Reviews

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.

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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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Unnecessary deaths for the side characters done in a very unappealing way

First of all, I will make myself clear that I didn't watch the Donghua or read the Manhua. Nor did I watched Red Moon Pact. I only jump into this because I saw this Drama on my recommendation online and Neo Hou is in this one (but alas, he was a cameo and he died in episode 2).

Second of all, I will make this clear for those who read this review of mines, if you love the drama and give this a 10/10 then good for you, congrats for finding something you love and enjoyed, when I said this I am being genuine, and not sarcastic, I won't judge you for loving this drama, BUT if you judge me for not liking this drama towards the end in writing perspective, and not giving this a full 10/10 then I WILL judge you for this because you are judging me first and not respecting how we all are entitled to our own preferences on what we like and dislikes.

We all watch the same drama, but can interpret certain scenes differently, just because we find certain scenes questionable, it doesn't mean we didn't pay attention to the explanation provided BUT it just means we don't agree with it, and we question why the writers have to handled it this way since it could be done better.

Now, with all that being said, time for my review, and I will try to maybe summarize my feelings, and will (try!) to keep my review short (although I doubt it since I have a tendency to express in lengthy reviews to express my feelings).

Acting-wise, I won't go into the full cast, since that will be long (like I said, I will try to keep this short). There's a few familiar faces here, and one of them, I will have to say Joe Ma. He surprised me to see him in this drama since I grew up watching him in TVB (Hong Kong) dramas, but in this one, he was given a role as Wangquan (Hong Ye and Zui's father). Although he can be considered more as a guest actor in this one.

Zhang Yun Long did an excellent job in portraying Wangquan Hong Ye. I actually didn't mind the mask he was wearing at the beginning since it makes it more mysterious than just a half face mask like the others was wearing. In terms of pairing chemistry, I do like him with Dongfang Huaizhu (played by Liu Shishi). But I didn't like the kiss scenes between them because they are those "dead fish" kiss scenes as we call it. So honestly, if they can't give us a decent kiss scene, than perhaps it is good to go without it imo, since they still have chemistry with expressing their love without these kiss scenes so that in itself, shows them having chemistry.

Ding Yuxi role as Zhang Zheng is among my favourite character in this Drama, I found him appealing at the beginning when he made his brief appearance and I was looking forward to his scenes. When we finally got those scenes, I came to like him even more and his backstory with Mu Yuan (played by Meng Ziyi). They have a nice backstory that built up to them being together as a couple, and I was so excited for Zhang Zheng to finally join the Mask Group, since I always wanted him to, so you bet how happy I was when he was finally part of the Mask Group. But that happiness didn't last because how the writers handled his ending really just ignored all the growth and developments he went through, which is why I found it so off-putting that they have Zhang Zheng (played by Ding Yuxi) go through that growth to FINALLY accept and allow himself to be happy and right after that he was killed off. What pissed me off and annoys me is he wouldn't have died like that if it weren't for Mu Yuan(the woman he loves) being manipulated and controlled by the Black Fox... I hate these tropes to have the couple from one side kill the other.. that's the worst kind of ending for me...

I was totally cheering and praising Zhang Zheng for breaking free of his own inner darkness and then he got given that ending... He didn't lost or died because he was weak against the Black Fox (since he was able to break free from the control and manipulation) he died because he was killed by the woman(Mu Yuan) he loves, because he didn't want to attack or kill her and he let his guard down when she put that sword through him and when she pushed it in even further, I don't want to watch it anymore!!!

What's worst is, the writer wrote a similar scenario for my other favourite couple, being Yitan and Wangquan Zui. This pairing is really likeable, and I really hope they got their happy ending but this was another pairing the writers made one side kill the other due to the manipulation.

I honestly hate these tropes and I cannot express just how much it actually ruined the pairing strong love for each other because it really made me question was their love for the other person not strong enough to overcome the darkness at all? They didn't even display a sign of struggle to show they want to break out of the control on their side... Was there no light or love in them at all to show their struggles in wanting to overcome this darkness when they are facing the person they love?! But how it ended was their love wasn't strong enough and the darkness took full control where both Mu Yuan and Yitan kill the one person they love....

The writers really did give them the worst ending possible and yeah I hate how it turned out and nothing can change how I feel about those two scenes of having the pairing of one side kill the other...

Also, I felt part of their downfall was because of Yitan was being controlled when he broke their barrier....but then he was being controlled, so can't blame him(?!) BUT it doesn't mean I enjoy it because I didn't like it on my end for what happened.

Give me a break honestly, they all just happened at the same time, that it is hard to sink all this in!! These Deaths and being killed off on our beloved characters is SO UNJUSTIFIABLE, and they are NOT my favourite trope when characters I like being controlled and do things that will hurt them in the long run!

You know what the irony here is? when people were complaining about the deaths of the side characters in Moonlight Mystique but at least in Moonlight Mystique, the death has meaning behind it, and it is not killing off for the sake of killing off and each character deaths have an important role to shine, also, in Moonlight Mystique, they were given hope they will come back later but in Love in Pavilion?! NO, they are gone/dead!!

In Love in Pavillion, how their deaths was handled is everyone just died so tragically in the worst way possible and it makes us question and brings realization to us that their death wouldn't have happened if they believe in that light in their heart where they can break free of Black Fox darkness. Just like evidently how Zhang Zheng had darkness entered into him, but he managed to break free from Black Fox manipulation because he was strong enough, but the others who gets manipulated (and controlled) is like a contrast to how each person have darkness (or hatred) inside of them, which gives Black Fox the ability to take control of them. I don't like this, I mean I get the logic behind it, but how the writers handled it like this (the deaths of everyone in the mask group except Wangquan Hongye and Qu Zhou) is NOT my cup of tea. They are my honest feelings here.

So as much as I like and enjoyed the drama at the beginning to midpoint, the drama just went downhill and lose a lot of points towards the end. After they killed of Zhang Zheng, Mu Yuan, Yitan and Wangquan Zui, I already don't feel like finishing it but I kept to it since I love the main pairing but then again the writers have to do questionable things that made me question 'Why!' And they were certain actions I don't like what I saw in how the plot was handled in 'that scene' when Hongye came to rescue Huaizhu, he really should have used that opportunity to kill Jin Ren Feng, this was something I wish was done better but didn't, how the writers handled that scene, in the end lead to the death of Huaizhu because of the poor decisions made by the writers choice in pissing off the viewers, and how Huaizhu explained in her dying moments that when Jin Renfeng gave her a hit to try and stop her bloodline and from then on she's been losing her life force. This really puts emphasis in that point that IF things were done better in 'that scene' when HongYe came to save her, than perhaps Huaizhu wont die...This was indirectly highlighting it in a subtle way that the writers handled it poorly. If not, then their ending will not be subjected to this tragedy.

Sure, it was explained that Hongye lost a lot of power after killing the Black Fox, but I don't see that at all. Honestly, Hongye came into the scene displaying his powerful aura, despite his original sword broke but the real Wangquan sword appeared and with the help of the forces he gathered in that scene, you can't expect me to believe he is not strong enough(with the others help also) to fend off and defeat Jin Ren Feng right? Yes, it was explained Jin Ren Feng took his master sacred fire etc, but I don't see him as that strong if he have to use underhanded method to poison Huaizhu first which shows he was a coward, so this is what I don't like, the writers just let that bastard Jin Ren Feng off for the sake of the plot device added to give a reason to kill off Huaizhu later, which Huai Zhu provided the explanation on why she was dying, so knowing this, the drama DID lose its charm for me near the end...

I just felt like there is no real purpose for the writers to do this or go this direction, except to make it tragic for the sake of it being tragedy and this is what I don't like... Unnecessary deaths...

Well in the end, I know I might be a minority but I am not happy with how the drama was handled near the end. I know some people likes it but I don't so this is my personal journey from watching this drama. Don't come to my review and try to justify the actions and decisions by how the plot was handled near the end, and don't judge me for feeling differently to you. Like I said at the beginning of my review, I won't judge people in loving this drama, so don't judge me for feeling differently to you because I don't like how things were handled near the end for my reasons provided. We can watch the same drama but feel differently. We are allow to feel differently since everyone is different. What appeals to you doesn't mean it appeals to me. I question how it was handled because I don't agree with those actions...

Characters sacrificed so much and in the end they can't get their happy ending. Poor Wangquan Hongye lost everything in the end and I really cried when he was grieving everyone's death. I feel so sorry for him, he had finally found his light and happiness to move on with Huaizhu when he found out she's pregnant, he finally got that light again and smile and look forward to their child being born and him raising their child together with Huaizhu and then Huaizhu being killed off.... and her explanation to why she was dying was because of that 'one scene' is why I didn't like how the scene was handled when Hongye go save her from that bastard Jin Ren Feng. In the end, it was another tragic and unnecessary death IMO. The writers is so cruel...

I don't know if I will watch this again. Maybe on the scenes I like and pretend the ending for this drama ended at this certain point before they fought against the black fox...

Also an honorable mention to Jiu Huo and Jia Lan. I can't believe I am feeling this way but their tragic backstory grow on me when I learned about their past and story. To me I actually separated the Jia Lan from the past from the Black Fox version of her since the original Jia Lan had love and she was sincere towards Jiu Huo but the reborn her is pure evil. Poor Jiu Huo, I did got teary in that scene when he died though especially all he ever wanted was to bring her back since he loved her. Its a dark couple but appealing one.

All the best to future watchers. For me, I certainly won't be recommending this unless you want to see all your fav characters die in the worst way possible, in a very unjustified manner too IMO.

Maybe if I have watched the Donghua or Read the Manhua (the original source) then I can come into this being prepared, but no I didn't so how the ending was handled was a slap to the face for someone who enjoyed and like the story and characters from the beginning...

In the end, how do I summarize this drama? Your hardwork doesn't gets paid off and reward you with the happy ending. You persevere only to found out that you are destined to not have a happy ending. What you fought for or believed in only to end with sacrifices that rewards you with this sad ending. To me, this is NOT a happy ending, I wouldn't even call it Bittersweet either. It is more of a Sad ending, although I felt it more like a Bad Ending at the end, I don't care if this continues to the sequel, I just want the characters I love to get their happy ending first and next generation second. They deserve it. We (as viewers) deserve this after following the Drama since release date!

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shut up, dont think about it and GO WATCH

it has been a hot minute since im done with the drama
THIS. THIS IS BETTER THAN AT LEAST 40% OF K DRAMAS AND THE BEST C DRAMA IVE EVER WATCHED
1. GET YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT
2. THERES ROMANCE
3. ITS JUST SO GOOD

the synopsis helps explain everything without much spoilers and i tell you, no synopsis will do true justice to the drama. its just 15 episodes, 45 minutes each, even if you dont think its good at the end which i dont know why you would think that way, at least not much of your time is 'wasted'

OST not my type
chemistry is RIGHT THERE
super heartwarming. every character in the bus has a story behind, except for the internet celeb and the macho guy who was honestly useless :/

i just wish wang meng meng was able to tell her parents a thing or two in a way or another. i wished that her truth would have come out earlier so all these ordeal wouldnt happen. but legit a 100/10 drama, i will surely rewatch it. this drama is the first drama to make me scream and shout out of thrill and suspense. real good. im buying the novel like RIGHT NOW

fyi i watched without eng subs because chinese is my mother tongue, i dont think english subs would do that much of justice to the show as well. BTW there are like SHIT SHIT ton of easter eggs in the show! leave a comment on this review and i will perhaps share more that i know.

one that everyone should know is that wang meng meng and the FL are almost identical
1. they are wearing blue tops/outfits
2. have almost identical if not the same bag with the same keychains and pins
3. they both go to the same school
4. wang meng meng's mother taught at FL's high school
there are more similarities i just cant remember!

please go watch the show, it made me cried out of suspense and relief, no show has ever done that!
<3

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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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Mixed feelings....

NOTE: This is my opinion. If you agree or disagree, it is ok. Just respect my take on this thank you

This drama started off strong and got me hooked with the first 2-3 episodes. However, as it progressed, I felt that it deviated from the initial question of Who killed him???

While this is fictitious, I felt that the overall story was really a stretch. I wanted to see Park Solomon in a new drama after seeing him in All of us are dead. But sadly, I didn't feel that this really showed his potential. It was my first time to see the FL though I felt that she looked a bit old to be considered a high schooler. The blondie was also a thumbs down for me. She comes off as a child wanting to play the role of an adult....

Anyway, there were several things in the story which eventually didn't have much to do with the whole plot. Like the brain tumor angle plus the fake GF of the deceased..... You would think it's tied up to the story but in the end, you'll even wonder if the story needed them in the first place. The reasons each "villain" did what they did was also a big HUH???? I guess what I really wanted to say is..... I would probably veer away from these type of dramas where everything revolves around high schoolers.

By the last 2 episodes, I was already in fast forwarding mode just to be done with it.

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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.

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Frustrating and Wholesome

Fantastic, give me 14 of them right now.
As an eternal single/introverted and awkward person in my 20s myself, I absolutely adored this show and related so hard to most of the cast. I need to be these girls’ friend. Cried so many times especially for Yido and Jiyeon.

I like how the makeovers in the beginning were not focused only on visuals but on what they personally wanted to work on and be better at, and I think for the most part every had there own coming of age story. Also I appreciate that the main message seems to be that everyone is deserving and capable of love.

My main and only complaint/things I think can be improved on next time if they do a second season, is for everyone to get the chance to have a one on one date with everyone (lowering the chance that they all like the same person), and that the mentors should be able to talk and help them throughout the week.

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good plot, meh ending

the biggest struggle with 2020s kdramas is delivering a satisfying ending—and friendly rivalry falls into that category. it might be based on a webtoon, but that's not a good enough excuse for the writing errors, especially in the second half. the cast was hit or miss in terms of acting. some actors made the show feel like a web series, while others gave it the quality of a netflix drama. however, the acting highlight was without a doubt lee hyeri. she shined throughout the series. hopefully, she takes on more mystery dramas because this genre suits her. as for the chemistry between the leads, it was okay. I don’t really understand the complaints about the lack of kisses. they did the best they could considering their environment (korea).
overall, i would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys high school dramas with a touch of mystery.

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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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Thank god it's prohibited to write reviews before a drama has finished airing. I actually already wrote one after half of this drama was aired. If I had posted it, I would have had to edit it ten times by now.



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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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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