Reviews

One of the better GMMTV shows but far away from a 10...

As usually the show started strong, but while it did not fall of a cliff it was a bit flat in the later episodes. The comedic parts are often over the top as usual and the finale did not catch me at all.

At least the script was better than normal, but of course the predictability was a given. So it's a light-hearted show with few ups and not many downs, on the good side overall. But it will not leave an impression for me. While their chemistry was good, I felt there was not much tension between them and I also didn't feel that longing after three years and the reason was a bit "boring" imho.

It's pleasant to watch, it's heart-warming most of the time, but it misses the spice I have expected after all the interviews of the MLs I have seen before the show. It was just "safe" as usual by GMMTV. Success with the fangirls for the reunion of a fan-favorite couple, earning lots of money with fan-meets, concerts and merch. And that's what's a three billion ($ or €) industry is all about in most cases. Sorry to say, this series is very far away from the 10.0 many have given but we got disappointed by GMMTV much more before. Overall a decent show which can be watched without much brain-power but also a show which will not drive us insane with a stupid script either.

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Righteousness Wins Over Profit in Jianghu

A bet set in the beginning of the show had its answer at the end. I wanted to watch a Wuxia but this had a lot of elements that didn't quite align with that. I knew the majority of the cast and they did a good job with what they were given. This time I won't write pros/cons but combine them.

For starters the show got the rating it got for the awesome martial arts, the fact that other then the draggy family feud like episodes, it was in fact quite entertaining and out of the 3 CY characters my favorite was LCZ because he had a quiet grace along with his wife and theirs wasn't a showy type of love but as you watched, it resonated. Even theirs deaths were beautiful and fit the characters perfectly. I liked QS as he grew from a foolish youth to a moral driven young martial artist; his issues were that they literally gave him a VERSACE sized wardrobe fit for a runway while everyone else got a few (his brothers notwithstanding). Also that he gained his strength and whatnot not always from practicing martial arts nonstop but from a monk here, an invincible pill and spirit snake there, then a total of 8 masters infused him with their energies/legacies randomly before he himself started integrating everything. He used his smarts on other things. Least useful character was XMM, in fact that entire modern world AI transmigration with a stolen copyright by some government secrets selling senior was completely out of left field. It completely took away from the real Wuxia or storytelling portion of it.

Why couldn't it just be a happy family of 5 living their lives until trouble called? Who needed the senior jumping into XKY's body a la Agent Smith from the Matrix? First we were made to believe the power gang were the bad guys and ok we could go with that until it was no longer true and there was a 3rd evil loose in the world creating chaos so he could take over the world because how innovative was that? 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️ The power gang with LCZ as its chief (for whom other than him being a royal, we never got a back story), were essentially double agents; appearing bad to the world but really a collection of kings and other people sending money and clothing to the border to fight the northern westerlanders which were constantly threatening Daxi where they lived. But even there, there were traitors left and right; on both sides to this third side. You didn’t know who to trust.

While this was going on, the Xiao family has to escape to their Sword Manor because someone originally thought to be the power gang had infiltrated their ranks and is trying to get to a rare artifact saved for a general. The real culprits in poisoning the water (and later massacring everyone parents included) is some whistle gang run by a masked man who we all suspected to be XKY with LN (the senior) in his body but he also had 2nd child syndrome and a lifetime of jealousy of both of his brothers who were better then him because they were proficient in different things with a major crush on his adopted sister, whom he later tried to force to marry him and then when she tried to hurt him, killed her instead. I wasn't sure after which did he plan to sleep with her corpse (eww)? She did leave vital information that saved the world for QS at the cost of her life.

Continuing, he and his siblings and their disciples plus sworn brothers and friends run away leaving their parents behind one last time alive to find help only for QS to realize their few sources of help have betrayed them but before he could convince his older brother, he was framed so badly and crippled and still his older brother didn't believe him. I have a theory on the older brother's costume; throughout the entire series he only got one but he had plenty of screen time and I feel that that was because he never evolved; he was narrow minded, he never believed his own brother but believed strangers that either humiliated him or laughed in his face. He was one of those people that was totally fine when he was surrounded by his parents who were in charge, but when the massacre happened, everything fell in his lap and he did not know how to cope. Do I excuse his actions? Absolutely not, but I feel that because he never changed and stayed exactly the same and hurt QS so much without an ounce of apology or repentance until his dying moment at the hands of his second brother did Eureka 💡 happen is why he only got one costume for the entire series.

After family feud we got the game of faces GoT style with XKY wearing a mask where he could become become whomever he chose to become to trap people in order to kill them or have them make horrendous mistakes like in the case of LSF and the huge Sect's where he pretended to be LCZ and ordered the deaths of two monks; when that was found out obviously Power Gang was screwed but LSF was determined to make amends to the man who saved his life. This was another character with a very fragmented backstory where he misplaced his rage on one person when in reality that person being QS's father saved his life. And we never quite got to solving that entire issue. LSF also never made amends with any of the other people he killed without mercy, even though power gang only killed those that betrayed them to align with the enemy.

Another character that was a waste of time was the emperor who poisoned his own half brother "to keep him in check" because he was supposedly doing something wrong and being greedy when all LCZ did was provide for the border. But yet when the border is secure, something that the emperor doesn't even know or just found out that the general was kidnapped and he ordered LCZ to save the general and is informed that the border is secure and they have a victory and that the bad guys won't invade for 50 years. He says "everyone has to be rewarded including LCZ; bring him here!" is when he finds out that LCZ died already trying to rescue the general, and the emperor is all shocked and taken aback like he doesn't even understand how it could be possible; hello moron you have been poisoning him with wine ever so often that has basically rendered him all, but an invalid and you're surprised he's dead? On top of that he actually saw the fake mask that XKY brought him with the fake promise of truce with the northern enemies that he himself was leading and the emperor bought it hook, line, and sinker. It makes you think that considering how supposedly large his country is, isn't he supposed to have a broad spectrum of intelligence to tell him what's right and what's wrong instead of him just hastily making decisions without anything actual nor factual.

I have to say that my favorite fight out of all of them, and there were quite a few was the one at thunderdome where we met crazy Yan for the first time. Now talk about knowing how to enter an arena this dude showed up, screaming some bad guy's name like Drogon entering the Colosseum roaring. It was awesome! All the fights together were spectacular there and then naming QS as the world leader of martial arts in order to rescue the general and repel the northern enemy was also great. QS' two sworn brothers (as we lost the third very early on) were there from the beginning to the back in the mortal world. Crazy Yan turned out to be Xuyue's biological brother. Even those four thugs that just seemed so out of place did work and the two that QS met while searching for the abducted TF. It seemed that after his family and the disciples were massacred, he was determined to establish a sector with a rag tag family of his own. One of those people who became my second favorite was Prince Liang; this man had enough benevolence, empathy, and sympathy for both his half brother, LCZ to even attempt to stop the emperor from poisoning him to giving both quiet and physical strength to QS when he thought he had had lost absolutely everything, including that hug that I will probably remember when thinking about this series that no one in his actual family ever thought to give him. He was there for every strategy, for every fight and the way he treated QS seemed like one would treat his own flesh and blood; a brotherly love. It made you tear up quite a lot. Even though there were a lot of problems with LSF's character and his assistant/girlfriend with his storyline overall in the end, he finally understood that QS had won their bet of righteousness over profit, and he fought with the good guys and then left the celebration scene quietly with her vowing to meet again in the future on better terms.

Now let me give my thought process overall on how I thought things ended; I think that 2 out of 3CY characters did in fact die, and that part was obvious. If you look closely, you can see XMM shedding a tear as LN information was being told to him so he can hear them and then you slowly see his blood pressure start to go down and doctors racing into the room, but because it was so badly edited, you couldn't really tell what was happening as it kept fading to black, but I do not believe that he died as well because he did not flatline nor did he go into cardiac arrest. His blood pressure just went down and it was enough to signal the doctors that he was in distress. Distress does not mean death and is very much survivable. I do have to ask what was up with those weird fireworks that turned into colorful smoke that made you think that you were in a Bollywood film in the photo? As for people discussing which character it was that walked away with the Qin and the sword in the historical clothing toward the light, I think it's QS because it wouldn't make sense for a modern day person to walk toward the light carrying all of that and wearing all of that. So I do think that, even though this was an OE, XMM survived.

Would I recommend it? Only for fans of actors and if you want to be entertained. This is not a memorable story because the storyline was all over the place and that's the fault of production. So decide for yourselves.

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missed the mark (watch suggestions)

Overall: though this is based on a book which has 2 other live action adaptations, I tried my best to review this series on its own merits. That being said, I think some fans of the book and original adaptation will not like a few changes that the creators have made as they fundamentally changed 1 character which alters their dynamic to feel imbalanced. Aired 10 episodes about 1 hour long on WeTV (need to VPN to Thailand, cut version & uncut version https://wetv.vip/en/album/pgahblq3qny0xuz) and YouTube cut https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqQkseRPA8d53_Hg0wnBlDFwNtFBw6xo3&si=rpt7pbo4KhLJoAoj Later added YouTube uncut for channel members. You can tell you are watching the uncut version if ep 1 starts at a fancy event in a flash forward. The cut version starts with a bunch of students taking an exam. Re-aired uncut version on Viki April 2025 https://www.viki.com/tv/41064c-addicted-heroin

Content Warnings (uncut): non con kissing/biting, fight, bullying, drugging, abusive parent/violence, transphobia, non con kiss, theft, kidnapping/held against will, punch, drugging, blackmail, homophobia

Watch Suggestions (this is for the uncut version, it cuts out some of the love triangle stuff)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- episode 3 watch beginning to 12:15, 13-24:45, 36:25-40, 46-end
- watch episodes 4 & 5
- episode 6 watch beginning to 27 minutes
- episode 7 watch 22:15-23:35, 26:30-34:15 (if you want to see a character be unhinged), and 44 to the end
- episode 8 skip 14:40-38
- episode 9 skip 6:30-31 and skip 43:30-49:15
- episode 10 skip 31:15-37:30

What I Liked
- visuals (i.e. working out scene)
- countryside setting
- sweet moments
- that they modified a part in episode 7, the book appears to have been written in 2015 and I have no problem with adaptations changing some things from the source material
- that 1 character didn't get a redemption arc in the finale
- a decent plan in the finale
- satisfied with the way it ended even if there isn't a special or second season
- production value (especially how the opening scene transitioned into the flashback, however it needs better transitions overall)

Room For Improvement
- the cut version took out key relationship development between both couples however it did take out some of the evil girlfriend/wannabe girlfriend stuff which was nice, speaking of
- too much screentime on evil girlfriend/wannabe girlfriend cliche
- tried to cover way too much plot, the side couple would randomly appear and disappear, too much of the main couple's relationship development was done in a montage
- choppy (even the uncut), it quickly jumped from one scene to the next
- a character was toned down but then went very unhinged, the dynamic didn't work
- fake kissing (a reason not to cast a 16 year old and a 30 year old...)
- the transphobic comment in episode 3 which I think was supposed to be translated as "he's not even a real man, he's a trans friend of mine"
- too many flashbacks
- comedy sound effects, also the tone switching between comedy and serious moments didn't always work
- nonsense stuff ie in ep 10 characters didn't tell another character information because they thought it would make him sad so instead he was both sad and mad for many years
- one of the worst/most confusing releases I've ever seen, the youtube channel that released episode 1 was different from the channel that released episode 0, no subtitles even though there were supposed to be and then the subtitled cut version was removed from youtube shortly after it was available to watch, 1 week later ep 1 and 2 cut were back up with subtitles

Note About Actors' Ages (I didn't take off points for this but as an fyi, 1 actor was 16 when he filmed this, the other lead actors' ages were: 26, 17 & 18; age of majority in Thailand is 20)
- from the source material and as shown in the series, the characters are the same age, they start in high school and then later there is a time jump
- there were zero real kisses, the one supposedly intimate scene was very tame and only kissing the person's neck/close to their neck

Cut version differences in episodes 1 & 2 (overall the uncut version is better, I didn't have the energy to watch all cut versions to compare but this gives you an idea of types of differences)
- in episode 1, 12 minutes were cut, about 5 minutes of that was there was an intro scene that took place in the future/present before a flashback, they also cut short the vandalism scene, then they removed Pop talking to his grandma/dad towards the end, and they removed the very end where there is a flashback to the vandalism scene but a new part shown
- in episode 2 (58 uncut/47 cut), after store there is a short talk with grandma about him working which is why he is out late, they cut a little of the nurse talking, in the infirmary they cut at the end that Hero got into the bed with Poppy to cuddle with him, after the sneezing they cut where the girl must have left a box of toilet paper for Mr. Sneezy and Mr. Sneezy thinks it's from Mr. Grumpy who denies it but he is shushed, after Pop's meeting with Hero's dad he goes to school and walks by Hero who is shirtless and randomly wrestling other students for fun, Pop volunteers to wrestle pins Hero and they stare at each other, after Pop took Hero's shirt to wash it there is a scene at a convenience store where Pop helps Hero with writing/homework, they then get drunk with Pop defending his mom and putting his head on Hero's shoulder, Hero gives Pop a new pair of shoes, ties them, Pop then shushes Hero and leans in, it cuts to Pop waking up shirtless in his bed with seemingly a hard on

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turning unhappiness into happiness

Overall: the focus was on two characters who weren't happy with their current situation in life and how they figured out how to change things. I haven't read the source material and am basing my review on the live action series only. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4033/perfect-propose-2024-e01 ; re-released on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40542c-perfect-propose

Content Warnings: non con touching/hand job maybe turned consensual?, workplace harassment/bullying

What I Liked
- a forthright character
- sweet moments
- supportive colleagues
- realistic how it is difficult to get away from a toxic work environment, even when a person knows it's unhealthy
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the dub/non con was not needed and could have been handled differently
- had the aggressive pursuer/reluctant pursuee (and by reluctant I mean unwilling, he verbally stated his boundaries only to have them steamrolled over)
- too much time spent in the office setting/that jerk boss
- the intro vibe was super fluffy but that was not the overall tone of the series, we also never see any of those fluffy scenes which was a bit disappointing

Age Info (I didn't put an age gap content warning because I don't think it's needed, but here's the age info thanks to a commentator :)
- in the past, their ages were around 11 and 17
- in the present, their ages are 21 and 27

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My alarm would not ring for this show

I withheld my opinions for this series until the second season came out, hoping they would tweak the things that were wrong with the first season. First off, I am all for realistic storylines with flawed characters. But what I do not stand for are characters that do not have a character growth at all. From the onset, there seemed to be a lot of potential because of the premise. An application that reveals the feelings of the other person? Interesting. Does that mean transparency from the get go? Yes (which was later on conveniently wiped out, but who cares, JoJo can do whatever she wants. But more about that later)! Refreshing? Sure. A distorted way of communicating? ABSOLUTELY.

Let me breakdown what and where this went wrong for me -
1. A sudden cliched "two worlds apart" situation between the 1ML and FL. I was suspicious they might add that trope of "leaving for the benefit of the other", but I hoped, really hoped they wouldn't do that. Proved me wrong.
2. The way FL's story arc progressed flatly until the last episode where she suddenly decided to right the wrongs. It took someone to murder people for her to finally realize she wasn't really being a nice person. If I had to describe her story graph it would be _________/ At least that's what it was made to look like, for me it never picked up. There are far, far better characters arcs that overcome childhood traumas, without playing with other people's feelings and messing up their heads.
3. The writers probably wanted to show that the two MLs were unconditionally in love with JoJo, but all it looked like to me what she could do whatever she wants, and they'd still be at her beck and call. There were multiple instances she stepped on their hearts and didn't care to explain why. They still followed her like lost puppies. They both deserved so much better. Sun-oh definitely did. That man was made to cry for years - YEARS - over the FL who TILL the end never made up for her actions.
4. I would have been very happy if the bromance of the two MLs had more substance. It felt empty. I was supposed to feel it, but couldn't.
5. The second season felt so forced it made me cringe. Like a 16-episode melo was attempted to be cramped in a 6-episode mini-series. The story felt off, the wrap up was messed up, there were no emotions attached.
6. I feel I need to emphasize a little more about the FL's character. It is going down as one of the most frustrating leads I have ever seen. I see zero reason for her being the lead at all, she showed zero maturity, zero sensibility, zero empathy, zero growth in any sense whatsoever and still looked like a victim in every situation till the last episode.

There were several things I liked as well though, I should mention them nevertheless -
1. The first season was shot beautifully. I loved the setting, it was really refreshing. One word to describe it would be - promising.
2. The way the relationship between Jojo, her aunt and her cousin evolved (however limitedly).
3. The acting was good, I loved the work of the whole cast! I could see them trying their best with what they were given.
4. The overall concept of the show and what we could learn from it. It's thought provoking.

Comparing the things I liked, and the things I did not, it is safe to say it was the writing that ruined it for me. The storyline + characters. The way the flaws of the FL were glorified and excused because of her past basically undermines the growth people actually undergo when they overcome traumas. I wish the actors chose a better project. I'd love to see other works of theirs, because this show is a bad memory now. What's worse is that along with the FL, the audience is made to play ping pong with their feelings regarding the MLs. I hate when shows do that. Now the 1ML is being inconsiderate and heartless, now the 2nd one is doing the same, oh god the 1ML is hurt, oh no no the 2ML is hurt now. What exactly are you trying to do writers? Do you have no other content to keep the viewers watch your show until the end? It's a rhetoric question. They do not, in fact, have any other content.

Never re-watching this, and never recommending this to anyone.

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I decided to post a review cause I felt like I needed to express my feelings about this drama - my thoughts and opinions are completely different from most people, but anyways.

The thing is: a good drama for me doesn't need to be filled with moments that will make you suffer with the characters and it can't be that foreseeable. And You're Beautiful it's just this. You can fully understand the depth of the characters within some episodes, and if you try to take a guess on what they will do next, probably you'll be right.

There's no need to keep hammering a single point in the story, and still, they do this all the time. At one point, I got tired of gritting my teeth and screaming to the screen, cause I had already seen what was happening another billion times. It's repetitive, and even though I've kept rooting for one specific character, I knew since the beginning he wasn't going to get the ending I wanted, because, once again, the story is foreseeable.

The plot was a good one to work with - it never was supposed to be a deep story, but it could be better than what we had. The drama could be finished with only ten episodes, excluding unnecessary and dull interactions between the characters and mysteries that aren't really that mysterious. The music is ok, the few tracks we have are good, but I find myself really annoyed by the fact that, one, it seems like we only have five songs along the whole drama (and three of them are different versions of the same track), and two, why do they put such a tense instrumental in moments that doesn't have the need to it?

The best point for me is the acting - all the actors besides Park Shin Hye did a fairly good job. I kept wondering, why does she represents like this in this drama? I mean, Heartstrings was ok, Heirs too, and Pinocchio is her best drama without doubts, but her acting in You Are Beautiful annoys me so much. I don't find it cute, neither funny, nor girly. It's just annoying and the scenes I liked the most were the ones she wasn't trying so hard (episode 12, the greenhouse part, is one of my very few examples). Maybe she matured since then, and for me this one is her worst drama.

I can't say the drama isn't funny. It was one of the few things that saved it for me. I laughed so hard in some parts that it wasn't all lost. And if I ignored the existence of two of the three main male characters while Go Minam was interacting with one of them, I could go through the scene without any unneeded anger. It was silly, and sometimes fun, but not my piece of cake.

All in all, I would never rewatch it, but if you like silly thingies (and amorous triangles), if you're bored and want something to entertain yourself a little bit (only until the very first cringeworthy moment), you may want to give You Are Beautiful a try.

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Boring...

This drama focused more on the ml's career as an areospace engineer rather than the romance between the ml and fl. I felt it was more sci fi based with a hint of romance rather than the other way around. The couples relationship felt realistic because of how little time they had for each other, it was an accurate depiction...thats probably why I didnt enjoy it as much.

Spoiler:

The fl liked the ml is hs but he rejected her bcz he felt she wasnt good enough, which he came to regret 10 yrs later after getting to know her, then he felt he wasnt good enough for her and turned her down again. This plus eng shit literally sums up the plot for the first 18 episodes.

They start dating offically in the 21 ish episode I think.

They get togther, bunch of kiss scenes, fl is busy with work, ml is busy with work, they get together on their break, kiss scene - bed scene,
ml is busy with work, fl is busy with work, they get together on their break, kiss scene - bed scene... just a continuation of that along with areospace eng scenes then they get married two years later.
Honestly their romance had zero plot it was soooo boring to watch...felt no excitment at all.

There is a five year time jump (ep 31-32) they are 38 yrs old have NO kid and it ends with a fucking rocket launch!!!...

The story was boring but I really enjoyed dilraba's acting. That and the special effects...the first couple of eps werent too bad either, but it just got really boring when the ml talked about rockets which was literally half the drama!. If you enjoy that kind of stuff I say go for it but I zoned out, my brain wasnt willing to compute.

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Twilight called and it wants its dignity back!!

I am no Stephenie Meyer, but compared to Golden Blood, Twilight did a pretty solid job, seemed more coherent than this and that alone should tell you everything you need to know about this drama.

Let’s start from the beginning. I was genuinely excited for this series. I waited eagerly for GMMTV to announce the slot, and the first few episodes didn’t disappoint. They were campy and kitschy in a fun, entertaining way, you know the kind of over-the-top storytelling that didn’t take itself too seriously and had great chemistry to carry it.

But here is the thing, we have come a long way with fantasy genre. Even supernatural world need logic (atleast some), some basic rules that make sense within the world they have built. Vampires don’t follow human logic, sure I agree, but their world should still have some kind of structure.
For example : when a human discovers vampires exist, the natural reaction should be fear, suspicion, or at the very least curiosity. You run, you hide, you maybe go home and do a little research. What you don’t do is fratenize with them five minutes later. I missed the whole chase and run aspect of a forbidden romance.

The whole "vampire lore" felt dull and dry. I am a sucker for supernatural romances but this went from campy to sometimes uncomfortable to watch real quick!

As the drama went on, the characters just started acting... weird. Their decisions didn’t make much sense and their emotions seemed to flip on and off like a switch. One minute they are scared, the next they are head over heels, with zero explanation. One moment one tries to kill the other and the next moment they are hot and heavy for each other.

The twists didn’t feel justified and they just kind of happened, like the writers were tossing in drama for the sake of it. It all started to feel really random and by the end, none of it came together in a way that made sense. Whatever logic the show had in the beginning clearly checked out halfway through and what was left was just an unintentionally cringey mess.

Coming to the romance, I could definitely see the chemistry between Joss and Gavin. Their NC scenes were a standout, just the right amount of spice and visually on point. But was that enough to save this sinking ship? Sadly No. Hot leads can't save a cold script.

And I am all for unique character quirks, but Mark’s obsession with Tong’s sweat (!?) was borderline gross. I get it, everyone has got their "thing", but maybe let’s stick to “you smell nice” instead of “your post workout musk drives me wild.”

The supporting character arcs (especially Nakan and Tonkla) had such a strong start. But somewhere along the way, in an attempt to make their journeys feel more “unpredictable” or shocking, the writing took a sharp 180°.
What we ended up with felt less like organic growth and more like a complete rewrite. It was jarring, almost as if we were suddenly watching entirely different characters. The emotional consistency and depth that made them compelling in the beginning got lost in the twist for the sake of surprise.

As for the acting, I’ve seen Gavin’s work before and I know he can act very well, but this script gave him nothing to work with. If anything, it dragged him down. Joss, on the other hand was a mixed bag. I haven’t seen him in anything else, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe with a tighter script and better direction, he could show some range.

Also, I never knew budget could be a problem for GMMTV. Those golden lenses looked like they came straight from the bargain bin, you know buy 1 get 1 free thing. And the special effects just looked childish at times. I know Joss and Gavin are very easy on the eyes but this was a supernatural series, that is not the only visual we needed. They could have just polished that a bit.

Overall, this was the classic example of writing being the weakest link and everything had to suffer because of it. This show made me miss the sparkly vampires. I will not recommend this unless you want to watch it for the leads. But I would rather recommend watching YouTube shorts or instagram reels of them, things would make more sense there.

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This afternoon I asked myself why did I watch this movie? The answer was: story seemed interesting. Needless to say I didn’t find anything interesting about the film, on the contrary. I found it boring and annoying yet I persevered and watched it through to the end when my mind begged me to stop the mental torture and it was torture.

The heroine was just too obsessive, too focused on the guy she loved. At first I found her too desperate but teenagers tend to find things the end of the world and she was no exception. Everything was a drama, even when to confess to Rita that she loved him and has always loved him. Then she became really bothersome borderline on maddening with all the spectacle and theatrics, all the infantilism of the child she no longer was but somehow on an unconscious level seemed to believe to be. It’s seems the only logical explanation for her irrational behaviour!

Rita is weak, as a teenage boy he’s weak, as a boy he’s weak, as a teenager he’s weak and he never stops being weak. I wonder if the manga author created the character so incredibly full of flaws, so physically and psychologically weak on purpose. How can a male lead character be so utterly uncompelling is beyond me. There’s not a single time throughout the movie I find him interesting. Having Rita as the main male lead...why? To show that men can be weak? Men can be weak but Rita takes male weakness to an entire new level, the level of absurdity!

At the end of the movie I was drained and relieved that it was finally over, finally!!!

The only thing I liked about the movie was the photography but it wasn’t enough to save a poor story who became a poor film on the screen.

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100% RECOMMENDED HP CASTS, DIRECTOR, WRITER, AND STAFFS U DA BOMB

Everything in this drama is just so perfect. It gives you the warm feeling while watching it. It made me smile, laugh, cry, and get hungry the whole season. As a med student myself, this drama is very realistic and it really tackles about what people go through within the walls of a hospital. I'M SURE ALL OF YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Story - 10/10
You would think that the story might be boring at first since they really need to introduce a big cast, but if you continue, you'll realize how good the plot and progression of the story goes. This slice of life drama really lets people realize how important friendship is. They have their own lives and their problems but they were always there for each other. The cases of the patient were also realistic and we can see here that the story was not exaggerated. Just like the other works of Shin PD, we really can't predict anything.

THEY ALSO HAVE THE BEST SEASON FINALE! I wasn't disappointed with how the story went. The finale was really worth the wait, I wanna cry I'm so happy. Shin PD and Writer Lee, good job!!

Acting/Cast - 10/10
The cast is perfect. I love all of them. They acted so sincerely and we can really see how much effort they put into their roles. They trained very hard for this. Every emotion shown here will really make the viewers feel like they're in the same shoes. Whether you are in the field of medicine or not, you'll feel their struggles. We all experience these things one way or another. Even the kids in these drama acted so well. Shout out to U-ju, gyeopta!

Music - 10/10
The title says it all! I love their band and their songs so much. It really feels good to listen to their songs especially the covers they make. I saw how much effort they put into practicing the songs which makes it feel more special.

Rewatch Value - 10/10
Most people say that the rewatch value is low BUT IT'S ALSO A 10/10 FOR ME! Just the fact that there are meanings in the small details in the drama makes me want to rewatch everything. The cliffhangers and the clues given also make my mind go crazy. I also love rewatching their band practices. Season 2 will air on 2021 so we have a year to rewatch the episodes, the interviews and the relay cams. I'll rewatch their scenes whenever I'll miss them. Ugh I can't wait for the next season!!

Watch this!! 100% recommended <3

Shout out to Yoo Yeon Seok!!! I love you oppa! I hope more people will come to appreciate you.

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Your Inner Beauty Speaks to Me

Face swap. Murder investigations. Blossoming romance. Gothic cinematography. These are the four ingredients that create this stunning drama. The story is about the female lead who has a scar on her face. On her wedding day, a beautiful and obsessed woman swaps her face with the female lead, in order to marry her husband (the male lead). But ends up being killed the same day. With a new face and body, the female lead begins to investigate her death in the sinful city, alongside her husband who doesn’t know her true identity.

It’s important to mention that the first two episodes are unusual as they give all the screen time to the guest actress who portrays the original body of the female lead (scar face). This is a great exposition in establishing the relationship between the main leads and enhancing their love story. However, the drawback is that when the main actress shows up at episode three, it feels a little off and it takes a few episodes to get used to seeing the same character portrayed by someone else. (I discuss more about this below).

The biggest highlight for me is the wonderful writing of the male lead who truly makes us all believe that he falls in love with the female lead’s personality and that no matter what face or body she possesses, he will always choose her and love her unconditionally. I loved seeing their blossoming romance, which was kind of slow burn but more like steadily built up in a realistic and mature way.

What truly surprised me in this drama is the intricate murder investigation cases which felt real, raw and well developed. They had the right amount of mystery and cool twists to keep the audience engaged. They never felt like filler scenes as they always connected to the main conflict of the plot. The fact is that I absolutely loved the cases despite being someone who rarely watches investigation dramas or even likes them.

MAIN CHARACTERS/ACTORS:
- Pan Yue (male lead) is written to perfection. You cannot not fall in love with him. He puts personality above looks. He is a great fighter, great poet and probably great lover (hello kiss scenes). The actor Liu Xue Yi has such a strong on-screen presence, he is smoking hot and totally underrated. His character felt well developed especially in showing how he falls in love with the female lead. Perhaps his only flaw is that he might be too perfect but I ain’t complaining.
- Yang Cai Wei / Shangguan Zhi (female lead) is shown as strong-willed, brave, intelligent with a unique forensic skill. My only issue with the way the character is written is the slight inconsistency of her personality after her face is swapped (I’ll discuss in more detail the negative points below). The main actress Ju Jing Yi was fantastic in her role and especially her acting impressed me massively when she portrayed the villain in the first two episodes. I feel she did really well in playing two distinctly different characters and I was easily convinced of the face swap.

POSITIVE:
- Blossoming romance that’s built well and steadily (like a mature and realistic relationship).
- Devilishly handsome male lead with strong on-screen presence.
- Dark and mysterious murder cases that are well written and show the brutality of humanity.
- Male lead falls in love with the female lead’s personality, not her physical looks.
- Smart female lead with unique forensic skills.
- Hot shirtless scenes (yes I said it).
- Hot kiss scene (one but worth the watch).
- Perfect balance between the romance story and the investigation plot. I never felt one overpowered the other.
- Gothic and sexy cinematography.
- Liu Xue Yi (male lead) brilliant acting in every possible way. The way he speaks, the way he moves, the way he walks. He is simply captivating to watch.
- Ju Jing Yi (female lead) portrays two characters beautifully. Her villainous role, although short, is a total scene stealer.
- Engaging and well executed plot.
- Beautiful OST.
- Great support cast and guest actors that stand out with their acting.
- Nice push and pull dynamic between the leads (at the start).

NEGATIVE:
!!! No drama is without flaws and although there are negative points here, none of them took away from my enjoyment. The main issue I had was how the face swap was handled at the beginning of the drama.

- The drama gives all the screen time in the first two episodes to the guest actress (who portrays the original female lead) which creates an awkward emotional bond with the audience when she is suddenly replaced by the main lead at episode three (after the face swap). In terms of the love story, this is great as it emphasised the male lead’s love for the female lead and clearly showed the audience that he did not fall in love with her because she suddenly had a nice face and body. However I feel the actual female lead JJY suffered since the audience had to get used to seeing the same character as her. What would have made it better is, if they had started the drama with JJY (as the villain) and given her more screen time to establish her as the main lead.
- The actual face swap remained a mystery in the whole drama. It was never explained how it was done. In fact it felt very unrealistic that the characters kept referring to it as a face swap when it is very clear that the two actresses have different body types, weight and skin tone. I feel it would have been better if they had chosen an actress similar to JJY or just called it a body/soul swap.
- Personality switch. The original YCW (main character) is shown as mature, calm and level-headed but after the face swap she oddly becomes extremely carefree as SZ. We are told that the character is trying to pretend to be SZ but even when she is alone, we don’t really see her as the original YCW from the first two episodes. Having said that, in the later episodes and especially when her identity is revealed, her personality does appear very similar to the original YCW. So I do blame the writers for this inconsistency. I believe the reason they made her carefree after the switch was to give us light-hearted scenes (especially with the male lead) which meant they sacrificed logic for cuteness.
- Although the drama wraps up well and resolves the main conflict related to the leads, it still leaves it open for a second season. But we all know chinese dramas rarely do second seasons so I kind of wish the last 10 seconds of the drama were cut.

OVERALL:
This is the Best 2024 Historical drama for me so far. Even better, it’s the best 2024 drama for Youku so far too. It has gathered millions of views with a 10,000 heat index by day three of its release. In fact, it became such a huge success that Youku upgraded it to S+ treatment (promotion and live events). I’m very much impressed by what the production has done with an A level (low budget) drama.

If you are looking for a drama with blossoming romance, murder investigations, beautiful gothic cinematography with smart and skillful main leads + a male lead who falls for the female lead’s personality not her looks, watch this drama now.

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I am not the type that writes reviews, but since there were none by the time I finished all the episodes, I felt I must since I really want more people watching this drama.

For the most part this is an historical drama, but don't let that throw you off. It makes valuable history enjoyable to watch. I have seen multiple shows with similar plot revolving around Japan entering the Meiji era, but none as detailed as this show was, "as expected of 50 episodes."
If you are interested in a great drama that will entertain you with historical Japanese stories this is the show for you.

Sorry for not being able to express my thoughts of the drama properly. But what I suggest is watching a few episodes and if you don't like it, then you can drop it.
I encourage more people writing a better review than mine, please.

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Great acting meets somewhat weak writing

This show had a fantastic start. As I begun watching it I was certain it would be one of my favorites of the year, a certainty that slowly waned over time. Now it's solidified as a wonderful drama, I will probably never revisit again. The first half was really strong, but it was after the 10 episode mark, (when one of the supporting actors, who in my opinion shined brighter then all the others, left the show) when the writing became repetitive and boring. It was however rescued by a powerful ending that left me in tears.

The premise of the drama was what drew me to it. I was led to believe it was about terminally ill patiens who goes on a killing spree to rid the world of evil before they die. This is not quite what we got. Am I disappointed? Only slightly.
I personally love moral dilemmas, and watching dramas that make you question what's right and wrong. This one wasn't as morally grey as I'd hoped, but the wonderful acting and heartwarming story more than made up for it.

The strongest point this drama has going for it, is the representation of female friendship. It delivers it with lots of tears and laughter. The women of this drama carried it on their back since the beginning. Their ride or die friendship more than made up for some of the boring parts of this drama. I loved how with Seyeon and Mido's help, Insook found the will to live for the first time in her life. Not just survive. Too bad it happened on her death-bed.

If you are like me, and hate dramas where the police are bumbling idiot, leaving the main characters to deal with everything, then you won't be disappointed with this drama. The police are intelligent (aside from a select few), and work hard to sove the case. They were in my opinion a delight to watch (especially you Cho Shiyoung, I fucking love you). The sad trade-off is that the main characters lack a bit in the brains department. I blame Insook's brain-cancer. It messed a bit with her critical thinking skills.

The acting was what in my opinion made this show worth watching. Everyone was believable in their role, to the point I cried when they cried, and laughed when they laughed.

But I would like to finish of by giving special appreciation to Do Sangwoo who played Detective Cho Shiyoung. This is the first drama I've seen him in, and I've truly found another actor to look out for. For many of the episodes I found his scenes to be the most interesting, and I was sad to see him go a little more than halfway through.

All in all, a good enough drama that I'll recommend to everyone who likes this genre.

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STOP COMPARING THIS TO SEASON 1

You need to understand that every drama has it's own place....I know, we all have our own opinions on what we like or not, but one thing we can all do is, not compare stuff...
I don't have a lot to say besides this,

but I wanna talk about the MOST AMAZING cameos this drama is offering...Every single episode had me like "😲Them too!!!!!????"....

The cases in this drama are interesting in a sense that, they're not about money now, they're about REVENGE...and that makes all the cases interconnected... I find that super interesting but I've read comments of people not liking this concept....


Overall, if you wanna see our fantastic cast of Player get revenge from the bad guys, this drama is for you....

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