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Completed
Payback
0 people found this review helpful
by minimi
2 days ago
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Live Action Done Right ??

Loved the Live Adaption as much as I loved the Manhwa, they did change the story a bit in the series but the essence of the manhwa stayed true which made me very happy, though I’d have loved to see some things kept similar to the original but still it surprisingly didn’t make me mad/ angry that they changed it. Was so so happy that they kept the trivia questions, it was one of my fav part of the story 😂😂

The Revenge was so sweet. I loved that they adapted this series and that we finally got to see black/ grey characters for the main-leads. The story, acting, osts, screenplay and everything was topnotch so I ended up finishing the series in a day 🫣🫣

The actors did a great job (I’m not sure about why people were complaining so much about it). I’m happy that Totap played Jay’s character, I loved the way he portrayed him and thought he did a very good job. Similar pov for all the other actors!! They all had great chemistry with each other and were able to make the LA more enjoyable. 🩷🩷

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Completed
My Only 12%
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

The best friends to lovers!!!

I've never been this excited to review a series.Am screaming. PS: I've never written a review.
Omg omg omg.....
I binged watched this in three days. From Ep 1 to 14 just perfection 💯. I'm glad I watched this now as compared to having watched it earlier. I'm saying this because I had the chance to watch many other "coming of age" bl dramas and this is by far my best. Not cringe, nothing cliche, no unnecessary bad comedy.
It's well written, perfect setting, very well done coming of age, friends to lovers bl. 10/10 for acting, and the delivery of every emotion was perfect. The chemistry was on point, and I actually got immersed in the story such that, if they said it was from a real-life story I'd believe it. Hats off for Santa and Earth. Ep 12 was just too good.
The only shortcomings were on the last 2 episodes, unnecessary sadness, other than that I enjoyed all other episodes.
Also I need recommendations for another BL as good as this or better.

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Completed
High School Boy
1 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
50 of 50 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

this is a pure queer bait almost homophobic sometimes

the show was given a bl tag or gay romance as they say even in the official app that produced it but in reality this show is a pure queer bait and quite homophobic to me even
by queer bait im not even pointing stuff like main leads didn't kiss they weren't intimate that's why-
no not at all
the thing is there was literal no relationship plot in the whole drama till the end
infact what made me furious was the all 3 main leads kept denying the fact that they aren't gay as if being gay was something crazy and illegal like do you understand what is going on?? theyre constantly trying to push this anti lgbtq idea in undertones through such queer bait shows
even till the end the hong il tak literally accepted hyun woo as a "friend"
the fact that they makers don't want to accept gay relationships in whole 50 episodes of the show is driving me so crazy because let me tell you the audacity of these people to literally make the main lead hong il tak so feminine on purpose then throw gay allegations at him in between the show then make him deny all that as if it is something so unnatural and crazy and then make him reject the other main lead as just friends
I'm not pointing to the fact that feminine men are always gay but the thing in the bl industry and whole bl genre is setting the dynamic Like this on purpose for the bl to form
they I swear to god queer baited so hard im so mad
it's not even queer bait but literally even homophobic
they can just release this as a regular highschool drama no?? why add bl tag in the first place
Korea never really fails to prove the anti lgbtq undertones tbh
not saying all dramas are like this but I get the feelings sometimes

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Ongoing 14/14
My Royal Nemesis
0 people found this review helpful
by DCALAN
2 days ago
14 of 14 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Hon u r a ten

Lets not look at his acting point is he tried his best.

Lets look at all the good part the actress she is a brilliant actress actor did well too.
May be he couldn't keep up with her level
But they did well its was a great drama.

Love the enemy to lover transition.

What a brilliant way to portrait love.
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Ongoing 2/14
Flex X Cop Season 2
2 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
2 of 14 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 10

The King of Humour and Action is Back, Baby

Watching the first two episodes of this show reminded me why I loved Flex X Cop in the first place. It’s action-packed, but still incredibly funny.

I love that the show didn’t try to magically make Jin Isoo a super detective after all his wins in Season 1. He’s still incredibly inexperienced and incredibly cocky, and it’s so much fun watching him make mistakes, learn from them, and grow. I’m definitely excited to see how much more he grows, both as a person and as a detective.

Now, with regards to our new female lead, while I will say that I do miss our Season 1 firecracker, Ms. Joo Hyera definitely steps up to the plate in a phenomenal way. She’s strict, no-nonsense, and, for lack of a better word, badass ; just the person Isoo needs around.

So far, I’m really enjoying this. Lowkey wish I could just binge the whole season right now, but as they say, patience is a virtue.

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Dropped 3/14
Flex X Cop Season 2
1 people found this review helpful
by DCALAN
2 days ago
3 of 14 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Its sad

What is the purpose of this drama...... If someone can answer this they can rate it 10/10 and enjoy........................

Such a shame.
Why do they do this there are such great dramas and then there is flex x cop.
I think after IU and Byeon Woo-seok shit for drama same wavelength wealth but where is the story....... guess its better than that

Whatever
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Completed
A Shop for Killers Season 2
1 people found this review helpful
by Tharr
2 days ago
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Oh, boy.... Higher budget (maybe), yet it became even worse

Thanks to the high ratings, this new season got some extra cash I guess. A lot of things are of a higher quality, not always, but they do exist. Unfortunately, the sht is still there...

Visuals. It started with some good cinematography. A couple of different colour palettes, to give us different aspects of storytelling. Even the fight choreography got an upgrade. But then, it went back to meh. Weird camera spinning. Some of the VFX are terrible, mostly when its about scaling them correctly. You get a shot of the MC, some drones behind him, drones that look like (and later we do find out/see it) they have the length of a human torso, then the angle changes and they have a different size. Stuff like that. And no, its not nitpicking, it means the extra budget wasn't well-spent.
Audio. The sound design might be considered good. It has a few terrible choices, such as the track with the annoying beat that also plays at a higher volume so you must keep your fingers on it and keep adjusting it. But overall, good sound design, especially for the tense scenes. It really helps in getting you hooked.
The editing is kinda meh, all over the place. Sometimes good, sometimes it ends the scene too fast... The pacing is also meh. It started ok, but then.. Well, you know... Life happens or something. The world building is minimal but you don't really need it anyway. High production value. And it shows? Well, yes, sometimes it does.

Now the "good" stuff. For the most part, the cast was good. Even some nice chemistry. And the JP team was phenomenal in terms of acting. They really felt like professionals and that they were a team for the last maybe 10 years. I even loved their personalities. Oh, even the old JP gang that appears for just 2 min, in ep 5 I think, yep, even those felt like real people. And the charisma between them ofc. Back to the rest of them. Meh. A mix of meh and very good acting. Also, just a personal thing, but I hated the new young boy. The acting, his role, everything.
Moving on. Some decent character development, but also character assassination. Well played! While the first season had a silly story, at least there was some character work going for it. But now, it all went down the drain. The writer thought he was being cheeky, he tried some "omg" moments, but in fact, it was just sht writing, petty tricks meant to get a reaction from the viewer.
Nice segue, if I say so myself. The writing is horrible. Full of plot holes, plot contrivances, exposition dialogue, villain monologue, plot devices meant solely for artificial pay-offs, red herring, and so on and so on. Everything is meant to push the plot forward in the direction that the writer wills it, no matter if it makes sense or not, if a character would do such a thing or not. And after figuring out its "play", it was easy to guess how the events will unfold. Not everything, obviously. But when something weird was happening on screen, I could guess the general idea as to why, what it was intended to happen next.
A personal opinion: when the new season started, I kinda liked what was happening, I genuinely thought it got better. Then crazy and dumb sht happens and I realised that it wont. Then, the JP enter the stage and again I liked what I saw and I hoped for some things to happen, I started to write a scenario with them in mind. A good one I mean. But with each passing minute, when the stuff happening got dumb and dumber, and sh***ier, I knew then and there that it will be bad. But I had no idea HOW bad.

So, when the new season started, I had some ideas for the story, how it should go. Now that she knew, obviously, you need a time skip and training montage. Teaching her basic and superficial stuff while she has no idea? OK, then now she must learn everything she can, asap. Right? Well, I wont spoil it for you, you have to suff-- ahem, you'll have to watch and figure it out yourself, too. So, I hit play and hoped for the best. It started OK, or at least it was enjoyable. After the initial 20-30 min or so, it became the usual slop. The episode 2 happens, more nonsense. Then the 3rd one, even more nonsense. No, not even the JP team (that I loved) couldn't help me in enjoying it more. Yes the episode starts ok, but the ending is horrible. Many times have I yelled "shut the fk up, you dumb b**ch", no matter who it was that was talking. Because, surprise, the dialogue is sht. And the quality will never get better.
Then ep 4 happens. Cheap melodrama. When it happened, I knew what the next thing will be, Why it was there like that. Is it sad (maybe "sad" is too much)? Sure. And it took me by surprise. Because I thought they'd use it better, not just going for the cheap tricks. My bad, dunno why I was having such high opinions about them. But before that, the next scenes were decent, apart from fight choreography and decisions. Those were NOT moves of super mega, high efficient, OP soldiers, with their background. And THEN it gets to the dumb "plot-twist" that I knew it was coming. Ep 5 has sht and dumb dialogue, again. But it also had that 1-minute scene, with the old JP "grandpa" that had higher gravitas than all the supporting cast before. And he only has like 2-3 lines... Episode 6 was full of dumb-fk actions. All the characters became re****ed because the script needed them to be, so that the plot could happen. Starting with episode 7, I was just waiting for it to end. No matter what happened on screen, I couldn't care less. The drama: "Sad things happening... sad music... see? Its sad. Be sad". Me: "Fk off. Where's that damn playback speed settings?" So, yeah. The rest went by faster (because of me, not because the pacing got better). I already knew what the general plot lines will be, how the writer will make usage of them, so the last hour went by smoothly. Nothing special, everything sht.

And now you know. This story exists only because "it just so happened that...*insert random motive*", times 4. Coincidences do exist, do happen. But forcing 4-5 of them at the same time? Thats just lazy (or sht) writing. For example, lets say you work in a high-lvl bio research facility. And, while in a biosafety/hazmat suit, you open you visor to eat a chocolate candy bar and you drop the wrapper on the floor. That wrapper gets sucked into the door's intern mechanisms, that creates a short-circuit and a fire, that creates an error into a computer that, for some abstract (and dumb) reason was programmed to open all the doors. Into a building full with species, predatory species btw, that you experiment on. And just for the fun of it and to make it even more "whoa", lets make those animals something really really mean. Oh, and big. Yeah, lets make them.. dinosaurs! Ofc, such a movie doesn't exist. Just imagine doing a movie with such a sh***y idea, the reason for all of it to happen being a series of random coincidences. Yep, that will never happen ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So, the technical aspects did got some upgrade, but overall, it got worse. While the first season had sht dialogue and the logic behind the action was lacking, you could put it all on her, saying she's a noob, only a few pro helpers etc. But now? You have a whole fking cast of mega op soldiers. On both sides, mind you. Every action, every thought should be full with high efficiency in mind. But nope. And the dialogue is soooooooo re***ded that will make you blink and look again. "I was living a normal life" (when in fact she did everything possible to not interact with anyone, do not create any relations. Only in the last 3 weeks she did something more). Or "He took the first step and shut down the website. He really wants a truce with us.... I do only whats best for the company. He did that of his own accord. He should hunt him down". So, he wants a ceasefire, so he took something to force you into it, he has the upper hand (the info) in the negotiations and he chose to make something self-damaging as a show of good faith. You do everything for the sake of the company, so your first thought is to hunt him down, when he could go public at any moment? What??? How the fk is that a logical thing? And why is no one asking her how is that making any sense in what she just said? And thats just about the logic behind their words/actions. There's also "evilman dialogue", while laughing. I'm not being cheeky. That person is telling outloud all the evil plans that happened or that will happen, while laughing maniacally. And not just once. I know its hard to believe, to imagine it... But it really is in this drama. And those are just some tiny examples of sht dialogue. It goes on and on and on and on.... Also, they have drones and robots that can withstand a blast, and super mega shields... Omg, I forgot about those shields... Those are the same as the suits in John Wick Universe, a bad plot device that will destroy any story-telling. If you have access to those, just send 1000 of them. Done. The whole drama will end in 5 minutes. *sigh* How could I forget about those? *double-sigh*

The absolute only good thing in this season was the JP team. And more specifically, the actress named Q in the drama (dunno her name), was phenomenal. Fantastic work. Its been a moment since I last saw such an amazing performance. When she's happy, funny, cheeky, sad, everything. Even her fight choreography was enjoyable even good. Now, if the story would've been better, I would've rewatched it just to see her acting again.
Anyway. It gets a rating of 3. Mostly in regards of the JP cast, and some visuals. And maybe 2-3 character development. The story, the plot, the dialogue, everything in regards to that was sht. Not recommended, no rewatching value. I don't know if it will get a new season, but it might. The ending for the last one made sense to have a new one, but for this, who knows. I'm sure it will be praised a lot, because people still think that "enjoyment" = "good media".... So, yeey us.... *sigh*

Have a lovely evening.

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Completed
Love upon a Time
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Very beautiful but a little shallow

Everything is beautiful in this show: the artistic direction, the costumes, the sets, the actors... I loved the direction, it felt like watching a movie.

Amongst the cast, Net and Kim distinguished themselves. They are both not only beautiful, but they also manage to convey very naturally the emotions of their characters. It was a pleasure to watch Net's soulfull eyes portray a myriad of emotions. JJ is fine, a little stiff from time to time, but he has pretty good chemistry with Net. Latte is so wooden when he plays Jom! He obviously struggled with the more emotional scenes.
But overall the cast is pretty good.

Unfortunately, the plot is quite bland and boring, be it in the present or the past. The characters don't realy evolve and never feel like real humans. There is little to no personal conflict, or, when there is, it felt contrived, with the characters changing their minds from one minute to the next.

As for the mystery surrounding Klao's father's death, it felt quite hollow. Klao/Nakun ignores obvious clues for the longest time, and then the show rushes to a reveal that felt out of left field.

The female characters were virtualy non existant. It's quite sad because the writers could have done something to make the plot more interesting by developping Lady Varna or Pim's stories.

I'm a bit ambivalent about the love scenes. They seemed a little tacked on and self indulgent, but they were also beautifully shot. I think they were just a little too long.

The show was pleasant to watch, but a bit disappointing plotwise given the obvious care for the production. Too bad.

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Completed
Melody of Golden Age
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

Not real sure why I didn’t enjoy this more…

When two people who hate each other are forced to get married & then become partners in solving cases, tensions rise & suspicion runs amok. Will this duo learn to trust & love one another or was their relationship doomed before it even began?

I want to be one of the majority who loved this drama, but sadly I’m in the minority instead. It’s not a bad drama, it just felt too long for me. It started off really good but lost my interest about halfway through. It could’ve been 10-15eps shorter & still told the full story with a whole lot less drama. Like that for-her-good breakup plot? That made no sense to me after everything the Leads had already endured together!

Top things I didn’t like:
- annoyingly delulu SML - dude, she’s married so stop trying to be a homewrecker! 🤦🏻‍♀️
- FL’s sister’s shift - I liked her at first but how she was in the end? Pass!
- all the political drama? Nah.

Things I did like :
- the aloof ML falling for his quirky wife
- the touch-her-&-☠️vibes
- the FL realizing he’s actually good
- the he’s-mine-so-back-off stage
- their past connection
- their soul-deep goodness
- their sweet moments

I just wanted to watch the Leads go from sorta enemies to die-for-you lovers with less messy stuff, I guess. But I’m in no way saying skip the drama because TONS of other viewers absolutely loved it! Like I said, I’m in the minority here!! 🤪

_________\\__________//________


-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


.





….


……

The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.25 💋
- Together : ep.25 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: ep.36 💔
- BackTogether : ep.40 ❤️‍🩹

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Completed
Royal Betrothal
4 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Don’t Judge It by the Reviews — Decide for Yourself.

I see that a lot of people didn’t like the ending, but I personally really enjoyed "Royal Betrothal" Wu Jin Yan and Chen Zhe Yuan did a wonderful job with their roles — bravo! I genuinely enjoyed watching this drama.
And honestly, for me, it was a happy ending. In the final scene, they are riding horses together — they stayed together and are happy. For those who felt that a wedding was missing... we already had one in Episode 30! We got a beautiful ceremony and gorgeous wedding outfits. And at the end, we see them together again three years later, which is pretty common in dramas. What else was there really to show? Another wedding, children, and all their future family happiness? Well, maybe... 😄 But personally, I didn’t need that.
I love both of these actors, and for me, the chemistry was definitely there. The kiss was perfectly fine too, and I thought their acting was excellent. So I guess it really comes down to personal taste.

My advice: don’t let other people’s reviews decide whether you watch this drama. Watch it yourself and make your own judgment. There are plenty of hugely popular and heavily hyped dramas that I didn’t enjoy at all, while this one worked for me. I’m glad I watched it until the end.

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Completed
Legend of the Magnate
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

A Chinese Odysseus

At the time of my writing this review, The Odyssey by Cristopher Nolan is being mercilessly shoved down the throats of audiences around the world. There is so much hype in every type of media, old and new, that, short of living on a desert island, it is impossible to escape or ignore. Predictably, the film itself is a heavily Americanized affair, with little to offer other than pop psychology, high moral ground and some spectacular CGI. The nominal hero, in particular, is as about as different as he can be from the legendary Homer's hero. Instead of a silver-tongued master strategist, whose unparalleled wit and cunning indiscriminately won both battles and hearts, and whose unshakable sense of purpose could get temporarily sidetracked only by his own thirst for knowledge and unbeatable zest for life, Hollywood served us with yet another strong-and-silent type, a dour six-pack warrior riddled with moral pomposity and PDST.

It is therefore with particular delight and surprised joy that I found some of the classical Greek hero's more compelling attributions in the character of Gu Pingyuan, the protagonist of the Legend of the Magnate. Not unlike the original Odysseus, Gu Pingyuan is something of a reluctant hero. Although his personal ambitions and desires are modest in scope, he keeps getting sidetracked and thrown in the midst of high-stakes conflicts of every kind mostly because his unique capacity to solve them is patently obvious both to him and to everyone around him. His adventures take him to many places in China, central and off the map, and lead him to interact with people from all walks of life. (Humans only, though; no witches, gods or giants, at least not of the literal kind.)

That being said, I don't wish to push the comparison with Odysseus too far. For all the similarities between the two heroes - resourcefulness, eloquence, resilience - Gu Pingyuan is pointedly and quintessentially Chinese. His story unfolds in a specific time (the late Qing dynasty), in specific places across China (magnificently filmed on location) and in a specific social context (the four-class system on its last legs). His adventures may be larger than life, but they remain firmly grounded in the historical realities of the 19th century China.

Moreover, Gu Pingyuan is a master strategist who makes deals, not war. In this, he is the very opposite of any aristocratic epic hero. With his plebeian down-to-earth common sense, he loathes armed conflict and its devastating consequences for common people, himself included. He couldn't care less about conquering and vanquishing; he never seeks to crush his opponents into dust for so long as they can be reasoned with. Much like any ordinary person, all he aims for is a life of peace and prosperity. This, however, is easier said than done in a society dominated by hard power, weak institutions and systemic inequality. Born as a tea farmer, trained as a scholar, framed into exile and converted into a merchant, Gu Pingyuan is officially disgraced and socially misplaced. He can rely only on his prodigious wit to make his surroundings more livable for himself and people around him.

His quest inevitably pits him against all those who stand to profit from the imperial regime on the decline. In the course of his adventures, he gets to confront small-time local bullies, incompetent, overbearing and/or corrupt public officials, aristocrats too engrossed in petty rivalries to care about massive real-life consequences of their squabbles, disillusioned army generals, trade guilds stuck in their ways, heavyweight merchants seeking to unscrupulously hoard wealth in order to compensate for their lowly social status or their self-perceived lack of personal worth. He responds to those challenges with stratagems ingeniously designed to strike a balance between healthy self-interest and other people's needs. Nobody's perfect and everybody has their own burden to bear; the trick is to discover a mutual interest in helping each other out. Gu Pingyuan operates by managing to find common ground even with the least likely and most unlikeable of people. His business acumen stems from his extraordinary capacity to grasp different points of view and quickly come up with a deal satisfactory for most.

This emphatic, balanced and seductive approach to human dealings in general, and to business activity in particular, is systematically contrasted with uncontrolled accumulation of wealth, brutally facilitated by unfair practices and pushed beyond reason by insatiable lust for power. The clash of worldviews is the primary driving force behind the Legend of the Magnate. Its implications become more overtly political in the later part of the drama, when Gu Pingyuan is forced to try and make a stand against the infamous East India Company, the biggest predator operating in China post-Opium Wars. He marks a point: but no single individual, no matter how brilliant, ultimately stands a chance against a gargantuan corporation already monopolizing more than half of global trade and habitually backing up its business propositions with a fleet of war ships. (Especially not, it is suggested, without any support from the decadent imperial regime.) Thus, Gu Pingyuan ends his astonishing career the same way he started it - officially in disgrace - but, miraculously enough, alive and kicking, and seemingly content to keep working in line with his egalitarian values off the main stage and behind the scenes,

The Legend of the Magnate is, beyond any doubt, a high-quality drama. It is well-written, fast-paced, visually breathtaking and superbly acted by Chen Xiao in the main role and a strong ensemble cast. The show invites us to step into a meticulously conceived and vividly rendered fictional world which, for all its authenticity and rich historical detail, can feel eerily contemporary. Indeed, one would have hoped that, by 21st century, humanity would have known better than to allow its 1% hog more than half of world wealth. For anyone who feels disheartened by the current state of global affairs, Gu Pingyuan's electrifying adventures will provide much jubilant amusement without the indulgence of total escapism. The multifaceted story and its ingenious hero are bound to be thoroughly and scrumptiously enjoyed by anyone looking for intelligent entertainment.

That being said, the drama is not without its weaknesses. First and foremost, in its final episodes, the story sacrifices some of its momentum to make a didactic point: namely, that it is necessary to overcome petty internal strife and stand united against the predatory dominion of the few over the many in order to make it possible for individuals and nations to live freely, prosperously and with dignity. The lesson is delivered obliquely, with internal strife taking the form of family melodrama. The result is underwhelming. Unhinged reactions by some otherwise sensible characters are bizarrely at odds with the general no-nonsense tone of the drama. The main plot remains fascinating in terms of political economy but, with the distraction of interpersonal turmoil, the finale feels too rushed to absorb all the facts in their complexity and consequently we don't get a full sense of closure. I am always sympathetic to any egalitarian cause and, considering what China when through during the "century of humiliation", I am prepared to be more tolerant of the patriotic propaganda than usual. Nevertheless, spectators could have and should have been trusted to get the point on the national and human brotherhood without making it quite so obvious.

The second weak point of the drama is the romance. The Legend of the Magnate is not short on strong female characters, who are all intriguing and/or likeable in their own way. However, possibly due to censorship or self-censorship issues, Gu Pingyuan's interactions with his prospective romantic interests feel inorganic and counter-intuitive.

This is most obviously the case when it comes to Gu Pingyan's love story with the main female lead, Chang Yu'er. The girl is earnest and valiant but young and illiterate and, beyond occasionally acting as our hero's timely bodyguard, has very little to contribute. Moreover, while he is deeply moved by her unwavering devotion and does not find her physically unattractive, he seems reluctant to commit and only succumbs to her relentless advances after being put under severe social pressure from his business partners and allies. Settling down into a reasonably happy marriage of convenience on the grounds of mutual trust, easy familiarity and long-standing respect for the in-laws is a historically realistic choice consistent with Gu Pingyuan's values. It is the attempt to masquerade the couple's relationship as a full-blown romance, in line with modern sensibilities, that feels unconvincing and half-hearted.

Much more engaging, if equally counter-intuitive, is Gu Pingyan's tug-of-war with the female protagonist who is clearly his intellectual counterpart. A fallen princess secretly bent on a personal vendetta, Su Zixuan treats life as a game of chess where she is the queen and everybody else her pawn. With her imperious manner and her anti-imperial agenda, she makes a formidable antagonist but also an invaluable ally, always one step ahead in political scheming thanks to her sweeping eagle's eye perspective and intricate web of connections. Her relationship with Gu Pingyan is remarkably complex:. an implosive compound of open rivalry, cautious respect , begrudging admiration and,, eventually, big-sister-young-brother affection, it is evidently meant to further reinforce the didactic point of the story .That is all well and good except for the fact that the two are not actually siblings; they are a man and a women so equally matched in brains and beauty, that they don't need violines in the background and slow-motion close-ups to make us feel breathless with anticipation. It is little surprise, then, if Gu Pingyuan's political discussion with Su Zixuan on his wedding day feels much more passionately intense than his wedding night with his young bride. Enough said.

If it's any consolation for those who can't do without a proper, the Legend of the Magnate does have a secondary love story involving the angelic but self-assertive Gu Pingyuan's former fiancée and the devilish but honorable anti-imperial rebel army general. Alas, it logically and inevitably ends in tragedy.

For some reviewers, the lackluster finale and/or the lukewarm main romance were reasons enough to downgrade this otherwise exhilarating drama. Rationally, I agree that the Legend of the Magnate falls just a little short of a masterpiece. Emotionally, I was riveted by the drama in spite of its imperfections. In an era when sociopathic behavior seems on its way to becoming a new golden standard, and when money-mad moguls seem to be increasingly invading the global public sphere - not to mention the universe itself - I find it impossible not to feel dazzled by Gu Pingyuan's radically different focus and perspective. As far as I am concerned, if we can't have more men like him in real life then, by all means, let's at least have them in legends.

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Completed
Royal Betrothal
1 people found this review helpful
by Snow
2 days ago
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Poor Pacing

Good story , great selection of characters and storylines nice costumes, sets and some beautiful scenery . I felt however that the pacing was bad . The ending was rushed and there could have been easily another 2 or 3 episodes following Meng Ting Hui's return to her homeland and the liberation of her countrymen. Better still reduce some of the earlier episodes and storylines so that more time could be given to expand the ending. All in all a good drama with a less than satisfying ending .
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Completed
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

Mix of Fantasy & Romance

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these Leads in a previous collaboration so I was quite excited to watch this one, but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as their drama, “Moonlight”. *Note: if you’re disatisified with this one’s ending (typical of this genre), go watch that one! 😉

It’s not that this drama was bad, per se, I just felt like they didn’t allow the actors to show their full potential in the romance department. Like… where were the kisses?! They have great chemistry so I was simply disappointed that it wasn’t allowed to fully bloom like I know it can. If you don’t watch it as a romance fan, though, & only go in for the fantasy aspect you’d probably enjoy it more than I did.

Again, this is NO SHADE on the cast, they all played their roles very well. It simply didn’t satisfy the romantic in me. 💕

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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….


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : None 🙅🏻‍♀️
- Together : ep.20 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: Nope 💝

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Completed
Melting Me Softly
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

That Shower Kiss if Famous for a Reason!

A producer & a part-timer participate in a “24-Hour Frozen Human” project, but instead of waking up in 1 day, they wake up 20 years later! 😱Now they need to adjust to their new reality where the world & everyone they know has aged 2 decades, while also have navigating the risks to their health from being frozen so long. As they work together to integrate back into their lives, love blooms unexpectedly. 💕

I enjoyed this drama for all it brings to the screen - humor, mystery, romance, low-key angst, & the contemplation of what it would be like to endure what this cast goes through. I laughed, I cringed, I swooned, & I cheered for these Leads as they faced the challenges together. They had such a great chemistry as co-workers/frenemies then as friends & confidants & finally as lovers who’d risk it all for each other. Their story is adorable & I’m glad I had the pleasure of watching it.

It’s definitely one I recommend for fans of kdrama rom-coms 🤗

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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….


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.7💋
- Together : ep.10 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: Nope 💝

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Completed
Welcome to Samdal-ri
0 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Good for it’s genre

When a photographer returns to her hometown following a scandal she runs into her ex-boyfriend, rekindling the flames of romance. Can they clear the air & forgive past hurts or is their love destined to remain unfinished?

So, second-chance isn’t really a trope I enjoy because I want to see the couple fall in love & stay together rather than watch a couple who still loves each other refusing to just admit it, deal with the issues in the way, & get back together. With that being said, I love both the lead actors so I watched it anyway. And if you’re a fan of that trope, then this is definitely one to watch because it’s really well done.

And all the extra beauty of it is a bonus : the small town bond between the residents; the mother-daughter duo’s cuteness; the multiple love stories; the familial & friend loyalty; the baddies getting served some well-deserved karma. And, of course, the Leads have such a great bond & chemistry that you’ll enjoy their scenes. Everyone did really well in their roles!

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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….


……

The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.7(past), ep.9💋
- Together : ep.14 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: In past, not present 😅

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