Reviews

is this even love ?

Background story:
XF the legitimate son of heavenly emperor and empress therefore is loved and cared by everyone. He can have anything and everything he wants, also he holds the military powers bcoz of his legitimacy basically he has Freedom to everything.
On the other side RY being an illegitimate son of emperor, he is not the favoured child and doesn’t have the right to even chose or express his wishes basically not privileged, not only that but if RY doesn't lay low he will be killed. Also, RY is engaged to the daughter of Water and Immortal 4000yrs back and is waiting for that person.
Both XF and RY encounter JM "the daughter of late floral immortal and water Immortal" (due to a pill she is incapable of falling in love with someone) in different circumstances though XF didn't fell for JM at first but helped her escape Floral realm, sheltered her in Heaven Realm and bullied her at the same time but later on fell for her Beauty (after she wore a pretty dress) unlike RY who liked her from their first meeting. After JM identity as the daughter of water immortal and RY's fiancé revealed, we can guess how it goes........

But after watching the entire drama i didn't felt the Love part between XF and JM, it felt more like an Infatuation and forcefully wanting to prove it as Love:
1. After that beauty transformation of JM, somehow XF started to see all of JM's actions in a romantic way that too when he is very well aware of the fact that she doesn't know gender differences neither socially well equipped.
I read so many comments claiming that JM isn't some consolation price which RY can have but she belongs to XF just bcoz he met her first, is JM an item for XF?. XF can kiss a drunk JM under the impression that she is his sister isn't sexual assault?
Not only that but XF bullied JM in the initial eps by trapping her in stools and make her do maid stuffs etc however all that is treated as comical but if the same thing is done by RY then what ??

2. If XF really wanted to redeem for what his parents did then he should have helped RY in getting the happiness he deserved rather he kept his own happiness first. XF can only pity RY but he will never do anything beyond his limits like he did for JM by threatening his own mother.

3. I still remember in one episode RY cleared that JM like means in a normal way not in a romantic way in front of Floral chiefs and XF but still after JM accepted the engagement XF did not stopped pursuing JM? Instead XF manipulated JM during Mortal trial with the help of Moon Immortal ( A fate deity who is responsible for the love and marriage of any mortal couple) however, in the end JM only thinks that RY manipulated her but what XF ??

4. If RY had followed JM in the mortal realm, will moon immortal would do the same? Tie him with her then ofc she will fall in love with RY since, Moon Immortal has the power to manipulate mortal couples. Also XF tampered with JM redemption but still pardoned why ??? As he is the legitimate son, bcoz I m damn sure RY wouldn’t have the same pleasure due to his birth.
XF could have protected JM without actually becoming a Mortal as our beloved XF doesn't follow rules or cares about it...... so. i believe XF just wanted to have some uninterrupted romance with JM....so much efforts... bcoz in the end it was RY who saved JM the very reason for which XF went to mortal realm ohhh i m sure he isn't interested in it. BTW if Muci had killed JM in her early teenage or before that then what was the use of following JM?

5. The basic foundation of love is trust and understanding, JM stayed so long with XF but still he doesn't know a thing about JM even when XF is aware of the fact that JM doesn't know gender differences or for her meaning of love doesn't mean in a romantic manner still he never tried to know why is that and considered each of her actions as a romantic gesture also, they both claimed to love each other but when the time required them to trust each other they choose the opposite. XF planned to have sex with JM after learning about the marriage date that's why he used Alcohol that too while RY was mourning for his mother, this is just about desiring someone intimately not loving....

6. JM was only unable to fall in love but wasn't mentally challenged but still acted like she doesn't get anything. If she is capable enough to trap empress in her own game then how come she doesn’t know what she is doing when it comes to XF's matter.
RY never confirmed XF being the killer it was JM who learned about Internal Alchemy and moon Immortal helped her understand it better but still in the end she pushed all the blame on RY. If RY was behind that then why she didn't take revenge the moment she learned about the dream being real but instead she waited for 3 yrs to kill XF ...

7. XF never stood up for RY when he is already aware of the fact how RY is being treated by Empress. You are actually making someone live like hell for thousands of years are u a monster and those who watched it what they are..? Parents does everything for the sake of their kids security and future so, if XF never agreed with what his Mother then why he never stopped her?? XF consent is irrelevant unless he is in his right conscience mind to stand up against the Injustice towards his own brother.

8. why JM only knows about her mother's death but not how the emperor raped his mother ???

Though the show did a lot in trying to depict that JM chose XF on own her own free will but it turned out to be a biggest lie bcoz she was manipulated by Moon Immortal and XF to make her fall in love.

Therefore I can’t really say whether it’s even a love story or not? Love and responsibility r equally important, otherwise why water immortal would will live after the death of floral immortal so, many things just doesn't makes sense. Anyways my complaints won’t end, very disappointed with this show. Somewhere it’s very easy for everyone to say that they understand someone’s pain and suffering but in reality they don’t understand at all, it’s just a notion to satisfy themselves. Highly overrated show, i guess it's bcoz the leads r famous unlike leo yunxi …I m sure if the roles r reversed then there reasons and logics would change along with the character they support.
Acting skills:
Deng lun : he is a good actor but in this show his character was quite dull bcoz it doesn’t have much growth.
Leo yunxi: for a new comer, he looked very natural and i m really impressed with his acting…..specially his voice.
HE OWN THIS DRAMA .
Yang zi : I really didn’t like her acting much except for 2/3 scenes and her character was quite annoying in most part of the show.

It’s my personal opinion, no one has to agree with it...(subject to editing )

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Went from one of the best 2025 dramas to an average drama

The drama started out great and it was interesting to watch an absolutely irredeemable character who was evil and selfish to the core. I know some people think a lot of what she did can be justified but I don't believe that harming good and kind hearted people who cared for you and driving those people to death just so that you can get more famous is justifiable. It's not. No matter what anyone says, Ahjin was always written to be a selfish character. And in the original manhwa she was even worse. I still prefer the manhwa over the drama because not only does the drama deviate from the original story and make a lot of plot points and characters inconsistent, it also absolutely DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE in the end. The ending in the manhwa was also darker but sort of satisfying too since Ahjin gets her kamra but the ending in the drama makes no sense in any way. Ahjin also suddenly stops using her brains in the last 2 episodes which is so out of character for her. Overall, it was a good start but a bad finish

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I’m going to be completely honest. I have no idea why everyone likes this show. People rave about the chemistry between the actors. What chemistry?? BLY acted like he hated Gu Hai’s guts the entire series. And Gu Hai was an aggressive, possessive, controlling creep. This entire series is nothing but Non-consensual intimacy. Gu Hai forces himself onto BLY constantly and even goes as far as blind folding him, tying him up, and KIDNAPPING HIM. He molests him multiple times and never leaves him alone when BLY is literally screaming “no, leave me alone!”
Like...in what world is this romantic??
And all the people talking about how “it’s fake, it’s fiction, get over it” really need to check their morality. Like, be 100% honest with yourself: if a guy was doing this to a girl, there is no way this show would even have half these good reviews. People will literally watch anything so long as they are seeing two men kissing or having sex smh. If that’s what you want, go watch a freakin porno.
And “get over it”?? Try telling that to a rape victim or a sexual assault survivor.
The storyline of how the two main characters came to know each other had potential but overall this show is not good. This is not romance and I’m so taken aback at the amount of good reviews and loving comments.
What if this were you and you were telling your aggressor “no” then he forces himself on you? What if this was your sister or brother and they were constantly telling their aggressor “no” so then the person kidnaps them? Would you still think it’s cute? Would you still think it’s romantic?

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A Hollow Follow-up Lacking Depth, Stakes, and Emotion

To be honest, I found this second season disappointing. What set the first season apart from typical, formulaic action dramas was its emotional depth.

In season one, we were introduced to characters united by tragedy, all carrying emotional scars and trauma. It felt raw and compelling. In contrast, this season lacks that emotional weight. The characters simply move from one case to another with a sluggish, detached pace. Rather than evolving, they become more exaggerated and superficial, resembling the over-the-top, predictable action dramas I was hoping this series would avoid.

I expected something grittier and darker, something that would leave me on the edge of my seat, but it fell flat.

The antagonist barely has any screen time, sometimes appearing in just one or two scenes per episode, or not at all, even after being revealed. The story also lacked intensity; the protagonists handled obstacles too easily, making the plot feel predictable and unchallenging.

There was a noticeable increase in comedic elements, along with excessive product placements, which further diluted the tension.

Overall, this season felt easy, predictable, and uninspired. It didn’t build on the depth of the first season. When the premiere ended with a mysterious sniper, I was excited, expecting a gripping storyline. But in the end, that plot point didn’t amount to much, and the characters showed no real growth. Even the club storyline, which initially seemed promising, turned out to be dull, the antagonists were oblivious to their enemies, making the conflict feel lifeless and uneventful.

It was a letdown. I don’t know if the show’s popularity made the creators complacent, but I expected more effort. That said, not everything was bad the action sequences and production quality, especially the stunts, were well-executed.

If there’s a third season, I hope for a return to the depth and intensity of the first. But given the show’s success, I have a feeling they’ll lean even further into the cheesy humor and lighthearted tone.

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Unbearable to watch!!!

Situations on the plot on the business and romance department are way too forced... Awful.

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy fantasy/romance/comedy and teen stuff ... geez I had lots of fun watching 'Good morning call' but this drama tempers with one's patience.

The main actress (Dilraba Dilmurat) got my full attention therefore from now on I will stir far away of any work she does. Also, this drama even spoiled Deng Lun a bit ... Totally lost my interest in him, Ashes of Love was the luck shot!

The only good thing was seeing Chen Yi Long for the first time... really liked his performance and charisma.

Unfortunately when I start a drama I never drop it so it was painful!

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A masterful disappointment

I started this off with high hopes because I am a huge fan of both the main leads. The problem lies within the script , it’s like the writer couldn’t make up his mind of what direction he wanted the characters to go . A story that is so simple is played out for no reason. One minute he writes the characters as having common sense the next it’s like they are completely clueless. Female lead making stupid decision like jumping off a cliff again like her twin sister did for no damn reason. The side characters might as well not have been in the show cause they have no chemistry at all they’re just there to be there and take up time. The writer tried so hard to make the main leads look like star crossed lovers throwing in these ridiculous simple ass problems trying to make them seem like it’s a big deal when it is not . The female villain just ridiculous .. the second male lead handsome as he is just was just there to be there. The drama tried to bring mystery and romance to the drama but all we get is a few awkward smiles and shy hand holding with music playing in the background , it came off cringy and annoying instead of romantic cause soon as that happen here come another stupid excuse why they can’t be together, oh and don’t get me started on the lackluster “ I’m leaving and never gonna see you again “ scenes and yes I said scenes cause there is a ridiculous amount of that only for them to surprisingly didn’t leave cause they love each other so much … okay I’m done I’m sorry but all the waiting and the time I spent on this drama has made me vexed !

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I have probably written only two review this year, and both of them were for shows were I deemed that one fanbase simply ruin the drama experience. I truly feel that it is sad when fanbase undermine the hard work that goes into putting a drama or movie together. That being said let me try to objectively review All Out Of Love.

All out of love for me was not a romance drama, yes it was a drama about love but not necessarily romantic love. It was more to me a drama about the different type of love out there, familial ( blood relations), the family we make for ourselves ( non blood relations) and friendships. And the importance we give all those relationship throughout one life.

This drama truth strength got buried beyond unnecessary censorship, meaning lost in translation and unruly fanbase.
Before writing my thoughts on the drama I did a lot of googling to understand the drama backstory and familiarized myself with plot points that when I was watching made no sense to me. And of course to understand the all controversy in regard to the character played by MTY.

So from the get go I want to say that it has been clarify by the author of the book that the character of TY is the main the lead, although when she started writing her books LS was the main, hence why the book title had his name in, and that by the time her novels change gear well her fan base already knew the book by that title and there was no point changing it. So to me the all hate MTY fans were throwing at Wallace just seems quite displaced. Especially when you truly dig into both their respective characters. While Wallace character YT got a lot of character washing by pretty being turned into a one dimensional perfect good guy instead of the multifaceted guy that he supposedly his in a book. After all in the book he is a driven ceo, loyal to a fault to his family while still being a feared and respected underworld boss who cuts LS two fingers out of jealousy. But that is clearly not who we get in the drama, in the drama we get this perfectly saintly guy with a patience and resilience that puts all human to shame, with his only flaw being a out of this world trust for his brother when everyone else can tell his brother it clearly a closeted psychopath. Yet it would be a disservice to Wallace to say that he did not own his character, although one dimensional Wallace's acting gave the character depth, even the choppy editing was not enough to dampen the depth of YT character, it was truly as if we were watching another drama within the drama.
And sadly that is not the same case with LS character, his character got the less cleanup but MTY was not able to bring depth to his character, if you are not a fangirl it was actually hard to be pull into feeling sorry for LS. I'm saying this because I watched the drama with my husband and mother-in-law. And the three of us had pretty opposing views, my husband and I have seen MYT in other dramas , and his acting his usually on par with some and sometimes like this time very underwhelming. This was my mil first encounter with him in such a prominent role and she was not impress. When you watched the drama the most that comes to mind when going through the character of LS is the overwhelming sense of depression. Throughout the drama MTY has this I'm super depressed look on his face even when the emotions he was supposed to convey was one of anger. I do get that there is a lot of grief going around in this drama but there is so many ways to express grief without looking depress the most starling difference is probably seen in the scene where JS tells YT about her abortion, with just his eyes since he has no dialogue you can see YT go from Joy to despair to simply undiluted anger. VS that scene were LS learns that JS and him are not related MTY fell to bring in people to feel is pain right there, when he is going to the most painful realisation of hs life that he can now without restraint go after the woman he love. No what come out at that moment his pretty much a robotic renditions of his line and once that dead in your soul emotion that his been sorting all along. And that is carried through the end where instead of seeing a guys that sacrifice his own happiness for his sister, all we see his a controlling man that choose to isolate himself from his friends and family and live in the past when he realize that he could not control any of them.

And that truly is the feel that we get at the end of this drama that was truly big at sending the vibe that if you decide to let go then you can be happy in life. When you don't learn to let go then life get pathetic for you.

The biggest contrast of love for me was truly between the way LS and YT loved JS. LS wanted to control her and seems quite content to have JS be is emotional sounding board. And he seemed to be content that she was totally and utterly co-dependent on him. While YT approach to loving JS was to let her go. He allowed if not pushed a little hard sometimes for her to make her own decision over the place she should have in his life, She was in control even when it seemed he was making the decision for her.

There is so many examples throughout the drama of the danger of not letting go of your obsession Bei's wife and mistress loose's their minds waiting for him to return to them and both died being insane. Even BWX obsession with JX , even if they try to give it a positive spin at the end with them ended together and waiting for the arrival of their child, we still see that in their desire not to let go he loses arm. And we can pretty much say that his life is quite in shambles while he was holding to his obsession. Then we also see it with Tianen because of hate he not only appears as the psycho, only once he decide to let go does he character actually take a turn were viewers somewhat get interested in his backstory.


I have so many thing to say but I feel like I should turn into an article. So what I'm going to say is that this is a really good drama if you go in focusing on the story and not the fan base. Because yes there is a story being told here, and it's a story of love, growth and forgiveness. My biggest regret is that the story truly suffered from censorship, and the negative connotations it send people with disabilities. There seemed to be an underlying tone that somewhat suggested that people with disability were not capable of love or making others around happy. And that irked me a little. And wow in watching this be ready to see a lot of hospital scene. I'm pretty sure this drama had been sponsor by hospital and apples selling merchant.

I kinda of went on quite a rant here , what I'm saying go watch the drama it 's good don't get swept into the controversies ad make your own opinion.

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Law is a social construction

"You're not handling a case, but someone's life"

I thought Justifiable Defense would be another investigation drama, mainly focusing on who is the real culprit and how the crime was committed.

In the end, it seems like it was never about finding the big bad wolf, but about how complicated people can be, how experiences shape their personalities and their actions and how there is truly no black and white when it comes to law and justice.

The series manages to make the audience think about what constitutes justifiable defense and whether the law is almighty.
What this drama hints at is that the final verdicts and conclusions will always be affected by personal beliefs and biases and that in itself is the vulnerability of the law, which, after all, is a human fabrication.

It's a well written series, with good directing, interesting plot and characters. Without it being overly complicated or shocking, it portrays masterfully multi-faceted characters focusing on their psyche.
I do think the music was overused and the acting could be better in some parts, but that is negligible for a series that is undeniably a gem and a must watch for people enjoying character-driven stories.

Lastly, I firmly believe that there would be differences in some parts of the plot, if the drama didn't have to pass the censorship board. Some things felt a bit too idealistic, and forced to follow a specific route. However, it wasn't something that ruined the final result and it wasn't as evident compared to other series of the same genre. Nevertheless, I do think that people having a bit more freedom in these types of series would create not just good dramas like this one, but unforgettable stories that will linger in one's mind for a long time.

"Absolute justice exists only in concept"

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love, for love's sake.

*the review does NOT contain major spoilers and is in my opinion fine to read before starting the show*

im so at loss for words its hard to even start writing this review (literally finished the show like 5 minutes ago) but regardless, ill try my best.

1. first of, the plot for this show is incredible. i was really afraid they wouldnt have enough budget or runtime to execute this story well, but i worried for nothing. the moment i watched episode 1 i knew that this show wouldnt disappoint me, and it didnt. the story was amazing, start to finish, and it was better than i could have ever imagined. the video game concept was so well done it almost made me feel like i was playing the game myself. continuing, due to the concept being done so well, every time something happened with the game it had me feeling a lot of emotions myself. especially in the scenes where we can see myungha in the black void, or the ones with the time running out or him having to make important decisions, those gave me the chills. really a surreal experience. another thing i loved is the lack of toxicity in this show. not a single time did i think "oh, this seems a bit wrong" or "there could have been a better way to resolve this" because even though secrets were kept, communication was also present, and all the main characters were absolute sweethearts. no unnecessary misunderstandings and all that. also a thing i want to mention is how i love how homophobia was dealt with in this show! usually i just prefer if they dont touch that topic at all, since most of the time in these shows it just ends up being "oh haha ur gay f**k u" and they do nothing to stop it, but i love how they approached it here with the characters defending themselves, snapping back at them and going "so what? whats wrong with it?". theres one scene that was super iconic but i wont spoil anything else. honestly i could say a lot about this show but this review is already getting long and ive only covered the story/plot part, so ill leave it at this.

tldr: they couldnt have done this plot better and i wouldnt change a thing about it.

2. the cinematography and overall quality of the show here was incredible!! no clue what kind of budget they had but whatever it was they did an amazing job with it. every single shot was stunning and the scenes were so pretty i couldnt stop myself from screenshotting every single episode, seriously its beautiful. i saw someone say this felt like watching a kdrama that just so happens to be a bl (since the quality of it is so good) and i definitely agree, this is in my opinion the best shot kbl yet. hoping the quality just goes up and up from here, although i doubt any kbl will be able to top lfls' cinematography, at least for the time being. a few of the shots also reminded me of the eighth sense (aka what used to be my no.1 kbl before lfls came to dethrone it) which is one of my favorite shows ever in terms of cinematography.

3. this is going to be very short but the acting was great. not a single character/actor was lacking. just incredible acting!

to sum it up, this show is absolutely beautiful, heartwarming, heartbreaking, fluffy, sad, bright yet dark all at once in the best way possible. theres not a single thing to complain about and this is hands down the best kbl i have ever watched (and i have watched almost every single one of them as of the time im writing this review). loved everything about it, the acting, the characters, the story, the quality, the cinematography, everything was incredible. all i can say is that this show is an absolute masterpiece that EVERYONE should watch. words simply cannot describe how good this show was.

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CHAIN YOURSELF TO THIS LOVE

This is the first time I’ve written a review for an incomplete series, but it’s a MUST WATCH. So far, it’s kept me on the edge of my seat. You get a wonderful balance of romance, political turmoil in the court, battles of wit and did I mention the romance? The cinematography is stunning and the costumes are phenomenal.

Dylan and Yukee shined in their roles. As a couple, they’re definitely a force to be reckoned with. Dylan’s portrayal of the cold, cunning and ruthless high chief “eunuch” is outstanding . The way he speaks, the small gestures, the intensity of his eyes, they command your attention and his powerful aura dominates the screen. When he’s in love, he gives everything to his lover and that’s how a real man should be.

Yukee’s portrayal of the late emperor’s consort is breathtaking. She’s a breath of fresh air. She’s smart, quick witted and I love that our girl takes initiative! She’s not afraid to love who she loves despite the obstacles. I adore her.

What you get so far is a fantastic storyline with a beautiful couple who communicates, don’t have dumb misunderstandings and are courageous in their actions. I’m looking forward to seeing their story unfold and I don’t want this to end!

Edit: I finished it… and I got excited too quick. The first part of the series, led us in one particular direction, but the latter part of the series for some reason diverted from the original theme into something else. What we thought we were going to get was a serious drama with a dark tone about revenge, blood and gore. But towards the middle, it turned into a romcom that was unexpected. I’d prefer the original intent of Dylan’s character to be this brooding character filled with hatred and the thirst for revenge. However, he turned into more of this lovable, playful, goofy guy in love, which took a different direction from what I wanted. The ending itself felt very rush. Like a very typical Chinese drama. Overall I give this a solid 8/10.

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From Fascination to Disappointment

I want to leave my comment here and move on because I keep coming back to this drama in my thoughts.

At first, it had the potential to become my favorite drama, but it lost that potential. Up to a certain point, I didn't consider it bad—I liked that the characters were flawed, making it possible to analyze their actions. Even the scientific aspect, though unrealistic, seemed interesting for contemplation. The supporting characters were endearing, but their storylines were simply erased and forgotten, which disappointed me.

The ending completely ruined everything. If, at the beginning, I saw this story as thought-provoking, by the end, it became clear that it carried a strong propaganda message that made me feel awful. I never expected that someone might die here, let alone Eve—my favorite character. She didn’t deserve this. Ryong treated her cruelly when he yelled at her and pushed her over that morula. Now I regret that my emotional side supported this experiment. It would have been better if Eve had destroyed all the morulas on the station so none of this would have happened.

The last episodes felt extremely forced. I don’t believe astronauts are examined so poorly that no one noticed her pregnancy. And there were many other contrived moments. If I enjoyed the drama at first, as it progressed, I liked it less and less. My critical thinking took over.

Ultimately, instead of developing the characters and logically concluding the story, the writers turned it into blatant pro-natal propaganda. The main heroine was forced to give birth in space and died, yet no one even properly mourned her. Her death was presented as a "scientific breakthrough," while more attention was given to mice and flies than to Eve herself. I feel sad about such an ending for her. Her existence was reduced to being an "incubator," and the entire plot pushed the idea that women "must" give birth under any circumstances. If Korea wants to increase its birth rate, they should start by improving people's quality of life.

This drama left me with a disgusting feeling. For most of it, I was praising it, but now I regret watching it at all.

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