Reviews

A Short but Addictive Mini-Series

I started this mini-series just to pass the time, but I couldn’t stop watching : I really loved it!

The story is easy to follow and full of humor, which makes it very enjoyable from beginning to end. The costumes are well done, the special effects are decent, and the fight scenes are well executed.

I honestly wish the series were longer, because time flew by while watching it. The episodes are short (around 10 minutes each), but they are never boring and keep you engaged the whole time.

Overall, it’s a fun and entertaining mini-series that’s perfect for a light and enjoyable watch.

Read More

A pastel mess.A cute GL that made me smile… and side-eye the direction hard

This series is undeniably cute . Like, tooth-achingly cute at times. The chemistry wants to work, and honestly, the entire cast does a really good job acting and thy try to make some awareness about transgender issues and same gender relationships. Their emotions feel sincere, the shy looks land, and the realization arc between the leads is something I genuinely enjoyed as a fem×fem sapphic🌈💗

One thing I absolutely loved and I mean loved is that the show clearly uses the word “lesbian.” No vague dodging, no euphemisms. Say it with your chest. That alone earned major points from me.

That said… whew. The direction is very silly and weak. It feels like the director straight-up missed so many important moments that should’ve deepened the story and the romance. The plot itself is pretty much just flooding —nothing special, nothing memorable, just events happening without much impact.

My biggest gripe is the relationship progression. After they get together, it feels awkward and fake 😐. They’re sleeping side by side like an old married couple, barely touching. Girl?? Newly together couples are usually clingy, hugging, leaning, always finding excuses for skin contact. That intimacy just wasn’t there, and it completely broke the illusion for me. The actors could’ve sold it—but again, this feels like a directing failure, not theirs.

Final thoughts:
Cute? Yes. Well-acted? Absolutely. Groundbreaking plot or convincing romantic direction? Not really. I liked it, I wanted to love it, but the weak direction held it back hard. Still, for sapphics who enjoy soft GLs and appreciate clear representation, it’s worth a watch—just keep your expectations pastel, not bold. 🎨✨

Read More

la mejor serie de la existencia

Es, sin duda alguna, la mejor serie que podrás ver en toda tu vida. Nunca había encontrado algo siquiera parecido, ni una historia que lograra atraparme de esta manera desde el primer momento. Cada episodio es una experiencia única que te envuelve por completo, haciendo imposible dejar de verla. Los visuales son simplemente espectaculares, cuidados hasta el más mínimo detalle, convirtiendo cada escena en una auténtica obra de arte.

Las canciones son otro nivel: cada una encaja perfectamente con la historia y logra transmitirte emociones profundas, haciéndote sentir parte de ese mundo. Es una serie que no solo se ve, se siente, y que permanece contigo incluso después de terminarla.

La recomiendo totalmente a todo el mundo, porque es una experiencia que merece ser vivida al menos una vez en la vida. De verdad, quedé completamente encantada y enamorada de cada aspecto de esta serie 🥹💓

Read More

*******SPOLIERS****SPOILERS****SPOILERS****SPOILERS****SPOILERS****SPOILERS****SPOILERS*******

I liked the series overall but for me it spent was too much time on the flashbacks. This could have been a much better drama but it wasn't. It seemed like we were going to get mature adults but the series wavered through way too much push and pull and when I thought the characters has started to communicate more, and would weather all storms, we get a break up in the 11th episode. Not that the break was unneeded but it should have come 6/7 ep. I didn't mind them getting together in the end b/c on some level it finally showed they could be done with what anyone else thought about the relationship.

I thought the cast was really good and Park Seo Joon and Won Ji An were excellent in their scenes together. l liked the fact the Kyeong Do's mother was understanding about his and Ji Woo's relationship. She could have been bitter about this woman who destroyed her son at one time but she was forgiving. I also, liked that Ji Woo and Ji Yeon were chaebol siblings who loved and cared each other. I am such a fan of Lee El and she was absolutely fantastic in this.

What I hated the most was that the series spent way to much time on Ji Yeo's husband's evil deeds only to not show him be arrested publicly and just be in jail. That really pissed me off!

1/11/26

Read More

Classic wuxia with well-developed backlore

I absolutely loved this show for the first 10 episodes or so. The humor is excellent. Lei Wujie is so adorably dumb, in the best and cutest way (I also like that he’s self-aware about it). Xiao Se is kind of the opposite, but hilarious in another way- deadpan sarcastic. Add in Wu Xin, who has his own style of calm quipping, and I was laughing every episode. It is so much fun to watch them and their other friends traipsing across the Jianghu, that I barely cared that such a deep friendship came out of nowhere.

Sadly, the fun and games don’t really last. I will credit this show with maintaining some excellent flashes of humor all the way to the end. But the sparkling fun tone doesn’t make it through, and by the second half it’s pretty much devolved into classic power struggles and throne drama. These are not badly done, but power struggles can only be so interesting to me. I would have preferred more focus on the characters, their development, and their interactions.

This show does have a band-of-friends feel and a focus on camaraderie. But in the end, it’s mostly Xiao Se’s story. I found him to be a likable protagonist with his own set of relatable emotions; a sullen streak and some past trauma, but mostly a good guy and of course a very smart mastermind. In his orbit are some other likable characters as well, but it was this show’s loss to relegate Wuxin- one of the best characters- to the back burner for the majority of the show.

There are a lot of other characters of varying importance, plus a lot of complicated relations, a lot of gradually revealed backstories, and a lot of traditions and lore in this universe. Some of it is straight up told to us by Xiao Se through dialogue- lazy storytelling but still helpful to an overwhelmed viewer. Still, I had a hard time keeping track of everything. I found the show better on a second pass when I already knew a little of what was going on, but I only rewatched because I took a long break; I didn’t like this show enough to rewatch for fun.

I think the plot is not bad, just all the power struggles did not fully captivate me. There is a good amount of pathos, a realistic emperor, backstories with depth (hence an entire prequel for it!), and a villain that is easy to hate. It also, to its credit, stays strong until the end. But I think the real strengths of this show are its humor and snarky characters, which they did not lean into nearly enough.

Unlike most Cdramas, the title is actually relevant. “Blood of Youth”- there is indeed a consistent focus on the youth of the heroes and how they must forge their own paths. It’s especially relevant since this Jianghu is filled with the legends of the past generation, who’s prior actions brought us to our present state. The way this idea of youth comes up regularly and in different ways, is actually quite well done.

Unfortunately, it’s just not a theme that particularly resonates with me. It might be more meaningful to a younger person. The show in general feels very shounen, or maybe classic wuxia. For example, the endless parade of powerful legends, each more powerful than the last, and the obsession with who is more powerful than whom. Lots of posing, looking cool, and being proud to be a badass.

Some parts of this martial world I do appreciate. It feels very RPG-esque how everyone has their own characteristic weapon, as well as a few distinctive abilities that are accompanied by flashy CGI sequences of dubious functionality (what are all those flower petals for again?) It’s all good fun, but sometimes they go a little overboard trying to make people look cool. I am too old to be impressed by somebody yelling some noble-sounding catchphrase.

This show is also kind of casually sexist. Everyone seems to care a bit too much about the beauty of the women. At least it is mostly just the culture of the show’s world, rather than baked into reality- there are still plenty of strong, capable female characters. Even they, though, also seem to think that beauty is a woman’s most important trait. And don’t get me started on Li Hanyi; some of her interactions seem like they came out of my HR training.

And while we’re on it, many of the female characters come with romance stories, and the romances are not done well. I never understood “no chemistry” until I saw Xiao Se and Sikong Qianluo. My goodness, it was so awkward and cringe, but at least not that important. Plus Qianluo is not developed enough for me to care about her. Lei Wujie’s romance was funny as comedic relief only; when it seemed like it might work out, I started to cringe. Luckily, also not that important.

Acting-wise, I think this cast did a pretty good job. My favorite is probably Ao Ruipeng as Lei Wujie- this is still the best role I’ve seen him in, managed to make the guy 100% lovable instead of dumb or annoying. The emperor also did a great job.

The fighting is very CGI-based, sometimes very fake-looking, but not bad if you think of it as a CGI sequence in an RPG. The flashiness of a particular technique means nothing. They all look infinitely destructive and are countered by equally destructive-looking things.

The costumes are nice, and also color-coordinated well. Somehow nobody seems to look very good wearing them, though.

The music is very good. The songs are more energetic rather than slow or romance-y, which matches the tone and focus, and the BGM in particular sounds good and is used well to set mood.

Overall, this is an enjoyable show that I liked but did not love. I would watch the sequel when that comes out, but I don’t care enough to, for instance, watch the anime. There is also currently a prequel and spinoff that gives background on some of the other characters; however, since I already know how they end based on this show, I have no intention of watching them.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





This show has a happy ending. The main conflict ends in the second to last episode, giving us an entire episode to wrap things up peacefully and send Xiao Se and friends off to happily travel the world. Some people scatter, but there is a promise to meet again. There is even a special which shows Tang Lian coming back. It’s a pretty satisfying ending, but I may just be saying that because I see a sequel already planned.

Read More

Enjoyable and worth watching

I'm really surprised at the low-ratings this Chinese drama has received on certain platforms. It deserves better. Yes, it's uneven in places, it drags at the end--and the acting chops of the numerous characters range from overly-dramatic to reasonably competent to blanked out, poker-faced bots. BUT...by and large the female leads are magnetic, energetic, and convincing as the five clever and spirited Li sisters-all of them in the market for a marital match made in heaven.

What the ladies get instead is a plethora of trouble, involving in-laws and outlaws and just plain craziness, as each daughter, in turn, finds what appears to be the "perfect match," but in fact--is not.

Mother Li (played by an outstanding actor) has her work cut out for her. For each of the five, she has to find an appropriate husband, with a modicum of wealth and a propitious astrology chart–someone belonging to a socially respectable, congenial family. And, of course, she has to provide each of her five girls with a sufficient dowry.

Is Mother Li looking for someone her daughters will like and get along with? Strike that last requirement. Personal compatibility was pretty low on the priority list in that day and age.

Not to worry, though, these incredible women are all resourceful, capable, and able to finesse the various situations--marital, familial, and legal--as well as the chauvinistic society they find themselves in. Not all of their shenanigans work as planned and the plot isn't always believable. In fact, the fifth daughter's marriage situation was so ridiculous that I fast forwarded through most of it. Shades of "I Love Lucy" reruns in some of the antics. Her attempts to whip her would-be spouse into shape (and I do mean "whip") went on waaay too long. Personally, I don't find marital abuse funny, no matter how richly deserved or who's doing it.

It would have been nice if the servants were depicted as real human beings instead of props for the nobles to use as they saw fit.

But the costumes and hairdos are to die for. And the absolutely delightful "lion contest" in episode 32 made up for a lot of the cheesier moments.

Who knew that 1000 years ago the Chinese city of Bianjing was such a nest of vipers?

Read More

Cartoon cliches

Series writers, directors, and other such craftsmen are masters of misdirection. In THE TRAUMA CODE, we’re encouraged to focus, indeed obsess, about Baek Kang-hyeok, the series’ enigmatic, superman doctor, while all manner of insanity is swept under the rug.

What kind of insanity? The buffoonish behavior of a certain hysterical hospital administrator who screams, yells, and bloviates while bodies are piling up in the corridors. The fact that said hospital has such a skeletal staff that minimally trained people are recruited to do serious surgery whenever the head dude isn’t around. The constant catastrophizing as our hero theatrically attends to one patient after another–once under a hail of bullets, once while clinging precariously to the side of a cliff. Each time the viewers are assured that the patient’s chances are slim to none–but somehow they all pull through. (Well, almost all.)

I know. This is standard fare for a medical drama, especially one based on a webtoon. And, I have to admit, it’s done smoothly and almost (but not quite) convincingly here.

Read More

Slow as a molasses factory run by sloths

It was a struggle to get to the end of this tepid series. The first few episodes showcased the slooooooww build up of the lethargic romance between the two leads. He looks at her. She glances at him. He looks at her again. He blinks. They’re alone in the office. He falls asleep and she touches his nose. She’s had too much to drink and she leans in, but will they kiss? No. Big nothing burger. The director thinks it’s an amazing scene, so they show it twice. Then the two leads experience the least exciting date I’ve ever seen in a Korean drama–a piano recital!

Lots of shots of the deserted office at night with one or the other leads or both of them working diligently. They enjoy lots of meals/snacks together, and product placement proliferates. A certain Korean candy bar takes center stage three times. It’s name is forever burned into my psyche.

At Episode Seven, the writers wake up and realize that there’s not much emotional tension in this series, so they throw in a contrived complication. She weeps. He holds her. Will this non-tragedy drive our two lovers apart?

Nope. Back to business as usual. Meanwhile, the insipid dialogue deserves an award for pointlessness: “What’s your favorite weather?” “Did you ever day-drink before?” Another couple exclaim over the fact that they’re both wearing the same style of shoes.

Finally, toward the end, the evil villain makes a move. Now there’s actually a conflict of sorts. But it’s too late. The audience (well, some of us anyway) has been bored into oblivion.

Read More

This one's a gem

I wasn’t expecting such a smart–and genuinely funny--drama from China in 2025. But FIRST FROST is not for everyone. If you want an action-packed thriller, look elsewhere. It’s a slow-moving character study of two imperfect, vulnerable human beings who are trying to find a way to connect, in spite of a lot of misunderstandings and obstacles.

The writing, editing, and acting in this drama are first rate. But most of the credit goes to Bai Jing Ting, who brilliantly embodies the romantically obsessed, insecure, brutally honest ML, a devilishly handsome bad boy, a little too smug for my taste (he criticizes her kissing!), although he’s basically a good guy. The target of his affection is the disengaged, oblivious FL who, episode after episode, doesn’t seem to notice the efforts he’s making. She’s convincing too. But later in the drama, I stopped having sympathy for her when she abandoned her cat. Not OK.

The two secondary characters were fun and enjoyable to watch. Totally different in personality and style from the main duo, they were both likable. Yes, these two had their hang ups. But they weren’t so self-involved, and they even had time for friends and family.

I’m glad somebody did. The main couple only had eyes for each other.

Unfortunately in the last five or six episodes (rife with product placements) this drama began to drag. If not for that, The FIRST FROST would have gotten one of my rarely bestowed ratings of ten-stars. The many unnecessary flashbacks went over and over and OVER the same events in the past and made me want to scream. And then there was way too much schmaltzy sentimentalizing at the end. Still, by and large, a real winner.

Read More

Well-constructed drama

I'm a big fan of Liu Yuning and I also like Song Zu Er. As the two leads, they both did an excellent job conveying complicated emotions with slight facial expressions and gestures. Liu Yuning is a master at portraying an emotionally repressed man trying to find his humanity in a society riddled with stultifying rules and terrifying expectations. At least he has wealth, power, and a cadre of underlings to satisfy his every whim. The FL (Xiao Qiao) played by Song Zu Er has a riskier path and has to watch her step at every turn. In fact, she was almost murdered by her suspicious husband-to-be before they'd even met. The series follows the slowly-evolving trust between these two as each navigates the treacherous waters surrounding them..

Xiao Qiao is beautiful enough to enchant her husband, but he's not a soft touch. He's suffered trauma and loss at the hands of the male members of her clan, and so he's especially wary of his new Qiao wife. But she's smart enough to weather the storm and allay most of his fears. The English title doesn’t seem accurate. The ML certainly isn't a "prisoner" of beauty--quite the contrary.

This is a slow-moving character study and a lot of drama time is given over to each minor issue as it arises. He reads her out-going letters; she soothes his silly and ignorant mother. He's annoyed that she doesn't wear the hairpin he chose for her. She worries he's interested in another woman.

Actually, all this was a little too much for me. It's true that there are more serious struggles from time to time. But the focus of this drama seems to be on all these trivial slights and misunderstandings. Did I mention that these two--though married--hadn't even kissed by Episode 22?

In THE TALE OF PEARL GIRL, Liu Yuning plays a similar character, a merchant preoccupied by revenge who becomes a more compassionate human being due to his love for a woman. But that drama, although flawed, has a more robust plot than this one, with Liu Yuning displaying different aspects of his personality in a variety of settings.

Also, why is the only fat guy in the series-he's the comic relief, naturally--matched up with the only overweight girl in the series?

Why does Son Zuer keep her mouth open so much of the time? It's quite distracting. Other than that, her character, Xiao Qiao, seems to be admirable in every way. She's a helpmate who continually spares her husband's ego, rarely makes a misstep, and almost never demands anything for herself. She's as soft and doughy as Wonder Bread. Even her calligraphy is perfect. It's true she shows some spunk in the end, but I can't help but get the impression that this woman is being presented as a model of what every young woman in China should aspire to–passively obedient. Lord help us all!

Read More

Lots of fun

I’ve seen some crazy premises in K-dramas before, but this one wins the waffle iron. Are we to believe that Someone-Up-Above has given a young, deceased girl (the ghost) permission to stick around on earth inhabiting various female bodies in order to lose her virginity? Because she couldn’t manage to do it while she was alive? And–oh, by the way–if she can’t get it done within a period of three years, she’s going to pay a HUGE penalty–she’ll be turned into an evil spirit? Have I got that right? Who makes these rules anyway?

There’s a cross on the door of the ML’s apartment. But it’s hard for me to imagine that the Virgin Mary would approve of these shenanigans.

After a bumpy beginning, the two FLs–the original owner of a certain body, who’s a sensitive, timid kitchen assistant secretly in love with the chef, along with the boisterous, somewhat obnoxious ghost looking to get laid–agree on a plan. They’ll share the body and work together to seduce Mr. Wonderful, the aforementioned chef.

The idea is that one girl gets the guy. And the other gets an all-expense paid ticket to the great beyond. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

At least that’s the original plan. Of course things soon go awry, when...(Sorry! You’ll have to watch the drama to find out what happens).

Does this drama have depth and nuance? Is it great theater? Nah. While the premise is bonkers, the implementation is pretty entertaining. I laughed and kept watching, which is more than I can say for some other series that tried to be funny–and weren’t. I especially liked the arrogant chef, and his interactions with his crew. He was hilarious. And most of the main characters were quirky and beguiling. Both FLs were likeable and fun–even Bong Seon, the inhibited introvert, who’s (at first) afraid of her own shadow.

Lots of familiar faces in this drama. I was so happy to see the cute and sprightly Lee Jeong eun playing the part of a spirited Bodhisattva/Shaman. She’s such fine actress and she did a superb job here.

Read More

One of the best dramas I've watched, but a drama I wouldn't recommend to anyone

You have probably seen and/or read everything there is about this drama, I am here to tell you to forget it all.

It took me a while to start watching "Twenty-five, twenty-one", but once started, I could not stop. Every possible emotion the characters portray is felt so strongly through the screen. You laugh out loud with them, cheer for them, cry with them and then cry some more. It's impossible to explain, but it is like you're living each moment with them in real life.
That may be why so many reviews are so "extreme".

The story is well though-out and told in a beautiful way. If you haven't listened to Jaurim before, this is your sign to give them a try. The OST fits great with the scenes, like it's another member of the main cast.
And the cast - I may be biased with Kim Tae-Ri, but all the actors showed a good performance.

There is no main story + side stories. You don't want to miss a single scene here.

And although I don't regret watching it, not even a second of it, I was so emotionally exhausted afterwards that it took a while for me to move on from the show. The reason may also be that I've finished it in a very short time, so my heart went through a lot in just a couple of days, but I'm looking forward to a time when I'll feel rested enough to watch it again.

A gem, an absolute gem of a show. 10/10

Read More

Don't miss this one

Skillful acting makes this series a success. This drama is worth watching if only for the sake of the impressive range of Kim Nam Gil who plays Heo Im, a Joseon doctor who transforms from youthful arrogance to clownish clutziness to heartwarming tenderness to heroic competence without missing a beat.

The secondary characters are mostly effective, and there are even a couple of lovable animals--in particular, a certain baby pig that steals every scene he's in.

The pacing is good, the plot moves along and (mostly) doesn't drag-although there's a little too much hand-wringing and wailing in the last two episodes. But just when you think you know where things are going, the writers pull a switcharoo and send things reeling in an unforeseen direction. I like that in a drama.

Is it worth a watch? Absolutely.

Now--for the not-so-good. No series is perfect and this one's no exception.

1. The product placement is a little too in-your-face for me. Would a man who had lived most of his life in the Joseon period really be amazed and delighted by the excellence of packaged noodles? Maybe not so much.

2. Throwaway characters. The stellar acting of the main couple make it easy to overlook the minor characters who are treated unfairly. Everyone should be a three--dimensional human being, even if the viewers only get hints of who they are or what their ultimate fate is.

For example, there's an orphaned brother and sister that the main couple meet in Joseon and travel with for a short period. The kids are passed off to some random guy who seems to know them. We never find out what happened to them. There's also Mak-Gae, Heo Im's loyal 15-year-old assistant. In her case, it's out of sight, out of mind. After a certain accident, instead of showing concern, the main dude goes chasing after his lady love...leaving Mak-Gae to fend for herself.

3. Metaphysical inconsistencies. The "rules" of time travel are confusing. Conveniently, it turns out that physical wounds are healed when someone leaps through the chronosphere. Got a sword thrust through your belly? Not to worry. You can die in the past and emerge unscathed in the 21st century. Except it doesn't always work that way. Someone gets slashed in the back and, whoops!, it turns out, time travel doesn't heal all wounds after all.

4. Other contradictions. It's not clear why some of the older characters, who seem to have been back and forth from Joseon previously, can make authoritative pronouncements about the "rules" of time travel-most of which turn out to be malarky. The ending is another head scratcher. First Heo Im goes away, and then he comes back. Choi Yeon-kyeong accuses him of being unreliable, although the viewers just saw that the return was a complete accident. Instead of straightening her out on this point, Heo Im acts like he made some kind of deliberate choice. OK, maybe they're just joking around, but whaaa? This also would be a good time to mention that he accidentally brought someone else along with him. But no...

Still, I give this series a solid eight stars.

Read More