Reviews

Dragged at times, But I don't regret watching

This drama started off strong. Episode 1 pulled me in with an intriguing setup, Yeori, a reluctant shaman and glass craftswoman, and Kang Cheol, an Imugi who needs her body to ascend. The tension was there, the atmosphere was moody but engaging, and the characters actually had charisma. Young Kwang as the original Kang Cheol had presence, and even though we lost him early, Sungjae stepped in as Kang Cheol/Yun Gap with such smooth synchronization that I didn’t even mind the transition.

The first few episodes really had me. There was just enough emotional pull with Yeori’s desperation to save Yun Gap, the painful irony of being stuck with someone who looks like the man she loves but isn’t, and the layered tension between her and the Imugi. I loved that Yeori wasn’t written as some superhuman fighter, but she also wasn’t weak. She held her own. The scenes with her helping spirits, especially the rape victim, were emotional and gave her some moral grounding that made her compelling. And the scene where Kang Cheol possessed Yun Gap’s body, leaving behind a ghost version? The acting was so on point I was genuinely impressed.

Let’s talk Bibi. Absolutely hilarious, unhinged, chaotic sibling energy to Kang Cheol. No DNA test needed. I knew the moment he appeared that he was going to die. Side characters with that much personality and power never last. But at least his death made sense. It wasn’t some weak “sacrificing for the leads” moment. It was him trying to prevent Kang Cheol from sacrificing himself, trying to play smart, and still falling into the trap. A tragic death, but fitting for his character. Though his death could've been prevented if any of the three were a bit smarter or faster.

The romance. Usually I hate the whole “immortal loves mortal he’s watched grow up” angle. But here? It made sense. Kang Cheol didn’t start out feeling anything, it wasn’t until he possessed a human body that he started feeling at all. Watching him fall in love like some goofy teenager was honestly adorable. His excitement over Yeori’s confession, buying her shoes she once looked at years ago, giving Yun Gap’s mom a hairpin, it was giving dumb in love Imugi energy and I wasn’t mad about it.

The King. Honestly was a standout. He actually ruled. He wasn’t some cardboard noble with no agency. He fought. He bled. He made decisions. He loved his wife. He had his moments of failure, but he owned them. His scenes with Kang Cheol were often some of the best, especially once he knew who he really was. And the bromance? Legendary. That man hugged, protected, and actually talked sense. More of that in dramas, please.

Now, about the pacing. Around episode 8, I started feeling it. The drag. There were filler moments, scenes that felt like recycled dialogue or slow-motion glances stretched way too long. The writing dipped, the tension started unraveling, and I began questioning if they were just making it up as they went.

Yun Gap comes back and for a hot second, I thought they were going to ruin him. But no, he stayed true to himself and got a proper send-off. The drama made the right choice there.

And then close to the end was a mess. Every character suddenly turned into a brainless statue. Evil right in front of their faces and no one moves. No urgency, no logic, just standing around as if they’re all reading the script together. Queen Park’s death? Unnecessary and frustrating. She deserved better. We all agreed this show could’ve been wrapped up in 10-12 episodes max. Dragged out way too long.

The finale, though? Surprisingly satisfying. Kang Cheol sacrifices himself to defeat the Eight-Foot Spirit, meets the Jade Emperor, and gets a second chance. Not mad at that. Yeori and Kang Cheol get married, have a daughter, and continue their ghost-hunting and glass-making life together with Yun Gap’s mom still being the funniest person around. The tone shifted into a light epilogue and honestly, it worked. It felt like a reward for sitting through the messier middle arcs.

So yeah. This show didn’t need 16 episodes. The writing faltered, the pacing dipped, and there were moments where I was just watching out of obligation. But the characters, the emotional arcs, the Imugi lore, the bond between leads, and that surprisingly good bromance, there was something here. Not perfect, but not bad either.

Started out as a 9. Dropped to a 7.5. Worth a watch if you're in the mood for chaotic romance, spirits, glass art, and a lizard god learning to love.

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Cat Mouse couple with nice banter.

Just watched this drama. Its another uncle and nephew ex girlfriend relationship plot and secret marriage but i love how Feng Ming Chao showing his rizz as Uncle and his banter with Chen Luxi was worth to watch. The kisses had nice chemistry. Female lead brother was fun and her all family is not toxic. I just don't like how Second Male lead (Ji Jun Liang) was being obsessed with Female lead and his character was downhill in the end. The best part on this drama how Male lead put sticky note on Female lead when she sleeping and how both are playing cat& mouse with Female lead brother. The ending is so-so but still worth to watch for their banter.

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A waste of a good story

The premise of the story is about a female GOD who due to some collusion lost her powers and vanished somewhere during the fight and an immortal GOD who in turn is living in a village on earth as a mortal but with issues like him being sick...
I was interested because the description and the poster looked beautiful however the story became stale very quick. There was nothing intriguing to keep the viewers guessing since from ep 1 the main lead figured out who she was and they were saving people already which i felt was too soon as we did not even have any backround information on the characters. During the day it was nothing going on albeit there was some funny part here and there but it was very repetitive.
Also in my opinion, the actor of choice does not match what is needed for the story, he lacked the mannerism and built for me. As a God he seemed very very frail to the point that if the wind blows a bit he would be knocked off. Now i understand he is sick but i think for a supposed GOD even in low point they have some type of presence that you can feel/tell by their expression , how they talk and carry themselves which he had none. The color grading is way too strong, the CGI is awful in certain part and the way that chicken looks is going to give nightmares for days

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Yuyin is one of chemistry catalyst.

I am glad i can finish few Yuyin drama without getting angry >_< (her last year dramas is make me boiled for bad ending)
She can match with anyone but her with Shen Hao Nan is one of her best partner with Bai Fang Wen. Shen Hao Nan only matched with few actresses and Yuyin is one of that miracle. The Plot is quite new about how Female lead was going to jailed for 5 years to Self defense from her bad father and break up with male lead due this and forced of his family. It like reverse version of how male lead always try to getting female lead and its fun for me. Female lead got son without Male lead knowing and try to hide his son from him. The cat mouse play is fun and the ending is too abrupted since he finally know he got son and just like nothing happened at all. Hope there is other season and i would like both to cooperate again in next drama.

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Flawed romantic suspense drama brought down by abysmal acting performance & subpar writing

I found out about this drama from a subreddit. The title intrigued me because the two main characters are on the opposite side of the law. I decided to watch within 24 hours of release but gosh, I was disappointed with this drama. Thank you Raiana for telling me about this MDL page because I wanted to post my review immediately after watching so I don't forget my points. Watching this drama once is enough for me.


What I liked:

1. Styling – Zhao Zhen Dong was damn hot in silver hair. He looked like an anime character - I was glued to the screen . I also liked the clothes he wore during the drama.

2. Writing – I appreciate the writer trying to give refreshing storyline. The first & second acts were somewhat thrilling even with predictable plot. Well I knew where the story was heading.



What I disliked:

1. Bai Ye – Bai Ye was unbelievable in her role of undercover narcotics agent. She lacked conviction when she had scuffle with antagonists and during action scenes. I felt she was miscast.

2. Romance – FL & ML are supposed to be deep in love since their training academy days but got separated due to missions. However when reunited, they seemed awkward and there was no sexual tension. There was no chemistry between Bai Ye and Zhao Zhen Dong. Their romance was lacklustre.

3. Third act – The scenes after main antagonist was apprehended felt like a typical vertical drama but disguised as police thriller. The white moonlight increased her efforts in separating the couple, the couple decided not to communicate truthfully so a lot of assumptions made. Ending was out of the blue.


Favourite scene
Zhao Zhen Dong when he first appeared on screen with silver hair

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Could've been a 9....

This is a great serie... except it isn't.
The first 4 episodes suck you right in. They are great, amazing even and while watching them I was already thinking this serie was going to be a 9 or, dare I say, a 10.

Then eps 4 happened.

First, let me say that I did not read the manga. I do understand that this is an adaptation and they had to keep a number of elements intact.
However, how is it possible in 2025 to have a caracter kiss another while he is sleeping?? That is not okay.
Even if Akin opened his eyes after Jin left, Jin still kissed him while he thought he was sleeping. You have no idea how my blood started boiling when I saw that. It is just not acceptable in 2025.

That was just the beginning of the serie going downhill.

Let me be clear : there is a rape/fake rape/sexual assault scene, however you want to call it. Per usual, the reaction of the characters was underwhelming and there was next to none consequences.
At the risk of repeating myself, how is that still okay in 2025? Even if they had to stay close to the manga, I believe they should've still made some changes regarding this part.

I won't go into much details because I don't want to give spoilers, but at least now you were warned of the lack of awareness of the director.

Other than the non-consensual kiss and the rape sequence, the serie was incredible! Which is why these two elements are so maddening : if better executed, this serie could've been a 9.

At first, I didn't want to give over a 6 to the serie because of that, but the undeniable chemistry between the main actors convinced me to mark it a 7.5.
They truly saved the serie.

I was also a bit disappointed we couldn't learn more about Jin other than his quick backstory, as the serie seemed to focus more about Akin.

The NC scenes were great, but there are no sex scenes that could compensate the two major sexual aggressions that happened in this serie.

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Brutal, Beautiful, and Surprisingly Emotional – Mercy for None Hits Hard

When I first read the synopsis for Mercy for None, I thought, “Oh great, another ex-gangster revenge drama.” But let me tell you — I was so wrong. This isn’t just a crime thriller. It’s a dark, emotional, slow-burning gut-punch that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.

So Ji Sub as Nam Gi Jun? Absolutely magnetic. The man barely speaks, but somehow you feel every ounce of his grief, guilt, and quiet rage. His performance is a masterclass in subtlety — every limp, every stare, every sigh is loaded with pain. And his fight scenes? Not flashy, not choreographed to look pretty — just raw, efficient, and real. You’ll wince with every punch.

👍 What I Loved:
So Ji Sub’s performance. Completely immersed in the role. Quiet but powerful.

Brutal action that actually feels like it hurts. Think fists, knives, real damage — no superhero nonsense.

The bleak, atmospheric cinematography. It sets the tone perfectly — cold, harsh, unforgiving.

Villains that are complex and terrifying. Gong Myung’s Koo Jun Mo is unhinged in the best possible way.

A plot that surprises. Just when you think you know where it’s going — bam. Twist.

👎 What Fell Short:
Some of the supporting characters could’ve used deeper development.

Middle episodes slowed down a bit too much — could’ve trimmed 10 minutes here and there.

I wish we got more insight into Gi Jun’s inner turmoil and past.

💭 Final Thoughts:
If you’re looking for romance, keep scrolling. But if you’re in the mood for a gritty, emotionally-loaded revenge story with real stakes, this one delivers. Mercy for None doesn’t pretend to be glamorous — it’s messy, painful, and shockingly human.

It’s kind of like John Wick if he fought with his fists and regrets instead of guns.

Definitely not for everyone the violence is intense and the tone is relentlessly dark — but for me? That made it unforgettable.


If you loved My Name, A Model Family, or the heavier moments of Vincenzo, you’re gonna eat this up. And if So Ji Sub doesn’t get at least a dozen awards for this… I riot.

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Love, Family, Loyalty, Scheme, and Li Yun Rui

Li Yun Rui made me watch this drama because of his white-grey hair. And this kind of hairstyle is never gone wrong.

Story,
I love how the director potrayed every predicted conflcts so perfectly. Even I questioning my prediction even when I was right. The story is written perfectly beautiful.
Every aspect of the story came out so well described, I can say that this is one of drama that became my favorite eventhough I don't really like the genre. In this intense drama, I can still fell light-hearted and laugh in their comedy.

Acting,
I love how Meng Zi Yi executed her role as Dou Zhou yet it is different than her usual role. But she nailed it as independent and talented women trapped by circumtances form by tradition.
And Li Yun Rui, OMG I know he is skilled actoe but I don't expected he will played Song Mo so perfect even I can't compelare him to another actor. As this Song Mo was only written for him to play. White-grey haired Li Yun Rui are entered my top list male character.
All of the actor do really a good job. I cannot complaint.

Music,
All of the soundtrack sounds beautiful and compliment the drama so much.

Rewatch Value and Overal Rate,
I thank you all of the crew who have a finger in the pie. This drama will not ended as beautiful as this if there are not for your hardwork. I really love this drama that I planned fo rewatch again sometime later.

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A Beautiful Mind version of Short Drama

Reborn plot is usually contain revenge but this drama shows the vulnerability of Male lead since his previous life trauma didn't get parental love (His Dad neglect him and his mother and become insane) and obsessed with Second Female lead love. The female lead comes to his second life without any background just like NPC and slowly involved in his life (only male lead didn't know his past life). I love how the drama emphasize about people deserve to being love even with mental illness they are still human. Second Female lead is only focused on getting Male lead in her second life until she forget her original purpose. The chemistry between Zuo Ming and Song Yujia is not sweet. I feel the calmness when watch Song Yujia on this drama (love her styling and make up here, she is look like goddess). Zuo Ming did good job insecure person who craved of love. The proposal scene is too sweet and the ending was beautiful. Recommend to watch.

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Overrated

This show has clearly received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with this sentiment. Of course this is my subjective opinion, as all reviews are.

So, here is my attempt to express precisely what my problems with this show are:
1) The timeline - The show has a habit of constantly skipping around the timeline. While telling the story in a chronological order isn't strictly necessary, this show just takes it too far. As a casual viewer I was often left disoriented and confused by this. This is exacerbated by the use of the same actors to represent characters for very long intervals of time.

2) The characters - The events of the show span the period of over 50 years, basically covering 3 generations of a family, which naturally comes with a very large cast of characters. This is very ambitious, to put it nicely. It makes keeping track of all the characters very difficult. Even worse, this results in the characters lacking ...well... character. Trying to cram in 3 generations and 50 years worth of story into a 16 episode show results in a distinct lack of character establishing and building moments. When it comes to the main characters, while some of them seem like they could be OK if given more time to develop (like Yang Gwan Sik and Yang Eun Myeong), what little bits we were shown of the main main characters (O Ae Sun and Yang Geum Myeong) did not make them seem likeable at all, and did not make me, as a viewer, root for their success.

3) The story - Due to the problems mentioned in points 1 and 2, the viewing experience of the story was somehow both confusing and boring at the same time. Additionally, it lacked direction. Where is it going, what are the writers trying to tell us with this? I could rationalize it (if I was inclined due to actually liking the characters) as being an artistic choice to invoke a “realistic” feeling (as in, the show is structured as if someone in their old age were just recalling events from their life, as one would whilst going through a photo album), but it doesn’t make for an actually good story. Good stories are told with a purpose and have both a natural flow and solid structure to them. This felt more like just recounting of events without any emotional weight, which is better saved for history books.

In conclusion, I did not enjoy this show. The people who made this were like Icarus - arrogantly trying too hard to make something too sophisticated for them to actually successfully pull off with their skill level. In the end they just burned and crashed instead.

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“Drawing Closer” is a heart-warming romance drama that touches the heart with its sincerity and the delicacy with which it addresses such a heavy subject as terminal illness. It is a film that, despite its tragic premise, manages to inspire and make the viewer reflect on the value of life and the depth of human bonds. For fans of Japanese romantic dramas and stories that explore the complexities of love and loss with sensitivity, “Drawing Closer” is a worthy addition. Prepare for a film that will make you shed a few tears, but will also leave you with a feeling of warmth and appreciation for the ephemeral beauty of life.

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Beautiful Story, Beautiful Production, Beautiful Lead Couple

Another reviewer claimed that they would be different from the folks who hate everything or love everything. Sorry, I can't be that discriminating because all the things I look for in a drama were there: lovely couple with chemistry, beautiful costumes and scenery, believable storyline and dialogue, strong heart-wrenching love story, absence of complicated political intrigue. (Having never read the book, I have no criticism regarding how it did or didn't align with the book.) This show was STELLAR in a number of ways: its beauty, the sweet and wrenching love story/stories, and the multiple characters that the leads played.

I especially loved this because I saw the ML in TV interviews say that the FL was "different from other actresses" and describe some of her habits and behaviors in very endearing terms. I also saw him interact with her in the follow-on cast game-show. That phrase "different from...." and how he acted on the cast gameshow conveyed to me that he had a crush on her. How she felt about him, I don't know. They have been on many variety shows together. And I say this even though I am absolutely sure that almost all of the "shipping" that is done by fans is total rubbish. (One other real "shipping" was Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He. I think he was head over heels for her.) So believing that the ML had a crush on the FL made Love You Seven Times even sweeter for me.

And let me just say this, seeing how nerdy/innocent the ML actor is in real life (from the gameshow and interviews), I have a much greater appreciation for his acting talents. For example, in real life, when he ran up to the stairs at the big awards show to help Esther Yu gracefully come down the stairs, he was just being his kind, thoughtful, schoolboy self with no pretense of being sophisticated and false. What a (geeky) sweetheart. Every time he gets in front of the camera, he is changing himself into a totally different person through excellent acting.

While the FL received some criticism for her acting, I thought that she was just fine (not to mention stunningly beautiful). She matched the characters she played very well, and as another reviewer mentioned, as the story went on, she was able to show more of her talent and feel a bit more relaxed in her acting. She is totally FINE to be a lead actress. She did well. I am sure that in future, once there is some distance between the viewers and the smear campaign undertaken by who knows who for who knows what purpose, many more people will see the joy in this show.

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