Reviews

Overrated take on judge Di tales

Finally managed to finish this. Very disappointing. First few cases were kinda alright, though nothing memorable, they did the Night Market right. But the last ones just became a mix of dumb circus, mixed with some soap and badly choreographed fights. I'd say it rapidly went downhill when they decided to introduce some unnecessary soap to SML's character and make him related to the royal family. It's also quite draggy, with lots of explaining things over and over again, villains were mostly very predictable as well. There are also some jokes, but they mostly fall flat.

Other than that, both MLs' acting is forced, SML is always barking and ML has that unnatural, forced manner of speech.
ML has no character development whatsoever, he's just a carbon copy of judge Di, his mentor.
SML is really unlikeable at first, but gets better later, after he gets fired from being a general.

FL and SFL are basically background furniture here, nothing'd be lost here if they were absent. Nothing to write home about them either. One is occasionally useful as a painter, another is just another fighter rogue introduced late in the plot. I was baffled as to why FL, a lady of high status, is roaming around without maids and proper guards and living in a guy's home just because he said he'd be her sort of brother. Wtf. And her father, who supposedly is doting on her, never even visited her when she ran away from home. Her being crazy for SML and gradually wearing him down was just cringe. But not as cringe as some sort of tacked on romance between ML and SFL, that was completely out of the blue and nothing at all was shown to warrant any of this sudden development.

Not much more to say. Very overrated. I've read second season gets better, but now I'm not sure I want to continue.

Read More

Definitely not the best drama out there

The story suddenly jumped from the real world (the mortal realm) into the drama’s fantasy world within just a few minutes. It was really hard to understand what was happening and why it was happening.

Now, putting that aside, in the early part of the story, it wasn’t very clear what the ML’s actual goal was. Then, so many characters were introduced, and on top of that, there were so many side characters as well. Remembering all of them wasn’t difficult, but actually connecting with them and getting emotionally invested in their relationships with the ML was really hard.

Among all of this, the humor was the only thing that kept me interested in watching. After all those sad and serious dramas, this one felt different.

I also liked how clever the ML was. I was always waiting for him to outsmart everyone and pull out a trump card that would leave everyone shocked.

Little by little, the story started to draw me in, especially when they entered the island and the relationship between the ML and FL became clearer. But it was only interesting while they were on the island. After that, we were once again flooded with characters whom we had left aside for several episodes, and their connection with the male lead was something we felt even less than before.

And in the middle of all this, new characters were introduced again, when the Second Dragon Prince met all these new people.

Up until this point, you could say I was watching in the hope of getting a logical ending, but… the last two episodes completely messed everything up.

One person sacrificed themselves, was forgotten, came back to life, then someone else sacrificed themselves, and we got a three-minute grand dance scene as if none of those things had happened. Even the characters who had died were suddenly alive again and dancing alongside their enemies.

And I was just like, “What am I supposed to feel right now?” 😂 Should I laugh? I felt like everything was becoming way too illogical.

And then, in the last thirty seconds, I was hit with a plot twist and a huge “TO BE CONTINUED” (!!!).

Guess how I felt? 😂

Still, we got some amazing performances from the cast, especially the ML. And some of the characters became my favorites. But I really wish it didn’t have these flaws.

It could have been like Guardians of the Dafeng, with a high rating and a huge number of viewers and fans.

I’m giving it a 7/10.

Read More

A Beautiful Study of Love, Growth and Imperfection

Came back to say… I AM DONE.

And wow. Nian and Zhitao… I loved them. I was beginning to question myself at some point, lol.

The more I think about The Early Spring, the more I appreciate just how realistic its portrayal of an adult relationship was. These two people were not perfect. They did questionable things, made mistakes, hurt each other, misunderstood each other, and sometimes made me want to pull my hair out. But they also had moments where you couldn’t deny that they genuinely cared for each other.

And I LOVED that the drama showed all of it — the good, the bad and the very ugly.

I think we’re so used to relationships in dramas being presented in this very flowery, idealized way, where one person is clearly good and the other is clearly bad, and everything eventually falls neatly into place. But real people are not like that. Life is not purely roses, and relationships certainly aren’t.

Nian could be incredibly annoying. But there were also times when you had to admit that this man was an absolute gem. And Zhitao? There were definitely moments when I wanted to shake her too. Yet that’s precisely why I found them so compelling.

People are complicated. You can love someone and still hurt them. You can have good intentions and still make terrible decisions. You can be a good person and still do bad things. Being flawed doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person.

And I still really appreciate that Zhitao valued herself enough to walk away when she felt she had reached her limit. She knew what she could and couldn’t accept, and she didn’t completely lose herself trying to make the relationship work. I LOVE that for her.

The emphasis on communication also really stayed with me. So many of their problems could have been handled differently if they had simply said what they felt, listened to each other properly and communicated their expectations more clearly. Very adult. Very frustrating. Very real.

Honestly, The Early Spring has officially become one of my favourite Chinese dramas of 2026. Definitely a dark horse for me.

I started this drama casually and somehow ended up emotionally invested in Nian and Zhitao like they were my personal business.

I loved them. I loved the mess. I loved the realism. And apparently, I now love this new version of me that actually enjoys watching complicated adult relationships instead of needing everyone to behave perfectly.

Onto the next one! ❤️

Read More

Surprisingly good

I loved this show.
It has genuinely been a while since I watched a romcom that I actually enjoyed this much, and Boyfriend on Demand really delivered. It’s not perfect, but it knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be, and for the most part, it works.

The 50 min episodes were such a blessing.
 I am so done with every episode of a drama being an hour and twenty minutes long when half of that runtime could have been cut. It kept the show refreshing, pacing tight, avoided a lot of unnecessary drama, and, more importantly, let scenes actually linger in your head instead of becoming forgettable because the show has thrown another 15 things at you before the episode ends.
The shorter runtime really suited this drama.

Episode 3 was probably my favourite. I especially loved what they did with the college storyline. Having Seo Mi-rae see her ex in Eun-ho’s place and finally tell him to have a good life felt like such a simple but meaningful way of showing her letting go of the resentment she had been carrying. The new bitter memories may have replaced the old good ones, but that doesn’t mean the old ones cease to exist.

And I actually liked the angst later on too, between her and Kyeong-Nam. Her biggest obstacle was ultimately herself; her insecurities, her complicated feelings and, especially, her uncertainty about change. It felt very in-character rather than like angst being inserted just because a rom-com needed conflict. I liked watching her actually overcome that part of herself and consciously step into a new relationship.

Ngl, I was initially much more invested in the VR storyline.The VR world was flashy, colourful, extravagant and completely over-the-top. It was inviting and almost addictive. You could understand why people would get obsessed with it.

But once Mi-rae created her custom boyfriend, I found myself becoming more interested in the real-world storyline.
 And honestly, that is an achievement because I was genuinely wondering how they were going to transition from those ridiculous VR dating scenarios into an office romance without making the latter feel boring by comparison.
 Somehow, they managed to bring the two worlds together so naturally that eventually the VR storyline almost fades into the back of your mind.
I also loved them doing all the couple-y things that Mi-rae did in VR, except now they’re happening in the real world and are infinitely better because they’re actually real.
 And Park Kyeong-Nam having this weird obsession with matching alcohol bottle caps? Adorable

Why were there so many attractive men? Like seriously. Lee Soo-hyuk. Seo Kang-joon. Lee Jae-wook. Kim Young-dae. At some point, the fangirl part of my brain almost took over.

The supporting cast was so much fun. I absolutely love Gong Min-jung as a supporting actress. She is always so adorable, funny and effortlessly light-hearted. You know a rom-com is about to rom-com when Gong Min-jung shows up.
 I loved Writer Yun. She is terribly flawed, borderline crazy, annoying as hell at times, and yet somehow completely full of heart, care and good intentions. She feels like the kind of character who would drive you insane in real life, but you’d still end up loving her.

And Ji-yeon? I love how much she loves dating. She is so unapologetically into it. She’s completely full of herself, doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and apparently considers dating one of her favourite hobbies. An icon. Love that for her.

Yoo In-na... Whenever she appears in a rom-com, I immediately get that OG kdrama romcom feeling. I genuinely wish we had gotten more of her.

Jisoo is not terrible here. In fact, she has improved a lot compared to Snowdrop. She is much more capable of holding her own now, and her scenes don’t constantly feel like they need another actor to carry them. But she still feels somewhat amateurish to me. She went straight into playing female leads rather than having the opportunity to work her way through supporting or second-lead roles first.

I also don’t understand how Jisoo can look like an absolute angel in BLACKPINK related works and then look so painfully basic here.
 Yes, Seo Mi-rae is an ordinary office worker. I get that. But at least give her a little more visual distinction in the VR scenes. Those were the perfect opportunity to make her stand out.

More importantly, I think Seo Mi-rae could have been played with a little more earnestness and emotional depth. 
At times, I found myself thinking that the role would have been right up Park Bo-young, Jin Ki-joo or Kim Hye-yoon’s alley.

I like Seo In-guk. It had been years since I watched one of his dramas, so seeing him again was genuinely nice. The problem is that his character doesn’t have a huge amount to work with. Park Kyeong-Nam isn’t particularly dramatic, eccentric or outwardly expressive, so there isn’t much flashy material for Seo In-guk to sink his teeth into.But he does what he can with it, and I really liked his portrayal.

In fact, I think what makes Kyeong-Nam work is precisely that he doesn’t make your heart race the way all those ridiculous VR men do.
 He’s normal. He feels like an actual person rather than a webtoon boyfriend manufactured in a laboratory to satisfy every possible romantic fantasy. He feels like the kind of perfectly ordinary colleague you could actually end up dating. And I loved how the drama used that contrast. The VR men are artificial, exaggerated and designed to be desirable. Kyeong-Nam is human.

But my biggest complaint was: where is the male lead? What do you mean Seo In-guk, the male lead, was getting like 10 minutes of screen time per episode for the first half of the drama?!

I really wish we had gotten more of Kyeong-Nam’s POV.
The story being so heavily centred on Mi-rae meant that we didn’t get enough opportunity to understand him or watch his feelings develop. It was obvious from pretty early on that he liked her, so the drama could have easily given us little snippets of his perspective through the epilogues or occasional POV switches. Instead, they waited until around Episode 7 to properly give us his perspective, which honestly felt way too late. And even then, it was barely given a full episode. At some points, Park Kyeong-Nam genuinely felt more like a supporting character than the male lead.

Also, I absolutely disliked most of Episode 10.
 It felt like the drama was dragging out a problem that could have been resolved with one honest conversation.

Also, why do these women keep going back to the VR men?!
 At first, I was like, yes, this is an interesting commentary on capitalism exploiting lonely people and monetising emotional intimacy.
 But eventually, I stopped blaming capitalism and started blaming everyone’s idiocy.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed Boyfriend on Demand. The show isn’t perfect, but it was such a genuinely fun watch. I had a good time. And honestly, that’s all I want from a rom-com.

P.S. Seo In-guk needs to stop playing around and give me another role like The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.

Read More

FUN! FUN!! FUN!!!

I laughed really hard while watching this. I kept food, snacks, and water out of my mouth while watching this to prevent choking. The characters were unserious and highly comedic; the villain had something comedic in their mannerisms, in the way they were presented, fought, and at times died. I couldn't control my laughter and smiles for at least the first half.

The cast was amazing; it felt like each of their roles was best suited for them. Ao Rui Peng portraying Li Changshou was natural and amazing, and it felt like himself. A character made for him, where he doesn't need to be stressed with his posture or mannerisms.
Likewise, in my opinion, Ai Mi's portrayal of Li Chang Shou's junior sister was the funniest character in this show, and I loved how she matched her senior brother and understood the meaning of his eye signs. The character Ao Jia was hilarious, funny, and interesting to me when he had big dreams of saving the dragon clan, beating himself in a fight against Li Chang Shou, and portraying the girl character Ke Le'r; in my opinion, if I were not a viewer/audience and I was just part of the characters, I would have also thought that was a girl.

It was hilarious seeing modern devices innovatively transform into something similar with the same functions in an historical drama. The mobile phones, image recorder, and washing machine- seeing Li Chang Shou make use of them felt new and refreshing.

With all that said, the second half, around episode 20, declined in the funny aspect compared to the first half. With all the tragedy, wars, crying, and fights going on, don't get me wrong, there were occasional funny moments in the second half, but I didn't laugh as much, as the story lost its focus on being funny and became more serious. But still, the chemistry of the senior-junior relationship between Li Chang Shou and junior sister was great, Loved after 3 years staying in jade division, she learnt her senior brother and understood all his micro-expressions and helped him in so many over-dramatic scenes, adding their master to the chaos made Jade division more fun than the other divisions, they were so hilarious, unserious, and loved each other.

I thought this drama was over-dramatic, but that's the charm; it doesn't have to be serious or less dramatic. The plot was silly and predictable, as the ML always has 98-99% assurance before executing his plans. The unpredictable part is that we do not know his plans; they come as a surprise to the audience.

It's not every year we get this kind of drama, so it was refreshing watching this plot. I would recommend this if you are looking for an easy watch, where you have to sit back, relax, and enjoy the play.

Do Not Eat while watching this to prevent choking.

Have a great time watching

Read More

underrated

I found this drama during my exam time and I got so addicted that I finished it in just 2 days. I didn't expect it to have such a solid plot, the killer is actually so hard to find, so it keeps you hooked with that thriller plus romance and the funny prosecutor team.

I loved the nonchalant male lead, Ji Chang-wook's comic timing and that cool prosecutor vibe suits him so perfectly, and I love the whole office gang bromance, their banter makes the show so much more entertaining. The different legal cases in every episode and the comforting OST also keeps it light and never boring, it's that perfect mix of law, comedy, thriller and romance.

This drama is so underrated. I kinda started hating the female lead after a few episodes though. As always, writers only focus on making the guy a complete green flag and they never really care about the FL's development. She had a point, but they never really tried to make the audience understand her character, so it's disappointing. But most K-dramas are like that.

Still, their chemistry is so hot, the kisses and everything, and the villain also acted so well. It's my favorite underrated drama for sure.

Read More

A story that treats its audience with dignity and respect!

Its been a while since I've written a review, so bear with me hehe😅
I'm giving the show a re-watch value of 8.5 cuz I think i need to be in a certain mind space to watch this show in its entirety due to the angst and anger 3 of the characters bring out within you! You can def catch me rewatching my fave scenes and moments from the show!

To Cherish and Love is one of those rare lakorns I've come across with good, consistent writing, where the audience feels like they are a part of the story themselves, living with the characters' lives and feeling what they feel.
Before I can delve into anything, I have to give a shout-out to the young actors portraying the younger versions of our main leads. They truly made the story feel alive, as if their life experience did happen; their friendship, love, heartbreak, everything was indeed lived through. So so beautifully portrayed, your healt wept for the characters, and understood them much better!

The story focuses on a hard-working woman- K'Ran who is the sole bread-winner of the household after the passing of her father. In order to meet basic needs, she works multiple jobs to keep their family of 4 afloat and comfortable, always taking care of others, but not herself, as she believes she doesn't deserve it.
N'Dao, the youngest character, is a very mischievous and energetic fujoushi, who goes to great lengths in order to make sure that her favourite pairing isn't separated (I wish they could have touched on this a bit more, showing that bl actors are human too, and need to be respected as such, and are not there for "fans" to force their beliefs onto their "idols". It at least shows that bl actors behind the scenes do have relationships with women, which I appreciated, so 0.5% cut!). N'Dao does this by basically managing to sneak past all the security of the TV-Station of the ML and gives him an earful.

The male lead, forced into an engagement by his mother with K'Nana, shows no affection towards her, as his heart still beats for K'Ran though he's been trying to forget about his hurtful past. When he meets his ex-K'Ran, the FL at his company unexpectedly, he is livid. He threatens to fire her, but K'Ran is resilient, patient, and self-sacrificing, painfully so. She tries her hardest to fight for her survival at her ex's company.

I did not like how K'Yai treated her, but based on what he believed: that K'Ran is a heartless, selfish woman who goes after rich men, his actions make sense. I am not saying I support him making the FL's life ever more of a living hell than it already is in the slightest, but the story is so well-written that you hate him for what he is doing, and also want him to have an honest conversation with himself and have his eyes opened! He truly cares for K'Ran, but at the same time, he is afraid she is after K'Sam (his best friend from the US, a bl actor at his company who also falls for K'Ran's kind heart and resilience) and his younger brother K'Lek as they are rich. He makes her overwork herself so that she doesn't get time to "seduce" his friend or brother.

The show is very well executed in that, you not even for a moment feel confused or lost in the plot. You do not feel like your emotions are being played with. When you have a doubt, it gets resolved, even if not immediately within the same ep. The best part is that there is not a single miscommunication or misunderstanding (yes I choose to say this because K'Ran chose to lie to K'Yai deliberately). There are NO dumb characters!!! The story flows naturally, and the characters are actually intelligent! They find out the truth on their own, and the audience doesn't feel like we are being spoon-fed/info-dumped.

I absolutely LOVED that the other 2 male characters did NOT fight for K'Ran. They instead fought to keep her happy, to help her earn, and eat well lol, cuz that woman refuses to take care of herself my God! Thank God for K'Lek being there! And once both K'Sam and K'Lek realise K'Yai still loves K'Ran, they do their absolute best to help them both get back together again!

I am not giving the show a 10 simply because I am not satisfied with how the story dealt with K'Yai's narcissistic, selfish, clearly, hurt, AND psychotic, masochist of a mother (I wanted to cut off an entire 1%, but that would mean the entire show in only 85%), who was the cause of the rift between K'Yai and K'Ran. Living with a person like her, I know first hand that such a person will not change, whether over a long period of time (in my family's case-25+ years), or overnight just because their safety is threatened. They can pretend they have turned a new leaf, but they will NEVER accept their mistake, or let the world know of it if they can help it. So K'Aoijay revealing her disgusting deeds to the world, AND getting off scot-free really pissed me off.

Character ranking:
Grandma: Hands-down best character! And truly wise!
K'Lek: Gosh adorable bean!
K'Ran: So glad she is finally happy!
K'Sam: Can we have more men/2nd leads like this please!!!
K'Yai: You can see he's gotten his mother's masochistic tendencies, but he becomes better, and learns from his mistakes!
K'Dao: Annoying little devil (saying this is the sweetest way possible😂)

K'Nana: Girl please learn some self-worth! And someone make her pay an actual price for trying to make K'Ran's life hellish in highschool!
K'Aoijay: Lady, you need to pay for your crimes against your son, you daughter-in-law (especially), and mother-in-law, AND your granddaughter!

I'd honestly love to see a continuation of the show with just our main CP living together, a happy and fullfilled life filled with laughter and warmth. That way we could also get to see if K'Ran wants to explore going back to her studies, or Taekwando, seeing that she's truly stopped blaming herself for her father's death

And, can someone PLEASE cast the young actors portraying K'Ran and K'Yai as a couple or even friends in another show! Their chemistry was so natural!!!

Truly a great journey overall!
PS: Did anyone else feel K'Film has lost more weight or was it just me...? Ma man, you are perfect the way you are! Please don't lose weight!

Read More