Reviews

At first blush this drama seems to be dark, depressing and sometimes slow, but taking a deeper dive, this drama completely blew me away. The way My Ajusshi was able to tap into some incredibly deep life truths is so very touching. This drama centers around characters where life has left them behind. Downtrodden and facing failure, these characters will learn to overcome those insecurities in pursuit of their own definition of happiness. There are times that this drama just shook me to the core in how it handled these truths and how it encourages its viewers that there is always hope.

This drama’s strength is its characters. My Ajusshi portrays deep and nuanced characters not only in Park Dong Hoon and Lee Ji An but also in their supporting characters as well. This drama delves deep into the concepts of love, marriage, family and community.

I did want to address the love between Park Dong Hoon and Lee Ji An. The love between these two is not a romantic type of love, it transcends that. Dong Hoon refers to Ji An as someone who knows him completely just from observing him, someone who almost shares a soul with him, a kindred spirit of sorts is my interpretation. I personally refuse to see their love in a romantic light. Their love is too pure for that!

This drama is incredibly beautiful and able to encompass an aspect of life unlike any other drama I’ve seen before. Though it may have a darker framework, it’s uplifting and encouraging message is so very rewarding! This is by far one of the most encouraging dramas I’ve seen! My Ajusshi is a beautiful story about salvation, redemption and rebirth! What are you waiting for? Go watch this now!!!!!

Read More

BRO YALL ARE MISSING THIS ONE!

A masterpiece of action, left me breathless. From the breathtaking fight choreography to the intricate plot twists, it was a non-stop thrill ride. The actors, every single one of them, delivered powerhouse performances, bringing their characters to life with incredible depth and nuance. The production value was top-notch, with stunning visuals and a captivating score.
The ending, however, was a cruel cliffhanger leaving me desperate for a second season to unravel the mysteries and see the consequences of the final battle. This drama deserves far more recognition, especially considering its focus on action and intrigue rather than solely on romance. While the romantic subplots were subtle and beautifully woven into the narrative, the real stars of the show were the exhilarating fight scenes and the complex political maneuvering.
Xu Qi'an and Princess Lin An's chemistry, though understated was undeniable. Their interactions were electric, adding a layer of emotional depth to the already captivating story. If you're tired of the same old romance-driven dramas, this action-packed gem is an absolute must-watch.

Read More

Absolutely disappointing and a huge waste of time

There are so many better BLs and even every KBL I've watched has been better than this. People claim this one didn't have much budget but it's the KBL with the best production I have seen. The idea and universe they built was pretty great and it could have been developed so much better.

The acting was absolutely off-putting, the way Yoo Han immediately got touchy and weirdly into Yeon Woo made it so uncomfortable to watch. They didn't build any type of momentum because they were strangely skinship-y in a way no one ever is. Yeon Woo was evidently disturbed by everything but they never really developed it; his actions towards everything eere exaggerated and his reactions were like those of a madman. We know nothing about Yoo Han other than what was rushly showed on ep 8. There was no chemistry between the leads whatsoever and every 'sweet' moment was ruined by excessive glamorizing of the scenes.

Overall, the show had a great premise and a truly amazing concept with the Monos, Probes, color rush, social problematic, etc., but it was terribly developed and totally ruined.

Read More

Star In My Mind, one of the best soft mellow BL story with touching symbolism :)

I think this is one of the best soft mellow BL story I watched. For those who wanted a soft BL storyline, this series is for you. It is indeed a story of hope and inspiration for love, just as the theme song sung by Louis Thanawin. When Dao stopped loving Kluen because he was gently rejected when they were in high school, which is typical and normal in high school life. Kluen was a cold-hearted guy unable to express freely his emotions, but until the end, the North Star shined and guided them which gave inspiration and hope to both Dao and Kluen. Dao believed in the North Star guidance as a shine of inspiration and hope while Kluen had a change of heart and started loving Dao. What I liked in the story, is when Kluen took care of the sunflower in which Dao gave to Kluen and watered it when he was sick, that is when, Kluen started to open his heart to Dao. Sunflowers symbolize unwavering faith, admiration and unconditional love. Unwavering faith, admiration and unconditional love is always coupled with hope and inspiration, Kluen opened his heart and continued loving Dao just like a blooming sunflower no matter how many times Dao wanted to move on from his past but the North Star shined within Dao's mind and relive the hope of his first love and guided Kluen to open up with his feelings. The story used the North Star and the sunflower which both symbolizes a beacon of inspiration and hope in which this series depicted. It is difficult to include symbolism in a storyline since the flow of story should coincide with the symbolism they used. Dao believed in the North Star while Kluen believed in the sunflower's bloom.

For those who said that the series was a waste, storyline was boring, worst and trash BL. I respect their opinion, but for me, I liked the storyline so much, the actors' depiction of the story and the most striking are the symbolism they used.

Read More

Strong start until ep6. Then things gradually go down.

The velocity of good start got me high until ep6. After I figured out that this story has no more element than a love story between two grudged exes, my curiosity and interest levels decreased. There's no more interesting conflict, so things are flattening down along the way. I had no more interest to watch this until the end after finishing ep12, esp. when being compared with Snowdrop that is on air during the same time and kind of competes for the audience's attention. I came to watch it until the end, though. After the last ep has broadcasted, I came to pay my due. And yeah... I was right, it isn't interesting anymore after ep12.

In terms of acting, I don't feel the character of grown-up Yeon Soo in Dami. Grown-up Yeon Soo portrayed by Dami was intentionally stern and kind of melodramatic. I'm not very satisfied with Dami's acting. Come to think of it, she also felt off in Itaewon Class. Among the three main leads in Itaewon Class, Dami was the weakest (her character was more challenging to act than the 2nd female lead, though.) Anyway, naughty, young Yeon Soo in Our Beloved Summer was still fun and enjoyable to watch. Only the grown-up version that was lacking. For Choi Woo Shik here, his acting was also off from scene to scene. All in all, I don't feel the lover vibes between them. Toward the end, they started to kiss a lot, and I felt nothing in their kisses at all.

Read More

Beautiful yet Pretentious; Great character development but poor plot writing

“Fangs of Fortune” is no doubt the product of director Edward Guo. I enjoyed his other drama “My Journey to Love” so much that I wish I could feel the same about “Fangs of Fortune”. Unfortunately, just having a good-looking cast and beautiful cinematography are not enough for me.


What I Like:

1. Characters
The main reason I am not rating this drama lower than 8.0 is because of the characters. I like each of them, main cast, supporting cast and guest roles. Each character’s story is unique and I had a good time getting to know them and following their journey of growth. They are interesting individually and together as a group. “Fangs of Fortune” is able to make me care about each of them and their stories touched me.

2. Acting
I am happy to see a much-improved Neo Hou. He is able to convey more than just a blank pretty face. I am most impressed by Tian Jia Rui. This is only his second drama after “My Journey to You” and he has so much potential. Chen Du Ling is fine. Cheng Xiao improved from her blank look in “Falling into Your Smile”. The rest of the cast also did an admirable job and I don’t really dislike anyone’s acting.

3. Cinematography
Edward Guo’s signature beautiful cinematography and camera angles make every actor and actress look good. Screenshots of this drama flooded the Feeds with many posts throughout the airing and after the completion of the drama. But…..(to be continued below)

4. OST
This drama boasts a huge soundtrack of beautiful songs. I enjoy them all, especially ‘Spring Breeze Does Not Ask’ 春风不问 and ‘Broken-Tailed Bird’《斷尾鳥》. However…. (to be continued below)

5. Production Value
I love everyone’s creative, unique and beautiful hairstyles, costumes and accessories. I also like the use of natural lighting and the realistic sets in the indoor scenes. The fight choreography is unique and the actors did a great job with their wire work and moves. It does a great job in using Chen Xiao’s dance background in giving her excellent moves and she did not disappoint.


What I have Mixed Feelings and Don’t Like:

1. Slowness
This drama is SLLOOOWW. The characters talk slowly, they move slowly and the pace is slow. This could have been a 30-episode drama (instead of 34) if people would just walk and talk at normal speed. The last episode is a waste of time. Everything could be told in 15 minutes. What pisses me off the most (my personal pet peeve) is characters standing around during important battle scenes. The good guys would be talking amongst themselves or crying or staring at each other, and the villains just stood there waiting. I just want to shout at my screen for them to move or do something! So much time is wasted and it doesn’t make sense!

2. Plot Holes
There are so many plot holes in this drama. Actions that don’t always make sense. Why parade a suspected murderer in front of a crowd to be easily recognized and then humiliated? If you knew you were the cause of a pandemic, why not kill yourself sooner? You already knew the solution! There are powerful demons and genius human beings yet you can’t detect someone is hiding around the corner eavesdropping? I thought you could smell their scent from a mile away! Plot logic becomes secondary (or sacrificed) when the drama focuses so much on the characters and making them look good. A good drama must be able to balance both plot and character development. Even if you can’t balance it well, it can’t be so lopsided.

3. Close-up/Camera angles
I complimented on how beautiful this drama is. But if you repeatedly show me a close-up look of a pair of attractive eyes every 5 minutes, it becomes really pretentious and fake. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed but if you give me the slow-mo version of it, it interrupts the flow and the excitement. I don’t need to see them posing when fighting. This drama also loves the fog and wind machines.

4. Non-stop Music
I also complimented the OST, but gosh, the music is overplayed. Song after song, music after music. It doesn’t allow the viewer to decide how to feel in silence, but manipulates my feelings with the non-stop music. I counted one scene (one conversation between the leads) when 2 songs + 2 more instrumental music were played non-stop! At times, the music is so loud that I could barely hear what the actors are saying. I really don’t need the fight song being played at every single battle, no matter how cool it is.

5. Romance
Disappointing main romance. I enjoy the initial bickering between Zhao Yuan Zhou and Wen Xiao. A battle of wits and sarcasm! But then, not much happened and not enough chemistry or longing looks. It was boring. I had more fun watching the guest roles suffer in their forbidden love than or sad romance than the main leads.


OK, if you are a fan, don’t hate me. Go back and read what I like before throwing stones at me. LOL🤣 I will still recommend "Fangs of Fortune" because it’s a well-acted darker story with a good-looking cast, beautiful cinematography and likable characters. If you are a big fan of character development, you will enjoy this. But if you are like me and can’t stop your brain from noticing plot holes and things you don’t like, you might have a harder time enjoying this.


Completed: 11/27/2024 - Review #521

Read More

Kim Nam Gil’s comeback drama should’ve been much better than this.

The presumption of revenge was something attractive and I can say that it was executed quite well in this drama; without doubt this is not the best revenge drama out there but it’s definitely watchable for the revenge theme. The story starts off slow; the first episodes felt like fillers without many events going on, then things started picking up little by little, the plot started building up and the premise began to show up. However, this is not so different from the usual melodramas out there since elements like the scarred past; the troubled family, the typical evil guy as well as the teary female lead were present. What was added here was the little mystery, suspense and some thriller moments that flipped the tables occasionally and created few great twists every now and then which I have to give writers credit for making them happen but still; there weren’t any amazing turns of events that would make you jump of your seat considering the fact that most of them were pretty much predictable.

Do not watch this because of romance; the whole concept wasn’t catching at all even the little moments between the leads were sometimes overdone and not well matched with the story’s development. I believe romance was one of the storyline’s weak points.

Another storyline’s weak point: The ending since it was very strange; let’s stop there. It took me a while to figure out what the writers were thinking and then I concluded that they weren’t thinking at all.

The acting was good; Kim Nam Gil proves once again that he’s very suited for revenge dramas, Son Ye Jin had a nice performance too but I can’t say the same about her character. The rest of the cast were good too; nothing to complain about, only that their characters weren’t captivating enough probably because Yi Soo was always in the spotlight and no one managed to take it away from him.

All in all, this drama had potential to be much better than this. Nonetheless, it’s still very recommendable for revenge dramas lovers but make sure to lower your expectations, expect the unexpected and never forget that you’re about to watch a MELODRAMA.

Read More

One person, forever.

Sometimes home is a person, and happiness the sound of the heartbeat that resides there.

It's been some time since I've written a proper review but this drama sincerely deserves it.

If you're worried about the age gap aspect here, set those worries aside, it's been done extremely well and tastefully. This is a drama about two people who meet at all the right times, and who are what the other needs throughout all of the hardships and hidden wounds. Every green flag you can think of is in here. There is no misunderstandings, the couple works together to make their relationship mesh well despite their different places in life, and they will have you smiling and crying the entire time.

Hidden Love is heartwarming in all the best ways. Not only is there romance, but familial love as well. Every single relationship, from SZ's friends to DJX's buddies, is something wholesome and it is portrayed so naturally it's hard to not believe they are real friends who have known each other for years. I adored every single character as they grew together and leaned on each other.

The music is perfect, and by the end will have you sobbing and smiling at the same time, and the pacing in Hidden Love is absolute perfection. There wasn't a moment where I wanted to skip ahead or felt like there could have been more. This is a feel good drama and it is extremely well done.

If you need softness and a beautiful love story, give this a try!

Read More

A huge disappointment for me...

I was really looking forward to this one — the cast is full of actors I love, and a fantasy storyline (which is rare and one of my favorite genres) had so much potential. But honestly, it ended up being a big miss for me. The plot just kept going in circles, only to focus on a romance I didn’t care about at all. Even the acting wasn’t that great most of the time. Overall, super disappointing — whether it was the story, the acting, or just the vibe. Maybe it’s just me, but yeah... big disappointment. The enemies-to-lovers was done really badly, like it already felt off from the start, and the main character didn’t work for me at all. I was looking forward the return of the real Yoon Gap and it was badly done for me so...

Read More

Emerging from Darkness

From this drama's intro, the tone was set. This wasn't going to be some simple romance with a love square.

It was an intricately tangled, suffocating spider's web with Da On at the center of it all, fighting to free himself, all the while twisting into it more and more.

His all-consuming fear, confusion, indecision, heartbreak, anger, strength, and hope were portrayed as such visceral and vivid emotions I felt I was right there frozen, shaking, crying, screaming, and smiling with him.

With nothing more than the look in their eyes, I understood every character's motivation.

The attention to detail in this was striking.

And it dared to be more.

It unapologetically dove into physical and emotional abuse, manipulation, trauma, codependency, and self-blame. It framed the toxicity and harm our main ML experienced/was experiencing as horrifying as it is in reality. While others in the drama pointed accusing fingers at Da On, Secret Relationships didn't.

We heard his story from his perspective and got to see him slowly find it within himself to save and value himself and go after his own happiness.

It is a thoroughly engaging but not generally pleasant watch. If you are in a good place, I more than recommend it.

Read More

Just a watchable drama

One of the most anticipated kdrama of the year just for the come back of actress Han hye joo, and in the end it's finished with pretty decent watchable drama with nothing in particular. Ongoing watching experience is always different comparing to a binge watch so i don't know how you will feel if you watch now. But even for the ongoing time this drama failed in many factors even though they had all the liberty to bring out an outstanding show.

A zombie drama always sound interesting, but here the situation they were facing was not a serious problem at all. Also the screenplay was not so well written it includes many dragging moments and most of them were unwanted. The first episode was very promising but it never continued that promise, after 9 th episode the gear shifted slightly faster but still the dragging feel you boring.

Everything completely scattered, no proper characterisation, no intense situation, they must create a do or die situation inorder to keep the audience on the edge. But it failed. Still it's not a bad drama, it's a watchable drama, there were some thrills also the background score played a big part to minimise the demerits.

Try it if u interested :-)

Read More

Utterly boring

I get the age gap of the characters but the FL portrays as a very inconsistent character. One moment, she portrays a level of maturity the next, she’s throwing tantrums at her boyfriend due to “not spending enough time with her”. ML has been giving in to her time and time again and honestly, he deserves better. He did try to justify as to why he chose her which I understand but it seems that they have a communication barrier. The Actors and Actresses and both very good in acting and I’ve been looking forward to this drama as I’m a huge fan of the both of them.

Tried very hard to make through all the episodes. It was gruelling, to say the least. Don’t quite understand why they would get married cus they can’t even communicate, only banter.

Read More

A boring softcover porn with questionable acting

There is no main storyline and the characters are one dimensional at best, with Ueas main trait being a gratuitous trauma dumpster.

The first part of the show mostly consists of strung together, cheap, gratuitously long, softcore porny looking scenes with some random office moments thrown in between and some random blackflashes to Uea being assaulted and abused by his family members. Overall a strange concoction but let’s move on.

We have King, who is apparently a player, and Uea, who’s hates King bc he is apparently a player. This could work as the most basic concept idea but not as a finished script. There’s so much information that’s lacking. When did King and Uea meet the first time? Was it at the bar when King tried to hit on him or was it at the office? Ueas hatred towards Kings doesn’t make much sense either. It’s not like King cheated on him or promised him something, hell I don’t think he even managed to ask Uea a question at the bar, before Kings apparent date or one night stand showed up and Uea took offense to it like a scorned, betrayed and cheated on wife.

Kings obsession with Uea also comes off as random and nonsensical. Why is he so hellbent on getting someone who holds nothing but disdain for him for no good reason? It would make more sense if King actually had some sinister ulterior motives in mind but that’s not the case at all and therefore his actions and decisions come off as incomprehensible and random.

At some point Uea drinks himself unconscious and King takes him home and takes advantage of him but I guess that’s not his fault bc Uea asked him too lol. I actually don’t mind non consensual situations if they get addressed later on, at least to some degree, but I don’t think it happened here. Anyway, Uea gets angry the next day but still decides to become fuck buddies with King later on, for no good reason. Maybe it’s bc King gave some money to Ueas mother but I’m not sure. It’s hard to pinpoint the moment when and why Ues decided to keep banging King, especially knowing his random hatred towards playboys.

The latter half of episodes concentrate on the cartoonishly evil Boss, who randomly wants to get into Ueas pants and King being jealous bc of it. The boss gets fired and the last two episodes are pretty much unnecessary, endless, boring fluff and sex with no semblance of a plot whatsoever.

I don’t even understand why King and Uea decided to become fuck buddies in the first place bc their dynamic never reflected it, even from the start. They acted and behaved like they’re in a perfect, monogamous relationship right away. There was no tension and no conflicts that one would expect to see from such concept idea. Even the sex scenes were always portrayed in the same way, which became very boring very quickly.

The trauma aspect wasn’t addressed properly either. It’s like Uea didn’t have a personality apart from being a victim. Everything evolved around his trauma and how it was magically fixed by him dating King. It’s like the trauma was a romantic trope instead of an actual serious issue for Uea to get through. There was no logical build up to Ueas decsions at all. He let himself be abused by his irredeemably evil mother for years and just suddenly broke off their contact, seemingly at random. I know that the rapey Boss came by but it didn’t reveal any new information for Uea to suddenly be able to stand up for himself.

The acting wasn’t good either. James isn’t someone who is ready for a main role yet. All of his emotional scenes were laughable at best bc he wasn’t skilled enough to pull them off. He needs a lot more workshops and practice. I can’t really say much about Net bc his role wasn’t as demanding as James‘ but I didn’t cringe as much when he was on screen in comparison to James. I’m sure they’ll get other projects to work on and I hope that they, especially James, will acquire more acting skills till then.

I guess Dimundi‘s works aren’t really clicking with me but I have to give them some serious credit though bc while their works might not be for me, they certainly are popular enough. They isolate a specific audience and appeal to them, which I think are mainly very young, straight girls in their late teens to early/mid twenties that are mostly looking for fluff and sexual content with a typical cookie cutter Uke as a self insert and a perfect, hot seme to take care of him/them.

Good for Domundi though.

Read More

Useless reality ever

What can i say, i was a huge fan of the 1st season even if the alliances thing of going all vs one annoyed me a lot, but in this season they did their best.
Funny how this should be a reality where the smartest win games but it turned out like a contest who make more friends.
Starting from the cast: Sohee and Kyuhyun should do acting and commentary because how can you play a survival game if you have no will to win; they annoyed so much with all of those sentimental choices like they are playing with each other lives, not even if they were in squid game where they are playing with people lives, just play the game for god sake. Hyunjoon, Jiyeong, Chuu and the 2004 guy were absolutely useless and since they know that they did everything to play in group because they knew that alone they would have been in disadvantage.
And here it comes the biggest problem: THE PRODUCTION. How can you put in every game the possibility of ruining it by playing in groups; of course people will do alliances to survive but if you put them in the conditions to use that to play games like kids in elementary school, i ask myself where is the fun of watching this show. The peak was at the game at the 11th episode: i don't wanna say what happened because i don't wanna make spoilers but all of what happened was absolutely ridicolous, just people who refuse to play the game and decided who would have gone to the final.
Basically if you start this season because you want to see people solve problems, competing in games and give their best (wich should be the concept of the program) save your time because all that you will get is people who tries to pass the game all togheter without playing it and leave behind the people who want to play alone. Only the prison games are a bit entertaining to watch, but there you can witness how bad are some people who always played in group when they're put in a situation of playing alone

Read More

The dynamite kiss blew up the better script.

I'm actually furious! I don't remember when was the last time I was this angry. I hope no one's gonna let this writer every touch anything in this industry, except the trash bag.

If you want to watch this Kdrama, the best thing you can do is ignore the last 2 episodes and after episode 12, you just need to watch the last 15 minute of the finale, maybe.

So, here's my short review.

The first half was good, then I honestly don't remember many things, even tho I started watching it a week ago, but I know, overall it was good. The chemistry between the leads is great, even if our main guy was so freakin' annoying a LOT of times. I mean, I seriously wanted to slap him to wake him up.

As usual, the secondary leads were more interesting, but I'm not even surprised anymore.

One another thing was also surprising. No stupid drama with the chaebol family who hates our main girl, and the secret was handled well. I was expecting much more drama, and then comes the last 2 episodes, and TRUST ME, you need to prepare yourself heavily so you can handle it like a pro without throwing out your TV.

I'm not even joking when I say, the last 2 episodes, and especially the finale was ONE OF THE WORST I'VE EVER SEEN!

Three different lame Kdrama tropes in one single episode. Half of it was spent on this madness, and they gave us 2 time jumps and 30 minutes that felt like a sped up version of 3 episodes.

And I didn't mention the female lead's sister, who just left and never came back. She's basically a ghost.

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!!

Read More