Reviews

What a groundbreaking drama!

My God! Wô de tien na! (Still practicing Chinese🤭)

Initially, I didn't feel the episode one but when I entered episode two...when i began to understand the storyline, I didn't leave my laptop till I was done.

This movie deprived me of my sleep.

Leshan and Kangning really cracked me up with laughter.

Especially their mother, that woman is a lowkey comedian.

I will never forget Mr. Fan (Fuhui's husband) and his so called bully, Mr. Chai (Kangning's husband).

The flow, the wit, the emotion, the romance, the filial piety, the comedy, the bond, everything just hit at the right proportions. Nothing was too much.

I HIGHLY recommend this drama😊

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Review: Love Letter (1995) — A Beautiful Film That Left Me Cold

After watching 18x2, which referenced this film, I was curious to finally see what Love Letter was all about. I’d heard so much praise over the years — how poetic and emotional it is, how it’s considered a classic of Japanese cinema. And as someone who genuinely loves romance and melancholic stories, I expected to be moved by it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t.

Visually, Love Letter is beautiful. The snowy landscapes, soft light, and quiet tone give the film a haunting atmosphere. The acting, too, is subtle and sincere. But for all its beauty, I found the story strangely hollow. The pacing felt slow in a way that dulled the emotional impact rather than deepening it, and I struggled to connect with the characters.

One aspect that particularly bothered me was the relationship between the female lead and her new boyfriend. Instead of offering true emotional support, he came across as impatient and even self-serving — trying to speed up her healing so he could take the place of her deceased fiancé. It felt more like he was in love with the idea of her — or maybe even with who she reminded him of — than with her actual self. That dynamic left me uncomfortable, and the ending, instead of providing closure, felt emotionally unearned.

That said, there were a couple of scenes that really stood out: the quiet moment in high school when she tries to light his notebook with her bike lamp, and the rawness of her voice echoing through the snowy mountains. In those moments, I could feel what the film was trying to do — the weight of longing, the fragility of memory — but they were isolated flashes in an otherwise emotionally distant experience.

I know Love Letter means a lot to many viewers, and I respect that. I can appreciate its artistic quality and understand why it resonates with others. But for me, it lacked the emotional depth I was hoping for. Sometimes a film just doesn’t speak your language, and that’s okay. This one didn’t speak mine.

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For once, an original K-BL plot with great acting... and yet...

The actors were really good and seeing them play the same characters across timeskips of multiple years didn't feel awkward as you might expect. The overarching plot was good as well and for once original - no more childhood friends turned co-workers or the like.

Unfortunately, the script writing lacked severely in places efter episode three. Some of the cuts felt out odd and make me do a double take to ensure that I didn't just miss an episode in-between. Some of the "drama" also felt unnecessary and often, the motivation of the characters was difficult to understand.

If the quality of the first 3 episodes had been maintained, I would have rated the show at least 8,5 and the only reason that I have not deducted more than 1 point is that the actors really did a great job.

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Sharp, Calculative and a whole lot of brains!!

Finally we're getting a hero who doesn't know martial arts! If you're looking for a cold-hearted main lead and his gang of misfits, this is that series!

Throughout the series, Zhang Hai has solely depended on his teachings, his cold heart burning with revenge, and slow and steady calculations when racing against time to capture and k-word the three villains in his life.
Every episode has you on the edge of your seat! There is always something going on, something happening to the people around Zhang Hai.
I also like that the romance arc is barely there in this series, which I like. And also because Zhang Hai has been guarding his heart against anything and everything that even remotely symbolizes love lol. The FL is such a great match for Xiao Zhan, they seem very comfortable on-screen, the dialogue delivery and acting is very natural between these two.
I also like the second lead/ second young master. First saw him in White Cat Legend. He has improved so much! Glad he's getting more recognition in this drama!
Still on ep 20, and waiting on the grand reveal of the third villain Zhang Hai has been searching. Hopefully soon!

rewatch value: 10/10

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Not Up to Par - the Result of Editing or Poor Writing?

Before you come at me, I suspect that a lot of my disappointment stems from the editing team cutting out a lot of the screentime from FL which made the script feel stilted or the writing team themselves. Not sure if all of Song Zu-er's scenes were retained or if the writing was just poor.

The reason I say POB was a little underwhelming is because the synopsis and trailer promised a strong FL and a strong ML, enemies to lovers type drama. The FL, in my opinion, had less scenes than ML and did not feel to me as a 'strong' character. While I suspect that part of it was because her scenes were cut and never restored (we have no way of knowing truly), it just was never convincing that this was a drama with two leads. It seemed more like the story about ML and his journey to putting down a blood feud, finding love in an unexpected place. Again, not the actors' fault, but potentially a downfall of the author or screen writer. I thought that it would be a drama with plenty of strong female characters (not just the FL) because of the cast, but it ended up feeling like a man's hero's journey written through the lens of a man. Putting aside FL, we feature a couple of seemingly strong female characters yet weirdly not:
1) ML's grandmother who was strong enough to keep the Wei clan together until her grandson took over, but not strong enough to weed out dissidents or manage her family
2) ML's mother who cared more about her niece than her son. Being a bit of a ninny while her son was super smart was a bit annoying as well.
3) FL's cousin who was caring and kind but later betrays FL's trust and doesn't help when it really counts, only to die by suicide to protect her husband
4) Lady Yu Lou (who was a bit of the main female villian) is this ultra talented and scheming woman only to be reduced to a jaded, delusional woman with low self esteem and inability to 'see' her partners' love and care for her

Between the FL and ML and their world, there was never a sense of equality between the two in terms of skill. There was always some sort of power relationship. FL is always trying to even the playing field: negotiating with Panyi's seal, raising support in a different state to keep ML and Wei in check, diverting ML's attention away from conquering Panyi. On top of that, ML is always distrustful and resentful of FL's family, but FL never really does anything about it because in her head, she and her family owes ML's family. Because of this premise, there is never a moment where it didn't feel like FL was trying to please or placate ML. ML (the character, not Liu Yu Ning) did the bare minimum for romance. Respectfully, the romance wasn't romancing at all.

My disappointment lays mainly with the screenwriter (and potentially the author) as the actors were fantastic. Strength can be found in different forms. I looked forward to seeing FL's strength that was 'gentle like water' but what I ended up seeing was strength being portrayed in very traditional, heteronormative ways. Men's strength is through martial arts and warfare while women's strength was through sacrifice: enduring political marriages, enduring one's in-laws, enduring public opinion, etc.

This style of drama is not unusual when compared to historical dramas of the early 2000s where men were the main characters. It was just a little jarring to see this type of drama in 2025, especially after so much hype about this being an enemies to lovers drama and after well written female centric dramas like Perfect Match aired earlier this year.

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"I North was born to play games, love P'Jo, and die"

Oh how I loved this special, it was just perfect.

This was the perfect fluffy special episode, I wanted more after Fourever You and this gave me everything I wanted. It was truly just the sweetest couple episodes where we got to watch Johan and North be in love with each other and it warmed my heart. Maxky and Bas portray these characters so well, I love their chemistry, there was no drama, no conflict just everything you would hope for in a epilogue. They're seriously so soft, I love sulky Jo and clingy North and we got to see a lot of that this special.

If you want to watch just a cute couple in love I highly recommend.

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Sweet and fun but rushed

It was definitely nice and heartwarming, but it felt like it would be even better if the series were longer, otherwise the story felt rushed.

I liked almost everything about it, there were no unnecessary drama and no stupid jealousy over nothing. You know, in a way it felt refreshing, I started with little to none expectations and the first episode felt kinda mid, but the closer I was to the end the more I wanted this series to be longer. The music was good, and the food looked really appetising. Characters were really cute and actors had some chemistry.

But if I had to talk about the things I disliked about it, it would be these two things:

1. Not enough romance, it was enjoyable and warm but in my opinion there were just not enough skinship, not enough kisses, not enough even basic holding hand's. Of course, they had their cute moment's, but I would just love if there were more of them.

2. Too short/rushed. As I previously said, this series felt rushed. Especially the story around why Gi Hun were so against drinking alcohol as well as selling it in his restaurant. While they did tell us why, it was so short and seemed like it was an unimportant part, while it's literally a thing that the whole series is build around. The same goes for the fact that Gi Hun started drinking alcohol towards the end, I was supportive of his boundaries around alcohol, so I was caught of guard when this man bent under no pressure and just started drinking. While, yes, he wanted to change and understood that maybe his views were a bit harsh.
It doesn't change the fact that there were actually no time in between him screaming at people because of his hate for alcohol and him drinking like it's water. And it's again comebacks to the point that the series were definitely rushed because otherwise they could've done much better job if only they had more time.

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It just keeps getting BETTER AND BETTER!

This is such a great series! I'm so glad its 16 eps and not the usual 8 eps. The storyline, back story of all characters, ghosts, everyone is soooo well done! Perfection!

Yeo-ri, Imugi and the King! These three stars carry the show! Amazing acting! Amazing dialogues, osts, amazing character arcs! Character growth of the King, and the tragic past story of the villain! Perfect!

Its true that nobody is born a villain. Villains are made by the situations and choices that they make. The writers really saved the best for the last 4 eps! Don't miss this gem! ITS A MUST WATCH!

We are at ep 14 and only 2 eps remaining, but I still don't know who's gonna win this battle with the Colossal Shadow and if there will be a happy ending or sad ending 😜
today's episode really made me panic for real!
And damn that cliff hanger!! How am I supposed to wait for another week???

The way ep 14 ended OMG! I wish next week could come faster!!

Rewatch value: 10/10

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"Crash Course On Romance" is a romantic comedy drama about Haeng Seon and Chi Yeol.

Haeng Seon is an independent woman, who runs a side dish restaurant, raises her niece like a daughter and helps her brother with autism. Life isn't easy for her, but she tries to do everything. Chi Yeol is a famous math teacher, his life appears to be perfect, but he has digestive problems, Haeng Seon's food is the only thing he can eat, so Chi Yeol makes a trade with her, he'll teach her daughter Hae Yi in exchange for food. That's the beginning of their relationship.

At first, the two fight like children every chance they get, but as they spend more time together, Chi Yeol falls in love with Haeng Seon, but since he thinks she is married and a mother, he hides his feelings. The big problem is when people find out about their arrangement and start spreading rumors about their relationship, causing Chi Yeol to distance himself so that Haeng Seon and Hae Yi don't get hurt. The scene where Chi Yeol confesses his feelings is amazing, he does it to defend Haeng Seon from the women who were insulting her. Haeng Seon only realizes that she also has feelings for him when Chi Yeol tells the story about her mother's restaurant and says that he mistook his feelings because of her food. It reminded me so much of a scene from "A Gentleman's Dignity", with Yi Soo realizing that she liked Do Jin too. I felt sorry for Hae Yi having to tell everyone the truth, but she needed to do it so that Haeng Seon and Chi Yeol could be together.

These two are a very cute couple, there are lighter moments and more intense ones, but it's a shame that this took a long time to happen and there is little time to see them as a real couple. And honestly, I think the whole situation with Dong Hee was unnecessary, it just wasted moments that could have been about the couple. Within the story, it didn't fit to have a "villain", because there were already enough conflicts. There's the whole situation about Haeng Seon having a daughter, an autistic brother and there's also a big focus on the students, their problems with school, parents' obsession with studying and how this can harm young people, leading them to extreme. All of this was enough to keep the story going.

It's a good drama, it has a light, fun and easy-to-watch story, it just isn't everything I expected.

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A meaningful, warm, fun and sad story about Service to Humanity, purpose of life, and karma

The official posted summary of this kdrama does not describe it properly imo... you will have to watch 2 episodes at least to understand what it is about.

The story addresses sad and gruesome problems from daily life of poor people, laborers and migrant workers, who work for greedy sharks..... The ML helps remedy it, and in that, he provides Service to humanity and redeems himself, bc ... he didnt start out as a nice enlightened guy :)
But he did NOT start as a money driven guy... He wanted to be happy. He was really bad with money and too nice. He was a clutz. A passive loser. An uninformed, lazy seeker, but still, a seeker. A lost person.... who then stumbled upon the path he was looking for, a meaningful life that made him deeply satisfied. It just so happens that his path does not look very glorious or luxurious so at first he overlooked it and did not fully utilize it - some can say he was a scammer, but his blackmailing safety inspections did manage to save some people here and there - UNTIL the Divine showed him the right way to be useful.

The story talks about very deep social and labor problems, and a person who redeems himself by solving these issues.
The drama shows the issues in a down to earth way, from different angles and with a little bit of black comedy humor when appropriate, which often turns into tragedy and might make you cry,
and also the story contains extreme warmth and meaning.
And real solutions.
It is an enjoyable and engaging watch, and very super realistic.

So far, no scary ghosts, only "nice ones" who came for help.
The story is NOT a ghost story... ghosts are there just to introduce certain problems that we otherwise would not know about.

So do NOT expect to be seeing too much of ghosts :)
And do expect to see solving real-life problems of laborers, migrant workers and poor people in general, working under dangerous inhumane conditions. The person who solves these problems redeems his useless wasted life by being helpful to the wronged people. It is just that the wronged people are dead already :) but our ML also helps their still-alive families and friends and issues.

The story of this kdrama is the same old story of a lost person who is not living what he is supposed to be living and he knows it..... but he tries to solve it in wrong ways..... and he keeps going down.... and then he hits rock bottom .... and then he stumbles upon the right way.

The right way is ALWAYS about doing some kind of Service to "higher principles". He does well.... And it is often the case, falls again.... he tries to escape his service bc it is uncomfortable. Luckily he is given another chance and pulled back in.

The service is uncomfortable because it involves a heart wrenching tour of the world of laborers and migrants working in poor conditions, and related people, all suffering. It is also deeply warm and meaningful as many people come together to make it better.

The only thing that I found off is the look of the ML actor, he is so super skinny :) Very different than beautiful athletic bodies of other MLs. I guess this one must be some kind of fashion model? Well ... it wouldnt hurt to get some more meat on him :)
Just half kidding. He does an ok job acting this role and that is all that matters. In fact, he is very very convincing in his role, there is no actor, just the character, and he is MEMORABLE. Something about his acting is so genuine and natural that he is memorable. His character starts as rather ... lost and slimey LOL and ends as a helping hand hero who saves lives (and deaths LOL)

The two side characters (content creators and scammers ) are interesting.

The idea of working for ghosts to help them ascend is also a very interesting idea that keeps popping up in so many kdramas, I suppose bc it is ... realistic :) Seems that that IS a huge issue, lots of ppl who get stuck down here and need to LEAVE asap. So helping them LEAVE is something we alive must do or else.. they haunt us LOL like in Haunted Palace.... From what I understand, planting comfrey helps with that.

This kdrama is NOT a horror story and does not mention revengeful or scary spirits like Haunted Palace but talks only about those who were unjustly wronged and are "malevolent and nice"

So this kdrama is a little too rosey unrealistic, and Haunted Palace is a little too scary, both address extremes, but there is much in the middle too...

But in this kdrama, the ghosts are not the main topic of discussion, but the ISSUES they bring to be solved, and the issues involve work, education, life and family environments of many people.

The issues are very deep deep deep relevant and meaningful issues..

And the drama is filmed ok and moves ok and it is fun to watch.

I am not sure why "rewatch value" is one of the things we have to rate on... imo it is enough to see this drama once to learn all that you need to know.
Very very very few dramas are worth a rewatch, imo :) So dont mind me on that issue :)

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Great acting, disturbing scenes, for a hard story

The story is interesting and the acting is great by everyone involved, but there are some plot holes and the story starts getting messy. There's not warning for torture scenes, specially torture of kids, and it was very disturbing. At the end, everything was connected to this crazy man and that feels a little lazy. Is worth watching, but not memorable.
I particularly appreciated the work of the main leads, they deffo deliver all the emotions involved in their roles. That being said, their love story is kind of rush, they could have added more development for that enemies to lovers.
There are more hatable characters than the usual so that's a downside, and also the "invencible man" character of the ML. Seriously he can kill 20+ soldiers alone? Please.

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It is story about losers and so it is boring to watch

The two sisters are .. well... losers. Both are very faulty and not making any progress... There is some self reflection but not enough at all. They keep doing dumb selfish things. .

This drama lacks COMMUNICATION. Perhaps it will happen later but so far has not happened and I am on ep 4. It does not look it will ever happen.
The overall vibe is ... hopeless isolation...

For example, the twin sisters switched places, but they are NOT calling each other to ask how to grow strawberries or answer corporate things...

and the stupid corporate pion is trying to "do her job" in very vile dirty work
and the farm person has not done anything about farming

I dont like their lying to people straight to their faces, etc

It is not funny, it is not charming, ... it is not smart, it is not cool, ... it is not funny or witty ...

There are some realizations like "hey I did not know my sister" but there is NO ACTION whatsover to correct that.

The drama is really about 2 selfish young women who are living their lives just to scoot by, without any dreams or striving, ...

and so... it is utterly boring

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