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Completed
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy
18 people found this review helpful
Jul 24, 2025
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

READ THE NOVEL OR MANHWA INSTEAD YKK

We already know that this movie will not even follow a single thing from the novel nor the manhwa and we are right about that. This is an entirely different story than what ORV is. "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" it's already in the title a Reader's Viewpoint but then why would they changed it into a PROPHET???!
And then making this a Movie instead of a Series. Orv has too many chapters, so many important parts an they will summarized it? This la is not a good recommendation. K-drama fans will probably watch this and entirely miss a good story. ORV is not just a story it's KIM DOKJA. WE THE READERS SUFFERED WITH KIM DOKJA AND THEN THIS SH1T LA WE GOT IS HERE. WE TRULY ARE KIM DOKJA'S FRAGMENTS. IYKYK

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Completed
My Girlfriend is an Agent
18 people found this review helpful
Dec 22, 2011
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It cheered me up with its HILARIOUS scenes. I absolutely loved the acting from the main characters. I will definitely watch it again just to have some good laughs. The storyline was very good. It made me laugh right from the start! It was the first movie in which I saw Kang Ji Hwan act, now he is on my favorite list. That says something XD
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Completed
The 8 Show
18 people found this review helpful
May 18, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Survival Thriller Show with Wes Anderson direction - Must Watch!

If you like narration as in Wes Anderson's film "The Budapest Hotel" and survival game dramas/movies that showcase human desperation like Squid Games, Alice in Borderland & The Platform - then you must watch this show. Worth the binge watch!

PRO:
• Almost everything - good plot, pacing, acting, suspense, moral lesson
• Unique Factor: narration like Wes Anderson film done by the main character (Floor #3), changes in aspect ration. Easter egg in the end where another character (Floor #7) opens floor to Season 2
• Compact format, but does due diligence to cover every character's backstory, changes during the game & after

CON:
• Not exactly a negative point - but the show does not give immense thrill, only cause we know of shows that have come previously like Squid Games and Alice in Borderland. So for some this may blur into the same category & not be unique.
• Personally did not like the sacrifice shown in the end, though it fits well in the story. But just my opinion that the finale episode could have ended differently.

OVERALL:
If this genre is to your liking - give it a watch, else skip. Not a unique-never-seen-before drama, but compact format makes it a good watch if you enjoy such thrilling survival shows that focus on how humans will do anything to survive!

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Completed
Scarlet Heart
17 people found this review helpful
Oct 16, 2011
35 of 35 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I have had a history of trial and error with Chinese dramas, mostly because of the acting. So, when I saw the first episodes of this drama I was instantly enthralled with the story.

But towards the middle of the drama, the story seems to drag. I knew a lot was happening, but at the same time it seemed like nothing was and I tend to have the attention span of a five year old.

Another problem I had was with the production team (I guess). The transitions both from scene to scene and the lapses in time seemed chaotic and I was often confused as to why they didn't make these smoother.

Having said that, I did love the story. I would have been able to enjoy it more if they had managed to piece the scenes together better than they did. I also loved the gorgeous costumes. And this drama has some of the best employed flashback scenes I have seen.

It's not the worst drama I have ever seen since I managed to fully complete it, but it's not the best one out there either.

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Completed
Sapai Import
18 people found this review helpful
Apr 1, 2020
17 of 17 episodes seen
Completed 16
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

"I Want to Make Goo-Goo Eyes with Mik"

Thank you to Muse for subbing this! Y'all are AWESOME!!

Wow! I had so much fun watching this lakorn! I mostly loved it. The main couple had cute chemistry and some pretty fun romantic scenes. I liked their playfulness and could feel the sparks. And whoever can turn down a shirtless Mik has lots of will power!

If you have watched Thai lakorns, you pretty much know how most stories will unfold and how certain things will happen. I don't really consider what I have listed below as spoiling anything, but just in case, you may not want to scroll down.







Things I liked:
1. A strong female lead who can defend herself and makes mostly smart choices.
2. A male lead who's a nice guy, but a bit naughty. And he looks good shirtless. Just saying. (Next time I think I'll make a shirtless scene count when I watch certain actors.... A girl has to have a hobby.)
3. The main couple actually talked and shared information and addressed problems together.
4. Cute second lead couple romance.
5. For me, the comedy was fun. It had me smiling, giggling and laughing.
6. Pretty solid plot lines without too many gaps in character actions.
7. Some close encounters of the human kind. (insert extra smiles here)
8. Mostly loved the mother and sister of the male lead.
9. The grandmother character could kick backside as well.
10. I really enjoyed the scenery and location shots.
11. Loved the ending!

Things I expect from most Thai lakorns that check the box:
1. Crazy obsessive girl who wants the male lead. Did I mention she's really craw-craw?
2. Jealousy with greed driven relatives who want to get what the other has.
3. Grandmother who hates and rejects female lead.
4. Minions who can't shoot worth a darn.
5. Everyone gets their karma in the end.
6. The almost kiss....
7. Scriptwriters looking for things to do in last couple of episodes.

Things I didn't really care for:
1. Female lead really beats up on the male lead too much IMO. But, I think that goes along with both of the characters, so I can live with it.
2. I don't think the scriptwriter really showed the second couple male lead character falling for the girl.
3. No one got the crazy girl help. She needed professional help.
4. I think it went a bit off track and repeated plot lines towards the end. But, you see that quite often in Thai lakorns.
I still love to watch them.

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Completed
Good and Evil
18 people found this review helpful
Jan 30, 2022
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Very sad drama.

When I said its a sad drama, its literally a sad drama. No one ended well. Ofc the saddest arc is the main leads. I really cried a lot.
Anyways moving on, in terms of the story, there were a few number of illogical stuffs in the story especially towards the end but all in all, I love it because
1. They resolve some issues or cases first. I never get tired of this because I find that it's the best way to build the relationship of the leads
2. Iirc they can easily solve misunderstanding. Like they won't take 5 eps just for that misunderstanding that it becomes annoying.
2. Love is very pure. Different types of love can be seen throughout e.g. selfish love, selfless love, silent love chuchu
I also like sad dramas (but not watch consecutively) because they have more impact.
For the female lead, idk but her face looks weird. Like she's pretty nmn but the face shape looks wrong. Acting not as good as ML.

Just advice if you don't like sad dramas, dont watch it.

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Completed
Eclipse
18 people found this review helpful
Aug 15, 2016
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
TL:DR It's a good DRAMA movie, but it's not a thriller.

Just a little note that I watched it raw and I am not a fluent Korean speaker, so I may be wrong on certain occasions.

The things I loved:
- Character portrayal. I loved how this movie took its time to show what the characters thought of each other using actions and glances rather than just words. I believe that it creates a certain tension of the viewer thinking whether the characters mean what they do, or whether it is simple over analyzation. This gives credit to the amazing casts and storyline.
- The suspense. Yes I said that this is not a thriller, and I mean it, but there is some level of suspense (or tension) throughout the movie, and I credit the music for that. It's not your dramatic movie suspense but those everyday suspense that normal people feel because of human relations.

The things I didn't quite like:
- The trailer vs the movie. I came for a thriller movie and so I had certain expectations when I started watching. Therefore I am not going to lie. I was a bit disappointed when I watched it (but that added the element of surprise, which is always nice) Don't get me wrong though. I thoroughly enjoyed and was indulged in this movie.
- The last scene of the movie. No spoilers, I know. But when you finish watching, tell me that if I am wrong when I say that the crew/director kind of miss the point of something and maybe thought we didn't notice something. Idk, might just have been me.

Anyway, Choi Taejoon is in here and I love him, so this movie is borderline BOMB.

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Completed
Orange Marmalade
18 people found this review helpful
by Mitta
Jul 31, 2015
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This is one show that breaks almost all my ground rules of kdrama watching. As a self proclaimed old fashioned romance junkie, I tend to stay away from dramas or stories based on vampire, fantasy, time travel or paranormal themes.

Orange Marmalade embodies all of the above and some.

So how did I end up watching Orange Marmalade and stuck with it through to the end? Because there was enough intrigue to this madness and it was sufficient to keep me tuned in each week.

I was fascinated by the boldness (or some may say craziness) of the production team to take on a challenge that is such a departure from the normal formula of kdrama success. It is supposedly an adaptation of a popular webtoon but it is nothing like its predecessor. It is but a myriad of cliche tropes, creatively brave screenwriting, mix in some non conventional programming, good looking casts, and there you go - Voila! Orange Marmalade!

At first I was intrigued by the mini teasers which did a fantastic job of marketing the show. I was sold by the mystique of the elusive vampire girl and the puppy eyed, longing stares of Jae Min.

Yeo Jin Gu’s superb acting won me over in those few seconds. I am already a fan of CNBlue’s Lee Jong Hyun therefore having him as the second lead was a bonus.

Two episodes in, I was ecstatic! The Show exceeded my expectations. It started out really well in introducing the storyline depicting the struggles of the vampires trying to live incognito among humans; reminiscing of real life discrimination faced by many in our society today. And throw in a few light-hearted hilarious moments, I was sold! My reaction...Wow! They did that on prime time public television?

Episode 4 was the turning point for me. The pace was suddenly so fast it was like watching a completely different drama. Suddenly the Show introduced all kinds of loopholes, sub-plots and question marks. And then the big reveal - flashbacks to the Joseon era. At this point I was close to dropping the show but curiosity kept me reeled in.

It turned out I actually liked the Joseon episodes the best even though I was cringing when I first heard about it. I really enjoyed Shi Hoo’s story in the Joseon era. His character had more depth and layers than the other two leads. The bromance between Shi Hoo and Jae Min was cute and touching. The love story between Jae Min and Ma Ri was endearing but a tad ordinary and predictable. I actually felt more for Shi Hoo’s restraint love for Ma Ri. It was respectful but heart rending. The secondary characters were interesting and their stories closed the gaps in understanding the relationships of these characters in the present day.

I also enjoyed the story development surrounding the human-vampire conflict and how the pact was reached that carried to the modern era. I was mostly invested in Shi Hoo’s story though how the show dealt with him in the present day was a tad too convenient for my taste.

The chemistry between the second leads was excellent but in typical kdrama fashion it was a bit rushed in the end.

Overall, Orange Marmalade had its moments but lost a lot of fans from the misleading advertising, inconsistent storytelling/pacing and the modern to historical jumps. But I am glad it didn’t suck and it definitely wasn’t a complete waste of my time.

The music was catchy and melodic but to be honest the exact tunes have totally escaped me so it must not be that memorable.

Is it a rewatch? No, it is one of those unique shows that will certainly divide but even for the faithful, a rewatch is probably not likely.

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Completed
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy
18 people found this review helpful
Jul 24, 2025
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 2.5
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Why am i here?

From the casting i knew that they were gonna make us so disappointed. They can't even make yjh hair look good bro. He not looking like the handsome bish like they described in the manhwa or novel. Those hairstylists had one job even the cosplayers has done it perfectly. And the fact that they spend much more money to the casting more than the movie hurts. I don't care if the castings awful i just want the real adaptation of orv. The director just slapped the name and the title orv into the drama nothing more.
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Completed
Big Mouth
18 people found this review helpful
Sep 29, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Wannabe Smart Story

This is my first ever review in this site since I am awfully inactive here only when a series has really gathered my undivided interest that I am actually engaging in here. Also, this review should have been posted in the earlier days or so to say right after I’ve watched the finale but I decided to initially calm my disappointment down in order for me not to demonstrate excessive biaseness with my evaluation.

Almost two weeks have elapsed and my disappointment remains hovering around me thereby this sentiment has to be relieved into a long rant in the guise of an evaluation. Lol.

Here it goes...

The story presented a high potential marvelous series in its initial episodes. It was not only good and promising but it was everything you'll ask for a noir series therefore, I loved it to such degree and held it to high pedestal, which was a huge mistake for as the story advances and reached the second half of the series, it kicked off losing what it has promised to deliver.

My major dilemmas are: 1.) The writers spin the story around Big Mouse, who was introduced as a powerful, fearsome genius conman and a Gang Boss to whom none amongst the non-member of his organisation have seen nor could even distinguish his actual gender. 2.) They teased the viewers so much with Park Chang Ho's high possibility of being the real Big Mouse with how he was initially described as practically a dumb lawyer who's incompetent enough to win a case to becoming a dangerous and brilliant strategist in such a short amount of time. He transformed into a smart and cunning strategist that his enemies feared him. In addition, there's no precise background story provided for his character, which induced more viewers to assume. 3.) They threw in so many mysteries to be solved that I (we) assumed it to be so smart.

But it was all just a facade.

Second half of the series arrives and the direction of the story sets off changing into an eye-rolling-worthy anti-climactic revelations and occurrences. Then, the great and invincible Big Mouse was killed off almost immediately in such an easy peasy tactic that you begin to wonder if he's actually Big Mouse with how easy he was dealt with. On top of that, the then smart and cunning strategist inmate Park Chang Ho was reduced back to his unwinnable status who couldn't smartly conceive a cunning strategy to overcome Choi Do Ha. After which in the concluding episodes, he imitated the concept of Again My Life's finale plot where he rather settled on vying Mayoral against Choi Do Ha in which he predictably met his defeat.

After all the brilliant strategies he has mastermind behind bars I guess he exhausted his brilliant ideas as soon as he was vindicated that he even failed to think of devising his powerful organisation to his advantage. And as if it wasn't enough, he even chose the most unsatisfying fashion of making Choi Do Ha pay for all his preposterous evil deeds that cost his wife's precious existence.

Yes, I and several of the disappointed viewers were anticipating a brutal conclusion for Choi Do Ha. After all he's committed numerous acts of evilness that he didn't deserve that simple death.

Regrettably, there were characters and sub plots that were also introduced as the series comes to its end only for them to be abandoned devoid of relaying their useful purpose for the story. They were merely introduced for fillers which I would say is such an inferior manoeuvre for the conclusion of the story.

Majority of the characters here were vastly wasted, especially Hye Jin, Ju Hee and most of all, Mi Ho.

Hye Jin suffered and was dispatched for nothing.

Ju Hee was initially shown with high potential of having an impactful role but ended up just a mere wife who blindly loved her evil husband and only at the last minute was she useful but then her usefulness remained futile to finally nip his husband's evil doings in the bud.

Miho... the sacrificial lamb for this series. She's such a sacrificial wife, who did everything to support her husband and even walked into the lion's den in order to vindicate him. All of her actions were merely to lead to her demise to influence Chang Ho to carry on his Big Mouse identity to help the unprivileged.

Funny how all the female characters here were mostly done dirty. I am rolling my eyes! Lol

Oh, special mention for another wasted with high useful potential character: Jerry. The writers wrapped too much mystery around him only to make him a mere sidekick.

Honestly, the mystery surrounding Big Mouse is what majorly carried this series and after he was revealed the exhilarating mystery died down and everything commenced on deteriorating. Such a devastatingly wasted potential of what could have been a terrific noir series only to end in a terrible fashion.

This series should be watched without using your head and just simply absorb everything as it is because once you kick off analysing every mystery that the writers will throw, your expectation will escalate to which will cost you only with great disappointment in the finale.

In conclusion, the entirety of the plot is frustratingly plain but it was veiled in the mystery surrounding Big Mouse and its plainness was unsheathed when Big Mouse was finally identified and until the series ended.

Final words: Big Mouse was an ambitious series that attempted to be smart but failed miserably.



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Completed
Mars
18 people found this review helpful
Dec 13, 2012
21 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
One thing I can say about Taiwanese dramas and I'm just going to put it out there, they tend to do romances better than Korean dramas. Sure, there are exceptions but the more that I watch, the more that I come to this conclusion. This was a GREAT story from start to finish!! 21 episodes and I was never bored!! It took us from the very start of a relationship, to the end. It shows the conflict, very well done as well as the happy times! The chemistry between the two leads, Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou, off the charts!! The protagonists were many but unlike Korean dramas, those story lines were not dragged out to the end, I hate that!! I especially liked how the secondary characters, Da Ye and Qing Mei were portrayed. We got to watch their story and relationship evolve and you can't help but love that too!! This drama deserves high ratings and the I will definitely be re-watching it and recommending it to my drama buddies!! If you want a really, well-done romance to watch, this is it! Guarantee!!

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Completed
Good Partner
18 people found this review helpful
Jul 12, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

Here for Nam Ji Hyun & man she is back as an attorney.

I wasn't very keen on watching a legal drama since it takes a detour from the genres of dramas I have been watching lately, but since Nam Ji Hyun is here and she has very few dramas, I had to watch this one. I am so glad that I did.

This is the first time I have seen Jang Na Ra in anything but she is good. I like the current dynamics between the two, they are certainly going to be fun to watch.

Ep 1: The first case, the husband and wife needed to get an divorce, what a jerk. Not only did he continued to have affairs but he refused to let the wife go. He drove that woman crazy, not that she wasn't a little crazy to begin with.

Ep 2: Whoa the cases are something, the second one was even more of rollercoaster than the first one and the way it was handled was ingenious. Although I do feel sad for the kids who lost their father. In the beginning it seemed like the adulterer were winning but thankfully one of them is going to loose. I just hated the cheater and his smug smile. He did not care about his wife or even feel any remorse.

Ep 3: The parallels between the case and Cha Eun Kyung life were so on point. I wonder how cheaters have the audacity to always pin the blame on their partner. They weren't attentive enough, so instead of cheating you could have had conversations or therapy. If that did not seem like a solution a divorce prior to getting together with someone else!

Ep 4: It is only episode 4 and I am so done with the lack of accountability on the part of the cheaters and their affair partners. It is absurd that when called out they are the ones who feel they have been wronged. They don't offer any apologies instead claim that their spouse was at fault. Eck...... (I have been using this word a little too much, but there are people like that)

Ep 5. When are the cheaters going to get their comeuppance? I would have understood them growing apart and even wanting to divorce, nothing wrong with that. But trying to frame a partner who has been loyal to you is kinda low. Doing that just to make themselves feel better for cheating. The person he cheated with is kinda trash. She has an inferiority complex and wants to take it out on the Cha Eun Kyung. The poor kid is gonna suffer because the dad was the only parent that looked after her all the while. Had he not cheated or even been a little remorseful, it would have made sense to give him the custody based on that alone. Since his wife was busy with work, he thought cheating was the solution. Having another family behind her back was the solution. Yes that will solve all the issues in your marriage and make you all one happy family.

Ep 6: Okay that ending was a boss move in terms of dealing with someone so shameless. Give her want she wanted and then take it away. Ingenious. Now, coming to the dad part of it, Kim Ji Sang is a good father and if it is one or the other I hope he gets the custody with Cha Eun Kyung getting visiting rights, because that seems like how they have been living. The only worry I have is the influence Choi Sa Ra will have on the poor baby because she isn't that keen on taking in the child.

Ep 7: Okay, it looks like Cha Eun Kyung is gonna come around and probably settle with Kim Ji Sang. Shared custody hopefully with condition that she doesn't neglect her daughter so much. Coming to what's happening between Choi Sa Ra and Kim Ji Sang, I was surprised. I thought that Ji Sang was gonna actually marry but what can you say just desserts.

Ep 8 & 9: I am never one to blame an affair partner when the partner is the one who cheated and had made a commitment. However, it is hard to find any redeeming qualities where Choi Sa Ra is concerned. Ji Sang is not going to win any nice guy competitions as well, he was all ready to abandon Choi Sa Ra and their baby. It takes two to tango my friend, you gotta reap what you sow. Here's to hoping that he'll think things over and be as decent a parent to the baby as he was to his daughter. My heart breaks for the little Kim Jae Hee who had to make such a tough decision.

Ep 10 & Ep 11: I am glad that they worked it out for Kim Jae Hee's sake. The apology for cheating was long time coming, a child had to explain it to him that what he did was wrong. Even though Sa Ra didn't seem like a good person, what happened with her was sad. I keep feeling that we haven't seen the last of her.

Ep 12 & Ep 13: The new case is terrifying. That guy has so many anger issues and he takes it out on people who are physically weaker than him. Not only does no one reprimand him but instead they sweep it all under a rug, enabling his need to abuse people. That poor woman predicted her own murder she was so sure because she knew no one was going to help her. What as sad fate. I wish this wasn't a short series but a longer drama. maybe they'll give us a second season. Each episode is so interesting to watch.

Ep 14 to Ep 16: By ep 15, it felt like the events had already reached the end. Ep 15 had an interesting case just showing us why there's a need of third party to resolve things because when tempers run high people stop caring about each other but are more concerned about their own feelings. I am glad that the couple parted on good terms since they both wanted different things in life. I did feel like we got less moments between Han Yu Ri & Jeon Eun Ho. They were cute together. At least, they'll work it out with each other. The last few episodes were a bit tame compared to the rest of the drama, but I'm glad that I watched it.

I do feel like it would have been more interesting with more episodes and cases.

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Completed
Love the Way You Are
18 people found this review helpful
Jan 27, 2020
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

Refreshing story with really so many messages????

This drama is really new...with new set of characters and occupation and connections . I like the acting and overall romance is balanced . The true meaning of love can be seen. No matter however the appearance is love will never change ...and then more about ambitious ppl how they lack the emotional connections(like i do.lol) . So u can learn alot from this drama...spclly that typical.kentality that girls do all the.household..like i think.here it is a twist where she says make my food.i.will be home...and its so sweet.
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Completed
Handsome Stewardess
18 people found this review helpful
May 22, 2021
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

maybe not the rep you're looking for

I was very excited for another GL but in the end was left disappointed.

I'll start by saying, the acting was good, and I especially loved Huang Pei Jia - I've watched her before and I love seeing her play strong characters. However a few being particularly good at acting doesn't change the writing.

Here's the first big thing I didn't like, and I don't think it's spoilery to warn people about it: I didn't like the drag queen/trans jokes in ep 1 and 3. Even if we think that there are cultural differences, those types of jokes were transphobic and I didn't like seeing other gay people use them. And also the fact that they made the chairwoman of the KK Fashion Group out to be bisexual, and on the heels of that had her saying that love is free and she doesn't have to be loyal to her 2 other boyfriends and doesn't care if she's cheating or if Holly cheats on Meng Lian with her....... that type of writing just encourages biphobic tropes. Despite being an LGBT+ series it seems the writer still has some prejudices that came through too often in the drama the way they talked about members of the community.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE:

The plot was fine, but nothing special. Meng Lian and Holly get together after knowing each other for only an evening, and Holly impulsively quits her job and follows Meng Lian to Singapore. Early on we get a couple talks about the differences in LGBT+ rights in Taiwan vs Singapore, the denial of cross border marriages or foreigners participating in pride parades (where even if you're from Hong Kong you can't go to the Singapore pride parade), etc, which I thought was good to include since it shone a light on the LGBT+ community in these areas. Holly becomes a stewardess which also opens up a discussion of workplace harassment of the staff, primarily women (but we see it also happening to the men once). However when Holly switches to a man's uniform she's suddenly alright flirting with all the women on the flight who were previously harassing the men - despite having a girlfriend I might add.

The topic of harassment and objectification continues, but Holly's behaviour towards the women fliers, who she is mutually flirting with, obviously bothers Meng Lian and Holly doesn't notice or care. She actually flaunts it in front of Meng Lian, saying she enjoys being a part of women's fantasies. She also begins to lie and deflect about who she's spending time with and doesn't even seem to notice she's leaving Meng Lian out of her life, or that lack of honesty isn't good for a relationship. Her explanation when she was caught was literally just "look at your reaction I knew you'd react like this so I lied". She doesn't even pay attention to Meng Lian, and doesn't take the hint about her birthday, and isn't present for Meng Lian to talk about her concerns regarding the MMA competition. (The fact that Chuan remembered Meng Lian's birthday while Holly THE GF not only didn't remember but went on a flight to Europe the same day and didn't even realize why there was cake in the house). The only time they do talk, Holly dismisses Meng Lian's desire for stability and shouts at her calling her weak. Meng Lian gets upset at Holly yelling put downs at her and lashes out, accidentally hitting Holly. Not to excuse Meng Lian, but that time really did read like a reflexive thing from her training and not purposeful abuse, but I still do really hate that they added in this element where a partner gets hit (and it seems to try and make Meng Lian out to be the bad guy despite like... everything else). Basically after this the plot keeps rolling showing us they're on entirely different paths and Meng Lian doesn't want to be with Holly anymore.

Meng Lian's own plot didn't shift dramatically with or without Holly: she's an athlete fighting the stay in the game despite a sexist society telling her not to go for it, and an injury that prompts her to change sports. Her side of things doesn't feel as well developed, and I wish we got to see more of her conflict since she's a lesbian in Singapore, not feeling comfortable coming out to her parents and feels like she's risking stability being openly out in society in general. A lot of her decisions are motivated by growing up in such an environment, but the plot doesn't get into it properly. It seems more like they use Holly to be dunk on Singapore like "you're so stiff here you're so behind us i'm going to rail against all of this" because she grew up in Taiwan - it isn't helpful to Meng Lian's plot to just criticize her and not empathize with the environment she lives in. I also wish we got to see more of Chuan and the other gym members around Meng Lian, I liked them a lot but they weren't given a lot of time at all compared to Holly's coworkers.

Straight up, I didn't like the relationship between Holly and Meng Lian. They seemed like different people who want different things who got together without knowing the other. To me, the plot didn't give us any reason to care about their relationship - we barely even got time where they were together! They were always apart. The drama seemed to keep driving home that they had different wants and needs. Neither are entirely wrong in their pursuits, but they do seem incompatible - mostly because they don't talk about these things as a couple at all and find a way to understand the other or compromise. Holly is carefree and loves to challenge society, which distresses Meng Lian, and Meng Lian likes stability and people who are down to earth, which frustrated Holly who thinks she's being weak for not taking more risks.

Even by the end, Holly should just let Meng Lian go, but continues to chase her despite, honestly, being the one who messed it all up. What they both need in a relationship seems to be very different, and Meng Lian concludes this and goes forward alone by the end, but Holly won't let go and we see her repeat what she did at the beginning and go after Meng Lian.

I do appreciate the ending that didn't try to fix everything and let them separate - even though it's shown Holly keeps going after her. Not all relationships work out, and for this one I saw nothing that convinced me they were good for each other. I actually was rooting for Chuan, who seemed more compatible with Meng Lian, despite the limited screentime/development the drama offered all the side characters.

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Completed
The Heavenly Idol
61 people found this review helpful
by ryoato
Feb 17, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 5.5
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

the dumbest kdrama I have ever watched

I’ve anticipated this drama since I heard Kim Min Gue would be playing the male lead. So far this drama is very funny and I’m enjoying it.

The fish out of water story can either go right or wrong for me. And with the approach being more of a comedy than anything else I’m really enjoying that. I need a good feel good drama that isn’t taking itself too seriously and with the first two episodes it does that. This drama isn’t anything too spectacular, not saying it can’t though.

The thing I don’t like is the female leads character Kim Dal. She is kind of a sasaeng with the following of this male idol. I don’t really buy into the romance if there is one between the two. It’s sort of hinted but I don’t think I’d like it and it wouldn’t make sense since this guy is completely different than the idol she’s been well.. idolizing. Hopefully she’s more of a helper than a lover. This guy so far is the least interested in the world he’s put in so I really hope they don’t get together like that.
The whole backstory of her character is iffy for me.. hopefully they don’t make it offensive but there is only so much I can say. I don’t buy into the whole idea of a romance forming, that makes this show more dumb. I don’t like how she hinders his success by telling him what to do, it’s her image of the perfect idol. Instead I wish the show would do more of the fish out of water, but in all honesty I think that mind wear itself thin. I like the content of him going about idol life but doing it in his own unaware way. Kim Dal sucks the fun out of that, and overall sucks the fun from this drama. That’s how it is for me at least.

I haven’t read the webtoon so this is coming from that sort of perspective.

Kim Min Gue does a really good job with his role(s). The concept of him being some heavenly figure being put into the real world is working now because of the reactions of other people. It’s hilarious this guy Rembrary working his way around not only being a guy in the real world but an idol that is expected to be someone he just isn’t. I like his nonchalant attitude and how he doesn’t at all know the concept of the idol and also many things about the human world. And that’s the most interesting part for me. So if this drama keeps up with these funny scenarios I’d really like it all the way through.

The whole plot is so out there so I wish that the writing went all the way with that. Sometimes it takes itself too seriously and that’s when I start to get really bored. I REALLY don’t want a romance from this drama with the two leads but I guess I’m expecting it. The plot with the devil is so boring. Shows can be engaging in all parts of it, this show isn’t engaging with its subplots. I want more of the idol doing promotions, etc. and the reactions of other characters to that. I don’t need devil plot being shown as much as it is because I don’t understand it nor care because I do not understand it. It’s one dimensional villian and I’m not watching this show for that much cheap tension. I’m watching because of the over the top plot.. maybe I should watch Welcome to Waikiki instead ..

Let me emphasize. That if the plot is stupid, at least be funny. It is a funny show without the whole ‘other world’ plot. The female lead kills the fun, it’s just getting old after each episode with her draining and draining.

The whole plot threads about self hate and suicide or so wrongly interpreted. Especially when you have the ‘devil’ giving a character depression.. the representation there is used as a plot device and I find it offensive how it’s done. I hate the Rizzle sub plot, I hate the devil sun plot, I hate the other world sub plot, the cult, I only like the idol fun happy things going on because that’s why I started the show in the first place. The mental illnesses aren’t treated like that
, they are to move the plot along and are cheap ways to try and get sympathy.

Down to the whole idol life it gets dull. The interesting one was the singing competition and after that it became unbelievably unrealistic yet so cheap and unoriginal. Especially the awards show, there was hardly any build up and it just seemed to happen all at once.

I’m really impressed by the other idol characters and the writing there with them. The dorm life scenes are fun and his members also play off this new character really well. I can put myself in their perspective because the writing is done with me knowing that they all were a group with the real Woo Yeon Woo.

Each episode takes more and more years off my life. This drama is just plain stupid. I can’t :(

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