Reviews

LISTEN UP AUDIENCE! Season 1 was Jinman’s story, Season 2 is Jina’s story

We start right off where season 2 ended and get introduced to new characters + re-meet old foes as uncle and niece band together to face off against Babylon. Fight scenes are genuinely amazing and exciting to watch and the actors do a great job like they did in season 1. The new season’s actors too bring their A game. Special shout out to all the actors who were alternating between like Korean, Japanese/Thai/Chinese and English. I loved how much bigger the setting of this season was from Japan to Korea to Thailand.

I really enjoyed everything about it despite some suspending disbelief moments (which s1 actually had way more imo like Jinman not killing Bale with the knife or Jinah being in the woods with those wolves so it wasn’t a big deal). There were also more comedic dark humor moments especially between Bale, Marco and J which I liked.

Unfortunately I saw a lot of people complaining about the story being messy or the 2nd season “losing the plot.” I would argue these people are the ones who completely lost/missed the story, not the drama. Below are spoilers, but know that so many people just feel entitled to have dramas go exactly the way they want or its’s “bad writing.”

Character motivations were very clear and made sense, they’re not even that different from S1 which was always either protect Jinah or kill Jinman/Jinah so the some comments about this motivations being unclear this season also confuses me.

Season 1 was always Jinman/the uncle’s story. We uncover his backstory, what motivated him, his enemies and allies. Despite being presumed dead in S1, the uncle is the main character haunting the narrative and even though yes, Jian is there in S1, she’s more of a audience surrogate as we constantly flash back and forwards to piece together the image of who Jeong Jiman really is. Of course Jian’s story itself gets set up a bit but overwhelmingly every piece of how season 1 unfolds were planned in advance by her uncle, it’s really his game to control and move. The big bad of the season too is the uncle’s nemesis with a fraught history between them, Bale was nowhere near all the operations to take Jinah down, he never goes there personally in s1 because his ultimate focus is Jeong Jiman and Jinah is a supporting character.

Season 2 now is Jinah’s story. We open with her struggling to cope with what she’s disvored, running away to a faraway village and eventually establishing connections with people. Losing them too and learning what pain is like her uncle did in season 1 (other characters also point this out that she will learn to be like her jaded uncle soon). Season 2 is Jinah’s transformation into her uncle in a way or to see if she can be different from him experienceing the same things (Jinah herself plants this seed by saying she will never be like her uncle in the beginning of s1). She even has the same “slapping herself over guilt of a loved one’s death” scene her uncle did in season 1 here. The writers are clearly making a parallel. Even the big bad(s) of this season were written to mirror Jinah.

First yes both Q and Kusanagi are women leaders like Jinah. On top of that Q is similar to Jinah as someone who was raised by the yakuza like Jinah was raised by her assassin uncle. Q had to watch her dad be killed in from of her when she was 10 just like Jinah witnessed her uncle’s friend’s arm get chopped off, and had to hide from a killer by laying next to her dead mom’s body in the morgue. The writers are so on the nose about it, idk how people missed it but the scene where Brother is hurt and Q and Jinah face off, you can see the parallels of them both wanting to seriously hurt the person that took away their loved ones. Q even says to Jiman that “your niece in that moment had the same look in her eyes I had back when I was young.”But unlike Q who lets others manipulate her using her brother’s death, Jinah learns to not let her temper and hurt control her, she doesn’t impulsively go after Q to kill her when she could be used as a great pawn to take down the head of Babylon Korea. Both are team leaders that care deeply about their teammates, but Jinah learns to be more levelheaded as part of her character development.

Then there’s Kusanagi who again the writers are very obvious about being a female CEO like Jinah and being the head of a major organization like Babylon/murthehelp. Kusanagi isn’t cold and crazy for the sake of it, she’s there to be a character foil to Jinah who genuinely treats her employees like family so they’re willing to lay down their lives to her versus how Jin gets abandoned by every Babylon employee in the end cause she’s cold hearted and don’t consider them hers.

Even the choice to make Kusanagi a self hating Korean wanting so hard to be Japanese and super disdainful of everything Korean + speaking Japanese all the time which in the end backfired on her with the lawyer and other Babylon employees is purposeful imo. She can’t unite people of these different nationalities under her like Bale and J, while Jinah despite hiccups on the road with Pasin, in the end had everyone from Thailand and North Korea to China and South Korea laying down their life for her. Kusamagi likes siding with whoever is more powerful and can benefit her the most, which was the case for many pro-Japanese Koreans during Korea’s colonization under Japan whose descendants live in luxury today. Kusanagi is very much the same and wants to take over murderthehelp borrowing Babylon’s power. The choice to make her have this identity is not random. Her boss tells her multiple times that she doesn’t work for the good of Babylon, but only herself, in direct constants to Jinah who works for the good of her murthehelp family.

I get people wanted some melodramatic confrontation and longer story between Bale and Jinman, but dragging that story out when 1. that would be way too unrealistic considering they’re literally just trying to kill each other anytime they make contact 2. this is not Jinman’s story but Jinah’s. Bale and Jinah don’t have much emotional character connections/juxtaposition between them like she does with Q and Kusanagi. Bale is Jinman’s nemesis and his foil with both being cold killing machines when they worked for Babylon and favorite of their boss who says they’re very similar but also different cause Jinman is not entirely psychotic. Bale is not fit for Jinah’s season. (Plus just having a indestructible big bad who’s always coming back from the dead + explosions and fire is so Alice in Borderland type of shounen manga cliche, I’m glad they avoided that in this season).

The drama make it a point to tell the choice to make everyone part of the green code and be protected just like her is Jinah’s choice, not her uncle’s (he’s surprised by the meeting even being called). In fact the theme of “Jinah is now in control” is repeated so many times in the drama and we see the “LISTEN UP JEONG JINAH” chapter title cards actively change to “LISTEN UP JEONG JINMAN” at the end of the season, signifying Jinah’s growth as a character throughout her own story, now the one with experience + wisdom to share as a result of her journey, no longer led by the advice of her elder. You may not like it, but it makes absolute sense with how the story is written, so the lost the plot or the story don’t make sense complaints just tells me people consider it “bad writing” if a drama don’t go exactly the way they want it. Don’t even get me started on the people giving low ratings cause god forbid fan favorite characters die in an action thriller drama named a shop for KILLERS.

Overall a good above 9 stars drama that kept me engaged and glued to my screen

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Welcome to Intense emotional rollercoaster

Story

Based on the most chaotic era of China.
Explores the sensitive social issues of domestic abuse, human trafficking, slavery, child abuse, childhood trauma, crime, outlaw,power, greed, drug smuggling, biological warfare, wartime, patriotic and martyrdom.

Every characters are flawed, morally grey, extreme love, hatred, obsession and dangerous.

Storytelling style

-Melodramatic dialogue, camera cut, bgm
-Over stylized and extravagant visuals
-Fast paced Plot-driven directing
-No filler scenes and characters,No dragging parts
-**Extreme Sadomasochism**

Acting

Deliver the emotional acting from all the casts.
Highlight
Zhang Linghe -eye emotion,micro-expression and outburst, sadomasochism
Wang Churan - well executed eyes emotion, restraint mannerism

Music
All OSTs are nice and catchy. Deliver the emotion and blend with the scenes.

Overall

Apart from some technological flaws for special effects,

Overdo is a perfect show for

*sadomasochism suckers
*empathetic viewers
*who wants adrenaline rush
*familiar with plot-driven, action movies or melodramatic over-stylized western shows
*who can handle all positive/ negative emotion and dark plot

**It's not for judgmental mind and faint heart**

Have a nice day, everyone 🍂🍀🍀
Love you 😘😍🥰

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NOT THAT GREAT BUT IT'S GOOD

The story continues from the previous season but this time its a bit down for me... No doubt I loved it but that raw action and the scenes in the first season couldn't match the second one... The actions were great just like the previous one but the character depth was missing here... Many scenes which could have been avoided were shown and some characters which did not have depth were drastically pulled... The deaths of certain characters could have been avoided as I think so... And the Babylon Boss which I personally thought could be someone we know but that suspense failed... Overall you can always give it a watch if you have watched the first season... And I hope if they bring a third season, they are gonna rock it because this time it will be leaded by Jian and the war is over for now but it will happen again and we know...

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A Sweet Romance with a Pair I Couldn't Resist

Only for Love was one of the first C-dramas I watched, so of course it has a special place for me. And Dylan Wang and Bai Lu together? What a combination! Dylan Wang is now one of my favorite Chinese actors, and Bai Lu completely won me over here too. I loved their chemistry and all the teasing, misunderstandings and sweet moments between Shi Yan and Zheng Shu Yi. The story itself is quite simple and sometimes you just want these two people to TALK to each other, but honestly, I didn't mind. I wasn't watching this for a complicated story - I was watching it for the romance, the chemistry and the characters. It was sweet, funny and very easy to binge. Being one of my first cdramas probably makes me a little biased, but this was definitely one of the dramas that made me fall in love with both actors.

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Romance, Gaming and Esports - A Perfect Mix for Me

Falling Into Your Smile will always be special to me because it was one of the first Asian dramas I watched and my first C-drama. As a gamer, I immediately loved the esports setting. Gaming wasn't just something added in the background - the matches, training, team life and competition were a big part of the story, and that made it so much more fun for me. I really enjoyed Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao together, especially how their relationship slowly changed from teasing and arguing to something much sweeter. I also loved the whole ZGDX team and their friendship. They felt like a little family, and some of their scenes made me laugh so much. Is the drama perfect? Probably not, but I honestly don't care. It gave me romance, comedy, gaming, competition and characters I became attached to. Even after all the dramas I've watched since, this one still has a very special place in my heart.

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This should be more than 9/10!!!

i dont know why people keep rating shows biasly.
if you watched trauma code, you would know the actress is very good. now combined with hae-in. what a show!

This show should be among the greats like Hometown chachacha, when the camelia blooms and others.

What i really liked from the beginning was the amnesia story taking them to the countryside. it was not the usual "FL get stired of the city" or "FL gets fired from her workplace" or "FL gets into a controversy and moves to the countryside".

Every thing done here is logical. even the romance is so fluffy and well matured
A very nice drama. Watch it, you wont be disappointed.

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A Slow and Emotional Story About Love and Healing

I really enjoyed In Your Radiant Season. This is a slow story with complicated characters, and I liked that it took its time to reveal their past and explain why they became the people they are. Lee Sung Kyung and Chae Jong Hyeop were both wonderful, and their acting was probably one of the strongest parts of the drama for me. I also really liked the story itself, especially the connection between Ha Ran and Woo Chan and how their past slowly comes back into their lives. It was emotional enough to make me cry more than once, and some moments really stayed with me. My main problem was that there were simply too many coincidences connecting everyone and everything, and sometimes it felt a little too convenient. But I can forgive that because I cared about the characters and their story. And after everything they went through, I was very happy that the drama gave them a happy ending.

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Not Every Male Lead Has to Be a Green Flag

I really liked Nevertheless. It's more provocative and messy than the usual romance drama, and that's actually one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. Not every male lead has to be a perfect green flag, because people and relationships aren't always like that in real life. Song Kang's Park Jae Eon is full of red flags, and Yoo Na Bi knows it. She knows she should stay away from him, but she is attracted to him and simply can't resist going back. I completely understood her, even when I didn't agree with her choices. For me, that made her feel human rather than stupid or weak. Han So Hee and Song Kang also had amazing chemistry, which made their complicated relationship very believable. It's definitely not a healthy love story, but I don't need every drama to give me one. Sometimes I just want something messy, complicated and impossible to look away from.

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Behind the Idol Image

Idol I was one of the first idol dramas I watched, so I think it will always have a special place in my heart. Choi Soo Young and Kim Jae Young were both wonderful, and I really felt that they gave everything to their roles. I loved their chemistry and the emotional moments between their characters. I also liked that this wasn't just a simple idol romance. The mix of mystery, law and romance made the story much more interesting, and I enjoyed seeing the person behind the idol image and some of the harder sides of that life. My only complaint is that I wanted more. Twelve episodes felt too short for these characters and their story. I would happily have watched a few more.

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So Much More Than Just a Romance

I originally expected Pinocchio to be mainly a romance, but the journalism side of the story ended up being one of the things I liked most. I loved how it explored the power journalists have, how easily facts can be manipulated and how one story can completely destroy someone's life. Lee Jong Suk was excellent, especially in the more emotional parts of Dal Po's story, and I really enjoyed his chemistry with Park Shin Hye. Their relationship felt important without taking over everything else happening in the drama. The combination of romance, family, mystery and journalism worked really well for me, and the emotional parts had much more impact than I expected when I started it.

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Eh….

It’s not bad, but it’s not great either.
The biggest downside for me was the pacing and the lack of suspense.

There’s a lot happening in this series that I found engaging, yet the pace feels incredibly slow. I’m not entirely sure why — maybe because I was expecting the kind of intense action that Season 1 offered. There are also so many plot threads that drift around for a long time before finally connecting.
Part of my dissatisfaction might come from the fact that after the first episode I rewatched the previous season (I barely remembered anything), liked it a lot, and then simply couldn’t connect with this one at all. Where was the suspense? The mystery? The story just drags on and on… and when you look back, not much of real substance actually happened.
Luckily, it really came alive for me in the last 20%. In fact, that final stretch was so good that I bumped the rating up a full star. I just wish the show had been that consistently wild the whole way through.
The romance didn’t work for me either — I honestly don’t see any real reason for it to be there.

On the upside, the cast is excellent, and I genuinely enjoyed the overall plot.

Just because it didn’t fully work for me the entire time doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. If you’re interested, I’d still encourage you to give it a try.

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Medicine, Romance and Suspense My Kind of Mix

Doctor Stranger combines several things I really enjoy in one drama: medicine, romance, suspense and political intrigue. It can definitely become messy and overdramatic, but somehow that was part of the fun for me rather than something that ruined it. Lee Jong Suk was the biggest reason it worked so well. Park Hoon is brilliant but emotionally damaged, and I loved watching him switch between the confident doctor and the man carrying everything that had happened to him. The medical scenes kept me interested and the story rarely felt boring, even when it became completely crazy. It's not a perfect drama, but it was absolutely my kind of drama and one I remember very fondly

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Distinct enough in the beginning.

Honestly, i've read its novel and i'm greatly disappointed in how they adapted it. But I'll focus more on reviewing this drama alone without basing it on the novel.
In my opinion, the plot alone was already more distinct than most dramas. More so the characters. The ML is a young emperor who strives to get a hold on his power and to fight for what he wants for a change. He was smart and determined. He knew his responsibility. And despite having feelings for FL, he didn't let his emotions sway him from what's more important.
FL is also a force. She's brave and smart but also reckless and impulsive. She's not perfect. No character was. And that was understandable from how she grew up and her past experiences.
Together, the two could be a power couple if done more correctly. If portrayed more in the script. I think it had lost its potential because they didn't get down that path. They didn't need to kill any of the supporting characters, for the leads alone already had a great impact if they just continued to shake the nation together about their romance.
This is the part i honestly believe they screwed up.
The political issues were intriguing enough that they didn't feel boring. The characters were portrayed so greatly that you would feel annoyed at them. That only means that the acting was very effective.

Okay. I'll give this an 8 because i still liked 2/3 of the drama. It could have been a 10 if they just... but they didn't. And despite everything, i don't care much about how obvious it was that their makeups aren't balanced or any of the cinematography. I like the costumes though.
And I'm more focused on the plot and character development, the entire story. That's all.

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Loved It — Now Where Is Season 2?

This is exactly my kind of drama. Action, conspiracy, mystery, corruption and enough emotional moments to make me care about the characters rather than just the next action scene. Once I got into Vagabond, it became incredibly addictive. Lee Seung Gi was great, the action was exciting, and I really enjoyed his chemistry with Bae Suzy. I also liked that the story kept getting bigger and more complicated instead of becoming predictable halfway through. But that ending! I can accept an open ending when it fits the story, but this one practically screams for another season. I finished it thinking, "That's it?!" I loved the ride, but I'm still waiting for the rest of the story.

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Seo Kang Joon Was Absolutely Fantastic

The main reason this drama stayed with me is Seo Kang Joon's performance. Playing two characters who look exactly the same could easily become confusing or feel like the actor is simply changing his expression, but I never had that problem here. Human Nam Shin and Nam Shin III genuinely felt like two completely different "people". The way he changed his eyes, expressions, body language and even the feeling he gave off was fantastic. I also really enjoyed the unusual romance and the questions the drama raises about what actually makes someone human. The story isn't perfect, but Seo Kang Joon's performance alone made this memorable for me and is a huge reason for my 9.5/10.

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