Reviews

GANG GENG GONG

infinity/100 gila apa yang kurang? ga ada wkakakka, dari segi acting, kamera, backsound, alur gila semua perfect, sampe gabisa berkata kata, acting si jian pas nangisin brother bener bener sakit banget tangisnya aku ikutan sesek dan sakit hati perasaan dia tersampaikan dengan baik ke penonton, satu episod pun ga ada yang zonk sama sekali dari S1 isinya daging semua, beberapa cerita tuh kadang masih ada yang gabisa diterima logika terus beberapa detail juga kadang kurang tapi itu semua ketutup sama penjelasan strategi mereka kaya gila banget, drakor yang ga ragu ngasih tumbal semua jadi ubi anjir 😭😭 beberapa orang sempet sebel sama pasin walaupun sebel juga aku tapi paham kenapa dia harus begitu, dia juga ga ada niatan buat bunuh tim nya semua cuma dilumpuhkan karena dia tau tim nya hebat walaupun dilumpuhkan mereka masih op wkekekke, babylon keren tau dia teknologinya mantep ada robot perang gitu amaze sih bisa mengurangi manusia untuk mati dan robot juga susah buat dimatiin, mau minta s3 gaenak kasian capek ya 😭😭 mau aja sih aku mah s3 tapi gimana ya gakuat kalo ada yang ditumbalin lagi

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There are seven cases out of it, and I'd rate them all 5/5, except for the Red-Blood Talent episodes (3/5). I don't have any problem with the pace, it's the romance between the leads!! It would've been better if they went the SUBTLE to no romance route like Wu Ren and Gu Lingzhou—the type of love where the only thing that explains it is their eyes and actions.

My other problem is also Xiao Huaijin's character which had been written inconsistently. His character started off stable. He had his own life and own achievements, but he got weaker with each episode as they explained his backstory that making it seem like his life had only been revolving around Li Peiyi EVEN BEFORE the massacre of Prince Duan happened (#ChildhoodConnection #ILikeYouSinceEver). :-)

I love when a man is devoted to a woman, but please make it logical. This case also caused the Red-Blood Talent episodes to get a low rating from me. :-) I think the screenwriters need to get away from writing romance with the childhood connection trope LMAO.

As for our female lead, Li Peiyi, I don't have anything to complain about. Her character was more than just taking revenge for her family's massacre. She understood the politics inside the imperial court, she had empathy for the commoners, and she had a sense of justice for women's liberation that complemented the broken system that had been corrupted. This aspect made the cases realistic and how Peiyi also realistically handled them. She wasn't just straight-up looking for truth and justice without looking at the situation, the circumstances, and WHY things happened. She considered the context behind each case before making her judgment.

Her stubbornness is her weakness, but also a blessing. She utilised her position in the imperial court so well that I can't help but appreciate. Adding Xiao Huaijin who was calm as still water was actually a great choice (forever YEARNED for a better written character for him).

Overall, I still enjoyed the drama very well, esp because of its cases and the FL.

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An epitome of excellent writing

This drama is a textbook example of a well written story.
The writers made this a truly enjoyable watch especially the last episode, I have not seen a show with characters that are so self aware, I'm so happy the writers made pios grandfather acknowledge the role he played in the chaos that took place.

The story itself for me just show's what happened when two rivals decide to be friends and how anxiety and inferiority complex can push people to do crazy things.
It's also a story about love, love for the arts and love for another person how it shapes us as individuals.
I felt sorry for almost all the characters and sympathized deeply with them.
To the actors, I was already familiar with Lee jun young but his performance here was truly phenomenal, he's such a brilliant actor who knows how to act with his eyes, voice and body. He completely disappears into the character and bring it alive. No one could have done it better.
For Song Kang I haven't completed any of his shows and I honestly avoided it because of the bad acting slander, I call it a slander because I was completely blown away by his portrayal of Pio, his eyes did all the talking. You could see his eyes change from happy to sad to lifeless it was just beautiful to watch. He has gained a fan from this performance alone.
The show makers did so well with the casting because as much as the writing is great this story is one that only good acting could birth.
It's genuinely the best music themed show I have seen, a lot of shows tend to fumble the whole classical music theme but this show did an excellent execution, the music was so beautiful especially the one used for the end of episode 11 .
If you are into music you will thoroughly enjoy this.
It's just so beautiful!!!
A proper MASTER CLASS in acting and writing, I hope it sweeps awards

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One of the best BLs I've ever watched

I haven't watched a BL this beautiful and heartfelt since the Japanese Cherry Magic. Duang and Qin are such well-developed characters and stand so well on their own, and then together they just make each other even better. The relationship is beautifully portrayed, especially in the way they support each other and lift each other up. I also loved the friendship groups and the way they interacted with each other.

The secondary couple was quite weak, but only in the sense that they were boring and somewhat underdeveloped. They are easy to ignore and don't take up too much screen time. Jamie on his own however, was one of my favourite characters. I just wish he'd been given a more interesting love interest.

Overall, this show was a breath of fresh air after a lot of the other BLs that have been released recently (I'm looking at you, Revenged Love) and I was so happy to get to watch a carefully and mostly realistically written queer couple just be happy and in love for a change.

If you struggle with cringe, proceed with caution, this show can be veryyyyyyy cheesy but it's balanced well with the serious moments and it suits the style of the story they are telling.

This is easily in my top 3 BL of all time, and I can't to rewatch it over and over :D

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The gayest non-BL to ever exist

If it weren't produced in Korea but in China, I would've thought it was a censored BL drama.

Honestly, it would've been less gay if these two main leads had finally kissed than whatever they had going on. Even the promotion for this drama was typically BL-styled.

Even though Pio Kang had a female love interest, their relationship completely lacked chemistry, and he didn't seem to give a damn about her either. It could easily be explained by his character or his traumas, if only he didn't act completely differently around Choi Jeong Yo. Not to mention the tension between them.

What the creators mastered was making Pio Kang and Choi Jeong Yo's actions and feelings completely justified by their history, while at the same time making them seem to go far beyond that. That really irritated me.

For me, the first half of the episodes was okay, but the real magic started in the second half.

I really liked the mystery aspect of the plot, and I was overwhelmed with emotions. Most of the time, I was holding my breath or crying. I liked the fact that we never really knew what might happen, and I enjoyed reading all the viewers' theories.

I have to praise all the actors because they delivered great performances. The costumes, scenery, and visual style were also amazing, but what deserves a special mention is obviously the music, which was the main axis of this show.

I was stunned by the skills of the musicians and amazed by the original pieces created for this drama. I was moved by every performance.

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Hong jea in is the most useless character

Four Hands, Two Sonatas — 7.0/10

Story — 7.5/10

For me, this drama was interesting to watch because it tells the story of two pianists who have known each other since childhood. I liked the concept of their relationship, especially the way music, competition, friendship, and family expectations were connected throughout the story. Pio’s family background was also interesting, particularly the way his grandfather seemed unable to fully accept him because he was born out of wedlock, while his mother pushed him to become the best pianist he could be.

I also enjoyed the musical competition aspect of the drama. In some ways, it reminded me of The Penthouse because of its competitive atmosphere and the importance of music, while the friendship aspect reminded me of You and Everything Else. The pacing was generally fine, and I liked Pio’s character development from someone who was cold and distant into someone who became deeply caring towards Jongyo.

However, I felt that the romantic storyline was unnecessary. I also think the writer and director struggled to balance Pio’s relationships with Jongyo and Hong Jae-in. Pio seemed to prioritize Jongyo too much, which eventually affected his relationship with Jae-in. The ending was okay, but I expected better from the way the relationships were handled.

Acting/Cast — 8.5/10

The acting was very impressive, especially from the two main actors. Their emotions felt convincing, and I could feel the intensity of their relationship. Pio and his mother also had good chemistry.

However, I had a major problem with Hong Jae-in’s character. I felt that she was almost useless and was pushed aside despite being both Pio and Jongyo’s friend. She did not contribute much to the development of the main characters, so I kept wondering what the point of her character was. I also felt sorry for her because she liked Pio, but after they broke up, she continued to remain close to him as if nothing had happened.

Interestingly, the chemistry between Pio and Jongyo was so strong that at times they looked more like a romantic couple than best friends. This made me question whether Pio was able to properly balance friendship and romantic relationships.

Music — 10/10

The music is definitely the strongest part of this drama for me. I really enjoyed the piano music, and I liked how music was not simply background music but one of the main elements of the story. In fact, this drama made me want to learn how to play the piano myself. For that reason, I have to give the music a 10/10.

Rewatch Value — 2/10

Unfortunately, I would not watch this drama again if I were given the chance. If a friend asked me whether this drama was good, I would probably say that it was not worth watching and that watching it felt like a waste of time. Even though I enjoyed the music and appreciated the acting, the overall story did not leave me wanting to experience it again.

Overall, Four Hands, Two Sonatas has good acting and excellent music, but the story and character relationships prevented me from enjoying it as much as I hoped. The music is something I will remember, but I would not recommend the drama as a whole.

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"You saved me too, Whether you meant to or not, You were light to me, you were hope"

I never thought i will be writing a review for a drama but here i'm after frequenting this page multiple times a day for the past month i really want to say thank you to the actors, writer, directors, production staff, cast crew and the fellow viewers here for making making me feel so many special emotions while watching this show, i'm really really grateful to all of you.

Now, atfirst i didn't think this drama would be anything but a crappy love triangle where two men fight for a girl and I meant to not even follow up but it captivated and hooked me up from the very first scene. Even though i stayed for the mystery that they build up, the pure love and actions of the two male leads towards each other really moved me. No matter how hard their situation became, no matter how much they resented each other, they never stopped caring for one another and gradually found their way back to one another multiple times till the very end. Every single action and emotions were portrayed so beautifully and delicately by the actors (Shoutout to Song Kang and Junyoung) i feel like any word used to praise them would be underappreciation.

I don't really know how to write long letters but if you are reading this, please watch this as its a truly, very beautiful story between two broken souls who found each other at their lowest and healed one another only to get torn apart by circumstances but their love of one another saw no bounds and they slowly realised that hence letting go as a final act of love only to get reunited because what is Jeongyo without Pio and Pio without Jeongyo.

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Fun travelshow, beautiful locations and great minigames

It was wonderful to watch the 6 of them explore Egypt and experience everything the country or at least the 3 destinations they visitrd had to offer. Seeing them have so much fun while discovering a new culture made the whole experience incredibly enjoyable to watch. I loved seeing their reactions as they tried new things (also was quite fun since I had also tried or seen some of the things) , very nice to see them as they explored unfamiliar places, and learned more about Egypt’s history and traditions. Its always possible to see when people are trying hard for the camera and when they are actually having fun. This is them actually having fun and enjoying their time together.

The games they played were super entertaining as well, the small minigames as they tried their best to become a prince and get the best of Egyot, they were so fun, unpredictable, and full of unexpected moments. My favourite is probably when they are in Luxor, thats my personal pick at least, Their reactions and the way they interacted with each other had me laughing. Really good for a dopamine boost. I also would say that you dont need to know the cast to have a blast with them, I know that i started it because of the cast but yeah you can enjoy it without knowing them specifically.

Overall, watching the six of them explore Egypt, learn about a different culture, and simply enjoy themselves was such a fun and memorable experience. I will definitely rewatch it when i feel like watching a travel show again.

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? She Gave Him Three Years—Losing Her Made Him Realize Everything

One of those short dramas where I really enjoyed both the storyline and the performances. The ML and FL did an excellent job bringing their complicated relationship to life, especially the emotional change that happens once Li Wan Wan finally disappears.

For three years, Wan Wan follows Rong Xing Ye and gives everything she has to their relationship, only to eventually realize that loving someone shouldn't mean continuously losing yourself. After everything falls apart, she doesn't simply threaten to leave—she disappears completely.

That is when Rong Xing Ye finally changes.

The powerful, arrogant man who seemed so confident that Wan Wan would always be there suddenly becomes desperate to find her. I enjoyed watching the balance between them shift. When she was chasing him, he could take her presence for granted. Once she was gone, he became the one unable to let go.

When they finally meet again, his feelings are no longer something he can ignore. His determination to keep her becomes intense, possessive, and sometimes overwhelming, which fits perfectly with the title *Cage of Love*.

Both actors were excellent. The FL made Wan Wan's pain and determination believable, while the ML convincingly changed from arrogant and emotionally controlled to a man almost consumed by the fear of losing her again. Their chemistry made the emotional scenes even stronger.

Sometimes you don't understand someone's place in your life until the silence they leave behind becomes unbearable. ❤️🔥

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A masterpiece of music, emotion, and incredible acting

This is actually my very first time ever writing a review, but Four Hands, Two Sonatas completely blew me away and I just had to share my thoughts. I ended up giving it a 9.5 overall because the entire 12 episodes journey was an emotional rollercoaster that stayed with me long after the final credits rolled.
What makes this drama so extraordinary is how deeply it explores the bond between Kang Pi-o and Choi Jeong-yo. From the very first episode, when Pi-o is established as the unrivaled musical prodigy at their arts high school, the tension is palpable the moment Jeong-yo arrives as a transfer student. Watching two completely different worldviews collide on the piano keys made the early episodes so captivating. Their transition from bitter rivals to forced duet partners is where the magic really begins. When they are tasked with playing together, Jeong-yo slowly teaches Pi-o how to actually feel the music and find joy in playing, rather than treating it like a cold competition.
As the story progresses toward the middle episodes, things take a much darker and more intense turn. Pi-o's obsession with perfection during the Prague Harmonie International Competition takes a massive toll on his mental state. Then we hit the time jump, where Pi-o has achieved global success but is completely miserable and suffering from a severe slump. At the same time, searching for what happened to Jeong-yo leads into some of the most heartbreaking storytelling in the entire series. Finding out about Jeong-yo’s tragic past, the kidnapping incident, the devastating injury to his hands that stripped away his ability to play piano, and how he had to abandon his dream, was absolute agony to watch.
The dynamic between them in the second half of the show is so complex and raw. It isn't a simple or cheerful reunion. There is anger, guilt, resentment, and deep grief over lost time and lost talent. Jeong-yo pushes Pi-o away with harsh words, but at the same time, he is the only person who truly understands Pi-o's soul and can help him overcome his severe mental block at the piano. The intensity of their interactions in episodes 9 through 11 had me completely holding my breath the whole time.
And then we get to the finale. Episode 12 had me ugly crying from start to finish. The way they bring everything full circle with their joint performance of "Four Hands, Two Sonatas" is pure artistry. They didn't even need words to express what they meant to each other, everything was communicated through the music, their facial expressions, and the subtle gestures between them. Even though their paths don't end up locked together in a simple cliché way, the resolution feels completely freeing. They finally let go of the pain, guilt, and resentment that kept them trapped for years.
Beyond the incredible plot and character development, the acting and casting were a solid 10/10. Song Kang and Lee Jun-young gave performance of a lifetime level work here. Their chemistry was electric, and you could feel the heavy weight of their characters history in every single gaze. And the music! The soundtrack is easily a 10/10 on its own. Every piece of piano music and every background score track was placed so meticulously to heighten the emotional impact of the scenes.
If you are looking for a deeply emotional, bittersweet drama about talent, rivalry, trauma, and healing with an unbelievable soundtrack, you absolutely cannot miss this one. Have your tissues ready for the ending, because that breathtaking reunion scene and the reality of the show coming to an end will completely break your heart in the best way possible.

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BEAUTIFUL! Brilliant, visceral, clever, original. Phenomenal acting!

Twelve Letters felt more like a beautifully crafted movie than a drama series, the kind I would happily have paid to watch on the big screen. It gets under your skin, reaches somewhere deep, and stays there long after the final scene.
I had tears in my eyes in almost every episode. Not because it was unnecessarily dramatic, but because even the simplest moments felt incredibly raw and real. And somehow, between the tears, it could make me laugh too.
The storytelling is clever and unpredictable, the script original, and the editing and directing superb. The main leads were phenomenal, I could feel their characters through every glance and tiny facial expression.
I loved the supernatural element connecting different points in time through the letters and the way the story explores fate, choice and consequence.

If you knew that one decision today could completely change your future, would you still know which decision was the “right” one? Probably not. We often understand the meaning and consequences of our choices only retrospectively.
We may not be able to control fate or know where our choices will lead, but we are not powerless within it. What we choose out of love, courage and responsibility can reach further than we could ever know.
And perhaps that is why this drama feels so visceral. Beneath its supernatural premise lies a deeply human question: if we could reach across time, what would we change, whom would we save, and would changing the past necessarily give us the future we imagined?
This is the kind of drama that will stay with me for a long time. It made me reflect on the choices we make in the present and wonder whether they will prove right for our future, or become the source of regret later. It also reminded me that love, courage and sacrifice can have consequences far beyond what we immediately see, and that even the smallest decision can shape someone else's life.

Beautifully written, beautifully acted and beautifully put together. Bravo!

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Phenomenal Story about friendship and music

Story :
From the very first episodes it was very gripping. Friendship is the core of this story. A deep friendship that gets tested and tested, a ruined and walked upon and hated by the adults because of their greed. A story of two young lads endlessly suffering because those adults.
It was very good so i'd recommend to watch it to anyone intrested in emotional drama. I am amazed how just a couple of episodes were able to estamblish a friendship, light and hope SO well, that you spend the rest of the drama wishing for it to be back. The line "Just do you get what kind of child he is, just what kind of child he is!" was just phenomenal in the context of the drama.
It has almost no Romance. The girl is mostly a decoration there but she is a very good friend!
The growth of the two boys, through the music and showing how compatative and scary can be that world. And how two geniuses might find it too hard to survive when every adult around them wants to use them for their own greed.
especially Jongyo, an amazing genius who had no future, who suddenly started to get a future with no desire of it. and who was fully robbed of that future despite him not even once disiring it, but the future he was robbed off also robbed him of everything he loved. While the other genius in completely different sence, being constantly told that he nothing compared to the other and forcefully made to compete, lose his mind, until he lost the only light in his life, and that light started haunting him to the point of him forgetting all the competition, with only desire for the friend to be happy, crushed by guilt that he was made to bear by adult's stupid decisions.

Acting:
The two lead actors Song Kang and Lee Jun Young were phenomenal. They were the characters. Bio and Jongyo! And even though we often times see the story from Bio's perspective we still feel so much of Jonyo's pain! Lee Jun Young portraied the younger Jongyo and adult Jogyo so well it was amazing.
Not to mention the adult cast! They did another phenomenal job by making you hate them all, understand them all, then hate them all again, then just let them all go and wish for the kids to happily play the piano, which by that point was already impossible, so at least they could make the music they loved.

Music:
It made my enjoy classical music so much more as every piece played had a meaning and was connecting to the story incredily well! Like there was a time where one boy goes a plays a piece when he hurt by a parent, then years later the other boy goes and plays the same piece when he hurt by his parent. And that piece was a music wrote about two children running away from a witch Baba Yaga, written for a lost friend. Which paralleled the story of these two boys runing away from a witch.
By the end of the drama i started to understand what it means to put emotion into your music.

Rewatch Value:
well i don't usually rewatch dramas but this is worth rewatching to find some easter eggs like the music pieces and their meaning.

What i kind of disliked :
I think i would have liked to get an explanation of the fathers. we never get an answer on who is a father. why Ji Hye called the ambulance. etc. Also i'd would have liked explanation on how Jongyo got money later.
But I guess this was all incredibly irrelevant because the center of the story was the music and their friendship. the rest was unnecessary.

Overall:
I absolutely recommend this drama and (one more spoiler warning) i love that it has a somewhat happy ending for everyone. So for anyone worried about that do not worry.

It might have been my favorite drama of this year! 10/10 i'll ignore the dislikes.

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Very good but something was missing

I watched Stranger and Stranger Season 2 back to back. I liked them both but TBH, I think the former was better.

Si Mok. Oh, what a character! I’ve thought about him the most of any KDrama character I’ve watched. What would it be like to live without emotion? What would it be like to know a person like him. I’d try to understand him. I believe I’d respect him for his brilliance and dedication but I also think I’d be just as frustrated as everyone else was.

Cho Seong Woo (an incredible actor) embodied Hwang Si Mok to a T and didn’t falter in his portrayal through both seasons even though they were 3+ years apart. I liked him so much in this second story I truly wanted to learn more about what made him tick. And, btw, he never visited his mom.

This second story was really good but perhaps too intricate. That was a big reason I gave Second Season a lower rating. It had so many elements it was tough keeping up, and I like complicated legal thrillers. This one just had too many situations to consider. I admit I bailed on the story about Lee Yeon Jae. I knew she was a plot driver so, I picked up what I needed to know about her part of the story and fast forwarded through most of her scenes. I thought it was cheap to only talk about her husband and brother as if they were directly involved in the story but never letting us see them.

I was disappointed the relationship between Si Mok and Yeo Jin never went anywhere - they had little significant screen time together making it impossible for it to develop. I wasn’t necessarily expecting a romance to bloom between them. I know she had her own storyline but, at times, it felt like Yeo Jin was more of a supporting character to Choi Bit’s. There was more depth to explore with Si Mok’s character. The obvious path to that discovery was through Yeo Jin but we missed getting that opportunity.

Tae Ha’s character added heft to the drama and was well played by Choi Mu Sung. Even though I still didn’t like Dong Jae from the first story, I was genuinely sad for what happened to him in this story. BTW my dislike for Dong Jae is a compliment to awesome Lee Jun Hyuk.

Hwang Si Mok is a truly interesting character and both his stories were great. When I miss him I’ll definitely watch them again. I already missed Shin Sung Han that I found myself watching Divorce Attorney Shin for the second time. Maybe it’s that I just missed Cho Seong Woo. 😉

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