This review may contain spoilers
One of the better dramas of 2024
There are some dramas that I shelved after watching several episodes only to go back to when I have nothing to watch but this is not one of them. I look forward to every next episode. The later episodes are angsty and I wanted to get over them faster.This story is of several young people from the Merchant class of varying degrees of wealth during the 9th century Tang dynasty. We don’t often have a storyline solely of the merchant class though there is the inclusion of the 2nd male lead, a Prince Bai who is fashioned after a real Prince/King of that era. Both male and female leads and secondary leads performed excellently. I really liked the character Zheng Ye Cheng played and with his excellent performance here, I’ll look forward to his other dramas. As for Seven Tan, she did not disappoint. As usual, Brocade Odyssey is full of drama, romance, fight scenes, humor and Steven Tan feistiness and charm. It also has a good ending in case that’s important to you as it is to me,
The costumes, hairdos and jewelry were stunning but some hairdos and makeup did not do Seven Tan justice. In some episodes where her makeup was more subdued, she looked gorgeous as her natural looks are already flamboyant. Cinematography was also good so I enjoyed this drama very much.
There is also much to know about the Silk and brocade manufacture during the Tang dynasty which I had not known about. Silk was prized all over the world = remember the silk route? An inch of Shu brocade is said to be equivalent to an inch of gold even during that time. There is a wonderful Brocade Odyssey Campanion piece that a fellow contributor, Frost_Edelweiss, had posted. It is below this review section, under ‘ recommendations’ . . It’s a weath of information about the drama, the silk brocade industry and the Tang dynasty as it relates to this drama. After reading her postings, I realized how much rich culture was presented in the drama. I encourage everyone to take a look. Here is the link
https://kisskh.at/discussions/shu-jin-ren-jia/132940-brocade-odyssey-companion-piece
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A Bumpy and Underwhelming Fantasy Ride
K (Seo Hyun) escapes into her favorite fictional world as Cha Seon Chaek, a supporting character who crafts modern cocktails, lives her dream life, and even shares a one-night stand with Prince Gyeong Seong (Ok Taec Yeon). The premise is fun, whimsical, and full of charm—at first.But very soon, things start to unravel. Gyeong Seong's constant proposals and overplayed rivalries get repetitive, and the story takes a hard left into heavy political intrigue, abandoning the playful tone that made the beginning enjoyable. The sudden tonal shift, combined with increasingly frustrating character decisions, makes some later episodes feel like a slog. Let’s be real—fast-forwarding feels tempting.
And then there’s the subplot of the real Cha Seon Chaek swapping lives with K. It’s barely touched on, leaving us wondering why it’s even there. If you’re not going to explain how she survives in the modern world, why include it at all?
Seo Hyun and Ok Taec Yeon have solid chemistry and bring life to their roles, though Seo Hyun’s character sometimes leans too much into “cute” territory, which can feel out of place compared to the more grounded supporting cast. That said, the series shines brightest when Cha Seon Chaek interacts with her fictional family, delivering humor and heart that balance out the heavier plotlines.
Overall, the show starts strong but struggles to keep the magic alive. Fans of time travel and romantic fantasy might still enjoy it, but don’t expect a perfectly smooth ride..
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Strategic Revenge
A revenge series, and also a strategy series. There's action too. I really liked it. However, we should also mention its shortcomings. First of all, it's a revenge series, but it's portrayed as if there's a kind of conversation between the avenger and the victim.That is, the avenger and the victim make contact, chat, meet, explain their intentions, then make a plan, and the avenger kills that person.But that person could also kill the avenger. But they don't. The screenwriter has employed an interesting strategy. It's as if the avenger and the victim are playing their cards openly. Everything is out in the open. It's a meticulously crafted script where everyone seems to know each other's plans and strategies. Although it's so obvious, it's beautifully portrayed, I really liked it. I wish the avenger hadn't died in the end and their success had continued. However, while taking revenge, they risk being killed at least a hundred times, and in the end, as a result of their own plan, they also plan their own death. An interesting scenario. That's why I gave it 8.5 points. Cheng Yi's role was also in my rating. Perhaps if someone else had played the role, or if it had been a less important, unknown actor, it wouldn't have received the same attention. At least, I wouldn't have found it so compelling, I wouldn't have given it this rating. So, the actor's performance is also important. Cheng Yi carried the series from beginning to end. He was successful. He could have been even better. Maybe that's just how the role was meant for him. Liu Yi Jun, Wang Jin Song, Zhou Qi, Tong Meng Shi, Ye Zu Xin, Cheng Tai Shen, Sun Zu Jun, Guo Cheng, Wang Zu Yi, Song Jia Lun, Zhang Han Yu, Ni Da Hong were some of the actors I liked. All the actors were very good. These names stuck in my mind. I really enjoyed it. It's a great series for those who like revenge, action, and strategy. I recommend it.Was this review helpful to you?
You Are My Spring ; The Attempted Reimagining Of Love
Fusion genre dramas aren’t unheard of in K-dramas, but ‘ You Are My Spring’ certainly pulls out a new record with the amount of genres in tried to cram into the show. Does it work? On certain grounds ‘ You Are My Spring’ is partially poetic and partially natural speech at times . The dialogue infused by screenwriter Lee Min Na is a rare example in a K-drama for each individual character -feeling natural because it flows out of the mouths of these characters coherently .
Of course this drama wouldn’t be complete without its star-studded cast. Whilst admittedly there were few eyebrow raising moments of acting in parts of the show, our main cast did add their own dynamic charm to their onscreen personas. Actress Seo Hye Jin plays bubbly hotel manager Da Jung. A talented businesswoman and a person with a heart of gold, Da Jung had a rough upbringing and believes her love life has forever been tarnished by her mother. Da Jung immediately has a likeable charm for viewers even from her initial introduction -she isn’t the cliched “ ditsy and innocent ” female lead archetype, but still often finds herself at the crossroads during problematic moments in the drama. Similarly she’s career-orientated and a hard worker but is often fairly relaxed and kind-natured. However whilst it is understandable that whilst we do see her struggles flare up during “ necessary” moments for the storyline, this was often used as a carte blanche by the screenwriter to “ intensify drama” in order to keep the plot moving, or kindle “ potential chemistry” between the main characters rather than explore Da Jung’s sentience in more depth . There was so much potential to understand more about how Da Jung tried to cope with years of trauma in daily situations, her relationship (in more depth) with her mother, her past relationships as well as how this impacted Da Jung’s social experiences during childhood and growing up also.
On a more praiseworthy note and before commenting on the rest of the main cast, it is important to commend the cinematography and symbolism in this drama . Director Jung Ji Hyun tangoed a lot with screenwriter Min Na’s storyline points through subtle motifs and shifted lighting in order to explore the drama’s heavy-hitting moments in more detail. Da Jung’s morbid obsession since childhood with Edgar Allen Poe’s “ The Black Cat”acts as a perfect analogy for the mystery of the drama.
Yet back to our main cast it is impossible to forget Hye Jin’s fellow costar Kim Dong Wook who played main lead Yeong-Do. Kim Dong Wook added a refreshingly calm presence to our main lead. As his onscreen persona Yeong Do is very much written in the role as the “ nice guy” trope- he’s flawed and has his own emotional scars, but is amiable and possesses a good heart. A psychiatrist who significantly cares for all of his patients, it is fair to say that it was surprisingly heartwarming to see Yeong Do confront his patients or people who come to his clinic in different ways and through small, yet meaningful words and interactions. On a more nuanced note Yeong Do was very much in the same boat as Da Jung.A likeable and sweet character, but a lot of unexplored territory with his development beneath the service . Without giving any major spoilers, it’s fair to say that there was a lot of potential to explore regarding Yeong Do’s childhood. His complicated with his father was often dismissed or skipped over rarely giving opportunities to understand more about his childhood, the impact of his childhood on truly shaping the person he was during the events of the series and of course his exact reasons for becoming a psychiatrist in the first place. Whilst it is arguable a lot of his motives for becoming a psychiatrist were arguably sparked as a consequence of the dramatic events of his past , there was surprisingly little mention or reasoning even during heartfelt talks with Da Jung to back this up.
This naturally moves us onto the potential romantic relationship between Da Jung and Yeong Do . Whilst there are some undeniable qualms with the written relationship between their characters, it is undeniably that respected actors Hye Jin and Dong Wook really worked well together with their onscreen chemistry. They undeniably added vital life to their onscreen personas’ feelings for one another and watching this growth from blossoming acceptance to something more was quite heartwarming. However it is important to be forthright by explaining that this relationship was also the drama’s hamartia.
Refreshingly , it wasn’t necessarily a problem that this potential paring was “ toxic” or “ unhealthy” by either characters’ implicated actions. Both characters made flawed mistakes and misunderstandings within this relationship, yes. However both character were also able to accept and move on from their mistakes or fallbacks- Da Jung could learn to lean on Yeong Do rather than bottle up her emotions, whilst both Da Jung and Yeong Do learnt to give one another distance and time to heal after a particularly severe incident without relentlessly hounding the other. It was honestly a fairly overt relationship. On the other hand it is quickly apparent to see where viewers can grow lost within its labyrinthine plot- a romance story which suddenly turns to a murder mystery, and then back to a slow-burn love story with dominating screen time after the halfway is undeniably off putting for viewers expecting thrill and hype . Adding to this issue was of course the myriads of cliches and tropes which began popping up in the romantic side of the drama- so lacklustre and predictable from other aspects of the uncertainty of the thriller and mystery elements of drama, that sometimes the skip button could never look so appealing.
Of course it is important not to forget the talents of “ second main lead” Yoon Park who added a layer of depth and brilliance to his dual performance as Ian Chase/ Chul. The storyline surrounding the mysterious Ian Chase ( Yoon Park) and his uncanny resemblance to Chul ( also played by Park) was a major source of intrigue throughout the drama, and whilst this storyline certainly didn’t disappoint as later revelations came to light , there were moments which often fell flatline at times because the show was often being pulled apart in so many different directions. Nevertheless did this become more apparent just after the halfway point. Juggling between murder mystery and romance soon saw a higher dedication to the lacklustre slow-burn romance between the main leads- sweet and gradual, but so disconnected and predictable ( including tropes)from the other aspects of the drama that sometimes the skip button could never look so appealing.
Then there’s Ahn Ga Young( Nam Guy Ri). Admittedly there’s a lot more than meets the eye here with Ga Young and rather than sending her down the superficial route as the “ second female lead”, it was intriguing to see this character ‘s growth by her backstory and gradual wholesome friendship with Da Jung. However whilst Gyu Ri is a good actress , the tropes defining other aspects of her character resorted to her being reduced at times as nothing more than a quick plot device to heighten the stakes or comical foil. This was also case and point with our side couples-so cute and bubbly that they often won over the viewers’ attention from a dragging scene between Da Jung and Young Do, but lacking screen time did little to give these couples more limelight in the
second-half also. The ending was as expected-bittersweet in parts, sugary sweet in others but failing to wrap up some more nuanced storyline moments also.
The verdict for ‘ You Are My Spring’ is undeniably that it is dependent on what you want from this drama. At its forefront ‘ You Are My Spring’ delivers good performances by the cast, surprisingly well-written dialogues ,aesthetic cinematography in parts and tries hard to deliver a fusion genre production. Whilst the different genres do help to “ spice up” certain elements of the storyline early on, this idea soon falls flatline when other genres ( particularly the romance) begin to dominate major screen time for evidently more quintessential storyline moments. As a consequence the characters’ development and slow pacing in the storyline soon begins to struggle beneath the surface. The drama often becomes lost in its own labyrinthine complexity-trying its hardest to be an avant garde masterpiece , but often failing to reach the mark in the second-half. Enjoyable but admittedly flawed.
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What was the finale?
While I watched the show, it was the typical stuff I expected from such a show. We had the evil dad, who turns out to be gay in the finale, we have misunderstandings and we have even two gay and one lesbian couple... And because any show needs drama, we have the bullying. So far, so good.But the finale... WTF? The both stand of the rocks and watch the broken up comet which were toooooo far away to have any impact directly, but of course could have made a tsunami is they would have hit water. Normally they should have the comet up their faces and then ok, they both die - for what is the question? Xu giving in so willingly did also not make much sense. When you are already out, you should not care about others anymore. Period.
So for me, the finale did ruin the whole series, because for me it makes no sense whatsoever. Dad being outed as being gay came too late, that would have had more impact if we had seen his past also. That he then turned 180 degrees also makes no sense. When you are in denial for DECADES, you do not change over night, It would have made more sense, when Wang had beaten him up about it, but no. But I guess they did not think about that or they run out of time (and budget) becauase they wasted it through the whole story. The series did have it's lengths, they could have compacted the story and put in some other focus like the dad to have much more impact.
And because the finale ruins everything I don't get the high praise from some reviews... what is wrong with you people? While the acting of the MLs was fine, the acting of the side couple was weak. They did not feel natural in the series, but when you see them in private they have the chemistry which is missing in this series. Production quality was also fine, but that can't save any series. Because of all the factors I deducted my rating heavily... it could have been a 7.5 with a proper finale, but this felt rushed and imprudent. And I don't like it.
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What century are we in? This series, while modern in overall appearance and environment, is like something out of the 1800s before the women’s movement. I think women are fairly progressed in Korea, but this series leads you to believe otherwise. As a woman watching this series, I grew weary of the male leads putting down and disrespecting the female leads.
What's even more offensive to me is the characterization of the female characters in this drama. The lead female is weak and whiney. She argues momentarily, but crumbles rather quickly and is back to saying "yes chef" to everything that is barked at her. The only strong woman in this series is of course characterized as the "evil b*tch," and is also constantly disrespected and treated like crap by all the male leads.
Lastly, there are a gagle of typical gossipy, meddling women who really serve no purpose at all. Women overall are portrayed really poorly in this series.
To say something positive, if nothing else, the chefs on the Italian team serve as wonderful eye candy.
While this drama is not the worst out there, all the sexism, ignorance and stereotyping wore on me to the point where I wasn't sure what the message of this drama was. I suppose it's purpose is to be a "romantic comedy," but I don't find bigotry romantic or funny.
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This review may contain spoilers
Dramaworld is totally meta and makes fun of a lot of tropes. Tropes that you find in KDramas that is, ie, piggyback riding, karaoke scenes, getting drunk on soju, chaebol family, scheming female second lead - however the ending gave a twist, that you don't find typically in KDramas. If you've watched Dream High, you know what I mean^^The acting in this was atrocious at parts. Wooden. But it gave me a meta feel still, because there are wooden characters galore typically in KDramas, and I thought it was a faithful representation, lol. The story is ambitious and follows Claire as she enters "Dramaworld" and tries to fix it before it ceases to exist forever. She meets another facilitator, Seth, who seems like a good guy, and he appears to be helping her on the surface. But is he really? *At the risk of putting spoilers, I'm not saying anything more*
Towards the ending, the story broke the fourth wall, which requires a lot of explanation and set-up, but there was no time here. By fourth wall, I mean the characters in the drama (well Joon Park) became aware he was a character in a drama. Although good ending, one has to wonder - is Claire's life now a drama? The ending is so ambiguous and not explained properly, I don't even consider it a spoiler talking about it, because it's open to interpretation.
Also, I was cringing towards the end. SERIOUSLY cringing.
However for a web-series and a collaboration between America and Korea - I see this as a stepping stone onto something more awesome. Watch this if you love meta references and you will be swept up in nostalgia :D The reason why my re-watch score is so high (practically unheard of), is because it's short, sweet and I can see myself revisiting the bits I liked, or just watch the Seth bits^^ (Justin Chon and Liv Hewson did a good job)
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style, elegance, tension, passion, love...
First, I have to say, I can't imagine how much training the actors had to do to get to this level of dancing. Watching them dance is mesmerizing. Two humans meet through passion. Two humans contrary to each other share a bond which grows over time."Dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole" - "So close and yet so far" are the two sentences describing the story in a heartbeat.
This being a Netflix production, I don't have to tell you that the cinematography, lighting, music, atmosphere are top notch. Both MLs are just incredible. Even in the slow scenes there is not a moment I was bored... The story has a rhythm just as dancing does. And for most things you see, I can't express how it moved me. Suffice to say, it's something different, something not seen yet, something incredible and something we should be happy to experience. This movie is a "must watch" in my book!
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I don't care, even though lots of people say that this series isn't good because of the story plot, the characteristic/action of the character or anything else that is a negative opinion about the series because this series is actually the series that I'm the most falling in love to. Yeah I know, this series isn't the best series with the story plot but I was just fallen in love with the cast. Especially Dunk playing as Daoneua, he was the cutest person I've ever seen. Even though the story plot might not be that good, I know that it's quite boring and annoying because many people like Daoneau and sure Daoneau wouldn't like any of them other than Kluen, but the effort behind the scene that they have put to make this series are a lot, so I never would give any series a bad rating just because many people did so. And if you watch like any of the casts really much, that will make you overcome the boredness and continue watching till the end.If you haven't watch this series, I would recommend you to, don't just read negative comments and just decided not to watch. Try it first, if you don't really like it then just don't continue, but you might be one of the thousand people that really fall in love with the cuteness of P'Dunk and the handsomeness of P'Joong.
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Quantity doesn't = Quality
Positives:1. A "Watchable" Frozen Face Hu Yi Tian drama. (yes I'll probably get a lot of hate comments, but I've watched and given up enough of his dramas to conclude his frozen face syndrome)
2. Decent storyline with strong lead characters. Although not unique but it's enjoyable. The pacing of the love developing is very good.
3. Enough good supporting characters (but you'll need to weed them out) One's I actually enjoyed:
ML's sister Shao Yao & Shen Huan
ML's 2 sidekicks (could've used more screen time)
Hua's cook
Prince Xian - a worthy bad guy
Skippable
1. Quantity < Quality. Overloading on non-necessary characters (to fill in 40 episodes) is a HUGE waste of time. Lack of character development for these side characters makes the drama feel draggy.
2. Due to the characters dump, there's a lot of annoying scenes. Plenty Aunts, cousins, maids' repetitive lines make it unbearable at times. Even with the pairing on these excess characters you'll feel nothing because essentially there's no build up.
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Could It be Any Worst
I found it to be not worth it. I wanted the story to be good but the first thing that bother me was the lead female character. Like always they make this girls stupid, weak with no ideology or logic yet she had all this power. They also give her a naïve, stupid maid. Everyone can push the lead character around even other maids. She so kind that she does not hurt anyone even those who are trying to kill her. She so loyal to her sister and father even when they are mean to her. It just disgusted me. All thru the drama until the 20th episode it was the same, it did not change. The romance to me was not there. I could not see any real chemistry. The male lead is a strong brother to the royal prince but has so many secrets that he shares only with a few. The rest of the characters just turn me off. Many of the scenes was so predictable and some of the characters had terrible acting skills. The ending made it even worst. Very disappointing.Was this review helpful to you?
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First half was all kind of awesome but it faltered a bit in the second half imo. As much as I love Danoh in the beginning, she started to grate on my nerves with her overly aegyo (it was cute at first but you get tired of it very quickly). Her world literally revolves around Haru and only Haru (that I almost felt sorry for her other loved ones) I loved her spunk and sass in the beginning but this girl totally disappeared in the second half to my dismay. I really liked Haru but I can't help but think that his characterization fell a little flat in the end. Did he have another meaning in life other than being Danoh's love interest? No. What a shame. Don't get me started with Baek Kyung...his only role was to be a cockblock to our lovebirds...he didn't stand a chance but was too stubborn to admit it *sigh* (they better thank Lee Jae Wook, his flawless portrayal made me care more than I should for an otherwise obnoxious character. Even though, his redemption arc came far too late, he still managed to move me and it brought me to tears when Dan Oh forgave him)Do Hwa was another character I was really fond of but once again they didn't explore him much and has been relegated as a comic relief.
Self-aware Juda was badass but her decision was quite questionable. While I felt sorry for Nam Joo (and that's probably why she chose him in the end), Do Hwa was a better fit. But we have to remind ourselves that Nam Joo never gained his awareness and that's a bit unfair to solely judge him based on how he's written. Tbh, I wasn't even annoyed by his character, his characterization was so one dimensional that it made me laugh in the end (he was such a riot)
Sae Mi never gained hers or did she? She did bully Juda in the shadows or was it a mistake of the production? She was a lovely friend to Dan Oh but a bitch to Juda (pardon my french). I'm probably the only one that agreed with Baek Kyung's comment on her being a villain (I know that's the pot calling the kettle black but still it was so satisfying). She had to hear the truth somehow even if she forget it in the next scene.
They focused too much on the pointless love triangle that they lost sight of the main themes (and the most interesting ones imo): free will, changing your fate thus stopping the neverending cycle (I would have love for everyone to work together against the writer)
Resulting in underdeveloped characters, plot holes, no explanations whatsoever of crucial points and rushed ending. Still, I enjoyed that drama for the most part and will miss it nevertheless.
Acting-wise, everyone was brilliant.
Kim Hye Yoon was great and though her character lost its momentum in the second half, she managed to give Danoh enough gravitas to keep me invested in her character.
Rowoon/Kim Seok Woo surprised me the most, he nailed the emotional parts and held his own quite well. Kudos to him! Haru is not an easy character to play since his blandness and lack of development could bore the hell out of anyone but he shines and makes you care and root for his happiness (shame they didn't explore more his bad boy side, prefer his look when he returned and lost his memories *shallow me*) . As an idol turned actor, he has the potential to be in the top-tier imo (with Im Siwan, Lee Junho, Do Kyungsoo or even Park Hyung Sik).
Lee Jae Wook ah Lee Jae Wook, my main reason on why I watched this drama and stayed...he was just perfect as usual (give that guy the awards he deserves, he's the rookie of the year, hands down) despite a terrible and disadvantageous characterization. He managed to elevate the character and made it his own. You hate his character (or rather you want) but you can't ignore him and in the end you even pity him. Baek Kyung could have easily become one-dimensional character with no redeemable features but Lee Jae Wook's amazing acting saved his character's poor characterization (conveying loneliness, vulnerability, anger and plenty other emotions as if it was a piece of cake...I swear it seems effortless to him. To think he had to juggle between two complete opposite characters (BK and Seol Ji Hwan) during 1 month makes me respect him so much more. He's a keeper.
OST was beautiful, catchy and fitting.
Does it deserve a rewatch? I'm not one to rewatch series even my most favorite ones so no I won't rewatch it...some scenes, yes (mostly Baek Kyung?! Because...Lee Jae Wook<3)
Final rating: 7.5/10.
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So, yes. This drama was hyped alot and now that it's finished, opinion is deeply divided on this issue. I think the only problem is that the more you label something as perfect, the more you'll get disappointed when it doesn't reach your expectations in the end. You know the saying 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.' That perfectly describes what went wrong here. So yes, everyone said it was perfect in the beginning. As it went further, the excitement and hype expanded and many people said it was flawless, so it HAD to be flawless. Not letting in even one mistake.
Maybe it's overrated as some people say. But that doesn't mean it was a bad drama. It was still great and many people enjoyed the ride. Because there WERE great parts in it. Parts that filled us with excitement, with joy, with happiness and with sadness, frustration and anger.
So, what was so great here?
The bromance. Two totally different guys being the best buddies you've ever seen.
The romance. Refreshingly no love triangles, instead you can ship not only one but two couples wholeheartedly and not be afraid of some twists within their relationships as those we have already experienced in other dramas. You can enjoy the sincere feelings, the genuine caring and worrying and loving. There's chemistry between all of them and you can feel that the actors also felt proud to be part of something so special like this. The whole team is complementing each other.
The comedy. You have to admit, you laughed your butts off. Hilarious scenes all over the place.
The side characters (the good guys): It's not the first drama but there aren't THAT many dramas out there, where you actually sympathize with every character that appears in one show. Regarding that, it never gets boring.
The scenery: Not the usual korean areas around here but something new and refreshing. Beautiful landscapes and impressions.
As to where we took a hit: In my opinion it was the story. It wasn't bad. And until reaching a certain point it was quite entertaining. I would have liked it more if there had been one big story running like a golden thread through the whole drama. Not those many smaller stories following one after another - as interesting as they were in their own. But what really created some headaches (at least for me) where some issues that didn't add up to a logical process. And that was what made me kinda disappointed because those flaws were obvious. It seemed like all the effort they built in the beginning subsided towards the end and made some scenes seem ridiculous.
As for the bad guys... Well, that's an issue per se. They weren't that bad. They did a decent job and gave off thrilling moods, although sometimes it seemed a bit overdramatized. Maybe because most of them were foreign villains. And as we all know, foreigners in a korean drama just seem weird most times. Plus the foreign languages. Well, I wasn't really bothered by it. We are happy when they can actually pull that off better than what we'd expect. But we're also not disappointed because that's just the korean 'style'.
The OST was great because it created a unique feeling and beautiful atmosphere for the drama. Definitely on my mp3 list, soon.
So, nevertheless of all the critiques... Descendants of the Sun is by far not the most perfect drama out there. But it still manages to entertain us in many, many ways and often throws us in some big thrilling turmoil, what shouldn't be disregarded. And of course at some point it made us all hooked up.
Although I had some disappointed moments myself, I still enjoyed the drama. I will definitely rewatch this one as I want to re-feel all the emotions I run through during the first watch, but this time without having to wait until next week.
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A GOOD 1000 YEARS LOVE STORY
I have to admit I initially got discouraged from watching this drama just because of the low rating, but once i started it, i just binged all episodes non-stop in one night. IT IS THAT ENJOYABLE! If you liked "I will Knock You", chances are you will like this too. Pun may be the greenest flag character in almost all of BL.BL genre has fast evolved in the last few years - and so are the viewers. Nowadays, a lot of series without real substance gets good and high ratings even when the show isnt really deserving of it just by putting cutie cutie famous couples/stars in it or by putting a lot of shocking NSFW scenes . I will not put this one as one of the the best BL ever, but it certainly doesnt deserve to be in the low 6.
Just a quick recap. Yo is a university student who is fascinated by the extraordinary - thats why he became part of a gang of friends who are devoted UFO seekers, but deep inside his heart he knows something un-normal is happening in the world and he will discover that its not extraterrestrial in nature but something mystical. He was instantly drawn to Pun when he met him at a local eatery - was it love at first sight? Was it his mysterious demeanor? Then he adorably stalked him until Pun revealed to him what he is - a vampire! And you guessed it- this is how their love story began, and together with their friends and family they will prove that their love will conquer all odds. This just sounds about right, the end.
Eventhough the title of the series is '1000 Years Old' which pretty obviously tells us that one of the chracters is indeed an almost immortal, still the series managed to keep us guessing for the first half of the show if Pun is really what he says he is or just a weirdo who thinks he is something that he's not - after all he is not the familiar vampire we see from the lores - First, he is a poor vampire who lives in an old building. Second, he keeps saying he is burned by sunlight (SPOILER ALERT HE DOESNT) and always covers himself up fully and uses an umbrella . He is also not afraid of crucifixes, and he doesnt get burned by Holy Water. He aslo sleeps at night( not before the sun rises and in a coffin-like bed in a messy living room because the bedroom is his cat's room) Lastly and most importantly, he is not afraid of garlic and he also doesnt eat anything besides cooked Pork Blood Soup. He is weird but you just cant hate this guy!
One of the funny highlights for me was when he was trying to prove to Yo that he is a vampire and jumped off the building's rooftop!
Also, even if early in the series they showed a few flashback scenes from Pun's past, and even with the presence of another mysterious and scary character SoomChai - just like Yo, we as viewers still end up questioning whether he is really a true blooded bloodsucking immortal or was he just delusional?
While trying to hide the reality of Pun's true identity, the first half of the show felt like we were watching a Thai version of the Korean series "Start-up" when Pun and Yo and their newly formed gang were so focused on trying to make their food business succeed. The antics are so corny but you also cant help root for them!
It was around the later episodes when the truth was confirmed - that Pun is an alien.
Ok, he isnt an alien, but a real Vampire. The limited screentime of SoomChai is both annoying and effective - I would have loved to be bitten by that actor just like Shin. And as much as i hate it and just like a lot of other BL shows that create an annoying female character to be a villain, Janja's (she does look like a vampire seductress even without the fangs) presence is important in establishing the connection between Pun and Yo and the truth about their long history and past lives to make their love story seem more epic in scale and not just spur of the moment.
Let me also say that despite the many things that I enjoyed about the series it is not without shortcomings. First, for almost the entirety of the series nothing physical happens between the Pun and Yo (only a mild hint of a kiss) which is almost unbelievable. Second, I hate that the YOU.F.O and the gang were sidelined as if they never existed entirely when they were the group that opened the show. Third, the cluelessness of Pun's character to the current technologies is just unbearable and incredibly stupid (even if it was intentional to misdirect us about his true identity) like walking to mall, no idea how to get to point 1 to point 2, really? Fourth, Yo's contninuous denial about his feelings and Pun's intention to him is eyerolling.
Id like to end by saying that the final scene of Pun and Yo is genius but also both tragic and conflicting. While it was implied that they had a happy ending and they get to at least spend a really long time together in this lifetime, Yo's passing under the sunset is just so heartbreaking and it made me cry.
Overall its a 8.5 for me. Great leads and support with good direction , very rewatchable too.
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This review may contain spoilers
Overrated
While the story itself was strong, the execution left much to be desired.First, the editing felt quite messy,scenes often cut off at odd points, and some episodes felt more like random segments pieced together rather than full, coherent episodes. Episode 27, for example, gave most of the screen time to side characters, which disrupted the pacing of the main storyline.
Another issue for me was He Yan’s disguise. I honestly don’t understand how she managed to fool everyone, her mannerisms, compared to the other Yezhou garrison soldiers, were distinctly feminine and almost childish, making her cover less believable.
I was also disappointed with Yan He’s death. It seemed included only for shock value, but it didn’t really land emotionally or add much to the storyit felt unnecessary.
That being said, I’ll give credit where it’s due: the fighting scenes were very well executed and definitely a highlight of the series.
Overall, this drama had potential and an interesting story, but the poor editing, questionable writing choices, and overhype online made it fall short for me.
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