Reviews

It’s a miss for me

Up to Episode 4 I thought this story was going to go somewhere but the plot was thin and shallow in every way. I get that TCOMH is a very (very) light RomCom. It did have some funny moments. But the story was weak from the start.

It was far too implausible to accept a man, having received repair to his artificial heat, to appear so healthy and energetic so quickly after that serious of a surgery. Especially if he had three months to get healthy for the final surgery. The fantasy was over Bo Bae’s powers of electricity not Ho-Rang’s powers of healing.

Yes, I know sometimes you have to check your brain at the door for over-the-top or fantasy- type stories, but only if the core story and messaging make sense. Generally, IMO, if there’s going to be something incredibly outlandish, most everything else needs to be reasonably realistic for all the pieces of the story to make sense.

I don’t like to pick apart dramas - I do my best to take them as presented. But this one felt like pieces of other dramas put together to make TCOMH. I saw echos of My Royal Nemesis, Where Stars Land, Master’s Sun, and Idol I.

Ha Rang, quite the man-child, was a mix of Cha Se-gye (MRN) and Jo Joong Won (MS). More times than. Bo bae felt like a shell of Yoo Reum (WSL) with hints of Tae Gong Shil. (MS). Ji Eun-hi’s character gave me flashbacks of Do Ra-ik (Idol-I). And the story itself had vibes of each of these dramas with other characters reminiscent of some in these same dramas.

The chemistry between the leads was good as they did play off each other pretty well. However, the writing did not give our leads enough depth in their individual characters for me to embrace them.

With the exception of Mr Yoon, the side characters were uninteresting and unexciting. The rich-cabeol-inheritance war trope was over used here.

The music was hit and miss. Some songs were nice but in many places it was too loud and overpowered the scene.

I wouldn’t recommend this drama.
4/10

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Great absurdist romantic comedy – live laugh love

This is a special spice of "crazy stupid" and they sprinkled it with taste like the guy in the salt vine. Let me get to the point, I totally get that this is not everyone's "Jam" (haha) of comedy, or series. However I personally adore every eccentric choices made during production that resulted in a very feel good story with its own brand of odd surprises. Since childhood I've loved the kind of comedy that exploits the genuine reaction of disbelief and incredulity of its character, my go to animes were Azumanga and Nichijo, absurd situations, awkward silences at times that gets a little bit "too long" and editing that really made it iconic. For the literary crowd I'm also a great enjoyer of the theatre of the absurd from playwrighters like Ionesco or Beckett if you'll excuse the comparison with contemporary time yaoi.
Everyone who participated in this series committed to it's peculiar atmosphere, MaxNat were a great choice to lead it as they're both not afraid to look the part and be freaky silly, Gems was also a nice discovery for me in this series, and the three Adisuan brothers that they paint to be very different from each other just have the best idiotic chemistry with their dad as well. That's one hectic family! Then the ones who truly make a series special are the staff and postproduction crew, the overuse (positive) of sound effects is unforgettable, those meows and wow will definitly follow me for a while... And the whole show is visually stunning, of course real locations are amazing in Thailand, the Adisuan farm also had great sceneries and everything felt soft and warm like I was tucked in for a wild ride. I can only imagine how the vibes were on set but I need a full documentary please!
I must reiterate that I get that absurdity is not for everyone and that's totally okay. But if that's the type of wit you're into, and you're bored or feeling sad, I think a shot of Your Third vitamin might help with your mood!! :)

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No, It's Not About the Romance: It's About the Women

I started this drama with one question: 'How in the hell would she end up married to a man who abandoned her and then made her a servant in the house she was to become a young madam?' I assumed they'd make him save her, then give him some dumbass sob story that she would accept, forgive him, and they'd live happily ever after. I was ready to hate it.

But boy was I wrong. The blame is on me since my assumptions were made from reading the synopsis here and seeing the one trailer where she and her adoptive parents talked about saving enough money to save themselves.

After a whopping 47 episodes - the longest Cdrama I have watched thus far - I feel with everything in me that we need more stories like this. Stories that center around the plight of women and what it actually means to live and survive in a world that restrains you. A world that sees you as nothing but a tool, a nuisance, a burden, and, according to the Lin sisters' mother, 'spilled water'.

LanXiang: The 'Cameraman of the Era
Lan Xiang reminds me a lot of ManMan from 'The Prisoner of Beauty '. They are both quick-witted, possess a quiet strength, and the ability to adapt to any circumstance. I love a vengeful, cunning, sword-wielding woman as much as the next babe, but sometimes, It's good to see how the average woman would have survived in such times. LanXiang and ManMan are far from the average historical Chinese woman due to the fact that they are educated and braver than most. IMO, that (the education really) is what helps them accomplish much of what they do.

In one of her plays, Lan Xiang talks about a woman who turns into an eagle to escape her ungrateful, murderous family. Throughout the story, I saw Lan Xiang as that eagle—or rather, a vessel whose eyes I used to view the atrocities women faced. In meme language, she is the cameraman: she sees everything and never dies.

I feel like the aim of this drama was not to portray how one woman beat the odds, making her better than all those around her. But rather, to walk the audience through this time period, showing them, through Lan Xiang, all the atrocities that women had to live through. Lan Xiang is rather modern and forward-thinking for her time, which is why I see her as I, the audience, dumped into this time period. Her desires and thoughts mirror what liberated women in 2026 want and think. She forces us to ponder: "If this were happening to you with your 2026 brain and sensibilities, how would you feel?"

Through her, we see the systemic traps that women faced

• A woman gets kidnapped, yet she has to lie about her whereabouts lest the family decides she was defiled and throw her out to the wolves - Remember the women in 'The Prisoner of Beauty' who were SA'd, and their Lord forced them to go to the frontlines because the loss of their purity meant they were shameful and no longer useful to society?

• Women raised to believe that marriage is all that matters. A good man is all there is to their world. They are less than if a man doesn't want them and if unmarried by a certain age. And once married, they are shamed and hated within the household for earning an honest living, regardless of whether the man earns enough or not. Starve if you must, but do not show your face in public trying to make money

• Women are forced to stay in not only unhappy but physically and financially violent households because leaving is seen as shameful. And let's not forget that seeking a divorce requires the woman to be punished for shaming the husband, but also, divorce is only granted if the man agrees. If he says no, you are forced to stay. If he says no and claims he 'only beat you a little,' you stay

Crucially, the drama shines a light on women as complex human beings. They aren't evil for the sake of it; they have layers and distinct motivations. We see:

• The Jealous Sister: She rejoices at her older sister’s ruined prospects (possible loss of virginity before marriage), only to save her upon realizing the scandal would not just ruin her older sister but tarnish her reputation as well as that of her family at large
• The Toxic Wife: She treats her husband with disdain, cheats on him, and mistreats the maids from his side of the union — until you learn about the abusive family she came from.
• The Social Climber: A maid who bullies the girl she grew up with and tries to gain favor with the young master of the household, but she later proves to be more than just a surface-level bully.

These women aren't sanitized, and they aren't demonized. As a woman living with the narrative that women are each other's biggest enemies, I love how human this show treats them. I don't agree with all their actions, but I understand them.

Lin Jin Qi: The Patriarchal Cage
I think he was a good portrayal of a patriarchal, classist man. Before he falls for Lan Xiang, he forces her to spy on his wife so he can find a way to break off the marriage. I wonder if, at the time, he thought of the other servant girl that was beaten and sold off. The one he'd bribed to tell him about that book (was it a scripture book?) I forget. I assume he did not, since he went to the brothel she'd been sold to -to save the 'love of his life' - and never recognized her.

Once he falls for her, he does not treat her with the same respect he would women of his standing. He starts touching her and even drinks from the same cup as her. This would have never happened had she been of the same class. Then he uses the emperor's decree to marry her. Does he care how she feels about returning as a wife to the house where she used to empty chamber pots? Doubtful.

He likely believes that she and her family will be elated. A man of his standing found her smart and beautiful enough to deign to marry her. How wonderful! He elevated them!! Then he drugs and drags her to the capital. He assumes that her desire to stay in Jingling must be about another man. He cannot comprehend that she has independent desires outside of romance.

He believes that if he's patient enough, acts cute enough, and takes off his clothes to show off those sexy abs, she'll like him and give him a chance. Thinking about him just pisses me off.

I never understood the viewers begging Lan Xiang to forgive him so the romance could start. Every woman in this story is trying to escape a cage. Lan Xiang finally escaped and built an easy life, and he caged her again! We're supposed to gloss over that for "romance"? Hell no. Her restraint and silent treatment were much kinder than what I would've given him.

He does eventually become a man who deserves her, giving her more freedom than most within the marriage, and he's a great father, so... he wasn't a total lost cause.

The Romance or Lack Thereof
When they finally consummated their marriage - many years later - I didn't know how to feel about it. I hated the thought that she loved him. Not because she's undeserving of love, but because, in my eyes, he'd never deserve her love. However, the more I think about it, the more I feel like she ended up like many women of her time - those who never truly loved their husbands, not in the 2026 sense of all-consuming love, but found ways to care for them.

During those unconsummated years, shared hardships and conversations likely allowed her to trust him. Like water (another Prisoner of Beauty parallel), she learned to adapt to her circumstances and find happiness where she could. I believe that, till his death, he definitely loved her more than she loved him.

The Downsides
Despite everything I loved, 47 episodes were too many. The pacing after episode 38 went straight to the gutters. The resurgence of old enemies and mundane daily life wasn't interesting, and the time jumps didn't help. I fear they cut out most of what the audience needed to see these two, but especially her, bond enough to build trust and a family.

Final Thoughts
As I close the book to this drama, I wonder sadly if Lan Xiang was ever truly happy. Some part of me thinks that some small part of her never learned to be happy. She lived because her mother's dying wish was for her to do so. But can you ever be truly happy after seeing all the women in your life take their lives to escape state-sanctioned sexual slavery? Then later in life have to live in the house that belonged to said deceased family and with the family that played a part in this tragedy? She kept it all a secret and never used her name again. I think this is too much to ask for one person

Ultimately, this is exactly what I look for in stories about women and their struggles. It doesn't sugarcoat the past. Instead, it serves as a powerful reminder to be grateful for—and to protect—everything the women before us fought and suffered for. Things today could certainly be better, but we are living in their wildest dreams. We must never forget that or take it for granted.

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A Beautifully Human Kind of Heartbreak

I came back to Love in the Big City after finishing the novel first, and I think that order made all the difference.

I'll be honest: book adaptations often disappoint me, but this one didn't. What the series manages to carry over from the novel is harder to define than plot or character. It's something closer to atmosphere and emotional honesty, the feeling of accompanying someone through years of their life without the story asking you to judge them or fix them. Ko Yeong makes mistakes, hurts people, gets hurt himself, and keeps going. The series trusts that to be enough, and it is.

One difference I noticed is how much closer the novel brings us to Yeongs inner world. Written in the first person, it lets us experience the gap between what he says and what he actually thinks. Sometimes his words reveal very little about what is going on inside him. The series can't recreate that in quite the same way, and as a result, Yeong in the series comes across as more direct than he did on the page. But I also think this is one of the inherent challenges of adapting a story like this, and the series finds other ways to convey its emotional depth.

What matters most is still there: the texture of his life. The way humour and grief don't take turns but exist side by side, sometimes in the same sentence. The friendship with Mi-ae, which changes as their lives move in different directions, without becoming any less meaningful for it. The complicated relationship with his mother, his experiences with other men, his HIV diagnosis and his struggles with mental health. These aren't just themes the story touches on; they're all part of the life Yeong is trying to navigate.

What makes Yeong and Gyu-ho's relationship so heartbreaking is how real it feels. It's not just a sweet, rosy romance where everything revolves around the beautiful moments. It's a relationship between two people who share an everyday life, misunderstand each other, and sometimes struggle to give each other what they need. And knowing why Yeong behaves the way he does, why he pushes Gyu-ho away despite loving him, makes it all the more painful. He doesn't want the person he loves to get hurt by a relationship when his own circumstances and health struggles make it difficult for them to build the life they want together. It's beautiful and painful at once, and neither the book nor the series offers an easy way out of that heartbreak.

Nam Yoon-su is exceptional. He doesn't make Yeong feel like a character being performed; he simply inhabits him. Having already started the series before reading the novel, I also realised how much his portrayal had shaped the way I imagined Yeong while reading. Returning to the series afterwards felt less like revisiting a story and more like seeing someone familiar from a different angle.

I would recommend reading the novel before watching the series, if you can. Not because the series has no emotional impact on its own, but because the book gives you access to parts of Yeong that are harder to convey on screen. With that context, the series became even richer for me.

It's a story about what it means to love, lose and keep going and about all the relationships, experiences and contradictions that make up a life. It's funny, painful, deeply human, and it broke my heart in the most beautiful way.

That's rarer than it should be.

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​A realistic workplace story about becoming your own irreplaceable self.

​Knowing from day one that Irreplaceable was strictly focused on the workplace with minimal romance, I managed my expectations and tuned in primarily for Zhao Jinmai. She did not disappoint! She portrayed Xu Chi brilliantly, bringing a strong, ambitious, and grounded energy to the character.

​What I Loved:

​Character Development & Empowerment:
Xu Chi inspired me to stay confident in my career and embrace being a strong woman. What makes her relatable is that she isn't written as a perfect superhero—her flaws make her human.

​The Core Theme:
The drama delivers a grounded reality: no matter how hard we work, we don't always get the ideal fairy-tale outcome in the workplace. But the true victory is staying true to ourselves—building our own resilience, experience, and authentic, irreplaceable version. ​

Consistent Plot:
The storyline stuck faithfully to its core premise throughout, keeping every episode engaging .

​Minor Critiques:
​I wished the lead couple had a bit more screen time together to further develop their dynamic.
​The ending felt slightly open-ended, leaving a few threads to interpretation.

​Final Thoughts:
If you enjoy realistic career dramas with strong, audacious female leads and an authentic approach to corporate life, this is definitely worth the watch!

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Absolutely DELIGHTFUL! excellent script, acting, filming, ... what a treat!!!!!!

This drama is an artistic masterpiece, every little detail in it is so meticulously done, so rich. It is real life but seen through the camera that really captures the FEELING of the characters.
The script is masterful as everything matters
The acting is impeccable, by everyone
The camera and production ppl are geniuses, visually it is stunning, descriptive and informative

Just a lovely lovely lovely drama!!!!! What a GIFT!!! THANK YOU !!!!

It has everything from life - suffering, fear, comedy, anger, deep issues, friendship, desire to date, health, enjoyment, family, work, politics, everything. It is extremely well paced and "natural"
and extremely sophisticated, as all real kdramas are.

The vibe is very very very fine and very light. It is pure joy to watch it. Even when it goes through heavy and scary stuff, there is eventually the light at the end of the tunnel
Like suffering with the leg, and then the first swimming scenes. The camera captured so well his "becoming one" with the water and enjoying it. The blues and silvers and the light reflections, and his eyes

Just a masterfully done kdrama. It makes your heart expand in gratitude.

The music is modern and is in English. Which gives it the urban college campus techie feel and also a globally universal feel for young ppl.
I am not sure how I feel about that. It doesnt bother me bc I am international audience, not Korean. The music fits bc it is not soapy at all and has words that match well with the drama.
I am not sure if words in Korean would be better.

In any case, imo, the music matches well

Overall, this is a globally universal drama. This kind of campus is everywhere.

And the comedy of socially inept male engineers who finally found their one Goddess :) And a fiesty warm artist who draws out the shy introverted quiet engineer
Both ML and FL are very endearing

I wish she didnt pick to study engineering just for him. I hope she didnt :) We need more female engineers.
Well - there are plenty cute male engineers. They are quirky and clueless but are often very good guys waiting to be discovered. A smart woman can find herself some really good life partners in the engineering department. Those guys are flashy and popular, but that is a goo thing, there arent a million women after them :) and they are loyal and reliable.

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A crying shame...

I wanted to like this, really. A historical revenge-romance drama with a strong and sharp warrior female lead and a traumatized warrior male lead who lost all his loved generals older brothers and father in one battle, played on top of that by Ding Yu Xi, one of the best actors of his generation? It looked fire. The trailer was promising too, beautiful cinematography and Ding Yu Xi's despairing eyes as effective as ever.

But right from the beginning, the drama was disappointing. Its very first scene was utterly ridiculous, not poetic as they seem to have intended it, I still feel second-hand embarrassment just thinking about it. The drama's pace was kinda slow and the plot boring. The female lead was one of the most annoying and unbearable character I've ever seen and it doesn’t improve later. Some of her reactions also didn’t make much sence. At some point, I couldn’t stand her so much that I had to fast-forward everytime she was on screen, before finally ending up dropping the drama. The actress' acting also didn’t really resonate with me, it was pretty bland, I couldn’t feel anything.

The leads don’t have much chemistry either. They seemed akward together and it has no relation with the age gap (not big either, only 8y). It's not the first time in a drama (The Long Ballad, The Double for example) and the male lead is supposed to be younger than the female lead, so I don’t really get the criticism about that (and calling her old seriously? At 37 or 38 yo?). Lack of romance is also not an issue in itself for me, there are a lot of good dramas with well fleshed characters and an interesting plot where romance takes the backseat. This one is not it.

Ding Yu Xi shines as ever, even if its not his best role, and carries the all drama on his shoulders, but even he can’t save by itself such a disaster, especially since, to make things worse, he doesn’t have much screen time, which is strange for a male lead. His brothers and father and their bond were interesting too but they barely made an appearance in the drama. Their wives were okayish. The actresses did a good job but their characters, stories and the relationship between them and with the main leads were not really riveting when there were so much that could have been explored. Or maybe it was, later in the drama, but I couldn’t care less.

So much potential wasted....

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8-10 episodes would be more than enough

The drama is neither bad nor good or it's just not my cup of tea.

Things I felt didn't go well
- 1st thing that gave me an ick was MaxNat's background sounds. Just irritated me. I feel they should have just had someone else make them like we see in the young dmd actor's series
- the plot is soo simple 8-10 episodes would be more than enough. 1st they drag the whole island phase. Then they drag the whole courting phase and finally they drag the post marriage phase
- Max has done a great job as an actor here but this role just doesn't suit him. It felt wayy too overwhelming
- I think this is a new dmd thing where they have other actors without any plot significance in the series. Like Kim ngl i was expecting him to play some kind of negative role or something looks like he was a cameo🤣

Things that did go well
- now the show was definitely adorable. I loved it at 1st until they started dragging it. Similar to what happened with "Your sky".
- I love JTOhm moments and the 3 brother's comedy scenes with the dad were my fav

I feel this drama will be quiet forgetful for me cz as i am reviewing this I barely remember it. There was nothing significant happening. No plot twists nothing just a straight line. I felt this with all OG dmd couples ZeeNunew, MaxNat, TutorYim their scripts are never good atp I am contemplating skipping dramas if they're starring in it. Eg: The Next Prince, ChermCher etc. Although i really love them.

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If You Love Makjang, You'll Love This Show!

This has got to be one of the craziest makjangs I've seen. Everyone is unhinged, they all say the meanest things to each other, and I've lost count of how many hair pulls and slaps happened!

The biggest highlight is the ML villain. He's extremely over-the-top (in a good way) and absolutely hilarious whenever he confronts the main characters. Then, he has a bit of a human side where, despite the fact you hate him, you also understand the tragedy behind his actions, where he truly believes he has to do these things to survive and achieve his goals.

The other characters are also great. The FL is absolutely terrifying when she goes in a revenge rampage for her daughter. The FL villain is very threatening, yet tragic because of how she was raised. The ML has a strong moral compass and uses it to convince others it's the right way (to a benefit and a fault). Seriously, this show does a lot of things right. The loan shark family is also really funny. Don don don don money money money money.

If you're expecting a bit more romance between ML and FL, you're not going to get it here. In fact, the romance is one of the weakest aspects of the show. However, the revenge elements more than make up for it.

Some storylines do slow down a bit (around episode 70-80), but they pick back up again. Some character goals also don't make much sense initially. However, the strongest part of this show are the characters and their relationships to each other. There were several times I cried during the show (for the plot twist reveals and the sad parts, of course), but I also cried because I was terrified for the characters.

If you find yourself wanting to skip episodes to find out what happens, you are probably better off not watching the show at all. Like many other long-form makjangs, they are all about the journey and the experience of watching it episode-by-episode. If you're not enjoying the experience, don't torture yourself for 60 hours.

Overall, the show doesn't do anything new, but it does it really damn well. I have to give it a PERFECT score.

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Your Third: A Feel-Good Series and a Silly Little Love Story

Your Third is a lighthearted romantic comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously. Max and Nat did a great job bringing the characters on screen and their chemistry made Sarm and Jam even more enjoyable to watch.

Overall, Your Third is a fun and comforting show that I could turn to whenever I was stressed or upset and just wanted to relax, have a good time, and enjoy. Sometimes, a simple comedy is needed! If you're looking for something lighthearted that doesn't require too much overthinking, give it a try!

Your Third was my first series by this couple but I definitely will continue to tune in and can’t wait to see what they do next. 

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