Reviews

*NO SPOILERS*
EVERYBODY SHOULD WATCH THIS DRAMA!
First of all I want to start by saying I'm not a newbie in Korean dramas (I've actually completed 66 dramas).I'm saying this not to brag but the review that follows might make you think that it comes from a newcomer that's just excited from finishing their first k-drama,but that's how good this drama actually is.
I started watching Reply 1994 while it was airing and I dropped it on the first episode.After the show was finished I decided to give it a second chance and then I couldn't stop watching.
The story is actually a simple one following the lifes of a family and college students of a boarding house,who just came to Seoul.
Despite the simple plot,the work thats done with the characters is simple wonderful.
Unlike the typical dramas,that usually focus on the leads and leave the supporting roles aside Reply 1994 is all about the supporting roles.
If I analyze all of them this review will take too long, but from the lovable lead Chil Bong Yi (my personal favourite and I think every girl's dream guy) to the crazy father Sung Dong Il evry single character makes this drama what it is.
The acting is strong and allthough I'm not Korean I actually felt nostalgic during many episodes.
You can also relate to the characters at many points since there is a variety of stories and love lines through the drama.
The episodes were so smooth,they actually made you forget about the whole husband mistery and focus on the everyday life of the boarding house.
After many disappointing repetitive dramas "Reply 1994" is a beautiful story that will leave with the sweetest feeling.
That was long but there are not enough words to describe how good it is,watch it and find out on your own ;)

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Shallow, without substance and no direction....

This show was a fanservice for the fangirls. The story was shallow, Sant, the main, was a prick and Mark (the actor) was underutilized, because he can do much more. The show did not have a direction to be either a comedy or a drama. So they brought us the worst of both worlds. It was forced funny, the drama was short and resolved in two episodes.

There was nothing which is rememberable from the story. It was just meaningless without any substance. The actors did their best, but it's still not even a medicore show. The only plus point of course is their chemistry and intimate scenes, but that's almost a given by any GMMTV show.

So in essence it was not very bad, just shallow and forgetable. If you have to watch it, you can, but as usual I have no idea why there are so many high ratings.

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"U-turn" is a very short drama about how a woman, who doesn't remember anything about her past, mysteriously appears in the trunk of a man's car and how he tries to help her until they both come to realize who she is. It is also a car commercial. Like the other members have mentioned, I, also, believe this would be a good story for a longer drama.

I liked it because it was entertaining, cute moments included. It also had an air of mystery since right along with them we are also wondering where this woman came from and who the heck she is. And since it was short, it went straight to the point, which is something I really like.

I don't remember any of the music played, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If I was bored and didn't feel like watching a long drama, I would re-watch this in the future.

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Not what i expected.

That was my first thought after watching this movie.

Unfortunatley it wasn't in a good way. The story line definitely had potential. I mean anyone who knows me will admit that i love the rich boy meets girl falls in love blah blah blah storyline. A LOT. But that's exactly what this movie was for me 'blah blah blah.' The acting was alright, the music was better and overall it was an alright movie, but it wasn't incredibly funny, or light and cute, or even that romantic. IT WASN"T GREAT. If you need something to do than watch it. BUT, if you've got other things to watch than save yourself some time and don't watch it.

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A Wholesome Drama But Nothing Happens?

Quick Overall Summary
Run On is a drama that does well to be wholesome and fluffy, but nothing really happens with the story and characters. This slice of life drama is good for light watching and not thinking too much about the plot or story. The drama is great for sessions where you simply switch off and just watch, but it has its shares of good and bad. Excellent OSTs though!

Quick Story/Plot
The Male Lead just recently lost his job as a national athlete and is wondering what to do with life. The Female Lead just happens to come into the Male Lead's life? The CEO is the boss of a sports agency (ex-agency of the ML) and likes her brand and people not to waste her time. The art student is just a go-happy dude. Then a whole bunch of talking about life... (I have watched to the end and still don't even know what the plot is about. Like is the ML trying a new job and all the other characters are there to support him?)

Quick Acting/Cast/Characters
- Not sure why the ML is portrayed/written this way, but he is often awkward and says stuff that don't match the situation. A conversation could be like, Q:"Hey, were you waiting for me?", A: "I can run 9 seconds". I don't understand the writer's direction for the ML.
- The Female Lead is a movie translator who loves guns, alcohol and movies. Honestly, we the audience knows more about her likes and as a character than any other character in the drama. She loves her work as a movie translator.
- The CEO is a straightforward person who says things exactly on her mind and doesn't reflect back on what she said (She is sensitive to what others think about her). She is not a bad person, but often agitates people with what she says. Soo Young played the character well.
- The art student. I honestly, don't understand and get this character. I am unable to explain why he is even in this story. The CEO and art student couple makes no sense to me (how are they even a couple in this story???), but they are cute in how they bicker with each other.
- Have to mention the Assembleyman father. He is emotionally abusive and two-faced. On the outside he is the 'family man', but he is emotionally manipulative towards his family members.

Music/OSTs
Great music and OSTs in this drama. All great to listen to and unique. One reason I stuck with the drama to the end is the music. Music makes alot of the scenes much better.

Rewatch Value
A single walkthrough is enough.

Why my current rating (7.5)
Drama is great to watch after a long day and watching the interactions of the main couple. The joy of watching them trying to be happy and building upon their relationship is fun to watch. However often, I have question marks pinging with the side couple story and the plot of the story, where I am constantly saying; where is this taking me/ why is this happening? The drama frequently jumps to different locations just for the sake of it and shows off its production value (I guess). Also the abusive father and rest of the family, I don't get their purpose. There is a lot of product placement.

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This could have easily become my favorite K-drama of all time if not for the last 3 episodes. THEY KILLED IT! Murdered, shredded, destroyed everything this drama had going for it.

From the first episode I was sucked in and curious as to what was going on. I did not understand much, I did not know what was happening or where it was going, but I was somehow captivated and hypnotized and could not stop watching. I mean, KIM NAM GIL - I had never seen him before in my life but I was instantly enthralled by him. It was love at first sight. Until this day I do not know what it is about him that I like so much. In this drama his character was mysterious, we are supposed to think he is bad and yet his actions seem contradicting. Each character makes you wonder who is really the "bad guy/gal" in the story.

The best part of this drama is that I do not think I would have been as enthralling without its OST. It is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I downloaded it right away and play it often. Even the instrumental pieces are excellent. They really add and create the atmosphere in this drama. I'm so certain that if I would have watched this muted with just the subtitles my opinion of this drama would have been different. It is that incredible.

Again, this drama had me hooked to it, but the last 3 episodes and most specifically the last 15 minutes of it had me breathing hard and chanting: "This is not real, this is not real. It's only a drama. Your husband will kill you if you break the TV"

Overall, even if the ending was not to my liking I do not regret watching this drama. It was one of the first Korean ones I ever watched and because of the music and maybe even bc of the ending I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon.

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looked good but felt empty inside

Just when I thought Taiwanese BL dramas had set a consistent standard for me, Exclusive Love came along and shattered that streak. I started watching the first episode without much background reading, curious and open-minded. By episode two, I had to pause and actually read the plot synopsis and even then, confusion hit me like a truck.

Initially, I thought there was going to be a ghost element involved because of the prank in episode one. Turns out, that was the first and last time any “ghost” even remotely made sense. The entire funeral company concept, which should have been central to the story, was barely shown and poorly integrated into the plot. It felt more like a narrative afterthought than an essential part of the characters’ journeys.

As for the main leads, their performances were serviceable at best. Not terrible, but not memorable either. Their chemistry was almost non-existent. You’d think a strong character background would save them, but the execution was so scattered that you couldn't even enjoy it properly. There was no emotional hook to latch onto between the leads.

Surprisingly, the second leads offered a bit of hope. Their chemistry was more believable, enough to make me wish they had more screen time. Still, their subplot about sabotaging a wedding dragged the quality down even further instead of lifting the story.

There were TOO MANY missed opportunities. Important story arcs felt half-baked. Did Wang Zhan actually overcome his deep-seated fears? Did the brother die or not? Also, what happened to the "training" that was supposed to help the main character? If you call a one-day crash course “training,” then I guess they technically ticked the box, but not convincingly.

To give credit where it’s due, the cinematography was clean and visually appealing. You can tell they invested effort in the technical aspects. The soundtrack, too, was genuinely good. If anything, those were the only things that kept me from quitting immediately.

Overall, I've seen WORSE (yes I'm talking to you Sunset X Vibes), but that's hardly a compliment. Exclusive Love was more disappointing than entertaining. It wasted a decent premise and stretched 12 episodes into what felt like an endless loop of "what is even happening?" I even found myself skipping about 40% of it, and it still felt too long.

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If your favorite character is Ayan, do not watch this

The scriptwriters of The Eclipse are consistent in their efforts to bend characters until they fit into clichéd tropes. They did it in the last four or five episodes of the series, and they are doing it here again.

In just two episodes, they managed to completely destroy Ayan's character, presenting him as extremely self-centered. What? Ayan, who spent all of The Eclipse trying to protect people from the curse, who understood Akk and did everything he could to help him, who supported Thua like a great friend, is self-centered? Give me a break.

Furthermore, Akk is now a person who cares too much about others. Really, scriptwriters? Akk, who almost killed his schoolmates to prove that he is a good student prefect and get a scholarship, cares too much about others? I think you are a little confused. Did you forget which one of your characters is Ayan and which one is Akk?

The destruction of the main characters aside, these two episodes were not bad. The great acting and FirstKhao's amazing chemistry made them an enjoyable watch. Khan, Thua, their friends, and Teacher Sani are all here to make fans of The Eclipse happy.

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No sword bites so fiercely as an evil tongue

A drama that surpassed my initial thoughts and let me adventure on the story a lot more than I expected. It has also been the first time I've enjoyed a wuxia drama so much after so many years, so this drama will hold a special place in my heart.

The story is more than what is shown. The difference between Li Xiangyi & Li Lianhua is also very big. Xiangyi was someone who wanted to help everyone, save them & being centered to only one thing, the martial world. He gave his all to be the best & find his senior's remaining's, only to later on to find that the senior hated him.
As for Lianhua, he is someone who learned more about the world, other than only martial, he learned how to cook, take care of his Lotus Tower, his dog, and also be free, not restricted by any laws, travel the world as he wanted. He had the ability to do everything he wanted to, he wasn't constrained anymore & not seen anymore as the first martial artist in martial world. He was just Li Lianhua, a simple human with the thought to do whatever he wants before dying by the poison. He as well made a friend, his first true friend, FDB. He was able to do everything he wanted to do.

As for the other characters in MLC, they were well written and really well portrayed by the actors & actresses. The biggest shock of the drama was that Lianhua's senior, Shan Gudao, was still alive and that he wanted to control the world. Shan Gudao hated Lianhua because he was never praised by their master & thought that Lianhua never cared about him, but that was never the case. It was really sad to see his senior go against him, but at the same time it was nice to see Lianhu'a revenge towards Gudao for killing his master and doing all those things towards him & the rest.

Also, as someone who hasn't read the novel & doesn't really know if they kept the same storyline, I really enjoyed the story a lot. It was a kind of story that wasn't dragged at all, the cases were really well analyzed which made me to anticipate the next case. Just like said above, I've enjoyed that drama a lot, the fights, the story, the emotions, the characters, the costumes, everything was well portrayed. It was a drama that I have never seen before with interesting plot, and also Cheng Yi made me enjoy the drama more and more.

If you are an enjoyer of costume dramas, resolving cases, non-romance then this one is for you.

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Not as bad as Squid Game but still... unnecessary

It was good, the cast, the acting, the games. But did we need this 3rd season? Absolutely not.

Everything just felt so forced. I think Usagi just needed therapy, I don't really get why she thought that going back to the games would let her meet her father, like girl, he's long dead, what were you expecting to see there? My dad is dead too but I wouldn't go back to those games just to see him or whatever, like it doesn't make sense. Girl suddenly trusted this random ahh man that she met once and suddenly they're fighting life and death together like what lmao. I really did not understand her reason for going back to play the games, even ended up risking her own life, her baby's life, and her husband's life. It felt so forced, like please, you need therapy and more communication with your husband. I lost it when she reunited with Arisu and she was like "I wanted to see you!" and I'm like girl you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place if you didn't go back here.

It's also forced that this citizen wants Arisu as a citizen in Borderland too, like bro was literally just a couch potato before he got to Borderland, it's not like he's the only one who survived the games. I don't really get the point of Borderland Jesus either, like ok he explained that this place exists between life and death but it's not like we didn't know that already? It's just so confusing.

The other players were good characters, but I didn't feel as much emotional attachment as the ones in S1 and S2. The acting and CGI was amazing as always, I guess that's the only good thing in this season. I would've been happy if they just inserted a small scene in the last ep. of S2 with their new lives, like literally the last part of S3 with Arisu and Usagi happily married and with Arisu talking to everyone at the end.

Anyway, I don't even wanna talk about that America bit in the last ep., main character syndrome country fr when will Netflix learn that not everything needs an American spinoff.

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This Korean Drama has a little bite to it.

This is an interesting drama. How do you categorize it? This is the story about the youngest son of the richest chaebol. He is pampered and a social media darling, but his greatest passion is to be a SWAT team member. This dismays his dad. It stars Ahn Bohyun. He is famous for his sculpted body and it is on display in the drama. That is just the gravy. What I really like about Flex X Cop is the actual Police drama part. Everything looks so realistic and orchestrated to have a real crime scene feel. In addition, the drama has some of the cleanest “fight” action I have seen in a drama. Ahn Bohyun must be a real AMA fighter. His “fight” movement is so authentic and crisp. It did not look forced and pretentious, like regular drama fight scenes do.

The drama also has a strong female lead, Park Ji-Hyun. Please, really pay attention to the fight scenes! At first, I was going to pass up Flex X Cop, but this drama really has a little teeth to it. I am going to go with this one. Flex X Cop is interestingly entertaining.

Ahn Bohyun—See You In My 19th Life, Yummy Cells, Military Prosecutor Doberman, and Descendants of the Sun.

Park Ji-Hyun—I love this actress from Reborn Rich, Rookie Historian,The King In Love and Do You Like Brahms?

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Edit: Good enough to enjoy this comedic drama. Don't judge a book by it's cover. ~

This is the first time that I wrote a review here in MDL so if this didn't go well, please forgive me. I give this drama a try because I'm in the mood of light-hearted dramas where the male lead fall in love with the so-called 'uglier' identity (idk the exact term for that, sorry) of the female lead like True Beauty and Accidentally In Love.

Plot: 8/10 - I enjoyed the show. I like that the development in relationship of the main couple is slowly processed, not really fast-paced. I had a roller-coaster ride in almost every episodes. However, there's some unnecessary scenes which just made the drama a bit longer, though I managed to watch everything as I'm not a fan of skipping scenes. There are some kind of flaws regarding with the plot, and there are some times that I'm against to what the writer wanted the characters to do. Still love the ending and satisfied with it though, but the kiss is...

( I saw a lot of people who's bothered about the tag "blackface" before (which is removed now) that made others think negatively of this drama. Some are against that tag because they said it sounds like having western-centric mind and white-supremacy something, while some people are not because they said that female lead just did that to disguise herself and blackface is not a bad thing. As for me, no one is wrong. It's just how they see, understand, or how they gave meaning to that word, so let's try to understand and respect each other's point of view. )

Acting/Cast: 9/10 - This is the first time that Namfah became the main lead of a drama, but so far I liked her acting here! She performed her two characters well. August's acting was fine too. I love how she react every time he'll flirt with her lmao, and I love their chemistry too. I just don't like how the main lead tease the female lead so much before, to the point that I'm the one who feel like crying for her and not her herself (which is reasonable). And there's some part where some of the casts are a bit overacted or lacks a bit emotion in a particular scene. I also love all of the supporting characters, this drama is more fun and entertaining with them. Also the antagonist Khun Rika did a great job as well for making us hate her 'til the end but love her behind the scenes.

Music: 8/10 - Nothing to say much, Yak Ja Roo by Ice Thamonwan and Kho Chuea Chai Dtua Eng by August Vachiravit were nice.

Rewatch Value: 7/10 - As I've watched every episode of this drama like 4-5 times already while it's airing and after it finished airing, so I don't know if I'm going to watch it again. But I guess it will still be as enjoyable as before if you re-watch it.

Overall, it's fun watching this drama. I enjoyed the whole month of watching this and it somehow helped me to relieve stress. I got more friends while watching this drama and interacting with them, and they all enjoyed this too! Give it a try and see if it has the charm that's up to your cup of tea too.

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2 EPISODES IN AND IT GOT ME HOOKED UP

Absolutely loving everything about the first two episodes of this BL! The chemistry is chemistrying so hard — it feels effortless and electric. The pacing, visuals, and vibes are all on point. Easily ranking this in the top 10 best Korean BLs already.

It’s refreshing to see a BL of this high quality. It really feels surreal — like we’re witnessing a new standard being set for Korean BLs. The production is stunning: beautifully framed shots, gorgeous lighting, and a soundtrack that blends seamlessly with the tone of each scene.

Can’t wait to see where it goes next! 💘✨

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