Reviews

Another Gem from the one and only JAPAN!

First off. For those of you who are weary about watching this, because it looks sad, well it is sad. If your heart can handle it, then I highly recommend this drama series. It’s a beautiful story and probably one of the best Japanese BLs and in general, BLs of this year. Acting and chemistry was on point and there were no evil or bad characters. Inoue Sora as Oumi Mitsuru and Komiya Rio as Yamada Koichi were the perfect pairing. The osts are very catchy and fit perfectly with the theme of the drama. I actually listen to them daily. One of the reasons why I enjoy watching dramas is because I get to discover new artists through the ost of the dramas. Anyways, highly highly recommend this series if you can handle sad endings. I will gladly rewatch this series in the future, despite it being a sad one. It’s the perfect drama to get me into the feels.

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Fluffy and Sweet Slice of Life Romance That's Easy To Watch!

If you want a light watch without much drama, and focuses on character development and daily romance, this is a drama you might be interested in! Xing Yun has worked for her boss Xia Ke since their gaming company was a small startup, up to its growing success today. She doesn’t have any relationship experience at all, and as she ventures into dating and finding her true love, her boss somehow always keeps getting involved.

I'd highly recommend having a watch if you like these tropes:

♡ Reserved on the Outside, Considerate on the Inside: I loved how our male lead was actually very kind and how his characterization is really refreshing. Xia Ke has a personality where he is hard to get familiar with, but he is incredibly caring, patient, and never tries to force his feelings on those he loves. He's not arrogant or tries to control Xing Yun - instead he waits after her and he tries to help her achieve her own goals, instead of doing them for her instead. He sometimes even holds back his own feelings and desires to make sure that Xing Yun is happy and to protect her. Xing Xiao Lin did a great job portraying Xia Ke as someone who is independent and ambitious, but also shows insecurities and even can defer to Xing Yun out of his love for her.

♡ A Healthy Relationship and Love: Xia Ke and Xing Yun have a very sweet yet realistic relationship. From the first episode, you discover they have already worked with each other for a long time, and have a strong bond because they both deeply respect each other’s work ethic and care for each other. However, the drama also depicts how they eventually realize their feelings are romantic, and how Xing Yun’s “first love experiences” eventually lead her to her “final love” with Xia Ke.

♡ Office Romance: Xing Yun is an artistic developer, and the drama focuses on her and Xia Ke’s efforts to create an otome game (mobile dating-sim targeted at girls, the game in the drama seems to be modelled after the very popular Love and Producer: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice). This means that there are a lot of cute scenes in the working environment, and work also poses as both a catalyst and sometimes even as a problem in the drama’s storyline.

♡ Best Kiss Scenes: Without spoiling too much, I will say that this drama has some of the hottest and well-acted kiss scenes. They’re not small pecks or surface kisses, but instead filled with emotions and show both Xia Ke and Xing Yun’s true feelings for each other. These are meaningful and passionate kisses, and they were definitely one of the biggest highlights of the show.

♡ Drama-Lite: The drama overall doesn’t have any outlandish or heart-wrenching problems. It’s quite light on the angst and problems often reflect real life issues, such as work issues or relationship issues. There’s a lot of focus as well on character growth, and how our leads develop a lot both in love and in their careers. I will admit there are some situations (usually meant to drive plot) which may seem unrealistic, but overall the general atmosphere is that this is a romance that focuses on the daily lives and goals of its characters.

However, there are some things that you might not like:

♥ Side Characters: Some of the side characters really frustrated me because of how they were introduced, and also how sometimes they caused a lot of the bigger problems in the drama. The drama synopsis indicates that there are three pairings: #1) Xing Yun and Xia Ke are the main couple, #2) the storyline involving Xia Ke’s sister, her ex-husband, and Chu Nan, as well as the pairing involving #3) Xia Ke’s friend Ah Yu. However, the drama didn’t really treat the couples with equal attention, which made it difficult for me to be as invested in them as I was in our main couple. In the beginning Xia Ke's sister and Chu Nan played a very big role, but then completely dropped in the middle and barely showed up in the ending. On the other hand, Ah Yu becomes important in the middle of the drama, and gets more scenes up to the final episode. I would say that I probably was only emotionally invested in Xia Ke and Xing Yun, and found myself often skipping the parts involving the side characters.

♥ Chemistry: This is really my own personal preference, but I think that Bai Lu and Xing Xiao Lin were cute, but did not have an "intense" chemistry. This does not mean that they had no chemistry at all, but instead that I think they made a sweet couple that’s good for a light easy watch, but didn’t make me think about their romance after the drama or feel deeply attached to their pairing. This does not mean you shouldn’t watch the drama, because I know other viewers may not have this issue or find this a non-issue, and also because I admit being influenced under the chemistry that Bai Lu and Xing Xiao Lin had with their other co-actors in their previous works. However, it is to say that I may not choose to rewatch this and will just take this drama for being the lighthearted story that it is.

Overall, I would recommend this drama if you want something to take your mind off of the day, and to watch a romance that focuses on the daily life of our main couple. This is a relatively short and sweet drama that’s very watchable, and it’s great especially when you don’t want something too heavy or too angsty.

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Honestly this was probably one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. While the film had just about every genre in it, the most memorable was probably the comedy.
The action scenes were fun to watch and well executed but I was blown away by the comedic acting that Kim Soo Hyun presented. I never thought I'd be laughing so hard when I went to see this. Park Ki Woong was perfect in his role as a aspiring musician and also provided a lot of laughs. Lee Hyun Woo really was definitely the right choice for the role of the high school aged spy and his character's back-story was my personal favourite. Also the movie really showed the difference between idol actors and "real" actors in my opinion. I just can't imagine the movie being so good if they had used idols. The acting by these 3 rising stars was amazing and they just proved yet again how talented they really are.
Although I would have probably liked a different ending, I walked out of the theater happy. In fact, when the movie ended I was simply left wondering when it will be released on DVD because it has a huge rewatch value in my opinion - and is the type of movie that I would make everyone around me watch ^^

I'd recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good action film or a comedy. While there is a little bit of romance, it is definitely not an important/big part of the story.

Warning: this movie contains a lot of eye candy. not recommended for the weak at heart ;)

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MY STORY RELATING TO SKY CASTLE:
This drama made me cry. I mean, ugly cry because a lot of the moments I watched throughout this drama related so much to many, if not all, moments in my own life.

I'm Korean but American-born. Though I wasn't reared in Korean society, my parents were still very much Korean traditional. It doesn't really matter where you grow up because your parents are the biggest influence you will ever encounter and will dictate a lot of what happens to you. I related really closely with Se-Ri though. Her story was basically my story. I'm an only child, no brothers or sisters. Me and my parents are the only ones in the States we can call family. I had a tough dad that always pushed me to think about the future. There were many many many times that he would force me to sit down at the kitchen table to lecture me hours on end past midnight about life lessons, how important getting an education is, and how hard and cruel life can be if I don't get it. I was only in middle school and he would go on to do this until I graduated high school. My mom was not a strong-willed person and often bent at the strong-arming of my dad.

I also lied for a time in my life about basically the same thing Seri because I feared disappointing my parents. The only difference is it wasn't Harvard but I did get accepted into a good university. I did OK during my first year, but because of certain reasons my grades started to slip and I eventually got expelled. I was no longer a student but I I couldn't bear to disappoint my parents and tell them that their daughter failed out of university and got expelled. I was also afraid of what my dad would do if he ever found out, just like how Se-Ri was fearful of what her father would do. So, instead of telling them the truth, I continued to pretend that I was going to school. I moved in with my friend after moving my stuff out of my dorm to continue the charade that I was still a student to my parents. My parents didn't know how to work social media and didn't really know their way around the internet but I would call them every now and then and tell them about my classes and friends on campus.

But eventually all lies surface in the end. They found out about my expulsion. I pretty much reacted the same way Seri did towards her parents. Of course I felt truly awful lying to them and knowing the kind of grief, sadness, and disappointment they would feel after finding out. But I was also at MY limit. I tried just as much as Seri did in her life to live up to the ridiculously high expectations her parents had for her. I remember a lot of moments in my life where it was suffocating living with my parents because there was no air to breath. But it was heart-breaking knowing that my parents probably didn't love who I was as a person, but loved me for being the kind of daughter who got good grades and did well in school. Anything less than an A was disappointing to them. Even when I got a B, they would always say "You could've gotten an A if you tried a little harder". What broke my heart even more though is that my parents probably couldn't tell me what my favorite color was, or what kind of music I listen to. They probably couldn't tell me what I liked and disliked. Because they never asked and probably didn't care if they knew or not. All they would ask me is "How was school?" or "Did you do good today?".

But anyways, a lot of things happened afterwards. It was a turning point in my life and changed me and how I approached life from then on. What had happened actually broke my family and I ended up moving out but after a year of being apart we were able to reconnect and pick up the pieces again. I think we were quite lucky to have come together because I know that lots of times when families break apart, it's unlikely that they ever have the chance to rebuild it, much less, want to. Me and my parents are together again now but we are still healing from the past and trying to change for the better. It's definitely not been an easy to do, but my parents have gotten much better at being the parents that I always needed them to be in the first place. So, more or less, it's a happy ending. But a bit bittersweet.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I put off watching this drama when it first came out because I judged the drama premise based on it's synopsis. Big mistake. It wasn't until later my curiosity of why everyone was making such a big deal out of this drama that I started watching it a month after it finished airing. This is by far one of the most realistic, gripping, human, relative, and controversial drama I've seen to date. The writing was superbly done with a good steady pace. The plot escalated when it needed to, and declined at the right moments. The cliff-hanger endings of every episode was done flawlessly. The depth of the characters and their development was spot on. The theme of the drama was perfect during these current times. Overall, basically perfect in every way.

STORY: The theme of the overall drama was well suited for how Korea handles the importance of education in their society. Many of the elements and plot points in this drama point to a very controversial yet unspoken side of how Korean citizens treat their children when it comes to rearing them. A lot of the moments told in this dramas related very closely, if not exactly the same, for a lot of children in the real world. Myself included. I got really emotional many times over during the whole span of the drama because a lot of the things that happen to these children, happened to me as well. It made me cry. Truly cry because the drama was not shy to show the rawness of situations like those. It didn't make the issues any more or less than what it really is. The plot itself was very well written.

ACTING/CAST: Honestly, I think this is the first time I'm watching most of these actors/actresses in any drama. There are a few I recognize but most of the main cast I saw for the first time for me. I can't praise enough how extraordinarily talented these actors/actresses were in this drama. It was provoking, touching, heart-wrenching, and amazing. The children cast in this drama also did a fantastic job! But I honestly have to sing gospel praise for Yum Jung-Ah (Han Suh-Jin / Kwak Mi-Hyang) and Lee Hyun-Jin (Coach Kim) for their incredible acting skills. But I have to say that everyone in this drama were just as spectacular with their acting. No matter how small the role, or how little the screen time, every actor/actress made the most of it and displayed their best acting skills forth.

MUSIC: I'm not picky about music and in most of my reviews I don't say more than a few words or a sentence but the music in this drama was well-picked and well composed. Especially the theme song for the drama. It's beautiful, dramatic, and relative to the theme of the drama itself too. The decision and usage of Erlkonig was perfect match to Coach Kim's theme song. The musical choices in this drama definitely sets itself apart from the typical musical choices typical dramas have in their soundtrack. Great job!

OVERALL: This drama was pretty cathartic for me but overall, objectively, I think it was perfect. I really can't poke any holes in it to be honest. Even about the last episode. Some people may have been a bit disgruntled of the lack of going-ons in episode 20 of SKY Castle, but I thought it was a wise decision and a refreshing one to write an easy going episode like that. I especially LOVED the contrast we see from the beginning and ending. This contrast we see from the first episode and the last episode was really beautiful and subtle moment. I appreciate how the writer was able to show us this.

Though the last episode wasn't really eventful it still held a purpose. When a drama ends, I think we can all imagine how everyone exhales after holding their breath for so long, but in most dramas the short sweet happy ending is short-lived and only serves it's purpose of showing smiles and exudes an "all is well" moment and ends the drama. After it's done, sometimes we get a sense of anxiety because after all, we invested 16-20 episodes in watching a situation escalate, then the drama reaches it's peak and drastically cuts down to a happy ending and then THE END. I think episode 20 of SKY Castle served more in the purpose to help the audience take a breather. To better adjust to how things ended. Yea, it's a happy ending but it's also important to know that even after a happy ending, life still goes on and when it does, it's pretty mundane. But usually, mundane moments in life are sometimes the happiest ones.

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Visually stunning with a truly poetic story. Insights into the early 16th century art included

"Saimdang, Memoir of Colors" is an excellent KDrama with historically impressive dimensions. The focus here is on the legendary artist Shin Saimdang, whose head is also depicted on the 50,000 won note today. The KDrama pays tribute to the great artist and also pays tribute to her roles as a devoted mother and virtuous, yet uncompromisingly progressive woman. The focus is on a time and space transcending, tragic love story - fictitious... or at least not historically documented. (But why should´t it have happened in this way or another? ... :-)


----------------- SIDE NOTE --- Shin Saimdang (1504 -1551) ---
... was a painter, calligrapher and poet who was valued in her time and far beyond. Since her father had no son, he gave her (rather unorthodox for a girl) an education and training in literature, poetry, calligraphy, embroidery and painting. Her works as a painter are characterized by their particularly sensitive view of nature and its subtle, sensitive representation. Today only about 40 paintings in Indian ink and mineral colors can be directly assigned to Saimdang. However, it is suspected that many more works of art have survived, although they are not clearly signed as her works. Shin Saimdang has also gone down in history as the ideal of the good mother. She had five sons and three daughters, some of whom also inherited their mother's talent. One of her sons is the even more famous Neo-Confucian scholar and politician Yul-gok Yi I.
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In addition, as far as the perspective of traditional art is concerned, the special focus of this KDrama is the nature of the world of animals, plants and mountains. Actually, it could be mentioned here, that South Korea is characterized by several mountains and 21 national parks on more than two thirds of the country's surface. This KDrama aesthetically focuses on the spiritually legendary mountain region around the Geumgangsand - The Diamond Mountain. It probably got its name in connection with the Diamond Sutra of Buddhism. It was a center of Korean Buddhism, traces of which can be dated back to the 1st century. At the beginning of the 20th century there were still more than 40 active monasteries in the region. In any case, the mountain world plays in several respects an important role in this gripping historical drama.

Special dynamics arise through the play with intertwining time and space. There are two plots. One is set in 2017, the other in the early 16th century during the Joseon era. One follows a young art historian writing her PhD thesis on artist An Gyeon's work 'Geumgangsando'. The other follows historical Shin Saimdang through the first 3-4 decades of her passionate yet virtuous life. Parallel to the art historian's research and struggle with it, that is at the same time enhanced and endangered by Saimdang´s diary, insights on the artist´s eventful life are revealed. Both storylines are quite exciting in their own way. Particularly charming: people from Saimdang's time-line seem to have reincarnated in Seoul in 2016 and are once more somehow connected to each other... Surprisingly, the fulcrum where the timelines converge is Tuscany in Italy.

This extraordinary and visually stunning KDrama offers a truly poetic, heart-rending story, added with interesting insights into the special aesthetics and sensitivity of contemporary Korean art of the early 16th century, as well as the paper production craftmanship of that time. It is rounded by an atmospheric soundtrack and, last but not least, actors who are as if absorbed in their roles. At last, there is plenty of makjang, too.

Taking everything into account, the story is effortlessly captivating over 28 episodes.
At the end I was left in bewilderment, yet to some extend somehow surprisingly satisfied, too.

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This drama is outstanding. I initially did not intend to watch this drama after reading the synopsis. Mostly because of my experience working in 3 different banks. I figured this would be nothing new and bank work is the most boring thing ever so i couldn't imagine how this drama could be good. Then one Saturday when I had nothing to do I gave this drama a shot and I was proven wrong on all my preconceived notions.

The world of banking portrayed in this drama is one of deception and treachery. Bankers don't care about their customers or even the integrity of the their banking institutions; they seek only to improve their positions by manipulation and betrayal. The senior banking officers make bad decisions and their underlings have to clean up the mess or risk demotion or even worse relocation.

In walks Hanzawa Naoki. A brilliant banker who cares about his customers, his bank and his friends. He is thrown under the bus by his boss and must clean up the mess or get transferred. There are so many hurdles in his way but Hanzawa is a fighter. His catch phrase, "If you screw me, I'll screw back. Double payback!" It was exciting to see him get fired up in these situations.

The story was a bit predictable but it was so well told that I don't mind that at all. The acting was astounding with the exception of the guy who played the inspector from the tax bureau (gross over actor) and the only thing about the drama that i didn't like really. Sakai-san was in one word SUPERB; the best actor overall in the cast. I wish we got more of Ueno Aya but what we got from her was great. She played the role of the strong dedicated wife well.

I live in Japan and people can't seem to stop talking about this drama. It is one of, if not the best drama for 2013. It is a must watch for jdrama fans. And with Hanzawa's tenacity, the fan love and the way this drama ended I fully anticipate a season 2. Hopefully we will get it next summer.

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I think that not writing a review for this splendid drama would be a shame, so I'll gladly volunteer and write one.

Once again I've confirmed my true love for sagueks. I was blown away by the brilliance of this drama right from the first episode. The way it is told, directed and acted is what makes this drama special for me. I've seen a lot sagueks, but this one is one of the rarest and I guarantee it'll stay in my heart... forever.
Story is quite unusual. In Yub, young noblewoman, precious and only child in househould falls in a status of a low-maid when her father gets accused of a treason. She then, must learn to adapt to a poor and cruel life of maids. With a help from Moo Myung, a servant with hidden identity and other maids in a household she learns what a true happiness and love in this world means.

Personally, watching this drama gave me a lot of emotions, I was 100% invested in a story and its characters' and I really respect when a writer can brings that to viewers. I call that quality. Every character is perfectly written, with its own story and depth giving this drama a darker tone and deepness. What I love the most is that the story is told of a maids' perspective, showing us their emotions and thoughts they had, what they can do and what they can't do. Also, a great demonstrating a difference between a noblemens' and maids', in fact a difference in their actions and their punishments for that. I have to say that it's a very cruel drama, however once you start it, story will pull you in and you won't be able to stop it. At least that was a case for me.

As I said before, characters are perfectly written, from the main to the supporting ones. There wasn't a single boring moment, because every character that is shown is worth showing and she/he will always have some influence on a plot. Believe it or not, but that's how it is.
I TOTALLY became a fan of Jung Yoo Mi. That girl blowed me away! Her acting is first what makes this drama worth a try. She made her character to be so believable and true, that I don't think any other acterss would be able to bring a character of In Yub as she did. BRAVO! Her struggle when she falls from the priveleged status to the one of the lowest in that period, her emotions, thoughts, actions is so very-well written. You could actually feel for her. Definitely going into my list of the strongest female characters. ;)
I adore Oh Ji Ho and they totally chose a right actor for a role of Moo Myung. Wooden, emotionless, cruel... ufff just right. Moo Myung is a servant with a hidden identity, clever, calculative and skilled man, a man that you don't know what he thinks. He's loyal to his masters, but when In Yub enters in his life, his world will change.
Actually, no matter how I love OJH, this time my attention stole Kim Dong Wook. Damn, that man sure deserve some prize. His wonderful performance to the sweet, kind-hearted to the evil man was absolutely AMAZING. However, I COULDN'T get angry no matter what he did. BECAUSE, all he has done and all he did was for a In Yub's sake. His endless love for her, really never ended. He is a true proof to that. And that's why his character is sooo special to me, really, really special.
Also, that girl Sa Wol is the most positive and kind-hearted character I've ever met in dramaland. Believe it or not, I cried for her at least three times. Likewise, all maids and servants in this drama are not just to be written, they did have a good reason to be made in this drama.

It's the first time I hear that in a drama, especially in saguek they didn't use any single ost. It's not that I'm complaining though. Even instrumentals were very beautiful and they exactly fitted the scenes.

If we were to look from the perspective of twists, cliffhangers and turn of events this drama gave, I would say that it's not something new, although there were REALLY some epic moments. But they way this drama is made and showed to the viewers is definitely worth giving a pure 10, for me. Cinematography, directing, clever, life lesson's dialogues and also very unique story is definitely worth to be remembered for. I'll never ever forget this outstanding drama.

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These two leads were actually really cute together. The cold male lead was never excessively rude, the warm male lead was never excessively dense. And together, they had a sweet tentative chemistry that felt organic, filled with gazes and smiles. And best of all, they never played coy with their own or each others feelings, nor what they wanted from each other. And the double entendre of "do you want to eat ramyeon" was spectacular to watch develop from one meaning to another.

There were subtle doses of humor sprinkled throughout. From the cliche situational comedy with our leads, to the caring but disgruntled "forever-alone" best friend who was stuck in an ongoing cycle of on-again, off-again with his off-screen boyfriend.

The kiss scenes were built up to pretty well, but generally lacked in the proportional execution for the build-up. I enjoyed it nonetheless though.

What I did not enjoy is how poorly constructed and inconsistent the plot was, even for a character-driven drama. It seemed to want to be a food drama, but lacked the proper attention and care for the food aspect to really warrant the title.

Even with Korean alcohol culture in mind, Jiyu could be interpreted as at least on the cusp of alcoholism for the majority of the drama (before someone comes at me with the most common rebuttal: it's been over half a year since the break up). Meanwhile, Kihoon's reason for not liking alcohol, that we seemed to have been building up tension to for so long, was too flatly delivered to have impact. Not to mention, the pacing from him being angry about the prospect of being around alcohol to selling it to openly drinking it with the rest of the characters was enough to give whiplash. Not to mention the fact that this same man who passed out after one shot is now able to drink multiple glasses with ease in the span of MAYBE a few months...

And then there were other areas of tension that were introduced and resolved too quickly. Or even an area of tension that was consistently put into subtext from beginning to end, but never resolved (the fact that Jiyu's superiors all seem to think poorly of him, resulting in a palpable lack of confidence in their presence).

I liked the ending messages though:
-The prospect of everyone liking the same dish, but liking it prepared in different ways. This same message isn't exactly uncommon with food dramas, and even dramas that only have minor focus on food (Moonlight Chicken for example).
-Food and drinks are best enjoyed in the presence of friendly company and tastes best when celebrating.

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A lot of words that start with the letter P, and perfect for me...

What do you get if you combine the best parts of Who are you, school 2015 with My Name and add some political fight the power stuff and make it in Thailand instead of South Korea?

Nothing perfect, but definitely something for me... This drama just ticked so many boxes with things I loved taking me on an exciting journey with a powerful political statement in-bedded in a nail-biting plot with just the perfect amount of bromance, romance, and everything in-between...

A drama where the plot is so good that all the "ohh they are so cute" just feel like an added bonus, do not get me wrong there is plenty of fan service such as oil wrestling, dimples and what not... but it does not take over and feels true to the plot. So to say that I loved this is an understatement...

The cinematography the directing, the styling, the writing everything was all well done, there is one point where the clothes more or less match the colors in the abandoned building. Fine there where where a few plot holes here and there, like running around and leaving fingers prints all over the place... and some plot twists were pretty predictable... but as a whole this was really high quality and highly entertaining at the same time (a more rare combination than one might think) . And what can I say even the PPL was noticeable but not over the top. And the so called sex-scenes where very tastefully made.

The relationships are for the most part pretty consensual, though they do seem to punch each other a lot, fight till the brink of death and may just have a Punch and make up kind of take to the classic kiss and make upp... but once you look past that most of the characters are actually rather nice , not so very toxic and definitely likeable.

There is some pretty powerful art and da3nce and the take on identical twins is very interesting.

To conclude definitely a good highly bingable drama for anyone one who enjoys a bit of fight the power, with a side of romance.

P.S After watching Theory of love I was already very impressed by Guns acting while not as impressed by Offs acting however this drama only strengthened my adoration for Gun and gave me a new found one for Off... Their chemistry is phenomenal so I am starting to get the whole OffGun Hype if there is one.

Also, this is one of those dramas where time flies, you start watching it and poof you are half way thru it without noticing the time...

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I can't find faults with this drama. I'm sure there are some there, if you dig, but damn, I don't want them to be pointed out to me because this drama took me completely by surprise and I fell head over heels in love with it.

What was I expecting? I enjoy a good time travel, especially when it mixes modern and Joseon eras, ala Queen Inhyun's Man. And I'm a sucker for romantic comedies, so I was looking for a light romp and plenty of fish out of water fun stuff etc. Well, I got that and so much more with Live Up To Your Name. Firstly, the story... the plot itself wasn't too complex, a doctor from Joseon who practices traditional oriental medicine more out of greed than empathy, is transported through time to modern day Seoul to meet a cardiothoracic surgeon who see's her patients only as the internal organs she can repair. As they start to learn more about each other and their different methodologies, so do they also begin to learn about themselves. You see, more than anything, this story is a character story, and though it might start off as a story of things and circumstances happening to our characters and making them react, it evolves into a story about choices, self-determination, and ultimately, what it is that defines them as people. They learn and grow together in such an organic way that it is beautiful to watch in action.

What I love is how the writer had such a delicate touch when dealing with heavier topics. It could have gone the route of being preachy, but I don't believe it ever veered there, and even the characters who made wrong choices were also humanized in a way that didn't make you absolutely hate them. The romance, of course, was pure gold. Whoever cast Kim Nam Gil as Heo Im and Kim Ah Joong as Choi Ahn Kyung together as the leads deserves a medal. Not only was their chemistry off the charts, but it was so natural and realistic, that I almost felt voyeuristic in some scenes and all they had to do was look at each other. Kim Nam Gil was simply amazing start to finish and has the ability to be goofy and bumbling but also serious and intense all within the span of seconds. Kim Ah Joong took me a while to warm up to, but I think part of that was due to her character's thawing out with each episodes, and by the end, I was definitely mesmerized by her skill. I'm not seen anything else with either of them in, so I'll definitely have to look out for them both.

I can't comment too much on the OST only to say that it suited the themes, wasn't overbearing, and highlighted the poignancy of the show. I'm sure I'll pay more attention on re-watch, which I most certainly plan on doing.

I also want to mention a little something about the medical aspects of this drama. Yes, it is about medicine, both modern and traditional, and yes, it does glamorize medicine in ways that aren't necessarily realistic sometimes, but I can forgive because it is a fantasy (time travel, hello?). But, if you're not into medical dramas, this might not be your thing, however, let me just say that the medicine is just a vehicle to drive the show, it's not really what this show is about. If you are a sucker for character driven stories, then give this one a try. Just close your eyes every time someone sticks a scalpel or a needle into someone else.

And lastly, the method of time travel aka the gimmick that brings Heo Im from past to future, is one of the most unique ones I've seen, and not one I would voluntarily choose. Yikes!

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Well played Reply 1988 writers, you psyche-ninjas. Well played.

I'm in a state of emotional mess right now. A pair of eyes are haunting me. So bear with me if this review turns out to be nothing but series of ramblings. The last 12 weeks (or 13, if we count that one week when it didn't air. but heyyy who is counting. Not me, ever me). Anyway, the last 12 weeks have been one hell of a ride.

The thing about Reply 1988 writers is , they're like the Agatha Christies of their art. We think we know exactly what they are up to but no matter how hard we try, they are always always one step ahead of us. They already know what we THINK we know. Let me give a light example. I spent the first 3 episodes taking their previews seriously. But they always turned out misleading. Then I spent the next 7 episodes dismissing the previews. By 10th I almost didn't watch them. And then dropped the preview of 12th episode and I was like, "huh. One more misleading preview. I guess we're set for the ending then"

BOY WAS I WRONG.

I'm not sure whether to appreciate the genius of the Reply 1988 writers or be scared of their grasp of the psychology of the human mind. Since I fail to come to a conclusion, I have another meltdown. Whether they are tears of joy or tears of heartbreak, you'll have to watch the drama to know. We all know the writers are capable of both.

For now, Here are 10 things I absolutely loved about this drama (it was hard narrowing them down. I have about 70,000 on my mind right now):

1. Yoo Yeon Seok. Somebody has new permanent crush and that somebody is me

2. Song Hwa. Somebody has a new girl crush and that somebody is me.

3. Woo Joo. Somebody has a new role model and that somebody is me (seriously, this baby was GOALS. "If she doesn't love me, I won't love her either". He's more sorted than any of us would ever be).

4. Jung Kung Ho dating his best friend's sister. AGAIN. And potentially everyone knowing about it except for the know-it-all Ik Jun (or wait...)

5. The final 15 minutes of the final episode

6. The OST

7. The anti-climatic climatic ending that turned our world upside down

8. The supporting cast wearing the cape and stealing the show

9. Ik Jun <3

10. The band practice. Yoo Yeon Seok singing.

11. (SPOILER ON THIS ONE) Ik Jun and Song Hwa ending on a cliffhanger because I knew one episode was not enough to bring them together. They have 20 years between them and we want a lot of explanations and flashbacks.

12. The simplicity and the positive tone of the drama.

13. No hospital politics (thank god). Not too much blood.

14. Rich weren't assholes. No stereotyping and no cliches. Just beautiful human stories and emotions.

15. HILARIOUS SCENES

16. Aloha Karaoke scene

17. Jo Jung Seok singing aloha and releasing it

18. Winter garden couple (I mean, people were hyped over them exchanging two words. When has that ever happened in the history of Korean drama LMAO)

19. Yoo Yeon Seok's emotional range and his versatility as an actor (I'm watching Mr Sunshine these days LOL)

20. Seok Hyung restarting the band (no, you did not use them. Now go live your life)

21. Seok Hyung in general.

22. Reply 1988 writers being Psyche-Ninjas

23. Make-up-less Mi Na :)

I know I said 10 points but I never promised. Now time to go cry in a corner and patiently wait for the second season. Also, if season 2 ends up becoming one of the things Corona screws up, I'll turn all Gu Dong Mae). Over and out. Thank you for bearing with me. I held it in well too :')

PS - I might end up adding more points as I remember so bear with me.

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Honey as Lube, GO WATCH IT

THIS IS SO GOOD. Like actually GOOD good, not “I watch for the pretty faces” good (although yes, the faces are stunning). But I mean well-written, emotionally intelligent, gorgeously acted good. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts and Im pretty sure they are not acting, they are in a whole relationship and forgot to tell us. (I am in fact delulu)

Anyway the chemistry between jin and akin is ridiculous. These two accidentally invented a new form of communication via eye contact because GOD DAMN, the way they orbit each other?? the tension?? the softness?? it’s so natural it makes other shows look like staged table reads. (Ya I am shading some bl's so what) THE POINT IS...it’s warm. it’s intense. it’s addictive.

The writing is tight, thoughtful and they actually use the characters' personalities and histories to drive the story, not just to sprinkle in backstory when it's convenient. everything connects.

Ok now let’s get into why boom and smart are actual sorcerers.

Boom’s physical acting is a whole experience. like, the man acts from his spine, from his kneecaps, you can tell what his character is feeling from the way he slumps his shoulders or tightens his hands. He uses his body language so so well.
And Smart’s vocal acting is unreal. the way he shifts tone depending on who he’s talking to, what he wants, what he’s scared of...ugh it’s so precise and layered. Sometimes he says something soft and i’m like “oh no... oh NO he means that.” his voice will crack just a little and suddenly I am spiraling.

And their scenes together?? good god, all of it is magnetic. I was locked in. The range is INSANE. like one minute I was laughing because akin is being a lovable menace and the next I am pausing the show to just BREATHE.

And YES. yes. there is a certain infamous scene involving HONEY (I know ya'll came in here for that trending honey scene) which sounds unhinged (because it is) but it’s also deeply emotional and a whole metaphor for love and indulgence and knowing someone so well you can give them exactly what they crave. It’s symbolic and it’s sweet and yes jin knows what akin likes and wants to give him everything and that is beautiful. I was deeply moved and deeply stressed. Peak television. okay, I want to frame it and then power wash it.

I hope boom and smart get everything after this. I hope they win awards. I hope they get roles that challenge them and let them show all the layers they have clearly got stored up. And I hope everyone watches this show so they can scream about it with me.

WATCH IT, fall in love. and text your friends “YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS” every 5 minutes. (Because mine screamed at me after saying I will drop it at episode 1, I picked it up and I love it so give it more than one chance please)

You’re welcome.

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Heavenly potential, demonic execution

The novel “Chong Zi”, penned over 10 years ago, features a once popular, now outdated premise — master-disciple relationship. To adapt such an old novel in 2023 is a risky move; not only has the audience already seen similar works that they would naturally draw comparison to (e.g. Journey of Flower), but even the official “synopsis” gives the entire plot away. There is not much room left to tell a compelling story, let alone something new and refreshing. This drama ended up having a very mixed reception and for good reasons. Here I will try to review this drama honestly by listing out why it is good and why it is bad.

【Why is it good?】
— Interesting male lead —
One would think all this drama could offer is an old-fashioned story absent of any surprises. But behind the datedness, there lies an innovative gem. The highlight of the show, and a huge reason why people are enjoying it, is the male lead Luo Yin Fan’s intriguing characterization (and Jeremy Tsui’s perfect portrayal of him). Luo Yin Fan starts off being quite the typical gentle, warm and caring male lead, but behind that exterior lies something darker waiting to be manifested. While most anti-heroes eventually achieve greatness, Luo Yin Fan slowly descends into madness for love. If you’re interested in fifty shades of morally grey leads, then you’re in for a treat. This is as much a story about Chong Zi becoming a demon as it is about Luo Yin Fan going bonkers. They are like the mirror image of each other, or the yin yang couple — one has light under their darkness, and the other has darkness under their light. One is an immortal with a demon skin, the other a demon with an immortal skin. They complete each other like the Taichi symbol. This goes to show that there is no pure good and evil, a human is an embodiment of both.

— Thought-provoking message —
The side characters also illustrate this message — seemingly rightous immortals commit the most heinous of crimes, and inside their hearts live demons that are far worst than any physical demon in the story. The message is powerful and well presented. As a fan of the original novel, I came into this drama with very specific expectations — to see in action one of the most interesting male leads ever written, and to witness the beautiful symbolisms and character nuances from the original work. In these regards, the drama did a passing job at delivering. However, certain pivotal scenes from the source material (that were meant to tie into the core theme) were butchered by nonsensical changes in the story due to censorship and bad writing.

— Nice symbolism —
The Taichi symbol appears in the drama poster. It is also in the black-white necklace Chong Zi gifts to Luo Yin Fan. The costumes are simple but have symbolic meaning In them as well. Kind-hearted demons wear costumes that are mainly black but have white fringes, while evil immortals/fairies wear costumes that are white but have dark accent colors. The male lead, Luo Yin Fan’s costumes were mainly white at first, but gradually turned purple the more he fell for Chong Zi (“Zi” means purple in Chinese). I found that to be very cute. The OSTs of this drama were also very well crafted, with beautiful melodies and lyrics that were themed around each of the main characters.

All in all, stellar work from the cast, costume designers, music producers and the source novel author.

We then shriek in agony as we witness this hard work go down the drain... due to the points below.

【Why is it bad?】
— Sloppy directing, writing and editing —
For starters, the director does a poor job grasping what the audience wants to see and what they don’t. Often times, people would wait for a certain scene in anticipation, excitedly picturing it in their heads, only to end up with a choppy, censored, and emotionally underwhelming rendition of what they were expecting. Meanwhile, uninteresting parts of the plot would take up more time than it should. Scenes that were meant to elicit emotions from the audience felt flat, and just like another commenter has said, "the angst is not angsting".

Behind-the-scenes clips would reveal that many scenes did not make it into the final release. This is due to censorship - protagonists cannot do anything borderline evil, master & disciple cannot be intimate with each other, everything that's core to the story is lost. Certain scenes do not transition well due to cut scenes. Each episode also does not start from the end of the previous episode and feels disjointed.

— Changing the novel in a bad way —
Certain parts of the plot were changed to make the male lead more likable and forgivable, which is understandable because the male lead in the novel does not deserve the female lead. But not all changes were good changes. Around 60% of the story and dialogue comes from the novel, and that 60% lives up to standards because they stem from the original author’s consistent understanding of the source material. But the remaining 40% that was added by the screenwriter, not so much. Dialogue was occasionally cringey and showed a general lack of logical thinking from characters. The forbidden aspect of the master-disciple romance was also removed, thereby causing certain character decisions and dialogue to not make much sense as they were originally written under the premise that master-disciple relationship was taboo. The screenwriter tried to come up with other reasons for the characters to do or say those things, but the reasoning was weak. (e.g. Ep.23-26). Many unnecessary misunderstandings were added just to drag the plot along. It’s fine to deviate from the novel and tell a different story, but have it make sense and do it only if it enhances the work.

— Poorly written side characters —
While the characters all serve a central theme or message, the characterizations of most of the characters are lacking. Often more than not, characters feel like tools to move the plot forward and do not resemble real-life people. Several evil female supporting roles have shallow character motivations and all serve the same purpose, and most male supporting roles are merely love interests (5 of them!) of the female lead but without solid chemistry. Reverse harem was probably meant to be a gimmick that sadly did not work out. Not only do those love interests lack screen time to properly flesh out their relationship with the female lead, they also fall in love with her for no reason. (Ironically, the one character who has the most chemistry with the female lead is not even a love interest.) Luckily, the main couple has decent chemistry to offer. The romance is a slowburn and the leads start off as more like teacher and student due to female lead’s childish personality at first, but this grows into something fiery and passionate later on when the female lead gets character development. However, it takes time for the ship to sail and some may find the chemistry lacking early on.

— Childish female lead —
A lot of people cannot get through the first arc of the story, mostly due to their distaste for the female lead’s childish, bratty and trouble-making personality. The female lead goes through a three-stage character development. She starts off like a kid — naive, impulsive, overly sheltered and spoiled, but has a kind heart that would help anyone in need. She is showered with love but caged like a bird. In her second life, she becomes more calm and composed, but also more possessive and insecure, like a young maiden in puberty. And by the end, she becomes more independent and free, takes justice in her own hands. Since she does not mature quick enough to satisfy certain audiences, if you hate childish female leads, this is probably not the drama for you.

— Costumes/Makeup/Props —
The costumes are the typical “funeral” style you’d see in other xianxia dramas — white, white, and shades of white. There are quite an amount of details they tried to add to the costumes, but the overly bright and smooth filter effects managed to undo all the hard work the textile team put in. The makeup was a hot mess. Handsome men looked less handsome with overdone eyeshadow. Close-up shots would reveal unblended powder and face-neck skin tone differences. As for the sets and props, they would’ve looked better with less CGI applied, since the CGI looks quite subpar for an S tier drama.

【Conclusion】
It may sound as though I hate this drama, but as a novel fan, this is the only adaptation I could root for, and I wished for nothing but the best to happen to this drama. Sadly, it didn't deliver to even half of its potential. I suggest the director and writer to either quit the industry, or stop working on this genre. There might not be a clear distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, but there definitely is a clear cut between good and bad storytelling, and sadly this drama falls into the bad side. For those who are interested in the premise, I recommend you to read the original novel instead.

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First things first. If you're looking for a drama with a deep plot that you can immerse yourself in, you're looking in the wrong place. I'd recommend HIStory3: Trapped for that.

This show is short and sweet, leaving you with a smile on your face. Because Of You almost gives me Long Time No See vibes, just because its something you can sit and watch all in one sitting and not feel tired.

The series itself seems a bit shakily produced, as if they wanted to put in a deeper plotline, but gave up halfway through. It's not exactly bad, but you can definitely tell something's missing there.

I also felt as if three couples was too much for this little series to handle. There's only about two hours of air time, if even that, and yet somehow they expected to fit in three love stories?

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy all three couples, because i did. They each had their own charms and strong points. I just wish perhaps they could've focused on one main couple instead of trying to fit in an hours worth of screentime for a couple into only a few minutes of each episode.

I do admit i favoured one of the couples over the other two (although, i think we all do haha). Jun Cheng and Lin Xun's chemistry is just out of this world, and i hope they're able to do a full-length series together in the future.

All-in-all, i thoroughly enjoyed this drama as a quick watch as i wait for the next episodes of the full-length series I'm watching.

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Take NOTES THAILAND

This is ACTING.. this is CINEMATOGRAPHY. this is chemistry without PUSHING it in our face.. it's subtle. it's unspoken. I grew up watching shows like skam and skins and despite me loving the fluff of Thai BL's... I love gritty lgbtq stories and I believe shows like this will open the door and kick it wide open for more Asian countries to do more lgbtq esque shows like this and what 180 degree longitude did a while ago as well. how are these actors ACTING without even speaking...they don't even need dialogue and it's so powerful between them that they don't even need words.

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