Reviews

Too many plots, too many questions, yet too many answers

A good mystery has questions and uncertainty, but gives answers as well, right or wrong. It lets viewers, even casual ones, come to their own concrete guesses, and when things are solved or revealed, it adds to the fun.

The problem with Mouse then, is that it has way too many questions, grossly overuses cliffhangers and fake outs, makes the viewer question the show's writers and not themselves, and has far too many subplots and characters to keep track of. In other words, the questions you as are "wait, what just happened again?" instead of "how does this evidence play into the story?"

First the good: all the actors play their role super well. The music, though mostly atmospheric, is fitting. The handful of characters you pay attention to get good development. And despite what I said above, the show holds your attention.

It's disappointing because the first half of the show, particularly the first episodes, was gripping. The plot was well paced, the writers let the viewers get answers and figure things out. Then things went down the toilet rapidly after the middle of the show. It got to the point that I, at least, wasn't really interested in any big reveals, cliffhangers, or those "character stares at something off screen in horror" moments because I knew in the very next episode it was going to be a fake out / misleading camera angle. That, to me, is bad writing to overuse plot progression devices and not give answers. Doesn't help that they tried to stuff a "conspiracy" plot in as well, as it hitting every genre possible.

Then there's the problem with way too many characters. It wouldn't be so bad if they let us match faces to names, but most of them, particularly the victims, get little to no screentime to get to know them before they're relegated to plot devices as victims or exposition dumps. This makes most of the characters have no depth and they all become the same thing: murder victims. Deep into the show, when they rapid fire off names and their relations without showing faces I just nod along and not care because they're just victims without history - they only matter that way, and not as their own character. Heck people had to make graphs and documents to keep track of who's who. That's really not fun to consult when watching.

Other minor things: the abusive use of jump cuts / supercuts, particularly in the mid-to-end of the show, is extremely jarring. Sometimes the scene would last like five seconds before it cuts into the character now in the next day with no proper transition. Some characters start off strong then turn into a wet emotional noodle (you know what I'm talking about). Some of the plot at the end will really make your eyes roll even if it does give closure to some scenes at the beginning.

In the end, It's a show carried by its wonderful actors.

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SAY HELLO TO THE REAL ME

Hey, everybody. Ji Woo here.

It's no secret that you loved me in "To My Star", because I've read the glowing reviews and comments here on MDL as well as every other social media platform. In that series I'm a grumpy chef with no patience for celebrities or celebrity culture, who ironically ends up having to live with a major movie star and falls in love. The series was one of the great romantic comedies of 2021, with amazing rewatchability.

I must confess, though, that I wasn't really cool with it. You see, while in that series I made deadpan wisecracks and rolled my eyes at the rascal behavior of my soon-to-be boyfriend, beneath the surface I was actually a seething cauldron of rage, further hobbled by a malignant case of low self-esteem.

I know, I know -- I did an amazing job hiding it. To watch me in "To My Star" you would never know how profoundly unhappy I was, or how much I resented the man you thought I loved.

But I have good news -- there's a Season Two now, and in that series I let it all hang out. For TMS2 I made it known I wanted my toxic antisocial side to be as front and center as possible, despite however much it might clash with the lovable grouch I was in Season One.

I asked the director if we could start out by brainstorming on how to debunk the me of TMS1. And she was up for it, let me tell you. By then she'd achieved tons of acclaim for the romantic comedies she'd directed. The notices about her were even better than mine or the ones for TMS1 itself -- they made out like she was the goddam Nora Ephron of Asian drama. But to her credit she wasn't satisfied with that and wanted to achieve a new level of creativity, kind of like Woody Allen did when he brought out "Interiors" after his own string of legendary romantic comedies. (Sorry -- I know it's probably not PC to mention the Woodster.)

So, she and I got to work, and since you've read this far I'll share some of what you can look forward to.

In TMS2, I:

1. Leave my boyfriend on his birthday after he doesn't show up on time for the birthday party I never told him about, and which I can't possibly postpone until the next day because, well, in Season One I'd also walked out on him on his birthday. The viewers who want an early start on talk of how deep this season is will love the parallels.

2. To signify that this series will be the cold winter that befalls the warm summer of Season One, leave my boyfriend a terse breakup note along with the box containing the uneaten birthday cake, placing the box where he'll be sure to find it when he returns to the darkened, silent house.

3. Disappear for a year while making no contact whatsoever. True -- it's risky to drag it out unrealistically, but it has to be a full year because a two or three month disappearance is for sissies. We're reaching for extremes here.

4. Start up an Italian restaurant in my bleak home town, opening for business every day for months without a single customer while still buying food and supplies that I prep in the kitchen each morning.

5. Bear the crushing weight of a dark scandal caused by a friend of my parents, that everyone in town takes out on me by not eating at my restaurant.

6. Have my obsessed ex-girlfriend show up all the way from the USA with one goal in mind: rekindling the relationship we had as teenagers. In a dramatic contrast to my horrible treatment of my boyfriend, make sure I treat her only with kindness and understanding.

7. Befriend a little moppet straight out of Central Casting: precocious and adorable, spouting lines of adult dialog like they were written by Neil Simon, but then hurt and vulnerable when we need to generate a crisis. Above all, make sure I always treat her with kindness and understanding as well. Heck, let's even have her start out by calling me "Dad".

7. Have my boyfriend show up after a year of desperate searching, begging to understand what has happened and with one goal in mind: bringing our relationship back from the brink. In contrast to my benevolent treatment of my ex and my friend's daughter, have me treat him like a piece of dogshit I thought I'd scraped off my shoe months ago.

8. Make sure this includes me telling my boyfriend repeatedly how I never actually loved him. I'll gaslight him by implying it must have been his imagination the whole time.

9. But, in a plot twist, have me give him a big sloppy kiss one night and then sleep with him ... only to revert back to the shit treatment the next morning.

10. After my boyfriend finally gives up and leaves, have me read about the relapse of his illness, which is almost certainly due to the stress I've put him through.

11. But then, before viewers can start to blame me, include a scene where I finally turn on the phone I've had switched off since the day I disappeared. Show me ugly-crying while I read the poignant messages from the man I abandoned.

12. Finally reveal the reason why I wanted my boyfriend to feel so much pain: I was lonely. He had a job that kept him busy, and while I certainly could have gone back to working in a restaurant or even opened one of my own, I stayed home and quietly seethed.

There's more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.

Tbh, there were moments when I worried we might go too far with all my terrible behavior. Fans of Season One would want to kick my ass over the 180 in my personality and the dark, angry tone of the whole enterprise. That's when the director reassured me that in the last two episodes we'd do another 180. My personality from Season One would miraculously reappear.

I worried that such a HEA ending might seem too fake and forced. After revealing my rotten core, how could even a wane smile from me ring true? But the director insisted. She felt that as much as she'd enjoyed the challenge of throwing Season One under the bus she had to reclaim her romantic creds. The final two episodes would be a return to the bright and easy comforts of Season One. After enduring so much sadness and frustration, viewers would be weeping for joy over the tsunamis of fluff suddenly crashing over them. Even better, the return of the Season One vibe would almost certainly silence the critics while making TMS2's defenders all the more adamant.

Still, I was skeptical, I'm telling you.

She reassured me, though. She said that this kind of crazy shit makes people go tribal. If anybody complains about the sudden happy ending, or about the whiplash plot points or the inexplicable disconnect between the grumpy but lovable me of Season One and the asshole I am in Season Two, it won't be a question of defending the show on its merits -- fans will just change the subject and say the complainers have no eye for genius. Season Two will be declared an absolute masterpiece no matter what. And if commenters dare to dissent they'll be told that all they want to watch is fluff, and they wouldn't know Great Art if a painting fell on them in The Louvre.

Finally, if you end up loving TMS2 as much as I do you'll be pleased to know that we're already thinking about a Season Three. It would feature even more crazy antics by yours truly, because, honestly, unless I get some serious therapy there's no telling when I'll relapse. The possibilities are endless!

Sincerely,
Han Ji Woo

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A recipe with too many ingredients

It’s a story packed with too many ideas, but the poor execution left me disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely good elements, and it was entertaining in the beginning, at least until about halfway through. After that, it went downhill fast. It honestly felt like two different writers worked on the script. The first half was brilliant, while the second half was painfully bad. If I didn’t know the production spent 300 million on this project, I’d have thought it was a low-budget drama. The cinematography was average. The wardrobe was average too (some side characters literally wore one costume for the entire show). They would change XQS's hair in one scene and change again on the next without reason. The editing was sloppy. The saving grace of the show was the fight scenes and fight choreography.

There are many more points I could bring up, but I’d have to rewatch episodes to fact-check, and I honestly have no interest in doing that, so I’ll leave those out. Here are the main thoughts that stuck with me:

First, I didn’t like how some of XQS’s greatest achievements, despite him being smart and quick-witted, ended up coming down to sheer luck: swallowing a 60-year power pill, being bitten by a mysterious white snake, receiving power from eight heroes, and so on.

Towards the end, I couldn’t understand why Chief Li knowingly drank the poisoned wine, then went back to the palace again fully aware he’d have to face the same poison and might not survive. He’s supposed to be one of the most powerful figures, yet he came across as utterly defeated. On top of that, the Emperor who gave him the poisoned wine acted surprised and even saddened when he learned of Chief Li’s death. It really makes me question the credibility of the writers.

A lot of questionable choices were made. Characters with strong martial arts skills and big entrances were introduced, only to be taken out by trivial things... Crazy Yan, Chief Li, Rong-er, etc. And just before the final fight between XQS and his second brother, why bother with the sand timer on General Wu instead of just killing him off directly?

The show also hinted at a love triangle between Tang Gege (LSF), Tang Fang, and Red Phoenix, then abandoned it, only to patch it up in the final episodes as if it were an afterthought. Honestly, I started losing interest once the story shifted direction and introduced a new villain, while suddenly making the old villains into “misunderstood good guys.” Their past crimes against the heroes were brushed aside and forgotten. For example, if it weren’t for the Power Gang, the Xiaos wouldn’t have been trapped in the safe house without water and would still be alive. But all was forgiven just because they preserved the bodies (of people they helped kill) as evidence and helped track down the killer. If I were XQS, I’d have held them accountable, maybe made them clean the graves every day for ten years or something.

LSF’s hatred of the Xiao family was so extreme that destroying them consumed his every thought. Yet he never truly got revenge on the person behind the massacre, nor did he apologize to the people he wrongly blamed, especially the Xiaos. He caused a lot of damage, but there was no “I’m sorry.” They just swept it under the rug. And with that, LSF’s purpose was lost. The feud between XQS and LSF disappeared without closure, and LSF ended up as a useless character. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one looking forward to their big showdown.

Another disappointing aspect was the lack of a strong sense of brotherhood. It was there, yes, and their friendship was solid, but within the trio, XQS shone brightly while the other two felt like dim little fireflies, simply existing in the background.

By the time the new villain came around, I had lost focus completely. He felt like just another bad guy I couldn’t care about, and I only kept watching to finish the story. There were still good moments here and there, but overall, the mishandling of the storytelling left me unsatisfied.

And a small rant: whoever invented that drinking cup/saucer design clearly intended half the drink to spill on the ground as an offering to ancestors, because otherwise it’s just a terrible design. The tea cups were perfectly fine. 😅 Okay, don’t come for me on that one, it was a joke.

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One more "Flower Boy" series are over... and I am left with yet another broadly smiling face. Though I will not spill compliments that these series left me breathless, like the previous, "Shut Up Flower Boy Band", did, but this drama, in its genre of bubbly, funny, cutey-cutey-cutey, totally had me from the first moment till the last.

First of all, I am now noticing a pattern in the series as I have watched all of them, though they are called "Pretty Boy" and hey, who can say you don't see enough pretty here, but has anyone also caught him/herself on the thought that the characters crated for these series seem very real? I mean, forgetting about the bubbly front, there were real people, real feeling, real problems, and I like it so much, that it feels real watching these characters. I like characters that have depth, and the series have never failed to give me the characters. And though at first you may thing Enrique is the most funny, cute and bubbly character you could ever see, throughout the series he will show you so much humanity, so much sadness, so many unforgettable words... Though Dok-Mi may seem the girl who has closed herself and hasn't thought about her life ever since, will show you so much smile, so much strength, so much pain that she has been through and how much she grows by the end of the series, how much she changes Enrique and changes herself...

As the drama is mostly a comedy, I thought it is important to note that you'll find here not only comedy but also real characters who will make you feel for them, which I really appreciate.

This was the 3rd drama I was watching with Park Shin-Hye, and she again proved her abilities, I adore the girl.
Yoo Si-Yoon was just adorable as puppy-panda Enrique, I hope to watch other things with him.

Music was, like the drama, cute and calm. I really like the slow piece during the sad parts, and Park Shin-Hye's song, so alike her character and warm to my heart.

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Underwhelming

EDITED: [REVIEW] A Disappointing Yet Memorable Ride: My Thoughts After Rewatching

I finally got to rewatch the series, and honestly, my opinion hasn’t changed. It still feels underwhelming and didn’t quite live up to the excitement it promised.

The Strong Start That Didn't Last

The first three episodes were gripping — great pacing, strong buildup, and enough tension to keep you wanting more. But after that, things started to unravel. The plot lost momentum and fell into predictable revenge-drama clichés.


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1. The “Too Easy” Path for the Protagonist

Everything suddenly became too convenient for DH. People appeared left and right to help her — no real struggle, no real fallback plan. That made me wonder: What was her original strategy?
She spent over a decade planning revenge, yet the execution relied too heavily on unexpected allies. What if they hadn’t shown up?

I’m still waiting for a revenge drama where the lead has a solid, well-thought-out plan that doesn't rely on sudden plot devices or savior side characters.


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2. Screaming and Hysteria Everywhere

At one point, almost every character was screaming and acting hysterical. One or two characters? Fine. But when it becomes a trend, it loses impact and becomes exhausting to watch.

What really baffled me was how powerful, composed villains suddenly turned into clueless wrecks. Instead of fighting back or outwitting the protagonist, they panicked. Their only move? Humiliate DH by using her mother. That’s it. That’s their big counterattack?


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3. Emotional Breakdown... But Why?

Near the end, these villains — who lived shamelessly for years — suddenly broke down. Lee Sa Ra’s descent into drug addiction felt abrupt. PYJ’s unraveling also came out of nowhere.

I would’ve preferred to see them punished with their minds intact — fully aware of the consequences. That would have made the revenge more satisfying.


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A Scene That Didn’t Sit Right

One scene I strongly disliked was Lee Sa Ra’s scandal. She was drugged, and yet the way they exposed her was framed as if she deserved public shame. That crossed a line. She was a victim in that moment — and the show shouldn’t have treated it like justice.


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The Unnecessary Shaman (Yes, That Happened)

Don’t even get me started on the shaman subplot. Completely unnecessary.


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No Sparks in the Romance

The romance angle? Flat. There was no chemistry between the leads. It felt forced and disconnected from the main narrative.


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It Could Have Ended Sooner

Honestly, the series could have wrapped up in five episodes. The second half dragged. Flashbacks were used to stretch time, not to add value.

That scene of DE leaving the school, finally smiling — that should’ve been the ending. Everything that followed just felt like filler.

Also, what’s with the “everyone secretly knows each other” twist? It made the story feel small and too coincidental.


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The “Avenger Team” Ending

I had high hopes for the assistant’s character arc. I thought she’d seek a new life for herself or her daughter. But instead, she joined the revenge squad?

As for JYJ, I expected him to walk away from his father’s killer — a man too far gone to feel guilt. Sometimes, the best revenge is healing. Being happy is a kind of revenge, too. And yet, the show went with a cliché “Let’s build an avenger team!” ending.


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The Most Powerful Scene

If there’s one moment that stayed with me, it’s DE’s scenes with her mother.
She didn’t cry in front of her bullies. She didn’t cry over the past. But when her own mother tried to destroy her — that’s when she broke.
That betrayal hurt more than anything.
I understood her when she said she was glad her mother never changed. If her mother had shown even a bit of warmth, DE would’ve had to process and possibly forgive. But knowing she never cared made it easier to let go.
She was done — and in that moment, you could feel it.


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Final Thoughts

While the story had its flaws, the cast delivered incredible performances — especially the actors who portrayed the villains. They carried the show with their intensity and depth.

🟨 Rating: 4/10
Disappointing in execution, but memorable for its early tension and complex characters.

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NOT dark BUT spicy

I went into this expecting a dark drama and while there are mature themes sprinkled in, the vibe leans more toward comedy but I wasn’t mad about it, just a little surprised. Like, one minute I was watching someone get shot and the next, I was hit with the most unserious dialogues that had me questioning why I was even watching (but also unable to stop)

FirstKhao ↓

First Kanaphan and Khaotung Thanawat, what the fuck can I even say? Seeing them together again felt like a homecoming. The moment they appeared on my screen I couldn’t help but scream. They have this unparalleled chemistry that no one else in the industry quite achieves. I missed them so much and they absolutely delivered. Watching them reunite reminded me of why they have become icons in the BL world. My kings are back hehe. First really balances his edgy exterior with just the right amount of vulnerability and Khao as Bison is HOLY HELL, he nails it. His portrayal is soft but with a charm that makes you understand why Kant couldn’t resist him the first moment he laid eyes on him lmao. Khaotung knows how to work the smallest expressions and the subtlest body language, to make him (and us) obsessed with him.

JoongDunk ↓

Now, I gotta be real...I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by JoongDunk. Their past performances never fully sold me so I went in with very low expectations. But Joong?? This man stepped up his game. His emotional scenes in this drama were so well done, he carried those moments in a way that actually hit me. I genuinely felt for his character which was a surprise because in previous projects, I didn’t connect with his acting. But here, he delivered. Dunk, on the other hand… Listen. He had his moments. His portrayal of Style’s chaotic energy was honestly entertaining as hell. There’s something about the way he plays unhinged, reckless characters that just works...he was fun to watch and I have to give him credit for that. But when it came to emotional moments? Hmm… still needs some work imo. That being said, the kissing scenes between them were INSANELY GOOD. They did not hold back and for that, I am grateful.

The Highlight ↓

One thing that really stood out to me was how well they balanced the screen time between both main couples. In a lot of dramas, one pair usually ends up taking center stage while the other gets pushed into the background as filler. But not here. Both couples got their own moments to shine and they served in ways that felt equal and intentional. It was refreshing to watch a drama that actually treated both love stories with the same level of care.

The Downside ↓

I can't say I loved every second of it. Because, babes…some scenes? STRAIGHT-UP CRINGE. Like, I physically recoiled at certain dialogues. The secondhand embarrassment was REAL. I get that some of it was meant to be funny but whew, some moments had me covering my face. Also, the sound issues were really putting me off...the audio quality was straight-up tragic in some parts.

↓↓↓

So this was a mixed bag for me. Some episodes had me fully invested, eyes glued to the screen, living for every second. Others had me side-eyeing my laptop.

Give it a try and see how YOU feel about it.

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D A E B A K !!! GIVE THIS DRAMA A SHOT! DON'T BELIEVE IN THE BAD REVIEWS!

Okay, before I get into a slightly detailed review about Itaewon Class let me tell you first that a lot of the reviews I've read so far were made by bogus watchers of KDRAMAS. They're either new to watching or have watched romantic comedy genres only so far. If you don't care about a rich story and you're only looking for a fluffy romantic and funny drama, then I guess this drama aint for you. But this drama goes beyond what you usually expect from a KOREAN drama and keeps you interested the whole journey while episodes keep on getting better building up.

Itaewon Class is amazing. I literally adjusted all the scores of my completed dramas in order to accommodate my rating for Itaewon Class. Among the six remaining dramas in the 9.5 list of my profile, is Mr. Sunshine and Live -- which I consider co-top 1's. I firmly put Itaewon Class as my 2nd best drama watched ever, and it's not because it was lacking in any way, but quite the opposite. It's just that the two dramas ahead of Itaewon Class made me cry more :)

This drama had everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. From a dark-skinned character, transgenders, corrupt officials, and more. This drama tackled racism and gender discrimination at some point which are issues in South Korea. All I can say is that this drama is out of the norm.

I loved every second of this drama; as each episode goes by it keeps getting better and better. The characters were complex and character development was on point. The antagonists were perfect; they were so perfect to the point where you can't even hate them at the end. The story was rich and balanced dealing with a bit of romance and comedy, but a lot of heart-warming, sad, and hype scenes. Above all else that was amazing in this drama, the ending was perfect. The writers did a good job portraying each individual's last moments in the drama bidding them to a good farewell, having no loose ends.

Overall, this drama is a must-watch, especially for cultured drama watchers. It's hard to put all my opinions in one review because everything started at least 8 weeks ago, and my review can never do this drama justice, but just give this drama a shot and I guarantee you, as long as you keep an open mind and stick through the end; you'll most definitely get attached.

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I'm very glad about my drama trade I did with another MDL user because it made me watch this little gem, that I surely would have never touched on my own. The summary and the promotional covers never piqued my interest before.
 
There are so many things that I love about this story. First of all is the idea in itself. They did a pretty good job with explaining the visions, making them convincing without making it look too much out of space. With the same pace Do Kyung was getting an idea of what was actually happening to him, it made me understand it step by step, too.

The way the romance was emerging. From the original setup to the new one. Well explained and real. I got a pretty good feel of how deep their emotions were growing and I liked the idea of "fate" here. I loved how that whole relationship was developing, even though they sometimes seemed a little foolish. But that's what love actually is, right? Acting against all logic and not getting bothered about other people's opinions. What makes you really happy and how do you want to spend that one life you got?

I was dying with pleasure seeing all that skinship. It felt comfortable and real and made me very, very happy. When it seemed like their pent up emotions were finally exploding, I felt the same. I'm a sucker for hugs and here are so many tight embraces that I wish I had someone near me who would hug me just at the same time, lol. And their kisses... Don't get me started with those. All these things are one big part of what made this romance so intense and beautiful.

The acting was very impressive. Eric blew me away. His character drew me in to a point where I couldn't stop but root for him all the way, no matter what he did. I saw his remorse, I felt his misery and I enjoyed his approach to slowly change himself and become happy, no matter the outcome. Same goes for Seo Hyun Jin. Her despair, her hunger for love and her feeling of betrayal of life itself were crushingly unfeigned.

There is some really strong writing in this drama. Some dialogues had a big impact on me and made my heart flutter all of a sudden so many times. The story did a pretty good job at riling up my emotions in every way possible.

I also loved the side stories. Interesting characters even though some of them were a little exaggerated. I enjoyed them nevertheless. Do Kyung's sister was one hell of a person. Her on/ff modes were hilarious but what I loved the most was that no matter what, she stuck to her family, supporting them in her own way whether blood-related or not and was always like a guardian. I also loved Hae Young's parents. Although her mother was really, REALLY stubborn towards the end, I enjoyed the time when she was silently giving in, showing that she truly loved her daughter and wanted her to be happy.

About the two second leads here...
Well, I didn't really care for their stories while watching the drama. Now, at the end... Well, of course they had their reasons for behaving the way they did. The other Oh Hay Young... as the story went on, her character became more palpable and explained some things, but it didn't change the fact that I couldn't care less. She had her chance, she blew it. End of story. Han Tae Jin... same goes for him and on top of that he was a petty loser. He couldn't accept the facts, acting all childish, throwing one tantrum after another. Do Kyung and him both did wrong. But at the point where Do Kyung realized his mistake, Tae Jin blamed others and continued his raving, staying blinded by his anger.

The ones I disliked till the end were Do Kyung's mom and Chairman Jang. No further explaining. Just stating that fact.

If there's one thing to complain about, it would be the dragging in the middle and until ep 16. I know that every scene and every moment were important for the story and can't be considered fillers. But I still think that they could have made some things a little shorter and not putting me in such agony >.< (although it makes you wonder if I would have gotten riled up about it with the same intensity, if they HAD made it shorter, right? Haha...)

In the end a very, very enjoyable roller-coaster with many memorial moments. Lots of emotions, lots of ups and downs and very satisfying in the end.

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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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Pure Entertainment!!

I am not usually a wuxia fan and have not many shows so the entire review is from my personal enjoyment of the show. No major spoilers as such but may have some minor ones. My motivation to start this was pure Lee Jae Wook tbh. I had seen him in WWW and the moment he came to the screen I was drawn to him the entire time.

Watching the initial episodes, I was half heartedly expecting this show to be a political scheming war between a destined king (Jang Uk) Vs Wannabe King (CP) Vs Actual king who is soon dying, with some magical elements. Yeah I had my biases going in but I was wrong. The setup was beautiful and I was actually drawn to the story for about 4-5 episodes. The show had some cool cliffhangers which make me crave for the next episode. The CGI elements were dope and whenever Naksu drew her sword made me major goosebumps.

That's where my complaint started. It had an interesting setup, Jang Uk born under King's Star and destined for greater things and on the other side deadly assassin Naksu soul swapped as Mu Deok. Their journey to start from scratch to finding about their truths was an intriguing plot for me which despite not being an unique one however if done right makes it interesting. After a point it became a battle of mere words. The storylines being reiterated for God knows how many times. One by one each character got to know the secrets and repeating the same thing made me scream like dude we got the story now move on. The whole Ep 19 was a summary of the story line for the nth time, no kidding.

My highest disappointment with the show is how they underplayed Naksu. They gave us a badass heroine who eventually became nothing but a maid. I get the motive behind it as they wanted to come up with the whole arc of hers but they did a major injustice. Not only hers, infact so many other characters who were supposed to be this great mages protecting the Capital and what not became a meek observer of the plot. They bought 0 contribution to the story which makes you question their purpose. During emergent situation the mages like Yul, Park Jin and even the Crown Prince did nothing making me scream like aren't you suppose to be powerful? Now for the king, I mean they take the most competitive "admission test" to appoint a servant seriously but chose the most stupid person as the king who was the last to find out what was going on. I know they added all this for drama purpose but I can't help laughing at this absurdity.

The cast did justice to their roles and no complaints on the acting front. For the romance aspect honestly I was not interested and majorly skipped all the scenes except the ones with the main couple. It was unnecessary and cringey to some extent. Action scenes were cool but were limited like Jang Uk and Naksu using one only Tansu move whenever they fight. Maybe we will see more in S2 as the setup is different here.

Overall the story was repetitive and was cliched down a lot to attract the crowd however it was still an entertaining watch for me. I am up for S2 and not taking the loopholes of the story tooo seriously.

*Ending Spoiler here*
I wonder how will they bring up Naksu's body which was burnt earlier. I suppose it was Jin's family who saved Mu Deok at the end as the mother was giving instruction to bring her alive, so I think maybe one of them saved her body or something. And Jang Uk rising from the ashes was my favorite scene of the show. Ahh LJW eyes!

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Women should not rule the world.

The Legend of Zhuohua is another in a string of recent female empowerment themed historical romantic dramas. The production is upfront that this drama is a work of pure fiction. It is impossible for women to exercise the kind of influence and authority portrayed in this story in ancient Chinese patriachical society. The attitudes and values articulated are also incredibly modern and unsurprisingly, resonate with current audiences. It should be enjoyed at face value accepting that many aspects of it are sheer fantasy.

Titular character Ma Zhuohua flees an arranged marriage to the capital; where she must pass the imperial exams to fulfill her ambition to be a female official. Quick witted and resourceful, she saves Lord Ding, a decorated war hero, when he is wouded in the middle of a clandestine operation. Their fates intertwine as he is the strongest advocate of opening up scholarship and official positions to women. As they collaborate on official assignments and work toward their shared vision of the country, they fall in love. Can their relationship navigate a feudal system that requires women officials to choose between marriage and their career?

The most enjoyable arcs of this drama are the early courtship ones. This is the first time I have enjoyed Jing Tian's playing such a clever, demurely mischevious and independent character. Despite a ghastly white color filter and not the best dubbing, the strong chemistry between Jing Tian and Feng Shaofeng is unmistakable. It is so refreshing and very hot to see such a candid, lively and purely adult relationship dynanic laced with flirtatiously racey dialogue. The humor is very well written and so cheekily portrayed that I laughed uproariously many times, and especially at the dirty jokes. The political commentary and philosophical debates are surprisingly well written, with a sophistication beyond what I would expect of a light romantic comedy like this.

Outside the empowerment theme, the sub-plots are not special but this top notch veteran cast is very charismatic and executes so well it makes up for some of the lack of originality. Both Shi Yueling and Wang Likun in particular deliver formidable, almost terrifying performances as Empress Dowager Zhou and Princess Roujia. I also found Roujia's complicated relationship with Shen Jinghong very interesting. Unfortunately just after the mid-way point, the narrative rehashes tired plotlines including noble idiocy, murder most foul and high treason. In quite a similar vein to Destined, it nose dives into a poorly designed political melodrama and predictible twists. Even incredible acting cannot paper over that this is yet another delusional ends justifies the means antagonist with an unconvincing villain origin backstory.

This would have made a much better 20 episode drama that ended on the intended message that women should seize their dreams. The writers took it one step further into women can also seize the world. And then left us with an unambiguous message that women should not rule the world. The first few arcs of this are worth about an 8.0 but the latter arcs are just 6.0/6.5. I can only give this a 7.0. Its still a quality production with some good laughs to pass some time but it won't rock your world.

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The kind that nibbles at your heart until theres nothing left

Reality is sometimes far from ideal. It can be sad. Disappointing. Frustrating. Daunting. Painful. I found all these in Si Yu, Zi Zi and Xiao Ling's life as depicted here.

We saw the rosy moments. The happy and content times, often fleeting or even underappreciated. But often they had to face so much struggles that life throws at them. In this aspect, the writer does not shy off from showing us the ugly.

The issue in SY and YM's relationship or the cracks in ZZ's marriage. They were very real. Sometimes its not cookie cutter clear who is in the wrong. The relationship stalled at this point from the contribution of both parties. In SY and YM's aspects, they werent on the same page at that time in their lives. I found this to be all the more painful because they love each other but not enough to stay together and be happy.

Often i get upset when watching so i caution those with a feeble heart. But yet 41episodes watch and cried, I'm still here eagerly waiting everyday for new episodes to watch my very flawed male and female leads. As much as it pains me to see them falter, and grope in the dark as they refind themselves. I want to cheer for them. For ZZ to gain independence and confidence. For SY to understand what truly matters and stand back on her feet. I want to witness when they would find back their true selves, and their way to happiness.

The acting here is amazing. The leads are so flawed and imperfect, sometimes weak and sometimes they frustrate the hell out of me, but i cant hate them, i pity them and still want to root for them. Zhu Yi Long (this guy's eye acting and micro expressions are so on point), Liu Si Si and Han Zing Zhi all had their shining moments. Lastly i love the girls' friendship, they are there and supportive but never stiffling or condescending even though they all are so different and have different ambition and dreams.

* I have amended by rating and review upon finishing. This is the first time there's a huge discrepancy during "currently watching" to "completed". The conclusion continues its sarcastically cold reality- except the plot outcome for some of the characters to deliver the ultimatum ended up unrealistic in my opinion. We are suppose to receive the climax and send off our characters but the writing didn't deliver. After diligently shouldering the frustration and watch the humbling problems the girls faced for so long, you asked for a little reward and felt cheated. Watch something else unless you don't mind cruel reality and unfulfilled epilogue.

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Rape in the first episode. How is this dubcon? How does this show how so many good reviews?

Funny how everyone is either calling what occurs between Vee and Mark in literally the first episode "dubcon" or completely glossing over what happened completely.
What happened in the first episode is rape, pure and simple. It wasn't even dubious consent? Mark is still drunk to the point of stumbling and falling, and completely mistook the person he "slept with" for someone else. Vee was sober enough to drive the both of them to his place, and completely ignored how Mark literally could not consent. I can understand a drink or two, or a character sobering up on the ride home/after getting home, but he literally doesn't even act like he's sobered up at all?

Not to mention the morning after Mark is so freaked out. He's angry, calls Vee a villain like 10 times, and runs off AFTER Vee threatens to kill him if he tells anyone what "they did" last night. Which to be fair, obviously to Mark and the viewers he isn't really serious about doing something like that and he just wants Mark not to tell about his "infidelity only", but imagine someone sleeping with you when you're on the cusp of black out drunk and then making this kind of remark to you the morning after?
AND NOT TO MENTION Mark goes home and the first think he does is scrub his skin over and over in the shower.
I feel kind of disgusted watching this.

Watch what you want I guess, romanticize what you want (I guess?). But don't downplay what happened to make yourself feel better about continuing to watch this fascinating mess of a relationship.
Dont be a coward lmao, call it what it is.

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Overall good :]

For a short netflix kdrama I'd say its good.

The plot isnt confusing if anything its pretty straightfoward in a good way of course!

I think the main female really did carry the show though. The energy her character brought in really hooked me personally making me feel like watching the next episodes.
It doesnt feel too cliche well atleast to me it felt that way! Then again that might just depend on your taste if its cliche or not so keep that in mind.

For 10 episodes I think the pacing was pretty good actually the plot line doesnt feel to slow or to fast! Doenst feel like there many plot holes either which you gotta appreciate. They provide enough backstory on both main leads and the side characters also get their amount of plot.

Overall the show is just exactly what its description say it would be about. It was full with some humor parts and overall can be taken very lightly.

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While watching Secret Love, I was initially sucked in because this felt so different from the rest of the kdramas out there. I use to be a big fan of the genre, but then I realized that almost all of them followed the same formula, so I stopped.

I'm slowly getting back to kdramas, so I picked this one up and at first I was all in. I loved every moment of this show. The acting was top notch and the story, at least in the beginning, was complex and unique.

I loved it!

So why the 7?

Well, what I loved about the show was the complexity of everything and how everyone was flawed. As the show progressed and more secrets were revealed, I thought that it would continue to add to the depth of the characters, instead I got the same kdrama. Rich guy falls in love with poor girl. Poor girl has a guy that likes her and the rich guy has a girl that likes him. Drama ensues.

I can accept that. What I couldn't accept was this love story. Min Hyuk and Yoo Jeong just didn't make any sense as lovers. Min Hyuk had some reverse Stockholm Syndrome where he fell in love with the person he was tormenting. It came about from obsession and then he loves her. It made sense. But for Yoo Jeong to love him back all of a sudden? No. That never made sense and never felt authentic to me. After five years of being harassed and tormented, you don't just suddenly say "I love you too."

I also felt like the story dropped the ball with Do Hoon, who was the most interesting character on the show. He's been brought up in a family that expects him to be the best, but still keep his morals intact. That all changes when he allows Yoo Jeong to take the fall for him. Him getting close to Min Hyuk and trying to destroy him seemed to be his ways of making amends, but in the end I really didn't know what he was doing.

I enjoyed my time watching this and was eagerly waiting for the next episode to appear so I could watch it, but now that everything is said and done, was this really all that different from the rest of the kdramas out there? Kind of, but not really. There's a lot of plot holes and the ending was rushed. I just wasn't satisfied when it was done.

I am in the minority with this, so if you think this might be something you'd like then check it out, but if you are looking for something new in the kdrama world then I don't think you'll find it here.

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