Good revenge drama with a sprinkle of fluidity.
The story goes like this : A woman who's family was annihilated because of a treasure map, seeks revenge. She decides to infiltrate the palace and becomes the crown prince's bodyguard.- Great plot with great fighting scenes.
- A sprinkle of fluidity, wich is rare and makes the drama stand out.
- Good acting.
- Good music.
- Great cinematography.
- Female lead has more chemistry with 2nd Female Lead than with Male Lead in my opinion.
Overall the drama is entertaining and kept me interested until the very end.
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Good drama
My ratings for the series out of ten:Recommended series: 10
Acting: 9.75
Directing: 9
Music: 10
Chemistry between the main characters: 10
Dialogues: 10 It was very meaningful, the series helped personal growth 🩵
✨️ It's worth watching again (I think I'll watch it many times)
Overall series rating 9.75 Highly recommended ✅️
It's one of those beautiful series that stays in your memories💘🌈 I laughed and cried with it and learned
It's a series that I eagerly waited for the new episode every day.
I liked the characters in the series, each of whom had their own story and you could relate to them.
The chemistry between the couple in the series was great.
I liked the process of the series
The dialogues were great and it showed personal growth, that is love, sacrifice, goodness, selflessness, and many good and bad truths...
⚘️ A memorable series that I love and will love ⚘️
Don't get tired of the series team for such a beautiful series 👏🏻
I will definitely watch this series again 🌸 because I will definitely miss it 😭
✅️Recommended series
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enjoyable enemies to lovers vertical series
Overall: I gave this a rating bump since it's from China and it has good kissing as well as the best execution of a miscommunication plot I think I've ever seen. Episodes 1-4 are free on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XZKGQbzA70 Watch all 19 episodes on the DramaBox app which also has: The Mafia's Obsession, My Secret Agent Husband, Summer Indigo, Kiss Me With Unspoken Love, Desired by My Unknown Husband, Mafia Lover, The Forbidden Flame and My Serial Killer Lover.Content Warnings: non con picture taking/sharing, vomiting, public outing, homophobia
What I Liked
- for once I wasn't super annoyed at the miscommunication, felt more realistic
- their dynamic
- kisses
- supportive colleagues
- story centered on the MLs
- production value (nice transition with the umbrella opening)
Room For Improvement
- some of the dialogue was too quiet
- wish he had first brushed his teeth/mouthwash
- perhaps a bit fantastical for how the CEO reacted
To watch for free (each episode costs 50 coins, need to get 15 episodes/750 coins): watch the series and if you don't have coins click off the coin prompt, you should be able to watch 10 episodes by watching an ad each, claim the coins you get for watch time 70 (or can watch another series free episodes (be careful it doesn't go to paid episodes or you'll lose your coins), do the check in (20) and watch an ad for a bonus (30), watch some of the ads for 20 each to finish the series in 1 day for free (the 15 adds in total will be 300 coins aka 6 episodes). There are also bonuses for logging in, getting notifications, following them on social media.
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the good this is that it was short coz girl i dont think i could take anymore of the ridiculous journal. the other is that song jae rim mostly and the rest were a hot cast so kudos. one major thing that gave it a 5 instead of 2 is unlike other kdramas this has alot of kissing scenes so i liked it. there really was also some cute moments seriously. thunder actually did a good job for his first role, he was cute and funny but sometimes i could feel his nervousness.
the bad thing oh gosh its like 99 problems. park gyu ri, how did this girl get chosen for this role coz its definately not her acting. one of the baddest gender bender. this girl couldnt pretend to be a boy for the life of her. i watch shows for the actual acting and not the cuteness. she supposedly was writing a journal by pretending to be a boy and find out about this guy she fancied. everytime they re-enacted her stories is when i would want to throw this laptop. it was fake beyond fake including her fake wig, fake gumihos, fake hunters, fake guns and gunshots......i could go on to 99. some story lines were really great like the grandma/grandpa fiasco. its just the story lines kept getting plugged in where they shouldnt.
give it a try, u gonna like kay as he starts getting feelings for her/him and seeing the different styles of nail art.
how do u tell about someone by looking at their nails **smh**
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Really Enjoyable but Also Trope-y with a Side of Flaws
If I rated this purely on my emotional enjoyment, I would give it a 10 out of 10: this is a fun college drama chock full of romantic feelings and character-made drama. Its premise reminded me of a toned-down version of Gossip Girl: all the characters are initially connected by a mysterious blogger who falls in love at first sight and makes them all re-evaluate their own crushes, loves, and relationships as they speculate as to the identify of this person. I had known nothing about the parent story for which this show is based on, Love Playlist, but had been drawn to early descriptions of this drama and the trailer that eventually came out.That said, when I take emotion out of it, I find story and characters that are a bit limited by traditional romance story tropes that are unashamedly invoked: you have CLEAR "nice guys/good girls" and CLEAR "a-hole [male] players/manipulative [female] witches." Their backstories can get a little cliche too with clearly-sympathetic tragedies and traditional parental issues/ambitions to succeed. I would argue that seasoned romance series/Kdrama watchers will be able to completely predict almost all, if not all of the story progression, from beginning to end, just within the first few episodes. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, I don't think so - enjoyable is enjoyable. However, I think if you are considering watching this, you should know exactly what it is and what it is not: it's a simple, cute story about college kids' falling in love and having challenges with their relationships while going through college. It's not a grandiose, unique story with fantastical mind-bending twists or deep meaning.
There are some clear continuity errors and contrived plot points in the story - they aren't horrendous, but they are very noticeable. For a non-spoiler example, at one point a character loses their phone. By the next episode, they mysteriously have recovered it/might have bought a new one - how exactly did they get this back/buy a new one and input all their old, same contacts in? As for the contrived plot points, I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I will vaguely say that sometimes, things that happen or motivations that the characters have are way too "on the nose" and I personally would have preferred that the show be a little more subtle about it.
The acting is sufficient for a Kdrama, but notably decreased a notch from other big budget performances: for example, I found some of the crying scenes so forced and unbelievable that those momentarily took me out of the drama. However, if you put those weaknesses aside, I think you find a cast that is very believable and does a good job: this is apparently Jeong Jae Hyun's acting debut, and I honestly never would have known that if I didn't read it in an article. I wasn't a Park Hye Soo fan to begin with, but her performance will make me check out some of other works, as I loved the sincerity with which she played Ma Joo Ah. For other characters, many will recognize Roh Jeong Eui from her prior performance as NJ in Our Beloved Summer and I think you will find her performance refreshing as she definitely sells her performance as a different type of person. I also found Lee Jin Hyuk particularly hilarious as the clearly-comic-relief character who gets crapped on just for our benefit, and particularly enjoyed the straight-forward, independent person played by Woo Da Vi. Hwang Bo Reum Byeol and Lee Jung Sic round out the rest of the notables by playing appropriately hateable characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the ensemble cast.
As of writing, the OST seems to be unreleased/still coming out, but I think they did a good job. Park Hye Soo originally wanted to be a singer (she is from Kpop star) and Jeong Jae Hyun is part of NCT, so they naturally do an excellent job with the song covers featured in this Kdrama. I don't think there are any bangers that will be sung for the ages, but don't let you stop enjoying the songs that do exist.
Overall, I think this is a light, easy watch to pick up. You won't find anything groundbreaking, but don't let that stop you from giving this a try - I can't say it's an absolute work of art, but I think if lighthearted romances are your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this.
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1Not your usual twisted thriller...
This is complete fantasy, not in the sense of a fantasy world, but fantasy as in phantasmagorical. It’s a sort of teenage dream sequence and I like it. (Thanks Skitc for the recommendation) It couples total teenage angst with savage violence. This isn’t about reality, but the balancing out of intense impulses, living at the extremes. An allegory for the raging torrent/torment of hormones that just about allows you to hang in there by your fingertips and survive, somehow appearing almost normal on the surface.Just don’t try and make rational sense of it. Don’t look for credible motives or realistic psychology, simply immerse yourself and enjoy the ride. There are lots of lol moments, gory moments, weird moments, surreal moments and, strangely, smile moments.
There are also clunky moments with the script and a few convenient tropes like the obligatory memory loss and some clumsy plot structure. It’s also pretty clear what’s going to happen in the end. But overall it holds up without being unnecessarily complicated, probably due to the short length.
I like the cinematography for the fight scenes, which is not coherent, but messy, just like the fights themselves. I also appreciated the soundtrack which doesn’t necessarily take the obvious path.
The best of it are the scenes between Park Se Won and Song Geon Hee as the central couple. They had a great dynamic and their relationship was the glue that held everything together. The other cast is quirky-weird with great performances by Yang Yang (Cha Joo Young ) and her sidekick Jang Hyeon Min (actor not listed on MDL, cast list needs filling out, sorry can’t do it don’t read hangul). Also in the mix is an OTT drug induced psychotic villain who twitches his way through the series and a creepy sadist who does, well, creepy sadist things. And yes, it’s pretty violent and twisted.
What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.
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However, the series itself is great on it's own. The actors are brilliant, especially Bai Yu and Zhu Yi Long. The story is quite unique but surprisingly familiar. Yes, there are a few elements that we have seen in other fantasy series before but it also offers a new interpretation and new storyline in terms of reincarnation and destiny. It also has a great production and cinematography.
The best part though is the soundtrack. It's a bomb. I love all of them.
10/10.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show is the perfect example of not sh*tting where you eat ie. to not date people aka the roommates you live with. Anyway, just got done watching the entire 10 episodes and here's are my thoughts. First of all, the opening song is great and Morikawa Aoi looks kawaii af in this. Now with that out of the way, I can ramble on about the show. What started out to be an interesting premise only turned out to be shallow love triangle. I mean, Moriakawa's character Terada is the epitome of your typical reserved and shy Japanese girl who's a pushover. Then you have Nakao Masaki's character Hongyo who's her childhood friend and is dense af to the point that he has literally no character development throughtout the course of these 10 episodes. All we know about Hongyo is that he's dense and emotionless for some reason and had sex with Terada in high school. Then we have the second male lead in Yuki Kousei's character Hase who wants to make Terada his wife because he sees something different in Terada from the girls he dated. The reason for why he wanted to be with Terada was left unexplored. Not to mention his mommy issues. Then we have Nakamura Risa's somewhat retarded-like character Akari who's weird to say the least. First she acts as if she liked Hongyo, then when Terada asked her whether she liked Hongyo, she acts as if she just discovered the very act of hugging or kissing someone out of affection. Someone get this chick to a sex ed class!Anyway, Hongyo and Terada run into each other after she ends up living in a sharehouse thanks to her friend and due to some reason, Hongyo can only get hard when he's rubbing against Terada. The plot seemed intriguing at first but then they added Hase as a second love interest for Terada even though you as a viewer know that Terada is gonna somehow predictably end up with Hongyo in the end. (They're both even on the cover of the drama for God's sake lol) Throughout the entirity of the show, we had minimal character developments for both Terada and Hase as they narrate about their childhood and tell a bit about themselves. Hongyo being the first male lead has literally no character development since we know nothing about him other than being a dense and emotionless writer who can't get hard and who had sex with Terada in high school.
Throught the show, Hase persues Terada to marry him despite being okay with Terada and Hongyo sleeping together and even having sex. Hell, he was okay with her having Hongyo's baby when Terada thought she was pregnant. That dude has some weird psychology and the reason for him liking Terada is unclear and unexplored. The best reason he gave on the show when asked why he liked her was because her hand felt warm as she was taking care of him while he was puking. Like I said, that dude has a messed up psychology.
Then there's the second female lead Akari who has the least amount of character development since unlike Hongyo, who slept with Terada in high school, we don't really get to know much about her other than the fact that she's crazy for Hongyo and thats it! She thinks she likes Hongyo (people on the show like each other for the most bizarre reasons on this show btw) and was just okay when Terada reveals that she liked her and that her and Hongyo have been sleeping together all this time. I honestly don't know what her whole admiration with Hongyo was all about since that was left unexplored as well. Her character was just there for the sake of it contributing nothing much to the plot.
Then last but not least, we have Terada who starts liking Hongyo after having a sleeping arrangement with him and eventually having sex with him. The one thing I just didn't understand was why she liked him in the first place and what about him does she even like? Even on the show, when Hongyo asks her what she likes about him, we never got an answer to that boggling question coz here's a dense dude (Hongyo) who's emotionless to the core having a sleeping arrangement with you and thats it. They don't have the sort of chemistry you'd expect in a romcom. Neither do they have anything in common. Its like Teraada's character was written to like Hongyo just for the sake of it. On top of being a shy and fragile pushover, she deceives Akari by not telling about her about sleeping with Hongyo when she knew that Akari liked Hongyo. And then, she sleeps and has sex with Hongyo anyway despite being proposed to by Hase. And she lies to Hase in the 9th episode about her not kissing Hongyo during their sleepover time when infact she did. In that way, I found Terada's charaacter to be all sorts of messed up and I doubt a metamorphical expensive price tag is gonna solve her problems.
I kinda felt sorry for Hase when we learnt that this was gonna be a love triangle since I already knew that the second male lead was gonna get rejected . But I knew he manipulated Hongyo when they don't show what him and Hase talked about in the 9th episode due to which Hongyo was cold to Terada which caused them to break up. And on top of that, the characters lack development and progression. Not to mention how they never talk it out with each other about what they have in mind. I guess that this is a good example of how reserved the Japanese can be in general. Either way, Terada sure does get around, having dated both male roommates of hers. I can honestly say that this show despite its shallow predictablitity and lack of character development teaches us to never sh*t where you eat ie. never date the people aka the roommates you live with coz things can become awkward as hell if things don't work out. Also, Terada is the kind of girl that would stay in a shitty relationship just because of a nostalgic high school connection. If I were the writer of this show, I'd make Terada leave the house and find a better relationship than an dense dude or a manipulative dude with mommy issues. That would be a better ending than the predictable ending we got in the end.
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The story is based off of her trying to making a name for herself after years of settling into her party girl life style, but the story is not as shallow as it may seem. The drama tackled issues of peer pressure, self worth, and self esteem.
There were memorable cute scenes from the main couples and just when it got too serious there was comedy relief from the side characters. Also there are strong women all through this drama. Some are accomplished and teach others or they have ambition to do great things; such a girl power feel to it.
The OST was amazing, Onew has a magical voice that made the main couple's song come to life. There was always good music playing in the bg; it helped with the story telling in each scene, i felt more in love, more nervous or mad because of the music. I loved the OST so much its going on a playlist.
Overall I would recommend this drama when you need a break from crying or being frustrated with the other hundreds of dramas we watch. If we had to label this drama it would be a "slice-of-life". There was comedy, romance, and a bit of angst but not enough to be the central theme.
Rewatch value went down just because i would go back only for specific scenes that i loved, and not the whole drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
this wasn't sweet at all. hella salty.
the title sounds cutesy so why? what was the point of this drama? why would you make me want to eject myself into the sun? i'm a masochist but gosh darn it this was so frustrating to watch.this is just another straight drama with frustrating main leads.
i don't see anything extraordinary about the fl and it honestly makes me question why she's the fl.... the scene of her not being able to back herself up when facing those homophobes demanding her program to be cancelled..... for once i wanted her to have some courage to stand up and tell them why she made her program and that there's absolutely no reason for her program to be cancelled
when things were going haywire with her program and her boss quit, she was asking "who will help me with this?" like ????
the ml was so annoying ohmygod... i get that at the beginning he was desperate for money because of his dad needing surgery but then he continued burying himself with lies after another which made him a very selfish character
a straight dude pretending to be gay then leading a gay dude???? and y'know who he thinks about? the fl !!!
this guy straight up talks to kang tae wan about how he might hurt ah jin if he told the truth but hasn't he thought about how it hurts kang tae wan? how he misled everyone to believe he's gay? how there are actual gay people having difficult time to come out???? he was receiving all sorts of support but he didn't do anything.... he waited for shit to hit the fan.... how irresponsible can one be???
kang tae wan is the only character that was decently written
it's honestly a shame that this character has limited screen time because i could care less about anyone else lol
in conclusion, i'm in the process of lowering my expectations
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FRESH AND BUBBLY ROM-COM
It is a drama that I would recommend for when you want to have a good laugh and have a good time. The characters are very fresh, and although it seems like a cliché story, there are several elements that make it quite unique. I think the adaptation of the novel was done wonderfully, from the cast to the details in the production. It took a little over two years to be published but it was well worth the effort. Jun, congratulations on getting back to work as an actor! You still have the professionalism of your 15 years of acting career ~ im proud, Even if you don't like Lingchao that much, you worked hard! Hopefully you can fulfill your dream of being a villain another time. Miaoyi, good job, you've been busy with so many projects, I'm glad you could bring XiaoTu to life~ Little bunny.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best School Life to Adulting China drama I've watched.
I really loved the 2 main leads together, their chemistry is really good.One thing I really like about this drama is that both ML and FL are mature and there wasn't any misunderstandings caused by communication problems like in many dramas. They say what they needed to say and cleared up any unhappiness immediately when something happens. They stick together through thick and thin and never let anyone get between them.
The character development for the leads was also great. The FL comes from a well-off family and started off making a few snub comments regarding the ML spending all his time earning money instead of studying like what a student should be doing. But over time she came to understand ML's actions and also encouraged him to change him for the better. Great and natural interactions between them.
Its a pity they did not put much effort into the 2nd couple. Gu Xiao Man blindlessly continues to love Chen Yi Chuan without any reason, and even after being treated badly by him continuously until he finally realises his own feelings. They did not justify the reason behind their feelings and also there was no growth.
There is however growth in Chen Yi Chuan's character himself than his love line.
Overall I'm head over heels for the main leads and would definitely rewatch this again.
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A Faithful Live-Action Adaptation of Anime Magic
In the depths of "As Long As We Both Shall Live," we're beckoned into the heart-wrenching life of Saimori Miyo. She's a girl born from the chilly, loveless grip of an arranged marriage, and her existence takes a cruel twist after her mother's passing. Her father's mistress and her daughter, Kaya, step into the scene, relegating Miyo to a life of servitude. In her family's eyes, she's the daughter with no merit, bereft of the psychic abilities that bless her stepsister.Miyo's journey is one of pain, a painful marriage born from a painful upbringing. Her betrothal to Kudo Kiyoka, a military captain known for his rumored cruelty, seems like a sentence to torment. But here, expectations take a drastic turn. Miyo's new husband defies the grim rumors, revealing a heart brimming with kindness. What follows is a marriage drenched in joy and eternal bliss, defying the dire predictions.
"In As Long As We Both Shall Live," I discovered a transcendent live-action adaptation of the anime world that resides so deeply in my heart. It's a meticulous mirror, near perfectly reflecting the source material. As I ventured into this cinematic realm, it felt uncannily familiar. Lines and scenes from the anime echoed in my memory, etched as if with indelible ink.
The movie's pacing is an art form in itself. The anime's early episodes delve deeply into Miyo's life, her struggles, and her lack of psychic gifts. It carefully constructs her world and the emotional maelstrom that surrounds her, revealing supernatural aspects later on, around the fifth or sixth episode. The movie, however, unveils these wonders from the start, a clever dance that balances Miyo's quiet existence and her inner demons with the revelation of a gifted world.
Music is the movie's beating heart. It weaves seamlessly with pivotal action scenes, enhancing their emotional impact, and eases into gentle melodies during the blossoming romance between Saimori Miyo and Kudo Kiyoka. The score is more than a soundtrack; it's a guiding force, leading us into the depths of their evolving relationship.
The movie is a symphony of masterfully filmed scenes, each a visual masterpiece, leaving you entranced by their sheer beauty. Attention to detail is awe-inspiring, capturing the anime's essence and translating it into breathtaking cinematic art.
From the very first frame, the movie bewitches your senses. It's a mesmerizing dance of music and visuals, drawing you into its tender embrace. The scenes are meticulously chosen and sequenced, submerging you into the narrative's profound depths.
The storytelling in "As Long As We Both Shall Live" is a precision symphony. Action sequences, woven seamlessly into the gradual growth of a profound connection, add layers of depth to the characters. I'd love to delve into more detail, but spoilers are best left avoided.
The live-action adaptation leaves no room for doubt. The cast is impeccably chosen, embodying their characters to the core. The film's dedication to the anime is visible in every frame, transforming it into a cinematic journey that feels like a masterful recreation, in the best possible way.
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A spicy Jdrama with the classic office romance setup!
This drama was pretty classic, straightforward office romance, nothing deep or overly complicated, but that worked for me. The story is basic but it’s done well enough that I found myself enjoying it more than I expected.What really stood out to me was the chemistry between the leads. They had such a natural, easy connection that made every scene together fun to watch. I also liked how they communicated. It felt mature most of the time, which is kind of rare in dramas like this.
And for a Jdrama, there was a lot of skinship and kissing and surprisingly, it was all really well done. Nothing felt forced or awkward, which made their romance feel more real.
That said, I wasn’t totally on board with the ML in the initial episodes. He definitely had some boundary issues and it bugged me a little that he didn’t really take “no” seriously at first. It did get better and didn't bother me that much because the FL clearly liked him back and reciprocated his feelings.
Even with a basic plot, this drama somehow manages to avoid most of the typical romcom trope pitfalls like overly jealous ex sabotaging present relationships etc, which made it a smoother watch.
Overall, this was good one time watch. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but the overall vibe made it fun and light.
Recommended if you are looking for something simple, sweet and spicy with the touch of usual Jdrama flair, this definitely can be one of your picks.
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Ps: did I mention it took me 2 months to sludge through this drama?
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