Reviews

unique premise

Overall: the confusing plot (though intentional) and distrust that the main romance was real made me not invested in this series. Major ending spoiler in the comments. Adapted from the book "Mystique in the Mirror" by Patrick III Rangsimant which I haven't read and this review is based on the series. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/mystique-in-the-mirror-episode-1-13h4cxtv8zg?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: held against will (complicated), non con kiss (complicated), past death, death, grief

What I Liked
- a different premise
- that we couldn't see the ending/it was unpredictable
- fantastic finale

Room For Improvement
- the suspense was more confusing so it didn't keep me hooked
- since I doubted the main romance, I was never fully invested in it
- dubious medical ethics (I'm not a doctor, but some of the medical stuff felt dramalandish)

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Comedy, Drama, Mystery ... all rolled into one

This was truly a great series from the very beginning right to the end. It was really a multi layered series, much more comedy early on, gradually taking a much more serious, dramatic tone as you get deeper into the episodes. The fact they were able to blend a touch of comedy, even at the darker moments of the series, made it really enjoyable to watch.
There are scenes so hilarious, sitting down and eating with the King or doing shots of alcohol ... stuff you normally don't see involving the Joseon period. It was very original. Sort of bringing a touch of the 21st century into the 19th century.
The story itself was about a great trio of people, involving love, best friends & fate. The chemistry of the cast equally matched the writing. Young Dae, although at times a bit too nice for a King, made a great leader and was a perfect match for romance with Ju Hyun and a deep friendship with Woo Seok. Together, the three supplied great entertainment, giving you a feel that somehow they would make everything work out to a happy ending.
It was around episode 5 when the series shifts into a more serious, darker tone. From that point on, the show definitely becomes a solid drama with a great story plot, giving you questionable hope that everything really was going to turn out the way you wanted. The stunning events of episode 8 takes a major direction change in the story, making you hold on tight, knowing it's going to be a bumpy ride for our three protagonists from that point on.
I think if I can find one complaint, it would be the final episode. While everything worked out fantastically in the end, I hate when things are a bit rushed to completion. There could have been more scenes showing us how things played out instead of leaving it to our imagination. I think it would have been enjoyable to watch that happen. Other than that, a really enjoyable series all around. A great watch!!!

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"Blood River will never be anyone's pawn again"

I have a lot of disorganized thoughts (even more than I'm putting here lol) bc it's only been like 3 hours since I finished the final episode, so I'm still digesting everything.

So let's start off with the reasons why I LOVED this:
- The ENTIRE thesis of the show is "We have to completely destroy corrupt systems and build new better ones from their ashes and sometimes violence is unavoidable but we should be striving for peace. And also love is the reason to do any of this." Obviously this show is of the fantasy genre so everything is amped up and exaggerated, but the parallels that can be drawn to the real world.......... yeah. Genuinely revolutionary in its thinking.
- I 💗 revenge, so watching everyone who tried to control Blood River get murdered was soooooooooooooooooo satisfying
- Su Muyu being such a hopeful and optimistic character and the narrative typically aligning with him (although the last few episodes kind of grind that hope into dust which I am. less enthusiastic about)
- The polyam vibes of Su Changhe-Su Muyu-Bai Hehuai made me have such an intense spiral. You do not understand how obsessed I am with them. Every duo is so good, they are so important to each other and need each other in different ways and... I cannot talk about them for very long without having a breakdown. I love them SO much.
- Just the relationship progression and character development generally speaking (minus a few exceptions — please, I don't wanna talk about how forced and unearned and insufferable the instalove Tang Lianyue/Mu Yumo dynamic is)
- Certain events that feel like one-offs but then end up being very relevant to Su Muyu or Su Changhe (i.e. things we learn about the Hell Palm and going demonic. iykyk)

things that were frustrating:
- So many characters who were really interesting that just disappear and are never acknowledged again: i.e. Hongying, the Water Official, Mu Ciling being kind of major players in the Shadow Sect arc and then.... just nothing after that
- It feels like there were certain things being set up that just never got resolution (i.e. rebuilding No-Sword City)... I get the feeling that there were times when the writers wanted to go in a different direction than they ultimately did bc the novels kinda trapped them to have certain things happen so that Blood River still fit in the same universe as Dashing Youth and TBOY

IDK, I like putting my immediate thoughts out but I really do need more time to digest this one I think. If I'm being 100% honest, I am not completely satisfied with the final episode but overall I still think this show was really solid and it's definitely one of my fave CDramas (or at least at time of posting I feel that way).

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Kiss the Cousin, Married Man, or Your Student?

Harumi Junko became 32 without going to the university of her choice, getting a good job, or finding a husband. As often happens in dramaland, she went from a complete dearth of romantic partners to three, all with Western taboos: a married man, a cousin, and a 17-year-old student she was teaching. The drama is highly rated, but I couldn't cheer on any of the relationships, even though I liked all three MLs. They were decent people as rivals, which is rare to find in dramas. The problem, for me, was with the heroine. She was exceptionally dense and used noble idiocy as an excuse to lie and use people. Yes, she was fairy beautiful, and I realize men are sight stimulated, but 32 is a bit late in life to have the awareness of a potato.

I've allotted an extra star for a love square involving sweet, kind people.

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THANK YOU to the creators of this drama for getting me out of my drama slump

It’s not often that a drama sucks me in and has me this invested within the first 4 episodes. I’ll admit - I’m a sucker for media that artfully plays with the morally grey. All too often, characters that are intended to be morally grey are either too hateable or too likeable in a way that feels inauthentic and uninspiring. This drama balances that line so well. The storyline so far is cleverly written and thought-provoking, and the actors are all holding their own in some pretty difficult scenes. I’m particularly impressed with Kim Young-dae - I saw a few of his dramas about five years ago and swore to never watch another because I thought he was such a flat actor - but he has improved massively and a clip of him in this drama is actually what drew me to watch it in the first place. He’s been added to my list of actors whom I think can actually pull off an obsessed, yearning to the point of losing their mind character like the male lead in this. Fingers crossed that the plot doesn’t fall off from here on out.

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Romance around Revolution

This drama was a fine watch. The story focuses on the time when China was under Japanese rule, showing not just the fight against the invaders but also the mess within their own corrupt army.

What I really liked was how they covered events over 7–8 years. For a short drama, it was surprisingly detailed. And the identity reveal of the secret character? Totally caught me off guard—not my first guess at all.

But...
I seriously want to know at what age did the ML start all this? He’s been undercover for nearly a decade and still looks like he just graduated high school. He was already a governor when he met the FL’s elder sister... did he start this whole mission at 12?

The cast did a great job everyone acted well and felt believable.


And the ending? Totally heroic. That shootout at Joy of Life was intense and dramatic definitely gave the story that finishing touch.
Recommended ✅

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I dislike the FL in this time-travelling, family-focused drama

I was in the mood for Xie Yu Wang drama so I chose this drama for a few reasons: i) set in republican era (XYW was so excited about this opportunity in his weibo post), ii) intergenerational story, and iii) short running time. Too bad drama didn't meet my expectations.

What I liked:
1. Styling - Xie Yu Wang was very handsome in republican era military uniform. I liked the hairstyle too. The outfits for FL and her great-grandmother were beautiful although I didn't understand the need for FL's headgear. It was an overkill.
2. Acting - Great performances by most of the cast.
3. Supporting characters - I liked ML's son & wife.
4. Duration - Drama just under 90 minutes.

What I disliked:
1. FL characterisation - I disliked FL's telling ML out loud to distrust his assistant. I thought it wasn't smart move. I also disliked her boasting about being smarter than ML when they talked about their next move. She was advantageous because of her grandfather's story (secondhand source) but she never lived during that era.
2. Saving the family - I didn't understand why ML told General Zhang what FL said to him. That's giving the antagonist the advantage. ML should be more cautious.
3. Antagonists - General Zhang & Assistsnt Cui were evil. They assassinated the whole family & harmed ML's son.
4. Acting - I didn't like Tan Yan Yan's acting but it's because of the script she's given. For a drama with family as the core theme, there was a lack of chemistry between Tan Yan Yan and Xie Yu Wang. They were cold distant / business-like.

Favourite scene
When FL met her elders for the first time & introduced herself

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A difficult watch

It seemed like it was going to be an interesting BL at first glance, but I found myself totally lost after episode 1. Trying not to give up on it, because it seemed like a really original story, I stuck with it, which I was kind of glad I did. You need to put some time and effort into this series for things to begin to make sense. By the middle of the series there is somewhat of a turn around in the quality of the story. It really wasn't until episode 7 when I found things finally become interesting. We started to see several twists in the plot and the actors started to gel together.
Nothing against the cast, each added something to the drama, but I think there couldn't have been more depth with the past lives they shared. Jae Wook & Cha Min didn't seem to have the chemistry needed to hold things together early on, but eventually found something on screen toward the end, unfortunately for me, it took a bit too long for that to happen. I found Taek Jun and his character of Gwi to be the most interesting. I kind of wish he had a larger role in the series. I think it would have added a lot more to the drama.
Overall, it was a good watch, especially the second half, I just think it had the potential to be so much more.

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A cosy drama you can watch over and over again

Having watched this drama 4 times now, I feel confident wholeheartedly recommending Soundtrack #1. It’s a friends-to-lovers story beautifully told. Everything from the cinematography to the background score comes together to make this one of the loveliest dramas.

Acting: 10/10
Both the leads, Park Hyung-sik and Han So-hee, did so well expressing complex feelings subtly. Props especially to Han So-hee, who communicated her heavy heart through her eyes and micro expressions without going too ‘big’.

OST: 7/10
It’s a mixed bag. Some songs are great, but ironically for a drama titled Soundtrack #1, not all choices are strong. The background score that links scenes is fantastic though.

Story: 10/10
It’s a simple and lighthearted story with some big feelings and a lot of heart. It’s told really well in a tight 4 episodes without meandering into various subplots or introducing a lot of tangents or characters. And it’s got one of the most wonderful confession scenes.

An overall 10 for me, truly.

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Stupid bl version of Cruel Intentions which i enjoyed little bit

I never liked vertical series much. Till today i have watched only 3, too of them are Hollywood vertical series. If they want to make bl version of Cruel Intentions then could have done properly. Idk about others but i enjoyed the series coz of chris even though this series is very stupid. Too short to explore whole movie. Cruel Intentions has gain clut classic status so this could be on the level of that had this series in full format. Sometimes i felt wtf is going around. Why does people make vertical series? I don't like manipulation much thats why i left ABO desire after second episode. Whoever wrote this series he need to join literature class for proper writing . And Zero chemistry. Overall 7.5 coz of chris and few interesting scene.

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One of the best of the year

I really enjoyed this drama. Here's my breakdown:

Pros:
-- It's a great battle of wits between the leads. Both the FL and ML are witty, sharp and keep each other on their toes, making the series tantalizing and binge-worthy.
-- The plot, though laden with many moving parts, is engaging and fairly simple to follow thanks to a single McGuffin that moves the story forward. While predictable in some ways (and honestly, which drama isn't), it also provides good twists and turns that keep you guessing and make for great cliffhangers.
-- The FL actress, Lu Yu Xiao, has this cute, girl-next door beauty. Not movie-star looks but an exquisite aura that explains why men fell hard for her. She plays a character who is also cunning, decisive and one of the best warriors out there but with none of that girl-boss trope that wrecks her femininity. It makes her more natural, balanced and approachable so her emotional scenes carry more weight.
-- The FX are awesome! It definitely made the wuxia magic come to life. Great production value and the rich, lush and wonderfully creative sceneries speak for themselves.
-- The final nemesis has plausible and deep underlying motives. To have a great lead, you need a great antagonist, and the actor, Yu Cheng En, with his naive-boyish looks, was a good fit for the role. His character deals with a mix of resentment, humiliation and obsession that makes him quite interesting and not one dimensional.

Cons:
-- I could do with fewer than 36 episodes. I'd say 26 tops. I fast-forwarded through some scenes with the secondary romantic couple (they weren't that interesting) and some family drama between the nemesis' families which seemed more like filler to me.
-- The acting range of Hou Ming Hao, the ML, is not elite, but to his credit, it was enough to render the character well. After all his story arch was heart wrenching and well layered. It demanded very intense scenes, so his role was no walk in the park.
-- One couple embodies mutual self-sacrifice while, in the end, while another couple alluded that marriage can be a stumbling block to one's career. You can find this dichotomy quite jarring or a plausible decision by the writers to provide different perspectives. So whether this is a pro or a con is in the eye of the beholder.

In the end, there are way more pluses than minuses so give it a go!

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Disappointing story and wasted potential

I started watching this show because of Lee Jong Suk as he is one of the better actors in Korea. However, I think the show did him dirty because his character development is severely underdeveloped and cliche. The premise of his character is he was jaded by his own career which makes him kind of cold and I feel like there’s so much potential in there. However, they chose the most cliche development, which was how he was changed because of his idealistic girl friend. I also expected more dilemmas and challenges that he has to faced in the different cases but the only one that I felt was testing his belief was the ex girlfriend case. Plus, his change from a cold to a passionate lawyer was so abrupt that it makes it hard for me to believe in his change.

Another issue I had with this drama was how the FL was so unnecessary in this show. She was the typical idealistic lawyer and because of main character syndrome, she always gets her way, which is so unrealistic. Her loveline with ML is also extra as I felt that without the love part, the drama would still work.

Personally, I feel that the drama has too many main leads which cause a lot of characters to be underdeveloped. I feel that taking out the FL makes sense as she barely did anything for the drama. Sanggi was another character which I felt didn’t do anything for me. His scandal doesn’t seem big enough for me to feel his character and can be omitted in the series.

The one that really surprised me was Chang Won as I really felt his struggles and humiliation from different challenges he faced. All in all, wasted potential in the casts and too ambitious in having five leads

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