This review may contain spoilers
Worst Season 2 of a BL EVER
To say I'm disappointed in this season 2 would be a serious understatement. This is the WORST season 2 of a BL I've ever seen. There's no way the writers thought this show had good writing. So many plot holes, inconsistencies, and overall things that just didn't make sense. Don't get me started on how irritating and annoying the new characters are. I could go on forever how terrible of a character Willy was. To have a character assault Babe MULTIPLE times and get away with it with just a pat on the back is INSULTING. No way the writers thought that was appropriate not only for the show but just in general to be shown. How sorry I feel for the victims of assault for having their trauma being portrayed as a mere plotline thrown in there for shock value. I could go on forever about Willy, but I want to speak on other things.The side couples were written so poorly and even the main couple at that. NorthSonic isn't even considered a couple in my eyes. They've been dragged out for way too long and their writing wasn't even worth seeing in the show. Sonic is an annoying brat that needs everything done for him which makes being in a relationship with him extremely tiring. He annoyed me the whole season and frankly didn't need to be with North. North deserved better. I couldn't imagine having to wait for the person you're literally in love with for that long and then that person being the brattiest person. In the end, their story and relationship were not worth it this time around. PeteChris did not interest me enough to watch their scenes for more than a few seconds. I skipped most of their scenes. Pete is so delusional and it's cringy to look at. I wasn't shocked that they didn't become a couple till the end. Their screentime could've gone to more important things. KimKenta were wasted potential. I didn't like them like that but even I know that their whole relationship was wasted. This couple just seems like something the fans wanted so the writers wrote something for them. I didn't even envision them as a couple. Also, why did Kenta have to rely on other characters so heavily? He was either a part of KimKenta or being Tony's prisoner. His character deserved so much better.
CharlieBabe and AlanJeff need their own paragraph. I'll start with CharlieBabe. Them being the main couple and characters did not stop the writers from writing them horribly. Them constantly breaking up and lying to each other was too much and didn't even make sense. Them in season 1 would have never had that much of miscommunication. The writers got incredibly lazy. The whole WillyBabe thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Everything about that was dumb and unnecessary. Babe in season 1 would have never thought to cheat or do anything along the lines of cheating to Charlie. I have the same thoughts on AlanJeff. The lying that Alan did to Jeff was truly out of character. Alan's character seemed completely rewritten by someone. They did not understand him in season 1. Jeff was better than me for staying and wanting to marry someone who lied to him. Overall, the main couples were done dirty by the writing.
Winner was so annoying and pathetic that he got himself a paragraph too. Never in my life have I seen a character more pathetic in my life. Truly can't understand why he got away after all the things he did. With this type of writing, I don't expect any realism or things that make sense. In the end, I didn't care for him at all, and I don't feel bad.
Dean was a character that tried to prove himself multiple times and was shut down at every time. He was a character that didn't even feel like he was in the show since he was in a coma half the show it felt like. Another character that was done dirty by the writers. I was glad at the end that he was forgiven.
Tony is the last character that I'm going to talk about before I say the conclusion. PATHETIC. That's the only word I could use to describe him. I don't know why he thought that singing the same song was going to work. In the end, nothing he did worked, and he died knowing that Babe did not care about him.
Overall, the show was below average. How it's not the worst thing I've ever seen is fascinating. The actors and their acting were the only thing that saved this awful show. I hope the actors get better work in the future that doesn't have this bad of writing. The story felt flat and there is nothing much worthy of watching this show. This show was just a way to show off Willy and that is the reason why this shouldn't even be called Pit Babe. Not worth it.
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The entire artistic production would receive 9/10 from me for a romcom drama like this. The direction was great; the set and props were outstanding; the cast was full of both eye candy and skills. The cinematography was amazing. It was good to look at. I just wish they gave much more effort into blending their multiple genres together.
THE CAST:
I'm never a fan of any of them, but I believe they did a really great job. The set of 3 leads owned their roles. I even believe that the writers wrote this story with Park Boyoung in their mind. Tiny and cutesy role is definitely for her, and she's a good actress as well. This is only my second drama with her, however, and I believe that the next one with her is gonna start boring me a bit. Her tone and acting is just so *her* like she was in Oh My Ghost. This happened to me with Hwang Jungeum in every single drama she was in as well.
THE STORY:
The story, however, was a strange mix of romance, comedy, supernatural(?), police investigation, and even bloody thriller. How would they mix into a good storyline? There's no way. I believe they needed to take out at least one, or tone down each of them to make everything flow.
The dynamic of this storyline is super strange. It was like an incredibly bumpy road instead of a smooth rollercoaster. The comedy element was almost too forced that it wasn't funny. Some parts were even disgusting that just made me fast-forward throughout the show.
The thriller part started out really strong in the beginning which tipped off the consistent cute and comical tone of the entire Do Bongsoon character. That villain character was just too over-the-top that the entire sub plot around this guy doesn't fit in with the tone of this story at all.
Plus, the entire reason Bongsoon and Hyungshik got together was because *his* case, not the one in her neighborhood. He was being threatened, and that case was solved so easily and quickly. It was definitely just there to bring the two together.
The love story between the two/three leads was nothing special. Nothing really developed or had an impact on any characteristic change. It was just there out of nowhere. I have to admit that they were cute and fluffy together though. They were almost too cheesy together and I usually don't prefer that kind of super cringy stuff, but I believe it helped even out the darker tones regarding the villain. It still isn't the ideal way for such purpose.
But all in all, I wouldn't keep watching until the end if it wasn't entertaining. Like I said, I liked the cinematography and the cast a lot (surprisingly, given that I'm never a fan of any of them). It was something to watch in my free time and I did take my time to finish it. The bad parts weren't soooo bad that it let me down. At least the first episode started off nicely. If you wanna see for yourself, I don't recommend you against it. I have a reputation for dropping series halfway through if the first few episodes are slow and have too much flashback. This one was fine.
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1This review may contain spoilers
THE most healthiest and Best Xianxia Main CP! Totally worth the journey in the end!
Moonlight Mystique is among one of the anticipated drama's I have been wanting to watch, since I know this is adapted from the novel which is part of the trilogy/spinoff that focused on Tian Qi and Yuemi love story from Ancient Love Poetry (Shang Gu Novel). After watching this drama as a whole, I can tell you that Moonlight Mystique has the least(almost-to-none) connection to Ancient Love Poetry, so this can be regarded as a standalone drama/story featuring Fan Yue/Jing Yuan and Bai Shuo/Xing Yue.So you don't really need to watch Ancient Love Poetry to understand the backstory since it was changed completely. MM doesn't feature the god realm, and has no relation/connection to the original backstory for Tian Qi and Yuemi in Ancient Love Poetry.
Instead of the God Realm(ALP), in MM, this was changed to the 3 Divine Realm: Lunar (Govern by Goddess Xing Yue), Demon (Govern by Demon God Jing Yuan) and Hidden (Govern by the Hidden God Mo Li).
Before Jing Yuan and Xing Yue backstory was revealed, I didn't know it would be like this out of all my speculation, but it actually turned out to be so different than what I imagined their backstory to be like. I really love the playful and silly side to Jing Yuan from back then (60,000 years ago), because one way or another, I still like to find some references that will tie back to his original character in ALP (Tian Qi). So with this being said, I am glad his character somewhat stayed true in that sense that Jing Yuan is not afraid to confess his love/feelings to the woman he loves, in this case it is Xing Yue and I love that. In it's originality, Tian Qi is someone who will choose to protect the woman he loves first before the three realms. He would go that far to just protect that one person. I'm glad to see that Fan Yue/Jing Yuan is the same, in that sense where he will always choose to protect Bai Shuo/Xing Yue first. These are traits and qualities that I'm glad they kept to the original in MM.
But in MM, I am glad that we get to see that this is being directed at someone like Bai Shuo who can return his love equally. He deserves to be love. They both deserve their happy ever after at the end of all this. I am glad they got this happy ending in the end.
The God Realm is my favourite arc, although it was short but their backstory truly touched my heart and made me fell in love with Jing Yuan and Xing Yue back story.
Even when the story to MM was changed completely from their original backstory for Tian Qi and Yuemi, please don't let this discouraged you from watching Moonlight Mystique though, because I can assure you that the journey for our beloved main character: Fan Yue and Bai Shuo and this beautiful pairing is very worth it in the end!
While from ALP fans perspective (since I am also ALP fan), I get why fans want some form of connection back to the original story too. Since that is where their backstory started.
But from the writing perspective, for fans who never got exposed to their backstory and watch this as a standalone, they probably don't want to see Jing Yuan(Tian Qi) loving someone else in the past and Xing Yue(Yue Mi) being hurt by this unrequited love in the process.
To me, the change has its pros and cons. The change was done better for Tian Qi part for me but cant say the same for Yuemi with what was portrayed in their backstory revealed as Xing Yue and Jing Yuan in the past. Since Yuemi will never hurt Tian Qi on her end. But as we have seen from their past; despite they love each other, they cannot be together, and this leads to their tragic ending, which is very sad. I love how they made it clear/explained that Jing Yuan have been searching for Xing Yue on his end, and I find their story to be somewhat bittersweet in that sense. I actually wrote up my feelings in this thread in here, if you're interested in reading: https://kisskh.at/discussions/zhu-yue/134640-jing-yuan-and-xing-yue-ending-contain-spoilers
With that being said, I will add this part to my review as well, I remember when this drama(MM) started airing, I told my online friend about it, since we both like Tian Qi and Yuemi story in Ancient Love Poetry, and we were talking about the cast selection. When I shared this to my online friend about the actress Bai Lu in this drama; he made a comment saying if I can still watch Bai Lu? Since he knows how I feel about her, and if I am going to be honest with you, her character Li Su Su in Till the end of the Moon had really traumatized me to the point there was a period of time, I cannot watch any of her drama's at all. I remember back then(when MM was still airing in the early episodes) my reply to my online friend was: "At the end, Bai Lu can either have two outcome for me, she either will go into my blacklist if she turned out to be another character I don't like in this one by traumatizing me once again, OR her character in this drama (Moonlight Mystique) will heal my previous trauma of her character in Till the End of the Moon. So in the end, what I can say is, I am glad I gave her this benefit of the doubt, while it is true that I started off neutral with her, but her character growth/journey and her portrayal in Bai Shuo or Xing Yue had really won me over and made me became a fan of her as the story progresses, although I love Bai Shuo better because her character is written more to the way of my liking. Bai Lu have done an excellent job bringing out the character: Bai Shuo and Xing Yue to life. I like how she played out the emotional scenes, and her crying scenes didn't feel force but genuine. I like that because it makes it more impactful when I watch those scenes.
As for Male lead actor goes, I have never seen Ao Rui Peng in another drama before, and the irony was while I have watched a few episodes of Blood of Youth back then, his character didn't stand out to me in that drama, BUT him portraying as Fan Yue and Jing Yuan is just on another level!!! Love him and his make up/costume in this drama. He looks so cool/handsome and especially with the purple shades in his hair when he played as Jing Yuan (The Demon God)!!! Ao Rui Peng whether he is Fan Yue or Jing Yuan, he is very good at playing out these emotional scenes as well. He also has a very passionate chemistry with Bai Shuo/Xing Yue (played by Bai Lu). I love all their screen time together onscreen, and their interactions is just a delight to watch, even at the beginning! There is never a boring moment when they're onscreen! They are definitely noted down as my favourite couple of all time, as a matter of fact, I think I am bumping Fan Yue and Bai Shuo up as my no.1 favourite Xianxia CP!
When it comes to pairing side of things, I don't think I have ever encountered a pairing that is this healthy, what I mean by healthy is... Both Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, they have communication, they will talk it out and not let it lead to any miscommunication or misunderstanding between them. Communication is the key!!! And Bai Shuo and Fan Yue have this and I am really thankful that they are consistent with this to the end from their characters. This is really refreshing to see, and I really love it. It makes them stand out to be the most well written pairing that have communication that work through things together. Not to mention they definitely have chemistry as a pairing!! Their Kiss scenes makes me blush and I am glad we got these beautiful scenes for our beloved pairing!
Xianxia is my favourite genre, but if I am going to be honest here, how I feel about xianxia in the overall have been disappointing as time goes by in terms of having a promising start, but a disappointing ending where they recycled the plot about the "responsibility in protecting the three realms". I am honestly at the point where I don't want a love story where the ML have to shoulder that responsibility in choosing to either protect the three realms or the woman he loves.
I want a love story where the ML choose to put the woman he loves above the 3 realms(or how many ever realms there is). I guess this is why Fan Yue and Bai Shuo love story appeal to me so much, because I see this as a breakthrough to the overused plot of choosing to protect the three realms and carrying that burden on your shoulder and cannot love freely the way you would want to without those responsibilities.
So going back to my favourite character here, whether it is Fan Yue or Jing Yuan(in MM), he is really a romantic person in my eyes, because he will continue to protect the woman he loves above anything else. I honestly love his love for Bai Shuo/Xing Yue. I LOVE FAN YUE & JING YUAN!
One of the things that makes Moonlight Mystique(MM) stand out is that there is never a boring moment with the plot that makes it feels like a filler, because each arc has a purpose that tells the story and will connects to the next one, which makes everything come into place at the end. Even when the side character/stories have their own impactful story that was written so well that it made me cry or teary for them, so they really stand out on it's own(in a good way).
I love the kids actors who played as Fan Yue and Qi Feng and Bai Shuo and Bai Xi, their backstory played by these little actors where they played their role in the backstory, made the present time more impactful because you know how much has changed between them from back then (as kids) and now (as adults).
I also want to make a memorable mention on the character Chen Ye, I didn't think I would like him when I first saw him, even when I found him handsome, because he was cold and ruthless, but when his backstory was revealed, I cannot not like him you know. I even love his interactions with Fan Yue and all their screen-time together (because...... I won't spoil the details for you).
Fu Ling is another character I didn't think I will like, but in the end, she has become a character that I came to like on my end. I also like her love story with Chong Zhao as well. It is quite sad to be honest. Yeah sad, meaning they got a tragic end.
In terms of ending for Fan Yue and Bai Shuo, I just want to say this, I really love the ending to MM, I was really nervous that it will be a last minute happy ending like ALP or TLI, but I am glad it isn't the case in MM. To be honest, I was already happy with the ending I got from Episode 40 because they get to hug and shared 1 last passionate kiss together, but when they gave us an epilogue to show their wedding at the end, this just makes it more satisfying for me, because I have come to love Fan Yue and Bai Shuo so much. I love them to the point that if their ending is a Open Ending, I don't think I will be able to control my emotions. I mean, I was really disappointed with Song of the Moon(SOTM) Ending which is another Xianxia by IQIYI by cutting out the ending I know was filmed, but they never included this in the epilogue in that drama(SOTM) so this is why in MM, I am happy and over the moon for finally giving us and our beloved pairing Fan Yue and Bai Shuo their happy ending in a satisfying way! They deserve this to be honest!!! Because they have suffered so much from their past as Jing Yuan and Xing Yue!!!
MM ending is loveable in my eyes because we got a satisfying and conclusive ending for the Main Pairing, and the other side characters was implied and confirmed they will return one day (so that is a hopeful happy ending for our beloved side characters who died for the great cause). The writers didn't have to give us this but they did so I love them for this.
Among the three story: Ancient Love Poetry(ALP), The Last Immortal(TLI) and Moonlight Mystique(MM), as far as ending goes, while they are all a Happy Ending, but MM definitely have the best and most satisfying ending compared to the other 2. I felt like TLI(Yuan Qi and Feng Yin) got the short end of the stick, because at least Bai Jue and Shang Gu(ALP) get to hug, but Yuanqi and Feng Yin(TLI) ending was them standing at a distance looking at each other.
In the end, it's up to you whether you will watch it or not, but IMO, if you don't watch it then you are really missing out. It may not be every one's cup of tea and that's fine, but I will just say that for me personally, not many Xianxia nowadays pull through as the best and this feeling stay true to the end, since they normally started off well, but then got boring like how I feel towards The Blossoming Love which was airing at the same time, In The Blossoming Love, I got bored with the plot and the direction it was going whereas for Moonlight Mystique, the plot and characters got me engaged/hooked into the story from beginning to the end!
Oh and let's not forget about the OST! Please be sure to check it out because they are all so good!! I love all of them!!! And I have to say that this is the first time, I never actually want to skip the Opening (Intro song) and Ending (Outro song), because they are very captivating!!!
P.S: Fan Yue and Bai Shuo is now officially my no.1 favourite Drama CP. I still want to make an honorable mention to my other favourite pairing: Jing Yuan and Xing Yue! To me (if you have not read that thread of mines), then I will just add it here as well: In the overall, how I took the theme to their backstory and ending is, Fan Yue and Bai Shuo are reincarnations to both Jing Yuan and Xing Yue, and they lived on as their happy ending. Just like what Jing Yuan said to Fan Yue before he joins Xing Yue in the stars: that perhaps his awakening(60,000 years later) was to give them(Fan Yue and Bai Shuo) a chance to be together. He told Fan Yue to protect Bai Shuo well and don't let their(Jing Yuan and Xing Yue) regrets in the past repeat itself 😭😭 so to me, this is how I saw it... To say I am not sad would be a lie, because I was sad in that scene, but when I look at this in another sense/perspective, their ending gives a sense of bittersweet where their happy ending lives on in their next life(as Fan Yue and Bai Shuo) it actually makes sense if you look at reincarnation side of things. I felt like how the writers wrote this was very poetic and sad, yet beautiful at the same time that the love they held for the one they love is irreplaceable. We saw this through Fan Yue, Bai Shuo and Jing Yuan.
So in the end, does this make me dislike Fan Yue and Bai Shuo for having a happy ending? No!! Because Fan Yue and Bai Shuo deserves their happy ending too and considering all their suffering and sacrifices they earned it and I am glad one way or another Jing Yuan and Xing Yue can live on in Fan Yue and Bai Shuo in that sense(since that is their next life), without Jing Yuan and Xing Yue backstory, then we wouldn't have the Fan Yue and Bai Shuo that we came to love in this lifetime. And I will end my review with one of my favourite quotes in this drama:
"That's all in the past. This time, we've met again, not as Xing Yue and Jing Yuan, but as Bai Shuo and Fan Yue. In my heart, you're the best Bai Shuo, the only one in this world, and is irreplaceable" - Fan Yue.
Thank you for this wonderful journey, thank you for making a great start in 2025 for me! MM gave me back the hope that Xianxia can have a happy, satisfying and conclusive ending! I am still reluctant to say goodbye to my beloved characters, so this is currently on my rewatch list!!!
After several rewatch of this Drama, I decided to check out the Novel, in which I have on my end, and here's my feelings to the Novel in comparison to the Drama: https://kisskh.at/discussions/738079-zhu-yue/139258-reading-the-novel-made-me-appreciate-love-the-drama-better-contain-spoilers (In summary, after reading the Novel, it made me appreciate/love the Drama even more).
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I started watching this drama because a friend had told me so much about it. She knew I was a sucker for romance, and thought I'd enjoy this drama.
The music was mesmerizing, and fantasically helps display the different emotions portrayed in the drama. The cast was perfect. The two leading roles had sizzling chemistry. :D
The plot was very interesting. It kept me watching episode by episode...I didn't skip any parts!!
I especially loved how the plot of this super amazing drama makes the viewers think if there is a "fated" or "destined" person out in the world for them (if you watch the drama, you'll understand what I mean).
I honestly recommend this drama for viewers who are looking for a romantic, historical-modern, and comedic drama. Or, for viewers who are looking for dramas that could help the time past. This is also the perfect drama to cry and laugh to.
Also, in terms of the rewatch value, I gave it a 10, because the drama captures so much detail. The filiming was beautifully captured. :)
"The Rooftop Prince" is definitely one of my favourite dramas ever!! I finished this drama in three days. That's how great this is!
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This show is actually a tutorial on how to squander potential.
Alchemy of Souls starts off massively intriguing with a sprawling new world being introduced to us, the production design is amazing, and the CGI is certainly good enough. Visually, great. All those soul-shifting concepts are brought in, as well as the factions, characters and many dynamics are introduced to us early on too, and it looks soooo interesting and full of potential.But then… nothing much really happens. The show shifts to comedy slapstick and relegates most of that incredible lore to the background. There is intrigue (and political intrigue), but it doesn't really lead anywhere for most of the runtime. Characters have arcs… until they don't.
But the worst offender of this is, by far, the absolutely outrageous treatment of the female lead.
We are introduced to Naksu as being a badass (and a REAL badass at that, a rare sight!) assassin wanting revenge. Then we watch her go from strong female lead to meek pushover, and never recover. What a shame.
Now this isn't to say that this is an entirely negative experience, because it isn't. Let's list a few positives:
Amazing production design and cinematography
Compelling character setups
Interesting lore and world-building
Nice and colorful CGI
The action is actually good (when it happens)
So basically, great everything outside the main storyline and characters, which bring down the show a lot because… well, it's important!! The pacing was all over the place, oftentimes meandering without aim.
Somehow the best actor in this was the actress playing the queen. Amazing performance in the penultimate episode.
The male lead is the only character in this show with a fully-realized personal arc.
I read in an article that they were still writing and filming this as it was being broadcasted. It even got delayed mid-season because of that. Kdrama writers really need to stop writing as they go, and instead write the full story before filming begins (taking a page out of western shows and leaving room only for minor corrections). How can your story make sense if it's not even fully plotted? It's obvious here that many narrative threads were made up as they went along.
So, in all, I guess if you wanna watch a show only for the male characters, you might not care that the female ones are done dirty, and that's fine, you do you. But I don't. I was disappointed at the amazing potential this show had, only to… fail to live up to it, especially concerning the FL.
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This review may contain spoilers
Could Have Been Better.. Should Have Been Better..
Face Me is another attempt at medical crime thriller drama that had the potential to stand out but it falls short due to the lazy screenplay and narrative.. The whole concept felt off at the beginning.. Even the initial cases failed to create any real pull towards the story.. The dialogues were not that great.. I guess thats why the initial episodes felt boring..Lee Min ki and Han Ji Hyun both delivered good performances but I felt they are far better actors and they were underutilised in Face Me.. Especially Lee Min Ki.. Han Ji Hyun is a lively character.. I hope she does a historical drama soon..
Lee Yi Kyung was also good in his role.. 2024 has been a great year for him.. Marry My Husband and Face Me.. And even Marry YOU.. He is showing his range and gaining more attention as well..
They could have made the scene where the real culprit is revealed much more dramatic.. It should have been a goosebumps moment.. I mean imagine realizing the person who killed your father and tried to kill you.. The culprit you have been looking for / hiding from is right in front of your eyes about to operate on you.. And you only realise this as you are slipping into unconsciousness.. If only they had made it more edgy or exhilarating..
I actually think Face Me is a better drama than what the ratings and comments indicate.. I guess the rating is below 8 because most of them were expecting some romance even if it's not the main focus.. And also they were expecting something more dramatic i guess?? What were they expecting?? A killer who changes his/her face after every murder??
Overall the drama was good.. The ending didn’t feel rushed.. And the conclusion hinted at a romance between the leads.. Which was nice.. However I would have loved it if they had explored that a bit more.. What harm would an extra 15 minutes in the final episode have done??
P.S.. The subtitles were poor again.. What will it take for them to hire someone skilled to handle the subtitles properly??
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I'm like a little obsessed with crime shows and stuff so I'm being a little harsh. Overall, if this was the first time I saw a crime show, this would blow my mind. But alas, I've seen a few good ones so this doesn't really compare that well.
The story was good in the sense that most questions got answered. You find out who almost everyone is at the end. But what bothered me was that the story wasn't really tightly connected. The overarching theme was really loose and it felt a little bit forced, like parts of it was inserted just because it'll add suspense but it didn't really relate to anything too significant.
The overarching plot was predictable and too typical. I mean it's still a decent drama, I would definitely recommend, but it was a *little* disappointing.
But the individual crimes and stuff, that was kinda neat. Props.
What I appreciated was the comedic relief, they were inserted a really good times so you're not psychologically stressed the entire show. And it really builds on character development.
Acting: 8/10
The main characters really worked well together, not to mention the male leads were definitely eye candy ^^ Character development only really happened for Dr. Qin, the rest kinda helped him a long with it. Which was cute. But development was pretty typical and expected. At least the acting was professional.
Music: 6.5/10
There were not really a lot of memorable OST parts that I could remember. I'm pretty good aurally so I would remember a song that relates a certain scene or whatever. The only vaguely good parts I remember is the quirky tune during comedic relief parts. When ever that music came on, I just felp more relaxed because nothing bad is happening.
Rewatch: 5/10
I don't typically rewatch dramas, but this was short and sweet enough to maybe go and pick out my favorite episodes. What I love about these dramas are that the beginnings are individual crimes and stories so you can watch it separately.
Overall: 7/10
It was a little disappointing that the overarching theme was too loose and typical. It was too predictable and thus a little anti-climatic. But the individual crimes were pretty decent and enjoyable.
If anyone is looking for a good crime show starter or just a laid back drama, this is definitely a good one.
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This review may contain spoilers
Typical Japanese BL
STORY:I wanted to like this to be honest I really did. Japanese BL is what got me into the BL industry to begin with. The problem is I feel like Japan has not kept up with the current BL trends. I know that most of the BL produced in Japan are based off manga but something needs to change.
The entire premise of this show is about two people who are forced to work together and develop feelings along the way. Good concept that I have seen executed well in the past. This show did not. Both of the male leads were emotionally constipated. If they had opened their mouths and said what they thought and felt things would have been better. Further if Kaburagi had taken the time to get to know Onoe's previous work then he wouldn't have had such a freak out near the end of the show.
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ACTING/CAST:
Kimura Keito as Onoe Satoshi - I think Kimura did a good job at his portrayal of Onoe. Like most leads of Japanese dramas he was over the top and loud. That didn't bother me. What bothered me is that they left most of his character development to the last 3 episodes of the show. I would have liked to see what he went through before he was assigned to work with Kaburagi. I felt like the audience would have understood his motivations better that way.
Yamanaka Jyutaro as Kaburagi Motoharu - Yamanaka played his role well too. He is your typical stoic Japanese man who shows no emotion and keeps his thoughts to himself. While it can be entertaining to watch it is frustrating for the common audience. Unlike other shows with this type of lead he didn't really have any micro expression or backstory alone that we saw where he struggled with his feelings.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Kaburagi x Onoe - This relationship was dull. It reminded me a lot of the relationship in SOTUS. Where we are struggling for half the show on a do they don't they have feelings train. If they had been honest with each other then we could have developed into an amazing show of them working and loving each other as they uncovered these scandals. To be honest half the time I felt like I should fast forward through their interactions because it was so slow.
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REWATCH VALUE
I may rewatch again if I am bored on a Saturday and want something in the background.
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The series started out interesting and was enough to keep you invested for the next. I was excited but then the “let’s lie, it’ll be best” event comes along and you realize there’s a train wreck ahead. I for one am not a fan of movies or series of any kind that has the foundation of it all build on the lie. I’ve said it before I feel like I’m watching the whole time waiting for a big ball to drop off for someone to get hit in the face with an egg. And in both cases even though we know there’s a wreck coming we can’t help but watching. So far I am enjoying the vibe from who I assume is the supporting cast. They definitely gave a different feel to the series. As of right now I have watched episode 1 thru 3 and I am choosing to rate it a five star. It may sound unfair but it’s getting a bit old to have the series revolving around a big mystery lie that was stupid and absolutely unnecessary.
**Update: if you can make it past episode 10 things will get a lot better. Although there still some hidden information it is not so extreme. I will admit that I am more invested in the second couple than I am in the first simply because their storyline has a lot more engaging activity going on. it’s just more interesting. I increase the rating because it seem to me that the story got better after episode 10. It was a little less draggy and the excessive lying somewhat stopped which made it a whole lot better. There’s great acting, not so much chemistry going on but there are some heartfelt moments that will tug at you. Ep 10-40 was an improvement. I will warn you that there’s a time jump of 9 years from episode 8-9.
Ep 10-79
Yes, such a huge time. Things have happened but nothing major. Unfortunately these 69 episodes will only provoke you to anger, frustration or disgust. This is the first time I have watched a series this long without having viewed any real progress or development. There has been no major developments only lying and disgusting behavior by rich people. Not cute. In truth if you skip episodes, you won’t be lost because nothing major or worth while takes place.
Ep 80-84
Finally some truths are revealed but sadly it doesn’t change a thing in the vibe or behavior of the cast. Still going at the same pace with the same feel ( greedy ex-wife displaying self righteous behavior to her ex ex husband, sheepish sister doing what she does best accepting the deception she received and crazy ex in-laws acting ruthless and superior. How I long for character growth but at this point I don’t see it happening)
85-100 gets a bit more upbeat. There are some minor revelations and understandings that take place. The ending is okay, pleasing. Karma refused to show up but I think inner humanity did. Overall it’s okay
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Story: First the story and the idea were promising. I was looking forward to how the plot would progress. But as I was watching, I just grew more and more bored. The whole idea just vanished somewhere in the middle, and it felt like the writer just forgot what they were even trying to say. I don't even remember what the underlying idea was, since it's been so long since there was any kind of purpose. There was no idea anymore, and I was left watching two most unoriginal characters falling in love (in most uninteresting way). Which brings me to the next thing ...
Characters: Flat and boring. No dimensions anywhere. There was nothing to wonder or think about. All the characters lacked defining character traits. I was hoping some kind of moral conflict with the main character regarding this whole thing that happened. But she was just annoyingly goodie goodie the whole time. They could've played a lot more with the characters and the plot. There was nothing really memorable about the characters. ESPECIALLY the main characters. Actually, the most interesting character was the villain, even though he lacked personality too. I don't think there was anything wrong with the actors or acting, it's just that the characters were really uninteresting. At least second lead's couple had some interesting conflict and interactions, but the main couple were whining about who gets to keep a flower or who sleeps on the sofa. Please.
More about the story: Some scenes were almost comical, even though they were supposed to be serious. I couldn't take it seriously, and I was just left rolling eyes confusingly. Dramas don't have to be necessarily realistic, but at least make them believable. This drama didn't even try to make sense. And ohmylife, the unnecessary scenes that didn't play any type of role in the plot... This drama just made staring at the walls interesting. There were some nice scenes, mainly at the beginning, but the latter half just ruined the wholeness.
I just hope every single drama writer could adopt this simple rule to their daily lives: if it doesn't take the plot forward, DON'T ADD THAT SCENE. But I guess they have a certain amount of time that has to be filled... But then you should use your IMAGINATION. Ahhh, whatever. I'm so done with this. I'm so done. Cheers to this ''amazing'' drama.
And what was that stupid cliche ending? After all this disappointment, you go and disappoint me even more with your meaningless supposedly philosophical discovery about how meaning of life is to live and be happy? I mean... Just wow, I have never witnessed this type of genius before.
Of course every drama don't have to make me re think everything I know about life, but at least don't pretend to be deep and BE ENTERTAINING. This was just boring. And just like I said earlier, made staring at the walls interesting. I already discovered the many shades of white my walls have that I never knew about before watching this drama.
Since this review has been so negative, should I say something positive too? Hmm... Good looking cast?
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Cute!!
Loved it till 18th episode and then it felt like it was dragging on. Finished the last couple of episodes in 1.5x. The sibling dynamics were a treat to watch and the cast acted well. I just liked "When I Fly towards you" better because I was watching them parallelly and the general lack of misunderstanding and cliches in When I fly made it a better watch than Hidden Love. One thing that I did like about HL is that female lead was not a damsel in distress and could take a stand and not just for herself - but for the male lead as well. All the female characters written by this author are strong and know their mind - I truly appreciate the fact that these characters are unlike the naive/weak/gullible ones usually found in dramas,.Was this review helpful to you?
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Needlessly Frustrating
This was a frustratingly stupid mess. This could have literally been solved within the first hour if it weren't for the absolutely idiotic behaviour of nearly everyone. The police were asinine and so were many of the core characters. The mother leaving out after the first encounter was face palming silly and a whole assortment of other ridiculous foolishness this movies gets up to that I'll spare you due to spoilers.Perhaps the worst part of this movie was it's attempts at supposed messaging and social commentary. Primarily as it set up some of the silliest and most unbelievable scenarios to comment on the treatment of the disabled. A woman frantically running, screaming and being pursued by a man with blood all over him would set off literally everybody's red flags.
But oh no she can't speak so clearly she's deranged and we won't give her the time of day. THIS WOULD LITERALLY NEVER HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE.
The acting was fine, the music reasonably forgettable but I expected nothing less. This movie should have just been in the Door Lock, Blind school of inoffensive thriller that is just tightly written and done but some how they managed to make an absolute mess of it.
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I was sucked it by the first episode-- watched it all in barely four days. There was really nothing about it I didn't like. I actually tried to find problems with it:
Music= I didn't watch it on mute! Good job music.
Romance (too much/little)= this is how you balance, man.
Action (pointless/thrilling)= :') All interesting and had a purpose
Actors= chemistry was great, I didn't have to cringe at anyone
Comedy (too much/little)= Came just when I needed it. It was sarcastic and witty and wow I'm pretty sure I didn't laugh at anything I wasn't supposed to this time because, y'know, good acting
Ending= the only time I really didn't mind an ambiguous ending.
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Visual leads with cute chems… no breakup! almost no angst!
What i like:- The visuals of the leads is just something… come one, have u seen them? N the chems is cute… i’m not a big fan of a noona romance, but Angela Baby looks so young n beautiful, so i have no probs in that dept…
- No breakup once they get together… the relationship between the leads is just so healthy… yes he’s younger by 7years in the drama, but he doesn’t act like it, he is very mature n such an adult, especially in the relationship with her… ML is honestly how a perfect BF should be like…
- I like almost all characters, everybody has plus n minus n redeem themselves eventually, even the father… except FL’s ex, he’s just something else… he didn’t take the villain route though, so there’s that…
- No real villains, not even the ex… no real SFL either, lots of girls like ML, but noone annoying or playing tricks, their luv is strong…
- Almost zero angst!
- The side couples r cute too… FL’s BFF with ML’s boss (he has a kid, so that plot is funny) n FL’s lil bro with FL’s colleague/ML’s friend… all HE…
Why i was a bit conflicted:
- The relationship was a bit complicated… ML&FL r not related by blood, n even though they r stepsiblings, they were never raised together… he went abroad for a long time then they met again when they r adults… he fell for her first, then after a while they got together… i personally don’t think it’s wrong, but somehow i wish they weren’t step siblings, it’s still weird in a way…
- Again i’m not a fan of a noona romance… but since i like both leads, n they look so cute together, so yeah, i enjoyed watching them…
- There were a bit boring parts in the drama, but it was ok portion… i wish they could show more of them being together in front of other people n not being cute only when there’s noone around…
- The working plot wasn’t that strong either…
Overall i really like it! I’d def recommend this for people who like a light romcom n don’t mind a bit complicated background for the leads… n it’s a HE…
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Yet another highly praised show that failed to resonate with me.
As a piece of entertainment, it is more than decent. But it is unsatisfactory in the messages it is trying to get across. It raised very important problems, such as being driven into a corner by a competitive society and being stuck in a poverty cycle, and feeling oppressed and helpless as a youth. These are extremely prevalent and sensitive issues in SK and other countries. The show offers a message that comes from good intentions, but it is over simplified and maybe even insensitive towards depression and mental illness. Throughout the show, there is no empathy offered to the main character's suffering, but rather a lingering feeling of "your pain is bearable compared to many others who have suffered so much more than you". Which is obviously distasteful and wrong in many ways. It's classic victim blaming, coming from an outsider's POV.Furthermore, it ultimately does not provide any tangible solutions to any of the main character's problems and he will realistically end up in the exact same place. In the end, he's just back to square one with the wounds of living multiple lives and with the guilt of hurting others with his decision. There is no accountability for the further damage to his mental state. I can't help but feel that if that was the route the show was going to take, it shouldn't have presented such severe societal issues through the main character's story in the first place.
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