1addictive yet tragic
First of all this series is tragic and not like most fluffy romcom bls with the usual story that actually gets much more attention , this is DARK romance with manioulation and suffering , red flags that occupy your mind by loving them and thinking about them inside the show and outside of the show .this is the best bl in my opnion despite the hate that it gets because of omegaverse plot , yet this series is the reason many manhwa and novel readers started watching a bl .
this series is my obsession and it will take time for me to move on after it ends but my love for the actors will be forever .
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Its absolutely trash
this is something that disrespectes both the novel & the fans of the original work. Its so bad like it could've been actually been good but they just kept f it up. Changed & butchered the story sm to point i just wanna forget this exist. Read the novel or the manhwa. please dont waste your time watching this.Was this review helpful to you?
Dark Humor
This is a dark comedy movie. Despite winning the Oscar with 4 awards, I can't say I like it. The acting is fine, so are many other movies. This movie depicts the great divide between the haves, and the don't haves. It also shows how easy it is to forge any documents in today's digital world. And how the unscrupulous can cheat their way out in a world that demands paper qualifications.I have to admit I do enjoy watching how the family of four get themselves out of their predicament living in a squalid condition to live in a multi million dollar home. But as the story unfolds, I sense more stormy waters ahead. As expected, the story takes on a dark turn, becomes psychopathic and murderous.
My verdict? This is not my cup of tea. As much as I'd love to have an Asian movie to receive the Oscar, I really can't say this is it.
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A Captivating Drama That Envelopes Hearts and Minds
This riveting drama exudes a remarkable warmth that envelops its viewers, transcending age barriers and igniting a heartfelt connection within each individual. DJ stands as the epitome of an ideal partner, possessing qualities that every person craves in their life—a beacon of unwavering support and genuine compassion. Meanwhile, SZ embodies the essence of our long-lost inner child, evoking memories of innocent infatuations and profound love. The overall portrayal of first love in this captivating masterpiece is remarkably soothing, offering solace and tranquility seldom found in the realm of entertainment. It is a rare gem that has bestowed upon me a profound sense of serenity, eliminating any apprehension about its conclusion. A must watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Solid Antihero Thriller, give it a try
first of all this is way better binged so you who haven't watched it yet are lucky ones however,in my opinion no matter how far i stayed away from this it kept maintaining the level of good and thrill that it had, it always had me so emotional it's a good one .. for me to stick around for more than a couple of months, and with such a long wait and bad airing schedule and i watch the first ep as soon as it aired and kept on going but it was all worth it in my opinion .. i was so invested in the story and ep 12 killed me ...
so i highly encourage you to watch it if you're a fan of the antihero tope and if you like unpredictable thrillers ... of course there is stuff you will predict but like I think this one was a drama that wasn't like one of those dramas that were safe ... like each eps is packed with some " nothing ever going according to plan " elements which i really liked when I'm watching a thriller not to mention good acting .. (except one thing that went down that i'm heartbroken about )
and regarding the ending in my opinion this was a good ending tbh i like the fact they somewhat gave us a vage ending it made much more sense because had they actually tried to wrap it up i wouldn't believe it .. they did not have enough time to answer all our questions so it was smart of them to finish it off the way they did .. which also leaves a possibility for a season 2 which i will gladly watch ( if ever ) beecaauseee the show was so good
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Quality Beyond Compare
Simply put, its everything and more. Its a well written, fast paced plot full of twists and turns. There is always something unexpected to keep you on your toes and yet it manages an emotional connect. The characters are real, multi dimensional and conflicted. The performances by the main and supporting cast are great enough to convey these beautifully. Every frame is beautiful- kudos to the camera and cinematography team. The music is all original ans captures the mood perfectly.Last but not the least Faye Peraya delivers. Be it the production, story or acting. The quality, effort and attention to detail says a lot for the calibre of the woman. She is talented. The soft emotional scenes, the action, struggle and sauve cool stuff. The actress delivers and leaves you enthralled.
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The story is simple and cliché: two very intelligent war mastermind adversaries, one a general, nicknamed the God of War, the other a female strategist. Pitting against one another they’re formidable opponents: mind versus matter, prediction versus adaptability. Together they’re unstoppable. That’s the reason everyone wants to keep them apart. It’s not that they’re weaker separately, but rather unbeatable together. Chu Bei Jie is the general of the kingdom of Jin, related to the king by blood. Bai Ping Ting is a childhood friend of the Prince He Xia, a sworn enemy of Chu Bei Jie. Chu Bei Jie and Bai Ping Ting fall in love but their love is an obstacle to the wishes of the king of Jin, the Royal Consort, the Chancellor and to He Xia. Through tick and conniving plots, Bei Jie and Ping Ting are separated. After years of turmoil in the land, they reunite again for their love towards one another to fight against He Xia and unite the land under one empire, bringing peace to the people and stability to the land they so dearly love. This is the story in a nutshell but the drama is so much more than that, is the sacrifices one makes for the loved ones, the sacrifices one makes for family, for country, for honour, the battles one faces not to conquer to dominate but to conquer to maintain peace and to fight for the ideals of a better world and at opposite ends for everything antagonistic to that. For that reason the story is a 10 out of 10 without another thought.
The main catalyst characters: Chu Bei Jie, Bai Ping Ting & He Xia
Chu Bei Jie performed by veteran Hong Kong actor Wallace Chung and embodies the personification of Mars, the mythological God of War in every sense. He’s strong, determined and wrecks havoc amongst those foolish enough to get in his way. He’s smart and a brilliant strategist, able to adapt to local circumstances like no other. He’s also fiercely loyal to his king and to the woman he loves, never doubting her, never losing faith in her. He’s also not afraid to show his emotions to her, to hold her, to comfort her, to cry in her presence. Wallace Chung performs Chu Bei Jin brilliantly. He is Chu Bei Jin. For a man in his early 40’s to perform Chu Bei Jin, a character that is over 10 years his junior, to perform the stunts that he performs in the drama with the agility of a man half his age is a feat not accomplished by many and Wallace Chung does it effortlessly.
Bai Ping Ting is performed by Chinese A-List Angelababy. She took time to get used to on screen. Initially it was a struggle to see Bai Ping Ting. She appeared to passive when the character is anything but. Every scene seemed to drag with Angelababy’s performance. Is not that she was bad, rather she wasn’t good either. She was just flat and continued to be flat. Her emotions were so utterly standardized it was hard to empathize with Bai Ping Ting, despite liking the character so much on paper. It seemed that she was despondent of life and just existed. It was sad to watch. However as the episodes moved on, her performance grew more convincing, perhaps due Wallace Chung and Sean Sun’s performances who elevated the drama and by consequence perhaps made her elevate her performance as well. Bai Ping Ting is a character with more spunk than what was portrayed but saying that Angelababy’s performance was nice to watch with Wallace Chung and Sean Sun.
He Xia is performed by Sean Sun and what a remarkable performance that was as well. He’s younger than Wallace Chung yet on screen their prowess’s are evenly matched. He Xia is despicable and vindictive and a pain in everyone’s side. He marries for power then when he loses the woman he didn’t know he loved is too late. He could’ve been happy but he chose to pursue vengeance and in the end vengeance took over him and he lost himself. Sean Sun is phenomenal performing He Xia. He’s unreadable. His face demonstrates nothing, his actions demonstrate everything.
The secondary characters: the King, the chancellor, the Queen Consort, the Princess, Lady 13…what is interesting about them is that their role in the drama doesn’t drag. Once their purpose is finished they no longer appear in the drama. Normally secondary characters tend to stay in a drama from beginning to end but here, they don’t which is different but good. Once they no longer contribute to the story, bye bye and another character appears to take their place with the exceptions of the King of Yin and Princess Bai Lan. Acting/Cast, I would give it a 7. Not all characters are convincing but that mishap I gladly overlooked as I really enjoyed the drama.
The OST is nice, it’s not outstanding but it’s nice and it matches the drama well. In a scale of 0 – 10, it’s a 6.
Re-watch value: 10 out of 10. I loved Chu Bei Jie, loved, loved, loved the character and Wallace Chung! Bai Ping Ting matched him in every way possible. They’re a couple made in drama heaven, the Ying and the Yang, complements! Their battles against one another were phenomenal and when they put their heads together to fight their enemies was amazing! The drama remained solid and consistent if, dragging at times but that didn't compromise the story, building up to the reunion which ought to be watched again and again and again!
Overall General and I is as perfect a drama as they get even with its imperfections and flaws. As everything in life is anything but perfect the drama is a pure example of it, a story that is utterly perfect despite how unperfect and challenging it was along the way!
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Even before this drama, I was a fan of Neo Hou but this cemented my opinion on him, that he isn’t just a pretty face but a great actor, too. He hit Wu Xie’s kind nature but also slight arrogance perfectly. I also came off this series a big fan of Cheng Yi which I didn’t expect at all. His aloof Zhang Qiling who always had the softest of looks for Wu Xie alone. And Zhang Boyu as Pangzi who finally threw all pretense of being in this for the money in the wind and just decided to stick around and be Wu Xie’s bodyguard because someone had to watch out of Mr. Naive…
Also, there was the maybe-maybe-not budding romance between Wu Xie and A Ning and unlike in the previous season, in this it pushed all my buttons. Because A Ning was so much harder than Wu Xie and also older yet she couldn’t help but grow so fond of him, despite herself. Wonderful.
Also #2, the whole current generation of the Nine Families, not just Wu Xie but also Xiao Hua, Xiu Xiu and the others! I loved that regardless of their parents’ or grandparents’ issues with each other, this generation stuck together and walked through fire together and they were all so very fond of each other.
And as much I’m not a fan of long flashback scenes, the one about Lt. Zhang in this drama was just wonderful. And heartbreaking. And spooky.
This series simply made me happy. I always looked forward to each and every new episode and the Iron Triangle’s mad adventures, underwater and in the hot jungle and in the snow covered mountains… Highly recommended, all thumbs up!
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The plot involves seeing the future in your dreams, which is not a new kdrama concept, but I liked the way it was executed here. The supernatural thriller aspect of this show was what kept me most interested. I was excited each week to see if the characters would be able to change their fate. There's also a lot of the plot that involves the characters' backstories, which I also very found interesting. It's not the most exciting or original thriller, but I was entertained. The writer, Park Hye-Ryun, wrote two dramas that I enjoyed with similar styles, "I Hear Your Voice" (one of my favorite villains) and "Pinocchio" (one of my favorite dramas). I think this one doesn't quite measure up in comparison, but in some ways it's kind of a hybrid of the two. "While You Were Sleeping" combines the law and reporting, asks similar questions about morality, and of course adds a supernatural twist in a way that is meant to seem totally plausible and realistic. The most obvious similarity, of course, is that it stars Lee Jong Suk. Maybe they were banking on recapturing past magic with all of these elements, but it still falls a little short.
Lee Jong Suk is fairly consistent. He's got this cool confident swag thing going on, without being too arrogant, and while being vulnerable enough to maintain his charm. In this role, however, he is supposed to come off as a little less cool, and it honestly didn't work. He still maintains his charm, but the lighthearted character he was going for still seemed too much like the character he usually plays, just in forced silly situations. I don't think fans of his will be disappointed, or that he does a bad job, it's just that something feels off with this character pretty early on. He of course is matched with Suzy, who I have been neutral about for a long time. She plays eccentric Hong Ju, the real center of this whole drama, but she went from being interesting to too predictable for me in this role. For a character who is supposed to be so headstrong and determined, she was still easily overshadowed by the guys. I honestly don't think she had a strong enough presence for this role. It also doesn't help that her chemistry with Jong Suk didn't quite work either. At first they were cute, really cute, but then they were pretty boring and forgettable. Both of their emotional scenes also felt really forced. She seems like an actress that relies on her costar's charm to make the chemistry really work, and since Jong Suk wasn't at his A game, that made her extra mediocre. So fans looking for a good rom com storyline will be pretty underwhelmed.
The rest of the cast is mostly great, especially Jung Hae In and Kim Won Hae. Hae In is a formidable second lead, if the romance portion wasn't so lacking, and really charming. I also love Won Hae's versatility, even though this role is more low key and emotional than I've seen him before, he is clearly a talented actor. Then there's the rest of the ensemble, especially the prosecutors and staff, who were all extremely entertaining, and added a lot to the story to hold my interest. Still, I have to say that I was disappointed by Lee Sang Yeob. He was good at playing arrogant, I will definitely give him that, but as a villain he was pretty boring. On paper his character is duplicitous, charming, and manipulative, but I felt like he was pretty one note in his portrayal. I'm a sucker for a good villain, so maybe I'm being extra hard on him, but I just wasn't impressed.
My rewatch value is obviously pretty low because my desire to even finish was pretty low. The plot is good enough, I think, to warrant a second viewing to see how the pieces fit. It may even be better to just binge watch so you don't have enough time in between to lose interest. I will also add the disclaimer that I was simultaneously watching other on air suspense/thriller dramas at the same time, and this started to pale in comparison, which didn't help.
The OST was pretty "meh" worthy for me. It fit the vibe of the story well, but I have no desire to hear any of these songs again. If I connected to this drama more I would probably like the OST more, but there are plenty of bad shows with soundtracks I love, so maybe not.
Overall, I'd say I'm disappointed based on the strong start, but not mad that I completed it. I would recommend too many other dramas before this one, especially since suspense is a common theme this season, but this isn't terrible, just not great. I wish more questions were answered at the end, instead of going for the standard ending, but I don't have any real major complaints. I would easily recommend this to fans of "I Hear your Voice" and "Pinocchio", with the disclaimer to lower your expectations, and expect some major deja vu.
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Alluring premiere, well executed plot, a badass female lead plus, an happy ending
I've watched many historical cdramas, but lady revenger returns from the fire is quite different. And why? Because most of the historical dramas I've completed picked up from episode 2 or more. But this drama captivated me right from the first episode. And that's not all, each episodes keeps getting better.I've only watched the first four episodes, and upon watching those episodes, there's only one thing I could say, which is 'this drama is interesting'.
Luo Ai lian 'the daughter of the luo family' changed her identity to shen dan qing 'the daughter of the shen family' with the help of shen zi shan in order to exact her revenge against those who tried to murder her. The plot itself is captivating!
I like to see a strong, decisive, and badass female lead, and this drama has all those.
Shen dan qing is indeed the lady revenger who returned from the fire. I love the way she isn't showing her stepmother, uncle, and evil sister 'luo shuang shuang' any mercy.
She's executing her plans of revenge quite well. Indeed, 'this is a well executed revenge drama'.
Next, I'd like to see whether xu cheng feng is going to help or hinder shen dan qing in her journey of revenge.
Just completed episode 9. This drama is indeed getting more interesting. Here I thought luo xue er was innocent, little did I know she's the devil incarnate. But it's a good thing that shen dan qing now knows that she has no allies in the luo family.
Updated
The ending was satisfying!! When I was watching episode 23, I thought it's going to be a sad ending. But it turned out unexpectedly great. Each character had their own difficulties and struggles.
Lady revenger returns from the fire is indeed a wonderful and must watch drama!
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I wanted to like this drama but…
Sadly this drama was a bore. I tried to finish it two times with months apart and the secind time I watched until episode 14 which was an improvement from episode 6 the first time. I have nothing against the actors or the premise of the story but somehow I had to force myself to continue watching and I found myself always avoiding the next episode by choosing other dramas like My Journey to You and Kunning Palace instead.It is well made and not particularly different from many other dramas but the characters never got me curious or engaged. I simply didn’t care if Li Lianhua found what he was looking for. I probably won’t try and watch the drama a third time. I didn’t hate it I just was bored.
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Relationships Don't End at the Credits
Story: 9.0I was a bit apprehensive about starting this drama because of how low the rating was when I first realized it was airing, but I forgot how harsh DramaList reviews tend to be for some reason~ I think the story is interesting, and there's some foreshadowing of Zo's reaction to Joke's plan, which made it a bit more suspenseful, but, overall, the story is a cute, straightforward tale with sprinkles of little issues here and there that the characters have faced and will have to face. It has a very big "Don't Judge What You Don't Know" vibe for several characters, specifically Nita, and there hasn't been any toxic women in this drama, so we automatically get an extra star for that lmao There are cute details in it (like Joke confessing his feelings to Zo in the SECOND episode in Chinese lol) that make it cute, but I don't think it's the most ground-breaking in terms of creativity, though I could definitely see this drama being a comfort show for many people. I will say that the second couple feels a lot like an after thought, so much so that I actually forgot to put them in this review at first, which is why I knocked a half star. They're cute, and they're relevant in certain parts, and I even love how they develop, but they still feel a bit more like background characters instead of a full blown main couple~ BONUS: most of the issues are solved in ONE EPISODE. Like, the characters TALK TO EACH OTHER. I fucking LOVE that shit lmaoo We stan healthy communication in this house~
EDIT AS OF 12th EPISODE: I will say that that final episode was a bit more rushed than I would've liked, and the problem in it involving Zo feels a bit thrown in, so I knocked another half star for that. It doesn't necessarily effect my overall feeling of the story, but it does feel like something worth mentioning here nonetheless~
WE INTERRUPT THIS REVIEW FOR A TANGENT: I'm not sure why most of the reviews are talking negatively about how "the show should've ended when they got together; I'm bored!" and "who cares about family issues!?" I want to just quickly throw in here that relationships don't end at the credits. Real relationships continue far past initially getting together, and I think that struggle isn't shown as much in BLs through Thailand as it should be (unless it's one of the main plot points). Of course, one reason could be the short episode count, but I love that about shows, so I'm not gonna complain too much~
This show, though, has managed to give us all of that without rushing, and too many people are too upset with it because they almost fetishize these relationships, and it's mildly infuriating to see such venom about such a cute show. Yes, there are problems, but aren't there always?
Anyway~
Acting/Cast: 10
This was my introduction to Joong (Joke) with someone other than Nine (Kitkat from 2Moons2), and the roll he plays here is such a stark difference from his role in 2Moons2 that I'm so impressed with him??? I knew he'd expand and do great things as an actor, but I think he might be one of my new favorites, and I love Ohm (Pat from Bad Buddy) and Nanon (Pran from Bad Buddy) so much that THAT in of itself should convince you to watch this~ I hadn't seen anything with Dunk (Zo) before, and he's also joining my boys up on the top. I mean, he does such a great job of playing a realistically insecure guy -- he's not over-the-top with it; just overthinks things a bit too much because he doesn't have confidence. Does he have Nanon's expressive eyes? Well, not entirely, but he's relatively new and does a great job for what this character needs. I've seen both JoongDunk dramas at this point, and I'm thoroughly in love with both of them~
The side characters are also great! They're actually relevant to the plotline instead of being simple comic relief, which is refreshing and nice and I love them, so be nice to them~
Music: 8.5
A bit harsh, but I've been so spoiled by Bad Buddy and 2together and even Not Me that I can't help itttt~ I base it purely on whether I add any songs to my playlist, and I haven't done that here yet~ I will say that the background music for the scenes of the show are well-done, though, and I didn't feel like it took me out of the storyline~
Rewatch Value: 10
Like I said, I think this show has the potential to be a comfort show to some people, myself included~ The problems are solved in a relatively healthy manner, the actors have great chemistry, and the storyline is linear without confusing detours.
Fun fact: I did, in fact, end up watching this cute little show several thousand times when I got sick lol
Overall: 9.5
This series is as straightforward as the synopsis says. It's got great actors, good chemistry, and a cute, easy plotline that might give you cavities in the same episode that it pinched your heart. JoongDunk are a relatively new couple in BL, but I hope they get as popular as OffGun or MaxTul or any of the OGs because they're so good, and they can only get better, you know? The side characters are nothing to scoff at. I've seen Louis (Pat, Zo's friend) and AJ (Kot, Zo's more reasonable friend lmao) in a few other dramas, and I love them to bits~
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Come to watch My Liberation Notes with high expectation and end up with great disappointment
With so many good reviews, I was anticipated this drama to be one of the best. First couple of episode look promising, characters were intriguing and storyline was interesting. However, then the drama started to drag and becoming boring. I end up skip all the middle episodes and watched the final couple of episodes and did not miss anything. None of the characters make me want to continue watching them. The endings were nothing special, you can kind of guess what would happen in the earlier episodes. If I am going to watch three siblings with dead end lives, then my life must be more pathetic than theirs since I am wasting my time watching theirs.Was this review helpful to you?
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Ended in a cliffhanger...
The elefant in the room with this series is the lip-syncing of the whole audio. For me it always felt out of place. They could not transfer all the emotions of a scene in a believable manner. Unexpectable the kissing was not good either.The finale was a bit of a bummer. We get a cliffhanger for a 2nd season and I always hate it, when they do that. Chances are good with all the support this series gained it will happen. But to wait for a year for the continuation of this story suxx.
Besides the couples and the girl, I also think the acting was lacking. They choose to implement silly moments in such a dark story and I'm not a fan of it. Production quality was top notch, besides the lip-syncing.
We get a story between a "soft" gangster boss and a "innocent" student who is the pride not only of his family but of the whole neighbourhood. It's quite clear from the beginning that the student is drawn to the gangster and it's typical BL cliché that the gangster boss has to struggle to accept his own feelings. So nothing new there and nothing which does justify all the hype about this series..
Overall it was good entertainment but for me it was not stellar. And to have to wait for another year for the conclusion (or again 9 episodes with a cliffhanger) pisses me off.
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