The journey of two brilliant enemies towards forgiveness, trust, peace and LOVE❣️❣️
This drama is not only bingeworthy and brilliant but also highly rewatchable. Its very hard for a drama to be both! Its going in my list of all time favorites.Plot -
The plot is your enemy families entering a truce via marriage alliance. So it involves two people highly suspicious of each other playing games to secure the position of their people. The male lead has an upper hand in this alliance in the beginning but the female lead is sharp enough to turn the tide many times. How they are able to preserve their loyalty and principles while moving forward to a new direction with their alliance is the most interesting part of the show that will have you DYING IN ANTICIPATION. To what extent will they side with each other ? How close will the new challenge end up making them? Will they be torn apart due to their duties? Who will outwit whom? Which allies will join them? This drama is an adrenaline adventure. Yet, it is beautifully paced to make it deep enough to leave you with some thought provoking LIFE LESSONS.
Humor -
The humor is an underrated and underappreciated part of the drama. They have done a brilliant 👏 job with balancing it with the political tension.
Romance -
Natural, slow paced, believable and magnetic 🧲 . Every smile, every touch, little act of kindness and development gives you butterflies 🦋 🦋 in the stomach. None of the characters have an "immediate" or unbelievable change of heart. None of them broke the consistency of their character during the romantic development phase which makes them the most detailed and well written main characters in cdramaland. You empathise with both and you end up rooting for both of them.
Acting and characters - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Both characters are quite mature . Its refreshing!
The Male lead has beautifully expressed the ruthlessness of a general, traumas of a son, cynicism and hatred of an enemy and tenderness of a lover.
The female lead is just a treat to watch. She's the water that exhausts the fire and the sea that is calming but has the ability to bring a hurricane. She plays a peacemaker and a strategist that has been sent to the husband TO STOP WAR or at least create circumstances to make sure that the war doesn't immediately break out. Its pretty obvious to the ML's clan but not many of his advisors hate her for it because her untimate goal is peace and prosperity of people. She's very responsible and rational minded with her goals.👸
The actress effortlessly played this intelligent woman but also SHOWED HER VULNERABILITY with much grace and brilliance. Sometimes, they make characters like her too perfect taking away their "human" nature and making them Gods. That isn't the case with this drama. She's imperfect and vulnerable at many times
Both sides have troublemakers and peacemakers.
The villains are so realistic that they will remind you of actual historical characters or people in your own life. A lot of them are grey as well and you are able to see things from their perspective.
The bonds between the ML and his brothers has a special place in my heart. The same goes for the "sister alliance" of the FL.
THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS THE LAST 4 EPISODES.. Hated the last 4 episodes.
All in all, its one of the most memorable dramas I have seen in my life if I exclude the last 4 episodes
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Ever bake cookies and forget to add sugar?
A bit of insight in to your author: although it may shock readers that writing reviews for MDL doesn't pay much (although the good vibes it provides are prodigious), the day job for your humble reviewer is running a cafe. Years ago, patrons complained that a batch of blueberry muffins were not so enjoyable. So the baker and this writer sampled one and, sure enough, it tasted like blue spotted cardboard. Or rather, it tasted like stale blue spotted cardboard. It was absolutely dreadful and, after retracing her steps, the baker realized she hadn't added sugar due to being preoccupied with something else. Lesson learned. Without all the ingredients, baking can go pretty horribly wrong.Flash forward to present day (or more recent day) and the production team of "Love Your Enemy" followed a similar path. The ingredients they remembered - a solidly likable and skilled cast, a basic scenario that is regularly beloved by drama watchers, somewhat well-worn but compelling enough characters, a terrific backstory with wonderful teen versions of the main characters, secondary story arcs to complement the main plot with extra tension, laughs and potential romance, and a warm and delightful grandparent actor & character. The ingredient they forgot - any kind of coherent narrative to pull these things together.
Jung Yu Mi and Ju Ji Hoon don't put forth their best work here. Neither seems naturally suited to straight romantic comedy but they are capable actors and are engaging, particularly in the Enemies/Not Lovers Yet Phase. Even when that phase passes, there's never a moment where the two are grating but it isn't a raging inferno of nitro hormonal glycerine between them either. The supporting cast is above average, from Kim Jung Young's mom to the school faculty to the current generation of high school students. What doesn't particularly land is the performance by the villain (cast member not revealed so as not to spoil), a completely unnecessary part for Baek Hyun Joo as a school principal and a flop of a potential third spoke of a love triangle with one of the most bland performances of recent memory by Lee Si Woo.
One of the bright spots is Kim Gab Soo who sparkles as one of the warmest and most likable grandparent figures of recent vintage.
But the standouts are Oh Ye Ju and Hong Min Ki who play the teen versions of the Ji Won main characters. It helps that they have the best dialogue by far of any part of this show, but the actors are both charismatic and work extraordinarily well together. The scene where Oh Ye Ju's Ji Won falls and her friends try to get get Hong Min Ki's Ji Won to carry her to the nurse's office and what follows is some of the very best high school amour (although not quite at the level of Shin Eun Soo and Choi Hyun Wook from "Twinkling Watermelon").
Tragically, the backstory features heavily only through a few episodes and then the script malfeasance skyrockets. The primary romance never strays from anything but the most generic track. And the subplots that appear and then are dropped or concluded in the most glossed over manner possible are legion.
Kim Ye Won's Ji Hye interferes with the main characters but it amounts to nothing and no hard feelings.
Two characters are battling severe depression and exhibiting potential suicidial behavior but it's just forgotten and they're just fine moving forward.
Two supporting school staff members have a romance but it's literally dropped in so haphazardly in the later episodes that it could have been replaced with a static screen with a block caption reading "FILLER MATERIAL".
Three present day students appear now and then. Something about an honors class with meddlesome parents. Something involving a misogynist father from a main character's past. Something about a recently discovered family relationship. [shrug] There's no tension and no development and no point to any of them. Perhaps had the writers picked one and threaded it in on a regular basis from episode to episode, there could have been a potentially entertaining diversion. But these characters appear sporadically and are the stereotypical male jock, stereotypical female superachiever, the stereotypical kid with parents that want them to be a superachiever and a stereotypical dysfunctional family troublemaker.
There's one of the saddest attempts in human history to create a love triangle plot which is thankfully quickly abandoned.
The most frustrating is a second half reappearance by Oh Ye Ju's young Ji Won who has now graduated and is in a toxic office environment. But after a compelling setup with a deliciously repulsive antagonist, big conflict is teased and then the entire thing evaporates almost instantaneously.
Recommended? Well, it's better than a sugarless blueberry muffin and it's not at all unpleasant. But anyone that needs something stellar and captivating should keep looking.
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finally, a real bl from China, and so beautifully intimate
Oh how I loved this show. I've seen so many mixed reviews and while I understand the complaints, this story was an absolute gem.In an attempt to avoid censorship by airing this as a webseries outside of China, they started off strong by pushing out the first 4 episodes on iqiyi, but of course the censorship gods got to the series so they had to take a long pause and figure out how to get this back on air. Eventually we got it back on Gagaoolala (which is great bc no one is more suitable to air this show than a Queer Taiwanese streaming platform), and I'm so proud of this Chinese team for fighting so hard to get here.
The story-- Qi Lu is a rich student artist desperate to get out from underneath his father's abusive thumb, one day he coincidentally meets his muse, a poor student artist Qin Xiao who's rough around the edges. After some back and forth they end up becoming close and deeper feelings start to form. The friendships and family dynamics are messy and realistic, but the restless romance between our leads is sweet, exciting, and wholesome. Their story plays out almost like a slice of life bromance that naturally develops into a romance, and its absolutely beautifully done.
What I love about this show is how effortlessly intimate it is. When their skin touches, you feel a warm buzz rush through you and the tension of the scene is a tight knot in your throat.
The actors-- they do such a great job making you fall in love with the characters, no over the top acting or cringe dramatics from our main leads. Full transparency, I skipped over almost all of the second couple romance, their story was a major miss for me. Initially I liked that there was deaf representation and they seemed cute enough, but to be honest their story is a bit of a toxic mess and the chemistry just isn't there.
My only other complaint in the story is the end, while I'd say it's a happy ending, it felt rushed and didn't leave you feeling quite satisfied. I do wonder how much of that was within their control, and its possible they ran out of budget, support, or other essentials mid filming.
The production-- honestly it was great, you can tell that this show didn't have an endless budget, but that didn't stop them from making it beautiful.
Overall I may have rated this higher than most people, but I have to follow my heart here. I loved these two, my recommendation is to skip the second side couple storyline and just fall in love with our main couple's beautiful intimate chemistry.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Best Sapphic Themed Romance in a Long Time
You were my dream, my longing and my one and only Prince!”If someone had told me that a supporting character would rise to be the main lead’s love interest, I wouldn’t have believed them. That was until I watched “Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born” and was left mesmerized by the romance between Jeongnyeon and Jooran. A classic retelling of the webtoon “Jeong Nyeon” (정년이) written by Seo Irae (서이레) and illustrated by Namon (나몬). If you are worried that the show is a censored adaptation, so it won’t have the same romantic connotations as the original, fret not. “Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born” encompasses a spell binding romance in the midst of encapsulating the Korean art forms, Pansori & Gukgeuk. For those unaware, there is a difference between both. Pansori is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer, where the singer tells the story by singing and the drummer accompanies her on the drum. Gukgeuk refers to a theatrical performance that combines both singing and dancing. The show embodies the very essence of both art forms that were quite popular in the post-war era. Being an all women production, even the male roles were portrayed by females. We are going to talk about the different facets of this show that strongly betray its homoerotic context!
Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/11/19/jeongnyeon-the-star-is-born-series-review-ep-1-to-12/
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This review may contain spoilers
Pleasantly warming and inspiring, like a cup of tea that you may enjoy sip by sip
Once again a wonderfully authentic KDrama with amiable characters, who are living a live just like any South Korean life could be. The KDrama is neither captivatingly suspenseful nor does it urge to be devoured in one go. Instead, it's rather pleasantly warming and inspiring, like a cup of tea that you may enjoy sip by sip. The story could always go on as everyday life is - in Jejudo and elsewhere (in the province).At first glance, “Welcome to Samdal-ri” is a sweet Rom+Com and, in passing, it is also a declaration of love for Jejudo, the largest South Korean island. At second glance, however, the KDrama also delivers a lovingly drawn and yet time-critical image of society, in particular of a generation that is struggling to balance between archaic roots and home on the one hand as well as global, urban & digital lifestyle values on the other.
In general, lifelong friendship can be considered the overarching theme. The peer group as a family of choice in the sense of a community of fate, whose commitment has been growing from the inevitable spatial proximity of a village community - here: Samdal-ri.
Specifically, the story is about such a lifelong friendship between two friends, who at some point naturally became a love for life, yet without automatically being able to be lived as such.
As so often, it´s about family with its particular momentum, mingling as centrifugal and as pulling force, too.
Refreshing, soft and tangible: Shin Hye-sun and Ji Chang-wook. But overall, "Welcome to Samdal-ri" offers great casting in all positions.
Enjoy your tea time...
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SIDE NOTE...
...on "Welcome to Samdal-ri" offering a felicitous, good-humoured and optimistic time-critical image of society
On the one hand, the monotonous everyday life in the provinces just glides along. In “Welcome to Samdal-ri” the social tightness of the village structure is intensified by the island situation on Jeju-do. Binding village life in its everyday occurrences may be boring for some, while reliably familiar and pleasantly manageable for others. Rhythm, rules, community - everything is well-arranged. You can count on being safely caught by a social net that is protecting, warming. However, it comes with a price: a naturally intrusive social environment that would like to have a say everywhere...
On the other hand, the shimmering metropolis of distant Seoul is attracting the young with its wide world full of fashion, culture and lifestyle, promising individual fulfillment in a varied, anonymous, fast-paced, entertaining, colorfully inspiring, glittering city life that bears the stamp "successful". But this has its price, too, as the KDrama clearly shows with various examples. Fast-paced, cool big city life is mostly superficial, curt, nonbinding, aloof and mercilessly leaving you out in the cold.
Gossip apparently seems to be for us humans naturally coming with our anthropological cradle… Whether city or countryside, whether Seoul oder Samdal-ri, it is everywhere - the KDrama is cleverly using this as a dramaturgical bridge between the two worlds...
In a village with an intrusively curious neighborhood like Samdal-ri, where almost nothing can be kept secret, gossip adds spice to an otherwise uniform everyday life. However, it turns out, globalization and digitalization have by now raised village gossip to an unimagined, even more threatening (since anonymous) level. Rumors multiply virally in the form of social media posts shared at lightning speed, thus turning Seoul into just another (digital) village, yet on a global scale - with the effect that the brutal force of the impact far dwarfs that of a rural, analogue village. Once a rumor like this has started, it's hard to stop it and it's practically impossible to undo it. The anonymity of a viral rumor mill also invites hateful comments, the existential consequences of which no one seems to have to take responsibility for. Never mind whether there really is something to it or not… no one is interested anyway.
In the worst case, self-imposed exile from the analogue village offers an opportunity to escape social pressure at least. The digital village of the globalized new world, however, no longer shows any mercy. It's everywhere... there's no escape...
The uncontrollable social media with its enormous power as well as the largely non-binding, superficial encounters of an anonymous urbanity are juxtaposed with the archaic themes that continue to shape life on Jeju-do today - and thus the roots and grounding of its people. Eventually, "Welcome to Samdal-ri" tells of the dominance of tides and weather shaping everyday life; of the power of the sea, which continually takes its toll; of the lives of the Haenyeos diving for abalone and more - day after day, year after year; of the Haenyeo families, following the mother as the strong head of the family; and even of bloodguilt that turns friends into enemies, urging to pass this feud on from generation to generation.
Although life in the provinces may seem archaic, tight and boring, not everything automatically has to be wrong or bad. Nevertheless, young people increasingly and understandably prefer to go to Seoul. They want to leave the dusty roots and rigid structures behind. They prefer to live at the center of the vibrant new South Korean world instead.
But even if they leave their village home for individual fulfilment, psychologically they are still far from finding their way back to themselves. And even if Seoul has such a promising, almost magnetic, electrifying, cosmopolitan charisma, the capital, along with the temptations of big city life, also harbors a fatal seed, that many have not expected: Betrayal! Betrayal of oneself (and/or eventually betrayal of others...) For most people sooner or later this seed will be sprouting, if they lose their grounding along the way - if they simply radically cut off their roots instead of finding ways to continue to nourish them...
As such I appreciate "Welcome to Samdal-ri" offering way more than a Rom+Com - e.g. a felicitous, good-humoured and optimistic time-critical outlook on contemporary issues within modern society.
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1
1Why seek therapy and help when you can just fall in love with your best friend!
The drama runs on the premise of the childhood friends x lovers trope. And when I see this trope, the first thing that comes to my mind is slow-burning romance where two people who grew up together with embarrassing memories and inside jokes, slowly come to the realisation that they are in love with each other all along. The yearning...the pinning.... the subtle hints...The holy grail of slow burn romance.But what I got was anything but that. Instead of character development, gradual tension and those push-and-pull monologues, what I got was fast-forward confessions with abrupt mood swings and no subtlety.
There was barely any tension or emotional build up. Just a series of "Oh, I guess I love you now" in a very reckless way.
Character Descriptions-
Han Tuo: In the BL world, we are familiar with a lead having a tragic past or a childhood trauma. A'Tuo was no different. This man didn't need a relationship, but a therapist. Despite having a backstory, none of it translates into actual depth. His internal conflicts existed but briefly and for name's sake. I wanted to sympathise with him, considering how emotionally distant his mother was and his abandonment issues by his mother, but somehow how it was portrayed and how he dealt with it as a character annoyed me.
His way out was to trauma dump Junxi with an invisible PowerPoint presentation with two slides - "I am sad" and "I love you". With his backstory came possessiveness on another level. If we remove the romance angle, it is controlling and manipulative. And let's not forget his communication skills, or lack thereof.
At best, he was an overgrown child desperately trying to prove that he is the centre of Jun Xi's universe and that being together is the ultimate solution to all his problems.
Lu Junxi: He was a third wheel in his own relationship and not in a cute way. He was always reactive to A'Tuo's mood swings and possessiveness, and somehow I wondered if he even liked him, or was it just the pressure and the anxiety that came with not having your childhood friend around that you mistake it for love. He makes all his decisions with the legendary stone, paper, scissors game and loses more often than you think.
Romance between them wasn't healthy, but if I remove the problematic lens, it was cute in fragments. It thrived on the notion that one partner constantly crosses boundaries because "that is how they show love", while the other passively accepts as if that's what love is supposed to be like.
There were many aww factors, especially when they were being absolutely sweet and domestic to each other. The way they bickered over the smallest things with silly arguments and small acts of care did entertain me, and I did enjoy their boyfriend era.
They had decent chemistry overall with some good kissing scenes, but honestly, the red flags were raised so high that there is no way to sugar coat them.
Lin Xiao Yang: She was such a breath of fresh air. She was understanding, supportive and out of the trio, the most sensible. I have many issues with how characters are written in the drama, but I am glad writers didn't turn her into the cliche female lead in a BL drama that we usually see, who only causes chaos and is irrationally protective. I wish they had explored her character more or in general, her friendship with the duo.
The other side character, He You Mei, was a hit and a miss for me. I liked her for her quirkiness, but sometimes her behaviour was abrupt. The emotional scene of hers came out of nowhere, and with much context.
I liked Junxi's parents for not being the stereotypical asian parent we see. Them being supportive and treating A'Tuo with so much love was heartwarming to see!
Acting-wise, I found both the leads passable. I mean, the emotional scenes could have been way better, but it wasn't unwatchable. The rest of the cast also did decently based on what the script had to offer, but nothing outstanding.
Writing & Production: I think writing was the weakest link here. The character arcs were painfully uneven. I kept expecting meaningful emotional growth both for the individuals and their relationship, but it rarely appeared. At times, we seemed on the brink of progress, only for the story to backtrack and reset us near square one. On top of that, there were far too many flashbacks to their teenage years, most of which didn’t add much to the present-day story. It felt unnecessarily redundant. Production seemed decent as well. The sets were clean, and the locations felt believable. (The college had students and everything).
Overall, this isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, but it's oddly entertaining in its own way. I reviewed it very critically but if I keep my brain aside, it has a weird charm to its flaws.
Will I recommend it? Maybe, but with a giant asterisk. If you are in the mood for some low-stakes entertainment but a clumsy attempt at romance and a hint of sweetness... then yes. Also, their height difference was really cute.
But if you are here for a deep, healthy relationship with a well-developed character arc, please look elsewhere.
Thank you for reading my review! I hope you have a good day! <3
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Weak writing and surface-level characterizations
I enjoy deep, meaningful slice of life interactions such as those in When The Camellia Blooms, Hospital Playlist, and Because This Is My First Life. In comparison, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was a failed attempt. The script was written without the use of metaphors or stories, only direct, curt lines that are delivered as if spoken by an immature teen. There is zero wit, description, or complexity, which is the whole point of character-driven dramas. The only breath of fresh air was the backdrop of the beautiful seaside town of Pohang, which provided a light, airy feeling to each camera shot.The directing and writing suffers from flawed execution. Either the cheese factor is overdone and cringey, or an unnatural indifference washes over the characters. For instance, when someone is in tears and pain, the other character just watches them in silence for five seconds before any kind of touch happens and even then, it's the type of pat you give someone who dropped their ice cream, not when there is actual trauma. Characters respond with trivial lines that sound something like, "It will be OK," and that's it. There are no further connections, words of wisdom, or stories shared in those meaningful moments. Characters are robbed of the chance to show how they are feeling, how they have grown, or how they are affected by what is going on. We are left to wonder what else they are thinking in their heads.
The lack of characterization also affects the story itself. The plot challenges in the first 3/4 of the show feel trivial because of the lack of follow-through on character growth and reflection. Even serious issues are glossed over and cut short. It isn't until the last few episodes that the writer suddenly decides to explore dramatic back stories and character development. The time in the first part of the show is wasted.
The actors try hard, but I bet even they were cringing at the script. Shin Min Ah plays Hye Jin as your classic cool-but-conceited woman, which could have worked had we actually been shown her inner thoughts and transformations. However, I like that in this role and others, she plays a smart person as opposed to a damsel in distress. Kim Seon Ho as Doo Shik comes across as overly breezy, hollow, and idealistic for far too much of the story, until the end bits. When we finally learn about his past, the weak script and characterization lets us down once again with more meaningless, "It will be OK,"*pat*pat* lines. I enjoyed Lee Sang Yi as the TV producer. He brought charisma and energy to his flat character. I liked that both male leads were good people. Finally, a shout-out goes to supporting actors In Gyo Jin as the bumbling District Head, and his strong, kind ex-wife played by Lee Bong Ryun. Of all the characters, they had the greatest number of heartfelt, meaningful interactions. The rest of the townspeople were one dimensional or just plain annoying. What a shame that this was the case.
In the end, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha paints with hollow, cringey, sepia-sweet colors to create nothing more than a postcard with no message. Although the actors tried to deliver, the writing, directing, and lack of characterization ruined its potential.
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Perceptions
Well, as a matter of fact I must to say that every single one of us watch to a drama and/or movie and evaluate it from it'sown perception. I accept that my perception can differ from yours, but it's difficult to accept so much negativity.
I did learn here at MDL that a negative review also can be seen as a green sign. In other words I watch all those negative reviewd drama's just to conclude that the most of them really are a good watch.
In my opinion this really applies to Start Up. You can find everything in it, from family contextuality till the struggle of life with it's ups and downs. An interesting script and a good peforming cast.
I really enjoy this K-Drama, it was a good watch. Take a sit, pour a cup op tea and enjoy it.
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I feel all the actors did a good job portraying their role but i want to especially mention the 2 females leads. Zanila who play Bi Yao did an amazing job as always. She must be one of the most sort after actress in China at the moment. She seems to be every other drama and always does a splendid job. Yang Zi who protray Lu Xue Qi, I feel is really underrated. She has good chemistry with Li Yi Feng and the rest of the cast. She protays a believable character who seems to hide all her trouble and with a cold attitude but is in fact very caring. There is a very big cast and all the members seem to make themselves stand out one way or another.
The music was done very well. The use of music during emotional scenes was just right and not too over the top. The music didn't over shadow anyone's dialogue and added enough dramatic effect for it to work. Both the OST were good to listen to and enjoyable.
I generally dont judge a show on re-watch value as sometimes a good show doesn't necessary have much re-watch value. I can say the Legend of Chusen is one of those shows as there are not many surprises and you can guess how most of the story pans out anyway.
Overall I enjoyed this drama a lot. It exceeded my expectations and I would recommend people to watch it if you are into this genre. It is your typical 'chosen one' storyline with a Romeo and Juliet romance. I am looking forward to season 2 even if it is not as long and I hope it gives us a complete conclusion.
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I appreciate the attempt, I question the presentation.
I’m not sure how I feel about this drama. Being romance driven, I cared about romance the least. While I loved the gradual healing on Uea’s side, I do believe the level of trauma this child had to face in such a short period of time (screen time wise) made it a bit ridiculous for me. By the 3rd toxic person in his life I just started to laugh… And it’s not like this scenario is completely unrealistic - many people who were victims become victims more than once. That said, the way they presented it with lack of good spacing in time and pace, I just could not take it seriously. The presentation was just lacking too much.I also could not get on board with how Uea treated King a few times closer to the end. Everything that happened at first is understandable - miscommunication happens, especially if you don’t trust the person yet. At some point though, it felt more like Uea testing King for no other reason than enjoying watching King plead. Even that would not bother me if they established it’s something King is into, but they did not. So it seemed like a mind game when King had to constantly prove how much he loves and respects Uea to the point of asking before he can touch him (and I don’t mean in a sexual way, I mean literally any way) and being denied by Uea with a smirk on his face. That’s when I started to think - maybe Uea is truly completely not ready to be in a healthy relationship and needs to book a visit to a therapist first. It’s not like it happened a lot, but enough for me to feel a bit uncomfortable.
While I loved King, I also find him painfully underdeveloped and one dimensional. Net did a great job with acting, but the writing of the character itself was empty.
As for the nsfw scenes - let’s say I’m glad I watched the cut version, because even that was a level of cringe I could barely handle. Most of the bed scenes made me laugh, some skipped completely.
Acting was decent - big props to all the villains, perfect presentation that made me hate them with a passion. Net did great with some vulnerable scenes, but James sadly does not have enough skills yet to truly deliver the pain and suffering Uea as a character was internally going through.
Production was okay. Lately a lot of BLs are truly overdoing it with the blur filter on actors faces making them look like Barbie dolls - ain’t fan of that. Last episode was more like a bonus than the continuation of the plot - everything was concluded and there was nothing left to add. Personally, I was kind of bored watching it.
Overall… I don’t know. I kind of enjoyed it? It led to a few interesting conversations I had with folks on mdl, but I find it sad that most complex ideas came from the community and not the show itself. A lot of things were truly basic and simplistic, and by now I think we can expect a bit more nuance from the genre.
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A Refreshing Watch That Leaves You Feeling Whole
It was a really good watch! I appreciated how the storyline unfolded — starting with the crime scene, then gradually painting the full picture of the events surrounding it, until everything was brought to light and justice was finally served. I LOVED the cuteness between the leads rather than heavy romance (must've screamed 'Kiyowo' at least 100 times throughout the drama), and honestly, this drama made the male lead Kim Jae-yeong shine so much more in my eyes. I’m genuinely looking forward to his future main roles now.Also, LOL — they tied this drama up so neatly that it honestly could’ve ended an episode earlier and I’d still have been fully satisfied. By the end of Episode 11, I was genuinely confused when the next episode started playing like, “What’s left?? They’ve already sorted everything.” 😭 (Bad K-trauma has truly scarred me with unresolved plots and loopholes.) So it was incredibly refreshing to see everything wrapped up properly, with no loose ends left hanging.
What I really appreciated about this drama:
- A refreshing female lead who saves the male lead, fights for justice, and carries no bitterness — not even toward her bullies.
- No cartoonishly evil characters; everyone had depth, pain, and understandable motivations, making the story feel humane and real.
- The drama didn’t torture the “good guys” excessively — there were turbulent moments, but it always allowed space to breathe. Even during investigations and public cancellations, life continued normally: she could still work, he could still move around — no unnecessary chaos or mob outrage.
- A consistently easygoing, comforting watch — never too heavy, traumatising, or exhausting. Smart pacing - whenever things got emotionally intense, the story softened the moment and restored balance.
- Exceptional casting: the leads carried every scene so naturally that there was zero cringe, even in awkward or quiet moments. Every glance up from the subtitles brought a smile — whether they were smiling, crying, thinking, or just existing, it all felt warm and sincere.
Never once felt the urge to drop the drama — no dragging, no irritation, no emotional burnout.
Overall, the drama felt genuinely refreshing from start to finish.
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This review may contain spoilers
DISAPPOINTING AT BEST, INSUFFERABLE AT WORST.
***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE AND I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE.***To sum everything up in simple terms:
- Disappointing storyline, plot and flow of events.
- I lost interest at episode 9 and forced myself to watch the rest.
- Watching became a chore and it felt like the biggest waste of time.
- Female MC was badly written (I hate her character and I wish she died)
- If not for the ML (Jo Jong Suk) most people wouldn’t think of rating this drama kindly.
- This drama totally missed the mark for me and to be honest it was boring.
- I definitely would not recommend, you’re better off watching any other ongoing drama or critically acclaimed historical drama.
- I didn't even find the political schemes interesting because it seemed like child's play and was not very engaging. I felt like they were going around in circles for the entirety of the drama. ML did not have anyone on his side and they were all trying to undermine and sabotage him in some way / shape or form. The worst part is the woman he loved tried to kill him even though he tried being very honest with her.
- The whole narrative of being captivated and how they tied it in was bs. If you watched from the beginning you could easily see see that the FL falling for ML would be her downfall and she was the one who would end up captivated.
- The chemistry between the leads were lacking and their love / kissing scenes sucked. In the last episode especially it was painful to watch them interact because it seemed so forced. Their love was not believable at all and the FL looked very uncomfortable. I wish I could erase their scenes from my mind bc they just gave me the ick.
- The drama pissed me off, especially due to the fact that they were sleeping together and he didn’t even figure out her name or demand to know it until the last episode. They’re just so irksome. FL especially she is so trifling ughhh.
- I believe FL should try another career. She's pretty so she can model or do brand deals instead. I feel like I have given her enough chances to redeem herself but she is still the same as she was in Black Knight. She has the same expression (looking like a damn deer in the headlights) throughout the entire series and was almost always crying.
- If you want to watch this drama for the romance I advise you not to. You will be disappointed. If however you still want to give this drama a chance because you love Jo Jong Suk and political schemes (which imo were cliche) then by all means be my guest. I however, would not put myself through that again because I believe that one person should not be expected to carry the weight of the entire drama on their back.
- With all that said, I give this shit show / mess of a drama a 5/10
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It has very refreshing comedy and bromance. The acting was amazinng and Nam gong was absolutely hilarious through out. I still don't get how the fck did SWDBS got that many viewers and rating when it was **** compared to this.
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This review may contain spoilers
what i liked-decent cast
-some good running gags
-cute concept (switching bodies with the person you have a crush on)
what i didn't like
-poor execution
-15 minute format made these 7 episodes feel like a short movie.
-a bit too slapstick
-this isn't a spoiler but really gross use of blackface for in episode 5 (most of asia didn't get the memo that skincolor isn't a costume...but hell, most people in the west didn't either).
-goofy music and sound effects
should you waste your time on this?
eh how bored are you? if you're that bored, just read the manga online instead. there are some good gags here but many other dramas do the body swap love story a bit better (secret garden). you're not missing much by skipping this.
i'd like to see what would have happened with a longer format but, you go to war with the weapons you got, i guess.
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I enjoyed hating parts of this drama more than I enjoyed loving them. How ironic, I know! It had me pulling out my hair, screaming and cursing with frustration. I almost wanted to give up watching, and for some reason I couldn't. I was addicted badly to it. The characters were all crazy and nobody is normal in this drama. All their lives suck and every character suffers from deep guilt, abandonment issues, mommy issues, daddy issues and what-not. Plus, it being a melodrama had the tragic makjang also. All this craziness is what makes this drama complete. Perhaps all this seems a bit too much for me since I am not a melodrama loving person. For those who do watch melodramas, I can guess it won't be a big deal at all.
The acting done in this drama is way above than normal ones. The main leads are perfect at playing their roles. This drama does have a lot of crying in it, but some scenes have been done beautifully. Especially Ko Hyun Jung- who I've seen for the first time here was outstanding. She really knows how to pull off emotional scenes with perfection. In fact, I've not been so impressed with an actress in a Korean drama before. Jo In Sung went way overboard at times when he was crying or yelling, but at least his emotions came through to me as a viewer. Plus he's so good to look at. :D I liked the other actors too especially Han Go Eun who always plays her characters well.
As for the overall story- I thought it was good. It does have flaws and boring parts in it but it manages to be decent enough. I suppose I loved the characters most. This one is an entirely character-driven drama. I loved the fact that the characters were messed up and there was no good guy here. All characters were flawed- especially Jung Eun and Eun Sub.
Jung Eun is at first a female who has been closed off and living in a shell for years due to her sad past. Then she meets Eun Ho who helps her open up and they fall in love. She also meets his younger brother- the hot, self-centered and childish Eun Sub who also falls for her. Then you have a complicated story with brothers in love with the same woman. The only question here is who she will go to in the end.
I thought Eun Ho was perfect in the beginning but later on he sort of became redundant to me. I couldn't root for him as much as I did for Eun Sub. I didn't even love Eun Sub entirely. He was too flawed. But I have to say that Jo In Sung suited the role. Eun Sub makes for an interesting literary character who has an unhealthy, all-consuming love for the woman. Not just that, he needy and desperate for love and he shows it time and again. He was unlike other Kdrama guys that I have seen till now who usually remain closed off. Here you have a guy who shows that it isn't easy to close off once you have opened up. Apart from these characters I LOATHED their mother. She drove me crazy. She was beyond INSANE, I tell you! I didn't get why she kept beating up whichever female got close to her son. Crazy, crazy woman!
I think every person would want to root for the brother that I rooted for. He's the one who suffers like hell and also gets his deserved happy ending. In fact the ending is happy for almost every one. Sort of. That is why this is one of the best melodramas according to me. :)
This drama has an outstanding background score. I also loved the main song which they kept playing in every episode. It was simply perfect.
Since it was so tiring to watch, I will never rewatch it. Ever.
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