Reviews

✨Mischievous Besties, Multiverse Madness & Cheng Lei’s Weaponized Eye Smolder✨

This has been sitting on my PTW list for what feels like a geological era.

The visuals? Visualing. Relentlessly. Every frame looks like it went through a “make it extra” committee and got unanimous approval. I love how the drama pays tribute to the donghua adaptation while still carving out its own identity. It doesn’t feel derivative — it feels celebratory. CL and WCR absolutely understood the assignment.
The overall energy is very much “mischievous besties accidentally causing chaos while low-key saving the country,” and I am having tons of fun.

At its core, we’re dealing with a transmigration story — but not the basic, single-layer kind. This one plays with multiple levels of reality, and the plot unfolds in a way that feels deceptively light at first. It starts off playful and unserious, almost familiar… and then gradually reveals more complexity and emotional layering. Gotta love that.

The chemistry between the leads? As expected: chef’s kiss. CL and WCR bring so much texture to their roles. And yes, we get Cheng Lei’s signature eye-smolder-and-suffer-in-silence package deal. His portrayal of the “mad tyrant” is magnetic — intense, wounded, slightly unhinged, but deeply human. Add the fact that he fell first and harder? That’s the good stuff. That’s the premium subscription tier of romance angst.

That said, I do feel some frustration in the middle stretch. There were moments where the leads seemed to drift into supporting-character territory due to limited screen time, which slightly disrupted the emotional momentum for me.

I’m currently on episode 20 and genuinely enjoying the ride.

But I still can’t say this drama is giving me butterflies.

It’s nice. It’s charming. It’s the kind of show I’ll happily watch instead of working on my papers… but not the kind that hijacks my entire nervous system. I’m invested, just not unwell about it.

Maybe not every drama has to rearrange my brain chemistry. Some can just be… good company.

We’ll see if it eventually decides to emotionally attack me..

Now, about the ending. Given that this is technically a transmigration drama, censorship realities limit the possible conclusions. We’ve already had subtle hints suggesting “maybe we’re fictional characters who transmigrated into a story,” which introduces a double — maybe triple? — layered reality situation. Are we in a story inside a story inside a story? Is this narrative inception? Who knows. I’m cautiously predicting an ADWAD-style resolution, but I’m really hoping they commit to a satisfying and emotionally coherent finale.

I’ll be back with a full verdict once I finish.

Cheers.

✨UPDATE✨

Finished it — overall, a decent and fairly engaging watch.

The leads were adorable and emotionally mature. No dragged-out breakups. Just communication and loyalty, which was refreshing.

The tragic deaths hit as expected. The SFL was a highlight and deserves more roles.

I was invested, but no butterflies. The romance occasionally felt diluted by side plots I wasn’t interested in, which flattened the emotional impact for me.

The ending went full ADWAD — triple-layered reality confirmed. Inside the book world, the leads get a satisfying conclusion. In the modern world? A last-minute reunion.

Sir.

For this genre, we technically got more closure than LGIEF gave us, so I’ll acknowledge that. But I cannot pretend I didn’t want more. Show me the reunion properly. Show me the conversations. Show me the emotional unpacking. Especially from ML’s perspective. He returned a decade earlier than FL. A whole decade. I need answers. How did he track her down? What was he thinking all those years? What did it feel like to remember everything alone? The narrative potential was right there. Maybe censorship made extended modern resolution too sensitive territory — maybe not. Hard to say. But it does feel like we only got the appetizer of what could have been a very satisfying epilogue.

Overall, 8 - 8.25 for me. Strong performances and visuals, ambitious concept — just occasionally flat for my personal taste.

Still, a triple-reality transmigration romance with stable leads and a confirmed reunion is a small victory in this genre.

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This installment in the INR series is definitely the best one. I failed to connect to the first two seasons completely. Imagine the surprise when I found myself enjoying this season!

The story seemed fresh in spite of the cliche noona romance plot. Its characters are funny, full of life and likable. The main reason to enjoy this drama is the character of Joo Wan played by Sung Joon. He literally stole the spotlight from every single person in this drama. The cute, adorable love-stricken dongsaeng role suited him well. It came off as a surprise to me because Sung Joon is one of those actors who appear to be 'tough guys' judging by his physique and looks. After watching this drama, I am sure every one would want a Joo Wan in their lives.

Apart from that, I liked the fact that the main female Joo Yeon was an insensitive person instead of the usual weak female. There were times it feel like she was so selfish that it made her seem cruel. Although it became hard and tiring to watch later on due to the character's repetitiveness, she somehow redeemed herself in the end.

The main love story is strong enough to hold you on till the end. Had it been resolved earlier, I would have lost interest. The beginning and the ending episodes were better than the middle. The middle was just a bore and difficult to get through. There were times when I wanted Wan to stop pining after the girl and move on and yet I couldn't help but root for him and Joo Yeon. I almost wanted them to be together as badly as him. :)

The two side stories and also cute and romantic. Lee Min Jung and her neighbour's affair was hilarious. They were a good comic relief when the main story got boring. I liked the role Yoon Seung Ah played in this drama. Her story with the guy (who reminded me of Kdrama second leads) was nice. It had its boring moments too but overall with the other two romances, the whole plot was kept together nicely.

This drama has to be one of the very few among romcoms which has a nice and fulfilling ending. Maybe it could have been better too, but it was pretty much okay for me. It wrapped up everything and there was nothing messy at the end of it all.

I would definitely recommend this drama to those who are looking for something cute and different to watch.

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A Rare Gem of 2021. Highly recommended!!

I watched this drama without having high hopes and much expectations because I wasn't familiar with the casts. When I watched the trailer, it was something unique and ML is blind and so handsome. So, I decided to check it out. Trust me, it doesn't disappoint me at all. Since Ep 1, I was completely hooked into this drama and super active in the comment section of MDL.
This drama really got me.

THE STORY: It was so simple, but attractive romance. Since it has only 24 eps, it was perfect for binge watch. The story does not drag or rush in every way. It was absolutely fascinating and beautiful. I was not bored even one second while watching this drama.

THE CAST/ACTING:
All the casts did very well. Kudos to Our Male Lead, Lin Yanjun. He was the one who carried the whole drama with his incredible acting skills. You won't believe this drama is actually his first acting debut work. He can really act. Lin Yanjun rocks as Su Nian Qin so perfectly. His gestures and movements are all perfect and convincing as a blind person.
Wan Peng also did well as Sang Wu Yan.
Their acting seems really natural, nothing was out of place and I could feel the emotions they tried to show with their acting.

CHARACTERS:
Su Nian Qin - He is a visually impaired person. He is not completely blind. He can see blurred things within 3 feet. He works as a song-writer with the name "Yi Jin". He actually comes from a rich family. He is unpredictable, lonely and sensitive person. He has insecurities and hurts.I love him so much.
Sang Wu Yan - She is bright, friendly and curious person which dreams of becoming a radio host. She studied psychology at the University.

THE CHEMISTRY:
Lin Yanjun and Wan Peng.. their chemistry is off the charts. I'm amazed by their genuine and excellent acting and chemistry.

MUSIC:
The first thing that I felt in love with was the music. I am not a person who is much interested about a OST but I seriously loved all the songs. It was amazing! My favorite OST is Yuan Lai Wo Hen Ai Ni (I love you very much) by Lin Yanjun.

REWATCH VALUE :
I am sure I will re-watch it many times. I could see myself rewatching at least 2 times a year from now on.

OVERALL :
In conclusion, this drama is everything I need in a modern romance drama. It was fun, interesting, enjoyable with a few cliched moments. I truly invested in it emotionally.
So you can say that this drama is definitely worth a watch! Highly recommended!

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Admittedly, I only stated watching this drama because of Yoon Eun Hye's main role. For those who are her fan, this drama displays a "fresh" new role for her as a princess-type-brat; worthy of seeing as she plays it very well. As for the chemistry between the main couple- I'll confess it was lacking, however, the storyline made up for it as it was a surprisingly easy drama to get through. The comedy in the drama left no room for any dry bits and the overall story came across as very touching. Ironically summarized, the drama is about growing up and gaining independence through unexpected love. What I really enjoyed about this drama was the selfless love it seemed to portray from many angles, I recommend you give it a shot.

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runs on vibes instead of plot

Overall: I really enjoyed the beginning with a unique premise and the color themes, but similar to other GMMTV productions, it runs on vibes and poor communication instead of plot or realistic character actions. If you aren't a vibes person, then I suggest watching the first two episodes then skip to episode 8 part 4 and watch from there. Watched on GMMTV's YouTube channel. Later re-released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/39523c-vice-versa

Content Warnings: beaten up, death (off screen), stalking, animal blood

What I Liked
- several cute and funny moments
- the color themes and prop integration
- supportive friend groups
- that this wasn't enemies to lovers but two guys figuring things out
- mentioning societal issues like marriage equality, expensive public transportation
'- several cameos/guest roles: Force, Book, Perth, Mix, Tay
- reference to 2gether/other BL series
- decent kissing in later episodes
- the two side characters and the vet stuff was cute (but they needed more time, had like a 5 second scene in the final episode)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- pacing was slow, characters went in circles (for 2 years!!!), I think they needed a fast burn side couple
- poor communication for grown men
- characters do not act realistically (the film crew in episode 11 was an example of this), characters do things because that's what the writer said not because it would make sense
- thin plot with a lot of product placement
- poor world building/plot holes
- that whole not name telling thing
- there were a few scenes that jumped a bit much, we were in one place and then suddenly somewhere else (the beach at the beginning was one)
- the cliche swimming issue in the beginning, wish they'd have come up with something else

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During the holiday weekend, I finally threw off my initial apprehensions and sat down with this drama. If I'm honest I expected to drop it after a few episodes. Despite the countless positive comments about Nine, I'm a long-term science fiction fan who has developed an unhappy wariness of the time travel plot device. How many times has it been used, especially in the west? And then even the best examples have glaring mistakes, including plot holes, missed details, bad science or ignored in-universe rules, etc. So imagine my elation when Nine skyrocketed beyond expectations and glued me to my seat for a two-night marathon.

What makes Nine special is that it is careful with detail while maintaining a thrilling and unpredictable atmosphere. Apart from two instances, the first easily forgotten and the second clearly meant to be ambiguous, the drama unravels its mysteries with beautiful pace. With so much to explain, I almost expected loose ends; but every time I found myself questioning, I got a satisfying answer soon after. It's hard to go into much detail for fear of spoilers, but overall the writing is refreshingly strong and the usual mistakes of the genre are not present here. My only real issue in this department is that the first few episodes are somewhat slow to hook, despite being filmed in beautiful locations in Nepal and being integral to plot set up.

The best performance in Nine is hands down lead Lee Jin Wook. Without his natural charisma, Sun Woo might have collapsed into the arena of the two-dimensional. His performance hits every note and reaches ranges that include the sympathetic to the strong and sexy. He had me believing--which is everything you could want from an actor. I also spent a great deal of time marveling at how well everyone was cast in general though, especially when characters from the present started appearing in the sequences of the past. They'll have you swearing the casting department had a time machine of their own and just used younger versions of the leads!

Unfortunately, the weakest part of this drama is most definitely the music. Sometimes it's completely melodramatic and might remind older viewers of something straight out of the Twilight Zone. Most of the time, especially with the case of the insert vocal tracks, the songs are just not memorable. It's a shame, but I think with so much good going on elsewhere the OST can be forgiven.

Nine comes highly recommended, especially if you're looking for time travel done right. This is a drama which has a fast pace and mature, dark tone...so it's also perfect as high class palate cleanser after a long romantic comedy stint.

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I’ll start by saying this..., Pandora is a movie that definitely surprised me! To be honest I was “in” purely for the cast because the synopsis did not sell itself to me, I've seen similar themed movies so it didn't feel original and I still say it's not "original" per-se. However it's the emotional ride that counts here!

Story:
As I've already have mentioned it probably won't be new to some of you as similar themes have been done before maybe not a Korean movie but it's still not “brand new”. However the way it was delivered, the emotional journey you go through while watching it makes it one of the most quality story lines for such types of movies I've seen thus far. I did not expect to get all emotional while watching this, I can assure of that, but things just don't always turn out they way you expect them to do.

Pandora story is told in a way that would get you attached to the characters very fast!! This is just beyond wonderful because normally it takes a whole drama with 16 ep+ for me to get attached to the characters (that is if I get attached at all). Somehow in Pandora, you can relate to the characters and feel them, which is what makes it a very emotional ride without being a tearjerker or tire you down with emotional scenes on purpose. In fact, this is what I loved about the plot, it not trying to be over the top or play the emotion game. The writer has managed to keep things in tact without draining you with all the tragic events. Pandora story pretty much mastered the love, friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, neighbors, heroic acts, dirty politicians... all in one plot which is over 2 hours without tiring me.

Acting:
Kim Nam Gil: He is the main reason why I decided to go all the way to the cinema in the cold harsh winter and watch this movie, which didn't appeal to me at first. If you are reading this review and have never seen anything for this man I earnestly ask you to pls hunt his profile down and WATCH HIM! Simply because there are no words that could be said, enough to compliment this amazing actor. He has yet again embraced me with his impressive beyond words performance but this time with a Jeolla Satturi accent! This is my first time watching him preform this accent and he's one of the best K-actors who perfectly mastered it to the point that I had to remind myself that it is truly KNG! His performance didn't just move me, it moved the whole audience in the theater, and the whole hall was crying in tears and crying in heart. Amazing heartfelt sincerity that broke my heart into pieces.

Jeong Jin Yeong: This man owned the first half of the movie! I've had the pleasure of seeing this actor before but I was even more delighted to see him here because what he showed me here is on a whole different level. He is my favorite character from start to end, loved Pyeong Seob with all my heart! Such a courageous, righteous, wonderful character played by this wonderful mister.

Han Joo Hyun: What a wonderful surprise! I've seen this girl twice but never like in Pandora. This movie has to be her breakthrough! When I was watching her I couldn't resist falling for her, her character is my 2nd favorite but how Joo Hyun played it is just too precious. The whole time I was so impressed I couldn't avoid my girl-crush. She stood her ground as a new talent among these giant actors! Bravo!

As for the rest of the cast I honestly loved them all, Kim Myung Min, Lee Kyeong Yeong, Kim Young-Ae what a stellar cast!

Re-watch
I don't really re-watch things (except for few exceptions), and in my opinion even for those who do re-watch I don't think it's the type of movie that you'd want re-watch.

Overall
**Although I would love to say this is a movie for everyone, but it would be wiser to say that it's a movie for those who don't mind bloody scenes. The story isn't aggressive but "nuclear power plant" is involved so scenes of injuries are bound to happen, just a warning ahead for those who hate the sight of blood.

Compelling emotional story, high quality direction and production, and finally stellar cast. I’d love to state all the points I loved about it but I tried not to give anything away so I will conclude my review in one sentence, “try not to miss Panodra” :)

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This show takes an interesting perspective when it comes to plastic surgery. It deals with the "after" of plastic surgery and how changing a person on the outside, doesn't change them on the inside. It's interesting to watch Mi Rae deal with the world looking like a new person while still feeling very much like the old person (prior surgery). I also love that her love interest in the show knew her prior to surgery, so it's an neat perspective that he has as well.

The acting in this is great. The only slight quibble I had is that Cha Eun Woo is noticeably younger than Im Soo Hyang even though they are supposed to be the same age. He's even supposed to be 10 days older than her. However, it's not a big enough issue to affect the show, it was just something that I noticed. Both of them did a great job with their roles as did all the cast. The two creepy guys in the show are exceedingly creepy and the evil girl is horrible, so those roles were filled well too. My favorite characters though (aside from the two leads) were probably the second male and female leads. I loved their relationship and enjoyed any time they got to be onscreen together...or even separately. They were just good characters who were fun to watch.

The music in this is really good too. It was catchy and fun.

I absolutely recommend this show. And if you enjoy a sweet romance, I think you will too.

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I have never called a drama epic before. I think that word is over used. However, if there was ever a drama to be called epic, then this is the one. From the very first episode this drama will draw you in and not let go. It is political without all the jargon; it is action packed; it has romance without sappy scenes; there are happy occasions along with tragedy. The cinematography and action sequences are off the hook. Everything that you are looking for in a drama can be found in Bridal Mask.

The story is very suspenseful. I watched this as it came out and every week I was left wondering what would happen next. The only weakness in this drama is that the people that are told to follow someone aren’t very good at it. There is no ninja stealth in this drama. Although, I guess you could look at it as the people that are being followed are just really good at giving the others the slip. Also, they aren’t very good shots unless they are pretty close. I read somewhere that the guns used in that time period didn’t have very good sights. Maybe it is just part of keeping it real??? LOL I usually don’t like dramas that are this long because the story gets bogged down, but this is an exception. Every episode added to the story and there is very little flashback filler. When they do flashback it has meaning.

What makes this drama great is the acting. I gave it a 10 because of Joo Won and Park Ki Woong. Joo Won’s acting as Lee Kang To/Bridal Mask is amazing. He really should get some kind of an award. He has an uncanny ability to make a person feel what the character is feeling. Park KI Woong plays Shunji to perfection. I’m completely captivated by this actor. The character is so intelligent. I have a love/hate connection with this character and that is a tribute to Ki Woong’s acting ability. The female lead character of Oh Mok Dan/Boon Yi is played by Jin Se Yun. I wasn’t really that impressed with her acting until the last two episodes. However, looking back maybe she felt that her character couldn’t show emotion and that is why she was stilted in the beginning and then showed her emotions at the end. Han Chae Ah who plays RaRa is really good. All you had to do was look at her face to know what she was thinking even when she was trying to hide her emotions. I loved her character and her acting. The side characters were really good too. Special mention for Ahn Hyung Joon who plays RaRa’s bodyguard Katsuyama. He has skills. I hope to see him in more dramas in the future.

The music for this drama is fantastic. I love the theme song.

I will probably rewatch this at some point.

I think this is a must see for everyone. It is defiantly a heart wrenching drama of epic proportion.

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Best C-Drama of 2025 – The Best Enemies-to-Lovers Ever

This is the best C-drama I’ve watched, especially this year.
It’s definitely the best 2025 C-drama. Everything about it is amazing, and I’m so happy Liu Yuning is finally getting the recognition he deserves. It just makes me so happy — and finally, he gets a happy ending! We haven’t seen him in a happy ending much, and my boy truly deserved this one.

However, I wish the last episodes were longer. At the very least, we should’ve had a special episode where we could see more of the couple. I really wish we had seen his reaction when he saw his child for the first time, or scenes of her being pregnant and him taking care of her — showing concern, being gentle. I would’ve loved to see him care for her more.

The last few episodes didn’t have much screen time for the couple, but overall, everything about this drama is perfect. The costumes, the acting… the chemistry is off the charts — honestly, the best I’ve seen this year. I also loved how mature they were as a married couple. They cleared up misunderstandings quickly, actually communicated, and even apologized to each other — such a refreshing dynamic.

There was no storyline that dragged on too long, which was great. I appreciated how understanding they were toward each other, and how he didn’t accept her so easily. It took him more than 25 episodes to recognize his feelings, and I found that realistic. At the end of the day, she is his enemy’s daughter — so him letting go of all the revenge he’d been holding onto for years instantly would’ve felt out of character.

Everything was just on point. The story was unique — not the usual dynastic plot, but more clan-based, which was a nice change if you watch a lot of historical C-dramas like I do. I was also really surprised by how much sarcasm and comedy was in it. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it would be a dark show, but it turned out to be lighthearted and fun. Honestly, I laughed more than I have at actual rom-coms!

I loved how they were always willing to say “I was wrong” and take responsibility — that’s such a beautiful thing.

I felt bad for Bi Zhi when Fan died, because he never actually wanted to be a commander. He only took that position to protect her and build a life with her. But in the end, he lost her and had to raise their son alone. That was really sad. Although I didn’t really like her character, I understood her — I just wasn’t very emotionally invested in her.

Also, F4 deserved to get a happy endings :(
So happy Zu Er was cleared so we were able to finally see this masterpiece. Wish we got a special episode so we could’ve enjoyed them one last time.
I keep finding myself repeating scenes as there are truely amazing memorable scenes. I would say it’s a rewatchable cdrama for sure. Not too heavy and full of romance.

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It's been a while

SPOILER FREE
Everyone can appreciate some aspects of this drama, like the acting or the OST, but plot-wise this is not a drama for everyone. Beyond Evil is a character-driven drama, that some may find slow paced. Anyone who likes multilayered and morally gray characters will appreciate it. The acting (especially from the two main leads) is probably one of the best I have seen.

SPOILERS
It's been a while since I saw such an intriguing series. Was it perfect without even a single flaw? No. However the flaws were minor, so I didn't really care about them.

Beyond Evil is a gripping drama from the beginning. There are not enough words to express how much I loved watching this series. The plot is very well written and the characters are so interesting and complex. The acting is outstanding. Shin Ha Kyun delivered one of the best performances I have ever seen. He is an amazing actor, and Yeo Jin Goo was such a great choice to play Han Joo Won. I don't know who thought of putting Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo together in a series, but whoever did, thank you very much! This series would definitely not be the same without this great cast and the phenomenal chemistry of the two main leads.

Generally, I don't pay too much attention to the directing, since most of the times it is good or at least decent. Nonetheless, it was impossible not to notice the great directing of this series. I loved how it was like seeing the POV of another character and it led the viewers to certain assumptions to distract them from the truth. The color tones were all so dark yet not too dark, which made the series even more appealing and disturbing (especially in the first episodes). The OST fits the series in an unimaginably good way.

Did this get draggy, tiring or just not as good comparing to the first half? Kind of, but it was inevitable. This isn't a series that reveals everything on the last episode, so of course every single clue added a piece to the puzzle and when things started getting clearer it was natural for the series to not be as mysterious as it was in the first episodes.

What I really loved, is the fact that everything was revealed slowly but surely and we didn't wait till the last episode to find out who the killer is.

I loved how Beyond Evil tackled many issues like the stigma that follows a falsely accused person or the pain that people who are left behind are going through.

Am I being objective giving this series a prefect 10? Probably not, but reviews are not objective anyways and this is a series that I will remember for quite a long time, so why not?

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GMMTV's Worst BL

I don't think I've ever seen a story that had an interesting premise go down the drain in 10 episodes. This is the worst show I've seen produced by GMMTV since Waterboyy and that's saying something. Heed my advice and don't watch this show.

First things first, I feel so bad for the original author of Tonhon and Chonlatee because I know it must've hurt to see your work bastardized in such a terrible way. Why the hell did they add toxic homophobia to a character who was never homophobic in the first place?

Tonhon was a male lead that I couldn't rot for in any way shape or form. It's time BLs move past the characters with toxic masculinity mixed with homophobia who suddenly realize that they're into men (or ONE man). Tonhon never atoned for anything of the hurtful things he said to Chonlatee or his roommates Ai and Ni or to any of the people he offended in passing. If anything Tonhon should've been left in the dust along with his homophobic father.

Chonlatee was an okay character, he had guts until it was time to check Tonhon on his homophobia. He was refreshing, in terms not taking shit from no one but I got tired of seeing Khaotung pull the same confused/constipated face everytime he was faced with an obstacle.

Ai and Ni were quite honestly strange and it was obvious they were a couple, Tonhon must've been dumb as hell to not see through that. Mike and Toptap have acted together and previously were each other's love interests in 2Together, so I was confused as to why the chemistry wasn't good as it was before. Their chemistry was sorta there but their performances left me wanting. Also what was with the cut scenes around them kissing lmfao. Did they not do it properly or something?

GMMTV definitely through this garbage together and thought they could feed it to BL fans with no consequences. The budget was not ENOUGH for this production, as it looked like they cut corners and shit. I know they pay well and are quite well known so I'm not sure what's up with the lackluster production.

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For me, the title of this show should be more like “Love and Hate in the Moonlight.” Because those are my feelings towards it - incredibly mixed and indecisive.

When Love in the Moonlight first hit my drama radar, everything about it put me off. The promo posters just radiated cheesiness, so much so that I’m pretty sure I internally gagged. Not to mention, everything about its premise was overdone and oftentimes badly so. The crossdressing girl, the handsome prince, the political intrigue mixed somewhere in there...Was it worth the risk of watching and likely being disappointed?

The thing about Love in the Moonlight is that it is definitely a good show. Well, partially. It suffers from what I like to call “K-drama syndrome,” where it starts off at its peak and then plunges down into its inevitable doom, where the plot and characters deteriorate in a cesspool of their previously glorious existences. It's exactly as revolting to us viewers as it sounds.

The storyline of Love in the Moonlight is incredibly unoriginal. Its desire to take on the tropes of a crossdressing female who falls in love with a higher-class man was quite impressive, and for a good half of the drama, the execution was phenomenal. I found myself practically twitching while I waited to watch the next episode upon release.

There’s something about cliches done well that’s just as appealing as a never-before-seen storyline, and that’s what Love in the Moonlight accomplished. Its cheesy romance was bolstered by a talented leading couple, and its political aspect was intelligent, yet not overly difficult to follow. Not to mention, the characters were all lovable, each with their defining characteristics that made you love to see them. I admired the drama's ability to make the usually predictable storyline both unpredictable and addicting, and making me take back all my doubts from the beginning. Touche, writers; but that victory only lasts for a little while.

The problem with Love in the Moonlight is that as time goes on, you begin to see the infection of K-drama syndrome more and more. I'll admit, the writers keep you on your toes enough so that you barely even notice the problems unless you take a glance backward. But holy cheese, did this show throw away its potential at being perfect.

The romance is great, that much I will stand by. However, I attribute that much more to the capabilities of the leading actors than the characters themselves. I adored the Crown Prince at the beginning, and I likewise appreciated Ra On’s quirkiness. But over time, the writers lost sight of what made these characters unique and reduced them down to “male lead” and “female lead.” I don't even want to talk about the atrocities of the side characters, particularly Ha Yeon, who faded further and further into the background. It got to the point where she would come on screen and my reaction would be, "who is dis," because she had become that irrelevant. I’ve seen static characters, but I was puzzled with how the ones in Love in the Moonlight somehow managed to all move backward in development - their quirks disappeared. To me, there was nothing sadder than the moment I admitted to myself that the only reason I still liked the Crown Prince was because of Park Bo Gum.

Additionally, I have to say that the writers really lost themselves nearing the end of this show. It was cliche in the beginning, but at least they carried it out well. By the end, they were throwing so many tropes in your face that it almost bruised me. Most of which, I didn’t appreciate at all. There’s a difference between using previously-seen plot elements to better a show, and using them just because there is a need to. By resorting to the latter, the writers failed what could have been an absolute gorgeous ending.

For me, the one trump card of this drama was the cast, and this is the one basis I will recommend this drama off of. I sat down in front of the first episode knowing no one out of the main cast aside from Kim Yoo Jung, who I sneered at for being far too young for her role. By the end, I was impressed with everyone’s ability to portray their respective roles.

Park Bo Gum is phenomenal. He’s obviously goodlooking (those puppy-dog eyes though hehehehe), but the level of emotion he puts into every line and movement is awe-inspiring. Everything about his acting feels real, from the look in his eyes and - I swear - each shift of his facial muscles. He brings the Crown Prince to life in a way that I’ve honestly never seen another actor do with their character. And now I have posters of him on my walls. I wish this were a joke, but I guess I’m prouder to say that it’s not - he was just that good.

Yoo Jung is where I’m split. There’s no doubt she’s talented, but I’ll still enforce the idea that she was too young for the lead role in a romance drama. If you’re going to forget how weird it is morally that 23-year-old Bo Gum is interacting romantically with a minor, just know that her acting was far better in scenes where there wasn’t any handholding and whatnot. I’ll give it to her that she tried, and did well alongside Bo Gum, but she still needs more experience to pair with that acting talent. Soon enough, she’ll have a scary level of skill.

I would also like to comment on the music, most of which I loved. They chose a good collection of strong singers for it, and the instrumentals were beautiful (I listen to some of them when I work now because they’re that entrancing). I am going to go out on a limb here though, and say that the song they gave to Park Bo Gum was subpar. I know he’s capable of better music, and I just wish that they provided him the chance to blind us even more with his unlimited talent.

I’d say that Love in the Moonlight is worth the watch, if only to see how the actors are able to bring quality to a usually mundane plot. Despite the bits of disappointment I felt at the ending, I am still glad that I watched the whole thing through and I can say that I enjoyed myself for the most part.

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One of the most illogical romance ever

This drama just proves that the writer has never been in a relationship or in love before.

The first season started off well with the introduction of an interesting-but-yet-realistic creation of a love alarm app along with the infusion of aesthetic visual elements and the intriguing storyline stemming from the mystery of the missing creator of the app, Duk Gu. Hwang Sun Oh and Kim JoJo were made to be the main leads in this season. Despite the interesting storyline, the puppy love was undeniably weak and unconvincing. I simply couldn’t understand why Sun Oh and Jo Jo were attracted to each other. It made Jo Jo looked like an indecisive cheater. She had a boyfriend but she liked Sun Oh. Their chemistry never made sense because she couldn’t reason out why she liked Sun Oh and it completely didn’t even make sense as to why she decided to end the relationship with Sun Oh when she actually liked him. She ended the relationship by using the shield that Duk Gu gave her exclusively to download in order to lie to Sun Oh that she never liked him. It hurt Sun Oh as he did not understand the reason why it happened that way and he never got proper closure. Perhaps that’s the essence of puppy love. Nevertheless, I shipped the two because the director wanted it that way. At the end of the first season, Duk Gu was hinted to be alive, Sun Oh having a new girlfriend he did not love and Hye Hyeong courting Jo Jo. The episode ended with Sun Oh’s new girlfriend ringing her alarm for Sun Oh while Sun Oh and Hye Hyeong ringing their alarms for JoJo; signifying the love triangle. Jo Jo’s alarm didn’t ring because of the shield that conceals her feelings which was why she later desperately wanted it to be removed and was so obsessed with the findings of missing Duk Gu.

Season 2 made the whole storyline went downhill. We expect the drama and jealousy of the second leads arising from Jo Jo being honest with Sun Oh. However, that wasn’t the case. In season 2, Jo Jo decided to give Hye Hyeong a chance by giving the relationship a try even tho she did not like him. She flinched when Hye Hyeong kissed her at the beginning but let Sun Oh kissed her in the later part. This shows how confused, indecisive, and needy Jo Jo was. She looked like a lonely and needy girl that that didn’t mind dating a guy she did not like. In this season, you are going to be confused as to who you are going to ship because Hye Hyeong became the male lead of this season with greater screen time. Sun Oh became the second lead and the screenwriter decided to make Sun Oh a fool who was drunk in his family’s situation. Perhaps the screenwriter wanted to explain that his obsession for closure with Jo Jo was due to the ill relationship between his parents. In this season, Jo Jo is desperately trying to find Duk Gu so she can have her shield removed, be honest with her own feelings, and hope to ring her future boyfriend’s alarm. I thought the reason that Jo Jo wanted to have the alarm removed because she has always wanted to reunite with Sun Oh by being true to him. Because she was always triggered whenever she bumped into Sun Oh. But no, she wanted to get it removed because of Hye Hyeong. She wanted to use it to ring Hye Hyeong’s alarm so that Hye Hyeong will know how she feels about him. The ending was evident that Jo Jo chose Hye Hyeong and Sun Oh going back to his ex-girlfriend. This storyline is basically telling viewers that as long as you make an effort to love someone who loves you and treats you right, you will love them eventually. Sounds illogical right?

I waited almost 2 years for season 2 because I was curious if Duk Gu had actually taken his life because of a rejection. It hinted that he was alive. I thought the revelation of his disappearance was going to be way more interesting in season 2. Turns out that he has been hospitalized for 4 years and his brother was the one running his love alarm app business. Duk Gu later woke up and gave Jo Jo an armour to download so she could ring Hye Hyeong’s alarm. Yea I just wasted my time on season 2.

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I rarely write reviews , but this time I just couldn't help it . This movie portrays the real meaning of a man loving a woman . If you watch this you will love the main actors , at first you will think that the lead is such a cutie but then as the story develops you see his manly , sexy and hot side which will make your heart go crazy ! "If only a guy like that exists in real life " that's what I ended up saying after watching this ! The story line is really sweet , emotional and sad . You will most certainly love the fighting scenes . I totally recommend this movie , just believe me and give it a try . You will never regret it .

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