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Not my cup of tea
This show did not work for me. First off, the mother, Young Soon is abusive. She was abusive when Kang Ho was a child and she was abusive after he became a disabled adult. The show puts in a lot of work to get you to sympathize with Young Soon. They even pull the terminal illness card to gain extra sympathy. Which was unnecessary in my mind. They show us why Young Soon was the way she was and the way she acts towards Kang Ho is understandable but just because I understand the why, it doesn't make her abuse okay. At some point she realizes she was a bad mother to Kang Ho and yet she continues to abuse him at every chance. Kang Ho becomes paralyzed and she abuses him multiple times over to get him to speed up his rehabilitation. She repeatedly abuses him and the show makes it seem like all this abuse is okay because Kang Ho needs to recover quickly so he can be okay on his own. So she abuses him out of desperation but again that doesn't make it okay. What about taking accountability? What about the Young Soon owning up to being abusive? What about the her using othe methods that don't involve abuse? Young Soon abuses Kang Ho at every opportunity but I guess it's okay because the end justifies the means. After all her abusive tactics have gotten her son to become a prosecutor and they've gotten him a speedy recovery, and he's not traumatized any of it. I have no problem with Young Soon being redeemed I just felt like she never did any of the heavy lifting it would take to realistically repair the mother-son relationship.On top of that, and these are just my own personal feelings but the show felt very ablelist to me. Lots of characters went around calling Kang Ho a fool and an idiot. Young Soon acted like Kang Ho needed to learn how to walk right now, right this instant because how could he live if he stayed in his chair and she wasn't around? There were several implications that Kang Ho being disabled was the mom's punishment. The harmfulness to imply that someone who was once able bodied becoming disabled was a punishment for someone else's behavior, or punishment at all for that matter was not it for me.
I skipped over the villagers because I didn't find them funny or useful, though admittedly they were kind of funny in the last two eps.
Despite the amount of things I didn't like, the show was okay. I can understand why others enjoyed it. I personally continued to watch to for the acting and some of the interactions. I enjoyed Mi Joo as a character and I enjoyed her and Kang Ho's relationship. I also loved the twins. They were so adorable and I love their scenes with Kang Ho. I was just disappointed that what I thought would have been a pivotal moment happened offscreen.
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Artistically stunning with hidden meanings :)
I don’t write many reviews. I’ve only ever written one before and it was for The Glory. But this stunning drama deserves one, especially as I am upset at some of the comments and reviews made so far.I am in England, and currently we are having a pretty intense storm so I am home and had free reign over the tv. I had saw this on my Netflix recommendations, so decided given its nine episodes that this would be my treat for the day (alongside wine and chocolate obviously ;)
This drama is stunning. Visually, directionally and its gorgeous writing. The main characters are endearing and free spirited. I resonated to Doona through mental struggles and her cold approach to relationships.
Key to the series here is that Doona is outwardly cold, but inwards she is warm hearted and yearns for love and approval. This needs to be remembered as you go through the series, every decision she makes you need to remember that inwardly she feels so much profound pain. She also loves Wonjun more than anything in the world. But she needs approval, and her career is the only thing that can satiate that need.
Your twenties is a period of change and growth. Ebbs and flows are normal - reviews upset about the ending are not looking deep enough.
Here’s something you may not of noticed. In the last few episodes - After the opening credits, at the beginning. There is a clip, which is very interesting in response to the ‘open’ ending. In the last episode, the clip is Doona and Wonjun meeting in a field of flowers. *look* at the outfits! Wonjun is wearing the suit and coat that he is wearing in the last scenes. When he is smiling at cake, glances at jewellery. Before walking in the hotel, and Doona turns round. Clearly she calls for him, or they are already in some kind of situationship.
The opening credit scene shows after this ‘open’ ending, they do meet and I believe the intention is to be together and make it work.
Because all these years later they are ready for eachother. They have the approval they needed from the world all those years ago. Now they are ready for it from eachother. Early on in the series, Doona says that her personal life and career would calm down after a few years. In 2027, that has happened and she can love freely the person she loves.
Gorgeous hidden meanings and direction. The director is a genius, look at CLOY. People shouldn’t write this drama off, be upset if you were initially- go back and re watch looking at the depth and meaning of words.
It’s beautiful and has enriched me for the better.
I hope it enriches you as well.
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WHY?!?! It could have been better.
I am so annoyed with the ending, I don't understand this. There are SO many loose ends, I would have been okay with them not ending together but the execution and the plot just did not make sense. First of all, why did she have that picture of her that yijin was supposed to have? Why did she marry someone and have a long distance relationship with them when that's the reason she broke up with yijin? They didn't show her happy and have that "It's okay, we don't end up with our first loves as someone else out there is the one for us" ending but was just like "We don't end up with our first loves, whatever."AHHHHH i am infuriated rn, I'm gonna be mad at this for a while
Even scarlet heart was better than this.
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As for the main characters themselves, right off the bat, we are shown that both our male and female leads are flawed. Now that is fine, because we all love to see how their characters would develop and how they could possibly fix their past mistakes. But the writer was so good into turning the viewers’ feelings of “neutral” to “dislike” up until you’re seething with anger and hatred towards the characters that you’re supposed to sympathise with and like. Our precious main characters are quite the selfish people and their fated love prevails everything else to the point that they were cheating on their respective partners. I’ve never quite watched a drama where the writer romanticises cheating to follow one’s heart and not feeling guilt whatsoever for one’s wrongs. Anyway, since the point of the story seemed to be a better relationship between the main characters, the last few episodes would not disappoint you.
But despite such a mess of a drama, the actors did very well to portray the sort of characters that the writer had given them. I especially appreciate the acting from Park Hee Bon (Cha Joo Eun) and Oh Eui Sik (Oh Sang Sik) as I enjoyed their characters’ addition to the drama. Their portrayal of a married couple, I found, was more enjoyable than our main characters’ love story. If you are a fan of Han Jimin or Jisung, I’d say, you’ll appreciate their acting as always, but I hope that their characters here would not make you like them any less.
If there is anything that I loved from this drama, it’s the OST. The songs fit so well with the overall vibe and every time I hear the songs playing, it would sometimes make me forget that the drama has such a messy story. Even if you, who might be reading this now, was planning to watch this drama and decided that maybe you’re not going to watch it after all, at least give the OST a listen. I recommend Roy Kim’s “No Longer Mine.” Likewise, N.Flying’s “Let Me Show You” and SF9’s “Love Me Again” were good songs. Both groups did so well with the OST.
In the end, I wouldn’t recommend this drama and I would not watch it again. The drama has redeeming qualities here and there, but despite that, this story hasn’t completely won me over. I know that there are others who enjoyed this drama so don’t let all the negative things that I’ve mentioned here stop you if you really were keen to watch it. At the end of the day, this is just my opinion amongst many others and perhaps I’ve just failed to see all the positive things about the drama that could possibly outweigh the negatives.
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A show where judges masquerade as police officers
I am not exactly sure what genre this drama is supposed to be. Legal? Police procedural? Thriller? And in all honesty, I don't think the showrunners know either. This drama tries to be all of the above yet succeeds at none. The "police procedural" parts of the show are horribly unrealistic and do nothing but to detract from the main theme of the drama. "Judges are not supposed to get involved in prosecution or investigation!!!!" are words that have been yelled by 2 senior presiding judges yet main character (Sim Eun Seok) still throws caution to the wind and go on with her own investigations. Despite this, the evidence she obtained through her illicit investigations are still admissible in court! Like what??? I'm not a lawyer, but I sure as hell don't think JUDGES would get their hands dirty or even have the TIME to conduct investigations themselves. And I mean if the judges are gonna do the investigations, why do we even need the damn police? This is too ridiculous. But wait, the icing on the cake is in the last episode. In the last episode, she waltzes right into a baddie's hideout which for some reason, isn't locked and doesn't even have a DOOR to prevent entry. Surprisingly (or not) she gets ambushed and only escapes by the skin of her teeth. Injured and seriously bleeding, she gets into a taxi and makes her way speedily to guess where? HER FKIN OFFICE. I literally laughed out loud. Like ok, the show has consistently portrayed her as an obsessive workaholic (more on her character later) but this is just too far beyond the realm of realism. Not to mention all the evidence in the baddie's hideout was also nicely displayed for the authorities to collect. Just absurd. Parts of the dialogue also sounded like they were right out of a PSA on the social system of Korea, with characters literally rambling on the differences between a social care home and a facility. I get that viewers need some context on Korea's social welfare system but what?! NOBODY speaks like that in real life, unless they are narrating for a documentary. "Show, not tell" is a really apt saying that this show should have heeded.Unrealistic parts aside, I also felt that this show had a lot of unrealized potential. There was commentary on social issues like income inequality, nepotism, lack of funding/resources for social welfare programmes etc but they were all skin deep and didn't do much to explore the issues further. For example, many cases centered on kids from disadvantaged backgrounds committing crimes. Judge Sim comes into court, makes a few holier than thou comments like how circumstances push the kids to commit crimes but at the end of the day, the kids make the decision to commit crimes themselves. The end. Next case. They could have done more with the material by portraying kids from bad backgrounds committing crimes VS kids from good backgrounds committing crimes (nature vs nurture) OR even gone deeper into Judge Cha's story of being a reformed teenaged delinquent but oh well.
This brings me to the next point of the characters. Judge Sim is extremely unlikeable to begin with, and even when her tragic backstory is revealed (they always have tragic backstories don't they?) she is still unsympathetic. She is extremely self-righteous, curt, cold and seemingly devoid of empathy whatsoever except towards the victims. Her stunning lack of empathy was on full display when she confronted her boss about his alleged corruption in the freaking HOSPITAL where his son was warded after an attempted suicide. Yes, as judges, one has to be upright and honest but dude?? Time and place man. Her self-righteousness also spills over to how she treats the defendants and even her colleague Judge Cha who is forced to capitulate to her every demand. Judge Cha is the typical "nice guy" who believes in treating kids with respect and believing in them, but Judge Sim constantly steamrolls his every opinion. In their conversations, Judge Sim goes on long tirades about how she detests juvenile delinquents and do not believe they would be rehabilitated, that they need to feel the full force of the law... leaving poor Judge Cha quaking and unable to resist as she is his senior. The show validates this strangely, going out of their way to portray the juvenile delinquents as unrepentant, lying scums of the earth who should be locked up for good since they'll just end up as adult criminals anyway. Makes me wonder if the writer had a grudge against juvenile delinquents or something.
Overall, this show is fairly entertaining but don't go in expecting to be educated on Korea's juvenile court system. The acting is decent, with the teenaged actors stealing the spotlight. Kim Hye Soo was decent as Judge Sim, though she wasn't able to show off her range as her character was mostly cold and reserved. Watch only if you can ignore the unrealistic parts and if you do not mind a show with an unlikeable main character.
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San The 100 year Old VIRGIN
No really, knowledge was chasing some of these characters but they were faster, cuz the heroes didn’t even bring a knife to a gun fight, they brought a flashy projector with bad batteries, which immediately died. LIKE??? WHY, CHILDREN, WHY? LMAO.This had some of the most cartoonish dramas scenes I’d ever seen, and I loved every moment of it. That being said, I swear the comedy made some of the characters seem like they had the combined IQ of that one coyote from looney tunes.
Also, tell me who the real Ms Wad is. No I don’t want to live in the present and learn a lesson. I am nosy, I WANT TO KNOW!! Which reminds me, was Wee on a Treadmill while he was trying to get to San in that dream sequence or am I tripping?
Sskskssksn, San being horny on main was gold. Mfer might die tomorrow, but he wanted to spend the night eating. I get it, after being a virgin for 100 years and pulling a stud like Wee, I too will totally ignore my dead date. His horny arse even said, ‘you can just lie there’ LOL, is that a kink I'm hearing? Huuhhh??.
Anyway. Listen, Century of Love is what you get when you give Daffy Duck artistic rights, cuz this was a chaotic funny ride. No, no, hear me out. *check notes*
1. The big bad villain showed up to the final battle in his bathrobe!! And he spend most of it, fighting his side-kick. LIKE??? LOL, settle this when you go home? why is yous all gonna fight now? And the funny part was, he kept shooting people in the back and in the leg, making sure he didn't hit anything vital. And of course, he immediately die and I was like... nahhhh...this is like sad and stuff mr...whatever your name was. He was so one-dimensional I can barely even remember his face. Oh, well, he dead though, so...stuff.
2. San giving Ms Wad the stone. QUE??? I was confusion that whole exchange, dafug you mean she deserves the stone cuz you didn’t chose her? that's not how it works? It made no sense, other than bringing drama—which, yes, I ate up. But damn, great-great grandfather done lost his marbles with that decision. Cuz why?? Out of guilt? And he knew he’d die without it, so then what’s the point of him choosing Wee if he doesn’t even get to be with him? make it make sense!
3. San, oh San. Mfer put on a hoodie, catwalk to the enemy's garage, saw that Suchat is a stupid head, then proceeded to tell the wheel chair villain exactly how to defeat him. LIKE?? The whole time he was talking I was like: Child, child! Will you keep quiet?? What surprised me the most though, is that after the villain heard all that, he just ignored it. He put his hands on his eyes and went, ‘la la la la, nothing to hear here! Nope, not me, I’m hearless!’
4. The minions throwing their guns away and grabbing machetes so they could match San. LIKE??? BROTHERS, BROTHERS, did we come here today for playing??? What nonsense was that? Not gonna lie though, that whole cartoonish fighting and with San doing his fancy arse poses had me rolling with laughter. It was very entertaining.
5. Wee, believing it took two days for his gun wounds and scars to disappear. Come on son, don’t shame your cool auntie. She did not raise you to be this dense and have the IQ of a potato. It took him literally a century to put two and two together. I hope they don't let him work the cash register at work, cuz---good thing he married an old rich guy.
6. Tao, throwing all his calculation out of the window the moment someone with the same face as Ms Wad showed up. Then why you bother with all that mumbo jumbo rituals? Then in the finale, he talking about it doesn't matter who it is. Boy if you don't harsh your face. I liked him though, he made me laugh in a lot of places, especially when he found out San's junk had basically been out of service for a 100 years.
7. I’m not even gonna comment on the Goddess. I aint trying get my arse strike by thunder or nothing--nope, not today! But like, why all the drama? Homegirl was so dramatic. Thunder here, rain there, nightmares in the corner, Wee on that treadmill, then stare at the camera for a little bit. Like, girl, I get it, someone grind your colourful stone and drank it, but damn girl, chill? Please?
No but this show had me rolling. That fight scene between them in episode 8-9 made me choke on my popcorn with laughter. HAHAHA, that exchange scene was so unserious, comedy gold, I found myself laughing instead of fearing for them.
CHARACTERS
Whom ever casted this drama deserves a pizza slice and like half a can of soda, cuz they ate with this. The chemistry between DaouOffroad was chemistrying and the support characters were supporting. I liked all the characters even Ms Wad and Third. Yes, I even liked Dr. Second Lead.
I loved DaouOffroad in Love In Translation, watched it while waiting on new episodes of this. (Side note. The moment I saw Daou in that drama I went, OMG YOUS HAVE HAIR?? SINCE WHEN?) LOL, but lowkey every time Wee left his job, I kept expecting Yang to show up and go ‘Phumjai get back to work!’ Also like, am I the only one surprised that Wee didn't get fired? Does he even work at that store, or does he just show up to move stuff around and go back home?
Anyway, I love Wee and San together. They made me laugh and cry. And like Chu, I was their supporter since day one. I love San in his old grandpa outfit just acting like a dinosaur and being effortlessly funny, while Wee was all sunshine and rainbows although his situation was so sad.
One thing I didn't like though about San was when he was being an annoying Coward, trying to pimp Vee to Third like a half eaten sandwich. Like were you hit in the head with a coconut? in what world is you quietly dying in a corner without even saying goodbye good? Boy must have left his brain in the past under that basket, cuz he was talking nonsense in that scene. I was ready to fight like, 'No, shut up, you two need each other! Go to him child.' Thank the goddess Third had enough brain cells to spare and brought Wee to him.
One thing I loved about Wee was when he was like, dude you don’t tell me what to do, if I want to date the reincarnation of the guy who killed me, I’ll do. Eff your concern I like dying. No, but I really liked how he formed his own opinion and didn’t get persuaded. Most bl characters would have made like postage stamp and stayed where they were when San warned them.
Now how in the hell did San become a great-great grandfather if he’s a 100 year old virgin? Like, his thing didn't even work when we met him. It was just decoration, collecting dust until Wee arrived. So howw??
And LOL, one slow motion shag and San is out there erasing Ms Wads existence with Wee’s. Damn, virgin’s am I rightttt? Also why were they so happy telling everyone and their mommy about their slow motion deed? San's better than me though, cuz, after a 100 years, I'd have tore Wee's cloth off with my teeth and toes.
Anywho, the casting of San’s family was perfect. I loved their reaction to things, especially the old man. They were all a fun bunch. And usually I don’t vibe with loud nosy characters like Chu, but I didn’t mind it in this one, cuz she added color to Sans personality whenever they were in a scene together. And, I love, love, love her tops *chefs kiss* beautiful.
Ms Wad showing up on a random Tuesday to ruin everything made me roll my eyes. Of course she’s gonna show up, we can’t have peace in this house. Also, there’s been too many females popping up in bls lately, imma need them all to find the exit, having an infestation in this economy is not good for my health.
That being said, I hated Ms Wad when she showed up that Tuesday, but after she kicked Suchat’s in that alley, I clapped. Girl thank you! That dude just vexes me! Also she's the real MVP of this show, girl just wanted to make paper and she made it her whole personality. In the finale when she asked to be paid, I yelled, 'Yes girl, I love you!' no, she needs her own show in the same universe where she scam people for money.
And that Third fella, the moment he showed up, I was like ‘Who is the jo with the jojo?’ Out there talking about ‘I liked you since our school days but waited too long’ Then keep waiting. Literally every time he tried to stake some claim I was like ‘Master, master, master, go sit somewhere.’ and then mfer went and said ‘If you break his heart, I’ll take him from you.’ Take him and go where?? Where is you going to him? Wee just rejected your sorry arse because he's in love with a 100 year old virgin who is in love with a ghost.
How the eff do drama guys think they can just take away the love-interest? I remember in Love Mechanic (Vee Sucks, goddamn air breather) that one random boxer with the personality of a brick wall, threatening to take Mark away if Vee didn’t threat him right. Bish where you gonna take him, huh? He literally can’t stand your peeping arse, where the eff you think you gonna take him??? Like, is that supposed to be romantic? Arrgggg.
Oof, but in the end, I came to like Third. Even understood it when he punched San. And I like how when he understand Wee's feelings for San, he supported them, and became a friend. Sucked though that he had to watch them be all lovey dovey, but that's on him for still staying in the same city after that rejection. I'd have moved countries. Mars couldn't have been far enough.
Anyway, Suchat just effing sucks, and I was glad he and his giant hair died. Won't even bother writing about him, y'all know he deserves to purchase real estate on the sun... so...
With all that being said, yes, the acting in this was good, the cast did not take their acting lessons from a block of cheese. Little San was such a good actor, really, he embodied his grown up aura so well. That child is going places in the industry. Side note: isn’t it weird Wee never asked about the kid once he moved in? Like did he think he’s in his room this whole time or what?
Plot
I liked it. The moment I read the summary, I knew I wanted to watch it. Also the comedy in this was on point, it made me giggle where I was supposed to, so kudos. The only bl I’ve find myself rewatching over and over is Cutie Pie, but I can see myself returning to this in the future to watch that funny exchange scene again.
The plot wasn’t without flaws. Yes, the villains had no depth and were so cartoonish, and the heroes made some bad decisions among other things, but it was entertaining enough that it wasn’t a glaring issue, which is all one can ask for nowadays in a bl show.
Episode 9 had me bawling my eyes off, so much, because you see, I watched this and episode 9 of Meet You At The Blossoms back to back, literally, why did I put myself through that???
I wasn’t ready for this show to end, so I went into the finale already sad. During the goodbyes, I went to pour myself some wine just in case it doesn't end well. The way I clapped when Ms Wad saved the day. I thought it was going to be a sad ending, and I would have accepted it, but this would have been a review of me cussing the writers and their ancestors, so here's another slice of pizza writers, thanks for the happy ending.
All in all, it was an entertaining show, even with its flaws. There was chaos, laughter, tears and arrggg moments, and I enjoyed it all. I highly recommend. It’s going straight to my list of best bls this year along side, Unknown and My Stand-In.
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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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When natural acting meets right casting
Jimmy & Sea .....these two names are enough for me to watch this series. After the huge success of ' Last Twilight ' they are back again with an amazing series.Honestly the plotline is completely different. The way Sea portrayed In's character wow . Jimmy is always different, another green flag character from him.
There is literally no boring scene . Each episode is full of laughing, crying, teasing, bickering etc etc .
The music is in a word WOW . I really want to kiss that person's hands who created & wrote this amazing ART .
Should I talk about visuals ? Definitely yes . Jimmy in this new hairstyle, is extremely handsome & about Sea , he is one of the prettiest/ handsome man I ever saw . When he smiles, we also automatically smile with him . His smile has some magic right ?
Give this drama a try , I know you will not regret.
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Of Gentle Feelings and True Affection: A Tale to Delight the Heart and Enchant the Feelings
I must confess myself entirely governed by the inclinations of the heart when it comes to the subject of Korean dramas. Should a tale so enchant me — if it cause me to sigh with longing, to champion the felicity of the characters, to loathe the villains with untempered zeal, and to yearn most fervently for a romance of tenderness and charm — then, most assuredly, such a drama shall secure a cherished corner in my affections. I am not, by nature, of analytical disposition; I do not dissect performances nor assess the finer points of production. It is the whole, the sentiment, the essence that captivates me. And if the principal romance should stir the gentler parts of my soul, then I confess — my heart is quite entirely won over, without the least hope of recovery.Head Over Heels ensnared my sensibilities within mere moments of its first episode. I found in Park Seongah a creature of such innocence and ingenuousness, that I could not help but see a portion of myself reflected in her gentle manner. Nay, I envied her. I longed — ardently — to one day know an affection such as hers, kindled in but a single glance at Bae Gyeonuh. Her love was so sincere, so untainted, that I was transported into a reverie, dreaming sweetly of their union.
To witness the blossoming of his regard for her — steadfast, unwavering, and, in time, surpassing even hers in depth — was a source of endless delight. Perhaps it is the influence of my upbringing, steeped as it was in the romantic ideals of fairytales, where noble princes strove valiantly for the happiness of their beloveds, that rendered Gyeonuh’s devotion so very affecting. His every action bespoke his desire to shield Seongah, to ensure her welfare, and I was wholly under the spell of his quiet heroism from the very beginning.
I felt no grievance that the narrative did not extend to the resolution of his familial entanglements. Indeed, I am of the opinion that such individuals were unworthy of his presence, and their exclusion from the tale’s conclusion caused me no dissatisfaction.
The love shared by those two souls awakened in me a longing to one day experience an affection so earnest, so guileless — and, perchance, equally returned.
I have secured the entire drama for my private enjoyment, to preserve it for those occasions when I shall seek the comfort of nostalgia, and to feel once more the delightful tumult of emotions that their romance so exquisitely inspired.
For me, this drama deserves a resounding ten out of ten, for it is no ordinary story that may stir one’s heart to such heights, as did the tender and whimsical love between Seongah and Gyeonuh.
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Words cannot describe
With one episode left I decided to finally leave a review which I don’t make many of unless I feel very strongly about something.The way I am so emotionally attached to these characters and this show is insane. I have not skipped a week since it started airing and that says a lot because I am a very forgetful person but week after week this show has been on my mind and I have probably rewatched it 5x .
First of the acting is just amazing Nanon and Ohm are absolutely fantastic at what they do and my heart aches every single time with them. Their chemistry is seriously insane and I can’t help but cheer them on every episode. I truly wish I can see them together in something else again but if they leave just this masterpiece I am not complaining.
Although the storyline enemies to lovers is pretty cliche and over used but if it’s done right it came be so beautiful and Bad Buddy does an absolutely perfect job at this.
The directing is Straight to the point but with amazing flow that doesn’t feel like something is missing or there should be a gap filled somewhere. Let alone the music !! It’s so catchy?! PLEASE ?! I BE SINGING NANON’s SONG ALL DAY !!
I don’t want to bore anyone with more details but if you are going “hmm maybe I should watch this later” lemme just tell you, you’re gonna regret it later. WATCH NOW! ITS WORTH IT 100% GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK
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The masterpiece that failed to stick the landing.
I feel like I can speak for many people when I say that after the last half hour or so of the last episode, this drama went from a 10 to an 8 to me. The ending is going to be what makes or breaks the drama for a lot of people, so that's my focus with this review.Before that, I want to take a moment to commend the show on everything that it did right. The first 19 episodes were fresh, new and exciting, with an amazing supporting cast and one of the best FL I've ever seen in a k-drama. Of course, the FL was playing a male character, at least partially, so that perhaps could have influenced the writing for the character to be different from the average FL. There's a lot of messy business in there that I don't think I'm qualified to talk about, so I'll just say that the actress did a phenomenal job playing BH's character and I enjoyed her performance immensely. The leads had great chemistry, the humour was on point, and for those first 19 episodes, the only thing that didn't quite keep my attention was the politics which, unlike the fresh take on everything else that the drama had going for it, remained as stale and predictable as any other Joseon drama.
Then the ending happened. Then BH returned to the present, SY seamlessly took his place as queen, and they made an attempt at happily ever after. And that's where the drama lost its spark for me. There are a lot of nuances in the relationship between SY and BH, and sorting through it makes the ending really difficult to argue with. It's made clear that BH is being influenced by SY's feelings for CJ. It's SY's love for the king that causes BH to be drawn to him, so using that logic, it makes perfect sense that SY would stay with the king in the end. Even knowing that I'm left unsatisfied. Over 19 hours of this drama were spent watching BH and CJ interact and a lot of the interactions that stand out most to me were conversations they had that SY never could have had - their constant back-and-forth over BH's slang terminology and the moral conduct that he carried out while in SY's place are some of the best examples. BH's cooking knowledge, as well, is what helped the king get through the festival. SY would not have been able to do so because she lacks BH's experience. And that's just it--the king was charmed by him, by BH's quirks and strange behaviour. Without BH carrying their relationship on his back, SY would not have gotten her happy ending even if it was her who woke up after falling into the lake.
So what we're left with is a main character who does all of the work and gets booted back to his time so that the girl whose body he's been possessing takes all the credit. And I know I should have expected as much - I DID expect as much, right from the moment the drama started - but that doesn't make it any less sour. We've seen this done before, and despite a few years having passed since the last one that I recall, having two male characters in love on a major network, even when one has practically fused with the queen, isn't going to slide. I get it, I understand.
What really got me, though, was how little BH seemed to matter after returning to his time. Despite being the entire focus of the last 19 episodes, when he returns to his body he's only given a few brief scenes that serve entirely to explain the plot that's going on in Joseon. The characters of the past got some fluff scenes, some cute, happy moments, but his screen time was just: wake up-->run away-->find out what happened to CJ-->find out he's in the clear now-->smile while talking about his newfound morality. On the surface, it seems fine. But the more I think about it, the more it doesn't sit well. He spent months with those characters and whether influenced by SY or not, he fell for the king. Then, instead of showing any bittersweet emotions, he just moves on. At least it looks like he moves on. We aren't really given any time to see him process it all. This is the character we followed from the start but he became a side piece in his own story in the last episode, and that's sad to me.
I did like the ending. Well, the other aspects of it. I like the punishment for the antagonists, I like the happy little moments with the side characters and, as always, Court Lady Choi is a blessing. So really, I don't think it's bad writing that left me feeling this way but bad choices. So while I wanted to give it a 7.5 because of how disappointed I was, I did take a moment to look back at the other 19 episodes and all the joy they brought me. Even if the destination is less than desired, the journey was a breath of fresh air for historical dramas. It was like nothing before it and every moment until now was funny and exciting with amazing actors and a music score that perfectly suited the mood. I can't deny that, and I'm still happy to have watched it. I won't punish the whole show for one episode.
But to me, this ending is bittersweet. Seeing BH smile and cry while looking at the king's portrait and knowing that the king feels that something is missing after BH's disappearance, never knowing who BH was or where he really came from and never fully believing the stories that he heard, it's sad. If not to the writers then at least to me, they were in love and this was their story. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
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A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
*Bogotá: City of the Lost* is a crime drama starring Song Joong-ki, but despite an interesting story, it doesn’t fully deliver. The film follows Kook-hee, a young Korean man who moves to Bogotá and gets involved in the city’s black market. It promises action and suspense but feels slow at times, with too much talking and not enough excitement.One good thing about the movie is its setting - Bogotá looks gritty and realistic, making you feel like you’re really there. Song Joong-ki does a great job acting, but the story doesn’t give enough attention to other characters, making them feel unimportant. The action scenes are also not very thrilling, which is disappointing for a crime movie.
Overall, the movie has some good moments, but it doesn’t live up to expectations. If you’re a big fan of Song Joong-ki, you might enjoy it, but if you’re looking for an intense crime thriller, this one might not be for you.
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The overall story is about two people who encountered hardship in their youth uniting to establish their own sense of love, justice and peace. I am so thrilled that the leads were both charming and smart. There were no senseless games or fights just pure witty and authentic commitment, love and determination.
I would put this series up there with ten miles of peach blossoms and the lengend of fuyao. No cliffhangers, just clean and clear and amazing ending.
Hats off to the young female actress who played “Rong’er” she has some skills. I’ll definitely look for her in future films.
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