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Perfect example of how a ridiculous ending can ruin the whole show
Actually, in the beginning, this was a fun show all the way to the last 7-8 episodes. Towards the end, the show became very boring and repetitive, i.e. matchmaking company doing well, successful..then something happens and people boycott and ruin them...this theme keeps repeating over and over, ad nauseam. Enough already. Instead, there should have been a story development in a new direction, for example.....we got that the ML Diety had to return to Haven and FL had to forget him. But then, 3 years later, he just dropped back in with no explanation of how and what happened, not to mention, everybody remembered him? How?This could have been an opportunity for an interesting development in the storyline, for example: where the FL forgot his love but she kept dreaming about him, and was about to get married to the Second ML (Imperial Inspector) when ML returned just on time as he committed crimes again in Haven to be exiled again, etc more to the continuation of the story. Instead - we got the ridiculous ending of a rude, non caring, argumentative shrew of a wife who only cares about her work? Not to mention the other Diety who suffers domestic violence daily. What kind of ridiculous ending is that to a romantic comedy? Who actually thinks that people watch romantic /fantasy comedies to end up with a washed up, shrew of a wife and constant argumentative ( not to mention domestic violence) kind of relationship? HELLO.. we watch rom coms for a happy, satisfying ending as a sort of escapism for a moment or two.
Did they hire a new, clueless writer to finish the story? What a waste of the whole production!
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A MASTERPIECE!
I know I’m quite late to the party, but better late than never!I’m not new to watching BLs, but I haven’t ventured into Thai BLs until much recently. this drama has been on my plan to watch list since day 1. I had high hopes for this, both from the synopsis and from how much I’ve heard about it, and it did not disappoint! this is hands down a MASTERPIECE, beyond the boundaries of BL/mainstream dramas.
I’m not sure what I can say or write about this drama, aside from the fact that this left me AWESTRUCK.
the story, the cinematography, the acting, the writing, everything about this was perfect! I love it when we have BLs with an actual story line, one that isn’t full of nonsense, and one that leaves an impression. and boy, this had such an amazing story. and the impression it left on me.
the writing was so beautifully done. and every single character was so beautifully written, especially White and Sean. the way they so effortlessly fell in love with each other was so beautiful!
this was my first time seeing OffGun (I know they’re considered one of the OGs) and I could totally see why they’re so popular. their chemistry is just off the charts. I could feel every bit of love their characters had for each other.
the romance…oh my. the way Sean looks at White with so much love and adoration in his eyes. even when he got hurt when White disappeared, he forgave him right away (only to get punched by Black asffdggd, poor guy😭). and the way he agrees right away for any plans proposed by White lol bro is DOWN BADDD. and i love it😭the scenes of their first time together was just so incredibly beautiful. the way Sean asked for consent for every single he was doing, A WHOLE WALKING FOREST!!
my heart breaks for everything White had to go through for the sake of his brother. and the guilt White was feeling for not being honest with Sean and his friends, I FELT THAT!!
the acting…oh my..where do i even begin. OffGun are both such amazing actors. The supporting characters did a great job too. Gun did such a great job at pulling off the contrasting characters of Black and White! the scene where they finally reunited hit me right in the feels😭
back to the cinematography. loved the dark and gritty color grading, felt so raw and honest. perfectly fitting for the drama. that rooftop kiss scene was probably one of the most beautiful kisses I’ve ever seen!
I could probably go on an on forever. but I’ll stop here for now.
overall, this is one of the very few BLs that left such a big impression in my heart. I will never forget the feeling watching this made me feel. definitely making it to my list of best dramas, BL or non bl alike.
PS. tell me why this masterpiece is rated only 8.5?! this definitely deserves more than that💔
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Not Expected Coming from China
Woah. Did not expect this out of China. The ML's fiance was 🍇 and murdered by chaebols. After biding his time in a mental hospital he gets his revenge by taking them down from the inside. Using their own secrets, betrayals, and abhorrent actions to have them bring each other down. Throughout the entire show he sees his dead fiance interacting with him, showing just how far hone he was. In a world where Yu Menglong did not get justice (and given corruption in China/entertainment industry) and likely never will, the end was a stark warning to those who would think about vigilante justice. Almost as if this (IMHO award winning) entire drama was made to deter netizens from taking revenge on the people who murdered him.Was this review helpful to you?
Chosen family or Detective agency vibes? BOTH!
Loved this mini j-drama. Although the detective lines are simple, but the storyline with Makki and his brother is very strong and heartbreaking. Last ep made me cry, laughed and melted from cuteness 5 times in the row. Makki & Keita complement each other well in investigations and communication with clients.Cons➖: color grade is toned in shadows with hue green and dark blue although its not dat horrible than made in j-drama Gokushufudo.
Pros➕: storyline, chemistry between the male leads, the production, filming, editing [cuts of certain scenes add a lot of humor], the soundtrack and background music - fit the situations perfectly, characters and situations are funny [let’s appreciate role of a brilliant (voice) actor - Kenjiro Tsuda.] The acting is typical for j-dramas.
⚖️So this typical presentation of “overacting” may doesn’t work for some ppl (especially if u k-drama fan/u watch only mainstream netflix dramas).
And for those who, like me, adore such underrated dramas as: Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi (2013), Ribasu Ejji Ookawabata Tanteisha (2014), Coffee Ikaga Deshou (2021) - i can say with 80% confidence that ull enjoy watching it, and even 4 eps will not be enough for u.
PS: yep, i love j-dramas with the chosen family trope…
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It's basically Jinx manhwa live action without the acknowledge
Honestly, I've got some moral issues here...This series isn't just similar with Jinx.. it's literally the same. The are only 3 differencesn
1. Joo Jaekyung is tennis player
2. Kim Dam took the job offer for his brother
3. There is no 🍇 (yet) and I don't think it will be
True, the story is much less toxic, it's technically a green flag version of Jinx, but it's still pretty much the same. I saw only 2 episodes and I really do wish I was wrong, but these two episodes are exactly the same as first chapters of Jinx. The exact same scenes in the exact same order with almost the exact same lines.
It makes me sad, because the actors have perfect chemistry and the story is capturing, but as someone who has read Jinx since there were only 8 chapters (100th chapter was released today), I just can't overlook this fact no matter how much I want to...
So I really so wish it'll change in next episodes...
(I will delete or edit this review if they prove me wrong.)
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✂ ⛓ Bottoms UP! °7.5° °VG°
Miss Oh Hae-young opens the show. (That's Miss-Ordinary-Oh-Hae-young, not the Pretty-Girl-Oh-Hae-young). The ordinary one is getting married tomorrow. She unexpectedly announces that it's OFF👎🏻. She refuses to marry THAT man. Her mother (played by the "every" mother, Kim Mi-kyung) may actually kill her. Her father warns her more than once: "Get out. She's coming."We'll learn that all her life she's had to live in the shadow of a beautiful girl (Pretty-Girl-Oh-Hae-young) who has the same exact name as hers. When her name was being cheered in high school, it was never for her. Mix-ups caused embarrassment for her because the good things and the nice things were always for the pretty Miss Oh, not the /other/ Miss Oh. She has learned to eat pain. And OH boy, can she chow it down, now.
Now she's out of high school. NOW she's a fun girl with a great sense of humor. The joke continues to be on /her/ though, as her wedding, her job, and her home life are still going to get turned upside down by Goddess Oh. If the /other/ Miss Oh knew what was coming, she would have moved overseas.
Park Do-kyung Is the Autocrat of Sound at the studio where he works:
¤ "That's not a simple fracture, that's a compound fracture. They don't sound the same…!”
¤ “How dare you use sound from daytime for a nighttime scene? The temperature and humidity or different, day and nights sound nothing alike….❕”
¤ “It's obvious this film will be a flop but my name is going on the credit so the sound has to be right❗"
He's always tuned in. He's always 👂👂👂(except when his underlings cry out in agony for some relief: "Isn't that good enough? …What is good enough for you❔") Even the director wonders the same while he's in the middle of a dust-up ~ I mean, an /actual /skirmish. Do-kyung's Family are all a bunch of looney characters: A narcissistic gold digging actress of a mother, a juvenile, under achieving younger brother, and an alcoholic sister who is as overbearing a boss as he is. His fiance, Oh Hae-young, left him alone at the altar a few years ago. He hasn't forgotten her. He WILL get revenge. She disappeared for years but he's found out where she's working. He's going to destroy that business. Right around this time, he starts getting auditory… hallucinations? They precede visions of the future with a strange woman. He doesn’t know what to do about that.
Do-kyung's closed up within himself. Ironically, he hardly makes a sound. "Just as if I was about to die of old age, I'm thinking about the things I wish I would have done. It feels lonely. It feels like my life will end very pitifully," he says when he recounts how he feels over his bouts of déjà vu. Ouch. Old or not, people that hit bottom feel the same way. There's also the more isolating sensation that one can't help others from making the same mistakes.
That's the setup. Some people watch Charlie Brown and laugh, others watch Charlie Brown and feel a sting of pain between chuckles. The humiliation they subject our FL to is very thorough. I felt for her. “Every moment of life is embarrassing,” says a character. Our Miss Oh has learned how to get humiliated, stop, put on a smile, and keep going. (“You lose if you hate. You lose if you get jealous. Keep going forward.”) That's a role model.
Before long, we see that the Oh Hae-young that Do-kyung heard about is the /other/ Miss Oh. The company that he sets out to destroy is where the /other/ Miss Oh works. As soon as Do-kyung makes a move, he'll see that the /other/ Miss Oh is the woman of his dreams… eh, visions.
Do-kyung is, overall, more attractive than his mere looks. The ML does a great job acting as well, though he could have brightened a little move towards the end. He doesn't quite stand up fully straightened, which does take away from his appearance. Hmmm… This is his 11th feature…. No doubt he's hunching slightly from having to bend down to kiss these tiny female leads. Not everybody can do that without it taking a toll on their body😅.
The hurdle they have in their relationship does seem insurmountable. When it comes to feelings, she has no distortion. He's a clogged tuba. It's difficult to imagine it in the first few episodes, but they get slightly steamy on screen ~ well above the average Kromcom. One of the up close shots of them kissing is awkward. At other times (love on an elevator) it's above average, in case you're interested.
There's nice connections, segues, and little ironies cast around. It's far from slovenly. We get to see another wonderful performance by a child actor. Oh, I was just loving the show, but they did stutter at the end. Their attempt at a dramatic climax never got off the ground. The final clash with her mom was flat as well, which rendered the last couple or so episodes discordant with manufactured drama that falls flat. It's filler. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this. Our FL is irrepressible. She's nothing short of inspiring when she stops, sets her smile, and keeps going forward.
It's a silly rom-com, so at times they overdo the physical comedy with pulling hair, screeching, and general overacting. It's uncomfortable silliness, but comedies out of Hollywood have been far more dumbed-down than this. I appreciate the extended wrap up instead of a 30 second one as we see sometimes. It didn't finish strong but it is really good right up until the last vignettes.
Every Kromcom features eating and drinking. (Why does Hollywood starve us?) About alcohol: Alcohol actually seems to be a character in the show. Drinking isn't just a pastime in AMO. For some it's a way of life. For Ordinary Miss Oh, it's the painkiller of choice. She's dependent on it. We'll learn that somebody else in her office is even worse than she. "My life is too embarrassing for me to stay sober," says one of the characters. Do-kyung won't drink in the beginning of the show because he's afraid of making a mistake. We'll get to see some mistakes after we see him twist a couple caps off.
We could argue that all the men in the show are drunk on Goddess Oh vibes. Each of our leads made it to the altar with nothing to show for it in their past, so both seem to have been involved in love affairs that were wine spritzers: Fun and somewhat satisfying, but not intoxicating. They both had sobering experiences. They both shuttered themselves from the outside world: He in work, and she in the bottle. Perhaps it's time to party-on once more.
QUOTES🗣
If you want to be unhappy, hold on to your past. It's up to you.
People mature as they feel pain.
A woman doesn't curse a man for leaving her, but for being a coward.
“We live only once. Let's not live like this.” (Our ML says to his mother who's been chasing pride and money most of her life.)
Once we admit that things disappear someday, we no longer get obsessed with useless things.
IMHO〰🖍
RATINGS 🎬7.8 🖊7.6 🎭8 💓7 🦋7.6 🎨6.3 🎶8.2 🔚7 🤗6 ▪ LEVELS 🌞6⚡3 😅5.5 😭3.5 🤔6 💤2.5
Age + Scattered R-rated language, f💣 included. Less usual for a Kdrama: There's prenuptial cohabitation, and an unexpected / unwanted pregnancy from a one-night stand
Re-📺? Nonopposed
Fateful Magic Brought Us Together
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9,
Mad For Each Other-7.7 ~ silly fun,
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Playful kiss-7.3,
Rooftop Prince-7,
Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8,
The Beauty Inside-6,
Hotel del Luna 8.4,
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (But for eps 20 &21 it's an 8+)
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
Another Miss Oh-7.5,
My Roommate Is a Gumiho-7.9,
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2,
Live Up To Your Name-7.6;
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion-8.4,
Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Because This Is My First Life-7.7,
7th Time Loop-7.9,
Kiss Sixth Sense-6.8,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
While you were sleeping-7.3,
Marry My Husband-7.5,
Hotel del Luna-8.4,
A Korean Odyssey-7.2,
Tomorrow with you-7,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
The King: Eternal Monarch-8.3
Love and Redemption 10
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While the ML and FL did a great job acting and had GREAT chemistry the show overall was missing something. I mean I've seen these tropes a thousand times. There wasnt anything unique about the actual storyline to set it apart from all the other micro dramas. Its definitely enjoyable if you want to sit and relax and watch fluffiness. Was this review helpful to you?
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Not enough to keep me too interested
There's a lot of commendable aspects to the series particularly because this differs from your typical action series around the police force with high intensity crimes. It does a good job in depicting the daily struggles within the police force when it comes down to working with different personalities, frustrations around their hands being tied by regulations (and politicians), and depicting everyone's personal struggles with their own personal lives. It's also great to see the dynamics on how differently the rookies develop over time as they make mistakes and how each one learns from them.However, other than Oh Yang Chon and his wife, the rest of the characters were pretty uninteresting. The crimes they come across for a patrol team varies between every day nuances as well as darker murder crimes. But as there is heavy focus on the rookies, they don't really leave much of an impression.
The series triggered me to re-watch Ordinary Greatness in the case I was being biased about the genre. And I was able to confirm that OG is definitely superior to Live. The relationships between the team and character developments feel much more natural. The crimes OG encounters are not as dark as Live but are still quite impactful. And while I shed a couple of tears for Live, the ones in OG are ones that really tug from the heart in a lasting way. And the most important difference is that the plot flow in OG still managed to keep me interested to completion unlike Live.
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Spoilers ahead and just my own thoughts
Ok, I had so much high expectations for this. Like the casting, amazing, the actors are also amazing. For someone of IU’s calibre, I always expect so much from her shows.However, I think from the very beginning, the story is so cliched that you can already tell what’s going on. Who had something for who in the past, who’s going to be the villain, what’s being hidden. Like all there remained was there to be an actual confirmation of all your suspicions from the very beginning.
Around this time (time of release), a recent cdrama Pursuit of Jade has caught many people’s attention, is in general the audience also want a more fleshed out plot like that and were expecting that from this show. So while Perfecr Crown, at any other time, may perhaps have been quite good for a kdrama standard, it has fallen short of the current standard that we want after POJ.
IU’s character is already high up there, rich, beautiful, etc., and so is Byeon Woo Seok’s character, so it just feels like you’re seeing two of the same kind of people. There really isn’t anything for them to achieve. IU is already immensely good at what she does and has everything except a status, which honestly only affects her right if succession for the company and nothing else. There is nothing that she has to learn along the way or even a bridge she has to gap. Byeon Woo Seok is the same. His character already has everything and the court is basically in his hands, he just needs to make his moves, which he’d practically been planning to do anyway. So there doesn’t seem to be a growth in the characters unless it’s about their growing love.
Maybe my expectations were extremely high, especially after POJ and When Life Gives You Tangerines. Especially for how well known it is that IU picks amazing shows to work on, this seems like a miss.
The looks are there, the chemistry is there, even the comedy is clearly there, but again, the story is too predictable and most people were already able to tell major plot points as soon as it begun because it was that obvious.
Those were the reasons I dropped it. I don’t think I would pick this up again unless I was giving this a second chance or it turns out the ending was insane and it entices me to keep going.
Happy watching! 🥰
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I don't like the story
It seemed that I had wasted my time watching this drama. From the very first episode, I anticipated that I was going to watch a deep and emotionally intense love story. It is true that I am a little biased toward romantic dramas, especially when my favorite actors and actresses are part of the cast. However, I was disappointed. From the beginning until the final episode, I kept waiting for the story to develop in the way I had expected, but it never did.I honestly do not understand why Zheng Yecheng and Liu Xueyi made guest appearances in the drama. Both of them are my favorites, and I was happy to see them again after a long time. Anyway, coming back to the main point, I think their appearances might have been included to prepare for a second or third season.
Although the script was weak, I would still like to appreciate the performances of Fu Wein Luan, the Lord of the Rust Sword, and Sun Zeyuan, apart from the lead actors. Riley Wang’s character initially appeared strong and promising, but eventually became weak and underwhelming. He always seemed less powerful than A Sheng.
I especially missed the romantic development between the leads. The ending was the worst part of the drama.
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I've never been happier that I was wrong about a series
Needless to say, if you choose to approach this series with a lens focused on 'what-you-see-is-what-you-get' characters with a plot-driven narrative, take a step back and adjust before continuing on. This series isn't intense, overdramatic, or overly romanticized. It's an extremely 'human' story with flawed characters learning to navigate life together.Before I get into more detail, I'm going to be honest - this one was actually pretty difficult for me to get into at first. I'm not the biggest fan of the trope where one character, seemingly childish by nature, is obsessed or a fan of the stoic unemotional one. Admittedly, I assumed that these characters were ONLY that - 2-dimensional and used as devices to play up the comedy and nothing more. However, with everyone raving about it, I decided to rewatch the first few episodes along with a few reactors I adore to get additional perspectives. As more episodes came out, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the characters' natural growth towards each other within their relationship. And as we learned more about the characters, I began to see that the "hollow" personalities I judged them for were, in fact, deep reflections of their inner wounds and anxieties. What I thought was going to be mindless slop ended up be subject to one of my favorite character studies this year.
QIN'S TRAUMA --
Okay, here's where my headspace was at the start - I have become so desensitized to the BL-series trope where they make it known Episode 1 that the main character, typically the 'sunshine' character has trauma, and that inadvertently leads the emotionally-stoic character to begin to have feelings for them. So I just assumed that Duang was going to be the character with the trauma. However, the writers and Por did such a great job at naturally sprinkling in little hints of Qin's trauma affecting his everyday life, that I almost didn't even notice. Once we witnessed his first 'flashback', I paused the episode and found myself rethinking everything I thought I knew about his character. I remember saying out loud "Ohhhhh. Wait. This makes sense. I was so wrong."
I'm not sure if other people also felt this way, but I feel like the writers intentionally had us learn about Qin's traumas and fears whenever Duang learned about them: naturally and honestly. Childhood trauma seeps into our everyday life, subconsciously controlling every decision, confrontation, and defense mechanism we have. Even though we didn't know exactly what Qin experienced until later in the series, it allowed us into his mind for a split second as he experienced a trigger. This completely changed how I looked at Qin's character in the following episodes. I analyzed everything he did through the lens of someone deeply wounded and deeply guarded. Por did such a great job portraying the layers of a character that cannot express how he feels to those around him - you can even see Qin's physical response to wanting to tell Duang how he feels but is too deeply afraid to feel anything at all to tell him. It was such a phenomenal and accurate depiction of trauma in the everyday life. Well done writers and well done Por.
DUANG --
I also assumed this character was 2-dimensional going into the series. I'm so happy I was wrong. Duang is one of the best examples of trope-diversion where the 'sunshine' character is NOT a naive/innocent damsel in distress needing protection, but instead is so emotionally grounded that he provides the security needed for Qin to open up. Yes, Duang may feel everything 10x more than everyone else and may come across immature (which, I admit, I judged him unfairly to be early on), when, in fact, he's the most emotionally intelligent character on the show. While his crush on Qin started out semi-obsessive, it turned into care and the desire to take care of him. Duang, while often over-the-top around Qin, understood the importance of restraint and when to hold back to allow Qin room to express himself as well. Some of my favorite moments were when Duang could tell when Qin needed someone soft spoken and calm to listen to him and create a safe space for him to feel emotions he wasn't comfortable with expressing yet. He anticipates Qin's needs and meets him where he's at rather than expecting him to fulfill some idea of what a perfect boyfriend should be.
Watching the last few episodes, I found myself tearing up at the sheer care and patience they have for each other, and I'm honestly in awe at how much Duang helped Qin become a better version of himself. It's incredibly heartwarming and makes their relationship 100% believable.
And I need to applaud TeeTee for a sec (since a lot of this review is focused on Por); he did an AMAZING job at showing these two sides of Duang while still making it feel like both are Duang, which is hard to do. I think the trick that he really leaned into was to make Duang so unbelievably earnest that it makes EVERY aspect of his personality that much more believable. I don't think many actors could pull off a character with equal parts stimming chaos and equal parts emotionally calming.
QIN'S PARENTS --
Okay, touchy subject here that many may not agree with, but I think these are some of the most realistic parents portrayed in a BL so far. Let me explain. I feel like in BL's parents are either amazing, perfect, and kind parents OR unsupportive or emotionally/physically abusive. Here, they're loving, but human. We can tell they love Qin, but they also have deep-rooted guilt and a LOT of shame surrounding what happened to Qin as a child, ultimately leading to Qin's emotional neglect. While I don’t agree with their choices, I get it. Sometimes, out of fear and shame, we hide traumatic memories in an effort to not feel them again or hurt the ones we love. HOWEVER, this only strengthens whatever pain the affected parties feel. Even the scene where Qin finally confronts his parents felt so accurate. They didn't get it at first, and you could see the instinctive push-back they had towards Qin calling them out. Their deflection was out of a place of deep shame. But it wasn't until he broke down in front of them that they finally allowed themselves to see how they affected him. I both hated and absolutely loved that scene. So while I hate that they took this route to protect themselves first, I get it. They're human and flawed.
I was lucky enough to have parents that emphasized communication above everything else. But even though I never doubted their love for me, they also made mistakes that I still see the side effects of in my everyday life. Parents are living for the first time, too. They're going to do things wrong and hopefully, when confronted, they'll see how they need to improve to better the lives of those around them. I really appreciate how the writers took their time for us to see both the love and the neglect the parents displayed and how that affected Qin.
It was heartbreaking and refreshing and raw; utterly human.
CLOSING THOUGHTS --
Needless to say, I went on a journey with this one. I went into it with previous pre-conceived understandings of what I judged as a typical BL show, and I came out with a gentle appreciation for humanity, flaws and all. I'm so glad I was wrong. Was it an out-of-this-world, astounding series? Probably not. Was the plot a thrilling adventure with plot twists around every corner? Not at all. It was simply a story of a group of people navigating life together while learning about each other and themselves along the way. Like the director himself stated, this series, much like humanity, is "not the best, but still good." We aren't perfect, but we try. And that's good enough for me.
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Lesson: Nobody is truly known until their mask comes off
I just completed If Wishes Were Killed and honestly… this drama frustrated me, stressed me out, shocked me, and still managed to keep me hooked till the end. Overall, it was actually a really good show, especially because of the acting. Every actor did their role so well that even when I hated certain characters, I knew the actors were doing exactly what they were supposed to do.One thing I realized while watching this drama is that you should never think you truly know someone, even if they are your closest person. The real side of people only comes out during the worst situations. When fear, greed, desperation, anger, or survival kicks in, people completely change. That was one of the strongest lessons this drama gave me. Trust can disappear so quickly, and sometimes the people you least expect become the ones who hurt you the most.
Nari especially irritated me so much. She acted so immature most of the time and honestly sounded like a teenage girl obsessed with arrogance and her own emotions. She kept talking about betrayal, loyalty, and honesty, but then what she did to Hyeon should also be called betrayal, right? People like her always pretend they are the loyal and truthful ones, but behind everything they lie, hurt others, and then somehow end up acting like the victim in the end. That personality annoyed me throughout the drama. But at the same time, I have to praise the actress because she played the role SO well that I genuinely hated the character. That means she did an amazing job.
And Kwon Si Won… dude, what was actually wrong with her? Just because she believed rumors and hated her own mother, she decided her mother deserved to rot in hell? That honestly made me so angry. If she truly loved her mother even a little, she should have at least talked to her and asked for the truth instead of blindly believing what others said. This is literally what happens when anger blinds your common sense. Once people become consumed by hatred, they stop thinking logically and start destroying everything around them, including themselves.
And Kwon Si Won being jealous of Do Hye Reong just because she kept visiting her mom’s house was honestly so weird to me 😭. Dude, wake up — that is not friendship, that is controlling behavior. You cannot claim to care about someone while trying to control who they meet, where they go, and how they live. That jealousy showed how possessive and emotionally unstable she really was.
The drama itself kept making me anxious because the plans to take down Kwon felt so unplanned and rushed 😭. I understand that things were happening quickly in the story, but while watching, I kept thinking, “PLEASE think properly before doing something.” Their decisions felt so hasty sometimes that it stressed me out while watching. That tension honestly made the drama more intense because I never felt relaxed while watching the plot unfold.
Also, the scenes where characters die 24 hours after their wishes come true were HORRIBLE to watch. Especially the throat-cutting scenes with the knife… absolutely not. I genuinely had to look away because those scenes made me uncomfortable. Beside those moments, though, the drama is not overly intense in terms of gore. The psychological tension and emotional frustration were honestly stronger than the violence itself.
I will say this though: if anyone plans to watch this drama, be patient and stay VERY focused on the plot because if you miss small details, you might get confused or frustrated. This is not the kind of drama you can casually watch while scrolling on your phone. You actually need to pay attention to understand everybody’s motives, lies, and actions.
And honestly, I don’t think this drama needs a Season 2. I feel like if they’re not going to bring better strategies and proper planning to defend Kim Na Ri ( I guess), then they should just leave it as it is. I was honestly tired of all the unplanned, rushed actions. I prefer when things are done with tactics and smart thinking rather than emotional, hasty decisions. And I cried so bad when the brother-in-law got injured—I genuinely thought he died for a moment. That scene hit me hard and stressed me out a lot.
What I liked most about If Wishes Were Killed is that it constantly shows how dangerous human desires can become. Once people are given the chance to get what they desperately want, morality slowly disappears. Greed, revenge, jealousy, guilt, fear — all of it starts controlling people’s decisions. Nobody in this drama felt completely innocent because every character was fighting with their own darkness in some way.
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Unsatisfied
Fake, kitsch, no chemistry, plastic faces,. ML portrays his character with depth and nuance. His emotional growth is also well portrayed. It’s a shame that not a shred of emotion is visible on his plastic enhanced face (why? He was already super hot) FL is a strong girl. So strong that has only basic emotion: happy, neutral, pissed, angry. There is no chemistry between the two. ML is full of chemistry by himself and shower FL with it. Such a big aura. Stop messing with your face you fool. The plot is engaging, but it’s full of filler—like endless walks, scenes dragged out to the point of tedium, useless slow motion and random epic music playing at every turn. The series is well-shot, but the post-production is amateurish. Nope. Dropped.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Even After 10 Years, It Still Stood Out!
Watching Doctors after almost 10 years made me finally understand why people call 2016 the golden era of K-dramas. This drama was honestly so good in the most comforting way possible. The storyline never felt overly complicated just for the sake of drama, but it also never became boring. It perfectly balanced romance, pain, healing, friendship, and personal growth. Everything flowed so naturally that I became emotionally attached without even realizing it.What I loved the most was the relationship between Yoo Hye Jeong and Hong Ji Hong. Even though there is a 9-year age gap between them, I never once felt their chemistry was off. In fact, their relationship felt more mature and genuine than many dramas I have watched recently. Hong Ji Hong was such a refreshing male lead because he never tried to control Hye Jeong or “fix” her. He understood her pain, respected her personality, and stayed beside her patiently. Their love story was not loud or overly dramatic, but it felt warm, comforting, and real.
Yoo Hye Jeong honestly became one of my favorite female leads ever. She went through so much pain from such a young age that she built walls around herself and acted tough toward everyone. But deep inside, she was someone who loved sincerely and cared deeply. All she wanted was a peaceful and happy life with her grandmother, but I guess life already had a different path written for her. In a painful way, it felt like her grandmother’s passing was what pushed her toward becoming the doctor she was destined to be. Not in a bad meaning, but it showed how life can completely change because of one heartbreaking moment.
After watching this drama, I honestly wanted to be like Yoo Hye Jeong. I loved how she stood up for herself no matter what, never let people walk over her, and always put patients first. The past she had with her dad also taught me something very personal — no matter how blood-related people are, even as daughter and father, sometimes you cannot forgive certain people. And that is okay. Some wounds stay deep. I related to that part in my own way, which made her character feel even more real to me.
If I ever become a doctor, I want to walk with the same confidence Yoo Hye Jeong had. I want to answer with confidence, trust my own skills, and believe in myself before expecting patients to believe in me. The way she carried herself as a doctor was so inspiring because she was strong without losing her kindness.
I also really hated Jin Seo U’s dad. The fact that he made such a huge mistake and never truly admitted it or apologized frustrated me so much. That kind of pride and selfishness made me angry throughout the drama. But I honestly loved how Jin Seo U’s mom and dad, especially her mom, were so shocked when they saw that the same child they once thought acted like a gangster with no respect for anyone had returned as a doctor, and not just any doctor, but an excellent one. That moment felt so satisfying to watch because Yoo Hye Jeong proved herself through her actions and hard work, not through words.
And honestly, I cannot fully hate Jin Seo U either because Lee Sung-kyung played her role too well. I watched her in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, Shooting Stars, and Call It Love, so I naturally like her. But as Seo U, she perfectly showed insecurity, jealousy, and the pain of constantly comparing yourself to someone else. Yoo Hye Jeong naturally had this charm that attracted people because she was genuine and honest, and Seo U became insecure because of that. But that was never Hye Jeong’s fault. Sometimes people shine naturally, and others feel threatened by it.
I really wished we got more of Cheon Soon Hui’s love story too. He was such an innocent and genuine best friend. His friendship with Hye Jeong felt so pure, loyal, and comforting throughout the drama. Characters like him make stories feel emotionally richer because they remind us how important sincere friendship is.
And Jung Yoon Do honestly deserved someone who would love him wholeheartedly. Beneath his playful and confident personality, he felt lonely. I wanted someone to truly take care of him emotionally and give him the same warmth he gave others.
By the end of the drama, I felt strangely comforted. Doctors is not just about doctors or romance. It is about healing from your past, learning how to trust people again, carrying pain while still moving forward, and finding people who stay beside you even during your worst moments. This drama made me laugh, feel angry, emotional, soft, and attached to the characters in such a natural way. Watching it years later somehow made it even more special because it reminded me how sincere and heartfelt older K-dramas used to feel.
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Starting from the end, it was a beautiful ending. I liked the scenes. It was great that guest actors like Liu Xie Yi and Zheng Ye Cheng appeared in the final episode, even briefly; they made their presence felt even in those short scenes. They are such good actors. Thank you.
Ren Jia Lun single-handedly carried the series. I think he was the most important figure. He didn't have a popular actor opposite him. The actors accompanying him weren't as popular or good as him either. But I got used to it as I watched the series. I liked all the actors. Especially Zhang Kai Ying, Riley Wang, Huang Yi, Fu Wei Lun, Sun Ze Yuan, Zhang Yi Ge, Xiao Shun Yao, Song Weng Zuo, Gao Shu Guang, Cheng Tai Shen, and Li Yu stood out.
Of course, there were flaws. The long dialogues were sometimes tedious. Long sentences and long scenes were filmed to explain the events. It was boring. Some of the fantasy elements were overused, making it feel like they'd gone overboard with fantasy. There were also noticeable flaws in some of the action scenes. Despite these shortcomings, overall I watched a well-structured series built around a good theme. I recommend it to anyone interested.
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