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I'm Not a Monster
12 people found this review helpful
by Gwyn
Oct 22, 2016
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This drama has a very interesting plot, I accidently stumbled upon this drama when I was on YouTube looking for Chinese dramas to watch. Even though the ending of this drama is..... the storyline is amazing *in MY opinion* and the episodes leading up to the last one. I think everyone should give this drama a try!! The actors and actresses may be newbies but their acting is on point especially Zhang Yu Jian's, he made me crack up in a lot of this scenes because of his facial expressions. I definitely recommend this to anyone that has spare time and that they like some supernatural things and a short amazing drama!!

This is the first ever drama that I ever reviewed and actually wrote (and I watched A LOT of dramas) I just think that this drama can be a BIG hit!! And that they NEED to make a season 2 ASAP!!

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Completed
Idol I
12 people found this review helpful
Feb 4, 2026
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

increíble

excelente todo me gustó mucho la química entre actores la trama es algo que a diario se ve en ese asunto por temas de constimbres muchos idols realmente no pueden tener su vida personal porque los mismos fans los atrancan cuando se olvidan que ellos son personas normales que necesitan están tranquilos que también tienen su vida y su mundo así como su familia que no pueden estar a esperas de nadie que ellls también aman lloran y sientes algunos se terminan quitándose su vida por estos temas
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Completed
Wild Chives and Soy Bean Soup: 12 Years Reunion
12 people found this review helpful
by Alice
Jul 7, 2014
26 of 26 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
Okay so I have to say that I had great... Amazing expectations for this drama even though it was on the lengthy side with about 50 episodes that were promised and then all out of the blue it was significantly cut down to 26 episodes having everything fast forwarded and not even resolving a lot of relationship and questions.


But other than that the plot was a good ones that wasn't quite like many other that I have watched. The acting cast did amazing jobs portraying the character. The younger cast was amazing but I could just believe that because I did not see the adult cast act as much. The music was adequate and even enjoyable at times but I was more focused on the characters and what was going on.


Overall I would have to say that I would not rewatch this because of those last two episode in which it felt like the director(s) and writer(s) just gave up and crammed everything into this pathetic excuses for closing episodes.

The overall value was originally somewhere between a 9.5-10 but was dropped because of all the unanswered crappy-ness of the ending.

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Completed
Snow Eagle Lord
12 people found this review helpful
Jul 19, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.5
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Probably worst show, with best cast.

Common sense gone out the window, Good Plot bad Story, Good Cast Bad Directing. First show I see good people just hurting one another, and demons just watch the stupid show happen. Story does not build up, just forced stupid, senseless scenarios that happen again and again. Dont even know if the producer and writer even read their story. If not for Xu Kai I would have stopped at the dry first few episodes. If you looking for something good, dont watch this show, but if you are just here for the cast .. then its not bad.
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Ongoing 13/13
My Secret Romance
12 people found this review helpful
Jun 1, 2017
13 of 13 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5
This was such a cute romantic drama, it's full of misunderstandings "which is a must" for all Asian Dramas..

Slap Kiss
Crazy Ex
Mother In Laws
Misunderstandings
Another g / b having a crush on the same girl.
Jealousy
arranged marriages
fake marriages


I loved the secretary, his suits lol.. Colourful like Versace style :) I love the little brother Dong Goo, but even his half sister was not really looking after him, he was always with Hyun Tae, like Hyun Tae is his half brother or dad. Needless to say Dong Goo is the cutest little Actor.

Yoo Mi is ashamed of her mother, she was an erotic star (well I 'm watching a Thai Drama, main lady's mother was a prostitute mother is married to main guy's dad and the daughter is not ashamed of her mother, I don't know which is more acceptable, I think I'd feel the same if I was in Yoo Mi's shoes )

The problem with this drama was it was extremely slow, they don't get to anywhere. She's ashamed of her mother, her half brother..

When it comes to the cast Song Ji Eun is a perfect choice for Yoo Mi, as she looks innocent
Sung Hoon is and always be a perfect match for rich, handsome, casanova playboy looking but on the inside it's extremely the opposite chaebol.

Mother hhaah I can't find words to describe the mother Nam Gi Ae she is another actress that is a perfect fit for this type of mother. I believe I have seen her at least in the 6 of dramas I have watched in the last couple of years, maybe more..

I expected to see a little more of their love Jin Wook & Jin Eun, at least I wanted to see getting married but nay...

Until the Secretary meets the kitchen girl tbh I thought he's gay!!

ep 11-12-13 not worth of watching, if you wanna know how it ends although it is not gonna make you happy just watch ep 14 and that's it.

We have not seen why Jin Wook mother left we have not seen him taking Yoo Mi to his mother, or even both of them going to his mother's restaurant. We have not seen much of mother son time.

For a bit I thought Yo Mi's ma gonna flirt and hook Jin Wook's dad but I was wrong but if they made that way it way it'd be quite funny though.

The music was good.

I so wished that the lil bro was their secret love child but he's half bro :((

there are loads of incomplete things wish they make S02 for us.

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Completed
Coffee Prince
12 people found this review helpful
Jan 4, 2016
17 of 17 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
Some old dramas don't stand the test of time, or live up to all the hype. That is not the case with Coffee Prince. I've just finished marathoning through this classic (again), and I still love it just as much as the first time!

On the surface this is another romance about a girl who pretends to be a boy, and gets away with it, and a spoiled rich guy who falls for her. What makes Coffee Prince different, is that there is so much more depth than is usually in KDrama romances (yes, even the good ones). The themes are more realistic, and the content is more adult. Coffee Prince shows us how extremely complicated love can be, while still being fun to watch.

The cast is perfect. Yoon Eun Hye is the most convincing androgynous character I've seen in any drama. It's more than her just looking enough like a boy, it's her whole demeanor that makes the idea of her being mistaken as male completely plausible. Gong Yoo is charmingly goofy, and instantly crushable (watching this began my minor obsession with him). Equally crushable is Lee Sun Gyun, who I would fall in love with again later in Pasta, but is much more kinder, gentler, and understanding in this role. Then there is Chae Jung Ahn, who is frustrating to watch, and hard to like, but equally brilliant. The chemistry between them all is amazingly acted, and their story is well written. People who aren't fans of romances normally, may appreciate how imperfect this story is. There are also plenty of cute moments to inspire butterflies in die hard romance fans. It also has the most beautiful love confession in the history of dramaland period ! (or rather, exclamation point)

The minor characters are also very well played. I loved the dynamics between the Coffee Princes too! This is the kind of cast that you miss when the show is finally over. I can't believe Lee Eon died shortly after, but he was my favorite of the other "princes".

The only thing mediocre about this drama is the music, which is fine, but I did not rush out to find the soundtrack, even after obsessing over this drama.

The other criticism is that the drama does become a little less engaging in the final episodes, but at that point you will probably love the characters so much that it won't make you love the show any less. The ending wraps things up perfectly in my opinion.

My main reason for writing this review now, even though this was one of the first dramas I ever saw, was to promote it's re-watchability. It also manages to not feel as dated as many dramas tend to be over time. Besides the flip phone technology, this drama could easily be successful today. It's also very timely, concerning issues regarding gender roles and sexuality, which is a hot topic these days. In that respect, maybe it's ahead of it's time.

So, yes, of course I recommend Coffee Prince! It remains high on my drama favorites list, with no signs of being bumped lower any time soon. If this is one of those dramas that you always meant to watch, but never got a chance to, just do it! This is one of those occasions when it is safe to believe the hype!

*warning: not only may you very likely crave coffee while watching, but you may either be tempted to eat everything in your fridge, or be too disgusted to ever eat again, after watching Eun Chan eat!*

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Completed
Backstreet Rookie
12 people found this review helpful
by krofal
Aug 23, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Light-hearted Rom-com

Not sure why this drama is rated as low but personally I've seen worst drama that as higher ratings than this. I would describe this drama as a light-hearted romance comedy.

Pros: The leads are visually appealing and the acting is good and the music/soundtracks are memorable. The over-the-top antics of the 2nd leads may or may not appeal to you.
Cons: There are no real depth to the story so if you are looking for some life-changing lessons or etc then this is not the place for you.

Personally, my wife and I enjoyed this very much. Overall, I would say I had a good time watching this and have no regret's on the time spend on this.

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Completed
Qin Dynasty Epic
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2020
78 of 78 episodes seen
Completed 15
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Why I end up being disappointed with this epic

Qin Dynasty Epic used to be called Qin Empire 4, I watched the previous three installments last year, they were about previous kings/duke of Qin, all building up to this installment's Ying Zheng unification and start of 2000 years of Imperial China. I'm not overly familiar with Ying Zheng, but he's too well known and has too many achievements for this to not be epic, but I came away rather disappointed. (spoilers reference historical events)

First of all, the drama focused on the wrong bits and have terrible pacing issue. Ying Zheng died at 49, most of the common achievements people think of are unification at 38 and what comes after it. He had a fairly interesting childhood and rough start, so I totally understand giving fair amount of attention to that. I'm perfectly willing watch him grow from ascending to the throne at 13 to gaining control of court at 22, clearing obstacles and finding awesome generals and ministers before starting to conquer other kingdoms. Hell, aside from setting up prefecture system, standarising writing system, linking great walls and building roads for carts, his life after unification could have been neat too, he defended Qin against Huns, conquered Bai Yue (modern southern China), and did bunch of things to ensure his reform stayed. Not to mention there's the whole elixir for immortality, didn't name a successor that resulted in Qin's early demise.

The drama covers up to unification so 78 ep over 38 years, which I somewhat understand, since it's more positive ending then setting up for tragedy. It spent 13 ep on first 13 years of his life, bit longer than what I expected but hey it's a long drama, and then 9 ep on last 9 years. These are IMO the best parts of the drama, not just due to pacing but also acting and writing were the best. I'm happy to note that the drama bought up some of the reform fairly early in the drama, and it's sprinkled here and there, so it's not just battles and unification. But these last 9 ep should have been the focus of the drama, I understand that battle scenes are expensive, you could have given me more time to battle strategies? Or other kingdoms' internal issues? Like Chu Kingdom, it lasted less than 2 ep!

Ep 22 to 60 covers him from 18 till 22, that's roughly 10 ep per year, is that really necessary, drama? There's two major events that I expected (from wiki'ing Ying Zheng when I saw him ascend the throne), one lasted 3 ep (bit longer than I expected but reasonable pacing for this story), one lasted 15 ep! There were number of episodes used to set up Zhao as a major opponent, which I don't mind as they were historically rather strong and formidable at the time (featuring two well known generals of Warring States, the other two are Qin's), but I do feel it could have been shorter, or again maybe other kingdoms could have used some focus too? Other episodes feature one major battle and two minor battles, and couple small notable events. Zhengguo Canal was a marvel at the time, but we never saw other big construction projects either, like mausoleum or the roads mentioned in later parts of the drama? The way the drama is paced, the ending arc where the meat of the story should be just feel really rushed. If you slash the middle by half, the pacing would feel much more balanced.

Secondly, the drama's writing was all over the place. Some of the dialogue swere classical Chinese, some of it were fairly plain modern Chinese, which is fine. What's not fine is certain word choices, why does the drama start with what sound like a translation of a western king's speech? What was with that conversation between Ying Zheng and Lv Buwei at ep 12 (?), they make me question if I'm watching a historical epic or a fluffy romcom? To get across the shock, hurt, and confusion, there could have been a lot of other ways, in fact if you just delete some sentences, I wouldn't be all "wtf???" Not exactly word choice, but how the scene was shot, what was with the assassin scene? Okay he got his hair cut to show it was dangerous, but why was he rolling on the floor? What were the other people doing? Why was he fighting like a samurai, it seriously looked super kendo-y? Director, did you just watch the 1998 movie and used that as inspiration and called it a day instead of using historical records?

A big part of the drama was humanising Ying Zheng, as his image to average person is a tyrant. That might have partially been due to Han's Sima Qian's "Record of Historian" demonising him and Qin, since Han is Confucius while Qin is Legalist and dynasty they overthrew, not to mention Qin probably overdid it when it was reforming. That said, I'm constantly confused by the drama being bizarrely in love with "pls love me one more time" narrative, I guess because he had troubled childhood, it make sense and it plays up the tragedy? I found it rather awkward though and it was used way too many times for my taste. The drama was also very intent on selling him as a benevolent king, and it feels super wrong to me. It's fine to have him want to conquer the other kingdoms AND also help some common people he might have met, but why does every decision where he has to kill someone, it's always like he's forced to? He's an emperor, I'm sure they sacrifice some things for their goals, and I'm sure there's some calculated moves, that would made this more interesting. Even with all his flaws (even including tyranny + elixir) , it doesn't diminish any of his achievements.

I had a lot of fun celebrating amazing relationship between previous kings and their ministers because they shared common goals and overcame obstacles together. Ying Yiren and Lv Buwei sort of have that, but there were too little time for it. Lv Buwei became a reluctant antagonist at some point due to circumstances, but Li Si didn't fill his gap as he should have. In fact, Lv Buwei was the most interesting character of the drama, and I could see his love for Qin and I bought everything he does is for mighty goals. Li Si on the other hand, tend to be all talk and not much action, or what little he does seems to end up with a huge mess, e.g. Lao Ai. The writer's plotting simply isn't as awesome as they seem to think, and they really spent way too much time where every single person seem to think unification was totally sure-in and shout it at every chance they have, that's not the case!

Thirdly, our protagonist is completely miscast. I know casting Ying Zheng is real difficult, there's lot of expectation. He did so much when he was young but your average 20-something probably can't hold down such an epic drama and act reasonably well against so many veteran actors. I also know that dramas try to have main lead come out early, but if Han Wu Emperor's Chen Baoguo can come out at ep 22 (out of 58) and leave a classic epic behind, so can you! Casting 40 year old is totally expected, though I would have preferred 30 year old since aging makeup is easier than deaging someone. I can handle 40 playing 20, but you can't possibly convince me they are 13, especially when your actor look older than their age! Couple with some plot points that only make sense if he's super young, he constantly pulls me out of the drama. What's wrong with having him appear in ep 20 or 22 out of 78? You know what, your drama ends before Ying Zheng even catch up to Zhang Luyi's age!

I've been a casual fan of Zhang Luyi since I watched his slow burn republican drama The Red. He fit that role perfectly, he even had a tinge of Shanghaiese accent despite not being one, (it's fairly rare for accents or dialects to appear in cdramas!) Oof this role though, he really really doesn't look like an emperor, ok? He didn't look like one playing Li Longji in Legend of Demon Cat, and he doesn't look like one here. He doesn't always hold himself straight and seem to lean forward at times, it's very apparent when he meets up with Zhao Yan, who looks real regal next to him. The winter costume piled onto him also made his neck disappear, and couple with his posture, it's....not pretty. He tends to yell a lot during intense scenes too, it's not that he can't yell, but he doesn't have that powerful volume? powerful aura that I expect him to have, sometimes I think the scenes would have been more effective if he was quieter. e.g. there was an intense scenes with him and two kids, he looked dangerous and it was nerve-wrecking.

Then there were other little bits that's just really annoying. I know you want to differentiate the countries, but you can't possibly tell me Han could afford purple for the whole army 2000 years ago! Purple is not an easily found natural dye, especially one that bright, it's why nobility/royalty likes purple, did this not cross anyone's mind? Zhao Ji is really really stupid and appeared way too much, Lao Ai shouldn't have that much power and shouldn't look like a final boss! Seriously, why was there street celebration for that arc and not unification? Why was sexual assault even necessary as a plot point? Being Uncle Ying Xi is real suffering, but he was supportive all the way, just because of that one look? You could have implied something happened during that night or was it two nights (ep 12?)? Don't tell me they just stood there and talked?

Despite all of my complaints, I did like fair amount of it. It opened and closed with epic battle scenes, best battles I've seen in cdrama, thank you tencent for all your money. I really like the music, I think that one song that makes me cry is from previous installments but I still love every scene that use it (and important scenes really love using it). I actually rather like Zhao Kingdom's cast and their characterisations, they were source of comedy at one point, later on they had fabulous Queen who could actually scheme and plan and very hateable Guo Kai that I end up half rooting for. There were some memorable supporting cast that only appeared for few episodes, like Ying Yiren who managed to win people's heart with that one speech, or Han Fei with his lofty goals and dignity in dire times. There were a lot of segments I really liked as well, Ying Zheng and his dad overseeing the army and stating their goals, Li Si detailing Qin's couple failed opportunities to conquer, Lv Buwei's final scenes, Zhao Yan's entire visit to Qin, Ji Dan sending Jin Ke off etc.

At the end of the day, epics like this are hard to come by, so I definitely don't regret watching it from day 1. I think if you don't come in with expectation like me, and don't constantly compare drama to history, you would have lot of fun as others did. I had a lot of fun wiking and discussing with others in the comment section. I even made a timeline and everything, since I wanted time to move, which I'll post in the review comment section, as well as some other interesting bits I found that might be helpful. Shoutout to @PeachBlossomGoddess and @WandereR for encouraging me to post a rather negative review, since I wasn't going to write one as it felt bit like raining on people's parade. Little did they know, once I start, I can't stop!

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Completed
Brain Man
12 people found this review helpful
Jan 6, 2014
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This movie is way better than any Hollywood's action and suspense ones. The story was not that special for similar type of movies, but they delivered it well. There were even lots of scenes that made me forgot to breath.

The acting was superb! Ikuta Toma deserves more than a standing ovation for his acting skill. His expression and gesture were the ones that made this movie special. Also, I love the way they expressed emotions using background music.

Although there were still missing points and, for sure, non-sense matters appeared in this movie, I would say the director, the writer, and all team member did a really great job. Thanks for making this movie!

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Completed
Mask Girl
12 people found this review helpful
Aug 18, 2023
7 of 7 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

DARK COMEDY/ THRILLER AT IT'S PEAK

The retro style of the beginning and the calming before the storm was very well executed, and the upcoming peak and set for story at 2 EP was very well made!!

Really recommend it!! Saw my self laughing for things I wouldn't expect it...

Although thriller is the main genre.

O estilo retrô do começo e a calma antes da loucura foi muito bem executado, e o auge que foi planejado e executado pelo 2 EP foi muito bem feito!!

Realmente recomendo!! Ri com coisas que eu não tava esperando...

Apesar que suspense é o gênero principal.
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Completed
The Untamed
12 people found this review helpful
May 30, 2024
50 of 50 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

It’s Got It All & It Achieves It All. Highly Recommend!

This was akin to the old epics. Magnificent and beautifully told in every possible way. I sobbed. Man, I sobbed. Not every drama conveys the depths of emotions so that you can feel it in a scene even when the characters themselves are not being emotional. Even more so, not every drama can convey the depths of sadness in someone’s soul, even as they are smiling. It’s a skill when a drama can get you to feel and not just feel, but REALLY feel. Feel it like it was your own. That they are you and you are them. It’s that sobering of emotion that you get in a once in a lifetime drama. It leaves something with you that you never ever forget. A profound feeling that will stay with you forever.

The first time I watched this drama, I binged it in two days. All 50 episodes. And that surprised no one more than me. It’s like a good book you can’t put down. Can you imagine that? It’s such a long series and yet it never feels long. Although 40 minutes long, each episode is over in the blink of an eye. They are that gripping and entrancing. The story is told in such a way that all the right storytelling devices come at all the right times. Nothing overstays it’s welcome and everything is utilised in the most effective ways. Scenes flow expertly, one into the other and even the non-cliffhanger endings are as enticing as the cliffhanger ones. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next each time. So much so, I started at 11am on the first day and was surprised to see that it was 4am by the time I looked up again. After getting some rest, I resumed watching and again, did not stop until I completed the entire series at 1am that night.

My words can never do enough justice to convey just how good this truly is. They are not enough to paint the merits of the incredible feat of this drama. Some dramas are to be experienced and this is one of them. Some dramas are just special and you feel it as soon as you start watching. I will forever recommend this drama. Far and wide. I will shout it from the rooftops and never stop singing its praises.

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Completed
Shining Days
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 19, 2013
80 of 80 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
So this is a REAL drama. With 80 episodes, it still leaves you hungry for more. I really love the story, it´s unique, a little bit predictable - but also surprising at some moments. It´s one of those stories that makes you cry a river and laugh.

I loved the acting and the cast, especially Peter Ho. The girl that plays Ye Lin is gorgeus and her acting skills are great.

Also, the music was good. Both the OST and ending song are sung by Peter Ho. ??? and ??.

Overall, this is an amazing drama. The only thing that I kinda didn't like was the fact that there were too many flashbacks for my liking. Otherwise, this is a drama I would recommend to all of you that loves drama.

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Completed
One Night Only
12 people found this review helpful
Jan 21, 2018
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
The beginning is quite confusing I watched with few friends and we got lost but did try to follow up story. Though like after 15mins we finally began to catch up what was happening, so we might be just slow. So on second part of movie we understood it's two different movies yeah we are that slow we didn't get the description properly. I personally didn't like 1st one it was confusing and not that great. Didn't see much connection between Han Jae and Hoon.

So I will focus on second part of it.
Friends go to a new bar that is near and it has hint of comedy that I didn't find in first story. This one was more fun watching. Honestly, it would have been better if it were separate movies even if it took only 33minutes. So a guy falls in love at first sight and it leads to cruel ''reality'' like some comments said and well where most of bl movies do a sad ending as if gay men can't be happy which I find it cruel. But the story was easy to watch.

So ignoring first part I give this 8.5

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Completed
Luoyang
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2021
39 of 39 episodes seen
Completed 18
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

Where Does the Ultimate Good Really Lie?

I had been looking forward to seeing this one as it promised to be something intriguing. While by far not my favorite costume drama of the year, it kept me coming back for each episode. It had its pluses and minuses; I do however want to say that nothing I write below is to reflect poorly on any actor. Actors work with what they are given both good and bad.

Pros: My two favorite characters of the entire series were Gao Bingzhu and 16th Night. Both actors did a superb job in their characters. Huang Xuan was brilliant in his portrayal of this rogue badass who was hellbent on avenging the deaths of his friends and taking care of all of the people in the Unwelcome Well. His evolution into a more refined badass, didn't take away from his almost psychic notion of who the bad guys were even when they counted in the double digits and could be your closest friends if not family. When meeting Wu Siye and Baili Erlang, these two characters only expanded his already unbelievable ability to digest information that seemed like something in passing to someone else. He also seemed to be extremely lucky in survival no matter how many times he was practically pin-cushioned by 16th Night and others. GBZ was in the thick of it from the moment we met him in the first episode to his absolute last second on screen in the very last episode. This man is absolutely a class act and I would look forward to seeing him in other dramas particularly gritty ones.

Then comes probably the greatest antagonist I've seen in a very long time; 16th Night was absolutely a soulless, brutal killer, who took out adults or kids alike with her creepy three-sided weapon of design, using alleyways and rooftops to showcase almost immortal martial art skills. What made her character particularly amazing was that it wasn't until the episode of her reveal that we even knew she was a woman! Furthermore, she was totally hiding in plain sight and a friend of GBZ, who saved his life on numerous occasions while putting both herself and her "regular" business at risk. Her complete and total double life immersion was very impressive. Sadly, when she killed herself once she was exposed to GBZ, no other antagonist in the show, even the higher ups of the Four Seasons cult were able to replace her brilliance and brutality. Zhang Li who played her was a pleasure to watch.

The two other leads held their own. Victoria Song as Wu Siye had really great martial arts skills and her unfailing loyalty to those who she cared about most was what made her a solid character and leading lady to GBZ. I watched this for Wang Yibo originally as he's the only one I knew in the cast and though Baili Hongyi/Erlang was in a way the brain of the 3 musketeers because he could decode things and figure out maps and plans, his character took a while to thaw out and was reminiscent of his break out role of Lan Zhan in CQL because of his tiny facial expressions even though he had a lot more lines here. However, I appreciated his smarts and solving puzzles and when working together with GBZ and WSY, he was an integral part of the team. Though he couldn't fight and would constantly need rescuing (as the other two would often say to each other "Baili Hongyi is in danger"), he figured ways out eventually to save himself for the short term if nothing else. His and GBZ's hinting towards each other to solve a problem or get someone out of danger was a nice added touch. Showed that they had developed a very good relationship of trust with each other.

Other characters that were notable in good ways were Master Chu, Shen Fei who sadly perished saving BH's life and the sacrificial lamb or scapegoat Li Beiqi. The last was murdered sadly and only at the very end did people find out that he was innocent of all of the crimes against him. And the first always had the best interests of the Empress and people at heart so was reinstated; I actually hope that GBZ returns working for him again.

The last pros were the OSTs, some of the costumes, badass fighting scenes, and the set designs, plus CGI which were simply gorgeous. It was quite obvious where the large budget went.

Cons: In the very first episode, you felt like you already landed into the middle of the series and had to run to catch up. Now some people might like that but to me that's a rather messy start to a series. Furthermore, the amount of characters that were introduced was done at the speed of light and many died before you even had time to blink. You didn't know who was good or bad or why certain ones were killed until maybe the 6th episode in. It was all too hasty and had little cohesion.

The amount of bad guys was ridiculous, most didn't matter and who they actually were more often then not wasn't even properly explained but because there were so many bad guys, you eventually lost track of who the dead ones were. There simply shouldn't be that many completely useless characters running around.

Probably one of the most upsetting things for me was the killer who "replaced" 16th Night was probably the polar opposite of anything I would expect a savage killer to look/act like. Robot Barbie that didn't blink was beyond a cop out. They would have been better off not having another one, because even without the original 16th Night, this chick didn't scare anyone. Nothing about her said scary or killer; Robocop walked with more fluidity.

And how can anyone forget.....EERRRRRRLLLLAAAANNNNNGGG! Dear lord, hold the wheel! 30 out of 39 episodes of this ear bleeding, shriek that happened 76 times per episode. Liu Ran was the clingiest, most cringeworthy, annoying, and dumb as a brick character I've seen in a long time. She was like a pet chihuahua that wouldn't leave her husband alone and wouldn't stop nagging. I was actually amazed they evolved her in 9 episodes into a mature and emotionally stable woman who stood by her husband and trusted him as opposed to running after him and calling his name as she messed up his plans nearly getting them both killed a few times; because those first 30, I wasn't alone in wanting to send her character along with her brother, and maid out of town on the bro's camel!

Romance was the one genre that was not needed at all in this drama. When these kinds of scenes came, it was like throwing a well-oiled machine off kilter. It was unnecessary and extra. The mopey, clingy scenes just poured cold water on a hot detective drama where they just didn't belong. Not every drama needs to have romance because it just doesn't fit; it's like trying to jam a square peg through a circle.

The entire Liu family were either major jinxes or just plain evil. Her brother was another totally unnecessary character and his puppy love for someone who turned out to be also part of the cult, led him down the path of delusion and the even more inconsistent ending to the one character who shouldn't have died as it made zilch sense and made the ending of this series very confusing. Like how did he know where Lord Rodent w/rug would be exactly (a character that was so obviously the big bad since he first appeared on screen, that that revelation in the last episode was beyond underwhelming)? The 3 musketeers work together that one last time was impressive but they lost one. How does one get away with killing a leading inner guard of the Empress and not even get sentenced to prison but to go up a mountain and repent as a monk? That makes as much sense as only 10 days after her death, there was no real feeling of mourning amongst those people who cared about her the most. Again very inconsistent; because GBZ spent 5 years tracking down the murderer of his friends but he won't go up the mountain and take out the moron who killed the only woman he ever loved who actually loved him back w/out strings attached?

And lastly, what was the "greater good" that the cult was constantly yakking about? The massacre of an entire capital? Sounds very Jonestown to me, but it was never explained to the audience.

Would I recommend this drama? Yes, I would. It's a good detective costume drama, but it comes with many errors. So just be aware of that and decide for yourselves.

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Completed
Behind the Door
12 people found this review helpful
Apr 20, 2020
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 1.0
usually I don't watch jdramas, but even I can tell that this is a beautiful thought provoking story.
I personally don't have kids, but I've heard so many of the same lines used in this drama in real life that it was hard to not relate to this.
people live by other's expectations, they feel weak when they think they're not "following" the pattern, they have a hard time admitting that they are struggling and everyone just lacks empathy. they criticize what they don't personally feel.

there are so many rules of society. "you can't keep your kid happy/quite? you are a bad mom". "you don't cook for your family? you are a bad housewife". "you don't have kids? you've failed as a woman". and there are of course other examples, even directed at men "your wife makes more money than you? then you are not a man". "you want to see a therapist? you've failed as a human". "you want to quit your job and stay at home? that's not what men do"..

who made these rules? why should we force others to live by those rules? does putting others down make you a better person? would showing weakness mean you are not... what? grateful to your life?

everyone struggles with something, but again, you can't just look at people through your experiences.. don't judge people. it's also so easy to misjudge people, so everyone should just communicate more..

anyway this is making me emotional :) basically they did a great job convening the different struggles, the slow growth of the characters was also heartwarming and inspiring.

the ost was nice and I never rewatch stuff, but this does make me want to watch more jdramas ;)

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