News 
This review may contain spoilers
A Plot that Betrays the Title
This review is not for you if you haven’t watched the show. It’s a rant—an emotional outpouring—but one I believe the community of fans needs to hear.Finishing this show was exhausting! I’ve read several reviews, yet none seem to address the glaring issue I had with it.
At first, I was captivated by the premise. The show laid a strong foundation, introducing three main characters with compelling backgrounds. It beautifully conveyed the idea that family isn’t about blood or legal ties—it’s about love and connection. I wholeheartedly agreed.
But then came the 10-year time skip, and the show completely derailed. One particular moment sealed my disappointment—Hae-jun makes an offhand joke about marriage that, in hindsight, foreshadowed the troubling path the story was about to take.
Is family just a joke in this show? How do you go from being family to being lovers?
“As long as they’re not blood-related,” some might argue. But don’t you see? That logic only works if they were never truly family to begin with. If they genuinely saw each other as siblings, the idea of romance wouldn’t just be uncomfortable—it would be unthinkable.
The relationship between a brother and sister is fundamentally non-romantic. If Ju-won really saw the San Ha as a brother, she should have consistently shut down his feelings. Instead, within an episode or two, she agrees to date him. I kept asking myself, Do you realize you’re falling for the man you called your brother your entire childhood?
The show started with a powerful message: family is more than blood or legal ties. But in the end, it contradicts itself. Hae-jun struggles with the concept of a chosen family and only finds peace when his biological mother returns. Meanwhile, San-ha and Ju-won end up romantically involved. So what was the point of it all? In the end, blood and documents still define family in this story.
Perhaps this is a cultural difference, but as an African, I know family to be sacred. It isn’t something shallow. It is taboo to even introduce the idea of romance within family.
And that brings me to my final realization: they were never truly a family. They were just close neighbors who played house as children. The show never truly encapsulated what its title promised.
I was honestly too irritated to enjoy the rest. The only way I could finish was by mentally erasing their childhood memories—because otherwise, it was unbearable.
Was this review helpful to you?
1
2This review may contain spoilers
WHAT A JOURNEY IT HAS BEEN
First of all, i just like to say that this Series is not for everyone. I know everyone has different tastes especially in dramas. Aside from being a HUMAN HEALING DRAMA, this show is a character driven kind of drama. You have to immerse yourself in the drama to fully understand and go through the process of healing while watching the show.STORY - I really love the story. It's unique and refreshing how the writer used many fairy tale and folk tales references and combined all those stories into one. It's so brilliant.
ACTING - Now let's talk about the performances for the Actors.
Immediately after watching episode 1, you will be amazed already of Oh Jung Seng's performance. It really is a role of a lifetime. He is so effective as Moon Sang Tae. I cry on most of his scenes with Gang Tae. He exceeded everyone's expectations and he will definitely get many awards from this show.
Seo Ye Ji's role is also very challenging. She is phenomenal as Moon Young. I cannot think of anyone who can do this role as perfect as her.
Supporting Roles from the younger casts, CEO, Juri, SEung Jae, Jaesu, Director, the OK staff and patients. Everyone had amazing perfomances.
Now for my bias, Kim Soo Hyun.... I have to be honest, as a fan of KSH, i really did not understand at first why he chose this project. Maybe i was used to A list actors to work with more known and award winning directors and writers. After his last drama The Producers in 2015 and military enlistment in 2017, i was really waiting for his comeback and has high expectations on the first project he'll work on. THANK GOD, he chose It's Okay to Not Be Okay. He really took time in reading many scripts and he really wants to challenge himself. His role is not as flashy or flamboyant as Moon Young and Sang Tae.... What makes his performance a stand out was the fact that his character wasn't a stand out. SYJ and OJS, being such amazing actors themselves could have easily stole the limelight from KSH. Moon Gang Tae's character was less explosive and more contemplative. His role is very deep and requires consistency. Many of his emotions must be conveyed using his eyes alone. and he did it perfectly. His crying scenes have different emotions and meanings especially his breakdown scene on episode 9. It felt like he poured his heart and soul on that scene and the audience felt it. The fact that KSH was able to get rave reviews for his performance both internationally and locally, and many people became a huge fan of Moon Gang Tae's character.... and lastly, that KSH was able to showcase such amazing and brilliant acting range for a role that's quite a challenge... that's really IMPRESSIVE and not all actors would be able to accomplish that.. I'm just happy that KSH is a risk taker and took this risk and not doing the usual OPPA dramas.
CINEMATOGRAPHY/MUSICAL SCORING/EDITING -
We have to commend the cinematographer of this show. WOW. just WOW! the camera shots are so perfect. i love how the cinematographer used different techniques. It was so effective. Same as the editing. I love the transitions from one scene to another. Not just the cool transitions but just the regular transitions where musical scoring is used to properly connect one scene from another.
OVERALL - this show will be one of my all time favorites. I have to admit that i expected more from the mother's plot. maybe because i watch too many crime dramas and i wanted more explanation how the mother survived or what really happened. I guess i overthought and had watched too many theory videos that i forgot what the show was all about. Thank you to the Finale episode"FINDING THE REAL FACE". My take on the mother's plot is very simple. The mother survived and whatever stories we saw from the father's POV and MY's are not really accurate since the father had brain injury and even had major surgery for that, and MY was too young and grew with too much trauma to remember everything and just remembered the trauma she experienced during her childhood. Once the "Finding the Real Face" story was told, everything made sense to me that this drama is not about MY's mother. It's about the journey of Moon Young, Sang Tae and Gang Tae. From episode 1 to 16 we saw their character developments and how they were healed in the process of knowing each other. There might be an evil witch who took their real faces, but like in any fairy tale, there will always be a happy ending.
Reading this definitely gave me some closure on the mother mystery :
https://chasehermes.tumblr.com/post/625989613310394368/i-was-thinking-about-why-the-show-did-not-discuss
I have to say that this drama has one of the best finales and most satisfying endings I've ever watched. I don't know how many times i cried watching all episodes but one thing is for sure , i learned so much from this drama. I immersed myself in the show and this show really healed me to overcome some of the trauma and regrets i have in my life. The title itself is such a meaningful and powerful phrase that "It's Okay to Not Be Okay". Here are some of the lessons i learned from this drama.
- Family is Beyond Blood Relations
- Fight for your Happiness
- Don't Make Rash Decisions
- Don't Judge a book by its cover
- Confront your Trauma
- Remember Good Memories
- Speak Up for Yourself
- Reach Out for Help
- It's Better to Kiss than Fight
"When you're tired get some rest. When your sad, go ahead and cry. It's okay to do that."
Damn, there so many life learning quotes in this show. Watching this while on air is the best decision i made this year. Usually i will wait for a show to be completed before i binge watch but i made an exception for IOTNBO. I really invested too much in this drama. I'm happy to be one of the active posters in IOTNBO page and one of the users who broke records of having 16k+++ comments on the 16th episode. Most of all, i'm very grateful for this show because i met many friends who will be my forever MDL friends!
I felt like i was also riding in the camping van when the show ended. It really is a great and amazing journey. Thank you OKAY Family! Thank you IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY.
Was this review helpful to you?
Kim Go Eun's character was hard for me to understand at first. Her single-minded purpose shone through until the very end. Bok Sun becomes the every-man's-heroine, who manages to fight for her personal justice despite her disability.
The gore value in this film is fantastic. My personal favorite is the chopsticks scene, which I highly recommend. I have watched this film several times, and it continues to thrill me, like my favorite roller coaster.
On top of all of that, the scenery is gorgeous, as it is set in a forested, rural area. The filmography was done beautifully.
I recommend this flick for lovers of the thrill. Lovers of blood. Lovers of psychotic evildoers and lovers of a good game of cat and mouse.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why you should watch this:
- if you're looking for a drama where you'll have no clue what's gonna happen next and be super excited for every scene.
- if you're looking for a great(AWESOME) storyline with a lot of twists.
-if you want to have mixed feelings and can't wait to know what will happen next.
- if you're looking for a great music that makes that scene even more excited and nervous.
- if you're looking for a skillfull and professional directing and writing.
- if you're looking for a high skill acting and awesome chemistry between the cast and where every character is reasonable in his/her doings.
And if you're looking for a drama when you'll rewatch it and get the same excited feeling like the first time when you watched it.
Then...
THIS IS THAT DRAMA!^^
Was this review helpful to you?
This Series Would Probably Have Been Put Together Better By A Single-Celled Organism...
With Kim Hong Seon, PD of masterpieces such as Voice and The Guest behind the works of the show , an ensemble of fairly talented actors ( not least Kim Rae Won, Kim Sang Ho Lee Da Hee and Kim Sung Oh) taking up the personae of screenwriter Chung Sung II ‘s characters( The Package,Your Honor), everything in relativity about “ L.U.C.A; The Beginning” screamed out " masterpiece" . Then, not even several episodes into the actual story, we find ourselves going down into the previously mentioned rabbit hole of cataclysmic screenwriting, which only seemed to crumble further into the abyss as the series went on...
The premiere episode of ‘ L.U.C.A’ did initially introduce some fairly innovative story writing techniques. The most evident offering hope for viewers to grow alongside our protagonist Zi O ( Kim Rae Won). Like our amnesiac main lead, we know little about Zi O’s world, identity and his mysterious link to detective Gu Reum ( Lee Da Hee). This should have by default allowed us to become attached to Zi O emotionally, had our hearts pulled out when he confronts the terrible and clandestine truths about his past and felt broken-heartedness to part with him and Gu Reum in the finale also.
Instead, trying to become attached to Zi O as a character even later on the show was fairly out of bounds for viewers . This is mainly because the characters lacked the innate, individualistic core of profound personality flaws and traits, rather than cliche plot mechanisms in order to keep a poorly-paced storyline motivated.
Whilst dramas often like to take the approach of the “ wild card” rebel trope in order to keep audiences entertained, this approach to Zi O soon began to collapse when every episode would follow this expected , fundamental structuring of Zi O having “ lost control of his powers again” or “ gone into a fit of rage” over a small (and often trivial) issue. It is not necessarily always a terrible approach to a character, but normally a show tends to foreground why this personality transition should be so shocking or surprising for viewers. Naturally, as we know little about his past, this aspect of knowing more about his identity , is drawn out of the question until later episodes. On the other hand, it is still interesting to note how Zi O’s character slowly begins to fall into the cesspit of lacklustre characterisation, even from his initial introduction in episode 1.
When Zi O is first introduced, he is notably marked as being “ different” by screenwriter Chung Sung II. He had few qualms over animal abuse , but somehow easily allowed his emotions to boil when someone who had grown close to him such as Gu Reum, was injured. This is not saying that Zi O should have remained an emotionless android in the drama, but it did seem peculiar for a character who struggled with emotional and psychological isolation over the course of the series, to suddenly see Zi O transitioning into emotional outbursts and tantrums. This can be mainly sourced to the problem of having few focal points over the course of the series which allowed Zi O to come to grips with his state of mind or mature as an individual.
It is important to address the controversial dilemma of miscasting for Zi O as well. Before anything else, it is important to state that Kim Rae Won is a good actor. However, Zi O as a written character respectfully felt slightly younger that Rae Won. This is not claiming that a “ fresher actor” would have been better at the role( as anyone would struggle with what was given to them by screenwriter Chung Sung II).Again, this is more the fault of poor casting than Won’s ability as an actor, however, it will certainly raise eyebrows for viewers to see a man nearing his 40s taking a temper tantrum as his character onscreen before storming off in order to ‘’ cool down’’.
This naturally draws us onto what led Gu Reum from being possibly one of the most profound female characters in a TVN drama, to a senseless cardboard cutout not even several episodes later. Gu-Reum is a character who was initially established as the “ advisory cop” archetype with a prolonged desire to find out what happened to her parents. It wasn’t honestly an original backstory, but it did bring the potential to explore Gu-Reum as someone caught in the crossfire between duty and morals over the course of the drama, who learns to becomes stronger as a consequence of her enmity towards Zi O.
Instead, Gu Reum seemed to have been a female lead drawn into this unexplained cliche of having an inferiority complex against her male associates in early episodes before being completed reverted into a “ damsel in distress” who faints, or gets clunked over the head by an object in the later storyline . Da Hee certainly was quite a good actress in the show, however, it was hard to take her role seriously when her character transitioned from intelligent cop to unintentional comic relief in seconds flat , especially due to with her relationship with Zi O.
The “ enemy to lovers” is a popular trope amongst dramas and given the right storyline and characterisation, this can work incredibly well. Yet, “ L.U.C.A; The Beginning”’s problem can be found by the sudden and illogical transition from Gu Reum being at Zi O’s throat in early episodes and Zi O “ accidentally” pushing her around with his powers, to Gi Reum suddenly eloping and holding his hand affectionately like a shy school girl not even several episodes later . If you think it can’t get worse than this between the two characters and their “ affections”, then (without any spoilers), it is important to confirm that it certainly does. Although this was necessary to the storyline, there’s little sense of actually building up the characters , let alone pairing them off from enemies to lovers in nearly seconds flat.
Whilst the pacing of the show was quick in parts, a major issue with its sudden fast-pacing can be found through the myriad of plot inconsistencies which arose throughout the drama. Whilst there are some evident reasons explained in the plot behind this, it naturally draws more concern how Zi O, a mutant who has never been registered for official residence was able to not to be caught as a figure of interest amongst CCTV footage after initial reports in the past as well as not legally queried over his job entitlement as well. Whilst minor, it often subjugated the drama’s “ unintelligent violence” without deeper meaning, or at least unique film techniques to make these fight sequences more than a brawl, but fine art.
Arguably our show has several “ main antagonists”, however, the most reoccurring and prominent “ puppet working for the brains” in the series appears as the gruff former-solider Lee Son ( Kim Sung Oh).With an interesting and personal motive behind the reason for getting back at Zi O, Lee Son had the potential to be a fairly well-crafted, Machiavellian antagonist with actual depth due to his experiences in the field and profounder reasons for working for nefarious scientist Ryu Joong Kwon ( Ahn Nae Sang). Instead, Lee Son turns more into the classic “ brainless and inhuman combatant ” than a worthwhile or interesting opponent, often resulting in his actions coming off as more “annoying” than “baleful” .
On the other hand, the one character in the show who was surprisingly intriguing came in the form of Choi Yoo Na ( Jung Da Eun). Although Da Eun hasn’t received as much credibility in performances as some of her costars , she did surprisingly capture interest within her well-performed role as the mysterious and laidback Yoo Na; a young woman who became a field agent for Jong Kwon’s organisation after the initial operation upon her leg ( as shown in the first episode). Yet like most side characters out there, Yoo Na didn’t really have the opportunity for viewers to see her character grow or deepen over the course or the series.
Meanwhile, the ending of the show took a cliffhanger approach rather than particularly “ bittersweet” or “ happy”- appropriate for the genre, but nevertheless a little disjointed and arguably anticlimactic rather than an ending which felt complete and worthwhile.
“ L.U.C.A; The Beginning” can probably be seen as the epitome of the recent problem of “ throwaway” dramas emerging out of the action genre in South-Korea. With notable recent predecessors such as “ Alice” (2020) and “RUGAL” (2020) also suffering from the same fate of being high-budget extravaganzas, but often lacking screenwriting quality , it is probably fair to say that “ L.U.C.A; The Beginning” is the type of show to watch if you’re bored and want to binge-watch something with mindless violence without a second thought . However, “ L.U.C.A; The Beginning” greatly suffers from its own demise as a memorable and well-written show due to poor characterisation, miscasting, plot inconsistencies, deeper meaning and plot incoherency as well. A shame for a drama which had potential to be one of the best dramas of 2021 .
Was this review helpful to you?
For the negatives, the acting is a little awkward in the beginning, but as the drama progresses and the actors become more comfortable, it gets much better. Also, you have make sure you find a proper subber. The first time I watched the first episode, I was as confused as Psyduck. After finding a more accurate translation, it become more understandable and more enjoyable.
The music has surprisingly low ratings compared to other categories, and I can understand. It's not mind-blowingly perfect, but I find that after a few episodes, it's very easy to get hooked to. Looking up the lyrics to the songs also helps, because they are very connected to the drama, and it makes you appreciate it more.
Overall, this is a drama I would happily recommend to anyone who is interested on some cute guy on guy love. I'd also recommend it to anyone who is simply curious about it, or enjoys cute romance regardless of the genders in question. It's great for almost anyone :)
Was this review helpful to you?
1A Unique Drama That Used Deceptive Storytelling to Tell Its Story with Solid, Layered & Tight Script
If you want to watch drama that have solid and quality script, brilliant & smart leads, couple that actually communicate & trust each other unconditionally, compelling supporting characters and interesting villains, then Burning Flames delivered in all departments. No stupid misunderstandings, characters that behave out of character or turned 180 degrees or frustrating plots that test your patience --none of this is in this drama. All you have to do is overlook the horrible CGI in the first 2 episodes and then you realized all that are only superficial and secondary to what gem that the drama truly possessed which is the story -- a truly engaging story with fantastic and layered writing with lot of social commentaries and great messages.And it worth to note that the Director chose this campy and over the top vibe purposely as part of its storytelling. The performative acting, the 80's fashion, the vibrant & over the top colors, the splitting of screen for the fighting scenes -- yes, it's all intentional. It served as a secondary character to the drama -- I'm cringing the choice while admiring it at the same time.
The uniqueness of the plot makes the whole story very engaging and compelling as not many dramas actually covered this topic yet. The drama is structured with specific objective in each arc and I love how every arc has its own meaning and goals that they want to achieve and despite supporting characters come and go, they are written with depth with their own back stories -- even the villains. Everyone in the story served a purpose, no matter how small they are -- that would include the adorable ZhaZha as well. You didnt notice this at first until the same characters come back into the story again with purpose to contribute to the main story. Despite the fast paced nature of the plots, I love how they actually took time for characters' development and exploring the various parts of its central theme. And despite the main theme is Immortal VS Human, they also dwelled into different conflicts such as the selfishness of human's nature, the internal conflicts between the immortals and also hypocrisy of the demon clan in upholding justice -- it all being covered to make it such a compelling story.
And, this drama has done many foreshadowing for future events as hints to a lot of things. And all these hints are so glaringly obvious as signs to us the audiences about the characters such as how smart is Wu Geng or how sensible is Bai Cai. The way the drama plays around with the hints while showing us different things are all kind of brilliant. This deceptive kind of storytelling is very unique of how the drama is showing us a narrative while also dropping hints all over for us not to trust that narrative that being presented. The script has been so amazing that soma parts of it actually exceeded my expectation especially during Xinque Kui's scheme arcs -- it was angsty and was kind of a torture but the deceptive storytelling the Director and Writer chose to opt certainly made the twist highly satisfying. Everything was shot exactly to deceive the enemies (as well as the audiences) while also giving the audiences clues all over the story on why we should not trust of what we see on screen. I love when I encountered this kind of unique storytelling once in a while since it makes your watching experiences even more colorful and interesting.
Ren Jialun is doing his usual magic, being charismatic and all but he isn’t aloof in this role so you can see him be very expressive as Wu Geng and he doesn’t have to resort to micro expressions much while playing the character. One thing I like about Wu Geng is how self aware he is. He sure start as being impulsive but you can see how he matures and fit into the leadership role slowly -- winning everyone's heart whether it's human, monster, magical creatures, basically everyone that he encountered during his journey. What I like the most about him is that he always put his people as #1, it wasn’t actually revenge on his mind but rather wanting to release all people from suffering under the Immortal’s reign. I like how the writer always highlighted that -- whether in his monologue inside his head or his actions. It also being portrayed with little details -- like how he will see them and acknowledge their well wishes to how he doesn’t like to be praise when they start worshipping him. He really sees them as people he needs to protect -- a true leader at heart. While Xing Fei is being her usual self and being a sunshine and lovely character she is known of in her other dramas. The most amazing thing about Bai Cai is that despite she is a human and ordinary with no powers, she makes herself useful in every situation. Lot of people like to gloss through her contributions but she is the one who helped Wu Geng the most in his journey -- from protecting him, stopping his impulsive behaviors or just simply being there as a total support to him. Xu Xudan as A'Lan is probably one of the coolest 2nd female lead out there -- the way she stands on her ground, unwavering support and loyalty towards Wu Geng to her protection and teachings -- now I understand why Xudan took this role since the writing for her character is truly fantastic. Then comes Zheng Ting as Nitian Erxing. I truly feel the Director has a field day recording his scenes -- the Director always capture him from above or below to highlight his beautiful eyes, long eye lashes and perfectly shaped eyebrow. I'm laughing with how his scenes totally distract me from the plot, the character is magnetic and full of passion. His female commander said that Wu Geng's arrival at the Demon Clan has makes Erxing's eyes sparkle with hope and you can literally see how its glistering brightly & clearly there and then. And I love to see all the popular cameos especially Han Dong (please be a cameo in all dramas lol), Peter Ho (which is charismatic as hell), Jeremy Tsui, Ming Dao, Joe Chen and many Thousand Years For You support actors come back to this drama to play a part like General An, Bai Prince & Leader of Sea Spirit Clan.
And the lead couple's relationship is certainly one of the strongest points in the drama. This is why I love romance in non-romance dramas. It’s usually one of the strengths of the drama as it served as 'soothing effects' for the characters -- the home they go to when the world is driving them crazy. Just like Wu Geng & Bai Cai's relationship here. I love how they always discuss, trust and reassure each other along the way like a true married couple. That is why when Bai Cai revealed her true identity to Wu Geng, she did it with a smile on her face since she knew Wu Geng will accept her regardless of her race -- there is not even a single double when she told him that despite she also struggle with her identity in the beginning. Their trust and loyalty towards each other is unwavering that no matter how the villains try to put discord into their relationship, it will fail miserably.
And I just love how the script keeps coming back to the main theme of the story which is 'Fate is in your hand' -- so you yourself decide on how you are going to fight against it. Wu Geng's conversation with Uncle Ziyu is all kind of awesome on how they touched the topic about fate and how his father will fight for it even when he knew the outcome and the effect on him and his family and the condemnation that he is going to face -- which being brought up multiple times in the drama. But change is needed, you can't just stay at your place and wait for everything to change on its own.
I also love the fact the drama went back on the topic how Xin King's decision to rebel against the Immortal robbed the chance of ordinary people of choice -- choice to join the fight or choice to just live their lives peacefully. Just because the main character decided on something, doesn’t mean they get spared from being criticized from with it. That is why with Wu Geng now, all the people who joined him are with choice -- a choice that they made on their own. That is why there is people like Chen Jing or Xiao Sheng -- despite supporting Wu Geng, yet, still making a choice of not to join his fight. I love how the drama paint all these people as different, and have their own thinking -- entities that just don’t exist for the main leads or just exist as plot device -- they are their own people, making their own decisions on how to live their lives.
Regarding the ending, I love how they actually took time for the ending -- the battle with Hei Long, the aftermath, and all Wu Geng visits, and later the end. It wasn’t rushed at all and it is beautifully written carefully with an awesome message on how Wu Geng's legacy is not him inheriting the throne but rather how he lives in people's hearts. And tbh, I didn’t expect to cry, like it’s a battle dramas with fighting scenes from beginning to end but the script is amazing since they let everyone have their own emotional moments -- starting with the Grandad, not gonna name anyone here as it will be spoiler but even the evil Xinyue Kui? Like they have to show the Dad and the sister from her memories and all her regrets, and there I was shedding a tear for her as well.
I love even how in the end, the drama showed it wasn’t Wu Geng ALONE who defeat Hei Long but rather a collective efforts and helps from everyone. Wu Geng used the analogy of how even 'ants can defeat a Giant' as foreshadowing before the battle and that's how they designed the ending as well. So many twists and turns in merely 3 episodes -- and they actually property spent 3 episodes for the ending alone. At first, I am ready to give the drama a 9 but the emotional mess it made me feel for the last 3 episodes deserved a 9.5. Whoever wrote the script deserved a brownie point. This is how you write a good drama and a good ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
How would you change if you found out you were going to die soon? Cheon Soo-Ho (Kim Jung-Hyun) is the son of a chaebol; entitled, arrogant and bored. Raised by a psychopathic father and an abusive stepmother he is, despite his wealth, someone who has no purpose in life. Diagnosed with a terminal illness and given only six months to live, he dedicates his remaining time to helping Seol Ji-Hyun (Seohyun), a woman he wronged.
The first half of this drama is dark and bleak but somehow compelling despite the numbingly-depressing tone. KJH shed his school uniform with ease and his acting improved in leaps and bounds to the end of the first half. Seohyun also put in a strong performance, especially when she had scenes with KJH, whose presence elevated her acting considerably.
The controversy behind the scenes of this show is well documented. Kim Jung-Hyun's health problems may have forced him to leave the show early but if there was any vehicle where the writers could have worked without a male lead, this was it. Cheon Soo-Ho's death was inevitable and the show had two strong, complex female leads to work with - even if they didn't have the same level of acting experience.
Unfortunately, the writers seemed to falter at KJH's exit. Maybe the writing fell away, maybe the writing was always this poor. We'll never know what the show should have been, but we do know what it could have been if they'd successfully shifted the narrative to the female lead.
The episodes after his departure highlighted how much of this was held together by KJH's gravitas. Without that, the show digressed into standard - substandard - melo: meaningful looks, shallow. smirking antagonists and people running around without purpose.
In the end, Time became a melo mess: thematically weak and even boring. Without KJH's performance, one is left wondering if the show was always that bad and we just didn't notice. Despite that, the first 12 episodes were relatively strong and so it deserves the higher rating,
And KJH deserves to be flooded with offers once his health improves. Because he quite literally stole this show.
Was this review helpful to you?
A story about life goes a long way
This is clearly not the best drama of 2018. It is the best drama of all time. Before delving any further, if you're wondering if there are spoilers in this review, rest assured there are none (or just a pinch of it at most).Story and General comments:
If you are looking for fantasy, this drama is not for you. If you are looking for a typical romance drama, slowly walk away now. The beauty of My Mister is in its simplicity. What I mean by simplicity is that it's not a typical k-drama involving a rich chaebol falling for a poor normal-life-living girl, or the male lead having super powers or some crazy disorder. It is just a story between one Ahjusshi, one girl and one (hella great) neighbourhood. If there's one spoiler-ish statement in this review, it'll be this one - Though as many of you may have read from comments and reviews, this story is not about romantic love between the two leads. That said, I have never personally felt more love between two characters in any other show (not limited to just k-drama) as I did in My Mister. That's the power of great story telling - the love between two people that transcends the conventional love and romance of what we know and have come to understand. And yet, there is so much more to the story; something you will have to experience for yourself as mere words are just inadequate and will not do the show any justice.
Acting:
Another concern that many viewers had before the show aired was about IU's acting. Though she has improved along the years, her acting is good at best with some occasional great moments. This has changed with My Mister. IU's acting was simply exceptional and her performance in My Mister is hands down the best out of all her dramas. And as for Lee Sun Kyun, must I say more? His acting is and has been exceptional and it is no different in My Mister. Poured his heart out for the role and the viewers felt every breath of it... literally.
Music / OSTs:
One big factor for me personally is the Music / OSTs of a k-drama. Yes a drama may be well written and well acted, but if the OST is not up-to-par, the drama will just end up being forgettable many years down the road. I kid you not, I was playing the OSTs on repeat the whole day for weeks and even up till today, I am still listening to it on a daily basis. It is just that good. Props to Sondia, Vincent Blue, O.When, Jung Seung Hwan and even IU (she wrote the song for JeHwi) for creating what has to be one of the most memorable OSTs of any k-drama.
Conclusion:
What more can we ask for? A story that shatters the proverbial glass ceiling of k-drama standards; acting performances that exceed all expectations; music that will stick with you on repeat for a very long time. My Mister is not just another k-drama but an important precedent for k-dramas as it is not afraid to revitalize the conventional formula and reinvent the storytelling wheel.
I would like to end this review with one word - Masterpiece.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story: The story was really good! A high school student pretending to be a 27 year old office worker seems absurd but it was totally believable. The mystery surrounding Lee Min Suk's brother was very intriguing but it wasn't the main focus of the drama and was only dealt with in the few last episodes. The drama focused on Lee Min Suk and how he grew as a character. The noona romance was okay too though I wasn't that invested in it. The star of this drama for me was Lee Min Suk. I went in thinking it was going to be like City Hunter, you know a quest for revenge and everything. But this turned out to be completely different. This drama wasn't intense, it was cute and funny. I loved how they used old drama cliches and gave them a twist to make them funny or different. I especially liked that Yoo Jin Woo's story was progressed along with Lee Min Suk's and he was given his due importance too.The story was very well-written and the pace of the drama was really good.
Characters: Seo In Guk did an amazing job as Lee Min Suk (and Lee Hyung Suk). First of all, I've always acknowledged that Seo In Guk is good-looking but during this drama I realized that he is gorgeous! Especially as Lee Hyung Suk (even though he appeared for like 1-2 episodes). Secondly, Seo In Guk is an extremely talented actor! And this role showed his talent to the fullest. He played the role of a high schooler so well, unlike someone else (Lee Min Ho I'm looking at you), that it was hard to believe that in real life he is 26. Lee Min Suk was endearing and funny and adorable. But I also loved the scenes where he got all serious and mature. I loved seeing him grow from a boy into a man! Seo In Guk's portrayal of both brothers was so good you could see who was who with the way he stood and talked. While Lee Min Suk was kinda sloppy, as expected of a kid, Lee Hyung Suk stood with confidence. Where Lee Min Suk talked in a cheery way, Lee Hyung Suk's voice was grave and serious. I simply loved Seo In Guk's acting in this drama!
Jung Soo Young is a character I would rather not talk about. She was uncomfortably painful to watch. I understood her character really well and I got where the writer wanted to go with her but Lee Ha Na's portrayal of her was not good. Jung Soo Young is a character I could have loved had Lee Ha Na did her justice. Soo Young is a socially awkward girl with seemingly no talents. I get the character. It was Lee Ha Na's job to make that character relatable, even likable. But the way she played her it felt like Jung Soo Young had some mental disability. Which was really very uncomfortable for me to watch. But of course, I did get used to her and then she didn't bother me much. But I never felt connected to her. I did feel sorry for her but only a little.
I loved loved LOVED Lee Soo Hyuk as Yoo Jin Woo! I loved how this time the broken bad boy was not the male lead but the second lead. And Lee Soo Hyuk played him really well! And did I mention how gorgeous Lee Soo Hyuk is?!! Because he is really gorgeous!! I could stare at him all day! I loved his story arc and how it all played out. I loved this broken bad boy with a good heart! But I never, for one second, believed that he was actually in love with Soo Young. I felt like he needed someone and since Soo Young was previously obsessed with him he figured she would be a good person to keep by his side. I never felt like he actually, honestly loved her.
All the minor characters were great! The office people were your typical office people, gossiping and judging. They also provided very good entertainment. Team Leader Kim was very funny and so adorable! Jo Han Chul did an awesome job playing him and I loved seeing him onscreen! I loved how he cared so much about Lee Min Suk and all his anxiety breakdowns (I seem like a bad person saying I enjoyed his breakdowns but really, they were funny and added for comedic purposes). Jung Yoo Ah (Soo Young's sister) was super annoying at first but like her sister she became tolerable. I loved Lee Min Suk's friends! They were so supportive and super funny, with their chuppa chuppas and stuff! Lee Min Suk's dad was awesome! He wasn't his real dad but he cared so much for him that it was heartwarming and so beautiful. My favorite though was Min Suk's grandfather (his adoptive father's father)! Kwon Seong Deok was amazing, playing him and he was so funny and adorable and it was so heartbreaking! I really loved him! I loved how the minor characters played a more important role in this drama than they usually do in dramas.
Romance: I honestly believe Seo In Guk has good chemistry with everyone. Be it a girl or a boy, he has good chemistry with all. Just look at his previous works. He had amazing chemistry with Jung Eun Ji AND Hoya in Reply 1997. Even as a second lead he has awesome chemistry with the female leads (see Master's Sun). It was no exception in King of High School. He not only had great chemistry with Lee Ha Na but also with Lee Soo Hyuk! BUT I was not as much invested in the romance and the main couple as I would have had it not been for Lee Ha Na. The couple wasn't all that bad but they couldn't pull on the strings of my heart like the InHyun couple (Queen In Hyun's Man) & the Reply 1997 couple (Jung Eun Ji and Seo In Guk). So that 'something missing' thing I was talking about was my lack of love for the main couple.
Ending: The extra episodes really weren't needed. But I didn't mind them much. Most people are not satisfied with the ending and to be honest if I would've written this I would've ended it differently too but it wasn't that bad and I don't have much of a problem with it.
Overall: All in all this was a really good drama and most people might not have the problems with it that I did so I highly recommend it for anyone who is in the mood of a good rom-com.
Was this review helpful to you?
Please don’t waste your time
I only give it a 4/10, cause the first two episodes were amazing and the cinematography was excellent, other than that: full garbage.I have never seen such miserable and annoying characters. The ML is the most miserable person ever. The lack of self respect drove me INSANE. How can someone hate themselves that much? His character was really interesting at first, but they ruined it by making him a simp. They should have give his character more in depth scenes, the character was much more than an idiot waiting his whole life for someone who left him.
The female character is the exact opposite, super selfish. She was so angry and mad about.. what? I couldn’t understand her at all. Everyone is loving her and open to help her, but she is just an ungrateful brat.
I appreciate people who choose themselves and go for their own dreams, but she should’ve never interrupted the ML’s live. She made things only worse and left, again.
I can rant about the absolute RAGE I am feeling right now, but I will spare you guys, just don’t watch it for you own sake.
The only good thing about this shit drama is that they didn’t end up together, THANK GOD! Or i would’ve given it 0/10
I am so disappointed that they ruined absolute perfect two episodes. I can absolutely love second chance romances, but not like this ever again please.
They WASTED an great opportunity the worst way possible and I will have to mourn for this now.. THANKS.
edit (and spoiler): I forgot to mention that the FL is really the worst girlfriend ever. she drank wine with her ex, whom she hid from her boyfriend, while her boyfriend was having a hard time, because his grandma was almost dying. i think i won’t be forgetting this awful situation ever 💀
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
L&P DESERVES AN AWARD! MUST WATCH CDRAMA OF 2022!!!
I am not exaggerating, this drama is phenomenal, I highly recommend it if this is your first time watching cdramas!The storyline begins in the present time which is actually a good attention grabber. It will make you wonder what happened, why and how did it come to this point. The drama will then take us back to the past where it all began, freshmen year of college. The concept of this drama is computer programming, and you really see them mostly focused on typing codes, and make programs, etc. Albeit, I'm not sure if the coding itself is real but I have not seen this kind of drama elsewhere which is quite unique.
What really makes this drama come to life and why its so popular is the acting, the chemistry, character development and the storyline.
Zhu Yun (Zhang Jing Yi) : Zhu Yun as a character is a book smart, follow the leader kind of gal in the beginning but eventually she will find her voice. She can get a little bossy, and sometimes I think she lets her emotions make the decision instead of thinking from a practical point of view. She's very passionate when she wants to prove she can do something, as well as very caring and understanding of her friends espeically towards Li Xun. Zhang Jing Yi played her part very well, nothing to outstanding and her acting is quite natural - like she truly is the character itself who's in love and willing to do anything for the love of her life. I have only seen one drama of hers so its difficult to judge if she improved or not - seems like the same to me.
Li Xun (Chen Fei Yu) : Li Xun is your typical rude, selfish, arrogant male lead who believes everyone sucks at computer programming compare to him. However, he's very misunderstood, he's more of a practical guy - he has more experience in the field thus he knows what is sellable or not. Many viewers, espeically if they don't understand mandarin, would think that he's always rude but most of his replies esp to Zhu Yun are quite funny or sarcastic - its unfortunate its not translated well into english. :( Li Xun may be your nerdy, introverted quiet kind of guy but towards Zhu Yun - he cares in a subtle way, and tend to keep a lot of things to himself which is a double edge sword. His character develops pretty nicely, he's not always like he was in the first few episodes. He learned to be apologetic and show remorse for what he has done. However, he still keep things to himself, and sometimes he believes its better to work alone than to bring people in to help him. Yeah, he definitely needs therapy to deal with the losses and feelings. Chen Fei Yu did an amazing job as Li Xun because his eyes does a lot of the acting when he doesn't talk, and it really sucks you in. I also only seen one other drama of his, but despite of that, there's a huge improvement in his acting!
There is a couple time skips and unfortunately we do not see much of the beginning relationship between the leads, but regardless, their relationship was very cute, fluffy, and natural - its like they're a real couple honestly. Amazing acting from both of them!
There's many other great actors in this drama but I have to highlight is Gao Jian Hong played by Zhao Zhi Wei. Without spoiling too much, his character is very competitive, and insecure in his computer programming skills. I did not like his character from the get-go, he seemed fake - a two-faced character. Other than that, you would have to watch and see why his acting was amazing.
Ren Di played by Jenny Zheng: From the beginning of the drama, the way Jenny acted as Ren Di seem so incredibly natural as if she played herself. I just wanted to point that out, the outfits, and her personality fits the actress so well - its very natural and I hope she gets a main role. She honestly compliments well with Chen Fei Yu - the tall couple. hahaa Okay but in reailty, the characters have no romantic interest to one another.
In terms of love triangle, there is one, however it will not make you pull your hairs out so its not a big deal.
Music is amazing, the settings are amazing esp when the main leads got together - the background, the cinematography was beautiful.
Definitely highly recommend this drama if you enjoy watching dramas in a college setting, slow burn but realistic and natural romance, computer programming, games, the dreaded angst, friendship, and betrayals.
Was this review helpful to you?
Who is the big bad wolf?
This is a passionate fantasy fairytale that unflinchingly explores the thin line between love and hate and many emotions in between with a dark intensity that will not appeal to everyone. Hidden within this dark, at times ugly complexity is a simple, intense mythical love story that is beautiful in its fleetingness.Once upon a time, Xing'er, the lonely young daughter of a feudal lord befriends Langzai, a wild orphan boy raised in the forest by wolves. Even before they understand what it means, they fall in love and form an unbreakable bond. But after a terrible misunderstanding, Langzai is whisked away by the tyrannical, paranoid and evil emperor Chu Kui who weaponizes him. When they meet again, Langzai is the fearsome Prince Bo, a ruthless, lethal military leader who keeps the mad, bad despot's internal and external foes in check. And Xing'er has grown up to be the beautiful Princess Ma Zaixing, a pawn whose family's military might is coveted by both Chu Kui and the rival Jin king. A damning accusation, divided loyalties and duty forces them to be mortal enemies and opposing forces push them towards what appears to be mutually assured destruction. Can true love uncover the truth that can defeat the darkness in their souls and free their land from evil?
This drama is not plot driven; the story is easy to follow with a few well conceived mysteries to be revealed but the villains are known from the outset and there are no shocking twists. It is very well paced and the action and battle scenes are ferocious, brutal and gripping. Rather it is largely a character driven drama where the main protagonists fight for who they choose to be and who they want the love of their life to be. It asks the question - who is the big bad wolf or who are the monsters? Is it the wolf in wolf's clothing or the wolf in sheep's clothing?
This character drama is made especially memorable by the many well cast and compellingly delivered roles. They are difficult roles to convey because all of the main characters are flawed and they all have inner animal avatars. When they are tempted or threatened their most primitive instincts emerge and we see both their best and worst selves. To properly appreciate this drama, it is important to keep this in context because the writing does not try to sugarcoat or suppress these traits, instead it gives them free rein to build into raw moments of enraged conflict, unimaginable pain, dark passion, misguided loyalty, pure love and violent hatred. All of the characters make mistakes both selfish and well-intentioned mistakes with heartbreaking and irreversible consequences.
The styling and costumes of the characters are designed to accentuate their inner animals and each of them are written to highlight their inner animal's associated personalities and strengths and weaknesses. We know that Langzai/Bo Wang (Prince Bo), the titular character is a wolf. Xing'er/Ma Zaixing is a butterfly, the least complex, most single minded character of them all. Ji Chong is an eagle and Bao Na is a horse. Yao Ji, the most underrated character in this drama is an enigmatic, treacherous and wise snake (I think). Her relationship with Bo Wang is the most surprising, complex and interesting relationship in the drama, much more so than both Bo Wang and Ji Chong's relationship with Xing'er. I wonder how many supernatural abilities these characters were originally endowed with before the censors erased all of that stuff.
The following is a deeper discussion of the main characters and their relationships that inevitably contains mild spoilers. You can stop reading here and come back to the rest after you are done with the drama.
I initially mistook Xing'er for a frustrating character - weak, naive, unwilling to grow up and one dimensional. But that is her nature - she is a butterfly - a delicate, transitory being that is a symbol of youth, joy, love and beauty. Female butterflies mate only once and then they die. Her goals are simple and she is pure hearted but she is by no means weak; on the contrary she is single minded and unyielding in her love for Langzai and her determination to recall him from the darkness that is Bo Wang. Her heart is gently cruel in its lack of capacity to to let anyone else in. This kind of role is both very easy and very difficult and Li Qin pulled it off phenomenally (despite a shrill and atrocious voice dubber). I could feel her pain and disillusionment and teared up as I watched Xing'er innocence and love of life get extinguished into the strong, mature, revenge driven but indifferent Ma Zhaixing.
Bo Wang is a sexy, magnificent, conflicted and tortured beast of a character that I loved to hate in the beginning and hated to love at the end. He is the big bad wolf, a ruthless predator with savage methods but he is also highly intelligent, passionate and devoted to his pack or his family. Wang Dalu's portrayal is so vivid and potent that I could see a wolf lurking behind Bo Wang's every facial expression and gesture - I can't believe I have never watched this actor before. The scorching chemistry between Bo Wang and Xing'er is the most outstanding feature of this drama. Both actors have such intense screen presence that anyone that shares the screen with them becomes invisible. Their passionate, tormented kisses and the intense longing in their gazes give lie to their often toxic verbal exchanges. Their relationship scales the tortured depths of hatred and despair to the breathtaking heights of love and ecstasy. They are so convincing and moving as a couple that all of their love rivals pale in comparison.
Ji Chong is an eagle, a bird of prey that can see the big picture from high above and swoops down opportunistically and tactically to force the lovers to face each other as mortal enemies. Like Bo Wang, Ji Chong also tries to save Xing'er by changing her; in this matter he and Bo Wang have a common agenda. While their methods are diametrically opposite, the outcome is the same in that they both cause her to suffer enormously. Bo Wang pushes her away harshly and cruelly while Ji Chong albeit charmingly, imprisons her with duty and obligation to her clan. Bo Wang loves her enough to give her up but Ji Chong more selfishly and somewhat naively tries to wheedle and manipulate his way into her heart. Ji Chong and Bo Wang are both ultimately well intentioned but make many mistakes and are thus equally responsible for all but erasing the Xing'er they love. I am very impressed that Xiao Zhan chose to play such an interesting, endearingly immature and flawed second lead rather than yet another insipid and suffocatingly noble and selfless one. Just as with his iconic interpretation of Wei Wuxian, Xiao Zhan's blinding charisma compels us to forgive Ji Chong's flaws and weaknesses and even empathize with him.
Surviving to exist is not important to Xing'er who only cares that she rescues her Langzai so that they can retreat into the forest away from the two legged monsters that walk the world outside. With this in mind, the drama's ending is not just good, it is also fitting. As someone who loves such beautifully flawed and even dark characters, I find Xing'e and Langzai's mythical love story to be unforgettable so this has to be a 9.0 possibly even a 9.5 for me. I can understand why others may find the themes too darkly disturbing and judge the characters much more harshly.
I will end with a nursery rhyme I vandalized for @sony_t:
Wheedle eagle, pudding and pie,
Kissed the butterfly and made her cry,
When the wolf came out to play,
Wheedle eagle flew away.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
A Blossoming Love that’s sweeter than Cherry !!
Lovely story and adaptation!CBAW is a famous BL Manhwa with a cute high school love story. Even though I was having some higher expectations, I am glad it could prove its worth to me and hopefully other viewers too. One can definitely see the improvement in the idea of the adaptions and stories, as well as the growing attention for Korean BLs. I would recommend “Cherry Blossoms After Winter" when one strives for a cute LGBTQ+ series.
Production / Music 6.5 >> 7.5
PASSABLE - Same as "Oh! Boarding House" the series is not extra outstanding nor is there something they failed in. The story feels less forced and rushed than the older gay romance series we got from Korea, and I am sure we can expect similar dramas to be produced soon. However, what is to criticise is the choice of airing only one episode per week. Even though their general duration of episodes increased compared to the Korean LGBTQ+ shows we know from the past, with all the other series airing (Cutie Pie, You´re My Sky, ...), 25 minutes a week is not enough to keep their watchers attention. It may look like a minor problem at first but it can negatively affect the entire rating of a series that could have gotten more attention if it aired 2 episodes a week. A bit of wasted potential, not by the actors or the production, but by those who made the decision to air only one episode a week. Nevertheless, I like the implementation of the music! It matches the overall mood of the series.
Plot / Story 8.5 >> 8.0
REMARKABLE - The plot of the Manhwa got implemented very well, with no major criticism from my side. It is not easy to produce an adaption that doesn´t offend the original fans but I see no problem with this cute series. Both the characters and the actors are a visual match and the story is catchy, exciting and emotional. The story revolves around the fact that Tae Sung and Hae Bom, for the first time ever, got into the same class, despite sharing the same roof for ages. This reveals a secret that causes their relationship to flourish. I can´t get enough of high school dramas and youth romances even if they are that cringe!
Cast 8.5
SATISFACTORY - Ok Jin Uk and Kang Hui did not disappoint. They executed their roles well and captivated me with their chemistry. So cute! The Supporting Cast also showed an admirable performance. I´m at a loss for words for their performance this time, because I don´t have much to criticize.
Rewatch Value/ Overall 8.0 >> 7.5
"Cherry Blossoms After Winter" offers some incredibly cute scenes and is light to watch.
Therefore I would recommend this show to anyone who likes high school romances with a little bit of drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
