Reviews

no spoilers!!!

This one left a vault in my heart. I honestly want to see more of Attorney Yoon and Miss Kang!From courtroom battles to behind-the-scenes case prep and even the subtle office politics-it felt like I was working at Yullim right alongside them. The cases were fresh and unique, covering angles I haven't seen in other legal dramas, which made it all the more binge-worthy.
I'm glad I waited until it finished airing instead of doing the painful two-episodes-a-week wait. Overall: A smart, well-written legal drama that stands out and sets the tone for a strong 2025 lineup. Definitely one worth your time!

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Fan Zhi Xin!!!

I started watching this drama solely for Fan Zhi Xin! I have watched several of his dramas and his acting and his expressions captivate me. He is one of the best male criers I have ever seen! When he cries, you can not only see his acting skills, but you feel his pain and sorrow. He is beautiful when he cries! Not many actors can achieve that high-level of acting, in my opinion. His expressions are exquisite.

The story was very interesting, and I was afraid the ending was not going to be happy. Up until almost the very end I thought, this is going to be sad! But I was so pleasantly surprised how it ended. She went abroad and escaped all of the drama that happened previously to her. As a result, she did not die and later they ended up meeting and confessing their love! (Because they knew each other When they were younger.) it was very emotional and very happy! I’m glad I stuck it out until the end. In the middle, it got a little hectic and confusing, but it all made sense in the end.

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Solid mini drama

I feel like Chinese mini dramas should have a different scale for critique from full length dramas. So many of them are absolutely terrible, but I still watch with lowered expectations, and usually because I just want to have something on in the background while I'm multitasking. This was a major exception. The ML and FL are amazing actors and the story was so raw and heartfelt. It was really nice to have a storyline about "normal" people just trying to do their best and overcome poverty, loss, etc. None of that tropey "bossy CEO" nonsense. It was set in the 90s, so that's also why the story had a sense of authenticity to ground it. All that being said, it's still a drama so I'm not trying to claim it's a bio-pic or anything, I'm just saying it was refreshing for the mini format. The ML is so offbeat and endearing (by the end I found him very attractive) and the FL is beautiful and talented; a really great pairing!

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Tale of rebirth & revenge with FL's dancing scene being my favourite scene

I watched this drama as preparation for a reddit post on Guo Yu Xin's dramas. I liked this drama but didn't love it so I didn't feature it in my post.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - She wanted revenge, she planned & got it done.
2. Guo Yu Xin - Her acting was good. I particularly enjoyed her dancing scene because she was sultry, which I had rarely see.
3. Styling - Loved FL's outfits. The soft pink & mint green hanfus fit with Guo Yu Xin's skin tine. Even the princess wore beautiful hanfus.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - There were too many people against FL: her cousin & mother, her betrothed, the princess and even father. The princess was the most evil most likely because she had the most power. Glad she got her comeuppance.
2. Romance - It was underdeveloped.

Favourite scene
The dance

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One of the Most Phenomenal Crime Thrillers This Year!!

What happens when a serial killer is idolized by another one? What happens when the said serial killer has experienced a mental trauma which set her on that path? What happens when the said killer’s son endeavors to become a straight laced police officer?

From the pilot episodes itself, I questioned Jung I Sin’s intentions. Go Hyun Jung’s has a fabulous presence, while her younger version presents herself as a beautiful killer, the older version is haggard yet dangerously alluring. You are pulled into Jung I Sin’s world, even if you don’t want to be. The bloodthirst is viable, there is no pretense about the fact that she willingly killed five men who were either abusive to women or children. She punished the despicable, but like her son Cha Su Yeol often decrees, she had no right to. But to the women or children whom she released from a lifetime of pain & despair, she is no less than a Goddess. Our copycat killer, Ah Ra feels the same about her, to the point that she transitions from being a male to female. She entirely reinvents herself and models her life following into Jung I Sin’s footsteps. The only glitch being that Ah Ra is also secretly in love with I Sin. “Queen Mantis” is indeed about the Queen, Go Hyun Jung lives & breaths life into a character that is morally inept yet intriguing.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/queen-mantis-series-review/#more-2067

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YOU'LL DEFINITELY FEEL HUNGRY

Please I have been travelling from a few weeks now and the only reason I was same was this drama. The storyline and everything made perfect sense and you'll love it, it has the perfect balance of comedy, drama, romance (godddd the yearning) and the scheming plot weaved in perfectly. The cast couldn't have been more perfect than this, every actor did their job perfectly, the chinese dubbing was a off for me as a I also watch C-dramas but otherwise everything else was pure joy.

Every episode was amazing, I was waiting for this show every weekend and it's really sad that it is over😭. I would have thrown hands if this has a sad ending somehow but man oh man the way they gave every character a good ending is what I loved more about this. Like they did not skip one good character and that's amazinggg. This show just raised the bar high, and the way I have been into time travel and period dramas recently this just added more to my interest.

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AMAZING DRAMA

i loved this kdrama, I never watch historical kdramas before as I didn’t rlly like them that much, but this one just changed my whole perspective. from the plot to acting this drama was wonderful. only thing that I wish was better is the ending, as it felt rushed and they didn’t show us how the king came into the future, I think once they showed us that it could’ve been so much better, but at least we got the happy ending which they deserve! im so glad they chose lee chae min for his lead role, he fits very well into the role! Now how am I supposed to move on from them🥲, suddenly Saturday’s and Sundays are boring now.

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Taming of the Tyrant

This is the first role of Yoona's that I've enjoyed. 3 star Michelin Chef Yeon Ji Yeong is exactly skilled and audacious enough to root for as she navigates surviving the past she time travelled to. The show takes the path of the main character not caring about butterfly effect of straight up telling people she's from the future and in fact deliberately tries to change historical events. She's all about culinary science not mathematical theories. It does bring about the hilarious way that it shows enormous skill and a dash of pretty privilege to go around saying something that sounds insane to both ancient and modern people alike since she's so good at being a chef. I really enjoy how all the food contest and meal prep and eating scenes moves seamlessly with the overarching relationship developments and palace intrigue plots.

I'm neutral to the romance pairing of the leads, it's serviceable. It was silly to make the Chef Yeon 27 instead of the actress's actual age around the time of filming which was probably 34/35. King Yi Heon mentioned she's "older" than she looks and appointed her in charge of the palace kitchen. It wouldn't have mattered if she was playing her actual age, she would have still been appointed the gig. The flashbacks of previously shown scenes during the romance moments was too repetitive and time wasting though. The drama needed to trust that the present scene of the leads developing their bond is enough. I also would have rather the screen time went to showing a bit of Ji Yeong's time dealing with the power dynamics in the modern kitchens where she alluded she sharpened her abilities not just to craft and innovate meals, but to deal with bullies ancient and modern alike.

Killing off the amiable court lady food tester and the head Eunuch was a good move to show the stakes of the rebellion. The kitchen folk should have been too, though I get why the show saved them for the kicthen/jester/loyal guard/ inventor man team up with the deposed King Yi Heon. It's good that that Yi Heon did recognize that he did some really horrible things like ordering the deaths a lot of people in the course of his revenge when facing down his devious uncle. He should have also been sorry for literally kidnapping and terrorizing a whole nation of his own female citizens until he got obsessed with a magical time travel chef. It's annoying enough that Ji Yeong gets kidnapped in the rescue stand off, but then she unties herself and stands there and shouts at Yi Heon, distracting him when he's fighting alone against his uncle's goons. She could have at least thrown something at the assailants or the uncle to help and he notices her that way.

The last portion of the last episode is the weakest of the entire show, like they ran out of time for writing. There's no explanation for how the Mangurok meal journal that Yi Heon wrote ends up in France for Ji Yeong to pick up for her dad if the book disappears with her to travel back to the present. She doesn't spend anytime with her father that she missed so much. The torn page was good to explain how Yi Heon could travel to the present, but it doesn't explain how he got his new clothes and styling and found his way to her. This show definitely needed a one episode extension to tie things up neatly. The most offensive thing is that it condescends to the audience that it knows the audience wants to know, but it doesn't matter within the final dialogue of the show. Lamp shading doesn't solve the issue of it not doing the properly conclude with things it set up on it's own and failing finish. That lowers the overall score and enjoyment at the end.

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Mob boss took a career change & became a teacher. It was a fun watch!

I got to know about this drama on subreddit CShortDramas. I decided to watch on a day which I wanted something with no romance. I enjoyed this drama immensely. It reminds me of American movies Sister Act 2 and Dangerous Minds where a new teacher had to deal with rebellious students who actually had potential to shine with the right direction. Anyway I am thrilled that there will be part 2.

What I liked:
1. ML characterisation - I knew he took up teaching to fulfill his mother's wishes but he seemed to enjoy teaching and motivating young people with no clear direction in life. I liked that he maintained the boundaries of teacher-student relationship. He never disclosed his personal matters to them.
2. Acting - Gao Hao Jun was brilliant in this role - he was cool, calm & composed. I also liked the actor who played the most intimidating student, Wang Zion. He could show the different sides of his character.
3. Lessons - His lessons were fun. My favourite was chemistry.
4. Supporting characters - Wang Zion, Lance & musician girl were my favourite students. FL teacher & principal were good too. I also liked Lance's parents who were cute supporters of their kid.
5. Townhall - I actually liked how it turned out. ML got the backing from parents of his students.
6. Ending - I liked that he took up a new challenge.

What I disliked:
1. Confrontation - It was anti-climatic. Because of his past "work experience" as a mob boss, I expected some violence to happen.

Favourite scene
Chemistry lesson

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It Always Seems Impossible Until It's Done

I’ve been following their journey since Season 1, and this show never disappoints! Iron Girls Season 2 is not just about competition, it’s about inspiration. It teaches us that with proper training, the right coach, consistency, and determination, we can achieve anything we set our minds to whether in sports, in our careers, in pursuing our dreams, or in becoming the best version of ourselves.

This season once again showcased the strength, resilience, and spirit of the Iron Girls, proving that limits only exist until you push past them.

I’m truly looking forward to Season 3 — LETS GO, IRON GIRLS! 💪💪💪

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no

Plot and progression
I only got through ep1. The time travel aspect of the plot was what drew me in. I thought the first episode started out good, it gave us his background and his motivations. It introduced different involved characters on a surface level which I can only assume will be explored later in the episodes. But what made me drop this was finding out Thada sponsors rookie actors. I personally do not fw that kind of plot point. It's one of my blacklisted trope.

Pace/flow
I thought the pacing for ep1 was good. Things flowed accordingly leading up to his death and return.

Character(s) dynamic/development
There's not much to say about this since I only watched ep1, but I thought the dynamic between Armin and his friend was pretty neat. I assume something happened between them regarding fame that caused their rift and it was cool to see the before vs after fame relationship dynamic between the two. Armin and Thada didn't really have a on-screen relationship in ep1, so I don't know how well they fit together, but based on how Thada reacted during Armin's speech, I can say their dynamic may be pretty good, as there's a sense of possessiveness.

Acting
I don't know if it was good or bad, I really cannot be the judge because I'm no expert myself, but considering Armin's title as a renowned actor, the actual acting of Pond was kind of cringe. His reaction when he found out his lover was cheating was pretty bad. It made sort of laugh and recoil.

Overall enjoyment
I have a feeling I would have enjoyed this, if not for the blacklisted trope.

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It’s good but…….

Ep1
Ive watched it my problem with the series is that I don’t like the way the series was portrayed the recording was off the camera angles were too close and too many awkward stops between the scenes.Another problem was that they put too much background music it made it harder for me to concentrate.The acting is good I’m a fan of the actors it’s just the production.

Ep 2 it’s gotten better based on story line. I do think the camera is to close to the actors and bothers me while watching it certain camera angles don’t look to good. this episode was interesting too watch and more going on compared to the 1st ep which is a good thing for the show to progress and develop the story over time

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