of layers with very clear motives. You are not supposed to judge them at first glance since they are all wearing masks intended to misled your first impressions. The 'mask' that Wei Zhou is wearing is a symbol not only used literally to hide his identity but as well as figuratively for the audiences not to judge him and perceived him on the surface -- the cruel assassin mask he put on during his missions, then another façade he is putting when he is in his official robes in front of everyone and his real face -- the look of sadness and helplessness like how everything inside of him is crumbing down when he put the names of his fallen people inside the box after failed missions. The same can be seen with Jiang Ci, our female lead -- on the front she is just this bubbly girl who smile a lot but she is actually one of the cleverest characters on the show. She knew she being used but regardless of that, she wont let anyone used her as can be seen in this drama -- Wei Zhou can used her as a pawn and looks where it got him. Same with Pei Yan trying to control her freedom -- and look how she ended up doing thing exactly where her heart tells her to. Same with Pei Yan -- do not be fooled with his nice and gentle demeanor as he is as manipulative and cunning. Under his good guy persona, he fools everyone to get what he wants. But at the same time, his concern towards Jiang Ci is genuine which add to the weird complexity of his character. Between his loyalty to his country and his filial piety towards his mother who raised him, its all adds up to make him the man that he is.

THE SMART & BRILLIANT SCRIPT FULL OF SYMBOLISMS, METAPHORS, ANALOGIES, HIDDEN MEANINGS, FORESHADOWINGS & THE USAGE OF UNIQUE & CREATIVE STORYTELLING

The scheming and mind games in Love of Nirvana is so well written as it involves really high level chess game moves from both sides. They are all shades of grey which makes everything even more interesting since they basically have no limit. How brilliant is the scheming? It even involves planting a wrong thoughts on innocent person to give misleading impressions towards the enemies. And the drama does a lot of ''show'' instead of ''tell'' so you have to be aware of every clues, smirk, moves and objects as they are used to show the characters motives and actions as well as their thoughts.

The symbolisms used in this drama is really a lot. I love how they show Wei Zhou kept a white bird in a beautiful big cage as the bird represent himself -- the hidden identity of lavish lifestyle with richness and adoration but actually trapped and wanting to get the freedom and justice he longed for his people who being sold as slaves and prostitutes and they humiliation they faced under the Liang's tyranny. Also, the symbolism of Pei Yan repelling the water in a calm pond of fish is the literal things he did to his corrupt family members which turning their peaceful world upside down like he has the hands of God. Aside from that, the use of object to show intention of the character is done marvelously. In one of the scenes, they show Wei Zhou rejected Madam Ronggue's offer of collaboration with tea; 'The tea is quite nice, but it's not to my liking' then the camera proceed with the focus of Madam Ronggue pouring the tea anyway inside his empty cup after he leaves and said 'It's not up to him to decide.' -- thus we knew what is her next chess moves after that.

Also, I love the metaphor of the black orchid seed which being used and described by Jiang Ci -- again, figuratively and literally. The black orchid seed can't be washed no matter how you try to get rid of it which she used on Wei Zhou to track where he goes as evidence. Just like the seed of doubt she planted on Pei Yan or the Emperor (no matter how much Wei Zhou try to wash it later) and these doubts will kept on growing and will crack with times if they managed to read her letter.

Aside from that, the foreshadowing -- there are so much of it all over the drama. From the song lyrics (which has hints of the ending) to all the leads' conversations with each other like the conversation that Jiang Ci had with Pei Yan about the big responsibility or big picture and how admirable Pei Yan is for holding out to that one. No, it wasn't to show where love blooms between them but it is to give us the insight of what's inside her head -- the understanding and admiration she has towards people who fight for what is right which is what Wei Zhou is doing for his people. It wasn't the red flag where he torture her that made she fall for him, but she finally see him beyond the façade he put or the masks he wears -- he might fool other people like the sword dance he did in front of everyone but she truly see him as what he is beyond the act he put in front of her. I thought the directing is great for the particular scene and the point of turn where Jiang Ci finally see Wei Zhou in different light.

The drama also trust you as an audiences to remember the details and make the connections and compare on the actions and behaviors of the characters. For an example, the contrast of actions of the characters of the 2 male leads -- it is done so subtlety to show to the audiences the swift change in state of mind of Jiang Ci. For starter, we all know how free spirited is Jiang Ci -- while Pei Yan clipped her wings, Wei Zhou in the other hands lets her fly and spread her wings. Pei Yan will limit what Jiang Ci wants to do while Wei Zhou will praise her and ask her to show more of her skills and abilities. Also, when Jiang Ci wants to join any investigation, Pei Yan will stop and forbid her while Wei Zhou will open the door for her. And while doing good deeds to the poor people, Wei Zhou did it at the back without anyone knowing while Pei Yan doing it openly and get adored by everyone. Apart from that, when Jiang Ci gave them the food of the poor, Wei Zhou accept and eat it while Pei Yan left it untouched. This all have the same situation but produce different kind of results between these 2 characters. As to why this 2 gives a very different reactions to the same situation? It comes back to their childhood. While both of them are caged birds, Wei Zhou grew up in a loving family during his fundamental childhood development years where he is taught compassion, love and also understanding -- he only caught later and become slave after that. While Pei Yan grew up in a completely toxic environment the whole of his life which build this very obsessive traits inside of him. While Wei Zhou only become ruthless and unhinged when he's in a mask, he is become kinder to everyone once they are in his intimate circle just like what Jiang Ci has becomes. Thats why Jiang Ci is no longer afraid of him since she seen him without the 'mask'. While Pei Yan in the other hand become completely different when someone become closer to him -- he ended up becoming controlling and taking away their agency just like the 'love' he knew from his mother. Thus, this completely different results of the same situation from the two of them.

Also, the use of deceptive storytelling. The fun part of scheming drama is for you to guess the outcome and Love of Nirvana done this part really well. They will show misleading scenes but at the same time giving different clues so you can guess together with the main characters until the truth is revealed. A lot of plot twists are happened this way that totally caught you off guard but once you know it, it made complete sense and how those clues aligned like pieces of puzzles.

Aside from that, the use of poems to convey emotion are done brilliantly. The prime example of this is the Poem Banquet at the Eastern Palace. All of them are speaking in riddles with flowers as the topic but actually sending their personal message to Jiang Ci. And Jiang Ci, the clever girl that she is responding the opposite and burnt them with her replies. The whole scene is like a smart people conversation with each other -- poetic, seemed unharmed exchanged of literature piece to outsiders but laced with poisonous message to those people it directed to. Not to mention the conversations full of riddles. Like the conversation that Wei Zhou have with the Emperor. They are talking in metaphor but both understand each other clearly.

THE THEME OF REVENGE, FREEDOM, HOPE, PREJUDICE & FILIAL PIETY

From how restricting on 'freedom' did to people and the baggage they have to carry and live with -- which can be seen with Jiang Ci's characteristics (a free bird) and both of the MLs' characteristics (caged beautiful birds) and how they turn out to be. Also, the message of 'Hope' is all over the drama -- how the Liangjiu flowers has stopped blooming for 20 years due to the mass grave but has bloomed again. And also the theme of prejudice -- how Wei Zhou is also shedding his prejudice slowly towards the Liang people and also helped them fighting against their corrupt officials.

This drama also deals with really heavy themes, decisions and choices. And the complexity of it makes it a very good watch as they are not sugar-coating it. We see Pei Yan's dilemma when he wants to stop the case only at corruption only at Nanling. Did he made the right decision to cast aside the SA victims? Of course not. But if the case go beyond corruption only, his clan, hundred of people will be annihilated since rebellion is a huge crime. Do you hate him? Of course! But do you understand his reasons? Yes as well. This also can be seen when Wei Zhou has to make the hard decision of opening the city gate or let all the hostages die. Not to mention in the last arc where he need to chose his own wish or the safety of his people. All these difficult decision making are done carefully without taking lightly of subject matters.

But despite this, there so many silver linings in the drama -- like the Lingjiu flowers that blooms again at Yueluo. Or the friendship that Jiang Ci form with all the Yueluo people -- at first they hate her but then they ended up really adore and love her. The hope of message is everywhere. Wei Zhou once told Jiang Ci that she cant change people -- him or anyone else. But we see how untrue is that. The irony of that statement and how its killing him later to make that difficult decision to deceive her. The drama deals with lots of heavy stuffs. It certainly not for everyone but it made sense, you understand the characters and why they are making those choices.

THE ROMANCE

While the romance is really slow burn, the progress of the 2 main leads' relationship was done delicately. Ren Jialun has amazing amazing chemistry with Li Landi. Lots of their scenes together involves staring into each other but instead of it being awkward, all those scenes glows beautifully. I love how she touched him with his childhood swing and tease him with it or how he drew on her face to cheer her up or just their interactions with each other -- it was really wholesome and sweet.

And I love the scene where Wei Zhou is having a nightmare and Jiang Ci pet his hands to calm him down. He was so restrained even when he's in his private time -- he just grip his blanket tightly and still suppressing whatever things that haunt him in his sleep. Then you realized that Wei Zhou as a character is actually very restrained even in his crazy and unhinged phase -- he could make a new wound on Jiang Ci everytime he faces her but instead, he just poking her wound instead to remind her. I love the consistencies in the writing and you can see how its all adds up to the layers of his character.

Also, the depiction on how Wei Zhou slowly wear himself down around Jiang Ci is a joy to see. In the straining of his shoulder scene where she is putting medicine on him, the stare that he gave her is the confident stare -- like he had her on the palm of his hands. But later, all those confident stares are gone -- when she falls down on him or when he saw her washing his face and neck or when he found her hugging him in his sleep, it was 'Oh noes, I'm in deep trouble!' face since now it is him who is at her disposal.

On top of that, I love how even when they are at their angsty part of the relationship but the show still managed to make it healing as well. There is thorn, but there is hope as well. Just like when Wei Zhou was given the poisonous flowers by Jiang Ci, but he gave her back small red flowers that she placed on his hair at Yueluo to show that all flowers will bloom again just like their love. I love how this small red flowers are used as their language of love towards each other as he used the same red flowers later to tell her that he will protect her. I really love all this hidden message that we can get from the subtle storytelling.

Aside from that, I love how many of their scenes together conveyed so many things despite many thing are left unspoken. For an example the scene where Wei Zhou fainted after the war and woke up on the bed and Jiang Ci is feeding him the orange. The way the Director focus on his trembling hands and the way Jiang Ci cries silently beside him -- it is to show that she knew he was poisoned but she didn't say anything since she knew he doesn't want her to know. And him looking guilty but also chose to stay silent since if they actually say it out loud -- it will be too unfair, thus not saying anything at all is the kinder way for them to cope with the tragedy. I'm so marveled at how the writer, director and both Ren Jialun and Li Landi conveyed that scene -- it made the scene more heartbreaking and devastating somehow.

CONCLUSION

The drama is so well written with lots of heavy themes and they were handled brilliantly. I love how it did not shy away to show how all these characters are making really hard decisions and they are not sugar coating or give them the easy way out. And all the scheming and mind games are top level but most of all, the amazing script! The conversations full of riddles, the use of symbolisms, metaphors, analogies, foreshadowing and deceptive storytelling made it such a fun ride.

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You have got to be kidding me!

Warning: Don’t watch it while eating or drinking, you might get choked by laughing.

Curious about the heading of review? Let's discuss it later.

Very cliche story with many tropes, no brainer as you just have to turn off your brain and not use logic, there are many moments I was having second-hand embarrassment, and drama failed miserably in the portrayal of the lead’s professionalism. But at the end of the day, it is just a rom-com that only focuses on the romantic relationship between leads. It doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining coz it’s super fun and extremely hilarious. I guarantee that you won't get bored even for a single episode.

The acting is the best thing, it's phenomenal. Steven Zhang and Liang Je nailed it, I mean it feels so real that body swap happened, as change is visible.. from facial expression, body language, the way of talking, and even very small gestures. Here Steven Zhang stands out as his character after the body swap is more colorful, energetic. But Liang Je did great too. It's not easy to play a stone-faced, aloof character. Plus leads have great chemistry, not just that, they look very good as a pair it's easy to imagine them as a couple as their visuals match with each other very well.

With being so funny, it's written very well and not draggy. Another thing I would like to point out as the whole story only revolves around leads they don't even try to focus on anything other. Especially like the story execution and its development that feels so natural. How leads start with bickering but with time they find trust, found comfort, and start to like each other... It is realistic and pleasing to see, not an abrupt change in the whole process, with lots of little details.

Not in just story-execution-acting vise, it's good, technically too! It has really good cinematography, particularly liked the choice of the color palette. It's not super bright but good for the eyes haha, definitely it's a good quality production. It's my first time giving re-watch this much score, but let me tell you it's a rewatchable drama lol.. perfect when you are feeling down to refresh the mood... Actually, I've already re-watched some initial episodes with my mom coz I wanted her to watch the drama :')

Soundtrack and effects
It's a rare thing for me to mention sound effects in review, but it is so necessary here because they have a really big role. I mean without all those sound effects I couldn't have enjoyed it this much, for some, they might be annoying but for me the reason to laugh more. So there's one scene where we think it's going to be a confession so kinda romantic BGM starts to play.. but that seemed to be a confession that turns out to be different and how they literally made it off tune and it's sooo funny, I died laughing there. It has many wonderful OSTs. They are refreshing, and soothing at the same time.

Fun fact: Two OSTs are sung by our Liang Je (Whisper) and Steven Zhang (My Soul), to be honest, I had no idea they can sing very well. So it was a pleasant surprise to me.

Now here comes the conclusion of the title, WHAT? they did, the story was consistently good. I mean let us live in the fantasy, I don't want something real to happen. They messed up so hard.. initially, it was the best rating possible from me 9.5 but as you can see it's not anymore. I wish the writer didn't try to become super creative in the end and let us have what we really wanted.

Though one thing really bothered me, I can of course let it slide by the fun I had with watching it I'm being so generous about the rating (that rarely happens). So watch it and have a good laugh ;D

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This is NOT 9.5/10 show… but it is. Let me explain.

Technically speaking, the show was quite a mess. The editing, directing and pacing were all over the place, but Fightor storyline was close to perfection, and even if you don’t want to watch the whole show, watch Fightor. As far as I know, they are one of the best BL couples up to date with the most fresh and not stereotypical personalities. Or rather, nice twists to the boring stereotypes we know.

LET’S TALK ABOUT ACTING
While most of the cast did a good job, I want to focus on the talent Zee showed. I rarely ever get amazed and impressed by acting in BLs. Often I see the imperfections that make me feel less emotionally attached to the characters, because I don’t see them as real people. Meaning, I don’t immerse myself in the story completely.
Not here, though. Zee’s eyes… oh his eyes spoke volumes! I like to call them "Fighter's searching eyes". While his whole presence showed more of a cheeky and confident side, his eyes showed all the insecurities he had. He was also really good at controlling his microexpressions. Sometimes less means more and makes the performance seem realistic. Viewers are not blind. An actor does not need to make full theatrical gasp with a hand up to their face and huge eyes, for us to understand that they got scared, surprised or taken aback. Simple, short intake of breath is enough. The split second of a reaction, but that’s all we need. I appreciated these small things a lot in his acting.

Overall, he makes these small decisions while acting - when to close his eyes, when to open them, when to fix his gaze and when to make it unsure, when to swallow or take short intake of breath, perfectly timed and telling viewers so much about Fighter’s character.

Both Zee and Saint are also masters of using pauses for their advantage to make the storytelling even more believable and engaging. It’s a perfect example how sometimes not doing anything can enrich the portrayal of the character. With Tutor, the pauses are more intentional for the character, it's his time to "decide", think about the consequences of "what if you push forward a bit more" and with Fighter it’s not intentional, it's him not being able to get back to reality, not being aware whatever happened or was about to happen, ended.

Tommy aced his role. His overreactions were still natural and did not feel theatrical. As the story of Zon and Saifah progressed from comedy to romance, I was able to appreciate more of his subtle acting, with shy smiles and joyful laughter. The potential he has and the flexibility in this craft to fit different genres and moods of the story impressed me a lot.

Jimmy did well for his first role. He did feel more inexperience and his performance fell flat compared to other cast members, but I could see how much of a progress he makes in every episode.

TUTOR AND FIGHTER: DYNAMICS OF LOVE
Ever changing dynamics of their interactions were simply beautiful and amazing to watch, to the point I could write a book about it. Tutor is nothing like your usual stereotypical shy, confused, passive bottom and Fighter is anything but the dominant, overconfident, possessive top. Tutor does not let Fighter get away with the teasing and always questions his behavior, demanding answers and explanations. They pull and push, but never cross the line if the other person is not okay with it. THE CONSENT ladies and gentlemen was a recurring theme. Always giving each other space and time to back off and stop whatever was happening. I wish I could say no forcing yourself on the other person after you've been pushed away, but I guess (?) that was an important part of the plot and the development of the relationship.

THAT SAID, while the behavior of a character was definitely wrong, the way the writing and editing portrayed it was close to perfection. It was a situation that should never take place and the editing and acting surely did NOT make it look like a romantic behaviour. It was not one of the “force it till the other person gives in and starts to enjoy it”. Was it painful to watch? Yes. Was this scene well done? Yes Was it necessary? Yes and no. It showed the mental state of both characters in a raw way that could not be achieved in any other take. Sadly, because the writing of the show, up to that point, didn’t explain enough in how bad of a mental place one of the characters was, this behavior might have felt out of place. In my opinion, they could have mellow it down and not go that far, and still convey needed emotions, desperation and broken state the characters were in.

To sum FighTor up - it’s hard to describe the depth of what was happening between them without quoting specific scenes, but you can see so much through the acting. How both characters struggled with internal conflicts and the feeling of unsureness. And yet, they gravitated towards each other.

PROBLEMS WITH PACING AND EDITING
Shall I say the pacing was a clusterf*** even before the COVID-19 happened and I literally laughed at how confusing everything was? Coz that’s how I felt. But then I just said: wherever, let’s just enjoy this acid trip.

While I was in love with how they handled Tutor and Fighter’s story and the pacing was everything I might have wished for, the fact the drama focused on them so much made the other characters suffer. With the overload of characters and couples, it was doomed from the start - not gonna make it. How can you have well established and developed 5+ couples with their own side-stories? Goal impossible to achieve.

Zon and Saifah... where to even begin. Zon the first half of the episodes had 10 different personalities, I was confused. Because the director did not spend enough time showing us the gradual change in Zon’s perception of his situation and relationship with Saifah, everything just came out of nowhere. There were not enough scenes showing us how Zon went from panic to soft. Which was a bummer, because their sweet story could perfectly balance the drama happening between Tutor and Fighter. We were robbed of such an amazing story it truly pains me.

Don’t even want to talk about Hwahwa. Poor girl makes no sense, her feelings change every second. Just sad. Justice for Hwahwa and her beautiful hair flip.

It’s hard to comment on other characters and their plot lines since they were just dropped here and there without much linear progression nor explanation.

The audio editing was distracting. While the use of some comedic sounds was fine and brought a smile on my face, they definitely overused them. The scenes would be funny even without some random sounds dropped every few minutes. Video editing suffered quite a lot because of COVID-19. In later episodes there were some black screens showing up, the subs were missing, we got the same action done by characters shown in x number of angles, just to stretch the scene a bit more. It was not tragic to the point I could not focus on the plot, but the difference in the quality in the first and second half was quite obvious.

BACK TO POSITIVES
What this drama does have though, is an amazing message. While, in default, most BL dramas are supposed to promote - love is love no matter what gender, Why R U does not shy away from talking about it in a straightforward manner. Calling out and questioning homophobic characters, explaining to them how they are wrong, showing how being heterosexual does not mean your love it perfectly good and will never fail. There were quite a few scenes that deserve to be called “iconic” in BLs realm for how well written the dialogues for them were.

Overall, Fightor is life and perfection. I was legit obsessed with them and rewatched their scene every week. I was never as invested in any couple in drama ever (and I have seen quite a number of them). Watch their story, fall in love and let’s all fangirl together.

PS. While my rating is extremely biased and subjective, I tried my best to be more objective in the review itself. Hope it worked out well-ish :)

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"If obsession isn't love, then I have never loved before"

The film stars Kim Go eun as Jaehee, a bold and free-spirited woman, and Noh Sang hyun as Heungsoo, a young gay man struggling to accept his identity in conservative Seoul, navigating their unusual and unique friendship.

Jaehee, who often misunderstood and misjudged by others, finds comfort in Heung-soo's company, while Heungsoo learns to embrace himself with Jaehee's help. The film beautifully balances heavy themes with lighthearted moments, all thanks to the strong chemistry between the leads.

>>Comparing the movie to the series:
The series showcased ML's bold lifestyle in different stages of life and his journey towards love, heartbreak and acceptance, on the other hand the movie emphasized one of his important part of life i.e his friendship with the FL, we did see a bit part of her in the series. Both versions stayed true to the main storyline but differ in their execution.

Both Lee Soo Kyung/Nam Yoon Su and Kim Go Eun/Noh Sang Hyun are different genre of same kind. Please don't try differentiate between the series and movie as both has its own charm. I enjoyed both of them very much.

Overall, it is a touching tale of friendship, self-discovery, and acceptance, making it a must-watch for fans of heartfelt romances.

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Confucius' last stand.

This drama is about a conspiracy that unfolds during the latter part of the Wanli reign of Ming dynasty, regarded as one of the most prosperous periods in human history. It was the beginning of the end as Wanli's indifference and administrative dysfunction led directly to the downfall of the Ming dynasty. A series of shocking serial killings in Jiangnan has the local Du County yamen scrambling for answers. Each macabrely staged corpse comes with a quote from the Analects of Confucius, a chilling message from the killer.

This is a dark story about just how difficult it is to be a decent person, much less one that lives up to.Confucian standards of morality. In a hierarchical feudal society where a scholar's voice drowns out that of a servant and the justice system takes such long detours that it fails even elite rare talents like Judge Song , many inevitably stray down the slippery path of insidious moral compromise. Most of the characters in this story start out as decent people with relatable goals of wanting to improve their lot in life, to set their one true love free, or to right a wrong. For Qu Sangeng, a young bailiff at the yamen, the killings hit too close to home. Hunting down the killer is personal for him but his investigation is hampered by his low rank and treacherous internal yamen politics. With the help of his friends, he manages to connect the killings to a 20-year old arson case where justice may have been subverted. Like his mentor Captain Leng , Sangeng resorts to somewhat questionable methods against some bad actors over the course of his investigation. He soon discovers that point where the end no longer justifies the means and all too easily that line between justice and vengeance becomes blurred. Will he choose to do what's right or succumb to his own worst instincts?

The narrative alternates between two timelines where Lu Zhi and Qu Sangeng are parallel clever characters who are slightly morally flexible and find themselves privy to secrets. Within their sphere of influence is a strong father figure, a scholarly friend and a simpler one with innately stronger moral conviction. The plot is tight and the dialogue is laced with subtle dark humor that fits well with the serious and suspenseful tone of the story. I really appreciate this as too many productions hire big name comedians with exaggerated delivery styles that are jarringly incompatible with the mood of the story. The humourous mocking of too obvious cross dressing was a 10/10 comedy gold moment for me. Mystery buffs will appreciate how the plot keeps you guessing with credible alternate theories that remain in play into the final reveal. The villains are hidden in plain sight, everyone's actions are in character, there are enough clues along the way, the solution makes sense and the ending surprise twist was long foreshadowed. My only slight criticism is some of the character downfalls occur a bit too abruptly and I think the mastermind did have the means to obtain justice in a different way. Even though the ending is fitting and realistic, none of the truly morally upstanding characters get good outcomes. At least one of the deaths was not deserved and unnecessary.

Ning Li anchors this drama as Song Chen, a dark, tortured character full of remorse; betrayed by the system into betraying himself. His heartbreaking struggle to fight monsters without becoming a monster is like watching Confucius' last stand. This character pays tribute to Tang Yin aka Tang Bohu, a renown Ming Dynasty artists and poet. The young actor Yu Yao makes an impression beyond his age with his nuanced, empathetic and chilling portrayal of the young Lu Zhi. While Qu Sangeng is not Bai Yufan's strongest role, he delivers a credible if at times forced performance. This is a wide cast of superb, non-idol actors who pull off complex and captivating portrayals with limited screen time. The bold decision to film in an ancient city and the stunning cinematographic impact of moss drenched walls and vivid rustic countryside and the authentically styled characters all add to the sense of immersion. The drama's visual composition style conveys a suspenseful ambience, a feeling of subtle decay and an air of injustice that belies the vibrant prosperity of Du County. Overall, a superb debut production by filmmaker and screenwriter Zheng Wang that eschews tired tropes. This is a director that has something to say and he tells a riveting and resonating story about justice and morality that leaves food for thought at the end.

This is one of the best ancient suspense thrillers I have watched in a long time and one that hard core mystery buffs can lose themselves in. A highly recommended 9/10 from me.

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I'm gonna confess, I'm not the perfect viewer to chinese dramas but this really make me realize two things:
1. I have no problem focusing in long dramas
2. I can be patient with the right plot and drama.

Since the first episode to the end, gonna say is cute, lovely, and NORMAL. And yes when I say normal, I mean about two people falling in love (ofc, in this case is a drama and always will be a drama) as a normal couple. Without dramatic plot twist, or mean people around (well, I'm not saying they decided delete all the stereotypes haha). And that's what I was waiting for, because sometimes even when I want to run away from my real life and escape to dramaland , in others I also need to watch a realistic and cute couple thing, as all these living in harmony around us.

I you want a refreshing and lightly drama, This is your drama!!!

Story 9/10
CHdrama needs to be better producing a drama.
But overall, the drama is good , the plot is plain but refreshing, and the leads have a good chemistry.

Gamers on board,
See ya!

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Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi is simply one of the most underrated dramas of this year. I am sure that most people didn’t even hear about this drama. I call it lack of attention for these types of Japanese dramas and it can be somewhat understandable.

So what is this about? It’s a story about “Benri-ya” which literally means “handy men”. The two main leads are given certain jobs to accomplish and they get involved in various adventures through their clients’ requests. It’s a concept that’s not very unique since I am sure that many of you saw dramas where the main leads are “problems-solvers” where they get into contact with many characters and go through various situations to achieve their missions.

However, what shines in that episodic pattern is that our main leads don’t get involved in their clients’ lives to be sacred savers, heroes or creators of happy ever after endings. Even the side characters are Mahoro’s ordinary people and job requests don’t demand anything heroic to pull through. In this drama, the situations are handled quite realistically than any other non-detective episodic drama I saw, it deals with some of the life’s dark cases such as prostitution, stalking, AV’s, Yakuza, alcoholics, etc. I was actually surprised in a good way with its pattern.

Another point that attracted me about this drama’s screenwriting is the great slices of humor; I always appreciated Japanese style of comedy and silly hilarious situations so during this drama, I always had to pause and laugh out loud for a while.
The acting is realistic and very believable; I wouldn’t choose any other actors over Eita and Matsuda Ryuhei for the main roles; they did great jobs with their characters’ portrayal. Even guest actors delivered good performance although I am not familiar with half of them.

The characterization is top-notch. As a stated above, the main characters in this drama aren’t sacred saviors; they’re actually anti-heroes without dreams, ambitions, a real life or even families and friends. In short, they have nothing so they need to take job requests that allow them to eat meals even if many of them are hard to accept. Although Tada is a straight gentle character, Gyôten is a real slacker who’s always hanging around in pajamas pissing Tada off just for fun. He’s also a rudely honest character who throws his words without counting the consequences but everything he says is practically pure joy and he always make me laugh whether it’s the way he runs, the way he talks or the way he imitate zombies. That guy is surely going to get a spot in my “favorite characters list”.

The music managed to catch my intention although I don’t really focus on drama’s music but the “Happy Janai, Lucky Janai” and “Matomo ga Wakaranai” songs were really enjoyable and perfectly suited for this drama’s theme.

Watch this drama if:
-You like Japanese style of comedy.
-You like to watch light-hearted drama with great life-like situations.
-You like Eita, Matsuda Ryuhei or both.

Do not watch if:
-You dislike Japanese silly sense of humor. I know that many people don’t appreciate it.
-You dislike Matsuda Ryuhei.

To make the long story short, Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi is an enjoyable piece of Japanese humor with greatly chosen life-like situations and realistic acting skills that deserves to be watched by the fans of this genre. It’s definitely one of the best dramas made this year.

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I love how this drama is unlike many others with a damsel in distress in need of saving. The female lead's character is strong and Tang Jianan's (Wang Richard) silly character and the way he pulled it off is what makes this drama enjoyable for me. The side characters story line is actually good and I specially love Ah-Jiu when he gives a very big side-eye toward Tang Jianan whenever he becomes dramatic or narcissistic. I actually want to say more but I'd give a spoiler so I'll end it here.

Recommended? Definitely YES, if you like a stick-to-one male character, a female lead who is smart and do not let others walk over her, supportive side characters and a light-hearted romantic drama.

Re-watch value? I actually just finished it and will start a re-run once it's the weekends to just watch the sweet moments of our main characters.

That's all I hope you can find this review useful <3

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Just when I was starting to get bored from the kdrama tropes and had switched to watching mainly cdramas, Extraordinary You came out.

It was a pleasant surprise to see these young actors who don't have much experience as leads under their belts - yet they carried the story so effortlessly. So much so that I completely bought the story about life in the world of comic books.

The main characters' side swipes at the overused tropes of romantic dramas were what got me hooked in the beginning, but it was the heartfelt acting - especially from our two leads, that kept me going.

I felt every smile, every tear, every fear that went through their faces. And I prayed as hard as they did to writer-nim to please make this a happy ending.

Yes, it's not perfect, there were some threads left hanging and some sub-plots that were too conveniently solved. But it didn't ruin the story for me.

Most of all, I like the overarching message in the drama - that we have the power over our own lives, we just have to have the courage to take control.

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More interesting than it seems

At first episodes seem to have no connection at all, but if you follow with attention you see they are actually CONNECTED.

The catch here is that the episodes are in reverse order. There are hints here and there to this. But if we watch from Episode 8 back to Episode 1 it makes more sense.
Also Episode 8 is the longest and provides the story, and the others are shorter and no story is explictly told, but they build up on each other.

Taking into account the details I will point out bellow, I think Goedam is a work of a GENIUS, and that is why I liked it so much.
Made me curious enough to see if my theories are right.

But in order to point out those awesome details I need to explain what happens in each episode.


** SPOILERS **

Episode 8: Birth

It starts with the tale of Yeommae hex. We find out that shamans abduct children, starve them and kill them to capture and use their spirit.
We can see then how the shaman kills a child.
Afterwards we see a customer whose husbands has and affair, and she wants him dead so they won't divorce. The shaman gives her a talisman to be put in the pillow case.
- Director spends here a lot of time focusing on her jewelries, especially on her ring, showing her (or her husband's) wealth. This is strongly connected to Episode 7.
Then we see a mother asking the shaman to find her child. Her child must be the one that shaman killed at the beginning of the episode and whose feet were buried near a tree, as in the end we see the mother hanged above her child's feet.
But before that, we see the birth of a monster baby.
The talisman plays important role both in Episode 8 and Episode 7.

Episode 7: Threshold

It starts with a boy tripping. He is going with his mother to visit his grandmother.
The woman tells her husband not to take off the talisman from bedroom wall because it brings bad luck. Also informs him a boy and a cop went missing.
While being home alone the man steps on hair, and after pulling the hair out he hears a scream.
After he comes back home he takes down the talisman and a monster appears while he sleeps.
The monster looks like being made from cut pieces (like the feet from Episode 8), and also looks like a grown up version of the child born in Episode 8.
Some important details here are:
- The monster was there even though the house was "protected" by talismans (at least 2 shown, one above each door) .
- In the house you can see the child's and wife's items, like toys and make-up, but no items belonging to the man. There are also no wedding photos. It gives a feeling that he doesn't belong there.
- There is also only one bedroom and only one bed.
- The woman has a cross, a gold necklace, showing man is wealthy enough, but no other jewelries, not even a wedding ring. Why would she wear the cross, but not the wedding ring? Also if her faith in Christianity is so strong, why would she need talismans?
Maybe the reason for all these is that the man is the husband of the woman from Episode 8. We know for sure the woman from Episode 8 wants him dead, before they divorce, but what if the apparent wife from Episode 7 works with her to kill the man? A talisman like the one from Episode 8 might be hidden in the house.


Episode 6: Dimension

We see a video from an elevator where a boy lies down scared by something. However, the police found a dead body that is too deteriorated to belong to the boy and also the clothes are different.
Then, the detective in charge finds that the boy posted online about interdimensional travel.
While going up and down according to the list posted by the boy, the detective sees himself and then a woman appears out of nowhere.
The woman asks him to press number 1, but the elevator goes down without stopping. Afterwards, she kills him. However, she does not appear on camera.
When the police finds the body again it looks much worse, but they can conclude that the clothes look identical to the detective's clothes.
At the end we see 2 girls getting in the elevator. But if you pay attention you notice that the 2 girls are actually the girls from Episode 4, Min-yeong and Se-hui.
Here, Se-hui is scared something might go wrong, while Min-yeong is the more curious one, mocking her friend for being so scared.

Episode 5: Red Shoes

In the classroom 3-2 students talk about Jin-gyeong that jumped in front of a truck, having her lower body crushed.
The teacher then comes in and tell them not to tell anything to police and not feel guilty (because they bullied her). She also wants o make sure everyone deleted the evidence of bullying.
The teacher asks then for class rep to draw attention of her colleagues. The class rep is Ji-ye KIM that appears in Episode 1.
The one but last that leaves the classroom is Seo-hui PARK that also appears in Episode 1.
We can see that at this point in time both Seo-hui and Ji-ye are alive and well.
The only one left in classroom is Hye-su SHIN.
At 9 PM the teacher receives a messages from Hye-su asking her to come to classroom to talk something about Jin-gyeong. (75% battery left)
When the teacher gets in class she finds Jin-gyeong upper body that complains that Hye-su lower body didn't fit and asks the teacher to borrow her legs.

Episode 4: Curiosity

We see the 2 friends, Min-yeong and Se-hui, that got in elevator in Episode 6 watching a video from CAM 6 (this is a REFERENCE to Episode 6) in which a monster appears.
Se-hui is sure the video is a hoax, while Min-yeong gets scared and wants to go after their books.
Knowing Min-yeong gets easily scared, Se-hui already prepared a prank on her and stops between floors 2 and 3. On wall it appears at 3/2. Remember about classroom 3-2? And she asks Min-yeong to bring her books too.
In her friend's cabinet Min-yeong sees the scary doll.
After getting out of her classroom Min-yeong sees a scary woman from which something is getting out, similar to the birth from Episode 8.
Min-yeong runs down the stairs, but she is in an infinite loop between floors 3 and 2. But she never meets Se-hui which we can see waiting between floors 3 and 2.
Min-yeong trips and sees the 3/2 sign and realises something is wrong.
The monster aproaches and we see the eye division.
Seeing Min-yeong is not coming back, Se-hui goes to look for her. And we can see monster coming down.
The difference from Episode 6 is that now Min-yeong is the one that gets easily scared.
This might be a sign that Dimension changed (in Episode 6).

Episode 3: Special Guest

This episode is about Sae-rom's virtual housewarming.
She is doing a live vlog and wants to trick viewers into thinking that house is haunted by letting a plush toy fall.
Santokki donates 30,000 balloons.
Then the book is moving and falls off the shelf.
Some of the viewers worry for her, while others think it is just a hoax.
She wants to end the live but she leaves it going on by mistake and everyone finds out she faked everything.
While she wants to take the thumbnail for her video, she notices that phone sees more persons in her room.
She then gets smashed by someone looking identical to her.
The way of killing is very similar to the one in Episode 6.
The one killing Sae-rom replaces her.

Episode 2: Destination

In the intro we can hear the news that tell that a shaman was found in a shrine in Gyeonggi. The victim is SHIN, a shaman in her 50s. The shaman must be the shaman from Episode 8.
The news are heard at 2:20.
Now if we go back to Episode 8 and check minute 2:20 we can see something similar to a voodoo doll with a nail sticked in it. And this means death.
Being tired the taxi driver stops.
We see again the clock turning from 3:29 to 3:30.
If we check again the Episode 8 at that minute we see the shaman killing the child.
This is clearly a sign of what is going to happen to the taxi driver.
He wakes from sleep when a woman dressed in white gets in taxi and asks to go to Samjeong Motel in Ilsan. However, GPS show no result for Samjeong Motel.
She asks many times to turn right, but there is road to turn onto.
Next frames show that the taxi has no passanger.
He feels her fingers on his neck, looks back and does not see her, then she appears in front of his car.
He stops, but when he looks again the road is empty. He looks back, she in his car, but her eyes are missing. He gets scared, and she shows him her eyes.
Next frame shows the radio: FM 6.4.24.
Then we can see she took out his eyes, probably to replace her eyes, similarly to how Jin-gyeong replaced her legs in Episode 5.
Another theory about 3:29 is that it is a reference to class 3-2 and hour 9 at which the teacher received the text message in Episode 5. It also the thumbnail of the Episode 2.

Episode 1: Crack

In intro we see Seo-hui PARK, that also appeared in Episode 5. She is anxious and is biting her nails.
On the desk in front of her is a white flower.
She asks the teacher for permission to go to bathroom.
On the walls we see is no. 2 in her school, while Ji-ye KIM is no. 1. We can see that Ji-ye's moving in her photo. This is a hint something is wrong with Ji-ye. The pictures also appeared in Episode 5, since it is the same classroom, but there the pictures are just normal ones, because back then nothing wrong happened to Ji-ye and Seo-hui, being also shown alive and well.
On her way to bathroom Seo-hui notice the lights turning on and off repeatedly.
After she gets in bathroom, we can see in background a presence disappearing on doors.
In the bathroom she heard strange noises and when she looks she sees hair getting in toilet. Then she is pulled by dead Ji-ye only her legs being left in bathroom.

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