Reviews

Despite all the hate comments and the negative reviews, this is actually quite good, it was super fun to watch despite some scenes having the 'cliche-cringe' sitcom scenes, but that's exactly what it was supposed to be. It wasn't a heavy watch, with only around 35 minutes per episode and just watching it for fun, isn't really story heavy dominated. Cast were definitely good as well, some were acting for the first time but it was pretty good for their firsts ! Minnie and Youngjae did a great job too. You should definitely give it a try if you just want laughs and a short light watch .. Waiting for Season 2 ^^ I do agree that some laugh tracks at the background was edited wrongly at the wrong times but that's just a minor thing it really doesn't affect anything. Also many cameos with Haha, Kang Ho Dong, Yoon Jong Shin, Lee Soo Geun, and more.. (u shld know them if u watch variety shows )

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"You Make Sand Like Me Feel Worthy" (Kot, English Sub)

This drama is an epic chaotic it is hilarious. I binge-watched episode by episode dying to find out how trio Ji-Kot-Ki would fix the building up mess. I found this drama following the works of March (as Ji here) from Lovey Dovey, and ended up loving Baifern's (as Kot) and Dan's (as Ki) performances too. This trio does not only create messy plot in this drama, they also lift up universal parenting and motherhood issues into a poignant show delightful to watch. Unquestionably it is a unique rom-com, non-typical Thai lakorn, a must watch.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
(+) Fast-paced episodes in the beginning of the drama to established the story of Moji
(+) More slower-paced episodes in the middle of the drama with lots of flirting scenes
(+) Lots of lessons to learn about building a family
(+) Witty dialogues on money, and also the money bouquet
(+) This is probably the only entangled love story that is enjoyable to watch in dramas I have seen. Thanks to the prominent acting of the main characters
(+) The story cleverly highlights the good and bad of both Ki's and Ji's characters. Viewers are divided into whom they want or think of Kot will end up with.
(+) Interesting surprises in the end
(+) Convincing acting of Baifern as exhausted single mom Kot. Her touching crying scenes are heartbreaking. She also established good chemistry with both Dan and March
(+) Remarkable acting of March as the sentimental Ji. He is good in roles with passionate/temperamental characters.
(+) Noteworthy acting of Dan as guiless Ki. I have rarely seen anyone not even an actor who has dimples on both cheeks. Surprisingly Dan is also a director and screenwriter.
(+) Cute Moji and the little actress who play the role
(+) Every important characters have their own advisors: Kot has Meaw, Ji has Bom, Ki has the secretary, Aff has her Dad
(+) Beautiful portrayals of Thai culture and places
(+) Pretty costumes of the female roles

WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
(-) Scenes and conversations leading to product placement (PPL). I skipped all of them, including the bra talk.
(-) The exaggerating character of Aff, which seems off since other characters seem natural
(-) It seems like the characters of Chot and Kot's mom are unimportant and are brought into the drama only to spice up the already complicated plot.

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Interesting Family ?

The series depicts the story of Byeon Moo-jin, who went bankrupt a dozen years ago and got divorced, and who appears in front of his daughter Byeon Mi-rae and wife Geum Ae-yeon 14 years later as a multi-billionaire.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Romance in the House. I just finished episode 12 . The character development has been great. It does see, slow at times, but that is because the actors and producers have worked hard to create real or authentic relationships between the characters.

So as not to give spoilers, I will say the story line with the slowly developed over time with gestures and actions has been my favorite part. It has made their story that much sweeter and long lasting

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What was the point of this remake?

I don't know if I have the words to describe my thoughts during this experience. As someone who adores the original I was looking forward to seeing how this adaption would play out. I regret watching this so much.

They condensed 10, hour long episodes into 8, 26 minute episodes and you can tell it was rushed and poorly done. They skipped over so many plot points, chemistry scenes, and just important scenes to the story in general. This adaption was all over the place and not in a good way. I did not care for the acting at all, the actor for Phayu had a tendency to overact and I think that was because the actor for Rain had the tendency to underact. I didn't care for what these writers did so such beloved characters and the changes they made in terms of storyline, and characters.

If you want a good, thought-out, romantic, drama show with good acting and a good storyline stick with the Thai version of Love in the Air.

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I’m new to lakorns I’ve only watched a few, I’m usually rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of the shows but I’ve come across a few where I’m not skipping ahead in episodes and this lakorn was one of them ,I loved it and was sad to see it end and immediately wanted to go back and watch key scenes that I liked. I even enjoyed the music which is rare for me I don’t listen to any Thai music but I wanted to hear the opening credits song again and again.
The actors were on point the chemistry between the leads were good you felt the love they had for each other there was no “other” in their relationship when they knew they loved each other I dug it. Please watch I’m gonna rewatch a few scenes now before I chose a new lakorn to binge.

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Incredibly Interesting

Being from the US, we have a lot of exposure to serial killers, but we very rarely hear about other countries' serial killers. This was a very well thought-out and put together documentary about a very sick man. Hearing from the actual police officers, detectives, forensic scientists, and profilers that originally handled the case was quite fascinating. I thought that the actor reenactments of some of the crimes spliced with real footage and interviews was very well done. Some of the actual footage was incredibly creepy and made my spine crawl. Netflix did a superb job, and it's very hard to stop watching once you start.

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I was really excited to watch this drama. As soon as I read what the story was about I wanted to see it, because it reminded me a lot of Autumn's Concerto.

So, it started really good, and then it got tired and in the end it just sucked. The characters aren't well written so it's like hearing them say the same thing over and over again. You never really get to know them. It doesn't have good secondary characters either. Her friend, Hyung Sung is really stalker, and I got the creeps watching him, he didn't make me feel anything, just annoyance. The female lead isn't likeable, as opposed to Mu Cheng in AC. Here you don't feel sorry for her situation, you just get tired of her not sticking up for herself. The male lead is really just cheesy, you don't sense any real feelings. And the story has like really huge holes, and in other parts it just keeps repeating.



One of the main reasons I started to watch this drama was because of Jo Hyun Jae, I just simply loved him in 49 days and I thought he was a really good actor. But here, I don't know if it's because he was just starting his career or because the script wasn't really good but he just came out flat. Han Chae Young, who is really famous for her role on Delightful Girl Choong Hyan, really didn't stand out here, she didn't make me feel anything. As for the other two who completed the love square, they were just creepy.



The music wasn't anything special, although it did fit the scenes. I specially liked one which was like the intro to Aerosmith's "I don't wanna miss a thing."



In rewatch value, I wouldn't ever watch it again, specially because I got really bored at the end and just pressed fast forward in the tiring scenes.



Overall, it really isn't a good drama, although if you like soap operas, you probably will like this.

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pros
setting /story is a bit different then usual
female lead saves this drama i really enjoyed her the rest of the cast not so much besides maybe 2 or 3 side characters

cons
story ( why put it in pros and cons ? watch the after episode 24 and you will know why )
too many episodes with filler that serves no real plot purpose ( series would have been good around 30 or so episodes in my mind )


1-24 this series is a solid 8+

i have to say i quite enjoyed the story at the beginning and when it focused on the food and how she was surviving using her modern knowledge and how she was living her fantasy and treating it like an vacation.

24-56 would be a 6 for me i feel like they did the bare minimum to keep a solid story

Then everyone dies and the story too as well, i didn't like the turn they took with the story to me if they kept it light hearted and funny and maybe add a little bit of spice/drama but they full on when they only needed to sprinkle a little.

You go from a light hearted funny drama to full on politics with slapped on cooking on the side and the typical wuxia struggle of jealousy in the palace with hidden birth none of those turns were presented well.

after episode 24 i ended up skipping alot of the series and just watched the main couple scenes i really enjoyed the first half and i want to know how there story unfolded and ends.

It's too bad that after the black wind massacre the story dies along with it and then the main leads play hot cold cold for the rest of the drama till near the end.

TLDR
-good first half
-terrible second half
-besides leads the rest of the story isn't good
get ready to fast forward alot unless you like slow torture
-romance is just ok to much cat and mouse and hot and cold in the end makes it not very entertaining
-happy ending

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There are some things I appreciate about this movie, but...

There are some things I appreciate about this movie because they were good. So I'll start with them. First of all, the actors did a really great job. But I did not expect anything else, because I know the possibilities of each of them. I really liked the transitions between scenes with and without sound. The scenes without sound showed the perspective of the deaf mother and daughter better, and I think it was a well-thought-out move. The last good thing is that the ending was satisfying enough.

Now let's get to the things I don't like about this movie. It was boring until the end when Kyung Mi confused the killer. It was basically a cat-and-mouse chase throughout the movie. With people around who couldn't recognize the situation.

Despite some good things, I'll probably soon forget about this movie. Obviously, a good general idea combined with not knowing how to develop it always results in a boring production.

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Just watch it for the feels

There will always be this drama were we either hate it or love it, or just watching it for the feels. This drama for me is the latter. I stayed for the feels. Let’s be honest, this drama really doesn’t have any complicated plot. Both characters are already strong from the very beginning so character development was not necessary, in my opinion. I think the second couple had the most character development more that the leads tbh. Also Miles Wei and Dylan in one frame, holy smokes! You guys don’t understand! 😂 FYI Miles does really good kissing scenes! Shish!

But then again, a drama with little to no plot, did I hate it? No. Like I said i’m here for the feels and damn well, can’t deny Bailu and Hedi have that strong chemistry. They are both very known actors and they also carried this drama really well.

If you guys watched Hedi’s drama before, you can really tell the growth of his acting and how much his tone and facial expressions have changed and they are all for the better. If you still question if he is a good actor, watch LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL, trust me, it’s really good and then watch Meteor Garden, then see the difference. 😂 Bailu on the other hand, i just love her. I’m maybe biased but i really like her acting.

There are quite a lot of couples in here, and i’m not gonna deny, some of the scenes bore me a little, but that did not stop me from watching. Guys, you can skip a few seconds and you still wont get lost in the story.

If you’re gonna asked, whatever episode is this and that,

Episode 19- they got together

Episode 27- break up but not really

Episode 31- they solved their issues

Third party? Absolutely no chance
Happy Ending? VERY MUCH there’s a special episode, mangotv on YouTube already have it.

Rewatched value? Some of my favorite scenes.

Kissing scenes? YOU’RE IN FOR A TREAT.

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The storytelling is disappointing. I was expecting more.

The first episode gathers the main cast that unfortunately couldn't be together due to conflicting schedules, and they answered questions like "What is your favourite epilogue?" "Which character would you have loved to play except from yours?". We saw glimpses of behind the scene, we saw bloopers and all of this was narrated by actress Kim Jungnan (playing Hong Beomja). The first episode is good, we got to know the actors' perspective and delved a bit deeper in their character.

The second episode is a big letdown. They showed the power of CGI, two seconds of Hyunwoo and Haein behind the scenes and the viewers' tearful reactions to the drama. However, literally 80% of the second episode was just a replay of the drama scenes, as if we weren't traumatized enough by them.

I'm a bit disappointed with the storytelling of these two special episodes. I would have loved to see more behind the scenes, more interesting questions being asked to the cast instead of making them read cheesy pickup-lines written by fans, maybe the screenwriter's thought process behind the writing of this traumatizingly good drama.

Are they trying to gatekeep the good content and will end up putting everything in the Blu-ray?

Overall, watching these two episodes won't change your life, you are better off watching another drama or sleeping.

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Torturous, Bloody Romances with Great Acting

Completed - 3/14/2022

I have gone back-and-forth on whether to watch this drama because I accidentally read a spoiler about the ending of a character and the mixed reviews I've seen. I am glad to take the plunge while lowering my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this drama. For a Chinese historical/wuxia fantasy drama, 36 episodes are quite short. So if it's not amazing, I am not wasting too much time. Since I didn't watch this drama when it was aired, I wasn't sure how popular it was. It does seem to be a little underrated and not being recommended enough. For a small budget production, the quality of set designs, props and costumes are well done. "Bloody Romance" has a 7.1 Douban rating, which is pretty good, but only 8.0 on MDL which is considered only decent.

What I Enjoy:

1. Li Yi Tong as Wan Mei (FL) - Li Yi Tong is such an amazing and pretty actress. She has such wide range when portraying the growth and experience of Wan Mei. This role allows Li Yi Tong to express feelings of hope, sadness, desperation, love, revenge and success. She was so cute and innocent in the beginning, esp. when she first fell in love with Chang An. Her beautiful eyes conveyed the sorrow and hurt when she realized promises weren't kept. The heartbreaking reunion scene in ep 16 was amazing.

2. Qu Chu Xiao as Chang An (ML) - This is my first introduction to Qu Chu Xiao. He might not have the classic handsome look to be the main lead of this drama, but he suited the role of Chang An so well. I think Qu Chu Xiao looks better in modern dramas, instead of historical ones. Playing the shadow, I am most impressed with the way he talks, moves and postures as the submissive shadow. There’s something about his voice that makes him the perfect shadow (he uses his own voice in this drama). Chang An is a stoic and more serious character, and doesn’t provide Qu Chu Xiao the opportunity to widely express his feelings, as much as the role of Gong Zi. I think his acting is pretty good but when compared to a powerhouse like Li Yi Tong, it does pale in comparison a little.

3. Wang Duo as Gong Zi (2ML) - It’s hard to not have second lead syndrome when Wang Duo acted so well as Gong Zi. Gong Zi is such a gray character that he would make an amazing sole male lead in another historical drama. As much as I love Chang An, I can’t deny Gong Zi also has amazing chemistry with Wan Mei. This is my first drama of Wang Duo and I am impressed with his acting. Playing the role of Gong Zi provided Wang Duo an amazing opportunity to flex his acting chops. Gong Zi reminds me of Rong Xi, Luo Yun Xi’s character in “Princess Silver”, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Gong Zi is such a mysterious character that you have to guess if he really cares for Wan Mei, or if it’s all part of his schemes.

4. “Bloody Romance” is a small budget production. However, the cinematography, costumes, set designs and props all look good and believable. It’s much better than other big budget dramas I’ve seen, e.g. “Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities”. I love the opening theme song, "Waiting For You (一生等你)" sung by Tia Ray. It just sets the mood for you to watch this drama. The rest of the songs are just as lovely, with complementary background music that doesn’t overshadow dialogs. The use of comics for storytelling is also interesting and well-done. Due to Li Yi Tong’s character, there’s quite a bit of dancing in this drama performed by her. She graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy and you could tell she’s in her element. She looks beautiful and mesmerizing!

5. General Plot - I quite like the general plot and the main romances of this drama. We follow the journey of our female lead from when she was first sold by her father to becoming the strongest of all. Along the way, she learned and grew and also had two amazing guys vying for her affection. We have Chang An would support and protect her no matter the cost. And we have Gong Zi who protects her in his own scheming, unconventional way.

What I Don’t Enjoy As Much:

1. Inconsistencies/plot holes - I enjoy the general plot of the drama but I feel that some scenes or stories could use a little more time to show us or elaborate on what happened. I am unsure if the drama was cut short, thus we have editing issues. I definitely feel that the pacing is done so well that it could be extended to 40 episodes. There are other minor inconsistencies/weirdness:
= An assassin that never kills when she’s on a mission
= Wan Mei is given so many chances to fight for her life within the first 5 episodes
= Gong Zi forgot to act blind for a while
= Xing Feng’s scar seems to change color every so often

2. Liu Guang’s voice - I cannot stand the voice of Puff Kuo’s character, Liu Guang. She sounded like a little girl when she’s supposedly a powerful Supreme assassin. I can’t picture Puff Kuo’s beautiful, mature face with a whiny voice.

3. CGI/Fight Scene - While I praised the production quality above, the CGI is quite mediocre. I like the light effect of the blood bugs, when it’s the dream/hypnosis sequence by Cha Luo, the CGI is really bad. I guess with a small budget, something’s gotta give. CGI is also used in some fight scenes, but they also look fake. The fight choreography is fine but they also rely on slow motion fighting. The actual fights weren’t very exciting. As much as I love seeing Li Yi Tong dance, when she is waving her sword, there isn’t enough power. She fights like she’s dancing as well.

Other Observations:
1. Good acting all around
2. The King reminds me of Willy Wonka
3. I feel bad for the actresses with their thin costumes. I see steam coming out of their mouths when they’re speaking.
4. Though I enjoy the matriarchal society/organization, the major scheming is still done by men.
5. I LOVE the reunion scene in ep 16, but the reconciliation scene is too anti-climatic.
6. If you watch this drama on YouTube, the titles of the episodes could be minor spoilers

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Refreshing

The series is unique to me because the main lead isn't even the center of the story. Most of the time, we were in the point of view of Jang Nan Gam (Son Suk Ku). At the beginning of the episode, we were in the perspective of Lee Tang (Choi Woo Shik). After being chased by the police, we were mostly in the police's point of view. After that, it became more mysterious with the introduction of Song Chon (Lee Hee Joon), who drove the series until the end. For me, that was a unique way of writing the story, and I love it.

The plot is very fresh and interesting. I can't recall when a series or movie had such a refreshing plot, especially in Korean drama or movies where characters can sometimes feel repetitive. The switching of the point of view is truly lovely and unnoticeable. Lee Chang Hee (Director) also directed "Strangers From Hell," and it's no wonder this series turned out to be good. He really did a good job. Additionally, the first few minutes of this series have to be the best-directed sequence of all time.

The transition, THE TRANSITION. It is insanely addictive to watch how they transition from 1 scene in the past to the current scene, or from hallucination scene to reality. And how they project the future character into the past. And they did it multiple time flawlessly. Furthermore, one aspect that many didn't talk about is the use of background music, which was really good. On top of that, the gorgeous cinematography adds to the overall experience. Let's not forget about the acting; every actor performed a marvelous job, especially Song Chon, who, in my opinion, shone the brightest in this series.

Usually, some drama have too much episodes and i would always say that they need to reduce the amount of the episode because the pace become too slow and draggy in most drama. However, this is one of those series that need to have at least 2 or 3 more episode to deal the final blow.

Some say that the pace became stale in the middle and the pace slow down after of the addition of two new questionable characters in Busan who were having a crisis, which I understand why it became boring. However, it picked up its pace again after that. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend it.

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Fortune Favours The Bold: Subverting All Expectations

I. The Good
There's an unequivocal happy ending.

The plot is fantabulous. It's a refreshing take on the 'cannon fodder realises they're merely fictional characters; hugs big thigh to survive' trope. The FL refuses to succumb to her role as the evil cannon fodder, and stubbornly pits her wits against the Fortune Author once she discovers that she can push the storyline so long as the ink is not dry yet. The plot doesn't whitewash the FL as a misunderstood 'good' person. She is no meek, timid, mealy-mouthed damsel in distress. She is pragmatic, conniving, and arrogant, and will lie, cheat, and steal as means to an end. The FL commits all kinds of evilry to get the Big Thigh ML on her side and to ensure her own survival. Mr Big Thigh ML falls in love with the FL, sins and all, recognising that everyone has their good side and their bad, and she's just more honest about hers. The storyline constantly subverts expectations (e.g., the FL really isn't a 'good' person, the 2FL isn't really a 'bad' person, the various pot shots at cliche tropes).

I really, really loved the swipes taken at cliche tropes. In episode 9, the FL questions the need for people to hide in bathtubs. In episode 11, the doctor complains "Don't you think accidents happen to you too often? Two days ago she was poisoned, and today she's been shot!". In episode 13, when they were unable to feed the passed out ML medicine, and the 2FL is about to feed the medicine via mouth-to-mouth, the FL says "You couldn't get it in using your hand, but you can using you mouth? Do you think he has a special mouth-opening switch that turns on with a kiss?"

The costumes are gorgeous and intricate, even when the FL is dressed like Minnie Mouse in a few scenes. The details in the sets are superb, e.g., the delicate painting of cherry blossoms behind the ML and the exquisite lamp designs. The production team committed their entire music budget to one song, and it produced a beautiful, poignant melody with melancholic tailored lyrics that really elevated the scenes to full-length drama level.

LMC's acting as the FL has improved significantly, although she struggled in some scenes to emote sufficiently. Surprisingly, YSJ made a believable ML, which is a credit to his acting chops because his babyface was really difficult to get past, which leads me to the bad.

II. The Bad
YSJ's babyface had me struggling to believe he was supposed to be the merciless and ruthless ML. However, the combination of his acting skills and the strategic camera angles helped to glaze over this, especially during the steamy scenes (otherwise the audience would uncomfortably feel the need to sit in jail).

ZMY's acting as the 2FL was hard to watch. I get that she's supposed to play the ingénue role, but all she did was stand there widening her eyes and pouting her lips for every scene. The only time she came to life was in the last episode, when she and the FL are huffing at each other.

III. The Ugly
This drama is not for the liberals and for those who are triggered by some events due to some plot devices. The FL fakes a rape attack to trick the ML into taking her home with him. The FL physically harms herself and threatens suicide more than once.

There are also missing plot points, e.g., why or how did the Fate Book fall into the FL's hands, how did the ML break out of the Fortune Author's hold, when or why did the ML regain his memories.

IV. Verdict
I really enjoyed the constant subversion of expectations and will definitely rewatch this. For this drama to be pleasurable, you must not think too hard. It does make you examine why you think that only 'good' people deserve happy endings when really, most of us have our deep, dark thoughts that we never share because we're afraid of being marginalised and in all actuality, we would do the same as the FL.

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