I was satisfied with the plot as it was very well rounded and as there were no loose ends. I really appreciate the way it unfolded which was very neat. Everything fell right into place, this drama is one of those that make you feel at ease as there is no unnecessary dragging of the plot and complications that are out of place, everything is gradual and build up in a way that everything happening makes sense.
The characters apart from being well cast, they were all given attention and had a path laid out as they made progress in a heartwarming and natural way. All of the supporting characters were very endearing in unique ways and got to show a lot of their charm. For me, the most wonderful thing was friendship shining through with all of them on multiple occasion showing their shared desire to care for others. As for the mains I was very happy to see that none of their problems were created by misunderstandings or unpredictable happenings beyond their control which always puts me off, they were very considerate of each other and also acted like mature, healthy, functioning adults while their behavior and decisions were aligned with their character and that is a very big win for me. And I have to mention that the main female lead was very wonderfully written, showing a strong, kind, patient side and in so many ways a favorite with a delivery executed in a very graceful manner. Also the main couple was pretty cute without it ever being too much and the actors had chemistry.
Even though I am not the type to ever re-watch, if I ever felt down and wanted a safe bet for making myself feel better this drama would definitely manage to lift my mood without losing any of its qualities.
Over all I really enjoyed it as it didn't get too depressing but was also consistent and had a lot of beautiful moments. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to watch something soft and fuzzy but also with a plot that gradually progresses in a light and neat way.
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I started this hoping for action and serious topics. I wanted plot and not romantic shenanigans. The drama starts off being pretty much all about a cop looking for his kidnapped daughter. This guy, however, is far from likable, and I found it difficult to sympathize with him in his plight. Why? Because he was, to put it simply, crazy, violent, and screaming. Lots of screaming. Lots of swearing. Lots of beating up suspects without evidence, heavy police brutality. This dude cared for nothing and no one but his daughter and wouldn't hesitate to brutally assault anyone he perceived to be in his way.
That's where Clone #1, Sung Joon, comes in. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything. He has no memory of who he is, but Chief Jang decides poor Sung Joon is the key to finding his daughter. When these two meet, this is when the story really kicks off. I hated the detective for the first 2 episodes, but he does become more tolerable thanks to Sung Joon, who is kind and warm and patient where Chief Jang is crass, rude, and prone to fits of random rage.
So for the first part of the drama, I watched because I was invested in the development between Jang and Sung Joon. I thought they were a great pair and really balanced each other nicely, and I'm a sucker for any kind of non-romance relationship focus. Chief Jang treated Sung Joon like a tool at first and didn't see him as a human being at all, and I wanted to see that change. There was some mystery and plenty of action for the first 6 episodes, but then it slows down and becomes mostly just drama and mystery with action sprinkled in.
Eventually, the plot moves away from the father-daughter focus and we realize that ultimately this is a story about two clones. It's a sad story. Don't watch this if you don't want a ride on the rollercoaster of emotions. One clone is "evil," selfish and out for revenge and the other is kind, selfless and willing to put his life on the line to help near-strangers. But the characters are not simple, and evil clone is not actually just an "evil clone," but is a deep, complex character that will remain in my mind pretty much forever.
What is the story really about? It's about clones learning to be human. It's about a father and his daughter. There's also an evil dude who wants to cure his illness and there's his evil spawn who aren't really worth mentioning but the story isn't really about them. No romance, just friendships and family relationships. Yay!
Without Yang Se Jong, this drama would be nothing. His portrayal of three characters is something you really have to see for yourself. But let's say I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same actor. He brought the clones to life in a way that made me feel like I personally knew them. The other actors are good too. And JJY is so much more tolerable when he's not screaming his head off.
It's not a perfect story, and there are aspects I wish had been different (more interactions between the clones, more father-son bonding with Jang and Sung Joon, less of the secondary cop characters), but these factors don't change my love for this drama. I can't stop thinking about it and have already rewatched most of it 2-3 times.
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dark, disturbing, disgusting, but beautiful
Such a story makes speechless. It's a story of two man who suffered a lot, especially one character has a deep trauma because he was sold as a child to a sick man who sold him out to other sick people who sexually abused him. It's a story of two people changing each other and heal each other, first in baby steps but later their bond grows strong.I can't describe what feelings go through you when watching this, It's the whole bandwidth from disturbing, disgusting, aghast, angst to beautiful when you see both getting closer together. Due to the theme it's not a fluffy, funny show, you normally expect a BL to be. This is not really a BL but a drama where two man happend to be gay and finaly love each other.
When you can stormach such heavy stuff, this is a must see. If you are too sensitive seeing abusive scenes, you may watch with friends and help each other process the episodes one by one, If you are suffering from depression or other mental problems, you should not watch it at all. It was extremly brave for the team to take on such heavy non mass compatible material. The actors did an incredible job, cinematography is top notch and we get an intro which does not spoil the whole series which is so common in many series. My respect goes out to all involved in this project delivering such a unique show.
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Intimate Relationships Are A Spectrum
Japanese BL writers are often fantastic at portraying life situations in a raw and realistically human way. As humans we are complicated and emotionally messy. We have dark sides and traumas that shape how we pursue romantic relationships and affection. In my opinion, rarely do we see media portrayal of a BDSM relationship in such an intimate and relatable way.We’re introduced to Mizuki and Yoh’s relationship from Yoh’s perspective. From the beginning, according to Yoh, we believe Mizuki is quiet, domineering and unkind to Yoh completely unprovoked and without context. As the viewer, we’re led to think Yoh is a domestic sexual slave in Mizuki’s home with no other options in life, outside of his own free will. As we continue the series, we learn that Yoh seems to like the dynamic of their relationship and often resorts to pouting and childish behavior when Mizuki doesn’t show him the kind of dominating attention he craves. He often provokes Mizuki’s jealously and possessiveness so he can be the “victim” of Mizuki’s gentle yet “cruel” behavior. Mizuki seems to understand this dark side of Yoh and he happily grants Yoh’s wishes. Even cooking and caring for him when Yoh loses his job and falls into a state of depression.
While reeling at the loss of his job and his status in life, Yoh takes his provocation of Mizuki too far. On an animalistic and subconscious level, Yoh is provoking Mizuki to find out how much he cares for him. As a result, Mizuki’s jealousy rages and he resorts to stalking and possessive behaviors, to bring Yoh back to his side, even though Yoh never considers leaving him. Since the two never clearly communicate their feelings or emotions, they often run with negative and exaggerated interpretations of benign day-to-day situations. When Mizuki finally reveals his true feelings and tells Yoh he cannot breathe without him, Yoh revels in this revelation but still doesn’t verbally reciprocate his feelings to Mizuki.
I personally love the push and pull by Yoh and Mizuki in this series. Yoh and Mizuki have a codependent relationship that makes them both happy and anxious, simultaneously. They know how to press each other’s buttons and it all seems to be, at least from Yoh’s side, for the sake of sexual gratification and arousal. Are they communicating in a healthy way, no, is the relationship kind of toxic, yes, but is it a realistic slice of life, absolutely. It’s obvious that they love and care for one another, but they show it in a way that differs from what society deems as “normal”. BUT they also require what we all want in a long term relationship, reassurance and stability. After 3 years living together, I believe we, the viewer, are meeting them at a pivotal moment in their relationship. Will they give each other the emotional and verbal reassurance they need to sustain a long term relationship or will their relationship crumble under misunderstandings due to lack of emotional transparency.
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A refreshing journey that won't fail to bring a smile to your face.
What a journey it has been! it initially started with 0 expectations but ended up being one of the most memorable rides. And it actually raised my standards much for fluffy rom-com now, as it has nothing which I truly despair or get annoyed by, but lots of sweet moments and cute fluff that will give you absolute pleasure.. and pain in the muscle of cheeks.If I talk about the plot or the theme of the drama. It's quite simple without any complexity. Bit or I'll say a lot unrealistic coz of the number of coincidences it has.. or should I call 'Fate' that brought our leads together.. not just together but living under the same roof hehe. Having a bit cliche story I actually liked its pace and the direction with perfect execution from character personality development to the story progression. Being 36 episode drama plus rom-com it had the most chances to become draggy or have unnecessary parts but actually, nothing happened like that, it never left its track consistent till the end. So the story is really cleverly written and stick to its main concept until the last moment.
Now let's talk about the soul of the show its characters. Wow, what can I say about them? I liked the characters more than the story itself. Having three-dimensional human-like characters (Which many writers forget almost all the time) who act like humans, can do mistakes, and not fit in the mold of 'Perfection.' Chu Li at first glance you might feel ah another naive, innocent FL are we getting here? I mean drama doesn't have a 'Strong Female Lead' tag not to forget she is such a cutie pie and adorable, but being badass, rude/arrogant, having power, or physically strong doesn't make strong female leads for me. Hardworking, passionate about their work, strong-willed, having their own goals, principles for life and actually working on them this defines a strong character in my opinion and Chu Li nailed it with being cute and having that bubbliness in her what a balance it was!
Zhou Chuan no I'll say, Mr. Fox, okay I love him.. not him his character lol. Mr. Fox was such a sweetheart and MOOD. I mean there wasn't any moment or scene of him that I didn't enjoy or had good laugh at. He just brightens every moment. He can be a jerk for everyone totally arrogant dude but when it comes to his loved ones he becomes a sweetheart lol...His awkwardness, not able to express what he feels in the starting was felt so natural. The writer did a great job in case of portraying his character as a 'Writer'.. like his stubbornness his passion for his work all things were dealt with in the right way realistically.
So when Mr. Fox and Monkey come together it's a perfect match.. they have quite different personalities but they compliment each other. Their bickering, fights, the development in the relationship with being each other's first love it's quite enjoyable to watch. The chemistry rocks, and how can I forget how much they trust each other and form such a strong bond together... Surely the best aspect of the drama.
Talking about second leads... I'm the type of person who actually doesn't care about second leads at all most of the time I'm not even interested, but honestly, I was invested in the plot of the second lead's story too! they had great chemistry having their own interesting plotline which actually doesn't try to overlap with the main concept of the story.. so yeah I enjoyed their screentime too!
How can I forget the sizzling chemistry between our Mr. Fox and Jiang Yu Cheng... I never craved for the screentime of ML and SML together but I actually did here.
In the acting, they did a really good job portraying all characters I don't think I can imagine this different cast.. and yeah another fact I was glad that dubbing was with the original voice of actors.
So I was engaged to the story from the start to end more than that I was much invested in our main leads who never disappointed me or let me down... for me, it was an amazing drama which I loved thoroughly... I don't rate any rom-com 9.5.. actually never lol, but it was worth it!
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The lust becomes respect and love and the enlightenment becomes the basis of collapse of this couple's plans.
The drama is extremely addictive with a maturer theme and filming - the story was well written and the actors were excellent throughout. Total investment in their outcomes. A good analysis of the uncertainties of what would or could be considered a certainty. A good analysis of obsession and its eventual outcomes. Without writing a spoiler - the ending was perfect - more of a reality (especially after understanding WeiWei's character).
I am really glad that I never watch the prologue "clips" and always fast forward to the story because it was apparently depicted in the finale. (don't like to know parts of the ending in advance).
The music was so good and set the tone for most scene changes or encounters. This drama is not for everyone and I would give parental guiding warnings if you have young viewers interested in checking it out.
Infidelity or cheating issues are not adulterous issues. All characters are single and dating.
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STORY
The drama is equivalent to all the dramas that center women, namely Sex and the City, Mistresses, Gossip Girl, Girls, I Need Romance ect. The show revolves around a pack of 4 girlfriends, depicting their lives, the problems, the difficulties and implications of dating and other relationships for people in their 30s. The main premise of the show is that everyone, no matter what has happened in their lives or what mistakes they have done, deserve a happy ending, and if they fight hard enough, they will get it! Secondly, the show presents a very realistic -if you ask me- image of the dating scene nowadays -not only in Korea per se-, how unrealistically high people's standards are, and how picky they are, being materialistic, searching for, money, visuals, other than character in their potential partner.
We get to see the life of each woman, and each story makes a point about relationships. Even if all the characters are in their early/mid 30s, i think it is safe to say that everyone can somehow relate to the problems they depict as they are universal.
Story 1: A divorcee who is afraid that she will end up forever alone, kind of scared to let herself be free and enter a relationship, and deep inside feels she doesn't deserve to be happy because of her divorce. This story is the main story of the drama, like 70% of it. It features a love triagle, that you will hate, believe me, but in the very end, it was the most essential love triangle i have ever watched in a kdrama. It wasn't introduced just for the ships, but it depicted serious realistic facts like love vs friendship, which love is valid and which isn't ect. At the same time this story presents several realistic questions a person in a new relationship may have, they can be stupid like 'why doesn't he/she want to kiss me - Is he/she the right person for me?', or more important like 'does he/she have money issues? Does he/she want to scam me?'.
Story 2: Forever single. A girl in her mid 30s having been single in like... forever. I believe many people could relate to her, she was introduced as the 'funny' one of the quartet. We get to see all her struggles to find true love, along with several questions (and reminders) that i could sum up in this proverb 'Whatever shines, isn't gold!'- and vice versa.
Story 3: The more serious, borderline melo, sub-story. A married woman who goes through a divorce and faces serious health issues. Her story is touching, and moving and could have been a great stand-along/spin off show. Her story poses ideas like 'Don't give up on yourself, on your marriage and generally on happiness. Problems are there, pain will always be there, but we have people around to rely on, don't give up on them or yourself, pain will pass!'
Story 4: The (Wanna-be) femme fatale of the quartet. She was also supposed to be funny along with story 2. A woman with attachement issues, but what happens when she meets her match? This story was left on the sidelines, but yet it managed to make some worthy points like 'no relationship will work without trust and letting your guard down. You should know which person is worthy for you to do that, and you should take on the responsibility of getting hurt and of hurting that person'. This story had the potential to hit issues like career problems for people in their 30s, but it didn't which was a waste.
I, generally, don't have any drawbacks to point out, other than the fact that the drama spent too much of its time overanalyzing the first story, hence the rest of the stories being somewhat underdeveloped/underapprecciated. It is arguable to say that stories 2-3-4 were more interesting than the main one.
ACTING
Exquisite acting, as expected by such a talented ensemble cast!
Jang Nara was a worthy leading actress, her character was superficial and fluffy, maybe too much at some points. I loved her more emotional scenes and i wished she had more, she has more to offer than this.
Yoo In Na, was lovely and adorable, expressing the mindset complexity of such a person perfectly. Yet she was cute and only a teeny tiny bit stupid and just too good of a person for her own good. Great acting, for a character and a side story that needed more screen time.
Yoo Da In. My personal favourite, as a melo lover, her story moved and touched me. She expressed difficult and unique feelings perfectly, she was luscious and easy to understand and relate even when she didn't have as much screen time as she deserved.
Seo In Young. Her story was pushed to the sidelines, it comes, therefore, as no surpise how her character was kind of forgettable as well. She was good and i have nothing bad to say, other than she was kind of overshadowed by Yoo In Na, as they were both the 'funny' characters.
Kwon Yool, was very good, his acting could be described as emotionless or/and cold, but i do believe it was his character being like that. I cannot say i loved him, but i had no problems with his acting.
Jung Kyung Ho. And we finally get to the king of the show. You know what is amazing? How he managed, in a show that focuses on women, and had 4(!) female leads, to rise above everyone and have the most important, interesting, touching, funny and adorable character of everyone. His acting could have been as forgettable as KY's but he managed to own the show! True king!
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
Many people argued how this was boring, i disagree, this actually had so much more to offer than other soulless rom coms, it actually had something to say other than just cheesy romance or insignificant comedy. However, this is not a show for everyone. People who know and like the shows that i mentioned above, or/and like rom coms in general, will, probably, like this one. Other people don't spend your time meaninglessly, move on. As for me, someone who generally dislikes rom coms, i loved this one, i don't know if this says something about me or the show...
I loved it, but would i rewatch it? Not really, it was great for the 16 hours i spent on this, and i will savour it for what it was.
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1Sweet xianxia with seven beautiful interconnected lives
The drama tells the love story between the God of War and a Fairy and their seven lives together. Due to accidentally entangling each other with a love thread, the main leads are tasked to go through seven love tribulations together in order to repair the male lead's primordial spirit. But with each passing tribulation, secrets of the past begin to surface and a long forgotten truth is finally revealed.POSITIVE:
- The story has tons and I mean TONS of parallels in between all lives and tribulations that the main leads experience. Everything is woven together to perfection. All the characters have meaningful roles in each tribulation, all little details like a simple hairpin are connected through all tribulations and this is very, very difficult to do so I'm absolutely blown away how it was all put together. And there are NO plot holes.
- I was sceptical at first as seven lives seemed like it might get repetitive and boring but there are not the typical 3 lives xianxia style. All lives are connected but at the same time move the plot forward in a very clever way. Each life is very different, with different settings and length of episodes. Some of the lives only FL remembers her present self, others only ML, and we also have lives where they both remember so it gives a unique experience in each one.
- I absolutely loved, loved, loved ML performance in the drama. He really brought all of his characters to life, when he was happy, I was happy, when he was in pain, I was in pain, when he was crying, I was crying. Even when I felt the script was lacking in certain scenes his brilliant performance really moved me and made up for it. I've only seen his other drama with Lusi and I have to say he has now become one of my favourite actors.
- Beautiful costumes and settings (they are done by the same production team as LBFAD).
- Secondary couple has an interesting plot twist so it's quite unique to watch.
- Happy ending for everyone (well except the bad guys lol).
NEGATIVE:
- Doesn't have that addictive factor where you totally obsess over the drama. Like there was something missing, perhaps the lack of emotional impact I was looking for.
- FL acting is very lacking. I rarely discuss acting but unfortunately this one was very obviously bad in comparison to the brilliant job that the ML actor did. I felt the FL actress was specifically bad in delivering scenes where she was supposed to be scared, distressed and in extreme pain. She was making all the facial expressions, I could see the tears but somehow there was no real emotion behind it especially compared to the ML.
- It has a slow start and the 2nd tribulation (the first human one) is the longest one so it feels very dragged out.
- The ending is quite.. well boring. Lots of unnecessary talks and excessive weird effects (almost like they ran out of budget). Without spoiling it, I feel there is a very interesting plot line relating to the tribulations that's very unique and would have made an epic final however it was brushed off and instead we were given a very typical xianxia ending.
- SML has a very typical "I'm obsessively in love with the FL" syndrome at the beginning but he gets very much redeemed in my eyes. He does get a lot of screen time and very much feels like a main character so that might be positive or negative depending how much you like his character. In general the actor did a great job and I didn't mind his scenes however in certain episodes he got more screen time than the male lead which I didn't like.
- Editing feels choppy and weird at times.
- Effects and CGI in the last episodes are a bit weird.
OVERALL:
The drama is a sweet xianxia with beautiful interconnecting themes and parallels, lots of interesting characters and some character's growth. The main focus is the love story between the leads so it's a nice comfort drama to watch. Great rewatch value because of the mystery and all parallels.
GUIDE:
Read my short episodes guide (with minor spoilers) about the 7 tribulations:
https://kisskh.at/discussions/the-seventh-generation/110999-all-tribulation-lives-brief-info-with-minor-spoilers
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My favourite BL of this year
When the series has yet to come to an end, I said it's my favourite BL of 2021, and now that it's actually ended, I'm STILL saying that 'We Best Love: No.1 For You' is my all-time NUMBER ONE BL of 2021! I don't think I can move on from this series anytime soon...STORY
The two main leads, Shu Yi and Shi De, are in an unrequited love - SY is in love with one of his close lady friend who's in love with one of SY's close guy friend... and SD is in love with SY. Talk about tragic love. SY and SD knew each other for over 10 years since they were kids, but they aren't friends, oh no no, god forbid they become friends. They are rivals. Competitive rivals, at least according to SY. SD, on the other hand, does not really care. The only reason he competes is just so he could get SY's attention. Cliché af, but cute af. SY is frustrated and upset that he's always No.2 to SD. He never gets to win over SD. The only reason SD tried as hard to be No.1 is cause he wants all of SY's focus on him, even if it makes SY angry. Unrequited love is tough, ok? SD's gotta do what he gotta do with what he's got. So of course, when SD finds the opportunity to keep him close, he goes and makes SY his page-boy, in exchange for keeping SY's secret. At first, SY hates it, but as the episodes progress, SY begins to soften to SD. He even calls SD his friend!! At some point in time, over the 10+ years that SD has loved SY, SD thought that if he couldn't get SY to love him back, at the very least, he wanted SY to be his friend. And it was heart-breaking, to watch SD try to hide and bottle his feelings just so they can be friends... It's just, man, SD is so selfless with his love for SY. He only gives and doesn't ask for anything in return except, well, only for that they could become friends until graduation. Which is in itself bringing me to tears!!!
Unrequited love is a theme that's really popular in any love story, but in 'WBL: No.1 For You', it's just so captivating, to watch these two men side-by-side as one watches the other with love-sick expressions while the other figures out his emotions and come to terms with his newfound feelings. You cannot ever forget the way they bared their hearts and souls to each at that bridge... I've never seen anything so beautiful and heart-wrenching. You can say, even though SD loved SY longer, I feel like SY is the one that loves harder. Nobody can stop him now!
Also, the fact that we got an underwater kiss in the first episode itself, not to say in the first minute of the series... oof bravo! And that kisses in the last two eps omg people, it was everything I could've ever asked for and more!
CAST/ACTORS
The chemistry between SY and SD is hot and boiling, but at the same time, soft and sweet. I could watch them all day even if they were to do nothing but sleep. Their good looks are enough of an eye-candy to last me a good few months. Before officially watching this series, I looked up the actors that played SY and SD. The chemistry between Sam Lin and Yu is also as heated as SY and SD. The two actors looked so comfortable with each other, it all seemed so natural. I've watched their IG lives too, and they're always in their own little world, being so flirty and giggly all the time. According to Evan, who acts in this series as Bing Wei, he said the following to express how much Sam and Yu are always acting like they're the only ones in the room, "We're just air in the room. Don't mind us." Agreed. I feel like a third-wheel whenever I watch them.
Yu is actually half-Japanese and half-Taiwanese, and if you watch the series, you'll notice how SY incorporates Japanese words here and there, and I absolutely LOVE it! It's just so adorable. Also, it's supposedly Yu's first time acting, which blew my mind cause he acts so well in the series I couldn't tell he was a rookie. And then we have Sam, the man with the sexiest voice. I absolutely fell in love with his voice. The dynamic between these two is out of this world, you wouldn't have known that this series was the first time they've met. They behave like freaking long-lost soulmates omg. The 'WBL: No.1 For You' team couldn't have done a better job casting them to play the main lead roles. Forever grateful to the staffs responsible for bringing them into the world of 'WBL: No.1 For You', and making us fall in love with them.
MUSIC
The OSTs in the series are beautiful and I love them all~ I hope they keep giving us their music.
Kelly Cheng - 《Will You Be My Love》
YU - 《Aqua Blue》
Alex Chou - 《Hard To Let Go》
--------------------------------------------
Watch it, guys. To those who still haven't, I don't know what you're doing, but you're missing on a real treasure. Every part of this drama was everything I hoped for and more! We got a simple yet interesting plot, an amazing cast, mind-blowing chemistry with jaw-dropping kisses, and would you look at that, we're even having a second season! What's not to love?
Season 1 ended with a happy-ending (i love it here), but to those who haven't watched last ep to the end, hot dang, would never have expected that post-credit scene ;-; but all the same, here's hoping for a better Season 2!! I'm mad excited about it, and I just love seeing Sam and Yu acting together~ There's something about the both of them....
Fighting to WBL all the casts, staffs and fans! Let's cheer for an amazing Season 2!
FYI, WBL reached a new record on MDL scoring a whooping rating of 67. 1! Never happened before and I was proud of WBL for breaking MDL~
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1Love & Hate. Trust & Betrayal. A hopeless romantic drama with a dash of politics.
The core of this drama is the love story between the leads, with a bit of a mix of Beauty and the Beast + Romeo and Juliet vibes. The drama is about the female lead, who is sent to form a marriage alliance with the male lead’s family, in order to stop the feud between them. However, the male lead, a General and Lord of his clan, is reluctant to accept her, as he still harbours resentment towards her family. From distrust and hate, the leads slowly build trust and fall in love, while working together towards their common goal - to help their people live a peaceful life.The best thing about this drama is that it made me FEEL. The characters were written so well, they all felt like real people. I laughed with them, I cried with them and worried for them. The angst hit hard, the romance was sweetness overload and the emotional moments landed at the perfect timing. It is indeed rare to find a drama that pulls you in so deeply, that you connect with so much emotionally, and this one totally did.
POSITIVE:
- Smart & strong female lead. She used her brain to fight war and I loved it.
- Red to green flag male lead. He was a layered character. Started off as a red flag and kind of a jerk towards everyone. But knowing what he has experienced, it all made sense. Falling for his wife softened him - towards her and his people. But at the same time, as a Lord and General, he was still badass, smart, firm and masculine.
- Rom-com vibes. Unexpectedly, the middle of the drama was non-stop laughter and cute romantic scenes. I’m usually all for angst but I absolutely loved this part as it truly built up the characters and love story.
- Comedy was gold. There were so many ridiculously funny and very entertaining scenes that made me smile all day. It’s been a long time since a drama made me laugh this much.
- Emotional rollercoaster. The heartwarming romance made me smile all day, while the heartbreaking moments made me cry buckets of tears.
- Slow burn romance that burned HARD. The romantic tension between the leads was the driving force of this drama and their enemies to lovers arc was brilliantly written.
- Hot kisses. Only 2-3 scenes but they totally broke the scale in terms of heat.
- Support cast was great. I’m looking at the four generals, especially dear Wei Liang, who was the heart of this drama and made me giggle like crazy.
- Villains. What I liked about this drama is that all villains felt human. Their actions made sense, their evil deeds made sense. In fact, if the script was flipped at the start, I could see some of them being the heroes. The villains weren’t villains for the sake of it but because their life circumstances and past pain had shaped them to be this way.
- Cinematography, OST, costumes - everything was done really well.
NEGATIVE:
There were little bits that bugged me. I wasn’t a fan of the second male lead but I did grow fond of him later. The political and war side towards the end felt a bit rushed. I wouldn’t have minded if the drama had 2 more episodes to extend the story. I’m guessing they didn’t have that much budget for a huge war scene in the finale episode, but the villain just standing there doing nothing was kind of lame. But still, none of these things were a huge overkill because the core of the drama was always romance, not politics or war.
OVERALL:
This is one of the best 2025 cdramas for me. It has everything, from well developed characters, brilliantly crafted romance, to a perfect blend of suspense, tragedy, angst and comedy. If you are here for logic, politics and war, you will most likely be disappointed. But if you want a brilliantly crafted love story, packed with a rollercoaster of emotions and an adorable support cast of generals, PLUS you are a hopeless romantic at heart, I highly, highly, highly recommend this drama.
FAVOURITE QUOTE:
“You see me as a jewel but you treat all others as ants” by the female lead
“If I succeed, it is my fortune. If I fail it is my fate. Even if I die, I’ll have no regrets.” by the villain
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Best xianxia since ten miles of peach blossom
the sound design in this drama is GORGEOUS, like god tier. really you can always tell a drama is going to be explosive when the crew excels with the sound and i am big on sound design. especially being an avid fan of western works like Dune, Game of thrones, Westworld, Instellar (and literally every single Christopher Nolan work).Haven't been this engrossed in a xianxia drama like this since Ten miles of peach blossoms so that's telling enough. the cinematography, visuals and acting is just *chefs kiss*.
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'Finding Happiness Again'
The New Beginning.Not having some great story, relatively some or to be honest many plot holes doesn't mean that drama wasn't good, there's nothing like perfection. Having some cons is a good thing from my perspective. So now let's talk about drama. Fluffy, comedy, sweet, light with mild romance (Don't expect too much even romance is in main genres) ... it's the full package fluff drama but it also gives some messages which make us think about ourselves our life and the decision we made.
The story wasn't perfect but the execution was done well, kind of predictable still a fun and interesting journey. Really like the character development wasn't just about only one character but about every... the journey of learning something and it was for everyone that at the end you can see not phenomenal but at least a good change indeed!
Talking about the cast and acting... for me everyone was perfect for their respective roles and characters really liked Bahn Ha-Ni's both version the younger and the present one it's always great to see two different sides of the same character though I can't say they both are same haha.. the ML was definitely chocolate boy, adorable, liked the chemistry between them but still I won't say we get much romance here.
So overall it was a good show indeed won't say very good, coz I didn't get answers for some of my questions and had some plot holes but it's really good and light show indeed!
“We all do things we desperately wish we could undo. Those regrets just become part of who we are, along with everything else. To spend time trying to change that, well, it's like chasing clouds.”
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This review may contain spoilers
Mankind's greed has no limits....
I've been anticipating this movie, for quite a while now and I have to say the wait was worth it.If you're one to get easily emotional, then get ready to grab your tissue box, because BoGum's doe eyes will make you cry and feel for his character, Seobok, who amid everything was still innocent and yet treated so unkindly by humans, through all his life. To never know kindness, love or trust, and see himself as nothing but a specimen with a purpose.
It truly depicts the lack of humanity when it comes to study and use animals for such, also the greed of those who fear death while seeking for a way to prolong their petty lives.
"It scare me to think of dying, but living forever is scary too."
Kiheon and Seobok both share something in common here, they both fear the unknown that lies in dying, and yet they are also afraid of living.
"What should I believe to not be scared?"
The symbolic value and moral grounds this movie works with are deeper than one can assume, and mainly questioned by the two main characters, along their journey, were their fears and doubts are exposed.
"Do you think dying... is really like sleeping?"
"Maybe."
"Then how come people aren't afraid to fall asleep? It's like dying for a while."
For some it might be the typical collaboration between Korean/American plot with the whole experiment and survival, however it's GongYoo and BoGum's acting that takes the prize.
Special effects too in a way when it comes to production.
The OST is nothing out of the ordinary for me, although quite right into the emotional scenes.
Not going to lie, it's quite an emotional ride.
The message in plot is more than it seems.
Its all about acceptance and resilience.
And knowing what's wrong and right.
"It's beautiful."
"What is?"
"To be alive."
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Despite billing itself as a medical drama which features a savant surgeon, Good Doctor evolved into quite a different animal. While it does feature bloody surgeries and a hospital atmosphere, this drama yearns to be an inspiring slice-of-life. Most patients serve as episodic cases and often provide the backdrop for the hospital staff to interact. Though the medical side was handled relatively well, it often felt gimmicky. Developments between the hospital staff seemed much more important to the writers. To their credit, character interaction is where this drama excels. The exchanges may elicit wide ranges of emotions from viewers, anything between sorrow and anger to warmth and joy.
Certain things did not work as intended. Hospital politics feature in most medical dramas, but they were boring and unnecessary in Good Doctor. A particular romantic red herring exists (as they always do), taking up a large chunk of episodes. When things are finally sorted, the "proper" progression initially feels jagged and too quick -- despite the pairing itself being very nice and even desirable. This phenomenon of sudden forward motion occurs also with the lead character, as he moves from extended developmental purgatory to huge successive change. Even these issues are somewhat forgivable though, due to the power and likability of the actors.
As you might have garnered, Good Doctor features an earnestly talented cast. Joo Won shines at the top as gentle-hearted savant Park Shi On. Everything about his performance, from the way he held his body to his speech, spoke of good research and execution. Prickly Kim Do Han is something of an internet sensation, lovingly dubbed Doctor Wook ("anger") by Korean netizens. Joo Sang Wook brings natural charisma to this role, believably building a man colored by both by hardness and secret warmth. Though she was handed a character with little back story, something about Moon Chae Won just clicks. Her Cha Yoon Seo might dole out less impact, but she serves her purpose well. All three have wonderful chemistry, in any combination. Of the supporting cast, nearly everyone involved with the hospital politic aspect of the plot felt wasted. This is especially true of Kim Min Seo, Na Young Hee, Chun Ho Jin (who always seemed thunderstruck).
Many musical tracks were great, especially instrumental pieces. Various themes adopt an ethereal quality and a nonsense language reminiscent of Yuki Kaijura; these are masterful. Unfortunately, traditional vocal pieces are far more numerous than expected. This led to many forgettable ballads; during a particular episode, they actually stuffed every single into the action -- and topped the final scene off with an entirely new song! Despite this slight overcrowding, most were at least decent. Standouts include "I Am In Love" (2BiC), "How Come You Don't Know?" (Kim Jong Kook), and late game offering "Love Medicine" (Joo Won).
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