Reviews

Aggressively virtuous

Dong Yi is a captivating sageuk and really quite entertaining since I watched all 60 episodes in just under a month.

The story covers the life of the titular character, her peasant origins and her rise to become the king's most favoured concubine as well as the mother of a future Joseon king.

I enjoyed the world building in this show as well as the cast of characters who are all thoroughly engaging. The village, the countryside, and the palace - all were shot with great care and the sets are realistic.
The notable cast members who add dimension and depth to this show are Ji Jin Hee who plays king Sukjong, this role was played in such an engaging manner; the king is both authoritative when he needs to be and also human and charming; his depiction is very endearing, I loved his acting in this.

Chae Soo Bin is another actor who adds a lot of charisma to his role, he plays the role of Dong Yi's brother to perfection (old family friend and not biological) His character is a mainstay of this show. I love how the show hints at his secret love for Dong Yi which he never acts on but as viewers we can see it quite clearly, the moment he realises he can never hope for anything with Dong Yi is also clearly apparent for the viewer to see, so even though nothing is expressly said, the bittersweet moment is clear for us to see. I loved this subtlety.

Jang Ok Jung is played masterfully by Lee So Yeon. Her transformation from a graceful woman who prides herself on her intelligence and wit into a malicious and desperate woman is convincingly done. I appreciate how the story and direction clearly show us Jang's motivation at every stop of her story. As bad as she became, I totally understood her reasons, even if I didn't agree with them.

Commissioner Seo is another character that provides a steady presence in the show. Even though he doesn't come up with many solutions (Dong Yi solves every mystery in this show, no joke) his character provides stability and maturity.

I would say these four characters were the best in terms of acting prowess and screen presence.

The character of Dong Yi played by Han Hyo Joo is portrayed in a determinedly faultless way. It's very clear that the point of the production was to lean heavily on Dong Yi being a virtuous warrior of justice. She was entirely lacking in ambition or self-interest. These qualities, as admirable as they are, combined with Han Hyo Joo's one-dimensional acting to make Dong Yi rather boring in her personal capacity, what makes her interesting are the people and events that surround her.
In some plot points, the insistence on making Dong Yi virtuous, makes some of her decisions incongruous and she even comes off as hypocritical in some instances, especially later on in the series.
One of my main criticisms of Dong Yi's character is the way she insists on doing things and making decisions without informing the king or giving him a heads up or even discussing things with him; this results in the king making decisions without full context. I just find that she appears rather conceited in that sense, that she's portrayed as cleverer than the king and all his justice and police officials put together.

The love story between Dong Yi and the king is very sweet. Although I have to say that the way it's written, the king comes off more invested than she is, despite all she says, that's the impression I got as a viewer. The king is ardent and expressive; Dong Yi is reserved and inexpressive.

Having said the above about Dong Yi's characterisation and her relationship with the king, I must add that the show does make an effort to show that Dong Yi, from her childhood has always been aware of her low status in society and a lot of her so-called reservedness towards the king and in palace politics in general could be as a result of her feeling unworthy for such lofty positions.

This is definitely well worth watching even if only for the portrayal of that time and place in history.
The music is nostalgic and heartwarming.
8/10

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The REAL obsession? Adam Driver

I went into this series fully expecting angst, obsession, heart-rendering drama… Everything you’d expect from a Chinese BL novel. I haven’t read the book, but I expect it follows through in all of these things. And from the reviews, I was thinking the series would be much the same. It was, for the most part, but for some reason my heart didn’t feel touched by these characters.

The casting choice was - meh. The actor that played Xiao Chen was uninspiring of any kind of obsession: In looks, acting ability, chemistry. All I could think of was, why in the world is Lu Feng obsessed with this little kid. They just didn’t match up age-appropriate or looks-wise. The actor that played Lu Feng, on the other hand, was very talented. He played bi-polar believably. But honestly, I kept getting distracted by thinking he looked familiar. It finally hit me that he looked like an Asian Adam Driver. And once that took hold, that’s literally all I could see for the whole series. Which would’ve been fine… If his supporting cast had the talent he had as far as acting. But because they were uninspiring, all I had to look at was him. And all I could see was Kylo Ren.

The visual production was well done. I didn’t really have any complaints with that. The OST was kind of obnoxious to me. I didn’t really like the song choices, which I typically will in Chinese dramas. But the intro song just kind of annoyed me for some reason. Also, the editing took some major parts out of the story. I don’t know if it was censorship, or a time factor. But they left some things up to your imagination that I could’ve used to help me understand the story and motivations better. Like the many implied bedroom scenes… Was it consensual? Was it not? Without reading the book I don’t have enough of the backstory and the editing really chopped it up for me.

I think that in the end, a Chinese BL novel is never gonna be portrayed exactly how any of us wanted it to be on TV. I think that “Revenge Love” was pretty close, but even that lost its way halfway through. If they ever do “Addicted Heroin” I do not think I can watch it because the disappointment would be too great. It’s my favorite BL novel and I just don’t know that they could do it justice. So watch this BL with caution and low expectations. But reading the book is probably a better use of your time.

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Trading the Crown Prince For a Killer

I watched this short drama based on the review of lullabaey. The review was interesting and spot on. I did enjoy this drama very much. The first male lead Shi Yi (played by Cui Yu Xin) and the first female lead Gu Qing Yao (played by Zhang Chu Han, were great. He played the assassin and she played the crown princess. The crown princess and the crown prince (Ling Yu (played by Chen Ming Hao) were childhood sweethearts and had just gotten married. They were in love with each other. After assassin Shi Yi tried to kill the crown prince on his wedding day, the crown princess shoved the assassin off of the bridge and into the water. She also fell in the water. It was the beginning of their souls being switched from each other's bodies. So many events happened. The assassin Shi Yi became the bodyguard for the crown princess Gu Qing Yao. The crown princess started keeping the crown prince at a distance, whether her soul was in her body or the assassin's soul was in her body. The crown prince wanted to consummate his marriage to the crown princess; that never happened. Gu Qing Yao fell out of love with the crown prince and she fell in love with the assassin Shi Yi. One really shocking point was when the crown princess' soul was in the assassin's body, she met with the leader of the assassins; it was none other that her father, the Prime Minister. The crown princess' father wanted the assassin to kill his daughter, the crown princess Gu Qin Yao. She told her father that the crown princess was three months pregnant, so her father called off the hit on his daughter. The crown princess Gu Qing Yao made the assassin Shi Yi smile; he did not smile in life much before interacting with her. The crown princess Gu Qing Yao and the assassin Shi Yi made a deal with the new emperor (former crown prince Ling Yu) that he would have his soul back in his body, if he let the crown princess leave the palace for good and live her life the way she wanted to. He had to agree. Shi Yi and Gu Qing Yao kissed and went off into their new life together. There was a very happy ending.

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High expectations…How will it turn out?

I was hooked from the start, but near end it started losing me, i started skipping. Maybe because of too many politics?
But then after few episode it again picked me up until the very end stayed strong =p
——-

Big Talks, all action, Zero result (Result at the very end, when everything resolves)very repetitive…Yet interesting show, with smart-manipulative characters, great ending

Thats the main problem with this show…Everyone is plotting against each other, yet it never moves. The whole drama is never ending plotting, until the very last episodes where finally everything resolves. But i should appreciate it, after all this is the first drama with truly extra-interesting characters. There is no hero, neither there is villain (well there is, but more like morally grey characters, that are truly interesting). That’s why i love this series. I loved the most Deng Yi and Xie talkings, it was very interesting too see them manipulate each other.All characters are like human being, they have their “wants”, but doesnt they get tired from all this “drama”…?

Even tho the show is very fast-paced until the last few episodes, mostly in the middle of the drama it frels that its too repetetive.
Advantages: “Fast-paced” “interesting politics” “interesting characters” “visual” “no annoying characters”

Loved Chen du ling in here, she suits the look of grand Empress, looks majestic in red and green! Also the small emperor acting is very good! He will grow up being amazing actor! ML make up is very beautiful!
Also all support roles acting is so good! Mostly Xie Yan Fang 🪭

Final rating: 8 =>

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You either love it from the bottom of your heart or hate it so much

This is the most classic trope you'll ever see in BL ; The traditional "we are faking to be dating, and we end up really dating each other". GMMTV, who usually go far in their plot, really did not go far for this one, but it does hold a special place in my heart.
Since the release, I have watched the series 7 times (yeah really), and I'll keep watching, because their relationship is goal. The acting is good, but the chemistry is off the roof. I kinda disliked the miscommunication trope, but it's not holding on for too long, thankfully.

I think for a drama of its time, it really was THE drama, with a relationship that does not for once feel like the biggest unhealthy relationship you've ever seen. They definitely do fight, but in a normal way. Now, if you are coming for football, forget about it. It does not hold an important place in the plot AT ALL. But the music does.

I really liked Mike and TopTap side couple, but I do understand the negative comments about the overall series. Yes, it sometimes feels not accomplished, like they are skimming the story at some point. That's why you HAVE TO watch the second season, which corrects this exact problem.

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STANDING OVATION FROM MY SIDE O'LORD

DOMUNDI HAS DONE IT AGAIN.... said by someone.
I have yet no words the Creatiome such as beautiful as this has been made that is not year 2020.
i was certain that 2020 was the best year for bl as many great bls were released at that time.
Obviously we still have may great series after that year but still. few only reached 10/10
this creation of art is not a series it's an emotion.
background music ✅ so good so comforting so suitable.
Acting ✅ 10/10
Net JJ served it damn.
Story ✅✅✅✅ A timeless beauty.
The vibe ✅✨ Fantastic
this game me such a A tale of 1000 stars vibe in sense of comfort.
this series was such a warm embrace.
the character LORD PHOP was ✅ was such a green flag. All the characters served it. I loved this series.

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Highly disappointing

4.5 stars because the production was good and the acting was good, sometimes. The plot is all over the place, this show is 80% nudity and love scenes, and the rest is actual storyline. 1.5 star out of my rating goes to Den, who I love dearly because he's not afraid to call Tyme out but he's also funny, the perfect mix of serious and unserious. Job did well in this character. His storyline had such potential (the research) but they really didn't go anywhere with it. I watched this show mostly because of Bible, and though he tried his best, there was only so much you could do with Great's character. You can only do so much to save a sinking ship. Great is a terrible character, completely irredeemable, the definition of a spoiled brat (hats off to Bible for portraying that well, if I hate the character, his acting played a big part in it). Jes's acting peaked in I think episode 6, and I came away from that episode incredibly impressed, I think it's the most emotion I've seen from Tyme's character. Tyme obviously has serious self-esteem issues because who would go back to a man like Great? He should see a therapist. But I actually think Tyme had potential as well. Sad that Jes didn't get to show off more of his acting as this character. Maybe soon, if 8 Hours ends up happening. But to me the ending of the show didn't make sense, Tyme really back-pedalled on his stance of Great. An interesting rendition of Stockholm syndrome, honestly.
Also the amount of nudity involving Fuaiz was concerning, it felt very forced, almost like the director had a fetish of seeing this young boy in these scenes. Yes, he was an adult, and both he and his parents consented (apparently), but that doesn't mean there wasn't a level of exploitation, besides, at his age a person is still developing mentally. So for me, this show was very uncomfortable.
Besides Bible, my other reason of wanting to watch was the initial press conference. The show seemed promising there. I really thought they'd go a different way with this story, and I feel that it really failed to live up to its full potential. The wrong threads were pulled and in the end, it all fell apart. I know they had to do a lot of rewriting or whatever due to what had happened behind the scenes, but they could've done better. They took a long time to release the show so I feel like there was time to make it good. But hey, what do I know? Anyway, I'm not sure what the point of 8 Hours would be, but I'm still going to watch because I'm curious of what they'll make of all of this. And I am a fan of Bible's work, so I'll stick around to see.
Overall, there are some interesting bits in the plot but unfortunately they focused on the wrong things.
Others might hold different opinions and that's fine, but what grabs my attention in shows is the acting, cinematography and writing, not any love scenes or fan service. Again, not a judgement on anyone, just my own opinion, but we all watch things for different reasons.

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I Survived All 35 Episodes of Love and Crown.

I don't usually write reviews for dramas but I had to get this out of my chest.
Before I even sat down to write this, I came across a review that said this show should've been called "Love and Clowns" - and honestly, I couldn't agree more.
First of all, if I could get my hands on the screenwriter, I would torture them by making them rewatch all 35 episodes of their own creation. The show started out fine, actually. The opening episodes with the flashbacks were fun. Then it fell off a cliff - and unlike the characters in this show, it did not survive.

The story has too many characters, too many plotlines, and each one has more holes than a fishing net. I haven't seen many C-dramas where the male lead is already the emperor in episode one, so I was genuinely excited to follow Xiao Huan's journey. That excitement didn't last long. Nothing this man does makes sense. He talks about protecting the people and the country - noble, great - but the moment anything goes wrong, he starts pushing everyone around him away under the grand delusion that he's protecting them. The person who suffers most for this is his love interest, Ling Cangcang. If she's the screenwriter's idea of a headstrong female lead, they urgently need to do some reading - historical or otherwise. She's supposed to be the leader of an entire sect, but all I actually saw was someone jumping into situations with zero plan and being a liability every single time. And the male lead? Exactly two facial expressions: sad when he's hurt someone he pushed away, or stone-faced. That's it. That's the range.

The moral of this show, if it has one, seems to be that villains will always be forgiven no matter what they've done. The clearest example is Ling Cangcang's father, Ling Xue Feng. I genuinely thought he'd be the main antagonist - his character had real potential. Instead, all the plot did with him was one failed rebellion, repeatedly hurting his own daughter under the excuse of protecting the Ling clan, and then... getting locked up in a temple with everything he wanted anyway. That's the punishment. A cosy temple. They completely wasted him.

The romance I actually liked was Li Hong Qing and Xiao Ying. And I knew, I knew - the moment he had that long, dramatic, half-episode-long goodbye scene to go save his friends that one of them was going to die. Sure enough, a few episodes later, Xiao Ying dies. (Li Hong Qing technically jumped off a cliff, but at this point, we all know nobody in a C-drama ever actually dies from jumping off a cliff.) I have more to say about them, but I'd rather not.

Now, the wildest plot twist in the whole show: Du Tingxin becoming the main villain. The last ten episodes were genuinely unwatchable because of her - the unhinged acting, the theatrical evil laughs, the whole thing. In what world does an imperial preceptor kill someone and face zero real consequences? And Xiao Huan, who supposedly can read schemes from miles away, kept trusting her like she hadn't given him every reason not to. She's one of the most useless villains I've ever seen in a drama, and her "punishment" at the end - being allowed to live out her days in the palace - was the final insult.

I won't even get into all the other plot holes: the lunar eclipse poison, Xiao Qian Qing surviving despite being poisoned, Xiao Huan's mother randomly showing up in the second-to-last episode, or the Empress Dowager Liu killing the emperor like it was an afterthought. And then there's Zhong Lin dying right beside Ling Cangcang for no clearly explained reason whatsoever. This isn't even a complete list - there's so much more, and I've already spent more energy on this show than it deserved.

I could rant about this for hours. But since I have a bad habit of finishing shows I start, I sat through all 35 episodes. I deserve an award for that. And compensation money. The OST is genuinely good. I'll give it that. But even that gets buried under the weight of a plot that fell apart, acting choices that didn't help it, and cinematography that couldn't save either. A generous 4/10.

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the drama that defined your current taste.

I went into Pursuit of Jade expecting a historical romance, but I left with a story that was much more than that.

What surprised me the most was that this drama was not built around a simple love story. It was about two intelligent people with their own scars, responsibilities, and struggles, slowly learning to trust each other and choosing to stand together despite everything trying to tear them apart.

The biggest strength of this drama is its characters. The female lead is not someone who simply waits for someone to save her. She is intelligent, resilient, and capable of making difficult decisions. She knows how to survive, protect what matters to her, and fight for her own future.

The male lead is also more than just a powerful figure. Behind his strength is someone carrying his own burdens, expectations, and wounds. What I loved about their relationship is that they were never portrayed as two incomplete people searching for someone to complete them. They were already strong individually, and together they became even stronger.

Their romance felt like a true partnership — built on understanding, respect, trust, and slowly earned affection. It was not about grand declarations from the beginning, but about two people who gradually became each other's safest place.

Beyond the romance, I appreciated the political conflicts, family struggles, and themes of survival, loyalty, and the consequences of past choices. The story showed that sometimes love is not about escaping the battles of life, but about finding someone willing to face those battles with you.

The chemistry between the leads, the character growth, and the emotional payoff made this one of the most memorable historical dramas I have watched.

Pursuit of Jade reminded me that the best romances are not always about someone saving the other person — they are about finding someone who will stand beside you when the entire world is against you.

Definitely one of my top dramas. ❤️

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One of my Favorite Stories in 2026!!

From a bewildering soldier to masterchef!!

Obviously, the first reason to watch this show is Park Ji Hoon. After watching his recent hit movie “The King’s Warden”, I was expecting great things from this show, and it didn’t disappoint. The storyline turns a simple cooking challenge into a herculean show of character development. The story is largely based on an underrated Ganglim Base, where the army food is of abysmal quality. While the soldiers are suffering, Private Kang Seong Jae arrives as their messiah. He arrives in a twilight zone, recovering from the shock of losing his father. His superiors label him as a lost cause, until he is pulled into a simulation game- “The Chef’s Path”. The game is exclusive only to the Ganglim base and only visible to Kang Seong Jae. As he completes one challenge after another, his abilities are further enhanced. From being a rookie chef who has never entered the kitchen before, he slowly turns into a magnificent cook.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2026/06/17/the-legend-of-kitchen-soldier-series-review/

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Nom Nom Nom: From We Eat to Live, To We Live to Eat

Food for me is something I'm very passionate about, passively as of now. (I just watch people cooking on YouTube) But, growing up I was very into cooking. So after school, I'd always be whipping something in the kitchen. After cooking up that, I'd wait in anticipation for approval from my mom. These days it's just with tea, my whole soul is content in knowing she liked what I made. That's why, watching this was so fun and fulfilling.

Kang Seong-jae joins the military and is sent to Ganglim Outpost, he gets assigned to the Mess Hall where he is made incharge of prepping meals for all the soldiers alongside Sergeant Yoon Dong-hyun who is known for being the worst cook. As Seong-jae worries in peril, a video game interface like window pops up turning over the gloom in his life and giving him a purpose of becoming chef. It's the first chapters in 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.'

Jumping in to squeal on how adorable Park Ji-hoon was. Kang Seong-jae was an aloof character who at the beginning of the journey is disinterested in life, grieving the loss of his father. We see his glum countenance change as he begins to enjoy cooking that started as an obligation. Ji-hoon's performance was heartwarming. Seong-jae deserves headpats! His character was rewarding to watch.

Yoon Dong-hyun was stressing at start as he was disastrous at cooking but we learn he is good-hearted, he becomes a good assistant and a reliable support for seong-jae. One of my favorite characters, he is amusing. So many chummy and endearing characters that will grow on you as you watch the show. It's like finding dumplings and you get to stuff them. Or plushies!

The show gives us cooking, comedy and camaraderie. The love for food we all have and how it can melt hearts and bring people together. Seong-jae does this very magic, he makes the soldiers happy and solves the problems that threaten the peace of their military base with food and sincerity, he also discovers his path for life and dedicates himself for cooking.

Cooking was such an engaging part, I wished to see the process longer haha. Made me want to work on my knife skills too. (made me drool too) Learned a few things I won't get to use unless I give cooking and the dishes they made a try but still nice to have that knowledge. Cooking is a creative process, but it also requires a lot of strength and focus, we see our protagonist challenged by new quests and how they help him learn and improve. In a grim and tough space of military away from home, a place where everyone can rejuvenate and relax a bit is the mess hall. Seong-jae brings warmth and comfort to the tables of his comrades, blessing their tastebuds with delight, making them feel at home a little.

There are over the top reactions to the food they eat ofc, I need to make a comparison with Bon Appetit, Your Majesty here the thematics weren't as good as that and were a bit of a stretch but, the whole kpop MV haha that was fun.
Seong-jae and Dong-hyun's companionship was truly heartwarming, I adored their friendship. The acting was really good, I'd like to talk more about the other characters but man that's gonna be long. They do have distinct personalities and are comical at times but entertaining overall.

Now talking about things that I didn't like, minor spoilers, Cho ye-rin was a nice supporting character and her past adds quite some mystery that I thought would be properly unveiled in the last few eps but it gets scantily presented rushing to the finale of the show. The romance felt unnecessary it wasn't much but agh, the actress was pretty though. Watching Dong-hyun waste so much of food gave me a headache, it goes to the pigs but still. ACK! MY HEART! Annoying AI in the INTRO, WAS I TRIPPING OR IS IT AI BEING SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT AGAIN?? ahem...that threw me off I meant I really used to love watching intros, but man do we need to do this to me? Jebal no use AI AGHH! Also pacing at times was slow, the expressions exaggerated were too much to handle sometimes. I wished to see more interactions from and with side characters as well.

The OST is just alright, the intro song was good but seeing the AI generated intro turned my mood weird, come on why AI...Maybe Too Far Away is good, listening to it now. Not bad.

Good show; there is food, Park Ji-hoon, bromance and more food YAY! That's all from me, enjoy your meal ;)

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Pure Comfort in Drama Form

This drama is the definition of a no-brainer watch (in the best possible way.) It's light and effortlessly entertaining, making you laugh from start to finish while still delivering a heartwarming growth arc for Park Ji-hoon's character. Following the success of The King's Warden, Park Ji-hoon continues to prove that he has a great eye for choosing projects. The acting may not be groundbreaking, but the cast executes it so well that even their often over-the-top reactions to food feel charming rather than cringeworthy.

That said, the true scene-stealer here is Lee Sang-yi. He absolutely understood the assignment. The man deserves an award for being so annoyingly lovable. Every time he appeared on screen, he managed to irritate, entertain, and charm me all at once. That's a talent. Honestly, every time he appeared on screen, I knew I was about to have a good time.

This drama is easy, funny, wholesome, and exactly the kind of show you watch when you need a break from heavier stories. You should watch it because it will make you happy. By the end, you'll probably find yourself joining the Migak Boys fan club. If you know, you know.

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