Reviews

Sneaks up on you in the best way possible

So at first this is your typical transmigration trope into a story. It starts off super cheesy and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But as the story progressed, especially past the halfway mark it slowly snuck up on me how much I loved it. Both fl and ml acting is really great (you can never go wrong with Chen Xingxu. Also, they are good friends in real life so I think this really helped their chemistry here.

By the end I was feeling allll the emotions. When it can stir up laughter, joy, sadness and crying in you I think it's a great drama. It's also a testament to their acting skills.

While this is nothing new in this trope, the leads themselves along with their acting is what makes this superb.

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One of the best book adaptions!

Season 2 started off sad and dramatically with the beginning of WW2 and Isak’s death. Isak is one of my favorite characters in this drama and Steve Noh really played it amazingly well!!! He was the perfect Isak!!! I wished more lovey dovey scenes of him and Sunja but sadly he was in prison and then died so we didn’t get to see him that much 😢🥺🥺

The war scenes were just incredibly terrifying… Watching this drama made me even more grateful for the privileges I enjoyed in my life. It also made me realize how much Korea has been through so far. How much and long they suffered but how fast they managed to rise up and beyond their former perpetrators (Japan)…

The highlight of this season for me was little Mozasu 😂😂😂 He was SO CUTEEEE!!! That little child actor was something else!! 😂 He for sure has a bright future ahead of him 🫶🏻

Tbh this season had a few more boring scenes than the season before. I personally thought Yoseb’s days at the factory before the bomb hit were a bit unnecessary. They did nothing to the plot really. They should have kept it short…

Also Solomon’s path is really worrying… I don’t remember it being so sketchy. I thought he was involved with gambling in the book 🤔🤔🤔

All in all, season 2 seemed to be a bit more accurate to the book.
I wonder if a season 3 will be out soon since this story is not finished 🥺

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Manman, Prisoner of Wei Shao's wits.

Rewatching this almost a year later, my notes and reactions still line up with how I felt the first time. If anything, the rewatch made me appreciate the character writing and relationship progression more because I could see the setup and payoff more clearly.

❁✿❀❁✿❀

⁂ My type of enemies to lovers

What I appreciated most is that this is an actual slow enemies-to-lovers story, not the kind where they argue once and then spend the rest of the show bickering like it's what being enemies are all about. Manman and Wei Shao actually start with actual hostility rooted in family history, bloodshed, and political betrayal. There is distrust baked into every early interaction.

Wei Shao does not warm up quickly and the show does not rush him. He is competent, disciplined, and principled, but emotionally blocked by grief and revenge. The drama does not pretend he is gentle from the start, because he still has to unlearn things. He is suspicious of Manman’s motives, reads almost every move as possible manipulation from the Qiao clan, and reacts badly when his trauma gets triggered. There are episodes where he is honestly very hard to like. He jumps to conclusions, lets anger drive his actions, and hurts Manman emotionally and nearly physically more than once. Still, even when he is harsh and guarded, he does not reduce her status or treat her cheaply. He keeps her position as Lady of Wei intact, which says a lot about his baseline principles even when his emotions are driven by revenge.

The drama also feels like Wei Shao’s personal emotional journey. He eventually softens, but it does not happen magically. What makes the shift a nice watch is that it happens in layers. First comes reluctant acknowledgment of Manman's wits and intelligence. Then respect for her political instincts and strategies. Then trust in specific situations. Then emotional dependence. He goes from seeing her as a threat, to a useful ally, to someone whose judgment he relies on, to someone he loves, actively wanting to protect and listen to. The change shows in how he speaks to her, how he believes her over time, and how often he checks himself after reacting badly. When he realizes he is wrong, he adjusts. He may not be good at apologies, but he changes how he handles similar situations later.

Also, it is ironically funny how often this undefeated battlefield warlord loses every verbal match with Manman and retreats with a pout and a side eye instead. His jealousy streak shows up a lot too, but the timing is usually comedic. Manman getting jealous and pouty over misunderstandings herself was also a cute balance.

Speaking of Manman, on the other hand, she never forgets that she walked into enemy territory through the marriage alliance, and she carries her clan's guilt with her. Even if Manman herself had no part in it, she never pretends the debt does not exist. A lot of her restraint and caution comes from knowing she walked into Wei territory carrying that history. Many of her decisions are made with the goal of not deepening resentment and not adding more burden to what her clan already owes.

She carries a huge part of why this drama works. She is not written as a damsel or a passive genius who only reacts. She is proactive, strategic, emotionally aware, and politically sharp. She adapts her approach depending on Wei Shao's mood, his triggers, and the political climate. She reads rooms well, understands power, and knows when to act gentle and when to be firm.

What I also really liked is how she treats Wei Shao not just as a political counterpart but as a partner, even with her own goals and even before their relationship becomes emotionally secure. She adjusts her behavior to protect his authority in public, redirects credit toward him when needed, and makes choices that strengthen his position with the people even when it might cost her own reputation. This is because even early on, when trust between them is still thin, Manman already recognizes that beneath his anger and prejudice of the Qiaos, he genuinely cares about civilians, which aligns with her own values. That becomes her anchor for how she deals with him. Instead of trying to melt him emotionally which she knew won't work, she works alongside his values. She treats him like someone capable of being better, not someone she needs to fix or submit to.

Even when she is cornered or treated unfairly, she thinks before reacting. Manman let people witness why while she is and will always be a Qiao, she is also the Lady of Wei. She uses timing, framing, and evidence to turn situations around. Most of her wins come from observation and planning, not luck or rescue. She saves situations again and again through her wits and negotiation skills.

When their relationship improves, I love that they do not become stupid for love. Neither of them gets watered down. When they soften, it is not because one becomes submissive, but it is because Wei Shao becomes more willing to meet Manman halfway, and vice versa. They stay sharp, stubborn (in good and bad ways), and capable. I also liked how their shared values become clearer over time. While they have their own priorities clear, both pushes for solutions that protect civilians, long term peace, and stability.

❁✿❀❁✿❀

⁂ Why it’s a 9.5 and not a 10 for me

Not everything worked for me, but it's not something I consider a flaw. Just a nitpick lol.

E Huang absolutely overstayed her narrative welcome. She kept circling back into the story long after her role was already clear. The leads already felt something was off about her, but eventually couldn't do anything because evidence could not be pinned on her. This allowed her to have too much screen time for my liking, eventually letting her in Liu Yan's plans. Too many schemes, and not enough payoff shown on screen for her. Sure, I guess her realizing Bogong actually loved her even after seeing through her lies was already enough for her to stop everything, including her life. But man, we should've seen that part lol. I wanted to see more regret from E Huang and Liu Yan.

Qiao Fan’s father dying at Liu Yan’s hands instead of facing fuller consequences for his own greed and decisions felt like a lazy way to write his doom. He caused massive fallout, contributed to the chain of events that led to tragedy, and then exits without properly facing what he has done. For me, he would have been one of the biggest and far more stressful villains if E Huang and Liu Yan weren't in this drama lol. Because unlike others, he was just driven by greed and power. So, his end felt veryyyy unsatisfying.

And I am still not over Fan and Wei Liang’s death. On rewatch, Wei Liang's death still feels unnecessary. I can understand Fan's decision because it also freed Bi Zhi's undeniable love for her that also became his shackles, but for Wei Liang, I just could not understand at all. It was so sudden for me that the first time I watched it, I really thought plot armor would save him. Apparently not. And I am still blaming the writers for that one.

❁✿❀❁✿❀

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An emotional rollercoaster

As someone who read the book as well, I have cried much more while watching the drama and that’s all thanks to the acting skills!!! I already expected this to be good since I already knew the book but it definitely exceeded my expectations!!!

I do have a few qualms related to the book accuracy tho. For me, one of the scenes or plot spans that was missing was the time when Sunjae started working at Hansu’s restaurant. If I’m not mistaken, this was happening when Mozasu was still a baby and when Isak got arrested and the women had to sell kimchi at the market. I think after Sunja’s arrest, she was no longer allowed to sell at tge market so she got offered a job in a restaurant to prepare the side dishes especially kimchi and ofc it wad all orchestrated by Hansu. But they left out this part of the story and instead added a whole episode on Koh Hansu’s past during the big Kanto earthquake. I must say it was a well-executed episode and since it was not in the book, I also didn’t know what was gonna happen. But I did wish they had included the kimchi-selling-at-restaurant plotline too.
Something else I didn’t like was the deepdive into Solomon’s financial life struggles with the company and all that. It was honestly a bit boring. Also, Solomon is my least favorite character in this drama. However, I liked how they tried to match the changes happening in the past with the changed happening in the present. Like sth dtamatic would happen to Sunjae in the past and they would cut to the present with Solomon and he would be going through some similar turning point … Those parallels between past and present were interesting but sometimes could be a bit too much.

Final thoughts
•Isak Baek is the goat!
•Kim Minha is one of the most talented actresses in Korea!
•Probably the best performance by Lee Minho!
•The intro was ON FIRE!!! Loved it!!!

Review on s2 is coming next…

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Wasn’t My Cup of Tea

This movie just didn’t work for me. The action felt too light and oddly teenage-coded, and the story was so predictable that I always knew exactly where it was going. The comedy had a few decent moments, but overall it landed as pretty mediocre.
It’s not a bad movie by any means, it’s just painfully familiar. The characters aren’t particularly complex, original, or creative, and it feels like a mash-up of things we’ve all seen many times before.
That said, it does have a couple of genuinely funny scenes. If you’re bored, want something easy, and don’t feel like committing emotionally or mentally, this could work as background entertainment.

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Food, Friend and Found family .☘︎ ݁˖

"Alice-san chi no iroribata" is a captivating short drama set in the countryside. It showcases delicious food, explores life in a Japanese town and its culture, and includes a touch of romance. This heartwarming show will bring a smile to your face and help you appreciate the simple pleasures in life. "૮₍ •⤙•˶₊˚ෆ

In this fast-paced and often overwhelming world, where the quiet beauty of rural life seems to be fading, Alice and Harumi taught me a lesson I hold close: it’s okay to embrace my own pace. Even when progress feels small, it's still meaningful. Slowing down isn’t just acceptable—it’s essential. Life can be challenging, but taking things one step at a time is what truly matters.
‧₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅ ᶠᵒᵒᵈ 𓎩 .⋆ﾟ

A must listen OP song 『Alice』by LUV K RAFT (らぶくらふと)
https://youtu.be/FKnbu3_AYNI

(๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑) . . .✮ ごちそうさまでした ✮

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How to mess up a great premise

Things I loved

1 The concept. Fresh and perfect for a rom com you can't believe there's a way to mess it up. And yet.

Things I disliked

1 The FL. She wasn't great, but I blame more the writers than her, so she doesn't go to the hated list.

Things I hated

1 The ML. He wasn't the right actor for the role. He never managed to make me laugh or make me care about him.

2 The writing. Disjoined plots and nonsensical characters that turned a great concept to an utter disaster. I gave it 2 for the premise, but the rest is below zero.

3 The wrong labeling. I thought it would be a rom com. It wasn't.

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Nice and tidy with minor flaws.

It was a nice watch. Song Hyekyo is just... you know WOW, and she had great chemistry with Bogum. The story is predictable but still well-written. There are multiple cliches but honestly, they surprised me with the ending, because after EP15 I thought we're gonna get the same old huge time skip where everything is fine and happy but that didn't happen. They even hinted at a potential 5 year skip with the flower. So the whole drama wasn't as irritating because of that.

I'm not sure about FL's mom arc tho. I'm not a fan of these types of things especially if the character is really toxic. I don't think she deserves a redemption arc. FL lead ex-husband wasn't as bad even if he was obsessed, at the end of the day he had good intentions and thankfully the writer didn't do the same boring story-line with him.

I can understand ML's mother 100%, but I'm also not a fan of these types of breakups. Most of the time it's just a waste of time, because everyone knows the ending.

The side characters were likable and fun, especially the Myung Shik and Sun Joo, also Daechan and Mijin duo. I liked their romance as well, it was a lot of fun with the bickering.

I was afraid of the typical love triangle, but they handled it well.

So, overall this was great. Nothing special or groundbreaking, but it doesn't have to be.

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Too dark for me

Things I liked

1 The ML. He's handsome at least. I can't say much for his acting skills though since this my first drama with him and I wasn't impressed. I didn't find his character was that great to be honest so maybe he should play it like that. I don't know. The thing is I was disappointed after seeing so many good reviews.

Things I disliked

1 The FL. I think she's not a great actress and her character wasn't compelling. She wasn't able to give it some depth so in the end I didn't care for her.

Things I hated

1 The script. It was too dark without make me care for the cases.

2 The lack of chemistry between the leads. I blame both, it feels like they didn't even try,

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5 just for the ML.

Things I loved

1 The ML. He's one of my favorite actors and his voice is the best ever.

Things I liked

1 The 2FL. She needs some more acting lessons, but she is pretty and a bright light in this drama.

Things I disliked

1 The chemistry between the leads wasn't there. He had more chemistry with his costar in Master of my Own and I find her awful and a true mismatch for him. Yet the chemistry was there and i gave it a 9 despite the actress.

Things I hated

1 The whole age gap for the second couple. A few years it's fine, but he looked his age and he was 50 plus when she looked even younger than her real age. I didn't hate them, but I can't put their relationship in the like list either. Too much a real age gap.

2 The FL. She's an awful actress. Nothing more to say. She doesn't know how to do comedy and she's not talented enough to make serious scenes believable.

3 The third relationship. Stupid, toxic and unnecessary after the first few episodes.

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In so much awe.

My heart is both overjoyed and confused with everything that just happened.

One thing that is for certain is how I admired how this series was written. How everything interconnected. I’m still curious as to who in the future the others are in MiaoMaio’s life, but I’m currently too overjoyed to think about it, YET. Lol!

The story of this show is quite an adventure. It contains so much life. There’s joy, guilt, love, secrets, but never any true betrayal between them. I think that is what I also admired the most. The camaraderie in this story is top notched.

The romance wasn’t heavy, it was cute, sometimes I even felt like I need more, but everything was done just right that I couldn’t properly complain.

I think the only caveat I have is how every fight with the demons, whichever tier they belong too, always ends too fast. The bulk isn’t actually on the demons, but on the characters themselves.

Overall, this is such a solid drama.

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left me grieving, not just for what happened, but for what could have been...

I heard so much about Mr. Plankton when it first came out, and by the time I finally sat down to watch it, I was genuinely excited. I thought I was getting something quirky, maybe bittersweet, maybe even funny. Oh boy. This drama is trauma.
You’ve been warned.!!!

Plot*
The story follows Hae-jo, a man born from an artificial insemination mistake. A clinic used the wrong donor sperm, and that single error destroys his family. Once the truth comes out, his parents emotionally abandon him, and Hae-jo grows up carrying the weight of rejection, displacement, and unresolved anger.
As an adult, he survives by running an errand service, drifting through life without roots. One day, he gets hired by a bride who wants to run away from her wedding and asks him to kidnap her. Chaos follows, landing Hae-jo in the hospital, where his life completely unravels. He’s diagnosed with a rare hereditary brain condition. Terminal. Three months left.
With death suddenly looming, Hae-jo decides to search for his biological father. But before starting that journey, he makes a decision that changes everything: he kidnaps Jae-mi, his ex-girlfriend, on her wedding day.
Jae-mi is about to marry Eo-heung, the heir to a 500-year-old Korean historical family. She’s also just been diagnosed with premature menopause, crushing her lifelong dream of becoming a mother. Despite the pain, she chooses happiness and stability until Hae-jo drags her back into his life, literally, right before she walks down the aisle.

Spoilers ahead***

This drama is tragic, not in a poetic way, but in a deeply emotionally heavy way. These characters are carrying layers of trauma, abandonment, and unresolved grief, and the story never really lets you breathe.
Watching it feels like being trapped in someone else’s emotional storm. It’s beautifully made, incredibly acted… and exhausting.

Hae-jo - A character I could not forgive!!

Hae-jo is written as a “tragic” character, and I understand why viewers might sympathize with him. Finding out you’re terminally ill, having no family, no roots, and no future, that kind of pain is unimaginable. But understanding pain does not excuse behavior!!
Kidnapping Jae-mi was wrong! It was not romantic. It was not love!! He knew there was no future for them.
He knew he couldn’t give her the life she wanted. He had once cruelly wished that she would never have children and then chose to come back into her life after learning she couldn’t.
Also his behaviour is so wrong, instead of telling her the truth, that he was dying, that he loved her, that he was terrified, he chose control. He makes decisions for her. He corners her emotionally and physically, even when she begged him to let her go.
That isn’t love. That’s entitlement. That’s resentment. That’s a wounded ego acting out.
As a viewer, you’re pushed to empathize with him because of his illness and his past. But honestly??? His actions would traumatize anyone. If he died, Jae-mi would be left carrying that damage forever.
His behavior was manipulative and punitive. He didn’t return because of love, he returned because he was dying. And if he hadn’t been, I truly believe he would have never come back at all.


Jae-mi
Jae-mi broke my heart. She grew up as an orphan, never chosen, never adopted, always waiting for a family to want her. All she ever dreamed of was becoming a mother, giving a child the love she never received.
Then she’s diagnosed with premature menopause. It’s like watching someone walk barefoot through shattered glass.
Hae-jo enters her life when she’s at her most vulnerable, and just when she finally chooses happiness real, calm happiness, he takes it away from her. She had one chance. And he stole it. If you love someone you should want the best for them, Hae-Jo behaviour sounded more like " If I can't have it, you can't have it either."
I hated the ending they gave her. Bringing Hae-jo back only reopened wounds she never had the chance to heal from. Jae-mi is kind, protective, and that goodness is exactly what traps her. Even staying with Hae-jo feels like another form of manipulation.
She deserved a future that wasn’t built on grief.

Eo-heung — The greenest flag this drama ignored
Eo-heung was everything Jae-mi needed. He loved her for her. Not for children. Not for legacy. Not for obligation. And in a society obsessed with bloodlines and continuation, that mattered.
He is the embodiment of the Korean son burdened by tradition, raised under a strict mother, expected to carry a family legacy, trained to obey rather than live freely. And yet, with Jae-mi, he was gentle, attentive, and genuinely happy.
I cannot believe the writers didn’t bring them back together.
After everything, the ending I wanted, no, NEEDED was Jae-mi and Eo-heung finding their way back to each other. They would have found a way to build a family. You could see it in him: children didn’t define his love. He loved her! As usual for the sake of romantic the plot had to remove the good guy and glorify the bad guy.


Abandonment is the beating heart of this drama. Jae-mi, abandoned as a child, growing up believing she was never enough.
Hae-jo, emotionally abandoned by the family who wanted him until he wasn’t biologically theirs. The constant fear of being replaced, discarded, or forgotten. It give this drama very heavy touch, and you are constantly reminded though Hae-jo's journey to find his biological father!

The drama also paints a sharp picture of Korean family structures, patriarchy, bloodline obsession, controlling parents, and the crushing expectation placed on men to carry family legacy at all costs.

Visually, this drama is stunning. The Korean provinces, the mountains, the wide open landscapes, honestly it was a feast for the eyes. So beautiful that make you genuinely want to visit Korea, and see all of these beautiful regions! Specially the part when they were climbing the mountain in Busan, it mad eye feel like travelling to Busan just to do that and enjoy the beautiful scenery! I found that the contrast between the beauty of the background setting and the heaviness of the story was clever mix.

There are so much I could say about this drama but I don't want make this review longer, so ...Mr. Plankton is a beautifully made drama. It’s powerful, emotionally intense, and unforgettable.
But it left me grieving, not just for what happened, but for what could have been. After everything these characters endured, I wanted a softer landing. I wanted healing. I wanted hope!

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When a good concept does not survive implementation

Revamp the Undead Story is a story about Punn (Prem Warut), owner of an antique shop, who frees Ramil (Boun Noppanut), a powerful thousand-year-old vampire, from an ancient painting. Punn finds himself in a complicated situation when he starts helping Ramil regain his powers while being part of a team of vampire hunters.

Honestly, it's a good premise, the idea behind the story is great...
But damn it, what New did here makes no sense at all. Like all of director New Siwaj's series, it starts off well, it starts off interesting and captivating. But from the middle to the end, it seems like everyone gets lost, and you kind of just finish it because “Oh, I'm already here.”
The choreography is well rehearsed (despite the slightly weak special effects), but it lacks camera work to make it more realistic, and the use of different sound effects—it's not possible for every punch to have the same sound. The dynamics of the vampires are very interesting. Methas (Mark Jiruntanin), Ciar (Barcode Tinnasit), and Mekhin (Aun Napat) have very good interactions. The way they all met and actually respect Ramil is a cool thing to see. The sets and costumes are also good choices.
So you ask me, but what's the problem?
The main couple's dynamics are sabotaged.
It's no secret that Siwaj doesn't know how to direct couples to the point where they look GOOD together, which makes me very sad, particularly because he used to be very good at it. This isn't the first time New has worked with BounPrem; he already directed Between Us, so what has been lost since then?
The interactions are superficial, the main couple seems to have a friends with benefits relationship, and the situations to deepen the dynamics between the two are... forced, so to speak.
But then we come to another point: the writers.
The choice to have Ice Chalermpong and Seh Thanaporn write a script together. He did series like Never Let Me Go and she did The Trainee. Without getting into the topic of these scripts individually, but both do series with different styles, he uses drama as an outlet and she uses comedy. And they didn't find a middle ground.
So the dramatic scenes are crude and the comedy scenes are heavy, and the whole series is stuck in this rut.

Revamp had interesting potential, I expected something better after Golden Blood, but it seems we haven't gotten very far. The series could have been the best in the supernatural genre, but the potential was wasted and the obligation to deliver quickly overshadowed the act.

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CUTE and worth watching but silly

The silly part is not just about the whole “curse” thing.

1. Accidents with buses are decided by the road police, not by teachers.
2. Schools like this have entrance check points, so pupils can not enter if they are not in the uniform.
3. School pupil patrol does not have the right to violence, this would be a violation of the code.
4. Flower pots are never put in places where they can be dropped onto the heads of pupils.
5. Phones are said to be banned in the school, and yet they are shown openly used right in classes later.
6. The current level of social media development would not have allowed any events in the school to be hidden from the sponsors the management cares about.
7. the way how face damage from fights is shown in the series is the funniest ever because they use like one smallest bandage piece per a face for this, which is nothing like what actually happens.

A POSITIVE shocker: the lads are not written to be hardcore straights who are shocked to find out that they have all of a sudden become gay. And even when they are not friendly to each other in the beginning, they still throw assessing gazes, which is incomparably more realistic compared to lots of other series where the encounter is simply hostile because neither of the lads are written as bi/gay.

The Hollywood-style over dramatic music is a bit distracting.

A PSA: never accept friendship requests from unknown accounts as this series shows. Those are most certainly neural networks-enabled bots to spread spam or malware to rob you.

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