Reviews

One of the best modern romcom / slice-of-life / coming-of-age dramas :)

I don't think I've ever given a 10 to a drama from this genre, but in Katsuo's words, this was 'KANPEKI' [PERFECT] even though the writer would argue that perfection doesn't exist, and we're all works-in-progress.

The Story:

This is a story of Katsuo and Ayumi who have been dating since college and break up in Episode 1 after Ayumi grows tired of him belitting her with his chauvinistic and patriarchal remarks/lifestyle. Instead of dwelling largely on the past, the show focuses on the leads' present with small snippets of the past that explain the way their relationship was and how it reached the point of break-up. We see Katsuo and Ayumi take a journey of re-discovering their lives; who they were, who they are, and who they want to be. Katsuo begins to cook as a way of learning about Ayumi and her struggles in making the perfect dishes for him. Ayumi gets a pink hairstyle, drops her perfect demeanour and attempts to break free and re-discover herself and what she likes. The leads begin to experience a new world with new friends, potential love interests, and hobbies but on some level, they also gain an insight on each other as individuals and on their relationship together.


What makes the writing so so stellar:

First of all, this was written by a rookie writer, who wrote a drama for the first time. MAD RESPECT. She knew exactly what she was doing, and the story / interactions wasn't developed off a thin premise. She created these characters, and stayed true to every single one of them all the way till the end, without caring about how unconventional the sub-plots / journey might have been. This was truly worthy of being the breakout drama of the season.

All the characters were real and flawed. Nobody is perfect, and everybody is a work-in-progress. The drama never tries to impose or sell a gold standard of a relationship, other than the value of communication, observation, and change.

And it is so so rare to have a drama discuss identity of a person both in a relationship and outside a relationship. Romance dramas focus so much on giving us the heart-fluttering moments, the angst, the love / connection but rarely talk about what happens after 2 people date. How one's identity can get enmeshed in a relationship and how an individual can retain their identity while playing the role of partner. This drama exceeded my expectations in the discussion and journey of identity-building and relationship-forming.

Katsuo begins as a chauvinistic patriarchal male who you can't stand. But as the show progresses, he begins to notice how he belittles others, imposes his own patriarchal and traditional upbringing on to others especially women. While his habit of nitpicking remains, he becomes more and empathetic of other people's struggles and choices. Despite his yearning and love for Ayumi, he never throws himself at her or forces his desire on her. He gives her the space after the breakup to explore her own life, and explore his own too, as he begins to take charge of his groceries, cooking, household chores. Throughout the drama, he watches an 80s/90s melodrama on TV which he initially idolises as the ultimate romance. He even plans a proposal to Ayumi in Episode 1 at the same restaurant the hero in the drama proposes at, but by the last episode, as he watches the leads in the drama get back together after the ridiculous trial and tribulations they went through, he almost resigns and realises that his and Ayumi's relationship was over in Episode 1 itself. Even though they are communicating more perfectly now, they can't go back to that romantic relationship anymore because they're not the same people anymore. And because they've evolved, those feelings have evolved too. Both of them will always love each other and have a place for each other, but that itself is not enough.

Ayumi begins as the gentle, quiet, sweet female whose life revolves around pleasing Katsuo and cooking / cleaning / looking after him after work. But we see that she deceived herself into believing that she needed to be a certain way to be worthy of love. As her world opens up with new friends, she realises that she can be herself. But she questions who she is? Because at some level, she always saw herself in a relational way of who she wants to be like, or who she doesn't want to be like rather than who she is. She begins to date, to express her likes / dislikes and even takes the risk of trying to open a restuarant of her own.

In Episode 9, both of them sit at the grill together for the first time enjoying a meal they swore off on during college. Now they've changed, and they're able to enjoy it together. But are they really just lingering on the relationship they never got to have or on the growing tension between them each episode with the 'will-they / will-they-not, or do they truly envision a future with each other? In the end, both of them evolve from lovers to friends, and find closure to the break-up in Episode 1. While that is sad, you got to give it to the writer because it makes sense. Not every relationship ends with that perfect happily-ever-after, and that is completely fine. Their lives aren't over, and they're only just re-setting and re-starting.

The discussion on patriarchy and identity: men are not presented in a black-and-white manner. You have men who are deeply entrenched in patriarchy, and there are men who stepped out of it. The drama presents this in the most beautiful way - it's not about teaching men a lesson and putting them in their place, or asserting that women are superior / play the harder role because they do housework. Rather, that we are humans, and how about we communicate with each other human-to-human rather than assuming the roles and titles of a man/woman, which boxes us and categorises us in some way. No matter what your family did and taught you, you can change. you are you. No matter what society expects of you, you are you. No matter what gender you are boxed in, you are you. We are all unique, and human before anything else.

Let's talk about the platonic friendship between the various characters. Tsubaki and Katsuo have such a beautiful platonic friendship which starts off when they match on a dating app. They're 2 hot young accomplished people, and the writer never tries to get them in a situation where just because they're male/female, they have to catch feelings even though to some, they may look like the perfect match. It's clear that the female co-worker begins to like Katsuo, but again the writer never tries to force that relationship down just because they are men / women who work closely. Ayumi and the male/female who are dating (forgot their names) - such a beautiful relationship as they support each other. This could have been messy with either of these characters dating / having sex with each other but the writer doesn't go there. It's not needed. She stays true to the characters and the idea that men / women can have strong platonic friendships. Even 2 people who dated in the past can grow up and genuinely have a mature, easy-going uncomplicated friendship where they wish the best for each other. Through the drama, all these characters grow together.

The acting -

Takeuchi Ryoma OH MY GOD. This guy has found a fan in me after this drama. He has grown by leaps and bounds as an actor. While the script was stellar, I don't think this character would have worked if we had another actor play him. He became the character, and made Katsuo so endearing and loveable while annoying. He truly carried the drama.

Kaho, as always, conveyed the subtle changes Ayumi went through during the drama with such nuance. She wasn't dramatic in presenting that change and had the right restraint and energy as Ayumi.

Nakajo Ayami as Tsubaki is another actor who has grown by leaps and bounds. She had such a fun, energetic presence on this show compared to her stiff acting in her earlier works.

Everybody else was great.

The technical aspects of the drama -

I enjoyed the quirky OST as well. The direction was spot on, without any filler scenes or badly lit frames / angles. I have no critique on this aspect.

In fact, there is nothing about this drama that could have been done better. I would love for this to have a special or a 2nd season because I loved these characters so much. I would love to know where they are, what they are doing, and who they are dating. .

A big THANK YOU to the writer, the cast and the crew for this gem. This is one of those J-dramas that absolutely everyone needs to watch once.

Highly highly recommended for all :)

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pretentious and insufferable

I first heard about this show back in May and was sooooooo excited for it from that initial trailer. I looooooooooooved Tian Xiwei in Pursuit of Jade and was eager to see her tackle this dual role. She did incredible work in this show and she clearly put a lot of thought into how to make A-Chou and Wei Rao distinct from each other. But that is quite literally the only positive I can say for this show. Clearly I didn't make it very far before I gave up LOL but the writers of this show were too busy thinking of the most shocking plot twists they could throw in that they just did not bother to consider whether the story made a lick of sense. Lu Zhuo hates Wei Rao and wants nothing to do with her, but they are currently engaged. He tells her he's publicly calling off the engagement when he comes back from battle after she attempts to kill another noblewoman, but even tho he knows her personality so well (apparently), he doesn't have the forethought to expect that she would progress things for the wedding while he was away. Lu Zhuo is shot w a poison arrow and is in a coma and Wei Rao doesn't want to be forced into the marriage now that it looks like he's dying, so she has her aunt find a doppleganger to take her place. As I've seen other ppl point out, A-Chou manages to convincingly pretend to be Wei Rao to the point that all these other nobles don't see anything amiss despite A-Chou having a job of cleaning latrines and knowing nothing of the lavish life that Wei Rao has lived before she is brought to the Wei residence. You want to know how Lu Zhuo survives? A-Chou is uncomfortable sharing a bed with him and seeing his face while she tries to sleep, so she tilts him onto his side. Dozens of doctors came to try to see if they could save him and apparently not a single one of them had that thought. Absolutely ludicrous. The next episode, one of the servants who accompanied A-Chou to the Lu residence and knows about the swap tries to kill her via poison and she just fucking collapses in the middle of trying to attack A-Chou. Like the plot would progress nowhere if it weren't for the plot armor lmao. As for the "romance".............. Lu Zhuo constantly says Wei Rao is vicious and puts on a facade and can't be trusted so he is very suspicious of A-Chou and believes she has some ulterior motive that he hasn't figured out yet....... but somehow he's clearly moved by these acts that she is claiming to do for him (A-Chou is literally just trying to ensure her safety by attempting to gain his favor). Like idk man. If I knew someone tried to murder another woman bc she dared to have a crush on me, *did* murder that woman's maid to hide the fact that she unprovoked pushed that woman off a balcony, and sliced her own hand open to make it look like the other woman and her maid attacked her first..... I would not be staring at that woman with fondness just bc she performed a ritual hoping for marital harmony. Like lmao are you joking?????

Ep 5 was my breaking point bc ep 4 ended with A-Chou locked in a room with gasoline on the floor and Wei Rao throwing a torch and like. we knew she wouldn't die (at least not that early) so I was like 'wow. idrc.' and clearly it's supposed to be a cliffhanger that has the audience anxious about how A-Chou can possibly survive this and then 5 seconds into the next episode the Wei grandmother is telling servants to put out the fire. Like............................ OK lmao. A-Chou was smart enough to sneak a note into Lu Zhuo's belongings in case something happened to her at the Wei residence, but not smart enough to suspect that Bitao might be loyal to someone in the Wei residence and betray her. OK. Wei Rao is unhinged enough to try to kill A-Chou at the Wei residence and then after being reprimanded by her grandmother, willing to try again IN PUBLIC, and yet Lu Zhuo still has no idea about the swap. OK. (Also don't get me started on how f*cking stupid it is that Wei Rao held A-Chou underwater and one of Wei Rao's servants literally checked for breathing and said A-Chou wasn't breathing but then she managed to pull Wei Rao into the water and they were tussling. OK.)

Tian Xiwei please get a lead role that allows you to show off your range that isn't utter garbage 🙏

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Not so Hidden Gem

While some viewers claim this drama is a slow burn, I was hooked from the very first episode. The acting, plot, and music were in perfect harmony, creating a truly immersive experience. However, I believe it is important to include a content disclaimer, as the story deals with heavy themes like sexual assault and self-harm. Nearly every character—from the heroes to the villains—carries complex trauma, making them feel incredibly human and layered.

Princess Danyang is unlike any character I have encountered in my years of watching Chinese dramas, and Meng Ziyi brought her to life with incredible nuance, defying any critics who doubted her performance. The entire cast deserves praise; they made me look past their characters' actions to understand the hearts beneath. Villains like Lord Yu and Meng Zaishi left me emotionally conflicted, and Liu Wenji’s tragic journey was deeply moving. Witnessing how characters like Chunhua, Wenji, Yan Shang and Danyang navigated their unspeakable grievances—with some turning toward darkness while others sought peace—was powerful.

This is far more than an average romance; it is a profound story about endurance, tragedy, and the aftermath of survival. This production is a well-deserved 10/10 and stands as one of Meng Ziyi's finest performances. A huge shoutout to the cast, screenwriters, directors, and the entire production team for creating such an impactful work of art.

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Not Enough to Entice a Fan

Although I was totally smitten with Li Yunrui-Meng Ziyi pairing in Blossom, it seemed they had not been able to keep the flair on Tigers. At least for me of course. For one, the characters themselves were not interesting enough to keep me watching. Meng goes onscreen as Princess Danyang, an overly domineering daughter of owner of the realm, who wreaks havoc when she decided on a whim to “borrow” Yan Shang family’s humble abode upon her carriage being damaged due to the terrain. Borrow being the gentle term as opposed to hostile takeover, which is exactly what she did, complete with kicking out a crippled old man (ML’s father) and a mentally challenged young man (ML’s elder brother), tearing off the doors and walls due to the heat, and tossing out the family’s furnitures to make way for hers. Meanwhile, Li takes the helm as Yan Shang, a timid, lowkey young man who works at a scholar academy, moonlighting as ghostwriter for the students there. When he encounters a military commander who is also his mom’s killer at the government office in town, Yan Shang is determined to make it to the capital and go for government office to plan his revenge, and he sees Princess Danyang as his stepping stone. And when Princess Danyang’s carriage fell into a cliff after she departs from Yan Shang’s home, he tries real hard to find the princess and keep her around him so she would be inclined to help him get to the capital.

That is all I could surmise from the brief 3 episodes that I watched. I decided to drop this altogether when the script tries too hard to insinuate romantic encounter between the leads, desperately at that. Only 3 episodes and i keep rolling my eyes at either FL’s temper tantrums, ML’s timidity or their tacky proximity awkwardness, and I thought I wouldnt want to keep doing this for the next 37 episodes. I guess this is not my cup of tea, i came expecting marriage of convenience for revenge, but it seemed like I can’t handle how the main characters are written. Both characters are not interesting enough for me to keep on watching, and the backstory plot of both characters’ dark angsty past isnt intriguing enough to hold my attention. Sorry dearies. I guess I might have to rewatch Blossom instead to quench my yearn to see the couple. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Good with some jarring flaws

Things I adored

1 I think this is the first time that every thing I adored is outside the main leads. There are quite a few characters that were more compelling to me than the main leads. First of all the assistant of the ML. There have been other assistants I liked in several dramas but here I adored him. He was such a cute actor and also a great written character. Not only he was fun and the actor did a great job, but I also loved his relationship with the ML. It was more an older younger brother relationship than boss and employee. My favorite character in the whole drama.

2 The father of the ML. Such a calm, reasonable character and the actor was also good. I loved his view of life, his job and his family. Even his relationship with his wife was fun. I love that kind of character where they keep their integrity and get through whatever bothers them with dignity and calm.

3 The brother of the FL. He was also a cute and good actor and I also loved his relationship with his sister. I think it was truly well done. You could feel the love between them and who never had some conflict with their siblings and bicker constantly? They did a great job about that and it was great to watch their interactions.

Things I loved

1 The recurrent theme of the Little Prince. It was well done and endearing.

2 Duo Duo. Yes she got on my nerves a few times, she was too impulsive and idiot to be honest, but the actress did a great job and it was refreshing to see her going after the bad guys. Loved the actress.

3 Cheng Yang. He was a good character. I wish he was more developed and his relationship with Duo Duo a bit more balanced but all in all I loved him and hos relationship with the FL and the ML.

4 The ML. I debated if he should go in the like or love list. I think the actor did a great job and that he's gorgeous and nails the CEO posture doesn't hurt him. He's one of the most handsome actors and he has some skills. His smile is also gorgeous and knows how to use it. But here his character had some flaws that bothered me a lot. Like his tendency to treat her like a child. Like calling her wifey. Like talking about her weight all the time. Like not being clear in the first episodes about how he felt.
Then gain he goes on the love list because he was loyal from the minute they got together to the wedding. He had a way to deal with his mother that was respectful and funny but also firm. He had a great relationship with his father, his assistant and his cousin. He was respectful to his elders without bowing to them. He was a good friend to Xue Ling and to Qian and he stood his ground when needed. So he goes to the love list because he had more qualities than flaws. I still think he could be better with another actress and also with less disparaging comments or actions toward the FL.

5 Qian. She wasn't my favorite at first but the way she acknowledged her mistakes and managed to heal everyone's relationships was good to watch. The actress did a good job, although I can't say I'll search for other works with her. I loved more her character than the actress.

6 The mother of the FL. Smart woman and a great mother who didn't try to smother her children or get in their way. Good job.

7 Lu Zhu. I didn't care about the actress, but I loved her character. She was fun and loyal and I was happy to see her being the comedic element of the drama but also the voice of reason sometimes. I loved her relationship with the ML.

8 The podcast. That was well done and it was endearing to listen to and how they connected through that.

9 That it was about fashion. I learned quite a few things even though some things were awful like the outfits the FL presented in her show.

Things I liked

1 Meng Jing. She didn't have enough presence to love herm but I liked how she made the whole drama feel more vivid. It's like real life, we have friends we talk sometimes with, we have common interests but they aren't our best friends either. The actress was cute.

2 The father of the 2ML. He was an interesting character and I think he contributed to make the drama better. His dynamic with his son was interesting and same for his relationship with his daughter but also the ML. This drama had three fathers with quite some screening time and all three were interesting.

3 The father of the 2FL. My first impulse is to put him in the I hate list, but he had some good scenes and some good dialogue with his wife, his daughter and the ML and his father. He was also an interesting person. I liked how he was with his daughter, honest but also caring. I did find some of his actions debatable, but it was a good war.

4 Yan Xu. He was there so we don't feel bad fir Xue Ling, but the actor was good and his character passable. Not really believing in the fairy tale and that these two would be happy together, but well, it wasn't bad at least to the extend I was afraid it'd be.

Things I didn't care about

1 The FL. It would be unfair to put her in the i dislike list but I can't put in the I like list either. Several reasons to that. First of all I hated her voice when she took the voice of a supposedly bubbly cute 16 year old. it didn't suit her as I said elsewhere and was jarring to me. I don't like the actress because I think she's not bad but she's not good either and her mannerisms bother me a lot. Like when she lowers her eyes and pretends to be shy, or when she bites her lip and pretends to be coy. Worse when she pouts. Oh gosh when she pouts she's terrible. You should never pout. NEVER. it doesn't work for you.
Harsh but she's not pretty enough to get away with this. Beauty is on the eye of the beholder and I don't feel bad to say I find her unattractive because I'm sure others find her beautiful. the thing is here she was miscast. The ML is too handsome for her and that she played a character that wasn't cohesive is also problematic. She started well and I liked her, but then she was made into an idiot and a blushing 16 year old and suddenly she was ugly to me. You see how it works? If you nail your character you are beautiful even if I don't think objectively that you are, but if your character is a mess there's no beauty that can save you.
Sometimes she was dynamic and smart and funny. I loved so many things she did like standing up for her friend and to the ML and her future MIL. But others she behaved like an idiot like when they eat with his parents and she says stupid stupid things like "she's so thin". When she tries to be what the ML or the others around her want her to be. So to me her character is a miss at the end of the day event though I loved many things about her. Her friendship with Duo Duo, her relationship with her brother etc.

2 The childhood connection. Was it cute? Maybe. Was it necessary? Not at all, moreover that it was anticlimactic the way they presented it. It was meant to be moving, it came out as stupid. Especially when the FL pouts and says "why didn't you tell me earlier"? It wasn't such a big deal but hey, whatever floats your boat to persuade us it was fate.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

Reverse 4 You was unexpectedly SO good! 😭😭😭😭 The romance, buildup, and acting were truly amazing, and the main couple's chemistry had me completely hooked from the very beginning (plus Vivi was so adorable!). The soundtrack also fit the mood perfectly and really elevated the emotional scenes.

My only real complaint is that the last two episodes felt super rushed. The pacing was great up until episode 6 and then the entire plot suddenly crammed into a single episode, leaving big moments feeling way too fast.

Even with the hurried ending, I still highly recommend watching it. It's such an underrated drama with high rewatch value....definitely worth your time! 😭

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ANOTHER FEMALE CHARACTER

this drama watched bcz of the actress I like her acting skills. I think this drama fail bcz of STORY which is the writer want to show us many more but he actually shows us a little we understand on the screen , this drama can show Season 2 , so many characters are left to show. what is the ending ??? you all end like this I don't understand you all did mistake . what you want the audience to show? Everybody includes this drama Acting skills are so good including villains so so good. but you end the story like this. you all shoot for money or something , what left?

my conclusion for this drama is CHEAP STORY and BEST ACTING.

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Adrenaline Rush On Call

Facing the decline in performance of trauma units all around Korea, the Minister of Health declared a mission to revamp the units to decrease death rates in the ER. Baek Kanghyuk, a trauma surgeon specialized in warzone operations is called in to spearhead the mission, starting at the Hankook National University Hospital with an initial budget of 10billion won. However, as Dr Baek keeps on saving life after life, the higher ups of the hospital began to see the enormous spending in the trauma center as their profit deficit. In truth, they have been eyeing to utilize the budget for other purposes, going beyond their means to shut down the trauma unit altogether in one swoop, only to find that Dr Baek has more up his sleeve than just a backing of a minister.

This has gotta bee one of Ju Jihoon’s best drama ever. Too bad it’s so short, finishing in just 8 episodes. The adrenaline keeps on pumping episode after episode, basically there is no rest moment between them. It’s all a race against time one after another as the lives of each patient coming through the door fades by the minute.

I think JJH is a great choice for this role cuz his big built made him intimidating in action scene and operating room. Love the snippets of Baek’s time in warzones, as usual he rocks the action scenes like a rock star. His nonchalance, his suave, his sarcasm, his temper, everything is done to the perfection in building Dr Baek’s character.

I totally love the sidekicks, Anus/No1/Dr Yang, Nurse Cheon the gangster and the lowkey anaestheologist Dr Park. Even Dr Han was endearing towards the end. They really click with each other right from ep 1, the cameraderie is just too compelling. The performance everyone showed here is mindblowing. And the surgeries are truly the gamechanger, they keep coming up with impossible situations one after another. Best part is there’s no blurring of supposedly gory stuff, they show them up onscreen like nobody’s business, looking as realistic as the real stuff too! Kudos to the screenwriter and props.

Can’t wait for the sequel. And yeah every single episode is worth a rewatch.

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SOAPY AND THEATRICAL BUT IAM OBSESSED!

Okay, let's be honest. Remarried Empress has that soapy, theatrical vibe to it, and I am absolutely EATING IT UP.

It's fun. It's engaging. It's dramatic in the best way. It's not trying to be subtle, it's giving palace drama, betrayal, divorce papers, dramatic entrances, and it KNOWS it.

*Navier is EVERYTHING to me.*

Shin Min Ah as Navier is everything. Smart, elegant, graceful, beautiful, and she knows how to command authority even when it feels like they have taken it away from her.

She never begs for it. Even when they try to strip it away, she is like, "Okay, you can take the title, but you cannot take the way I walk into a room." She commands a room without even raising her voice. That is power. That is an empress.

*Rashta and Sovieshu? Annoying as expected.*

Rashta is annoying in that way where you want to scream at the screen because she plays innocent but she KNOWS exactly what she is doing.

And Sovieshu? Sir, you had the most perfect empress in the entire empire and you threw her away for THIS? For a girl who cries on cue? Be serious.

*And then Heinry walks in.*

Lee Jong Suk as Prince Heinry is a TREAT. That playful, charming, yet cunning side to him... ahhh.

He is the only one who matches Navier's energy. Playful, teasing her, charming everyone, but then you see that cunning side and you are like, oh, he is not just a pretty prince, he is PLAYING the game too. He actually SEES her worth when her own husband doesn't.

And Lee Jong Suk and Shin minah has this unexpectedly good chemistry.

Final Verdict: Soapy? Yes. Theatrical? Yes. Am I having the time of my life? ALSO YES.

My only worry is that we have just a few episodes left and how will they fit everything inside those four episodes anyways..I'll wait and watch!

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