Reviews

Extremely shocked at the terrible production quality

So I've finally decided to complete this show after so many years since it aired, since currently the incoming influx of C-Drama and K-Drama shows have been stale in quality. Not sure if it has anything to do with streaming services cutting down on the typical production budget.

But anyway, I'm going to keep this review short and simple. Healer is a show with a very good choice of Main Actor and Actress. Park Min Young was hot at that time, and all the girls seem to be crazy for Ji Chang Wook (this is likely the reason for the high ratings). The choice of actors alone, carried this show.

The script was nothing special though not as bad (I've seen worse in the plethora of 2024-2025 c-dramas being released with boring AF draggy episodes). Comparing healer's script to these latest productions, it can be treated as a "decent" script. In the first few episodes, the main character gets toss aside and the side/antagonists characters with their boring past consumes most of the screen time. A good script should introduce the main characters first or at least give them a decent amount of screen time, this doesn't happen in healer, so we pretty much did not care if the main character lived or die since there's no attachment.

Now on to the bad. (If you don't wish to read anything negative about this show, skip this portion you're done reading this review)

The camera work gave the nauseating feeling. Action scenes seem as if they were shot while there was a 9.1 magnitude earthquake hitting South Korea. It's as if the crew had forgotten to turn on their camera stabilizers or a camera gimbal and were simply running around with their camera. The footage was unbearably shaky in several scenes.

The OST, especially when the main character whoops the bad guys, is shared across multiple other non-action scenes, happy scenes, stress scenes, fighting scenes etc, somehow the production team decided to use this 1 corny tune on all these scenes. Ruining the mood of these scenes. This tune seemed as though it belongs to a game like Maplestory where cute characters fight against cute monsters. Imagine taking one of this game's background music and inserting it in multiple different scenes in this supposedly action thriller crime drama.

To summarize without spoilers, I'm confused as to how this show got such high ratings. But as stated earlier, it is likely due to the choice of actor and actress, especially the main leads. If you're a diehard fan of either, by all means watch this show and enjoy it. But if you're in the mood for a well-produced show and couldn't care less of the casting choices, the shaky camera work and surprisingly TERRIBLE background music choice will sting both your eyes and ears to oblivion in the first few episodes. This is the first time I've been turned off solely by shaky cam and terrible music. Now I can appreciate the importance of music and how it influences mood in dramas.

If you're looking for a great Ji Chang Wook action-romance drama, check out the K2 which doesn't suffer from the same complains as this show. It has better ost music that matches each scene, the plot focuses on the main characters from the start with little draggy scenes, and the camera work is free from healer's shaky nightmare.

If you're looking for some of the top action romance show and don't really care about the casting choice, check out City Hunter, Bridal Mask, and Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre. These shows, especially City Hunter, have top of the line production quality. Camera work, action choreography, music choices are of a high and acceptable standard (for a TV show it is impressive, just don't compare them to top budget movies from jackie chan / donnie yen or the MCU). Of course each of these shows have their own sets of flaws (no dramas are perfect), but at least they've definitely surpassed many shows which rightfully makes them some of the best in the Action Romance genre.

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Insanely Good

I genuinely loved Punks Triangle! It’s pure gold—fresh, breathtaking, and brilliantly executed. The concept is unique, and it’s one of those BLs that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

The story follows Chiaki, a reserved and awkward guy who’s passionate about fashion and inspired by someone. The plot is simple, yet it manages to feel distinct. Chiaki finds himself torn between Enaga and EA, only to discover that they’re the same person. He meets Enaga at fashion school where they become project partners. There’s a reason EA needs to hide his identity, but I won’t say more—you’ll have to watch it yourself to avoid spoilers.

The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the height difference is absolutely adorable. Honestly, I loved everything about this series—from the acting and cinematography to the plot, character development, and even the soundtrack. Every song perfectly matches the mood of each scene.

If I could rate it 10000/10, I absolutely would. Overall, Punks Triangle is a masterpiece and a must-watch. 💖😍

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It grossed me out.

I put this one on my watchlist just because it starred Jung Subin and I regret it. I think he's so freaking adorable but this series made me want to punch him hard in the face.

Why do most BL series insist in having one manly man and another man so delicate he could easily be replaced with a woman or a child and make no difference? Truly these 3 men deserve jail or need therapy or both.

Yoo Do Ha who on many instances claims to be a 27 year old grown ass man sounds, looks and behaves like a 5 year old yet somehow for some reason he has 3 men interested in him.

Taek Gyeong, childhood best friend who's been in love with him forever, acts like a mad dog around him, seriously terrifying.

Haram, Café owner clingy, slimy and sleezy gives me the creeps just following Doha around practically stalking him.

Yeon San former coworker handsome plank of wood.

I watched the entire series and I have no idea why they liked Doha, Why and when Doha liked the person he chose, it's obvious who he chose I don't have to say it and you don't have to watch it to know. All 3 choices were bad but, chose the absolute worst, Doha dear, I know he's got a cute smile, but that doesn't erase his horrible awful toxic personality.

8 episodes of nothing really, some beautiful shots here and there, cute boys to look at, but absolutely not worth watching.

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I still don’t understand the hype

Subpar writing, average acting and a cliche plot progression; Revenge love turned out to be one disappointment after another. It's essentially a melting pot of my most hated bl tropes:
-SA treated too casually and not taken seriously;
-One dimensional female character who's only role is to be the most annoying and abonxious love rival:l;
-No brain side charcters who easily play into the MC's simplistic schemes;
-Ex that's been gone for years suddenly returns and wants to get together with the ML.
I've been reading BL for 10 years now and I've seen this same plot progression play out a hundred times over. People are overly lenient because it's a chinese drama with a beautiful cast who has great chemistry with each other but that’s not enpigh to balance out all of its other flaws.

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Did not live up to my expectations

I expected a lot more from this BL : hidden identity, punk fashion, design school, night life...There was so much that could have been better exploited. For example, I wish they would have developed more the fashion arc but it remained quite surface level. Instead of spending time on some random characters at the part time job of one of the lead, the script should have focused much more on fashion and the triangular relationship(s) between the two main leads. Indeed, I think the romance itself could have been better with maybe longer runtime of the series. Chemistry was really good at first but felt pretty tame by the end. It lacked attitude, life and passion, especially given the context of the drama.

Even if some suspension of disbelief is required regarding the secret identity of one of the main lead, I found Fujibayashi Yasunari, quite good at portraying this dual role and creating two very credible characters (Enaga Ayumu / AE). It made the big secret of the series quite believable. Unfortuntaly, I was much less convinced by Nagano Ryota playing the other main lead Sumiura Chiaki. I did not vibe at all with the way he interpreted his role: trembling lips, scared doll eyes...I felt he wore the same expression most of the time facing AE. I must admit he was not helped at all by the script, the character being unbelievably naive...Still, would have appreciated to see more range in his acting.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people because I was disappointed by the end as the series lost its steam along the way. There are quite a bit to enjoy with its refreshing context for a BL and nice soundtrack very fitting for the theme. I think if the beginning did not made me raise my expectations quite high, I might have been less critical...But it is what it is.

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WILL MAKE YOU CRY (maybe)

I want to start by saying, I love The Spirealm. This drama caught my eye from the beginning with its plot featuring a bromance between the leads and also just because the I LOVE mystery/thriller dramas. But knowing that its a censored adaptation of its novel counterpart, I didn't have high hopes for this at all. As I approached the last few episodes though, I found myself dreading to see the end. This drama does an exceptional job at making you attached to seemingly insignificant characters like Tan Zaozao, Cheng Qianli and Li Dongyuan (and yes these characters did make me cry), but despite me rating it a 10, it is definitely not objectively flawless.

The Story (a general overview)

The plot revolves around our protagonist Ling Qiushi as he enters a game called the Spirealm. There are 12 doors that you must pass in this game, each as sort of a "mystery room" where you must find the key and open the corresponding door to pass. Each door has a different story with different NPCs involved, and most importantly different "taboo conditions". Violate these conditions and you're dead, in game and in real life. Through this game, Ling Qiushi meets Ruan Lanzhu, and they quickly become partners determined to pass through all 12 doors, hoping to purify this game and return it to its original, harmless, form.

My Thoughts

Now, I love the overall idea of this drama. And for the most part, it does a pretty good job in terms of execution. Each door teaches you a valuable lesson about life, and it gets pretty emotional. HOWEVER, there are many plot holes and things that don't really make sense when you look into it. I was confused at times, searching things up online to try to find an answer. But, as I progressed through the drama, I found myself obsessing over the characters and story regardless of its many flaws. I also feel like it would've benefitted with more eps, as if some storylines were more fleshed out it would've taken this drama from great to even better.

The Acting

Amazing. Even though there isn't necessarily a super big actor in any of these roles, everyone did their job very well. Our leads are handsome and charismatic, side characters are fun and likeable, and the villains did a great job of making me hate them. Overall, I am very satisfied with the cast.

Music

I normally never have anything to say about music, but the slightly creepy/eerie songs of this drama really gets you into the mood. There's this one thing that replays throughout the entire series, and trust me, IT WILL become nostalgic in the end.

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A Real Gem

This drama was one of the biggest surprises I have had based on the rating, and wonder why it didn’t rate higher.

The leads were charming and endearing, even the 2nd’s were great. The FL was cast perfectly, as she was able to portray the cocky, domineering and fearless CEO while also showing how insecure and fearful she was when it came to being able to live and be loved in return. The ML was brilliant. He was a calm, cool and collected doctor who was compassionate and truly cared about his patients and his career, while also showing his faithful affection to the childhood friend who proposed with a game coin and his desire to find her again (he did!). And let’s face it, he’s got a very handsome face - and his abs aren’t bad either 😉

For once, a drama that had a best friend of the FL that didn’t have a brain made of cotton candy, was inflicted with childhood trauma and was overly promiscuous and bitter! This girl was brave, smart, articulate and creative…and she didn’t have a voice that sounded like fingernails running over a chalkboard. I loved her character.

The plot was well developed and almost every character developed and grew personally, which kept your attention throughout.

Tge one big surprise was the FL’s assistant. His whole storyline was so well hidden that it truly caught you by surprise.

The in-laws on both sides were also very normal, with the exception initially of the FL. Her father was always angry and cranky, while her stepmother was whiney, calculating, and very vocally hysterical initially. None of them from either side intruded on their private space, and there were absolutely no mil visits where every square inch of their home was rummaged through and then hostile confrontations taking place over “hidden” secrets.

And finally the little boy the leads had was absolutely adorable and a fabulous actor at his young age. He was very convincing of the leads being his real parents, and was very interactive with them physically with hugs, hand holding and climbing in them like young children do. Very convincing.

Personally, I had a hard time initially with the 2nd ml because I despised his character from another drama (Legally Love) and it took me a long time to get past that 😂

I liked the music a lot. Tgere was one song that had me crying when the big split took place because it was so fitting with the scene. It really tugged at an empathetic heart.

I highly recommend this drama if you haven’t seen it yet. It is relatively angst free, broken up by comedic interaction, and filled with romantic gestures and affection.

Give it a watch. You won’t regret it!

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Black butler?

I saw a lot of reviews had an issue with AI butler not acting like an AI from the start, he was already showing emotions and acted very himan like. I didnt have a problem with that, i just kept ignoring the fact that he's and AI and treated him like a regular "profeesional" butler. It reminded me a lot of one if my favorite anime "Black butler" (without all the supernatural stuff). Can i tell you my mind was blow in ep 6 when they actually referenced this anime in the show 😅 i immediately paused to leave this review.

Othervise, show is pretty funny, main character is a brat which i love, so he needs ti be put un his place ny the butler. Its pretty light hearted (for now), its not like "Anti Reset" which was more serious, dramatic, romantic, and there was clear evolution of the robot and his emotions.

Im really enjoying it, and having fun. Also, there was a pretty decent steamy scene where they did the deed (not shown in detail) but i was surprised by how passionate the scene was considering its taiwanese.

If you watch this and didnt watch "Anti Reset", pleasr watch that next

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A Master Class in Acting

What could have been a banal, enjoyable watch is elevated tremendously by the sheer will and force of Fujibayashi Yasunari's (Enaga/Ae) performance. I noted that this review contains spoilers and it's a rather minor spoiler considering that all the characterization, conflict, and themes rest on what happens after the "big reveal" very early in the show's run.

Yasunari has created two distinct characters in his performance: Enaga and Ai. He has accomplished this on a genetic level. Each "character" he plays has a distinct walk, posture, line delivery, and even gaze. In the hands of a lesser actor, this role could have merely let the piece be what it's script delivered- a "mistaken identity" romantic comedy that bordered on farcical. But the subtlety of what Yasunari has accomplished is what elevates the show above it's material- it is completely believable that Nagano Ryota's character (Chiaki) is entirely oblivious as the "two" men he is spending so much time with are so disparate and even unrecognizable to each other in juxtaposition. The amount of commitment to craft is obvious and it is a shame that this genius performance will go under-recognized simply because of the genre in which it was delivered.

But this praise of performance does not end with Yasunari; after all, he needs a scene partner and this is where Ryota's choices really shine. It is tremendously challenging to play the "straight man" to an "over-the-top" character and Ryota delivers the foundation on which Yasunari builds his performance. Ryota is tasked with delivering "unbridled admiration" for his bias in their "AE" scenes and what could have very easily been "cringe" or scene chewing is given such a sweet, hot, shyness: a sense of being slightly overwhelmed by the brilliance yet basking in the warmth of his personal sun in such a way that his growth and comfort feel organic. There were times I felt a phantom blush and reddening of my own ears watching this dynamic and this attests to Ryota's talent.

Kudos to the director for trusting the subtlety of what his actors were doing and just letting them deliver. The performances are what really elevate this material to the position of noteworthy.

You've seen this type of story play out one hundred times if you are a BL fan. But you've never seen it played out in the hands of two master craftsmen like Yasunari and Ryota. One caveat though- Ryota's character is slightly underwritten so his performance pales slightly in comparison to Yasunari's.

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“What if love didn’t end when life did?”

See You in My 19th Life takes one of the most romantic ideas in storytelling...reincarnation, and delivers it with humour, heart, and a beautiful twist on destiny. Shin Hye Sun shines as Ban Ji-eum, a woman who remembers every one of her past lives and is determined to reconnect with the boy she loved in her 18th one. Her performance is fearless, witty, emotionally layered, and completely magnetic. This is one of those roles only she could play.

The drama balances fantasy and reality brilliantly, yes, the premise asks you to believe in centuries of memories, but it roots everything in very human emotion: grief, longing, healing, and choosing love even when it hurts. It shows the beauty and the burden of remembering everything… especially when trauma follows from one life into the next.

What truly sets this drama apart is how cleverly interconnected every character is. The show crafts a web of fate that spans lifetimes: family, friendship, loyalty, love, all intertwined for reasons that slowly unfold in the most satisfying way. The emotional reveals? Perfectly executed.

The romance builds exactly the way I love Korean dramas to build: slow, meaningful, intentional. No childish behaviour from the female lead, no random misunderstandings dragged out for episodes. Instead, we get adults who actually talk and grow through their feelings. And the male lead? Such a soft, loyal, protective baby once he opens up.

The ending is one of the sweetest I’ve seen in a long time. There’s no unnecessary tragedy, just healing, destiny reset, and a love that gets to start fresh in a peaceful way. Even though she forgets her past, the people who love her are still right there, gently making their way back into her life. That final sentiment?

“Even if the memories disappear… our souls will still recognize each other.”

Is it absolutely perfect? Goblin and Mr. Queen still hold the crown for me, but See You in My 19th Life comes beautifully close. A couple small tropes here and there, but nothing that ruins the ride. Honestly, it’s the first drama in a very long time that had me completely hooked....I binged it in 2 days and got zero work done. Zero regrets.

If you love:
• fantasy mixed with fate
• slow-burn soulmate romance
• emotionally satisfying storytelling
• charming comedy without ridiculous characters
• and a FL who is bold, hilarious, and impossible not to love…

…this is your next obsession.

Final Verdict:
A beautiful, healing, and deeply romantic tale about souls meant to find each other—again and again and again.
A definite must-watch.

Score: 9/10 — Nearly perfect, and 100% unforgettable.

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AE's Dilemma

Japanese productions stand out due to their unique style of delivery. They do not shy away from tackling different topics and their acting is of a higher standard. Their body language, speech and esthetics add to the quality of work. This series was no different. Though the story in itself lacked a certain punch to it, the production, scenery and acting delivered a polished piece.

Chiaki, blunt, awkward and singleminded, loved two things, fashion and AE. AE, cool exciting and handsome, seemed untouchable until he did come into reach. Chiaki felt seen and chosen. Then, he wasn't. Enaga, clumsy introverted and introspective, observed the effects he had on Chiaki. He got to see the real version of Chiaki. Chiaki had one rule. No lies. AE/Enaga's dilemma.

AE creates the avenues for freedom and self-expression without inhibitions. AE's character is very vivid. In both personas, he hesitates from hurting him. It is with Enaga that Chiaki can be himself. Instinctively, Chiaki separates reality with fantasy with the avoidance of the kiss. Chiaki's confusion and hurt due to the deception is completely understood. Both versions deceived him.

The ending was not as impactful as the previous episodes. As Chiaki said, he expected a better confession. So did I. The previous slight touches between felt very intimate. The last scene felt more like good friends than intended lovers. AE had lost a bit of his aura. I'm not a fan of a constant flow of voiced thoughts but theirs did not feel obtrusive. This is definitely worth the watch.

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