Reviews

Dear Baek Ah-Jin; Villain to the privileged. Survivor to herself.

I fail to see Ah-jin as evil. Manipulative? Absolutely. She’s also intelligent in using people, things, and whatever resources she could grasp in order to survive and climb to the top. Her actions are calculated, not senseless. Her only wicked act was framing an innocent man. However, the fact that she had to resort to that is another discussion to be had. Bullied, abused, stalked, harassed, etc. Where was the hammer of justice then? Her lack of emotions was a double-edge sword; a shield that protected her when she needed to be strong, but wounded others when empathy was required most but lacking. This is why the end of her 1+ year period with her boyfriend and Grandma was such a tragic loss. I don’t hate the ending. If anything, I found it unsettling in the best way. I even felt afraid seeing the CCTV footage of her in that bloody white dress lol. Her relationships with the two main leads were toxic in their own way- but hey, it works for them… to an extent.

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Worthless, piece of shit.Netflix knows perfectly how to ruin the drama sequels.Its not like season 1 was any good but at least there was a chemistry of FL and song kang to look for,but this have nothing.Worst writing ever in Korean drama industry.

Plot? What plot? It's just 6 hours of people crying in expensive coats while holding their phones like they're cursed artifacts. The app mechanic is completely abandoned halfway through. Chemistry between leads? Evaporated. Logic? Never arrived. I finished it purely out of spite. Do NOT recommend unless you hate yourself and want to suffer beautifully shot suffering.

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The best of the best

There is a reason why *The World of Married* achieved the status of the highest-rated K-drama in South Korea, capturing the attention of every household. It's sad that the story resonates deeply with many of us, and perhaps this is the exact reason for its immense popularity. This drama isn't just another series to binge-watch; it's the story of someone you might know or even your own story.

At the heart of the plot is a man who seemingly has everything: a successful and caring wife who works as a respected doctor in their community and a loving son. However, he betrays his family, shattering the trust of his devoted wife, who has dedicated herself to supporting him and their child. The emotional turmoil escalates when she discovers that everyone in their community, even casual acquaintances, knew of her husband's infidelity while she remained blissfully unaware. This revelation is not just heartbreaking but also evokes feelings of anger and disbelief, creating a powerful connection to anyone who has felt blindsided by betrayal.

The characters are intricately connected, each grappling with their unique struggles and strengths. The main actress delivers a stunning performance, embodying the fierce resolve of a mother driven by instinct to protect her child at all costs. Her desperation to confront the betrayal is palpable and relatable as she navigates her grief and rage.

The storytelling is masterfully crafted, drawing viewers in from the very first scene and holding their attention until the final episode. The intricate plot twists and powerful emotional moments keep audiences on the edge of their seats, making this drama unforgettable.

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A pleasant and lovely surprise

This is my first ever review so I was a bit hesitant (and nervous). I felt I needed to give an honest review of Cat for Cash and FirstKhaotung.

What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t have high expectations after watching the pilot trailer and the official trailer. However, the first episode blew my mind. I couldn’t stop crying after watching it. Seeing people online relate to the mother’s struggles and remembering the pain of losing a loved one. That is what good storytelling does.

This is a breath of fresh air for BL dramas and personally, my highlight for the year so far.

First and Khaotung are both excellent and exceptional actors who executed their roles well.

All in all - a great series and must-watch. Bravo GMMTV!

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Lost in the Sauce (So much potential, so little focus)

As most of the audience of this show can agree, it was far from the premise we were initially told. Honestly when I watched the trailer I couldn't imagine how they were planning to make an entire show about an actress/translator and expected it to be chock full of stupid misunderstandings that dragged the plot and insane love triange drama. Ironically, instead of keeping things simple, the writers threw in every possible curveball they could think of.

Contrary to a lot of people in this review section, I actually really liked Ho Jin’s character. The nuances of his personality set him apart from the usual blunt, boring K-drama male lead stereotypes. His relationship with his family, his personal boundaries around love, and his rigid principles all made him genuinely interesting to watch. Kim Seonho executed this extreme T type personality extremely well.

Cha Muhee as a character was incredibly confused, but I think it was that confusion that gave her relatability. e. Her constant awkward rambling and very real pining for her translator man were portrayed in a cute rom-com way that still felt believable. That said, if we start talking about how both her and Ho Jin were completely nonchalant about her having multiple personality disorder and an active alter ego roaming around the world, we’ll be here all day, so let’s just ignore that.

The chemistry between the leads was also fantastic in the first half of the show. The back-and-forth, Ho Jin not outwardly admitting his feelings, and Muhee just sending it and declaring her intentions were all very entertaining to watch. That is… until it wasn’t.

What even was the point of all that angst? I get that they wanted to drag out the couple-getting-together phase like most K-dramas, but this was entirely unnecessary and way too confusing. In the span of one episode, they almost explicitly confess their feelings, decide to get together, and then she stands him up and that’s suddenly the final straw? Or earlier in Canada, when they’re basically confessing to each other but then he gets mad that she’s pushing him away. Like… what? This is your girl, man. You know this about her. What are you so surprised by?

The writers clearly grasped at any available straws to come up with dumb reasons for them not to just get together and be done with it. Unlike most K-dramas, the leads realized their feelings for each other pretty early on, so having them get together around episode 7 or 8 and then working through the remaining plotlines together would have been so much better.

Speaking of those plotlines- I mean what was the deal with her parents? Why drop such an insane reveal in the last 30 mins of the show and have her resolve it by herself off screen?? That was highkey the only part I was interested in man. The whole vibe of the Do Rami and flashbacks and creepy-fun music was very reminiscent of It's Okay not to be Okay, and similar to that show they could have leaned more into Cha Muhee's childhood by showing us scenes of her upbringing in that fairy tale-esque way. The whole show we are told to feel bad for Cha Muhee because of her childhood but we do not see any of it so it makes it hard to actually understand why.

And yet, despite the confused writing, the set designers and costume designers absolutely outdid themselves. The wonderful cinematography in combination with the amazing sets and costumes was such a visual treat and I might recommend the show just for that. All of Do Rami's movie scenes, the childhood house set and all spanning travel shots were so beautiful.

The second leads however, had no purpose to me. Like what even was going on there. Jisun's character was so freaking confusing?? Like who is she as a person? We don't even know what her relationship with Hojin's brother was and we barely even get the full flashback of her time in in Japan with Hojin, so we can't even understand his years long crush on her. And then out of nowhere she decides to get a divorce and embrace her sexuality (good for her). but if that was the direction they wanted to go in, they should have committed to it. If what she needed was a physical release after her engagement fell apart, the tone of that relationship could have stayed fast-paced and heavy instead of turning into yet another random K-drama romance where the guy develops a savior complex.

I loved Hiro's character from start to finish though. What an absolutely funny guy. And the actor playing him gave exactly what was needed to portray a slightly narcisstic A-List celebrity with just enough humanity to make him likeable.

In conclusion instead of unnecessarily keeping the main leads from getting together until the very last moment they should have spent more time fleshing out the other characters (Jisun, Hojin's brother, Cha Muhee's parents and adoptive parents) and giving more screen time to other plots (Cha Muhee's childhood).

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Entangled by a magical fate

That was a really good start for 2026 modern dramas!
“Love between lines” was honestly something I found out about a very long ago but I actually forgot about it. The reason being is that I never understood what it was about. Therefore, I wasn’t interested in it as much as other upcoming dramas. I’m glad to be back just on the right time when it was airing. Now that it has finished, I think it is just the right time for me to write a review.
First of all, I’m a huge fan of Lu Yu Xiao but I never watched Chen Xing Xu’s work. His first impression was very well and I’m looking forward to his next show. As for Lu Yu Xiao, I have watched many of her works and she is such a talent. Her expressions go from playful, cute to fierce at once. I think this is what I like the most about her work. Both talents were met by a good script, it couldn’t be more perfect!
I was drawn to this drama from beginning till the end though I would say the best episodes are in the first half and in some of the last episodes. I love the Virtual reality game concept they used, it just allowed us to see more sides to their relationship. It creates a two side of the relationship, one so magical set in Republic of China filled with mystery but also that sparkle of love and playfulness. The other side of their relationship is more like mature and real love but also with playfulness. I think that the love story in the VR game is like a half of the heart and the rest of the heart belongs to their chemistry in the real world. I imagine it that way and it couldn’t be any better.
In general, what I really love about the characters is that, they are very supporting of each other. Whether it is Xiao Zhi Yu who helped Hu Xiu achieve her dream of becoming an architect or Gong Huai Cong secretly and openly helping Lao Zhao to successfully run her café. I just really appreciate the sense of close friendship they gave us between the two couple.
Love triangle. This was such an intense love triangle because I had hard time picking. Mr.Pei could have been a good boyfriend material if it wasn’t for his intentions from the beginning. But I love all the 2nd MLs, they add a hint of jealousy which leaves us with some funny scenes of ML being jealous all over.
I’m not a CGI expert but it all looked good in my eyes. Especially the scene in the haunted house. It had such an intense romantic vibe. The most handsome NPC playing outside of his role just so that he can protect you from ghosts and turn them into petals or fireflies? Perfect, freaking perfect.
EXTRA thanks to those who made the BGM. My most favorite song is definitely the one in the opening credits. It has very mystical and magical vibes. It is the type of opening credits that I never want to skip. The scenes they picked for this part are so beautiful.
Another EXTRA thanks to all the lovey-dovey scenes they gave us. They felt very real and every moment of it felt special. Crazy to think that they had 27 kiss scenes according to some of the comments I read. Every single hug, words and acts of affection was heartwarming.
Ending wasn’t a wedding as I have expected but I found what they gave us to be much better. Just thinking their first meeting was in a game where he was the Main character and then it ended with FL being the main character was actually something sweet. Love it from start to finish. ∞/10. I would love to come back and watch it again.

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I thought a lot about what rating to give it and I decided to give it this rating. I love the overall idea and I love the cast even more. It was well-crafted, but I was kind of bored at times. Yeah, I laughed, I was blown away by them, but there were really moments when I thought I was a little bored. I'm sorry, because there was such a hype around it that I was hoping to keep it at the 10/10 I gave it after episode 3, but in the end I lowered it by two points. I think even the 10 episodes are perfect.

I wouldn't make it any longer or shorter, it's just right. I definitely recommend the series because it's ideal for, for example, beating boredom or getting to know the characters.

(But I would probably appreciate the romemok ship more, because they only appeared there a few times and it's a shame, it could have been revived somehow)

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This Must Be the Place (To Translate Love)

The premise of Can This Love Be Translated? is undoubtedly appealing.
A drama that plays on linguistic differences, manages to weave Italian into its narrative structure and moves between fascinating international settings such as Canada, Italy, Japan and Korea, it seems to have all the right ingredients to surprise. However, once the initial impact has worn off, the series reveals its limitations: a rather thin narrative, which develops according to familiar patterns and struggles to stand out and really explore the subject matter, getting lost in smoke and mirrors and convoluted musings. Everything remains superficial, proceeding by accumulation and ending in a rambling and inconclusive manner.

And that's a shame, because the set of themes deserved a much more elaborate narrative; telling the story of love, identity and trauma through the filter of linguistic and cultural translation, especially in a meta-cinematic context – albeit reduced to a horrifying case of “dating show” around the world – would in itself be an excellent starting point:
Love, like language, is an imperfect system: Something is always lost in the transition from one heart to another. It is constantly filtered: By the right words, by messages, by unspoken words that must be rephrased so as not to hurt, so as not to lose the other person. The act of translation is not only linguistic, but emotional. The characters try to make themselves “readable”...

It almost seems like a “tragedy of miscommunication”: even though they speak the same language, Ju Ho Jin and Cha Mu Hui do not understand each other, and translators are not needed when the problem is not language, but meaning.

In this game of “emotional translations”, Can This Love Be Translated? introduces an element that is seemingly unrelated and unconventional, but in reality powerful, at least in principle: Do Ra Mi. A character who -initially- functions as the protagonist's alter ego — her lighter, more ironic version, the one who says what she cannot say — but who ultimately reveals herself to be something more trivially introjected.

Not an autonomous presence, but a functional projection that openly “betrays” the narrative construction; initially, the main character’s trauma is introduced with considerable weight (coma, loss of control, scarred childhood) but then it conforms, it is handled as a narrative mechanism, not as a transformative experience; Do Ra-mi - in principle - would be a “valve” that allows the protagonist to say what she does not dare to say, to act on what she cannot process, until the final “explanation” which, unreasonably, overturns everything, bringing it back to a cliché tiredly exploited in the Dramaverse, especially in the golden age; the internalised maternal voice, the one that teaches how to make oneself acceptable, how to survive emotionally, how to love “well”.

However, even this surprise is handled more as a narrative clarification than as a real emotional earthquake; even after the revelation, the conflict does not really intensify. The internalised mother does not suffocate, dominate or ever threaten to take definitive control. She is a tamed ghost, more explanatory than destabilising. In this way, the childhood trauma – which is evoked with great emphasis – never becomes a force capable of irreversibly redefining the protagonist's present. Everything is accepted and overcome with lightness...

Furthermore, from a cinematic point of view, the choice of an “off-screen” solution (... “I'll meet her in Koreatown” ...) to resolve what is, to all intents and purposes, the narrative core of the drama, is absolutely unacceptable and unforgivable!

Unforgivable, like the representation of Italy, once again reduced to a stereotype, to an imaginary concept rather than the real country; For decades, the narrative of the Belpaese, mainly due to Hollywood, has portrayed Italy as a narrative postcard, an open-air museum with its slow pace, almost invisible work, as if we were a nation of slackers, permanent conviviality, and the absurd rituals of coffee, wine and weddings (the whole part about the protagonist's mother's wedding is an anthology of the ridiculous...); and here there is also a touch of irony, where a drama entitled “Can This Love Be Translated?” ends up not really “translating” Italy, but adapting it to a convenient, already familiar language.

A compendium of the most hackneyed narrative clichés of K-drama, ‘CTLBT’ plays on the tried and tested, offering an accessible, elegant and emotionally safe narrative in which it seems that the choice has been made not to make the characters pay a real emotional price. No truly irreversible choices, no net losses. And without loss, the conclusion struggles to feel necessary in a drama that promises complexity but chooses consolation, leaving two doubts that are at least concrete;

The Netflix model focuses on building media hype to capture the “present”, with a young, beautiful, "Instagrammable" lead actress, a beloved actor who never divides opinion – their excellent performances practically single-handedly “save” the drama – and a “clean”, explained, resolved trauma; all set in a beautiful scenario that leads one to think that the whole thing is the result of a major global marketing operation.

"Can This Love Be Translated" is not a creative failure—the series is saved by its craftsmanship and adequate cast—but rather a deliberate choice of narrative safety in a context of global aesthetic ambition. Perhaps for younger generations – or for those who have no memory of the great dramas of the early 2000s or the more radical titles of the 2010s – this series seems mature because it deals with trauma, identity and social issues. But talking about them is not the same as experiencing them, it is simply finding oneself in a comfort zone that works very well at the moment, generates discussion, etc., but which, perhaps in a few years' time, will be remembered as one of those “nice Netflix dramas”.
6 ½

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Fun, if You Leave Your Brain at the "Door"

I woke up at midnight. Instead of attempting to go back to bed, I watched two verticals. First, Escapade of the Baby Bump Besties (Iqiyi, could not find on MDL) followed by this one, Triplets Tame the Cold CEO. Both shows featured Wen Zhi Cheng as a male lead.

The show was not great. But to be honest, when I watch verticals, I am not going in expecting a masterpiece or a life lesson teaching drama.

The male lead was possessive which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It was sexy went he went all tiger stalking his prey. The female lead was a cute doormat and a damsel in distress, which I normally dislike but in this case it didn't bother me. Why? Because I went in for "the plot" and I got exactly what I wanted. I managed to turn my brain off through it, laughed a few times, and enjoyed it for what it was. Also, Shen Yue was funny.

The drama has romance, kisses 💋 , a whole lot of jealous workplace wenches , trash family members, older family members begging their heir for babies, men who can't take "no" for an answer, and a whole lot of nonsense, but it was fun even if the ending was abrupt.

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Pluto was an experience

Its been a while since i wanted to start pluto and finally i got to watch it. And it definetly was something. I dont even know how to describe it.

i liked it. A LOT. but it was SOOO more heavy than i though

first of all, the plot was really good. it felt fresh and very intresting. Im always up for some twin drama (big love for not me). And guys, like all those mysteries, trying to discover link, learning how all the character basically are linked to each other without even knowing each other basically. Not getting into a lot of details on the plot cause yeah.

I really REALLY loved the pacing of this series, one of the best, if not the best, among recent gmmtv series. I feel like usually they are very slow at the beginning and end up rushing completely, while here it was extremely well paced, the plot unraveled among the different episodes in an intresting way that geniunly kept me entertained and kept me wanting for more.

The topics tho... guys I swear I remember watching the trailer and though "its gonna be a cute and intresting show". I did NOT expect to be emotionally wrecked after literally EVERY episode. Oh my like. I really love heavy topics in series but I expected it to be more lighthearted, while at the end it really got me crying way more than I would want to admit. I think that beside Ben and Paul (arguably) every single other chacter had some good and some bad to it. There were no completely positive and negative people. No black or white. Just real life.

If I had to say something that i didnt really like is how they handled a couple of things: firstly, how conveniently the dad changed idea and became a good person randomly at the end of the last episode. I hate GMMTV and their need to have those ugly ahh perfect ending. A shitty man like May father DOES NOT CHANGE THIS RAPIDLY, nor with such convinent timing. Regardless.
Another thing is how fast and easily Aioon literally skipped over the fact that May was Batman attorney. I get that you are in love with her, and I get that you know that she is not an evil person. I get that she might have her reason. But Ben is you best friend since u were a fetus and you just discovered that your girlfriend was the attorney that made Ben live on a wheelchair WITHOUT HIS MOM? Like maybe at least put some hatred I'm BEGGIN (loved how May showed her guilt, it was such beautiful scenes)

The cast was all up to the test. No like, really. I wasn't familiar with Film but she was the one that surprised me the most. Like. Completely. The scene in episode 11 when she cries when Aioon chooses her sister was... gutwretching to say the least. In general, she performer the role very well and she is able to convey all the emotion. It made me cry so freaking hard. Namtan having to cover two roles that requires acting emotional scenes TOGETHER and still killing it. My favorite scene acting wise from Namtan was the one when May wakes up after the incident and has her first meeting with Oboom. I loved how it changed entirely vibe based on if it was May remembering or Oboom. I was so like 😯😯😯 Omg don't you love when a series actually cast talented people that can do their job? Cause if ur searching for good acting Pluto is PERFECT. Im not entering the details, but even the other actors killed it. Props to Thor specifically cause I geniunly think he us SOO expressive and beside having such little lines he was able to really give it off like yas king.

Cinematography wise I like it. I love series with a specific vibe and color grading. This was very "purple" and "dark" which I enjoyed given the vibe of the show. It was kinda too dark in some moment but I really liked it. LOVED MAY HOME. Kinda dream house if u ask me.

To be honest, as much as I liked it, I would still NOT suggest a rewatch. I think its more of a "watch it and get it once" rather than "keep rewarching it". Maybe its because of the emotional train wreck it was the first time , maybe its because of the intense emotions that were like... a LOT to take in or maybe it was the fact that plot like this are better the first time you watch them. Idk, but I don't think I will rewatch this show for a long time.

In conclusion: watch this. If u hadn't yet. Its beautiful, really.

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Comfort found outside VR.

"Love Between Lines" immediately caught my attention the moment I started episode 1. The first few episodes spend a lot of time in the VR world, which made the initial connection between the leads feel different from the usual office romance setup. I liked that we got to see more of who they were before their real-world dynamics fully kicked in. It avoided to make the transition feel confusing.

I’ve seen some people assume the male lead was driven by revenge. On the surface, it can look that way. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that revenge was never the point. What he wanted was the truth, and more than that, justice for his late father. There’s a bit of mystery tied to his past and his family, but it never turns into a revenge drama. You can see it in his personality and in how consistent his actions are. He’s not out to hurt people, he just wants answers.

Once the story settles in, what really worked for me was the pacing. Nothing felt unnecessarily dragged out, and some reveals happened much earlier than I expected, in a good way. For instance, I loved that the drama didn’t rely on the usual secret-identity-of-the-ML for half the series trope. I mean this about his position in the workplace and his VR role. For the other things, they were understandable for the plot. When things came out, they came out. Some came with a bit of humor, while some for the more serious plot. And when misunderstandings popped up, they didn’t overstay their welcome. The leads actually talked, always tried clarified things, even when one was hesitant for the other's sake.

The female lead was a big part of why I enjoyed this drama. She knows how to stand up for herself and doesn’t let people talk down to her, whether that’s at work or in her personal life. She’s calm but firm, and I loved how she clocked people immediately when something felt off. She's a smart woman who actually acts smart. No dramatic spirals, no unnecessary self-doubt. Just a woman who knows where she stands.

The male lead, on the other hand, has a quieter arc. We slowly learned more about his past, his family, and why he kept certain walls up. His emotional moments felt restrained rather than explosive, which fit his character well. Also, I have to say it: his entrances were ridiculous in the best way. The slow motion, the blurred backgrounds… they clearly knew what they were doing. He looked so good in that VR costume that I never got tired how many times they slow mo-ed his entrances lol.

The leads had chemistry almost immediately after they met in the real world. They already felt like a couple before they officially were one. Small touches, obvious concerns, being there for each other in ways that's not how just friends act, and natural closeness. So, when the ML hesitated and pulled back at one point, it hurt because both of them clearly knew where their feelings were headed. Though, that moment made the yearning hit harder.

Once they do get together, I appreciated that the drama didn’t shy away from physical affection. Nothing over the top, but natural touches that made them feel like an actual couple. Their interactions slow the (my) world down. Watching them felt warm and comforting, and I'm just sitting here smiling without realizing it.

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. The FL’s family's misunderstanding with the ML's becomes another layer of conflict. I was worried it would drag on, but thankfully, it was handled and resolved fairly quickly, just in time for the entire truth to come out.

The second male lead is… honestly just pitiful, because he let his insecurities get the best of him. I did appreciate that the drama didn’t turn him into a cartoon villain though. Some of his concerns felt genuine, even if his actions were driven by wanting to be better than the ML. By the end, he backs off and seems to finally realize that his issues were never really about the ML, but about himself and maybe the real villain, his father lol.

Also, I’m very glad the best friend’s ex-husband disappeared from the story after the divorce. No excuses, no redemption arc. As it should be. I also love that although side characters closest to the leads had their own stories, they didn't overshadow the main plotline. So, everything felt okay the way that it was.

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Well Written SciFi Series

first of all, I seriously don't understand why this drama has a low score. its such a well written, well detailed non idol drama,with no cliches at all,

The ML Cheng nuo, is a human with SciFi tendencies,The Fl is strong,although annoying sometimes but it didn't take away the uniqueness of this gorgeous series.

I highly recommend to people who are not used to idol romance to try and watch this,absolutely good story with good storyline. I'm not much of a review writer but this drama deserves at least an 8!!! hope more people discover this gem soonest.💓

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