Kim Ji suk at his best!! LOVED the ending!!
Never thought this cliche drama will grow on me after every episode I would watch.Kim ji suk as Top star! well he really seems like a real top star.
His character as Yoo Baek is wounded soul who is bitter and rude to everyone around him. Yoo baek is send to a remote island when he is involved in a scandal. Without the comfort and amenities of city life, Yoo beak starts to adjust to island life. And then his character slowly learns the values of life because of people on the island. Cold Yoo baek becomes most warm-hearted person you can ever imagine.
What seemed an annoying accent of FL in first episodes, in later episodes, I found myself saying it's cute. Jeon So Min was cute as Oh Kang soon. She really seems like island girl. Oh Kang soon is a diver girl who changes Yoo baek's life through her warm-hearted personality.
The leads delivered awesome chemistry after ep.7. Last 3 eps were Gold.
Ma dol is so cute. I loved how his story ended.
I loved every single character in the series. EVERYONE!
DON'T DROP THIS DRAMA! You can fast forward the parts you won't like, but this show takes grip after ep.6.
Music is AWESOME!! I loved how they reignited old songs.
Last 3-4 eps. are definitely REwatch!
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This review may contain spoilers
Zheng Ye Cheng once again proved his acting ability
This drama is made for those who want to take their time and enjoy the content.Xin Yun Lai, who played Luo Fei, was a good fit. Unlike his true character, he passionately played the role of a calm and taciturn detective with the thorns of a past case in his heart.
The supporting cast, including James Yang as Bai Ya Xing, was also excellent. However, Merxat, who has a reputation as a villain, could have brought more tension and depth to the drama by enhancing Bai Ya Xing's personality.
Today's viewers are more interested in simple, easy-to-understand dramas like New Life Begins, which was a hit last year.
This drama is based on an original story, so it is impossible to make major changes, but to summarize it in 24 episodes, the seven deadly sins are seven cases, and each case is solved every two episodes (two episodes were aired each day), with the main character's hypnotism leading to the resolution of the case in 14 episodes. If the plot had been as simple as a Hollywood drama, with the remaining 10 episodes to reveal the truth of the main character's mother's death, the mastermind's motive, etc., and finally solve the case, it might have been more acceptable to a wider audience. It would have cut down on the depth of this drama...
In this, Zheng Ye Cheng once again proved his acting ability. Even in scenes without dialogue, he is able to express detailed emotional swings.
In Chinese drama productions, the romance category has the largest number of viewers and becomes a blockbuster drama, whereas these dramas are in a minor category and are usually unlikely to become a hit. However, Desire Catcher has become a hit in its own right, with a seeding volume of over 500 million.
Zheng Ye Cheng is, in fact, also good at romcom dramas. Despite its low budget, The Sleepless Princess and My Sassy Princess were near S-class hits.
Although his popularity would have exploded if he continued to appear in romcom dramas, he has chosen not to appear in this category, instead appearing in Enlighten your life, a national policy drama about the pioneering era of nuclear power generation, and Stealth Walker, an undercover investigation drama.
Zheng Ye Cheng belongs to a private agency, so he has not been able to appear in S-class dramas as a leading actor, and his fame is not as high as that of popular young actors (many people have not seen him since loveO2O), but his acting ability is probably one of the best among actors.
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A Mixed Bag of Everything
"Gone With the Rain" presents a diverse mix of elements right from the start. It combines comedy, wars, romance, sisterly love, murders, forced marriages, conspiracy, sacrifice, unfulfilled love, war games, strategies, suspense and thrillers. It's like experiencing a buffet of genres in one story. However, the romance aspect of the story leaves a somewhat unpleasant taste. Brazen atrocities are committed with impunity, and the suspense and mystery elements resemble an Agatha Christie whodunit set in a schoolhouse. At times, the logic of the plot feels a bit childish, as the storyline takes unexpected twists and turns to fit the writer's desired ending.Based on the romance novel "Storm and Rouge" (Feng Yu Nong, Yan Zhi Luan) by Ni Luo, the drama revolves around the lives of Tang Moxi (played by Zhang Nan) and her first cousin, Bai Fengyao (played by Wang Yuwen). Having grown up together in Bai Fengyao’s home after Moxi loses both her parents, they navigate through a turbulent era of wars, scarcity, losses, forced marriages, hardships, betrayals, and nearly every challenge imaginable. Their bond is defined by their unwavering love and devotion to each other, overshadowing the traditional romance aspect that serves more as a subplot.
Tang Moxi defies the conventions of a typical heroine. She doesn't fit the mold of a delicate flower waiting to be saved or a Cinderella longing for a prince. In fact, she lacks education, refinement, and even exhibits selfish and greedy traits in her pursuit of goals. Nevertheless, she demonstrates a care for love and morality, alongside her fearless and untamed nature. She fearlessly shelters a wounded young officer rumored to be a spy, intimidates creditors with a kitchen chopping knife to protect Bai Fengyao, and skillfully negotiates with unsavory characters. Moxi's strong-willed and passionate character is akin to a torrential rain that is difficult to ignore.
Moxi, portrayed by Zhang Nan, appears as a young girl, around 15 years old, reflected in her clothing style, with shorter skirts paired with long pants. Initially, this may seem odd if viewers are unaware of Moxi's young age, possibly due to the actor's tall stature. However, as the story progresses and Moxi reaches marriageable age at 17, she looks stunning in her adult costumes. Despite her constant sour expression, her smile radiates warmth, which Zhang Nan portrays wonderfully.
Bai Fengyao, played by Wang Yuwen, contrasts Moxi's character. She embodies gentleness and strength, occasionally displaying stubbornness and possessing extensive knowledge from wide reading. Wang Yuwen convincingly brings the character to life, with Bai Fengyao appearing younger than Moxi due to the actor's youthful-looking face. The heartfelt sisterly relationship between Moxi and Bai Fengyao is portrayed with heartbreaking sacrifices and unconditional love.
Moxi falls in love at first sight with Wan Jiagui (portrayed by Zhao Yingbo), a young and handsome officer who initially hesitates to commit due to his unwavering dedication to the country. However, he eventually falls for Moxi, captivated by her courage, intelligence, and selflessness as she saves him without expecting anything in return. A big applause to Zhao Yingbo's portrayal of the Wan Jiagui character.
Early in the story, Moxi encounters Chen Wende (Sun Yizhou aka Sean Sun), who is significantly older, around 13 to 14 years her senior. Contrary to others' fear of him due to his unflattering reputation, Moxi boldly insults and chides him, leading to continuous banter between the two characters throughout the drama. Moxi's forthrightness and unpretentiousness intrigue and amuse Chen Wende to the extent that he falls in love with her. Sean Sun's excellent portrayal of the character adds believability to their evolving relationship.
The entire cast delivers commendable performances, although some actors may have slightly overacted, making it difficult to discern if it was intentional for humor or a result of their acting abilities.
My Verdict
The series comprises two narrative layers. One layer delves into the emotional entanglement between Mo Xi and Chen Wende, Feng Yao and Wan Jiagui, while the other layer explores the story of four individuals protecting each other and serving their homeland. These two narrative layers intertwine, merging personal emotions with feelings of family and country.
The story beautifully captures the essence of self-preservation, mutual support, and understanding within the two main female characters. Although the sisterly relationship takes precedence, unfulfilled love becomes a central theme, amplifying the committed relationship between the two cousin sisters. The pain and torment experienced when the two lovers are forcibly separated by fate and events create a bittersweet romance. However, romance enthusiasts may be disappointed when the direction of the romance changes by the end of the story.
It may take some time to adapt to the storytelling format of the drama, as Moxi's wild imagination often takes the form of playful and silly scenarios on screen. This is understandable, considering Moxi's young age and her tendency to engage in immature thinking.
The entire story is built around a conspiracy to overthrow the throne, with wars, deaths, separated lovers, and a hero unjustly accused. However, all these events seem somewhat futile, as Moxi effortlessly exposes the conspiracy's flaws in the end. The climax of the story disappoints and is hardly worth mentioning. Plot holes and logic conflicts are prevalent, but viewers are advised not to take them too seriously.
Although left to be desired, the overall plot is quite intriguing, the acting is commendable, and the attention to costume and props is evident throughout.
A rather fun watch! Recommended!
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I wanted so much to love this drama. I don't think I suffered from inflated expectations, even though Yoo In Na is one of my favorite actresses. This drama was just an absolute mess. The characters were mostly ridiculous. I think Yoo In Na cried in every single episode, sometimes several times an episode. Now, I don't mind a good damsel in distress every once in a while, I don't mind characters who have weaknesses. But that is all Yoo In Na's character was, weak. She was indecisive and allowed herself to be pulled in two different directions constantly. And I mean that quite literally. On more than one occasion, both boys each had a hand and was telling the other to let go. I was just hoping that she would tell them both to go take a flying leap since she wasn't a toy for them to argue over, but she never did.
That's not to say that I didn't pick sides. I was all for Goo Hae Young from the beginning. I know a lot of people love Nam Goong Min, but his character in this drama was absolutely insipid. He was a trope, and nothing more. Someone there to create friction and cause conflict, but not anyone who the writers care enough about to fully develop. Goo Hae Young, on the other hand, you understood what drove him. You understood his motives and the reasons why he wanted Sang Hyo so much. And more than anything, I think once you meet him, you just know they deserve to be together.
The other characters were all a joke. Used only for comic relief and as the impetus for Sang Hyo's interactions with either ends of the love triangle. It was a drama that was obsessed with love, but didn't really know how to piece it all together very well. They could have cut out 5 or 6 of the middle episodes and the drama would have been much better paced.
The murder, which could have been a really interesting focal point, was reduced to minor story points, usually used to just further the relationships. Did anyone really care who murdered those people? I certainly didn't, and the drama did a horrible job of trying to make me care about it.
All in all, it's hard to find something redeemable about this drama. But that's not to say that it isn't worth watching. There were times when it as genuinely fun, and Goo Hae Young and Nam Sang Hyo had some seriously sweet moments. Jin Yi Han is an amazing actor, and I am seriously looking forward to a more serious future role for him. While the surrounding characters were mostly shallow portrayals, they were still a lot of fun to watch their antics as they guess at the murderers and scheme to make romance happen. The love that Si Chan felt for hi boss and how much he wanted to help him be happy was adorable. And the competition for Sung Gyeum, Eun Joo, was a feisty, confident character that I legitimately liked.
If you aren't a fan of weak characters and weaker storylines, then I'd say avoid this. But if you are looking for fluff and fun, and a lot of crying (by the actors, that is), then I would say give this one a shot! It will require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but there is at least a thread of a story here that might be worth your time!
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This Is Not Omniscient Reader. This Is an Insult
I don’t know who this adaptation was made for, but it certainly wasn’t for fans of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. This movie feels like someone skimmed the Wikipedia summary of the story and decided, “Yeah, I’ll make a movie out of that.” Zero depth, zero emotional payoff, zero respect for the source material.Kim Dokja—one of the most complex, layered, emotionally rich protagonists ever written—is reduced to a bland, confused side character in his own story. The plot is butchered beyond recognition. Important arcs are skipped, relationships are flattened, and the entire thing feels like a rushed cash grab riding on the name.
And don’t even get me started on the pacing, the cringe dialogue, and how they tried to condense 500+ chapters of brilliance into a soulless 2-hour mess.
If you care at all about the manhwa or webnovel, skip this. And if you’ve already seen it and felt the same disappointment? Give it a 1-star rating. Loudly. This kind of lazy, shallow adaptation deserves to flop
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honestly, after repetitive sadness, and draggy plot lines, I barely laugh or tear up with dramas, but this made me cry and laugh at the same time!
I envy their friendship so much and I really need to adapt their life lessons.
life doesn't always follow your plans; they all had a different "job" they dreamt about yet life had other plans and non of them stayed in the same field.
they thought life was fun and games yet they faced so many different struggles and hardships..
now, I do feel like the stories kinda felt like dejavu, but at the same time it felt refreshing, especially with Siwon as the ML xD
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This review may contain spoilers
Ts is garbage
It's not even the actors that are the problem here (idk any of them and its my first time here lol)The changes are too much, and it sucks ass. Nothing is salvaging this flop adaptation. I've heard about all the changes they made to the movie, and it's enough for me to know that it's THAT bad.
First of all, they made KDJ too OOC, He's not some goody two shoes that wants to save the world. In the early chapters of ORV, it was established that KDJ wants to get an ending that he wants. He does not give a fuck about intentionally saving anyone that he doesn't know or care about or if they aren't useful to him, ppl just get saved in the process when he does smth. I was told that he just hates the novel TWSA, You mean the literal novel he's been reading for 13 years? The novel that literally save his life?? what the fuck. WHY IS HE A MURDERER AND A BULLY????
They also changed the TWSA novel's protag from YJH to JHW, I love my girl JHW, but she wasn't even in the novel, KDJ didn't even know who she was at the beginning, and also the movie removed her trauma as a SA victim?? Wow, like it wasn't a major part of her character. YSA was changed to be a healer when she literally does anything but healing?? Talk about misogyny, just because she's a woman, she's supposed to be the healer? We already have LSH for that.
Don't even get me started with LSK, she was changed and got turned into a sick mother who's getting taken care of by her son when she's supposed to be in prison for standing up for herself and killing her abusive husband. What the fuck happened to that?! We aren't even gonna get the mother and son beef that I love. Absolute Trash, Just read the Novel
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I am not here to critique the appropriateness of how things turn out, after all, this is a fiction. It may or may not happen in real life. If I am going to question if the outcome is fitting, I will be taking away the charm and magic of the story...
Now let me begin the review itself.
This is how a sequel should be. Sequels should note be done because it gain popularity or cash in a lot of money, but rather to continue and perhaps end a story that was left hanging. And that is exactly what this movie did. In fact, it intensified what Toey and Oat had.
It didn't add "filler" actors to make it more interesting. Kenta played a crucial role when he talked about that bad is relative, depends on the person who is saying and seeing, the realization after. And Jen as the devil's advocate for Toey. Both serve their purpose but equally necessary to make the story more cohesive and meaningful.
The setting helped too as it focus on the interaction between Toey and Oat as to compare to "Present Perfect" in which they roam Higashikawa. By containing the characters in a limited and confined space, the two characters becomes the highlight and not the surrounding.
Their acting greatly improved as well. Comparing it again to "Present Perfect", it is understandable that they are holding back that time as they are still discovering each other 's personality and feelings in the said prequel, that goes for the actors and their respective characters. It feels that in the prequel that they are taking cue not from each other but from the director. This time around and pointing the exchange of lines between Toey and Oat is more fluid and natural. They are taking the cue from each other and not from another person. It is like continuation of their love story. How each character matured and developed and how they are when they are together. But Tonawanik is definitely better in acting than Kritsana. Imagine delivering a barrage of lines with all sorts of emotions, Tonawanik clearly pull it off.
I wish they include a more heart felt music or sound as it will enhance the feeling of the audience. BUT, the lack of iconic musics can definitely be overlooked as it doesn't ruin the experience.
Rewatch value, not really for me to watch it again as I was in Toey's situation sometime in my past and it does not feel really good. I felt my gut being twist and pull apart the time when they are "arguing". I really feel what Toey was feeling as I shared the same. This story hits pretty to close to home.
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In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to choose your line.
So much was happening, but also nothing was happening, and how is that even possible?If we talk about the actual events, this is a 40 minute movie at best. Exorcism, chat, death, chat, exorcism, chat, exorcism - more or less the plot. But if we take into consideration the topics introduced in said chats - that's a one semester lecture for you. Lack of faith in the men of faith. The misogyny in church and the lack of equality between men and women. Nuns doing tarot readings? Sure. Also a power team of nuns and schaman doing exorcisms. I guess. Then we have illness, I guess shame, but that was not explained at all. One could say this was a women empowerment movie, but was it really? And then the whole final sequence, as beautiful as it was, was also painfully dumb.
Even Song Hye Kyo was a hit or miss depending on the scene. Her nonchalant and confident scenes were great, but every time she tried to be more angry domineering and scream it just felt painfully flat. I feel like at least for some lines, if they switched her raised voice to a really chilling whisper with the music going quiet, it would have far more impact.
Moon Woo Jin did an amazing job holding back laughter, because that performance was just ridiculous. In a good way. It was exactly what the director and writer wanted, that's clear.
Lee Jin Wook was there, acted like an asshole. Was gone. He is not the main role, that I can tell you, and Jeon Yeo Been, while definitely more prominent, had to somehow deliver a character that brought nothing on the screen.
What's good? The movie was beautiful. Quite a few breathtaking scenes and good use of special effects.
Overall, pass - in both senses of the world. I'm not mad I watched it, it passed. But also, don't waste your time, pass.
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Watch 1-2 skip to 16 and watch ..if there was an award for most awful lead this FL can easily win
First 16 episodes practically nothing happened he find the woman who took holy bead five year ago kidnap her and keep her in his kingdom .. obtaining beads need true love so all for the first 16 episodes he is trying to convince her to marry him ..while she is trying every silliest trick to run away ..After Ep 16 plot starts to take it's shape ..
The drama is written poorly on FL's part ... Her character is annoying, absurd, selfish, irrational over dramatic Scrooge... Her action will make to hate her to the point of disdain ...may be the reason why villian of this show in not very active till ep 25 ...FL was filling up for the villian ...
Still I will not this drama to any of my frnds because seriously there are a lot better options out there why waste time on something like this ... Yet if are interested you can skip parts of episode at your own convienence from 3 episode to 16
Male lead chen zhe yuan was the highlight he acting was outstanding given he was wearing mask for most of time still he acted brilliantly through his eyes ... Female actor lead wasn't bad either ..only her character was written ridiculously..
I found the parallel lead actress fram cat bloodline better than the FL herself
Ok ok experience
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This review may contain spoilers
This deserves so much attention. Is so freaking good!!!!
I sincerely dont understand the lack of attention to this drama. It has everything, from a good plot, to intense scenes, to love filled glances. I sware, everytime i see the main couple joking together i just want to jump into the screen and tell them to make out faster. There that cute.I also love the mystery that this show has. Like, it can be very predictable, but at the same time it makes you question if you really know what ur talking about. If what you are thinking is truly going to happen.
The one thing I'll complain about though is the songs. They can be very tacky, and the lyrics some times dont make to much sense. But the cinematography and the actors pay up for that little inconvenience.
There is kind of a thing for people who don't like slow plots. Its not that the drama drags, bit there some moments that you wish it would go faster.
All in all though, it a wonderful drama that truly captures you in to the world of justice, betrayal, and love.
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And thanks to this show stopped hating In Hee (from Personal Taste). If you have the same problem, this show is HIGHLY recommended! :D
Special Credits to the Odd Jobs President Cha did during his community service. Lol. Everytime, he said he was busy, and I thought he was talking about some hi-fi President Wallstreet-ish work and all he ended up doing was making children cross roads or scrape out chewing gums or gossiping with ajummas x). And the 'Whoo Whoo' song!
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This review may contain spoilers
The pinnacle of amateur writing
I don’t know where to start so let’s start with the story. The ‘story’ was chaotic and all over the place. Actually, there was no continuous story, just random plot points thrown here and there. It felt more like a boring anthology that mostly sustained itself on showing Leo and Fiat looking at each other with overly fake affection.I want to be honest here and admit that I was quite interested in some of the plot points, like Fiats overly controlling mother or Fiats estranged relationship with his father but, as expected, neither of these issues were given proper screentime and development. I would’ve like to know more about Fiats mother like f.e. what kind of mental issues does she have? Is she getting any help? Does she want to get better? How will this affect their mother-son relationship going forward? None of these questions were even remotely addressed. I also wish they didn’t make her behave in a comically evil way. It might’ve been more interesting to see her behave incredibly nice and indulging to Fiat, while also manipulating him at the same time. Her choice of words was very on the nose and the whole issue could’ve been handled with a lot more finesse but this applies to the whole drama, not just that one plot point.
And now that we’re on the subject, the dialogue was baaad. I’ve rarely seen such badly written dialogue but here we go. Embarrassingly cheesy and superficial. I felt like I was listening to preschoolers role playing at recess or smt.
Which leads me to to actors. Most of them weren’t good. Some were decent and some were bad. Especially First and Ja, their acting ability was pretty weak. Ja is only marginally better than First and that’s not saying much. I know that they’re still pretty much amateur actors and to hone your skills does take time and dedication, not to mention the sh*tty story and script of this drama, so I won’t give them much flag for that but still. They performed without much feelings. Any feeling they showed was only surface-level. Badly written scripts and characters do present an additional challenge to the actors and it shows. The director didn’t seem of much help here as well.
I do hope the boys get to start in a better drama with better written characters next time.
The make out scenes weren’t good either. They felt perfunctorily at best, like two robots going through the motions. I understand that the actors were probably tired and all but this shouldn’t translate onto the screen. Leo and Fiat are supposed to be totally into each other and horny 24/7 but their make out scenes made me believe the opposite.
I feel like there are two types of BLs. Either story-driven or skinship-driven. There’s nothing wrong with either and I feel like DNS was supposed to be second but bc of the robotic acting it fell flat. In TharnType, which story was a similar mess, Mew and Gulf at least delivered on that front. First and Ja unfortunately didn’t.
Ultimately, “DSN” suffered from similar problems as “TharnType”, meaning it attempted to showcase some serious issues but astronomically failed in its execution because the writer didn’t know how to either conduct proper research or simply wasn’t willing to deepen the subject and rather used it as plot device for the ‘romance’.
The directing and editing was slow and boring too and that one creepy soundtrack didn’t fit most scenes it was used on. But credit where it’s due: I did like the Op and Ed songs
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Romance done right
Finally a romance that had most of the cliches done right by giving you tons of butterflies. So, so many of my previous issues on how I envision an adult romantic relationship be, were resolved. Even though the number of episodes appear to be long but the relationship and story moved at a very enjoyable pace.Both the ML and FL where gorgeous, nice and caring, intelligent and could really emote well making this drama to go to top of my rewatch list. The chemistry was through the roof and the skin ship ticked all the boxes for me, was super exciting and organically done. The humor was so adorable.
I guess one of my favorite cliche is a strong, intelligent, working woman who is fully supported in her dreams and is super nice and reasonable in spite of being successful. Not only that she appreciates the individuality of others and support them as well and tries to understand by being flexible enough to try out their choices. The ML is not stoic at all and while being quite knowledgeable in the dating game is still innocent in his own way.
Although I am not a fan of a noona romance with a big age gap, but it can be overlooked easily. Many of other positive points of the drama included closure and support of the secondary male and female leads who loved the primary leads but were able to move on by supporting each other. The dressing of both male and female leads, their makeup, their personalities even most romantic background musical score were on point.
This drama has made me so happy that I'm going around with a stupid smile on my face. Strongly recommended for destressing, relaxing, and being satisfied at the end of it all.
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