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1Terrifyingly Real!
If this doesn't terrifies you, you have seen nothing of the world yet!Unpopular opinion, but I think a lot of people are watching it wrong. Because what is depicted here is Real. Way Too Real.
I don't think the director set out to tell an entertaining story in the first place. With a plot like this, that would have been easy. Instead, he took a gamble. As someone who lives in a place that is slowly sinking into religious fascism, this was all too real. To see it being decipted with pinpoint accuracy was bone chilling. The Helplessness, the Fear and how some people are always ready to use it to their advantage. Once you realise that, you understand 2 things. First, why this series exists in the first place. And second, how close this world is to insanity. As someome who has experienced it all first hand, this could happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone.
A few unexplained things, and all that's all it takes for all hell to break loose.
Though not for everyone, Hellbound is a strong thriller with very powerful elements. The way human beings are potrayed is extremely realistic, and for anyone who has lived in a situation of religious fascism, extremely relatable. Among all the shows that has explored these themes, this was the best Korea or anyone in the world has produced yet (I have watched them all, even the ones with low ratings). Don't miss it if you are okay with dark heavy themes and are willing to look at Human Nature for what it is.
Few things definitely could have been better, like a more bare sound design to create regular tension. No doubt about that. Search (2020) is an excellent example of how to do that. At the same time though, I think it does what it set out to do brilliantly! Not all cinema is out there to entertain. Some can simply exists as an warning. And this is a strong one.
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This review is the ultimate shattering of pretty illusions caused by all the decietful 10 star rated reviews of this drama, provided by yours truly.
See I have no problem if you loved the show, if this kind of thing is your thing and you enjoyed watching it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and boos should do their yous.
But, if you're tryna sell me the fact that 'this drama is a beautiful redemption story filled with well-developed characters and a thoughtout plot-line', I'm going to have to tell you to sit the fuck down.
Because, that's not it at all. Objectively speaking, Sawang Biang is quite a simplistic story targeted to appeal to mankind's perverse pleasure. It's really not that deep. I personally like complex, wounded characters who're almost unforgivable but at the very least, I want them to be well written in order to understand their reasons.
Kawee, to put it simply, is a pathetic little bitch.
A child of abuse and neglect (both of which aren't properly explored) who's fundamentally broken but has very little reason to be. A spoiled brat with daddy issues- basically every rich kid's life story nowadays. Even if I don't bring out the 'kids in Africa with worse lives' argument, it's still safe to say that Kawee had no right or reason to act out the way he did. He pretended to be tough but was weak to his core. Someone deprived of love, affection and angry at the world. All these things should've amounted to him being quite an interesting and complex character but instead, the show made him fall flat. Which is why, though I liked the potential he had, I hated what he ended up being.
A lot of people described the show with flowery words like 'a beautiful story of a man's broken road to redemption' except that road broke and came to a dead end far before it could ever reach its goal.
Kawee's actions are surely unforgivable and the only way he could've been saved was if he had the brutal wake up call of self actualization. If he truly realized how horrible he had been. If his sins woke him up at night and tormented him. If he developed a deep rooted guilt and then travelled a slow journey towards being a somewhat better person; someone not fully redeemed but not the devil he was before either. Here, however Kawee changes like the whether. He wakes up one day, realizes he's gonna be a father and is all like 'Oh shit, time to be a saint now' and the next day we see him be the best person alive.
Like for fuck sake, we're talking about an extremely damaged person with deep rooted insecurities here. How the hell can a few sentimental speeches expressing regret and a few months of asskissing possibly erase all the destruction he wreaked in an innocent woman's life?
Let's not forget the fact that he constantly boasts about all the 'good' things he does being all like ' Isn't this enough, Narin? I'm trying so hard for you, can't you see?' Really bitch? Fite me.
Now for all those who say that the chemistry between the leads was great...
Are you out of your Goddamn mind?
Maybe I'm blind but where you saw chemistry I saw massive cruelty. This wasn't a case of dubious consent where the girl is half-willing and half not. No. This was an act of pure and unadulterated malice. He rapes her, beats her, manipulates and blackmails her to do his bidding and treats her like a dog on a collar. There is nothing remotely romantic about it. It's infuriating is what it is.
Almost as worse as the Main lead, were the side characters. I have never encountered a more ridiculous drama mom in my entire life. She's so nice, so kind, so lovely that her piety takes over all her brain cells. Even though she is clearly aware of what a douche bag Kawee is, she forces her abused daughter to constantly apologize to him and be nice to him.
I mean, how clueless can you be? However, when she finally gets a clue and makes this 'I'll never let him hurt my daughter again' declaration; she acts on this statement by acting all chummy with her daughter's rapist the next day by teaching him how to cook.
Bravo Mama, Bravo.
The rest of the meddling no-lifers known as the supporting cast were no good either. They constantly guilt tripped the heroine, making her believe as if she's the one in the wrong for not easily forgiving the man who destroyed her life. They consistently forced her to be with him and it's an all out classic case of victim blaming.
Even her pregnancy docter tells her to obey the man. Like bro? Y'all are acting like he stole her pup and she's mad. No, that asshat stole her life, her happiness and her virginity. Unfuckingbelievable.
To be real with you, I'm not a faint hearted or easily offended person. I've watched and read far brutal stories than this. A lot of people take up controversial topics and then proceed to effectively ruining it. Been there, seen that. The real reason why I'm so passionately angry about the show is how much it trivializes rape. It makes it appear as something that is normal. Nobody in the show properly adresses the issue or deals with the repercussions. Rape used to be a word bomb; an absolute taboo but here it's shown like an everyday thing. If you're not going to properly adress the subject and the aftermaths of it, why the hell are you putting it in your show in the first place? What's worse is that while I was watching this show even I, for a minute overlooked the whole rape thing with how normalized it was but later, when I thought about it and the scenes revolved around my head, I was deeply shook.
There is no way a victim and an assaulter can be together the way they are in Sawang Biang. Kawee has no reason to love Narin and it's obvious that what he feels, is this sick infatuation and ownership towards her because of how much he physically and mentally controls her. Narin, on the other hand has no other option but to accept him. She's forced into a situation where she has a kid to protect, humiliation to face and family and friends that think she's the villain. This is an unfortunate compromise of a union disguising itself as a love story and I call bullshit.
The only reason I even gave it a three stars was because of Ken and Anna. I liked both their acting. The way Ken twisted his pretty features into pure ugliness made Kawee an all the more deplorable character. Narin played by Anna was strong though out. She resisted the situation as best as she could and was someone whose will wasn't truly broken till the very end.
I don't recommend this drama to anybody so if you are someone who likes to venture in the realm of the dark, go read Six by K.I Lynn. It's far graphic than this show but has characters that stay true to themselves till the very end and find love in horrible circumstances.
Enjoy!
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Not Even The Right Shade of Song Ah’s Lipstick Could Save This Series...
As an eponymous novel adapted into a 16-part drama, it is always evident that there will be implausibilities with storytelling due to having cut certain material and storylines, however, the drama “ She Would Never Know”( or alternatively translated “Sunbae Don’t Put On The Lipstick”’s ) biggest inconsistency ultimately boils down to its inability to accurately create driving characters and storyline, as well as an intrinsically well-rounded relationship between our two main leads Song Ah ( Won Jin Ah) and Chae Hyun Seung ( Wo Roon).
Surprisingly the concept of the show wasn’t entirely “ terrible” in itself. Although not original or thoughtful by playing out its concept as an office romance drama , screenwriter Chae Yoon did seem to initially introduce interesting themes about South-Korean culture from the workplace, the beauty industry and the clear divide between respect of older colleagues as well as this posing an obstacle to seek out relationships ( as shown by Hyun Seung’s respectful term “ Sunbae” ). However, this show soon gave way to its own calamitous downfall by choosing rather than exploring these issues of social divide with respect and dignity, glossing them over in biased favour of the questionable relationship and characterisation between Song Ah and Hyun Seung over the course of the series.
Before continuing this review, it is important to advocate that the problems of the characters did not lie with either Jin Ah or Wo Roon as actual actors in the series . Although honestly both actors have had more beguiling performances in the past ( Jin Ah in “Steel Rain” and Wo Roon famously in “Extraordinary You”), there was nothing entirely unwatchable about either actor during their performance. At the same time, it is a fair conclusion that there was nothing intrinsically captivating about either performance , however, this may also be deduced as a consequence of the quality of screenwriting as well and the problems behind characterisation .
Before addressing possibly the biggest elephant in the room through the character of Hyun Seung, it is probably important to explain why Song Ah was an intrinsically poorly-written female lead upon certain grounds.
As a character, Song Ah was defined notably by her trope as the “ Sunbae” archetype; the “ slightly older female boss and crush ” of main lead Hye Seung, however, the “ age gap” between the characters never felt that strikingly important for the characters themselves . Although it is important to respect that a socio cultural age difference can be natural obstacle in relationships, even by South-Korean standards, a year difference between characters is nothing particularly shocking or controversial.
Beside her necessary drive as a plot mechanism for the affections and obstacles for Hye Seung within her relationship with the sociopathic Lee Jae Shin ( Lee Hyun Wook), it was hard to prominently define Song Ah as anything more than a complacent doormat for the male characters in the series to walk upon.
This is not advocating that Song Ah didn’t react emotionally to her circumstances and it did help to present a level of some humanity at times to her character, however, at the same time, viewers never really can intrinsically “get to know” Song Ah as anything more than the “ love interest” in the series; we do not get to see a lot about Song Ah’s background and wider interactions with friends and family to learn more intimately about Song Ah as a defined person, and her intrinsic reasonings towards even going out with Jae Shin ( despite his despicable personality) in the first place. Additionally what is also teeth-grinding about Song Ah as a character was falling hook, line and sinker again for the same and just as problematic relationship with Hye Seung. This is not stating that Song Ah shouldn’t have been with Hye Seung due to being the main pairing of the show, but the message put across by the screenwriter seemed to implicate that Song Ah had both little self-respect and dignity as an individual by allowing Hye Seung to continue on with his emotional manipulation without raising problems against this.
Naturally, this draws us onto the biggest elephant in the room; Hye-Seung. Introduced as the “hoobae” of Song Ah and a younger man at the company, and the “ hopeless romantic”, Hye-Seung’s feelings for Song Ah in the beginning of the series are fairly sweet and naturally act as the major driving force of the drama through trying to win the affections of Song Ah . However, only a couple of times in the series, are we actually exposed to Hye-Seung’s sense of identity outside of obsessions with Song Ah, and when we are shown this Hye-Seung’s flaws become strikingly prominent and unaddressed to audiences. The most notable weakness of Hye-Seung’s character can be sourced from his feelings towards Song-Ah growing to become a fairly self-absorbed and disenchanted obsession that he will win her over through meddling in her social life outside of work.
This is certainly most striking in the first episode with Hye-Seung’s direct words to Song Ah shown onscreen ‘ it doesn’t suit her’ by wiping away her lipstick. Although this can be initially taken on in a romantic light by Hye-Seung’s overt intimacy establishing the main pairing in the series, there was something a little unsettling by Hye Seung’s to control even Song Ah’s appearance in this scenario. To make matters worse for those unaware what was happening in the pretext of this scene, Hye Seung decides then to openly tell Song Ah of her boyfriend Jae Shin’s behaviour behind her back. Arguably, Hye Seung was open to Song Ah rather than leading her around in circles about Jae Shin’s behaviour, however, it seemed a symbol of repressive control by Hye Seung to suddenly start dictating Song Ah’s personal life in a form of emotional manipulation.
This often made it hard to truly romanticise or see both respect and dignity towards the relationship of Hye Seung and Song Ah, due to neither character being able to learn from past mistakes or addressing one another’s problems mutually in a health manner. The perfect example or the is seen in a later episode from the series when a drunk Hye Seung bumps into an emotionally unstable Song Ah and proceeds to proclaim that they should date. This is not just merely controlling, but emotionally manipulative upon Hye-Seung’s part as well.
Naturally, romantic relationships in real life are messy and complicated, and there was some elements of this transcending over into the relationship of Hye Seung and Song Ah in these scenes, however, it is important also to consider both Hye Seung’s past habit of emotionally gaslighting Song Ah, as well as Song Ah’s worrying complacency to these acts as well. . Rather than allowing Song Ah space and time away or approaching Hye Seung with good intentions as a friend before a lover due to her conflicted emotional state of being, he is too egotistical within his own selfish desires to date her, than to actually respect her feelings and psyche. This is not a healthy or symbiotic relationship of respect and dignity.
The pacing of the show oddly felt imbalanced as a consequence of the invest within Hye Seung and Song Ah’s lacklustre pairing often driving away a sense of overarching storyline and greater focus on other characters such as Jae Shin and more interestingly the chairman’s granddaughter Lee Hyo Joo (Lee Joo Bin) . Yet rather than allowing viewers to see intrinsic development and obstacles within the romantic pairings of the show, the drama rode too heavily upon cliches often resulting in the overall storyline feeling run-of-the-mill, than captivating or an intriguing love story. The ending is evidently sugary sweet, but perhaps delivered a less impactful result than viewers originally hoped.
Fundamentally it is probably fair to say that “ She Would Never Know” wasn’t terrible within acting or the premise itself, but it became its own worst enemy with poorly-tackled characterisation, a questionable portrayal of a relationship between our main leads, lacking overarching storyline and plot as well as pacing. This is a typical and cliche romantic drama perfect if you’re bored and have nothing else to do, but certainly not worth spending actual time watching.
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AGAINST THE CURRENT OF MELODRAMA! best script in a long time!
by far one of the best scripted shows in 2026.. i wasn't hoping for much, i like both main actors and i know they are brillant to give nuanced character depiction.But such a classic plot of "a family treated for treason where the daughter survives " can easily turn annoying, melodramatic and cliché....
Now that I have completed this series, I realize it was a very ambitious one, and well executed almost perfectly.
here are things that amazed
- The story is tight and smart. the production trusts its viewers without including overly repetitive, dumb, or too obvious plots.
- our Lianxiang and ML both are resourceful in their own ways and the plot is unfolds brilliantly and subtly without too many flashbacks/ sensational clichés.. While this story has romance, it is not the center of the story and understanding why is part of the series concept on women's lives.
- with 47 episodes, the story evolves at a GREAT PACE.
- main characters really appropriated their stories in a way that makes a classic story be original: FL journey as maid is so realistic and her motivations are really interesting to follow along.
-many support actors are also so brillant in their roles!! its nice to see!
- By episode 18, we already have 3 subplots closed!!! i mean this story is rich!!
The story kept surprising all the way. However I understand it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Without spoiling anything, this story is about survival but ultimately, living. Lanxiang is a very wise character and what makes this show special is how this show truly goes "against the current" of melodrama and romantic sensationalist scenes (that i also love!! don't get me wrong!! ).
Lanxiang makes you see further than the confrontations, the life and death situations, even one's weaknesses and obsessions. It re-sensitizes you to the core of human struggle, and ultimately, gender inequalities. so this is a very composed series.
While it tones down on things, it doesn't shy away for more raw scenes of the brutal life experiences of the characters.
I do have some reservations towards the role of some men characters, and decisions to time skip. Nevertheless, in the scope of the show as a whole, we see the production did have a clear vision.
This drama is a life journey beautifully executed.
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"Emotional Damage!"
This drama is intriguing if you know what you're in for, and extremely frustrating if you don't. This isn't a true romance drama, at least not in the traditional sense. It's not exactly a love story either, but more a story about pursuing love... or running away from it. Many people watch romantic KDramas for the escapism of a 'soul mates who are meant' to be story or a 'love against all odds' story. Instead, we have a slow-paced drama about longing, obsession, denial, misunderstandings, toxic behavior, and emotional damage told in a more realistic way. The opposite of the escapism most people crave. I found the female lead enraging at times and the male lead frustrating, but I also couldn't look away. Yes, the leads have chemistry, but it's the kind of palpable chemistry that makes you torn between rooting for them and raging against them. This drama makes you seriously question what makes a relationship worth fighting for, or can it only be considered a love story if the love works out?It stars Yoo Yeon Seok as the stoic and dependable Ha Sang Soo, and Moon Ga Young as the stubborn and guarded An Soo Young. What I liked is that both characters felt non-cliché. Sang Soo,'s puppy dog eyes often made me feel bad for him while Soo Young.'s deceptive but pained smile made me both furious and sad. They are both messy, although it's clear that the female lead is much messier, and sometimes just the way they looked at each other could fuel the emotion of a scene. Then we have Geum Sae Rok as the spoiled romantic Park Mi Kyung, and the equally romantic Jung Ga Ram as small-town boy Jung Jong Hyun. If you hate love triangles be warned that this one is a love square most of the time and even ventures into love pentagon territory. Connections between the leads often get intense, depressing, and cringy... but never boring (although repetitive).
Would I watch this again? Not likely. I think the performances are great but what was exciting to watch the first time would probably just be upsetting if I watched again knowing the ending. Also, the story, although it follows a clear timeline, felt pretty one note at times. Boy pursues girl. Girl runs away. Repeat. Sure, it's not always as simplistic as that but that's still the main formula. The theme can be a downer as well since not one couple in this drama is drama & dysfunction free... well maybe one, but that's because they don't include them much in the story.
Overall, this drama is an acquired taste. We love to see stories of people who find the perfect match and live happily ever after, but what happens if you meet someone who sparks interest and desire but fear, misunderstandings, society, and past hurt get in the way? What if you love someone much more than they love you? What if you don't trust love at all? I understand why some viewers would not be interested in a drama like this, but I think I appreciate the imperfect love story it aimed to tell. I can even appreciate the reflective and bittersweet ending. This is one of the rare KDrama moments where the title is actually perfect. Whether it's about getting in the way of your own happiness, or regret, or accepting that every relationship isn't meant to be just because there's interest, it is definitely the kind of story that could have you reminiscing about any love unrealized. Still, This cast and this drama definitely held my interest, so if you're up for it, it may hold yours too.
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This review may contain spoilers
Well... I am writing this review completely depressed because I finished yet another amazing drama, and now it's going to be hard for me to find a new one... Ok, I'll start with the small things first, but if you really want my actual opinion, just skip to the story part. Music. I thought it was pretty good, but then again, music is one of the small things I pay attention to... But, seeing how it didn't disturb the scenes in any way, but rather added more emotion into them, I give music a ten.
Acting/Cast. Oh gosh. What can I say? For me, I think all the actors were absolutely amazing. If I were to recast this, I couldn't imagine the story with any other actors. In fact, I'm sure the entire cast were all unfamiliar faces to me, but I thought they portrayed their characters wonderfully.
Rewatch Value. Hm... I usually give amazing dramas like this one (which have a huge impact on me) a rewatch value of 8. I really do want to watch it again, but I don't want to go through all the depressing moments again... I can't really give an accurate review for this one, so I'll just give it a 7...
Yay! Finally. The story. Just... wow. I really couldn't have expected anything better. I liked how the producers spaced the drama out. 29 episodes may seem like a lot for a drama, as most South Korean dramas usually have 16, 18, or 20 episodes. So, you're probably thinking that with lots of long dramas, there are going to be slow periods at the middle. However, that is not the case with this one. WBDS is almost like two series' combined into one. There are small climaxes in the story at around episode 5, and episode 23, and one huge climax at episode 14-16. In fact, After that climax, many new characters were introduced, and it seemed to me as though a new series was starting. Another thing about this drama that impressed me a lot were the bonds between friends and family. I was absolutely amazed with how much strength was shown in those bonds... Argh. I don't think I can give any more explanations without it resorting to spoilers... Also, I loved how the story not only told a story of a generation, but the story of many. The drama contained small parts which focused on each of the main characters, and with those tidbits, I realized that I could relate with them, and understand each character a little more. Throughout the drama, the main characters matured considerably (and a small thing I realized was that the producers changed the hairstyles of the main characters throughout the drama to reflect their personality). Ok, now for the negatives, and why I didn't give the story a ten. Well, there is really only one reason for this drama not to receive a ten. I actually thought the story was very well thought out and executed, but in truth, it was much too depressing. Too many great characters died (hope that's not a spoiler...) and while this happens with 98% of everything I watch, I still have not grown desensitized to my favourite characters dying. Also, Yeo Woon is one of the most pitiful characters I've ever seen, and I really don't like it when a character is too pitiful, especially when he looks like THAT. You know what I mean.
All in all, I loved everything about it except for the utterly depressing death scenes.
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A cute drama about family, love, friendship, and chasing after your dreams!
If you're in for a happy feels trip, this drama is the one.It isn't very different or out of the ordinary
but it's the type of drama that will not fail to put a smile to your face through the whole thing
We have female lead Mashiba, who is an influencer on instagram and works hard to be a buyer
and male lead Fujino, who seeks a minimalist life while pursuing his chef dreams
Secondary characters in their shared house or Mashiba's workplace, who are also equally lovable...
And if you like seeing cute pets in dramas
they have a really cute dog that makes many appearances too ^o^
This drama is full of love and mutual support
and offers a breath of fresh air from the dark or scheme-y dramas out there :)
Highly recommend if you want something light and inspiring.
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A promising start that devolves into pure hot mess
I really wanted to like this one— but alas, it disappointed me. Knock Out starts out really strong. The set-up is done well, and the backdrop of the show is interesting. I even like the two main characters; Thun and Keen have an interesting dynamic.HOWEVER, I think the biggest weakness of the show is that the leads get together way too soon. There's absolutely no courtship or flirting between them. They meet for the first time in the 1st episode and move on to having s** by the 4th episode. This makes everything that comes after very slow and repetitive. I wish they would have put in some amounts of push and pull between the leads. Because the romance plot wraps up so quickly, the rest of the show feels repetitive as well. Thun fights character 1, wins or loses, gets hurt, he and Keen do skinship. Thun fights character 2, wins or loses, gets hurt, he and Keen do skinship. On and on it goes. Oh, and there are WAY too many villains in the show. Basically, everybody besides Thun and Keen are bad/outright villanous in some way.
This is particularly disappointing because the actors definitely have a lot of physical chemistry. They give the NC scenes their all, and there are sparks. But a relationship is more than just physical sparks. There has to be something we feel when the two look at each other as well. And because the characters are not super deep and get together quickly, this aspect is entirely missing. I was just left feeling a major meh with this one.
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That is indeed true the plot is the flaw of this drama.. but at the end I was totally hooked by this drama.
The reason is that the actors are really amazing!
They are really able to make you feel the characters emotions! Amazingamazinamaaazing really, I never tought that Go Ah ra was such a great actress!
I'm not the type of person that would rewatch a drama, but in the case of reply 1994, I would make an exception!
So if you are afraid to start watching this drama, because you have probably alredy watched reply 1997, give it a try just watch the first 3 episodes and I'm pretty sure you will tottaly enjoy the rest of the drama ! (I say the first 3 episodes, since for getting rid of my prejudice towarad this drama, those were the amount of episodes I needed)
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Watch "Love Like the Galaxy" instead
The Long Ballad was too damn L-O-N-G!!! It clocked in at 49 episodes, which could have been easily condensed to half that amount. It dragged on unmercifully. There was zero chemistry between the FL and ML.Zhao Lusi was the only good performer in this show, as she is great in practically every show she is in. I watched this show mainly for her and Leo Wu. Leo Wu's performance was mediocre, maybe because he was young at the time (20 yrs old) and had not yet perfected his acting skills (but see my next paragraph about Leo Wu).
If you want to see a better historical drama with both Zhao Lusi and Leo Wu, I recommend that you watch "Love Like the Galaxy" which was produced a year after this show. LLTG has an outstanding screenplay, costumes, set design and special effects, and all the actors/actresses displayed excellent acting skills. That show is superior to this Long Ballad show in all ways! Although LLTG has 56 episodes, it goes fast without any dragged-out scenarios.
I will not be rewatching this show in future or recommending it to anyone.
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This review may contain spoilers
A NOT SO HIDDEN HIDDEN GEM
LOVED THIS!!!!!!This is definitely one of the better ones in 2024!!!
After LR ended this was the only thing i looked forward to every week....Everything here is so so good.
I am a sucker for pretty cinematography and the way they've captured all the scenes and emotions of each and every actor is the biggest reason i loved this. The best part of it is how they've given proper time for each characters personal life stories. which is oftentimes missing in some dramas (even if they're dragged to 16 episodes lol).
The actors are all amazing at their jobs...especially the little girl. The amount of emotions she has shown and the pure talent she has is clearly visible through the screen.
Another thing that I really liked was the bgm, specially the playful one at the end of each episode.
Also the pacing in this drama is soooo good, like you would not want to miss a single scene and everything holds some importance. I loved how in the start it was so sneaky and everything but as the show progressed things became much more serious.
Again, shoutout to the production team, they did an amazing job with everything as well as the writing, directing even the sets were so pretty.
All in all if ur reading this u need to watch it....it's more than just superpowers and the plot, it's also about how you grow as person, learn from your mistakes and just be a better person.
Tbh it just has so much content and quality that even without the superpower plot it would make a quite decent drama.
EVERYTHING'S GREAT ABOUT IT. GO WATCH IT. BYE.
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The drama started off interesting as many awesome characters were introduced. For example, I have to talk about the actor Choi Min Soo as King SukJong. He played the character so well, I could literally feel the chills whenever he was on screen. One of my favourite aspect of the show was when his scenes came on.
Jang Geun Suk as Baek DaeGil, started off as a good for nothing young boy who eventually becomes a great swordsman as he takes revenge. I feel that he executed his character well and seeing him was a delight and definitely made it worth my while.
It was my first time seeing Yeo Jin Goo in a main role and I was pleasantly surprised. As a young actor, he acts very well and he definitely stole the limelight whenever he graced our screens with his presence.
Jun Kwang Ryul as Yi In Jwa was a menacing character that we as the audience were all meant to hate and I do feel that he did justice to the role and many times, his cunning ways made me dislike him so much.
Although there were all these interesting characters as well as amazing actors playing them, there were many pointless characters in this drama too. Characters that made me scream WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE. That aspect was a downer because it seemed that they were just inserted for filler scenes and had no connection to the story whatsoever.
As I mentioned earlier, this drama STARTED off well however, as episodes went on ,the story had just spiraled into a totally different direction. There were many times I got confused and bored. There was no character development in some parts.The character would be saying something and then doing completely different later on with no specific justification for what and why they changed their minds. Many pointless deaths that made no sense and didn't add to the story at all. Basically, the plot went haywire at some point.
The music was actually very enjoyable, I found a couple of the songs stuck in my head and had to go and download them.
Overall, I would say if you really like sageuks and would love to see Jang Geun Suk doing amazing sword fighting then go ahead and watch it but be prepared to question the justification for certain characters or scenes.
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I just can´t let go
I can´t get this series out of my head after finishing it a few days ago!Short version: I started the series for the plot that was given but stayed for seeing the romantic development between Yeom Mi Jung and Mr. Gu.
Longer version: It is not something I am proud of to say but I had no interest in the other characters and relationships that were portrayed. Maybe because I was overwhelmed with the quantity of main roles therefore struggles and I am more interested in "minimalistic" heavy plots? It is something I could have expected after reading the plot summary, still I was surprised about the depressive atmosphere I felt watching the three siblings struggling.
The relationship between Mr. Gu and Yeom Mi Jung was so interesting for me and it was a lot to take in. In the first few episodes I was so confused and could not grasp what was going on between them especially with him. I was scared of him at first! :D
The acting and the charisma of Yeom Mi Jung/Kim Ji Won and Mr. Gu/Yon Suk Ku and the (non-)verbal dialogs were phenomenal. I could relate to Mi Jungs thoughts a lot and felt seen and heard a few times. I would LOVE a series with the two actors again, maybe even with those characters. Definitely gonna watch all upcoming series by the screenwriter Park Hae Youn!
PS: Maybe I need to give the series a second try but for now I state by this rating.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unexpected treat
This isn't like any other series, it's not continuous story but it's more of a sitcom centered around planning department three and how they are put into various work and life situations with a touch of comedy...What did I love about Never give up
1.The cast
They were all soo good I must say and pretty naturally funny, it isn't easy to be so serious and funny at the same time and these guys every one of the actors were soo good, Their interactions with one another felt natural and not forced they all had amazing chemistry with one another, they managed to keep the viewers engaged I sort of felt part of the planning department 3 family the entire time.
2.The plot setting
The plot felt consistent and funny though got real and emotional at some point that's what I call comedy with soul, I never got bored once like at all, I loved the setting it felt like these characters or actors and actresses were pretty much just having fun together, the pacing was perfect and yes don't worry about the 40 episodes each was 20 - 30 minutes long, it didn't drag out because each episode felt like a new adventure loved the sitcom setting
Overall this was a treat I didnt know I needed, it felt good to see Dylan Wang in a new role more funny and loving at that, I became a new fan of Zheng kai who was my favourite male character in the entire series, Yukee chen proved to me once again that she's a good actress hope to see her in more projects, and the other cast iam thankful for this, it kept me stress free, I enjoyed the 40 episodes journey of NEVER GIVE UP
I would highly recommend to watch this if you looking for some thing fresh and relaxing yet heart warming
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Surely not worth of waiting, but was enjoyable.
Being one the most anticipated c-dramas of this year, and being in my ptw for a long time I expected very much from 'Love Scenery' though it doesn't have any factor which specifically disappoints me there was nothing that could impress me so it was just an average show for me, wasn't really worth of waiting for ages. It was just an enjoyable ride nothing much.In the first episodes, we didn't get anything more than just gaming scenes with 'A big amount of missed encounters'
Story:
A predictable filled with cliches plot. 'Fate' and 'Unrealisticness' bothered me a bit. It was too unrealistic and hard to believe many events. The first half of the drama gives slow-burned romance vibes but later it turns out to be totally opposite. Another thing that bothered me in the plot was unnecessary twists and surprises because it just felt it was just for sake of 31 episodes. Surely plot isn't a key point as it's nothing different than most Chinese rom-com.
Characters:
Lu Jing being perfect in every way possible an ideal ML. Though his character is really good as I prefer more realistic character it wasn't that great for me. But he is mature more than his age but can be rude too sometimes. Talking about Liang Chen she is just unrealistically naive and sweet, to be honest, I'd expected her character to be badass and 'A strong FL.' Not being a fan of any side couples but I really liked leads chemistry.
Pros:
1. Cinematography: It has beautiful cinematography, one of the strong points of the show. The camera angles are perfect though the editing of the first few episodes of the show wasn't that good it gets better. Being good throughout good still didn't impress me in the gaming scenes.
2. Music:Here's a thing which is done properly 'Music' surely suits the main genre as it has. The OSTs and background music, soundtracks are really really. I really love the opening song 'Never Stop' in its rock version.
3. The chemistry between leads is good and they look great together
4. Perfect if you like sweetness and fluff.
Cons:
1. Annoying and unnecessary SML. His character was kind of creepy too.
2. The amount of gaming scenes in the starting become the most boring part for me.
3. The voice dubbing wasn't that good.
4. I've a little problem with FLs acting which feels like really overboard and too much.
5. It's too predictable, cringy and cliche.
6. None of the characters were dimentional
So overall it have both good aspects and bad too! it could have been better in many ways. Still didn't had memorable experiendce but it was fun and interesting ride for me.
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