Reviews

A mediorcely produced show full of red flags.

I will start off with what the show deserves props for:
- Bi-representation in media that isn't stigmatized but instead normalized. Sexuality in the show felt extremely natural, and it felt like everyone had a chance with everyone, which created a super unique vibe compared to other dating shows.
- Decent games/ways to get characters to talk to different people

NOW, for the critiques of the show:
- The. Age. Gaps. It is extremely odd how large an age gap was allowed within the cast. We have the youngest being born in 2006 (20-21 years old), and the oldest being born in 1994 (32-33 years old). It's easier to be forgiving of age gaps in dating shows when all the cast are older, but I can't comprehend how it would be acceptable for a 20-year-old and a 32-year-old to ever be paired or even have anything to connect on.
- Dates were quite repetitive and didn't stand out much. It was essentially either a random artsy workshop, or eat by the beach.
- Production overall was just lacking on many fronts, such as shot choice, editing choices, etc.

AND NOW, for the critiques of the contestants (my main beef with the show):
- Some of the cast have the self-awareness, communication skills, and emotional maturity of a plate of stale bagels. I was surprised at how half of the cast were experts in leading people on and miscommunication tropes. And as with many dating shows, there's an emphasis on a main couple, and that couple turned out to have so many red flags --->
- Seungho: might be the BIGGEST RED FLAG I've seen in any dating show. His age really showed, and the way he played with people's feelings was arguably malicious. Flaunting the fact that someone else is interested in him, comparing his options RIGHT IN FRONT OF the options themselves, DEMANDING his partner quit smoking otherwise he doesn't "truly love him", unable to communicate seriously with anyone, egotistical, the list goes on. The way he treated Jin-woo was evidently cruel, and I am glad they didn't end up together (Jin-woo saved!).
- Hyeyeon: I liked her personality and the beginning, but when it came to Seung-ho, she became the worst "pick-me" I've seen on any dating show. In her talk with Seung-ho while he was fighting with Jin-woo, she repeated over and over "I would never treat you like that", "I love you more than him", "You deserve someone better". How terribly dishonest of a way to try to win Seung-ho over, and like Hee-jin said earlier, she is quite two-faced when it comes to love. I was so glad that she and Seung-ho ended up together because they can create a field of red flags together.

The show overall was mediocrely produced, and nothing really stood out besides the premise. But I can say that I was entertained during my time consuming this, and although I wouldn't recommend this show for its quality, I'd say if you enjoy getting frustrated and emotionally invested in people's ill-advised decisions, this would be a fun watch.

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The Uncle–Nephew Bond Was the Real Highlight

I’m so glad I waited until it ended to watch it, because those cliffhangers would’ve kept me awake every night! The story was so good, and Yi An was honestly too kind and innocent for such a dangerous palace where everyone seemed to want him dead.

I wish Hui Ju had been written as a stronger character. She had the audacity to pursue the Prince, yet once things got serious, she completely shut down and begged her father for such an obvious solution. For a rich and powerful businesswoman, I expected much more from her.

I also needed more Yi An—he’s such eye candy, but also so gentle, elegant and well-mannered. Surprisingly, I loved his relationship with his young nephew, the future King, even more than the romance. Yi An protected him despite having every reason to see him as a rival, while his nephew trusted him completely. Their warm uncle-nephew bond was one of the best parts of the drama, and I really wish they had more scenes together.

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Too boring

This will be one of my short reviews. I realize that it's a waste of time to try to give all the reasons I didn't like something, so I prefer to focus on what I like and write long reviews for the dramas I loved. So from now on anything that gets less than a 7 gets a short review.

The FL didn't work for me. She was sweet and supposedly funny but I've seen so many dramas now that I spot right away the ones who can't act. She tried too hard and it came out as immature and annoying behavior rather than funny and cute. That's me though since I've seen many praise the actress. I won't look for any other of her dramas but if I run into one I may give her another chance.

The ML was terrible if you ask me. He reminded me more of a schoolboy who tried to act mature and cold and professional and in love and he didn't pull any of these. In the last episode he irritated me even more for some reason. I won't watch anything else with him for the simple reason I can't imagine any role he could nail. I'm in love with Cdramas and there are so many actors to choose I don't need to fret over someone who doesn't make me care.

The script was non existent to be honest. I'm not sure what was the point and I love fluffy and tropey scripts. Well, at least they tried.

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Spoilers!!

I started this series without knowing what I will be getting myself into. No prep, no clips just jumping straight ahead into the series. I saw this was one of the series that was rated quite high so I trusted the audience that it would be a good series and I’m glad that I trusted the audience.

Spoilers!

Can I just say that the ost is so fucking good? Like I have it on repeat on my youtube playlist. Every single day I be putting that music on repeat like there is no tomorrow. Honestly, they needed to have another ost cuz i bet that it would be just as good or even better ;)

Anyways moving on to the plot of the story, I think the concept of the story is interesting. I think there are some BL series that has a similar concept but I have yet to watch it. The way the characters were introduced and how the main character expresses their struggles and handle their situation was quite realistic.

Some scenes did questioned myself like is this even allowed?! Though the main storyline is about Armin fixing his owns mistakes and gets revenged to those who had hurt him in the past. I think the revenge part could be more intense, this is just my opinion. It wasn’t underwhelming its just that when he said he’s gonna get the people who tried to hurt him I expected it to be more darker.

I also like the additional scene where they included Tada’s perspective in the past. It was a good touch to see like the world after Armin died and the fact that he cannot live after Armin’s passing just shows how deep his love is for Armin. I do like a yearning male lead ❤️

I do recommend watching this show!! I think there is a slight Gen Z humor and comedy element in the show. One more thing, Wei Nai i love him smm!! I wished his character was further developed rather than just being a capable personal assistant. Like I would like to know a bit of his backstory. Anyways! Amazing show!!

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WARNING! There are some freaky scenes but its a good kind just make sure u watch alone!

I feel like the opening was quite good, I kinda like how Akin (Mc) and Jin (ML) was introduced. Akin was this popular actor and Jin was a newbie. Their chemistry didn’t started off strong but as the episode progressed so did their chemistry. You need to give a few episodes a watch cause it gets better.

The plot wasn’t bad, it could be slightly better? I feel like most of the time Akin is the only one facing the problems. Like somehow he’s always the person who got targeted in the series. Which is kinda repetitive, and I feel like communication can be improved. Like the part where he thought he slept with Johnny he couldn’t bring himself to day it to Jin. He just left without saying anything. Thank god Jin wasn’t dumb and he was able to catch on! I guess its soulmates instincts ?❤️.

Nothing much to say,. But I feel like they should just end it there. I feel like at the end of the last episode, there could be potential for season 2 but there wasn’t much material or anything more that they could add on so it’ll be interesting to see if there will be a season 2 but i’m not expecting it. Overall a fun watch when ur bored

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Spoilers ahead!!

First of all, can I just say that this might be one of the sweetest, cheesiest and lovable bl series ever?! I love it smm!! I didn’t expect it to be so cute and attack me with their chemistry. There are a lot of comedic and adorable moments in the series!

I think that the plot of the story is quite unique because it doesn’t just follow the normal base storyline of a school life BL but they have its own twist! I also find a lot of their music quite good like it’s literally in my playlist. I think one of the scenes that i like about this series was the male lead never gave up on pursing the main character until he fell in love with the male lead. It was my favorite scene because the main character was also going through a hard time and the male lead didn’t push his love towards the main character instead he was there comforting him. In my opinion, its really romantic and sweet.

There is also some parts of the story that felt realistic like when Tinn’s (male lead) parents knows that their son is gay and they didn’t know how to react especially the mom. Because they are worried how the world will view him for being gay. Small little things like this do exist in real life and its not just based on the series. I’m not saying that they added these scenes to make it realistic, I mean it could be but i’m saying that the real world is much more scary. It doesn’t have to be about your sexuality it can also be about the job you worked as or the things you like. There is always people who would nitpicked on the things you like and Tinn’s parents already worrying about this just shows how much they really love their son.

All in all, I really do enjoy this series! Hoping that the same actors will starred in another drama together :). I do recommend this sm!

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New obsession unlocked

I genuinely did not expect to love Blossoms of Power as much as I did. I went in for the historical setting, the palace politics and the revenge plot, and somehow walked out of this drama with a full-blown He Yu problem. 😭

The story itself had me hooked pretty quickly. I loved that Shen Xihe wasn’t written as some helpless heroine waiting for a man to come and save her. She was intelligent, calculating and more than capable of playing the political game herself. Watching her navigate all the schemes, betrayals and power struggles was probably my favourite part of the drama. And the fact that she and the Crown Prince actually operate as equals made their relationship so much more satisfying. They weren’t just falling in love; they were constantly trying to figure each other out, testing each other and slowly building trust.

BUT THEN THERE WAS THE CROWN PRINCE.

Because excuse me???? 😭

I had actually never watched He Yu before this. I don't really watch modern day Cdramas so somehow this man had completely escaped my radar. That will not be happening again!!!! I genuinely did not know I was about to discover a new obsession.

Xiao Huayong had EVERYTHING. The seemingly frail Crown Prince act, the intelligence hiding underneath it, the quiet confidence, the way he could look completely harmless one minute and then casually reveal that he had already figured out everyone's entire scheme... I was SAT. And He Yu somehow made every single one of those little moments ten times more effective.

At some point I stopped watching Blossoms of Power and started watching He Yu: The Crown Prince Experience lol😭 This man has been living rent-free in my head ever since. I am now shamelessly thinking about him at completely inappropriate times and honestly I blame this drama.

I also really enjoyed the romance because it wasn't the typical instant, overwhelming love story. Their relationship developed through mutual respect, suspicion, cooperation and eventually genuine affection. The Crown Prince being so obviously gone for her while Shen Xihe was still trying to figure out whether she could trust him was especially entertaining. Watching this man quietly orbit her while she remained focused on her own agenda had me LOSING IT.

The drama isn't perfect. There were definitely moments where the pacing dragged a little and some of the political schemes became more complicated than they needed to be. A few supporting characters also had me questioning their life choices every other episode. 😭 But honestly, none of that was enough to make me stop watching because the central story kept pulling me back in.

And visually? Gorgeous. The costumes, sets and overall atmosphere really suited the story. It had that lavish palace drama look that makes you want to pause every five minutes just to admire somebody's outfit.

And one more thing: Cui Jinbai? I NEED to see this man in a leading role and I need it to happen very, very soon. 😭

Overall, BOP was such a pleasant surprise for me. I loved the strong female lead, the political intrigue, the revenge storyline and especially the dynamic between Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong. But let's be honest: my biggest takeaway from this drama is that I apparently needed He Yu in my life and nobody bothered to tell me.

I came for the Crown Prince.

I left with a new actor to shamelessly obsess over.

10/10 for the He Yu-induced brainrot alone.😭

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A sheep in a box by another name is a sheep in a cage, the box just hides it better

I actually saw this in theaters with my fiance, and we both agreed that although it was probably better than the American alternatives we could've watched, it wasn't amazing.

The story, set somewhere in the fairly near future, is focused on the Komoto family's daily lives and interactions after they adopt an AI-powered humanoid robot modeled after their son who died 2 years previously, Kakeru. They are people living normal, peaceful lives, and the story was paced very slowly to match. And that's fine, we weren't expecting action, but it practically felt that any conflicts were resolved or glossed over very quickly just to keep the peaceful vibe. But the peace and tranquility are shallow, with something very dark beneath the surface that we're not even supposed to acknowledge.

The movie was desperately missing a single scene of a time where Kakeru was alive to be able to compare how similar the robot is to the real boy. This is the kind of avoidance of uncomfortable things that plagues the entire movie, and just the fact that such a scene is missing says a lot about how the robot situation is presented. With nothing to compare it to, we end up accepting it as normal too.

We start out as the couple, who never truly moved past the death or their son, decide to adopt the AI robot. He is free, while they are usually very expensive. Suspicious. Suspicious that it seemed only people in a similar specific situation got the same deal, but it was barely mentioned at all. The father isn't as open to the idea as the mother, but he seems to have no real say in the matter and gives it a try. His reactions to the presence of the robot are entertaining and much more normal, but very quickly he too mostly adapts to his new home life. Overall, everyone in the movie is unnaturally accepting of the robot situation. There's only a tiny bit of rejection, which also fades unnaturally fast. Normally, wouldn't this situation be outrageous?

The very concept of having an AI robot copying your dead child and living with you is pretty creepy if you think about it, but in the world of the movie it's normal. (It's also, strangely, it's just about the only futuristic thing shown in the movie aside from the initial scene of drone and robot delivery systems.)
The child robot, set to 7 years old, is obviously more intelligent and efficient than the parents. The robots can identify each other, implying they can communicate somewhat remotely, and they understand they're better than humans. We can only thank their programming and the movie's commitment to peacefulness and harmony that things don't go in a much worse direction, but this rose-colored depiction of such a future seems unrealistic. Even living harmoniously, it's pretty obvious that humanity will become pointless compared to the robots. They even say themselves that they don't see much a human can do better. Sadly the situation seems almost familiar as AI is already replacing human thought, while humans chose to find it convenient to rely on for their own ease of mind.

As far as watching a movie without thinking too far into it goes, it was entertaining to watch once, but the characters and story lacked any appeal to watch it again. Most characters except the father had very little personality, and many parts of the story were illogical. If there was any music, I didn't even notice it. (But that's not saying much since I often don't notice music) If I wanted to watch something with this sort of situation/theme I'd much sooner watch the K-drama Yonder again, or that one episode of Black Mirror.

You can tell I hate AI, so my view is probably very skewed.. But someone had to be the first review.

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Boring with a mess of a script

This will be one of my short reviews. I realize that it's a waste of time to try to give all the reasons I didn't like something, so I prefer to focus on what I like and write long reviews for the dramas I loved. So from now on anything that gets less than a 7 gets a short review.

No chemistry between the leads. Both not great actors. The script was terrible and didn't have any redeeming qualities. The rest of the stories wasn't better and the actors were there for the paycheck. The FL tried too hard to be cute and the ML isn't lead material. The whole love triangle if I can say it like this was a waste of time and felt toxic.

In short, move on, there's nothing to see here.

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Relatable office romcom clocks the modern reality of career and love

Another workplace romance K-drama, another day for trysts, stolen glances in elevators, slow-burn romance and colleagues losing their minds over the secret couple. And I must say that this trope is propaganda I will willingly fall for over and over again because it’s simply irresistible.

Most office romance shows are barely about work life itself. Office is merely a place where our two characters, who are also coworkers, meet, collaborate, brainstorm, share longing gazes, steal a kiss then clock out together. What makes See You at Work Tomorrow stand out, though, is it strikes a nice balance between workplace dating bliss and corporate life woes.

The story revolves around Cha Ji Yoon (Park Ji Hyun) famously known as the Clock Out Fairy. She goes in and out for work on the dot because she no longer finds her purpose in her job. Enter Kang Si Woo (Seo In Guk), a notorious manager known as the Three-No Man. He does not smile, nor apologize nor socialize due to his strong work ethics. A lagging project led to a fateful encounter between the Clock Out Fairy and Three No Man. Will their clash of ideas make them hate each other more or bring them closer together?

For starters, Ji Hyun is such a delight to watch. Her sharp yet soft facial features is a breath of fresh air in the K-drama scene where we mostly see the same faces for female leads. I’m proud of Ji Hyun’s rise to stardom and I had my eyes on her ever since I watched her in Yumi’s Cells.

Who would have thought she had a knack for comic timing and effortless charm? Her cheerful, lively demeanor made it easy for me to connect with her character. Ji Hyun accurately depicts the struggles of a 21st-century woman navigating a crumbling long-term relationship and a stagnant career while also being a couch potato just like the rest of us. It came easy for me to root for her journey in rebuilding her self-confidence and growing out of her old habits.

Seo In Guk here is the true definition of brooding, cynical, introverted and strict boss. His aura screams grim reaper and as Ji Hyun mentioned he always looks like there's a dark cloud above his head. Even if he scolds employees, I don’t think they mind because he’s hot and such an eye candy.

He embodies the meme “looks like they could kill you, would actually kill you”. Meanwhile, Ji Hyun looks like a cinnamon roll, could actually kill you. His cold personality and Ji Hyun’s bright image make them the perfect grumpy-sunshine pairing. Kudos to him, In Guk seamlessly switches between his work persona and out-of-office self. This goes to show how he draws a line between work and his personal life.

His backstory was dragged out to the end of the show to keep the viewers guessing. I get why the writers did this since his past is the ultimate mystery in the show and it is an undisclosed fact in the company. This is where his Three-No Man comes in handy because he has no one to talk to about his private life. He chooses to shut himself except for business matters.

I don’t know how In Guk does it. He has palpable chemistry with every female lead he works with. In an office romance like this, sparks and tension need to fly in the air, and he and Ji Hyun surely delivered them with flying colors.

We may not realize it, but work and dating have a lot in common. Ji Hyun stayed in a job and with a person she no longer loved, and in the process, she felt trapped and suffocated. This K-Drama explores our contradicting feelings about work. Ji Hyun represents us all getting stuck at a job we no longer love but still choosing to stay just for the comfort of it all. The same goes with dating. Ji Hyun is unknowingly binding herself to the wrong person. She’s always yapping and ranting about the shortcomings of her company and her partner but she still chose to stay because it has been a habit. A stable job is good but where’s the fun and thrill in that. Thankfully, Ji Hyun came to realize she is wasting her potential in a role that no longer challenges or excites her.

Just like any corporate employee, this series hit a slump. The first six episodes had me glued to the screen, but the following episodes didn’t do as much. The writers tried to squeeze in the story every possible office and dating drama. A lot is going on in the latter portion of the series, giving everyone in the cast a moment to shine. Sadly, I found myself not caring for any of these subplots. If only the writers picked a lane and chose to focus on Ji Hyun’s journey. It would have been more interesting for me to see Ji Hyun breaking through the glass ceiling than give a glimpse into her colleague’s lives or follow Si Woo sticking to his virtues and making career decisions. To be honest, it seems everything goes Si Woo’s way, making the story a little too convenient and idealistic at times. I wish the writers gave more emotional weight in the double standards and cultural biases at work than dwell on getting the scoop on Si Woo’s life.

Brimming with relatable themes from quiet quitting, tolerating toxic behaviors, and on top of all pining for your hot boss, See You at Work Tomorrow is a likeable watch with fleshed out characters rising up from their hurt and mistakes. This series keeps its storyline relatable, easy to follow and easy for viewers to fall in love with. The episode titles also hit close to home as they mimic our usual rants in the corporate world. While this K-drama certainly boiled the ocean trying to deep-dive in all kind of office drama, See You at Work Tomorrow will fill the void in your heart for an office romance. It will have you giggling over the slow-burn tension between two coworkers as well as its witty puns and satirical take on corporate life.

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Completely change day perspective on the amnesia trope

Can I just start by stating how good the leads looked together?!? THE CHEMISTRY WAS THERE
From start to finish I was laughing, crying, absolutely terrified at the edge of my seat too. The plot is too good, SO MANY PLOT TWISTS.
I always thought the amnesia trope was so cliche and cringey but it was all so really maturely handled like not overly dramatic which just made me love this drama sooo much. Also like just the entire thing was on fire. Absolutely wholesome, like the leads were acc so cute without being cringey. Like yeah they acted lovey lovey all the time and stuff but it just seemed so natural and it was just so cute.
The plot was handled in such a way that there wasn't any place in the drama where I felt cringed out or they urge to just skip past it, so very very well executed drama fs. Hats off to the entire team for this one! thank you so much for making his fantastic work!

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A mess of everything

This will be one of my short reviews. I realize that it's a waste of time to try to give all the reasons I didn't like something, so I prefer to focus on what I like and write long reviews for the dramas I loved. So from now on anything that gets less than a 7 gets a short review.

I'll be honest, I hate the actor. Not the actor as a person of course but his acting skills, or rather his non acting skills. Every time I watch him I feel like life is a burden. Dead eyes, same expressions supposed to be deep and this one wasn't the exception I was hoping. Add to that the lack of chemistry or better say the lack of romance and the over the top tragedies and you have a mess of a drama.

I'd love to understand how the people who rated it as 10 feel, but unfortunately the only things I felt was boredom, irritation and lack of everything worth watching a drama.

The characters weren't compelling. Whether it was the FL, another actress without anything special to show, her character was terribly immature and annoying, or the ML, his character was frustrating and so fake. I don't know what other word to use since whatever he did felt fake to me.

This was my last attempt to watch anything with this actor. I won't waste more time. I have to accept that he's not my cup of tea. I find him terrible as an actor and unattractive as possible.

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