Reviews

A Beautiful Emotional Drama Ruined by a Rushed Ending

The whole show somewhere slightly got wasted by the ending. I had a lot of expectations, but it disappointed me. FL emotions are deeply handled, but the ML's are not. I didn’t need to complain about what or how much time he pursued her throughout the show because this is the theme of the show. But in the last segment that is totally rushed and very, very bad execution of the show for me. This is where they totally lagged with respect to the novel.

I mean the whole show is about the emotions, how it makes the whole show emotionally heavy, and this exact thing they failed to deliver in the last segment of the drama. Actually I felt a little bit odd about this segment, so I searched about the web novel where this part is definitely handled in a better and more mature, realistic way.

First of all she should have gone to Europe in earlier episodes, not at the ending of the 14th episode. It left very little time for the connection. I am not saying that she should go there or not, it was bound to happen and the breakup also in the show — no complaints here. But whatever happens after that in the drama is totally rushed and abrupt.

After returning, I am sorry I am using this, but the whole pursuing thing by her felt hollow. She doesn't even know what she has to do, so she was just clueless, just watching him here and there. She doesn’t even have the guts to talk to him honestly. And the whole concept of “try to win me back” felt kind of idiotic here. I know this thing is present in the novel itself, but there it was very well handled.
They totally shift the tone here. They didn’t connect them emotionally but in the “seduction” way, which is totally different from the overall emotional theme of the show. This is the main problem here. There are glaring things here, like the whole pursuing thing of what he does in the past she is doing now is totally childish because he did those genuinely, not because he had a mission to win her — it came naturally. And the timing of doing those things also — he pursued for a long amount of time and respected her boundaries.
Here it felt like just because he has done those things in the past she has to do those for the sake of it, and it felt totally childish and somewhere annoying for me. I mean it is not a college drama, they are fully grown mature adults. It doesn't mean that what he has done she has to do the same — they are not the same people. There may be a different way to “win him.” Again here is where the thoughtlessness of her towards him comes into the picture — it shows how little she knows him.
Another example of this is she doesn’t even know why he is reluctant to take her back, and she hasn’t even given that much thought about it. This thing I find most ridiculous and she even didn't understand this by herself — his sister told her that he has the fear that she may leave him again in the future and that is what is holding him back. This was the main part of the show, the whole point of the emotional connection was there and she lags here.
And after that she just said some so-called emotional words and they are back together, HE HE. I am not saying that it was not genuine or from the heart, but as a viewer it doesn’t feel that way to me — they didn’t make it feel earned. Frankly they didn’t have time for that either. It was already the middle of the last episode, so the whole thing is rushed totally. Mainly no emotional connection was established here.

Additionally I can say she didn’t do any extensive sacrifice to win him back, like leaving out an offer or something. But this is a mature drama so I understand that those things are not present — it's okay actually. But this is where the emotional part should come into the picture when the duration is short. Somehow I as a viewer am not sure whether she told those things in the car just to win him back or she genuinely meant them.

In contrast to this the novel structures this part very well. They establish the emotional connection by using small things like the “lipstick.” She uses the lipstick he gave her to show her devotion in the novel (contrastingly in the drama at first he gifted it to her but she never used it, which is totally left loose here in the drama, but it played a good part in the novel).

Among the office peers in the novel she is totally open and loud that her target is him and she wants to win him back at any cost without thinking about her office status, prioritizing him over her career advancement, which is a major shift in her career-mindful character. But here in the drama she is just going with the flow.

And mostly, the most important one was her return in just 3 years, which is the biggest flip in the character of her in the novel. She deliberately returned for him leaving international career advancement, and this thing played a major role in their reconciliation. But in the drama they just slightly brushed off the things here in the car scene, maybe because of the time constraints.

Another little thing that they didn’t show was the closure with his previous girlfriend. They used it as a wake-up call for him, but they could have shown a proper closure.

Only one character out of them I genuinely liked was Director Lee’s character. That guy is honest by his heart or by his job.

In the end I just want to say that the whole drama runs by the emotions and in the end you didn’t show that, which somewhere ruined the drama for me.

PS — those are my opinions. Feel free to criticize.

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Just No

Contrary to what some say, I loved the costumes – probably the best thing about this show after the cinematography. The story, however, … boring, just vibes, no plot at all actually. The acting wasn’t great either, I gave up on episode 13… the Xing girl’s acting was atrocious, I just couldn’t anymore. Bao Shang En is a little bit bland, but had some good moments in my opinion. Zhou Yi Ran is alright as well, but we have got to stop with the constant aura farming whenever he makes an entrance… it got cheap and cheesy after the third time. Since I wasn’t emotionally invested in the story at all, and as it didn’t manage to convince me despite continuing, I just had to drop this.

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Sizzling

This series is surely fresh, electric, overwhelming with chemistry, and incredibly sensual. OffGun is the perfect couple to execute the story. The overall dark theme of Burnout Syndrome mirror the reality of people who've lost their spark and through emotion they gain it back.

The story is well-written up until the final two episodes where they faltered which is unfortunately common to a lot of BLs that I've watched. Episode 1 was a great set up for the rest of the episodes, its a slow burn but once you get to settle in, the rest of the episodes pull you like magnet. While the plot is sensual, mirrors reality, and gets you invested, there are a few details that missed. Overall, you have got to sit and be patient to let the story establish itself.
The acting in this cast is perfection. OffGun is already an established couple and they've proven their versatility time and time again. Mew surprisingly has a great chemistry with Gun and he definitely did a phenomenal job. The supporting casts also did a very good job.
I don't have anything to say about the music. It's perfect. The song choices matches every scene, the tone, the theme, it's cohesive.
While I don't necessarily recommend the series as an introduction to OffGun, I would definitely rewatch this series.

Overall, this is another great series from OffGun. Their chemistry is beyond perfection yet they still have a lot of room to explore in terms of their acting prowess.

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Moms burdens

Love: Track series continues to bring emotional and diverse stories about love. Kimchi is used as a metaphor for tradition, and the drama begins when that tradition is broken. As a person of tradition myself, I usually wouldn't like this kind of story, but here it is done well, with respect and understanding.

The main character is the mother, and she carries the weight of many issues, both her own and her son's. She is played by Kim Sun-young, who is certainly one of the best supporting actresses in Korean cinema. She is always a breath of fresh air, and here she takes on the main role, delivering a strong performance as a troubled mom, portraying both seriousness and fragility. I think I liked this drama mostly because of her, as she successfully conveys the emotions of so many mothers around the world.

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Least favourite in Reply series

Reply 1994, like other reply series (Reply 1988 and Reply 1997), it nails the nostalgic vibe with impeccable period details, heartfelt ensemble moments, and those guessing games about who ends up with whom. The OST is catchy, the humor lands in bursts, and it captures that era's innocence perfectly.

That said, unlike the other Reply series—which I adore—this one is the one I enjoyed the least, even on a second watch. Every character gets solid screen time to explore their backstories, from the love triangles to family dramas, but I just couldn't connect emotionally. Was it the writing? The delivery? I'm not sure, but their joys and heartbreaks felt distant, like watching from behind glass.

The storyline compounds this with its chaotic pace: tons of subplots crammed into episodes that barely progress the main threads, making it feel bloated and a tad boring. It could've wrapped up neatly in 16 episodes instead of dragging to 21. I skipped through half of it on rewatch—fast-forwarding —and still can't recall many standout scenes. Plenty of fans rave about the friendships and romance reveals, and I get why, but sadly, I'm not one of them. Solid for nostalgia buffs, but it left me meh.

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Come and Hug Me but less melodramatic element.

I watched this drama last year and felt familiar with this plot and it feels like K-Drama "Come and Hug Me" specifically about childhood sweetheart reunited with the son of a serial killer and the daughter of a victim. Main difference in K-drama are ML was a pilot not a detective and no melodramatic element in this drama. I liked the slice of life approach on this drama since they prefer show reflection of the complex spectrum of human nature. Xie Yu Wang and Zhang Shan have excellent looks and physiques, and a certain chemistry that you can help and nodded when they are together.

FL struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and PTSD, achieving some success, though not a complete cure, but she faces life with a positive attitude and becomes actress. To prepare her role for her upcoming movie, FL studies flight technology at an airline, where she reunites with the ML. Both experience a simple, honest, and instinctive reaction. ML conscience about his father sin and bringing his guilt when he faced FL was quite decent. FL approach to ML by standing together despite the past was quite nice. The relationship pace between the leads are quite logical and natural.

Villains are also well-developed and not one-dimensional. The plot details are generally reasonable. The part about the ML transitioning from a military pilot to civilian aviation is foreshadowed and hinted at through his uncle's adoption, name change, and historical erasure, which is a good approach.

Recommended when you want to seek trauma healing for the broken leads.

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save your time

I started watching this because it was recommended as a show that would be interesting, spoiler it wasn’t. I watched 2 episodes normally, giving it a chance but after the third one I had to put x2 to watch it. I wasted my precious time, the storyline was messy, everything happened too fast, emotions weren’t there. it was awful and even tho I watchied on x2 it still was too long. I would love to go back in time and never start this show. I had to push myself to finish it just because I started it and till the end I tried thinking that it would get better. personally this show was just too plain and the acting wasn’t the best also the music was so random just showing up at some random times. overall this show was a waste of my time and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone

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Fantastic story

I honestly don't understand the low ratings for this Drama. This is one of the best historical dramas of 2025. The storyline is engaging, very creative and unique. It maybe a little bit dark and violent but that is consistent with the Republican era of savage wars between various warlords at the time . Also, some people commented on "incest" being a turn off to them, but in actuality, they were NOT blood relatives so I don't think incest applies here at all. The actors are very talented and gorgeous. Fantastic chemistry between FL and ML and Dai Gao Zheng's shirtless scenes are scorching hot. The music, set designs and wardrobe are sooo beautiful. You can tell that many very talented people worked hard to create such a wonderful experience for us. Thank you.

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Great watch

A 4-star chef is sent 500 years in the past and begins serving the king. With her prior knowledge in cuisine, she becomes a type of right hand for them. The story follows the progression of their relationship, with people trying to ruin the bond they are building. She soon becomes the only one he can trust and her cooking builds bridges with others in the past. Though soon enough her time comes to an end, and she must return to the present. This was such a good watch. Honestly. I'm the type of person to only care about the main couple and no one else, so when villainous characters were introduced, it felt that they had way too much camera time. Though in reality every frame they are in contributes to the story and paints an even more detailed painting. I've seen people hate on Yoona's acting, but i would completely disagree. She played her part perfectly alongside her co-star. He also did amazing (people complained because he replaced another actor who was supposed to play him. The actor who played the trans woman in squid games s2.) But I can't see anyone else playing his role. I feel like he perfectly portrayed the king's coldness and distrust to a strangely dressed woman. Along with his confusion hearing other languages and tasting spice for the first time. You can tell exactly where he began trusting her and saw her as more than just a chef. Amazing performances from the both of them. I would definitely rewatch. Lastly, I just want to add the ending made me cry (maybe I'm just sensitive), but His performance was SO GOOD! so much so that it moved me to tears. It is a happy ending so don't be too scared to watch.

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If anyone is still hesitant to watch this drama, trust me—just dive in right away!

At first, I assumed the story would lean heavily into political conflicts given its 1970s setting, but it surprised me by focusing more on slice-of-life moments and heartfelt romance. That's exactly what makes it so memorable. The sweet love story between the main leads, how they navigate economic hardships of the era, family pressures, and friendships—all of it is portrayed realistically and touchingly. There are no dragged-out, unnecessary conflicts; every character feels well-developed and strong. You truly see the real meaning of karma play out through the consequences of people's actions.
Chen Feiyu and Sun Qian deliver outstanding performances as Fang Mu Yang and Fei Ni. Their relationship is genuinely healthy—open communication, mutual support, and true equality in every way. In dramas set across the 70s, 80s, and 90s, it's rare to see a main couple that's this consistently green-flag and drama-free from start to finish. Their bond grows naturally and smoothly throughout. The ending is beautiful and satisfying: both Fei Ni and Fang Mu Yang pursue higher education and follow their individual passions, stepping into a bright future together.
Overall, this drama offers a refreshing, warm, and grounded take on love amid tough times. Highly recommended for anyone craving a feel-good yet realistic romance! 💕

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just wow

This series is something else. At first, I was a bit hesitant to watch it because of my bad habit of assuming a series won’t be that good. But after a while, I finally continued watching—and let me tell you, this series is absolutely phenomenal. It’s obnoxiously good, fabulous, amazing, breathtaking, and wonderful all at the same time. The two main leads were just meant to be. Their chemistry, especially in every kiss, was incredible and felt so natural.

Honestly, I wish there were more episodes because a story like this deserves to go on forever. I completely fell in love with this series.
I would definitely recommend it. If you watch it… oh boy. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, it somehow makes you feel lonely—but in a good way. It’s the kind of show that stays with you and can even change your life a little.

10/10 from me.

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Brutal and stylish fight scenes.

This series takes gang fights to another level of sophistication and numbers. The ML literally puts Rambo to shame with his body count despite not using any guns. He could also had featured as a professional baseball player with his superlative skills with a baseball bat.

The action started fast and furious and it took 3 episodes before one could catch a breath to figure out the story line. Then it was a rush to the finish albeit less adrenaline fueled as it becomes more apparent that the killings must finish and the ML will be immortal until his mission to end all scum lives is completed.

Overall a good watch for those more appreciative of gruesome violence.

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