News 
This review may contain spoilers
Watch go ahead instead.
Our secret had so much potential to become a touching and emotional story that would have always remained in my heart (something like 'go ahead') but it really MAJORLY lacks in almost all aspects.The first few episodes had me addicted! It was so beautiful and ugh the charecters were adorable.
But um i have alot of problems in the fundamental thoughts they tried to convey in this show:
- the portrayal of the arts stream is SO BAD. They treat it as though arts is something that people who want it easy take, conforming to the social norms. They state multiple times that "only few students take arts" " girls should only take arts" "science is too difficult for woman". This is in 2021, not 1800s.
- the female leads reason for choosing her stream is her ego. She wants to prove to everyone that she can do science. Even though it sounds so inspiring,it really isn't because shes literally not passionate about any science, nor does she have dreams to do science, she's not even good at science. She's literally an artist !!! Her other reason is all her friends took science.
- Male lead does everything in his power to "protect" the female lead even though she can literally do things herself. He puts his career at risk to do this too. The norms of men proposing, men buying the ring, men always paying, men not feeling cold at alllll is further amplified not in a subtle way.
- the female lead does CRAZY things for love. She literally does not care about her career for around 15 episodes and tries to do everything the male lead does(as he's the genius) by taking a break year to study in the same University and even join his research team???? When she finally realises her importance suddenly she's getting all these arts offers after doing a degree in computing. SO UNREALISTIC. Yll really think getting a job in an area that's not your major is easy? No matter how talented nobody hands out contracts to a fresh graduate from ANOTHER major. This is setting such crazy expectations that happens irl only in RARE cases.
- many scenes make no logical sense. He's poor but lives in such a huge apartment in the middle of the city? All three leads be crashing random meetings? A Start up working in so many industries? I could name so many things!
-the mom's charecter has SO MUCH EGO. Even though she's the adult, the female lead is expected to "not get mad at her" or be respectful because she "doesn't mean it". That's such a sick mindset because adults are the ones that need to be mature and not treat thier children like shit.
The leads were cute in the first few episodes but their chemistry gradually deteriorated. The show dragged the high school part quite alot. I skipped way too much even in the end of the show.
Another thing I thought could have been done better is at how they started the show with the fact that "shit happened", that made me wait for shit to happen because i knew it would and made me enjoy the show less.
The acting is pretty good, i don't have any complains in any other aspect except for the writing and the ideas presented in the drama which would leave the watchers with unrealistic expectations about life and career. Even thier relationship is low-key super unrealistic. I finished this show learning absolute nothing and gaining no insights on anything in life.
Highly not recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
SERIES OF THE YEAR ALREADY!
From the very first episode, this series feels like the show of the year! Perth and Santa's acting is simply top-notch, and the directing is also amazing: the visuals, color correction, and dialogue are stunning! I experienced so many emotions during the first episode; I cried several times, laughed countless times. It's been a long time since the industry has seen such a well-crafted, vibrant, and heartwarming series, one that makes you believe in the characters' true and powerful love and affection!I want to say something. A huge problem with many romantic series is that the director and actors are rarely able to convey the true affection and love of the characters. For example, you're watching a series, two characters do crazy things for each other because they "love" each other, and you (the viewer) sit and don't understand where this "enormous" love came from; it's not fully explored! In this series, from the very first episode, the characters' CRAZY affection and love for each other is clear, along with the fear of losing each other, the fear of not being there. They managed to show in the first episode what many can't do throughout the entire series. Moreover, the theme of the series is SERIOUS! Yes, there is comedy, but the psychological theme itself is very significant here! Superficial viewers won't immediately see and understand it; some need a lot explained and put into their mouths, but here everything is crystal clear: Pobmek's character has been deeply traumatized since childhood by his own mother, and Solar is the only one who understands him, accepts him, and loves him without any "buts." And then Solar suddenly suffers psychological trauma (beware, this isn't something a basic doctor, not a psychiatrist, would notice). Pobmek is panicking, he's scared, and Perth really captured this fear of "losing" him. There's so much here... I'm really curious what awaits us next!
I hope this series becomes incredibly popular!
Was this review helpful to you?
I thought we were moving past the era of male leads who are violent towards their partners
Watching how abusive he is is making me feel sick to my stomach. I don’t understand why it gets such high ratings. Is it supposed to be funny that he conks her on the head twice? I don’t blame the performers. I have no idea why the writers think we should want these people to be together. I want her to escape immediately and I’m frustrated that it’s supposed to be funny that no one will help her. I’m also frustrated that she gives up so quickly, when being around him is making my skin crawl.The show gets such high reviews I thought he must redeem himself somehow and stuck with it until the end. I wish I had dropped it, there is no character growth. If you are like me and don’t like watching verbal, mental and emotional abuse, even from an exceptionally beautiful man, then you should skip it. Obviously, a lot of people feel differently, but I wish I had seen a review like this before I started.
Was this review helpful to you?
value to watch
VERY VERY different from Red moon.Red moon very slow and bore ,I quiet at ep5.
this love in pavillian very good actor,actress ,value to watch ,strong recommend to watch.
strong costume ,music, stroy.
chemist between main role
and support role vety good.
Rating must 10 or more.
and i can't wait for next episode
and next trilogy.
I pay iqiyi vip member to wařch🐭🐭🐭.
***************************************************************************************************************************************************
Was this review helpful to you?
The writing was uneven. There was a fun supernatural element along with the premise of 4 flower boys living in a mansion and charged with turning a goth girl into a lady. The friendships were portrayed nicely and the love story was cute. Some episodes were good. But some were just bad. The last one left me cold, with a twist I did not like.
The acting was uneven. Some gave pretty good performances. Kamenashi Kazua was a standout. But he’s been pretty good in the three dramas I have seen. Oomasa Aya was good as the girl who loves blood and skulls and death. The others were a little choppy but I got passed it because I liked the friendship between the four boys.
I think I have seen too many really stellar dramas to fall in love with this one. But having mentioned the negative things let me mention a few things that I liked: I loved the relationship development between Kyohei and Sunako. They truly had some very funny moments together and some very touching and cute ones as well. I liked how fast he came to accept her even if he took a long time to sort out his feelings. Sunako truly had some fun/funny personality quirks. The dynamic of friendships in the house between everyone was enjoyable and kept me watching until the end. I loved that house! I want it!
The music was forgettable except for one little detail: The bar/café they frequent has a very fun detail, almost easter egg to watch for. I’m not going to spoil it here but watch closely. Once you figure it out…It’s very fun to keep your eye out for.
The rewatch value is low for me. I probably won’t watch this again.
This is a cute drama…it has it’s value and it’s place. If you like supernatural elements in dramas and a cute love story, this is one drama you may like.
Was this review helpful to you?
Love - CURSE or FATE ?
This review also contains the thoughts I had while watching since they were too precious to be removed !Synopsis-
Story revolves around cupid who gets shot by his own arrow and the question that follows is ....will there be a chance for him at love ? Is this finally the end of all the lonely wandering .?
Cha Sang Hyuk or we may call cupid burns his wings after a fateful encounter and ever since then opening up to someone meant death of the person. With a heavy burden to carry he somehow manages till the time of his last metamorphosis ....but "LOVE" has other plans.
Cupid crosses path with Baek Ryun who has never had a shot at love - no strings of fate attached, a girl who falls for cupid himself ....will these star crossed lovers have a happily ever after ?
-- You can pick this up if you are in the mood of a Typical Kdrama with cliches pretty faces , gorgeous scenes and a serial killer background story, this makes a good Fantasy tale ! - do not have high expectations from any segment development and you'll have a good time !
Acting -
I expected so much more from Nana - like she does the comedic relief well enough for me to say she's a good actor but the scenes with emotional depth ..girl lift up your game pls - she did not ,sorry but you are too good for this mediocre acting in the portrayal of someone with zero survival skills lol !
Cupid - Jang dong yoon - IDK why people are saying he's not doing a good job ...or that he has a straight face all the time ...he's not yet at the point of flexing his emotions ...he needs to have a cover ...IDK but I really enjoy myself seeing him on screen to me he's doing quite a good job imo...
SML - I like him - tbh more than the acting I like his perspective towards FL ...that she's cool more than just being attracted to her beauty !
He's doing a great job but I don't feel Second lead syndrome just yet ....so it's cupid and nana ship ❤️ which I very much hope sails !
MY PERSPECTIVE - MILD SPOILERS (will avoid direct ones) --
To some FL's character seems desperate and childish - to me it's more like it's her very first shot at love, seeing the people you wished have the best of everything ,get hurt bec they are with you is really heartbreaking after that if she clings on to someone who doesn't , that's not very pathetic ...it's more human to me ! wanting the person all for herself and getting a bit jealous it's okay to me ...reasonable but debatable at the same time! tho I do not find it annoying !
I love the fact that she was given choices and she chose to fall for ML and not really bec he was able to live bec at the back of mind she always knew that someone would pop up on the 1000th time and she wanted it to be ML she prayed for him means she knew she had a choice. I really like that point.
I don't know why the god of fate (I assume )- is being such a meanie ...like come on lift that shot from ML if you can why just appear randomly and go - I won't set you up with anyone ...we already know that ...just leave cuz you annoying me ! or else atleast tell me what's the metamorphosis criteria ? when does it happen ? what are the rules ? and why are the other 3 being punished? why is that fairy converting into dog now and then ....tho it's kinda funny to me but yeah i have questions ...i can't just do with - I won't set you up ! (bec i know you will lol ) - and most annoyingly that's all we had to settle for !
Also I don't get why FL is being punished ...like cupid shot the arrow what did she do ? - except for being drunk all the time !
also what's with her acting all so brave - to me it's like so so dumb ...just hand out a message there are 2 people literally running all around to protect you and you just go around being ...no imma go alone ...like wth ?
The surgery scene was so not done well ...like don't they cut hairs or something before the surgery ? I am not a med student but I just thought that they do ...(ignore if I am dumb )
the second half has been a bit of disappointment with that dumb surgery, too much screen time for dumb side characters (yep i hate them ) and more than that I don't care what happens to them. EP 11 and still that side character fairy is making a fool outta himself and been given so much screen time ...aaahhhh !
My guesses - The other three fairies are allowed to date because they didn't shoot themselves like they did not have a cupid arrow. Now if the cupid's arrow was directed to himself bec of someone else it could be a punishment for maybe trying to set someone up who does not have a string of fate. - one of these was wrong and I seem to hate their explanation that it was just some random kid god fooling around for no reason. - I still don't know anything about metamorphosis and their past life memories are coming back without an explanation on top of everything is extremely annoying !
-- i feel sorry for myself for expecting so much from this show !
finally some development still they are hung up upon that dumb side character fairy but i liked this ep it had a scene where they show us not everyone can burn wings and they have finally mentioned metamorphosis tho I still don't know why he has to suffer that but okay atleast they talk about it ...now it's more like I have started to look for positives and I am enjoying less than I previously did !
-0.5 to reach 7 ! lets hope for a good season finale !
The season finale was a good closure with a lot of character development for everyone !! - including the god of fate lol
The mystery definitely fell flat, but then this isn't a police procedural anyway. I wanted to have some endings for the other fairies too. In the end, they played it a bit too much to the FL's remembering about past lives.
And why the fu*k did they not bother explaining any fairy insights like metamorphosis, dog conversion - does the writer think all the viewers are fairies ...awww that's too cute to be REAL !
-------------------------------------------------------
also for the people who are like ...there's a serial killer on the loose ....guys chill sit back it's not a thriller ...so they won't be going around all the time finding the killer ...like pls pls ...RELAX ! - also you must suffer from amnesia if you can't remember these things are common.!
PS. the crime part overstayed its welcome (by a lot).
Conclusion -
I am enjoying myself and I absolutely like to spend my time around dramas like this ....so yeah I would suggest you pick this up if in the mood for a light watch ! Fantasy with adorable leads and amazing cinematography are a must watch aren't they !
will edit once i've completed the show - till then
Let me enjoy these cuties on my screen ! and you guy's breathe !
Was this review helpful to you?
1Which is why it's almost criminal how they reduced her kickass self to little more than the Male Lead's side kick in the latter half. So much so, that in some scenes the legendary Demoness is nothing more than a glorified damsel in distress whose sole purpose is to stand by the ML's side.
Speaking of the male lead, even with his cute face and pure love he was still pretty much boring, bland and quite one-dimensional. No match for the somewhat antagonist/second Male lead: Jiang Wu. Who was one of the most interesting characters in the show. Being a nasty sonovabitch demon with hilarious moments, he was easier to root for than the ML himself.
My biggest complaint is that the show gave so much screen-time to completely irrelevant characters. Screentime that should have been used to further develop the main leads and their journey. I could count about 4 to 5 story-lines which I didn't give a shit about and that were constantly forced on me.
So over-all, yes there are some pretty adrenaline rushing moments here and there and yes, there is good acting by all those involved but it is nearly not enough to counter the drag.
If you are planning to binge watch this, like I did. My advice is: Make the Fast Forward button your best friend.
Enjoy!
Was this review helpful to you?
are yall foreal???
Well, this is just badly executed soft porn with a crappy script and almost normalized sexual harassment and power imbalance dynamics. The acting was not the worst (the actors did a good job with that crappy script) and maybe the coloring of the series is also notably okay. But wtf is that script? It starts and you think what is going on and then you are like, okay I think I get it and then, boom, whatever bullshit the script writer was thinking.what i dont get is how are people enjoying this and why is the rating so high... like okay, yall are just horny as fuck, but please raise your standards for your porn.
Was this review helpful to you?
> Excessive plot twists: The script relies heavily on countless twists, many of which feel unnecessary and dilute the impact of the story. The constant shifts in who the “real villain” is, combined with time jumps, make the viewing experience exhausting.
> Central couples: The pairing of Chen Du Ling and Joseph Zend is far more compelling and charismatic, yet receives little screen time. Instead, Lu Wu Yi and Tian Jia Rui dominate the narrative with a repetitive dynamic, marked by endless cycles of death and resurrection.
> Dragged-out script: At times, it feels as though the writer was simply stretching the story to meet an episode quota, resulting in artificial pacing.
> Special effects: The true highlight of the production. The visual effects are well executed and elevate the aesthetic quality, partially compensating for the weak storytelling.
Conclusion
This drama had the potential to be memorable, but it became entangled in its own ambition to deliver constant twists. The overuse of filler and the choice to spotlight less appealing characters undermined the overall experience. Still, the special effects stand out as one of the few elements that genuinely make the show worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Overhyped and Overrated
With the amount of hype this show was getting, I was really curious as to how good this show must be to boast being the highest rated TvN show of all time...but of course as usual it's nothing new. It seems like these days any show with a good looking cast and high budget set and cinematography is enough for people to rate it a 9, completely overlooking the lacking story, plotholes and clichés.Initially the plot seemed promising, most k-dramas do not start out with the leads already being married. Although, the cold CEO fl and sunshine ml has been done before (ahem My Demon ahem). The hype seems to stem primarily from praise for the actors, cinematography and OST, which are important factors for a good show don't get me wrong but like...does anyone even care for the story? Nobody cares that when Haein awoke from brain surgery (although it was supposed radiation therapy) she looked fabulous? Perfectly normal? Perfect hair, makeup??? Did they even TRY to make it realistic?? Am I supposed to believe she just underwent a major brain surgery?? And oh god they didn't even try to make Park Sung Hoon's character interesting. Just made him an obsessive evil rat with no personality whatsoever, it was such a disappointment considering his character in The Glory, that's what I call a real villain. Everytime he came on screen it was excruciating to watch, but Park Sung Hoon's visuals make it a lot more bareable so there's that. The family is your typical chaebol money hungry ruthless evil family, who turn into a big happy family toward the end to unite against a mutual evil force. The progression in their characters was lackluster and more depth could have been added into Haein and her mother's reconcilation. The story is extremely lackluster and honestly I feel like 12 year olds on Wattpad could do a better job than Park Ji-Eun. Most overhyped show of 2024 fr.
It seems like the writer Park Ji-Eun doesn't know how pacing works, she wasted the initial 5 or 8 episodes making them completely meaningless, plotless, boring which added close to nothing of value or substance to the story, and then rushed a crucial plot point in the SECOND last episode?? AND THE ACCIDENT??? HELLO??? Shock factor does not equate to good storytelling. It just makes for pointless tension. I guess this is what writers had to do to stretch the show to be 16 episodes. I never found it interesting even in the initial episodes, I kept watching because the ml and fl couple were eye-candy and had great chemistry, but if you overlook that, this is nothing but mediocore, maybe even less than mediocore. I kept watching and watching hoping it would get better but nooo oh god. You all need to seriously pick better shows to make popular. It's My Demon all over again. A less than average clichéd show which gets popular because of the cast and high budget set. How superficial. Truly a disappointment. But I must give credit where credit is due and I will admit that the stellar cast did live up to their names by delivering an exceptional performance and the cinematography delivered, truly an eye-candy show. Overall, if you value your time, don't watch it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Delicious Beginning, a Diluted Ending
The beginning was actually quite promising, despite being so tropey. They have collected all the short vertical drama tropes under the sun, but what made it work for me initially was how unapologetically soap-opera-y the whole thing was. The drama wasn't particularly interested in subtlety, and honestly, neither was I. It was campy, exaggerated, occasionally ridiculous, and seemed perfectly happy to embrace all of it.There's also something very Princess and the Pauper about the whole identity situation, which, as someone who grew up watching the Barbie movie, I found rather entertaining. The more you get to know Achu and Jundai, the more you realise that they're not as different as their circumstances might suggest. In fact, I got the impression that Achu could have easily turned out like Jundai had they switched places. It's an interesting take on the identical-girls trope, and one of the things I genuinely appreciated about the story.
Tian Xiewei's portrayal of the two girls was particularly entertaining because she gives them such distinct mannerisms. Jundai is portrayed with exaggerated facial expressions, wide-eyed stares, peculiar sneers, and a habit of overpronouncing every word. She talks with her whole body. Achu, by contrast, is much more restrained, but there's always an underlying sense of distrust and uneasiness about her, as if she's barely holding herself together. Even when she's trying to appear composed, you can feel that she's constantly on guard.
The whole concept of an auspicious bride being brought in to awaken her groom from a coma was another element I found genuinely intriguing. Add to that the gorgeous visuals, and I was already having a pretty good time. I was also particularly excited to see Yan An finally getting a male lead role after waiting for him to have this opportunity for so long. And with Dai Gaozheng making his move into longer-form dramas, there was quite a bit to look forward to in the cast department as well.
I should mention that I had also tried reading the novel this drama is supposedly adapted from. I didn't finish it, but I did get through the first few chapters and skimmed some of the later ones, so I had at least a rough idea of the original story. When the drama started, my immediate reaction was basically: This has almost nothing to do with the novel. Why did they even bother buying the IP if they were going to change practically everything? The character names were about the only familiar thing. But I decided to put that aside because, well, the drama was still entertaining me. I was invested, the melodrama was working, and I especially enjoyed watching Weirao slap the living hell out of everyone in the first episode. Very satisfying. I may have some anger issues.
Looking back, though, I think those changes ended up doing the story more harm than good. From what I read, there were only a couple of episodes that even vaguely resembled the novel, and they were somewhere in the middle. The adaptation leans much more heavily into the revenge angle, but in doing so, it also strips away a lot of the male lead's character and, more importantly, changes the dynamic between the two leads. And that, as I would come to realize, is where a lot of my problems with the drama begin.
So yes, despite the ridiculous number of tropes piled on top of one another, I was genuinely entertained. The drama had a certain shamelessness about its storytelling that I found quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, that initial enthusiasm didn't last.
For the first half of the drama, the central objective is fairly clear: Find out why these girls are identical, figure out who actual Weirao is, how the identity swap happened, and who has been deceiving whom. There's a mystery to unravel, and even when the story gets ridiculous, there's something that keeps you curious about what happened and how it's all going to come out. But the moment the truth is finally revealed and Weirao returns to her rightful place, the drama seems eager to move on. Jundai is killed off in a rather anticlimactic and unsatisfying way, and just like that, the entire focus shifts.
Now we're following Weirao as she navigates her newfound life of status, wealth, and power. Of course, that also means a whole new collection of enemies who want to bring her down, so she has to outmaneuver them while dealing with one palace scheme after another. At the same time, she wants to use her position and all the resources available to her to protect ordinary people, fight injustice, and generally make the world a better place. Very Disney princess of her, honestly. All she's missing is a musical number.
The problem is that this new direction never manages to capture my interest in the same way the identity mystery did. What follows is an endless cycle of schemes, counter-schemes, and people reacting to other people's schemes. It's like watching a thousand balls being thrown around and ping-ponging inside the same royal court. There's certainly no shortage of things happening, but I eventually stopped caring about most of them.
Following Weirao through all of this eventually becomes rather exhausting. The story presents her as someone who is constantly progressing: she keeps taking people down, getting revenge, securing her position, and eventually even gets her romantic counterpart. And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was somehow stuck in the same place. She's still guarded, emotionally distant, and perpetually on alert, moving from one confrontation to another without much of a sense that anything is changing internally. It's one victory after another, but the character herself feels strangely stagnant.
There is also something rather convenient about where Achu's story ultimately takes her. Throughout the drama, she is presented as ridiculously competent at pretty much everything. Politics, Business, household Management, navigating the streets, outsmarting her enemies—you name it, she seems capable of doing it. The story spends all this time showing us that a commoner can be just as intelligent, capable, and deserving of power as anyone born into privilege. And then, of course, she turns out not to be a commoner at all, but a noblewoman.
This is something I often find frustrating in these kinds of stories. They seem determined to tell us that blood and birth don't define a person's worth, only to eventually reveal that the extraordinary commoner was secretly special by birth all along. Instead of proving that there is no meaningful difference between a noblewoman and an ordinary person, the story almost ends up suggesting the opposite: look at how exceptional she is—and surprise, she had noble blood in her veins all along.
And the way these revenge arcs are handled doesn't help. The drama will introduce some supposedly formidable opponent, build them up as this enormous obstacle that Weirao is going to have to struggle against, and then have her defeat them in about half an episode. That's it. Meanwhile, the gambling brother, who should have been a relatively minor nuisance, somehow keeps surviving every storyline and popping up episode after episode to cause more trouble. It's almost impressive. The major threats are disposed of with barely any effort, but this one persistent pest just refuses to leave.
Another thing that made the whole palace storyline really exhausting was just how overcrowded it felt with awful people. And I'm not asking for everyone to be morally upright, well-adjusted individuals. But surely we could have a little less evil? Between the scheming consorts, manipulative family members, abusive parents, spoiled princes, creepy officials, and whatever else this story decided to throw at us, it sometimes felt like everyone was competing to be the most vile person in the room. There's so much hostility coming from every direction that it eventually becomes numbing. I don't mind morally questionable characters; I just want a little more quality rather than quantity.
And then there are all the characters who simply overstay their welcome. The male lead's sidekick, for example, spends an absurd amount of time fawning over Weirao despite her making it painfully obvious that she's not interested. At some point, his behavior stops being amusing and just becomes invasive and annoying. Then there's the gambling brother, who, as I've already mentioned, prevails for some reason. And don't even get me started on the endless cousins, wives, and other assorted family members who could easily have been cut without anyone noticing. I watched this entire drama to the end and I still couldn't tell you who half of Lu Zhou's relatives were. That's how little I cared.
Now my biggest problem with this drama is the male lead. He's flat, underwritten, and has absolutely nothing going on beyond being the female lead's romantic interest and occasional plot device. No meaningful ambition, no particularly interesting personality, no independent motivation that makes me want to follow his story. And before someone tells me this is a female-centric drama and therefore the male lead isn't supposed to take up much space: I don't care. Female-centric storytelling doesn't require the male lead to have the personality of a piece of cardboard. He's essentially there to accommodate Weirao, support her, and arrange his entire existence around her. To the point where he has absolutely no problem with being used by her. And I understand that romance audiences seem to be drawn to two ends of extremes these days. Nobody wants a mere green flag anymore; they want a whole green forest. Nobody wants red flags either, apparently, just straight-up abusive psychos. That's the state of recent dramas. But surely there's some middle ground? I'd just like him to have a personality, or is that not allowed? The absolute audacity of casting this gorgeous, sexy, ripped man just to make him give out puppy stares all the time. Because honestly, why am I supposed to care about this man when the drama itself seems to have so little interest in who he is outside of loving her? Steamy kisses are nice, but they can't compensate for a romance that has absolutely no emotional groundwork.
The romance plot is the weakest plot in this story. They hit all the relationship milestones but Im not in the journey with them. He is jealous? Well that came out of nowhere. He loves her? That was really fast. They are divorced? I don’t care actually. He is trying to win her back? Huh. Ok I guess. You get the idea. The drama keeps moving their relationship forward, but I'm never given enough of a reason to feel invested in any of it. And I know this is partly a matter of personal taste, but his excessive devotion just doesn't do much for me as a romantic lead. And to add some insult to the injury they try to overcompensate this by throwing in kissing scenes left, right and center but here is the catch: they are edited because of censorship so some of them came out looking a bit choppy.
Speaking of choppy, weird editing hit this drama real hard. Episode 25 was jumping forward in an unnatural way. I don’t know why would they cut out important scenes with no intimacy in it but alas ….. why would we want to see their long awaited real wedding when we can watch them kiss again?
Another thing that has been bothering me since the very first episode is the male lead's voice. It simply doesn't suit him. It's so deep, overly polished and theatrical that sometimes he sounds less like a human being having a conversation and more like an animated character delivering a dramatic monologue. And I genuinely don't understand the decision behind it, especially when Yan An has dubbed himself before and has a perfectly good voice. Meanwhile, Tian Xiewei dubbed both of her characters herself. Why was one actor's original voice retained while the other was replaced? I don't know, but the result is distracting.
The first half was indulgent, sweet, creamy and unhealthy. From the mid point it got diluted and now it taste like nothing. 25 episodes in and its safe to say I don't care about anyone's fate no more.
Was this review helpful to you?
After watching episode 12, I had to change the review about this drama.
This drama is very promising at the beginning because the theme, storyline and actors are very good. But only for the first 8 episodes.
From episodes 9 to 12, in my opinion, the quality has decreased dramatically in terms of the storyline.
The only thing that kept me watching was because of the character Han Ji Pyeong, who in my opinion he was a very extraordinary scene stealer.
As the second main character, he can attract the attention of many audiences to beat the main character.
There are still 4 more episodes left, but I didn't expect much.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This drama went from 만점 (100) to 빵점 (0) real quick ?
The issue isn’t the fan ship war that has erupted lately.
It’s that This has become the most important question for viewers to judge whether they come out of the drama slightly satisfied or not: “who the female lead is going to choose as her beau?”
•The second female lead has been reduced to a poor cameo role; who despite being sister, daughter & granddaughter doesn’t even get told in 3 whole years that her Grandma is losing eyesight.
•The female lead turns from an independent, almost self-raised woman with a bold personality to a damsel in distress who cannot function without help from the men in her life.
•The Start Up title is a bait. We start off with a group of inexperienced + Zero business knowhow but passionate people who hope to become the next Steve Jobs or Google. Whilst the first half of the drama gives you hope that this team will slowly learn how to become entrepreneurs and encounter common start-up problems.... We end up with a bunch of (very) immature people who rely heavily on plain luck to secure investments, recognition & success and then proceed to Sell off their company in ONE day without any forethought about their goals. The drama then proceeds with a misplaced time skip to gift this team success & wealth from jobs at other companies.
•One of the worst time skips ever. Not just because the actual scene transition was terrible. First due to when it takes place, it robs the characters of the opportunity to reflect and learn from their mistakes. Second, zero character development in 3 years skip. Everyone seems to have frozen in time. (stagnation) Third, all the previously struggling characters have found (lucky) career success & wealth and we miss their journey through it.
•The show seems to Romanticise/gloss over undue violence and immaturity Especially in a workplace/professional area. (Guys if you punch your mentor At work or school because he made your girlfriend cry after your Own friend told Him to tell Her the “harsh truth, no feelings involved”..... You will be kicked off campus/site and not allowed back in. There may also be lawsuits on assault.) The main characters consistently & unrepentantly make business decisions based on personal emotions- love life, jealousy, euphoria, entitlement. I cannot stress enough the lack of maturity a bunch of 25+ somethings show in their Place of Work- that even teenagers in contrast can seem more wise.
•The male lead has been reduced to a whining entitled toddler who, like a broken radio in order to gain sympathy points from everyone around him, keeps crying & repeating he “has nothing” just because his love life isn’t sailing smooth. THIS, despite the fact that he has 2 very loyal friends, supportive parents (regardless of their expectations of him they still invested into his loss-making, no-real-plan, debt-run business for 3 whole years prior to the show start), a close cousin who’s more like a brother that does marketing for him for basically free, genius coding talent, handsome & tall looks, a warm family house (not an apartment!) to return to.... and after a time skip, even becomes successful & wicked rich..... Like dude, what the hell more do you want ?!? And what’s more ridiculous is that he’s the most well-off character in the show. One of his own friends has lost a brother to suicide. The girls have a dead parent + blind grandma + enemy like stepfamily. The other guy is a literal friendless orphan whose success is all self-made......
It’s a wonder we’re still watching this drama. The effort of the actors, the pretty cinematography, the enticing OST. There’s not much else bringing us back except needing to know the conclusion of a drama we already invested our time & energy in.
*credit to someone*
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Story was not bad, but lack of couple chemistry I guess?
The whole vibe of the story is a bit like vampire/dracula as the main character travels fast, strong and have some sort of power. But I really fancy this kind of story so it is definitely a go-go for me no matter what the rating was.To summarise what I like and dislike about the show for people who are contemplating whether you should go ahead watching!
Things I liked about the drama:
- Handsome male leads with charming characteristics, I meant both Lee Dong Wook and Kim Beom! (Extremely hopeless 2nd lead syndrome here, Kim Beom SO COOL AND CUTE HERE!!!!)
- Unusual warm-hearted brotherhood
- Exciting fighting scenes with effects (More in the first half of the drama)
- Genre (if you enjoyed fantasy you will like this drama)
- Cute second fox couple too (I prefer them than the main ones)
Things I disliked about the drama:
- Female lead (Honestly she had a pretty good acting but I don't know why I felt she is not so suitable for this role)
- Chemistry between the couple (LDW had a pretty good chemistry with Yoo Inna in previous show but not this one), I don't feel the love between the two hence unable to feel the sadness when they broke apart, which it is actually a huge part in this show.
- Although it is a HE, but some parts of the ending are quite speechless and not well explained. Personally I think they should have just cut short the lovey dovey scenes for the couple and do more explanations on the ending (Please don't read below if you do not want spoiler)
***SPOILER***
I don't understand why they made it so deliberately to kill the 2nd male lead just to save the male lead (when all the bad things have already settled down and back to a peaceful life, yet adding in such scene just because 2nd lead is alive). I understand how they wanted to bring out the brotherhood between the two but it was so unfair that they can sacrifice 2nd male lead life but not the male lead ones, duh. So who is the hero here anyway? Also, no explanation on how male lead return, what happened to him and why he became a fox etc.
Lastly, one word to conclude my review: Overall a nice piece and good story that is worth watching but I don't enjoy the couple that much!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
What´s life if our heart threatens to tear? Emotionally intense KDrama. About crime&politics, too
“Wonderful World” is painting a wonderful psychological picture of people desperately trying to come to terms with their inner suffering. The focus is on feelings that we would rather not experience. Accordingly, the KDrama is anything but funny. This is once again a KDrama that isn't afraid of drama.What is life like when our heart threatens to tear? If someone is losing their child, for example... There is no stent nor bypass for that. Guilt and loss of control, the desolation of existence and sheer agony are shaping the terrain through which one has to survive every day. At best there is grieving. But to get there even, that is a long way... “Wonderful World” takes on these emotional dimensions – carefully, sensitively, seriously and urgently.
At the same time, this KDrama vividly documents how the selfish decision of individuals, who see themselves as elite or want to be seen as such, unscrupulously, ruthlessly and brutally throw the lives of 'insignificantly normal' people completely out of balance. It is thus a political drama about a world that is not as 'wonderful' as it claims to be, too.
“Wonderful World” is also a crime thriller because there is a murder to be solved. This brings tension and additional dynamism to the story. “Wonderful World” could also be understood as a story about one or two revenge missions. In my opinion, however, these are more stencils in the background. In the foreground unfolds the emotional world of those who feel left alone in their pain and their helpless anger - but still, they carry on, somehow. Two humans see and understand each other in their suffering and are/feel/come close to each other because of this ...and ultimately try to regain a sense of control over their lives. Therein lies the power and beauty of “Wonderful World” (I think anyways).
As I said, this KDrama is not afraid of drama. It's right in the middle of it and even better. The increase in entanglements, and the music, too, remind me in places of the early KDramas - and gladly so. A great script. Yes, bitter life experiences, admittedly. Nevertheless. Intense acting. Serious. Authentic.
Was this review helpful to you?
Romance is a bonus book!
Finally, the wait is rewarded, no fanservice, no bright smiles to seduce the audience, no PPL, no militancy, no questions about sexuality, no lover hunting, no unrequited love, just an ordinary story of two guys with their inner problems. I like the fact that the thread of this drama is the making of an autobiographical film (they major in filming).Don't judge the book by its cover, it's a very good summary of their personal story. Yes, they are good looking and popular but no one knows them really because they don't let anyone get close enough to see the crack in their minds, in their hearts. This drama told a story of trust, trusting other enough to open up, to stop trying to be perfect, to believe in themselves, to close the scars of bullying / of past and move on.
As their friends said so well, they will be fine, they have found each other.
Was this review helpful to you?
