Reviews

A jade of a show!!

So I will begin by saying if there's ever a drama starring Zhang Ling He where anyone thinks the acting or chemistry was bad, it would definitely be the fault of his co-star(s) or the crew, but certainly not his!
ZLH is just the best, he's so good at controlling his expressions & body language he makes you just fall into him without knowing it.

And Tian Xi Wei is able to give off that simple-minded yet sincere & unpretentious vibe, just like in New Life Begins.

POJ is such a well-made drama. The cinematography, costumes, and sets were really nice. The atmosphere in Xigu lane was so refreshing.

The acting was top-notch, even the villains did well. Little Changning was cute, the pig butcher squad hilarious, then there were annoying ones like that Kang granny who ultimately redeemed herself with her sacrifice.

Deng Kai & Snow Kong had about as much screen time as ZLH & TXW, their chemistry was off the charts & they had so many kissy scenes. I actually liked him, even more so as I learned his backstory.

ZLH is such a cutie, hottie, & everything in between 😍😘😍 his kisses 💋💋 give me all the feels!🙊🙈 After that scene with the aphrodisiac, he looked like he could swallow TXW. He's most definitely amongst my top 5 Chinese actors! I love how his characters aren't always all sweet & proper, he harbours a little mischief & even wickedness sometimes😄😄Iike how he & TXW beat up that Song Yan guy, or how he was even jealous & tripped his own son at d end of Story of Kunning Palace 😄😆

POJ sits at the upper echelon of Chinese dramas for me, alongside the likes of FH, POB, SOYP, BIA, SOKP, TD, YYY, & Blossom.

9.0 rating. My only regret is that they didn't show some fights scenes, rather, they just showed the aftermath. Would've been really nice to see more of ZLH's fight scenes.

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Totally worth the time

I was skeptical about this one since there wasn’t a good series recently…… total 10 stars and worth the 3 days…. Loved the last episode post credit scenes… loved the story and the actors…. All the characters were played by wonderful actors….. will keep coming back for favourite scenes…. Worth another watch probably…. Won’t get to it until can remember… when I start forgetting dialogue willl certainly rewatch.
Thought it would be something like LLTG, surprisingly refreshing after a good series slump.

It’s my first review…… it has been that good… I felt jaded before watching and refreshed after….. hope people keep coming up with new stuff

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Two strangers, one photograph standing in for a groom, and the most genuinely earnest romance

A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You is a slow-burn arranged marriage drama set in 1930s pre-war Japan. He is a naval officer who expresses himself with the blunt sincerity of a man defusing a bomb. She is an airhead with quiet steel underneath. Together they are an absolute disaster and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.

What sets this drama apart is how confidently it sidesteps its own conventions. The jealousy never spirals. The misunderstandings resolve through actual communication. The brooding male lead turns out to be just genuinely, hopelessly clueless. It sets up every familiar romance trope and quietly does something more interesting instead every single time.

The second couple mirrors the leads beautifully without stealing focus, the pre-war backdrop adds weight without overwhelming the warmth, and the writing is disciplined enough to earn every feeling it generates.

Ten episodes felt both too short and exactly right.

9/10 — unhurried, unguarded, and the kind of unforgettable you don’t see coming.

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A different kind of love story

This drama was interesting. Definitely the most impressive role I have seen IU in. Thinking about how Lee Sun-kyun could probably act his role out so easily in this because he seemed to be depressed in real life too, makes me really sad… Him comitting suicide a few years ago gives this drama an even heavier tone…

First of all, let’s talk about the story:
For me personally, the story was not very relatable. The office intrigues were a bit too much for me. The married couple struggles, cheating and complicated family dynamics were things I couldn’t relate to. Ji An’s situation with the debt and murder were also extreme cases that neither I nor most people can relate to. Despite all these factors that made it hard for me to relate to, this drama captivated me in a differen way from typical dramas.

I was curious: What will happen to Ji An? How will she develop a bond with Dong Hoon? What will happen to the office intrigues? Will the cheating be found out?
But what captivated me the most was the unique relationship between Ji An and Dong Hoon. It’s so different from your typical romantic K-Drama relationship. Their relationship is not based on romantic love or family love or love between friends. I think their love for each other is that of two depressed people who have forgotten how to love themselves. They are each other’s mirror. By trying to love the other, they are slowly learning how to love themselves. They couldn’t love themselves but seeing how there was another person more pitiful than themselves, they made it their mission to try and love someone as pitiful or even more pitiful than them. By protecting and loving that other person brings them closer to trying to love themselves…

This drama also had a lot of beautiful quotes. Not to mention the incredible soundtrack!!! Grown Ups by Sondia is a song that will always make me cry immediately and I will have scenes of the drama in my head: them on the train going home, her crying over his pain while listening to him breathe heavily, his voice expressing his deep emotional state, her crying on the bridge…

The acting of all characters in this drama was top-notch! It’s rare to see so much quality in one place.

The cinematography is fantastic too. Especially the scenes when they get drunk at their go-to bar with the blurry vision kind of filming impressed me. The state of being drunk but not fully happy… when life feels so heavy that even alcohol can’t make it feel sweet… it was captured so well in that cinematography…

Sadly there were some things that bothered me a bit.
Apart from the office intrigue I already mentioned, I was a bit annoyed by the brothers, especially Gi-hoon. Also his relationship with the actress was kinda random. I did like the actress and her pov on things. She had some good quotes as well but I didn’t quite understand how their relationship fit into the drama.

Also the drama was a bit too much male-oriented. There were a lot of male-based struggles and povs.

Although I loved Jeonghui, I found her obsessive love for the monk a bit unrelatable. I didn’t quite understand why she was still not over him after 20 years. I would have wished some more explanation. What kind of love did they have that made her still not get over him. And what was the reason for him to leave such a love behind and become a monk.

All in all, the drama was wrapped up well in the end. The found family was heart-warming in the end and the message of the drama was just chef’s kiss!
My Mister made me want to start a K-Drama quotes journal so I might have to do that soon

I can only recommend this drama to everyone!

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sleep left the chat 555

Recently finished yrr… dont even ask how freakin insanely amazingg it is
From the very start this drama has CRAZY grip like proper strong storytelling intense atmosphere and that constant w..hat is actually happening.. feeling.. whole mystery around the spirit the possession is literal engaging.. and bro the trio.. THEIR CHEMISTRY ..top notch ha
The priest the psychic driver and that officer all three of them together just worked SO well... it didnt felt forced.. felt like a real bond formation amidst trut and trauma
Suspense built beautifully.. every episode slowly connected pieces but still left guessing until the end.. ngl emotional weight hits hard
There are moments where sacrifice and loyalty felt reall.. like people literally putting everything on the line knowing the outcome.. ending is powerful.. wrappingthings up in a way thats emotional shocking and kinda overwhelming in a good way
literal MASTERPIECE for thriller horror fans
P.S. i wouldve still loved it even if hwa pyung really died.. but him not dying was like cherry on the top

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different but A GOOD DIFFERENT

ngl it was insane..
from start to end there was literally NO boring moment.. .it just keeps pulling you in deeper n deeper
it’s got everything .. thriller game vibes comedy romance… and then bangg the emotions hit out of nowhere
the way the story builds the world inside the game is so engaging... you start thinking it’s just a survivaltype game thing… but nah it goes way deeper
the twist about Ruan being an NPC.. uff that hit different like that completely changes how you see everything and the ending?? MANNN
Lingling waiting for 50 freakin years just to rebuild everything and enter the spirealm again to meet his friends.. bruh
the chemistry between the leads and their friends felt natural... nothing forced smooth bonding that makes you care about everyone
and those final emotional moments.. yeah they stayed with me longer than expected
HONESTLY this drama is just… beautifully done... story emotions concept .. all of it works together perfectly.

CLASSIC.. would 100% recommend

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ZERO SANITYY XD

BRO WHAT DID I EVEN WATCH... A TOTAL BANGER!!
a ful 10.. no debate!
This drama has EVERYTHING .. comedy suspense emotions action… literally all packed in one insane ride
every single character.. unique like not even exaggerating each one has their own vibe and you cant just ignore any of them
And the funniest part.. even the villains are so well written that you can’t even properly hate them XD
Acting? INSANE!!
Kim Nam Gil did NOT disappoint (as exp) n honestly whole cast carried this drama like a masterclass
Comedy timing is just next level like youll be laughing one sec and then suddenly it hits you with serious emotional scenes out of nowhere
The main leads anger issues + chaotic energy... bro it just makes everything even more fun to watch
So this isjust pure entertainment chaos in best possible way

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was worth watching

I genuinely didnt expect to like it this much. .. im usually not even into old era type dramas,but this one.. completely changed the vibe for me... its one of those shows where so much is said without actually saying much like the silence the expressions the small moments… everything carries meaning
tbh thats what makes is soo exceptional
storytelling feels very natural. .. nothing feels forced or overly dramatic but still ended up understanding everything.. itss kinda weird in the best way
the plot itself is really engaging ... timeline shifts unexpected reveals,hidden connections… kept me hooked from start 2 end
ohh and visually too the production is INSANE .. the effects n atmosphere everything feltreally immersive
what surprised me the most is how emotional and deep it gets without needing constant explanation... you just feel*it
..way better than expected... no regrets at all

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amazing.. just felt a bit rushed

tbh ive got mixed about this ..
the concept is actually really interesting .. imagining a world where guns start becoming common in Korea and how society reacts to that shift and that alone makes it stand out and keeps you curious.
acting wise.. literal top tier
Kim nam gil was amazing as expected and honestly the antagonist Moon Baek also surprised me a lot... both performances carried the drama amazingly.. but the main issue for me was the pacing... it felt like the story starts off smooth and structured… but towards the end everything suddenly speeds up
the ending especially felt a bit rushed... lot of major events happen back to back.. and the resolution comes way quicker than i expected... felt like the story had more to say but wrapped early
some parts like the final chaos and aftermath were intense and strong visually but the transition from mass chaos to that resolution felt a bit abrupt
still.. there are good emotional moments.. especially around the main detective’s storyline and how he handles the situation involving the child... that part gives the drama a bit of heart n closure
overall the idea is strong the acting is excellent but the execution towards the end couldve been more balanced

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a soap opera full of cheaters

Started okay, became annoying.
this looked like a "cheap" soap opera (which it is) and I was ready to get some corny drama and have a blast.
I did have fun, but towards the end the characters were all annoying bad people.

Plot🗯️🗯️
Smile, a petite cute girl is very shy. She has an Insta love with kyro but doesn't know how to approach such a "cool" guy. She decides to hire a boy from the "boy for rent" service which is going to teach her how to love like an "adult". Along the way feelings get intangled and the relationship with badz gets more complicated than a simple cold contract.

Observations:
The premise was intriguing enough to lure me in. The drama revolves around 4 characters: smile, the shy girl,
badz the boy she hires,
Liz, badz actual girlfriend
and kyro, another boy from the boy service, which ends up falling for Liz.

The way their relationships intertwine is interesting enough to keep you watching.
On some level they are all "somewhat" bad people, expect for smile maybe, and give us Good entertainment.
Unfortunately towards the end, their bad "dids" pile up and the drama becomes more annoying.

Characters:🗯️🗯️
Smile. She is the one that sets things in motion hiring badz to be her sensei when it comes to romantic stuff.
Smile is very cute at the beginning which makes you like her instantly. Unfortunately, except her "quirkiness" , there isn't much to this character .
She has no backstory, interests or anything else going on. I don't even know what she studies.
She likes kyro for no reason except his looks I guess, which to me isn't enough to hire someone to learn how to seduce men.
She wants to change her entire way of being just to be liked by this guy.
It would be more understandable if she was a highschooler, but she is in college!
I don't like how the drama let her be SEXUALLY ASSAULTED for literally 5 times just to give the chance to badz of saving her.
It was insane to watch. She has no trauma at all. They never discuss these things once they are over. Assaults shouldn't be a plot device.

Badz: this guy made me mad. He is forced to work as an escort basically to pay back his sister's debt. His sister is an asshole who couldn't resist Host club boys and doesn't care about what her brother has to do in order to pay HER debt.
Badz on the other hand keeps his "part time job" hidden from his girlfriend because if she knew "she would try to help him out". Boy, how is this a problem? I thought a bigger problem would be if she wasn't ok with you meeting girls..
He keeps this secret from Liz for the entire show, when telling her could have being the solution to all his problems.
Once he enters the contract with smile, everytime she is in trouble he goes to her , which is fine, but he never tells Liz what he is doing. You could have easily said you were helping out a friend. Instead he keeps his mouth shut and makes things worse everytime.
I didn't particularly like he being wishy washy with smile. On one hand he helps her with kyro, on the other hand he sabotages her.
It's clear he is starting to care for smile but he also wants to reconnect with Liz.
Definitely not the romantic hero the audience seems to find him to be.
On a more technical note I didn't particularly like the actor. To be honest I don't think he is a good actor.

Liz: Liz is the character everyone was shitting on but I think she is the most interesting one.
When the drama starts she is actually the victim. She loves her boyfriend but he keeps disappearing, not answering calls. She thinks he is cheating , which is a believable explanation, and tries to "distract" her self with kyro.
Don't get me wrong , she is still bad, because while she is enjoying her time with kyro, she accused badz of cheating on her. Girl, you did it to.
Her friend being a snitch didn't help. She encourages Liz in cheating on badz but then acts like Liz isn't doing the same.
Liz is one of the few characters that gets some "background". She is the daughter of a mistress and feels like her family doesn't care for her.
I actually liked how Liz and kyro are supportive of each in case of need. They both share a shattered family and understand the struggle of feeling alone in your own home.
Liz becomes also a sort of meme.
Her ever changing hair color gave me a headache.😅

Kyro: Kyro is the stereotypical bad boy with a sad past. I didn't particularly like his character but appreciated some dynamics he was involved in.
First of all, I don't get why he works for the company. He is technically the CO founder. Did he just wanted some easy chicks to play with?
His motivation for liking Liz is the most mundane one : she is the only one that ever said no.
Even though I liked how he matures with Liz and starts to be more "serious", I was disappointed at how he still was available to meet other girls, for example smile.
It is pretty clear at a certain point that he likes Liz, but for some reason he still plays the Casanova Role.

Boys for rent: someone please explain me how a service that recruits students has so much money and acts like a Mafia organization.
They were worse than loan shark in Korean dramas😅🤣 way over the top..
It felt cartonishly evil.

Conclusions:
If you are looking for a cheap thrill and over the top moments, this show might be for you.
Don't look for much logic, lower your expectations, don't bother about deep stuff (like sexual assaults, yikes) and enjoy this madness.

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a must watch..!

its kinda different from mostly what kdramas i have seen
it’s not that typical action heavy military drama or twist mixed thriller... it’s more about choices that u make in the moment.. not when everything is perfect .. that whole idea of don’t wait for the right time.. just act really hits
what surprised me the most is the setting... instead of the usual police detective crime focus this goes into the military system.. the storytelling is actually pretty straightforward... not a lot of crazy twists not overcomplicated turns but the way everything is structured still keeps you engaged from start to end it doesn’t feel slow even when it’s not doing like anything flashy
i really liked is that it doesnt only focus on the main characters... also shows the stories of soldiers who ran away why they left what they went through and what happens to them afterwards... some stories are heavy and honestly quite heartbreaking
The emotional impact is subtle but strong. notforcing feelings on you.. just shows things as they are and that hits harder .. even the pacing is interesting. .. it feels fast but doesnt look rushed... scene transitions and storytelling flow are handled really well..
ngl its a worth watch

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"You shouldn't be sad that it's over, you should be happy that it's happened"

There's something really authentic and beautiful about this movie. It hits you very hard in the best way possible. I went into this thinking it was just a deep romantic movie where the male lead dies, and it's sad but really good. But I genuinely underestimated this movie's depth. I really appreciate the fact that both of the relationships have so much depth in them, which is both the platonic relationship and the romantic relationship. In here, you really can't compare those two because they have their own stories, yet the basis of this is that love is so pure in this movie.

The main character loves so purely, I just don't know how to explain it. She will do anything for her best friend, even if it breaks her own heart. And I really don't need to go on at length about how beautiful that is. And on the same side of the coin, we have the best friend who will also do anything. I didn't really sob towards the ending as much as I sobbed when those two fought because their bond is so beautiful, and it broke my heart to see them fighting when, at the end of the da,y they love each other so much, and both were hurt, yet would do anything to make the other person feel better because that's just how pure their love is.

The ending to me was such a bittersweet moment because you can see that Bora has moved on. She's an adult, she has a job, she has her own responsibilities, but at the end of the day, she will always remember him, no matter how much time has passed. And when she was watching the movie, she wasn't devastated at the fact that he was deceased, but she took it very well, I would say. Obviously, yes, she was heartbroken, but I think in the back of her mind, she probably knew or thought that something might have happened. And the ending of this movie was so beautiful that, yes, even though it hurts, it's a good thing that it happened.

There's this one quote that says, "You shouldn't be sad that it's over, you should be happy that it's happened". And I think that is the best way to put this movie. And yeah, such a beautiful, beautiful movie. It broke my heart a little bit, but I think people are giving it a lot more credit than it deserves in the sadness department. Of course, it was devastating, but I think the ending was really bittersweet, and I loved it. It did not make me bawl my eyes out, but it made my heart ache in a good way.

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I don’t get why people are giving low rating

I’ve seen a lot of recent reviews rating this below 5/10, and I understand why. The story does have quite a few plot holes. That said, I wouldn’t call it bad, but it’s definitely not perfect either.
The first episode is actually really strong. It has a great hook and grabs your attention quickly. I usually get bored easily, but this kept me interested all the way until the end.
However, the story can be confusing, especially if you’re not used to multiverse-type plots. It requires a bit more focus to fully understand what’s going on.
As for the ending, it feels like it could be expanded more, possibly setting things up better for a second season.

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What a crock of impossible nonsense - makes a mockery of the real condition

What a waste of a bunch of superlative actors delivering their roles in one of the worst scripts ever made into a movie.

What a joke was made out of her ailment!!

I mean really .. no reference to how she is even attending regular school with her condition.
How she is even bonding with her new schoolmates!!

Keep it a secret?

Really ?? 🫪

everyone in the school would have found out on day 2 that something is wrong with her because she definitely cannot remember all the 20 or 30 children in her class and what they did.
Here I am assuming that her Bestie is someone she knew before the accident. In this kind of amnesia, you remember most of the stuff from before the accident; after that pretty much the entire memory is compromised.

Imagine looking blankly at your teacher and having no idea who she is, she’s not really clicking pictures of every person that she’s meeting and writing long notes to remember next day. That’s superhuman!!!

And this kind of amnesia you don’t have to fall asleep, You pretty much can forget every several hours. What happened earlier in the day.

A child like this is usually learning in a social environment geared to support her.

There was absolutely no sign of any kind of awareness or support in the school in her house amongst her Friend, nothing!!!🙄🙄🙄

What sort of crappy research did the scriptwriter do?

This drama makes a complete mockery of people suffering from the real ailment.

This drama could been made to raise awareness of the condition and what happens to the people around the person suffering from it.
The sweet love story could have been a side plot to weave the story together.

If anyone watched Born to Run (ok that was a drama - but still you’ll get what I am talking about ) you’d know what it means to make a life after an accident leaves you impaired - and this anterograde amnesia is AS serious as a physical amputation - it’s an amputation of the mind and its memory making ability

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confusion 70% then trauma hits

Watched this movie and honestly… it’s a weird experience to explain.
(THIS IS THE TYPE OF MOVIE THAT STAYS IN YOUR HEAD FOR A WHILE AFTER IT ENDS SO MAYBE THINK TWICE BEFORE WATCHING JUST BECAUSE ITS POPULAR IT MIGHT NOT MATCH EVERYONES TASTE PATIENCE AND MINDSET LEVEL)
For most of the runtime it felt slow and honestly a bit confusing like I kept wondering what’s even going on why things are happening and how all of it is connected... the setup of the locked game and the mystery behind it takes a long time to actually make sense.
But then slowly.. the truth starts coming out and that’s where it gets disturbing.
The story deals with very uncomfortable themes and moral questions... things like secrets guilt memory and consequences of actions... and yeah it gets pretty heavy in the final part.
The last portion of the movie is definitely the strongest... that’s when things FINALLY click and the emotional + psychological duo actually hits... the ending left me with a strange unsettled feeling... not fully satisfied not fully disturbed like just… stuck thinking about it.
The performances are solid ..ngl .. especially the characters involved in the core conflict... they really carry the intensity of the final act well.
But overall the pacing is definitely not for everyone.. it takes a long time to get engaging and most of the IMPACT comes very late in the film... so like aninteresting idea… but very hard to sit through.

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