Reviews

I was a bit apprehensive before starting this series because some of the reviews are not good. But in the end I’m thankful that I started this. I actually read the novel first before watching the series. They have their similarities and differences but each has their own merits.

The story is about loving and trusting someone amidst the differences, the odds and the trials. The storyline is common but the execution is great so you will enjoy the series.
The fighting scenes are one of the best that I’ve seen so far.

The actors were able to portray their role well, especially the both the lead actors. They have chemistry and good in what they do so they were able to relay the characters love, loyalty to their belief and angst to it and the outside interference.

The only thing that I don’t like about this series is that they shoot most of the scene in the studio, or the lighting is off so the actor and the background scene doesn’t blend well especially during the night scenes but aside from that the series is great.

Additional info: the difference between the novel and series are listed below. I won’t list all of it, only the important one… well, what is important in my point of view anyway… ;-)
Some of it may be considered a spoiler but maybe not, although I will focus my comment on the novel. :-)
1. In the novel since the beginning it was already known that chu bei jie is the brother of the king of Jin state.
2. There is no noble consort zhang in the novel, so the one that plot against ping ting is the queen.
3. In the novel chu bei jie just went into seclusion after he found out that ping ting died and he left his other sword with yang feng. Although I love what they did to the drama…
4. In the novel, bei jie first believe that ping ting betray him so he punished her by being indifferent for a few months.
5. The most important difference between the two is the final chapter or maybe it wasn’t just fully explained in the series. In the novel when all the other army rally against He Xia, they ask Chu Bei Jie what will be the name of the army, would they call it prince of zhenbei’s army. He didn’t agree with it because he said he will be like He Xia that wants to conquer the world. He named it Tings Army (from Ping Ting’s name) because it represents that they are fighting for their love ones. To free their love ones from oppression because he promised ping ting a peaceful world. And in the end they united the four state and rename it Tings country because nobody conquered anyone so no state is above the other. Isn’t he sweet? Imagine naming the whole country for Ping Ting! ;-)

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The Mother of All Plot Twists for Kdramas

Compelling, fascinating and brilliant from start to finish. Really rare for you to find dramas which has like twists in each episode. I ended each part with 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' so many times lol.

I love the fact that the writers are very creative in coming up with this complex story that made you question about everything only to be proven wrong episodes later. The writers also love to tease/mislead the audiences with the way they structure the plots.

Even the final scene is brilliant as well. The solved everything at the end but to excite the audiences with the sci-fiction theme that they're going for, they put that little bit mystery at the end. It opens for future possibilities and made people speculate about what could happened after that.

Great movies / dramas always made people talk and speculate about the ending and this drama is exactly like that as well. Some people might dislike it (which I totally understand) but this is one aspect of creative writing and with the way everything is structured since in the beginning of the drama, we should expect the non-typical finish that the writers might give us at the end. They certainly didnt disappoint.

Simply the most compelling Kdramas I have ever watch and no doubt in my book as one of the greatest Kdramas ever made.

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FL delivers great kisses and good chemistry in a binge-able transmigration story... with caveats.

I am a fan of hers, but I genuinely feel like Chen Fangtong chooses fun projects and this one is no exception. I enjoyed my time with it and it was an easy binge watch. Lots to like in this one, so let's start with the positives.

The Good:
- Chen Fangtong is not shy in her dramas and those kisses definitely looked open-mouthed. She is funny and creates great chemistry with her costars. Always a pleasure to see on the screen.
- This is the second drama I've seen featuring the Male Lead, Zhao Wenhao, and I think he did an admirable job. I quite liked him in Blood of Youth (as the disciple to the gambling fairy) and thought he was part of some of the funnier scenes in BoY. He had moments of stiffness, but his loving glances were oftentimes on point and I thought he carried himself well.
- The show made me laugh. Oftentimes, I find costume comedies (especially transmigration ones) on the cringier side with their forced jokes. The comedy here was usually on point, witty, and genuinely amusing.
- It was often self-aware, calling out known tired tropes directly.
- Role reversal! I love a story with a girl who can pick up her man.
- The secondary couple was very sweet and a great no-drama side-couple that was very easy to cheer for.
- The story felt good, and the ending is not one that left me bitter or disappointed.
- The parents were sweet and loveable.
- It's only 24 episodes, 30 minutes each! That's definitely on the short side for a cdrama, and I appreciate that it was a satisfying watch without dragging

The Mid:
- It looked decent. Cinematography and costumes weren't first in class, but this was obviously a lower budget drama and I think they did a good job with what they had.
- Music was fairly forgettable but not poorly done or a negative.
- Some interesting choices with time skips. Entire segments of story were told with little comic segments, which I thought was a very clever way to not bog down the drama but also created weird disconnects in the plot.
- Chinese censorship of this genre (isekai/transmigration) strikes again! The ending probably created a lot of confusion for people who aren't used to watching this genre. But as this kind of story goes under censorship laws, it was wrapped up on the better side than most. The weird disconnects and confusions are expected to conform to "we cannot imply that transmigration is real" standards.

The Frustrating:
- Despite calling out tropes openly, it then face smacks into them (but will also admit that it did). If you know, why do you do it?
- Attack of the incredibly annoying second male and female leads! Oh boy, you will love to hate them. In defense of the 2ML, I think some of the experiences he went through in the later parts completely broke him. But the 2FL is literally just the kind that exists to be annoying.
- Suspension of disbelief is required! Well, more than is necessary, even for transmigration tropes. In no point is it explained how the FL's skills in the real world somehow translates into her martial competence in the story world. And things always go right in a very neat way for the leads. The villains are as flimsy as a cardboard cutout. The emperor is so agreeable that one wonders why anyone ever struggled to implement any changes before the arrival of the FL.

Overall, it was a very fun watch despite any negatives. I admit I am especially biased towards the FL, but if you're looking for a light watch and enjoy the isekai genre, this is not a bad watch. I would not recommend it if you're looking for anything deeper or more thought-involved. This is purely a feel good watch for when you want to turn your brain off.

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This movie is great!
It has a good story that has a lot mystery in it, so you keep wondering and asking. Also this movie never has a dull moment. Or it's packed with action, thrilling scene's or there is some kind of drama going on. And I loved the little twists in the movie!
The acting was very good, and especially from Ikuta Toma! I was really surprised about his acting skills (and body, just kidding)!!! He didn't had many lines in this movie, but he made this film is own!
But in little ways this movie lacks some information about the extra characters, I'd liked the story more when there was more information, but this might killed the mystique part in the movie.

Overall a movie with action and some drama that is worth your time to watch!

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I went into this lakorn expecting a full-throttle revenge lakorn. I got exactly that. However, some aspects fell short completely.

Right from the first episode, the gigolo, ahem, I mean the male lead was like some sort of ladies magnet. We had over 3 women literally fighting for him throughout the show, not counting the FL into this. These women were so thirsty that I was left flabbergasted by how they can be that shameless. The ML is successful, okay, he looks decent, okay, but seriously, the women falling over themselves for him was a bit over the top and a bit disgusting to see them cat fighting every other scene.

Suffice it to say, the over-dramatization and characterization left a bad taste in my mouth, so I was really praying the FL could make up for the stupidity that was surrounding the midas ML, but nope, that wasn't exactly what happened. The FL was slightly immature, she tried hard to one-up the ML but fell short every time since our ML is supposed to be this over the top perfect person that nothing can scratch. The FL does make up a bit later on when she hires an investigator to get to the bottom of the ML's secrets. But by that point, I could care less about anyone finding out anything since the ML has this cheat where nothing can ever go wrong for him, and lo and behold, even when the FL finds out his secrets, it somehow makes the ML seem even more like a tragic hero, hence the FL forgives everything he's done and they go and have some lovey-dovey time. One other thing that bothered me a lot was these random shots of the ML standing doing nothing but smirking awkwardly at the camera at the end of certain scenes. I know these were shots that were supposed to show him being intrigued by the FL, but the smirk was super awkward to watch and cutting those shots out would have been a lot better.

In addition, the FL's aunt who is head over heels for the ML cried every single scene which was super annoying, to say the least. However, despite the pathetic over crying her acting was a lot better than the rest of the cast. I was also a bit sad for her character as it seemed like she was just a flawed human being, who didn't intend to cause harm but somehow found herself falling into a spiral of bad decisions. She was the only sympathetic character in the whole show. Also, the Aunt's husband takes home the worst actor award for this show. every single scene with him was all yelling and screaming uncontrollably. He was such an inconsistent character. I still can't understand the 'why' of his character. Like he was supposed to be this jerk, who slept around and mistreated the aunt, but then after he becomes disabled, he is no longer a whore (hard to swallow since human nature is hard to change) and wants to be with his wife, but at the same time he slaps her, shouts at her and continues to physically abuse her? What did he expect would happen? Did he have some sort of mental illness that should have been addressed? There were so many avenues that were just there but never explained in this show.

The climax scene in the last episode was also very rushed. I feel like the director spent more time on the females fighting over the ML than the climax of the show since everything is over in less than 10 minutes and the villain dies her tragic death. Even the very end of the show was extremely rushed. The FL leaves the ML and just randomly pops back years later? Like what? Why? Oh, and these 'years' that the two are separated is like one second of the last episode. We have one scene where the FL leaves the ML, and in the very next scene, we have the ML meeting her again after supposed years have passed and he just goes and hugs his son LOL.

All in all, this isn't a show that I would ever rewatch. It was a completely let down from the beginning till the end. The acting was subpar, the music unmemorable and the storyline was crazy and inconsistent.

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4 different stories with different vibes

Overall: the production value is good for what I assume is a very indie series (it got a .5 indie bump). Aired on GND Studio's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UjFgW8TJEf0j62oTEJudvgjvIT1uTqc&si=VJ9NKGmGyWH6mMs2 GND also made My Damn Business and Fake Buddies.

Content Warning: see my spoiler comment for a large one for episode 6

1st Story (Riding a Bicycle eps 1/2) - friends faced shifting feelings. Enjoyed the sweet/caring moments. The bike/trip may have been symbolism for things going differently from how you initially envisioned. Very much a slice of life story with an open ending.

2nd Story (Friendship Bracelet eps 3/4) - quirky vibe with a supernatural element. Wish they had let it play out sooner/had fewer times.

3rd Story (The Last Diary eps 5/6) - back to a somber/slice of life vibe with two strangers that start off on the wrong foot. Suggest stopping at episode 6, 7m25s

4th Story (Sunset Boulevard eps 7/8) - two guys reconnect at work after they knew each other in university. Wasn't a fan of the non con kiss in the past or non con touch at work, but I was happy with how it ended.

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This is the fourth and almost being the final (Hong or Swan is the last one) of the Luead Mung Korn series. This lakorn is the only legit comedic, funny and actually more laughable than other of the lakorns in the series. However, I will say it is indeed to most sexual, including sayings like "When are we gonna have kids?" or "Will it be a girl or a boy?" The show's acting actually shows off some talent by not being serious and being serious at times. Andrew could act comedic any time of the day. The story, is about a guy who came back to Thailand (I believe.) He then has to go on an arranged marriage, where he falls for the girl. The girl at first, I felt like, hated him. But after more and more episodes, you could clearly see how she cares for her boyfriend.

Also, this character, if you see him in the other Luead Mung Korn series, you'll know that he is a natural pervert, acting funny every place when he is with the people. He even checks out women when it comes to it, but he is indeed pretty nice.

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love this

I didn't have too many expectations when watching the first part of the movie. Like a family that gets rich thanks to the superpowers of family members, then they prepare to fall into a "financial crisis" when the members lose their superpowers due to "modern diseases". I find this quite funny and.... a bit "childish". However, the screenwriter has developed the plot reasonably and deeply. In fact, many people suffer from the same "modern diseases" as the characters.
I love how the characters develop through each episode. Relationships and misunderstandings are gradually resolved properly. The movie is not only about love but also about family, friends, etc. What I especially like the most is the way the movie is shot, which is quite special compared to other Korean movies. The ending left me quite confused but overall it was an okay ending

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Loved it first watch. Hated it the second.

*First viewing*

Internal thoughts: Ok, wow, Zhang Zi Yi should not be playing a teenager but she pulls it off. Yay, so glad that the childhood love interest (simp) was discarded because, what a coward! Why does Zhou Yi Wei get to show his age but Zhang Zi Yi doesn't? And, oh wow, the chemistry between A'wu and Xiao Qi is nothing like I've seen in a Cdrama before. For the first time, I'm actually here for the romance plotline.

However! Something was nagging me throughout watching it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Until I rewatched the series.

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*Second viewing*

So turns out the nagging feeling was that, despite the electric romantic chemistry, I hate A'wu as a character. She spends a lot of time condemning the bad deeds of characters who have been forced to make bad choices in desperate situations. Yet, at no point, is she ever forced to choose between her pride and doing 'the right thing'. She has never known real struggle and punishes those who have.

Once I started noticing her classist demeanour, I could not let it go. It just tainted the entire experience for me and I also started hating Xiao Qi for supporting it. His character, despite low class origins, does not call into question the classism of his wife nor the imperial system he helps uphold. Instead, he sees the emperor somewhat as a benefactor and himself as duty-bound to protect a system that, frankly has never protected him.

In this drama, we also have another classic Historical Cdrama example of an emperor who is protected as the 'rightful ruler' but not for any perceivable moral reasons. We have no reason to believe the emperor is a good ruler for his people and uprising is, of course, portrayed as bad and misled. Conveniently, it means that A'wu never has to worry about the legitimacy of her own privileged position.

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*A note on acting*

While I could never watch this series again, I will say the acting from the leads is superb. Obviously, that goes without saying for Zhang Zi Yi. This is the first time I've seen Zhou Yi Wei (other than a bit character in Glamorous Imperial Concubine) and he is absolutely magnificent. It's a shame ageism is so rampant in the entertainment industry because I'd love to see older actors take the stage in these kind of roles more often.

I've now seen Tony Yang in Rebel Princess as well as Light the Night and, boy, does he have range! I hated his character in this series and that was due to some great acting on his part.

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Worth to Watch

As I never watch the Taiwan’s version of Seret, I had zero expectations for this movie. But as I know the casts are good actors in South Korea, I believe that they’re going to deliver the movie as good as the original one (well, in my opinion). And its true!!!

KyungSoo’s eyes while acting always able to deliver all the meaning of his acting. He always acts with his eyes. His eyes always speaks for his acting. And Won JinAh’s acting such a lovable one here. Her loves for YooJun really that deep like duhh, I even can't describe it properly. Shin YeeEun? She’s so gorgeous here! Her acting as YooJun’s close friend who misinterpret his action’s really good.

I guess you guys need to watch this movie. It’s so enjoyable tho.

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I tend to avoid crime-based shows that mix in romantic subplots and comedy because it either becomes TOO romantically based or it's TOO reliant on the comedic factor and the serious tone is lost in the process. However this drama was everything that I never knew I needed. Some might complain about the lack of romance but I don't think that was ever supposed to be the point. It was just a bonus. I stepped in not knowing a lot about the plot, deciding to watch it on whim since I'm a big fan of Seo In Guk and Jang Na-Ra but I got so much more out of it then I was expecting. The concept was well thought out and made their viewers think throughout the entire series; are monsters born or are they created? If you are marked out for a certain path, do you just have to accept or is there a secret back door waiting somewhere? Do children inherit their parent's sins and SHOULD they? As a viewer, you are proposed these type of questions (and many more). Yes, there are some funny moments and the romance is sweet but the psychological aspect is what truly made it stand out from the rest of the crime-based shows that year. The cast had great chemistry and there wasn't a single member that I felt came short or could of been replaced. Everyone was important. Choi Won-Young and Park Bo-Gum played their roles in an effortless like manner. The characters were complex, well writing and left me wanting more of them. The female lead wasn't just 'strong' for the sake of pleasing the audience. Nor was she flawless either. She was perfectly 'imperfect' She was indeed strong but she also got hurt, she cried and she also grew a lot throughout the series. Her character was just as interesting as her fellow cast-mates which isn't entirely common when you have such a male-based lineup. Overall I would definitely recommend that you check it out. From the story-line to the OST, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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I liked the first 2 episodes…

The first 2 episodes were between good and decent. After this it was mess all around, I hated the storyline, between how the Female main lead was going between these 2 guys and sleeping with them because honestly I don’t know if it’s just me or something but I hate it when I see a Female lead go into another guys arms even though she’s confused about her feelings, everything could’ve been resolved if they talked to each other instead of other people who are clearly interested in them. Talking to someone who is interested in you about your love relationship with someone else is a no in any situation.

The second male lead, I hated him the most. He sees she is involved with a guy he knows but he chooses to keep going after her which started this whole mess. The storyline is a mess, if I had it my way. The moment she bedded the second male lead, would be the moment she’s out of the male leads life. Now here’s a point that I want to bring up, to me the relationship with the second male lead was a forceful one that should’ve never happened and would’ve brought a 9-10 star out of me if it didn’t occur. All in all I saw that Female lead was involved with male lead and instead clarifying their situations to each other she talks to second male lead and then sleeps with him in her confused state of mind.

Also the male lead was the only one who changed for the better throughout the entire drama. The second male lead got worse in my eyes. And the the female lead stayed the same. The second female lead (her friend) changed too. Like the male lead was the only one who became a bit better.

The thing I like most of in drama is Storyline and all I got from this was a mess. Acting and everything else was good. The storyline was just terrible.

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The low ratings better be for the subs...

OVERALL
This drama is good for humanity. Watch it, no ifs, unless you really, really want a well-developed love story. If that's the case, put it aside until you've got nothing else to watch, then binge it. It's definitely worth a try! Beware though, as of today (March 2022), the subs on every platform are absolutely terrible for this drama. You're warned!

THE STORY
I don't know who subbed this drama, but I hope they didn't get paid for it. My level of Mandarin is pretty low, but I feel like I could have done a better job haha This being said, we're not here rating the subtitles, but the drama itself, and it's really a gem guys!

In my opinion, the best thing about this drama is the fact that it has a female lead who doesn't fit the typical (unhealthy) C-drama standards. Yes, she's chubby, maybe even fat...so is half of the female population around the world. What's most amazing with Crack of Dawn is that Female lead's weight is NEVER talked about. Nobody tells her to lose weight, nobody gives nasty comments. Female lead never has doubts about herself because she's fat and never decides to go on a huge (unhealthy) diet or undergo plastic surgery to please somebody. Basically, we've got a female lead who's chubby but a drama that isn't about weight AT ALL. How cool is that? And the cherry on top of the cake is, she gets a love interest too! Sure, the romance is very very limited, there's just a hint of a love story really, but how great is it that the guy likes Female lead for who she is and not because "she's SO pretty"? Honestly, all of this just blew me away, and for that alone, this drama's top tier.

Of course, the drama has a story and the story is pretty good too, so that helps. This is another type of whodunit plot, in which a murder happens and you have to find the killer, but what makes it better than others is that all the suspects not only have a motive but also have clues that suggest they killed the victim, and the police team investigating the case is led by a female detective and her assistant (girl power to the max!). And finally, the drama tackles some serious social issues through the character of the victim. Overall, it's just a really thoughtful drama.

On the downside (apart from the horrible subs), I think halfway through the drama you can pretty much solve the mystery, which is a shame. Also, the drama ends at ep 22, but somehow has two extra episodes in which not much happens. It's the first time I felt like they added episodes for nothing, usually the problem is a rushed ending haha

THE ACTING
Pretty good! It's hard to play in murder-mysteries because everyone has to be suspicious. Most characters in this drama in particular have a dark side to them so the actors have to convey that depth. I think they all did pretty well! Sandra Ma really improved her acting since Love Me if You Dare! I must say, there's no chemistry between the love interests, but I still appreciated having the couple there for many reasons.

THE MUSIC
Okay, I guess. Can't remember anything, which isn't good, but isn't bad either haha

REWATCH VALUE
If only the subs were decent, it would be super high, but as it is it took enough dedication and effort to complete the drama once, not sure I'll do it again. Such a shame!

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This movie is all about the relationship between the son and his mom who's the sunshine in his life. The story is pretty simple, but executed so sweetly. It kind of emmerses you in that tale. Nothing is glamorized and all felt like watching people go about their everyday life and what they make of their decisions.

Acting wise watching Odagiri joe and Kiki Kirin was both heartwarming and painful at time. I first gotta say I find Odagiri so good looking here!! XD. Kiki Kirin is so amazing she's really the star here, with her lovely daughter (playing her younger self). I remember first watching her in Villain where she totally broke my heart and stle the whole movie for me so she already won me over. But here, specially once she comes to live in tokyo, you just feel all the joy she brings with her. And that source of her joy is her son. As for him, you love him for wanting her in his life so much. You love him for never feeling that he finds her a burden. I particularly love the scene in the poster, it speaks so much of their relationship! The dad character might've been a lousy husband, but you can't really hate him lol. As for the girlfriend, I just didn't feel it. I specially did not feel the honesty she's supposed to exhibit. But her character doesn't matter so who cares :P

This movie is pretty long and slow-paced. The movie is about 20 min over the 2 hours but though I didn't find it short but I felt satisfied with the ending. I felt that I didn't need more or less. Not for everyone, but if you're an Odagiri Joe fan, if you like heartwarming stories, slow paced slice of life, I think chances re you'll like it.

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