Reviews

The best adaptation of anything ever made

With creativity, you can truly take something, recraft it and make it better or rather the best version of itself.

I usually do not compare different versions of adaptation but this was miles ahead of every adaptation of Hana Yori Dango. They took the manga, recrafted it, modernized it, added dimensions, layers and depth and presented us a cinematic universe where every character, every emotion reached to our core. The plot was very simple, rich boy b*llies and later falling in love with poor girl in a high school setting. But it never ended at that. They added layers after layers. They highlighted the rich society, the pressure the children of rich families face and how they turn them into something they do not want to be. How power is craved and what power can do. It showed the struggle of financially unstable society and the monopoly business tycoons do. It showed a toxic mother and her relationship with their children and on contrary how a warm family, even in struggling conditions can laugh at the meal over the last piece of pork. It also taught us bravery, that you do not need to bow down to power just because you do not belong to the same place. How self pride is the biggest courage. It showed the value of friendship, love and memories. I love how they portrayed every female character with so much of grace, even fif they are hurt, even if they are doing evil, even if they are just existing, they are highlighted. While the drama should have been more male centered I was joyous to see how much importance the women of the story were given to. I absolutely despised Thyme and I did till the very end but I am glad he got his redemption arc which was not just last 2 episodes. He proved himself. Anyways RenGorya for life.


The direction is like watching a 16 episode movie, rather a series. GMMTV didn't hold back on the budget. The color grading made it perfect. The screenwriting was amazing, it kept me hooked without a single second wasted on anything unwanted. The crew did fabulous with the set with even the smallest details holding major significance. I love how the frames managed to capture so much at a time. Every angle, every change of lighting, even the clothes. The sound engineering was cleverly domne. The editing made it the finest. Everything held a significance and fit like a piece of puzzle that gave this the masterpiece F4. The praises can never be enough for the incredible job done. This is the epitome of cinematography.

The cast was solid and solid is my best compliment. I couldn't believe Tu and Dew were first timer. They captured every emotion perfectly. The real life characters were the perfect mirror of the original manga. A more perfect casting cannot exist. Every actor and actress made the entire series even better. It truly felt like they took me in with them to the F4 universe. I especially loved Dew's acting. I genuinely couldn't shred my image of Ren.

I usually get bored of hetero romantic series but F4 was not just that. It was journey of people and their lives. No wonder it became so popular.

Read More

Friendship Over Romance

RIP Huang Bo, the Left Chancellor, and Di Nian. I didn't expect to be so deeply affected by the Left Chancellor's death, though I certainly cheered when the Right Chancellor was finally gone—good riddance! My heart goes out to Zhili, who is now left as a widow raising her son alone. I also really yearned for a final scene featuring Fuzhi and Zhishu in the last episode, but at least they survived, which is more than I can say for some of the other couples. Ultimately, the friendships in this series far surpass the romance, and I am perfectly fine with that. Rating: 8.5/10

Read More

Not the terrible drama that some of the reviews make it out to be.

Seeing all the negative reviews, and being a huge JCW fan, I initially started to feel disappointed. But then I decided to just sit down, watch the drama, and judge it for myself instead of letting other people’s opinions influence me.

And honestly? I’m glad I did.

The first two episodes immediately caught my attention, and I also found the story quite clear. I genuinely don’t understand some of the comments saying that they “don’t understand what’s going on.” To me, the story is actually pretty straightforward. There are layers to the characters and their motivations, but that doesn’t mean the plot itself is confusing.

I also think the main leads have quite a lot of chemistry considering the characters they are playing. This is not a classic romance or a straightforward love story, and I think that’s precisely what makes it interesting. There is something deeper going on between the characters than simply “who is going to end up with whom.” If you’re expecting a conventional romance, then I can understand why you might be disappointed, but that doesn’t mean the drama itself is confusing or badly written.

Another thing I really appreciated is the way the drama shows aspects of everyday life and professions from that period. We get to see things such as silk and paper production, as well as everyday habits and subjects that might have been considered taboo at the time, such as smoking and sex and even religions. I found those details interesting because they added something to the world-building and made the historical setting feel more alive.

I should also mention that I haven’t watched the older Korean adaptation, nor have I read the original French novel, so I’m judging this drama entirely on its own. I’m not comparing it to the previous adaptation or to the original story.

And no, I also don’t think the drama is as slow as some people claim. I’ve watched Korean historical dramas with 16 episodes where the plot barely moved forward for most of the drama, so compared to those, I really didn’t find the pacing here particularly problematic. There are flashbacks, side characters, and slower moments, but that’s hardly unusual for a Korean historical drama.

For me, this was a well-structured story with beautiful cinematography, great aesthetics, and solid direction. I especially enjoyed the way the drama created its atmosphere.

Now, for the negatives.

The character that annoyed me the most was Nana’s character. And just to clarify, I knew who Nana was, but I honestly had no idea she was such a big name or that she was so well known as both an idol and an actress. That said, I found her character to be the most annoying, monotonous, and sometimes simply uninteresting character in the drama.

I also have to say that, personally, I don’t think her particular look fits a historical drama very well. I know that many Koreans, especially actors and celebrities, have had cosmetic procedures, but sometimes you see a face in a historical setting and it just feels a little out of place. That was unfortunately the impression I got with her.

Overall, I really don’t think this drama deserves all the negativity surrounding it.

It’s not perfect. It has its flaws, and I can understand why some people might not connect with it. But it is definitely not the terrible drama that some of the reviews make it out to be.

Honestly, I think if people stopped reading all the reviews beforehand and simply watched it with an open mind, they might enjoy it much more. Maybe some viewers were expecting a straightforward melodrama with lots of romance and cute kisses on the cheek, and this simply wasn’t that kind of drama.

Personally, I found it interesting, beautifully made, and much more enjoyable than I expected after seeing all the negative reviews.

So yes, I’m very glad I decided to judge it for myself instead of letting the internet do it for me.

Read More

Unexpectedly a match to my taste

Sep. 27, 2026

I actually had hard time starting this series as I did not feel captivated during the first 10-15 minutes of the pilot episode. However, as I keep getting spoiled on TikTok, I caved in and gave the first episode a full shot without skipping and to my surprised I was hooked and captivated.

I think that Sun and Bay truly has such exciting chemistry and that enemies (hmmm?) to lovers dynamic was so well-put.

Among the on going shows I was watching, Matchpoint keep climbing up and to my surprise, Match Point has been the first show I watch on its episode day drop!

I truly had a fun time watching it and I think that people should give them the love that they deserve!!

Read More

Writing about this series is going to be pretty tough because I’ve got mixed feelings about it. Did I like it? Yes. Did I have fun watching it? Yes. Is it perfect? No. Could it have been better? Definitely, it could have been so much better.
The production quality was solid, the fight choreography was well done, the pheromone effects were a neat touch, the costumes were fantastic, and the soundtrack is lovely. But... it just didn’t deliver on everything it set out to do. Knot was supposed to be the first of a trilogy telling the stories of Nakhun & Phat, Nakhin & Ongsa, and Naphitch & Sangnuea. That would have been genuinely epic. Knot was meant to introduce the Omegaverse world while focusing on Phat and Nakhun’s relationship, followed by two more seasons for the brothers’ stories, focusing on their partners and diving deeper into the Omegaverse. That would have made so much sense and been way more interesting, because Nakhin & Ongsa and Naphitch & Sangnuea have great stories that deserved their own seasons. Instead, way too many half-baked subplots and characters ended up diluting Phat and Nakhun’s main story.

Two things genuinely annoyed me. First: Phatsa’s character. Don’t get me wrong, Oat is a fantastic actor who really knows how to convey emotion. He and Boat (along with Rul) are easily the highlights of the show, and their chemistry is undeniable. I get that omegas are traditionally portrayed as submissive, gentle, calm, and peace-loving, more empathetic, affectionate, and sensitive to hostile environments, with a strong focus on harmony and taking care of the group. The problem is that, at certain points, Phatsa just wasn’t very believable. Sure, his dad hid the fact that he was an alpha and his mother was an omega, and while Phatsa’s second gender might have been a secret, how could he possibly know nothing about it? Did he live under a rock? On top of that, his submissiveness sometimes crossed the line into making him look kind of foolish. Thankfully, though, he had a lot more moments where he proved to be a strong, brave omega than the opposite.

I loved Boat as an alpha. What I loved even more was that Nakhun recognized that giving into his instincts and marking Phatsa was a mistake and actually took responsibility for it. That was a major win for the series.
And Khamphirada, played by Rul Natthamonkarn, gave me my ultimate “go girl!” moment when she left Nakhun’s dad. The way she welcomed Phatsa and Naphitch was so sweet. Plus, she completely stole every scene she was in with her beauty and elegance.

The supporting cast also won me over, despite the weak script. They really gave it their all with the material they were handed. I honestly wish Nakhin & Ongsa and Naphitch & Sangnuea had gotten their own seasons. The stories for both couples could have been so rich and interesting!

What really pissed me off, though, was the ending. I binged the whole thing this weekend, so I kind of lost track of the episode count. When Phatsa finds out he’s pregnant, I got super hyped waiting to see a wedding and the baby being born, and then... the show just ends. I was literally just staring at the screen, baffled that a series could wrap up like that. We’re almost certainly never getting a second season, so it’s sad to see a story with such massive potential end that way.

Still, despite all my complaints, I had a good time watching it. I loved the fun, cute moments. Maybe binging the whole thing after it had already finished airing played a part in that.

Read More

A Predictable Second Chance Romance With Lots of Heart

To Love and Cherish is a classic second-chance romance about a young couple who fall deeply in love, get separated, and reunite ten years later. The story itself isn't anything new, and you can probably predict where most of it is going, but I still had a pretty easy and enjoyable time watching it.

What really worked for me were the flashbacks. Young Ran and Yai were honestly adorable. Their first-love innocence, shameless flirting, sweet kisses, and open declarations of love gave me exactly the young romance feeling I wanted. Their chemistry felt natural, passionate, and full of that excitement you get when two people are completely in love. I actually found myself wondering how these two cute, happy young people turned into such emotionally tired adults and what happened during those ten years to change them so much.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same chemistry from the adult versions. I really wanted more from Film and Bua because they are carrying the main romance, but something just didn't click for me. Their acting was fine, although I especially felt that the younger versions were more convincing emotionally. Maybe the adult characters were written to be more mature and restrained, but I still wanted to feel that same spark and intensity between them.

The supporting characters were actually one of my favourite parts. Sam and Alex were absolute green flags and brought so much warmth to the story. I loved how they supported Ran, made her feel safe and comfortable, and were simply there for her without unnecessary complications. They genuinely added positive energy whenever they appeared, and I honestly wouldn't have minded seeing even more of them.

Of course, we also get the obligatory Thai drama characters who make you want to scream at your screen. Yai's mother and Nana were particularly exhausting. Nana especially had me questioning every life choice she made. Chasing someone who clearly doesn't want you for fifteen years is not romantic persistence to me, it's time to move on!

One thing I appreciated was that, despite all the drama, there wasn't some huge love triangle or endless romantic competition. The story stays focused on the main couple, even if I personally connected more with their younger versions and the supporting characters.

Overall, To Love and Cherish didn't bring anything particularly new to the second-chance romance genre, but it was still an easy and enjoyable watch. The younger Ran and Yai completely won me over with their sweetness and chemistry, while the adult romance left me wanting more. I just wish the drama had managed to bring that same passion and emotional connection into their reunion years.

Read More

An ode to the validation of a covert narcissist - when a vamp is a heroine

Brilliant cast, brilliant acting and with what they had a brilliant production.
The biggest problem was the story itself. And not just the screenplay that kind of made some chnages to the original novel - the original novel itself - is a disaster in capitals.

Why did I watch it? its called watching a train wreck - the facination with horror. the asnwer to how much worse can it get.

Nothing can save a story when its by a covert narcissist, about a covert narcissist and for narcissists. If there was a covert narcissist constitution this is one.

Before I go on - the adaptation was a problem? No! The story itself was. The fact that the writer's pen name translates to - Girl's dont cry - tells you the banner heading of how a narcissist wrote an ode to herself.

The female lead is a text book covert narcissist. You copy paste the below text on any brower and AI app or stress test it on any psych profiling website to confirm for yourself.

Story premise - the ML is rich, talented, cold, heartless, entitled and rude. The FL is a poor out of towner in a big city with big dreams and ambitions and not much else.

1ST red flag - poor? - the word is used both for her constant projection and weaponising of the 'poor me' syndrome and her comparison with the ML's well to do status. - text book covert narcissism.
2nd Red flag - all the rest of the description - out of towner in a big city with big dreams and ambitions and not much else. - a text book premise that every covert narcissist has. Millions of people travel to big cities, struggle and come with big dreams and ambitions. does not make you special. you'er one among millions. Some make it some don't. Doesnt make one better than the other and most certainly not a case the poor me syndrome.

FL's first dialogue as the drama starts - its a shamefull, secret relationship.

2nd Red Flag - she insisted on a secret romance then calls it shamefull and blames the ML for it and calls is shameful and disgusting. Why? - because she didn't get what she wanted. - too bad, none of us get what we want, we still keep trying and we certainly dont blame our boyfriends or the workd for it - Wait ---------
Someone does - that's right! a narcissist DOES!
A narcissist will everyone in the entire world but themselves when things go wrong.
Those who disagree - becasue she made an effort? So does the whole world. Everyone makes an effort. And not all effrots are rewarded as we want. thats life. and keep reading because I'm taking the bull by the horns next -

The ML is rich, talented, cold, heartless, entitled and rude. - That's not a fault. That's just him.
He does not hold a gun to her head, nor assaults her, nor harasses her, nothing - he does nothing. She made the choice to be with him and then complained about it. Why because things dont go her way. Things dont go her way for 6 years and she complains and sticks around and the ML is at fault? She could move elsewhere, break up, do a million other things, but 'chooses' to stay and then blames everyone for her choices?
Like what was he? a project? the FL and by that the writer - decided in her tiny little head that she will take on the project of retraining and changing this guy and are upset beacause she cant?
Like hello!!! Did he ask to be changed? Did anyone assign the FL the task of changing him? no!!!
But she weaponises her choice as a blame and the audience and reader are supposed to accept that and cheer for the FL.
Like - nope!!! -------- 3RD RED FLAG

Her Comments and conditions and situations -

4th Red Flag
As she is leaving him finally and the shared dog refuses to go with her. FL to the dog - you chose a rich person over a poor one!
I cant belive this was wrritten. Such a typical narcissist thing to say. Envious of his richness much? He didn't take anything form the FL. He was born rich and wroked hard to get where he is despite set backs and betrayls. Oh but no - this is an ode to a narcissist.

5th Red Flag
She slept with him - cold sober - then ran out the next morning and called it an accident.
Like what?

6th Red Flag
Agrees to be his GF and then insists that they keep it a secret from everyone. The turns around and blames him for keeping it a secret. How is her identity a question when she enters a relationship willingly as a consulting adult and even calls the shots and lays down the rules. - In the book he is rude and over bearing. In the sow he is critical and doesnt gush over every tiny movement. - look if that was a problem - stop right there and move on. But no, she sticks around to pile emotional abuse and balckmalil on him all the while simpering poor me - like he is holding her hostage. He is not.
In any other drama - this would be the VAMP!
The irritating clingy creature that hangs on the ML's arm despite being given zero cred.
Sadly the ML gives her credit all the time - but that doesn't stop her from blaming him all the time while using him to learn, grow, support and give leverage to her career and life.

7th red flag
Keeps secrets, dosen't let him on any thing despite how he introduces her to his friends, her friends are out of bounds. She shared nothing about them but happily takes his help to promote their businesses.
And while she keeps everyone on a string and reufses to share - she expects him to give a full account of everything and acts hurt and invicerated for imagined wrongs without checking for facts.

8th red flag -
never ever gives any one a clear answer - all men are on strings like back up plans

The ex boy friend - meets him and introduces the ML not as the current BF but her boss. Like if you're ashamed of the guy why not just break up and let him live his life? but no parasitic covert narcissist will never do that will they?
Then goes on a date with the ex-BF and does not give him a clear defivitive - sorry this ended go away message nope - keeps him around and he has access to her hotel room??? like how the F did that happen? how is it even possible. It doesnt end, she gets drunk, the ML is helping her the ex BF enters the room and claims her as property! the ML stays - wise guy. The two men go off to sleep - the FL gets up finds them both sleeping - doesn't confront no body - nothing - just runs out of the room and acts all non-chalant!!! like what in god's F is happeneing???

The house mate - the house mate is clearly simpering after her and she never addresses it. Worse she knows the other house mate likes him but she never lets that develop because she is too musy enjoyoing male attention. The house mate turns up in the remote NW where she is running a project - gives flowers, cries and she hugs him? ok his mother died - so maybe - point is - tells the BF the ML nothing!!!! like any normal person would want to tell their significant other about a monumental incident in their close friends life. Explanations like he's cold and uninterested etc. - leave the guy! why go around with a person you dont tell evrything to or can't? - terrible terrible writing horrible plot - that only a narcissist can write and understand as normal. For the rest of us - sorry! this is not how it works.

9th Red flag -

Looses a reward and promotion - blames the ML for losing it and says the relationship is dirty??? and breaks up with him and resigns from the job!!!!!
Like seriously? What was he? the BF or the guy and boss who was having sex with the FL to pay her in rewards and promotions?

10th red flag

Everytime anyone priases here she is so smug and overly happy the narcissism is like a becon light.
No - the ML not praising her doesnt not equate to seeking praise elsewhere. She is an adult not a child - if its a problem, stop the relationship and walk away!

I can go on and on and on - I identified 23 text book covert narcissist traits in the FL character. Terrible character build and a complete waste of talented actors and production.

Read More

Its so fluffy

Sep 27, 2026

This show is so cute and fluffy. I truly think that Japan has a knack for making very similar show and making them entertaining!!

I think that it is very mellow and easy to watch, it holds and moves my heart strings for sure. Though, I won't lie, I did quite have a hard time watching the last couple episodes. Maybe because of the pacing, I felt that I was more inclined to fast-forward some scenes. Regardless, I still think that this was a cute show to watch. The chemistry of the leads are truly amazing and so cute. A good show to start the fall and cozy season!

Read More

Extremely slow and boring!

I haven't read the original novel, so I don't know if it's the original story or the poor adaptation, but the characters in the plot are extremely disorganized and poorly developed, and this is despite of some very good acting performances. It seems that the entire revenge theme is to explore the power struggles and interpersonal dynamics within the family structure and the social and court hierarchy but the show falls short to deliver this concept. The pace is excruciatingly slow and devoid of any excitement, and the suspenseful music is not enough to remedy the lack of any life and vigor. The main protagonist's ( Xie Qing Yuan) deadpan face, extra soft voice and servile acts soon become annoying and boring. Her character shifts from a very insightful strategist one day to a naively emotional teenager wanting revenge at any cost, even by marrying an immature and single-minded lovestruck fool with no real power, the next! The emotional connection between the main characters is not palpable or believable. I like Zhou Ye and enjoyed her performance in The legend of the female general and looked forward to this drama mostly because of her but unfortunately, this underperforming and utterly disappointing drama managed to wipe out all those good impressions.

Read More

A Must Watch!!!

Match point is about two enemies, whose fathers hate eo. Still in the end they fall for each other and it was so beautiful.
i cried, i laughed, i screamed...
it was such a good series. i absolutely love bays character and the way hes a green forest. sun is also such a vibe and they match each other sooo good! the chemistry is actually so good and way better than with this other guy in my gangster oppa! i also loved the second couple even tho i think they deserved a kiss or smth... i rly adore them tho...
to the plot,
it was a basic ememies to lovers but in soo good! they both could play tennis even tho im really impressed by Bay that he can still play and then soo good. i mean sun was about to be a nathional athlete... but still i love the way the story unfolded and how the fathers also went kinda back to friends but still argued. tbh i was also surprised it was bays father who was the "main villian" i thought it would be suns but i think that made it so good for the plot. we could see Bay sad and in a not so good shape uk?
i also loveddd the last episode when they actually made a contract, that they text every day and face call every sundayyy! and i lovedd that they havent really had a biggg misunderstanding. they also wrote in that contract, that they will always talk it out, if there is any misunderstanding or problem. that was actually so sweettt!!!
overall i rated it a 9.5 out of 10 cuz it was sooo goooodddd and i will miss them and sundays...

Read More

Makjang fluff, equivalent to drinking a bottle of alcohol or something

The drama is a decent and showy makjang until about ep 7.
The 2 Joseon women tried to be wise from their heart and it was very nice -
but then it started falling apart in ep 7 when I got tired of their whispering voices and ALWAYS ANXIOUS SUFFERING FACES... ALWAYS IN FEAR.... always lying... more and more lying...

AND NO CHARACTER GROWTH IN ANY DRAMA CHARACTER****

SO IT WAS ALL SNAKE OIL, SMOKE AND MIRRORS, TOTALLY FAKE!!!!

I wrote several long posts in the Discussion for this drama on MDL, so you can read that.
I FINISHED THE DRAMA FEELING FURIOUS THAT I WASTED TIME WATCHING THIS TRASH. It was a great study of how cheesy writers bait the audience and how to pay attention to what you are watching and what the red flags are. .

The drama left me absolutely FURIOUS. I was watching and things were ok until I figured out what I was watching - utmost sexism and women as powerless slaves, scared for their life,

Koreans brainwashing that female lying, silence, chronic anxiety and suffering, and "whispering voices" and "demure elegant" conduct is something desirable.
HECK NO. It comes from women being scared for their life and well being, as slaves with NO power or rights; and the brainwashing that they have to sacrifice themselves - for example that a woman must not eat much. KOREAN SOCIETY TREATED - AND STILL TREATS - WOMEN LIKE SLAVES, SO BADLY IT IS DISGUSTING

Practically every culture in the world mistreats women, some more some less, but it is THERE
It was just disgusting to see how Asia did it and STILL DOES IT that is why we get those anxious lying never talking stupid women in 2026 dramas about year 2026.

That gotta STOP we need good female role models. -


So b y ep 7, I started to doubt what I was watching, and then in ep 15, 16 I got very angry at what I was seeing esp in older Joseon woman.

What the drama calls demure, elegant, feminine, considerate, pleasing, trustworthy is actually a POWERLESS FEMALE SLAVE who does not dare say anything that could piss off anyone, so SHE LIES, KEEPS SILENCE, DESTROYS, just to keep her as@ safe.
IT IS DISGUSTING ADVERTISEMENT OF PATRIARCHY

Durian's Affair was not sugarcoating LGBT+ and made this character super selfish and ordinary, "same as usual selfish", just with that orientation.
Also the drama made fun of Catholicism and CHristian "lamb", of Western Food, or plastic surgery for actors, and many many other societal issues.

There is no character growth in this drama, WHATSOEVER, the drama says it is for "ordinary ppl to temporarily forget their rough life" and indeed that is what this drama is, lots of juicy shocking and gossip scenes, lots of meaningless dialogues, ...

It has karmic lessons, ok... and advertises Buddhism... ok ..
but other than that... it is pretty much useless for real life, it is mostly fluff

FOR STARTERS, UP UNTIL ABOUT EP 7:
2 Joseon ladies embody just plain old honesty politeness and kindness that goes waaaay beyond any rotten old moldy sexist Confucianism.... Indeed! So thank you for that thoughtful review.

This drama indeed is a pioneering piece of work, and the script is actually very good and effective, acting is stellar, and of course - the music totally adds to the drama, pun intended. I am glad I watched it.

For the record: I got to this drama by accident, bc there are no dramas for 2 weeks bc of some sports event. So someone recommended the "classic" daily Princess Aurora, so I researched it, found the review on Dramabeans, and watched ep 148, 150 to see for myself. So I got curious about the writer and read her bio here on MDL. Definitely a very contraversial person... who makes effective makjangs. The secrets are great dramatic music, juicy "real life" stereotypes and gossips, ... and even deeper. I already noticed in the 2 episodes of the Princess that many societal issues were addressed, and the overall topic of this drama is the good old "being driven by hormones in spite of all visible red flags."

Read More