The Strong Man of Asia
Huo Yuanjia is a true blue real life martial arts hero right up there with Wong Fei-Hung, Fong Sai-yuk, Ip Man, Bruce Lee... they would all be top picks for my fantasy Shaolin soccer team! It is impossible to grow up without watching boat loads of kungfu shows about them. Even before I started this, I knew I must have already seen some permutation of it at least a gazillion times. And yet I still ate it all up like it was the first time; hovering anxiously for it to air every night and thrilled to my toes at every hair rising fight.Like most other accounts of this iconic and legendary figure's life, this drama clearly takes creative license with the truth in many places but overall, it still rhymes with the main figures and events that shaped Huo Yuanjia's life. Beyond all the typical martial world values and morality, this drama asks the question of whether standing up for one's beliefs and values is worth the heavy price and whether it is fair that family and friends become collateral damage. As a concession to the controversy surrounding his portrayal in Jet Li's Fearless, this drama emphasizes that Hua Yuanjia valued human life and did not kill indiscriminately which is more consistent with the philosophy underlying his famous Chin Woo Athletic Association that martial arts is practiced for keeping fit.
It goes without saying that this drama is extremely action intensive. And it is the kind of close up hand to hand combat that I really love with intense acrobatics and high impact flying kicks and punches aimed with devastating cruelty at internal organs. I don't have to sing praises for Zhao Wenxzhuo; nobody could better play this kind of intense action oriented martial arts role. I am a much bigger fan of his Wong Fei-hung than Jet Li's. There are lots of villains in this fast paced drama as Yuanjia's fame attracts as many enemies as friends. But the nasty Qing Mandarin Ying Si is just simply the most vile, fantastically dangerous villain I have seen in a long time and so convincingly acted that I loved to hate him.
As a life story, this is told chronologically and the action unavoidably climaxes in the middle and predictably builds to another peak at the end that underscores the message that Chinese can stand up against mismatched physical odds and show and the world not to underestimate the strong man of Asia. I have seen that David vs Goliath moment so many times and yet every time I am so satisfied I feel like belching loudly and thumping my chest.
What I love most about this drama is Huo Yuanjia's wife - Madam Wang whose given name is unknown (imagine they had five kids and no one even remembers her name!). She must be almost entirely fictionalized but nonetheless they made her completely awesome. She can't fight but she is so brave, loyal, gracious, forward looking and so clever she saves them multiple times. I also like that this Huo Yuanjia is far from perfect - he can be chauvinistic, patriotic, inflexible and overly conservative. How these flaws impact his relationship with his family, friends and disciples and how he experiences growth as he comes to understand and accept other points of views is very well articulated.
This is more than just another extremely well choreographed gratuitous martial arts action drama. It all gets wrapped into a story about an amazing life journey with many cherished companions, some who sadly are lost along the way. Even though it definitely feels very familiar and is at times even predictable, it is only in the best of ways. So if you are in the mood for some intense action and a trip down memory lane, this is a good choice, I give it a solid 8.0
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Very poorly developed storyline
Honestly, I don't have much to say about this series. I knew some of the actors, so I decided to give it a chance. I will only expose my opinion, but I want to make it clear, that I really respect the personal opinion of each person, and also respect their tastes and preferences, regardless of the genre of the series, being BL or not.This particular drama, I did not find interesting, even the issues addressed, in fact, is like any other BL series, it's more like they copied a scene from each series and made an adaptation, and see, I watched very few. The story had nothing different or innovative, and was even confusing in some moments.
Chemistry? There were indeed moments when Fighter and Tutor showed chemistry by their reactions, however, their relationship seemed to have more lust than love. I believe, that they should do more work on this storyline, and honestly, the pandemic is not an excuse for a failed storyline. The second main couple may be considered cute, but there is nothing interesting in their story.
In this Drama, there was absolutely nothing that hooked me.
As I am fair with my evaluations, from my opinion, it is worth pointing out that Zee was expressive in his character and Saint's acting, improved a little, he acted better as Tutor than as Pete, but he still has a long way to go, his acting is good, but not great, maybe because the characters he plays have some similar characteristics. The moments that he stood out for acting with a different characteristic, were in the Hot scenes and only! But for me, sex scenes are irrelevant, I consider the content more. Even if they have many hot scenes between the characters, it's not a problem, the main issue is when they emphasize too much these intimate moments between the characters, than to show how their relationship develops, for me the chemistry between FighterTutor only came down to sexual desire, and only this is not enough.
The second main couple, I can't tell, but in many moments they seem like beginners to me.
Regarding the rest of the cast, what is the need to adapt many couples? There is no point in having a great cast and good actors, if in the end, the story of none is well worked out. This storyline failed miserably!
An interesting point that I have observed following the comments, and the reviews, is that a great part of the public, are not totally fair in their evaluations.
Particularly, I can honestly say, that the BL industry is successful only with fanservice, ships and hot scenes, because it seems that many consider the chemistry between the characters only in these moments, and do not consider the plot itself, because most BL Dramas, can be considered toxic, there are only a few that really have a good story and are worth it.
I believe that the overall rating should be considered for the overall performance, taking into consideration the plot, and the acting of the entire cast, not just your favorite actors. I confess, if I were to consider only my favorite actors, my feedback would be much more positive and my ratings would be much higher. But actually, from my observation, considering the ratings, people only support ships and their favorite actors.
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I had to watch this over the span of two months because from the fifth episode on it just wasn't interesting enough; the plot was dragged and all over the place, most of the character actions didn't make any logical sense and the fact that they took a different setting just to force the typical couple dynamic of hot and then cold jerk and understanding and annoyingly forgiving woman just makes all of this feel like you're watching the same old thing all over again.
With these things in mind, I suggest completely letting your logic and reason fall asleep and then settling down to watch this because this isn't a show that can really be taken seriously...otherwise it would get offensive.
The story brings absolutely nothing new to the table except for the appearance of the third male lead. That's it; we have the cool-headed, cold-hearted male psychiatrist who doesn't believe in love and decides to use that in his actual work in an experiment that frankly insults the profession of a psychologist. Enter the main female who has some super powers given to her by the late Austrian queen (not the historical version of course, because that wouldn't be romantic and in the dipshit Korean drama heroine fashion, she needs to be ignorant), and uses them to help people overcome their hurdles in life. There were times when you could glimpse at how smart her character could've been but somewhere around the middle of the show that was all thrown to the wind and consistently dragged out so as to get to the 16 episodes cap.
The supporting characters very quite funny and entertaining to watch, especially the scenes of the other two ships but there was also problematic writing that made some genuinely lovable characters insensitive and dumb. The plot is also intertwined with a few cases that were there to announce that it's a psychology drama but all of that disappeared in the second half where I could see many commenters on Viki asking 'What happened to [insert character name]' because both the story and the writing were quite frustrating and lost at that point.
In regards to acting, I think everyone did a pretty good job. It's only due to reusing the same old K-drama type of characters which made the entire cast unbalanced at times and the script generally had an issue with character development.
The musical background was neat, I don't recall songs being out of sync with the overall feeling of the scenes but neither was there a particularly memorable tune.
I personally won't rewatch this drama, the draggy plot is simply not worth it.
There was a great chemistry between the leads in the kissing scenes (quite hot at that), but it fell short in the other ones; as much as they have tried to carry across this 'sizzling' romance. That is, of course, to be blamed on badly timed scenes coupled with immature ones. Sung Joon did some incredible acting but his character is built on layers upon layers of mistrust, deceit and lies, while on the other side, Go Hye Rim is gullible to the point of stupid which makes for a lot of lovely episodes that will make your blood boil. I also feel that a lot of key points of the plot were rushed or simply passed over as if nothing happened, they crammed a few cliches near the end and some characters who were important were never heard from again.
Truthfully, there is so much wrong with this drama that it would take a long time to summarize and I don't think it's worth it to take it so seriously. This is neither 'Kill me, heal me' nor is it 'It's okay, that's love' and I think it shouldn't be taken that way at all. With a lighthearted approach, this can be watched as a cute albeit cliched drama with a few steamier kissing scenes. Anything other than that is just pulling at the leg.
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This review may contain spoilers
《Our Generation(樱桃琥珀, 2025)》 - We Shape Ourselves Through Each Other
A Name That Became a Scar, and Then a Smile
“Lin Yingtao(=Lin Qile) had no interest in grades or anyone else. To her, there was only Jiang Qiaoxii.
The name that Qiaoxi’s father had given him carelessly was always bitter, a reminder of disdain and resentment.
But in Yingtao’s heart, those three syllables turned into something else—
like a poem, sweet and clear, her voice carrying a smile that softened the air whenever she called him.”
(Excerpt from the Original Novel)
His name, once nothing but a wound, was transformed by her into a moment of warmth.
The Weight of Memory, the First Consolation
Burdened by the shadow of his deceased brother, Jiang Qiaoxi’s grew up as a boy always waiting for love that never came.
To him, memory had always meant pain.
But in Lin Yingtao(=Qile)’s presence—honest, open, and brimming with affection—he discovered something new:
that memory could also be joy, and that being remembered did not always mean being trapped by sorrow.
The Meaning of a Name
To Qiaoxi, “Jiang Qiaoxi” was once nothing but a symbol of neglect,
of yearning for affection he never received.
But for Yingtao (=Qile), the same name meant something entirely different:
to bring happiness,
to guard a smile,
to make someone laugh.
The moment Qile’s naming turned into a gift,
she witnessed a quiet boy’s face come alive with color.
To her, it was more than a scene—
it was the first time she understood what it meant
to bring light into someone else’s life.
She saw what it meant
to breathe warmth into another person’s existence.
Fragmented Time and Memory
Their shared childhood became unforgettable precisely because it was a time when their identities had not yet hardened.
Open hearts and malleable senses made every moment indelible.
And when distance grew between them, memory was all that remained.
Letters became the way to hold onto those memories.
Even undelivered, they deepened the bond—
a fragile thread that connected two people across absence.
Growing Pains, and the First Shattering
But reunion did not bring comfort; it began with rupture.
For Lin Qile : entering a new environment meant rejection, jealousy, and rumor—wounds inflicted by the small society of adolescence.
For Jiang Qiaoxi: seeking a wider world only brought him into harsher walls of control and expectation.
Their affinity collided with the demands of the world, and each carried scars from the impact.
A Missed Gesture, A Deeper Wound
Jiang Qiaoxi thought ignoring her would protect her.
But silence and absence only erased her efforts,
turning his protection into betrayal.
The more urgently he tried to keep her safe, the more deeply Lin Qile was hurt.
When he said, “Let’s begin again with Qile,”
to her it sounded like erasing “Yingtao,” erasing the very years they had lived together.
And so she whispered that perhaps she would rather have known nothing at all.
Yet, in his clumsy teenage way, Jiang Qiaoxi finally began to close the distance—
admitting his loneliness, showing his longing,
and little by little, the bitterness between them started to loosen.
The Collision with Parents
“I didn’t get hurt because of a friend. I protected one.
I am becoming someone better than before.”
(Excerpt from the Drama)
But Jiang Qiaoxi’s growth came at the cost of clashing with his parents.
His parents, bound by guilt over their lost first son, placed all their hopes on the second.
They called it love, but it was chains.
What they could not let go of in the past, they forced onto the present.
When Jiang Qiaoxi began to resist, they blamed Lin Qile for changing him.
What they believed to be protection was in truth control.
And his rebellion against it set the stage for a deeper generational conflict.
From Novel to Screen
Compared to the novel, the drama sometimes falters in rhythm.
But by expanding the conflict from peer rivalry to parent-child struggle,
it widens the lens—
turning a story of youth into a story of generations.
What emerges is a narrative that is not only intense, but also tender—
a story where growth is inseparable from pain,
and where memory itself becomes both the wound and the healing.
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I will start with the acting. I initially was reluctant with watching this drama because of PMY. She is not a particularly great actress, but she wasn't bad at all in this drama and she has improved quite a bit since her City Hunter days. Still not anything exceptional but passable.
Ji Chang Wook is a whole different ball park. He is the prime example of inconsistent. When he was good he was so good. There were moments where I was amazed by his ability to transition through his multiple characters in seconds. Although some of his typical reactions, that the main three characters seemed to be victim too, of ridiculously widening their eyes to express shock just had me cringing. JCW biggest failing was his dramatic scenes. He has a tendency to overact and it completely pulled me out of the diegetic space due to the sheer ridiculousness of it.
That being said the supporting actors were amazing in this drama. So damn good. Ajumma, Kim Moon Shik, Myeong Hee, Secretary Oh. Perhaps the best performance for me was the young Moon Shik. Both actors managed to portray the nuances of such a multifaceted character so well.
The storyline was decent but at times unengaging, confusing and boring. It wasn't until the link between Jung Hoo's and the 1981'ers was made that I become truly interested in the overarching plot. I spent a lot of the drama confused about what was actually happening. Why Jung Hoo after a lifetime of not caring about anyone suddenly become interested in his father's past and clearing his name and some sense of newly found moral code because of some girl just didn't cut it. He had been dormant for too long. There was no natural progression. It was arbitrary and random it was much later on in the drama after him and CYS actually getting into a relationship that made it make sense. Heck I didn't even know Kim Moon Shik was part of the broadcast crew until reading the dramabeans review. Perhaps it was my own inattentiveness but there were too many instances where things were glossed over. The focus of the first half of the story just disappeared to never make a reappearance, albeit being linked to the latter half. One minute were talking about red lead the next about live bacteria. We never got a full explanation of what happened with Moon Shik, Omega Holdings. There was too much form- links-in-our-own-mind rather than explicitly showing, that I did not like about this story.
The romance tonally was inconsistent. I expected a lot more maturity for a action drama but sometimes it felt really immature. Especially initial chase of the relationship. Jung Hoo widening his eyes and being shocked because CYS grabbed his hand. I just don't get it. I agree with one part the lack of petty love triangles made this romance all the more enjoyable. Their understanding and trust for each other really made them a great couple (plus the cuddling /dies/). Ep 15 was amazing, rewatch worthy. Overall the romance was good, but could have been executed much better.
Finally the one thing that was consistent and amazing throughout the drama, was the action. The missions Healer went on, his action scenes, his lithe ability to navigate himself in any situation. It had me captivated throughout the drama. The action aspect of this drama was the highlight of it easily. The small subplots were much more interesting than the overall one.
Overall, a good drama, but definitely not worth the hype. Did not have me awed like City Hunter but worth a watch.
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That awkward quality I kind of liked.
I don’t know how to verbalize my feelings about this show. It’s not good - it’s drowning in awkwardness. The set design at times looks awkward, the acting seems awkward, the writing is awkward and so is the directing. Somehow, that awkwardness was strangely charming? I feel like I enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons.For a short show like that, it tries to tackle a bit too many issues and ideas. Stalking, unreciprocated feelings, coming out. I appreciate the more serious takes - it’s hard to be a female, because there will always be a creep with weird ideas. Gossips about your sexuality can be harmful and scary, especially if you are still figuring things out. All that was there, but just surface level type of a deal. Still, with a lot of, if now most BLs being “everyone if either gay or loves gays”, this show being just slightly less pink colored glasses view was nice, even if barely explored.
The thing I like the most about this show is how dramatic and over the top about the most basic things RoA was. Him being all “you have no right to worry about Ji Woo” when talking to Yu Na. Damn boy, she is his friend, she has the right. Or when he did not even let Ji Woo confess his feelings with his “you might never get another chance of someone you like confessing their feelings to you”... what, is he going to die the next day? Does he have one chance in life to be in a relationship, and if he passes it, that’s a done deal - he stays single till the end of his days? Where was the logic? Why so dramatic? They did not set up ANY reason for him to reject Ji Woo… it just came out of nowhere.
When he dropped the “He had to suffer like that. It’s all because of me” I turned into a question mark. What the heck is this child talking about? What suffering? How were you the cause of said non-existing, completely made up by your imagination suffering? People gossiped for like two days, long term no one cared. Not one person. And then he went “He’s in pain because of me” SURE HE IS, BECAUSE YOU REJECTED HIM! The poor boy has a broken heart. I literally cried from laughing when he started to say Ji Woo’s feelings for him are just an illusion. My dude, you are the one creating issues and problems for yourself that have no place in reality and never happened. That whole scene was just a gold unintentional comedy.
Not to mention how he left school all dramatic, last month before the semester ends, when he literally had just that semester left to graduate. What an emo kid move, I have to appreciate it.
The side romance between the student and the teacher got me wheezing. It’s not like it’s wrong - she is an adult after all, he is her teacher for just one class for one semester. It was just so painfully awkward, because this guy here teaches about relationships, love, romance, family, and yet he can’t handle one female student having a crush on him, looking so awkward. Especially in the last episode, I died a little bit during their scene.
It’s hard to talk about acting. Some scenes were truly natural. The double date scene was so fun and cute. The four actors have an amazing and natural chemistry. Then more dramatic and emotional scenes happened and sadly, the quality dropped. Delivering a realistic crying scene is not easy, I get that, but none of the sad scenes in this made me feel sad.
Production and directing wise, it felt like a project of a student with amazing potential, but not yet polished skills. Some shots were truly nicely done, well planned camera angles and lighting. Some… were shaky - both literally and in quality.
Overall, my brain told me to drop it, yet my body was clicking to watch the next episode at the same time. I just cannot explain it. I had a lot of fun, even though it made little sense. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it? All the things I ranted about in the review were actually the reasons why I liked the watch.
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Maybe not the best drama (or maybe not) but the perfect one for me...It's contains all the things I like : action, suspense, romance and comedy.
There wasn't any dull moment when I watched the show. I loved it from the beginning to the end and was never disappointed and even pleasantly surprised by the development of the story.
Thank you so much to the writer, Song Ji Na, who made some of my fantasies comes true and for the perfect cast.
I was already fond of Ji Chang Wook but the character of "Healer" made me fall over heels for this actor (like when Lee Jun Ki owned me after his performance in the drama "Hero" - where Ji Chang Wook played a supporting role!). I didn't know Yoo Ji Tae but now, I have to check his movies! And the hacker Ahjumma was so great.
I liked the chemistry between all the characters! Of course, the OTP was awesome but it wasn't the only relationship that made me enjoys this drama. I liked the relationship between Jeong Hoo and Moon Ho and all the other interactions (Healer-Ahjumma, Moon Ho-Moon Shik). All the characters from the leading to the supporting ones were well written.
What was the most pleasant thing for me is that there is always a moment in the dramas (even if the beginning is great) when the writer "invent" some sort of problems between the OTP which leads to some misunderstanding between the characters but there were none in this one and it was really REFRESHING!
Dont hesitate, just watch and enjoy this drama as much as I did!
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Mostly good but the minor issues were...something
I think the biggest highlight for me was the relationships between the female lead and the friends she made while trying to avenge herself. The second highlight was her relationship with the male lead. Aside from that, the minor issues towards the end of this put a damper on the show for me. Let me list them down below.1. Chu Zhao being able to get away with so much and distance himself when doing wrong until the end. (It took way too long for him to be punished.)
2. The emperor being extremely easy to manipulate despite his age.
3. The emperor still wanting to find fault with He Yan despite everything that has happened. (I'm referring to after her brother got arrested, and he was then saying nonsense about how she joined the army instead of coming forward with the truth, like sir...please be serious for a minute. No one would have believed her, especially given the state she was in.)
4. That random ass marriage degree.
5. Yan He's random death.
6. The emperor.
7. Oh, did I mention the emperor?
Were there other issues with this show aside from the last couple of episodes? Yes, but I decided not to mention them because, well, this is an idol drama. Therefore, nitpicking at things such as "how a general should look" seems...odd. Anyways, if you are looking for something fairly lighthearted with a minimal amount of character deaths, I recommend this drama.
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Before I get into the cons (which I'm sure is what most people are interested), I will say that overall, I think it's solid and didn't regret watching it at all. It kept me interested and did not have any overbearing flaws, so although I will get into the cons, just overall do note I enjoyed the drama and would give it a recommend.
First, I think the story is nothing special. It's not bad by any means, hence the 6/10, but it's hardly anything to write home about. Actually, I think the episodic story-structure is very similar to most modern Thai school dramas, except it's a little bit more polished. Similar to many Thai dramas I've watched, you can pretty accurately guess the direction of the episode 5-10 minutes in, but unlike other Thai dramas, this one is supported by actual messages it's trying to send and keeps you decently hooked.
Second, I think the cast in general is poorly designed / utilized. Although they have well-defined personalities and great actors/actresses behind them, a lot of the cast is absent for most of the series (due to the episodic structure only focusing on the main characters + character of the story), and their abilities range widely in utility. It's very clear when you watch the show who has better abilities and whose abilities are too niche for much use. In particular, the main character seems too crafty and suffers from "protagonist knows more than he/she should", which kind of hurts the plot imo.
Third, and this may be my misinterpretation gone wrong, but I fundamentally disagreed with the message the show tried to send at the finale. Not because I thought it didn't hold merit, because it did hold merit and was shown before, but because I thought it was inconsistent with the characters. I just didn't believe the characters would make that choice in the end, and it left me feeling very unsatisfied.
Despite these flaws, I still give this show a recommend. A lot of my problems with it were only realized after I watched the show, which means during the show these problems shouldn't be too irritating.
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Solid Antihero Thriller, give it a try
first of all this is way better binged so you who haven't watched it yet are lucky ones however,in my opinion no matter how far i stayed away from this it kept maintaining the level of good and thrill that it had, it always had me so emotional it's a good one .. for me to stick around for more than a couple of months, and with such a long wait and bad airing schedule and i watch the first ep as soon as it aired and kept on going but it was all worth it in my opinion .. i was so invested in the story and ep 12 killed me ...
so i highly encourage you to watch it if you're a fan of the antihero tope and if you like unpredictable thrillers ... of course there is stuff you will predict but like I think this one was a drama that wasn't like one of those dramas that were safe ... like each eps is packed with some " nothing ever going according to plan " elements which i really liked when I'm watching a thriller not to mention good acting .. (except one thing that went down that i'm heartbroken about )
and regarding the ending in my opinion this was a good ending tbh i like the fact they somewhat gave us a vage ending it made much more sense because had they actually tried to wrap it up i wouldn't believe it .. they did not have enough time to answer all our questions so it was smart of them to finish it off the way they did .. which also leaves a possibility for a season 2 which i will gladly watch ( if ever ) beecaauseee the show was so good
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Waste of potential
Was really excited and hype for this drama when it first came out. Was a fan of zhao lusi so was really disappointed that the storyline really laydown the cast. It was BORING, is all I can say. The storyline is predictable and a copy paste of past drama with the same drama. Nothing new.Their was no chemistry between the leads. The ml acting is stiff and only had one expression for most of the drama, but that maybe because of his character having being a stoic, cold true god???? But because of that I felt no love between them, more like sibling vibes. SO all that tribulation didn't really make me invested in the characters or their journey.
The drama felt draggy and scenes where nothing is happening or it going nowhere. Even if you skipped, you missed nothing. The villian motives are the same old, nothing new, 'jealously'.
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It's better but definitely need more improvements.
After twelve torturing episodes, I can finally, completely say that the only reason I kept watching this series are the great acting of Ohm Pawat and Nanon Korapat. They had one of the best BL chemistry that made me hooked into the series, they both made me laugh, cry, swoon, above all else. Ohm's previous filmography with BL series/movies is one big advantage, but Nanon finally proved once again he's a really good actor, playing all out and no backing down. (That kiss scene in Episode 5 is unlike any other, never been I cried harder watching two men kissing so passionate and loud.) Also, kudos for GMM TV finally trying to test the water with GL story, I like it, I wish sometime they can make one.But it's all unfortunate that many of the series's plot (outside of Pat/Pran's complicated love story and their endless feud and Ink/Pa's love story) is way too rough and illogical on many parts – on some parts it felt "jumpy" and on many other parts I honestly feels all these Ohm/Nanon scenes are fan service. I was expecting something that can be crunched slower and more smooth. Whether it was Backaof's fault or somebody else, it's hard to tell, because I feel that "jumpy" series are somewhat more common when a production is halted due to the rising cases of COVID, then the crew lost significant time and forced to rush everything, changing and cramming the script just to fit the deadline and COVID restrictions.
Ah, now about fan service. It looks like Backaof and the GMM TV team really discovered the recipe to make their viewers scream, and actually since this is the first BL premiered after the brutal Delta variant, this is all that we wanted and it's worth it. But I hope in the future we can go further and avoid playing "fan service card" too much, because ITSAY just broke all your standard for BL. I want compelling stories not fan services. Bad Buddy *is* breaking standard, but only vis-a-vis other GMM TV's BL series.
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This review may contain spoilers
Charming, but the "all men are misogynist jerks" became a bit tiresome.
It's unusual that I have an entire day to spend watching a k-drama, but circumstances allowed today when it was released. The story is the standard enemies to lovers with "fake date" contract somewhere in the middle.ML and FL were entertaining, charming and enjoyable, and nothing cringey about supporting cast. I liked the
ML character (Nam Kang Ho) far more than the FL character (Yeo Mi Ran), and I think it's because he was the one that developed/evolved - she was pretty stuck in her original persona.
My one big negative - except for the ML and SML, most of the adult men were drunks or cheaters or silly or unprofessional or. . . .choose a stereotypical Korean male jerk and there were several of them in this movie. It was VERY tiresome. And, of course, most of the women were strong-willed, bold, fearless. The female lawyer was THE brilliant strategist (male lawyers not allowed to be smart - just jerks).
Netflix made the right decision to release all at once - if this was offered merely on a weekly basis, I would probably have stopped along Ep. 4 and not bothered to watch the series until all episodes were released. Unlike my current favorite "Crash Course in Romance" - I eagerly await next episodes.
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Actually, the movie seems like calm relation, but it's good story. I suppose I will watch it again someday.
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Is This Worth Watching, Or Is It A “ Lost” Cause?
Screenwriter Kim Ji Hye’s ‘ Lost’ is an odd-fusion melodrama which both feels old-fashioned within its dated outfit choices, haircuts, over-the-top scenarios and dialogue as well as surprisingly boasting an array of well-crafted main characters. However for newcomers or those merely wanting to pick up ‘ Lost’ this leaves us on an ultimate decision; “Is ‘ Lost’ actually worth investing more than sixteen hours into?”To cut it to the chase the premise of ‘ Lost’ mainly revolves around Lee Boo Jung ( Jeon Do Yeon) a 40-year old writer stuck in an unhappy marriage with her husband Jin Jung Soo ( Park Byung Eun) who has finally hit a rut in reality by realising that she has not truly achieving or accomplished anything in life . By a whim of fate she ends up encountering someone from a different walk of life, jaded 27 year-old Lee Kang Jae ( Ryu Joon Yeol) who fears for what the future may hold due to his complicated past .
One of the strongest gaining factors for ‘ Lost’ was the casting choice . Admittedly whilst the acting can dip a little at times with certain line deliverances, the main cast immediately help to convey something worth watching. Actress Do Yeon was brilliant as Boo Jung playing the role with a level of complex heartache and angst. Her micro expressions throughout the series captivated all of Jung’s emotions flawlessly and helped to make her onscreen chemistry with her costars believable.
Parallel to Do Yeon was evidently younger costar Ryu Joon Yeol who played his role as Kang Jae with a swift touch of moodiness and arcane mystery. As their onscreen personas Do Yeon and Kang Jae’s chemistry is undeniably slow-burn and well-built up, however, this is also undeniably thanks to screenwriter Kim Ji Hye and directors Hur Jin Ho and Park Hong Soo’s approach to the relationship. Rather than enforcing the typical traits of a lusty affair filled with dirty secrets and dramatic sneak out scenes, both characters’ gradual chemistry was surprisingly refreshing . Admittedly the slow-burn approach could work at a snail pace at times but the ability to see both leads reach out through getting to know one another through their deal( as well as having time to talk about their own feelings) offered surprising relief .
One of screenwriter Ji Hye’s major fortes came through approaches to character writing and interactions throughout the show. Whilst certain character did feel more antagonistic for plot-drive than motives, even these individuals were rarely pinpointed as “ villains” by having their own moments of humanity, flaws and strengths.
Ji Hye even took time away from our main couple to focus on an unlikely relationship between Boo Jung’s somewhat staid husband Jung Soo and his rekindled feelings for his old crush Kyung Eun( Kim Hyo Jin).
Yet ‘ Lost’ is evidently not without its more problematic writing flaws. The drama whilst having an intriguing setup is incredibly slow-paced and takes awhile to really build-up more dramatic momentum . Of course some of this is necessary to build plot, however, the storyline also failed sometimes to reach climatic tension or build-up during entire montages and even entire episodes due to being more focused upon very nuanced details rather than keeping the plot moving more actively .
In addition to this there’s also the problem with the over-the-top cliches. Whilst tropes can be fun and intriguing to see how a screenwriter revamps them and did work well to an extent in the setup of the drama, ‘ Lost’ ‘s usage of the tropes ( including the nearly-farcical cliche of the “ slap on the cheek”) often felt mismatched against the stronger and fresher writing attributes of character-build and relationship. The ending certainly matched the more profound writing moments of the series- bittersweet and interpretative, yet oddly appropriate.
Overall the viewing expectations for ‘ Lost’ is entirely dependent on what you’re looking for in a drama series. ‘ Lost’ embodies the classic tropes of a melodrama series from the overused tropes which lack more profound depth, to slow-paced story build-up in order to “ create slow burn tension ”. The acting front is undeniably one of the show’s winning strengths alongside the drama’s more original approach to the adulterous affair cliche. The directors carefully used an artistic touch to the moody and drab cinematography which symbiotically helped to reflect the tension and ambience of the plot. So is ‘ Lost’ actually worth watching? ‘ Lost’ is a drama which is dependent on your patience and tastes. Those looking for a more adrenaline-rushed and quick paced drama with flaring chemistry may be disappointed. However if you have patience and enjoy slow burn chemistry, then you’ll absolutely adore ‘ Lost’. Whilst not flawless this is undeniably one of 2021’s hidden gems.
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