Reviews

“no me puedo llamar el mejor cocinero porque nunca superé la comida de mi abuela” ?

Con los primeros capítulos pensé que sería un drama con 95% escenas de cocina y un 5% de romance. Sin embargo, en verdad me sorprendió mucho el arco de los personajes que los llevó a enamorarse, es primera vez que lo sentí correcto y natural, no me faltó ni me saltó nada. Muchas veces me pasa que la razón por lo que los personajes se enamoran es muy “puesta”, igual me terminan encantando, pero no hay algo que yo me encante en ese camino, a diferencia de esta que me hicieron sentir ese cambio de perspectiva, un ligero enemy to lovers.

Por otra parte quiero destacar mucho la interpretación de Lee Chae-min, sinceramente no es un actor que conocía, pero me sorprendió mucho sobretodo los últimos capítulos, la desesperación, traición y dolor en verdad se vieron reflejados.

Igual sostengo que es más un drama de cocina jajajaja pero el romance estaba y estaba chef kiss 😮‍💨

Por lo general, y explicando mi ranking, no soy una persona muy picky, si el romance hace que chille me tiene, un promedio siempre pongo 8,5 cuando me entretuvo, pero con una vez verlo estoy bien.

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A Nostalgic, Thought-Provoking Slice of Life

This show had been sitting on my watchlist for a long time, and I’m so glad I finally gave it a chance. From the very beginning, I was hooked by the concept of repeating life over and over again. While it’s technically a comedy-drama, Brush Up Life truly feels like a slice-of-life series — subtle, reflective, and quietly emotional.

Watching this made me wonder: What would I do if I had the chance to live my life all over again? What would change, and what would stay the same? It gave me this deep sense of appreciation for the present moment — a reminder that, in reality, we only have one shot at life, so we should make the most of it.

What I Loved:

1. The Nostalgia Hit Hard:
If you grew up watching Japanese dramas in the late '90s to early 2000s, this series is a goldmine of references. It felt like a warm hug from the past.

• "Konayuki" – If you know, you know. Every time the classmates sang it at karaoke, I couldn't help but sing along.
• Orange Range – Hearing their music again brought back so many memories.
• Several of my favorite actors and actresses made cameos or were mentioned, and I honestly felt like a fangirl all over again seeing them on screen.

2. The Other “Reincarnators”:

One of the best parts of the show was learning about other characters who were also going through repeated lives. One of them relived the same life countless times while working at a government office. Another had a single, laser-focused goal she carried with her through every life.

But the storyline I loved the most was the last one of Kondo Asami’s. As she said, she wasn’t doing it to rack up points for the next life — she simply learned to enjoy the last one. That message hit me the hardest: sometimes, it’s not about chasing achievements or fixing everything. As hard as it is, sometimes we just need to remember – we should just enjoy life as we can.
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Final Thoughts:
Brush Up Life is a quiet, heartfelt exploration of life, regret, growth, and the little things that truly matter. It made me laugh, reflect, and even tear up a little. If you're into stories that make you think about your own journey — while hitting you with a wave of nostalgia — this is one drama you shouldn’t miss.

8.5/10

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Powerful and Captivating

The script flowed well. Excellent character development. Both female leads delivered great performances. At times the characters leap out of the screen and into my living room. The portrayal of the production company was very realistic.

I admire Park Ji Hyun for portraying such a damaged Cheon Sang Yeon so well. She deserves a best actress nomination. Kim Go Eun is a perfect complement to her. Kudos to the casting choices.

The script takes some of life's most stressful events in our lives . The cast delivered the depth of emotion to create an awesome journey towards healing ones soul.

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A powerful, unforgettable drama of epic scale

This drama is one of the ultimate examples of great storytelling, a truly epic saga inspired loosely on real events, set mostly during the first half of the Kangxi Emperor’s era (Qing Dynasty). It tells the story of the dreams of three men around the Yellow River—one of the five largest and most untamable rivers in the world—while also capturing the highs and lows of human life. It is larger than life, yet deeply personal.

The setting and story (without spoilers):
The show spans from around 1670 to nearly 1690, and its core lies in the decades-long efforts to tame the Yellow River—a task that has remained a central concern for the Chinese government to the present day. As such, the drama unfolds in two main scenarios, intertwined settings: the river and its surrounding lands, and the imperial court.

Because of this historical backdrop, it helps to have a general idea of the era; otherwise, keeping track of names, time jumps, and court intrigues can be challenging. That was my experience, so I took a quick visit to Wikipedia—which helped A LOT. In any case, the drama is so well made that it makes you want to dive deeper into this fascinating period of Chinese history.

During this time, we follow our three main protagonists in their personal and collective struggles: the Kangxi Emperor, played by Luo Jin; the Governor of the River, responsible for the planning and execution of this ambitious project, played with a tour de force performance by Huang Zhi Zhong; and a young, free-spirited genius who calls himself the River’s God, played by Yin Fang. And then there’s the Yellow River itself, the omnipresent fourth character - majestic, nurturing, destructive, shaping lives and destinies as it flows across China and through time.

The trio is surrounded by complex, vivid characters, both along the distant river provinces and within the court, brought to life by seasoned actors whom you’ll come to love and hate at the same time - well, not all of them.

Court politics, power struggles, personal ambitions, greed, jealousy - everything unfolds like a high-stakes chess game that keeps you on the edge of your seat (and sometimes, your nerves). You’ll root for the massive project and for the two heroes who dedicated their lives to it, while being amazed by the incredible psychological portrayal of an Emperor who was one of the most important and powerful men of his time. You’ll follow them through years of failures and successes, fights and dreams, moments of happiness, frustration, and anger… You’ll cry, cheer, smile, and learn about politics, history, dams, and the human spirit.

Production:
The attention to detail is breathtaking, from the rugged riverbanks to the opulent court, with historically accurate settings and costumes. Kangxi Emperor ruled for over 66 years, overseeing one of the Qing Dynasty’s most prolific periods: he expanded the frontiers, and international relations with the West were also prolific. The drama incorporates this into the story naturally, helping us feel immersed in the time while connecting it cleverly to the plot.

The animated intro and the ending credits deserve a special mention. The soundtrack, script, editing, and direction are really good. From grand, majestic scenes to intimate power struggles or dialogues between characters, the hand of scriptwriter and director Zhang Ting is firm, sensitive, and clear. The drama isn’t fast-paced, but it never feels slow - it grabs you emotionally from the very first minute of the first episode and never lets go.

Definitely, a must-watch for epic story lovers. You won’t go through this drama untouched.

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Team Divorce or Team Marriage?

At first, I questioned the title. Ambition? For love?? That pairing felt odd to me — I’ve always thought of love as unconditional. But after watching the first few episodes, it all started to make sense. The title is actually perfect. There only a few episodes out, so this will be an ongoing review as I continue watching.

Let me start by saying: this series hooked me immediately. I ended up staying up late just to binge as many episodes as I could in one evening. Honestly, I started watching because of the beautiful Rosy Zhao Lusi and the handsome William Chan — they’re a stunning duo. Lately, I’ve been skipping reading synopses and just diving in, so I had no idea what to expect going in. But, as always, Lusi picked a strong role — her character is cunning, determined, and incredibly compelling.

The story starts with her fighting her way through life — without loving and doting parents, without a safety net — pursuing love and a career. And when she finally meets the man who makes her feel something, you can’t help but understand why she so determined to get married to Shen Hao Ming.

I’m up to episode 18, and honestly, I’m loving every moment. It feels like a classic scheming costume drama (which I love!) but set in modern times, making everything feel more relatable and grounded.
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What I’m Loving So Far:
• Her Style: From outfits to makeup to hairstyles, everything is coordinated and flawless. I read that in real life she graduated with a degree in fashion design – I’m sure she made use of those skills in this series!!!
• The Romance: There’s a dark, slow-burn romance with real push and pull. It keeps you guessing and waiting for the next twist.
• Her Integrity: Even though she has ambitious goals, I love that she’s genuine. She values the relationships she builds (the younger brother/son, the grandma who had Alzheimer, her in-laws who eventually she learn to love, etc.) and doesn’t take anything for granted. She’s methodical, strategic, but not cold. She owns up to what she did wrong.
• The Power Dynamic: I knew something was off — with a guy that rich, he had to know about her background. But I love that she didn’t use him in a manipulative way. She genuinely loved him and simply used the opportunity to better herself. She worked hard and deserves to be loved by an equally ambitious man.
• Subverting Tropes: This isn’t your typical “rich guy rescues poor girl” storyline. It’s deeper than that, and I’m here for it.
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So far, it’s a solid 8/10, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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Entertaining :)

This series is messy, but fun. It shifts through different plots and tones in the story, making for a rollercoaster ride of a series. However, the unpredictable parts mixed with cliches kept me entertained.
I was surprised to find myself really into the love triangle storyline (though I do wish it had been handled with more consistency).

What I liked:
- Fun and likeable characters (more specifically Bowgie <3)
- Love triangle
- Funny situations with attention to detail

What I liked less:
- Plot holes and nonsense situations
- A few weak episodes
- Weak love triangle :(

[Just an FYI: This is more of a lighthearted/comical enemies to lovers theme.]

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Not Afraid to Deliver the Needed Ending

In this brief six episode story a young woman, extroverted, outgoing, and with an impish love of pranks develops an odd relationship with the new nerdish guy in her homeroom by cajoling him into exchanging names with her as part of a school April Fool’s Day prank. This name change becomes a running connection in their ever closer friendship. They have feelings for each other but for fear of rejection can’t get the couple connection going.

He dies and she is devastated realizing that he was the love of her life. She loses the will to live. Then one day four years later her dead love-of-her life appears in front of her. He’s now a grim reaper and he tells her she dies in one week and he plans to spend that week with her.

The six episodes focus on that week with frequent flashbacks filling in their lives’ details. As far as the why and how of grim reapers there’s not much in the way of exposition. The little we do see is an obvious foreshadowing of a key plot twist like a pilot warning passengers to buckle up because of looming turbulence.

Beautiful stories that grab you emotionally don’t always have happy endings. He’s dead and a grim reaper and she’s alive so the prospects for a happy ending aren’t all that rosy.

Despite the grim reaper supernatural element the story doesn’t try to scare nor does it have a focus on the supernatural, but instead plays it straight setting up situations and letting characters and viewers deal with emotional impact.

Can a grim reaper somehow prevent a scheduled death from occurring? What are the repercussions? Grim reaper stories are often about life and not death, about the living struggling with regrets and loss. And sometimes they’re about the dead being given a voice in the story to confront losses they regret from when alive. If you could come back from death to help someone you deeply love, how much would you be willing to sacrifice?

A more timid screenwriter would feel compelled to deliver a pat happy ending. They might warn of horrible outcomes but then by some unlikely twist deliver what most people want and not what the story demands. WBL doesn’t shy away from the needed ending.

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Way Back Love’s emotional touchstones reminded me of another story also centered around using grim reapers to talk about life, a dark comedy called Dead Like Me (2003-2004) 29 episodes over two seasons. The main character is a 18 year old college dropout, Georgia aka George, who dies and is drafted into a local team of grim reapers. George has a hard time adjusting to the daily bloody violent deaths and she rebels. Complicating her transition to an afterlife career as a reaper is that she reaps within walking distance from her still living and grieving family. Her death hits her family hard causing the parents to divorce and her younger 11 year old sister, Reggie, to act out. George rebels against the reaper system dictating non interference with the living by surreptitiously helping Reggie who realizes that as impossible as it might seem her dead older sister is still around.

On the surface DLM is a comedy but there are some deeper emotions and issues running throughout. But the same question so important in WBL confronts the undead DLM reapers (not only George but her boss, Rube, too) as to how far can a reaper push against the rules and their unseen power, Death, that dictates their reaps.

In early episodes Rube is loudly and aggressively demanding that George follow the rules and stay away from her family. But George hides her meddling with the living. And sometimes she openly rebels. There’s a touching early few scenes in which George in defiance against the big boss, Death, and her reaper boss Rube goes to her family’s front door (not on Halloween) and is confronted by her mother who of course can’t recognize her. To prove her identity George attempts to convey a cherished memory that only the two of them share, but her words come out garbled and her mother chases her away. Later sitting with Rube in a diner she sheepishly confesses her breaking the rules and he uncharacteristically tenderly asks if she can remember that cherished memory. She can’t. And Rube explains that whenever a reaper attempts to use a shared memory to talk to someone they knew when alive, that memory is lost forever. The more the undead try to connect with the living from their former life, the more of that life they lose. Rube says to her that all reapers get to keep from their lives is their memories.

In WBL limited by six episodes the story focuses tightly on the relationship between the two main characters in a romantic dynamic. In DLM with 29 episodes there’s more branching out and while the focus is on George and her family, there a parallel story line that follows Rube and what happened to him and his family some eighty years prior.

Rube died during the Great Depression when to help his wife and daughter (about five years old at the time) he robs a bank and ends up dead, and then is drafted to become a grim reaper. He, like George, breaks the rules and tries to help his family sending an anonymous letter with cash to them. Eighty years later in present day he gets a notice from the US Post Office there’s a letter for him, it’s the letter he had sent and forgotten so long ago. Death that operates on a time scale and with goals beyond human comprehension sidelined that letter and delivered it back to him in the present (to a different return address no less). That his attempt to help his family failed triggers something in good soldier Rube and he rebels himself and covertly finds his now aged daughter. When he arrives at his daughter’s nursing home just before she dies we learn she’s been waiting for and recognizes him (which means she interacted with him after he died and before he sent the letter).

DLM has 29 episodes to work with. There’s an interesting character that we know about only by its manipulations, Death. Rube some eighty years prior was placed near his family and something happened back then that made him into an obedient reaper staying away from his family. Normally reapers are only placed far away from where they lived. One woman on the team died in the state of Georgia, another man in the UK. Then out of blue young George is placed with Rube’s team near her living family. Death returning the letter to Rube triggers a radical change that leads him to a final reconciliation with his now elderly daughter at her death. Why might have been explained in a third season.

By the end of the second season George has become a good soldier, a capable reaper who no longer feels compelled to contact her family and Rube has finally found some peace of mind after having carried personal regrets and perhaps a bitter grudge against God those eighty years. We aren’t allowed to listen in as to what he said to his daughter before she died and after when she passed into the hereafter, but it had a profound impact on Rube.

In DLM reapers look as they did when alive to each other and to ghosts, but to the living they look totally different except on one day and night of each year, Halloween. At that time only people who knew them when alive can see them again in their living appearance. George often visits her own grave and in a key final scene of the second season Reggie on Halloween night sleeps on George’s grave and in the morning dawn light wakes to see her older dead sister standing near her confirming the impossible that her sister is around in a very physical way. When George and Reggie see each other, George turns and walks away*.

Both DLM and WBL are stories in which the dead and the living can interact and deal with those regrets left unspoken. If you liked WBL you’ll probably appreciate DLM.

* PS I liked the two seasons of DLM so much I wrote two novels - season 3 and season 4. If you watch the TV show you might find the novels worth checking out. These are posted at a website called archiveofourown dot org. The first is titled Dead Like Me 2013 and the sequel Dead Like Me 2014.

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Vigilante Serial Killer

I have not seen the original French version, nor the American spin off so I started this with only the description to go on - an imprisoned serial killer mom who forces her detective son to work with her to solve a series of copycat murders.

Go Hyun Jung as The Mantis dominates every scene she’s in owning this serial killer mom role. Early on there’s a Dexter like assertion that her murders were only of really bad men who had escaped the failed justice system. She forms an interesting relationship with the detective who captured her and through whom she negotiated an unusual arrangement for her imprisonment which included provisions to give her son a new identity and to raise him to be like the detective. While The Mantis is cynical about the justice system (hence her vigilante justice) she admires the sincerity and naiveté of the detective. She would prefer her son to grow up molded after the detective than herself.

This show directly brings up the nature/nurture issue. The son fears that his bloodline connection to his serial killer mom will determine his behavior and future. It’s this fear which leads him to often react seemingly irrationally in his interactions with her, and with his wife, and his fears should they have children.

At times the killer mom projects an insane enjoyment of the torture she inflicted on her victims said torture inspired by the form of the torture they themselves inflicted on their own victims.

The plot twists and reveals near the very end cascade rapidly one after another and lead us to an understanding of why she became that way. And I promise that these final reveals will inspire sympathy for her if not acceptance of her actions. Think of Hannibal from the books and movies series and his origins in WWII as a small child struggling to survive the horrors of the German/Soviet front.

The show is a mere eight episodes so pacing is a problem only for the impatient.

The reason I rate it a 9.5 is connected to a few flaws in plotting and certain scenes. There are some clumsy lurches in moving from certain plot points to the next. Second time through these became even more glaring. The story, like a magician’s sleight of hand, glosses over them to move things along. And then in a very few scenes the absurdity just jumps out and no sleight of hand can hide it-e.g. washing machines with windows scene.

Within the larger context of a great story and Go Hyun Jung’s performance these flaws are forgivable.

There’s a final scene which promises a sequel. Such a sequel would have to shift from the backward looking to the present and future, and consequently will be very different, but I welcome the attempt just to see this fascinating character in action again.

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Watch cleanly and w/o reservations and THEN comment~

Leads killed it in the 1st half but it was a bit slow in the middle and dragged at the end. Still funny!! Suzy's persona was Wednesday Addams plus SYJ's Ko MunYeong in It's Ok To Not Be Ok and I loved it and it's pathetic that this drama is going to remembered for one thing that wasn't there at all.

IDK why Muslims are turning this into a religious thing but so be it. 90% of the world has a problem w/ the child raping incestual pedophiling women beating death to all infidels marry 6 yr olds jihad inbred screaming join us or face genocide views that Islam teaches. Netflix, SK, and Suzy will all take massive hits to reputation for no reason but it wasn't smart to do anything with any ties to Arabs in general with the atrocities currently being committed. We watch dramas to escape the real world, not be reminded of it and some scenes hit HARD.
But this is a FICTIONAL piece for entertainment purposes ONLY. FICTIONAL ppl. Muslims are turning this into a religious thing for no reason. The Islamists crying and review bombing a FICTIONAL drama is HIGHLY ironic considering what they're doing IRL. Parodies of ALL religions have been used in FICTIONAL dramas and movies for ages and they wouldn't have said anything if it was something other than theirs. But that's Islam. Hypocrisy and intolerance at its finest.
I was highly entertained and had no thoughts over religion until I saw the reviews destroying this over it. I also know not all are as bad as the criminal ones engaging in the acts of violence I listed that the media talks about daily as they're caught engaging in their 'religious' practice. So watch the drama for the drama, not the religious slander many are making this out to be. Slander is what I said up top. But is it slander if it's all true?

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Disappointing and disrepsectful

Although I like the main cast, when the trailer first came out and saw many in the Muslim community found the use of Iblis as one of the main characters as disrespectful, I started to lose interest. But when it dropped today and I had time I decided to try. Never mind the storyline being very cliche and uninteresting, the writing lacking, the timeline confusing, unfortunately the acting of the ML and FL is truly terrible. They are unable to inhabit the characters nor make them believable, and lack chemistry. Huge disappointment not worth the watch. Although if you give it a try you will notice all I've mentioned in the first episode.

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The Queen of Serial Killer Dramas

Go Hyun Jung is without a doubt, the stand out performance not only in Queen Mantis but for the year. She delivered her role perfectly. As much as it was chilling, the depth she brought to a mother who used brutal methods to despatch terrible men in their own right, who also longed for her son, was unforgettable.

Although a remake of the French show, Mantis, I have found QM the best serial killer kdrama to date. The reason: superb acting, very good writing and the reigning in of the classic tropes. The subject matter re QM’s origins is not pleasant but it is handled in a steady manner ie not over the top.

This show looks into the cause of human behaviour both nature and nurture. Its premise is ultimately that nuture is the cause and not someone’s bloodline. The exploration on how people react when a key employer (in this case, the mine) shuts down is a reminder of the tragedy that follows.

Trust is pivotal to each character and storyline. How this I stretched, lost and then regained comes down to the inner strength of each character.

Jang Dong Yoon is very good as the son of Queen Mantis. I liked how this show explored the relationship between Su Yeol and his wife and how, in hand with this, Kim Bo Ra played a very understated performance.

Cho Seong Ha delivers as he always does but I felt that his character was a little bit too wimpy. Also, they should have used a different (younger) actor in the flashbacks.

As for Lee El, a strong performance that was like a second fiddle at times. This role contrasts to her performance at the same time in My Awesome Star where she portrayed the jealous and delusional starlet so well.

When it came down to the big reveal, I wasn’t surprised. The red herrings were top notch. The layers, challenging.

Queen Mantis is eight episodes, the right amount for such a genre. Anything more would have detracted from the quality of the show but it’s clear a sequel is in the works.

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A MASTERPIECE WITH TWISTS AND TURNS THAT KEEPS YOU ON YOUR TOES

This had been on my watchlist for long time and I finally had the time to sit and start watching this.

As I started watching it, it had me hooked from the get go. With each episode you experience new twists and turns. The actors did an outstanding job that it almost felt real. Each character has their own story. I can't even find words to explain how good it is. This is a masterpiece that cannot be missed. It is so underrated. We need to promote this. A story this good deserves to be watched and apreciated.

Overall, for me this was a 09/10.

To be honest, the ending felt very abrupt. Like I wanted the bad guys to suffer more. Plus the ending scene where Xia finds the poppy flowers, like Siyuan said that she found something far from here. I didn't quite understand that. I would love if someone explained that to me as to what it meant.

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