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Beyond Expectation
I watch this for Euro without even watching the trailer, I didn't even know what to expect. But I would say this series matches my sense of humour. Acting wise, they're all fine. I like how the series is in Northeast (?) dialect, and the warmth of the characters.Although I'm just puzzled about some of the plot:
1. Tao is supposedly an adult is courting Khaoji who is a student, middle school student at that...and nobody has an issue with it?
2. Kwang just cannot make up her mind whether she wants Ben or not. I don't know if the writing is the flaw, or the character is supposed to be indecisive. But it's so annoying considering how she claims Ben is possessive and competitive and left her with their kid.
I thought the series would just be comedy, surprisingly it also included a few serious plots as well, although due the short episodes most of it get glossed over. I watched this on WeTV, I'm not sure if the clips uploaded is somewhat cut off because I feel like the first episode was more like 2nd episode, like we're supposed to already been introduced to the characters, especially for Kwang and Kan's relationship.
I would recommend watching this series because of the warmth and humour (and Euro's good look obviously)
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A Flawed Adaptation of Love in the Air
Should I say that this version lacks many things, or that it was made just as an additional work in another language to the original version? Many episodes were combined into one, and I don’t understand why. Some events were deleted, and some episodes appeared in a confusing way, leaving the viewer asking, “Where is the sequel?”When I saw that a version of the Thai series would be produced, I expected it to be wonderful and even better than the original. However, this version omitted important events, and the pacing of the remaining events was too fast. It feels as if the director and producer were trying to end the story in any way possible, making it feel like a completely different work. To make viewers accept it as normal, they even brought the two heroes from the Thai version to appear in it.
Is there something wrong with this director? Despite some nice and funny shots, these moments are overshadowed by the flaws, and the focus shifts to trying to make sense of the events. I did not like the fast pace, and the sequence of events is very confusing for the viewer.
That said, I do not deny that the filming method and the music are excellent. But overall, this work is considered a failed and very weak version.
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The music spoke. The ending mumbled.
This drama had me from the premise alone: a small-statured, big-dreaming drummer joining a band of musical prodigies. Akane’s underdog energy was irresistible — the kind of aspirational grit that makes you root for her even before she picks up the sticks. I expected romance to creep in, as it often does, but then came Naoki: reclusive, obsessive, and seemingly married to music. From that moment, I knew this wasn’t going to be a love story — at least not the kind with roses and longing glances. This was about artistry, ambition, and the messy business of finding your own sound.Akane’s journey to discover her voice — and the band’s eventual fusion of clashing styles — was the emotional core. The creative friction, the push-and-pull of personalities, resonated far more than the late-stage romantic subplot, which felt like an afterthought. If there had to be romance, I’d have preferred the adaptation stick to the novel’s original ending with Kazushi. Naoki, written as emotionally detached (possibly neurodivergent or asexual), didn’t need a love arc. His most compelling dynamic wasn’t with Akane at all, but with Sho — the hot-headed guitarist whose chemistry with Naoki sparked more than any scripted romance. And yes, I only realized halfway through that Sho was the same actor from Cherry Magic. Oops.
While it never reached the fluffy warmth of "I Will Be Your Bloom", "Glass Heart" had far more, well, heart. Takeru Satoh’s portrayal of Naoki was quietly devastating — especially during that haunting English solo, which nearly made me swoon for someone supposedly incapable of inspiring swoons. The production was sleek, but the pacing veered into rollercoaster territory, leaving little room for nuanced character development. Naoki’s sudden emotional pivot toward Akane felt especially forced, undermining the careful restraint that had defined him.
Despite the uneven emotional payoff, Akane’s arc held firm. For a moment, I feared she’d be overshadowed by Yukino (played with quiet magnetism by Takaishi Akarii), but Akane remained the beating heart of the story. Glass Heart may stumble in its execution, but it delivers a resonant message: finding your rhythm isn’t about being the loudest — it’s about being heard.
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When the good parts hit they hit, when the bad parts fail they fail
Queen Mantis had a lot of potential with its set up alone and i think it did fulfill at least 50-60% of that potential which is decentI wished jeong i shin had been more of the centre character of this show compared to her son, flipping that perspective around would have made a world of a difference
I also think while the acting was good i felt like jang dong yoon/lee el were overacting in this one and i've seen what they're capable of and in some scenes here they're just right which makes me think is part direction, since it feels that the show has some scenes that are so well crafted (all the interogation scenes with ishin!) yet also has these scenes where everyone does stupid things (shall not elaborate more)
Overall worth a quick watch if you have time just for go youn jung alone
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Real and Raw
I'm currently finishing the Kdrama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty and began exploring the story of King Yeonsangun of Josean. This led me to the movie The Treacherous. As a foreigner embracing entertainment that is coming out of South Korea, I have realized much of it is the sanitized Kpop and Kdrama version of Korea. When I find a more realistic story, I find I'm drawn to it. Much like Bon Appétit, this movie is also a fictionalized version of the tyrant king. However, it did not try to cover the tyranny with the fiction. Every country has its shameful history and South Korea is no different. In modern times this king would have been diagnosed and treated for a mental illness where perhaps he would have lived a fairly decent and fulfilling life with medication. In ancient times, his illness was the terror and death of many thousands in his country. The portrayal of this has been superbly captured in the storyline, the acting, and the production of this film. It is a hard watch at times, but the actors portrayal of these characters caught in the grips of tyranny without much support or resources is powerful. It is raw, especially in the portrayal of the sexual appetite of the king. The film did not shy away from the realness of this. It is definitely different from the usual Kdramas I've seen and the unrealistic innocence portrayed, but it has also captured a sense of reality that others have not, and for that, I really liked it. I also appreciate the hard work it took for the actors to do some of these scenes. The madness, the sense of powerlessness, the portrayal of being forced to do something you wouldn't do is very real in the characters portrayed by the actors. I have much respect for those who worked on this film.Was this review helpful to you?
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A Chinese BL that I found satisfactory!
I have read most of the reviews, and honestly, I feel some of the overall ratings are low because this drama is a good watch. The Lead characters were amazing! The story was wholesome, and the lead's delivery was spot on.Honestly, I did feel the second leads didn't have the best chemistry, but they did play their role as best as they could, and I'm not mad! Especially for TQ if I got it correctly! BCOYD is his first project, and he had to portray a deaf person, which I found admirable, even though it was for a short while.
I'm not going to justify the end because even I feel robbed! I needed more adorable moments from the leads and a satisfactory punishment for the abusive father, but I'm not complaining because I did get to see a happy ending even if it was just 4 minutes and a few seconds lol
This drama is highly recommended to any BL lover because it is worth it!
Even though Gagaoolala took more data than expected, I'm not mad because I enjoyed every second of this drama, and will definitely be watching it over and over again lol!
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Dropped due to annoyances
Ok just finished ep 6 and have to drop. Sorry, I just don’t buy that it was that life-altering of a dramatic reveal to find out they were childhood friends. It’s not like they were enemies or had bad blood between families…Also, I just have to know if anyone else was as annoyed as I was by two specific scenes: pooping and dropping phone in toilet (just, why???), and when Gene answered the phone in the middle of brushing his teeth but never spit so he kept talking through a mouthful of toothpaste (the visceral reaction to spit was too much, I physically recoiled the entire scene and processed nothing happening with dialogue).
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A Story That Tested My Patience but Touched My Sou
I’ll be honest—Feud tested my patience. I put it on hold several times because I just couldn’t figure out where the story was going. A few of my followers on MDL encouraged me not to give up and to give it a fair chance, so I did.From episodes 1 through 18, it was a real drag. The pacing was painfully slow, the plot made little sense, and at times it was downright frustrating. But once I reached episode 20—bam!—everything clicked. The story finally took off, and I was hooked.
Episodes 22 to 24 completely broke my heart. That’s when I finally understood her hatred for him—it ran deep, through her entire being. And when he realized the weight of what he’d done, that no amount of effort could undo it, it was gut-wrenching to watch. Seeing him try anyway was both sad and beautiful.
Both the ML and FL gave powerful performances, and the supporting cast did a great job bringing out their emotional depth. The side stories of the additional characters added a real sense of enlightenment to the drama—especially the healer and the fox. Their story was so sad, yet deeply touching, and it tied beautifully into the main storyline’s themes of love, loss, and redemption.
That said, this drama could’ve been phenomenal if the writer and director hadn’t wasted so much time on the first half. It’s fine to build up a storyline—but not at the expense of the audience’s patience. Once it got going, it was absolutely worth it… but getting there felt like a marathon.
Now, I do have a few questions—maybe someone reading this can enlighten me:
When the FL was walking out of the temple with her son, she turned back and looked inside with hatred—but there were tears of blood. Why?
In the final episode, when she told her past self to tell the ML that she was with child, why didn’t that change the outcome in the end?
If she told herself about the child, then shouldn’t the child have lived? Why was there nothing about him afterward?
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Plus & Minus: A Light Yet Heartfelt Journey
Review – Taiwanese Drama Plus & MinusA cute and light drama that I truly enjoyed. I liked how it focused on the sincerity of the characters’ feelings and their efforts for each other.
The way it portrayed sacrifice, love, and connection was beautiful.
The lead actors, Fu Li Kung and Cheng Tse Shou, had great harmony and natural chemistry, which made their relationship engaging to watch.
I also appreciated the secondary couple—their relationship felt clear, rational, and well-developed.
Overall, the progression of relationships in the series was balanced and never boring, making it a delightful watch.
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The Winning Try: Rugby, Romance, and the Weight of Dreams
The Winning Try is one of those rare kdramas that makes you fall in love with the journey even if you already know the ending. Sports and romcom dramas share a certain comforting DNA, and this series embodies that perfectly. Both genres have predictable beats—you know the underdog will rise, that love will bloom, that triumphs and heartbreaks will land exactly where they’re supposed to—but what makes them truly magical is how those beats are orchestrated. There’s a rhythm to it, an emotional pulse that carries you along whether you’re cheering on a winning try or swooning over a quiet, tender moment between two people who have been through the storms of life together. I find these dramas to be my ultimate comfort watch because they provide that perfect mix of tension, heart, and payoff without needing an artificial twist to hijack my emotions. And The Winning Try manages this with masterful ease.At the heart of the series is Yoon Kye-sang as Ju Ga-ram, a former rugby star turned coach whose life has been marked by both tragedy and scandal. Kye-sang balances comedy and pathos with such seamless grace that one moment has you laughing at his quirks, and the next has you quietly weeping for the burdens he carries. He is the tragic clown in the truest sense—someone whose light makes everyone else shine a little brighter, even while the weight of his own world threatens to crush him. Beside him, Im Se-mi plays Bae I-ji, Ga-ram’s ex-girlfriend and the assistant coach who is both fiercely competent and heartbreakingly tender. Their reunion is never forced; the romance grows naturally out of shared stakes and history, a gentle blooming amidst the chaos of training, tournaments, and the high pressures of youth. One of the quietest yet most powerful moments is when I-ji comforts Ga-ram with a simple, “I got you,” stroking his back with care that is at once intimate and steadfast. Beyond romance, I-ji’s story of sacrifice—from star athlete to mentor—adds depth to her character and grounds her care in lived experience, making her more than just a love interest.
Supporting characters elevate this drama from excellent to extraordinary. Kim Yo-han as Yoon Seong-jun, the rugby team captain, carries a narrative weight that rivals Ga-ram’s. Seong-jun is perpetually under the shadow of his twin brother, a celebrated football player in Spain, and struggles with the constant need to prove himself, not just to his parents but to the world. The drama carefully unpacks his pressures, showing how his leadership, his insecurities, and his vulnerabilities all collide as he navigates the final season with his team. Kim Yo-han embodies this duality with subtlety and intensity, making Seong-jun’s victories—and small personal triumphs—feel hard-won and deeply resonant.
On the other end of the spectrum is Mun Ung, portrayed by Kim Dan, a rugby prodigy whose brilliance is as fragile as it is dazzling. This being only Kim Dan’s second drama, his performance is startling in its raw emotionality. Ung contends with a father who forbade him from playing rugby, fearing the cycle of disappointment that once shaped his own life. He also carries a deep trauma that prevents him from tackling other players. The drama’s depiction of his internal struggle, particularly in the tense scenes confronting Ga-ram, is both heart-wrenching and electrifying. Watching him slowly reclaim his courage is a masterclass in storytelling through character, and you forget for a moment that this is a fresh actor finding his footing in the industry.
The drama’s layered storytelling extends to Seo U-jin, the shooting team’s prodigy, played by Park Jung-yeong. U-jin seems cold and unapproachable at first, but as the episodes unfold, we see the crushing expectations imposed by her mother, her relentless drive, and the personal cost of being at the top. Her friendship and eventual romance with Seong-jun feels both inevitable and incredibly earned, offering a counterpoint to Ga-ram and I-ji’s mature, patient love. Both couples navigate pressures in their respective arenas—one team and one sport—but their struggles intersect in universal ways: the weight of expectations, the loneliness of high achievement, and the quiet, tender moments of connection that remind them—and us—that no one should endure these trials alone. I noticed, quietly, how lonely it can be for both of these people while standing at the top, at the end of their respective games.
The narrative unfolds beautifully across twelve episodes, and while the story is predictably satisfying in its beats, it’s in the journey where the drama truly excels. Ga-ram’s secret illness, the underdog rugby team, the pressures on U-jin and the shooting team—all these threads are interwoven with grounded logic, never straying into contrived plot twists. Every setback, every triumph, feels earned, and the drama’s focus on resilience is unwavering. By the final match, when the rugby team executes their winning try, or when U-jin finds her footing both in sport and life, the payoff hits with an emotional resonance that feels both immediate and lasting. And yes, the villains get their comeuppance, which is satisfying in a way that many kdramas neglect, rounding out the story with a sense of karmic justice.
Visually, the drama serves its story well without being showy. Rugby matches are captured clearly and effectively, close-ups during moments of personal struggle hit the right notes, and while it’s not a feast of cinematography, the visuals always support the emotion and action at hand. It’s in the audio that the series truly flexes its muscles—the OST selection is a triumph. Slow ballads like Hold Me Tight, If, and When I See You underscore moments of intimacy and desperation, while upbeat tracks like Touchdown, SURF, and Rise Up electrify the tournament scenes. One particular rap track moved me to tears—a first for me—and the team’s rendition of the main theme, Try, adds a layer of charm and authenticity that completes the immersive experience.
If there is a flaw, it is only that the rugby matches could have been shown a bit more, and that I long for a season two to explore the universe that this drama so meticulously built. But these are minor notes; they exist only because the world of The Winning Try is so inviting, so emotionally complete, that you ache for just a little more.
In the end, The Winning Try is a healing watch. It reminds me why sports and romcom dramas are my ultimate comfort zones: both thrive on heartbeats, on laughter and tears, on victories both large and small. Watching it, I felt joy, relief, and the quiet thrill of witnessing characters earn their moments in ways that feel simultaneously inevitable and breathtakingly real.
If you need a drama that balances emotional depth, grounded storytelling, and the intoxicating pull of both competition and human connection, The Winning Try will welcome you in like a warm cup of tea on a chilly autumn day—and leave you wishing you never have to leave its world.
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Beautiful
Oh my, this was a lovely watch!At this point, are all the OMEGA X boys gonna be in a BL? Might as well!! I also really appreciate their agency for letting them – that's pretty progressive considering.
Anyway, the acting was surprisingly great, chemistry was awesome, and they're cuties. Absolutely loved the genuine begging for forgiveness (Kim Kang Min is such a pretty crier lol) and grovelling.
I wish it was longer. You know, spending more time as an official couple, seeing more of the second couple, exploring the highs and lows of dating an idol (although ThamePo fills that gap too ;)), etc. But alas, this is going to be my new comfort drama!
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Very great!
I really enjoyed it and recommend it. I just wish there were more FL fight scenes, but we can't say they're lacking either. The romance is good, and the chemistry is okay.As I said, I liked the drama, but one thing I would change is the FL. If she's a general who's been training martial arts since she was a child, they should have chosen an actress with a similar physique to an athlete. The actress did a good job, but for me, it lost a bit of realism that she was so thin and without muscles.
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ending completely ruined it all for me
Finale episode aside cuz I’m pretending majority of that episode didn’t happen……. I really enjoyed this show ????? idk it felt like something new while also keeping familiar tropes and all that. I love love loveeeee marriage for convenience tropes that actually result in a cute couple. And I’m glad they developed a lot of the side characters. It was silly and suspenseful and romantic, which is everything I love in a drama. We’re so back.Edit: Coming back to change my rating of this show bc someone pointed out the weird Palestine israhell reference they tried to make in the last episode and it finally clicked why the weird randomass side-plot didn't sit well with me at all. Actually insane and disgusting.
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kdramas are so back
This show is so good???? woo do hwan serving face (and body) card the whole time, lee youmi giving us the best performance ever, cutesy romance, heartbreaking love, found family….. man it really has everything…. Also the soundtrack was impeccable?????? Whoever chose the music knew what they were doing.Was this review helpful to you?
