Reviews

Michelin star ingredient that turned out to be fright chicken instead.

Here am I again, emotional about the binging 49 episodes of the Wolf and conflicted about how I will rate this drama. Apologies for the lengthy review.

Let me start with what I genuinely like about this drama.

★Set-up:
The story of a boy raised by wild animals and later on fall in love with a human girl is nothing new. But putting this into a historical background in China, when the boy became a ruthless general serving the evil king, is new. The drama explored the grey areas of love and hate, revenge and forgiveness, evil and good, friendship and family, power and helplessness. The drama drew me into its fascinating world since episode one, and I just could not take off my eyes.

★Production:
Beautiful natural scenarios:
Many of the wide-angle shots are shot directly in the beautiful natural scenes of Shangrila. They are simply breathtaking. Even those scenes that have been created with the help of CG (e.g. the great battle) were very well executed. I am also impressed by the CG animals which looked extremely real and their fighting scenes thrilling.
Marvelous soundtrack:
Jolie Tsai herself sang the title song, which throughout the 49 episodes I only skipped 2-3 times. It is unique with a beautiful chorus mixed with modern rap. Jolie also sang a few great background songs that just were fitting perfectly to the scenes. I can see myself listing through the OST, again and again, remembering the scenes of this drama.

★Characters and actors:
This drama has an excellent set of characters.
For me, the most memorable remains the wolf, being one of the most complex characters I have ever witnessed in a Chinese drama (the other one being Li Cheng Yin fron goodbye my princess - in fact, both dramas have a lot in common).
The Wolf or Chu Youwen went through an extreme character development of being an innocent wolf pup to feeling betrayed by Xing Er (Ma Zhai Xing). From there, he turned to a powerful general, understand the warmth of family and friends but at the same time gaining power through brutality and creating fear. Ma Zhai Xing re-appear in his life, he started to love again and regained some of his initial purity. However, the more he fell for her, the bigger the guilt he felt towards the FL. When he finally could not hide this fact, he used the cruelest method to chaise away his love of life so she can use her hate to kill him. He thought this could protect her and returned her happiness. When all the misunderstandings were finally cleared, he realized what it was mistaken, and they could finally enjoy a few moments of joy until the tragic ending. There were moments in the drama that I could not understand the wolf and his way of loving the FL. But later on, it all made sense, and I am grateful to see such an incomplete character coming to life. Darren Wang was the perfect actor for the wolf. He adequately depicted the young wolf's innocence, prince Bo's coldness and power, and love towards the FL. Most surprising of all, I think I have not seen a more "manly" Chinese male lead than Darren Wang as the wolf. I had seen Darren in previous roles, and he was just like any other idol Chinese male actor. I became a huge fan.
There are still a few aspects he could have done better, such as micro-expressions showing flashes of sorrow when trying to chaise away the FL or emotions of relief or affection during moments of reunion with the FL. I can see that he has great potential, and I am looking to his future roles!
A few words to the other characters:
I also enjoy Ma Zhai Xing's character a lot. I think she and the wolf had great chemistry. Just like the caterpillar turning into a butterfly, MZX went through enormous growth from a naive girl to a respected ruler. It was painful to watch when her hatred towards the ML blinded her, but you also cannot help but feel empathy, knowing how everything she ever believed in turned out to be a lie. Luckily, just like butterflies can always find their flower when the truth came out, MZX freed herself from all the chains to fully love and trust her WangZai.
This show would not have gained this big of popularity if not for Ji Chong's character, starring the famous Xiao Zhan from the Untamed. I can see this positive, carefree, brave, and kind-hearted role truly fits Xiao Zhan's personality. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Wei Wu Xian. In the end, like an eagle, Ji Chong longed for freedom and exploration which is what he decided to do. The only improvement is probably the romance. I wasn't sure if I understood why he fell in love with the FL and how he was ready to give up his desire for freedom for her; it felt abrupt and out of place. The same went towards the end when he decided on Princess Bao Na. Of course, Bao Na is a character loved by many, but it does not fit the list of reasons he has given why he liked the FL.
Besides, I need to mention Yao Ji. I love both her tragic and deep character as well as Xin Zhi Lei's performance. I enjoyed her acting as Duo Duo in Joy of life and certainly could compete with the FL in terms of skills.
Finally, two of my favorite supporting roles: Ding Yong Dai as the emperor Chu Kui and Zhang Hong Na as Ma Jing. Both had a very memorable performance in their roles and helped the main cast to shine.

Now let me come to the areas of improvement why I cannot give this drama a higher rating:

☆The story/scripting:
For me, the wolf had everything a great drama needed: unique set-up, complex characters, skillful production, and a famous cast. But the writing just failed in delivering to its full potential. There were countless developments, key events, and actions that felt out of place, illogical, artificial, and banal. On the one hand, I am in love with this drama, but these plot issues just once threw me out of the story numerous times. They left me with many unanswered questions in my head, feeling disatisifed when the credit of the 49th episode rolled.
Below are some of the key ones (spoilers ahead):

☆King Chu Kui and his sons
One of the most important turning points of this drama was that the king, in fact, killed his oldest son and hid it from both prince Bo and the 4th prince. He even blamed family Ma for not have lent a helping hand and justified his action of killing FL's family to prince Bo. The biggest gap is that drama never explained why he actually did it. I understand this drama had to be cut from 58 episodes down to 49, but this is a critical piece of the puzzle that just shouldn't have been left out.
Besides, the king's relationship with all of his sons remained a mystery to me. I know he was a cold-blooded person who used the wolf merely as a tool for his hunger for power, but he showed signs of affection to the 4th prince. What did the king feel when he knew the 2nd prince might not be his son? What was his intention to keep his 4th son alive after he has betrayed him? Later, did he truly wanted to pass on his throne to him when he knew he did not have much time left? Was he just being simple-minded or did he had some thoughts after he let the 2nd prince return? What did he feel when all of his sons left him, and even the head eunuch wanted to betray him in his final days of life? I recognize good dramas by giving their antagonist a soul, but the king was simply a tool in the Wolf. In fact, by answering some of these questions, the audience would understand ML's actions and personalities a lot better. Despite the brilliant performance of Ding Yong Dai, the show failed to deliver that.
Similar can be said about the 2nd prince. We knew he truly loved his wife who played a key role in the drama to keep him sane. The drama could have made this character less one-dimensional if they had let her appear in his final moments.

☆Bo Wang's relationship with the king
This point is slightly different than my previous critique as this shows more the feeling our ML had towards the king. The show's second arc focused on how Bo Wang chased the FL away, trying to protect her. Next to the guilt he felt towards his older brother, was there some degree of loyalty towards the king, or was it purely a lie he told the FL? There was one scene where he said he "needed to stop Chu Kui from his wrongdoings." Does it mean he ultimately did it for the FL and forgot about how the king raise him for seven years? Another turning point of the story was when the ML found out about the death of the oldest prince and decided to betray the king. But that was very late in the 2nd arc. What was his plan before that? Did he also intend to go against his king in any different way? What was Bo Wang and the king's last scene about when he forced him to step down? Was it guilt and remorse? That would go against the early theory. Perhaps it was simply respect... again, the show did not explain.

☆Displaying different types of love
I understand that the show tried to depict a different form of love, well-intended but ultimately misguided - which was great. The problem I have was the way the drama revealed these clues. They are hidden and maybe even confusing. There were verbal explanations to Bo Wang's Ye Cha at the start and actions to the end, e.g. by revealing Bo Wang did not throw away the wolf tooth pendant or by confessing to the FL that he missed her every day when she was gone. But why not share these earlier in the second arc? Most viewers were confused about whether the ML really stopped loving FL because of the cruel words they throw at each other. There were also little signs of remorse or bitterness in the ML expressions (which might be due to acting). It was confusing for many episodes.
When Bo Wang was sent to the prisoner's camp and protected the people there, FL said that she saw that he "changed" and he "reminded her of Lang Zai" it seemed he was remorseful about his cruel past behavior. But did he really changed? Or was he and has always been the kind Lang Zai but tried to be cruel to be strong? I will not find out the answers...

☆Jumping between black and white of emotions
This point relates to my point above. Love and hate just come and go like days and nights. ML suddenly dropped all of his affection and started to force FL to hate him the day after their beautiful wedding. Equally, when the FL found out about the wolf's truth, everything suddenly turned into perfect harmony. Both for her and the ML. Where did the conviction and the confidence go? Again, if the show had dropped hints of emotions or explanations throughout the arc (rather than a confession at the end - we are not in the mystery genre where we needed a surprise), this would not feel so abrupt and artificial.
Similarly, I did not understand the character development of Yao Ji. It was a too strong contrast where there was only suspicion and hatred between her and Bo Wang at the start (I don't blame them as she indeed suffered 5 years in prison because of him). But towards the middle, though she revealed her love towards Bo Wang, suddenly they turned out to be like "more than family members" who deeply trust each other? I wished this could have shared more about their past so we audience can understand their development.

☆Lang Zai and Xing Er
A central theme that comes up again and again is the pure love between Lang Zai and Xing Er. That was where both of them returned to and drove tears in many. But out of 49 episodes, the makers spend one episode describing them. Despite flashbacks throughout the show to fill this gap, it was not enough to appreciate and build up the emotions. I wished the team had spent more time on the first part, which was the entire show's foundation.

☆The ending
Sadly but true, the writing of the ending was not satisfactory. Though it was clear ML suffered from his early recovery from the Lang Gu Flower, but where did the sudden illness that drove him to his death come from? Why did it suddenly become so bad that he could not even walk properly? From the arrow of the 2nd prince? How did Yao Zi create an almighty medicine from the FL? Couldn't they just use any other person? And what was going on with FL's superpower that let her beating all the soldiers? Is it because of that medicine? What's going on with this ML dies for FL and then again FL dies for the ML? Wasn't there any other way to save the 4th prince? Did the FL really have to go all by herself and die in this way?
I have nothing against a bad ending. I think a BE is the best way to end this drama. But how this drama ended felt forced to create an artificial reunion and dramatic death in the loved ones' arms for which I could not shed any tears.
My ideal ending would have been: A series of push and pull between hate and love between FL and ML during the second arc. However, FL kills ML in the battle and fulfill ML's wish. FL later finds out about the truth and deeply regrets what she had done. She gave up all her titles and lived all by herself in the wolf mountain, remembering her wolf pup.

All in all,
For me, the Wolf was like a great piece of raw chicken soaked in high-quality spices and sauces ready to become a Michelin star dish. But to please the wider audience, it became fright chicken instead. But hey, fright chicken is needed. I loved it as well and will not easily forget it.

---------------
Post comment:
Apparently, the original story was more logical and would explain so many of my questions above and made the story more logical - the novel version and the first adaptation but was cut and edited later. Will try to summarize this in three points:

1. In the original story the ML himself did kill FL’s father but heard the bell of FL, recognized her and saved her. Therefore he had a much stronger motive not to tell the FL about the truth and the hatred of FL towards ML is also justified rather based on misunderstanding.

2. In the original novel, after the ML fell off the cliff he actually dropped into a poison pond that can turned him into a real wolf when he smells blood. He became more less ”human” as compared to the drama adaptation. As a wolf, he was like a blank sheet which follows the order of the herd wolf (his owner) to whom is extremely loyal - if his owner is FL he is good, if he is owner is the king, he becomes a killer machine. That would explain his long loyalty to the king even if it was obvious he was only using the ML. However, this version would make the ML more flawed.

3. The drama adaptation cut out a lot of scenes from FL2. In the original version FL2 had a snake poison in her own body that can counter the ML wolf poison. But he had to suck her blood and it can only happen twice before she dies. That's the true explaination for ”sharing the same body and dying together”. In the novel FL2 did it once for him after he was being whipped by the king. At the end of the story, there was no poison that slowly killed the ML but he himself went ahead to kill prince 2 but was pieced in the heart by prince 2 . When FL rushed to the ML, prince 2 tried to ambush her but ML2 arrives and pushes him off the wall where he dies.

Instead of travelling the world with Bao Na, she forces ML2 to marry her. ML2 finds FL who hid herself after ML’s death. In fact FL2 took away ML’s body after the fight however the ML was seen somewhere being alive. This means there is a chance that FL2 sacrificed herself to save ML and he is still alive. Thus ML2 and FL decided to look for him.

As this shows the original ending was not this tragic but hopeful. But the characters were less heroic and more flawed. To please the audience the ML was changed to more humain and loyal to FL but this confused the story and seemed less logic.

I am not sure I can support the writer’s decision. What do you all think? Looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Read More

A must-watch if you're a fan of any of the actors and want to say you've seen every work in the catalog.
The actors were excellent with the material they were given.
Missing older sister, though tragic, small part was super cute and realistic.
The story makes you care until you don't care anymore; you'll know the exact moment when that happens.
Lot's of "Duh" moments. Like, if someone can hack your computer why wouldn't you think your phone is not hacked also? Or assume you aren't being followed? Like gee, let's get a clue.
Completely forgettable and can be watched in between waiting for episodes of another series.

Read More

Lavender is quite dated and the subtitles are a mess. Ambrose Hsu's acting skills are primitive here at the onset of his career. Sometimes he speaks in English and sometimes in Chinese. It's rather bizarre.

However, the real downfall is the juvenile story line. Two children fall in love and agree to meet at age 20. Their reunion lacks credence and the double love triangles are very contrived. The best romance is the second leads, the older sister and her boyfriend. They have more chemistry. Unfortunately, their story ends in the middle of the drama. The viewer is then forced to watch episode after episode of misunderstandings with the lead romance and their other partners.

The relationship is best in the last two episodes, but by then I was too bored to care. I felt little angst at the ending. If you haven't started, don't waste your time. My Lucky Star, Fated to Love You, and Autumn's Concerto are much more memorable.

Read More

Not a reincarnation story.

I was expecting a reincarnation story but instead it's several stories using the same actors.

Story 1

It took me a moment understand the fantasy element and if I understood correctly in this universe rain makes the world black and white except for your soulmate. It was very cute pretty much the same story as La pluie but told better, this one actually makes sense and doesn't break it's own rules. It's got It's silly moments Like when they can't reach Sun his friend immediately asumes he's fighting with his boyfriend It's weird I would've liked a but more backstory too, there's an Asexual or aromantic carachter here and it would've been nice to see more of that.It's not perfect but very good nonetheless.

Story 2

Is so much cuter than 1 I mean first is soooo adorable I can't with him! These two actors have very good chemistry and I love that this time around their personalities are switched it's so much better than to have them play basically the same carachter every time also the supportive grandma she's the best! I liked it so much better than the first one and I'm excited for the rest.

Story 3

I thought wasn't going to like it at first because X seemed a bit creepy but once they met I started to like it more and more. By Namping's actions I was able to guess what was going to happen and man I am so mad I was right, even knowing what was coming it didn't make it hurt any less, despite the pain I keep loving these short stories more and more each time.

Story 4

I have less and less to say each time, aside from the ugly hair extensions getting uglier than the previous ones there's not much to complain about. Sian is hilarious I fell for him just as fast or maybe faster than Blue did.

Story 5

The one that brings everything together although I didn't like this one as much, it's still a great series overall.

I may be a masochist but, X Namping is the best of all stories, I would actually love to see an extended version of it. I had never seen these two actors before and I'm very impressed with their acting I'll be looking forward to more of their projects in the future.

Read More

This movie is really peculiar.
The focus is not the romance, not both ML, but just purely on the FL, imo. When you watch this, focus on her, don't mind the MLs.

This is a story about intense love turned into obsession. About love that can turn a happy and normal person into an empty shell, devoid of emotion. This is about how a person become emotionally aware and awoke, a journey of realization. This is about loss of trust between lovers, and the budding of healthy, strong relationship and romance between 2 people. This is about the importance of 2 healthy individual in a relationship, emotionally, mentally, and physically.

The acting is superb. Both FL and ML did a great job, but you should really understand the phase and emotion of the character to know whether they are portraying the character or just do a poor job at doing their work.

Read More

This was quite a refreshingly great drama to watch! I was quite pleased with the overall quality of acting, story line, and premise. I'll start off by talking about the story, the characters, the OST/music, and then conclude with my final thoughts. It's a 46 episode series, so I hope that doesn't deter any potential drama watchers. I would say, comparatively to other drama's which focus is on the melodrama aspect of the series, the light heartedness in this series (with serious undertones of course) doesn't make this series overtly redundant, and I found that time passed by quickly when I was watching. This will be a semi-long review...

STORY: Divorce, cross-culturally can hold different meanings. In certain countries in the world, there are little to no limitations when it comes to divorce. Perhaps there are areas in the world where divorce is not applicable because of social and cultural norms. What I found interesting about Divorce Lawyers is that it contemporarily addresses the issues associated with marriages, which might not necessarily be full of romance and happiness; but at the same time, marriage can be fulfilling and wonderful. You have two divorce lawyers, Attorney Chi, and Attorney Luo, which are at two separate points in their careers, act like cat and dog at the beginning. The story traces the time they spend on cases as they get closer together. Why does a society value marriage? Why do society's devalue divorce, and in extension, divorce lawyers? There are a lot of undertones in this series, even if subtle or direct, but what I appreciate about the story is that as a viewer you can see marriage from different generations, and different experiences with their partner. There's always something new going on in someone's relationship, and that's what makes this story full of many stories within the main Attorney's lives.

CHARACTERS: The secondary characters are certainly full of life, and I certainly think they are an important mention in this 46 episode series, because the people in Luo Li and Hai Dong's life are a part of the drama's events, even if I felt some were annoying or overbearing, but it is a drama, I must remind myself. But, I don't want to digress too far from what I wanted to talk about, and that's Luo Li and Hai Dong. Luo Li is quick witted, intelligent, and she has a genuine sense of justice. Hai Dong is older, more experienced in the field, and is quite ambitious. Their personalities clash and it's quite entertaining to watch them in action. There are times you cheer for one or both of them, or you don't like or agree with what they're saying, and times you'll be happy for them. I found that they complimented each other well in the series, and the actors did a very nice job. I found them to be very mature, and aside from certain elements in this series, it was quite a mature drama to watch.

SOUND/OST: The opening song for the first forty episodes is fun, and catchy. I enjoyed listening to it because it was upbeat. The opening song for the last handful of episodes was still upbeat, but after listening to the same opener for the first 40 episodes, I couldn't love it as much as I liked the first one. The main song of this series will melt your heart, I kid you not. There are acoustic versions, English, and Chinese versions played in this series, and it is beautiful. I thought I would grow tired of listening to it over and over again, but in those moments when you feel like this song completes the moment, and it's there, and it's perfect. The few additional songs for this series flow well with the series themes, and I liked the sound very much. It wasn't overbearing, and that balanced well with the drama.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: There were certain moments I felt like it dragged on, and that's a negative point for this series. Towards the end I thought they could have wrapped it up a little bit better. At times I felt it jumped awkwardly from the main story of Luo Li and Hai Dong to others just to fill in the time. It made sense because of the transitions made in the series, but I couldn't help but sit and feel like I could skip ahead at moments. I do, however, think that despite my few complaints about this drama, I did enjoy watching it. The humor is fantastic, and I felt like the story itself was interesting. There was always something new happening, and I thought that it would get repetitive, but aside from a character or two that really got under my skin, it was consistently moving along in terms of the cases that Luo Li or Hai Dong came across. It's warm hearted in many ways, and it can change your perspective, at least in my opinion, about relationships, love, and marriage. I think any one that likes any of the mentioned above themes or issues would enjoy watching this drama. I hope you enjoy the series!

Read More

Wow, I finally finished it. I have never written reviews before but I felt compelled to write a review since this does not have any reviews yet.
This was the first Korean sitcom I watched and I gotta say that I generally loved it. The acting and the cast were superb and most of the episodes were exciting and interesting to watch despite being 120 episodes long.
As for the comedy, I generally found most of the episodes funny, although the laugh track was kinda getting old halfway through the series. The relationship between the lawyer and his wife had me laughing the whole series. This series is very light and fluffy so it was easy to watch.
The story is also very interesting and kept me watching the whole series, but there are a couple of holes that I just don't like. The first is Min Hyuk's memory loss (Why do all KDramas do this???) which I find unbelievable. I think the main reason why people don't like this series is because of its length and its ending. I will not spoil everything but the ending does not leave a sense of closure.
Overall, if you are into light and funny sitcoms and don't mind sitting through ~60 hours, I would recommend you watch it.

Read More

Yinwar, I’m a fan ❤️

For such a short series I can say the impact this series gave me is big. It’s been awhile since I cry watching a BL and boy I cried a lot ! The simplicity actually what makes this series so relatable, no over the top drama that sometimes can make me go “what??”. If we ever experienced crush during high school, I bet you can relate to Best. Definitely worth the time. For a 3 episode series, you will be satisfied 👍🏻

I really really like the acting, like when Best got shy, we all got shy. When he cried, we cried with him. War is always an amazing actor, but he proves me again why he should be one of the best actors out there! Yin also improved a lot ! The way he expressed his feelings through his eyes nailed it ! Not to mention how hot he is 😭😭😭. Everyone acted so well even the extras !

The cinematography and the scores in here UGHHH chef kiss ! It was shot mostly in school, but why their school looks so dreamy? The lighting, the coloring?? It’s like a movie! And don’t get me started with the scores! Amazing how they can picked songs that fit so well with every scenes, the scores actually one of the reason why I cried so much, it just tugs to your heartstrings.

Overall I enjoyed this series so much, what an experience. Can’t wait for yinwar's next project! I’m a fan definitely 😊

Read More

This show is really enjoyable in the beginning.
Until the FL shows up. She’s good when helping to solve the case, but when she interacts with the ML, it's just annoying. Also she almost didnt have any character development. Well, her character kinda grow on me as i'm watching. But then they started to spark the romance on FL and ML, i kinda lost it there. Their quarrels actually seems like more of sibling fight, unlike the usual hate-to-love bickering couples. Also it's too rushed, especially on last few eps. One thing i love about FL's character is her oufit/style.

Bromance were really good. I love their interactions. And it always makes me wonder why do they need to have an FL?, it's seems like they just forged her character there. Also how could they literally end it like that? Is that supposed to be a happy ending?

Intro and outro song are really good. I especially love the outro song. At first i think its kind of weird to have a rap song on historical drama, but the i realized that it does actually a good fit.

Rewatch? Yes, but not the whole show. Just my favorite episodes. I dont think i could stand seeing the whole thing once again, esp the ending.

Overall its a good crime solving detective drama. The case solving is really fun to watch. It does get predictable as they solved more cases, but its still enjoyable.
If you could stand weird-rushed ending (in my opinion the ending is weird) you should watch it.

Read More

A great drama you would not have expected!

Ancient Detective has been on my watch list for some time due to its great reviews. Finally, I managed to watch it. And I really loved it!
I rate this drama a 9.5 out of 10. It is the first drama I immediately rewatched from beginning to end after finishing it.
Below are the reasons based on my seven review criteria:

1. "Sleepless Nights": ★★★★★
Ancient Detective is a kind of drama from which you won't expect much. The mainline setting does not seem to be new - the ML (here the Detective) tries to solve the riddle behind his father's death and the culprit. The entire cast is not particularly famous. And the detective stories don't seem to be that mind-wrecking. But you quickly are drawn by the drama and cannot stop watching it.

First of all, the two main leads are excellent: Jian Bu Zhi and Zhao Wo Huan. Having almost opposite personalities (one is controlled, a brain but weak, the other one careless and strong but simple-minded), the two make up the Holmes and Watson that you can imagine. I love the bromance line between these two, which did not feel over the top but just enough all Fujoushis out there to fangirl a bit. Both Yu Ji Wei, starring JBZ, and Wang Yang Yang, starring ZWH, have acted well. Though I see that YJW still have rooms to improve while WYY is already a few levels better.

Secondly, the overall story design is good. Each case does not offer the great revealing satisfaction at the end, but it also does not show the ML as the almighty hero who finds all the clues and foresee the culprit right away. JBZ makes mistakes along the way, and there are a few unexpected turnarounds that offer great satisfaction never the less. Additionally, I like how all cases give enough clues and mysteries to the central riddle, which drives up our anticipation about the finale.

Finally, all supporting characters in the drama are incredibly loveable, which is the crucial reason for this drama's success. But more details later.

2. "Emotional Rollercoaster" 4/5: ★★★★☆
Due to this drama's outstanding character design, you just cannot help but care about the fate of almost all characters (yes, ALL), even those who appeared in only a few episodes.
I deducted one point here is because I felt the romance lines could have been written slightly better. JBZ's love line with FL1, Zhan Shi Qi, appeared to be very unnatural, almost embarrassing, at the start. The same goes for ZWH's and Ming Yue's love line.
I suspect that since romance is not in the center of this drama, the writer did not want to spend too much time developing them.

3. "Natural and intelligent Storytelling." 4/5: ★★★★☆
Every character sets clear intentions, and you understand why they act the way they act. Nowhere in the story you are puzzled about why he or she is doing that. Within each case, there are sometimes plot holes for which I deducted one point.
A big plus point of this drama is the natural humor that the writer managed to install in various places of this drama. Such as the names of the characters, the dialogues, or individual scenes.

4. "Loveable supporting Roles." 5/5: ★★★★★
The characters are what provide this drama the success it deserves. I really adore most of the supporting characters, whether that's the kind-hearted Doctor Ye Xiao Xiao, the funny reporter Si Ma Dang, the sweet doctor Xiao Yoa Nu, or the forever young Wang Lao Da. Every one of them has interesting background stories that one can relate to and love about.

5. "Proper Pacing" 5/5: ★★★★★
Pacing has been fast and tight. With only 24 episodes, it is easy to rewatch any time.

6. "Technicalities" 5/5: ★★★★★
The fighting scenes of this drama are really beautiful. Especially those of 17! The makers mix the best slow scenes with quick ones which make the Wu Xia scenes as beautiful as art. Additionally choice of shots, lighting, and costumes are also excellent.

7. "Solid Finale" 5/5: ★★★★★
The finale was predictable as it was pretty clear around later half of the drama who is the main culprit who killed ML's father. The only question remained to be the murderer who continued to kill those who would tell the ML's about that fated day. I was surprised when the person was revealed. I hope you all will be as well. The writer already announced that there would be a second season, and I cannot wait for it.

All in all, a funny, heart-warming, and incredibly addictive drama that I would recommend to anyone. Definitely one of the costume series of 2020.

---------------------------------------------------------
Kotori's drama review seven criteria definition:

After watching many dramas and writing several reviews, I have detected that I rate dramas based on specific patterns. I formulated those into seven criteria.
1. "Sleepless Nights.": how much I have the urge to binge-watch this drama.
2. "Emotional Rollercoaster": the degree of how much my heart was moving from the acting, scenes, and story development (e.g., in pain, pounding, fluster, etc.). The degree on how much I care about the fate of the main leads.
3. "Natural and intelligent Storytelling.": how logically the story was able to proceed and the roles are acting within their characters. I don't have a thousand question marks when watching the drama. The feeling that the makers take us viewers seriously and that we do not always think this looks fake.
4. "Loveable supporting Roles.": how much I love and care about supporting characters. They are not merely tools to help the main characters but are 3-dimensional and have the proper motivation behind their actions.
5. "Proper Pacing.": how well the drama is pacing and not watered down to fill the number of episodes.
6. "Technicalities": professional camera works and shots, fight scenes, color grading, lighting, editing, music, sets, costumes, use of CGI, etc. I try to grade this taking into account the drama budget, so a low-budget drama can equally get a high score when used at the right place
7. "Solid Finale": how properly the drama builds dramatic and finishes with a satisfactory ending. I have just watched too many dramas that start to lose their grip around half or 2/3rd of its way.

Read More

An unexpectedly entertaining drama with some thought-provoking topics

This is one of the most unknown, unexpected and under-mentioned dramas.... Although a cdrama reviewer has included this into her top 10 dramas of 2019 (WaWa Mei) and a colleague rec this too, I only watch this now (yr 2021). Was misled by that horrendous trailer that made it look like a slapstick comedy and failed to show this drama is more than comedy... That it has serious fantasy with decent CGI, and humane stories covering a wide range of life topics:-

1) What if you have a dream but your loved ones are against you pursuing this dream? What if you have the means to keep your family happy and pursue your dream?.... Yet after few years, you regret the decision and want to change again...?

2) What if you wish to die but you are an immortal? What can give you the courage to continue living? (parts of the dialogue here, can be applied to depression/suicide too)

3) What if you have the opportunity to do something you loved and dreamt of for years but screwed up when you had the chance? You spent your next years pining over that 1 lost chance.... How to solve your everlasting regret?

4) What if you have a dream but becos of your birth, you might never be able to achieve your dream... Then in a twist of fate, there was an error at your application and everyone thought you are of elite birth and so you got accepted for your dream job?....

5) What if your love is forbidden? Will you keep quiet and sacrifice the love, or take the chance?

6) What is true love? Can true love conquer all? Even if your loved one might change gender at a certain age....

etc, and more!

The other thing I really like about this drama:- there are no cold face, all powerful ML or Marysue FL!! In fact all the main female characters are smart, independent and very clear about their life goals... They have plans and objectives! Instead the ML is quite an aimless, happy-go-lucky man at the start of the drama.... and develop to be more mature and focused as the plot develops.

Excellent acting from the main cast, even a supporting female character (in point 1 listed above) puts in a tremendous performance! Fyi, when the actress sings for her role, that was her real voice too!! Beautiful and can both act and sing, swooning....

So why 0.5 point deduction? Plotholes. Quite a few and 1 mega plothole in the last episode (thanks to the good cinematography, i can turn a blind eye to that glaring plothole)... There are a few "filler episodes" too, which give it a bit of drag in the middle parts.

A really wonderful drama, love the scriptwriting and art direction!

Read More

Somewhat disappointing

I've been waiting for this movie since it was announced. I'm a big fan of pirates (blame Robert Louis Stevenson). I love a great swashbuckling adventure. I'm still waiting.

The story was nothing new. In movies and TV pirates seek treasure. That's what they do, so I wasn't expecting much on that front. It's in the telling and what happens from point A to point B that makes the story worthwhile. Given the period, they attempted to bring in something(s) about Goryeo, but I didn't find it particularly interesting or believable. The special effects are great. I can't complain about the production at all. It's the lacklustre script, recycled lines, and all around poor writing that I have an issue with.

The cast was good. Lee Kwang Soo (and to some extinct Kim Sung Oh) may have been cast for comic relief, but Kang Ha Neul was laugh out loud funny. I have much love and respect for Lee, Kim and Kang, but this movie did them no favors. I think all 3 are phenomenal actors, however, LKS and KSO's talents were wasted. It seems to me they only cast LKS due to his betrayer character from Running Man. I wouldn't have blinked had Yoo Jae Suk made some kind of cameo. LKS does really well branching out and getting different roles in movies. My fear is that this one will set him back. KSO was just underutilized from start to finish. The rest of the cast including the female lead was fine.

The music was actually pretty good. It led to the suspense. The rewatch is maybe a 4. I'm not a rewatcher, but this is also had English dubs and I may check it out.

Overall, I would only recommend this to someone looking to pass 2 hours. Or just looking at something they truly don't have to think about. Like I said the effects are very good. And it is an adventure (and a comedy). If I had to compare it to another movie, I'd say Pirates of Penzance minus the singing rather than Pirates of the Caribbean (and it's definitely not Treasure Island). I'd say watch it if you love someone(s) in the cast. Watch it if you're just wanting to watch something. Do not watch it if you're looking for a grand adventure with pirates that look more likely to break out into a jaunty ditty than stab and steal your gold.

Read More

The drama seemed to have a promising start… but it gradually made me want to tear my hair out in frustration. Why? There were those moments where Haru and Shin Hwal had this brother-sister affection but has to be marred by Haru's other intentions which eventually puts a rift to their sibling affections.

I leave my hatred to the writers. There could have been MORE to this drama. They have all the means in the world to evolve the story line into an epic something!

The main characters were all solid ones, portrayed by great actors and yet it flopped and killed my heart in the end. I couldn't say that I feel the same emptiness for the supporting cast because, I find liking the supporting cast more than the main ones. ~_~

There are two constant things that I liked in this drama. One, it was having Song Joong Ki as Ji Poong Ho. I love the persistence and his pure heart of a character. There are so many lines that he said to Haru but this one I like best: "It doesn't matter if you don't love me. I'll keep on loving you anyway." Aaaahh…. How could not the girl fall for someone like that? Geez… the guy's devotion all through out the drama was no joke even if you brought that to real life.

Two, was the lovely music all through out. If it wasn't for the music, this drama would have turned out more draggy that it seemed.

Over all, I couldn't really say I did not enjoy it and yet I couldn't also say I enjoyed it because there are some elements in this drama that was in the mediocre level. The word I could use for this drama is disappointing. Since that's what I was left feeling after finishing all 16 episodes. So don't expect me to recommend this... although, I would recommend the sound track for easy listening :)

Read More

This is a story of a typical very soft hearted & hard working drama lead girl & her self evolution . 
The general manger guy hwang in deok is adorable . Love him ..he did well ..best character in the drama for me .
There aren’t many annoying side characters in this drama but some of them were boring. There are quite a few twists in the drama it satisfies u by the end though.
Loved the lead actors & they did enough to keep u hooked .
It has its own up and downs but overall I would definitely recommend this drama .
It’s fun ..good time pass

Read More