“It hurts because you seem so comfortable leaning back into sadness.”
Butterfly instead of white rabbit, magician instead of Mad Hatter, magical world and a lot of unresolved emotional trauma - get ready for it all. The Sound of Magic delivers both the enticing fantasy and the harsh reality.A lot of the things I liked about it, the details in the created world, were the result of the hard work of the webtoon writer Ha Il Kwon. The best examples are the names of the main characters - 아이 (child), 일등 (first; if we add his surname to the mix, it would literally mean I am first) that represent the internal conflicts the characters were facing. Seems on the nose? Maybe, but it fits the story and the approach they took with presenting it.
Ai was forced to grow up fast because of her family situation. Her dreams, hopes, wishes were all focusing on gaining money, as she believed being poor was the reason for her misery. She viewed every situation in her life from the perspective of her financial situation. She did not want to believe in magic, since for her, magic symbolizes hope for better life. All the good things end, like waking up from a beautiful dream, so why even start when you are deemed to be disappointed at the end, when you are back to unfair reality?
Ildeung follows the path his parents picked, doing his best to stay at the top. This takes a toll on his mind and his body. He realizes how trapped he was, yet he wasn’t sure if he is brave enough to stop chasing after the future his parents chose, and try to find his own path. His whole arc was built on small things that might seem like non existing issues, but in reality can take away your sense of individuality and self-worth: things like his dad not calling him by his name, but “Na Jin Man’s boy” - first he is his parents’ son, then he is himself.
Both main characters do not know how to be happy, feel free, make personal choices, act like children their age. And this is the story of them slowly freeing themselves from the cages they were locked in.
It’s hard to talk about Ji Chang Wook’s character without diving into spoilers, since we are mostly kept in the dark about who he is and his past till the end. That adds to the thrills though, creating that mystical and magical aura around him, making the viewers question if the magic is real till the last moment. I was invested in the simple question: who is this magician?
What I also liked about the show is how it spoke about the faults in adults while also not truly making the adults into villains (mostly). Some of them were annoying, sometimes acted unfair or selfish, but most of them were not evil, they were just humans.
The performance from the cast was great. Yes, some movements and facial expressions during the musical numbers were rather cringe and awkward, but it happened only a few times. I was quite surprised by all the emotional scenes, since they all hit me hard (yes, I cried), especially any scene with Ji Chang Wook in the second half - been a while since I enjoyed his performance so much.
Visually they did more than I ever expected. A few times the special effects, especially in terms of the motion, were slightly off, but nothing that would take away from the stunning pictures created.
A lot of the songs had stage-like performances that just sucked me in and I could not take my eyes off it. The A Curse of Asphalt scene was especially breathtaking, even though compared to some other songs, it had a more simple approach. Yet, with how instrumental, lyrics, vocals, visuals, set design, arrangement, all fitted perfectly like puzzle pieces, this song became my favorite performance.
Were the musical aspects all that perfect? No. Some songs just felt awkward with how they were placed in the story, at times feeling unnecessary. I understand why it became a musical-like drama, some lyrics had a really strong message and the performance features added to it - which would not be possible to achieve with simple dialogue. That said, at times I would skip a song or two as they felt redundant at that specific moment.
Speaking of music - all the instrumentals are to die for. Some melodies reminded me of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie (2010) - which fitted the theme perfectly. Even the sound design at times surprised me - taking into consideration the place the songs were sung in and mixing the vocals according to it.
Overall, I truly enjoyed it a lot. Had some questionable choices, acting and directing wise, but I still believe it’s a solid drama. While at first I was not sure about making it into a semi-musical, after seeing all the episodes, I understand the value that was added with some numbers and I appreciate the rather bold move they took with it (let’s get real, musicals are not exactly a mainstream genre loved by all). Ending review with a quote that I loved:
“Flowers don’t bloom on smooth asphalt, but on bumpy dirt”.
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Story- To be honest, the summary really caught my attention since it was somehow similar to the anime, Fushigi Yuugi. Wherein the female lead will journey to find her apprentices that would help her battle the bad guys and she will fall in love with one of them. But I think it was much more different and interesting than that. I think that the CGI was not overly done and it was really pretty decent. I loved the parts when they were fighting and the red and blue effects were there. It really made every action sequence very cool. The costumes were great! Especially the wardrobe of Xin Yue Hu. He carried it so well. I binged watch this for 2 days and every episode got me hooked. I usually fast forward some scenes when it comes to Wuxia dramas but in my surprise, I did not fast forward at all. This shows that this drama really succeeded in making every scene worth a watch.
Some may think that the story started to roll downhill as the end is becoming near but I actually oppose that. Every decision that the characters made was understandable and the ending was actually one of the best part of the series. It made my heartache and at the same time it made me very happy and I fell in love. The ending was the perfect ending and there's nothing that can change that. It was really really good to be honest. It will give you a lot of feels, I promise you.
Acting/Cast- Oh man, where will I start? Zhang Han was flawless. He was able to convince me that Chi Yu and Xin Yue Hu has a total different personality. Every actors portrayed their characters very well and they really gave justice to them. It really fits them perfectly. The main leads chemistry was just so great. They became one of my favorite pairs. Even though they are just doing simple gestures, they will still make me blush and feel butterflies in my stomach. Cheesy right? They are just that great. The connection between all the characters are superb. I hated the villains but at some point I fell in love with them. You will really feel the connection with the characters. It was a roller coaster ride for me, sometimes I hate them but sometimes I love them. You will really understand how their mind works and why they did that kinds of things. Every character was interesting for me. As in, every single one of them. I loved how the characters developed a lot through out the whole series. You will really see them grow and become mature, and this is why this drama is one of my absolute favorites.
Music- I only gave this a 8 since there was not really anything special about the music but it was pretty decent. This is not like Korean Dramas where the OSTs are spectacular. But, the music really did fit in the drama but there's really nothing more to it.
Rewatch Value- In my personal opinion, I would like to only re-watch the sweet moments of the main leads and some of the funny scenes of the lead characters. My absolute favorite scene was when all of them was gathered together, all complete, and they are just having genuine fun. I might have said this already but the ending was my favorite. It will hit you right in the feels.
Overall- As I've said, this drama will truly be one of my favorite wuxia dramas. There may be some ups and downs about this drama but overall watching this is really worth it. You will grow to love every single characters and understand how they think. I was not able to watch some of the drama's episode for a whole day and I actually missed them. Yes, I missed the fictional characters. This shows the strong effect of the characters to me.
I would recommend this to all the wuxia lovers since I believe that this drama will grow to you as well. This is actually just a light drama compared to all the other wuxia dramas out there. This is definitely a must watch. But if you are not a wuxia lover, then just don't watch this at all.
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The Story of Park's Marriage Contract
88 people found this review helpful
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Started out strong, ended up being BAD!
I have loved the first 6 episodes and every week I used to rave about this drama and how nearly perfect it was and then, what happens in drama land happened. The curse of the second half, where a perfectly good drama just takes a nose dive and end up ruining all the set up it had worked so hard initially to charm and engage the drama viewer flying out of the window.To begin with the sweet grandpa turning to be a mid villain or how his character took a 180 turn for me was one instance but then as it continued the drama couldn't explain the loophole of how the same Kang Tae Ha in the past and present is one with all the characteristics but couldn't be a reincarnation but different people at the same time! Huh? Like, if Yeon Woo could time travel and be in the modern world, why couldn't Tae Ha be an reincarnation of himself but two different identity and why did the Joseon Tae Ha have to suffer and see his wife fall for someone else, (more like his future self) but not him. How was that fair? How did it make sense? I mean do I make sense? Why couldn't it had been the same person with the same memories and just have lived in both worlds?
I hated the ending. I hated how past Tae Ha just died not knowing why his wife suddenly was with in love with someone who looked like him but not him but him and on and on...grr
This drama was just confusing with confusing characters with loophole like land mines every corner with no escape. The chemistry between the leads was amazing and I swooned in the initial episodes at how great they were together and also the secondary characters were worth the screen time they got. This drama had all the ingredients but then the second half just had to go and blow it all up.
I wish the writer took some time to flourish out the ideas and explained more about the connection of the past and present world and its inhabitants.
I would recommend the first 6 episodes since it was just too sweet and cute. The rest? Naaa...
Rating 2/10
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Lot's of people said they didn't like it and there are those who did like it.
I can understand both.
If you like romance genre, then try it WITHOUT expectations. You can enjoy the main couple's lovey-dovey, the two immortals' fight with each other( a childish one and a repenter one), the childish one's more and more immature acts to get her 'loved' one and beautiful views of places.
If you don't really like anyone in the cast or if you are picky about dramas, then FORGET it. Believe in your hunch! Don't believe in the teasers! (I did and regret it now...)
If you have time then listen to OSTs of it. They are likable.
Rewatching it? NO, I would never do that. NEVER.
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I’m Your Sky & You’re My Sea.
Game recognises game, and my man LEE, has GAME! The boy had 6mins, 41secs (yes I counted) and some nonsense line about the moon and walking or something and he worked!! Effortlessly. *Standing ovation* the real MVP. Also, that scene in ep8 almost gave me a heart-attack. I was screaming, ‘Noooo P’Fah do not put our cute fluffy boo-boo’s hand there!’ LMAO, for a second I think we all forgot this show was from Domundi and they real thirsty over there.Listen, real talk, what’s in the water over at Domundi? Beauty juice, anyone? Do their dramas make me cringe, yes, do I keep rewatching? hell yes! One thing I’ll give them though, their dramas may be cringy but their face cards would never decline. In the first episode I was like, ‘are these models or actors?’ where the normal ugly looking humans at? where my people who roll up to school like we got ran over by a truck on the way?
Anyway, here’s my quick review checklist:
#1. Episode 1 had me rolling my eyes, judging. I literally said to myself. ‘Oh great, another childish show with nonsense plot. Literally what’s with all that cringe over a damn shirt? Give it a rest already.’ But by episode 3 my arse was going ‘ahhhhh why are they so cuteeeeeeeeeee. Sunday, where the eff you at? Come early!’
#2. The creepy vibes from Oh was so strong, like damn dude did you take extra courses for this or what? Thank God he disappeared halfway through the series and we all just forgot about him. He’s probably out there following that one dude who showed him kindness and still being creepy. #savethatonedude.
#3. Hia had me rolling my eyes after Real confessed his feelings. This child gave me a headache. Dude, you’ve been touchy touchy with your best friend and initiating stuff since episode 1, and now you wanna play Mary the virgin? Then of course, he’d make out with Real, and still say he’s not sure about his feelings. If only I could reach into the screen and slap him with a rubber chicken. No, every time he opens his mouth to lie about his feelings I go, ‘my brother, my brother, my brother, let us have peace. Go sit somewhere with your nonsense.’ Ain't no way his arse was still confused after that third kiss. Heck they should have married after that second kiss.
#4. Not gonna lie, I was bored the first few episodes, almost dropped this. And that one cringy scene where Rak shouted Fah’s name during that football game. Ahhhhh, I wanted to find some nice earth, dig a deep hole and just, lie inside. The secondhand embarrassment I felt...yikes. Man was out there having his High School Musical moment, and I wanted to disappear on his behalf.
#5. Also what the hell is up with Rak, a uni student acting like a child? Was he cute, sure, but what grown up acts like that? Bls needs to stop letting grown ups act so childish, it’s really unbecoming and nonsense.
#6. PUNLEE IS THE MAN: There was no nonsense on his part. He sees it, he likes it, he wants it, he gets it. I wish he’d have taught Hia a thing or fifteen, dude was wasting screen time with his nonsense.
#7. I did not care for the stupid misunderstandings from both the main and second leads. Especially that whole sequence with the confession at the airport. Boy you did not even wait to hear an answer and ran away to sulk at some abandon parking lot. Like??? Let us to be serious in this life people.
#8. The shock I got when Fah took Rak’s hand and led it south. I was like. ’NOOOOOO, not the baby, he’s not ready. He’s too innocent, please don’t do that! Stop it!’ Loved that he saw he wasn’t ready and stopped. The breath I let out. Fast forward to ep12, and I am singing 'The innocence is goneeeee.' Like, what angle was that even?
#9. Though, FAH did not waste 1 single second the moment Rak said he was ready. LMAO, my man was hungry!!! Rak grew up too fast. Tears. But it was done really sweet and beautiful, and it turned out Rak was not as innocent as I assumed.
#10. Episode 11 was so emotional. I went through anger, tears, understanding, then happiness for the two. We need to retire this whole episode 11 curse. For the love of all things bl, please, stop breaking our hearts!
#11. I repeat, PUNLEE IS THE MAN: For that one cafe scene alone, he’s officially my fav bl character of 2025.
12. FINALE: Everyone got their happy ending, so smiles all around for our couples. Liked how Rak's father apologised to Fah, and how mature Fah was about everything. Like how Rak sister has been supportive of him throughout this drama as well. That scene with Rak and Fah was... yeah innocence don't live here no more. Lee still the man! Hia and Real, about effing time.
#13. That theme song always had me doing a happy dance.
All in all. I enjoyed the stories of all the couples, they were entertaining even with the cliches and unnecessary misunderstanding. The plot wasn’t anything new or special, it’s been done in other bls. Fake dating turns real. The cast being new was noticeable, cuz the acting was nothing to write home about, so there’s a lot of room for improvement, but they still managed to hold my attention and kept me entertained so it was not time wasted. I will recommend this to anyone looking for a new bl to watche, especially Domundi lovers. It’s cute and fluffy and serious in some parts. I look forward to more from the cast.
Anywho, see you all for the next Domundi drama, my arse will tune in for anything Domundi.
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It started out as a promising drama. The first episodes were great, you had the various stories set out, and I was ready for a cute drama about friendship, life and romance.
But not even the great acting, lovely secondary characters, and much-anticipated cameos from the R1997 cast could light this drama up.
It's all about the husband scavenger hunt, at least a 90%. It was so focused on that, that two of the characters involved in the love triangle did not have any story other than that. And that's bad, because it means that two of our leads were empty as heck.
My main concern was Najung, the female lead. I think she was the only reason why I did not ship anyone with her in this mess of a drama. Whatever happened to her story? Whenever she appeared onscreen, it was either about her undying love for Trash (the childish part of the love triangle), or something that had to do with her friends (only 10% of the time it was about this, sadly).
And the endgame couple... quite boring, too. This pairing... I won't say much, but unless you shipped it, I'm not sure how satisfied you could be. For me, there was just no spark. Maybe due to the fact that I disliked Najung, or maybe because the writers probably switched their endgame couple toward the middle, throwing away the flow this drama could've had.
This also made the dumped second lead, not saying who, seem like an empty plot point. What exactly was he doing in the show? He started out with a hint of the story, but then he was down-leveled to an empty character, a bit fuller than Najung, but still empty. As I mentioned, he was just there to keep the drama more "interesting", nothing to gain out of his presence, sadly.
To wrap things up, this drama was a disappointment. Maybe because I began watching it with too high expectations thanks to everybody's comments, or maybe because it truly was a bad drama.
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a dark and gripping historical thriller
Fair warning, this drama is not suitable for the light hearted. Gyeongseong Creature is one of the darkest and most unsettling dramas I have seen so far. It explores the darkest side of human nature during horrifying times and some scenes may be hard to stomach.That being said, this drama is an unforgettable and compelling narrative of the brutality of Japanese war crimes during World War 2. It is a terrifying yet gripping experience, as we witness the cruel and inhumane conditions of war fueled by the evil and greed of humans. The standout elements of this drama includes the cinematography, an outstanding cast and the high production value, as we have come to expect of high budget Netflix productions. Props to the production team who did an amazing job with the gorgeous set and costume design, both of which helped capture the mid 1900s era in South Korea during Japanese occupation. Additionally the cgi was good, maybe a step down from Stranger Things but solid nonetheless. As for the story, I found the writing to be intricate yet accessible, ensuring that even those not familiar with the history can follow the storyline with ease. The plot was well written and brought to life with strong performances, especially from Han So Hee, Claudia Kim and Park Seo Joon. However I will note that the romance seemed unnecessary and a little forced, but personally it did not bother me too much. In conclusion, Gyeongseong Creature stands out as a thrilling blend of historical drama, supernatural horror, and emotional depth. The series offers a unique exploration of trauma, survival, and the human spirit, while keeping viewers on the edge of their seats with intense action and suspense. The strong performances, especially from the lead characters, and the clever intertwining of mystery and supernatural elements make this show a captivating watch.
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It's cute but repetitive
When this started, I loved it - the characters are interesting, with Aoki having cute freakouts and Ida being this sexy clueless overserious guy, and a series of misunderstandings cause them to accidentally draw together, and not the usual way where one trips and the other catches him and they stare at each other until they turn gay.But then it bogs down into an endless cycle of very similar breakdowns in communication that reduces the story to running in circles to prevent the couple from getting together. The problem is that the crises are all so similar that I lost all sympathy for Aoki and wanted Ida to find someone less mentally unstable, and frankly stopped caring about whether or not they'd end up together. Either way would have been equally fine to me. I was actually more invested in the straight couple, which at least had a progression in their relationship.
TBH, the avoidance of affection starts to feel homophobic - I realize this is aimed at younger audiences, but similar stories with a straight pair don't have the same pathological aversion to depicting romantic interaction.
The quality of the production is high, the dialogue is cute, the acting is excellent, and the music is fine, if not particularly notable. I can't imagine rewatching any of it, since it already feels like I watched the same episode ten times. I'd recommend it if you like cuteness, but not if you think romance should be more than holding hands for about 10 seconds.
Story: 6 - too repetitive, although the starting premise is clever and the first few episodes are really engaging.
Acting: 9 - very good all around.
Music: 7 - it's appropriate and never annoying, but there's nothing extraordinary about it.
Rewatch: 5 - I doubt I'd rewatch it, although I might want to go back and stare at Ida and listen to him speak.
Overall: 7.5 - the "suggested" rating is lower, but I don't think it deserves less than a "C". It was cute and well-done, but it's just not memorable and I'll likely forget about it fairly quickly.
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Keep calm and drink on!
While modern affairs says Moonshine is a brand of corn whisky, according to medieval literature, it means high-proof liquor that is produced illegally and the name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. The drama, in fact, is based on the same concept and truly depicts and justifies throughout.Literally titled "When Flowers Bloom, I Think of the Moon (꽃 피면 달 생각하고)", the show is created by KBS Drama Division & 2 other companies and distributed by KBS. This drama is a debut for the writer Kim Joo Hee and directed by the exclusively KBS PD Hwang In Hyuk.
A period of 10 years ban on alcohol leads to the formation of hidden Moonshine organizations who secretly produce alcohol to do business and to take advantage of the ban by earning plenty. Sequence of events lead to the discovery of stash of such alcohol and while unveiling the forces behind everything, even bigger truths are disclosed which seem to be involving the main leads as well.
Inspector Nam Young (Yoo Seung Ho), appointed at the Prohibition Office (Sheonbu) is a law-abiding officer who craves for justice and truly carry out the ban as ordered by the King. Kang Ro Seo (Lee Hye Ri) is a poor noblewoman who got no skill but to make excellent quality liquor. To live a normal life by making money, she dares to disobey the laws but got a pure conscience and uprightly morale. Byun Woo Suk plays the naive yet calculative Crown Prince Lee Pyo and Kang Mi Na plays Han Yae Jin, a noble lady who is easy peasy and believes in being honest.
In supporting cast, there are many familiar faces like Choi Won Young, Jang Gwang, Jung Young Joo, Moon Kou Kang, Park Ah In, Kim Gi Bang, Im Won Hee, Seo Ye Hwa, Hong Yeon Pyo etc. The acting department was full of decent actors and the performance was overally very good except for Byuk Woo Suk. He didn't show any improvement from his previous dramas and him playing a main character wasn't a good impression though his screentime was significantly reduced in the later half.
Most of the major characters are likable, especially, the ones played by Seungho, Hyeri and Mina; I liked their roles and their characters. The one with the least experience is Mina and I was actually happy seeing her doing good in here.
Plot development is more than just good. It's not a brainy intriguing watch with lots of angst or even heart-fluttering moments. Plus, unlike most of the Korean sageuks, where the central plot gets diverted to plenty of political conspiracies and somehow becomes romance-centric with the goal of uniting the ML & FL in the end, this truly sticks to its main plotline for most of it's parts. The first 2 introductory episodes were able create some impression regarding the moonshine businesses and the progression throughout remained up to snuff and satisfactory.
It obviously has several peak moments as expected but not that stupefying in general; I think that's the speciality about this drama. The ending sequence however got a bit repetitive but it was okay. There's not really much to discuss about the development honestly and it was a good watch throughout. In addition, the pacing remains constant plus up to par and it didn't demand me to skip anything or even fast-forward it at all. I think the biggest plus point for this was the fact that it never ran out of substance involving the main theme, despite an average storyline.
Hwang In Hyuk PD-nim is a familiar face in KBS Drama Division with more than a couple of hugely acclaimed dramas in his resume and the decades of experience seems to have been reflected despite the drama being not a masterpiece of some sort. The screenplay management, premise settings, the scenario conduction and the cinematography have been well taken care of. The overall screen editing is nice, and despite the least amount of emphasis on colour pallettes, the vibe organization using appropriate hue, is brilliantly done. The pacing is good as well; which at few places (for instance ep 9 & 11) felt like becoming slow, but glad they picked up the acceleration shortly.
Writers making a decent delivery in their debut is not new, however, this was indeed a beyond decent one from Kim Joo Hee, and I believe, she should be paid her due credit. The overal value of the script is way more than average though I can't deny the flaws, but I feel those were manageable and I'm sure many of the viewers wouldn't notice. The plot development is simple, steady and entertaining. Some plot elements could be predictive for avid watchers but that clearly doesn't decrease the quality; I must mention, it's a light and decent sageuk. Unlike 90% of recent sageuks, the screenplay doesn't have any fillers and complementary side plots just to complete the 16 episode quota.
In fact, the amount of romance is very less and equally balanced with the bromance line. The development of bonding between different characters including the love relationships, is simple, good and not exaggerated. The patriarchal dominance is almost nonexistent and to my delight, this has so many feminist female, and not to lie, male characters. Using a contrary approach, the female lead here is the saviour of the male lead and in way, anything misogynistic has been included either.
Composed by Park Se Joon, the OST album ha a total of 9 songs and all of them are likable. My most favourite is "Even Though" by Monday Kiz which has beautifully written lyrics that render your heart. "Love Me Again" by Sojung (Ladie's Code) has the old K sageuk vibes. "Who You Are" by Ha Sung Woon is a song with is a soulful romantic track. "Missing You" by Minseo is a heart-rendering song with great vocal values. "Once In A Minute" by Seo Eun Kwang (BTOB) is a jolly track. Other tracks are:
# "Fly High" by LUCY
# "Moonshine" by JAIME
# "Someday" by Miyeon
# "Love Your Everything" by Golden Child
What I liked...
# The feminist female characters.
# The plot transition
# The character arcss and their growths
# The unique conspiracy plot
# The balance between different factors like: romance, bromance, family aspect, royal affairs, conspiracies, comedy, fighting & stunts, etc.
Final Remarks... Overally, "Moonshine" was a good watch in my opinion. It was likable, engaging and not time-wasting. It could have been a very good thing given the concept and storyline but the fact that it is one of those dramas with least amount of noticeable flaws, makes it an average and decent piece. I won't say it's a must watch but please do it in case you're not looking for a simple sageuks with typical yet balanced elements.
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Typical Contemporary Romance Cdrama
Modern romance drama that revolves around the love story between Chu Li, an aspiring editor, and Zhou Chuan, a highly successful debut author. This was a drama that I had looked forward to ever since they announced the lead pair. I had enjoyed watching Ding Yuxi's "Romance of Tiger and Rose" and really liked Esther Yu in "Find Yourself".However, what started as a solid 9/10 drama, slowly devolved to 6/10 for me. Mainly because of how absurd the ML's behaviour was. I tolerated his antics in the beginning because I thought he would change for the better as the drama progressed. But, 30 episodes in, he still behaves like a child instead of the 27-year-old adult he's supposed to be. At the beginning of the drama, he treats the FL as his own personal assistant, even his housemaid at times, and no one seems to even point out how wrong this is to the person himself although certain characters do remark upon it. Later, after the leads get together, he continues to demand the FL's attention knowing fully well that she's busy at her job and not ignoring him on purpose. I get that in dramaland this behaviour can pass off as cute but imagine if this happened in real life?
Other than that, my only complaint is that nothing really happens in the drama. This would have been a much better-paced drama if it had been 24 episodes. Instead, we have to wait for more than half the drama, around 18 episodes just for the leads to get together. The drama had nothing new to offer, except for maybe the glimpse into behind the scenes workings of the publishing industry.
Nevertheless, I liked our FL and almost all of the female characters. Their story arcs were much better written, believable and relatable. Chu Li was determined and stood her ground despite how harsh her workplace was to her. Even though I wish we could see Esther Yu in a more serious and not-so-typical role, she played the bubbly and unintentionally funny FL to a tee.
I may be overreacting here, but I'm just really tired of the unreasonable MLs. If you like slow-paced, slice-of-life-ish romances or if you are relatively new to modern cdrama rom-coms then this drama might be for you.
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Game of True Love: A Thrilling Romance of Passion, Betrayal, and Power Struggles
If you enjoy intense romance with power struggles and deep emotions, Game of True Love is worth watching! He Ruixian and Fan Zhixin deliver compelling performances, making Xu Nuo and Shen Jiahe’s complex relationship feel raw and captivating. Their chemistry keeps you hooked as love and revenge intertwine in a thrilling battle of wills. A must-watch for fans of dramatic, emotionally charged C-dramasWas this review helpful to you?
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It doesn't matter if some people hate me. And let me be alone here - but I enjoyed it. A series to have a good evening. I was really looking forward to the end of this series so I could watch it later. And I was not disappointed. I really liked it. JoongDunk acting has improved. And this is noticeable in many episodes. For example, in the episode where Zo and Joke have their first time/first night. I really liked this scene. Zo's embarrassment, hesitation, awkwardness - how well Dunk portrayed it. You watch it and you rejoice that the writers added conversations and such a scene. In most of the series I've watched, the main characters are so experienced and active in their first time/first night. So this Zo and Joke scene appealed to me.
I also liked the scenes with aggressive Zo. It's probably funny, but it is. I think Dunk manages to portray aggression excellently.
The plot itself is filled with tenderness. It really seemed that way to me. Yes, the plot is not genius, but it's not as bad as many people write here. But I liked the idea of the writers about the plot. And I won't even mention the chemistry between the main characters. It's just unbelievable. The looks, the tenderness, the kisses. Haha
Again, I don't understand some people who obsess over these debates. What's the big deal with it? I don't understand comments like "I forgot that Zo is part of the debate club", "the plot is not consistent, I forgot about the debates". I am not in any way condemning these people. I know that everyone has different tastes. But some of them remain incomprehensible to me. The series' plot doesn't revolve around debates. Imagine if they talked about debates every 5 minutes for 12 episodes. People wouldn't have liked it, they would have said that apart from debates, there is no plot. It's the same thing.
I liked how they tried to show the problems between parents and children here, about unhappy first love. Especially in the 9th episode, they managed to show that relationships are not always perfect, any misunderstandings or attempts to hide the truth can have consequences. Zo and Joke showed us that. And yes, I understand that the reason for their fight may seem trivial/stupid to some. But as I already said, it's about relationships, where any small misunderstanding can have consequences. Furthermore, I can understand why Zo reacted that way. He had an unsuccessful experience with his first love. Moreover, I like such scenes in series, they are a kind of resemblance to real life, and about situations that can happen in real life.
Overall, I liked it. Yes, the plot may be banal, but I liked it. And honestly, I can't understand why everyone doesn't like Dunk's acting? Maybe it's because I liked the series, and I liked the main actors, and I just don't notice it. But after watching the series "Sky and Stars," I still don't understand what's wrong with Dunk's acting. I personally really like it. Especially his smile.
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BEST CDRAMA I’VE EVER WATCHED
I really enjoyed this cdrama, i like the story and the flow, and the setting it’s really fantasy. Whei Zhi and Yan Yue’s chemistry is the best, their cute interaction behind the scene and on the scene is really romantic and cute. The open ost sang by ju jing yu is music to my ears, it’s really sweet like her voice, I’ve already fallen for her since then, and the closing ost sang by Ju jing Yu and Guo Jun Chen, their voice really match well, I hope they have more collabs songs in the future. I’m literally crying right now beacuse it ended, I wish it will never rnd, the show will never end, I will miss it forever. Whei Zhi and Yan Yue you will be missed forever. I wish Beauty of Resilience is having a season 2 soon.Was this review helpful to you?
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