Reviews

A Continuation That Forgets Why It Worked in the First Place

Not all stories need to continue beyond a certain point, and this is one of those cases where it really feels like it shouldn’t have. You can sense the lack of necessity in this extension, it exists because they could, not because they should.

One of the biggest hurdles for this genre is plot armor, and it’s painfully present here. When you already know who’s likely to survive, it’s hard to stay fully invested. Despite a strong cast and a few interesting ideas, the story doesn’t bring much freshness to justify its return. Most of the characters feel one-dimensional, with some barely developed enough to care about, while others who had potential are sidelined in favor of the leads.

The games themselves are fine, but the show often bends its own rules... Sometimes to protect key characters, sometimes just to force a dramatic “wow” moment that feels way too over the top. It breaks immersion and makes certain scenes feel more ridiculous than tense.

In the end, it’s hard to recommend. I would’ve preferred an entirely new set of characters and a deeper exploration of the concept rather than a recycled continuation. There’s still entertainment value here, but it lacks the spark and unpredictability that once made it exciting.

Read More

This is my 15th C-Drama and it's the first time I give a 10 in a review...

(Spoilers are at the end with a warning.)

I'm not sure what to say other than you have to watch it to form your own opinion; it may or may not resonate with you. But from the outstanding worldwide ranking this drama received, it speaks for itself.

As I was watching it for the first time, I was completely drawn in by the story and the people within it. I caught myself smiling the whole way through, falling in love with the characters as the story unfolded, and wishing I had met this special someone in my life. It made me discover new actors, and Bai JingTing is now part of my Top 3 favorite actors.

Rarely does an OST feel like a heartbeat running through a story. This one does.
It's the first time I love all the songs of an OST except one. I usually enjoy 1 to 3 songs at the most and discard the rest. This OST has now become part of my regular favorite songs playlist.





--------------- Spoiler: Do Not Read if you haven't watched the Drama --------------

I'll point out 2 things I found questionable in the story. It's minor, but since I gave a 10 and there is no such thing as perfection, I need to rant a little bit!

1- In the real world, when someone stalks someone else, it usually never ends well.
Sang Yan's behavior was a little obsessive in the wrong way during the years Wen Yifan was in Yihe. I do get that he was deeply hurt while suspecting something was off, so in a way, he was "investigating". But going there once a month over the 2 years she was working after graduation is not a healthy behavior.


2- In episode 31, we finally see the complete “Day 1” scene—their very first meeting.
It’s the first day of school, and both are running late. Sang Yan spots Wen Yifan, and in a sudden impulse, he dashes up the stairs to position himself, pretending to play basketball, hoping she’ll notice him.

It’s meant to be a cute moment, but it just doesn’t land: why would someone fall for a girl he’s seen for less than 30 seconds? Why go out of his way to get her attention, especially when he has no idea where she’s headed? The campus is vast, with several paths, and her actual destination turns out to be nowhere near those stairs. She might as well never have gone up there at all.

It would have been more plausible if he had just been goofing around, and she bumped into him by sheer chance.

Read More

Truly Disappointing

So long long long ago, twelve angels in the form of zodiacs were sent down to Earth to fight off evil. They managed to seal the evil spirits out but not with heavy price and casualty. Lost 4 of their comrades in the battle and they lost their powers as it was used to seal the evil. Somehow their God forgot to recall them, and they were stranded on earth in human form. After thousands of years, Taesan the leader has grown a deep hatred towards humanity due to incidents where humans had attacked them for being different. In the current modern world, this group of 8 fallen angels resorted to becoming loan sharks for criminals and they led a very wealthy and comfortable life until a human shaman from their past revived Ogwi, one of the evil spirits that was sealed thousands of years ago. The angels were forced to take action once again.

Y’know, this totally gives off The Eternals vibe, especially when Taesan mentioned the name Gilgamesh at some point of the show, which was his character in The Eternals. Sadly though, it eventually fell short and became the Asian flop version. And TBH, I decided to watch this solely for Ma Dong Seok, i mean he’s my favourite korean actor since I saw him in Train to Busan. I have watched soooooo many of his kdrama and kmovie, but sadly to say I had to admit this is his worst project that I ever watched, so bad that I couldnt even force myself to finish.

Coming from many of Ma Dongseok’s excellent action movies and dramas, I bet I was not alone in setting my bars high. But This show is not as impressive as I expected. Most fight scenes were in a too dark setting, even as i put my phone’s brightness to the max while sitting in a dark room. It has ‘batman’ish vibe where you cant make out squat due to everything being done in the dark. Especially those fighting. Urghhhh. This reminds me a lot of kdrama The Tyrant where I couldnt make out 80% of the show due to darkness.

As for the characters and fight scenes, well, theyre not too impressive either. I dont get why would the zodiac angels just stand around doing nothing when one of them (a human at that!) got attacked by the evil spirit? Are they really supposed to be the thousand-year-old angels that supposed to have beaten all evil spirits once upon a time? Cuz to me they looked like incompetent clueless fools who had just encountered evil spirits for the first time. So I get that they lost their superpowers, but come on, you should at least be able to fight decently better than other humans. I mean, you got thousands of years of experience so the skill should at least be superior and not disappointingly lame and easily subdued.

And I was surprised how messed up must a society be to be able to make a drama scene where onlookers would just look and point to a downed elderly man who had just been attacked instead of helping him up, checking for injuries and calling an ambulance or police for him. Like really? When that scene came on i thought the old man was dead. But then there he was stuttering to talk to Taesan. So he’s alive and even conscious! Is this really the reality in Korea? So scary.

Anyway, I quit this drama as I couldnt stand the dark setting. Honestly if it had only been a badly written story, I wouldve still made myself to see the ending, but when all I saw is darkness during fights, thats it. There goes my patience. Sorry Joe, you made a wrong choice with this one.

Read More

A must watch for Cheng Lei!!!

This drama was a pleasant surprise. I wanted to watch this for Cheng Lei, but was so surprised at how hooked I was from the first episode. I found the story to this drama just so interesting and different from a lot of the dramas I have watched, and I really loved the romance through this whole thing. If your a romance lover I don't see how you couldn't enjoy this love story.

Cheng Lei and Song Yi
These two just really shine through this whole drama, and I really enjoyed their chemistry. I just wanted to watch more of these two. There is a lot of romance between these two it is not lacking at all. Cheng Lei showing three different sides to one character was so good to watch. I loved the costume for the man in black it was incredible and Cheng Lei rocked it. He also plays a bit of a comedy role but I thought he played it kind of cute in a way. Plenty of kiss scenes for those that really enjoy them in a show.

Darren Chen and Shi Ce
These two were really cute and they made me laugh quite a bit. I do wish they would of done a little bit more with their love story together. It was like you could tell they liked each other but they didn't want to focus on the romance between them just how they were important to the story. Darren has been playing characters that I just really love watching him as. He is so silly and always makes me laugh. I wasn't so sure about Shi Ce's character at first but she really grew on me and she is such an amazing friend for the female lead to have.

The Story
It was so different to watch. It is about the ML's character becoming a shadow puppet and his blood master accidentally becomes the FL. He wakes up with no memory of who he was and how he got these strange powers or his connection to the FL. Through this bond that they don't understand they start to fall in love with each other. I found the whole story so interesting and so well done. I didn't find no episode boring and the fight scenes were amazing. That is literally all I can keep saying for this drama is nothing but praise. I really enjoyed and it was such a surprise. So give it a try and see if it is also a drama that you may love.

Read More

Heartwarming tale about a girl saving her home from demolition. Great acting by the leads!

I was in the mood for Sun Qian Xun's dramas for a reddit post so I chose to watch this drama. I like Feng Xiang Kun's acting too and based on positive comments that I've read, I had some expectations. I was delighted that they were met. The drama truly touched my heart and I enjoyed it immensely.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - I really liked her from the beginning of the drama. She was honest, hardworking and humble. It was wonderful to see this well-rounded character in vertical dramas. I felt joy and proud when she won the bid to save her village.
2. Tone - Very warm right from the start. There was heart in the writing and performances. I almost cried during a confrontation scene.
3. ML characterisation - It was amusing to see a pampered city boy paired up with a hardworking village girl. But what a joy to see his character grew after he spent time with FL. I also liked that ML was Mr Nice Guy.
4. Romance - There was affection from the start of their marriage. I liked that they weren't hostile / distant towards each other. I could sense the growing attraction between them. Slow burn but oh so rewarding!
5. Acting - I was impressed by Sun Qian Xun's acting because this FL had soft edge unlike the other FL roles she had done. SQX delivered subtle dramatic acting which worked well with Feng Xiang Kun's performance. I loved his soft facial expressions. Both had matching intensity and energy and I would love to see them collaborate again in other dramas.
6. Supporting characters - I loved ML's assistant (the actor was handsome too), mother and FL's foster parents. Master Lin was a wonderful too for recognising FL's talents in horticulture. So was ML's grandfather.
7. Punishment - I liked that FL's sister was punished after bullying FL. Those moments were so satisfying.
8. Styling - I liked the outfits worn by FL and ML. The matching outfits at the end of the drama were beautiful. The striking green/yellow top she wore to an informal meeting with her family & Jingyao group executive. FXK looked adorable in the security guard outfit.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - FL's family was vicious for abandoning her and wanting to destroy her home. I was infuriated when Su Qi told FL of the demolition plans and her parents' true feelings about her.
2. Hidden identity - Wish ML's true identity was revealed much earlier so there could be more time for groveling and making things right.

Favourite scene
When ML apologised for the deception.

Read More

Totally gripping with a wonderful performance from Gong Hyo-Jin

Came very late to this, watching it in 2025, just before it is removed from Netflix. I wish we'd found it before so that I could recommend it to all my friends. If I say it is all so Korean-drama in all the best ways I am sure you'll understand. As soon as I found out it was a Hng Sisters script I understood why it was so good (we LOVED 'Hotel De Luna!). We're watching it two episodes a night - not what I would normally choose to do - to beat the Netflix deadline, but it is so good the two hours feel like one. Absolutely captivated by Gong Hyo Jin's performance, so many layers to it, sometimes she seems, actually, nuts, sometimes quite clever and conniving, but most often as a kindly and good natured person trying to make the best of a difficult life. We're certainly going to try some of the tv and films she's in. And all the other cast are as good in their own ways. We've been watching K-Dramas for about five years now and I am confident to say this is one of the absoolute best, right up there with Hotel de Luna. And the music is great too - not so much the songs but the instrumental sections, all done I think by Oh Joon Sung, who also (surprise!) did the very good score for Hotel...!

K-drama, when it is this good, is so much better than most Western (I mean British and American) television; better production values, often very companionable characters, many times genuinely surprising storylines.

Read More

This was released 2 weeks before the murder of Yu Meng Long

I did not know that I am going to see something like that just a month after Yu Meng Long's murder. A story of a lovely actor who faces wrongs done to others (mostly girls) and standing up to big wigs on their behalf. A story of a top idol who does not back away from facing the critique of his fans for getting engaged/married. A man who is humiliated by hateful people but still comes out clean and without losing his integrity, dignity and compassion.

I am not saying this is the story of the murder of a famous actor, but what the life of actors looks like given the industry. And if something like that can be still showed in VD, no wonder CCP is trying to crack up on it.

I appreciated open commentary and showing with accuracy who is doing the wrong thing: starting with big shots, through hateful and morally weak individuals to brainless, media-fed petty mob/general public - all making the life of a star miserable,

While tropey and predictable, this was done wright - with human dignity upheld high and chemistry bubbling, steaming and exploding. I am giving this 8 even though it was nothing new, but like I said - this was done right.

I bet that if you are looking for romance with sexy scenes you would not expect the script this loaded with moral content. And I bet that if you give it a try you will not only enjoy it but also ponder on the cruelty and greed that comes with power - something that 72% of humanity lives under as of today.

Read More

LOVED IT! at first...

I actually really loved the story line and how the drama was going at first. It was exciting and not a very common plot so I was actually really attracted and interested in this drama. This show definitely catches your attention for the first part. But...after that the drama just starts to go downhill. The episodes just start feeling random and very rushed. So many things happened yet they aren't explained to the viewers at all. I really wanted to continue and finish the drama but for the last few episodes I began to feel bored and uninterested. I basically didn't even watch the last few episodes because I was so bored that I would do other things while it was on. This was a drama I went into watching with not so high expectations, so watching the beginning half I was actually surprised and very intrigued. But I would just say, don't get your hopes because the ending will bring boredom to you in a second.

Read More

Kinda grew on me

I started watching this drama as I’d heard about it before and it happened to be leaving the streaming platform I watched this on after November 1st.
I actually ended up enjoying this drama way more than I thought I would! Overall, I kept thinking about it even while doing other stuff and I wanted to keep watching it. As a person who doesn’t do well with ghost stories (I’m more like Mr Kang than Mr Joo in this case haha), this was a pleasant surprise. Apart from a few jumpscares, it was super interesting to watch Gong sil interact with the spirits around her. The romantic plot was okay in my opinion, I liked the way it evolved throughout the story. The characters’ personalities also had some nice development. The pacing was decent although I did start feeling impatient at around the 13th episode mark.
I would rate this drama a 7/10 with good rewatch value, especially with Halloween around the corner!

Read More

I'll start this review with a line from the drama:
"There might be sins that cannot be atoned for, ever but there is no life that can't be started over"

what's life going to hold for those who committed a crime and ended up in prison?
do they deserve a second chance after they served their time?
should they be shunned forever for their crime?

Aozora beauty salon in prison is a corner of a prison program to give inmates a chance to navigate their lives in future in hope of blending in society.
the drama is focusing on fl and her journey as she tries to atone for her crime to society and to her family, as it shows the life in prison and those left behind outside the walls.
There are several stories that connects with each other either by the prison walls or by shared feelings.
stories of inmates, their interactions, the guards, the inmate's family and the salon costumers.

The overall feel of the drama is calm and the pace is slow.
The acting is good. specially fl's.

The last episode felt a little bit rushed to me (it might have benefited from one more episode to wrap things up better).
I think it was a nice watch. (though I'm not going to re-watch it)

Read More

Since when we romantize toxicity and manimulation

From the beginning of this heartbreaking drama someone can feel uncomfortable, sometimes angry,like if you have a thorn by your side
This is not a story between two friends which begun from the childhood shared deep affection with the ups and down of the life .This the story of the narcissistic Cheon Sang who never wished to be happy and find her own path in life,her wish was Ryun Eun to be miserable and broken and dedicated all her life to steal Euns man who was in love,her job,her identity ,her future On the other side Ryun Eun sincerely face Cheon with genuine feelings and always is the one to step back even if she knows that Cheon like to victimize her situations
I feel sorry for Ryun Eun because i think that Sang Hak made his decision when he decided to turn off the phone and leave her without notice looking for Cheon
The worst when Eun asked him about his feelings for Cheon he looked shattered and he said it to her.
Something that made hard the ex lovers to be together i suppose was the weaknesses of Sang Hak to convince his love In the film Sang Hak says to Eun ...i am starting again
falling in love with you again. ..why i found it so wrong
I was expecting to say i have never stopped loving you
I hated the role of Euns mother,instead of protecting her daughter of this parasite friendship she was acting like she had brain damage.
Ignore the last episodes, are not good examples for healthy relationships.
What is the meaning, the person who hurt you the most and hate you the most regrets and ask for forgiveness few days before her Death.
I dont find any poetical messages definitely nothing about friendship that drama was cruel.

Read More

The art of uncovering the truth through autopsy | Upholding justice in the world | Lovely CPs! <3

"What parents should give their children isn't just blood ties, but love and education." - Shen/Qin Wan

Something I am truly grateful about this drama is how they kept the death toll at the lowest and never really killed any of the main cast. I appreciate it so much since unnecessary deaths are often used by some writers as a plot device to make the story more heavy and dark, thus creating areas to insert their crazy plot twists—to me that's simply a nasty and outdated way of writing which plays on the viewers feelings and emotions—so I wanna sincerely thank the director, producer and writers for making this story this way—full of compassion, rationality and magnanimity. That's one hell of a fascinating and awe-striking story right there. <3

The investigation scenes were all impressive! I expected a lot and they delivered. I love how they carefully walk us through the investigation and problem solving process till we reach the mind-blowing resolutions. Just wanna mention that the 1st case "Headless Bride" is my most favorite. It was truly unsettling and an insanely diabolical case. And when Qin Wan patched the charred and broken/dismantled skull up, I lost it...she was spectacular, no doubt about that, but that scene is just heartbreaking for me to watch. A job well done! ~ Also, the puking scenes were overly dramatized yet I find them really funny. Haha!

I also want to talk about some issues/plot holes I find frustrating about Qin Wan. First, on Ep.19 instead of calling for help since someone was stabbed and is dying, she resorted to asking the dying victim who's at fault/murderer...It was accurate but why does she didn't ask for help or to at least get people's attention first? I know that she is the "doctor" but her responding that way is one of the reason why the arson even proceeded—since it's an opportunity. Second is the safety measure tools (whistle & fire signal) that Yan Chi gave her but she never use. I was palpably pissed at every opportunity she could have used it but never did. Grr!

Next topic I wanna talk about is the most significant yet tragic message of this story—There's no "family" within the Imperial family. Watching this drama reminded me how wealth and power feeds on one's greed and how it can completely consume anyone who gets overly exposed to it. It is the source of all evil capable of influencing even the kindest soul to be scheming, cold-hearted and cruel.

"Trusted yet doubted, loyal yet slandered." - Prince Rui/Yan Lin

On a side note, I just wanna say how much I hate Prince Rui (Yan Chi's father) for being stoic and unaffectionate. He made his son suffer till the end just because he's adamant of his views and promises. Men who are proud is fine but men who are unyielding is plain stupid to me. And no, his little diary plot device just doesn't work out very well for me. Outright lame and cowardly.

The other CPs on this drama are great! Although they gave us the bare minimum of their stories yet everything still feels satisfying enough. Yan Li and Yue Ning gave us this love-hate relationship that gradually develops into companionship to lovers. Then Bai Feng and Fu Ling gave us this cute slow-paced progress that fills up my heart whenever they're on screen. P.S. Thank you for not killing any of them. <3

Lastly, thank you for giving us a worthy and satisfying ending. All issues has been addressed (although mostly off-screened) + they provides us updates of the main characters and how their life unfolded after all the chaos.

P.S. I love the main leads kissing scenes—shallow and feather but exudes intensity of their feelings for each other.

"When once virtue doesn't match the position, disaster will surely follow." - Yan Chi

Story - 10, I initially thought of giving this a 9.5 because of the little issues I mentioned above, however, looking back on how I enjoyed it so much, I just don't think it deserves it. I love this drama for its excellent investigation scenes but above more for its beautiful and compact storytelling.

Acting/Cast - 10, I love everyone on this drama and I enjoyed their individual executions as well. Acting is great and so is their synergy as a whole team.

Music - 10, All songs used are wonderful and sounds great. Specially the song used on Ep.15 (Headless Bride case).

Rewatch Value - 10, A drama I won't mind watching again. Will surely recommend.

Overall - 10, Despite the issues I mentioned above, I have decided that it wasn't really that big of a deal to affect my rating of this drama. After all, the story was splendidly narrated and acted; and I am satisfied on how they resolved the conflicts of the story. Wonderful ending as well.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

Banger

Terrific show man wow. Didn’t go past episode 2 when the show came out 4 years ago cause it was right after I moved away for uni and was way too homesick and couldn’t concentrate on much. With season 3 dropping now I thought why not hop on the hype train, and I’m really glad I did!

Even though I had a lot spoiled for me, this is for the most part a very tightly written show that perfectly showcases different parts of the human psyche and how screwed up wealth inequality in modern society is and how that affects us as individuals.

Gi-Hun, Sae-Byeok, and Sang-Woo were definitely the standouts. Their respective actors did phenomenal jobs playing their roles with so much sincerity that I couldn’t help but feel fully heartbroken by the time the finale finished.

The big twist reveal I wasn’t really a fan of tbh, didn’t do much for me, but that’s just a minor complaint in what was otherwise a very engaging, attention-grabbing show that had me on the edge of my seat up till 4 AM binging the next episode.

Great stuff! Excited to eventually get to S2 and 3.

Final Rating- 9/10

Read More

Not your tipical kdrama

To slow for anything, the pace is awfull and there is nothing going on, nothing funny, nothing existing , nothing to keep watching.

Maybe this is how they reflect depression and the numbness of that state, where life is just an endless series of occurrences that just happened to be and has no meaning besides that, nor any room for a slightly change. Intentionally depressed/annoying is stil depressed/annoying.

I was drained watching the show, and I supposed their purpose was achieved if you take into account the premise of the show, but never have I felt so bored watching a kdrama. I tried to skip to the last episode but in my mind it was not clicking

Read More