Reviews

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.

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Scheming For The World

Who Rules The World is adapted from the novel of the same name, 且试天下 (Who Rules The World) by 倾泠月. But the novel author did not take part in the scriptwriting thus there have been changes to the drama. Though promoted as a wuxia drama, Who Rules The World is not 100% a wuxia drama as it also has a combination of romance, court, and political intrigue (heavier on the romance and court side). The drama has a lot of elements, but the drama manages to blend them all seamlessly, it doesn’t confuse you.

As a Tencent S+ project, the drama has a big budget and high-quality production, and the high production values are reflected in the overall production. Who Rules The World features outstanding fight scenes, authentic sets, lavish costumes, beautifully shot landscape, and remarkable CGI. In addition, the drama is also helmed by Yin Tao, the same director who directed Love and Redemption and Ancient Love Poetry, you can expect a good watch!

The drama opens with Bai Fengxi and Hei Fengxi's adventure in Jianghu, but also shows the interconnection between the court and jianghu. The story narrative unfolds at a fast but also leisure pace, it gives viewers enough time to understand the character’s relationship and their connections. The plot and character points are planned well in advance and the story unfolds in a way that pulls us into various plot threads and the partial reveals.

To me, what makes the drama stand out the most is the two main lead characters and great choreographed fighting scenes. I love how both leads are equally strong, and they understand each other well. There is no damsel in distress, it is always them fighting side by side against the enemy together and protecting each other when one of them is in danger. It is also entertaining to see them argue with each other, and their push and pull relationship! Hei Fengxi (Feng Lanxi) is a smart and strong character, he is a formidable foe. He’s always ahead of each other, know what others are planning, has a backup plan, and more. But you’ll understand why he did all that because it is the survival of the fittest. In order for him to be safe from all the schemes, he needs to schemes, outwit others and think ahead. On the other hand, Bai Fengxi (Feng Xiyun) is a dauntless and free-spirited character. She has a genuine heart, she cares for the world but at the same time, she does not let those bad guys off easily. Bai Fengxi uses white silk as her weapon because she believes in the world of martial arts, the highest level is not to kill.

Who Rules The World also has immaculate fighting scenes. It has a brilliantly choreographed fighting scene with engaging shots and thankfully no slow motion. The drama has adequate cinematography with bright also appropriate levels of color grading along with close-ups, immersive, and tracking shots.

Anchored by Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi, you can expect eye candy in the drama! Both of them are gorgeous actors whose emotions and facial expressions transform and make them compelling in their appeal. Moreover, the drama also features a large ensemble cast with many familiar faces. Zhao Lusi has once again surprised us with her new role. Her acting as Bai Fengxi has really shown her great improvement compared to her previous drama. From her articulation, bearing, posture, and acting, everything about her is perfect! On the other hand, Yang Yang imbues his character with elegance, grace, and wittiness at the same time. Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang have great rapport and chemistry, especially if you watch their behind the scenes. I also absolutely adore scenes where they bicker and fight side by side. I personally feel those scenes have more “sugar” rather than the actual romance slo-mo part. Though indeed, in some parts of the drama, Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang have an awkward interaction and bearing.

Who Rules The World is not flawless by any means. Who Rules The World has choppy editing, a rushed storyline, and some bad CGI towards the end. The drama was supposed to be a 45-episode drama, but they cut it down to 40 episodes, hence the choppy editing. Some scenes are not coherent with the others, you can still understand what's going on, but it's not pleasant to see. Another drawback because of the choppy editing is a rushed storyline towards the line. The drama spent too much time on the political side, it is too draggy. It would be better if the political plot was actually intriguing, but I personally feel like the political plot was like a child's play, I didn't feel there's a need to spend so much time on it. The drama spends too much time on the political part making the jianghu plot unattended and left out eventually. The rush to closure also makes some parts of the drama anti-climatic, for instance, the part where Feng Lanxi discovers that Bai Fengxi is Feng Xiyun. Furthermore, I feel towards the ending, the CGI gets bad. The CGI during the beginning (their adventure in jianghu) is very remarkable, especially the CGI of their fighting scenes and Bai Fengxi's white silk. But towards the end, the CGI looks cheap and fake, especially the fight scene ending.

Overall. Who Rules The World is a good watch if you are looking for a light historical drama (also a good watch for those who are new to cdrama).

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I don't know why people had such a problem with this show. It had a strong emotional pull that kept you engaged. The FL was confronted with a man that wronged everyone and a man that was wronged by everyone. Her devotion to the first man was out of ignorance. When realizing the wrong that was perpetuated on the other man and initiated by her own fiance the realization of who these two men really were rocked her reality. Yes, there was a bit of confusion at times, but it cleared up as revelations unfolded later. All three main leads were fabulous. The main lead's pure heart and love for justice drew her to face what she really wanted in a man.

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It isn't for everyone.

If you enjoy Thai Lakorns (I love them), then please do watch this drama. While it might not be the best if you enjoy proper slap/kiss lakorns then this will fit the bill (except of course it's in Chinese).  The drama was an absolute riot, from the crazy obssessed male lead to the innocent door mat of a heroine, to the crazy diabolical evil rival lady, let's not forget the dissaproving and equally diabolical mother (of the male lead). These are the ingredients for  thai lakorn people! You either love it or you don't, no one can make you understand why it's so good. It's not an acquired taste, the love for this type of drama is ingrained in my blood. Your pile of poop is my bounty!

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Honestly, what happened?

I want to start by saying - splitting it into 2 parts is dumb and I truly do not understand the logic behind it. I refuse to call it a season, because it is not - it’s the same story, same arc, same characters, direct continuation, no?

The 6 episodes we’ve got were truly just an introduction to the characters and plot - nothing less, nothing more. And I don’t even think the introduction was that good for a lot of the elements.

Van has no personality and the only interesting and entertaining aspect of his character were the few reactions he gives when interacting with Mi Ho. That’s it. I love Kim Nam Gil, I do, but this role ain’t it.

Mi Ho is fine and I love her chemistry with other characters. The issue was - for a fantasy driven action flick, they wasted too much time telling us who she is in the present time. We don’t care. I couldn't care less about her struggle for power in her father’s company and the nasty aunt. I did not need a lengthy set up on why she had to go to Jeju. Only 6 episodes - time is precious, why are we wasting it? Also, this is a side rant, but every time the magic happened and Da Hee made the moaning sound I was like: girl, this ain’t the sound you should go for in this situation…

Surprisingly, the character I was the least excited about ended up the most fun and entertaining. Kang Chan Hyuk aka Father Johan. Eun Woo should take more roles like that, fitting his personality. Yes, the more "emotional" scenes were often lacking, but overall this is a lot better than many of his previous performances.

The cold emotionless lead is just not his thing. I liked how Father Johan was honestly a rookie compared to the forces he had to go against and he was too confident for his own good. I especially loved him testing Van and how far he can push before Van starts punching back.

Eun Woo as a cheeky priest was to die for. The child became a man. Man of faith and man of kinks for many viewers.

Production was painfully questionable in the CGI department. Just the manifestation of the power/energy was great. The barrier set by “the villain” looked amazing. But then, the design of the possessed was laughable, the execution was wanky. I liked the tree spirit monster, but that’s it. The worst of it all? The CGI models for the actors when they were doing the crazy fighting scenes - the movements were just bad. Then we also have the awkward scenes where the use of harness and lines could not be more obvious. I don’t think they practiced enough…

Overall, a mess. As much as I had fun watching it and joking about it with other users on feeds, the quality of the show itself is just bad. I’m so confused… What happened? I assume they had the budget, the cast was also good… So why was the end product just mediocre at best?

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too slow but with some good NSFW scenes, start at episode 6 or 8

Overall: I initially dropped this after 3 episodes but sped thru the rest and my advice is to watch ep 1 around 12 minutes and then skip to episode 6 (and watch on a faster speed). 10 episodes about 1hr each. Aired on iQIYI. Re-aired on 9NAA YouTube channel. 9NAA also produced Check Out and I Am Your King series.

Content Warnings: manhandling, harassment, kick

What I Liked
- established couples
- NSFW was well done
- sibling relationship
- the title was hilarious
- production value (which makes sense because there was a lot of product placement)

Room For Improvement
- as a viewer I need to want the two leads to be together in a romance series, however, I didn't want these leads to be together, I didn't understand what changed Sky's mind and I think Venus was too harsh towards Sky for way too long, they could have had a five minute conversation but the viewer had to slog thru hours and hours of nothing to get to a mutual understanding
- most of the scenes could have been cut or shortened, watched it on 3x speed, as an example you could start episode 9 after 12 minutes and miss absolutely nothing
- when the beginning scene took place was unclear for awhile, flashbacks/forwards without clear transitions
- who interrupts like that and then continues to have a conversation, get out of the room! (episode 1)

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More Horror, Less Comedy, Good Lessons

Daebak Real Estate is the kind of rare Horror Kdrama which has more horror side to it unlike many other horror comedy Kdramas where even the ghosts are part of the comedy and the scenes are clearly over-edited. Some horror scenes in this were really scary. In fact, every horror scene felt intense.

About half of the story is about the basic steady plot that's going on smoothly & slowly, gradually involving more characters, one by one along with many connecting plots which are more or less related to the central story.

The story involves 4 major characters: Hong Ji Ah (Jang Na Ra), a skilled and stupendous exorcist, continuing her family business of exorcism through a real estate agency, Daebak Realty. Oh In Bum (Jung Yong Hwa), a conman disguised as exorcist who later turns into a psychic to help Hong Ji Ah. Together they discover the past about their families, that they had forgotten in the course a tragic incident. Joo Hwa Jung (Kang Mal Gum), the real estate agent at Daebak Realty. Heo Ji Chul (Kang Hong Suk), Oh In Bum's partner-in-conning who also joins Daebak Realty as a Chief.

The storyline is a good one and the direction is well-organised. One or two episodes felt a bit slow as they were just busy investing stuffs but manageable. Have some tissue paper by your side as at many instances, it will be too overwhelming because there are lots of crying scenes. Also, watch it with a minor TW because there are some triggering scenes which are obvious for a horror drama. Every character did their acting well, especially Jang Na Ra again proved her skills.

Romance part of the leads in the drama is almost zero yet some conversations seemed like flirting but who is complaining about that? Not me! Hong Ji Ah's character is cold yet very very strong but she's soft from inside too. She'll make you cry more than anything else. I can't just see NaRa noona crying. Also, my Yong crying few times made it worse for me TT.

Another thing to point out is cinematography. In most of the cases, the horror dramas hugely rely on VFX and editing even for the horror scenes to look scary but in this drama, they used cinematography to keep the atmosphere simple and look natural and at the same time give off the horror vibes.

OSTs of this drama aee good too yet it felt under-utilized a bit but I think that's fine because their intention was to keep it intense. The bg themes are thrilling and melancholic I must say. And Jung Yong Hwa's OST is definitely a catchy one.

Note: If you're expecting anything very extraordinary, you've come to the wrong place; but it's not bad at all. It's worth giving a watch because the story is definitely a good one :)

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Hwang-Tae yong's father

The beginning of the series was well done, yes it was perfect, but after the series came to the middle parts, it started to be processed slowly. I'm still watching because I'm curious about the ending. Although it attracted a lot of attention at first, the audience dropped as the series progressed.

hwang tae young i guessed his dad was already using the golden spoon


Also, right after Hwang-Tae yong's father started eating with Lee Seung-cheon's golden spoon, I noticed how Hwang-Tae Young's father was watching the spoon, obviously his father had a different attitude towards the poor and despised the poor. I hope the series ends well.

yes, it's over, it wasn't a very satisfying ending, frankly, this shouldn't have been the end, but the ending isn't too bad, yes, we've come to the end of another series.

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I think this is the 1st drama I've watched that didn't have an obvious ending as to who the female lead would end up with.. It had me becoming more and more curious as the episodes progressed of who would end up with who. When I had first read the plot, I wasn't particularly sold on the whole "age-gap" thing, so I wasn't expecting a lot from this drama, but after I had watched the 1st episode I was hooked and found myself looking forward to every Friday when I would be able to watch this. It was fun, had an incredibly funny cast, and didn't seem to have uninteresting moments where I just couldn't watch it anymore.

I actually didn't know I'd like the cast as much as I did. Shinohara Ryoko did such a great job in portraying her character. I wasn't really all too thrilled with the portrayal of Sakura in the beginning, but her funny, loyal, over-the-top self managed to grow in me really fast.. Which applies for the rest of the cast as well.

As for the music, there was nothing that stuck out to me. Everything was very fitting for this drama, but nothing too extraordinary to mention. Overall, I enjoyed watching this a lot. This kind of drama goes to prove that you don't need the young, popular idols in order to make a good drama. The type of friendship and romance this drama portrayed was enough for me to stick around all 11 episodes. It'll make you laugh, possibly even cry depending on which guy you root for, and will show you the value of friendship and real every day situations. I would definitely watch this again, one of the best J-Dramas I've seen this year.

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Soft, but heavy

A beautiful and moving series. Perhaps it generates a little too much frustration. The story is beautiful, the acting even more so. It has a soft atmosphere, but at the same time it is heavy and at times painful. It shows various aspects of life, in particular how we can change, succeed, fail, feel lonely and inadequate in a world that demands so much, when in the end the problem is that WE don't accept ourselves.
It shows the importance of presence, both in family life and in friendships and relationships. I was disappointed that the relationship with the protagonist's family was not explored in more depth at the end, given that it played a fundamental role in the first half of the series.

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10/10. A true masterpiece. The best Thai BL I’ve ever watched. Emotional, healing, and addictive

I’ve watched over 400+ BLs across every country, including more than 115+ Thai BLs, and I can say this with my whole heart: this is the best Thai BL I have ever seen.
It’s not just a series; it’s cinematic poetry.

From the very first episode, Love in the Moonlight completely consumed me. Set in the 1960s, every frame feels like a living painting. The heritage houses, vintage cars, trains, clothing, lighting, and music all come together in a hauntingly beautiful symphony. The cinematography is breathtaking; it doesn’t just tell a story, it makes you feel every unspoken emotion.

✨ Peak as Prince Saenkaew gives a once-in-a-lifetime performance. His portrayal of a young man crushed by family duty and unhealed trauma is so raw, so human, that it leaves you shattered.
When he cried after being forced to marry for the sake of his family’s wealth, I cried too. His trembling lips and quiet tears show the weight of a lifetime of pain. It’s acting beyond words.

💫 Pear as Sasin is pure magic. Calm, strong, and endlessly tender, he’s the light that pierces through Prince’s darkness. Their chemistry is off the charts. Every glance, every breath between them carries love, longing, and the ache of something you know can’t last.

The emotional depth of this series is devastating in the best way. Watching Prince Saenkaew being rejected by his father, blamed for his mother’s death, and told he’d never be loved broke me completely. That kind of pain lingers. It’s the pain of a child who never stopped apologizing for simply existing.

And yet, in all that darkness, Sasin loves him anyway. Their love feels forbidden yet destined, like two souls bound across time. Sasin doesn’t just love Prince Saenkaew; he heals him. He teaches him that love isn’t something you deserve only when you’re perfect, but something that saves you when you’re broken.

The letters they write to each other, no phones or texts, just ink and longing, made my heart ache. Every word was a heartbeat, every page a confession. It’s a beautiful reminder of a love that existed before instant replies, when feelings were carved into paper and memory.

The story doesn’t promise simple happiness; it promises truth. Prince Saenkaew stands at the crossroads between duty and love, and you can feel the weight of every choice he makes. Whether the ending will bring peace or heartbreak, it’s clear it will be powerful, emotional, and unforgettable.

💔 Love in the Moonlight broke me, healed me, and reminded me why I fell in love with BL storytelling in the first place. Every episode is a masterpiece, delicate, emotional, and unforgettable.

This isn’t just another BL.
It’s art.
It’s emotion.
It’s Thai BL history in the making.
🌙 10/10 and I would relive every heartbreak again.

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Don't recommend !

I normally don't write reviews but seeing one under this made me specifically want to comment. The comment was stressing that new bl fans were having a problem with this drama because of the stepbrothers and r*pe romanticizing. I've been a fan of bl since 2018 and I've seen many stepbrother plots which is not a problem. I am tired of the trope but it's something that'll probably never change. However, that person justified the r*pe as just a toxic factor within the couple. Romanticizing r*pe within dramas/novels should never be a thing and that's why people have a problem with it. TengTeng and Licheng completely saved the entire drama, I skipped through and ignored the other couple's parts. Not only did Yongjie admit to having sex with Xingsi against his will and getting him drunk on purpose, but he also took a video of it and showed it to his parents. That's sexual harassment. I get the point that person was trying to make but it was a terrible point, r*pe should not be justified as toxicity, it is a real problem in the bl world that people don't talk about. Yongjie being sweet and cute later on does not justify what he put Xingsi and his parents through. The show terribly executes their story and really could've done better. R*pe should not be included ever.

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So much badassery in this show it was amazing. First: Jang Hyuk and the way he played Dae Gil. I love that the lead character was constantly straddling the line between sanity and insanity; redemption and damnation; coldness and having feelings that ran so deep he must try in any way he could to kill them. Well Played Jang Hyuk! Second: The storyline was interesting and detailed. Along with the mix of drama and humor it kept me hooked to the very end. The cinematography, the pacing; the fact they were constantly on the move kept me moving right along with them. Third: The fight scenes were very cool. Usually I do not like a long drawn out fight scene but I found myself thinking a lot of other dramas could take a lesson from the director and the fight choreographers of this show. Well Done! Watch this if you are hesitating!

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This drama was really random and unpredictable, but that's what I loved about it. I know people had mixed feelings about Missing 9. This drama, at its core, is a comedy. Never forget that as you watch. The island itself is a dark place that tests human nature. You will see common themes like Nature vs. Nurture and Survival of the Fittest. In fact, they even mention back home (Seoul) as the happy place, so it would make sense that the scenes shot in Korea are more comedic and lighthearted.

Yes, it's kind of flawed and has its plot holes, but considering the original writer dropped out and another writer had to come in and pick up the pieces, it's pretty darn good. At times it did feel like different writers were writing different parts. It would go from Comedy to Horror to Action, for example. However, in the end, I think the last scene represented the drama real well as a whole. Basically, bright and colorful, but one hot mess. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

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