Completed
Love on the Turquoise Land
1 people found this review helpful
by Phopai
Dec 11, 2025
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Mesmerizing sceneries, storyline and casts

The thing I liked the most about this drama is the mystery behind the transformation of the earth fiends into human beings, and I find it amusing how they learn how to imitate human characteristics by living with them under close kinship. Secondly, the action part in the series was really thrilling as we got to see the peak of the war between the humanoid fiends and the humans, which, in my opinion, is very worth it. Thrilling, the cast is well selected as it has been a while since I've watched Dilraba engage in action series like the long ballad and Chen Xing Xu as well. The actress I'm fanning over is Zhang Li, as her acting skills and the way she carries herself in the series have really captivated me. She's so pretty, and I can't just stop admiring her despite her playing the villain. This is my first time watching her drama, and I'm really amazed.

However, I feel like the plot on the fiends should have been expanded, as it has an even greater potential to be developed further.

Overall, I recommend this series as it has a great thriller and mystery plotline.

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Completed
The Wicked Game
2 people found this review helpful
by bastet
Dec 11, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

the story and pacing is perfect + thrilling but the chemistry is meh

the story is actually very well written and the pacing is also perfect, it keeps you on edge every episode and there's never a boring scene.

the brother's role (tharn) was actually the hardest to pull off with his constant tantrums but Nattawut Skidjai did an excellent job and I genuinely so impressed by it.

while the main couples chemistry was a 10/10 at the start, as things progressed their relationship had no depth, it was too superficial and boring and at some point even annoying.

the writing of the show was amazing but if your watching it for the romance I wouldn't reccomend it.

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Completed
Had I Not Seen the Sun Part 2
54 people found this review helpful
by Noctis Finger Heart Award1 Flower Award2 Clap Clap Clap Award1
Dec 11, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 12
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers
I am just going to cut straight to the chase with this one, HINSTS II was absolutely incredible not just a stellar story on its own but a sequel that delivers on almost everything the first part set up.. The drama feels so much sharper and heavier in the second part, which is exactly what you want from a Part 2.. Since the first part already laid a solid foundation for the story, the characters and the direction this will go, this sequel dives deep into that darkness.. We get a clearer view of how everything actually went down and most importantly we finally see the pain those monsters went through..

This story like the first part is all centered around the horrific incident and the aftermath of that trauma.. This time they did a brilliant job showing the lasting damage this event left on the main characters..

I think I should get this out first.. From a storytelling perspective, the 10 episodes make sense.. They cover all the questions, tick all the boxes, explain the whys and hows and show what pushed Li Yen Yao to that level of desperation.. It ties everything together neatly.. That said, this could easily have been 4 episodes shorter and still been just as good if not better.. For people who were waiting just to watch the guys who ruined her life suffer, it might feel a bit long.. Personally, it was totally worth it.. I just wish their pain had lasted longer.. They died too quickly and they didn’t even feel half of what she had to go through..

There is nothing more satisfying than watching bad people get what they deserve in the most brutal way possible.. But at what point does revenge turn into something darker than cold blooded murder itself?? You will know exactly what I am talking about if you have watched the drama.. We could argue about morality, humanity, conscience, ethics, whatever you want to call it.. But the truth is, something started that day and that ' something ' only had one possible end.. That’s what we saw here.. If this wasn’t the ending, then it would have been those scumbags walking away with a smile on their faces again just like last time.. Because in this journey, no matter which path they took, everything was always going to diverge into the same destination eventually..

It’s not a very clever drama with a cunning hero.. Most of the emotional nuance can get lost among the horrible things happening, the bloodshed, the brutality and the sexual aspects of the drama.. This is where the longer storytelling I mentioned earlier really comes into play.. The story gets the respect it deserves because it doesn’t rush anything and it lets us see that there are other extremely compelling elements to this sequel besides people being killed for revenge.. As the story moves forward, we see how the barriers she built to protect herself from those memories slowly break down, inching her closer and closer to the moment when everything collapses.. We watch her reach her breaking point and we see how because of that Li Yen Yao is pushed into a psychological spiral.. His inner and physical conflict only intensifies as he reaches that tipping point where he realises there is no other way left except revenge and justice for the pain that practically ended their life.. So that at least she can have a life or whatever is left of it..

Watch out for episode 5, that’s where things get confusing for some and everything makes sense for others.. And the way Chou Pin Yu's real face is revealed?? Honestly, that was ' peak cinema ' as they say.. And that scene with the plant she watered.. That was so well done.. That one moment showed exactly what she was going through, a glimpse of what is actually happening to her.. And again just like in the previous season, the transition from past to present was slick.. The bar scene in episode 5?? Perfect..

The casting for this drama was crucial to making the story work and this is definitely one of those cases where the cast truly shines.. Tseng Ching Hua carries that quality that defines both the teen and adult versions of Li Yen Yao.. He feels like a soul forced into the harsh truth of existence.. It puts him in this strange place between who he was and who pain turned him into.. I really like LYY's character arc, someone becoming desperate and hungry not just for revenge but also to protect the only person he loves.. The rest of the cast was really good too.. Alice Ko basically did for this part what Moon Lee did in the first, she carried the emotional weight of the story and pushed it forward with her performance..

There is a real ' why the f**k would he do that?? ' moment toward the end that honestly bothered me, his second last kill.. There was absolutely no need for it.. It suddenly paints LYY in a different shade, but then the show weirdly downplays it afterward as if it doesn’t really matter.. So what was the point of that?? Was it just to make his death feel inevitable?? But wasn't that already the case??

Now, the ending might seem vague or open, like what actually happened to her?? But it really isn’t.. She fulfilled her promise to him about following her passion for ballet.. Then she rereads his letter, walks toward the ocean and drowns herself.. The mid credit scene makes it clearer.. She meets him again in the afterlife or whatever you interpret it as and together they finally complete their last unfinished wish, preparing the Christmas tree.. And that’s it.. That’s the real ending..

There was never going to be a happy ending in this one, not for a single moment did the story suggest otherwise.. What we got was the best possible outcome for these characters.. And honestly I am glad they didn’t soften it or exaggerate it.. It was the perfect ending for a beautifully written, directed and performed story about two people and the agony that shaped their lives..

Overall, just like Part 1, this is a well made drama that delivers the best possible conclusion to the story.. I can’t say I enjoyed it, that’s not the right word, but I was completely riveted by it.. This story had one of the best portrayals of a character’s mental breaking point and it wants us to feel it, to understand it.. It’s not a pleasant watch and it’s not meant to be.. And honestly, seeing those trash people whose humanity was long gone, the soulless monsters finally face their comeuppance made this worth it..

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Completed
Ski into Love
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
23 of 23 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

"The King is Hibernating"

This was one of the most refreshing modern dramas I've watched in 2025, personally I really enjoyed this drama and it definitely topped my 2025 list. The chemistry between esther (FL) and lin yi (ML) was so good and I really enjoyed the dynamic. Since I honestly love skiing, I was really excited for this drama and I have to tell you it DID NOT disappoint!! Rewatched this around 3x now, do not mind some of the bad reviews I promise you its worth it to watch!
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Dropped 4/40
A Dream within a Dream
2 people found this review helpful
by IFA
Dec 11, 2025
4 of 40 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

A Chinese Version of Extraordinary You and It Is Not for Me

A Dream within a Dream is a drama about Song Xiao Yu who was pulled inside a script playing a tragic female lead who was constantly bullied and tortured by the male lead, Nan Heng. The story definitely resembles the Korean drama, Extraordinary You, even sharing the same plot that no matter how hard the characters try, they are always pulled back towards the 'right' plot.

For the record, I was also unable to finish Extraordinary You. The reason is because I find the idea of being so helpless against the plot (or fate) to be disturbing. I ended up getting bored over the repeated attempts to change the plot and I also cringed at times when the characters failed to change the plot. However, one thing I like about this drama is how they reenact popular scenes from other dramas.

The actors did well though! After watching The Prisoner of Beauty, I became a fan of Liu Yuning, which is why I started to watch this drama. As expected, Liu Yuning did great! He has that charisma and appeal whenever he acts in costume dramas. Li Yi Tong was befitting for her role as Song Xiao Yu/Song Yi Meng, as well.

To be fair, I've only watched 4 episodes. I might give this drama another try but for now, I am putting it on-hold.

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Dropped 4/12
Dear X
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
4 of 12 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 1.5
This review may contain spoilers

Boring

I got interested in this drama after watching Kdrama shorts.

First 2 episodes were interesting but lost focus pretty fast. It was annoying she pulled innocents in her part of “revenge”.
After she asked if her innocent and kind hearted stepbrother would kill for her, and later put him in jail for not doing after fabricating the scene, I started to hate this FL.
But more after dragging an innocent man into this and fabricating the crime scene to make him the culprit instead of the protective hero.

After reading other reviews I decided to drop it.
A third and last try in “sociopaths and psychopaths “ drama.

Actors were great and did a good job. Only they deserve the 5*

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Completed
Youthful Glory
1 people found this review helpful
by IFA
Dec 11, 2025
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10

A Light Watch of a Cliché Plot

Youthful Glory is a drama about Jiang Xu, Prince of Dingbei, and Ming Tan, a general's daughter, who agreed to do a contract marriage for political reasons but ended up falling in love as they work together to fight corruption.

With its simple and rather cliché plot, this drama has a high entertainment value. It has a good blend of romance, family, politics, and action. Although the writing was a bit sloppy at times, the pacing was great! I finished all 30 episodes in one sitting without ever feeling bored. I admit I had some prejudice before watching this drama. I saw the preview and thought that Ming Tan would be a cute but dumb character who constantly relies on the male lead however I was proven wrong. It turns out she was not only beautiful but also very smart, tactical, strategic, and independent. All the characters were well written, even the supporting characters were memorable.

The actors did a great job at bringing their respective characters to life. Bao Shang En was perfect for Ming Tan. She was able to portray her as a beautiful and intelligent young lady. Her styling and makeup were also great at supporting her character's personality and characteristics. Song Wei Long also did a great job at portraying the vigorous Jiang Xu. Although I think that his standing posture lacks the aura of a martial arts expert.

One thing that was a minor miss but left a huge impact on me was during the scene when Jiang Xu rescued the king, we can see that the figure actors acting as the army in the back were just softly clashing their weapons with one another. Some did not even fight. It gave me the cringe and ever since I saw that, I began to pay attention to the figure actors in the fight scenes of other dramas as well.

Despite so, I really enjoyed this drama. If you're watching for a light drama that you can watch after a long day, this drama would be the perfect option to go for. Youthful Glory will make you smile, squeal, addicted, and kick your feet against the air!

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Completed
Everbloom Dynasty
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.5
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

What happened to the evil sister?

It is watchable but it really is total nonsense and ridiculous. The male lead was a prince and the FL was a skilled doctor.. they are both being set up and be betrayed by their respective families and have to fight palace in intrigued as well as several other villains before we get our happy ending. There are 24 episodes at 10 minutes each and our heroes are constantly getting beaten tortured, humiliated and nearly murdered at every time. All the villains die with some having remorse by their end, but I still don’t know what happened to the evil sister who threw all the chaos was allowed to escape never to be seen or heard from again while our main couple got their happily ever after.

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Completed
Cute Programmer
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 2.5
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

I DON'T RECOMMEND IT AT ALL.

At first, I really liked it, there were funny moments and I loved the story of her pretending to be a boy and slowly FL and ML falling in love. It was all perfect, but I really hated it when he got her pregnant and didn't take responsibility. I didn't even understand the real reason, but it bothered me. Then I enjoyed it when she left with someone else, but I almost lost it when he came back pretending like nothing had happened!! And on top of that, she forgives him. NO, I don't recommend it at all. In my opinion, it's not a good series.
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Completed
The Proper Way to Write Love
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Cute

I watched this all in one go last night blindly so I can understand that maybe my experience with watching the show is slightly different than someone waiting in real time for episodes to release. But honestly I enjoyed the show, I would say if anything it’s one of those shows that is best watched in one go.

I think I might have read the manga source this drama comes from but I was definitely surprised to see how differently the characters looked from the drama almost like they did a swap of the characters appearances lol. I do have to say though for once it’s a decision that I was glad they made I personally enjoyed the different dynamic, appearance wise at least, it created in the drama.

Watching Hiro slowly fall in love over the episodes with the end revenge goal still in his mind was great. From the beginning I felt like it was pretty obvious that Natsuo’s past actions were not ever out of true malice (this is not me trying to justify what he ultimately did), they did make an effort to try and show an explanation for his hyper-ness and how easily attached he gets because of the lack of attention from his parents in his childhood I just wish there would’ve been more of a conclusion to it. However, I did like the dynamic between the two characters it was a little choppy at times but I could feel what they were going for. The nc scene near the end was really nice I could honestly feel the intense emotions and tenderness between them, this was the exact time in the series where I could feel the genuine chemistry and love between these characters more so than any other moment in the series, it’s a shame it happens near the end. For the first time I think the last episode of a series was my favorite.

What I would have wished for is the drama touch on the sexual assault scene and actually did some sort of condemning for it, I mean there was a slap but that’s it just felt like the audience was expected to move past that like it was nothing. I also found it hard to believe it was love at first sight for Natsuo, even more so when we see another crush of his looked exactly like the old Hiro, it makes me wonder what exactly it was about current Hiro that made Natsuo instantly fall in love when he did not even know this was the same Hiro from high school. Alongside that I get the purpose of the flashbacks but some of the flashbacks being repeated so much took away screen time from what I feel could have been used to explore other things. Natsuo’s stalker tendencies never get touched on either like literally not at all and I’m not sure how to feel about it. The pacing in the series felt rough at times, where they chooses to speed things up and slowed things down felt very random. That’s what I will say I dislike about this series, it introduces a lot of deeper conversations and topics only for them to never be explored. With an additional couple of episodes I feel the pacing and story could have improved.

I was surprised to see the reviews I did see here, I don’t think the story is spectacular or anything but I don’t think it’s the god awful show some people are making it out to be.. Of course it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s fine, but I’m glad I went into watching this show blindly without looking at reviews.

Overall, I’d say binge it one night it’s entertaining and enjoyable enough in my book. It’s a show that has an interesting premise but needs a couple fixes here and there. Just know that when you watch this series a lot of things will remained unanswered and not explored, essentially lower your expectations going into it and you’ll enjoy it more.

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Completed
Twelve Letters
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Bit off more than it could chew, but still rather TASTY

So I'm a story guy, and a very picky one at that -- and unfortunately the story could have been the strongest point of this piece but unfortunately ended up the weakest element. Not weak, because the idea was really good -- but I gave the story an 8 because it didn't quite perfect master it's impressive and lofty goals.

Of the story --

1. A magical element is introduced into the story. My problem is we don't know why it was dropped off on the road, nor why it was picked back up, nor why it was easy to again find. Too easy and convenient. The story would have been stronger if something a character did made the mailbox come into existence, and something bad they did made it go away again. It was just a writer's device to get the story rolling.

2. I found it rather difficult to keep all the characters straight between the two time lines. Perhaps there were too many?

3. Because the magical element wasn't explained, the 'shifted' resolution was loose end city. I think they hoped that with all the razzmatazz between timelines we wouldn't notice, but we did. (Someone said the same in comments.)

4. I could have used a little less violence. We get it, gang warfare, but so much fighting conflicts with the many romantic elements of the show. It would be like if WEST SIDE STORY was almost half musical, half Fight Club.

Of the rest --

Loved the actors. I was wondering when I'd see Ren Youlun of MAKE A WISH fame. In both series he's great at being frustrated in stressful situations. I guess it's his thing. I was also great to see his MAKE A WISH cast mate Chen Hao Lan as the kind teacher character.

Wang Ying Lu is adorable as Ye Hai Tang, the girl with the Dad from Hell. She also had quite a range. I just wish someone would hand her a damn sandwich. It's bad enough watching a young girl being mistreated by a brute, but the fact she's a small twig of a lady made me cringe each time she was struck. One sandwich a day, Doctor's orders.

Zhou Yi Ran was a standard issue C-Drama cute boy, but at the same time he wasn't generic. He was new to me (Like Wang Ying Lu) and they both did a lot of heavy lifting in this how.

Then we're treated to some great supporting actors sprinkled about two time lines. Too many to list, but standouts were Rat, the guy that played his boss and pool hall owner, the chubby security guard, and the mean/not so mean boy at the school. Which ever company produced this didn't have the big names like many shows but they found some really solid actors.

The photography was really great. So many Chinese shows present China as perfect and beautiful, which is ridiculous because the prettiest city on the planet has... outskirts... run down ghettos. This series got real with locations.

The music was okay but overused a bit in such a short series.

I made one funny rating -- I said this show has a very high rewatch value. I don't see this because it's perfect. I'm saying the confusing narrative may make better sense on the second pass, lol

THE BIG PICTURE -- I recommend the series to anybody, but it's not as good as short series like TO THE WONDER and FORGET YOU NOT and INTERLACED SCENES, which didn't bite off more than they could chew.

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Completed
Love of the Divine Tree
0 people found this review helpful
by IFA
Dec 11, 2025
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

One of the Best CGI in Chinese Dramas

Love of the Divine Tree is about Su Yi Shu a talented cultivator who met Mu Qing Ge who tricks him into becoming her disciple. Su Yi Shu then fell in love with her as she gave him a 'home'. She was then presumed dead leaving Su Yi Shu heartbroken. With Su Yi Shu's efforts, Mu Qing Ge managed to reincarnate as Xue Ran Ran eighteen years later. Su Yi Shu and Xue Ran Ran met and have their master-disciple roles swapped.

This is the first xianxia drama that I was able to watch until the end. After reading the synopsis, I was not convinced to watch it, however after seeing the reviews and having people recommend it to me, I decided to give it a try, and I am glad I did. The story immediately got me hooked with its 'he fell first, he fell harder' and an 'I changed him' trope. Not to mention, I also love a strong and independent female lead, which is why I became such a big fan of Mu Qing Ge and I wanted her to have a happy ever after with Su Yi Shu. However, after her reincarnation as Xue Ran Ran, I felt anxious because Xue Ran Ran was so different than Mu Qing Ge. I then got even more anxious when Su Yi Shu and Xue Ran Ran fell in love despite knowing that Mu Qing Ge and Xue Ran Ran are the same person. I just love Mu Qing Ge's personality for Su Yi Shu. I also find Mu Qing Ge's character to be way more appealing and interesting than Xue Ran Ran who in my opinion, is rather boring. I do wish we could see more of Mu Qing Ge. I really like the revelation scene when Mu Qing Ge said jokingly, "how dare you make your master a disciple?!" that gave me a relief and a major fangirl moment. I also love the ending scene when it shows Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran and Su Yi Shu's little family with their kids. Such a cute closure for me as an audience.

My first thought when watching this drama was "wow, what a visual!" The CGI was impeccably done, the set, costume, makeup was beautiful, and the visual of the actors stunning. I particularly applaud Xiang Han Zhi's makeup and styling for both Mu Qing Ge and Xue Ran Ran. The makeup and styling for both characters were so different yet so iconic in representing both character's unique personalities. On that note, the actors did incredibly well in this drama, especially Xiang Han Zhi and Deng Wei.

Playing two characters with two very different personalities, Xiang Han Zhi did an amazing job. I would even think they are two different people if not for the same face. As mentioned before, the makeup and styling were also so different. Mu Qing Ge has a bolder makeup compared to Xue Ran Ran and she often wears red. Xue Ran Ran, with a softer makeup, often wears more lively colors. Mu Qing Ge exudes charisma, elegance, beauty, intelligence, maturity, power, and a reliable aura. Definitely befitting for a female master. On the other hand, we can clearly see a difference with Xue Ran Ran being more youthful, cute, cheerful, immature, just like a teenager. Xiang Han Zhi did an amazing job at bringing the two characters to life. Aside from Xiang Han Zhi, Deng Wei also did an incredible job at portraying Su Yi Shu as a person with a past and later grows into a mature, kindhearted, powerful, intelligent master. We can clearly see Su Yi Shu's character development and transformation throughout this drama. The chemistry between the leads were also great! It was very clear how different Su Yi Shu's relationship and chemistry with Mu Qing Ge and Xue Ran Ran was.

After failing to finish my first xianxia drama, I admit I had my doubts with this being another xianxia drama. However, I instantly got hooked on the story and even got more surprised with the CGI, as well as the character development. In my opinion, this drama is a hit or miss. Despite so, I would still recommend it as an option for those looking to watch a xianxia drama.

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Dropped 1/28
Second Chance Romance
2 people found this review helpful
by sarahv
Dec 11, 2025
1 of 28 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 1.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

A Sad waste of good actors

I like Wallace Chung and was looking forward to watching this. But not even I episode. It was so boring and lacking in life. I have sworn off yet another potentially enjoyable drama by another controlling Mother Fgure. Asia seems to be awash with Control Freak Parents. Sadly the more money and power they have something more important seems to get lost. Sorry to see China turn out a Power Crazy Heirarchy mimicing the the rich in the West. Also I cannot undersatnd their attachment to the cultures that colonised them for decades. Look at the mess Taiwan ended up being with their sick US Culture and Weapons aimed at their own people.

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Completed
The Atypical Family
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

a forced family

i just finished watching this drama and i'm honestly quite disappointed. my major complaint is that the characters, the story, the superpowers... everything felt forced.

the start is okay, if a bit slow, but after episode 4 the plot felt all over the place. they clearly wrote this story around "ML travels in time to save FL before she even knew him" but it seems they failed to write it in a way that felt natural. i didn't like the lead couple and the way they tried to make it seem like ML's family were her found family, because they never developed her character or her relationship with the family. they only showed her with ML's daughter and that was her most enjoyable relationship because they actually talked and interacted. the way she was introduced into the family was justifiable because she was scamming them, but there wasn't a middle point where we could see or understand why FL and the family connected, they just started loving her despite the scam plan and she just started to like ML out of nowhere (and viceversa). even the relationship with ML and his daughter felt empty because they never spent a lot of time together and their issues resolved way too quickly. they all felt like strangers living together, not like a family.

the most attractive point of this drama is the superpowers and somehow, despite being the focus of the plot, they feel like they're in the background. i could look past all the unexplainable powers and time travels if it benefitted the story; i'm never against suspending my disbelief and accepting what a story stablishes as part of its world, but you could remove the superpowers and the story would still make sense without them. you could honestly get more from the story if you think of ML's power as a metaphor for depression and not as an actual superpower.

i just couldn't connect with any character besides bok ina at times. i understand why people liked it, but unfortunately it wasn't a good drama for me. overall it falls short on its premise; neither the story, the characters or the relationships are enjoyable or sincere enough for the ending's message ("things won't be easy but you're not alone") to feel genuine. the soundtrack was nice though.

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The Trunk
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Red Pill / Blue Pill

A great comparison in the film referring to The Matrix's Red Pill/Blue Pill choice. Does one choose to stay in a happy fantasy or choose to face unpleasant reality?

The Trunk (트렁크) is a 2024 8-episode drama with each episode being an hour long. This drama features middle-aged leads who are mostly Xennials with Seo Hyun Jin (1985), Gong Yoo (1979), Jung Yun Ha (1986) and firmly millennial Cho I Geon (1992).

This drama is directed by Kim Kyu Tae, who also directed dramas like It's Okay That's Love (2014), Moon River Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) and Live (2018) and based on the book "The Trunk," written by Kim Ryu Ryung (and adapted to film by Park Eun Young), who also wrote Elegant Lies (2014) and Punch (2011).

The Trunk is brooding and introspective. There are elements of mystery, although sometimes foreshadowing is overdone. Most events are predictable, but there are a few good surprises. The chemistry between characters is muted, and that fits the vibe of the show. This is an adult-rated show with drugs, smoking, nudity (woman's breasts, man's buttocks, soft sex scenes), suicide, blood and violence. It ends with a hopeful, positive note.

~~Plot
This is a story about Han Jeongwon (ML) and Lee Seoyeon (2FL), a toxic couple, and their journey of separation as well as No Inji and Yun Jio's independent trauma resolution.

In a manipulative effort to confirm Jeongwon's dedication, Seoyeon divorces him and employs a spouse-for-hire contractor to test Jeongwon. Broken by extensive childhood trauma and emotional manipulation from Seoyeon, Jeongwon experiences nightmares, depression and self-medicating with unknown drugs he receives from Seoyeon. He holds that he still loves Seoyeon but goes along with her spouse-for-hire plan with her promise that if he lasts one year, she will reconcile with him.

No Inji (FL) has been plagued by guilt since her youth. She feels that she inflicts bad luck on those she loves and takes up marriage contracting to feel less lonely in her life. Her marriage contract with Jeongwon is her 5th marriage, but she still holds on to her first love, whose life, she believes, was destroyed by her. She also navigates the unwanted attention of Um Taeseong, her violent stalker of the last 5 years.

In spite of their age difference, Yun Jio (2ML) truly loves Seoyeon. He is willing to put forth the devotion and affection that she seeks, but her intent is finding ways to control Jeongwon.

Simultaneously, we watch snippets of the future unfold as detectives recover a luxury brand luggage trunk from a lake and then a body. They work to untangle the means, motive and opportunity from the primary characters to bring justice to the victim.

~~Technical
I watched this on Hulu, and there were several times where the screen cuts were overlong, but that could have been Hulu's editing for potential commercial breaks. The camera work and audio was stable. I liked the use of focus/out-of-focus when the actors are in the same scene, which contributed to the characters' themes of self-absorption.

The settings were grand and impersonal, which fit the theme of the show. The lake setting was beautiful in nearly every shot, especially with the fog. The cinematography was underutilized for me and the could have provided more mystery or foreshadowing.

The English captioning was sufficient. I had one pet peeve were some times that Korean "No" was written as "Uh, No" and I'm not sure why. There were 2 or 3 times that the captioning had more written than I had time to read and I had to go back. There were also a few confusing conversation translations that didn't quite make it understandable in English, but the context made up for that in those situations. It was direct as possible, and anything that might be lost in translation was reiterated later.

~~Recommendation - 9.5/10
I really enjoyed watching this. I watched it in one sitting. There were a few parts that were skippable, all non-dialogue.

It is deep, but I never felt overly sympathetic to the characters. I did not cry or feel like anything was terribly unfair or unrealistic. The actors were all great for me, although everything had kind of a muted, drugged feeling, which I feel was part of the story. My favorite character was Um Taeseong. Kim Dong Won's acting was the best of everyone. Then again, I often have a thing for unhinged but believable characters. There was never any comedy, a few times I cracked a smile but even the humor felt a bit bleak.

The story felt cohesive, although the additional storyline with Jeongwon's best friend felt out of place and under developed. There could have been more backstory Inji's family, there were a lot of things unsaid. Seoyeon had no history other than being obsessed with Jeongwon, but sometimes that's enough explanation. The ending was hopeful, although not quite complete. It allows the viewer to decide on the final ending.

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