Reviews

Intriguing Great Acting

I will watch anything with Ren Lialun but finding out he dies horribly and in pain has put me off this series - I cannot sit through forty-nine episodes only to see him die.

This is the shortest review I have ever written - there really isn’t anything else to say. However, as there must be a minimum of 300 characters, I will need to add more.

From the beginning, I did not like Miyamoto Cangye who was overshadowed by, and seemed jealous of Ye Chong.

The story line was good, although it was confusing in the beginning of episode one. If this was based on a true story, then the ML dying I could understand, but a fictional one? No.

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Rawness at its peak

I didn't watch this series first because I was so skeptical about it as less people were watching it, but one morning I found myself watcing it. From the reels and shorts that I watched first I was like nah, I don't like the settings and the background but the series turned out to be good.

Firstly it was raw and the tension was there and it was the right amount for both couples and I liked the way of communication the second couple had, it was poetic and liberating and the way both of them would unfold for each other emotionally was beatiful.

I understand that many people may hate this because of the political setting but despite the setting I think we should focus more on the characters the way they evolved and their ways of understanding each other despite their differences in their jobs and backgrounds.

That said, I would recommend watching this, at least give the first episodes a chance and you wil be suprised because the chemistry here is explosive.

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From Hilarious Moments to Heartfelt Goodbyes: A Show I'll Miss

I started watching this show for Ouyang Didi, drawn to her personality in Wonderland Season 5, and Liu Yuning, one of my favorite actors and singers. But the moment I watched the first episode, I realized this wasn’t just a regular variety show.

There were no “hidden” or shy members hanging back—everyone fully participated. Remarkably, there was no sense of seniority or superiority, even among the veteran actors. Despite their experience and age, the veterans blended seamlessly with the rest of the cast. I had initially worried that they might intimidate the other members, but they were genuinely hilarious and perfectly balanced within the group. Whoever handled casting truly did an exceptional job.

They were so funny that I found myself laughing so hard I got yelled at for laughing too loudly! x.x The games were an absolute joy to watch, and I smiled and laughed nonstop at their jokes and funny moments. When all of them broke out of their shells and the awkwardness between them disappeared, it was the highlight for me. We got to see the best version of themselves—comfortable, relaxed, and having fun. Despite the age gap between the oldest and youngest members, it genuinely felt like a group of college students enjoying an unforgettable trip together.

The chemistry among Gong Jun, Liu Yuning, Chen Xing Xu, Wang Yu Wen, Li Nai Wen, Sun Hong Lei, Chen He, Ouyang Didi, and the two amazing guests, Jolin Jin and Lin Yi, was phenomenal. Every week, I found myself looking forward to Sunday and Monday with immense anticipation. Watching an episode became the highlight of my week, making every challenging workday completely worth it.

When the last two episodes were released, I deliberately saved the final one for last. I was genuinely nervous about finishing the show and saying goodbye to a cast I had grown so attached to. I hope to see them again for Season 2, hopefully with the same cast!

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came in for a fun entertaining show but got bored quite fast...

I feel like you are really big fans of the actors you can enjoy it but coming from a person who is watching for the story and not the actors then this drama was really very mid, unfortunately. I had high expectations but from the start itself it started feeling very odd...

Firstly, the budget for the drama. He's the king of Joseon but the rooms he was given were equal to the room she was staying in. Literally one table with a mattress so small. And also the assembly hall was so bland without anything decorations or furniture... (maybe i have just watched too many cdramas) but yea it felt like the budget was quite low for this drama.

Regarding the story, its your typical time travel story so nothing new. I felt like they spent way too much time on her making all kinds of food instead of developing her relationship with him. To some it can be enough but to me it was not. I did not feel any chemistry between them and would have preferred if they just removed the whole love line in that case. The last 2 episodes were just so forced, to move forward with the plot and history but at the same time they also needed a way to bring her back to the present.

However, I did enjoy the display of food. So for those interested in cooking and trying out the dishes I feel you can give this a try.

Overall story was average, so you can let the drama play the background while having a meal or something.

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A Tale of Hidden Truths and Unfinished Goodbyes

The overall concept of the show was clear and engaging, with well-executed performances from the cast. Trin and Thanwa — two wounded souls who found one another, and in doing so, discovered the healing they had been searching for. Their journey together was tender, and a beautiful reminder of love’s power to mend what’s broken.”

However, Victor’s unnecessary stubbornness, which ultimately led to his death, came across as frustrating and avoidable. It seemed as though he wanted to go out with a dramatic flourish — and unfortunately, that decision cost him everything.

While I don’t personally agree with suicide, I can understand how, from a storytelling perspective, this could have been a powerful and more realistic ending for Krailert. If the directors had chosen this route, it might have given the finale greater emotional depth and resonance. For a character forced to conceal his true self from the world, who had already lost his first love at the hands of his own family, such a tragic conclusion would have underscored the painful reality of repression, control, and generational expectations.

Instead, the narrative emphasized the forced path of conforming — being compelled into a relationship, marriage, and parenthood that only deepened his misery. Exploring this darker, more authentic trajectory could have left a more heartfelt and impactful impression, aligning with the emotional weight the series aimed to deliver.

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Was Promised Glory, This Show Was Anything But That

From the very first moment, I saw a woman who strong but also vulnerable in her own right!

“Tempest” runs on the coattails of an espionage controversy that seems thrilling but fizzles out in the end. Starring Jun Ji Hyun & Kang Dong Won in lead roles, the show weaves an intricate pattern of random assassination attempts as our female protagonist, Seo Mun Ju tries to accomplish the impossible, stepping into the footsteps of her late husband who was killed brutally. The investigation turns into presidential candidacy which ultimately leads to shocking revelations. The initial episodes keep you invested in a high drama spy espionage that is full of political intrigue. We keep wondering who the actual antagonists are, while watching the full-blown romance bloom between our main leads. From start to end, we are treated to high octane melodrama, and the show literally thrives on it!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/10/03/tempest-series-review/#more-2081

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I hate the female lead. Hate hate hate hate hate.

I hate the female lead. she’s spoilt, selfish, self absorbed and completely stupid. The male lead was a complete doormat, yes he was a little domineering but it was clear he was a decent fellow. The second male lead was abusive, a liar and manipulator and a total scumbag yet the female lead was with him for the majority of the show and she loved him.. so in the beginning she loved the male lead then for most of the drama she loved the second male lead and then by the end she loved the male lead again. The whole thing was a complete mess and ludacrous and I hated it from beginning to end. The only decent thing the ml did was leave her at the end and then she realised how much she actually loved him and told him like that was meant to be some cathartic emotional release for the audience when she’d been telling the second male lead how much she loved him throughout even though he was coercing and manipulating her. The whole thing was just total rubbish and I hated it.

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Such a pure heartwarming drama.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The story isn't anything new, but they have done a wonderful job with the characters and the writing. I mean, they felt real. The emotions, the drama, the smiles. I could feel the sincerity behind them. It had some wonderful thought thought-provoking moments, moments that made me pause the show and think about my own life. It may not be that deep for everybody, but it certainly hit home with me.
Both of the main couples were so cute and lovely that I was equally rooting for them. The relationships developed naturally. Many times during the show, I felt like the characters were behaving the way I would. They were not some annoying characters written by a writer whose purpose was to needlessly create drama. The conflicts and the emotional moments felt like they had weight behind them. I am actually jealous of the relationships they had with their parents. I too have parents who absolutely love me, but growing up in Asian culture has made sure that I feel too awkward to ever express my love for them. This is something that I will work on, and maybe some day I too will be as comfortable around my parents as shown in this show.
Definitely give this one a try if you have the time.

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Good story, but the execution of plot could have been better.

So as some of you know, I have been complaining on the forums about parts of this show. A lot of people loved the last third of the show, whereas I found that stretch to be the weakest part in a lot of ways. I picked up SL right on the heels of another Cdrama that near topped the list of my favorite Asian dramas of all the time. That was my first mistake, as all of the things I loved about that one - the transparent communication and honesty, lack of love triangles and possessive third wheels, how the amnesia subplots were handled with the right amount of angst balanced with mutual affection - all only served to highlight all of the shortcomings in the last part of Shadow Love. Secrets were kept that did not need to be, secrets that had serious implications for the person that they were being kept from. It seemed like lies were told to just create more needless drama, information was withheld from each other “just because”. Especially in the last several episodes, soooo much of the drama could have been prevented if the leads just communicated honestly with each other. Both of them were prominent military leaders who have stared death in the face multiple times - why are y’all acting so immaturely? But what helped make up for the flaws a little bit was the fact that most of them were eventually addressed. The ML didn’t get off the hook for the horrible crap he did to the FL when he was losing / had lost his memories. He didn’t get off the hook for keeping the fact that he regained his memories of her a secret. I appreciated that, but it still doesn’t take away from how much stuff could have been prevented if they had just acted more like adults.

And I was very disappointed with the FL during the last stretch as well. She should have told Prince Annan who he was after he lost his memories of her completely, especially when he asked her directly, and I will die on this hill. He had the right to know who he was during the last year. It was HIS life, and with him being the prince, there were SERIOUS implications for him also being Jin An and the masked man. Her keeping that a secret and then later LYING to his face about it robbed him of his autonomy and his right to choose what to do with that information. It does not matter if he would have believed her or not. It was still his right to know and she took that from him. And what happened shortly after? The bitch Empress sprung that information on him as a weapon in front of all of his officials, catching him completely off guard and humiliating him. Like I said, so much of the silly drama could have been prevented if they had just acted like adults and communicated.

Other complaints- the memory loss of Shuang, and remembering his real identify could have been better. It was confusing, but the show had it seem like Jin An remembered his love for Shuang AND remembered that her father supposedly killed his brother when he was the prince, so he then proceeded to secretly plot the assassination of Shuang’s father at his birthday banquet with her right there… after telling her he loved her and wanted to be with her for life. He then tried to literally murder the FL’s dad in front of her. And then told her he loved her afterwords in the woods. What???? I get others have said that his memory was in and out during that time, and that’s fair, but it could have been better. How about we have him completely lose his memories of Shuang prior to the bday banquet, then have Shuang find him and be like “Hey my dads banquet is tonight” and for him to be like, “Oh, I can take advantage of this situation and kill this woman’s dad.” You get the gist. It didn’t sit with me at all having his surprise assassination attempt on his girlfriend’s beloved father sandwiched between two love confessions.

Oh, and the love triangle was annoying. There was a possessive third wheel and it felt like the FL was sending him a little bit of mixed signals until she set her firm boundaries later. Ugh. Even then he couldn’t take no for an answer and it took him waaay to long to pull his head out of his ass 🙃

Regardless, this show was enjoyable and I will probably rewatch it. The chemistry was great with the leads, the ML was delicious to watch shift in and out of his different personas. I missed the gorgeous silver-haired ninja man the last chunk of the show, though. We also didn’t get enough blood sharing scenes (tragedy). And despite my beef with Prince Annan, he was 🤌🏻 👌🏻to look at. Honestly this is probably a show that I will like more the second time around. I probably missed some of the nuances that other viewers have seen, and now that I know the big picture I may enjoy it more when I rewatch it.

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Woman of Constant Sorrow

So, I started this drama because of Sun Li. After seeing her in Empresses in the Palace, I thought this would be good. I was mostly not disappointed. Zhou Ying was entertaining to follow and though she grows and matures, there is always a trace of her true free-born self. My favorite character was Wu Ping by a landslide and I was disappointed her died so early in the show. I did not like Young Master Shen. I could not forget how he treated her in the beginning. How could a woman love a man who treated her in such a fashion? Baishi was interesting, but that is about it. He did not strike me as a love interest. No one could compare to Wu Ping and it was painful to see men try. The drama is heavy in this one. Be warned, death and suffering abound. To me, compared to the good, the wicked had the easy way out. Even the characters who redeemed themselves (The Shens) suffered more than they did. Two (three if you count uncle) of the willing to kill baddies died at their own hands. One takes down a good guy before doing so.

While I liked it overall, some of the story after episode 25 is a bit too dramatic. Mostly stuff revolving around Miss Hu that could have been done without. The actress is good, and I thought her character could have taken a different route besides the self inflicted scorned woman. While I liked our leading lady and her supporters (Chunxing is my other favorite) Du Mingli kept me watching. I enjoyed hating him. The actor did perfect. That being said, everyone is really good here, similar to "Empresses". I recommend it, but bear in mind it is a tragedy buttered in success.

Also: One thing I liked was how each household: Wu, Shen , and Hu matched colors. Shen is green, Hu is purple. Du matched Hu. Then we have the Wu family who was often out of harmony but wore warm tones, such as brown, cream and yellow.

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High quality substance pairs with high quality delivery

It's hard not to look at the synopsis and the protagonist's actor, Bai Jingting, without thinking of 2022's Reset where he was one half of the leading pair that uses the time loop mechanism to solve a mystery. Both consist of tightly-written scripts and superb acting, but to me they are completely different stories. With Reset, the time loop is more of a narrative device that feeds information to the audience in a strategic manner, but within Mobius, the time loop is both a weapon and a game-defining parameter that the protagonist, Ding Qi, has to both master and defend against in order to win. This creates a plot with a profoundly different energy and immerses the audience into the problem-solving along with the characters.

Mobius, unlike a lot of Asian dramas, assumes its audience consists of those with high intelligence and keen observation. It helps you recall certain vital bits of information that may have been revealed earlier on, but it does not spell things out for you as if you possessed no deductive reasoning of your own. Everything fits together smoothly and flows in a logical manner.
What's incredible about the way Mobius does this is that pretty much anything the audience, as neutral observers, might think of, the script also thinks of. There's very little frustration in regards to characters being stupid and getting away with something because the writers forgot a key consequence of their own world-build.

The characters themselves feel very real despite this drama being relatively short and not the type that's focused on profound characterizations. The audience is given just enough to sympathize and wonder about all the characters without inflating anyone's importance. Everyone had believable motivations and interesting dynamics, and there are bits of humor and teasing sprinkled in which feel authentic to life rather than being inserted just to fulfill some quota. Ding Qi was a very likeable hero and I instantly rooted for him, both because of Bai Jingting's natural charisma and because the drama showed enough of his good qualities without making them feel forced. I felt invested in the story behind the mystery and everyone within it even without the flashiness of the time loop mechanic and the way this series was shot.

Having finished the show, I feel like if I were the sort that liked to rewatch stuff, I definitely would, but I'm not and it's hard for me to gauge whether mystery shows in general are the sort people tend to rewatch. I wouldn't mind rewatching with someone who hadn't seen it before, but because of the thinking aspects of some episodes, some parts might feel slow on the second runthrough, which is the only reason I lowered my rewatch score just a tiny bit. I think in terms of pacing, the show generally does very well especially for the first watch. There were only a handful of parts that felt dragged out (to fit the time quota, I assume), which I wouldn't pick on it for; ideally that shouldn't happen, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect any drama to forget about timing and duration, and for the most part when it slows down, it makes sense for it to slow down, and they serve to increase the effectiveness of the action scenes when the drama does pick up the pace again.

Overall, an incredible series that I'd argue is easily as good as any Hollywood production, if not better. I encourage anyone who hasn't seen this series to check it out!

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For a Korean offering in this genre Not Bad

My rating is 8/10

Review

For me this is a pretty good rating as I am not generally a fan of this genre. For a Korean offering, in this genre, it is good. To me what made it a bit less compelling was what I will call the Netlix effect. They end it a certain way because it may or may not have another season. And it is all about profit. They also drag in a lot of unnecessary social aspects. That just become a distraction and actually turn a lot of people off the show. Minimal in the first season though.

I approached Squid Game with trepidation, wary of an Americanized spin on a Korean series. I also wasn't thrilled about this encroachment on a genre the Japanese do often and well. A Korean kill game type drama? Not one of Korea's typical—they usually leave it to Japanese movies and dramas. So that was one strike against watching it. But there were other things that didn't put it in the neat box I had for Korean drama content. What stood out especially were its multiple short seasons, which is a departure from the traditional single, 16-episode K-drama format. And that is the Netflix effect. They like to make them more like pilots. And determine if they will continue the story based on profit. As someone who avoids the blood-and-gore kill game genre, I was reluctant but curious, driven by the show’s inescapable presence in Asian content circles and pop culture. I wanted to grasp its significance to keep up with references. Squid Game delivered both what I expected—a brutal, high-stakes survival drama akin to The Hunger Games—and far more, with a level of gore and psychological intensity that was profoundly unsettling. The show’s ability to transform nostalgic childhood games into deadly trials is both ingenious and horrifying, pulling viewers into a world where desperation overrides morality. The production is visually striking, with iconic imagery like the triangle-masked enforcers and the eerie “Red Light, Green Light” doll now etched into global consciousness. The emotional weight is heavy, making it a challenging watch for empaths or those sensitive to graphic violence and moral decay. Yet, its exploration of human desperation and strategic cunning is undeniably compelling.

I recommend Squid Game to those who can handle the gore and don’t mind a cast of deeply flawed characters. It’s not a feel-good story, but it’s a cultural juggernaut that’s worth experiencing to understand its impact, even if it left me slightly rattled.

Spoilers

This is the ugly side of humanity on full display where even the "good" people operate more in a gray area. It plunges into the levels of human desperation, strategic brilliance, and moral depravity, all of which are amplified by its unrelenting brutality. The opening “Red Light, Green Light” game, where hundreds of contestants are gunned down in a spray of blood by an automated doll, was far gorier than I anticipated. I expected mass casualties, but the immediate, visceral slaughter—players falling mid-game, surrounded by their peers—was a level of cruelty I wasn’t prepared for. They did not go into it knowing what would happen, not for that first game, so that made it all the more a psychological horror for the players.

The psychological torment was intricately woven into the physical gore and violence and was equally jarring. The decision by Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and others to return after the first game, despite witnessing such horror, underscored the bleakness of their lives outside. Their choice to risk death for a chance at financial redemption was both shocking and a haunting commentary on societal desperation. But, to their credit that first game was a mere taste of what was to come. In that first game there was a complete reliance on yourself and your own abilities. As the games required teaming up and even making life or death choices for others, the layers of moral ineptitude were revealed and continued to compound.

The characters’ moral failings were staggering. Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), Gi-hun’s childhood friend, revealed a ruthless edge, deceiving his ally in the marble game and later killing Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), the North Korean defector whose cautious yet principled nature I admired. Sae-byeok’s death, after Player 067 (Lee Yoo-mi) sacrificed herself for her, felt like a cruel twist, especially when Sang-woo delivered the final blow. Jang Deok-su (Heo Sung-tae), the gangster, was a vile force, and his manipulative dynamic with Han Mi-nyeo (Kim Joo-ryoung), who played every side with chilling amorality, epitomized the show’s cutthroat ethos. Mi-nyeo’s willingness to ally with Deok-su, including their disturbing sexual encounter, highlighted her lack of conscience. You think a psychotic player is bad then they get worse. Same with the game you think it is bad enough then it gets worse.

The games were diabolical in their design. The tug-of-war, where Gi-hun’s team, guided by Oh Il-nam’s (O Yeong-su) leaning-back strategy, barely survived, was a pulse-pounding highlight. Sang-woo’s tactic to rush forward during the game was a stroke of ruthless genius I hadn’t considered. The marble game, forcing players to betray trusted allies, was pure psychological evil, tearing at bonds formed in the barracks. The night of murder, when lights went out and players like Deok-su’s crew turned on each other, was terrifying, compounded by the horrific organ-harvesting scheme run by corrupt staff. The VIPs, watching the carnage like voyeurs, were as depraved as the game’s orchestrator, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), if not more so. I half-expected the final dinner to reveal cannibalism—thankfully, it didn’t, but I wouldn’t have trusted the meal. The glass bridge game, where players like Abdul Ali (Anupam Tripathi) were pushed to their deaths while distinguishing tempered from regular glass, was another layer of cruelty. Sae-byeok’s arc was a standout; her cautious strength made her tragic end all the more devastating. Gi-hun, despite lying in the marble game and harboring murderous thoughts, emerged as the least corrupt in a den of vipers. He wasn’t pure—far from it—but compared to the psychopathy of Sang-woo, Deok-su, or even the calculating Oh Il-nam, he was the closest to redeemable. The strategic reimagination of childhood games was mesmerizing, yet the depravity—from the triangle-masked enforcers to the doll’s chilling presence—was overwhelming.

Squid Game is a must-watch for those who can stomach its gore and emotional intensity, offering a raw look at human nature under pressure. I’m torn—partly regretting the emotional toll but glad to understand the cultural touchstones, from the masked enforcers to that haunting doll. It’s a brutal, unforgettable ride that leaves you questioning humanity’s limits.

Am I glad I watched it? I'm not sure. I certainly don't want any of the t-shirts or any other merchandise reminding me of some of the horrible scenes. I thought, innocently, before I watched it, that the 'soldiers" were kind of cute little figures with a triangle, circle or square mask? Cute? No more. I see those and think of the organ harvesting or any number of other cruel activities they perpetrated.

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