Reviews

The high wore off?

I liked it but only its parts, not the whole.

I liked his persistence and devotion but I did not like his jealousy nor his savior complex.

I liked her confidence but not her immaturity.

There was a lot of kissing (good kissing, steamy kissing. A man starved kissing) and ordinarily, this would be cause for applause but unfortunately, they chose to use kissing as a way to resolve issues instead of talking so it became cause for eye-rolls instead.

It sometimes felt like his dominant position in their relationship (which I loved at first) crossed a little over into “too controlling” territory. Almost like ownership. But not bad enough that I’d write him or the story off-just enough that I side-eyed him a bit.

Some storylines (*cough the so-called second leads cough*) did not need to exist. It was a disservice to pair that woman up with that manchild. A CRIME

Grandpa and I will never be cool in this lifetime.

what the hell was that with his brother??

I’d never recommend that anyone skip watch a story on their first watch (and I still won’t) but the high points of this drama lied in their romance and their romance alone.

7.5/10

I’d watch it again but there’d be a LOT of skipping if I did

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A Disappointment Despite Good Ideas

I just finished Pit Babe, and frankly, watching it was quite a chore. The concept (alpha, enigma, child trafficking, charismatic villain) was promising, but the execution was confusing and messy.

The acting was inconsistent, creating a jarring disparity. The product placements were often poorly done and totally broke the immersion.

But the worst part is Babe: easily one of the worst BL characters, selfish and rude. The dynamic with Charlie is toxic, with Charlie constantly letting himself be walked all over. It's frustrating and makes the relationship uncomfortable.

I absolutely do not recommend it.

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surprisingly it's good

It's a must watch drama it has comedy, romance and food that makes you want to eat 🤤


Got easily hooked on the 1st episode! Kang Haneul portrays his character well, as always! Lots of funny scenes yet I choked up and got teary eyed when he remembers his grandma’s cooking. The lady casts are also good! Looking forward to watch the next ep

I’m Enjoying it. ML is awfully obnoxious & not in a charismatic way, just immature. And we’re supposed to be supporting him doing well after seeing how corrupt and bullying he is? The only reason he isn’t continuing to behave so badly is because he’s been held accountable and lost his job.
Why wouldn’t he ask what the ex female chef was doing all the way having found him ? Obviously something was going on. Yet he just boasted about finding a better chef and then told her to leave. This seems incredibly foolish, considering his position. He should’ve pumped her for information about his brother, and kept to himself that he was starting direct competition against them. Why would you give away your information? Seems silly.

FL is great , refreshingly free of a lot of kdrama tropes, except for ep 4 where she insists on making carrot gimbap as the competition food for a festival! How absolutely stupid.
I’m sorry, but as she isn’t a famous chef, why would anyone buy that when it’s an event where they get the rare opportunity to sample different food from vendors from the city and foods not already in their small rural area.
It made absolutely no sense.
She’s an intelligent woman who is knowledgeable about food.. it seems too silly that she’d genuinely think that was a sellable idea.
Festivals don’t attract repeat customers.
People buy one meal. On the Go.
So you have to make it attention seeking.
This unfortunately made her character lose credibility. She’s obviously not really a country bumpkin. She has a sophisticated sensibility and trained at a top international level.
And why doesn’t she listen to the person whose skillset IS PR and marketing?
He’s had to fight her to put even meat into the menu. Which saved her because it turned it into something more hearty.
Her ego that she can make anything taste good, gets in the way of basic common sense business.
If no one knows her talent, why would they buy such a plain boring, already oversaturated market meal?
They can buy that anywhere, anytime.
Events like this require reeling punters in for a first purchase, providing an unusual opportunity for eating something different -
not proving you can make boring things good.
Honestly it lets the show down.
They sold out , however the whole idea she’d be that clueless is too much.
She could easily make something more captivating taste great too.
And surely they only sold out early Because they couldn’t afford as many ingredients as other food trucks.
Then the absurd idea that people want a “simple” Gimbap rather than a rare eating experience.. and actually request that .. is a silly story. Country people are missing out on the options and variety available in the city. They jump at the chance to try.
As if an unknown food truck could win against an already established fancy famous restaurant who are making a special appearance as an affordable food truck, especially when they made the same food!
Also, why wouldn’t they at least openly try one another’s food to compare? The writers could do so much better with this otherwise fun story.
Her pushing him away so aggressively all the time after iniating contact, also comes off as unnecessary and ott.

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Predictably sweet, it's for the feels, not the plot.

This series is pretty typical for its genre, a historical romance featuring a smart, composed heroine named Ming Tan. She’s set to marry into a “respectable” family, but surprise, they're a total mess. The whole thing is clearly a political move, but Ming Tan isn’t having it. Once she finds out her fiancé got his lowborn cousin pregnant, she starts digging up evidence to call the whole thing off.

Around the same time, she (accidentally) crosses paths with Jiang Xu, the Prince of Dingbei. He’s a royal and a military commander, currently on the run from assassins because he’s trying to get to the bottom of a battle gone horribly wrong. As he investigates corruption in the capital, he and Ming Tan keep bumping into each other.

Ming Tan’s no ordinary girl, she’s the fourth lady of the powerful Ming family, so her marriage has serious political weight. Her fiancé’s family is desperate to cling to that power, no matter how shady they have to be. Even Jiang Xu has to step carefully around her family at first. But as things unfold, he and Ming Tan start working together to break off the engagement, since it benefits them both.

Once the engagement’s canceled, Ming Tan is finally free, until Jiang Xu goes to the Emperor and asks to marry her himself. Because her marriage is practically a state affair, the Emperor agrees, and just like that, she becomes the Princess of Dingbei.

As for the rest of the story? It’s full of familiar tropes, the evil stepmother and stepsister, the funny and loyal guy friends, the sweet cousin, the overly trusting dad, and of course, our classic cold male lead who falls hard for the smart, kind female lead. Jiang Xu and Ming Tan are pretty textbook, but their chemistry is solid, and honestly, they’re fun to watch together.

Bottom line, don’t expect a groundbreaking plot. This is a comfy, costume drama with some light political twists, a few emotional bumps, and plenty of cute, cheesy, and feel-good moments. If you’re here for the romance, it delivers.

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A Surprising and Dynamic Season 2

I absolutely loved this season! It has a more mature vibe than the first, with great introductions of characters (Go Tak, Hu Min, Jun Tae as allies; Seong Je as the enemy).

The series is a quick watch, even if a few questions remain unanswered (thanks to only 8 episodes!). I especially loved Sieun's evolution; I preferred him this season. The fight scenes are excellent, and the friendships between the characters are beautifully developed.

Season 2 is less melancholic and more focused on fun action than Season 1, which I really appreciated. The actor playing the villain is good, though his motive lacked clarity. Park Ji Hoon's performance is incredible, a true talent.

Highly recommend!

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The Next Prince - The Series that is making history around the world

The Next Prince continues to impress with each Episode with elegant storytelling and confident performances across the board. The unfolding plot of The Next Prince demands performances that are both emotionally honest and narratively precise. The Next Prince is at a different level of performance perfection. Zeepruk and NuNew are giving us performances that don’t require raising voices or dramatic outbursts to make its impact felt. The physical stillness in their scenes speaks volumes, due to how deeply they embody their roles. They create emotional proximity even in physical distance.. The chemistry is present, but never overstated — it’s refined and emotionally honest. From the outstanding cast, majestic characters and spectacular costumes and scenes, live music, The Next Prince is Making history worldwide

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A good drama but not as good as S1

Overall its a good drama but something inside me tells me that its not as good as S1. I kept hoping Ahn Su Ho to wake up and bring back the spark in this drama but I guess he won't wake up for a while. I don't know if he wakes up in the later episodes or not as im in 6th episode right now. Some drawbacks about this drama was that it had strikingly the same characters as in S1 i.e a strong guy, a guy who looks like a nerd but in this case ig Seo Jun Tae doesn't betray the group like how Oh Beom Seok did in S1. This drama had little details similar to that of Study group too. For example, in study group it was Pi Han Ul and in this drama it was Na Baek Jin except for the fact that the person above Pi Han Ul was his dad and for Na Baek Jin it was a gangster (played by Jo Jong Seok) . All I can say about this drama is that Ryeoun did a really good job acting. This role was very different from the roles he has played till now and he did a good job showcasing his skills. The OSTs are also good but not as good as S1. The director was trying to make the drama funny and interesting like S1 but ig without Ahn Su Ho this drama doesn't give away those emotions which I felt while watching S1. The main thing about the first season was that Yeon Si Eun used his intelligence to fight the villains but in this season nothing like that is seen or portrayed (okay except for the fact that he told Seo Jun Tae about Newton's third law). Every single time he takes out his pen to attack, someone throws it down and he ends up using his fists. The pen was the main highlight of S1 and many of these highlights were not showcased in this drama which ended up in me making this drama a 5/10 .

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Strange OTT series definitely not a rom-com but funny all the same (if you can suspend disbelief)

What can you say it's the most OTT jdrama I've seen: definitely not a rom-com but hilariously funny (assuming you don't take the ML's pursuit/stalking of FL seriously). I haven't seen the mango so can't compare but it is very funny as it's so over the top. I loved the fact FL held her own faced with the increasing crazy actions of the ML. To be honest if you watch it without assuming that it reflects real-life it's fun. I found it more amusing that the creepy priest/monk in "From 5 to 9" this at least is playing for laughs... Likewise the FL kicks ass much more than the FL in 'I wanna punch that scumbag' who didn't and resorted to classic rom-com style. Definitely a unique series quirky funny and not to be taking seriously.. ML actor I've seen before in 'From 5 to 9" where I felt he was a way better actor than the ML there: here at least he gets to show his comedic and slapstick skills. Not too sure it's as funny to re-watch - unless you're an afficionado of the manga.

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A well crafted take on the theme of good and evil.

To be honest, I actually watched TU a year ago, without reading the novel, just because it was a censored version of BL and it was very popular. But I couldn't get past the 25th episode, precisely because I didn't understand anything. I had no idea what the characters were doing, and adding to that, this was my first chinese xianxia drama.
But a year later, I came across the manhua, and I started reading it thinking I would understand better, and again I was wrong. The manhua had mentioned a dozen times that the explanations are better in the novel, and I gave the novel a try.
And as for the novel, I was hooked on reading the first few chapters, because it had better explanations of the characters and the general elements of the MDC.
So, if you are confused watching the series, I highly recommend you to read the novel first.
( I read only read 2 volumes completely and wangzian scenes of the other 3 volumes, since I felt the timelines of the novel confusing and I was in a rush to complete due to my exams nearing)
Summing up, reading to the novel helped me know the characters, but apart from that I didn't know anything about the major events taking place in the story and I watched them in TU for the first time.
Coming to the drama, what makes it a worthy watch is the story and the compelling acting.
I will first talk about the acting.

ACTING
Both Xiao zhan and Wang yibo have done a tremendous job in bringing the characters to life. Their acting makes us remember their characters, forever. And apart from the leads, I think all other supporting characters also did a great job in portraying their characters, and no character in this story is superficial, they are defined by their actions, intentions and motives.
PRODUCTION
The direction is perfect, but personally the production was mediocre in some scenes. Apart from those few scenes, all other scenes had beautiful cinematography and the costumes and set designs seemed well planned ( especially the interiors of the clans bases).

STORY
The story was perfect because it conveyed the notions of good and evil perfectly to the audience. What I learnt through this drama are two things -
1. Nothing in this world can be labelled as completely good or evil, and that intentions of the doer is what is important.
2. Next, a third person can judge our choices as right or wrong very easily, but unless and untill you are in the circumstance, you cannot understand why a particular decision was made unless you understand that person. A decision cannot be made purely because it is good or bad, but there are many factors affecting it - the situation, the feeling and personal ethics and opinions of the person.

The drama had conveyed these aspects so perfectly that I was thinking about this a whole day after watching the nevernight finale episode.
And next coming to wangzian.
How fortunate is to be loved like how Lan zhan loved Wei ying ! A beautiful portrayal of love at it's most purest form. I badly manifest a love like theirs.

OST
The music perfectly complimented and elevated the emotions of the characters.
I am forever in love with wuji and wangzian.

I know I am a little biased, but I never knew I would love TU so much before I started it (Cuz when I watched it last year without context, I didn't like TU and it seemed a waste of time).
And I came to know that there are many changes in the novel and the adapted form, so I am planning to read the novel completely once again Because I am interested in how the book conveys these same themes.
I will admit, there are a lot of shortcomings in the drama, but those can be overlooked for the sake of the impact the story and characters had on me.

Rewatch value - I will rewatch TU in the future as I am busy with exams for now.
If you are debating whether to watch or not, I would definitely recommend you to read the novel first ( atleast 2 volumes, as most of the characters are introduced in it, and the drama doesn't explain the background of the supporting characters, which is crucial to the story), and then watch the untamed.

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UNDERSTANDING THE PLOT BETTER

Watched up to nine episodes so far and to be honest I have to leave this here, first thing first, the beginning set the betrayal/revenge plot. After all, we learned that Zhang Hai revenge isn't just there, but he actually has a REASON for it.

I've seen a few reviews mentioning the little Zhang hai ADAPTED quickly... But I think those little details were there to not CONFUSE us, I mean it was clearly shown that he was determined... Resilient and a little rebellious. Ask me why? I'll tell you, you can see little him fishing that little boy out of that carriage, because he was DETERMINED to learned the reason why his father isn't back as promised.

He's RESILIENT, because I BELIEVE no way should a little boy be able to build all those tunnels without a huge RESOLVE.

And being REBELLIOUS?

He brought that little boy from the carriage into the tunnels and kept him there without the knowledge of his mother. He knew his mother wouldn't ALLOW that right? And of course, when she found it out, she had them RELEASED the boy, and ask him to block all the tunnels which he was RELUCTANT to do at first, but later gives in.

AND WHEN HIS FAMILY DIED?

As expected, he cried when his parents died... But got knocked out by the smoke where the masked man found him... He also cried in the boat... But at the same time was swearing revenge in the next few minutes. Like I said, he's not another ordinary LITTLE boy, because I believe any normal little boy would've ran out the moment he saw his parents being slaughtered, but he didn't, and why is that? We can see, the hatred is being born right then and there, leading to the will to get revenge on them. So when he finally got the chance to, he HOP on it.

AND XIAO ZHAN?

Xiao Zhan PERFORMANCE was just great. We can see he has gotten even better, his acting is too notch and he brings every emotions into the character.

ALSO I wasn't expecting that sci Fi revelation... Had to watch the LOST TOMB tomb earlier today to see Zhang Hai zhuan goes beyond just a revenge driven drama, it's linked... It has depth that requires people with great insight to understand.

The politics.. the power struggle, and everything is just perfect.. okay I want moreeeee.

And a little ADVICE for people who are more invested in romance themed drama...this might not be your cup of tea... GRACIAS.

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The price of revenge is not cheap

Dear Hongrang is an angst slow burn cliche centred of revenge, grief, passionate love, obsession, questionable relationship, psychological turmoil, children abuse and abduction and many dark themes with an amazing acting, stunning scenery, good sword fighting's scene, good scripts, great villian and pleasing OST and BGM.

While the plot of the story is not something new for kdrama or Hollywood's playbook with the sad and expected ending, Dear Hongrang is quite a remarkable drama that left long lasting impression for the viewer. One of the dramas that viewer demand longer episode, weekly airing (So that, anticipation's value is high) and more explanation to the plot hole.

However, the story was delivered and the paced is good (quite). Not everything needs to be shown and to be explained but, it will be great if some character has a background story e.g The Snow Man (reminded me of Shirogane/that man from Gannibal). He is an interesting character.

Overall, the drama is enjoyable. 8/10 from me.

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