Reviews

Hell is Other People..

An uncomfortable yet fascinating watch.. I do like stories that challenge me and this one certainly did.. It’s a heavy and difficult drama and every performance, especially Vin Zhang’s is so believable that it’s painful to watch.. The drama’s emotions feel real, not staged or exaggerated.. The story breathes, I mean it feels alive, honest and organic as it moves through its sorrow and exhaustion..

There might be quite a bit of ranting in my words here.. This drama had more characters to hate than to like.. There’s no contender for Parent of the Year, because I mean, you will understand once you see this drama.. The family isn’t very likable for most part of the story and after a while, you start hating other characters too.. Apart from the main leads and the two cops involved, everyone else falls somewhere between hate and love-hate..

I hated her mother right from the moment she came on screen.. Her daughter was looking for comfort and all her mother was concerned about hiding that heinous act.. And whatever her mother did in the hospital made my hatred for her only deepen to a point where I couldn’t forgive her, no matter what happens next..
The FL worked hard.. They didn't want her to study so that they could prioritize her brother's education.. Still somehow she made it through school and got into university.. Her family basically abandoned her.. But when she graduated and got a job, her mother dragged her back.. After what her mother did at her workplace to force her to return home.. I don’t know.. I felt nothing but hate for her.. Even after this they blamed her insulted her without having any right to do so, she faced every hardship alone and even after that they wouldn’t let her be happy, always pushing their burdens onto her..
Even her brother was sickening in the beginning.. He literally told her husband ' You are not her family.. You don’t know her pain ' All this while being silent about his own sister’s assault.. He saw her in the hospital, he knew what happened, still he said nothing.. The sheer audacity of that?? Forget being her brother, is he even human??

To be fair, his character did get better soon and may be worthy of redemption.. He realizes his mistakes and finally starts supporting his sister.. As for their father, I don’t even want to talk about him.. Just another spineless worm..

Her family, their minds, their thoughts, their entire way of seeing the world are poisonous.. Their deep rooted perceptions have rotted them from within.. Her mother especially, she couldn’t stand the idea of her daughter’s life reaching beyond her own..

The things the rapist and his family did to the FL and her husband were just too much.. I just hoped they would suffer a hundred times worse by the end.. He hid the USB drive inside his daughter’s trophy.. How could his wife still defend him after knowing what sort of trash he was.. What she did in court on day one only proved how rotten she is too..

I wanted to mention a few other things..

The scene where their neighbours helped them clean the insulting graffiti was comforting to watch.. Just how the society subtly supported them during such a painful time is something we don't see often..

I liked how their past connection wasn’t turned into some worn out childhood romance trope.. It was more than that.. There are other emotions besides love, it’s not always romance that drives people to act or care..

Not blaming them, but her plan for revenge and his attempt to act on her behalf so she wouldn’t completely destroy herself were both stupid.. But I guess that was necessary for the story to reach its tipping point..

" Do you think Qin Nan loves Ye Sibei??
If you think so, it would be difficult for you to understand Qin Nan's actions..
It is not just love.. Qin Nan sees Ye Sibei as a faith, almost like a religion.. "

Who is the antagonist in this story?? Is it just the perpetrator?? What about his wife and all those people who took his side, even though it was painfully obvious what he did?? What about the FL's parents, who for a major part of the story blamed her, insulted her and pushed her deeper into darkness instead of giving her the support she needed?? Isn't this the ultimate result of their constant meddling and their need to box her into a life she never wanted, when she could have achieved so much more and led a life much brighter than this?? And the sister in law, who changed her statement and lied in court to protect herself and cost them the case?? Even if it's just him who deserves the punishment and rot in hell, others are to be blamed too and they need to suffer the consequences of their choices..

Overall, not perfect by any means.. There are slight issues, some poor dialogue and a few unnecessary scenes.. But all of that is easy to forgive.. Yes, it doesn’t come without its flaws but what we got is good enough to watch at least once.. I should probably stop here because this has already gone too long.. So in conclusion, I liked this drama.. But it’s not something I would rewatch.. Not because it’s bad but because I wouldn’t want to go through those same emotions again..

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Rich, atmospheric and utterly entrancing, Blood River is all those things and more.. It’s a fantastic concept that kept me enthralled till the last episode.. Blood River is an adventure in all the best ways.. The characters are interesting, memorable and have quirks and distinct personalities that make them feel vividly alive.. For me, this drama shines.. It’s a world filled with assassins and clans whose loyalties are written in water, where every character seems to whisper an unfinished feud.. It’s a place where righteousness is fragile, trust is a rare currency and the river runs dark with history and betrayal.. The action begins right from the first scene and never really lets up.. There’s no onerous worldbuilding, no tedious introductions, Blood River gets to the good part immediately..

Blood River has beautiful visuals and some breathtaking sequences, along with masterfully crafted fight sequences.. All wrapped in that dark, moody vibe, it was pure bliss.. And in that same vein, this drama introduces a whole lineup of compelling side characters.. While the main characters are good, the side characters are all really interesting too.. None of them are particularly well developed, but there are intriguing dynamics at play..

No idea why Peng Xiao Ran is listed as second lead or even a main lead.. Her only role seems to be lovesick for a character we are barely invested in.. Honestly, she wouldn’t be missed if she wasn’t in the drama.. She is completely underused and her story arc feels disconnected from the main plot.. The supporting cast had far better storylines to be honest.. There’s nothing else to her outside of being the girl who desperately looks for love, she has no real personality, no aspirations and nothing beyond the basic 'love me, love me, look at me' behavior..

Chang Hua Sen was really good here.. I actually felt he was even better than Gong Jun in terms of screen presence and performance.. Gong Jun’s facial expressions looked odd at times.. Even in the final reunion scene, he looked like he had eaten something bad and was wondering why the camera was still rolling..

If I had to choose a favorite character apart from the two male leads, it would be Bai He Huai.. I loved her mannerisms and her costumes were really beautiful..

Now, the world building here is rich, detailed enough and well thought out.. The plot stays consistent and true to itself.. The pacing fluctuates a bit in the last 18 or so episodes but mostly stays fast paced thanks to the huge number of fight sequences.. And that last fight was really something.. I liked that they didn’t show the main leads as overpowered, we actually got a long, hard fought battle where they had to go all out to take down their foe..

Overall, Blood River has the full spectrum of feelings.. From good to bad, joy to frustration, excitement to depression.. It puts everything together in a well balanced plot with a weave of storytelling that pulls you as far away from reality as you can possibly get.. Blood River might not have been perfect and it definitely stuck to some of the mid cliches I expected but I was pleasantly surprised by how much this story kept me interested.. Even with such a large number of characters, it managed to make me care about their lives and the outcomes of their struggles.. Well, except PXR I guess..

Then why did I rate it only 8.5?? Because the last few minutes of the drama disappointed me.. I watched 38 episodes of their struggle to reach the other shore only for the result of all that hard work to show up as a subtitle.. Like you couldn’t give us a 10 minute sequence?? And what was that whole happy ending after 12 years thing?? Just stupid.. There was absolutely no need for it.. If you are going to give us a last minute reunion, why bother separating them at all?? Was that separation even necessary?? I honestly don’t understand this obsession with time jumps for happy endings..

Well, them getting a bittersweet kind of hope instead of a dramatic ending fits the wuxia tradition, since it rarely gives perfect happy endings.. I guess it works as the completion of Su Mu Yu’s journey, with Bai He Huai returning as the light in his life and it gives an ending that isn’t fully happy or tragic, just human..

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Everyone Hates the Ending But I Don't

SPOILER ALERT: The K-Drama has an "open" ending to a sad, though intensely moving and involving, story. The main characters may or may not get together after the story ends--one isn't sure. I too would like to see a translation of the book to read its ending but, according to ChatGPT, "Understanding Love" has not been translated into English. We are told that the book indicates they do not reunite, but I think the writers of the K-drama intended a more uncertain ending.

I find the English title of the K-drama, "The Interest of Love," to be odd. It's not a good translation of the book title, "Understanding Love." I'm not sure what it means. At first I thought it was a playful reference to the bank workplace setting of the series, because banks pay interest on deposits, although in that case it should be "The Interest on Love." Perhaps it refers to our fascination with love, and should be "The Interest in Love." The question is not an idle one, because at a crucial point in the series the leading characters, looking back, ask themselves if they were once in love, or merely overcome by the "interest of love".

As for the ambiguous ending, I agree with those who find strong hints in the finale that Su-Yeong (the woman) and Sang-Su (the man) will finally get together, or at least give their relationship one more try. (After all, they have never even properly "dated".)
I was touched by Su-Yeong's remark during the walk which ends the story that she had ghosted Ha Sang-Su because their relationship left "nothing more to give or receive." By this I take her to mean that their love had reached perfection, however briefly, in the Tongyeong "Guest House". The question is whether Ha Sang-Su can convince Su-Yeong that love is not continuous perfection, but rather "two people living day to day life together". One hopes he will. Otherwise she faces years of loneliness.

Sang-Su and Su-Yeong end the story as they silently approach the end of their walk up the collegiate "hill of oblivion," with their backs to us. They are not (alas) arm in arm, or even hand in hand. One of the series' haunting soundtrack songs ("Wonder Why") is reprised. In it the singer asks why his departed lover persists indelibly in his memory, why the dream of her cannot be erased (just as Sang-Su tells Su-Yeong he has forgotten nothing). In context the song is an ambiguous close to the series. The film ends before the song reaches a line from in its earlier appearances: "I don't want to love you like I used to." Is the omission a deliberate hint, or just the result of how long the credits ran? It's ambiguous, like this whole series and the relationship it depicts.

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I dont write reviews normally. But for this drama, I had to :D ! Probably one of the best I have watched till date. The writer keeps you on hook until the end. Twistception at its finest. You wont be able to predict anything, trust me ! Not to mention, each of the characters have a special spot in my heart now. Of course, this is only due to the spectacular acting by the stellar cast. Seo In Guk and Ma Dong Seok stole the show :) With shows like these though, re-watch might not be as great an experience as when you watched it the first time. So with a very heavy heart, I say goodbye to these wonderful characters but with the hope that one day I would have forgotten the story enough to return back to it again.

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A Come From Behind Story

An all-around good sports story about a losing team who gets a boost from their coach with a scandalous past. The actors did a nice job with their roles. The characters are all likable, except the antagonists who were devilish in their deceit. The only downside was in the story's predictability. It's a typical come from behind sports story. There are a million of these out there. But it was still enjoyable. There are funny moments that carry the story. The seven-man rugby team were cute together and I wonder how many of their funny antics were scripted versus improvised.

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ONE OF THE WORST ADAPTATIONS OUT THERE

This LA was made by stripping away the soul, message, complexity, themes and symbolism of the beloved Novel ORV
It's sooo bad! As an adaptation it has so no similarities to the story expect for the names of the character and a little bit of power system, the characters are absolutely butchered!!
Goated KDJ's character, traits, skills and backstory is ineptly adapted, made him a saint, a fccking saint?? When he's clearly a morally grey character
Orvla kdj is stupid, idiotic, impulsive and perpetrator who indirectly caused someone's demise, hes all panicking before YJH and in 1st scenario like be frr reading a novel for 10yrs and u didnt think of it before? Where is his calmness, smart, calculative, strategic thinking? His snarky and annoying traits? His quick thinking?
YJH doesnt even feel like protagonist, him using guns is sooo dumb he's regressed multiple times so ofc he would know guns are useless, why does he have multiple swords? Why is his screentime less?
Ysh is a healer why? In novel YSH is kind but ruthless when wanted, understanding but can be dangerous, she is empathetic, has high emotional intelligence, has good ppl and managing skills, is veryy smart! Highly intelligent, a hardworker, knows multiple languages, has historical knowledge,
Ntm Making her a healer through adriadne's web is sooo unnecessary, she is not lee seolhwa!!
Jhw has two daggers?? Even tho she knows kendo and has sword in novel? Why remove the implied S.A. scene in movie? Afraid to piss off Korean men? Srsly? Also made Kim Dokja's mom Lee Sookyung a widow? Instead a women who is a survivor of domestic abuse?
We can see who this movie is made for
Jihye, well im tired of complaining bout the drastic changes made to her character w her not being her bratty self, having a gun when she should be having a sword with Yi Sunshin as her constellation, speciality in sea/ocean battles omfg.... i just cant
Not a single character done good in this la, even Lee hyunsung, Lee gilyoung, Gong pildu, cheon inho have flaws and dont make sense with the novel
Even as a movie, this is so bad, cuz orvla kdj's personality doesnt make sense, dumb director is trying to potray him as saviour of world? As a saint but wasnt he the one to indirectly cause the demise of other kid?
The CGI is cheap cuz the budget was spent on the actors

Promoting this LA which is unfortunately an adaptation of a beloved novel ORV whose themes are clearly against AI and Capitalism - it was a turn off for the fandom is who very much against the use of AI

Other themes of LOVE is also potrayed with flaws, the relationship between Tls123 and Kim Dokja is ruined, Kim dokja and Yoo joonghyuk dont have kuch chemistry and screentime together
The love kim dokja has for twsa is also ruined by this good for nothing LA
HE LOVES TWSA! Why would he say the novel is worst to tls123?
WHERE THE HELL IS HAN SOOYOUNG good thing she isnt here, her character would be butchered too

Another theme being feminism, well ofc SK would be pissed off with this theme haha
YSH being burdened with her family telling her to marry, her being the target of sexual assault in the male dominated workplace, ended up giving her the "healer" skill which is usually given to wome cuz they cant apparently be intelligent and use weapons and more skillfull than a man
Jung heewon almost being graped, they erased it
And how dare jihye receive the blessings of yi sunshin a historical figure??? A teen girl, a girl! receiving his stigma? And use swords? Ofc they removed it Haha
Lee sookyung not being a survivor of domesic abuse but being a widow says a lot

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This show is WAY overhyped

I had a lot of high exceptions for this show, especially since everyone was calling it the new "Ashes of Love", a drama I that LOVED. This is not even close. I blame it on the characters development.

The writers and directors did the female lead so bad, She's like Jin Mi from "Ashes of Love" but ramp up the naiveness and obliviousness 10x. It was so frustrating to watch and I only made it through the whole show because I felt so so bad for the male lead. This has nothing to do with the actors and actresses acting, but rather the characters themselves. The women in this show are so disappointing because their characters are literally the weakest link. I was really hoping for a stronger female character, but instead they fluctuated between nativeness/cutesy and cold/heartless. It was so hard to like the characters. I believe you can create a native character who still have some common sense and brain cells to understand certain situations. I don't understand why the writers did the female characters so bad. This show would be so much better if the characters were developed better.

The plot line was very good, it honestly was the only thing holding this show together. The side characters are great, and their storyline was honestly more entertaining to watch. I got so much second hand embarrassment from the female lead that I often skipped through her parts.

Overall, I would not rewatch this show. The ending felt like fanfiction and is like putting a bandage on a battle wound and calling it a day. Just watch Ashes of Love lmao, I think their characters and storyline are better and certainly more entertaining to watch than this drama.

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It went downhill fast

I seem to be in a minority when it comes to how I felt about this drama. I think it had a decent start, and I liked several of the earlier episodes. About halfway through it felt like it had a tone-shift, and it barely seemed like the same drama anymore.

The first half of the drama felt like a youth, or coming of age drama with a heavy focus on the police academy. All the main characters are young, playing university students. It portrayed quite well, the feeling of pride in doing what you love, and studying to become somthing you've dreamed of. As well as the helplessness and the injustice you feel when seniority is prioritized over right and wrong.

The first half battles getting accepted to the school of your dreams, youthful crushes and also. corruption within the school hierarchy. It shows both the highs and the lows of studying to become a police officer. The highs being the wonderful camaraderie developed between the student, and the lows being the abuse suffered as a new student in a highly hierarchial climate.

The second half however, completely shifts focus, from the school to real life crime. It is no longer a drama about being young, and university life. In fact, the school barely features at all in the second half. Instead, our main characters, while still being university students, go on to solve all kinds of crime outside of the school. They tackle everything from low-life loan sharks, to psychopathic CEOs.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like crime dramas, so it is not the fact that it turned into a crime show that annoyed me. It is the fact that this drama wants us to believe, that these students, who have no prior experience and are not yet police officers, go around solving crime on their own. They recieve very little to no help from actual detectives. They carry out high-stake plans and manage to solve widespread corruption all on their own. All while the actual police sit around and do nothing.

I'm sorry but I just cannot make myself believe this. So for me, this show was a massive disappointment.

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Solid Antihero Thriller, give it a try

first of all this is way better binged so you who haven't watched it yet are lucky ones however,

in my opinion no matter how far i stayed away from this it kept maintaining the level of good and thrill that it had, it always had me so emotional it's a good one .. for me to stick around for more than a couple of months, and with such a long wait and bad airing schedule and i watch the first ep as soon as it aired and kept on going but it was all worth it in my opinion .. i was so invested in the story and ep 12 killed me ...

so i highly encourage you to watch it if you're a fan of the antihero tope and if you like unpredictable thrillers ... of course there is stuff you will predict but like I think this one was a drama that wasn't like one of those dramas that were safe ... like each eps is packed with some " nothing ever going according to plan " elements which i really liked when I'm watching a thriller not to mention good acting .. (except one thing that went down that i'm heartbroken about )

and regarding the ending in my opinion this was a good ending tbh i like the fact they somewhat gave us a vage ending it made much more sense because had they actually tried to wrap it up i wouldn't believe it .. they did not have enough time to answer all our questions so it was smart of them to finish it off the way they did .. which also leaves a possibility for a season 2 which i will gladly watch ( if ever ) beecaauseee the show was so good

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Just...wow.

I...don't even know where to start. Grab some water and a sandwich, 'cause you're in for a long ride with this review. I literally don't have words for how much I love this show, and it was still airing when I wrote most of this review. I...don't usually rate shows 10/10 because baby I'm hard to please, but I pretty much don't think anything could take away from my score, not even a cursed episode eleven. I also know not everyone likes the same stuff, so if this show just doesn't do it for you, that's great too! Anywho, I'll update when it's done airing. :)

Let's start with the story. Say what you want about originality, but this story is developed and executed so well. I'm literally on the edge of my seat every Sunday. I personally don't like the fluffy, nerd meets jock romances and tend towards the more moody and dramatic like Manner of Death or ITSAY, so getting to see more shows with suspense and crime just floats my boat! Even so, the drama in Not Me is reasonable and believable, with realistic conflict and even more realistic conflict management. I've only paused to take a calming (angry) deep breath twice as opposed to TharnType's whopping 59. Not Me's story flows nicely, and each episode adds layers of plot and character depth as the mystery deepens and relationships form. And those relationships, man, I literally can't. Off and Gun are at it again, still recognizable in their chemistry but novel in their delivery and performance. First and Fluke Gawin! This pairing snuck up on me like a car without headlights and then BAM, literally rent-free. Both of these on-screen relationships, and others, were built up bit by bit in a natural progression just dripping with tension, and I can't get enough. The whole Not Me world is so solid and detailed, and every character has their own traits, story, and reasons behind what they do (even the adults for once!), and I can't thank the director enough for how beautifully this show unfolded. Last important note, Not Me takes on incredibly important topics like citizen's rights, lgbtq+ rights, police corruption and brutality, disability, and even beauty standards, all of which are handled so thoroughly and well to the point of tears.

On to the acting--oh boy do I love this cast! It's perfect, and each actor has tackled their characters with such grace and maturity, I'm blown away. I've loved watching them all grow up over the years in their respective careers, especially the people I'm relatively new to like First and Mond and Lookjun, so I'm literally so excited to support them through this journey of sorts as they get more and more chances to showcase their talent. The eye contact and facial expressions are really what get me with this show. I don't know how they do it, but I genuinely forget I'm watching people act when each character is on screen. A script is really what makes or breaks a show for me, and this show gets full marks. The dialogue is fluid, thoughtful, and realistic, and even the set blocking is great. The story along with each character is fully done justice by the actors and director. But alas, if I had to pick one person who really takes the cake, it would be Gun. I could barely recognize him when I first started watching--everything is different, from his body language to his tone of voice to his attitude. I'm obsessed, and he deserves so much credit and recognition, as does the rest of the cast and staff behind the scenes. I also want to point out how seriously all the set effects were taken, from real flames to nudity to heights, it's all genuine and just adds to the electric atmosphere.

Visual effects. I'm adding this because I want to talk about the LIGHTING and the MAKEUP! Wowowow I'm in love with the warm tones and finally seeing some skin texture. I can't stand when shows come out of post-production looking like no one even touched the color palette, and when actors are caked with one foundation color and a fuschia lip tint. Stop that, no one asked for that. Not Me looks like...what the world looks like through a person's own eyes, flaws and all. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Just...wow.

Ok, music--9/10 as something I don't really care about but am fond of for this show. The OST isn't my favorite but it's nice, and I think the only thing I have to say is that whatever music does play throughout the show feels natural. For example, I get so pissed when shows portray an emotional scene and layer too-loud, cheesy music over it trying to tell the viewers what they're supposed to be feeling--we know what we're supposed to feel, let us feel it. This show isn't afraid of a little silence, and I love that, and when there is a backtrack it's non-disruptive and evokes just the right amount of emotion. A win for me!

Rewatch value. I watch each episode twice when they come out. I haven't even finished it all and still want to watch it all again. 10/10, sue me.

Overall, I'm absolutely starstruck by this show. It's gone above and beyond the bar. Please watch this, you won't regret it. xoxo

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Jiwoo lost so much and gain nothing.

Revenge shows are always enjoyable, since is an easy way to throw action into the big screen and some badass characters.

Most people enjoyed this series because of "finally a strong female lead ready to kick ass" and that's not it, she's not "strong" she's completely broken, traumatized. It's pretty sad, and people don't see it. But then Netflix wanted to force the typical badass girl who can beat 10 experienced guys all alone.
The camara work is so weird. It has bad angels, sometimes some really bad fast movements and then very basic ones. It's not interesting or creative.
It felt the series tried to have plot twists over and over again to shock the audience, but everything was obvious since like ep 2. Because basic revenge stories are like this.
Some really hated the love scene, I didn't mind it at all, both of them were having a break down and that was their way to find contort (i guess).
Jiwoo lost so much and gain nothing. She was so blind, that she never really noticed that.
I had a totally different ending in mind honestly. I thought she was going to shoot herself in the middle of the fight with Moo Jin. I thought she would finally realize that she would never gain anything for that revenge and she already lost so much when she choose this way, even when Moo Jin told her not to seek for it. And maybe after that Moo Jin would be in pain cause in the end she never really betrayed him.
Anyways I was confident that she would kill herself either way.
I love the actress lead. But idk I wasn't a fan like other people for her here. I don't think she was a good fit. The dynamic between her and Moojin, yes. I can see the try hard behind it. It was very good. Moojin was probably my fav character and the actor slayed it.

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So I decided to watch this movie after seeing it being #1 on here. I finally got time to watch it and this is what thoughts on it.

Story 10/10 : WOW! JUST WOW. The story is very unique(at least for me). It intertwines both the past and the modern time in a very, very interesting and easily understandable way.

Cast/Acting 10/10: The cast was lovable and the actors made that happen extremely well .

Music 8/10: The music was great and served its purpose quite well. However, it wasn't 10/10 material for me. Just my personal opinion, don't know why or how, but thats just how I feel.

Rewatch Value 5/10: I'm not a rewatcher so I most likely wont watch this movie again.

Overall 10/10: This movie stunned me. I don't know how to describe it, but it was amazing. It's not action packed, but more about friendship and the effect of years on people. I especially enjoyed their transformations.

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