Reviews

mixed thoughts

In my opinion, the story felt very rushed. There was no chemistry between the actors. He is called the "Soul Reaper" because of how many people he has killed. However, he falls hard for a woman he just met a week ago and is willing to compromise a lifelong revenge mission for her!? There was no chemistry or smooth build-up in the development of their romantic interest. It was paternal love until the FL suddenly realized she was in love... what?

I started watching this drama because Lee Jae-Wook was starring in it, but I found it disappointing. It was interesting at first, but I didn’t enjoy the plot, which is built on the fact that the female lead and male lead are 'siblings.' I liked the OST titled "Burning Petals." Is it just me who thinks the song gave Bollywood vibes?

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A MUST-WATCH DRAMA

I can’t stop talking about this drama—it’s honestly one of the best I’ve ever seen. Every little part of it is amazing, from the storyline and script to the leads, acting, and even the smallest details. The writing is very clear and keeps you interested from start to finish. The characters are well-developed, and their relationships feel real, which makes the emotional scenes even stronger. The story moves at a good pace, not too fast or too slow, so everything feels natural.

The leads give great performances that make their characters come alive. Their chemistry is strong, making every scene between them feel real and interesting. I also like how the drama mixes serious and funny moments, which makes watching it more enjoyable.

The OSTs are amazing too. The music fits perfectly with the mood of each scene and makes the feelings stronger. You should look up the lyrics after watching because they are very meaningful and well written. The songs don’t just play in the background—they tell their own story and help you connect more with the characters and the plot.

Overall, this drama is very well made. You can tell a lot of care was put into the script, acting, music, and direction. If you want a drama that will keep you hooked and make you feel a lot, this is the one to watch. The last episode is exceptional—it’s so perfect and natural. You won’t regret watching it.

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This is Boring, Don't pick this up

Since I was feeling bored, I decided to pick this one up and my god, it made my boredom even worse.

At the beginning of the movie, you're introduced to these 3 characters. Okay, they're reminiscing, talking about how boring it is in the countryside, why they want to move to a city, and vice versa. Just some normal people chatting, then cut to an out of context ass backstory, and that's the moment the movie started losing me. It kept cutting to different years, with different people, and not even explaining who these people were. I get it, you expect me to understand that these are the other characters that we're gonna follow in this story, but at least someone could've pretended to call out their name and asked what's happening so that I'll know who they are and what they are talking about.

The story is ehh, or should i say, there's not much of a story here, it's more like a slice of life of adults reminiscing about the times. And it's not even interesting, hence probably they kept highlighting it in the movie that "It's okay to be boring" Yes, it is okay, but in this one, it's definitely not okay.

The acting is good, but I'm more amazed by the singing bits because these actors are really singing their hearts out. They can sing SING alright HAHAHAHAH. You can't really see so much of the acting here, because of the way it was filmed, but when it is presented, acting is again, good.

The reason why you can't see much of the acting and this is where we get to the 2nd thing that made this movie even boring, is the cinematography or could that be even called cinematography? In the beginning, i noticed it right away, it was when the first 3 characters were in the car and we have this very long ass one take shot from afar. Most of the scenes from this movie are just long ass one takes, so you couldn't really see much of the acting. The movie felt very raw or unfinished, because the whole time i was watching, it felt like there could've been some close ups that needed to be inserted here and there. But hey, props to these actors, for these one takes, they're all really good for not even breaking when delivering the lines, I'm sure some of these scenes might have been retaken a bunch of times.

Overall, what a boring movie, definitely not a recommend.

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These actors deserved so much better...

Wu Bo Wei is an AWESOME actor, and I hope this drama just goes down as his 'first lead ML role' in what I truly wish is a great future acting career. The FL Wang Zi Fei needs some more acting experience, but she has solid natural talent and she's so cute and sexy.

I see some comments knocking their acting, but I say it's not their acting that sucks, it's everything else about this drama that sucks. Don't believe me, watch it with the sound off and pretend the production value and styling were given more care, and their dialogue was intelligent and interesting. And it's not just the ML/FL that have natural onscreen ability, the 2FL was very very decent. The 2ML needs more confidence and experience, but when it comes to their "hot" scenes, he can turn it ON like the flip of a switch and it's so sexy.

The suckage that was this drama came from literally everywhere else *except* the main actors. The dubbing and sound were atrocious. The production value was bargain basement low. The stylist really phoned it in. The script.... I have to say the basic storyline was good. It had a lot of promise, and a lot of satisfying elements to it. But the way that storyline was fleshed out was really really bad.... you have a super generic snoozer boilerplate "business plot" with deals, shares, bidders, projects, none of which are the least bit interesting.... and you have a love story that tries to convey depth, but with inane and uninspired dialogue that a middle schooler would write. The story outline is built all wrong.... the sexy love scenes between the characters are HOT, and they are overwith by the halfway mark. The rest of the drama is taken up by shares, board of directors hijinks, liver cancer hospital visits, healing emotional rifts between characters. It drags and there's no reward at the end at all.

If you're watching for the HOT factor, you only need to watch the first half and then you can just ditch. If you're watching to catch Wu Bo Wei's first big role, he's good here but hasn't really come into his own as an actor. He's far better in Close To You, where the production is a step up, the role is a more complex one, and he has built more confidence as an actor. And if you're actually watching for the story itself, then godspeed because justwow on that whole script thing.

A semi-intersting watch for someone interested in following the careers of ML/FL/2ML/2FL. The first-half spicy scenes were really electric but WAY too short, and too few. The overall drama itself was straight dumpster fuel. I really wholeheartedly wish the best for these actors' careers... they have a lot of promise.

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Good police drama with a touch of romance

I was drawn to this drama because of the plot. This is my third time watching drama of Wang Kai Mu and Cui Yi Liang. I was surprised to see that she has crossed over to vertical from mini dramas.

What I liked:
1. Editing - This drama felt like a 2 hour movie. The tension in the police case, the tension between ML & FL were translated to audience well.
2. Wang Kai Mu - I was impressed by Wang Kai Mu's performance. I have seen him in Beautiful Handsome & the drama with Guo Yu Xin. He has grown so much in terms of acting skill & physical build.
3. Cui Yi Liang - She did well in a dramatic role I must say. However I didn't like her cries.
4. Supporting characters - I like ML's team mates in the police force.
5. Romance - Slow burn which is expected. ML was pining for FL for a long time but was respectful of her. Sweet kisses.

What I disliked:
1. Mellow - I found some moments to be too mellow, I was easily distracted.
2. Antagonist - Good one but I wish his arc was given slightly more screen time so audience are more invested in the connection between him and the former team leader.

Favourite scene
When FL realised she was ambushed

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Let this Drama Sparkle for You! JUST GO FOR IT.

Joined late to the Twinkling Watermelon Fan Club, but here I am. One of those rare, well-made, earnest kdramas that remind us why we love watching these dramas so much. The fantasy element sounded outlandish at first, but kudos to the writers for incorporating it so seamlessly into the main narrative. I loved how the plot twists were not very concealed, in the sense that we all could figure out what would happen next, but the way the plot twists were placed and executed is what made the watching experience novel and quite unexpected.
Full points to the actors for doing such a lovely job. Personally, for me, Ryeoun felt like the weakest actor amongst all, but that doesn't mean he did a bad job, he was just 2nd best among the rest of the best. Even the supporting cast did a great job. Also, a big shout out to the stylists, getting the 90s chic bang on, with the outlandish hairstyles and baggy clothes and tacky colours.
The OST is not the kind of music I listen to, but it does stay with you long after the drama is over.
The best part of this drama is that it is earnest writing, and the humour (even though very overdramatic) is so earnestly done, you can't help but laugh at their stupidity. Life feels a little empty now after finishing watching this.

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Laugh one minute, cry the next

I watched Post Truth while at home sick and it was exactly the heartfelt pick-me-up I needed. This movie is a seamless blend of comedy and sincerity, with everyone giving their all to the bit.

The comedy element comes mostly from Wei Ping'an's wild goose chase as he hunts down the source of a bad rumour about a dead woman, Hu Lan, who he had briefly met when she had bought her grave plot from him. Special mention goes to Li Xue Win – who plays Ping'An's sister – for her performance in catfishing a guy essential to Ping'An's chase. This gag was extra funny as I definitely have friends who would do the exact same thing if called for.

The heartfelt part of the film comes from Ping'An's relationship with his daughter who, parallel to her father's quest, also grapples with doing the right thing, despite the steep cost. Their storyline was the perfect balance to the absurd hilarity that meant that Post Truth kept strong pacing.

A good romp if you need one.

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I Can’t Believe This Has Such a High Rating on Here

Sooo...the acting was fine, and the girl friend character was funny and somewhat relatable at times, but that is where my praises end.

This show is built around an abusive power dynamic between Segasaki—a conventionally attractive and well-liked weatherman—and Yoh, an unsuccessful, down on his luck ero-manga artist.

We learn early on that they met in college and that Segasaki told Yoh he could live with him on the condition that he would have to "do everything he says", and in return he could live there for free and work on his manga. It is made clear from the very first episode that they have a dynamic reminiscent of an abusive breadwinner husband and an old-timey trad wife, with Yoh being essentially a personal slave to Segasaki—cooking and cleaning for him everyday and following his every command no matter what.

The inciting conflict of the story is based around this dynamic, and especially the sexual aspect of their relationship. Over the course of the show, we see Segasaki getting more and more posessive and paranoid about where Yoh is when he goes out and what he's doing, etc. It gets to a point where he is constantly forcing him to cancel plans that relate to his personal friendships and career, even going so far as to put a tracking device in his bag and follow him in a later episode.

There are moments throughout the middle of the show that make you think Segasaki might be starting to change his ways, but that is all completely thrown out at the end of ep 7 / beginning of ep 8 when he suddenly ties Yoh's hands together and tells him to never go out or talk to anyone else ever again. When I say this part really shocked me, I mean it. It was disturbing to watch, and Yoh's character looked extremely uncomfortable, despite this shows efforts to make you believe that he secretly likes being obsessed over.

There are moments where this show attempts to be sweet (like in the backstory of how they met for example), but it just feels sour when you remember the situation they are in. Towards the end, I really felt like Yoh was developing stockholm syndrome, which sounds extreme, but I really do think is an accurate description for him.

I saw a lot of the negative reviews on this show saying that they could "look past the toxic relationship", and that they cared more about the fact that the story didn't really go anywhere, and that essentially this shows' worst crime was being boring. Now, while it's true this show kind of ends the same way it begins and no one really develops as a character, I certainly think that this shows' romanticized portrayal of abuse is its biggest issue. Shows like this perpetuate the normalization of abusive dynamics in gay media, and also the fetishization of gay relationships as a tool for straight women to project their fantasies onto.

This probably all sounds dramatic, but I think this show is an important example of what NOT to do when it comes to writing BL. This does not feel like a BL made for men who like other men. There was no romance, and the sex scenes did not feel sexy. It was just gross and uncomfortable overall (which sucks because obviously abusive relationships can be written well and this kind of subject matter can be interesting when it is treated properly).

Definitely one of the worst "BLs" I've watched (if you can even call it that). There are moments with the girl friend and her husband that make the show a little more bearable at times, but other than that, ehhhhh, not good.

I'll give it a 1.5, on par with Utsukushii Kare (my previously most-hated BL ever).

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Finding yourself in the midst of youthful chaos and lust.

If you wade through all the other things in this story like nudity,underage sex and violence you will find a compelling story of healing,hope and finding yourself in a world where you're alone. Starts out depressing, but it has a hopeful end and you find yourself rooting for the ML. He did a great job, you could feel his pain. ML is dealing with grief and getting over his brother's suicide. He describes his brother as his "real friend" and sees his ghost as a cry for help. His family is fragmented after the brother's bullying and suicide. They moved to this tiny town to run away from bullying his brother still ended up dead. ML is trying to find healing, but our FL is a bit self-absorbed and confused and wants to be the centre of everyone's universe. She was feeding off his toxic energy to boost her own ego.

I'm so glad he healed. Him I understood, her I didn't understand at all. She acted a bit desperate and need but glad she got it together.

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Remarkable cdrama that stands as a shining example of character-driven storytelling at its finest.

I always love the novel and I am so glad that the drama delivers the chapters in the novel with justice.

One of the standout features of the drama is its impeccable production quality and breathtaking visual effects. The attention to detail in the settings, costumes, props, and cinematography has earned praise from critics and viewers alike. Notably, the drama's use of original voices and minimal CGI adds to its authenticity and realism. Behind-the-scenes insights into the construction of the captivating town, the main backdrop for the story, have only deepened the audience's appreciation for the drama's craftsmanship.

As the story unfolds, viewers are drawn into a captivating world of mystery, love, and heartache.

In this show we follow the lives and troubles of four main characters: Princess Xiao Yao and the three men who love her: her cousin prince Xyian (who she sees and loves like a brother), Tushan Jing (who she has saved and fallen in love with), and Xiang Liu, the poisonous nine-headed snake (who Xiao Yao is attracted to but refuses to accept it).
This emotionally charged and intricately woven narrative pulls you into a world of passion, sacrifice, and complex relationships that will linger with you long after you stopped watching.

What truly sets Lost You Forever apart is its unapologetic willingness to delve into the complexities of human emotions. Our main leads choices are never simple, and the drama doesn't shy away from depicting the consequences of their actions and sometimes you will hate them for that.

The acting is the best I have seen in a long time from Yang Zi as the main female character, to Zhang Wan Yi, Deng Wei, and (my favorite) Tan Jian Ci, the nine-headed snake.

Yang Zi impression of her character makes her awesome. Each chapter or episode has a unique detailed from the book. Fascinating, excited, great panomaric scenes. I watched so many dramas but I really consider this one as a masterpiece.
Something that constantly struck me throughout the drama was when she was a male, there was perfect amount of feminine characters and perfect amount of masculine characteristics when she was a female. It is exactly what saved Ye Shi Qi, made Xiang Liu trust her and fall in love, made Fenglong admire her and made her someone that Xuan can depend on.

Tushan Jing/Deng Wei was the only compatible and safe option for her, I accept that, even though I didn't want them to be together. I didn't feel chemistry in their relationship and Jing was apathetic, I don't know how to say it seems like something was missing. He is the male character that treats her the nicest, and that can give her the peaceful life that she wants, but I still find him boring: he has no motivations for anything he does other than be with her and help her.

Tan Jian Ci playing Xiang Liu/FangFeng Bei, was the perfect cast for the tortured soul yet filled with love and compassion Snake demon. There were so many scenes where not a word was needed for this actor to be able to make us feel the pain and love of his character through the screen. Our beloved Xiang Liu, enigmatic and cold, but completely in love with Xiaoyou, loved her deeply, protected and saved her, the hard thing is that she didn't know about his love for her, he remained faithful to his principles until the end, it was difficult to follow his cruel and tragic destiny that he himself chose. I would also like it if he was Xiaoyou's choice. The last episode to me is really about him, and reminding us again, how deeply he loves her. He is the only one who loved her, not asking for anything in return. He always protected her, often at great cost to himself.
Tan Jian Ci did such a great job portraying the conflicted Xiang Liu that clearly cares for Xiao Yao but has his own values that he cannot abandon. Part of me thinks he was too stubborn in holding his values to the Chi Chen army.

Regarding the performances, Zhang Wan Yi /Cang Xuan - simply shone here, scenes of him drunkenly confessing his love to her are heartbreaking, you feel his pain, in the Karma tea illusion scene it is a very strong scene and what a performance!!!
I pitied him, whenever he appeared on screen, he brought a sense of melancholy with him: even in the few scenes where he was happy, I felt an underlying sadness for everything he went through, and likely will go through, that made his happiness unreal, short-lived; someone not destined to be happy.

He wants to be with Xiao Yao, wants to protect her, but to do this his sole focus is on his political ambitions, and thus ends up drifting more and more away from her in the process.

The childhood characters, young actor and actress portrayed a really excellent work. I already wanted to cry after their childhood scenes, how they only had each other to rely on. I could really see the feelings on the young actor and actress faces.

Lost You Forever is not just a drama, it's an emotional rollercoaster of redemption, love, and fate. The gripping storyline combined with outstanding performances makes it a must-watch for any drama enthusiast.

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Dear Hongrang - it's a must watch

I recently watched Dear. Hongrang, and I’m still trying to recover from the emotional rollercoaster it took me on. This drama is truly something special. While it has action and intensity, at its core, it's a deeply emotional story — one that stays with you long after the final episode.

The tragic ending broke my heart in the best possible way. It was beautifully written and powerfully executed, leaving a lasting impact. The chemistry between the main leads was absolutely stunning — you could feel every emotion they portrayed, from tenderness to heartbreak.

I also have to highlight the main OST — it’s just breathtaking. The music perfectly captured the tone of the drama, especially during the most emotional scenes. The background score elevated the entire viewing experience and made the emotions hit even harder.

The cast gave outstanding performances, and the storyline was rich, thoughtful, and unforgettable. If you enjoy emotional dramas with incredible acting, a powerful soundtrack, and a story that truly moves you, Dear. Hongrang is a must-watch. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and simply unforgettable.

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3 Reasons to Watch Pump Up the Healthy Love

How many rejections does it take to break confidence?
Just one. It takes one NO to break everything that makes you.
This latest GYM love story chronicles the journey of two different individuals seeking their true selves. Do Hyeon Jung is determined to promote health and has even given up his love life for that. And there is Mi Ran, who has given up her body and health after facing immense rejection. Their paths crossed, and a vow was made.
It's been almost half of the year, and the Korean drama industry has delivered another underrated yet striking story. It's been the seventh episode, and love has appeared in a subtle note. MLs and FLs are in lov,e but they are lingering over it. For the first time, a director has treated love like it happens in real life. The rejection, the dilemma, and the pain felt so connected. Mi Ran is like the inner child who does not whisper breath and tries to survive in a sarcastic society.
The sister bonding is realistic and plays a good charm in bringing happy twists. Ji Ran is the sweetest yet convincing sister ever. Lee Da Eun adds blood and flesh to such a character who needs to be supportive, yet not lose herself in the process.
The story, as the title suggest,s reflects the need to build yourself first before falling in love. In today’s society where competition and comparison thrives, building of such story is of utmost importance.

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