Reviews

Fully clothed

Since Episode 1, I was already seated for this series. Imagine, just the first few minutes of Episode 1 and the introduction had me going, WOAH!! My first impression was that this was going to be angsty and toxic, and I wasn't wrong. HAHAHAHA.
For someone who had absolutely no idea about the storyline, I was immediately invested in what was happening. I could see the red flags, but at the same time, I could also sense that there was some hidden softness here. And I was right again!
Everything that was happening had its own past and reason, and that's exactly why it's called The Missing Piece. We were about to unfold the missing piece behind everything.
I won't say that Mr. Ji is a green flag because clearly, he isn't. But I also wouldn't call him a pure red flag. I'll say orange?! HAHAHAHA. I mean, he still did Shen Mo dirty in some ways, and I won't excuse that. But there's also another side of him that makes you understand why he acts the way he does.
What I love and hate about this series are the misunderstandings. I hate that everything was caused by misunderstandings, but I also love them because that's what makes the story angsty, and we are suckers for that! 🤣
I love how Mr. Ji shows his care and love for Shen Mo, and how he has to do it low-key because that man is shining with pride. HAHAHAHA. He may not always express it directly, but you can see how much he cares through his actions.
One of my favorite parts of the series was when Shen Mo encountered the man who kidnapped him. He was reminded of his trauma, and when Mr. Ji went looking for him, Shen Mo called Mr. Ji's cellphone just to make sure that this time, someone would answer. THAT PART! 😭 It was such an emotional moment, especially knowing what he had been through.
Honestly, while watching this series, I was also a little confused about what really happened in the past. It felt like something was indeed missing, hence the title. Good thing we got a clear flashback showing what really happened and allowing us to understand both of their perspectives. It did take up quite a lot of screen time, though. Or maybe I'm just complaining because I wanted them to get back together already. HAHAHAHA. I was just waiting for them to finally meet again! So when we got that episode where they reunited after all those years, it was SO SATISFYING. I just wanted them to have the happy ending they deserved.
However, one thing I really didn't like was the kidnapping part toward the end. I honestly thought it was unnecessary, considering there was already so much going on in the story. At that point, I felt like what they needed was simply a reunion, explanations, and the happy ending they had been waiting for. They had already been through enough!
And now, let's talk about the NCs. I was honestly expecting a lot more from them. I'm not the type of person who judges a series based on its NCs, but since the early episodes, the series had already set our expectations that their NCs would be steaming hot. So imagine my reaction when we got to their final NC and THEY STILL HAD THEIR CLOTHES ON?! 😭 They didn't even seem to try to make up for it with the camera angles. I just don't know what happened there. HAHAHAHA. I was expecting more, especially after all that build-up!
Overall, it's a good series! I loved the angst, the complicated history between the characters, the misunderstandings, and the way everything slowly came together. If you want a series that will hurt you emotionally and give you a possessive kind of love, then The Missing Piece is worth checking out. Just be ready for the angst! 😭❤️

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Makoto's Acting Got Better!! But the Plot Got Worse!!

Despite Makoto's splotchy acting during the first season, the plot for the first season was pretty good. But they dropped the ball for the plot for the second season.

•❅✧❅✦ Story •❅✧❅✦

The first season was all about during Makoto the ugly ducking into a swan prince. Now that he's a prince he has taken up modelling. Yuki is also pursuing his dream as a make up artist, so they don't have time to spend together... Until they end up on the same set and we get some sweet romance... Which Makoto's manager doesn't like and that's were the plot falls short.

Makoto's manager isn't a good antagonist. He does create some drama for Makoto and Yuki, but the conclusion to the drama was terrible. Throughout the series the manager is just intense about their relationship and a "Just No" man. But, Makoto literally just said that he couldn't work without Yuki and the manager does a 180 and decides to work with Yuki to make Makoto a top star. What happened to being completely against Yuki and threatening him?!

Also, the series feels incomplete because as soon as the manager approves their relationship the series ends. We don't get to see them actually make Yuki into a top star!

•❅✧❅✦ Overall •❅✧❅✦

Compared to the first season, Makoto's acting feels more natural, however, the plot was terrible. In my review of the first season, I said Makoto's acting (and Yuki's looks) sank the show, while the plot saved it. Now, for the second season, I will have to say the plot sank the show, but Makoto's improved acting (and looks) saved it.

I don't really hate this season, but I don't love it either. I prefer the first season over the second.

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The "Hot Guy" isn't Hot Enough... Why is "Nerd" is Hotter than Him????

Okay, hear me out! The entire plot is about a good-looking and popular boy turning the nerd into a good looking young man! They reference his hotness and popularity all throughout the series, yet when we look at him, we don't see TOP MODEL or magazine worthy features. The man is good looking, but there are hotter men out there to cast.

•❅✧❅✦ Story •❅✧❅✦

As cliche as it is, the plot is interesting. A hot man, Yuki, finds an ugly duckling nerd, Makoto, and turns him into a beautiful prince that everyone can't stop staring at. The acting wasn't the best, but the plot worked overtime to cover the acting. Makoto's acting wasn't very consistant. Sometimes he was a decent actor, other times it was terrible. The only thing that helped him was his good looks.

Throughout the series Yuki is supposed to be "good looking" and the girls can't stop hitting on him. Which isn't a problem until you cast an actor that isn't a typical pretty boy or masculine hunk. The actor who plays Yuki is good looking, but is more on the average good looking side of the spectrum. Also, for some reason, he seems to give off "gay vibes" which would prevent most women from hitting on him. That being said, he is good looking, just not good looking enough for the role. Because of this everytime he or another character references his hotness, it seems like he is just tooting his own horn.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall •❅✧❅✦

The series is a fun watch if you can get past the bad acting... and horn tooting from Yuki. The plot is actually quite good, so if they had cast different actors, the series would be rated a lot higher. However, there is a second season, which I did watch, and I will say Makoto's acting did get better in the second season. Overall, if you have some free time, you can watch it, but it is a skippable series.

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I won't say much, I'll just say that maybe the producer was short of money, otherwise he wouldn't have presented such a beautiful novel in such a bad way. Couldn't they have given 12 episodes instead of 8?Then our actresses could have shown their acting skills in a better way. The entire 8 episodes felt monotonous. That pheem is forcing Pan closer.I didn't see anyone admitting their own money pride. The novel wasn't that disgusting. Where did they get so many scripts? If the actresses weren't so talented, who would have liked such a boring drama if they had read the novel? I came here to give my opinion because. What was the last episode? I didn't understand anything. It was as if a long-standing project had suddenly ended before I realized it.If you had made the drama following the novel a little more carefully, it would have undoubtedly been a GL topper. But even then it got a 9 rating only because of your cleverness.Because you have forced a romantic episode in every episode according to the preferences of our viewers. Which the viewers liked.If they all read the novel, I hope no one would have liked this drama so much. Anyway, I respect the acting skills of the actors a lot. They gave it their all.

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This Drama is Unforgettable! ❤️

One of the things I absolutely love about The Lament of Autumn is the male cast. The actors bring so much charisma, elegance, strength, and intensity to their roles.

Cheng Lei as Yu Changxuan is simply outstanding. He has that commanding presence, the confidence, the mysterious eyes, and the kind of screen presence that captures your attention whenever he appears. His character is powerful, intelligent, protective, complicated, and deeply emotional beneath his strong exterior. His expressions and subtle gestures speak louder than words.

The male characters bring a beautiful combination of masculinity, authority, ambition, loyalty, jealousy, and vulnerability. Their interactions add depth, tension, and excitement to the storyline.

The costumes, historical appearance, commanding personalities, and excellent acting make the male cast particularly impressive.

Honestly, the male characters deserve their own appreciation. They make every scene more engaging and give this drama its special charm.

A remarkable cast, unforgettable performances, and a drama worth watching! ❤️

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"The First Frost"

"Eternal Love"

Some dramas entertain you, some stay with you, and then there are dramas like The First Frost that become a part of your life.

I started this drama in March 2025, when only four episodes had aired. I watched until episode 12, dropped it, returned to it, dropped it again, and eventually finished it on October 31, 2026. It is probably the longest I've ever delayed finishing a C-drama. I sometimes regret not watching it when the finale originally aired, but perhaps good things take time. There were certain scenes and aspects of the story that I wasn't ready to experience back then. I finally watched them when I felt more mature and ready.

What makes this drama so special to me is its writing. The yearning, the love, the problems, the family dynamics, the trauma and the awareness surrounding sexual assault and its lasting effects on survivors. Everything was portrayed with such care.

The yearning was beautifully and painfully portrayed. And the love? It was shown in its purest form.

Sang Yan is a character who genuinely changed how I look at love. His patience, loyalty and understanding of Wen Yifan made me admire him immensely. If I ever love someone in this life, I want to love them the way Sang Yan loved Wen Yifan.

Wen Yifan's character was equally remarkable. So much of her life was shaped by trauma. She experienced loss, abandonment, broken trust and repeated violations of her boundaries. Yet she continued to be strong. What touched me most was seeing her finally become vulnerable around Sang Yan. Someone she trusted enough to let her emotions out. Someone who made her feel safe.

Their relationship was never simply about one person saving another. They changed each other for the better. They grew together, and that is what made their love so meaningful.

The first half of the drama, particularly the living-together dynamic, was an absolute delight. The little moments, the hugs, the sleepwalking, the nights she found herself in his bed and his arms — everything made me giggle, blush and smile. The second half shifted towards healing, confronting the past and learning to move forward. It was deeply meaningful and, in many ways, helped me reflect on life.

The supporting characters and family dynamics also played a huge role. They weren't unnecessary additions; they gave the story context, depth and clarity. Without them, something significant would have been missing.

And then there's the production. Cinematography peak. Acting peak. Background music peak. Storytelling peak. Everything was peak.

What I particularly appreciate is that the drama never needed to overdo its romance or rely on exaggerated moments. It felt simple, natural and human. It wasn't sugar-coated. It allowed its characters to be complicated, vulnerable and imperfect.

I genuinely cannot think of anything negative to say about this drama. Even after taking so long to finish it, my feelings haven't changed.

A 10/10.

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All the Romance Comes at the End!!

Another reviewer wrote "All the Cliche's In One" and I have to agree! It seems like the scriptwriter threw in all the drama in the beginning and forgot to put in romance scenes, so they just added them into the epilogue.

That being said, the drama wasn't too bad. If this series was a full length drama with more time, I think it would be an interesting watch.. However, as it is, if you can get past some of the scenes or information that gets skipped or skimmed over and just go with the flow, it's actually an interesting drama. But, it's very obvious that the series didn't have enough time to tell everything with all of the skips they had.

•❅✧❅✦ Story •❅✧❅✦

The plot is actually very interesting. A CEO candidate fighting against his family for his place in the company, has trama with people touching him. He has a one night stand with a regular office worker and becomes obsessed with him. He tries to claim the man while also trying to claim his spot within the company.

At a glance, the plot is very dramatic. There is lots of scheming and ploting against each other... But as the series is short, we see lots of the schemes and counter-schemes, but we rarely see the immediate impact of the scheme. We just get told the after effects. Also, because of time restraints, lots of the romance between the men is cut short, especially during the power struggle. All of this isn't bad, as it is still interesting to watch, but it does leave the audience wanting more, especially in the romance department.

The romance between the two male leads comes all at the end, during the epilogue. During the build up and climax, we can see their dynamic and romantic potential, but we don't actually see them falling in love. Lots of that seems to be happening off screen. We see lots of "I will protect you" moments, but little romance. All of that romance comes at the end... And maybe because the first half was so dramatic, once we hit the epilogue and all of the lovey-dovey scenes, it does seem to be a bit draggy. We can't complain since these are romantic scenes, but it does feel draggy.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall •❅✧❅✦

The series is an "enjoy it once, but don't need to rewatch" type of series. The plot is interesting and the two MLs are good looking with decent acting, but due to all of the skips the scriptwriter needed to make in order to make this into a short series, the plot does leave us with many things to be desired. I really wish we could see those scene that they skimmed past, but sadly there wasn't enough time for it.

I did enjoy watching this drama, but I don't think I will be rewatching it any time soon.

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How Dangerous Is A Part-Time Job?

Dead End Job immediately gave me major video game vibes...meaning I'd love to play a video game with a theme like this (lmao)...it's sort of reminiscent of games like The Classrooms too in terms of the atmospheric eeriness they manage to maintain throughout the scary part-time job scenes.

Besides that, this is an insanely violent and gorey experience from start to finish. I think this show could've used a few more episodes and a slightly better pace. The pace right now feels too fast to accommodate the concept they started with. So many questions remain unanswered to the end, and Netflix being Netflix then goes and gives us an obvious ending with the obvious cliffhanger, setting up a potential s2 (that might never happen let's be honest 🤦‍♀️). They pull this crap for every new show they release to the point where expecting a s2 for every one of these shows feels nothing but delusional.

In terms of performances, the cast does a decent job. Though for a highly compact drama like this, there isn't much room for them to perform beyond the obvious frightened looks and supernatural skepticism. Lee Jae Wook is good in his role as the wimpy older brother of the Byeon household, though his performance also isn't one that is memorable enough to feel like he'd be irreplaceable in the role. Kim Minha's character is much more of a badass than her brother, and she had much more screen presence than LJW here. Even Lee Hee Jun who plays the agency "manager" was a much more interesting character than the lead protagonist which was a bit unfortunate.

But for a weekend binge, this is a perfect watch. I think a show like Dead End Job is best experienced as simply an edge-of-your-seat, violently fun horror thriller with some amazing characters, graphics and performances from the cast and crew, not to be taken too seriously and analyzed too deeply.

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Scammer scams scammer

Randomly found this on Netflix and decided to watch it with my dad. I didn't even realise Daou was in here but I love him!! Anyways, I'm a huge fan of Comedy x Horror so I was really curious what this movie would be like. Beforehand I looked through the reviews and they were extremely mixed. I'm honestly impressed. It wasn't really a movie to watch for production but rather for the feel good yk?

It's my first time ever watching something from Seua Pichaya, aside from hormones like... ages ago. I have seen extremely much of Joy Maneerat's cinematography and I think she's amazing!! The shots are always sooo beautiful and I'm impressed by the camera work. The cgi in this movie was amazing as well. I think the actors were amazing and one thing my dad mentioned, is that he liked how they sometimes kinda went out of role and purposely acted bad.

I loved how unserious it was, however, it was a bit tooooo unserious. The ending was supposed to be at least a bit emotional but none of those feelings really came over to us if I'm honest. We were more in awe rather than feeling bad. I'm not sure which side I agree on. I felt bad for Lalita, she had the right to keep holding onto that feeling. At the same time, she seemed way more healthier alone. I think Nakrop was a bit stupid for forcing her to choose that side but he definitely had a point.

I loved the group of Nakrop, Nammon, Sueakhrong and Chok. It was also incredibly funny how Chok casually was the father of Sueakhrong. He really had uncle stats in the movie. I also find it sooo sweet how Nakrop, Nammon and Sueakhrong were like brothers to each other. Daou was amazing as always and I'm not surprised that he was in this movie at all. Also insane how I just figured that Ter Chantavit screenwrote The Red Envelope, Pee Mak and Hello Stranger. I was already pretty familiar with Arethai Supathat because he played in the D dorm and his job as comedian. I actually have not seen Nui Chernyim, however, I did watch cause you're my boy and I feel like I recognise him from elsewhere. I just can't remember where.

This was overall a very fun movie. But I understand people that didn't like it. It feels like something you would watch for fun and if the humour isn't your type, you'll not enjoy this. I think this was a great pick to watch with my dad, since we always watch these type of loser ish character movies. Watching this with family was a very good choice and I suggest it! There were a few things that were a bit too much like the humour and the ending. I do love how they had these like references at the ending!!

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mid af

This was the epitome of phoning it in. I feel like the writers where just piecing together every kdrama trope, plot device, joke/misunderstanding and archetype that we've seen a hundred times before, without adding any new narrative.
The pacing was slow, I got bored and at the end every resolution felt unrewarding.
The actors were also nothing special. I felt like I could tell Ahn Bohyun was acting, I wasn't convinced he was Seon Jaegyu. This is partly the directors and screenwriters fault, since Seon Jaegyu is such a cartoonish cheesy guy with no faults or shortcomings. He's rich, handsome, misunderstood and humble. Like come on... I could not get into the whole strong and mainly comedy either. As for the FL, she thrived during her cheery and more comedic parts, but during the heavier or serious scenes she conveyed little to no agony or sadness. I could tell sad things were happening, but she wasn't passing any concern to me.
A certain song from the ost was annoying, and overall is was a very mid ost, once again a very average job.
Overall, the characters and plot were not charismatic or interesting enough for this kdrama to be worth 12 hours of watch time. I guess if this is your first kdrama, and you like romcoms, it's a fine introduction, but if you've seen the classics you won't miss anything from this.
Oh yeah, also wtf was up with the completely unnecessary use AND ADVERTISEMENT of AI. Totally saddening to see it being used and normalized like this. I mean teenagers using an AI app to prepare for their first date??? Inserting an ad for a lifeless product, instead of making the uncle and nephew bond over sending him off to his first date, or having them anxiously making plans on their own to show the effort and thought that was put into the date. We're losing the fluff and cuteness of romance, to AI chat bots advertising. Disappointing to say the least.

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Great actors trapped in a frustrating, toxic plot

Very Disappointing................I really love both lead actors and was so excited to watch this drama, but the writing makes it incredibly hard to continue episode after episode.

The Female Lead is written as entirely selfish and self-righteous. From the very beginning, she treats the Male Lead like trash and beneath her, handles him with zero care, and lets him take the blame for problems that she caused. What makes it even harder to watch is the Male Lead's reaction. He just takes all the abuse and torture, yet somehow still loves her. It makes his character look completely slow-witted and damaged rather than deeply in love........ Having her suddenly show that she cares only after putting him through endless misery feels unearned. It's a repetitive cycle that ruins the chemistry of two otherwise fantastic actors.

I will keep watching for the cast, but the story is pushing my patience......hope it will get better soon before I give up and drop it completely.

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The "heroine" needs to learn....that the world doesn't revolve around her.

I went into this drama fully aware of the adopted sibling-romance-trope, so my concern isn’t with the set-up. The first few episodes moved fast enough that I was willing to roll with it. The pacing had momentum, the reunion hook worked, and surprisingly, I found myself invested despite raising an eyebrow every time the drama acted as though introducing Jiang Mu as a sister to Jin Zhao’s racing world would cause irreparable harm. But that’s another story for another day.

The bigger issue for me wasn't the premise. It was Jiang Mu herself. I never managed to get fully on board with how she was written. She spends years searching for Jin Zhao, yet seems oddly determined to hold him hostage to a childhood version of himself that no longer exists. This is a man who grew up with a drunk, absent father while she had a far more stable life, but she repeatedly acts shocked that hardship might have changed him. I find this naivete of hers a tad (okay, so more than a tad) frustrating.

Then she swings between princess, martyr, wannabe detective, and emotional prosecutor depending on what the scene requires. One moment she is chasing Jin Zhao across the country, the next she is upset because she did not receive exactly the confession she wanted from him. At some point I stopped wondering what Jin Zhao was hiding and started wondering what game Jiang Mu was playing. Not to fault Esther Yu, who is playing this character, but after a third way through, I was honestly tired of her childish antics.

Ironically, Jin Zhao ended up carrying the drama for me. Yes, he is apparently a boxer, a racer, an artist, a genius student, and possibly three other professions the script forgot to mention. The man collects talents like Pokémon cards. Yet the actor sells it well enough that I kept watching. I was genuinely shocked to learn he was the same supporting actor who annoyed me in The Legend of Shen Li. Talk about night and day performance.

As for the romance, there is only so much slo-mo, cringe-y scenes and jealous misunderstandings that I can tolerate before my finger starts itching for the FFWD button. By the second half, large chunks felt like they were flirting in circles while the plot waited outside. I finished this drama, not because I was swept away by their love story, but more because Jin Zhao remained the most interesting person in it. Even though, he miraculously survived a fiery crash, and in spite of broken legs, he was able to leave the hospital just to see Jiang Mu before she heads off to Canada to visit her ailing mother.

And here my growing frustration with the story starts to culminate in a hot-boiling bubble. The self-imposed noble idiocy by Jin Zhao, was part understandable, while the other half left me scratching my head. If he was so determined to ghost Jiang Mu till his death, why even bother meeting her in the first place (after years, and years of avoidance)?

Another thing that I noticed is that the secondary characters who were part of the driving force of the drama, somehow “disappeared” in the back half. With the exception of probably San Lai, the rest of them vanished into thin air, only to be brought back in the end to close out the story. I would have liked to see the support that Jin Zhao received during the times when he was busy Jiang Mu away from his life.

I get it. Romance dramas are supposed to end happily ever after, with a neat bow tied at the end, so I will cut this drama some slack and acknowledge that, despite some loopholes, it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be.

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"Dead-End Job"

The photography and the angles were brilliant. The horror-thriller element was captivating, but I couldn't really understand the main message they were trying to portray. Personally, for me, the silent message matters the most.

The brother-sister dynamic was something I genuinely loved, and the father-son relationship was emotional. It did pull me into the future episodes, especially with the mystery surrounding their father being revealed.

As for the ending, it's definitely a cliffhanger-prone season 2 situation. The ending itself was decent, nothing too good or too bad. But the camera angles, shoot quality, scenarios and costumes were legit fire.

The horror was frightening only once, so I'd say that's pretty low. I didn't feel that much suspense either, but that's just a personal preference. Episode 4, the milkman episode, was pretty good and easily my favourite. The clown episode comes second. The entire sequence with the floor and apartment turning was so exciting.

The atmosphere was captivating most of the time. Background music might've played a role, but I was too immersed in the specific atmosphere of each episode. And once more, the camera angles and shoot quality were insane fire.

The pacing was surprisingly good. There weren't any episodes that felt rushed or unnecessarily slow, which was surprising since most of the time, eight-episode K-dramas feel rushed. They were straightforward the entire time, which I liked.

I'd definitely recommend it. It's an easy watch and not even that long, with episodes around 35–40 minutes each.

8.5/10

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