Reviews

Insane Chemistry!

These are two insane characters with even more insane chemistry. They are deeply flawed. Both afraid of commitment.

Their relationship gradually develops from a casual hookup to a deep bond. With lots of back and forth. They keep being drawn to each other, but push each other away constantly.

This series is part comedy and part heartwarming drama. It made me laugh and cry and anxiously wait for the next episode.

The actors are just amazing and convey so many emotions with every expression.
The writing is always filled with tension and the characters' actions are surprising and fun to watch.
Not one boring second.

Them acting stupid is part of their character arc and it works. They have to learn to trust each other and to express their feelings honestly. And that journey is not only very emotional and profound, but also often hilarious.

I have rarely watched a series, where the writing keeps up all the way through. (I haven't seen the last episode yet, but the writing has been so consistently good, that I trust it will be awesome as well.)

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Cheap soap opera

A cheap, tasteless soap opera... 15 decent episodes following a total disaster. I’m disgusted.

The acting was great. the FL was good. I think this is the only good thing in this drama.


I want a divorce because he’s too good to me. WTF, girl, you are funcking stupid.. you started smart but finished unbearable to watch?!?! 🤣🤣🤣
This is some shitty, soap-opera-style sacrifice... Can’t we come up with something smarter to change this stupid narrative?

Si, after this 18th episode I dropped.

I can’t stand these women who reject love and fancy themselves super independent, all while suppressing their feelings. Honestly, she doesn’t deserve him. And yet, she’s the one who feels wronged. Her behavior has taken a nasty turn. I expected her to be smart and a fighter—to be a true partner to him—but she’s got a shitty character.

A total waste of time.

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Why oh Why

Before anything, if you haven't watched the anime or have and did not like it, there is really no reason for you to watch this.
Now for the majority of the viewer that have watched the anime + the short life action series . What is the purpose of this film really, given your own knowledge of the anime and where it lies in the general landscape, the essence of the anime is that no matter what happens, even if it drives you crazy and how much you want otherwise, at the end of the day they will always stay as friends. Maybe a nudge here and there, confirming of their fondness (but only to the viewer), we as the viewer know FOR A FACT nothing else is going to happen.
So given for such a story format, what is this movie even doing. I don't know if you know but there is also a older version but now relating to his daughter. Also I personally have not read the whole of takagi-san (hopefully one day) but given the anime + the live action series (which is abit of a remake of the anime), this movie lies in a very sweet and odd spot. Spoilers but obviously in this move they get together, finally, and interesting because all the anime's foundation gets thrown out, but does it.
Slow and mundane and I really dont mind. But the heart of the film and really more towards the ending does it really shine through it's main question: "What does teasing mean to you, Ms.Takagi-san". This probably the most central question to the whole of the anime itself, one it is in the title but also we sometimes forget that although we use the same words, but they can have wildly different meanings. And this asked to Takagi-san, the teaser, is the anime's true foundation.
"A bond deeper than love", now just something personal, but love seems to be getting more and more abstract by the day and the thing we call "love" might not even last till the end of may. So something so observable like teasing, felt as if it could last longer than love itself.

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Monster Hunt was far more than I expected!

What a wonderful and unexpected surprise! Monster Hunt turned out to be a delightful fantasy adventure, with an original story, a fast-moving plot, plenty of action, and genuinely funny moments. 😊

What I loved most was the unusual combination of comedy, tenderness, fantasy, and emotion. Huba is absolutely adorable, and the hilarious, unexpected way he comes into the world is one of the film’s most memorable touches: the male protagonist, Song Tianyin (Jing Boran), somehow ends up pregnant and gives birth to this adorable little creature! The bond between Huba and his dad, Tianyin, is both funny and heartwarming, giving the adventure a lovely emotional core.

I also really enjoyed the dynamic between the two leads. Tianyin is vulnerable, awkward, and funny, often finding himself in need of protection, while Huo Xiaolan (Bai Baihe) is strong, capable, and the one who protects him. This reversal of familiar gender roles gives their relationship a refreshing charm. Instead of the usual heroic man rescuing a woman, we get a different kind of partnership, with a strong female lead and a more vulnerable male character. They are adorable and hilarious together, and they make such a lovely, funny couple as Huba’s parents, too! 💕 I was also deeply touched by the message that family is not always what we expect it to be, and that we can choose and create our own family, even when it comes about in the most unexpected way.

The visual effects and anime-inspired elements were another pleasant surprise. The blend of live-action performances and digitally created creatures brings this imaginative world to life and gives the film its own distinctive character. The cast does a wonderful job, and the music is also great, adding to the film’s charm and emotional impact.

I discovered this movie while exploring Jing Boran’s filmography, and its popularity in China also made me curious to watch it. I ended up loving the entire experience! Funny, tender, imaginative, and full of adventure, Monster Hunt was far more than I expected.

A truly delightful surprise that deserves every bit of my 10/10! ❤️

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kdrama illogic was hard to ignore

Art & madness are reciprocal.

This show sparked a love for orchestras and classical music in me. In line with both the movie black swan and black swan by bts, it reminded me that art and music are entirely human creations, that as beautiful as may be exist within the tornado of other human creations like wealth and greed. The crumbling yet sticky interpersonal relations were the themes that stuck out to me.

Just to get it out of the way here's what really bothered me— The medical inaccuracies. Jeongyo surviving without specialised help itself was a long shot but the magical surgery just to play 4 hands one last time that culminated in total paralysis is as moving as it is unrealistic.

Apart from that I generally dislike that bromance dramas mostly end on a sort of hopeful yet sad plausible cliffhanger rather than a proper resolution and this one was the most heartbreaking I think. I would've loved for Jeongyo to be able to stay and play alongside Pio and get all the accolades the two of them from the very beginning deserved *together* instead of leaving it all behind.

But other than that, I think Kdramas in general but this one in particular really handles the angsty, melodramatic scenes and storylines perfectly.

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on brand

Overall: confusing plot, terrible editing and things that are supposed to be sexy aren't = another Seek production. 10 episodes about 20 minutes each. Airing on the Shortime app (each episode costs 200 popcorn).

Content Warnings: drugging, non con kissing/touching/rape? off screen, held against will, mental health struggles, attempted suicide shown with blood, predator university professor, past suicide?

What I Liked
- maybe the kissing wasn't quite as atrocious as in the past???

Room For Improvement
- for the side couple, guy A seemed to hate guy B but then he wanted him, then he didn't want him, then he did, etc.
- what on earth happened, there was an older brother in the attic who looked identical to the younger brother (was that a flashback)???, where did that near suicide come from??? the younger brother just gave up finding out what happened to his older brother after he was obsessed with figuring out what happened
- nothing was sexy: smoking, that weird foot thing, weird crawling thing, alleged college students dressed like they are attending a private high school
- nonsense stuff like the two characters were supposed 20+ years apart age-wise

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Don't expect powerful storytelling, but it's hella fun!

I went in with no expectations and ended up having a lot of action-packed fun with crazy-good visuals, as you'd expect from a movie. I am a little biased because I love both Zhu Yilong's and Tan Jianci's acting, so if you appreciate these two as actors (as well as their immaculate face cards :D) you're likely to enjoy this movie A LOT, which I did purely for the portrayal of A-Qi and Wan Ziqiang.

The movie has a very fun, campy vibe of both catch-me-if-you-can and the robin-hood-from-the-slums, where the main protagonist decides he's above the law, above anyone and anything, really, is protected by Heavens and can pull the craziest stunts. For the most part - he does! Wan Ziqian, as portrayed by Zhu Yilong, is unhinged in the very best sense, likes to play it big, and bites more than he can actually chew, so expect a lil bit of drama in there along with all the heists. He's a weirdo, but you sorta start feeling for him and his cause - take money from the rich and make the whole system bend over, including the law.

Then comes the law, as portrayed by Tan Jianci as Qi Honggang, the very charismatic bad-boyish cop with a very unyielding sense of right and wrong, kind of a perfect representative of the system (I really wished the movie would have spent a bit more time exploring his point of view and how maybe it changed over time, because Wan Ziqiang wasn't really a bad-bad person, just a robin-hoodish delinquent). Where the character went under-explored by the movie, Tan Jianci delivered in his powerhouse acting and absolutely gobsmacking looks :D Tanned and dangerous! I don't know what 'rugged' type of look they were going after, but he ended up looking more beautiful than ever, ahah XD (but in a very manly way, of course).

I loved the leitmotif of the cat-and-mouse game and game partners, which becomes evident after you watch the very final scene of the movie (I won't spoil, but it almost turns the tables and makes you think over the whole agenda of Wan Ziqiang and why he was doing all this stuff, apart from trying to prove his invincibility).

So, in general, I think these two powerhouse actors carried the whole movie perfectly well. Zhu Yilong truly excelled in portraying the unhinged/damanged, yet playful 'villain' who simply didn't know when to stop (and I felt even A-Qi would have been forgiving if he simply dropped off the face of the earth after a few heists to live out his days using his wealth). But that didn't happen, alas. I would have loved more backstory for Qi Honggang, but even so, Tan Jianci's delivery was A++. They're just a very charismatic OTP.

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Who really did it?

This is a captivating drama. I binged watched it. Every episode was a cliff hanger and I just wanted to continue the next episode. It truly is a series of trying to figure out who is the mastermind of all the happenings. I like all the actors even the evil ones played their roles so well. It is worth rewatching as I probably would understand it better a second time.
The negative comments I have are; that the music is much too loud, and too intense during dialogue, and I should have just ended watching after episode 25, as the last few episodes are psychopathic violent conclusion.

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A drama for fans of real female villains

After reading all of the top reviews for this drama, I've concluded that a lot of viewers just fundamentally misunderstood the story and the character of Baek Ah Jin.

Baek Ah Jin is not a heroine, nor an anti-heroine, really. The best word to describe her would be a villain protagonist. I also saw other people describe this drama as a revenge story, which it isn't. The story is focused on Baek Ah Jin as a character, on who she is, on why she makes the choices she makes and on her emotional journey as the story evolves and the stakes get higher.

If you come into this drama expecting a standard revenge story with an anti-heroine you can still root for despite their flaws, I understand how you'd be thrown off. This isn't that. I watched this drama long after it came out and I don't know what the promotion for it was like, but if it was promoted as that I'd be confused. This drama is for those who want a story that explores the twisted mind of a villain who continues to make life a living hell for everyone around her, but you can't look away because you're so curious what she'll do next.

I personally loved this drama, despite it getting kind of weak in the later half, but it finished strong. KYJ's acting is also phenomenal, I got chills!!!

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Against My Better Judgment, I Am Seated

Oki, this is a fairly easy watch, y’all.
As far as mini dramas go this one looks good, I don't see the ML's wig hairline high fiving me so it's already a win in my book lmao those who are traumatized by that will get me 😭🙏🏻

Our FL transmigrates into the body of a discarded noble consort, only to discover that her new man comes with four different personalities taking turns at the wheel like this is a freaking carpool. And apparently, her kisses are the only thing anchoring the original soul back into existence. Girl, you didn't transmigrate into a romance, you became a human reboot button. 💀

The FL is pretty and the ML is handsome, and I can actually distinguish between his split personalities, so props to Jerome! But why is the main soul owner the most boring one??? Bro, release the whorish personality and the baddie back into the wild. I did not come here to be entertained by the default settings.

Some of the dialogue, however, is fighting for its life. My man is literally poking an open wound and asking if it hurts. SIR????? 😭 Someone get this man an anatomy book before he accidentally discovers that fire is hot.

And logic? Currently screaming in all caps at me while I tell her to sit down and enjoy the show. We have transmigration, a ML who falls first AND harder(along with the rest of his personalities), relatively comfy chemistry(kisses are very bland imo), and enough clichés to qualify as a bulk purchase. Is it corny? Yes. Predictable? Yes. Am I sat here kicking my feet like the last remaining brain cell has been sedated? ALSO YES.

This is the drama equivalent of ordering fries. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing particularly nutritious for the brain, but suddenly you're at the bottom of the bag wondering where the fuck everything went. 🍟
A nice, light watch between heavier dramas, even if the subtitles occasionally look like they were translated during a minor medical emergency.

I'm on episode 9/24. The wig has behaved, the man needs anatomy lessons, and my standards have temporarily left the building. WE RIDE AT DAWN. 💀

✨Update✨
Finished the remaining episodes, and honestly? A nice, breezy little ride with absolutely zero emotional turbulence. My heart rate remained stable, my emotional support tissues stayed unemployed, and I watched half this thing at 2x speed, so that tells you everything you need to know. 💀
Some aspects were so simplistic they could've been explained with three crayons and a napkin, but hey, I knew what I signed up for.

The ending left me with mixed feelings, but mostly the positive kind since our leads got their happy ending.

All in all, a nice, serviceable drama to squeeze between heavier watches while folding laundry and pretending I'm being productive. The clothes got folded, the drama got finished, and not a single brain cell had to work overtime. We love an efficient queen. 👑😇

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