Reviews

Recommend if you're a sucker for Xinxia and Wuxia

I watched this before watching ALP, and I must say I liked this one better. First of all, the series is pretty good as an example of the genre as a whole, but if you asked me if this is a genre-defining watch or an extraordinary piece of work, then I would without hesitation say NO.
The story is interesting enough to catch your attention; the fight scenes are acceptable, but of course, the CGI, or whatever that is, is the worst aspect of this show. I especially liked the part where the FL puts the ML's attendant(?) in her place; that part was gratifying. The music (soundtrack) was fitting and used when it was required, and I especically liked it.
Zhao Lusi's acting was pretty good (dialogue delivery, facial expressions, body language, etc.), but not particularly moving. I don't know the names of any of the other actors in the show, but their performance was not anything that would be worthy of praise.
Other than the CGI, the one thing that I hated about this show was the secondary couple getting together at the end. It made no sense and seemed like just a way to tie up all the loose ends. Sacrifice has to mean something; there must be some level of visible love for the SML's actions to make sense, although, sure, he could have done that for her just because she was just such a good friend and followed him everywhere, pining for him for GOD knows how long.
For me, a rating of 8 means something I would recommend, and I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to enjoy 40 episodes of creativity and masterfully crafted fun.

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DON'T SLEEP ON THIS BL GEM

See Your Love isn’t your typical BL series. It’s refreshingly different, especially with its deaf representation, which you rarely see in the genre. The story follows Shao Peng, a deaf and mute guy who’s eager to land a caregiver job, and Zi Xhiang, a rich and laid-back guy who ends up hiring him.

It’s a fluffy series with just the right mix of comedy and a bit of action thrown in. What hooked me was how engaging the first episode was, I was instantly invested. Honestly, I’m shocked this show is so underrated. A lot of BL fans are definitely sleeping on this gem.

The chemistry between the leads is next level. Their connection is undeniable, even through subtle stares and small gestures. The acting? Spot on. Even the side couple is adorable and adds charm to the story.

Shao Peng’s portrayal as a deaf character is really convincing. And while Zi Xhiang starts off as a so-called “useless rich kid,” I genuinely admire how he puts in the effort to learn sign language just to communicate better with Shao Peng. That’s not easy, and it says a lot about his character. He even starts trying harder at work, all for Shao Peng. Total green flag couple!

The kisses and intimate scenes? Super natural, with zero awkwardness.

There is one scene that really hurt to watch, when Zi Xhiang says some harsh stuff to Shao Peng. It was heartbreaking, and honestly, I wish he hadn’t gone there. Being deaf isn’t anyone’s fault, and the worst part? No real apology.

Also… am I the only one confused about the cousin drama? Like, he wants to take over the family business but is also trying to block Zi Xhiang’s relationship with Shao Peng? Dude should be thrilled Zi Xhiang has no interest in the business. The logic just isn’t logic-ing.

Zi Xhiang’s dad against with their relationship but it wasn’t really explored in depth, and in the end it’s unclear whether he gave in or still does things for them to break up.. On the flip side, I absolutely adored Shao Peng’s family, they were so kind, warm, and supportive.

If I had to point out one downside, it’d be the excessive flashbacks. With only 27 minutes per episode, the constant flashbacks felt a bit much. They could’ve used that time to move the plot forward instead. I would have give this a 9/10 but the excessive flashbacks made it choppy, so I gave it 8.5/10.

Still, See Your Love is meaningful, easy to watch, and never feels dragged out. Definitely a hidden gem worth checking out.

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My 2025 Favorite: The True Meaning of Home.

I had honestly lost hope in finding a drama I’d actually love—
until I stumbled on this masterpiece.

This show, for me, is the full package. The story, cinematography, direction, acting, music—everything was on point.
And the relationship between the leads? Absolutely beautiful. No toxic nonsense, no forced sad drama just for the sake of it. Just pure, heartfelt storytelling.

1. The Story
It’s fresh and different, which is rare in this genre. It’s so well written—no boring arcs or unnecessary drama. The emotions hit hard. I felt like my heart couldn’t take any more at times.

The female lead literally taught the male lead what warmth and “home” really mean. She stood up to the whole world for him, and always managed to balance her mission with what mattered most to her—him.

The Female Lead:
Whether in her first life or her second, I never felt annoyed by her character. She’s truly smart, strong, and independent—but still a girl who loves, who messes up, who laughs and cries. She takes responsibility, but her lighthearted, playful spirit made the whole drama feel warm.
Her love was beautiful and pure. She was both the perfect lover and the perfect teacher.

The Male Lead:
Totally my type. I loved his mood swings, loved how overly protective he was, and adored how naturally his character grew—from a rebellious student to a strict, wise teacher. It all flowed so smoothly, never felt off or forced.
I loved how much he cared for the people around him, his sacrifices, his regrets, his tears, and his smile.

Deng Wei absolutely killed it here. Genius-level performance. He made me feel every single emotion his character went through. It didn’t feel like acting—it felt real.

The Music:
The songs always hit at the right moments.
Though, I’ll admit, sometimes they got in the way when I was trying to read the subtitles.

The Downsides:
The pacing at the start could’ve been better. They could’ve spread the male lead’s flashbacks across more episodes.

The whole memory loss thing? Yeah… totally unnecessary.

The side characters were badly acted. Plus, way too many pointless ones that added nothing to the story.

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Life tragedy, anyone?

This drama had me in a chokehold no lie. For those who get to binge the entire series in one go, thou art truly blessed.

I cried, laughed, cringed
This show took me through the full spectrum of emotions. Its greatest strength is undoubtedly the acting. While the story has its fair share of plot holes and raises more mysteries than it resolves, the cast brings such sincerity and intensity that the drama stands firm. Even in its moments of absurdity, there’s a strange wisdom at work, gently preparing us for the darker turns.

Could it have done better without certain scenes? Probably. But to be fair, nearly every K-drama carries a few moments that could’ve been trimmed. That said, one thing this drama handled especially well was the relationship dynamic between the older woman and younger man. It was portrayed with so much care, maturity, and tenderness—it felt genuine rather than gimmicky.

I’d say it’s worth rewatching. On a second viewing, so many little details click into place, making the experience even more meaningful.

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"Goblin" is a romance drama between a girl named Eun Tak and a lonely goblin named Kim Shin.

Ji Eun Tak lost her mother at a young age and has had the ability to see and hear the dead since she was little. This ended up leaving her isolated from others, since she could not identify with anyone and did not have a single person by her side. This all changes when she meets Kim Shin, a goblin, and discovers that she is destined to be his bride. Eun Tak uses this opportunity to run away from her aunt's house and as they spend more time together, the two end up falling madly in love.

The problem is that Kim Shin lied about the bride's purpose, that in fact her mission was to finally let him die. Eun Tak runs away furious at having been deceived, but it is at this moment that the two become a real couple, with Kim Shin going after Eun Tak, confessing his true feelings and teeling her that now he has no interest in dying!

The romance between Eun Tak and Kim Shin is simply epic, the best couple I've seen in over 16 years of watching kdramas. Their chemistry on screen is wonderful, they manage to be cute and fun, but also intense and full of passion for each other. Kim Shin's death scene is extremely painful, it hurts so much to see him die like that, but the scene itself is spectacular, indescribably beautiful.

The whole process of Eun Tak remembering Kim Shin when he manages to come back to life is great, because from that moment on the couple's rhythm changes completely, because Eun Tak is no longer a student and the two can move on to the next step in their relationship, but when everything seemed perfect, fate could not be kind to this couple and Eun Tak ends up sacrificing her life to save others. If I had already cried with Kim Shin's death, Eun Tak's death manages to be even worse, because she wasn't sad about leaving, but rather about leaving him alone. The last scene is so good that it warms your heart, with them meeting again, with the new incarnation of Eun Tak who kept her promise to go after him first.

In addition to the romance, the drama is full of humor, I lost count of how many times I laughed at the bromance between Kim Shin and the Grim Reaper, these two formed a wonderful second couple. If I didn't love Eun Tak so much with him, I would root for Kim Shin to end up with the Grim Reaper. HAHAHA'

The drama is perfect in every human way possible: the story, the couple, there are funny, sad, romantic and intense moments and a soundtrack that embraces everything together. It's a story that leaves it's mark on you and you can never forget it.

"Mass is not proportional to volume. A girl as small as a violet. A girl who moves like a flower petal is pulling me toward her with more force than her mass. Just then, like Newton's apple, I rolled toward her without stopping until I fell on her. With a thump, with a thump. My heart keeps bouncing between the sky and the ground. It was my first love" <3

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Unfinished Sequel - Unfulfilled Potential

Was this almost unnecessary?
Absolutely
Did I still watch because continuity and Wi Ha Joon?
Absolutely

The set up was right there after season 1 for sure, but there was also no real need to have another season, let alone two. But I still watched it because despite my progress with not torturing myself by watching things I don't want to in the name of continuity, I thought this would be good. I liked the first season, why not this one

The seven episodes started out incredibly serious in episodes 1-2, started getting this comedic undertone in episodes 3-5, and by the time it got to 6-7, it was a joke. The tone was serious, but the plot was a joke.

The initial set up of wanting to take down the game from within the game is a pretty bad one by the way, Gi Hun was the winner last time and knows the game inside and out. For someone who knows how it works, he sure made a lot of decisions based on the humane nature of the participants. And for someone who knows that the people controlling the games can see literally everything and manipulate it as they wish.. he really didn't think anything through.

That's the problem with this season, the core concept just feels all wrong and what it relies on instead is the bread and butter of season 1 - getting you emotionally invested in the characters. The new cast is awesome, so many wonderful and endearing characters (amongst the usual jerks because I guess there always needs to be characters as the opposition within the contestants, because meta I guess) and they are one of the few reasons I'm looking forward to season 3.

The returning characters as well, written pretty well. Gi Hun is battered and scarred from the last games and it shows, his only intent the entire time is to make sure the games end and to protect as many people as he can. This kind of backfires (see: section that talks about the bad writing), and we're left on a cliffhanger.
Jun Ho is used very sparingly despite being a lead and that choice is very paradoxical because the way they've written the series makes sure that his character can't do much. He could've if they'd changed the plot accordingly at certain points, which I hope they do in the sequel.
In Ho aka The Front Man had the best development this season, at least for me. Not in terms of character or anything, in terms of playing a role in the plot and I'm definitely curious how they'll take that forward.

There isn't really much to say until season 3 is out because I hope the plot can recover from the kind of dive it took in the last couple of episodes. I don't know how they're going to do it, but I hope for our sakes and theirs that they actually find a way to end the game because even with Wi Ha Joon, this doesn't need a fourth season.

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Like the title says, "The Prisoner of Beauty"— but in the bad way.

This show is straight-up misleading. In the first few episodes, the male lead was giving strong, smart, wise vibes. He had that deep-rooted grudge in his heart that made him tough and cold on the outside, but supposedly a good guy deep down.

They definitely exaggerated things to sell that whole “dark and broody” cliché image, especially early on, just to hook in the dark romance crowd.

Then comes the female lead—and no shade to the actress, ‘cause honestly, she did a great job. Too good, actually, ‘cause she had me mad irritated with how dry, emotionless, and confusing her character was. She’s supposed to be 15, but acts like she’s 40. It’s just so unrealistic. She’s like... dead inside. No joy, no fear, no reactions—like a damn robot. All just to match the male lead’s unstable personality and to fit into that “strong independent woman” trope everyone’s obsessed with lately.

But just ‘cause the writer wants her to seem “smart” doesn’t mean you gotta spell it out in every single line. Let her show it through her actions. The more they tried to make her look clever, the dumber they made the male lead seem. And that just doesn’t work for someone who’s supposed to be a ruler. He came off impulsive, obsessive, and lowkey toxic.

I really wanted to see a battle of wits between them—but nah, it turned into a cliché mess between a robot and a lovesick fool.

The drama started with wars and epic battles... now it’s just endless talking. The guy’s jealous of his cousin, the girl’s jealous of his ex, and the mom-in-law keeps starting drama. By episode 14, I still can’t tell how the girl even feels about him. The romance just doesn’t hit. Like, are we seriously supposed to believe this cold, intense guy would let a whole year go by without touching his wife just ‘cause she’s grieving? Nah, doesn’t add up.

And the girl—she’s clearly trying to play him, fake affection and all... but then sometimes it feels like she actually cares? She defends him, lifts him up in front of others... but at the same time, it’s like she’s just using him for her family's sake. In the end, I don’t feel anything.

And look—I love Liu Yuning, and I’ll admit his acting has gotten way better here.
But honestly? I gotta drop this drama. I’m done.

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Excellent series

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a better score and why it is better than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

Sometimes watching a series can leave you lost for words – sometimes that can be a good thing or a bad thing. In this case, it was a good thing. This series was able to keep my attention from beginning to end, a rare feat at times, as there were no skipped parts in any of the episodes, which is why I cannot find any faults in this series. It was so addictive that at times, I personally felt that the episodes were short due to how engrossed I was in watching the series. This series had everything – excellent plot, awesome acting and even comedic timing.

It was able to carry me through emotions, with me laughing at one moment and then getting very emotional at another time. I am glad that I decided to give this series a shot, as it did not disappoint me at all. I would totally recommend this series to anyone out there.

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This kdrama is soo good.

My second time watching My Holo Love. Amazing drama and I enjoyed watching it just as much as I did the first time. The storyline is unique and refreshing. It is suspenseful with romance and sci-fI elements to it. I would have preferred if the language wasn’t dubbed in English. I like reading the subtitles while listening to the voices of the actors even though I cannot understand the words. Despite the dubbing, the production team still pulled it off well as the presentation seemed more natural than other dubbed productions. I recently saw the lead actor in A Beautiful Mind. He was really good in the role of a righteous doctor. All the actors in My Holo Love were great. I highly recommend this series to others.

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My favorite couple, and series for the year! I really wish they could have made a season 2 for this couples. But anyways I like the special episode, I cried when Jo proposed to North I felt like I was seeing my two parents get married. I love them so much, the story lines? and how the actors played the characters very well is just so amazing, whenever I felt down this is now my go to series. JohanNorth raised my standards too high that I don't think I could find another series and actors that could do or portrayed this series, I really hope they could give them more series, and set fanmeets cause I'm literally saving up to meet them someday. I love all the characters and actors I hope I could be able to say how proud and amazing they are, I <3 u Fourevertheseries/JohanNorthSpecialEpisode

WE LOVE YOU JOHANNORTH!!💞

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"Five Children" is a family drama about Mi Jung and Sang Tae and their journey to get married and be happy together.

Mi Jung got divorced because her husband was cheating on her with her friend. The problem is that Mi Jung didn't have the courage to tell her children the truth and lied to them that their father was working abroad. Obviously, they would find out at some point, especially since their father was living with his mistress very close by. Mi Jung wanted to protect her children, while her ex-husband was only concerned about his new wife. The situation with Sang Tae is quite different. His wife passed away, so he has to raise his children alone. The main issue is that Sang Tae has no interest in getting married again, since he lives with his deceased wife's parents, but his parents want him to move on and start his life over. The lives of these two people intertwine and they end up falling in love.

The relationship between Mi Jung and Sang Tae is very beautiful and extremely realistic. It's not a simple love story. They took everything into consideration before deciding to get married, because they knew it would change their children's lives completely. The biggest obstacle was the children, and that was something to be expected. They were friends and at first they even liked the idea of ​​being siblings, but the reality was too much for them. Bin and Soo pretended that they were just hanging out there, they didn't consider it their home, while Woo Young and Woo Ri didn't accept Sang Tae as their father. The situation got so bad that Mi Jung and Sang Tae almost got divorced, but thankfully, in the end everything worked out and they became one big happy family!

In addition to the main couple, we have three other supporting characters. Ho Tae and Soon Young are the most boring couple. Tae Min and Jin Joo are cute, but they can't compare to Yeon Tae and Sang Min, who are amazing together. From the beginning, I knew they were perfect for each other and the story showed that. Sang Min changed so much since meeting Yeon Tae and she became someone more open and expressive because of him. Watching the whole process of Sang Min making Yeon Tae fall in love with him was very entertaining, but nothing beats the scene where he confesses his feelings for her and is rejected almost immediately! HAHAHA'

One of the great positive points of the drama is the way the story dealt with Sang Tae's ex-in-laws. In everything that happened, they would be the ones who would be the most affected, because with Sang Tae getting married again, the children would be raised by another woman and they would lose their place. It was beautiful the way Mi Jung embraced them as part of the family, even when they almost drove her crazy, it clearly showed the beautiful heart she has.

At the time, the drama portrayed a very controversial subject in South Korea: remarriage. Nowadays, this is something common and developed very easily in dramas, but in 2016 it was a bold narrative choice, not only because of the marriage itself, but everything that involves it, especially because of the children. The drama managed to beautifully show that neither surname nor blood makes a family, but rather the love between people and the willpower to continue, despite the obstacles in the way.

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The perfect cdrama

I don't know why I have been holding off on watching this cdrama cuz it is literal perfection. It's not dramatic, it doesn't rely on tropes or plot twists to grab the audiences attention, but it delivers the romance of youth in a way that warms your heart and lingers there long after you've finished the drama. I can see this becoming my comfort cdrama and a constant rewatch because its short, sweet, and so wholesome. No literally nothing is more wholesome than su zaizai and shang lurang.

Their relationship had me kicking my feet, giggling, all the butterflies in my stomach like it hurts my head how cute these two were. Everybody in this show is good looking but there's something bout Zhou Yiran's dimples that makes me lose my mind every time he smiles. I love how zaizai was able to bring that out of him. She loved him so unconditionally and unwavering like everyone deserves a zaizai in their life. But more than anything, I love her she wasn't fragile. When people tried to come for her she stood her ground and I rarely see that out of cute, bubbly female leads. She was nice but she sure as heck wasn't a pushover and I adore her for that. I love the way she warded of girls who were tryna get her man like she is not ashamed to be like "my man my man my man" cuz rly that is HER man.

Rang rang was also down BAD for my girl. He can play nonchalant all he wants but my guy was a simp. One thing I rly loved about lurang was while he was indifferent at times, he was never rude. A lot of times , in kdramas and cdramas, the popular guy treats the female lead like dirt and that to me was never attractive so I rly appreciated that lurang respected zaizai and didn't bully her becuz he couldn't process his emotions properly. I also loved the depth to his character, we get to see his relationship with his parents and how that rly strained his relationship with his brother. I absolutely abhor parents who pit their children against each other. To have such blatant favoritism for one kind and absolutely disregard the other is disgusting. I really wanted to see someone confront his mother(particularly the uncle lin) cuz she was doing way too much and needed a wake up call cuz the way she was acting wasn't benefitting anyone and was only hurting the children she claims to care about. Still glad lurang and his brother were able to rebuild their relationship despite their parents, and zaizai was there to heal those parts of lurang that his parents and society broke.

While lurang's parents pmo, his friends however were such good side characters. I love when side characters have their own distinct characters and aren't just there to prop up the main couple then given generic and shallow storylines. Guan Fang was my favorite side character, his whole storyline was so impactful, his growth is admirable, and in many ways he is the glue of the friend group. Gu ran too like even though they were both jokesters, the writers took their time to ground their characters and give them a solid background. I related to jiang jia loving someone and learning to let them go. Everyone of them was so integral to the enjoyment of the show.

The entire cast was amazing, definitely gonna be checking out Yiran's other shows cuz his dimples r my new favorite thing. Zhang Miaoyi has made a stan out of me. Her and esther yu r so effortlessly and naturally cute, but I can see it in this show that just like esther, miaoyi can really eat up a more serious role. I saw people say she was just cute and a mid actor, but I strongly disagree, because while at face value su zaizai might be a simple character, I felt like miaoyi brought so much life to her in a way no one else rly could. Her acting ability was very apparent in this show and I will be watching all of her stuff and praying she gets bigger roles and gains more popularity domestically.

All that said, love this show, love the romance, nothing like a wholesome youth drama to make me feel like life is worth the living. Highly recommend.

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I wish I skipped it

I didn't like this one so if you liked this drama don't read.

The basic thing in any crime mystery story is to have the least suspicious person as a criminal, not show him clearly in the very beginning of the first episode with a huge a$$ motive.
I know that the more you watch the more you'd suspect others and that's how the writer tried to be smart by giving too many motives for everyone then circle back to the first suspicious person.
But that didn't work out here ... At least for me.

I loved the acting here but not the characters themselves, yaya was amazing as always but Dalah was boring with her stone faced personality, also Pam was too bitchy to even sympathise with her and so on, so how can I like a drama if I hated every single character in it.

The atmosphere was great, the vibes were good and fitting but that didn't save the drama for me.

I would easily skip it, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone ~~

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THE PERFECT DRAMA

Alchemy of souls!!!, where do i start, this drama is like perfect in every manner i feel, the various plot lines and tropes , like the male lead having a special charecterstic that make him different and stand appart from others , the element of mystry with bu yeon and mu deok, the master and pupil plot line, obviously the fantasy fiction, as wellll as the second lead syndrome everything came along so wel.

I am a sucker for some fiction and especially if it comes with a magical element i am dead......
so tbh i watched this drama with zero expectations only to be completely star struck and this is the only drama that i have re watched for the 4th time

the character traansformation of jang uk from a calm yet curious and entertaining person in first season to a more colder person in season two is marvelous and well acted with respect to the trauma that he faced
many people arent very fond of the actress change in season two even i wasnt initially , but after watching the season 2 , i feel that it was required and it adds a different twist to the plot line and it makes more sense over all , also few people may feel that they have portrayed as if jang uk is cheating on mu deok but thats not the way you can look at it , instead he is able to get over her and also see various characterstics of mu deok in her and she is spmeone who is protecting him just like how mu deok did.

over all this drama is a must watch with perfect casting as well as the characters and man the villain in it , he really does his job right in making us hate him,
so i feel you must watch it if your interested in fantasy fiction!!!

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