Reviews

No. Just no.

I should have know this was going to be a disaster after seeing the trailer and the intro episode. I honestly don’t really like anything about this show. Not the plot (it wasn't really interesting), not the execution, not the acting, not the OST… it was all very bland and mediocre. The cinematography isn’t the worst I have seen, but the lighting and certain shots are done very strangely. The comedic sounds were horrible and didn’t really blend in.

Dino & Rak: Dino looks too old to be in university and most of his “seniors” look like they are ten years younger than him. As a character, he was very straightforward but also in a slightly creepy way. I didn’t like how pushy he was at times, but also super closed off and not ready to share anything with Rak. Rak is… well Rak. There is nothing about him that stands out, he is soft and innocent. And that is his whole personality. There was some chemistry between the two actors, but it didn’t translate well most of the time. I knew Pepper (Dino) from before and I must admit I didn’t really enjoy his acting in this series. As for Kong (Rak), it felt like he had one, maybe two, expressions throughout the series. His crying was not believable, and the adorable-yet-dumb look that he wore the rest of the time was annoying.

I really wanted to give this series a chance, hoping I would at least like some of the side characters. I know that there are three more couples in the Buddy Line Y Animal storyline, so I thought at least one of them might interest me to watch its future series. Yeah, this was my one and only try at it because the rest of the characters were very meh as well.

I honestly ended up skipping a lot of the scenes, mostly because it got boring and kind of repetitive very quickly. I don’t fully understand what they were trying to do by dragging this series out into 10 parts when the storyline could be done in a much better-rounded way in less episodes. It would probably be less boring too.

I dropped this on ep 7, mostly because I couldn’t force myself to watch any more of it. Even with skipping big chunks of it. It just wasn’t an enjoyable watch.

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I am repeatedly asking myself what planet the script writers are from. While the series isn’t awful. The senselessness and immaturity of the female lead is crazy. Her friend is even worse. There’s nothing more annoying than watching an adult pout and cry like a kid over something small, like seriously, your favorite cookie is gone but it’s too petty to cry over. Her friend also seemed so wishy washy it became as irritating as a rash to watch her. The relationship between the leads was so so but their behavior was even more so so. My goodness, it was so frustrating to watch at times but because I was to far into it I didn’t want to just drop it. The rationale of the cast was supremely unnatural. An example: I dated you for years, you deceived me and cheated me but I’ll still date you even though I know. The situations were realistic as in, it could happen but the reactions were just inhuman. No one and I mean no one would just let things go just like these people did. One minute someone is angry and not talking, the next minute they’re smiling as if nothing happened. I’m looking like “how did this happen”.
Karma was absent for 90% of this series. Romance decided not to show up at all and social reasoning and common sense responses/reactions was often napping while filming.
Again I wouldn’t recommend this to a mature person, it would be appalling and ridiculous to them. If you can stomach clingy females, ridiculous reasoning, wishy washy people and whinny bits you’ll like it, however for me this was a big No no.

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Drama is so good

Oh my goodness, this drama is so good! 🥺😭🤍
Daily dose of sunshine is my new favorite drama! Even though Daeun's first day is already stressful it was a heartwarming drama. I found myself getting quite attached to the characters from the psychiatric ward because they had their own personalities nurses, physicians, guardians, and patients.

I enjoyed how each episode's narration and the patient's perspective on mental illness were portrayed. It was also entertaining to watch the love line between Go Yoon-da-eun and Yoo Chan-da-eun Yeo Hwan-deul-le!

One of the best of the recent Netflix originals!!! ♥️

Mental illness is an unpredictable illness that can strike anyone, anywhere, at any. I'm thinking a lot about this line.

**

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bodyguard, mafia, cohabitation, BDSM, he’s a monster but he’s my monster

Adapted from a Y-novel and with real rough beginnings in terms of switching production houses, funding, and distribution which showed in a shaky point of view, weak script, and poorly distributed of couple weight and pacing. By about 3 episodes in I just got pissed off at this show, it was largely inconsistent in all ways which I think is all production issues. It should have been better. It should at least have been as good as everyone else seemed to think.

However at 50% car porn 50% actual porn I was game. (That said I got no chemistry from KimChay - I think it was a BIG mistake to switch out Gameplay, and had real issues with several of KinnPorsche’s sex scenes.) The fight sequences were excellent and Kinn’s eyebrows are like seriously aggressive caterpillars - I was half afraid they’re going to strike out on their own, take up the rainbow flag and join the march in Not Me. There’s also a lot of Fighter-inspired shirts (Why R U?) in this show. I suppose mafia DOES have a long tradition of chest forward narrative.

VegasPete were in one drama; KimChay were in another; KinnPorsche were in each of those randomly but then sometimes in their own extremely slapstick cheese-fest alt-reality + Tankhun. There were clearly 2 directors with 2 distinct and conflicting points of view, who apparently never had a single conversation with each other. Was this show good? Nope. Was it absorbing as fuck? Sure. Was it well acted, absolutely. Were the sex scenes great? Yes. We the fight scenes awesome? Actually yeah (special props to Jeff for the hand-to-hand stuff). Did I enjoy the kinky bits? Certainly. But all that said: the VegasPete universe of KP was the only universe I really enjoyed and would like to revisit, and I only got that 1/5 of the time. Mathematics is working against this one, for me personally. So I guess I, at least, am still waiting for the perfect mafia BL. I think it might be up to Japan at this juncture. As a result of fan fervor meets my own hearty indifference, I don’t really know how to judge this show but I have to go with my heart, and KP didn’t win it. No full review, enough people have weighed in on this one, you don’t need my thoughts too.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

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bananakim (first review)is trash and false so here is the real info...

"The Wanted Detective" is a captivating Chinese crime drama that blends mystery, action, and emotional depth into an enthralling viewing experience. From the very first episode, the show grips you with its clever storytelling, well-written characters, and a refreshing take on the classic detective genre.

The story revolves around a detective who is not only solving crimes but is also a fugitive himself. This duality makes for a highly engaging narrative. As he solves each case, he is also running from the law, hiding secrets, and trying to uncover a larger conspiracy tied to his own mysterious past. The pacing is tight, with each episode ending on a hook that keeps you coming back for more. The drama does an excellent job balancing episodic crime-solving with an overarching storyline that grows darker and more personal as it unfolds.

What sets "The Wanted Detective" apart is its character development. The lead actor delivers a powerful performance, portraying a man torn between justice and survival. He’s flawed, complex, and entirely human. You can’t help but root for him even when he makes questionable choices. The supporting cast is equally strong. Each character, from the determined police officers chasing him to the civilians caught in the crossfire, is given layers of personality and motivation.

Visually, the series is polished. The cinematography is sharp and atmospheric, often using shadow and lighting to enhance the suspense. Action scenes are well-choreographed without being over-the-top, lending a sense of realism to the drama. The urban setting, often gritty and moody, fits the tone perfectly and helps ground the story in a believable world.

One of the show's biggest strengths is how it explores moral gray areas. It poses important questions: What does it mean to do the right thing? Can a person be both a hero and a criminal? The detective’s journey forces viewers to think beyond black and white justice. It’s this psychological and emotional depth that keeps the show from being just another procedural.

The writing deserves praise too. Dialogue is tight, and each case is thoughtfully constructed. Clues are cleverly planted, and the reveals are satisfying without feeling forced. The show also avoids dragging its plot with unnecessary filler, making every scene feel purposeful.

Another standout element is the soundtrack. The music heightens the tension at just the right moments and adds emotional weight during character-driven scenes. It complements the story without overshadowing it.

In conclusion, "The Wanted Detective" is an excellent Chinese drama that offers much more than standard crime-solving. It’s a mix of thriller, mystery, and emotional storytelling done right. With strong performances, a gripping plot, and thought-provoking themes, this drama is definitely worth watching. Whether you’re a fan of detective stories or just looking for a compelling drama with depth and excitement, "The Wanted Detective" will not disappoint.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Messed-up plot. Try to to be clever but fail. Too many loopholes all over the place.

(Review In Progress
-- done watching, in-progress reviewing, and after that still needs some edit.
-- sorry, it takes me some time as this such a headache.)

[+] This series is like an experimental work. After finishing, I highly admire the team that they really put a great effort in creating this drama. It's a complex story. The messageS they want to convey are difficult, thus meaningful. And the way to convey it isn't simply about plot writing. This series especially need the collaboration between the plot creating and filming/editing processes. So it's not only the story that is complex, the process for the aimed result is also a hard work here. I feel thankful they made this done. With this work of theirs, they challenge the new level of quality series in all aspects from creating to conveying processes.

[-] Anyway, they try too hard to be clever. In the end, there're still too many loopholes both in the main plot and sub-plots. To find a positive excuse for this, I'd blame the time constraint. The time limitation especially affects the writer. I feel that the writer only has solid ideas on the main things she wants to make happen, but she lacks the ideas to logically connect two or more dots, resulting in a messy resolvement that relies on cheating the audience.

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Two main cheating ways of this series that are unaccepatable for me are:-

1) They indulgedly create many conditions in the story on their own without caring the universal laws. These conditions are not the kind of reasonable conditions that would serve them right if they had a unique universe of their own story. These conditions are just to serve their own conveninece in resolving the conflicts the easy way because they can't think of how to resolve it properly without cheating. Let me give an example,

- The conflict is A wants to kill B who is a criminal treated at a hospital, but B is protected by two polices standing guard at the patient door at all time.

- Resolution of this series to let A kill B is to let C who is another police says via the walkie talkie that there's some incident happening near the hospital area and he needs some support at the moment. On hearing that, the two polices both left their position immediately. They shouldn't leave their post in the first place, but when they do, they do it so naturally like it's the way the world normally is as they don't even need to disccuss or hesistate a bit before setting off running away.

The above is just one example. There're A LOT along the way. The plot needs media to be stupid, needs people to be stupid, needs doctors to be able to do things that normally they are not able to. All of these for the sake of connecting the solid point A to point B. Remember what I mentioned above? They only have the solid ideas on main points while have no idea of how to connect them.

Their self-indulgement frustrates me a lot. They look down on the audience like me.

~~~~~

2) Because they can't find the proper way to solve their conflicts, they trick the audience by manipulating the scenes. The plot is mean to deceive the audience at first, so that they can make a surprise twist later. The proper way to do it is to give the same set of information to the audience as to the investigative storyline (= the storyline of solving the conflicts). An improper way to do it is to hide some parts of the information that the storyline knows from the audience. This series make a worse thing by manipulating the information. In some crucial scenes that would become the surprised twists later, they film it in 2 different ways - one is the way that actually happens, the other is the way they want the audience to believe happening. Then, they firstly show the audience the wrong occurrence to mislead the viewers. And later, when they reveal the twist, they show the other occurrence. This is cheating. You don't have skills to make things right. You want to be wise, but if you cheat it doesn't shows that you're wise anymore. It shows that you're just pretentious.

As unskilled as you are, you still need to learn a lot more to not anger the audience this way. Find a place to learn? Go read more works of Dan Brown and Agatha Christie!

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More rants:

(1) Story [-]

- Too many loopholes

- Like ep.1-2 pretty much

- Ep.3 starts to have loopholes in the details.

- Ep.4-5 have too many unrealistic parts esp. about media, human behaviors in society, and decision-making relating to social impact. These surreal parts are essential for story development. If there's none of these, the story wouldn't go on the way it is written, which means the production team is not smart enough to make a proper investigative story without constructing some special conditions that would help them make the story progress easier. What a convenient way to solve a question that outwits them, right? They do it by making a condition that says whatever they say is true. Anyway, in the end, this just portrays that everything in the story is pretentious.

- Ep.8, 10 - more so-called loopholes - the self-conditioned parts that help the story to progress along the way they want.
[[ spoiled note: 8-the surveillance officers / 10-the physical call instead of phone call; the criminal didn't have father at first but now has?? huh; the criminal's mother supposed to give birth after Yohan's mother in the early ep but now she did it before for 6-7 yrs?? ]]

- Ep.14
1) Why the TV producer takes that guy in her car?? -_-
2) How that kid gets to that man's house?? << It's like everyone is a character in an RPG game doing things without motive, no situation progresses in a logical process. It's like these characters and situations happening around them are programmed in a game.

Ep.15
1) Conveniently skip the memory about chasing on the road scene?
2) Suddenly the older police who usually fails to observe the details about everything notices the very subtle details of a victim. How convenient, the writer makes everyone change in a wink, makes any situation to occurs or changes from before like magic.
3) I also don't forget the alibi of everyone in the 1st case and waiting for you to properly explain, writer!

Ep.17 - The new paint on the wall can be removed by tissue paper??!!

- This story shows that polices are generally stupid. The supervisors would choose their subordinates to make an important decision instead of them while the subs are not clever enough.

- The media in this story breaks the law and their ethics all the time. It's the circle that there're only people who think about their own benefits. They dare to publicly take advantage of the situations even when there are other people's lives at stake. And no one at all blames the media. Nor does the media get sued. Very weird society.

- The story shows the people of Korea are stupid, always ready to be pulled to the left then dragged to the right without the ability to think on their own. They believe whatever words from TV. The people/audience in this story is much stupider than those characters in the novel 1984.

- Let me yell at this series a bit:- The real media don't work like that. The real polices don't work like that, either. And the people of Korea or most of the places in the world are not like that. The production team of this drama is just an imposter pretending to know what social psychology is, pretending to know how journalists and polices work while they actually Know NOTHING. What they do is just spreading the wrong perceptions about everything.

p.s. Damn to this drama, where the hell in the world that a TV channel would intentionally live broadcast a crime as a criminal wants? Furthermore, two TV channels even argue/criticize/condemn each other on TV-live-broadcasting to make the situation benefit the criminal. The media here are very much stupid and very much immature. Nonsense. In reality, this kind of TV station would surely be heavily investigated by law and backfired by social pressure.

P.S.2 And the ER doctors don't work in patients' rooms! You don't know how doctors work, either. You -writer, director, producer of this series- truly Know Nothing.

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(2) Acting [~]

- The older police always overacts. The paradox is they mention about overacting represents the lack of understanding in the thing the overactor tries to depict (ep.7).

- The acting of the TV program's female producer is substandard. She doesn't know the way to show her character's expressions through her face. I don't feel that she feels what she acts. She just makes a subtly disturbed face, and continues to make it the whole time. There's only one kind of facial expression from her, which is the kind of expression that I don't feel that she feels it.

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(3) Script [-]

- Bad script. It's like the characters in the series are the RPG-game players. They walk around talking to witnesses, interviewing people in the RPG-game style that we have to stop and talk on the way to certain people to get more information to complete each mission. The conversations in that kind of interviewing/asking strangers in the series are blocked and unnatural - if we get to the right person, the convo would flow as well as directly get to the point, no small talk, no introduction. No matter how weird or rude the questions of the characters are to the strangers, those strangers answer along the way that the characters want to know without opposing. No matter how private the information they get asked, they don't feel it and are willingly answer them.

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No, forcing is not sexy.

Yes, my rating is quite low. And i'm verry sorry for those who appreciated this.
But as a person who was in a kinda abuse relationship, it was really really hard to watch. I ended watching all by skipping.

It was very promising. I just loved how Phayu and Rain met, I found this so romantic. Maybe the first scene of first episode was the best. However, it didn't last very long before Phayu tries to force Rain into sex, then treatening him and blowing hot and cold. Some find this sexy, to me that's just how a narcisist works. But at least, Rain felt he had the choice, if we forget the first rape atempt, despite preassure ("I"ll mAke uU fAll In lOve").

We can't say the same for Sky, who was preassured to have sex with his cOol and rIch Prapai, then stalked everywhere despite not wanting to have a relationship yet. Just how can you force a younger guy to have sexe with you ? Is that how an elder should behave ? Characters may have changed later, I just can't accept even the healthier relationship when bases are so wrong. T

hat's a waste because that started not so bad, the idea of illegal racing was good... But basically, the message of this series is "Have money and you can force everything you can, you can rape and treatening for sex". I know that happens in reality, but at least Thai dramas last years tried to work on people understanding that being gay doesn't equal being easy and always saying yes. But this drama just destroys all this work that was made.

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

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

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

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

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

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Great casting for Lee Joongi

Personally, the drama really exceeded my expectations. I know some people dislike the styling as compared to Season 1, but honestly the Season 2 styling being more logical during that age. As much as I think SJK suit Saya more in terms of visual but Lee Joongi did better job as matured characters. In fact, at some point I think Lee Joongi's acting is more what I expected Eunseom/Saya to be after 8years. And Lee Joongi never disappoint when it comes to action scenes.

The only cons of the drama so far, the filter they're using and casting SSK as Tanya. She's pretty, won't even doubt that but her acting really hard to watch. She did great in Run On but I guess as an actress, her acting capabilities are limited to only certain role.

P/s: Can I get Lee Joongi and Kim Okvin in action drama next? I would love to see it..

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Great cast, horrible story

Watched it at TIFF 50 last night!

Interesting concept, but horrible execution. Cinematography was pretty, opening scene was promising.

Aside from that, everything else, mainly story was lacklustre. It moved scene to scene with no clear character motivation. A character was introduced half way through the movie and somehow played a major role in the characters motivations when there was not set up. Characters were 2 dimensional and cartoonish in their writing. Lot of aura farming without much aura. Character writing overall didn’t make sense and you couldn’t really understand why each character was doing what they were doing.

Music was okay, did its job but at times was too in your face. The sad moments felt forced because immediately there would be sad piano playing, didn’t have room to breath.

Overall, I wish the writing was better, the two actress’ in the leads were promising, but I wish it was a better movie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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