Reviews

It *pains* me to give this show a 7. I was SO excited for a new rom-com with So Ji Sub. Let me just tell you right now, that if you are hoping for any romance - you will be disappointed. They were leading up to it, and then backed out.
This show started off really strong. The comedy was gold because I was laughing my butt off for over half the show. And then somewhere around the 3/4 mark the spy part of the story went a bit off the rails (convenient plot devices and inconsistencies in writing and editing), the budding romance stalled, the undercover agents started doing dumb things that would totally have gotten them caught, and the PPL was extremely HEAVY handed. I was totally taken out of the story by all of these things.

So Ji Sub was freaking adorable in this - every scene he was in with the child actors made me a puddle of "awwwww!!!"
And Jung In Sung as Ae Rin also did a good job - this was my first time watching her and I liked her. I loved ALL the characters and the actors were great. I have nothing but compliments for the acting. But the romance between the leads was only alluded to at best. So the ending was not as satisfying as I had hoped for because of that.

At most, I might rewatch some of the cute SJS/kid scenes.

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I'm worried my review below won't encompass everything I love about this lakorn, so I'll just let you know right now that I'd definitely recommend you watch this and I'm currently re-watching it right now, even though I finished it not too long ago.

The story is really good. You start with the ML, Seua Pha, and how he became a bandit. There is a magic element to this lakorn that confused me at first, but luckily it's not the main focus and it's not some OP power. Pha was forced to become a bandit due to the hatred the bandit leader, Phan, had against his father and we see how Pha tries his best to do good despite his upbringing (eg. robbing the rich to give to poor, killing only the bad, protecting women). This is in contrast to his adopted brother, Pajong, who is a truly wicked bandit at heart (robs and kills whoever, r*pes women) but is also insecure because he knows that Pha is better than him. It's really interesting to watch both the external (bandits vs police) and internal conflicts (Pha vs Pajong, Pha vs Phan, Phan vs other bandit leaders) which keeps the lakorn engaging and entertaining. One thing that did bother me was in the finale when Phan was dying; I felt like Phan won even though he died, because he was able to see Pha's father hurt Pha and he was able to be buried with all his treasure. I felt that that could've been avoided and that whole scene in general was weak and not thought out well.

I love all the characters here. I didn't see a single character that I thought was useless or served no purpose. Pha is just a dreamboat on shoes; he's charismatic, confident, unbelievably strong and someone with a heart of gold. He's also incredibly clever and it boggles me how he was able to outsmart his enemies. Nampeung is also great in that she's headstrong, brave (although sometimes too brave for her own good) and takes matters into her own hands instead of waiting on others. She's also confident and clever, although Pha is just a bit more clever than her (which makes for some fun scenes where she thinks she's outsmarting him but he's one step ahead of her lol).

Some fav 2ndry characters were Mae'Lamjiak, Reung and surprisingly Grachao. I love how Mae'Lamjiak was someone with a tough exterior but actually cared a lot, and saw value in our FL despite her initial prejudice. Reung was just hilarious. Grachao was someone I ended up feeling sorry for, because despite her arrogance, she was heavily manipulated and used like a pawn by Pajong. I'm glad that Pajong died by her hands and she ended up redeeming herself in the end.

The best thing about this lakorn is hands down the romance. The chemistry between them was insane. And so many kisses LOL! I lost count after the 5th kiss (not that I'm complaining hehe). I love that our leads were awesome people on their own, but together they were even better. Pha purposefully does not comfort NP when she's upset, so she can be stronger and survive; likewise NP believes in Pha's goodness which propels him to be able to trust the police in taking down the bandit village. Both make each other a better person, and I love the devotion they both have for each other. I love how Pha is willing to do anything for NP and how NP unconditionally loves him even though he's a bandit. Their bickering is also super cute. I wish we'd been able to see their wedding but they got their HEA and I'm here for it.

The one weak thing here was the music; in a lot of instances, it was played inappropriately. Some scenes had music when it didn't need it. It was also weird how they would play a sad song but then suddenly play some comedic sounds to try and make the scene funny. It was jarring and made me confused on what I was supposed to be feeling. The music itself is not terrible, but it was definitely overplayed and I wish they had more songs.

If this hasn't convinced you to watch this I don't know what will. This was honestly an amazing watch for me and will stay in my heart for years to come.

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WOW

What a journey, a long but good one i so enjoyed it. i actually had this on my list quite a while but i had to be mentally prepared before challenging all 81 episodes lol..... no skipping also (I HATE SKIPPING).
Jumong has managed to put all in one package: History, action, romance & drama it was all rounded for me. As for the Story it was every informative, i learnt tonnes of history from this show and helped me to connect the dots of the various tribes, states & kingdom along Korea`s time period. Oh Watch Kingdom of winds its a very good addition to Jumong and explains further about Goguryeo or Koguryo.
the last few episodes were very sad for me, it hurt to see some of my main charactors go( wont call any names) but i know nothing last forever. It pained me to see the Queen leave but i know it had to go that way for thats how Baekje came about, but i wonder how Silla fitted in all of this. i soon find out.

GOOD SHOW
?? ?

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okay so i'm not quite a dedicated viewer of Chinese dramas. i just watched a a few of them and they were not bad.

this drama can easily be described in just a few words.. nice, warm, cozy, romantic, light hearted, cheerful.
note my words "easily be described in a few words" this implies there's not much you can expect.. there are hurdles but are easily overcome..love triangles but easily broken..this is what you say an easy light hearted romance..
the gaming part didn't interest me at all...i found it a bit boring and just skipped through them..

the male lead is fantastic.. his acting is good.. and not to mention his looks.. he is someone you would just spend the whole episode looking at..
the female lead didn't impress me much..she is really pretty and her character was cheerful..and these may be the only things to her credit..i felt that her acting was not up to the mark, sometimes i just found her expressions over expressing or sometimes may be expressing nothing at all...oh,.! i just forgot to mention the PARK SHIN HYE syndrome that she has to her credit...it was really annoying..

the music was not bad...i don't remember them well so they are not remarkably good...

i don't rewatch dramas.. so i won't recomend it..
if you are looking for something light hearted, romantic and nice , just go for it...

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As I do with a lot of dramas and movies, I generally only start watching something if they either have a good story line or have actors I'm familiar with in them. The Con Artists had both. I'm familiar with Go Chang Seok as he played a role in Kill Me, Heal Me, and Kim Woo Bin is very popular so I thought this would be a good way to start watching his works. And of course, the summary of the movie is also excellent.

Although the story of the movie is exciting and a good watch, it's nothing new. I've seen movies previously with similar story lines, and have all been a good watch. However, what made The Con Artists so good was that it didn't have a single boring moment. Every scene had a reason behind it, and if any of it was cut out, some parts of the story would have been left unexplained. If you need a good action movie to watch, this movie is just perfect for you!

When it comes to actors, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Kim Woo Bin isn't just popular for his good looks and stunning personality, he is, of course, a brilliant actor as well. His perception of Ji Hyuk was awesome, and his scenes in particular were my favourite. As for every other actor (Go Chang Seok, Lee Hyun Woo, Jo Yoon Hee, etc), their scenes were greatly acted out and I couldn't find a single flaw.

As I am writing this review, it's only been about an hour since I watched the movie. I know that in the movie, the soundtrack was superb, however, I don't really remember any of the tracks. The music is great, but none of the tracks are particularly memorable.

There is no way I would pass up a chance to watch this again. It's been a great film to watch, and I would so gladly go watch it again right now.

Overall, besides the soundtrack not being all that memorable and the story line not being very original, it's a splendid movie to watch, and I can guarantee that any fangirls who love heartthrob actors will enjoy this very much as Kim Woo Bin takes your heart away in a mere few seconds.

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Crazy, Hilarious, Addictive, Unexpected Ending

When I first started watching Guardian of the Dafeng, my immediate reaction was, “What the heck is going on?” The drama is an eclectic mix of genres—modern-day elements, wuxia, xianxia, dark magic, mythical creatures, palace politics, and even a kind of cell phone system. It’s a potpourri of ideas thrown together. However, once I got the hang of it, I became hooked. The sheer craziness and humor made it an enjoyable watch. Dylan Wang is hilariously over-the-top, and even his cringiest moments are amusing.

The story follows Yang Ling, a modern real estate agent who time-travels to a fictional ancient dynasty called Dafeng. He finds himself inhabiting the body of Xu Qi’an, the nephew of a low-ranking government official. Xu Qi’an regains consciousness in prison and soon learns the dire circumstances surrounding his incarceration. His uncle, responsible for escorting government funds, has lost the money, resulting in his imprisonment and impending execution. Meanwhile, Xu Qi’an faces exile, and the female members of his family are condemned to a brothel.

Determined to change his fate, Xu Qi’an leverages his modern scientific and technological knowledge to uncover the mystery behind the missing funds. His ability to think critically and adapt to his new environment helps him navigate the challenges ahead. Additionally, his partial knowledge of ancient poetry—highly revered in that era—becomes a powerful tool in gaining recognition. His quick wit and ingenuity propel him through the ranks, ultimately leading him to become the Da Geng Ren—the Guardian—charged with protecting the kingdom from dark forces and crimes.

Xu Qi’an’s journey is akin to Forrest Gump, where misfortunes turn into opportunities, and luck seems to follow him at every turn. As he rises in status, he gains supernatural abilities, mastering dark and celestial forces, and accumulates immense wealth for his family. His adventure is wildly entertaining and filled with comedic moments.

Characters and Acting
Dylan Wang’s performance is outstanding. He effortlessly transitions from looking silly and exaggerated with pouting lips to delivering intense, piercing stares in serious moments. The entire cast, including the antagonists, is well-developed and humorous, with each character possessing distinct strengths and weaknesses.

What I Liked
One of the highlights of the drama is the way Xu Qi’an strategizes through situations. His thought process is audibly represented in thought bubbles, showing viewers the best course of action in any given moment.

The drama’s blend of the impossible and the possible, the insane and the logical, the outrageous and the acceptable, is what makes it so uniquely entertaining. I also enjoyed Xu Qi’an’s relationships—his bond with his cousin, who is righteous yet stubborn, his loyalty to his two best friends, and his dynamic with his superior, who always watches out for him.

Furthermore, Xu Qi’an’s approach to justice resonates deeply. When the proper channels fail to serve justice, he takes matters into his own hands. This aspect of the drama connects with real-world frustrations over injustice, making it even more engaging.

Final Thoughts
The ending is unexpected and somewhat abrupt. Xu Qi’an seemingly disappears, which makes sense since he originates from the future. However, at the same time, he exists as a member of the Xu family, leading to a puzzling contradiction. The identity of the mysterious figure, which remained a mystery throughout the series, is finally revealed in a surprising twist. However, the convoluted nature of the ending leaves several questions unanswered. Notably, Xu Qi’an doesn’t return to the future as Yang Ling, leaving an open-ended feeling, as if a continuation might be in the works.

Overall, Guardian of the Dafeng is a wild, entertaining ride filled with humor, action, and unexpected twists. Despite some narrative inconsistencies, it remains a highly enjoyable watch.

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this drama is pretty mediocre.

The concept was really cool and the trailer was awesome but the actual drama was confusing and half baked. It seemed as if the plot started at episode 6 because if how slow it was and the series is only 8 episodes long. The story honestly left me with so many questions and the acting was not the best. It was so uncomfortable seeing them kiss because there was no chemistry and the actors looked so stiff. I would've liked to see more of the side couple and a longer show. The soundtrack was very good and the little montages were amazing, especially the scenes when he sees color and his eyes change.

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Twilight in Thai Version but better then the original

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the voices comparing mgb to Twilight. I really had hopes for this bl that it would go for a less cuddly vampire portrayal than the previous vampire bl. This has largely materialised.

Story: Rather mediocre until the inbuilt plot twist. I liked some of the character dynamics and would have liked more screentime from nakkan and kla for example. A second couple (especially ‘villain’ and friend and how the characters influence and develop each other) would have been good for the story. I didn't like how the plot twist was resolved at the end, it was rather clumsy.

Acting: The acting of the main characters was consistently good to very good.

I would like to emphasise the theme tune. A great song. And the harmony between JossGarwin is great, enhances everything again. Also, despite my disappointment (maybe my expectations were too high), I think this BL is worth seeing. It's a bit darker than the others in the genre, but not yet the way I like it. What is not yet can still be, I am eagerly awaiting ReVamp.

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All dance lacking dialogue and story

A lot of work has gone into this,the dancing is superb and highly choreographed showing the training leading up to the big event.

There is chemistry between the leads however there is very minimal dialogue and quite a flat story. The dance elements are the main focus. It is a stretch to call this a romance as those elements seem quite disjointed from the choreography. There are only a couple of decent conversations between the leads and the rest is dance with some backstory.

If you came here for the BL elements you will be disappointed, if you came for the dance then you will love this.

If the focus was more on the relationship development and romance then this would have been perfect. It's a shame some areas are just hollow.

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Not wow in a good way

the inconsistency of story is unbelievable. it’s very chaotic for no apparent reason. it kept coming up on my fyp IG so I thought i would try. i think maaaaaybe the actors could do better if the writing wasn’t so bad. I hope they get another chance to try. I just feel like it was a rush story that they threw everything in that they could and then didn’t reread the whole thing and just made it. so weird. it was weird things like one actor cooking and burning an egg and then the other one coming to help but like the burned egg and destroyed pan not being moved or washed and then all of a sudden he’s cooking a perfect egg in the same pan??? or Rak asking to stay with Dino and then agreeing to it and cut scene Dino is dropping him at his house??? so what they can throw in the cheating bf being jealous?! and omg the “bff” what a little psycho?

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I LOVED this show and I'll tell you why. ;-)

#1. The female lead was smart, tough, considerate but not so considerate she let people walk all over her like we see most "kind FML's" do in Lakorns. And I found her to be super beautiful in a unique way compared to other Lakorn actresses.
#2. The writing was good. The side characters were interesting and not too over the top like the majority of Lakorn side characters and I liked that as well.
#3. The "bad" guys were bad and did horrible stuff and we had the normal, jealous, spoiled, do-horrible-stuff-to-get-my-way characters, but they ended up differently than most Lakorns. I can forgive a LOT when watching a Lakorn because I know what to expect but one thing that rubs me the wrong way is how EASILY the bad guys get away with stuff and/or are forgiven like they didn't try to murder/rape/poison/whatever anyone in their path. I HATE how a ton of Lakorns play this off at the end. THIS drama didn't do that as badly as most and it was refreshing.
#4. The male lead is adorable and the acting across the board was pretty good!
#5. I really enjoyed the romance and the slower pace in this one. It felt real and beautiful and, aside from our ML's penchant for being "so good" that he did stupid self-sacrificing stuff, I felt the romance was perfect.

Need I say more?

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♥ 17.3 about a sex ♥

This drama is about 3 high school girls who are trying to find their sexuality and more about sex topic in high school. Sakura is serious, Tsugumi is not interested to date anyone, and Yuna is experienced in dating a lot of guys. Sakura falls in love with a guy in her high school but she is still not ready to do it. Do you think at the age of 17 is early to do it?As a Japanese I think age it's very early, it's better to fall in love and do it with the right guy. Even in the age of 20s some people are scared to have sex but that's how society is in Japan. I think this drama is really worth watching as it's soft, and cute romantic ♥♥♥

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I screamed when I saw this - one of my all-time favourite Chinese novel finally got turned into a drama and I didn't know about it until 3-4 days ago! I was super excited but at the same time nervous starting out since I didn't want to have this huge expectation and have to fall so low if it turns out bad. I have watched the movie version of Never Gone when it first became available but it fell short of my expectation. It was good but didn’t get me as excited as this drama version did lol. Once I finished the first episode, my heart soared and was overjoyed and excited that it had a strong start. I pretty much binged watch the entire drama and man, it flowed so smooth for me lol.

The actors and actresses fit the YJ, CZ and the side characters in my mind to a T! The young actress and actor for the main characters during their high school times were spot on too - I'm not sure if I'm just so excited that I'm making it up in my head and seeing things but I swear Landy Li and Hu Xian Xu looks totally believable as the younger version of Yang Zi Shan and Elvis Han. It just flows so well! And their acting, I must applaud - so cute, lovable, easy on the eyes and totally, exactly like the characters they are portraying lol - the continuity of the characters' personality were amazing. Granted, the transition from high school to college over one summer showing the change over of the actors/actresses was a bit…unbelievable but that can be easily overlooked :P

***The rest of the comment MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS so please read at your own discretion!!!***

Now moving onto the drama itself vs the novel. There definitely were some changes. Some changes I appreciated yet some, I did not (hence I rated this drama 9.5/10 as opposed to 10/10). The character of SYJ was pretty much the same, frustrating but that was just who she was as a character so that was well portrayed. I love how persistent and one-track mind CZ is for SYJ. The character of CZ was more likeable in the drama though. That’s not to say I didn’t like him in the novel (which obviously I did but he had major flaws which made him even more human if that makes sense...). CZ in the drama was more like a….straight "pure" character - yes he had his immature side and acted like a big (albeit lovable) kid, but in the novel, the character of CZ made more mistakes and did certain actions that were more “dark” and inexcusable than the drama portrayed. I suppose I already sort of expected them not to show certain actions in the drama as it was described in the book but still, some significant scenes and events did not happen as well (i.e. in the book, they got together sooner - after the SARS event since she felt touched that CZ was there when she felt all scared and alone or that she had an abortion alone and it was during that time she bonded with Xu Zhi Heng and got closer to him). Of course, there were changes that I liked too. I liked how we got to know more about Shen Jun An and Zhang Yue. I also liked the addition of Jing Zi though as much as I wanted Mo Yu Hua to have a happy ending that she did not get from the novel, I didn’t like how she ended up with Zhou Zi Yi the way they did. I wish it was done differently or not at all. I may be the only one who feels that lol.

I have read the author’s other novel 許我向你看 (translates to "Let Me Look At You"?) and loved it as well and the whole time I watched Never Gone, I kept thinking how perfect Yang Zi Shan would be for the main female character and Elvis Han as the main male character if they ever make a drama for her other novel - but one novel at a time! What really got me excited was the inclusion of Chen Jie Jie and a tiny peek of her side story through Zhou Zi Yi in their mini trip arch as CJJ was a second female lead in 許我向你看 so it gave me hope that there would be a drama for that novel soon too in the future. I have read that there will be a movie version in 2020 but we’ll see!

One last thing I want to point out: the music. What great choices of music. Absolutely loved the background music and how a male re-sang Fish Leong's "Courage". Super fitting!

As much as I’ve discussed about this drama, I must admit it’s not for everyone as the female lead can make you want to bang your head against the wall and want to scream at her like CZ did regarding her inability to voice and express herself. However, if you can come to understand that, that was just how her character was written (that her personality is just this stoic, internalize everything kind of character), it would make sense. They can’t all be those happy bright character or outspoken female lead right? One of the reasons I loved the novel were the flaws in all the characters so I wasn’t as bothered by the portrayal of SYJ. I would recommend reading the novel first before watching the drama to avoid some of the frustrations lol - it may help or not but just a recommendation!

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