Reviews

How Not to Make a Romcom

This one oddly fell flat for me. I'm the first person to line up for a good romcom, no matter how many cliches it recycles and how much plot armor they award their leads with. This drama was an example of poor execution. It contained everything I love about Asian dramas-- a sweet romance, a fun cast ensemble, over-the-top comedy, and a feel-good fluff ending. CEO ML and slightly insane secretary FL? SIGN ME UP! I can never get tired of the push and pull, the banter, the CEO wealth and power flexing, and the absurd situations.

But somehow.... it all just felt a little flat here. I never minded cliches as long as it had all the feels, because every couple has a way of making it different and beautiful. I wouldn't say it was the fault of the actors, more like the writing and execution. All the characters felt like caricatures following a script rather than real people. There was no... heart.

Let's start with the cast ensemble. I always love watching a big fun cast with unique personalities get together, and here it was the camaraderie among the instructors. However, the drama doesn't really flesh that out, even though I thought the actors' worked well together. The show spends way too much time dwelling on the multiple revenge arcs instead of utilizing the good cast. I just couldn't care about them, and I struggled to empathize with their situations. I felt like a lot of plot points were done very much like A Business Proposal(FL's younger brother + ML relationship, fake contract dating trope, etc.), but as I said, no heart and the characters were more like caricatures.

And the plot... all over the place. It was incessant with its revenge lines-- every other character was out to get the ML and it really got tiresome after a certain point. It just wasn't that deep. The misunderstandings, the motivations, the final resolution... it was all messily done. I cannot understand why some characters couldn't simply stop to verify claims before going to insane, dangerous lengths to achieve their revenge. The only arc I really enjoyed was the grudging friendship between the Gotop and Ilpum Edu CEOs.

The romance... uhhhhh I don't really know how to explain it. I felt like I was watching so many romcoms all at once, with none of the feels. I giggled maybe twice in the beginning but as it wore on, it kept getting tiresome. I don't know why they went through all the motions of a romcom but it felt so stale.

That said, the quality of the production was pretty good.

Everything was at the mercy of the writers. Characters entered and exited as they pleased. Even though the ending was fluffy, I left feeling unsatisfied and bored. It made me miss the old kdrama charm... how we were drawn to root for and love all the quirky characters, and how we could empathize with even the most insignificant roles.

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Kind of all over the place

It has a little bit of everything, it is funny, cute, and cringy from time to time. At first I loved it a lot, but by the last two episodes I just couldn't wait to finally finish it. Still, it doesn't take away from the fact that it's a decent series that is underrated and overlooked.

Things I liked:
1. A lot of cute moments that had me giggling and kicking my feet.
2. The jokes and comedic sound effects are cringy at times, but they are tolerable.
3. ThanwaPeak. I really like their dynamic and they were my favorite couple for quite a while.
4. It was nice to see Peak grow a lot as a person.
5. Latte (has to be my favorite character). He is incredibly mature, understanding, and really nice and funny.
6. I love Latte and Almond's relationship after they get together. They are super cute and have quite healthy relationship.
7. Jane. Perfect friend, great support and help.

Things I disliked:
1. Peak running away from all of his problems instead of confronting and trying to fix them.
2. Unnecessary drama between Almond and Latte, weird conflict about nothing.
3. Almond acts really childish a lot of the time.
4. Parents. Peak's father is very weirdly demanding of Peak. While Almond's mother is too overprotective.
5. Almond getting jealous and upset over literally nothing in the last episode.
6. Last episode feels like a filler episode.

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Cute but dumb

This one is more of a guilty pleasure watch for me. The story is fine, the music is great, and the entire case is adorable. It's not that the actors are bad at their jobs, it's just that the characters are truly written that way. Duang is just soooo over the top clingy and optimistic. I really though this was going to be a kind of Junior from Perfect 10 Liners situation where he uses being happy to cover for darker feelings, but it appears to just be who he is. I don't mind it, and I'm enjoying watching the series, but it's not really one that you are going to take seriously.

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This is such a waste.

I give up.

Bloody Flower, you're an 8 episode kdrama. You don't have the time and pacing luxury of still not grabbing me by episode 2 on top of some of the worst acting I've seen in recent time.🤨

How do you even managed to make a story about saint or sinner serial killer so ungodly boring???

No critics on my guy Ryeoun though, he tried his hardest to make the kdrama works, and he did at least showed his range as a serial killer.

But everything else around this one just goes against him, I kinda feel bad for him. Hopefully his next project will be better.

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Get the idea but failed the execution

Watched ep 1. It's different from the usual offgun roles gotta say that. It's neither good nor bad i guess. For me i felt the edits and sounds were kinda off and random. I get the vision they were going for but the execution was not that great. It was supposed to give this manga animation vibe which it didn't. Also... i kinda don't get where the plot is going like uk the key hook like something you're waiting for. I am definitely not waiting for their romance cz idk i didn't root for the characters like i usually did. I think i liked the 2nd couple better but im not sure if that could make me continue this series

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Disappointed

This was an overall interesting series, I love the actors and the intrigue however the drama was way overdone. Everything was very unrealistic and never that easy in order to black mail people. Was I a fan no this could have been done more tasteful than it, A lot of it was just all mouthy and everyone talking over and over again and everyone blackmailing each other back and forth nothing special nothing that was worth surprising it was all one-sided and typical of what you would anticipate for a political movie. The BL part was practically non-existent from. To be honest I found it quite boring. The only good part was seeing an amazing cast that was in it. Even the ending was dumb.

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Relatively new to Kdramas - music often problematic

I'm relatively new to Kdramas, watching on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and now Rakuten Viki. My playlist usually tracks the actors - almost anything with Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Mi-kyung, Lee Bong-ryun, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Jong-suk, Park Eun-bin, Park Shin-hye, Rowoon, So Ji-sub - and a whole host of "character" actors who make a program worthwhile even if the story is weak and predictable. The 16-part series, however, is problematic as the streaming services were constructed for binge watching, and it's hard to binge watch something that 16 hours long, or worse 20 (although I did make it through a couple of Chinese series that were even longer - but at a more sedate pace): it's so disruptive to sleep and work-life balance. The Kdrama story arc is built to be seductive - to get the viewer back for the next installment when it originally airs biweekly, but that is what makes it harder to stop if one is binge watching. I love finding bits and pieces in various dramas where writers sympathize with viewer and production frustrations with product placement (I finally caved and tried Kopiko when I saw it for sale) and the cliffhangers inserted to prolong the series (one character chastises her mother's expectations: No, they aren't going to kiss yet - this is the end of an episode and they want to you come back and watch next week!), the obsession with "first love" (in one of Gong Hyo-jin's movies). The extended series have not always handled music well - they tend to stick to the same couple of songs - theme songs for the protagonists, for example - which get played over and over ad nauseum! I have come, however, to love and recognize some KPop hits and rap - 내가 제일 잘 나가 especially from Kim Mi-kyung's dance in "Healer" and Song Ji Eun's 눈부신 날 - through the programs, in addition to the more immediate recognition of global pop and rock hits.
Apologies for the wandering preamble! I just had to stop watching to proclaim my love for the use of a classic!
FIVE STARS for the techno Carmen in episode 13 of While You Were Sleeping as Ko Sung-hee and Lee Bong-ryun's characters embody femme fatales for a television report on the day in the life of prosecutors!!!!

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Decision to Divorce

Melancholic and real. All the stories in the "Love: Track" series are just 30 minutes long, and they usually finish sooner than expected. Watching this story was the first time in the series that it didn’t finish in the blink of an eye. There isn’t much plot, but the director uses the time not for action but to let us take in the emotions of the main characters. There are many moments of silence and slow-paced scenes that intensify the melancholic atmosphere of two people who have decided that they don’t love each other anymore and plan to divorce, yet still live together.

But can you really just decide not to love someone? Love must be free, and in the end it is also a decision. If it is only a feeling, then it won’t last long. So this drama felt quite serious and real for many couples going through a marriage crisis. It is encouraging in advising people to show their feelings, even if it means crying it all out and admitting defeat. Still, I must say I hoped for a slightly different ending.

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Very hopeless cheasy soap that is NOT S Korean....

The drama is really about Esptein cartel similars... and .... gives a VERY clear message that it is hopeless to go against rich and powerful... JUST LIKE the western media always portrays ...

Wow so Hollywood... soooo hopeless... the bad guy always win and there is nothing anyone can do... And these 3 women are just helping a few victims after the fact - they are POWERLESS.... and this idea that you win just by being alive... Omg... soooo soapy delulu Hollywood... WOW WHAT A SH.T DRAMA AND MESSAGE

Soooo not S Korean... S Koreans turn over bad governments :) and this is probably why they are being targeted now. Wow how evil.

S Korea, hang on!!!! hang on to your values.

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Emotional real life story but something was missing

I am glad I was able to watch this at the cinema , this definitely elevated the watching experience. The first thing I have to comment is the brilliant acting of all the actors and actresses. The story since it is based on real historical events held so much more impact but I still felt that there was something missing. Even though the relationship of the king and his warden was beautiful it left me question if it should have been explored/explained deeper, maybe such a story would be better portrayed in a mini series, it needed more time to show the kings backstory, the backstory of the warden and their time during exile.

That being said, the movie was a touching tear-jerker with many comedic moments that I enjoyed thoroughly. If I had to nitpick, the film would have benefited from a more artistic cinematography and better editing.

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it could be a great drama until it lost me towards the end

What an emotional rollercoaster. From the very first episode, I was completely drawn in. The first four or five episodes hit me so hard—I was crying like a baby. I especially loved the childhood and high school era. Back then, Eun Jung and Sang Yeon's relationship felt so pure. I also loved her time with her boyfriend—it was such a joy to watch because they were perfect together.

But as the story unfolded, I couldn't ignore how terrible of a friend Sang Yeon really was. Because of her, Eun Jung lost everything she ever loved. Eun Jung herself is such a kind soul—poor, gentle, always giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. That's what made it so frustrating to watch her constantly let Sang Yeon back into her life, while someone like Sang Hak never got a second chance. Honestly, if that last encounter with Sang Yeon hadn't happened right before she was supposed to meet him, I think Eun Jung would have said yes.

Their relationship was undeniably toxic. Sang Yeon consistently took advantage of Eun Jung's kindness and manipulated her emotionally. I could go on and on about it.

Performance-wise, this drama shines. Go Eun, as always, was absolutely incredible. The acting across the board elevated the material.

Unfortunately, the story lost its way toward the end. What started as deeply emotional became more frustrating than enjoyable. I was especially upset with Eun Jung's decision in the final episode. Sang Yeon finally got her karma—or did she? In some ways, I feel like she still ended up getting what she wanted. Again. The last episode dragged so much that I ended up skipping scenes.

It's such a shame. This drama had the potential to be a perfect 10/10. If only the final episodes hadn't missed the mark.

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Pit Babe: Speed, Instinct, and a Heart of Gold ?️?

From the very first roar of the engines, Pit Babe had me hooked. Set against the high-stakes world of car racing, this series takes the Omegaverse to a whole new level. I’m not exactly an expert on the genre, but the Alpha x Alpha dynamic here is fascinating, you really have to watch it to understand the tension and power play I’m talking about.

The Magnetism of Babe & Charlie
Pavel delivers a masterclass as Babe. He perfectly balances a rebellious, "the world revolves around me" attitude with a deeply tender side that you can't help but fall for. He’s impulsive, charismatic, and his history of being manipulated explains his deep-seated trust issues and fierce jealousy. You truly feel for him.

Then there’s Charlie, an absolute "teddy bear." Pooh did a stellar job making him so lovable that you just want to shield him from everyone who treats him poorly. However, that sweetness comes with a hidden layer, I spent half the time wondering if we could actually trust him. The contrast between them is beautiful; seeing two total opposites fall so hard for each other is the heart of the show.

Adrenaline on the Asphalt
The action scenes on the track are intense and keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s not just about the romance; the technical rivalry, the sabotage, and the sensory overload Babe experiences while driving add a layer of physical tension that is rare in the BL world. The pacing is frantic and makes the episodes fly by.

The "Way" Factor
Nut (as Way) made me love and hate him in equal measure. While his love for Babe drove him to do terrible things, he eventually realizes that if you truly love someone, the last thing you should do is hurt them. By the time he understood, it was already too late, which was heartbreaking to watch.

The Verdict
I highly recommend this series. Even though it leans into some classic tropes, it has a bit of everything: high-octane racing, emotional depth, and incredible chemistry. Definitely worth the watch!

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Okay, this series turned out to be pretty decent. It had some fun and entertaining moments that made it an easy watch.

Nothing too heavy, just a light series with a bit of humor that made it enjoyable. :)

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