Reviews

Don't bother

Was disappointed with this series mainly because after so many drama series together I expected OffGun to have more chemistry, but unfortunately not. Gave this show a chance just because they were acting in it. The script was kindda lame too. The many times they asked each other how to calm their nerves, which was just used as an excuse to kiss each other, was super duper cringe. The kisses were also cringe and unbelievable (newsflash: people don't kiss irl without moving their lips). Unfortunately for me, OffGun were the weakest actors in the cast. I was surprised by Aungpao though, a new actor, who provided comedic relief without being slapstick. His pairing with Neo who is always good in his roles, was fun to watch. Dome was excellent as well but Tum was kindda over the top. This show doesn't really have much in terms of plot. Storyline is shallow, unrealistic and slapstick. A waste of time.

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"put out my eyes but i still can see you..."

I just finished this movie and I already know that, this movie is going to have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life!

The music and sound were so good that it was as if I was listening to a precious piece of music in addition to the movie. In terms of the quality and aesthetic of filming, it was very eye-catching and beautiful, and you could feel the love between the main characters~

I don't think I need to talk about the acting talent of the actors because they are both the best; Although the actress had no dialogue at all, she showed her emotions so well that I felt familiar with her more than many other characters with a lot of dialogue.

And in the end, it was one of the few movies that made me cry because of happiness, sadness and stress...

If you, like me, have doubts whether to start this movie or not, I assure you to start faster because you are going to see one of the best movies of your life!!

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Ji Chang Wook + Kim Yoo Jung = Perfection!

This drama is crazyyy! crazyyy! I loved it a lot! Ji Chang Wook is the best and Kim Yoo Jung is great. These two have excellent chemistry. I liked this couple very much <3 I didn't feel the age difference at all(he has that boyish face that could pass as a teeneage). The story is sometimes funny, sometimes romantic, and sometimes it touches themes that are so real that you put yourself in the characters and their lives. I would have preferred a little more romance on screen, they left us wanting a lot more ... it's definitely one of my favorite Kdramas. I recommend watching it.
-Peace and Love <3

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Messy

In theory this had a lot going for it — but execution was super messy. It felt like characters were introduced haphazardly and it was hard to link all the subplots and backstories together. A lot of things just made no sense and I hated that the rules of the Abyss kept changing. It just felt too convenient and really made for a lot of plotholes. The same really goes for the ending, which is my biggest issue because a lot of the resolution just makes no sense.

A plus is that the main leads are really cute together, even though there's some parts of their relationship that is just really confusing.

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I just completed the Princess Silver series and it left me with very mixed emotions. I've never written any review before but the extremely heavy after thoughts compelled me to write this post. This is not so much a review, but I want to share my thoughts and feelings about the drama. In my opinion, Princess Silver is one the best Chinese Drama produced in recent years. I have not read the novel, so I do not know how close the drama to the original source is. Nevertheless, the story is a beautiful and very heavy heart tragic story that takes a lot of emotions out of the viewers. Complex relationships, plots, and key secrets are beautifully written and planned by scriptwriters. For the most part, the drama flows well through the many episode but becomes a bit draggy on the last six. Perhaps, it could have been done with 60 episodes and I will share my thoughts on that.

Let us begin, the soul of the drama definitely comes from the superb young casts, especially Sophie Zhang. She is the center and the life of the drama in every single episode. All others are good, but Sophie's performance is many levels above all others. I have seen her once few years back in ROCH as Guo Xiang. Her acting has matured significantly over the years. Unlike Guo Xiang simple happy loving teen character, Rong Le character consists of complex dispositions, and most involve extreme level of emotions: happiness, betrayal, despair, hatred, strong will, wisdom, hope. Yet, Sophie has demonstrated the ability to connect all those with me as a viewer. The two vivid scenes, when she gets rolled out on a bed to force surrender from Wu You and when she finds out the cure for her illness, to me, are no doubt of her best performance. You can really connect and feel the pain and torment through her face and twisted body. Her performance would be the only reason if I to re-watch the series (very unlikely). She has done an extraordinary job in Rong Le.

As for the male roles, it is worth to mention of good performance from both Aarif Rahman and Jing Chao. Zongzheng Wu You played by Aarif is a protagonist that anyone can long for: intelligence, arrogant, powerful, brave, fidelity. I do find a bit stiff in Aarif acting. He does well in arrogant and battle scenes, but I don't connect with him on the painful and happiness scenes. Perhaps, that is the intention of the scripts not to show weakness in Wu You character. I think Wu You is not a difficult character to play and Aarif performance does progressively gets better through the series and keeps hold of the viewers. The chemistry between Aarif/Sophie - Wu You/Rong Le is phenomenon. Together they really bring out an intense love that would rival any relationship in all period drama. The sacrifice, loyalty, and fidelity outshine all the evilness in the story which is extremely critical factor for good period drama. You want them to be together, but you cannot wait for them to be separated as well, and long for them to be back again. It is a heartwarming circle that keeps the wheel of drama rolling.

With Fu Chou character played by Jing Chao, I would say, second to Rong Le, this is also a complex role to play. Seasoned actor Jing Chao fits and plays the role well. This character has no external emotion expression, but I do connect with Fu Chou from begin to end, from dislike to acceptance, from suspicious to truth, and from despite to sympathy. Through mostly short sentences, burst of emotions, facial and body expression, Jing Chao has really carried out the depth and complexity of the character. Because of his acting, I do circle back to Fu Chou and accept his role in the story.

To my least favorite character of the series, it is Rong Qi played by Luo Yunxi. From both character and performance standpoint, I find it exceedingly difficult to accept and tolerate this combination. Luo Yunxi acting seems very dry to me. Understanding that Rong Qi is a sickness and painful role, I never see that but do see an internal evilness in him until the very last episode. I am not sure whether I misunderstand the role, or it is supposed exactly like that. This is where I like to know what is really the Rong Qi actual character in the novel. As for the story, I see the last 6 episodes is written as a redemption for Rong Qi and to fill in all the missing pieces. I find myself forwarding most of it because, by episode 60, my mind is already made up for Rong Qi as an antagonist, and there is no return from there regardless of how many more beautiful details of Rong Qi and Rong Le relationship added. I understand the need for a series of events to bring back all memory for Rong Le and to cure her illness, however, the dragging of the last few episodes on the relationship of Rong Qi and Rong Le during her pregnancy are very repugnant in my view. At that point, most of the secret plots have been exposed, and therefore, I feel that the series could have been concluded with 60 episodes by keeping the details on their relationship minimal. It is very unlikely that I would rewatch the drama because of these very distasteful episodes.

Lastly with some random thoughts, although I have enjoyed Princess Silver, the tragic story in the drama is too heavy heart for me to rewatch a second time. I find it draws a lot of emotion out of me which a good drama should do. I am also overly impressed with the overall casts and their performance. I hope and look forward to seeing their other works soon. Regarding costumes, I have mixed feeling on some costumes used in the drama, especially the design and accessories of the royal outfits, seemed to be over killed. For those who enjoy serious, highly emotional, intense love, and complex storytelling, I highly recommend this series. If you are looking for fun, light heart, beautiful love story, my current favorites are Joy of Life and Under the Power, both are excellent dramas that will leave you a big note of happiness and satisfaction.

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The plot twists, the ending, ugh, the ending is bittersweet

This drama is amazing, the cast, the actors, it is very well made.
Being set in a different year in the past begs me to question what/when will the modern twist be put on?

After the modern era change, it seems to have lost a tiny bit of the sparkle this drama had, but that is to be expected, when things have changed.
The ending, oh, so heartbreaking. I wish for a season 2 but I doubt that will happen.
Amazing cast, the story is not too slow, and the acting is top notch!
The storyline is pretty good, hard to follow sometimes, since I forget who has used the spoon and so on, lol.
There have been many good dramas this year, and this is definitely top 5 so far in my mind.

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As my adrenalin continues to be revved up after the completion of this movie, all I can say is, I cannot conscious recommend this to ANYONE!! Why? The beginning of the movie that features the conflict between the two male leads is so hard to watch, so raw with anguish and disgusting behavior, no sane person would say watch this. Again, I am always awed and amazed at the depiction of bullying in Korean schools. It is unimaginable to think that anyone who is a victim survives with their sanity. And that is the crux of the story.

Yang Dong Geun as Chang Sik was superb, as usual. Joo Sang Wook as the tortured and never to have recovered Joon Seok was utterly amazing! The story is SUPER raw and an emotional roller coaster. Not too often you can watch a movie and say "Kill them ALL".

So can I say this movie was good? Not good, AMAZINGLY GOOD. Can I recommend? Unless you have the stomach to watch severe levels of abuse, rape, beatings, and few other things, you might want to skip this; however, if you can handle those subject matters, this is an well-acted and amazing story whereby the ending is exactly as you expected.

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"Was that life? Well then, once more!" -Nietzsche

This quote was brought up multiple times, and fittingly, it sums up the main theme of the drama. Not everything in life goes as planned. There will be ups and there will be downs. What's important is to have to courage to stand back up after falling down, to have the courage to confront the road that's ahead and push forward.

If you've seen Jealousy Incarnate, then you may be familiar with this writer's style. Wok of Love is a romcom at its core, but while it is mostly light and fluffy, it also carries heavy undertones throughout the drama. You'll notice this almost immediately given the beginning isn't all duck soup (sorry I had to make a food pun).

The story revolves around our main cast after experiencing hardships, having the strength to keep moving forward and make what's best of what they have--in the form of cooking. It isn't the most deep or original, but it's something that we can all relate to on some level (the theme at least; I can't cook for my life).

What really made me appreciate this drama was the cast, however. The main leads all had amazing chemistry together, so much so that I was shipping all 3 of them together at many points. Junho and Ryeo Won were adorable together, almost adolescent-like love. The bromance between Junho and Jang Hyuk was on point! And Jang Hyuk's interactions with Sae Woo were so lovable as well. (I know a lot of people are disappointed in this certain topic, but please do remember Jang Hyuk isn't the main male lead in this drama. Do what you will with that information.)

The supporting cast was great as well; I really felt for some characters, especially Park Ji Young and Jo Jae Yun, while others did a great job at pissing me off with their characters. *glares at Kim Sa Kwon, Im Won Hee, and Lee Mi Sook* (but especially Lee Mi Sook--she plays two characters in this drama, and it's amazing how you can feel for one so much, while hate the other)

The music was great, and never really felt out of place; "There's Something" by Jeong Sewoon especially fit so well for those cute, romantic moments, while "At The Usual Time" by Youngjae of GOT7 filled the gap for those hype, epic moments. The comedic and heavy moments also had bgm to compliment their respective scenes.

One major gripe I had with this drama was the episode count. Sadly, the drama was originally supposed to be 40 episodes, and the 2 episodes that were cut had a clear impact on the making of the later episodes. Lots of subplots didn't get wrapped up, or were rather ignored completely. The ones that did get closure ended in a satisfying manner, albeit rushed.

Regardless, this was a very enjoyable watch. The entire cast was spectacular and had great chemistry; so many of their interactions were hilarious. If you're up for some romcom with feels here and there, give Wok of Love a try!

P.S. do NOT watch this drama on an empty stomach.

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It's alright

I will be honest, the storyline was so dumb and a little boring (for me, but I had good laughs). Aside from that, my real issue with the storyline was that troubles spawned out of nowhere, and when they were solved, they disappeared and were mostly never acknowledged. Still, whenever I'm bored, I watch this series, it has a special place in my heart and I cherish it with all its imperfections.

Going into positive things!

- JoongDunk chemistry was on point. Whenever they kissed I was like: "I also want to kiss a guy like that."
- The theme song was a banger, it is playing 24/7 inside my mind
- Can Dunk look prettier?
- Why is Joong so handsome?
- Kot was a real one for standing up for his friend.

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One of the rare down to earth lakorns.  

I honestly admired RIn,  she was very patience, caring, loving, and her skills, she cooks, cleans, she plants, make perfumes. I don't think that I have got half of her skills as a wife.   She protected her calmness when her husband's ex-gf suddenly came to destroy her wedding.  She endured her even after getting married.

I loved the advice the mother give to her daughters. " Do you think marriage is like fairy tales that you read in book"  & about a heart can change.  

Saran's ma advices to her son...     " Love is like pen & paper " " Spoon & Fork"  you can love / marry  someone out of your circle ( matching-suitor- someone richer - poorer- different culture-beliefs-religion etc ) but this may not always work.  (this type of relationships)

Saran & Ri they slowly fall in love,  Although I'm against arranged marriages, but arranged marriages still exists and not all ends up like Saran & Ri's.

When you fall in love slowly, you learn to respect, but when you marry someone you already know / in love, after a while you lose that spark,  

This lakorn is set in 1950's and you can that vibe from the music, outfit, cars & surroundings. I really really enjoyed the OST,  it was pleasant almost very relaxing.

Also we have Villains called White Tiger,  who uses black magic, now this is not everyone's cup of tea for me it's the power of the words. Believing into something  too much and making  it real.

She has two younger sisters, One gets married after her but her marriage crumbles down in a short time. Saran's friend is wooing Rin's little sister, she's the only clever one after Rin.  

Sisters  don't get much screen time.  I totally recommend it. It's not your usual lakorn

No matter what I love the connection between three sisters,  we only see the two of them arguing it's Rin & the middle sister, that's because  Saran refused to help her husband on his illegal rice exporting business,  (that reminded me something very  similar happened in my family when my mother was still a child funny enough in the 1950's like in this lakorn.   All three of them were protective of each other, none of the other sisters made Ri felt like she's adopted,  but she always slept with the maid, until Saran's friend starts to investigate.  Her story sort of reminded me of Cinderella, how she was doing all the housework while her step  sisters are   socializing.
She hopes that her husband will be back and take her so they can continue to live together but the end all she got is a failure from her husband.

Ri's story towards the end may surprise you

I love how both mothers were good towards Rin, except the bitchy ex & stupid White Tiger everything is all ok.

If you find the ex gf annoying like me, just wait through the end she's gonna get a nice slap by Rin's sister.  

What I love about Korean, Chinese - Thai Dramas they use karma ..  being quite spiritual myself I believe in karma.

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Messy Hearts, Second Chances

From the first few episodes, I was already fully invested. This season is emotionally messy, vulnerable, and very character-driven, which is exactly the kind of dating show that pulls me in. There’s a lot of complicated feelings, unresolved pasts, and people who clearly came here not just to date, but to actually face things they’ve been running from. It’s uncomfortable at times, but in a way that feels honest and human, and that’s what kept me glued to the screen.

One thing that stood out to me is that this season feels less about “finding someone new” and more about second chances both with people from the past, but also second chances with yourself - to face old mistakes, unresolved feelings, and try again in a healthier way. It’s risky, it doesn’t always work, and it leaves a lot of people hurt, but watching that emotional process is what makes this season so gripping for me.

The amount of love triangles can be tiring, especially when some friendships feel more emotionally compatible than the romantic pairings that actually happen. Watching people get stuck on one person while ignoring other possible connections was frustrating at times, and some heartbreak felt avoidable, but I also get that this emotional stubbornness is also very realistic for dating.

I also want to talk about William, because I feel like he’s being misunderstood by a lot of viewers. Yes, cheating is wrong, full stop, I’m NOT excusing it. But the way he talks about his past shows real guilt and self-awareness, not arrogance or indifference. He’s clearly affected by years of toxic relationships, and that kind of pattern really messes with how people view love, trust, and themselves (speaking from experience). To me, he doesn’t feel like someone who’s proud of his mistakes, but someone who’s scared of repeating them and struggling to be emotionally vulnerable now that he actually wants something real. Red flag behavior should be criticized, but growth and accountability should also be recognized when they’re there.

That’s why his dynamic with Izaya works emotionally for me, even if it’s kinda risky on paper. They reflect each other’s fears and flaws, and it feels like a relationship where both could either break or grow a lot. The emotional tension between them is what keeps me hooked the most.

Compared to the previous season, this one feels much more emotionally heavy and complicated, which I personally found more engaging, even if it also made things more exhausting at times Overall, this season isn’t clean or comfortable, but it’s raw, vulnerable, and emotionally engaging, and I’m fully seated for where these messy journeys go next.

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One of 2024's hidden gems

Oh, Songwon Police Department 2nd Violent Crimes Unit, you are so precious to me. Thank you for bringing so much me so much joy these past few weeks.

Honestly, give me an ensemble cast with great chemistry, comedic chops, and one shared brain cell and I'll eat it up every time, and this show is no exception.

For me, the best part of this show is the team's chemistry and bond. I found most of the cases interesting (although the resolution the writers come up with sometimes requires some hand-waving), but this show is primarily character-driven and gives more attention to building and developing its characters and their relationships.

I also really liked how the case of the week gave more insight into each member of the team. The only person I thought got shafted in this regard is the maknae; I would have liked to know more about why he left his family to join the police force but it seems the writers forgot all about that part until the last episode.

I do wish the overarching mystery had been weaved in better with the rest of the story. The big bad's reveal and the clue that led to it also required a bit of a deductive leap.

Another thing I enjoyed was that, for all their silliness, these people are competent for the most part and dedicated to their work. Even the maknae showed great moments of brilliance that made me go, yeah, this is why he was hired.

This show isn't one of the flashiest releases this year and as such might go under the radar, but I fell in love from the first episode and recommend it to anyone looking for something light and funny with a lot of heart.

I'm really going to miss the thinking chair, Junghwan searching diligently for T-Rexes for his daughters, Joong-ryuk the one-punch man, and Yubin's weird facial expressions!

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A short series packed full of flavour.

First off, my review may be a bit bias, since Seven is my favourite actress and Bai is one of male actors I like, but within reason. They always deliver great performance, I'm never disappointed with their acting, if I don't like one of their dramas it's usually bc of the crappy plot. Although, Seven is my most loved actress, I'm not blinded to only watch her dramas, if it's bad script or plot I won't watch it. But, I will specifically check out her dramas and if it's not great I will still drop it. Among the many actresses, only Seven's dramas, I was able to finish 4 of her dramas all the way through, which really says a lot since I drop dramas like raining cats and dogs. Anyways, on to the review of New Home.

Although I've only watched 6/8 eps, I'm still waiting on Youtube for the rest to upload, I've watched enough spoilers and clips of this drama on weibo to get the whole picture.

1) Acting and Casting. The drama did well in casting the younger actors to play the leads. I was very pleasantly surprised the little girl actress was chosen again to play as Seven's younger self. I loved her in Go Ahead, she did amazing, and she did equally well in New Home. The little boy resembled Bai since even the ears were similar (great detailing in casting the younger actors to resemble the adults actors).The younger actors did well in portraying the personalities of their adult selves and the dynamics of their relationship.

If people didn't know, Bai and Seven have been friends for about 5-6 years now since their collab as minor characters in Whirlwind Girl. They have achieved amazing strives in their careers. So, when fans, including me, heard of their collab in New Home, they were ecstatic. Perhaps, it's bc they've known each other for years, instead of two strangers collaborating on the first day, their chemistry was amazing and very comfortable. Their acting was very natural, not overly done or dramatized. I loved Bai's comedy side, he does it so well and smooth. The little details in his expressions were very well executed and natural. I'm never bored watching him act. Seven's acting was very natural as well, I particularly love her smiles. But, I think Bai was the winner in this drama.

The other actors, as villagers, did very well too. Each character had their own personality trait. The granny was cute and funny. Overall, acting and casting was superb. 10/10!

2) Plot. I'm amazed an 8 ep drama can tell a full story with gradual character development. As we all know, cdramas are pretty long and have a lot of filler scenes. This one was to the point, great balance of romance and comedy. This drama was actually pretty heartwarming. Bai's character (XiaoDong-XD) and Seven's character (SiQi-SQ) had similar upbringings, as they were both raised in the village with no parents, but their dreams and goals were different, thus in adulthood their success in life were different. XD is quite materialistic and he want fast paced income. Instead of going to uni he worked most of his life and become a live streamer bc it provided fast income. SQ went to uni, majored in Agriculture, and went back to her home village to be a village official to help the villagers find a sustainable method for livelihood. The two are very much opposites of each other. SQ is all about hard work, no short cuts in life, selfless and optimistic person. While XD thinks earning money or obtaining goals is about being smart and finding shortcuts. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But that's not the case for XD, he runs away from his problems or gives up. When they happen to meet again, in the village, things happen and under SQ's influence and encouragement XD finds meaning in life again. He also becomes more mature and sees life in a different light. SQ learns to put down her prejudice in the profession of live streamers and sees social media as a great resource to help rural areas better their lives. This drama shows the difficulties rural areas have to make ends meet. Most younger people have left their village for the city, to make a better living, leaving behind elders and children. There are troubles in making a living in a rural area, but the use of social media allow villagers to promote and communicate with a mass audience, of all ages, to see the beauty of rural life and to sell their local products. This drama also depicts the hardships of live streamers and how fake their lives really are. They may seem glamourous to the audience, but it's all just illusions social media influencers like to portray. 9.5/10

3) Special Effects. Although this is a modern drama, but the little details used makes it extra humorous and entertaining. The smoke from the house, the blushing, the sound wave etc made it so much better. I also really love the inner dialogues of the 2 leads. We get to hear their real POV and it's always cute and hilarious. I find this the most entertaining unit among the rest. This one gives a good laugh. 10/10

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Amazing. Hilarious. Great!

Where do I begin with my review of Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation? This show is absolutely hilarious. It's exciting, doesn't take itself seriously, and best of all, the cast really seemed like they LOVED working together.

There's never a dull moment in Team Bulldog. I genuinely can't think of an episode, or even a single scene, which I thought dragged on for too long. At times, I may have found myself a bit lost trying to follow some of the earlier plots, but the comedic value, and the chemistry between the cast more than makes up for that.

I'm ashamed to say I had never heard of Cha Tae-hyun before. He's a complete scene stealer, and by that, I really mean whenever he's on the screen, you can't help but become totally immersed. Credit to the screen writers for creating such an amazing character, and of course, to Cha Tae-hyun himself for perfectly portraying Kang Ho.

I enjoyed Lee Sun-bin's performance in Sketch a lot, and while Team Bulldog is the only other show I've seen her in, she appears to be more suited in comedy roles. The supporting cast really helps to elevate the show to another level too - all the characters are extremely likeable, and the acting is superb.

I believe there's HUGE rewatch value in this. I could see myself watching from start to finish again very soon, something I wouldn't consider with most shows.

Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation gets a 10/10

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I only just finished it and I already want to rewatch it!!

This was honestly really fun to watch. I made predictions at the start about what I thought would happen so I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film.

Suda Masaki's character (Yamashiro Keigo) just want to succeed with his art and manga. And once he finally does, things go south. Despite him drawing upon a murder he witnessed, the murderer decides to follow the murders in the manga. It's a bit of a full circle moment, especially during the climax. It's relatively slow for the most part but the director did an amazing job at building up the tension. Especially when Morozumi started appearing in Keigo's life. I was worried for all the other characters but also excited to see and know more.

The acting was phenomenal. The fact that Fukase Satoshi who played the serial killer - Morozumi Shuichi - only just had his acting debut with this film is insane because of how good he was. I did wish we knew more information about his character and how he used another person (Henmi) with his killings, but I'm still satisfied. Suda Masaki was great as usual. I expect nothing less from him. He really captures different emotions well - from joy and happiness to anxiety and frustration. I also love Seida-san. Seeing Oguri Shun act is always so enjoyable. He wasn't just a detective. He also had interests. And of them happened to be reading manga, specifically Keigo's manga. The other actors also took on their role well.

I really do recommend this film. If you love any of the actors in the film (especially Suda Masaki and Oguri Shun), and psychological thrillers with serial killers, and manga, this film is for you.

PS. Sorry if this review is all over the place, I might go back and edit this. I'm also glad that I am the first review for this amazing film!!

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