Reviews

Ashes of annoyance(if you ask me)

This story is your epic example of greed and revenge. Its a story entirely based on the actions of a self serving emperor and an evil calculating woman who was not loved by her husband.
Up until now i am still wondeing why most people kept on referring and comparing this story to ten miles of peach blossoms. The plots are completely unrelated and so different. The only minute similarity is both stories are fantasy stories and have a handful of realms only.
Now if you are looking for something thought provoking, refreshing and a bit different from the usual stories and typical drama logic then you might enjoy this.
I am however compelled to mention one downside to this drama. THE FEMALE LEAD was super annoying. Yes her character was pathetic throughout the drama but it does not end with the character alone. The female lead's acting leaves a lot to be desired. Her character was poorly written and developed through out the whole drama. Yes in the beginning i thought that is how it was meant to be but after major transformation i expectected her character to change and have a bit more depth but it remained shallow and underdeveloped. So if you can move past this hurdle then you might enjoy this drama indeed. To me she was a constant bother till i decided to focus entirely on the two brothers.

It is everything about her that made me give this drama a low rating. No matter how good the plot is or the acting of the rest of the cast is if one of the leads is a doofus be it character wise or the acting itself then it will bring the entire project down. This is how it was for me. If you can move past her then good for you you will enjoy the drama more.

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How's the story: does it exist? I don't think so,

Jung Jin Soo is creepy, monsters are funny (literally), Min Hye Jin is reckless but cool (But what's the use?), Kyung Hoon is... wait what's his role? lol. My brother is annoying, Oops sorry this is unrelated. Well, so is the show apparently.

"When one person suffers from delusions, we call it a mental illness. When the society suffers from them, we call it being normal." -Anonymous

One of the few things done right is the portrayal of society and its mindset lol... I'd rather won't comment on how religious things are shown... but the whole setup of how people (normal people not the crazy dudes) think... was relatable.

For 50×6=300min (approx), I was staring at my laptop screen, was legit for nothing coz this drama is just so random. Some random characters with some random backstories, with their random purpose put together and bunch of super annoying characters are thrown...wait, that explains poster well. Drama ends up being a hot mess that doesn't serve justice to anything, anyone... characters, actors-their acting.

I'm curious what's the writer trying to show actually...Story is like some scattered pieces joined together without giving proper time to explore any character well. I didn't the webtoon to I've no idea abt the background story.. but just judging from the drama. It lacks in many ways, it's confusing, writing just sucks, editing is choppy, the whole cult thing is crazy, why some characters exist... then they just vanish in a thin air. Other than Jung Jin Soo's purpose everything has loose ends, should I call it a Netflix thing so they can create seasons per season.

I do not have a problem with bad CGI even though it made me laugh at the monsters... they legit look funny, or even cinematography. They can have a small budget it's understandable... but what's wrong with lighting? Okay, I get that Netflix is been trying this for a while now... making dark lighting and cinematography to suit the theme of thrillers, but that doesn't mean it should be this bad that I had to check the brightness of my device two times. With bad color grading, it's weirdly dark.

The acting is spot on. Yoo Ah In legit gave me chills... but he doesn't look himself and if he's the sole reason if you want to watch the whole thing, you'll be disappointed he's dangling carrot. I appreciate Kim Hyun Joo's performance too. Park Jung Min and Woo Jin Ah slayed in a very small amount of screen time given.

I think the main problem with it is they just tried to do many things together is a small amount of time. Trying to put many characters... many things happening at the same time. But this season is just meant for the introduction and things are explained in later seasons... I may ignore it but right now I'm just thinking of it as an individual drama.

It doesn't have many surprising, thrilling, action factors. I didn't find it the least bit scary nor any jump-scaring moments. It's gory, disturbing at times...you might get disgusted on many occasions but I won't call it a good horror.

It doesn't bother to explain anything, just wreck your brain on your own. Nothing is impressive... nothing. I admit it's different but not in an extraordinary way. It's just normal... might be good as time pass, as I'm the least bit entertained and thrilled. I just hope the second season (if it's gonna happen) will prove me wrong and this is just a build-up for it.

Am I being harsh? yes. I should be.

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Violence galore lacking meanings and life lessons, too much side stories, good acting

UPDATE: I still think this non-linear storytelling doesn't work well for a 20-episode drama. Many characters were left underdeveloped, their back stories felt like unimportant side stories. I wish they'd cover the core story sufficiently here... So I'm not really looking forward for the 2nd Season.

I have mixed feelings about Moving, I found this action show to be unique and gripping although I do not gravitate to watch a superhero genre. I really enjoy the suspense and stake built within every episode; At any moment the storm is coming and the action really starts where anyone can die. The pacing is fine and what's great is that all the characters are given their moments to shine. Another pro is the CGI, they are great quality and really believable.

Moving spends a lot of episodes introducing us to its many characters and setting up the story. The first 7 episodes highlight the kids' superpowers and friendship while hinting to us that their powers might bring more trouble than they’re worth. It gives us glimpses of the mystery and danger to come. I love the healthy relationships between parents and children throughout the show. I also want Bong Seok to be happy, although I'm not completely sold on a romance between him and Hee Soo. While I appreciated the parents' stories as well, after the 13 episodes of our character's backstories, I still have very little attachment to most characters besides Bong Seok. They are not fully fleshed out. This is way too structured, by the time I get invested in these characters, their story is over already (@,@).

Watching the 2nd half have left me feeling bitter and it does not recover till the end. My main issue is that the writer and director purely highlight violence is romantic in these backstories. In a world dominated by conspiratorial and corrupt governments, the only way you can survive is by murder. Also, the portrayals of North Korean villains as monsters could have been more intriguing if they're written as more morally gray characters. Their superpower is used to kill, not for self-defense, and sorry to say, I really dislike it. If that's the case, then what's the difference between heroes and villains?

-Sept 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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When natural acting meets right casting

Jimmy & Sea .....these two names are enough for me to watch this series. After the huge success of ' Last Twilight ' they are back again with an amazing series.

Honestly the plotline is completely different. The way Sea portrayed In's character wow . Jimmy is always different, another green flag character from him.

There is literally no boring scene . Each episode is full of laughing, crying, teasing, bickering etc etc .

The music is in a word WOW . I really want to kiss that person's hands who created & wrote this amazing ART .

Should I talk about visuals ? Definitely yes . Jimmy in this new hairstyle, is extremely handsome & about Sea , he is one of the prettiest/ handsome man I ever saw . When he smiles, we also automatically smile with him . His smile has some magic right ?

Give this drama a try , I know you will not regret.

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Unpopular Opinion: I didn't love this drama.

I binge-watched Flower of Evil over the Christmas holidays with my boyfriend, but I think I'm going to stay away from melodramas for a while.

I think the show has a lot of interesting elements that make it stand out. Firstly, the ML is not your typical good guy. He has antisocial personality disorder and his dad is a serial killer, so from the beginning the show keeps you guessing on his motivations/actions. Part of what makes the show good is you keep wondering - would he have done ____? what is he really like? is he really a bad guy?

In terms of romance, I feel like the ML and FL were a good couple / complemented each other. The flashbacks in each episode were really well done and made me want to keep finding out about their love story and past together. As the show progresses you also learn more about the ML and I felt so bad for him. It was so sad seeing the flashbacks of him in the village being taken to be exorcised and the other stuff that he went through. This is definitely a show that makes you think about prejudices and people's judgements and what actually makes a person evil.

I was enjoying the drama until Episode 9, which is when things just went downhill for me. Once the real Baek Hee Seong opened his eyes, I feel like the drama was just a bit too melodramatic for me. Previously I felt like every episode ended on a cliffhanger and that made me want to keep watching, but by that point it's quite obvious that the ML is a good guy and nothing bad will happen to him so a lot of the suspense is gone. There were multiple times where things could have gone wrong for him...and then they just don't happen so it feels like they were pulling their punches at that point with the plot. I'm all for happy endings but I feel like in a suspense drama there needs to be more stakes/uncertainty to keep you watching.

It felt like regardless the ML would be okay and the plot pivots to finding the accomplice, which I wasn't that invested in.
It also got a bit predictable when it came to the bad guys and what they were going to do. Watching episodes 9-15 were honestly a struggle, but I didn't want to just drop the drama without giving it a shot to get better later on. The reveal about the ML's father's death was interesting but I wish that they delved into that more later.

The acting was good but ultimately the plot was just too much for me.

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how is it so bad… literally

It’s both funny and sad how bad this kdrama is
unless it’s target audience was kids below 10, I don’t know how anyone could take it srs

…the absolute terrible plot that beats even the most unpopular shows, the cringe characters, the cringe backstory of every single character, the cringe dialogues…. I think its the first kdrama that made me feel absolutely nothing but rage and disgust
It gets worse when u understand russian, there was literally no reason for them to go out of their way to make this mafia thing up and speak absolute gibberish, I’m not even joking ☠️☠️☠️ even a tiny bit of effort would make it better but I guess the audience is supposed to eat it up anyway 🗿

u can just see it’s a low effort low quality piece of something no one needed in their life…. I was hoping it gets better since I had nothing else to watch anyway but now I just wish I never even knew this thing existed

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From the beginning of this drama, I was hooked. I LOVED the storyline- and I think if it had been any longer it wouldn't have been as good- and I found each episode a pleasure to watch.

I thought the cast were brilliant- at no point did I find their acting wooden etc and I thought the two main leads were fantastic. The last drama I had watched Lee Hong Ki in was You're Beautiful, so needless to say he was much better in this drama. The same went for Yang Jin Sung, as the last drama I watched her in was City Hunter.

I loved the music in it- especially Lee Hong Ki's song!

I don't tend to re-watch dramas, but I definitely will re-watch this one again sometime, hence why I gave it a 7.

I really enjoyed this drama, and I enjoyed all aspects of the show- from the romance between the two leads, the incredibly cute grandma and the ghostly backdrop of the curse (as well as the lovely ending). This is the best drama I've watched so far this year. :)

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Maybe the most underrated gem of the year

Writing this review after having posted many comments on this as i binged on this for 2 days. I kept off this as it aired for 2 reasons -1 )Didnt want to wait as it aired and 2) It was getting terrible comments as it progressed
The rating has reached 7.6 as of writing this review and it may dip further as this show seems a target of MDL commenters lately for negative comments.

Coming back, I found this incredibly entertaining,fast paced,emotional and topical hopeful drama.It deals with costs that come with time travel and is hence quite different than many fantasy dramas that promote this concept. Every episode starts with a quote on time and its importance for lives..

Am a fan of Joo Won esp in intense roles and his turn as Lieutenant Park was like a superb fit..As the show progresses you feel for him a lot..One of the most memorable Kdrama ML characters now for me.
Kim Hee sun ,esp the mom aced this one.I dont remember any other Kdrama showing a mother son bond so beautifully.She basically sacrificed her entire life for her son,had an utterly tough existence and the end she kept getting repeatedly was so unfair.. As Tae Yi,she was a diff character but her fondness for the Lieutenant was beautifully shown..Many people are disgusted with this Otp (Both Mom and Tae Yi have identical faces) but they are fine as per me..She is NOT his mom,period.
Kwak Si Yang as Min Hyeok was another tragic character and while he didnt get the end i felt he should have ,he was superb throughout
All other supporting characters were awesome..
Melodious OSTs,BGM, beautiful cinematography,production are all pluses for this drama.
The PD and writer really made a beautiful show..The ending has plotholes ,but is very serviceable..I was just happy to see Joo Won living a good life and with a hopeful romance to follow..
Maybe the MDL raters would rate this better if it ended with a sad ending ..I love happy endings though.

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Everything about the drama was AMAZING! I was annoyed in the first couple of episodes where Cha Dae woong (Lee Seung Gi) just didn't want the Gumiho to hang around him. But I found it really really funny when she did anyway.

I love Lee Seung Gi's smile, and it is in this drama that I have heard of him for the first time. I loved the music they played in the drama and all the different themes for the main characters.

No Min Woo looked amazingly HOT as always! I felt really bad for his character. I think that both of the male leads had done really well, and I could tell how much No Min Woo's character wanted the Gumiho to go with him. The Gumiho played by Shin Min Ah, done a fantastic job. Applause for her.

Everyone in the drama were either really cute, really HOT, or really really funny. I cried while watching some bits. I will not tell you the summary because I don't want to ruin it for you, but I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. You just HAVE to watch this, LOL :P

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This drama's visuals were what impressed me the most. Everything looked stunning, the animations that played at the beginning and at the end of each episode, the scenery, the actors, everything.

The romance was so heartfelt, it made me wonder if such a beautiful romance with such a deep connection between two people in love could actually exist in real life, I hope it does.

I can't not mention how I loved the osts, they were simply beautiful and fitted the situations well.

Although I loved the romance part of the story, I could have liked this drama more if the plot had been more interesting.

Also the episodes were all too long and there were a lot of boring scenes.

The last two episodes disappointed me because of the use of one of the typical unnecessary situations kdrama writers like to add in the finale episodes to cause drama.

But I did like the ending, it was simple and good and although I didn't rate this drama that high I still recommend it just because of the romance. If you are a hopeless romantic like me you will love the pairing in this.

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Passionate, slow-burn romance for the win!!

There’s something about the Chinese Republican era that’s so captivating, it has the ability to draw you in, and the settings and costumes also make it very spectacular to watch. This is the type of drama while you’re watching you’ll want to bang your head against the wall if you’re single, and will be definitely yearning for a man like Jiashang to pop up in your life, at least that’s how it made me feel. Although the main protagonist is an arrogant 20 yo in the beginning, as the storyline progresses he’s getting his character development by being more mature and responsible which I liked very much, not to mention he’s manly and extremely handsome. Shizhen is the epitome of elegance and beauty, impeccably well-mannered, sophisticated, and confident in any situation, the actress’s delicate features make her perfect for this role, and this era suits her so well.

The main leads' chemistry is no joke.. literally out of this world, whoever made this pairing and cast them together in this type of drama, I can’t thank you enough! They don’t have that much skinship, but their every scene was on fire, the crazy sexual tension, the ml’s yearning for fl, those deep long stares, lustful glances and passionate kisses, I wish I could erase all of it from my memory so I can watch it again for the first time *sigh*. I replayed their scenes again and again. Kudos to the actors, their acting is top-notch, I could feel their every emotion. Sometimes I wonder how can they not fall in love with each other while shooting these intimate scenes, it’s a forever mystery to me.

The music matches well with the scenes, making the viewing experience even better, and creating the atmosphere it should.

Now I do think that this drama is more for a mature audience rather than the younger ones as the story gets heavier and complicated after around episode 27. The story is complex and I got so immersed in it, that I wanted to pay full attention to the details as well in every episode not to miss out on anything. I won’t go into details because those would be major spoilers, and I want my review to remain spoiler-free, but the drama portrays some serious issues. The first half is more focused on the blooming romance of the main leads, while the other half is about revenge and revelations, packed with more action.

I wouldn’t mind getting more episodes just to watch more of their extraordinary chemistry, it wasn’t enough at all. The drama may be slow-paced but I never once got bored, instead I got addicted to it. Despite that it had some flaws, I couldn’t care less, it was a fun ride for me. To my delight, I just found out that the novel is even better and hotter so I’m on my way to read it.

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Interesting but Unmemorable

Let me start with some disclaimers because, as you'll find out, my rating for this mini-series is much lower than the majority of other reviewers/raters. Suffice it to say I have always struggled with Japanese Dramas.

I think their stories are interesting -- especially those that delve into the dark psychological aspects of human nature. However, almost all, without exception, have failed to elicit any emotion from me. For whatever reason, I often find that characters in J-Dramas fall flat. Alice in Borderland, unfortunately, is no exception.

Another important thing of note is that this review pertains only to this drama. I'm aware the story is based on a manga that I have not read, and the truth is told, I don't plan to check out. So keep in mind that I jumped into this series without knowing anything about it.

PLOT: Interesting, albeit left mostly unexplored
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The world (aka country/reality) in which this drama takes place is hands down the most interesting aspect of this series. So much so, that wanting to know more about the world and explore it through the "escape rooms" game-dynamic kept me engaged enough to finish this one in three days.

Sadly, the series had to juggle too many characters, so the world itself was left vastly unexplored. Of course, this is only the beginning and I've heard rumors of a second season, so they may simply want to keep some mysteries to resolve in the sequel. If so, I'll probably watch it in hopes of getting some answers to my numerous questions, though I won't really be holding my breath for it.

CHARACTERS: Flat and forgettable
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Rather than talk about each of the main characters, I'll talk about them as a whole, since they all share the same problem and that is... none of them are really fleshed out.

You could blame the length of the drama, certainly. But that would be a cheap excuse. These characters lack complexity and it was that alone that made me feel nothing for them. They could've all died by the end and I wouldn't have shed a single tear.

Now, there was an attempt at building emotion. But it felt superficial, rushed, and "formulaic". I knew when a character was going to be axed because we got to hear their sob story through a quick dialogue with another character.

To be frank, if you like being engaged by the characters this Drama may fall short for you. But if you don't mind simple characters we don't really "get to know", so long as the world they inhabit is interesting, then this will make a decent watch.

MALE VS FEMALE CHARACTERS: Problematic
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I want to take a moment to express a problem I have with Japanese Dramas. Mind you, I haven't tried that many... but my avoidance of them has to do precisely with the reasons I'm about to briefly delve into.

This Drama is male-centric. Meaning, male characters tend to be given more depth than female characters. As such, the drama gave almost every male character some kind of motivation which explained why they made each of their decisions.

Unfortunately, female characters were left unexplored and at times, downright untouched. Even Usagi (the FL) was stripped from giving her depth by focusing her flashbacks on her father, rather than on her own life/aspirations. There's only one female character (a transgender gal) who was given a brief but beautiful story. Her aside, though, female characters were depicted as disposable, selfish, useless, and/or simple eye-candy.

Unlike female characters, male characters were usually portrayed in a nobler way. Even minor male characters were shown willing to sacrifice themselves for other men/friends. While female characters were killed off for reasons verging on the absurd (like showing the audience the dangers of a room, for example). I don't want to add spoilers here, but if you're interested to know more, add a comment and I'll explain using the spoiler tags.

FRAMING: toxic male gaze
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The above points lead me to talk about how the Drama was directed because it's one of the most problematic areas and maybe the aspect that spoiled my enjoyment the most.

Many of the decisions here were taken with the idea that "sex sales" and, of course, most times that means female bodies will be exploited. So as the series crossed into the last quarter (when they reach the beach), a rule was set that everyone should walk around in a bathing suit to ensure "no one can hide any weapons".

The result was having most female characters walk around in small bikinis while male characters got to wear baggy trunks and shirts. The fact that they didn't march around shirtless nullified the supposed "purpose/logic" of the rule. To the point where we even see a few of these male characters taking out weapons from the back of their swimming trunks...

But perhaps more intolerable than this was a scene that involved what would've been a gang-rape had the scene not been interrupted. Luckily, the director decided not to undress the character who gets kidnapped and almost assaulted (which I believe is supposed to be an underage girl).

Yet, the entire scene still felt crass because the camera hovered over the assailant's shoulder, making the audience complicit by showing the scene from his POV instead of the victim's. The result is that sexual assault ends up portrayed as something quasi-erotic, rather than as something horrific that is happening to the victim. This didn't settle well with me, as this has been a technique I thought we'd move past with the rise of the #metoo movement...

OVERALL: On the fence
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To be honest, this one is a tough one to recommend without putting on the table all the additional notes/flaws I've pointed out in this review. I think the world is interesting enough to make this drama watchable --binge-watchable even!-- and the "escape room" games were hands-down the best part.

However, the characters are not memorable or even original. They felt cartoonish to me and ultimately unengaging. I also hated the directing and the constant "butt framing". The disparity in how the genders were handled was especially jarring, so I wouldn't recommend this one if you care about that at all.

I also think this show calls for some trigger warnings because we see: attempted gang rape, executions, and a number of shootouts that may hit close to home to someone living in the USA; as it is reminiscent of many real schools shootouts in the way they were portrayed. So keep all that in mind if you decide to watch. If any of these things trigger you, I'll recommend staying away from this one.

If, on the other hand, you don't care about these things and like watching psychological mysteries (which are constructed like anime), then you'll probably really enjoy this one.

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Ok...well to those of you who have not watched Doctor Stranger and are looking at reviews to see if it is worth it or not, you may be pretty confused by my rating and the other reviews. You could say everyone had/has a different reaction or feeling after finishing Doctor Stranger.

For me Doctor Stranger was a drama which began strong but, then suddenly got messed as episodes went by. I don't blame the director. I don't blame the actors. I blame the writer.

There is only one way to explain why I'm thinking the way I do today.
My episode guide on how I felt through each episode:

EP1: Excited! I was even reminded a little bit of City Hunter. 10/10

EP2: This is fast-past! So much happening all at once. Loving this so far!! 10/10

EP3: So much fun! Every character...especially Park Hoon is so enjoyable to watch! 10/10

EP4: This keeps engrossing me the entire time...every second. 10/10

EP5: "I don't get it! What does she/insert character name here want?" 9.5/10

EP6: I still don't understand. 0_0 9/10

EP7: This episode was very mellow....no climax. 8.5/10

Pause for a second reader. Do you notice something? Ok well let's continue on.

EP8: "What are you doing Park Hoon!?" "What are you doing!" 8.5/10

EP9: First half of episode: Intense. Second half of episode: Boring. These characters are confusing me but I don't want to drop it because of the first four episodes. 7/10

EP10: "Is this even the same show anymore?" "I'm really disappointed..." 5/10

This was the part were I put the show on-hold and waited.















Yep. It took a long time and a lot of convincing to make me come back but I did.

By this point I was two weeks behind in watching Doctor Stranger. So I skip-watched and I am not afraid to say it.

EP11: Ok. It was ok but that's it. 6/10

EP12: "Yea!!! Jae Joon!" I had found one character that I actually respected and liked. 7/10

EP13: The show is trying to get back on it's feet. Good. 7/10

EP14: Thank god for the medical excitement...or I would never have been able to make it through this episode. 6/10

EP15: This love triangle is annoying. I want more action. 6/10

I'm going to skip some of the episodes because really they aren't worth explaining.

EP19: 5/10

EP20: Honestly by episode 20 it didn't matter what the ending would be. I wasn't going to like it. Why you may ask? It's because I knew the story was already ruined and the only way the writer could fix the mess he made was having a ending which wouldn't make sense. I know it's a he because I looked up who wrote this rubbish. Just for everyone to know. His name is: PARK JIN-WOO. Remember the name because he is the one to blame. 1/10.

Just a heads up. You may want a coffee break or something because this is a long review. You may also want to watch other dramas or maybe get some lunch. ^^


So here is the big question of the day. Do you want to watch it? Do you? I mean your probably thinking LJS was so great in "I Hear your Voice" so this should definitely be worth it or Kang So Ra was the best in "Ugly Alert" and she probably will be awesome here too. DO NOT LOOK AT THE CAST. IT'S A GREAT CAST BUT THE WRITER CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. This drama will ruin how you feel about the cast.

The lower your expectations are the more you will enjoy it and that's a fact.
That might be a good reason why the reviews are so different.

Ok enough about that. On to what everyone wants to know. How is the music?! Doesn't everyone like a good OST? Well your in luck! Here is one of my favorite OST's from it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QusjP1V7qo
This was basically all I listened to for about two weeks. "Saraghae. Saranghae.....I'm just a stranger without you, my love....Ohhhhhhmmmmm."

Ok. Finally.
Should you watch it?
If you want to. I'm not going to say don't watch it because that's pointless. I mean you really want my opinion? No. Don't.

To those who may disagree with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QA3m58DQw
Sorry!

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before i go any further with this review, please let me say here that i have only watched a handful of Taiwanese dramas. BUT among those few, this could very well be the best i've seen.
the OTP's chemistry is totally off the charts! their acting, spot-on! i can feel their pain, their frustrations, their happiness, their emotions.
the only reason i put an 8 for rewatch value instead of a 9 or 10 is because i rarely rewatch dramas that i've seen. but i wouldn't be surprised if i catch myself taking another peek at an episode or a scene from this drama in the foreseeable future.

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