Reviews

Hidden Gem

I am so sad to see that this drama not getting any support.
I am often very picky with dramas and have dropped countless dramas in the first few episodes.
When I picked this one, I really wasn't hopeful that I would like it but right from episode 1, I was hooked. In fact I binged watch this in three days!
Although I don't know any of the actors, I am very satisfied with their work esp the dreamy like Master who puts me in a trance!
The story is good enough to make you want to keep moving to the next episode and the filming and production is of good standard.
I very much enjoyed it and now I need to search for the movie version to catch the better ending.
So please give this drama some support.👍😀👍

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A highly personal review.

First of all I started watching this because I am a Lusi fan. Second of all I knew this would be a patriotic drama aimed at a specific audience containing political views and opinions. The political theme is not subtle, so if you are not a fan of something like this I do not recommend you watch this. As someone who did not learn anything about this particular time in Asia in school I took this as a history lesson written from one point of views.

The story: The first episode is probably my favorite. It starts in the year of 1950 in Beijing with our 18 year old female lead Tian Zao, an orphan, wanting to avenge her father. This particular plot point is finished quite quickly, as there is only 14 episodes to complete the story. Her childhood sweetheart Tie Dan, our male lead, is a wrestling teacher who studied under Tian Zaos father.
The new government is formed and Tian Zao is impressed with the way they want to help the common people in Beijing and therefor wants to join her local government. This will as the story goes on lead her to help catch spies, gather support from her neighborhood to support the war effort and more. She is often too enthusiastic in her efforts, and causes problems at times, but she is well liked by her area and by her chosen older sister who works in the local government.

Acting: I have no complaints about the acting whatsoever in this. Zhao Lusi and Hou Ming Hao made me believe they had known each other basically all their lives and they were very cute as a couple.

Tian Zao is an orphan and grew up in a hutong area in Beijing, where she has a very big support group amongst both adults and the other children in the area, which helps her throughout the story.
She is a very headstrong girl and acts before she thinks at times. She was described as a person who dares to love and hate. I also find her very passionate about wanting to improve the lives of the people in her community.
Tie Dan is not your usual male lead with a stone face, he is actually a guy who is well liked and smiles a lot. He is also one of my favorite personalities in mls since he is not just kind to his one true love but an overall good guy. He is also willing to communicate with his love when there is a problem, which is definitively a skill more leads need.

I found most of the side characters quite interesting as well, but my focus is mostly on the leads.

Music: There is not really a lot of music in here but I do enjoy the instrumental music.

Rewatch: Would I rewatch this a whole? No. If I do rewatch something it will be the parts that I enjoyed together with the main leads.

Again, this is my point of view so you may not agree with me and that's alright.

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Heaven's Promise is one of the best makjang revenge melodramas that I have ever watched. There were so many birth secrets that it is a wonder someone didn't marry a parent or sibling. LOL The story wasn't really anything new, but it is wonderfully absurd. I can't tell you how many times I laughed during this drama, but I also cried a few times (I rarely cry watching drama). It is weird how connected I felt to the main female lead regardless of story line. I think what I liked most about this is that the main female lead has plenty of support and she is smart. I get tired of the "good guys" searching for revenge being stupid and alone with maybe one or two people to help. I was bothered by a few things though.
Again, it annoys me when the "bad guys" don't even understand what they did wrong. Also, the ending left a lot to be desired. There is plenty of crazy for every character though.

I'm totally in to Lee Yoo Ri. Even that I'm not going to feel anything stare she had to have for part of the drama made me feel something. She played both Lee Na Yeon and Baek Do Hee really well. I could definitely tell them apart regardless of hair because they had different personalities. The transformation Na Yeon goes through after the tragedy is palpable.
All of the other actors are good too, but Kim Hye Ri stole the show as Park Yoo Kyung. I love to hate her.

The music is good.

I probably won't rewatch this. Once is enough.

If you like revenge dramas, then this is one of the best. I recommend this to everyone. Just ignore the absurdity of the plot. LOL :-)

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This drama is so under-rated, it's not even funny. I LOVE this drama! The actors do a fantastic job! Everything just feels so real. The romance is bitter-sweet and filled with innocence (hence the title.) I loved the song by Hikaru Utada "Eternally". It goes well with the drama. I also love the fact that the main girl is Christain. Not many Japanese are Christain, so it's nice to see it in dramas. This drama will make you cry, smile, laugh, and sad all at the same time. It is so simple yet so sweet. The two must overcome serious obsticles to be with each other, so much so that it would tear anyone apart. When this was airing, I would rewatch episodes while I waited for the next one to come out. The only thing I really didn't like was the end. I thought it was a bit off, but that's just me. I was still satisfied with it though. I would recommend this drama to anyone. Watch this!

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This is your trigger warning.

This "review" is really just for those who need a warning.

Because I tend to stay away from the comment section because of spoilers, I wish I had somewhat peaked at them this time. Because they're right. It's not for the light hearted.

This movie made me physically sick.

Zombie lovers; feel free to pass this movie. It's pretty much just rape gore on steroids under the guise of zombies.

I get this movie isn't for everyone. it sure in hell wasn't it for me.

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Great concept!!!

My Stand-In has multiple layers, making it a highly textured and emotionally complex BL series.

The show has a highly refreshing concept, which brings up some interesting questions on the relationship between love and personhood. If the person you loved died and revived as someone else in a different body, how does that alter the nature of the relationship?

The series should be lauded for not shying away from complex, and deeply flawed characters. It explores fairly mature themes, given the show’s sexual relationships and the characters’ manipulative nature. Perhaps it can be criticised for romanticising toxicity, but I don’t think it is any series’ job to be an ad for civics and moral education. Characters like Ming are everywhere in real life.

Ming’s mercurial tendencies and obsessiveness makes him challenging to like and root for as a character. But for Joe, who has been collateral damage from getting caught in the crosshairs of power struggles – he finally gets his turn to understand what it means to have somebody to fight for you.

And it was superbly satisfying to watch.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/my-stand-in-2024-bl-review/

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Story about friendship and growing up, plot falls flat.

I haven't read the manhua or anything else so this story was completely new to me. I searched some background information about the characters etc. so based on that I was really looking forward to this drama.

The story is mostly about comradery between the characters. How they hone their skills, level up, fight together and form a team. There's some love but it's more like affection. If you are planning to watch this because of Xiao Zhan then go ahead but it doesn't necessarily carry through. He has the main role but the side characters with their backstories take a lot of space. That's why I stress the words "friendship" and "teamwork".

The main plot and side plots all fall flat. It was dragging until episode 26 then it kind of picked up. They have these mysteries going on, antagonists.. But nothing really happens. It's very predictable. I felt like everything only began in the last episode. Fighting scenes were kind of nicely executed compared to everything else.

The cast was okay. I think they did a good job with what they got. The characters all stay kind of.. superficial so the team's friendships seem also kind of so-so. Ou Si Ke was my favorite.

Music is just horrible. In some scenes it doesn't fit at all and then when it occurs all the time it starts to bother.

Overall I gave 6 out of 10. I watched it through but at times it was like pulling teeth. I just didn't want to give up. I was waiting for something to happen, the chemistry between them to deepen, to get a better idea of this supposedly magnificent original story but no. But I stayed for the fighting scenes.

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Some strange choices in last episode

I appreciated the meeting FL had with ML after their divorce, where she gave a more serious apology, admitting that she had taken him for granted, never thinking that she could lose him, and avoided gaslighting him or "both siding" the situation, or throwing in some self serving cynicism or false moral equivalency. This was quite necessary after their disastrous previous encounter. Nevertheless, I must admit that I found some of the choices in the last episode strange.

In the text below I'll add some spoilers from some other shows/movies (My Mister, Crazy Rich Asians, The Magicians, A Good Lawyer's Wife, Spring in a Small Town).

I'll point out that one's subjective preferences have really no bearing on the morality of the action in question. To illustrate why they cannot be the standard, consider the cases of, 1) someone cheating a lot but not having any intention of breaking up with their partner, and 2) Someone that breaks up with their partner before cheating. Obviously, if someone wanted their significant other not to leave them, they might think they would suffer less with 1), but obviously 2) is the more moral choice, where they are treated with honesty and respect (and reasonably the one that will lead to greater long term happiness).

I found kind of ridiculous the way FL kept underscoring, both before having unprotected sex with her ex and when talking about the event with her husband, that no feelings were involved, as if this was supposed to change everything, make what she did better or somehow make it "not count". Arguably, it made it worse in some respects (and arguably not in others), because she was essentially saying that she chose to throw away any loyalty, respect and honesty towards someone she had been married to for years in order to have meaningless and unimportant sex with someone she didn't even like. Meaning, in other words, that in terms of her priorities, a meaningless and unimportant sexual encounter ranked above (as she chose to prioritize it over) her treating her partner with loyalty, respect and honesty.

This is a bit like the stories one hears of places where men don't consider having sex with prostitutes as cheating... well, but on the other hand, the fact that they were willing to hurt, humiliate and deceive their spouses over something so futile, arguably in some ways (and arguably not in others) make it even more demeaning.

The funny thing is that I often find myself arguing against the opposite trope, where dramas will try to use "love" as a free pass, mixing issues that are really orthogonal, such as relationship issues, or feelings towards a third party, with one's decision to hurt, humiliate and deceive their partners (and/or the partner of the one they cheated with). To channel DH in My Mister, why one is unhappy and why one chose to cheat are two separate matters, and shouldn't be conflated: being unhappy (as he was) is very much not a sufficient condition to cheat, while being willing to treat your partner with no loyalty, respect and honesty is a necessary one. And that, in his words, is the crucial question: why they felt they deserved to be treated that way. As he pointed out, if you are unhappy (or, I would say, you fell for someone else), you have the option to break things off with your current partner respectfully, before pursuing a new relationship. Quite frankly, if you are at a point where you are ready to cheat, then you are at a point where you can break up with your partner instead. Another example of this notion is Astrid in the Crazy, Rich, Asian movie, where she confronts her philandering husband and when he tries to point to his insecurities, her horrible family and her faults, she tells him to not try to turn this on him, that he is the one that messed up, and that he cannot use those points, valid in isolation, as a legitimate explanation for his actions.

Anyway, TLDR, the bottom line is that while loving the third party in no way makes the decision to hurt, humiliate and deceive your partner better, certainly not having feelings for the third party doesn't make it any better, either.

Of course, there are situations like the one depicted in A Good Lawyer's Wife or The Magicians, where the wife and girlfriend, respectively, whose bf and husband slept with other women, had every right, imho, to sleep with someone else: given that their partner had not shown them loyalty, respect and honesty, they had no right to expect any from them in return, either.

Certainly, one needs a sense of proportions, and feeling attracted to someone or having a crush, spending time with someone, dating them, flirting with them, kissing them, having sex with them... these are not the same thing. I don't believe some of them even constitute a betrayal: I think that it is quite natural for people to feel attracted to various people, without it necessarily meaning that they intend to sleep with them, and I draw a clear distinction between feelings, emotions and random thoughts (or, for that matter, a physiological reaction such as arousal or lack thereof), which are not under one's control, and actions, which are. This is why we hold people accountable for their actions, but we abhor the notion of a thought crime as an Orwellian nightmare.

I think there is a distinction between working with someone, or taking care of a friend when they are sick, or liking someone that listens to our issues (all of which are imho very natural behaviors), or even having a small crush, and having full blown unprotected sex with one's ex on the hotel table. Even in the case of FL, had she walked away when her ex started flirting with her, or even when he kissed her, obviously her behavior would have had very different implications in terms of her unwillingness to cross that line (a line that, for example, her husband, who had ironically followed her out of concern for her wellbeing and ended up discovering her affair, was unwilling to cross).

I think that the notion that merely having feelings for someone, and not acting on them, would constitute cheating, is an appalling and pernicious misuse of language, because it equates a situation where one fell out of love with someone and before pursuing a relationship with someone else decided to break up with their current partner, as being the same as someone that just slept with the other person behind their partner's back, basically making it virtually impossible not to cheat, unless one only ever felt something for one person during the course of their whole life (or, I guess, for nobody).

ML's emotions are scrutinized and he is crucified over his supposed fantasies, while feeling the temptation to do something and not acting on it is treated as the same, or worse, as having full blown unprotected sex with someone behind one's partner's back. A complete moral inversion. At the same time, an impossible standard where he is crucified over any "bad" thought, and an exceedingly lose one where the thought and action are treated as indistinguisheable, or worse, where thinking something "bad" is treated as worse than doing it. In reality, everybody understands that if one merely thinks about robbing a bank, but doesn't plan to do it, they are not a thief. If thoughts were equivalent to actions, then the number of drivers being arrested every day would be much higher than the number warranted by road rage incidents. Thankfully, merely wishing to knock the snot out of someone does not translate into an intention to actually do it, let alone into an action.

I think that gaslighting him like that was completely unreasonable, and that this was also the show's take on the situation, and that the message being conveyed was that FL was being irrational and unfair when she threw that tantrum (particularly considering she had unprotected sex with her ex, something she hid from him for the last two years, until he told her he knew... here the famous rooftop scene of Ji An in My Mister comes to mind, with her telling YH that it was laughable for her to ask whether she had slept with DH, because essentially she had betrayed him first -incidentally, in a much more worst fashion than what they could ever do, at that-, and so she has no right whatsoever to complain about it even if they had done anything). I think this was acknowledged by the show when FL apologized for her behavior after their divorce.

Regarding FL's mindset when she cheated because her husband did not want to have sex, I would say that it's in some way analogous to the married guy that tries to hit on the twenty years old at a bar after his wife refuses to "put out", in order to seek validation and show that they still "got it". So, a mix of validation, insecurities, ego and horniness. I don't think it was purely a search for validation, tbh, because otherwise she would have quit once her ex showed interest in her sexually, or after he kissed her. And contrary to her hesitation and active/passive attitude when she called him, etc., when they got going she certainly seemed rather horny/passionate. I must also say that I don't really know how seriously to take her disgust for the guy versus what is kind of a play (also not sure why she kept his phone number if she was repulsed by him). I am saying this because I got the definite impression that she knew very well that this was going to be the outcome, from the time that she called the guy, and in fact that she called the guy exactly because of that.

I will note that the guy was married, and she had no hesitation in sleeping with him regardless, thereby hurting and participating in the deception of a woman she had likely never met, and that had done nothing to her, and that would have had every right not to be treated as an object and to be put in a position to make an informed decision. Then again, that's the same treatment ML gets: despite her "regret" -which barely lasted a couple of minutes before she shamelessly started gaslighting him and using her affair and his defaillance to hurt him... let's just say that their meeting after their divorce thankfully went better-, it's not as if that was enough to stop her from sleeping with her ex, or to push her to come clean with her husband in the two years afterwards, until he told her he knew.

As for the husband, I found her attitude towards him completely unfair (thankfully, she took responsibility more seriously in their follow up encounter after their divorce).

Essentially, she accused him of sleeping with the neighbor. When she learned that that was not the case, it's not as if she took a step back and acknowledged it, she pressed ahead with new accusation, and contradictory ones at that: he was either lying about not sleeping with the woman, or, once she moved past that, he was attracted to her and imagined her while masturbating, etc., or was not sexually aroused by her and didn't sleep with her only because of that (turns out this was not the case, in any case these are obviously mutually exclusive: he is either aroused by her or not).

It's hard to understand why she feels she would have any right to shamelessly attack him in such a manner, given that she had unprotected sex with her ex. To be perfectly frank, even if ML had decided to pursue a sexual or romantic relationship with someone else, it's not as if she would have any leg to stand on: she didn't show him any loyalty, so she has no right to expect any in return. A similar argument can be made about her complaints with regards to the neighbor, given that her ex she had cheated with was also married, as discussed above. So, she is essentially the very kind of person that she purports to hate (while the neighbor was by all accounts innocent -frankly, realistically paying because she didn't want to deal with a crazy stalker that followed her against her will and could have ruined her reputation with unfounded rumors-).

All things considered, FL gaslighting ML for... cleaning their apartment with his female friend, who listened to him when she refused to? Visiting for half an hour when she was sick? And so on. Imho it all felt, for lack of better words, too "innocent" or too "silly" to take seriously, particularly when compared to FL's actions. What's next, an indirect kiss being worse than sex behind a spouse's back? At least a six years old for which holding hands is the equivalent of a marriage proposal would have no double standard. It's hard to see this genuine human connection as repulsive, and even more absurd when FL had unprotected sex with her ex and hid it from ML for the past two years, and he had been living with this knowledge while pretending not to know. Overall, the notion that he should have refused to open up with someone that cared about his feelings and closed himself off to that healing experience seems masochistic, unjust and self flagellating.

As an aside, if you equated sexual fantasies with actual sexual encounters and affairs, and went on to be so invasive as to dissect people's thoughts during masturbation, equating them to an actual physical affair, any guy's body count would be in the hundreds if not thousands. Fantasies and reality are quite different things.

I believe ML when he says the neighbor was a friend he liked because she listened to him. It's not as if he ever pursues a relationship with her, even after he breaks up with his wife. But even if he had actually felt a deep passion for her, I have to say that I still fail to see how this would make him a moral monster, or worse than someone that would have unprotected sex with their ex when their partner wouldn't "put out". I mean, this is essentially the plot of the Chinese masterpiece "Spring in a Small Town", where the whole point is that the characters feel deeply attracted to each other, but decide *not to* pursue an actual affair behind her husband's back. The point is exactly that they feel a temptation, but resist it, and choose not to act on it. By the way, I don't think that, in order to be moral, they would *have* had to cut each other off their lives and not see each other again: I would see no issue with them being friends from a moral point of view, it's just that in terms of the practical situation, it was easier for them to be separated and not see each other.

In that case you would essentially have FL that chose to cross that boundary and have meaningless sex with her ex, over loyalty, respect and honesty for her partner, and ML that chose not to break that boundary and renounced to pursue a sexual or romantic relationship with someone he loved deeply as long as he was still married to FL. I frankly don't see anything wrong with the latter (well, I do see something wrong in that, given that she had not shown him any loyalty, in this specific case he really had no reason to show FL any loyalty either, though given that the neighbor was married as well he should have either waited for her to break up, or chosen someone else), in any case I really cannot equate it with, or even more outrageously see it as worse, than the former.

But we were never even close to that kind of "Spring in a Small Town" situation, the guy basically liked having a friend that listened to his problems, and didn't find her sexually repulsive. They cleaned together, and he took care of her for half an hour when she was sick, like imho any good friend would. At the very most, he had a small crush, if even that (I think not even that, tbh). Simply incomparable to anything FL did with her ex.

This honestly felt like her acknowledging some rather horrific behavior, and then grasping at straws once she discovered that what she planned to accuse him of turned out to be a fantasy. She was in disbelief for a second, and then accused him of things that were mutually contradictory, and in any case would amount to him either not being physically attracted to the neighbor (i..e. not finding her sexually arousing), or being attracted, nay, in love with her and not pursuing a sexual or romantic relationship with her while they were still married (i.e. not kissing her, not dating her, not flirting with her, etc.. not that any of those would equate to have unprotected sex with someone). The reality, more prosaically, is that he liked her because she listened to him, but never had any intention to pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with her. Which is more than okay imho, or not okay for the opposite reason: again, given FL's betrayal, if the neighbor had been unattached I would have had no hesitation to wish he would actually pursue a relationship with her.

I tried to rationalize this as a coping mechanism to reduce the guilt she felt about what she had done to him, and pretend this was more of a both-sides situation, which imho it definitely was not, in terms of the line she crossed and he didn't... but as for realism, I struggled to imagine being told your husband followed you because he was concerned for you, saw you go have sex with your ex, had to live with this for two years, and you can still gaslight him and use the affair against him? Two seconds after apologizing? But I guess I had a similar experience in My Mister or Crazy Rich Asian.

I liked that she met her ex husband after their divorce and apologized without crucifying him over his feelings and fantasies -literally what he thought when he masturbated, etc.- ... again, this from someone that actually had unprotected sex with her ex boyfriend, a married man -to use her phrasing- and who was never asked who *she* was thinking about while sleeping with the guy behind her husband's back -a missed opportunity, really, given they were in full disclosure mode ;)-. But yes, I liked her taking full responsibility for her actions and admitting she took ML for granted, without gaslighting.

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Could have used a change in direction

Newtonian physics may not bind the Laws of Drama Writing, but it is a helpful starting point for examining “Bulgasal: Immortal Souls”. Newton’s first law states that a body that is at rest or is in motion at a constant speed in a straight line will remain at rest or continue at the constant speed in a straight line unless it is acted upon by a force. In other words, for something to change, we need some sort of object or mechanism to trigger a chance in action.

With the drama in question, we begin with events that occurred 600 years ago which is where we find our object moving forward. To summarize, Goryeo era monster hunting ace Dan Hwal became a bulgasal (an immortal monster which feeds on human blood) and he loses his family. He sets out to wreak revenge against those who put him in his predicament. We flash forward to present with Hwal seeking Sang Un, once a bulgasal, now a human, reincarnated. Every other character of any note is a reincarnation of someone or something other creature from hundreds of years ago. As the storyline progresses, Hwal and Sang Un encounter Ok Eul Tae, an antagonist from the origins of the story.

Let’s set the storyline aside for other matters…

The production is outstanding. Whether it was set design, photography, soundtrack or the physical monsters themselves, this crew was tops. The monsters are exceptional. Whether the settings are the Goryeo era forests or present day mountains, the settings are gorgeous. The special effects are above average. There is not a copious amount of OST but the few entries are solid. And there’s more than one underwater sequence that are some of the highlight scenes.

There’s some fine acting too. Park Myung Shin is the standout as a Goryeo era shaman and present day aunt/butcher for Hwal. Lee Joon creates a compelling and vibrant character for the twisted and scheming Eul Tae. Han Seo Jin plays a young Sang Un and continues to create one of the most impressive filmographies of any young actor anywhere.

It’s a mixed bag for the leads. Lee Jin Wook as Dan Hwal has the imposing stature and gravelly voice to pull off a character that is part dark monster and part former human bent on retaining some of his humanity. But the character has shortcomings that no actor could really work around. He’s smart enough to clandestinely coordinate a complex manhunt and amass a significant collection of assets but has lived hundreds of years learning almost nothing. He follows a predictable cycle where he is introduced to a new side to his backstory, he refuses to believe it then just decides that it must be true. And despite the fact that he wants to end his troubles, he’s got the worst sense of self-awareness on the planet. He’s supposed to be the hero, albeit a non-traditional type of one, but he’s so determined to derail any effort to make progress that he’s nearly impossible to sympathize with.

As for Kwon Na Ra’s Sang Un, she’s got enough sense to diagnose Hwal’s issues, can formulate a basic plan and know that she needs to invest in and maintain relationships. That’s all good but the direction for the character was to overwhelm everything else about the character with a damsel-in-distress aesthetic. Even when her actions should signal strength and determination, the visuals instead emphasize her weakness and impending panic. That’s the present day visuals. Have to recognize that her appearance in the historical eras is simply stunning.

Without spoiling too much, there’s no end to this saga unless there’s an end to Eul Tae or Hwal or Sang Un. But two aren’t easy to kill and the other one will just reincarnate so something out of the ordinary has to happen to end this.

Here’s where Newton comes in. We have this trio that has been on the same path for six hundred years with this seemingly unsolvable problem. What would have made for an outstanding drama is that at some point of the storyline, the viewers are given some somewhat comprehensive understanding of how our object in motion at a constant rate of speed in a straight line was put in said motion at said constant rate of speed in said straight line. Then the production could have adequately built up over multiple episodes to a climax where new big force is brought forward to bring about the cataclysmic change in motion and to put an end (or new beginning) to our heroes and villains story.

Instead, a full reveal of the real origin story only happens far, far, FAR! too late leaving little time to build any appropriate amount of tension for the climactic showdown. Pending the full reveal, Eul Tae is left as a likely evildoer but possibly ambiguous character which fatally hamstrings his actions. Instead of going full dark and crazy, there’s only glimpses of his true nature. To keep a semblance of mystery about him going, he winds up a disappointing antagonist who spends too much time politicking with Hwal and plotting in the background than being, y’know, a bloodthirsty and invincible monster. And instead of Hwal and Sang Un spending far too much time wondering how they ended up this way, they could have been doing something much more interesting like, y’know, fighting monsters.

It’s a tremendous shame because the scenario was promising. There’s lots of interesting monsters and the show was terrifically entertaining when there was action. But it is invested so heavily in a painfully slow reveal of backstory and keeping the main characters and viewers in the dark that the characters are unable to develop. And, y’know, move forward in a new direction.

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A Beautifully Written Character Driven Journey

This is a show for people who like to pay attention and be rewarded for the effort. There are no car chases. No fight scenes. No twists. If you enjoy shows ABOUT people - who they are, what makes them tick, how connections are forged - this one will knock your socks off. But if you're looking for something where you can sit back and shut your brain off - this is not for you.

This is a story about guilt.

When the story begins, our female lead is drowning in her own loneliness and misery. Those she loved most have all left her, and she's been abandoned in a house that was once full of life and love. Our male lead: he's the one who comes back. He regrets leaving. He regrets letting her win. But she's always been his weakness. However, her way has not been working. They're both suffering. They're two points of a triangle that is now missing their third. He wants them to face their guilt head on. She wants to run away from it. Her life is cold. He wants to bring warmth. He is a fixer. She prefers to hide away from things that need to be fixed. The whole plot is him trying to fix what went wrong as she continues to run from it.

Every aspect of this show was written with care and consideration. The metaphor of our female lead's cold hands, the summer and winter triangle, the revision of the term 'last summer' in the series' final moments. The writing is beautiful if only you pay attention.

It's sad to see just how many people can't enjoy a show like this. The claims that it's boring or confusing are disheartening and say more about the state of viewers than the series itself. If you like a character driven show, if you liked Melo Movie or Just Between Lovers or Our Beloved Summer, give this one a proper shot and trust that there's a reason for every choice the writer has made.

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Misaeng is an amazing drama, but it is not for everyone. If you don't like first episodes you probably won't like the rest of the drama. In my case, I loved it from the 1st episode.

This drama may seem boring to some people as it is about office world, but the script writers did a great job and to me, personally, it didn't seem boring at all. It is a serious drama, yes, but there are also funny elements. It portraits the office life in a really realistic way.

While watching this drama, I felt like I was a part of the company, that I am part of every character there. Whenever there was something emotional, you could feel the emotions yourself. Whenever there was a funny scene, I was so happy, it felt so good and the funny scenes were always in a place. They just fitted.

STORY
As for story, I loved it. Some people might say that the plot was kind of about nothing, but I disagree. So much happened in those 20 episodes. The story and the characters will captivate you. I just can't express how much I love this drama!

ACTING/CAST
Everyone in this drama was well-chosen and their acting was superb. I guess, I loved every character, well, almost every character.

Lee Sung Min - he is a king of acting. I loved him since King 2Hearts and here, he proved that he is a 1st class actor. I loved his character Oh Sang Shik, in the future, I would also like to have a boss like him. After this drama I became his fan even more.

Im Shi Wan - I was a little worried at first that he would not be good for this role. Oh, how I was mistaken. He was perfect for this role. "Jang Geu Rae, fighting!!! You can do it" that is what I was thinking whole time. He was so hardworking, nice and pitiful.

Kang So Ra - I love her! I think that she is the best actress of her generation. I was so pleased with her English and even her Russian wasn't so bad. Her character Ahn Young Yi was great as well, she was tough, hardworking and clever. Great female character!

Kang Ha Neul - I am so in love with him! He is so good-looking but a great actor as well. I didn't like his character at first, but then Jang Baek Ki grew on me. He needs to get a proper main role! P.S. I was a bit disappointed that there was no love line between Jang Baek Ki and Ahn Young Yi, they were so cute together.

Byun Yo Han - first time seeing him and I must say, what an actor! I loved his character of Han Suk Yool, he was so cheerful and full of life and then at one point when he was so devastated by work, I was so sad, I wanted him to return to his old-self as soon as possible. This actor has definitely a bright future ahead. P.S. I loved the moments of those four (Im Shi Wan, Kang Sora, Kang Haneul and Byun Yo Han) together, I couldn't help but smile all the time. They had a great chemistry together.

Kim Dae Myung - I also has to mention him. His Kim Dong Shik was so nice and his acting was so believable.

MUSIC
Music was not outstanding nor special but it fitted with the drama very well.

I seriously must congratulate the actors, director and scriptwriters. They did an amazing job! Misaeng is now on my list of the best dramas I've seen so far! And after re-watching, it might become one of my favourite dramas!

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I had so much fun watching this! Things just go boom when the leads meet.

Ep 1: I have realized that Lovely Runner set the bar too high for all the romcom's to come, so I can't help but compare everything that comes out to it. However, I can't deny that I laughed a lot throughout the first episode. I was looking forward to the show, ever since I heard about it. The ML is the real draw, the FL doesn't look so good with those bangs, however her character is actually funny to watch. Honestly, at this point, her sister who eats her feelings is more relatable. I can't yet figure out what kind of a person the ML is but he is fun to watch. Bubbles are such a good substitute to cigarettes. Let's see if he actually sues her for murder.

Ep 2: Oh wow! Since the moment they first met, they have been going at each other and it is so fun to watch! The verbal match is amazing. The first 10 minute of the show so far are so hilarious, I just had to pause and write it all down so I don't forget things as I go. It was interesting and kept me engaged throughout the whole episode. I like watching dramas like this, especially while eating food, it makes me appreciate and enjoy the food more. For a moment there, I had forgotten the drama description that said the ML has a gf and she hasn't broken up with him yet. I kept thinking maybe she was an ex. But she is not just a gf but a fiancé. That was fun to watch!

Ep 3: Okaayyy. Fair warning, don't watch it on loudspeaker with your family around you. They make very explicit noises that make you feel like your family caught you watching a kissing scene on TV. I have my earphones on now so it is safe to watch. I got to laugh a little less compared to the last episode but it was still a fun one. They are all so silly, our FL's friend adds to the nuisance, making it more interesting.

Ep 4: Half of the time it feels like you are watching looney tunes, the scenes are so cartoonish and that's exactly what the show is all about. It brings back some of those funny cartoon memories patching it together with a comedic parody of Cinderella. You discover that her step sisters aren't that bad and her step mom is actually pretty decent, but all of them are just a little bit crazy in their own way, expect for the older sister. She seems rock solid so far. I wonder if the new guy they introduced in the episode just wants to take advantage of her because he is being too obvious about it. Well I was right, poor Cindy.

Ep 5 & Ep 6: I enjoy the interaction between the leads, but the bickering was toned down in these episodes. That kiss could have been better on the FL's part, but it looked good. That almost second kiss would have been better than the first one. The angle was right. The ML going out of his way to marry her off to other guy because he doesn't want to be abandoned is a bit sad. The fiancée and her family are so funny. I get that she has anger issues but I'm not really sure that she likes Cha Min. She rather considers him a possession. I hope the FL gives up on the SML, because it wasn't jealousy that made him say he liked her but competitiveness. In contrast the ML's feelings for her are quite real no matter how much he doesn't want to accept them. They are both so blind to how beautiful their life could be if they just stopped trying to live a loveless life.

Ep 7 & Ep 8: Cha Min blows so hot and cold, only Jae Rim can tolerate that kind of nonsense because they are both equally crazy. The SML has improved a bit but not by long. They totally got me with that imaginary scene with the leads kissing! I thought the drama was going in an another direction. He was kinda right, his mom was a little too late with the apologies. She could have made time despite how she may have been perceived. I just feel so sad for the boy that grew up being brainwashed by his father who couldn't keep his resentment to himself. He didn't give the boy a chance to form his own opinion but tried to indoctrinate him into his crazy beliefs about women.

Ep 9 & Ep 10: I wanted to see who the crazy ex fiancé was going to end up with & what happened to her crazy uncles as well. Overall, it was a nice story. I thought the last two episodes would focus on the happy ending, but we got one where they separate even though they weren't really dating. The last episode was good though. This should have been 16 episodes, so that we had some more crazy Cha Min & Jae Rim moments! They were adorable when they got together. This is definitely something worth rewatch.

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is it love ?

sometimes people's wild imagination can be creepy and when you read their comments or watch their reviews, it effect your experience as a viewer too. this is my review , hope it help you and clear your head so you enjoy watching such a beautiful wholesome story.

1- ( FL persona )
not every teenager act the same as you. FL is an introverted teenager but she is smart and doesn't hesitate when she wants to make a decision. i completely feel her cause i have similar behavior pattern but you may not. the way you talk and act at 14 is different than at 20, and you can act differently in front of your friends ,family or your crush (which is well portrayed in this drama).

2- ( chemistry and shipping )
if you don't feel any chemistry between leads by ep 8, well you are not supposed to. story is about a teenager who had a crush on an adult and after she go uni and met the guy again ,the guy fall for her. some of us are fan of actors and we were here before the drama air so it's obvious that we are shipping them more than you cause we saw the bts of this drama month ago.

3- ( age gap )
ML is 5 years older than FL . ML fell in love when the FL was an adult . it shows in story when he fell in love and why. he was not her neighbor and he was not grew up with her . ML was her brothers friend who lived and worked in dorm and THEN in another city , he did not know that FL loved her. you see clearly the way He act when She is minor, when She is an adult and in uni, when He start to falling for her and when He wanna pursue her. it's all clear in the drama . it doesn't seem creepy to me at all. ( and tbh 5 years is nothing )

4 - this is a very simple story. doesn't have messy or dumb plot to it . everything go smoothly and if there is a problem ,they handle it quick. so if you love messy drama, this drama ain't for you. this drama has simple plot and logic to it .
so for me it is love and it's a very sincere and healthy couple .

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