Reviews

I enjoyed this intense, moving drama that deals with friendship, rivalry, and love. The main character, Ryu Eun-jang, may be one of my favorite characters in dramaland and the actor Kim Go-eun does an amazing job bringing to life all of her character's charm, ambivalence, and insecurities. Park Ji-hyun, who plays her prickly frenemy, by and large succeeds in portraying a complex, selfish, and aggravating, but understandable, character. And the love interest acted by Kim Gun-woo is immensely likeable.

(Mild Spoiler: Some people may be disappointed with the redemption arc of the rival but I have no problems with it because this story is ultimately about Ryu Eun-jang, not Cheon Sang-yeon, and Ryu Eun-jang’s compassion and love are what make this drama special.)

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Comrades

This drama was beautiful. Reasoning for a 9.5-star review is personal, heh.

At first, I hesitated watching this; I put it off for the longest, and I deeply regret that, but I also feel glad I decided to pick it up.
It was totally not what I was expecting. If you're like me, and expected this to be more military themed. Like you know, I don't know how to explain. But it is a romantic comedy, with a good mix of angst.

Lots of funny moments, and characters you might not originally like, you may come to love closer to the end.
So many lovable characters, and halfway through, you feel attached. I feel heartbroken to have finished this drama so soon, but also glad I watched it and experienced this story.

If you're hesitating or putting it off, I'd say pick it up once you get the chance. It's really nice, and bittersweet as many would put it <3

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The series is just a bombshell!!

The drama is just perfect. Chemistry between the couple alpha and enigma are justIt's unreal.🫠❤️ I'm watching just for them. Even though the enigma and the red flag, he never never physically hurt his alpha.Yes, he's obsessed, but all he wanted was for his love to love him back, and for them to be together. History Alphas and omega are typical. Omega is in love unrequitedly, She gets pregnant and runs away. And all because he made up something for himself there. You love his, how will he understand if you don't say it yourself? Stories like this are always surprising. He made it up, was offended himself, and ran away himself. He didn't try to be together at all, he never tried to confess.If none of them takes a step to be together how will they be together? Alpha is always jealous, and omega is always silent, well, what a couple.🙃 That's why I liked the enigma×alpha couple, at least someone makes a move to be together. Sometimes love is a It's not perfect, but love is love. I can't wait for Alpha to get pregnant.😩🔥 Enigma will be overjoyed. 😏😆

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I preface this by saying I really liked the 1st series and did not think the story warrranted a 2nd series. I haven't read the webtoon so maybe by that standard it did.

I did overall like this series but I don't think the story is as well thought out as the 1st series. The best part of the series is Si Eun. Those episode with Park Ji Hoon, carrying that emotional weight elevates the show a for me. I almost wished they had focused more on his recovery in a less violent way. I Still gave the seris a 7 b/c I did like the bromance and frienships developing with Si Eun, Baku, Go Tak and Jun Tae and it's a qucik and easy binge.

A ton of things were left unanswerd or unexplained. Or maybe I just didn't understand the relationship between Baku and Baek Jin. I also did not undertand the point of the Seung Je character.

9/18/25

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"We're all alone in life"

Plan 75 took a calculated approach to culling the herd so to speak. As Japan faced a shrinking younger population and growing older population, Plan 75 was implemented. Anyone 75 or older could chose to be euthanized and receive $1000 and funeral expenses. But is it really voluntary if the poor elderly are financially ostracized leaving them with few choices?

Michi is 78-years-old and working as a cleaning maid with other elderly women. She has no family and her apartment is scheduled to be demolished. When she loses her job, she is left with few options. No one will hire her, no one will rent an apartment to her without a substantial deposit, and the welfare office is “closed.” Michi meets with Plan 75 agent Hiromu and signs up. Hiromu’s estranged uncle also signs up causing him to look into the program more closely.

My first thought was that this felt like a re-working of Kinoshita’s The Ballad of Narayama (1958). In TBoN when a person reached 70 in an impoverished village a family member carried them up the mountain where they were left to die of starvation and exposure. The opening sequence of Plan 75 featured a mass killing of people in an assisted living facility reminiscent of a real-life mass murder in Japan in 2016. The film killing and other hate crimes against older folks spurred the creation of Plan 75.

The first thing that hits you is that all of these people were near the poverty line if not below it. They either had no family or their families had largely abandoned them. None of the people who agreed to be euthanized as good citizens were wealthy. Shocking, I know. It’s briefly implied that businesses were profiting off the human loss of life driving the application age downward. However, there was no real discussion of the glaring pitfalls of such a program and the de-humanization of the elderly. Who has the right to decide if a life is of value and when that life should end? Were the wealthy and powerful held to such a standard? Who will be called on next to make sacrifices? Homeless people or the poor? The handicapped, the sick, the infertile? The LGBTQ+ community? People who aren’t living up to society’s expectations? And when does it stop being encouraged and start being enforced? The lack of a deep dive into the potential for corruption was disappointing.

Plan 75 showed the sad truth that many elderly live alone and on limited funds. When they die, they often die alone. In this film, Hiromu discovered that his uncle had helped build Japan’s transportation infrastructure. Michi had worked her whole life---Basho Chieko gave a quietly inspired performance in this role. Now they were considered a drain on society. Instead of cherishing them, providing for them, and recognizing the value of their lives and contributions they had become disposable. When one group of people is dehumanized, it’s not long before another one will be. Only the poor and powerless were called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. Characters came to realize that life is precious and death should be handled with dignity. Not everyone is ready to leave this mortal coil at 75, there might be one more glorious sunset to bathe in.

“In the shade of the old apple tree,
Tomorrow let’s meet once again
When the red setting sun sinks in the west.”

18 September 2025

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Don’t Wait Out Your Happiness in the Search for a Quiet Life

I don’t think this show will resonate with anyone looking for a fast burn or fluff (both are valid but almost entirely absent here). That’s not to say that this is an angst-fest either, however, just that it’s a very mature drama which focuses its lens on the unraveling of a lifetime of compulsory heterosexuality slowly enough not to snarl. If you’re looking for a mature story with a happy ending, give it a try! If not, then look elsewhere. Come back in five or ten years and see if this is more your cup of tea then. I know that this would have bored me to tears as a child and horrified me as a teenager, but my adult self cannot help but be comforted seeing other people working through something I can relate to, in my own small way. Maybe you will too.

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Fleeting From My Memory

I think the male lead has it in his contract that he must play a characters that is stupid, but acts like he's smart. And he must show his abs at least once. And if you've seen even two of his other series, I'm guessing you can predict how this one ends.

I will say that I enjoyed the FL knew how to fight... when it was convenient. But it's better than most of these shows where the woman can't fight her way out of a wet paper bag.

The storyline is nothing new, you've seen it a thousand times. And that's fine, I'm guilty of enjoying these tropes. It had one jealous character desperate to get with the object of their obsession, which I enjoy.

I will say that these Cdramas love having actors spit up blood. It was gratuitous in this series and was getting on my nerves. I get it, they spit up blood for anything. Shot in the arm? Gotta spit up blood. Stubbed your toe? Gotta spit up blood. Slipped on some ice into a pile of snow? Gotta spit up blood. It's so overdone at this point. Please China, I beg of you, calm it down.

Bottom-line: It's worth a watch if you don't have anything else to do and you're a fan of the ML. I do suggest watching "The Maid" for a better story.

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The OST of the year

It's been a long time since I've been this captivated by a drama, even more by a Japanese one, but "Glass Heart" has to be one of the best J-dramas out there.
The cast was amazing and I can't even imagine how much hard work they put into this, learning to play the instruments from scratch. I've been a Takeru fan for years and I don't think I've ever heard him sing with as much passion as he did here, he sounds amazing. And Masaki! If I hadn't known it was him I would have never recognised him. All of them did great, I loved the band and I really hope this isn't the last we've seen of them.
And the soundtrack is superb, but that was already a given knowing all the people that helped create it. I've been obsessed with some of the songs for a month now and I really wish Tenblank would go on a world tour, because they're that iconic.
All in all, I wouldn't be surprised if I came back to rewatch it soon, because even if I've watched other dramas since then I still can't move on from it.

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TW: Violence Against Children

A heartwarming series revolving around a Japanese-American woman learning that despite her racial and ethnic background, culture shapes people far more than anything else, and there's much for her to learn about being Japanese within the context of Japan. My only complaint is how they chose to finish the story, particularly as it resolved the romantic conflict. I'd say the drama was pretty well written up to the moment Sakura's relationship with Robbie ended, though I'd have prefered if she, much like him, also came to the conclusion that her stay in Japan had forever created a rift between them and the break-up didn't look so one-sided.

I appreciated that they gave her a time to mourn, after all she was in a serious relationship for quite some time, which also made her initial hesitation regarding Katsugari make sense. The shift where they understood how they cared for each other was both sweet and comical, everything was going well, and then we got the plot of her returning to the USA. It bothered me how the men, both Sakura's father and Katsugari, took away her autonamy by going behind her back and lying about important feelings, all to push her to accept a job offer far away from Japan. And even though Katsugari eventually was open about his thought procress, I was already far too annoyed that instead of using these final episodes to fully realize their romantic relationship, after Sakura spent more than half of the story with another man, they chose to do this instead, especially as Katsugari at one point used a teacher who liked him to fool Sakura, hurting two women at once.

Truly a shame, because Sakura and Katsugari are now one of my favorite asadora couples, their relationship was so easy-going, you can see how not only they're a couple, but they're true friends and partners, always being there for each other, in sickness and in health, and that's before even a relationship started between them, imagine how lovely they'd be if we had seen them actually together. So that's to say that I'm truly sad their love story wasn't wrapped up in a better way, but I'm still glad I got to see it unfold.

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Forbidden Love ig

This drama was sooo good! I absolutely love Seo Yea Ji she really carried this role with so much elegance and passion. I loved how they wove the twin flames theory into the plot. The love between the main leads gave me the same forbidden love vibes as Romeo and Juliet.

The OST was beautiful and matched the emotions perfectly. I also appreciated how, even on her path of revenge, she had people who cared for her and supported her along the way. The acting across the cast was spectacular, and I have to mention the outfits Seo Yea Ji’s wardrobe was TOP TIER, every single look was stunning.

Beyond the drama and revenge, this story also carries a message: when you marry someone, it should be because you truly love them from the bottom of your heart, not just for fame, status, or material things. True love will always find its way, no matter how tangled the rope just like the love between the ML and FL.

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The Sweetest High School Romance I Didn’t Know I Needed

Love Untangled Had Me Crying, Smiling, and Falling in Love Too. Like this movie is the best, I just love it. Recently, I watched 20th Century Girl and the ending had me crying, but then this movie showed up. I hesitated a bit but later when I cheked the reviews I decided to try. And when I watched it I was litrelly shedding tears of happiness. It's such a sweet romance, not much drama, just high school love, just what I needed.
And don't get me started about the cast, the female lead is super cute and gullible, I like how she confessed everything infront of Hyun(the second lead and the popular guy of the school) and chose Yoon-seok over him. Now about the male lead, he is soo cute and shyy!! Like they both have very different personalities, but they still end up together (Though I really loved when he got jealous of Hyun). Last but not the least, Se-ri's friends, like they are so supportive for her, not like those jealous bishes, it's actual friendship. I mean they helped Se-ri so much with both the ML and 2nd ML. And when those proposals didn't work, they even comforted her. I just love'em all!
The story is top-notch, like it's such a sweet story about two youngsters who fell in love, it is a little similar to 20th Century Girl (not the storyline but the vibe), but a sweeter version of it. Not to forget, THE MUSIC, wahhhhhh!! It was so good like they were so indie and so me, whoever the singer and songwriters were, I Respect You!

I must recommend this movie to all those who want a sweet high school romance and not much drama. I mean we've seriously got everything in here! we've got good music, excellent acting, perfect storyline and a happy ending in just a 2-hour movie! If I were to describe this whole movie in one word then it would be - SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!

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Very well structured and acting is top notch.

I watched it just out of whim, I never liked a business drama - but to my surprise because of wonderful acting and great dramatization - the scenarios that swept up - I could feel myself rooting for the main characters and team, it was so beatifully done. The lead actor is amazing - he sold me on his leadership on the M&A team.

i binged it - loved every second of it, was actually sad when 3am it ended. I don’t think I will find this kind of well scripted drama in next 2-3yrs. It’s a very classy and polished drama about the corporate world. My salute to the lead actor and writing team - something that I thought i would hate - your writing and acting held me to last episode, that’s the power of a good series. Please if the writing team someday reads this can you bring him with some kind of spinoff ?

Thank You kindly for reading my review. Please go binge it if you can - amazing series.

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