Reviews

The romance is questionable

This is going to be controversial, but I've really given this show a chance and I dont understand why its rated so highly and so popular, aside from the fact that the show overall looks visually good and has a pretty cast. Especially for being a romance show, it is really lacking in that department. The romance is so lackluster. I'm at the part where the leads are supposed to be together, but they just seem like really good friends. They have chemistry, but I dont feel the romance. I'm not expecting them to kiss every 5 minutes but they haven't even kissed. It just seems like a romance that's made for kids imo.
I have a love-hate relationship (it's obviously not that serious) with any show Esther Yu is in because she always plays the same kind of FML. While her character here felt mature some times, she would also soo childish too to the point that it was getting ridiculous.
One thing I will give this show a point for, is that the plot is somewhat engaging. And I think that might be why people like it so much. Otherwise I really dont think the show should be rated this highly.

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A sweet gem

STORY:
I loved this story and I could shamelessly end my review here, but I’ve missed a chance to yap and so I will continue. Seeing some dissability representation in a drama, especially in a BL, is so indescribably welcomed. I’m not deaf/hard of hearing myself and so I’ll always leave room for thsoe who are to have the final say, but to me, it was incredibly respectfully done. Not once did I feel like Kohei was infantalized or viewed as lesser than (besides during scenes of bullying, and even then those were kept short and without overdoing it).

Half way while watching did I pop by here to read some reviwes, head over heals already and curious for what others thought, and what I read did lower my expectations and thrill towards the series (momentarily). Reading how people were unsatisfied by the pacing, how the story seemingly began to drag on after the first 1/3, running in circles etc, I couldn’t help but wonder if this would be yet another title I ended up dropping. I’m so glad I didn’t.

Yes, it’s truly a slow burn of a stituation due to Taichi being being a bit dense (so one sided slow burn I suppose).
Yes, I also wish there had been at least one proper kiss (Japan, stop with these awkward hovering fake-kisses).
Yes, Kohei and Taichi weren’t on screen together every given scene.
All of this aside, will I challenge with that we as viewers have gotten too comfortable recieving fast paced feelings and explicit scenes. I didn’t find this story slow in a boring way - perhaps if the episodes had been longer, but 25 minutes felt like nothing - at any point, I never felt that they backtracked or ran in circles, and while no kissing did we get SO many exclamations of love (whoever said it was a bromance need to look up the definition of ”Aishite” because that’s some serious confessions) near the end, which is exactly when I (personally) want to see it.

As for Taichi’s slow processing of his own feelings, do I feel like it made perfect sense to the character. Evidently is he very attentive to others feelings and emotional states, something that’s a very impressive detail to rember to add to a character who’s been evidently neglected by both parents. This is one of the few critques I have - I wish this had gotten more room in the story.
Of course Taichi isn’t giving genuine room to think and feel about more than the necessities, when he was made to feel like a problem and chore to have to do with. Too much, if you will, dropped at his grandpa’s in lack of anywhere else to stay. I’m sensing that, while surely a growing boy in need of sustainance, Taichi is using food as a form of emotional regulation (and shield). It’s a need that can be easily met, understood and if criticised - impersonal. I don’t think Taichi was taht far behind Kohei in terms of growing feelings, but while Kohei has a loving and understanding mother who listens to him and give him room to feel as well as the tools to express them (when and if he wants), Taichi tucks his away to not be in the way (or unwanted) AND seemingly don’t know how to properly go about the times he can’t (example: him crying while talking to Kohei right before the kiss).
While not the centre plot, it was something that shook me violently seeing only to then be forgotten about; one of many reasons why a season two would be lovely.

I liked that it took him time, I liked that he got discouraged by Koheis choice of words once he tried to open up at the end, I liked that Kohei found him and I really liked that once it was said, Kohei struggled grasping that it was reality whole Taichi’s character stayed true, too: no embarrassment or issue with it.

I also loved that ”I love you” wasn’t held at gunpoint. Kissing in all honour, but verbal affirmation matters just as much. Kohei signed it and Taichi found out what it meant by own accord. Taichi then said it aloud to Kohei. And at the end, that was so evidently what Kohei mouthed at Taichi. It felt right for this specific series and it was made clear again and again that they /like/ eachother. + Thos elittle napkin ”ghosts” outsie Taichi’s hoem going from one to a pair was such a obvious symbolisim.

Regarding Maya and this hate-train towards her: can’t say I was mad about that, either. Frustrated, sure. But certainly didn’t hate it. I think it was one of the better depictions of this specific plot tool; no strange straight romance side-plot rendering the girl to some tool, she had plenty for personality, valid reasons for how she behaved although definetly a shitty attitude and in the wrong for how she let it show, and didn’t push anything onto Kohei. He was in love with Taichi, and even if she didn’t understand WHY he liked him, she never tried to insert herself. Just my own five cents.

What I would have wished being done differently, or seen more off, would (again) be Taichi’s home situation; there was so much more that could’ve been done there and that would’ve further deepened his character.
They could’ve polished Kohei’s more straight-on approaches - I like that he communicated it, I just wish it had been a little less towards this stereotypical ”I’ll do what I want with you regardless of what you feel” take that East asian dramas are fond of pulling.
The kiss could’ve been a proper one - I’m sure the actors wouldn’t have minded. No need for a makeout, just lip-on-lip.
Dare I say a bit more on the topic of Kohei’s hearing going worse. It just felt like it got left behind a bit. I’d rather take that any day over them rendering him to only a deaf kid, but you know, it’s taxing feeling like your body betrays you.
Probably something more but I gave the story a 9 for a reason.

ACTING/CAST:
Only reason this isn't a 10, is because I’m a tad sensitive to that over-the-top acting that Taichi’s actor did at times, which is purely a personal preference. I’m raised on Scandinavian movie acting, which is all about less-is-more and so it can break the illusion for me and remind me that I’m watching a movie.

Besides that did everyone, and I mean everyone, do an incredible job. The casting for each character was brilliant, and never in my life have I felt and believed that every side character in fact also have an everyday and isn’t just conveniently around when needed the way I did while watching IHTS. The actors gave so much personality to their characters as well as suited them beautifully. Whoever did the casting cared deeply about each character.

Nakasawa (Kohei) and Kobayashi (Taichi) had insane chemistry. I believed every second of their affection towards one another. The way they looked at eachother, the way their bodylanguage changed when interacting - it was beautiful. I want a season 2 for the chance of seeing them work this new relationship out. Didn’t hurt that they also look very good together.

MUSIC:
Giving it a 7 because no song really struck my feelings, it was just really forgettable. BUT, and this is a huge but, even if not a striking soundtrack, did every song suit its scene, wasn’t too loud or weirdly cut.

REWATCH VALUE:
This is a comfort type of show for sure, and I could see myself go back and rewatch scenes. Maybe not the whole thing, but who knows? It’s short, dense episodes and (to me) great pacing with plenty of butterfly-inducing moments, not to forget that it’s visually gorgeous.


FINAL THOUGHTS:
I love this type of dramas. I like when not everything happens too fast or too intense, I don’t mind less intimacy (I fear I hate unnecessary sex scenes for the sake of explicity) and I love pining/longing with all of my heart. Also the lack of pushy stereotypes (top/bottom especially) is so refreshing you all don’t understand. Perhaps my first BL having been Love Sick: the series (2014) with 48 episodes, 45 minutes each, with one (unreleased, mind you) kiss and so much back-and-forth you wouldn’t BELIEVE, shaped me, but I like the slow; the tender; the gentle. If I can tell the characters like one another, and look at eachother as if they hung the moon respectively, then it’s a winner in my books. And "I hear the sunspot” had just that. Definetly a new favourite of mine.

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This series wasn’t that good, honestly. I really didn’t expect Than to forgive Pheem that easily. I thought the story would go in a completely different direction — that Risa and Parn would end up in jail, that Than would return to being a police officer, and that Pheem would face real consequences for everything he did.

I also expected Chet to get proper help in a mental hospital, because everything he went through since childhood was too heavy for him to handle alone. And Park… I really thought he would follow Chet and take care of him. Their connection felt so strong and meaningful.

Everything that happened in this show turned into a complete mess. The plot didn’t give justice to the characters or their experiences.

But one thing I can’t deny — the cast was absolutely amazing. They carried the entire series with their acting, and they deserved a better story.

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UNPOPULAR OPINION: I LOVED DOONA

this show is actually so beautiful. it's about a broken girl and a guy who comes into her life, gradually healing her. i know she can seem toxic at times, but it's because of her trauma and past experiences that she's like that. won-jun is genuinely such a good guy, you can't help but root for him. i felt that doona perfectly captured the sense of young adulthood- the feeling of drifting along, unsure of your purpose or direction in life. it's very relatable to those in college-early 20s who are still figuring out their youth. that ending was bittersweet, but it's realistic- not everyone comes into your life to be a permanent part of it; sometimes people are lessons that we have to experience in young adulthood to gain memories and learn what it means to be human.

i genuinely love this drama so much, it shows not only the good, but also the bad, melancholic parts that come with finding yourself. and although the plot was just the simple/mundane moments of everyday life, i really enjoyed it. every person has a degree of brokenness in them, and doona really explored how that trauma can affect your relationships- hurt people hurt people. but at the end of the day, won-jun was always unconditionally there for her, and loved her even though he saw her at her worst. that's the truest form of love to me

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Very entertaining with beautiful vfx and great fantasy world building

First of all its available on Youtube ;) +1 point already
And i found out mid binge watching that this is inspired from a chinese manhua/comic that i have read
All characters look so good in the fantasy world. And the vfx was pretty good.
The main characters being enemies to lovers is my thing, i ate it up so hard.
it did get crazy with plot twist and intense lore but it was fun. But i have to say, i enjoyed the first half of the drama more than the second half, maybe because the story was only focused on our four main characters . The second half had new characters, was more intense.
Mu sheng, the male lead.. he was the reason i watched this drama in the first place. He looked really good. And he potrayed the tsundere character very well.
the background music and bgms were very good especially the one they play during romantic parts or cute moments (with the flute i think)
I do the female lead had a childish character but it fitted with the story and the manhua character. Its bearable but i do like the sister Mu Yao more ;)

Overall fun rom com fantasy drama that is rewatchable. Must watch in my opinion.

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Where do I begin? I liked that we were shown the story through Na Heedo's daughter finding old diaries and interested in her mums story. It felt nostalgic, when you hear about someones life before you were born, lost loves, friends, their lives, finding out things you didnt know about them. Like we were sucked in at the same time as her daughter.

The rivalry to friends with Ko Yurim was so good, the way it changed and they became best friends. Their friendship group I loved so much, seeing Na Heedo's old friends and all the stuff they did together in highschool thinking it would last forever. It brought a mutual nostalgia and yearning for a time gone with the audience, I thought that was done well. I loved Yurim and Jiung they were so cute and I loved how devoted he was to her. That they had a smooth and mutual loving relationship. Unlike the stress of Yijin and Heedo's. Also Seungwan what a diva and her mum was so sweet to her friendsss.

Yijin and Heedo, I liked them together, I wanted more though. I felt we didnt have enough of them together and happy. And only got a bit frustrated nearer the end with their relationship. Him not having time and their schedules not working. I understand it but it was hard to watch.

I did feel it lost its way a bit nearer to the end with unnecessary bits and Yijin moving to America??
I would've liked them to end up together but I also understand why not and possibly controversial I even liked in a way that they didnt. It made it realistic. Like how some things dont last and you need to let people go in the most respectful and loving way. Like time moves on people come and go and they will always be important and special memories to them both, without it lasting. So I do understand that choice. unfortunately knew it was a sad ending already before watching it so I watched in fear and anxiety thinking Yijin might die. Im just not very happy with the fact they didn't have enough happy together time before the end.

So I liked it, but, I think, it lost its way a bit towards the end. Wasn't as satisfied as I would've liked it to be. But loved the friendship.

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Budget KinnPorsche

It's budget KinnPorsche, not entierly the same plot, but with many similarities just in a smaller not as well produced manner. At first a was having a real good time despite the no so great quality there was something quite entertaining about this series.

For a hero or in this case anti-hero to be truly admirable his opponents have to be grander and more powerful than they are and the villains in this story delivered every time, they're much more powerful, calculating, meticulous and ruthless which makes you want to root for Pheem. Although it's a revenge drama mostly action driven it's got some really good comedy moments thrown in. The fight choreography was pretty O.k, the gun fights on the other hand were bad to the point that I giggled every time a gun was fired.

I was having a good time I truly was until episode 7 I wad driven mad by rage and don't even want to know how it ends, I was rooting for that little maniac, making ecuses for him but he lost me, I cannot forgive him and I do not want Than to forgive him either so, I quit, I'm out . I loved Offroad in this villainous manly role and I would love to see him as THE Villain in something better or another anti-hero that I could actually root for.

I think might go rewatch Century of Love, the only series staring this two that's actually worth watching to see if it helps me forget this crap exists.

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A very short but emotional coming of age drama

The drama being 12 episodes was wise. I do think they could have maybe made one of two more episodes to dwell more into few characters but it's way better than dragging the drama with useless plot twists and stuff.
Overall a coming of age drama about a teenager who's finding herself not only through romance but through her friendship and her newly aspirations towards art.
The casting was on point. As someone that read the webtoon way before this drama, I was shocked by how accurate the cast looked compared to the webtoon. Even the child actors were really good.
Music was okay. Average at best. Rewatch value is also very average for me.
Some parts were a bit rushed but it doesn't ruin the drama for me.
And I like that we focus on almost all characters and not just the main duo. It makes the drama less boring.
Since I cannot speak on spoilers i am ending my review here.

So on short sentences: Feel good drama that doesn't make you feel bored or dragged. And it's about coming of age more than romance.

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A Dark, Twisted For Power

The Wicked Game is a stressful watch, but I was 100% seated for all the drama and chaos. The story flow does feel quite repetitive in the first half—the siblings keep fighting over who will become the successor and run the hospital, and it seems like the father always sides with whoever currently has the upper hand. Just when you think things have settled, the story flips again and the cycle repeats. But honestly, it never bored me.

This series is heavy, filled with lies, deceit, betrayal, manipulation, greed, revenge—basically everything dark. As much as I hated Pheem’s character, I genuinely enjoyed the show. His character was clearly written that way, and he’s also heavily shaped by childhood trauma. This is one of those dramas where a main character is both the protagonist and the antagonist. If that kind of character isn’t your cup of tea, you might want to stay away from this series.

Pheem

A cunning, heartless, and greedy person shaped by insecurity and childhood trauma.

Than

An ex-police officer who meets Pheem by accident, later becoming his bodyguard and getting dragged into the family’s chaos. He’s righteous, honest, and easygoing.

Chet

Pheem’s half-brother and rival in almost everything. He’s also cunning, greedy, and a fentanyl addict. Like Pheem, he clearly needed love and care too.

Risa

The sister of Pheem and Chet. Although she appears quiet and innocent, I knew from the start she was the most dangerous among them. Whoever has the upper hand between her brothers, she can easily manipulate to climb her way to the highest position in the hospital. She constantly switches sides depending on who benefits her the most.

The plot twists—both early and late in the series—are somewhat predictable, but the way the story unfolds keeps viewers wondering how all the conflicts will be resolved, especially since everyone wants power and there’s so much happening. It keeps you engaged. It feels like it’s either someone has to die or someone has to compromise. There are a few plot holes, but I honestly didn’t mind.

If you rated this low because of Pheem or the other villains, that might not be entirely fair. The series has a heavy, dark theme with multiple antagonists, and that won’t suit everyone. If that’s not your style, it’s better to stop early instead of judging the show for something that’s part of its core tone. And to be fair, Pheem does get some character growth in the end.

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Red Flag Offroad!!

As someone who loves action dramas AND DaouOffroad, I was excited for this. I thought Daou and Offroad did a great job as their characters, and anyone that's mad about Offroad's character being evil needs to remember that it's just a character (and a super fun character to watch!). Overall, I thought this drama was really well done - my only complaint was that the conflict got a little repetitive, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

Than (Daou) is a former cop that lost his job due to allegedly taking a bribe during his work on a major fentanyl case. He ends up working for Pheem (Offroad) as his bodyguard, and realizes that the fentanyl case he was investigating is directly linked to Pheem's brother. Pheem promises Than that he will clear his name and get him back on the police force by helping him finally convict his brother of stealing and selling fentanyl - however, Pheem is not at all motivated by Than, but instead wants to ensure that he is the heir to his father's hospital. Pheem will do whatever it takes to drag his brother down, and does not care who he drags with him - even if that means his bodyguard that he's falling in love with.

There were so many things about this show that I loved. A truly complex character from Offroad, acted INCREDIBLY. And look, I hated Pheem for a lot of the show, and that's what made it fun! The betrayal that Than went through throughout the show was so entertaining to watch, and I love how it's unclear to the viewer whether Pheem is telling the truth or lying for a lot of things. It really keeps the viewer on their toes. I do think that there was a little too much of the whole "I need to leave you to protect you" thing and that Than and Pheem probably should have worked out a plan together instead of constantly going behind the others back to "protect" each other, but that's to be expected for the drama of it all. Regardless, I really enjoyed this show!

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High class vertical

It commits a Cardinal Sin in romance : you never end your drama with a handshake ending. It's against the law. Otherwise this is a tight, classy and gripping depiction of a captivating toxic relationship between a brilliant lawyer fallen from grace and a ruthless CEO caught in a succession feud. He pays her to be his mistress, his spy, and to seduce his brother and rival. The scandal ! Yet I don't like the chosen MDL title of "Debauchery", I've seen it called "Three Brothers" which is more apt, as the ML's relationship with his two siblings is key to the plot. Zhen Zi Qi and Zhao Zi Zi have vastly different energies and visuals (she's thin, icy, composed, he's bulky, chaotic and intense), and yet the chemistry is there, you can feel the desire in the air, they are both screwed by their situations but fierce and ready to bite, there is great power play, both are using each other, all good ingredients for a very strong dark romance. The surprise baby is 100% a plot device weaponized by the FL, and temper things in the second part (boo, this is why I hate them) but it didn't bother me that much here as the plot was still very tight. The drama had high production values and a quality casting (SML was a good snake, SFL was kind of a bombshell ?). As I said the handshake ending is a crime, but I did like the way they wrapped everything up, even if I think an bit of an exploration of how the ML adjusted his sociopathic tendencies to win her back would have been great.

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from perfectly unhinged to sheer nonsense

A short drama with an unhinged and ruthless female lead that cares for nothing else except her revenge. After being brutally discarded for her 'family' to earn a purity plaque and lift their rank she is given a new face by a powerful ally that comes upon her and makes her way back into the very family that killed her. Dismantling their influence from within our female lead manages to take them down one by one with seemingly little effort.

Short dramas in general have a much faster pacing format than normal dramas but this puts even that normalcy to the test. Moving at lightning speed, the story takes you unto the Liu household and topples each member systematically with ease and brutal satisfaction. But it fails to build a complete story or believable characters. The perfectly unhinged female lead, Wan Qing, has very little background information given to explain her initial sacrifice and then nothing to really give credit to her later revenge build up. You see her steal from and then abandoning her savior so where does she get the skills and network to pull off her schemes before he finds her again 3 years later? Then her massacre of the family becomes swift but with such little believability that you find yourself just sitting back and enjoying her truly insane enjoyment over the whole thing. Until suddenly the show shifts and you are instead scratching your head trying to figure out exactly what you are watching.

Our male lead if the powerful but silent backing that is only there to save her again and again as she recklessly throws herself into danger but you don't see how he really adds anything. He is a high ranking official that is set on bringing down the Liu family for its corruption but no screen time is given to his skill, network, or grievances to explain his whys. The pair do have plenty of chemistry so I found that all the plot holes could be easily ignored until, again, the shift in the story happened.

Our villains here are one dimensional and stupidly easy to fool and manipulate. The son Wan Qing marries is just a drug addict with a bottle permanently attached to his hand and no other personality trait other than sniffing it. The mother is clever enough to embezzle money, control a kidnapping ring, and fool her husband but easily falls for the simplest tricks. The father is shown as just being greedy, lustful, and obsessive. But, sure, we can believe that they massacred an entire family and carried out their corruption by being pawns of the big bad. Now enter the big bad's story line. And this is when the show loses me. For all the enjoyment I got from the beautiful visuals and our female lead's one track revenge journey was snuffed out in a single episode where I truly though I had accidentally clicked on a different drama. The trek to the end of the drama from here really does not improve and just gets more and more ridiculous.

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Soap opera level chaos in designer packaging!

I can’t believe I’m rating a Daou & Offroad series this low, but it is what it is.
This is one of those dramas that seduces you in the beginning with attractive leads, dramatic tension and mystery around them simmering in the air and for a moment, it would fool you into believing that you have stumbled upon something gripping and intense. And then slowly...the realisation sank that all jazz and pretty people can't hide the fact that the story underneath is paper-thin and strangely uninterested in making ANY EMOTIONAL SENSE whatsoever. I won't say it didn't have the right idea or ambition but there was too much going on all the time and it kept tripping over and collapsing its own over-the-top drama.

The plot has a bit of everything except mystery or good action drama. It was like a daily melodrama stuffed with family revenge plots, emotional manipulation, corruption, and narcissistic parenting. And I am not talking about it in a fun or self-aware way, no. This is the kind of lakorn style exaggeration where logic has little or no place. The tone swings wildly. One minute passionate, the next unhinged and instead of intensity, it simply feels exhausting.

Let's start with the main couple, Pheem and Than, I don't know how to categorise or describe their relationship. It is disturbing in many aspects. There is morally grey, and then there is downright vicious. They fall into the latter. The manipulation isn’t cathartic either and neither does it teach either of the characters anything meaningful. It’s simply cruelty turned into a plot device. And because the drama never properly confronts the consequences of the behaviour, the entire relationship begins to feel hollow and unsettling.

Coming to other supporting characters, all of them I repeat, all of them, including Than and Pheem need to be in jail or in therapy. The so-called father figure is a walking nightmare. Even though he hasn't done the most vile things out of all the antagonist, he fuelled the feud between his 3 children. The siblings don’t fare much better either. The brother is a caricature of entitlement. The sister is written like the drama wanted her to be a cunning heir but forgot to give her depth. It’s difficult to root for anyone when half the cast is unbearable and the rest barely makes sense.

If there is any redeeming quality about this, that would be the chemistry between the leads. The weak script didn't help at all, but it would have been worse without them. Their interactions whether tense, tender or morally questionable still managed to bring a reaction out (happy or sad). Their chemistry felt like a flame trapped in this storm of weak writing. I feel like dialling down the melodrama and maybe bringing them on more screen would have worked better.

Production looked fine. The fight sequences were okay too but the CGI editing, like the bullets, was very lame. Acting-wise, I was not impressed with anyone. It wasn't bad at all, but nothing to run home about or anything that I will remember after today. I really hope their next projects have better script than this.

Overall, this was a good-looking drama with very little to say. It wanted to be edgy, dark, and with morally grey dynamics but it didn't translate on the screen. I will not recommend this but if you really want to watch it for the leads, please keep in mind the messy plot and lakorn-level drama.
Do not go in expecting to look for substance, tension, or character-driven storytelling.

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