Reviews

Loved it, but....

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Overall, I'm in love with this series. So many BL actors - most of them I knew instantly. I was on cloud nine to see so many in a single show. The plot was great too and I enjoyed the acting, even if some characters really never should have made it into college....if you've watched it, then you know who I'm talking about. Ring, ring.

Sadly, as much as I love this show that ending really annoyed me. I'll be honest, the main reason I LOVE Asian dramas is that *MOST* of them don't have multiple seasons because they don't need them. A good majority are all self contained and tell a full story in a single season. No cliffhangers, no waiting years for a new season (that might not even happen) or getting tons of seasons for something that should have ended a long time prior, leaving the show feeling pointless only to end with an extremely unsatisfying ending.

Asian dramas tend to bypass that nonsense and gives us a COMPLETE story that ends when it should. While there are expectations to this, I'd say 98% of what I've watched has been self-contained into one season and any sequels are usually just spin offs that focus on the side characters from the original. I prefer it this way and it's for this reason that I rarely ever watch American tv shows (as they either drag on when it shouldn't, gets cancelled, or we have to wait YEARS for a new season...not my thing, sorry). After watching Asian dramas, I never looked back.

What first got me interested in this show was hearing that Boss would be in it. Then I saw the rest of the cast and couldn't contain my excitement. I was so hyped. Sadly, I wasn't able to watch it until today. While it was everything I hoped it would be, the joy I felt was overshadowed greatly by getting the American/Western treatment at the end.

Seeing as this was released by Netflix, I don't know why I thought that this would be a full story in one season. They did it with All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home, and Squid Game. Of course, this would get the same treatment. I really should have prepared myself for that, but I didn't. Had it not been a cliffhanger ending that we'll have to likely wait years for (if it comes out at all with Netflix's track record), then this would have been a 10/10 for me. Simply due to the end, I gave it a 9.5. It would have been disingenuous of me to do otherwise since it really was that good. When/if the story is ACTUALLY over, then I'll revise my score. For now, I can't help but be disappointed.

All that said, this is a fantastic show and I was hooked from the moment it started until the moment it ended. If you enjoy any of these actors, this is definitely a must watch, though I'd probably advise you to wait until it's actually completed, but who knows when that will be?

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Really good for as far as lighthearted romance goes

I had to write a review because all the reviews about this were so one sided and hateful. It's like people really took this show personally for some reason and I'm not sure why.

I understand why some people might not love it. It was not a very eleborate love storyand had lots of plot points going on at once.

But it really gave me 2010-2017 K- drama era vibes which I really missed. Even though it was a J drama ( I think it might have been a joint production, I'm not sure). I think its the way they flushed out the characters and drove the plot, that reminded me of that era's style ( which I personally loved!). The character development was quite good and the plot was explored in a very balanced way considering it was so short.

It was a little goofy and very " romcom logic" with cliche tropes/ plot motives sometimes. But I expect that from this flavour of a show?

As for the psycology portion of the show, I'm not sure how accurate it was for it's specific disorders. But as someone who regulary sees a clinical psycologist and has met somone with diagnosed agaraphobia, I thought the represation didn't feel misalgned to me and actually made me feel sympathy towards people's unique mental health struggle's through it's potrayal.

And the cinematography and concept execution was jaw dropping in my opinion. On my next visit to Japan, I now have new bucket list chocolates and spots to try! It really inspired me, and made me reflect on why and how people may connect and face their limits. A definite must watch for a light/ binge drama!

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never underestimate the strength of a woman.

The concept of a "strong woman" encompasses a variety of characteristics relating to inner resilience, independence, emotional intelligence, and self-respect. It is not defined solely by physical attributes or career success, but rather by her character and approach to life's challenges.
Key Qualities of a Strong Woman
Emotional Intelligence: A strong woman can feel deeply and express emotions like fear or sadness without feeling weak; her strength lies in her ability to persevere despite these feelings. She is not afraid to cry, talk about her feelings, or be vulnerable.
Independence: This includes both social and financial independence. She has her own money and can take care of herself, which provides the freedom to make her own choices and not rely on others for her happiness or security.
Resilience and Perseverance: She doesn't let failure or rejection defeat her. Instead, she views negative circumstances as challenges and uses them as life lessons. She keeps going even when she doesn't "win," always pulling herself back up.
Self-Respect and Confidence: She values her identity, has self-esteem, and does not worry excessively about other people's opinions or societal expectations. She is confident in her choices and proud of who she is.
Integrity and Ethics: Honesty and strong core values are important to her. She stands up for what she thinks is right and is truthful with the world.
Boundaries and Self-Care: She knows when to disengage from toxic situations and understands the importance of self-care. She sets boundaries and standards for herself and others.
Support for Others: Being a strong woman also means uplifting others rather than tearing them down. She can care for others not just when it is easy, but also when it is hard.
Ultimately, a strong woman is someone who accepts herself, learns to think critically for herself, and faces life's struggles with bravery and an inner will to keep going.

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We have all the comforting good vibes in Last Cinderella.

In a way i was trying to figure out why the title for this storyline since it does not have much to do with the fairytale itself. We have the heroine Sakura hitting 4o years of age, realizing how utterly lonely she is and that she does deep down want a stable partner to rely on and who will love her in return. She is a manager to a very fussy hair salon where she has incredible friendships with her collective co-workers and her arch nemesis Rintaro, both annoy each other every chance they get, their bickering made me laugh lots of times. She also has two best female friends in the stay at home wife/mum Miki and the liberal playgirl Shima.

I love the settings of the basement bar, the hairsaloon and the every weekly activities the characters do together. I mean, you live their lives with them. No one is perfect, everyone are human beings with their insecurities and do make mistakes along the way. How comedic the story yet was it does have a dark undertone to the very toxic sibling relationship between Chioko and the very manipulative casanova rider Saeki Hiroto- who by the way is so handsome he made my heart beat faster several times. His character evolves when he gets to know Sakura and how he slowly gets engulfed by her innocence and goodness, she was pure sunshine in his dark world. OST is amazing and the themes are so catchy & beautiful. Its a golden classic japanese drama, i will definitely miss the characters.

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Turns out, architecture is cool

I really enjoy this series, especially because of the dynamic between Rin and Aokbab, which is absolutely hilarious. About 70% of their interactions are arguments, but you can clearly feel the attraction they have for each other.

I also like the pacing of the series: you can see that even though Aokbab is angry at Mind, she still cares deeply about her. It’s understandable, because even if it’s not explicitly stated, it’s easy to guess that Mind was her first love. You can also see Aokbab’s attraction to Rin, which she keeps pushing away out of fear and uncertainty and that makes her feel very real.

As for Rin, she’s the funniest and most relatable character. I loved how Jane portrayed her; Rin brings a refreshing and entertaining energy to the show.

I do wish the second couple had been developed more, because their relationship had real potential and both characters were fun to watch.
Rin and Aokbab’s relationship, on the other hand, is written in such a touching way that it actually makes you want to fall in love. Their dialogues are memorable, their connection is gentle, and I love how “down bad” Rin is for Aokbab.

I also wish Mind had been portrayed as a bit meaner, because in reality, she isn’t mean at all she just communicates very poorly.

Overall, I recommend this series for its strong dialogue and lovable characters.

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Purest and my top favorite c-drama of 2025!

To me, I am personally very satisfied with the drama. It kept me hooked till the last, though I know many left it in between maybe after ep 12 or didn't like the story. But it is one of the most refined, balanced and mature plots I have ever seen. I loved how every episode was crafted, the hidden layers and the morals it was conveying throughout. It was like finding my own conscience and the Way while watching it. i was not just lost in romance or a scripted World, it was like I am personally being transformed throughout. The acting was top-notch, along with the dialogues. The best chinese historical drama which went so ahead in conveying the overall message. Good always wins over the evil. Love is never a weakness. It can win over anything,
I loved every character, our both secondary couples and the characters from its past prequels. Every episode felt like a story I wanted to rewatch again and again, and all episodes are so wisely numbered and arranged. Episode 12 , 29 and 36 were my favorites. It shows us all forms of love and relationships. The best drama to watch for unconditional and true love and promises.

Don't watch it if you are only here for entertainment, time pass, to see some romantic arc between the ML and FL, conventional power struggles, or some Xianxia. Watch it with a pure heart, try to understand what deeper message the drama is trying to convey and the essence of living this life. The war between hatred and love, good and evil, desires and promises, so beautifully and painfully portrayed. There was no kissing scene between the ML and FL, still love never felt distant between them. They were so pure as characters, their love naive and eternal, their affection deep and so do their strong mind, sticking to their morals and the duties. Their individual selves not lost in the love but being complimented by it. The main story was not lost in love, though love did play a huge role. A strong emotion capable of destruction and new beginnings.

I loved our two couples in Western regions. I enjoyed the comaraderie, the freedom and the unrestraint throughout. I know many sacrifices and deaths are there throughout, each one teaching you something and bringing out a strong emotion, still the other characters' carried. Every character (good) was capable of saving the world in their own way and did their best. They believed in each other till the end. Love doesn't always need a long time to be spent together. Even one small encounter can bloom into something deeper and sacred. The way they looked at each other, always there by each other's side, always protecting each other, even sacrificing themselves, their hearts speaking the same emotion.

Trust me, you are gonna enjoy its every episode. It is one of the most refined and powerful c-dramas of all time. The vfx, the sceneries, the osts, the costumes, the stage design, everything. It's meant to be watched on big screen. I usually watch dramas at 2x, but here I really wanted to slow down, to feel the emotions, and the essence truly. I know the ending was not that great. We don't know if the couple ended together or not, was very much like an open ending. But now it doesn't matter. Having witnessed their true love and the life story, now I couldn't care less if they end up together. I know they will always be happy wherever they would be and would always be together. If not in this realm, maybe the other and would forever be remembered in our hearts. A silent smile filled with hope, is all I can say to describe the ending. It is not weak but exactly as how it should be. Looking forward to the new generations while cherishing the past ones! I hope the sacrifices were worth it and if there is a sequel to this, it would be less painful and wish for more mortal togetherness.

It gives me the same feeling I had while watching The Untamed. Die a life with no regret. Do everything you can to protect your loved ones and let love never be a burden. Don't let your heart be corroded with hatred, walk on your Way, and find your purpose. Wanquan Manor or Western Regions- I prefer western regions more. (stories etched on borders are more fateful than those of central plains)

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I love this drama sm,idk why some are hating,like the hate is so forced

“Nevertheless” is a drama that completely pulled me in from the very first episode. I loved how it showed the messy, confusing, and irresistible side of modern love—something that felt so real and relatable to me. Watching Yoo Na-bi struggle between what she knew was right and what she felt with Park Jae-eon made me think of how love can blur all our boundaries. Their chemistry, the tension, and even the pain felt so honest that I couldn’t stop watching. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful too—the soft lighting, the warm tones, and the intimate scenes made every moment feel dreamy and emotional. Even though some people say the relationship is toxic, I appreciated how the drama portrayed the reality of falling for someone who feels wrong but impossible to resist. Nevertheless became one of those shows that stayed with me long after the ending because I genuinely loved everything about it—from the aesthetics to the emotions it made me feel,I love every bits of the episodes and i don't get why some people hate it,like the hate is so forced؛༊

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Reborn sisters swap story with strong acting and visuals, but weak, uncreative writing

Somebody surely saw the sucess of the prolific "reborn sisters switch fates" plot device in verticals and wanted to do it in mini format. The result is mostly made of inner court antics, complete with scheming concubines, sad orphans, bitch slaps, the whole shebang. The main draw of the first part is that we don't know whatever happened to the first daughter in her seemingly perfect first life to make her jump into the prince's bride sedan with no hesitation. Once it's revealed and that Jueying is in charge of the household after thwarting various schemes, the drama becomes less interesting. Still, the main romance made up for it (for a while).

Casting is great, Zhu Li Lan and Mu Le En are strong picks for the feuding sisters, Qin Tian Yu is adorable (you might have seen him as the cute dog prince in Starry Love or the psycho emperor in Fated Hearts), and I loved his version of the deceptively aloof husband who discovers what a treasure his own wife is. Unfortunately, the main plot itself is not that great, and looses momentum after a while.

I tried some period verticals with the same plot, and I like that they get creative with it since it has been done to death (there's one where FL marries an eunuch, one where she becomes a peace-making bride, one where she marries a snake demon, etc.). Threads of Destiny was a tad too classic for my taste, and the heroes lacked dimension. After a while I didn't enjoy watching the jealous sister getting owned over and over by the too-perfect heroïne anymore, the kinky/chaotic secondary couple was starting to become more interesting than the leads (never a good sign) and I didn't care enough about the prince's schemes to keep watching.

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So, so boring

This is the most boring drama I've ever seen. I actually love Gong Jun and have been waiting for this to come out, but he's so wooden. The story is slow moving, boring as hell and introduces just a ridiculous amount of characters in a row like we're supposed to care about all of them. And sorry but Gong Jun was not good in this drama, at least in the first few episodes. He's wooden as hell, his expression never changes. It's probably not his fault because he was given basically nothing to work with. A very straight laced character. If you like Gong Jun just go back and watch Word of Honour again.
I was watching together with a friend and we just dropped it after 4 episodes, it was too excruciating listening to such long conversations about information we already know.

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I'm So Disappointed

While I'm not familiar with the lead actress, I'm a big fan of Dylan. So, I was very confused at his stiff and dry acting in this drama. I kept hoping for something to get better but everything was frustrating me. The dialogue was just dragging so much and often times just didn't make sense in relation to what I was thinking was the plot. But then there's that -- I really didn't understand the plot.

The business part was absolutely nonsensical. It's obvious that not only were the actors very much not familar with the topics, but also whoever wrote the script. The acquisition vs investment bit was just comedy. That's not how any of this works. Same with the part about trying to get a talented highly sought-after person to work at a startup that's in dire needs of funds with a timid CEO-founder leading. They were just spouting off a bunch of vague jibber-jabber. Much like kids would do when playing pretend.

Once I realized I was paying more attention to my phone, as well as skipping past painful scenes of pointless staring and the FL talking out loud to herself, I decided to drop.

I could ignore the goofy business stuff if there at least was a cute romance dynamic happening, but even that was nonsensical. Just not a show for me. Out of all of Dylan's dramas I've watched, I've only not liked "Miss the Dragon". So this thesecond one to make the dislike list. I guess I really can't expect to like every show he does.

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Beso Dinamita didn’t fail — it was consumed exactly the way it was written

Last Review:
Beso Dinamita starts as a charming and refreshing rom-com, but gradually collapses into the most overused K-drama formula.
What begins with natural chemistry and promising characters turns into forced drama, amnesia, hospital scenes, instant forgiveness, and conflicts with no real consequences.
The script chooses safe fantasy over emotional coherence, flattening character arcs and recycling tropes until the story itself no longer matters.

A strong beginning, an increasingly mechanical middle, and a finale that confirms it all:
the fantasy matters more than the story.

⭐ 1/5 — and that single point exists only for the first episodes and for Moo Da-vi.

First Review:
“You think Dynamite Kiss is just another ordinary K-drama? Another predictable cliché?
It isn’t.
This drama is actually built like a classic Hollywood rom-com from the 1940s, 50s and early 60s.

The moment I realized it was in Episode 2, during the beach scene:
the wide shot, the illuminated ocean, their silhouettes against nature, the soft violins, the gentle lighting on their faces.
This is the visual language of old Hollywood, when cinematic distance meant emotional vulnerability.

Films like From Here to Eternity, An Affair to Remember, Roman Holiday, Letter From an Unknown Woman and The Long, Hot Summer used this exact grammar: romance told through space, light and silence.

And then there’s the female lead.
Ahn Eun-jin isn’t playing the typical K-drama heroine.
She embodies a classic Hollywood archetype.

She has Barbra Streisand’s energy —Funny Girl, What’s Up, Doc?—
and the spirit of Marilyn Monroe the actress, not the sex symbol,
the vulnerable and spontaneous woman from Bus Stop (1956) and Let’s Make Love (1960).

Simple, honest, emotional.
No poses.
No masks.
A natural light that melts the cold male lead without even trying.

Watch those films and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Dynamite Kiss is pure vintage romance disguised as a modern K-drama.”

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Keeping Up With the Bans

I started watching this after Back from the Brink because I’m a huge fan of Hou Ming Hao. I just read the synopsis here on Mydramalist and decided to go for it. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I certainly didn’t have huge expectations for it. It’s my first time watching the actress who played Ban Hua. I’ve been watching Cdramas since 2019, and I’ve never heard of her. Anyway, her acting was not bad. She was pretty good. As for Hou Ming Hao’s character, Rong Xia? Well, not so good. He was a little stiff and not consistent with his character. One moment he likes Hua, then later on he seems to be on the path of revenge against the Ban family, so he can’t like Hua. I’m not sure if it was the actor or the writer of the dramaI to blame, but I had to watch the whole thing because I was already invested in it. It felt like the roles were reversed. The FL was more like the ML. I love the Ban family. They are so cute and funny, especially the dad and her younger brother, Ban Heng. The villains did a great job for getting under my skin. In court, we have a few powerful families like the Bans, the Yans, the Shis, and the Xies. We see each family scheming against each other, and in the end we see who really were the allies with the Bans. It’s a shame with Shi Feixian, the second male lead’s younger sister who was in love with Rong Xia. She already had a second chance in life when she was saved from jumping off the cliff. Instead of doing good and being grateful for being alive, noooo, she had to choose evil. She wanted to be empress by using the second prince Luo for her benefit. I felt bad for her because her grandfather controlled her to be perfect her whole life. He instilled in her mind that she has to be the best. He wanted her to be empress of Daye. He said those words to her up until his last breath. No remorse or whatsoever. Her grandfather was to blame for everything they had to go through. Can you imagine your grandfather wanted you to lie for the sake of his position in court and you get to be exiled? The second male lead was a nice man. He knew right from wrong. He was the only one with the right mind among his family. Even his sister, who was the empress of Daye, didn’t stop from plotting to kill Rong Xia. Like what the hell? Glad the crown prince turned Emperor asked her if she loves him or she loves his throne? We all know it’s the latter based from the expression on her face. I’m glad the Xie family became allies with the Ban family at the end. When the grandmother, Princess Royal, was dying, she asked hua why was she wearing red? Was she marrying someone? She’s trying to be funny even in her last moments. We didn’t have a lot of deaths but the grandmother and her nephew, who was the Emperor of Daye. I’m glad the emperor wasn’t so bad and he just really wanted to protect the Ban family. As for the crown prince, I’m glad he stepped up in the end instead of retreating from his responsibilities. He was so silly for deciding to abdicate the throne to Rong Xia. Feixian and the former prince Luo were exiled as commoners out in the countryside somewhere. We could see at the end how he started having mental problems. He’s now living a life of regret. Even the Empress Dowager and the princess were taken away for punishment. What a shame. The princess was Hua’s best friend but she ended up believing a snake. There were a lot of cute and funny moments in this drama. The The kisses were a little meh. Not a fan of dead fish kisses. I don’t like it when they kiss, both their eyes are opened, like nah, that’s not romantic. But I’ll give it a pass. I ended up enjoying the whole drama. 40 episodes was a little long, in my opinion. They could have shortened it down to 30 episodes. There were times I honestly got bored and just wanted to finish the drama already. I love how her brother’s wife is ready to give birth, and Rong Xia’s guard’s wife, who was one of Ban Hua’s maids, was also pregnant. Surprise surprise. Twin bliss. But we don’t get to see little ones from our main couple. Not gonna lie, I was a little sad. Oh well, that’s reality. Not everyone can have kids right away. It’s a really nice drama and I’m just happy they get to have a lot of scenes together.

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