Reviews

Ji Sung delivers again ...

I'm still waiting for a bad series from Ji Sung. He always is involved with such great entertaining, so well written and so well acted in his dramas that are produced. This series is no different. He is fantastic, as is the entire supporting cast. It's just a great series from start to finish.
Besides the great story line, Byung Eun gives us such an evil and hateful antagonist in this series .. you just count the minutes down to each episode to see him get his retribution. He gets more sinister as you get deeper into the series, it's incredible how he lets the evil drip off him on camera. He is masterful at showing the dark side of his character.
Episode 10 is definitely the pinnacle episode of the series. It turns much darker and much more dramatic in the final few episodes. It switches format from a comedy/drama blend, to a much darker, grayer tone. It works perfectly in the story. the comedy remains as a minor sub tone, letting the drama completely take over.
I have to give a proper mention to two of the supporting cast ... I mean, they're all great, but Won Hae, long time fan of his, he's brilliant in this role. He's such a veteran actor over the years, he gives it his all here, too! as does Ha Yoon-Kyung, this little boy who captures your heart every time he's on camera, he's just so enjoyable to watch.
I do hate one thing ... when they fast forward at the end, which they do here, too. When you see "three years later" I cringe ... but honestly, it's ok here. They do a great job at crossing all the T's and dotting the I's. everything works out fantastically.
It's a great ending to a very entertaining series. Ji Sung ... another great series!!!

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Solid characters and decent court politics...only to be undone by a lackluster ending

7.8/10 rounded to an 8

TLDR: What a show….I cannot believe how BADLY they fumbled the last episode. Like I am so upset with how this show ended because I was loving it so much. There was a variety of characters and range in plots only to be let down by what I can only call an incomplete ending.

***

I loved Winwin as the secondary lead. Ye Xian practically stole the show for me. I appreciated his whole arc start to finish. I do wish they made him a *tad* less crazed at some points. I also wish he hadn’t died *of course*. But unlike some shows that kill for the sake of tears, Ye Xian’s death felt true to his journey. He was so apathetic to life and everything in the beginning but you can see him “melt” and soften as a person. I cried at his death and at both of his letters - the one to Gu Jin Zhao and the other to his sister. Honestly award winning storytelling and character arc.

Outside of Ye Xian, I also really enjoyed Gu Lan’s character. It’s usually that a character like her would just be “bad” and bratty, but I liked that she had no real issues with Gu Jin Zhao at first. It was only once everything imploded in the family she got desperate and betrayed Gu Jin Zhao’s mother. That said, she was still a redeemable and likable character. I was happy to see her learn and grow from that experience and even trust Gu Jin Zhao more.

Chen Xuan Qing was played by the same actor that was an antagonist in a different show and so because of it I was already pretty wary of him…even though that’s not how that works, I was still right to be wary. I feel he was the more surface level character. He’s used to move certain parts of the plot but has zero agency. I don’t think his character made as much sense as it could have if the writers focused more on character rather than plot in the later half of the show. I would have been more impressed if Chen Xuan Qing had more back and forth at the start of the show because his reappearance and apparently unresolved yearning for a woman *he* rejected years ago just felt…silly? I could not take him seriously at all. Where was all his devotion and romantic displays back when she confessed to him? Why would he wait over three years to still pine for her. I felt bad for his fiancee after all that. I’m glad she didn’t end up with him, but it was quite the ride to witness. I feel like I was expecting him to just communicate more. He takes after Chen Yan Yun with a lot of silent brooding, but I just felt like he admired Chen Yan Yun, it made little sense how crazy he got about the relationship.

I also want to give an honorable mention to Emperor Li Lin Zhang. He slayed. I feel like kid emperors are made super incompetent with their mom or court running the show, so it was nice to see him actually make decisions and stand by them.

Last but not least, the main leads: Chen Yan Yun & Gu Jin Zhao. Their romance is definitely a SLOW burn. The MDL synopsis makes it sound like she marries him in the first quarter of the show, but they don’t even “like” each other until the middle of the plot. That said, it was a believable and cute romance. She’s technically 15 when they first meet so I appreciate they wait until she’s 18 for him to formally declare feelings but I still like to pretend she was 18 at the start of the show and 21 when they start their romance. Gu Jin Zhao is a clever female lead. She’s almost a little to perfect - she can do archery and cook and think like the best of them. Her “flaw” is her intolerance to bullying which is not a flaw at all imo. I loved her. The actress was cute and played the role well. Chen Yan Yun is a cliche “serious” official trying to make the country a better place. That said, I was pretty “tepid” about him. He wasn’t bad but he wasn’t great either. I think his character was decently rounded and I enjoyed his journey in recognizing his mentor has strayed to the wrong path, but he didn’t really give Chen Xuan Qing much guidance in the later half of the show which I think did his character a bit of a disservice. I loved how he falls for Gu Jin Zhao, slow but steady. He treats her as an equal despite their age and life differences. I LOVED the letter of separation with his proposal bc it shows he understands her. I hated his reaction to the reveal she had a crush on his nephew 3+ years ago. Again, it’s not that I hated him, but I didn’t get that TV crush on him as much as I usually do for the male lead. I think it circles back to really enjoying Ye Xian’s character more. I even LOVED Ye Xian’s relationship with Chen Yan Yun — begrudgingly trusting.

All of these thoughts link right to the heart of the show — mostly well thought our main characters from protagonists to the antagonists. HOWEVER, it is that dedication to the characters that makes the ending leave a bitter taste in the viewers mouth. SO MUCH has happened and we don’t really get a resolution for half the characters and their storylines. If the writers had put an eighth of the effort they gave the characters to the plot, the last 10 episodes could have been so much stronger and the last episode would have been WAY more satisfying. We needed at least another 5 minutes from the closing scene if not 10 to really close out the forty episode long show.

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Pareri contrastanti

Allora, la serie di base è carina e da anche un finale con diciamo un bel messaggio dietro, ma sarò sincera secondo me la trama un po' si perde. Nel senso che come molte serie cinesi che sono così tanti episodi, tendono a perderdersi a circa metà della storia per poi riprendersi verso la fine. Uno dei problemi però è anche che tutti gli step servono per la storia, solo che si crea una trama talmente tanto complessa che in alcuni punti sembra che ci si perda via. Insomma, io snellirei un po' le trame, meno intrighi e quelli che ci sono più lineari, nel senso di avere un inizio e una fine ben delineati (come tipo la storia della perla rossa, che sembra essere importantissima all'inizio, poi non se ne parla più ed ecco che torna alla fine). Io devo dire preferisco linearità nella complessità. Detto questo altri punti che ho trovato un po' così, è che la storia si chiama The Story of Pearl Girl, ma a parte all'inizio per il resto sembra come che ci si sia scordati di questo fatto e torni solo in un mezzo momento verso l'episodio 30-33 e poi di nuovo basta. Insomma potevano chiamarlo The History of Jewelry Girl e avrebbe più o meno funzionato lo stesso. Altro punto negativo devo dire la storia d'amore. Dirò solo che ad un certo punto ho preferito la storia d'amore con la cattiva non più cattiva e il cattivo non più cattivo. Non so, non mi dava vibes i tre protagonisti.
Queste sono le cose che non mi sono piaciute, detto ciò come sempre di queste serie mi è piaciuto l'ambientazione (soprattutto devo dire la prima parte e la parte nel deserto) e il mondo dei gioelli e quanto possa eesere spietato il mondo del commercio. Non si può non parlare del fatto che il finale abbia un bel messaggio per noi lady. Insomma, bella, ma poteva dare di più. (Poi amo i finali aperti, però anche così tanto aperti...).

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Whoa. Just…Whoa!

A ruthless general forces the daughter of the grand tutor into a marriage with an imperial decree in order to suppress a rebellion, despite her desire to marry her childhood sweetheart. Will he be able to win her love amidst all the turmoil or is her heart forever out of his reach?

Whoa. Just… I did NOT expect all that! 😳

This was a 7/7.5 rating at first but then I saw episode 24 & it shot to a solid 9 for me. That was a phenomenal “turnaround” that I didn’t see coming at all!

While the pacing was great & so much was happening that kept my attention at first (+ the ML🔥) I wasn’t really sold on it due to the whole love triangle plot (which I despise) being such an integral part of the storyline. It kept the FL from recognizing the ML’s greatness. Even though she’s a fun, quirky person she kept frustrating me with all her misconceptions of him. So despite the solid acting, I wasn’t sure I’d continue watching.

Ultimately,I stayed for him 🫠 This ML was cunning & wise; selfless & brave; sickly & so misunderstood. His willingness to be the villain was both admirable & heartbreaking. But it’s the way he loved the FL that really sucked me in. His willingness to let her go at first to be with the SML was honorable. And when others prevent that from happening, he kept protecting & safeguarding her while he continued on the path he set for the greater good. And it’s this very persistence of his, to both her & the country, that ultimately won him her love.

They had some beautifully intense moments, both before & after their love was mutual. There were many scenes that will stay with me for a long time. The Leads’ chemistry was great, proven by the fact they’re able to portray such a deep love w/out any kis$ scenes. Do we love those scenes? Heck yes. But this drama was proof that we don’t NEED them to grasp the depth of the Leads’ bond 🫶🏻

If you like the following things, then I def recommend watching this:
- strong, intelligent Leads
- opposites attract
- well-executed fight scenes
- plot twists galore
- palace politics & infighting
- layers of betrayals & schemes
- inability to trust anyone but Leads
- found family bonds
- great character growth
- beautiful visuals (scenery & people)
- memorable OST
- truly talented cast
- a love that beats all the odds
- happy endings
+ more!

I was truly surprised in the end by how high of a rating I gave this. 🙃

_________\\__________//________


-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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…


….


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : None 🙅🏻‍♀️
- Together : ep.4(fake), ep.19(real) 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: Nope 💍

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Good awareness about scams but

"Because people have two hearts.
One is greedy and other is unsatisfied"


Their victim, Sheng, was someone who just wanted to achieve what he worked hard for, but the nepo baby got the position . I do get the main idea of the film, which was to spread awareness about betting scams . But I can't look away from the root cause of the problem; they fell into the trap because the system and companies which promised them good future failed!
The law failed to protect the girl Anna; that's why she fell victim to the scam too.
Don't blame people if they dream big after giving their 100%

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A Wholesome Group of Fakesters Who Become Family

This drama was a completely unexpected find, and quickly became a favorite from the very first episode!

What happens if Vincenzo meets We Are The Millers meets Happiness?

You get The Apartment Job!

The story follows our MC Park Hae Kang who was practically adopted into a gang as a teenager where he grew up unexpectedly learning the value of human relationships over materialistic wealth, but now finds himself in a situation where in order to protect those same relationships, he has to find a huge amount of money he believes he can gain through stealing an apartment complex fund for which he recruits a group of people to fake being his family.

There begins Park Hae Kang's adventure and redemption towards realizing what truly matters to him all over again while gaining a real family of people who love and trust him in the process!

This show was truly a joy to watch. The writing was solid, the pacing was great, every episode brings in new adventures and mishaps that inevitably arise from a fake family pretending to be real, hiding their true intentions, while still carrying you along the main arc of stealing the fund. The show combines tropes like found family with crime and comedy elements, never letting things get too melo and dark. There are a lot of wholesome moments throughout from Park Hae Kang and crew's interactions with each other and the apartment tenants.

I do wish Park Hae Kang and the fake wife and mother, Kang Hari's relationship was explored a little more in the romantic direction because they had amazing chemistry together, but it's made up for by how they showed up for each other in small and big ways throughout.

I also loved the parallel between Park Hae Kang and Lee Chung Won which made for a classically compelling hero vs villain arc. Both had traumatic childhoods, but one learnt to value people and relationships over momentary materialistic gain while the other only learnt to value money, prioritizing conditional relationships for what he thought would be permanent wealth. Ultimately these choices end up being both the hero's savior and the villain's downfall 🤷‍♀️

A really fun watch for those looking to wind down with something that feels like a quick pick me up, with a whole lot of humor, adventure, action and feel good moments. Highly recommend!

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Amazing C Drama

What a marvelous C drama I'm watching..each episodes are so good ... The plot is so interesting and its so nice ...Im so in love with Ding Yuxi..I love both the fl and ml ....I love all the supporting cast as well ....truly marvelous ✨🫶⚔️ ... everyone has given a tremendous effort in this C drama ...I really love the beautiful golden Sandy desert , the commanders , the scholars.. everything is so beautiful 😍❤️ .. legit 🔥......I hope to get a guy like Ding Yuxi in future...I'm so in love with this C Drama...indeed it's leading towards the Road to Splendor ✨😍 😘

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A Light Rom-Com With Some Clichés

It’s a funny, cute rom-com that balances comedy with emotional moments. It has its share of clichés, but it’s still an entertaining watch. I really enjoyed the main couple and the cute secretary romance on the side. No complaints about the visuals or styling either.

The biggest drawback for me was how predictable the story became in the second half. The secret marriage contract, misunderstandings, characters hiding things from each other, and some of the dramatic situations felt very familiar. I also wanted a more satisfying downfall for the Prime Minister. His actions were infuriating, but the consequences felt too brief. Hui Ju’s family also took some time to grow on me after the way they treated her, but it was good to see them change.

I enjoyed the drama throughout and liked that the ending took time to show life after the monarchy was abolished. Seeing Wan finally experience the freedom and ordinary life he was denied as a royal was especially satisfying. I just wish we had seen more of the young king adjusting to normal life, more of the staff from Wan’s private residence, and what ultimately happened to the Prime Minister.

P.S.
1. I liked that there was more than one kissing scene. People in love kiss it’s natural.
2. The idea of a modern-day monarchy in Korea made the show quite different from historical dramas. And honestly, watching it made me even more glad that monarchy doesn’t exist today.
3. I've mostly seen IU in emotionally heavy dramas, so seeing her in a lighthearted show was refreshing. I really loved her character here. Her self-praise and slightly better-than-thou attitude somehow came across as cute, and she also portrayed the underlying sadness really well. And of course, I loved that she got a happy ending.

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Writing style focusing mostly on muscles, with some heart to it, and little brain.

I had a lot of fun watching the drama, but I also honestly have little to say about the plot, premise, themes - all I remember and most I cared about were the exciting fighting scenes.

Honestly believe the plot was the weakest part of the whole show, because it lacked focus. Nothing truly felt connected in any meaningful manner. Ga Min wanted to protect his study group, Han Gyeong wanted to use the group to achieve her goals, everyone was pissed about the group existing for no real reason. The conflict between the good and the bad guys had close to nothing to do with Yun Ga Min. The past teacher’s death was there just for Han Gyeong's motivation, but I also question why it was more of her arc and not Park Geon Yeop. This is a typical case of entertaining moments happening for the sake of entertainment, with little cohesiveness. And while how they handled the plot disappointed me a lot, I actually enjoyed the characters themselves a lot.

Yun Ga Min is for sure the heart, but not the brain of the show. The poor baby truly barely has any working neurons in his brain. You know how there are people who are street smart, and some that are book smart? He is neither. He has awareness of ameba, but that is what makes him wholesome and adorable - he always sees the good in people, even if others already gave up on them.

While I enjoyed his presence on screen, and his fighting scenes were truly marvelous, overall I thought he was a rather flat character and I was not that invested in his development.

Similarly all the members of the Study Group did not have that much nuance to them. The one that truly seemed to be developed well and had a well structured plotline with proper set up, build up and conclusion was Kim Se Hyeon. All the rest was there to fill the quota. And they did it well. The chemistry between them all was truly perfect, the interactions were fun, the dynamics were refreshing. Whatever the combination of them on screen was presented, I knew I would be entertained. But entertained only. They tried to give a little bit more depth here and there, but it usually was too little too late.

Then we have the whole plot of teacher Lee Han Gyeong trying to get revenge/justice for the past events. Underwhelming in all areas. She was beefing with a group of mafia teens who were going around ready to kill people. And I understand they were related to real gangsters and all that, but the adults' influence and control was barely shown to justify their actions. Not enough world building to sell the story.

Which leads us to the villains - psychopathic teens. Sure they were entertaining, but they were so shallow and not compelling at all. I honestly do not have much to say. I wish the karma would hit them harder with how annoying they were.

I don’t even want to talk about Park Geon Yeop - why was he here? What was the point of his character? At first they seem to hint that he will have a major part in the plot and uncovering the truth about the post, and then he was written off the story completely without explanation.

That said, I do like the acting a lot. Even though the cast was rather young with not much credit behind their names, and almost none in terms of action heavy titles, they truly did ace all the fighting scenes - I was beyond impressed. That was the part I was the most excited for. No halfassing in that department - from acting, choreographies, performances, use of set and props, filming, editing and soundtrack - every element crafted truly amazing action sequences.

Overall, it was fun, exciting, making my cortisol and dopamine levels higher, as a story should. I just wish the writing was stronger.

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The only thing that STUCK was my disappointment ?

The plot was interesting enough. Then why was it not executed well?

Well, here I am with another review about how disappointed I am with the plotline and, honestly, much more.

Even though the plot was cliché, it could have turned out really well if the characters had been written better. Instead, everything felt far too convenient. And then, suddenly, WOW, they get their happy ending. What else could you possibly want?

The chemistry was practically nonexistent. I’m not even kidding. The FML was trying so hard, while our ML seemed to feel absolutely nothing. My biggest complaint, however, lies with the ML because you had ONE job.

You’re supposed to be dangerous. Scary. The kind of man who is feared by everyone but becomes vulnerable only around the people he loves. And yet, when the person you supposedly love runs away from the very thing that was meant to keep her safe, after you’ve literally taken multiple stabs and punches to make that happen, you just... let it go?

How?

Someone with his supposed emotional attachment and personality would have lost it. At the very least, I expected anger, desperation, frustration, something that would show that her actions actually affected him. Instead, he just accepts everything so calmly. There’s no doubt that he loves her. As a viewer, I can imagine what he must have been feeling in those moments.

Unfortunately, what I imagined remained just that: my imagination. I didn’t actually get to see those emotions translate onto the screen. And that’s a problem when the entire relationship is supposed to be built around how deeply he feels for her.

Another major complaint I have is about the FML.
You’d expect much bigger reactions from someone who was tortured, turned, and put through everything she went through. For someone whose fingerprints were literally burnt to a crisp, she seemed suspiciously okay and strong. And I’m not saying she needed to be completely broken or helpless, but I needed to see the impact of what happened to her.

There was so much potential for this to actually shape her character. Trauma, fear, anger, hesitation, even small changes in the way she interacted with people would have made sense. Instead, she seemed to bounce back far too easily, which made the whole ordeal feel strangely weightless.

And that’s probably what frustrated me the most. The story gives these characters experiences that should fundamentally affect them, but then doesn’t let those experiences actually affect their behaviour enough.

The plot twist was good, even though I'd called it two episodes ago. It was good enough to keep me engaged, I'd say.

But I have seen better i guess. I would have been appreciative if they showed if Jang Tae Ha picked up boxing again after that (Tho the show does hint so).

But I guess it is what it is. This is probably the most frustrating kind of disappointment. Not when a show is terrible from the beginning, but when you can see the version of it that could have been so much better.

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Not worth it

I really like LO, but that show just wasn´t it. I was already a bit dissapointed by only you, so getting something way worse is really sad. They took a plot that is sometimes used for creating short-term-drama (MIL vs wife) and tried to use it for a whole a** series. The acting was mostly fine, except for the scenes where MIL and Orms Character fought, these were really hard to watch and must have been hard to act too, because nothing in this series has essence, or matter. It´s pretty boring and gets old very soon. If I had known, it wouldn´t develope any kind of plot, I would have stopped watching after the second episode.

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