Reviews

Noona romance laced with cliché, fluff, and a sprinkle of cradle confusion

Normally, I don’t pick up dramas with lackluster reviews, but the premise intrigued me. But I’m such a sucker for noona-romance, so I took the obvious bait, and it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the fluff that pandered to my taste, because occasionally I need to take a break from the heavy, sprawling, thousand-lifetimes drama and giggle at silly, trope-y shows to wind down.  

This fits the bill, with its cliched meet-cute, and then eventually meet-don‘t (or rather, meet-rewind); from online-friends, to let-down rivals that feel like a little cradle-robbery, to I-hate-you-boss-type of relationship. And of course, who could ever forget the what-a-small-world-scenario in nearly every drama, in where this MC, knows this MC, who knows this other MC, who happens to be this MC, and you’ve got a recipe of coincidences!  

Preventing me from fully relishing this drama is Ju Yeon’s grandma, who is so horrible that she makes Maleficent look kind. But at least there’s that bad-hair-wig-band that Ju Yeon’s rocking to, as their songs gave him solace and an outlet to tap out his frustrations.  

Not to be outdone in the chemistry department is the other pairing of Sin Won and Ha Jin. Their attempts at trying to separate the OTP are interesting to watch.

All in all, I cannot dive too deep into a drama that is clearly not meant for any Baeksang awards, but if the goal is to provide an escape from reality for at least twelve hours, then this drama certainly has done its job.

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Focus on outwitting criminals, not on personal growth. *AMAZING* villains

This kdrama is an action-oriented show, the plot is about how to outwit the criminals, and there is really no emphasis on character development of our heros....
So... I did not like that. It is the usual run of the mill chasing criminals, but in this case, by outwitting them.
I wasnt impressed much by the ML and FL. Ah yes, FL was on her feet and not a total loser, so that was great.

What I got out of this kdrama is VILLAINS :) The are extremely memorable and realistic.

The Judge Cha is a superb villain!!!!!!! The script is great and the actress is just amazing. So polite composed sweet-talking .... huge big parasitic predator... Wow what a monster!!!!

I havent seen such a great depiction of a heartless corrupt person. I will always remember her first any time I think of a villain.... SHE IS THE PERFECT CORRUPT EVIL "MAFIA BOSS".

This kdrama was later basically copied and enhanced to make "Again my Life" also with Lee Gong Ji in the main role as a lawyer, and with a copy of the Judge as a male Assemblyman, who does even more than the Judge but ... he is not as powerful character and acting like her... Cannot even compare.

JUDGE CHA FROM LAWLESS LAWYER IS THE SLEEZIEST SCARIEST VILLAIN YOU COULD POSSIBLY SEE... the other one is the Chef from "heo's diner".

And the Major from Lawless Lawyer!!!! OMG!!!!! THAT ACTOR WAS BRILLIANT AS A THUG TURNED CONSTRUCTION COMPANY OWNER AND THEN THE MAJOR!!!! Omg!!!! His voice, how he spoke, his stiff body and showing off, his body language, his licking his inner cheeks... woooow... HE WAS SO REALISTIC AND MEMORABLE. And so honest about being a free thug and not a dog... ... the last scene when he burns the money ...
Some people wrote he was distracting boring to watch etc but heck no!!!! that actor acted a gangster to the last dot. IT was real!!!!! A crazy person with various "ticks" .... Omg. When I think of a thug, I think of him :)

PS - I had to look up the name of the drama that copycatted and added to Lawless Lawyer, so I had to look up Lee Gong Ji and wow he is so famous, his Wikipedia bio stopped at year 2023 ... lol

I was impressed by his acting in Flower of Evil because his acting helped me to understand what happens with traumatized children, and I love his acting in the King and the Clown. I think his best acting was Clown. ALl his later roles are some macho dudes who are totally ... closed off and cold. He looks scary with his eyes and his triangular face and big ears, he looks like an elf or alien. But in Clown he is soft and has a rounded face, so I keep wondering if he had plastic surgery or WHAT happened? in any case, Clown was his first role and he isnt always very secure in his acting, BUT his acting is amazing there

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Short and Flirty

Short but sweet. My ADHD was in super-hyper mode, and there weren't many dramas that could keep my attention. This one did, for the most part. Super flirty, interesting twist, and cute moments in a short drama that has a Sound of Music/Jane Eyre kind of governess to new mother kind of feel but with a 20s gangster twist. I really liked what they did with the other potential ML/gangster rival. I didn't see it coming but enjoyed it. The ending wrap up was nicely done (although darker than I imagined). However, the bonus ending scene was a weird and out of place. Were they trying to set up a sequel?

Side note: The male lead looks straight out of an anime. How does anyone naturally have that face??

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This drama is underrated.

I was so intrigued and was hooked on to this drama. Finished 20 episodes at one stretch.. Lee Seung Gi just nailed it.. Was never a fan of him earlier but after watching series I was totally blown away. He got me so addictive to this drama that after this I ended up watching every series he has done.. He is mysteriously charming. More than a fan ever since 🤩. You cannot Not love him.

The fact that the ending was not like every other kdrama (happy ending) made me love this series so much more.

The OST is so so good.. excellent music.. When I saw you and If you were me are my all time favourites.

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WoW! what a journey! I loved this!!

I didn’t expect them to become the rulers of Zhou—I was hoping they’d live in seclusion, away from politics, and have a cozy home like they planned. But now that I think about it, these two are way too powerful as individuals to live such a simple life. And honestly, no one was more suited for the emperor's role than Yu Jin among his brothers. If Prince Qin had become emperor, he would’ve eventually started doubting Yu Jin and caused trouble for them.
Them ending up as the Emperor and Empress is honestly the best ending! The Emperor of Zhou and the Saintess of Nanwu! I’m sure they’ll still find time to travel and live a life of their own. Knowing our Yu Jin, he would never marry a concubine HAHAA so they’ll definitely live in peace. I absolutely loved Zhang WanYi and Jing Tian’s acting—it felt so natural, and I was giggling whenever their scenes came up.

I loved the side couples too. They’re so cute! The way they all ended up together was so special!

I also admire the villainess. Dare I say... the best villainess in any C-drama I’ve watched so far. She was ruthless, self-pitying—even till the end, she never once thought it could be her fault that things turned out the way they did. I was so satisfied with how the villainesses met their end! The actress did such an amazing job portraying her.

I have to say, the depth of this drama is pretty impressive. The way it explored family dynamics and love was amazing. Even with Jiang Si and Yu Jin’s families—so many problems, constant fighting, and they did things we never thought we could forgive them for. But in the end, they all had their moments of remorse. What stood out to me was the way Jiang Si and Yu Jin chose to forgive them. Because of that, everyone found peace. I don’t think that’s always realistic—especially with relatives—but it felt really good. In real life, when we forgive someone, they might end up doing it again. But people can change. And this drama showed that beautifully.

I’d give this drama a 8.5/10. It was perfect!

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I was so disappointed.

DISCLAIMER- THIS REVIEW MIGHT BE BIASED

It's 2 am now, and I WAS UTTERLY DISAPPOINTED THAT I EVEN MADE AN ACCOUNT JUST TO REVIEW IT

I don't usually get this fed up, but I had high expectations for this one. After finishing season 1, which was goated, this just felt like "eh." Honestly, this cannot even be compared to the first season. And yeah, as a Jung So Min fan, I was crying over the fact they changed the actress; the new actress didn't really convey the potential. I didn't understand the whole "amnesia" drama and felt like it dragged way too long.

It totally ruined the essence and vibe of season 1. I just wish they had never made this, and feel as if a drama that could've stayed with me for so long just left me brokenhearted.

Therefore, call me biased, but I'm going to feign ignorance and forget the existence of this season all together.

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Kinda harsh but it was so mid

Okay I actually made some notes while watching lol and I am going to break down my thoughts. This was a very mediocre drama for me but it gives exactly what its supposed too?? If that makes sense.

If I'm being honest I only started this drama for JoongDunk and personally they were the only reason I stayed and completed it. The story was not it, it dragged on and was kind of boring at times, and then it was super confusing and rushed at others. I have to get this very controversial opinion out of the way but FirstKhao have 0 chemistry I am sorry!! This is my first introduction to them as a couple and they were very forgettable to me, I ended up skipping parts of their storyline towards the end cause it was too cringe for me. I loved Bison's character, he is an actual psycho and I loved his unhinged moments.

Style was my absolute favourite character in the whole show, I think Dunk portrayed the shameless sassy character that Style is perfectly. I literally made a note saying "Why is Style saying "Fadel. I want a future with you" the most romantic thing I've ever heard" that moment was so beautiful to me, JoongDunk can really portray characters in love let me tell you. I am all about chemistry and JoongDunk really nail that, I think FadelStyle have been my favourite's of their characters that I have seen so far.

Overall, I can see myself re-watching just JoongDunk's storyline in the drama, it was a very average drama but I think as a fan of either couple you will enjoy it.

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Only zombies should watch it.

The characters to personalities to pacing story everything was so beautiful. Just be careful before watching it gives you so much sweetness but takes it back in the most unimaginable ways. Lord i’m not your strongest rotten woman, happy ending when???
What does this drama doesn’t have? Zombies? Here. Dwarfs? Here. Ghosts? Here. Love story?More than one. Wife chaser? First on roll call. I’ll tell you what it doesn’t have, it doesn’t have heart!!! These writers don’t have hearts!! They are merciless!! I’ve been tricked once again and my nickname has been made into a joke. Dishonor! Dishonor on you, dishonor your cow!

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Kanoko reads lies. The audience reads meaning. The romance reads invisible.

If you are expecting romance in this drama, don’t count on it. A few hints toward the end mean nothing. Although the premise of the show is of an investigative nature, its primary goal is to provide different perspectives on why people lie, and Iwai Soma, as a character, provides this insight in each episode.

Though destitute, Soma does not lack empathy. His astuteness and broad-minded view allow him to understand people’s motivations for lying. He comforts Kanoko, welcoming her abilities instead of shunning them. As each story progress, Kanoko becomes more self-reliant, and realizes that her ability to detect lies only tells one side of the truth (which is what she sees at face-value). Her powers do not guarantee as a deterrent to be duped. The drama tells us that when someone lies, we need context; and lying may not always be self-serving, but as a protection of a loved one.

This show is more than the supernatural, as it also teaches about the trust and faith we put in people, despite not knowing their reasons for lying. It also paints a contrast on how some become a pariah just because they are different, while others welcome strangers with open arms, expecting nothing in return. This drama provides life lessons in 11 episodes that are easy to watch and not over-preachy. A tad slow in some parts, but nevertheless decent.

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Hoping For A Deep Romance But Stay For The Woods

Lost in the Woods follows the story of 18-year-old Fifa, who dreams of studying in Japan. But before that happens, his grandma sends him off to work in the woods. There, he meets Hem, a quiet park ranger, and that’s where their story begins.

This BL series is definitely a super slow burn. Like, they only start to realize their feelings around episode 5 and there are only 7 episodes total (about 40 minutes each). There’s not much actual romance going on. It’s more about two guys forming a quiet, emotional bond. They never even confess properly—it’s all subtle hints and lingering looks. Most of the story is told from Fifa’s point of view, especially how he feels about Hem.

What really stood out to me was the cinematography—it’s stunning. The rural setting is absolutely beautiful and really adds to the overall mood. The acting is solid too, and thankfully, there’s no cringey or nonsensical dialogue.

As for the chemistry between the leads... it’s okay, not amazing. I had mixed feelings overall, some parts were really slow and kind of boring, while others were more engaging.

The ending? It was alright. Not everything tied up the way I hoped. I really wouldn’t mind a second season to explore their story more and give it the depth it deserves.

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Pretty,Powerful and Evil

This was a pretty powerful binge, one with great a mounts of beautiful blood splatter, explosions, conspiring, evil, more evil and a huge show of evil, more evil, most evil... confused identities, interesting (also confused) motives and very few genuinely good as in evil vs good type of characters.

The type that may make you loose hope in humanity as well as wonder if the herbs where better in the past as well as be amazed by the healing power of the young and the fearless.

The build up of the first 3-5 episodes is better then the remaining ones, I am not saying it goes down hill from there. It more of an evening out of the field.

The chemistry between the characters is really good. I love the male lead (not only because he is played by Lee Jae Wook, but also because of the way he is written. Fun, faisty, smart and all round a pleasure to watch. His interactions with the female lead are both playful and will make you go wait what, is this okay?

The female lead has a bunch of moments of bad ass cool, fun, confused done well. But also a few really how can she be so stupid, as well as make you wonder how many lives she (and the rest of the cast) has. That said I loved every bit of her screen time and would love to see her a gain.

All in all en interesting watch, the type to cater to all you romance, gore and evil needs.

P.S This is not a drama that will give you SLS at all... At least not me

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The first and last episodes have most of the story, the rest is just Phrae tourism promotion

I liked the first episode and the potential of the story, but it just got increasingly annoying after that. It's like they put a good part of the story into Ep 1, and then the rest of the episodes were 'Top attractions and merchandise of Phrae', and then again came back at the end to somehow try to save the story again. It failed miserably

It's a pity because both the story and the actors, particularly Tontae and Best, had good potential, which was plain wasted. You can watch to drool at Nankrai (Best), who is plain yummy, otherwise safe to give it a miss.

BL-needle score- 8. Reasonably high BL-ness

I hope Best gets noticed and get caste in good lead roles, because I would definitely want to see 'more' of him :D

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For those who like male lead

I watched the drama Renascence only because of the male lead. I have watched his other dramas and I really enjoy his acting.
Regarding the drama, I liked it until the 19th episode; the story was somewhat captivating. After that, it became flat. I didn’t like the direction of the plot where she spent the whole day with him to complete her date list and even expressed her feelings by kissing him, but left him the same day. Since she planned to marry the king, why did she give him false hope, especially knowing he was already heartbroken?
Another part of the plot I didn’t like was when she surrendered herself to the king and spent a night with him, although Ye Jun Qing still resided in her heart.
After watching the entire drama, I felt it was a little boring.

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Lotsa kisses but no chemistry & mousy & bland FL

I was in the mood for Ma Shi Yao's drama so I chose this drama because I thought this drama is a remake of A Night Deeply Drunk on the Spring Breeze starring Du Ya Fei.

What I liked:
1. Ma Shi Yao - Call me bias but he gave a good performance as a neurosurgeon with a threat on his career. I liked the scenes where he struggled with his illness.
2. Supporting character - I liked ML's friend that matchmade them.
3. Romance - The intimate scenes were spicy! I liked the sneaky kisses at work. ML was always the one initiating intimacy and there were plenty of shirtless ML scenes.

What I disliked:
1. Zhu Xin Yu - She gave an underwhelming performance. One note expression - perpetually surprised at everything.
2. FL characterisation - Mousy & bland. What made ML attracted to her a lot until he wanted a committed & long-term relationship?
3. Styling - FL's styling seemed to be modelled after anime character. White body fitting top with sexy back but let's hide sexy image with glasses. Oh I dislike when a character wears a pair of glasses that doesn't have lens. What is the point??? I also didn't understand why a medical intern have long nails.
4. Chemistry - There was no chemistry between Ma Shi Yao & Zhu Xin Yu.

Favourite scene
When he had a panic attack that caused him to doubt himself

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