Reviews

NOW THATS HOW YOU DO A BL

Not even going to hold you gagaoolala lost my trust after that fuckass ending of 'lost to you'. but this one was sooo good the plot was 10/10, i loved it so much and i also really liked how when they were acting in the show the screen would get slimmer so you would know whats outside of them acting in the show, i really liked the ending it was cute that he kept his ring but the ending also did have me on the edge of my seat because i wasnt exspecting a breakup nor for that fake priest to scam granny out her money now that was just dead wrong, the acting in the beginning of episode 12 was so fucking amazing i loved the sob homeboy let out like it was very realistic i just dont like how they let that girl use that f word and im not talking about cigs.

Read More

Not all secrets can be buried.

I watched the drama because of the male leads. I really loved their pairing on "Kill me, Heal me", which lead me to watch this drama. Aside from that, I got curious after reading the reviews.

I'm really not a fan of melodramas, so I honestly find the drama boring and, of course, slow-paced. I did not find the drama "great" but it was "good". There's a lot of scenes that I find unnecessary, making the drama feel dragged out. But the side characters somehow helps me get pass the boredom. The drama OSTs are okay, but not really impactful for me.

For Min Hyeok, Yoo Jeong, and Do Hoon — I have no words for how well they played their characters. The emotions are always there and spot on.

One thing I want to complain about in the drama is the "partner exchange" pace. It felt rushed. Yoo Jeong was so in love with Do Hoon, then she says she loves Min Hyeok after learning the truth. The same thing with Min Hyeok, but his case felt more possible since he'd been keeping tabs on her for a long time and eventually grew feelings and fell in love. Then there's Do Hoon — he's in love with Se Yeon? Just wow. Yoo Jeong and he had a 7-year relationship, almost got married, and even had a son, but how quickly he turns his back on her. Meanwhile for Se Yeon, he protected her till the end?! Unbelievable!

~~~
This is a story of love that started as revenge.

Min Hyuk lost his pregnant lover in a hit-and-run accident. He seeks revenge to Yoo Jung, mistakenly thinking she was the one who drove and killed his girlfriend. What he didn't know is that Yoo Jung is innocent. He makes her suffer both inside the prison and even after she served her time — reasonable, yes.

Yoo Jung loves her prosecutor boyfriend, Do Hoon, dearly. They had been in a relationship for 7 years and is planning to get married when the car accident that killed Min Hyuk's lover, Ji Hee, happened. The accident occurs when the two are heading home on a rainy night from their anniversary slash wedding proposal dinner. Do Hoon was driving and Yoo Jung sat on the passenger's seat when they hit some—someone. Yoo Jung took the blame to protect Do Hoon's reputation, leaving her own father alone. I can never understand how she came up with the idea of leaving her father and taking the blame for such a grave sin, only to later realize how trashy and scummy that man was!

Prosecutor Ahn Do Hoon started off as a man of justice. When he was cornered and forced to choose between being human and a monster, he willingly became the beast. I know he had a lot to lose, and he did tried to turn himself in, but Yoo Jung insisted on going to prison instead, so I won't hold that against him. However, he shouldn't have done what he did to Yoo Jung. As if sending her to prison wasn't enough, he even took their one-year-old son, San, away from his mother. After taking the child, he sent him to what...? An orphanage?! Then he didn't even know that his evil mother was plotting something against his own child. To top it off, he abandoned Yoo Jung's father to die — the man that treated him as his own. There's nothing even good with Do Hoon — his love sucks, his logic sucks, he sucks, and his whole family sucks!

Se Yeon is a character that doesn't really do much in the drama except earn my annoyance. She's one of the characters that makes the show feel exaggeratingly dragged out.

Where did it really starts to go wrong? If only the accident hadn't happen. If only Ji Hee wasn't there that night, or Yoo Jung and Do Hoon had just celebrated at the bakery. If only Ji Hee did not saw Gwang Soo, then she wouldn't have needed to run. If only the car wipers weren't broken, or the truck hadn't appeared. Ultimately, what if Do Hoon hadn't turned his back on the bleeding Ji Hee?

In my honest opinion, I think all characters — specifically Min Hyeok, Yoo Jeong, and Do Hoon — are a victim of circumstances. They were put in a difficult situations and forced to make a decision to protect what they want to protect. One thing I like about the drama is that it chooses to show reality instead of some beautifully written fairytale.

Through Se Yeon, we get to see how obsession can be disguised as love. Learn to love and respect yourself, because no one can do that for you unless you do so. You cannot have what you are not bound to have and you cannot lose what you never had. It was never the responsibility of the person you love to love you back — those are your feelings, and it is your responsibility.

Through Do Hoon, we are shown what happens to a person when faced with difficult situations and impossible choices. How monstrous a human being can become just to get want he wants, even to the point of sacrificing the people who truly loves and cares for him. With him, I realized the sad truth of how a man cries for justice when he has nothing, but sets aside justice when he has everything.

Through Min Hyeok, we are encouraged to take courage and fight for what we believe is right and for what we truly want. That we don't have to choose between family and love — we choose both. Those who truly love us will stay and accept us no matter what we choose to do and be.

And finally we have Yoo Jung. She taught us how powerful love can be — not just the kind of love for a lover, but also the kind of love of a mother to his child and the love of a daughter to his father. She was a character that was both weak and strong at the same time. She was weak because of the decisions she made that mades her life miserable, and strong as she never backed down no matter how hard and painful it was. She showed us how beautiful and ugly love can be if too it's much. When you love, love wholeheartedly, but never ever forget to love and respect yourself in the process.

~~~

Read More

My mind is fried and my moral compass is broken, but my heart is completely captivated.

Let’s be honest: as BL viewers, we have been completely conditioned by the industry to seek out comforting, sanitized fairy tales. We are used to flawless characters, predictable conflicts, and idealized romances where everything feels safe and wrapped in a neat little bow.

Deep In doesn't just step outside that boundary—it shatters the entire foundation of the genre
I have never felt this intensely complicated or morally conflicted while watching a series.

For the first time, a drama forces us to sit face-to-face with the raw, messy, and downright ugly realities of human behavior and choices. Watching the toxic underbelly of the entertainment industry collide with the terrifying phenomenon of 'character bleeding' leaves you completely stripped of your emotional armor.

You are forced to navigate a profound moral dilemma—feeling deeply unsettled by the characters' destructive real-world choices, yet entirely captivated by their consuming, inevitable chemistry.The level of psychological depth on display here is unprecedented. It refuses to offer easy answers, choosing instead to respect the audience's intelligence by leaving us in a dazed, contemplative state. Every single frame forces you to question where the performance ends and genuine identity begins.

I must give massive, unparalleled credit to the brilliant writer, the visionary director, and the phenomenal actors (my babies: Ollie and Shu Yuan) who laid their absolute souls bare for this performance. They didn't just deliver a romance; they orchestrated a cultural reset that has completely rewired how I view BL. If you are tired of the same perfect formulas and want a series that will genuinely challenge your mind and heart, this 12-episode masterpiece is it.

Read More

Two masterminds, one unforgettable partnership

This was exactly the kind of historical drama I love. Instead of relying on misunderstandings or one-sided genius, it gave us two incredibly intelligent leads who were always thinking several steps ahead. Watching them read each other, hide their true intentions, and slowly learn to trust one another was far more satisfying than any grand romance. Their relationship felt like a partnership between equals, and once their feelings became mutual, the payoff was absolutely worth the wait. The female lead was everything I look for in a heroine: composed, ruthless when necessary, elegant, and effortlessly capable without constantly needing to prove it. The male lead was just as compelling, hiding behind a gentle smile while quietly manipulating every situation in his favour, always planning ahead without ever taking away her agency. He Yu captured that mischievous, calculating charm perfectly, making his character impossible not to enjoy. Add in the political intrigue and consistently smart writing, and this became one of my favourite historical dramas of the year.

Read More

I've been meaning to watch this series for a while. I greatly enjoy zombie apocalypse type stuff, so I was very excited for this show.

Let's start with the things I liked. I liked that we followed mostly high schoolers and the build up. I also liked the lack of shooting around, which we usually get, especially in western zombie Media. I thought it was well done, because there was enough action to not make it boring but it also wasn't so much that you were confused what was happening where and what.
Two actors specifically did such a good job at making me hate them. I always appreciate actors that are good at making me hate their character. Because man, did I hate those two. Na-yeon and the guy we (me and the friend I watched it with) just referred to as "the bully". Genuinely so unlikable. I also liked the set design and even though a lot of the plot points were rather predictable, I still enjoyed it overall.

However, there were some plot holes. The female protagonist, On-jo, gets bitten right in the first episode. This is never brought up or mentioned again. It had me and my friend theoriese so much, only for the writers apparently having forgotten about what happened in episode one. Another thing that I didn't love was the romance. It just felt like the romance arcs were not properly developed and while they added some things, overall it fell flat.
The ending also seemed weird. I still don't know what to do with the last 15 minutes of the show.

Overall a nice show to watch casually but nothing I'd go out of my way to beg people to watch.

Read More

A Clever, Gripping Thriller That Deserves a Chance

Even though I am still near the very end and haven’t quite finished the final moments, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. I absolutely love this genre, and while it might not be for everyone right away, I strongly encourage giving it a chance—at least through the midpoint.
​Once it gets going, you’re treated to clever plot twists, surprising developments, and a seamless blend of drama, suspense, and thriller elements. The cinematography and acting are impressively well-executed for this style of storytelling. I’m not just saying this out of bias for the main actors; I genuinely appreciate artistic storytelling and well-crafted narrative depth. Highly recommended!

Read More

The four horsemen ride again!

There appears to be two types of c-drama watchers, those who has seen L&P and those who have not. Due to some quirk of the space-time continuum, I find myself in the later group. I have since remedied that and I tender this as proof. 😉

BTW, as this drama first aired in 2022, there are already a lot of discussions and countless reviews. I shall focus on some thoughts and spare you the repetition.

There is no doubt this is a good show. While the series is tropey, it managed to weave them into an enthralling story. This is ably assisted by the acting of its young cast and interesting subject matters. I particularly enjoyed the sojourn into the programmer's world as I was a C/C++ programmer in my past life. Their struggle is real.

Our ML is a tortured soul. The FL is a strong-willed young woman who has to grow up fast to save the man she loves. As a chingu said, she must put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

I'm not saying the show is perfect. There are issues. Its unwavering focus on our OTP helps the narrative in the long run. Their journey spanning years is the backbone of this series. We are all in for a bumpy ride.

As you can imagine, they are put through the wringer, especially the ML. This is a 36 eps c-drama after all. The hour before dawn is pitch black for him. His absolute nadir starts around episode 20. Within a few eps, his world has completely collapsed. Before he sunk to his lowest point, he executed a diabolical Noble Idiot scheme. He pushed the FL away so hard that she landed on a different continent! So much pain, so much yearning.

Yes, it is the cliché "how low can he go" scenario. This also allows the writer to pave the way for his redemption in the last third of the series.

Now that we covered the rough plot outline, we need to talk about tropes. This drama is powered by four very powerful ones. I like to call them the Four Horsemen of Tropes.

The first one is the Madonna x Bad Boy trope. The ML is a genius. He is several steps ahead of his peers. The problem is that he is always misunderstood. Just name an antisocial trait and it will most likely be him. It is hard for him to make friends and even harder to keep them. The FL is the one who must do all the heavy lifting in this relationship. She is pretty and righteous.

This brings about the second Horsemen, backstabbing friends. It is sad that friendships can become toxic over time. Jealousy, ambition, love triangle, etc can strain a relationship until it turns sour. The fallout is devastating. The antagonist never walk away unscathed. Redemption is not guaranteed.

Speaking of devastating, we need to look no further than the trope du jour, Noble Idiocy. This show didn’t hold back. Our leads went from cruising along their romantic journey to taking a ride in the Titan submersible (too soon, my bad). It was a desperate act by the ML to push the FL away because he knew he is going to ruin his life. It was a difficult watch. Horsemen #3, tick.

To round out this gathering posse, we have the omnipresent Queen Bee. The FL's mum has been controlling the FL from near and far for years. She is always pulling strings and planning her life. Of course, it all comes down to "mother knows best". This creates a lot of friction for our OTP. The mum's reasoning has scant relevance in this day and age. We mustn't discount the wisdom of elders, but when it is unreasonable, biased and non-negotiable then it spells troubles. While the FL has been passively resisting her machinations for years. Ultimately, she must act to secure her own happiness.

As if to reinforce the pervasiveness of these tropes, I just finished Love For You (2026). In that drama, the ML also pushes the FL away with extreme prejudice mid show. Oh snap! Both dramas have the same FL. Is that just a coincidence or a curse?

Re-watch the whole series will be a bridge too far for me. Just the last few eps is doable. OST is fine. Production value is above average.

Credit to the production team for managing all these tropes. I won't say I enjoyed every minute of it. That is part and parcel of drama watching these days. The downside is its success helps to cement the prevalence of such tropes. You win some and you lose some. Peace.

P.S. 3 bonus observations;
* There is a Big White Truck of Doom™. Enough said.
* How come the FL's mum does not know about the OTP's relationship for 3 years?
* Love the little company that can. A lovely found family. Respect!

Read More

Don't waste your time

Don't waste your time watching this drama. The premise is just like any other, the ML has long harbored feelings for the female lead (he just being a coward simp) but never dared to speak up because FL was already in a relationship with her fiancé. Even after repeatedly discovering her fiancé's infidelity, she clung to the relationship because his mother had raised her since childhood. Despite maintaining the engagement, she ended up sleeping with the ML while drunk and frustrated over her fiancé's cheating. This ambiguous situation dragged on for nearly two-thirds of the drama.

It took a full two hours and fourteen minutes before this foolish FL finally decided to call off the engagement. FL doesn't deserve to end up with the ML, who is portrayed here as incredibly handsome and the heir to the wealthiest family.

Read More

I could rate this a 4 or an 8

It's difficult to write a review for a show like this since you could be rating

a) the production and concept of the show itself

or

b) the storyline, how things turned out between the contestants.

Either way, I do admit that it is frustrating to watch. This could be the editing, but I feel like most of the time the contestants just talk about who is their first choice, instead of actually getting to know each other. But it is also kind of the point of the show - the contestants not really knowing how the whole dating thing is supposed to go or what to say.

Nevertheless, it is super fun to watch and almost impossible not to binge (now that it is released completely). Even though I was super frustrated most of the time, that was part of the charm, so I can't help but give this show a higher rating.

Read More

simple straightforward romcom

kinda surprised nobody else is bothered by the choice to make the webtoon on the usb to be the first main driving point? the side character’s role contributed just about nothing to the story and neither did her usb, even less than the other 2 supporting characters. it didn’t even make sense for anyone else to have seen or know of the usb the way the situation was presented. just a very weak story that blatantly exposed itself as an amateur youtube project despite the fact I watched it on another platform without any prior knowledge. as several others have said as well, the story is told moreso in brief vignettes, which didn’t do it any favours. the stronger point in editing seemed to be the music choices being nearly all piano pieces, giving the show a bit of a theatrical tone that seemed to suit the comedy genre they attempted to achieve that I personally enjoy. though that could possibly also attribute to an amateurish impression too, depending on how different viewers perceive it. more points for characterizations not being bland like most others in the genre. and despite the setbacks, the overall plot was still able to be engaging and wasn’t as boring as other shows in the genre with similarly weak plots. good de-stress watch, light and corny

Read More

THE MOST AMAZING CDRAMA OF ALL TIME....

I'm writing this review after my 5th Rewatch....I literally can't move on from this drama even though it's been almost one year......No matter how many dramas I watch, I always go back to Ji Bozai and Ming Yi....Their chemistry, their love, their sacrifices are on a different level......I just finished my rewatch now; my heart is truly aching.....I can literally feel the pain in my heart that the drama ended.....it's only a drama which is finished here.....I won't see them again....Like I can't explain the feeling....
This is the only drama which has left me in this yearning state....whenever their edits come in front of me......i automatically smile and blush.....and when it's finished I feel hurt that It's only a drama.....Their acting was soo soo soo good and chemistry was so so so so so gooodd that it felt absolutely real......

Now I pray for only one thing......Please pair them again in another drama..... I don't care about the genre plz cast them again......I believe only then will I be able to move on from Ji Bozai and Mingyi.....and start my next yearning on that drama.....
Please Please Please.....now let's just wait....

Read More

Great addition for an era of KBLs that include more genres

For the longest time, KBLs stuck with basic, easy-to-produce/film pieces, but this drama is just another proof of the leaps KBLs have been making. After Secret Relationships, I didn't watch any KBLs for a long time because it gave me a true taste of what I wanted in my KBLs, which is a variety of genres. So you can imagine my happiness when I found out the SR director is also directing this.

PROS:

1. First of all, I absolutely love that we got a drama in this genre, and I hope SK continues experimenting with the type of shows they create.

2. The main characters had sizzling chemistry. Their love-hate storyline was fascinating to watch, and the actors’ chemistry made it even better.

3. I particularly have to appreciate Kim Yoon Sik’s (Tae Son), Cho Min Kyu’s (Ha Neul), and
Seo Han Gyeol’s (Ja Hyeon) performances. The way they were able to emote and perform truly made me feel a lot of emotions, so props to them.

4. While the crime plot wasn’t anything new or out of this world, it still managed to keep me engaged and curious about what was going to happen after each episode. The show managed to create a good balance of romance and crime plots.

CONS:

If I had to critique this drama, there are a few things I would say:

1. This story could have really benefited from having longer or more episodes to flesh out the characters and the crime plot better. I felt like the last couple of episodes were a tad bit rushed in that regard. There was a lot of ‘say, but not show ’ stuff going on.

2. Some might not view this as a con, but for me, this was an annoyance.
A) The AI intro for the drama.
B) The use of AI to edit the ending scene.
I'm not the biggest fan of AI usage in my dramas, but if you're absolutely going to use it, it should at least be well-made or not so obvious. The very obvious use of AI in the intro dimmed my initial excitement going into the drama. However, because the actual story was very engaging, I was able to get over it. That was until I saw the ending scene. That ending scene felt like it came out of some other low-budget drama that has no correlation to the rest of this drama. It really took me out of the moment because I couldn’t stop face-palming and laughing at the stupidity of it. For me, that’s a fairly big blunder to make at the very end of the drama, where you’re supposed to feel emotional and content.

3. I feel like Park Si Woo’s (Lee Chae Ha) character was made to be a bit weak. If you’re an ex-cop who switched to be a prosecutor, I feel like you should at least have some basic defensive skills. However, this drama made this character a tad weak and unable to fight back against suspects, which is quite odd, especially since he’s an ex-cop who’s been to police school and was one of the top students. This aspect made the believability of this character go down for me.

Overall, this is a still a pretty great show to watch if you want something fresh out of Korean BLs. It has an engaging plot, great chemistry, and a good romance plotline. I would recommend giving this a try!

Read More