Reviews

ITS TIME TO LET GO, BUT...

Imagine your ex leaves you for a wealthy man, and you believe the two of them are mocking you for being poor. At first, you plan revenge. But then, something unexpected happens—you start falling for the very man you once saw as your rival.

Revenged Love, also known as Counter Attack, is a Chinese BL drama adapted from Chai Jidan’s web novel.

The story mainly follows two couples. The first couple is Zi Yu as Wu Qi Qiong (also known as Wu Su Wei), a poor young man who is heartbroken after his ex-girlfriend leaves him for a wealthy heir. Angry and humiliated, he plans to take revenge by targeting her new man. That man is Chi Cheng, played by Tian Xu Ning—a rich, arrogant heir with a love for snakes, who is even forced into marriage with Wu Su Wei’s ex. Wu Su Wei originally sees him as the enemy, but as their interactions grow, he never expected that Chi Cheng would also develop feelings for him. What begins as a revenge plot slowly turns into an intense, complicated romance between two.

The second couple adds more sweetness to the drama. Zhan Xuan plays Guo Cheng Yu, Chi Cheng’s loyal best friend. While chasing after Wu Su Wei at a clinic, he crosses paths with Jiang Xiao Shuai, portrayed by Liu Xuan Cheng. Their chance meeting blossoms into another love story, giving the series a lighter and more romantic balance alongside the main couple’s tension.

𝗢𝗦𝗧
One thing that really stood out to me is the OST. This is actually the first time I created a playlist on my YouTube Music just for a drama soundtrack. Every song feels meaningful and emotional, and I enjoy playing it every day. The music really captures both the tension and the softer moments of the story.

𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧
This is the first BL I finished this year and honestly it surprised me. I tried watching some Thai BLs but couldn’t complete them because they didn’t meet my standards, yet with Revenged Love I didn’t even hesitate. Normally I need to check clips first before committing, but this time I just pressed play without thinking twice. Some people called it cringe, but for me it wasn’t cringe at all, not even once, and I enjoyed every episode.

At first I thought it would be just another BL, short and rushed, maybe fun but nothing that would really stay with me. But Revenged Love proved me wrong. With 24 episodes, each over 40 minutes, it still managed to keep me watching until the very end, and the fact that I finished the whole thing in just 3 days shows how much it hooked me.

It wasn’t perfect of course. Some scenes felt choppy, the transitions were sudden, and sometimes it was obvious that parts had been cut, which pulled me out of the story when I really wanted to stay inside it.

Even so, I couldn’t stop watching. The characters, the chemistry, the emotions—they pulled me in again and again. When I reached the last episode and saw Chi Cheng’s parents finally accept them, I felt so warm inside, like everything had been worth it, but at the same time it felt too fast. I wanted more time with them, more moments of family, more happiness shared together. The ending left me smiling but also a little empty because I wasn’t ready to let them go.

Still, this drama made me laugh, ache, and care so much, and that’s why even with its flaws it gave me something truly special.

Overall Revenged Love may not be perfect, but it’s absolutely worth watching. It’s longer than most BLs, it carries real emotion, and it leaves a story that lingers even after it ends—and for me, I already miss them.

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What was that ending??

The name of the final episode is ‘The World Before Being Reborn.’ Quickly after the proposal, time goes back to FL in hospital, ten days after the elevator accident. My confusion set in and I was sorely disappointed that after all that’s happened through the series, it ends like this. This drama started off strong. All the build up at each episode I was expecting a genuine happy ending for the main cast/couples. All the work they put into bettering themselves and making their own life choices without regrets to just to end up in the same life which was a struggle for them and their families. This was an awful ending.

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Should have been a movie

The premise of a group of super powered immortal beings living through the ages amongst human beings inevitably brings to mind Ma Dong Seok's much underrated film The Eternals, which was an ambitious story that would have been better served as a series to delve deeper into the characters, whereas Twelve's plot and characterizations is so paper thin even amongst the 49 minute run time which is much shorter than the usual 70 minute or more episodes of Korea dramas and with 8 episodes that's shorter than the usual 12 or 15 episodes, it should have just been a movie.

The angel family doesn't get to do much bonding or fleshing out of who they are to each other or to endear them to the audience. They don't even all assemble into until the third episode. The show instead only has Tae San spend much of his time with Geumsoon. I don't mind that storyline, but it needed to be in conjunction with the family. They instead just feel like the comic relief lackies the entire time. The casting of the angels is also an issue along with the writing for them, there is no feeling from them as a group developed to endear them to the audience whatsoever.

Seo In Guk is criminally underused. He's usually the lead in acting projects and his acting is proven, so it's really weird to see him in a secondary support role that's usually reserved for newer up and comers to get experience. I keep waiting to see there be a reason to cast someone of his caliber, but it never comes. I wonder if this role is a favor for someone or something. There is a mute character and it feels weird that they just cast a Taiwanese actor who may not speak Korean instead of maybe an Korean actor who has mutism. There is a lot of fight scenes, but they lack any tension since there is no connection to the characters and it just drags the story along which is already slow.

The core storyline doesn't get going until the very end of episode 5 where it's revealed that Ogwi and Mir forcefully separated lovers and a fight scene that looked cool and actually had stakes and consequences for Marok and the whole crew. This should have been the first or at least second episode. When it's finally revealed, there is only as much shown of the romance than the random club owner guy and his girlfriend who at least have a funny exchange where he's saying he went to school for 15 years and she asks if that means he was studying for a phd.

The special effects are hit or miss throughout. I do like how the wings are done. The last episode is shamelessly all product placement while adding even more characters while we never really got to know the ones we started with. The number one weakness of this show is it doesn't care to let the audience know the characters nor their interpersonal relations to each other, resulting in zero feeling for anything going on in the story. There is no reason for this to be an 8 episode story. If they do a season 2, there needs to be some major overhauling in the writing quality.

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A perfect 10/10 Drama look like thisq

The perfection being a Total Comedy Drama.Are you looking for a drama That'll make you cry with Laughing out? then this is that Drama.Trust me.

I love everything about this drama.Its hard to find flaws when u enjoyed every character, every twist,every villain of this drama.

Plot: Not a single Boring episode.Character growth is on point.How they showed one's dark side with elevating their Positive side its amazing too.Every character has a Role or duty to do. i think i can evem watch it if its more than 40 episoses too.

Acting: The Bromance between Kim nam gill & Kim sung young ia over the Top.Lee ha nee character is felt strong but Those two steal the show.And there are more The Female police officer,Thai worker amd his friendship, the character development of Ko jun etc all are very beautifully done.Actors did wonderful acting too.

Music: Background music are so enthusiastic. You will feel the rage,joy with those music.

I have already rewatched it 2 times.Then i m writing this review. so obviously it has rewatch value.

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Watch it if you love tragedy

When we start watching any Drama, in first few episodes, we attach our emotions to one character and start viewing series by his prospective. Regardless of how good the story, acting or direction is, I just can't watch a series where my fav character is being tormented left, right and centre. This series does the same treatment with the main lead and it's just too much to bear emotionally. Not sure why such plots been liked so much that writers keep writing such scripts again and again. I hated the female lead of Yanxi palace and this as well where they been shown righteous, big hearted but gloves in the hand with opposite lead.

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A Romance that truly resonates

Not sure if this is an unpopular comment, but I actually like Shadow Love more than Legend of Female General. The male lead’s character here has more depth and emotion, and the overall story feels smoother with fewer plot holes. I also loved how the romance blends naturally with the fantasy and political intrigue, while Li Shuang as the female general comes across as strong yet still human and relatable. The production is gorgeous too — the costumes, sets, and atmosphere really pulled me in.
The chemistry between the leads felt genuine, and the way their relationship developed made me care deeply about their struggles and heartbreak. It’s not a light or fluffy romance, but that’s exactly what made it memorable for me. Shadow Love might not be perfect, but it definitely left me with a stronger impression and more emotions to hold onto.

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The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, but who exactly is who?

In my opinion, Mobius is an almost perfect mixture of a brilliantly intriguing and thought provoking mystery and Hong Kong style action, with a subtle hint of romance and comedy to top it off.

Mobius follows an ML with the unique able to perceive time loops. Essentially, on random days, from midnight to midnight (24 hours), the day will reset and repeat itself 5 times. As soon as midnight hits, the day will be reset 24 hours into the past, resetting everything that happened during that day; deaths, injuries, memories, everything resets to as it was 24 hours ago. These loop days repeat 5 times, with nothing being permanent, until the 5th and final loop day. After which, what ever happened on that 5th day is permanent and time continues forward. ML is a time loop perceiver, meaning he is able to retain his memories of these loop days, and thus change what occurs during the day. For example, we see him using these loop days to comedically try different hair cuts, knowing the day will reset. We also see him winning the lottery. No matter what he does during the first 4 loops though, only what happens on the 5th day becomes permanent.

Soon ML joins the police force and uses this ability to solve crimes. However, he stumbles upon two seemingly accidental deaths, which are in fact perfectly executed murders, all connected to a company called Moma Biotechnology, and its CEO. The ML soon realizes the killer is likely another time loop perceiver, someone using their ability to commit seemingly perfect murders. And there starts the central mystery. Some comments have called this show a drag as it only focuses on one main case. However, in my opinion, this show is anything but a drag. It is an intriguing cat and mouse game between the ML and the time loop perceiving villain known as Squid (and possibly even a third party). Mobius uses this unique concept to build anticipation throughout.

As we go from loop day 1, until loop day 5, things are continually changing due to the interference of ML and Squid (and possibly even more parties). A contest between two time perceivers, one trying to solve a crime, discover the truth and protect the innocent, while the other with a goal of murder and seemingly a larger plan. I do admit, ep 3 and 4 can be seen as a bit slow compared to the rest of the show, but I also understand they needed to set the base loop (loop day 1), for the story to build off. And once they set that loop day 1, build they did! The story unfolded like an onion, each loop day pealing back a new and intriguing layer. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat, thinking, theorizing, piquing my curiosity to the max. As each loop day passed, we witnessed new perspectives, new clues, new backstory, new characters and we witnessed the domino effects and the consequences of ML and Squid (and possible others) altering the timeline of events.

In my opinion, the choice to focus on a single case was a smart choice. While not for everyone (and thats ok), those that enjoy an in-depth mystery, seeking out clues, and trying to build their own case in their minds, will definitely enjoy this drama. As each loop day passed, we were continually thrown new twist and turns, that kept me engaged. We were drip fed information, backstory and clues. As a result, I felt like I was a detective alongside ML, building the case together and piecing clues together, as we found out more and more information. Thus, the unique premise of loop days allows us to see a vast number of differing perspectives, also witnessing the differences between loop day 1 and the following loop days as both the ML and Squid made changes to try and achieve their goals, with some consequences being at the cost of innocent people. This story was almost a depiction of man vs destiny/fate, seeing if it was humanly possible, to change what was destined to happen.

As loop days past, anticiaption built, as well as the number of questions I had. For example, are ML and squid the only time loop perceivers, or are there more? This drama did a very good job of portraying a number of morally ambitious, gray characters right until the very end. Thus, we were kept constantly guessing; who is the villain? Is there more than one villain? Who is on whose side? Is there more than simply two sides? And many more questions. A good sign of a good mystery thriller. Essentially, as we found it more, the story seemed to mirror the old saying: the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? And if so, who is the mantis, who is the cicada and who is the oriole.

As the loops passed, and the story unfolded we realize that this mystery was much larger than just the murder of two executives, it was not juts a simple cop vs villain story, but something much deeper with more than just two opposing sides. In my opinion, there are two villains, one obsessed with the woman he loves but cannot save, and thus would not let anything get in his way, doing whatever means necessary to try and save her. The other, obsessed with his research, similarly, abandoning everything and everyone, doing whatever necessary to achieve his goals. Two sides of the same coin. However, I will leave the rest for you to find out, as the journey is where the fun comes from, when it comes to mystery dramas.

As for the action, the director mentioned utilizing a 'Hong Kong' action style in this drama, and boy does it pay off. Episode 1 hits you in the face with nostalgic Jackie Chan vibes when he starred in Police Story or Rush hour. The action portrays the ML as an almost super-heroesque cop, just like in the Chinese police actions films of the 80's and 90's when Hong Kong style action thrived. While the action is sparse, mainly contained within 2 or 3 episodes, it is worthwhile, with superbly executed, and cleanly choreographed set pieces. Building on his theme, the drama combines a blend of mandarin and cantonese dialect and actors, as it was filmed throughout Guangzhou, Macau and Hong Kong. This in my opinion sets the drama apart, giving it a gripping realism.

The romance is subtle and does not bloom until the final few episodes. However, throughout we see the care and affection the ML and FL have towards each other, displayed so beautifully through subtle glances and tension filled conversation. However, we also feel that there is a constant barrier preventing this romance from blossoming, and it is only until this barrier is broken, that the romance fully blooms, and blooms beautifully.

There is also comedy sprinkled throughout, not heave and prevalent, but a nice surprise when it appears. Mainly with the police squad. I want to give them a mention, I really enjoyed their interactions with each other. Not only did they bring a comedy element from time to time, they played vital roles in assisting the ML. When the two squads were combined, and with how ML works, I was worried there would be conflict or even betrayal such as an inside man. Thank god there wasn't. There was constant trust throughout the whole squad. The ML from day 1 realized he would need help, he never tried to everything alone. I really appreciate this aspect, he didn't try to do everything. He delegated, trusted and utilized his teammates as a good leader should. And in return they trusted and helped him without questions at every turn. A really beautiful display of a police squad working together with implicit trust.

A quick word on the OST. I wish they were played more often, especially the song for the final fight. It was hauntingly beautiful. Each song incorporated elements of the story and time loop in their lyrics wonderfully. Thought it was really smart. I just wish they were played more often and there were more of them. Since I mentioned it, a quick word, the ending was beautiful and perfect. A completely satisfactory ending, could not have tied up everything any more perfect, and did not forget the side characters that we wished would also get a happy ending. And again, the final showdown between the ML and squid was beautiful choreographed, written and acted, with a sublime song to go with it.

Ultimately, this is a mystery, investigative thriller. Do not expect action every episode. Do not expect a hot and heavy romance. This drama is built upon patience, and curiosity. Patience to witnessthe story unfold, and curiosity to continue as we are introduced further and further into the loop days. While not for everyone (and again thats ok), this drama was truly brilliant for me. Besides the previously mentioned ep 3 and 4, every episode kept me on the edge of my seat. As new clues, backstory, motives and consequences were unfurled through each passing loop day, and new characters and their connections introduced, I just got dragged deeper and deeper into the mystery of who is Squid and how many time loop perceivers are there really? Whose side is everybody on? Is there more than only two sides? Who is good, who is bad? The anticipation for the final loop day 5 was expertly built, and I truly felt not only the consequences and stakes, but that even though I had been through 4 loop days, there were still many twists and hidden cards yet to be played and discovered.

I cannot truly put into words how engaged I was with the central mystery. I might sound like a broken record, but this drama truly did a great job of building upon each passing loop day. Each loop day gave us more and more information, more and more twists, new characters and more and more shocking moments. As it slowly pushed us towards the inevitable final day, the story telling was like slowly witnessing a puzzle coming together or peeling back an onion, I truly felt myself piecing together more and more clues as the show presented them, finding my theories either correct or incorrect as we found out more information. The show truly made me feel as if I was a character myself, and that is exactly what a good mystery thriller does. It makes you feel like you are involved, like you are solving the case as well. And it makes you question who is the villain right till the very end. A good mystery thriller gives you many suspects, and allows you to slowly eliminate them one by one as the story progressing, never being truly sure who the villain is, until the end.

The concept of the time loop allowed us to truly be immersed in the investigate process. It allowed us to find out information and clues when the show wanted us to, thus keeping alive central mystery of the story right until the very end; as the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, who exactly is who?

Do not worry though, we get a happy ending for our ML and FL (beautiful kiss), police squad, and even the delivery driver and professor You get their happy ending, happy endings all around. Justice prevails, or does it?! With that ending, season 2 anybody?

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Don't You Wish Your Boyfriend Was Hot Like Him?

I saw the ML as a looney tune aka obsessed nutcase in MR but the actor was cute and played the ridiculous character well so I wanted to see more of him hence adding this into my watchlist. I liked the sexy undertones and a story of revenge never hurts. The trailer on top of it all really made the question pop into my head with a spin on the song; don't you wish your boyfriend was hot like him?

Pros: The leads chemistry was nice even for this short story and the not many scenes they had together. The kisses were well done and I do wish they had done the deed as well because these two were fated in more ways than one. And ML was hot with a nice body, no question about it! I liked the story itself because it started as one thing and turned into something much more in the revenge section. Also something rare, is that the English title actually matched the story. FL was every bit the Queen but in I'm the boss and I will take all of you mofo's down who tried to harm me and those I love or care about. She never went into a confrontation unprepared to bring her enemy forget down a notch but all the way down. She quietly with a poker face waited for them to dig their own graves, then she would reveal her ace in the hole or last nail in the coffin one by one. ML was his own man, not just window dressing for her but helped her when she asked for it and still lived his life despite it. At the end, his decision helped her and together they brought his father and cronies down. I'm glad she listened to him and got the surgery and healed properly so they could live in their happily ever after.

2nd couple (LK and YB) I felt were slower to warm up to but they did fit as odd duck as they were. Also YHM’s two bodyguards one of which could also find evidence and do finance and Lord knows what else was the jack of all trades while the other could kick 10 guys' asses at the same time. Awesome. Her squad consisting of all of these people plus extra body guards was just awesome. If I had to guess who the mole was because it was not revealed, I would have to say that he was the husband of the sister of ML or JL. It just matched and plus why would he have FL's number in his phone or threw little notes and hints to ML when he was locked up in that cage by his lunatic father? So I think he was placed there a long time ago and none of that insane family or family and a half knew about it. I also think that's the reason why he and his bat shit crazy wife got the redemption arc at the end. The real wife of the older brother and her son were necessary to get to the real truth. I would even add the oldest brother in here because though he started off as the sole villain, the twist put him on the other side.

Outfits were great and OSTs I loved!

Cons: I really couldn't stand the sister at all because half of the time she couldn't speak normally and was morally gray, but would screech like a toddler or a banshee. Would make you shudder. There were plenty of villains like the mother, the uncle, the aunt the father and his lackey. The father as the main villain. They just didn't quite encompass what you would consider an antagonist. Yes, what they did was evil death penalty or life in prison worthy; personally would go for the first, however, the way it was portrayed was very eh. Like there was nothing special about any of them. The father at the end just came across as a man that had a black soul consumed with greed. There wasn't anything scary about him that one would really latch on to as antagonist; his speech about how he viewed the world would come from someone with an antisocial personality disorder. But he was no Richard Ramirez or Charles Manson. All you had to do was slap some cuffs on him or punch him in the face and he'd be done. So that was very lacking considering this was a revenge drama.

Would I recommend it? Though nothing groundbreaking as many have said this is a good drama to watch in between other dramas or if you just want some sexy in your life.

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Those ratings are foul, this deserves more love.

"Confidence Woman" is a crime comedy that cleverly blends humor with the thrill of the con, offering a fresh take on the vigilante genre. The show centers around a trio of con artists who target the wealthy elite who exploit their fortunes for nefarious purposes. This premise immediately sets the stage for a narrative filled with both suspense and social commentary, as the audience is invited to root for characters who operate outside the law but within a moral gray area.

The strength of "Confidence Woman" lies in its well-developed characters. Yirang, the female lead, is the brains of the operation, portrayed with captivating complexity. Her meticulous planning and sociopathic tendencies are balanced by a hidden depth, keeping viewers engaged and eager to uncover more about her. The performance by Park Minyoung seems to be a highlight, effectively capturing the character's confidence and hidden vulnerabilities. James, the master of disguise, adds a dynamic element to the team. His ability to transform into various personas is not only entertaining but also crucial to the success of their cons. Park Hae-soo, known for his villainous roles, brings a refreshing twist to his character, showcasing versatility. Guho, the youngest member, provides a contrasting personality with his kindness and compassion. The interplay between these three characters creates a compelling dynamic that drives the story forward.

The acting across the board is impressive, with the cast skillfully portraying multiple roles throughout the heists. The expressive performances enhance the comedic elements and the emotional depth of the characters. The show's ability to keep viewers guessing, combined with its clever plotlines and strong performances, makes "Confidence Woman" a standout in its genre. It's a show that deserves more recognition for its engaging storytelling.

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Direction and FL great, everything else just OK

This stared off as an addictive, pretty, bingeworthy drama, but by the middle of the story you can feel that the actors just don't have that chemistry with eachother that makes some romances so special. Even so, that's not anything to totally bag a show for, because you can't expect actors to just keep temporarily falling in love with eachother over and over their whole career for the sake of their dramas. Chemistry is something you can't fake, and two people can't be blamed for not clicking with eachother sometimes. These two both made the best of it anyways, and so it was passable sort of.

The plotline starts out promising and engages the viewer, even if it is fairly cliche. The FL's character is written very well, in that she does things the viewer would want to do, like if someone tries to slap her she stops them and slaps them back, and she gives people a piece of her mind, she takes her revenge when she feels wronged, etc. But then the auxiliary characters start coming in and taking more screentime as the story unfolds, and they are not great performances. At the same time, the sparseness of the settings, props and clothes start to become more prominent. The director and the stylists did a good job of making every penny of the budget count, but combined with the cheapness of the side-character performances it starts to drag down the show a little bit. This also is something I could look past if the other elements of the drama are there.

But then you take this somemwhat flat chemistry and somewhat flat acting and somewhat flat backdrop, and somewhat tired plot devices, and combine it with a sky-high cringe factor from the last 4 episodes being just a giant sermonizing session about progressive feminism and ccp atheism, punctuated by strange injections of 'humor' that are more disturbing than funny, combined with aughhh these awful awful intimate scenes that the main couple don't have the chemistry to justify -- and they are complete with smacking kissing sound effects placed in post-production dubbing that sound asmr gross, and I had to MAKE myself finish this one. So much cringe packed into such a short amount of screentime, wow.

The good parts about this are the direction, which is pretty good all things considered,. and the FL WHO IS AWESOME!!! I love her so much, and she did such a good job in this drama, she was really fun to watch.

So I'd recc this to progressive feminists, and people who want to follow Fang Jin's career. But although it was somewhat decent, I'd never rewatch this.

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