Reviews

Love is a battlefield, fr

Do I love and adore dubcon? Not really. Do I pray for an infidelity trope? Absolutely not. But I love good story and this was a pretty damn good story.

Acting:

WOW. Everyone was absolutely amazing in this. Everything just felt so real. It was a pretty raw story that called for some seriously deep emotions and everyone delivered on that tenfold. I was blown away in general. No flaws to be found here in the acting. Just BRAVO.

Writing:

This was painfully real. Like, damn. With the exception of the over-the-top drama trope inclusions like the dubcon intro, the crash, and the attempted mugging, of course. The basic concept to this plot was just so well put together. I’m so surprised I ended up loving this. I honestly expected to hate everyone and call it a day, but this was very well written and executed. There were a couple little things besides the obvious drama tropes that were a bit iffy, but overall I really enjoyed this as a story.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry between these two dudes is SO GOOOD. They are amazing, 10/10. This was a surprisingly fantastic romance story. I don’t typically love a realistic fiction type romance (I love a wild tale) but this was very satisfying. The kissing was superb through and through. Loved it, they are fantastic at portraying love and desperation through kissing. BRAVO.

Music/SFX:

Some serious corny drama music in here. Not my favorite, but I can’t complain too much as it is a drama after all. SFX were good throughout.

I’m so happy I ended up giving this series a chance. It did not disappoint whatsoever.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Ya’ll, I’m STRESSED about that #1 infidelity tag going into this, don’t piss me off
- So dub con from 2 minutes in, huh
- My poor baby just tryna get him the man of his dreams awwee
- *I'll be drunk again to feel a little love*
- This is TOXIC TOXIC
- JEEEESUS
- Awwee honey nooo that’s so awful
- NEIGHBORRRRRRSSS????????????
- This is MESSY MESSY
- We really dove right in no pretext, huh
- I already hate it here
- Don’t piss me off
- AHHHHHHHHHH MESSYY TOXIICCC
- Emotional staring contest
- *And I know that he knows I’m unfaithful and it kills him inside to know that I am happy with some other guy*
- *Hey jealousyyyy*
- *Johnny's daddy was takin' him fishin'. when he was eight years old*
- They are so cute, but this is SO MESSYY
- That is pretty tough pill to swallow but you also cheated so like…
- Baby is passive-aggressive posting lmao
- He’s not gonna do it, he’s a coward
- JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJUST BREAK UP YA’LL ARE A MESS
- Boy is a MESS
- Keep. Your. Word.
- COWARD, YOU ARE A COWARD
- *Baby really hurt me, crying in the taxi. He don't wanna know me. Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm. Says it was poison*
- Actions speak louder than words, brother
- Obligatory guitar serenade
- Manipulative little shit saying I love you like that
- BRO YOU GOTTA BERAK THINGS OFF OFFICIALLY WITH GIRLY
- I’ve got a bad feeling about this
- CALL BABY RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME
- CLEAR THIS UP
- CLEAR IT UP
- GO
- JUST SAY WHAT HAPPENED. WHY ARE WE NOT BLURTING OUT THE TRUTH SO DUMB
- Just. Explain. What. Happened.
- Okay, you got me, there are tears
- Alright, fine. You’re getting a playlist
- Ahh yes, a car crash. Classic.
- Someone literally anyone tell Mark what happened or I’m gonna snap
- That hurt me and Vee fr
- Wait, no… This hurts jesus christ
- I’M GONNA FUCKING LOSE IT TELL HIM OH MY GOD
- I get it, I drove a ‘98 little green Rav 4 in high school and college with a rusted frame that only passed inspection because I knew the auto shop owner personally
- Who is this tall dark and disgusting
- Ya’ll are NOT in the same weight class tho so…
- Bros gonna get Ko’d so quick
- Again, not the same weight class … Like not even close
- Bro thinks he’s Mignon
- How does one fuck up Som Tum tho lmao
- Mark the minxxx
- Lucky you didn't show up 15-30 minutes later, you would’ve gotten quite the show
- Bro is an engineering student, not an aspiring philosopher. Like, relax, he’ll do fine. Also, they both got into the same engineering program
- This went from a drama to a DRAMA real quick lmao
- This better be 30 minutes of fluff for this last episode
- Just tell him you have a job that isn’t odd
- A RIIIING YESSSSSS
- Not the after credits roleplay lmaooo

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The FL finally gets a character in ep20

Since the plot is about travelling back in time, I figured someone has to die in the end for her to return back. So as usual in the past realm its a sad ending but they reunite in the modern world. The plot for the first 20 episodes was really dragged on for very long. At times there were so many episodes of him going out to "work" and she just waits for him doing nothing all day. So its a morning scene and then immediately cut to night.

My understanding of the character is that she thinks she died and is living her afterlife so she is lazy and doesnt want to do anything. At the start it was funny and okay but dragging on the same character without much development for so long became a bit dry. Even after they got together, I was shocked she didnt want to train her powers in case she needed to protect him.

But then in the second half of the drama through a incident finally here character changes and is much more interesting. The ML to me was fine, I feel Chen Feiyu acted his character well as well.

Regarding the plot, it wasnt very interesting and I found myself mostly skipping parts of the villain. I enjoyed the demon era and mortal world realms but I feel like they should have introduced it earlier in the drama.

The CP romance was carrying the show(?) They had good chemistry and I liked some of the lines said by the ML.

Overall its a decent watch but could have been better in the development of characters!

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I take my hat off. Ten out of ten feels far too little. Brilliant.

Watching *This Thriving Land* feels like stepping out of a warm shower and plunging into the deep, cold waters of a lake.

So often we are immersed in the polished, ornamental worlds of most C- or K-dramas. Here, however, we are struck by the raw and unadorned presence of characters—beautiful in the plain fullness of life in an agricultural land of the 1920s and 1930s.

The story begins in 1986 with Madam Xiu Xiu, recalling a past that started in the fifteenth year of the Chinese Republic (1926). On what should have been the happiest day of her life—her marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Fei WenDian—Xiu Xiu, daughter of a wealthy farmer and landowner, is kidnapped by bandits. Her father, Ning Xue Xiang, unwilling to ransom her at the cost of his fields, offers his younger daughter in marriage to Fei WenDian, hoping to buy time.

Deceived by his sister-in-law, another wealthy landowner, and misled by his bride’s father who withholds the truth, Fei WenDian ends up marrying Su Su, for whom he has no affection.

On the verge of disgrace, Xiu Xiu is rescued by DaJiao, a childhood friend who, unknown to her, has long harbored a quiet love. Shattered by her father’s betrayal and abandoned by relatives and her former fiancé’s family, Xiu Xiu consents to a hastily arranged marriage with DaJiao. She cuts all ties with her family and vows never to forgive her father’s lack of love.

So begins her saga of life in the countryside. Coming from wealth, she now faces poverty, hardship, and the harshness of tenant farming. Yet in this unforgiving world of hunger and toil, she also discovers the strength of friendship, the gentleness of a companion, and the profound love for the land itself.

Some viewers may find the story slow at times. But the richness of detail, the careful construction of the characters, and the depth of their intertwined lives deserved to be told fully. To shorten it would have been to diminish its power.

Across more than fifty years of reminiscences, Xiu Xiu carries us through China’s cultural and political transformation—from the Republican era to a Communist society.

Through economic crises, the Japanese invasion, cultural clashes, generational conflicts, personal sacrifices, hunger, grief, and natural disasters, the drama reveals countless changes. Minds shift, forgiveness takes root, lives are born and lost, and the cycle continues.

Among the countless Chinese dramas produced every year, *This Thriving Land* stands out. For me, it is a strong contender for the 2025 awards, meeting every requirement with ease.

A cohesive script, strong direction, brilliant performances, magnificent cinematography, and flawless makeup. The entire cast was excellent, but my special admiration goes to the senior actors—Ni Da Hong as Ning Xue Xiang, Xiu Xiu’s father, and Lin Yong Jian as Feng Er, DaJiao’s father—both of whom were extraordinary.

This is a drama filled with emotion, with a powerful beginning, a compelling middle, and a transformative ending. It moved me deeply at every step.

I discovered it almost by chance, while reading about another show, and learned that *This Thriving Land* was the most-watched drama in China. I found it fascinating that some stories can be so beloved at home and yet remain almost unpublicized abroad. Perhaps some works are so intimately woven into the fabric of a people that they are kept close, like a treasure of the heart.

Still, the world deserves to see this other side of China.

I must admit, my own perspective changed. I carry a new kind of affection after watching it.

It is not a casual drama, nor is it for everyone. But it is necessary for life. It gives new meaning to everything.

I take my hat off. Ten out of ten feels far too little. Brilliant.

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Strong ending, but that's still not how anything works.

Fermat no Ryori is super silly. To be frank, I think it's mostly only worth watching for the Gaku/Kai dynamic or Kai's relationship with his sensei/dad, and if you like food, there are some glimmers of hope in there.

But from episode 1, it's peak silly and doesn't deserve its high rating on MDL whatsoever. You're better off going to watch Nobunaga no Chef or Bon Appetit, Your Majesty. Going off on the heating of the utensils or even doorknobs is absolutely nonsensical and has me cringing out of my skin in secondhand embarrassment. Why in god's name would the mild comfort of a warm utensil matter?? What if I prefer a cold spoon? How silly.

In the drama, the script for certain things is also completely nonsensical. In the drama, it talks about how Gaku used the Maillard reaction without even realizing it, but that is literally just standard browning. ("He doesn't even know about it and he did it!" YEAH... SO DOES EVERYONE? SOBBING) You sound like a complete idiot talking about it like it's a high-level technique of any sort. Whereas in the manga and anime, it was more about *how* Gaku used the Maillard reaction rather than *just* using the Maillard reaction, which is a lot less stupid, but I still think browning the ketchup separately still isn't going to save your Napolitan man. Bon Appetit also commits a similar crime in talking about Maillard reaction in a top-level culinary contest (why are you bringing baby balls to the shark tank?) but the rest of the show is extremely solid, whereas Fermat no Ryori insists on trying to incorporate math into cuisine in a way where the writer sounds like he has no idea what he's talking about. There are a lot of things that don't work whatsoever that if you knew anything about either cooking or math, you would go "......." The math doing *that* much to help his dishes doesn't make any sense nor does it work, lol. It's like far past the realm of believability. Even in the last dish, I was like 'uuhhh this looks incredibly mid and that doesn't sound like it would help enough'. By the end, they've at least wrote in far higher level technique in their dishes with terminology that works.

And in episode 6, why is Ranna's dish supposedly out because it gets worse after time, but Gaku's doesn't? lol. his uses meat. that also gets worse over time. worse, it has custard, so that also makes things soggy, unless he expects everyone to do the three-parter right before they eat (??) which is logistically a ?--it doesn't really make sense. I'm lolling at the faint at the end. The acting is so cheese ham. That's not what a panic attack looks like. Hirose's diet... he would die only eating gummy bears and supplements, lol.

Around episode 7, 34 minutes in, is where Gaku and Kai's relationship dynamic really starts to shine.

The multicultural cast and how everyone eventually does work together to create the ultimate course is fantastic, but sorry chef, monkfish is disgusting 😭 who cares if you got rid of the aroma the texture and taste is still bad LOL (subjective)--the appetizer looked incredible though.

final edit: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW. Only read if you think you won't watch it! -----So I finished, and the ending was strong. The Kai/Gaku dynamic and story is lovely at the end especially. Gaku offering to make up for Kai's lost sense of taste and for them to cook with each other is so good. What they did at the very end together was--so. so adorable. (lmao do they also live upstairs together like some ridiculous couple? I mean, they were already sort of living together before so LOL...)

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A Rare Combo

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

It is very rare to find a BL series that is both super cute and very mature. This script did an incredible job at combining both elements together. Although it’s not perfect, the script was very endearing and addressed some important issues. It’s always very refreshing to watch adult characters act like adults and talk to each other about their problems. This also did a great job slowly giving us the backstory of the main characters. Overall, the relationship development between the main characters had a good pacing with the exception of episode 9. This cast did an incredible job. Although the main leads were cute together, the was one negative aspect that bugged me. The use of cinematography to distinguish Kanade’s negative and positive memories in episode 10 was amazing.

Random Note:

It may not be completely realistic, but it was nice to see very supportive co-workers and family members.


******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The pacing went to a ridiculous speed in episode 9 with Mashiro mentioning they should live together to actually moving in together.

Only exception were the kissing scenes. It is often very common that we get the typical dead fish lip kiss once or maybe twice. However, this series has multiple kissing scenes with this which does not make sense. At least Korean BL series only force the leads to kiss once or twice.

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Editing a Mess, Wigs a Bigger Mess

the story itself isn't terrible, but the execution is a mess... the editing feels rookie, the structure is all over the place, and there are wayyyy too many random characters for such a short show. it legit feels like i got dropped straight into season 3 with zero buildup or character development...how am i supposed to care about anyone?

im on episode 6 and will finish it (it's not bad enough to drop), but what a wasted opportunity...

side note: Park Hyung Sik saved this for me, he fits his character well (and is also not too bad on the eyes😋). I think hes story alone would have worked better.... but I doubt we're getting a spin off now 😫

side side note: i really cant get over the wigs! awfullIII... do better lol

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The good parts were great the bad parts dragged

For me the 1st part and last part were the best, they both made me fall in love with our wonderful leads. Sima Jiao is the best and softest lover boy and Tingyan is so relatable and so devoted too. The whole demon realm arc felt like it contained several repeated plot points.
Sima Jiao almost died so many times that I wasn't really affected by all the close calls, it ruined my emotional investment in the drama. I was so sure that no one is ever gonna die because they kept being revived that the stakes never felt like they mattered, I feel robbed of a good cry.

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Great show but... Just want to reinforce what folks said about the ending - WHAT THE HECK?

Good story, check.
Great acting, check.
Decent music, check.
Epic fail ending, check.

What the heck??? I've seen Korean dramas limp to the finish line before, but this was just like getting hit on the head with a shot put ball.

Although this was a really, really good show, it is hard to recommend this given the ending. If they had stuck the landing, this would be a 10 rating drama. As it is I'm pretty bummed at giving it an 8. If they do a second season I'll almost certainly upgrade this to a 10.

Sorry for the dumb sports metaphors, they just kinda came out on their own.

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I'll continue living bc to us loving myself means loving YOU!!

Underrated MASTERPIECE!!! I started to cry from the very first episodes last scene where she said but you died 4 years ago. Wasted 27 tissues after binge watching till 6am morning so worth it!! At start i was getting irritated by the highschool switch becoz they were shy to confess and thought the present time line is interesting stupidity of me haha! I desperately wanted them to be together from the start but this reality check that past doesn't come back and we should move on while treasuring the memories with that person instead of living in guilt that what would happen if I didn't let him go that day!! even tho this was the real motto of movie and of real life too but tbh in the corner of my heart I want him to come back to her or atleast both be grim reaper and spend their life together becoz from the very start the fate was so cruel with them specially when that lady grim reaper asked ram woo what would you miss or leave the most precious moment and he thinks of himself saying her to LETS SIT TOGETHER WHILE GOING BACK!! that hurt alot and the irony they never sat other in bus even him as a grim reaper okayy I can't type my screen is flowing with my tears af bye!!!

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a solid 10 from me

I was not expecting a lot as I started this drama. first episode and she gets killed, falls of a cliff and wakes up a bit later. i was thinking wth. but I have to say it was great. no stupid women jealousy storyline with bullying and all that. a hint of it but it was squashed. i loved that because we are not like that. yes there are women like this but we support each other and I always hate how this stereotype of women fighting each other over a man is portrayed. the fl was amazing. i loved her so much. i loved her acting, her fighting, her entire character and her beauty. the fact that she saved him in the end just made it perfect for me. i loved that the ml gave her space and let her be who she wanted to be. the only thing that bothered me was that the storyline of the scholar was left open. I wanted to see him fall despite his soft and gentle demeanor I wanted to see him suffer lol. i liked most of the ost but I feel Liu Yuning would have been the better choice to sing it. the chemistry was great and the fight scenes of all of them was breathtaking. the happy ending made me happy too 🥰

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A mixed bag

The series is primarily an action/comedy. There is also a romance, but it is more in the background. The series was okay. All in all, I would give it an 8/10.

The acting and cast are the highlights. ML, FL, and the main villain carried the series. The supporting characters were generally hit or miss. The students were strong. I would have liked a little more background, especially in the second half of the series. For example, the relationship between Lee Ye Na and An Yu Jeong could have been explored more. Then we have the NIS Team 4. My feelings about them are very mixed. In the first half of the series, they were fine, but especially in the second half of the series, where things get more serious, I found the characters here rather weak. Again and again I thought: These are supposed to be secret agents? Please act like it. And then we have the teachers. For me, they were the one of the biggest weakness. At best, some scenes were funny. But especially later in the story, their behavior bothered me. They literally behaved like NPCs. No opinion on anything, zero criticism of what was wrong at the school.

The music was good. Not outstanding, but nothing bad either. The premise and mystery of the series started off well and promisingly. But over time, it got weaker and weaker.

The secound big weakness of the series is the story itself. The first 5-6 episodes are promising and fun to watch. But the second half of the series in particular is a huge mess. There are so many inconsistencies and scenes that make you want to bang your head against the wall. I got the feeling that they weren't sure how to end the series. Above all, the comedy that worked well in the first half of the series was more of a hindrance in the second half. I kept feeling that the comedy was supposed to hide the weak story, but it didn't do a good job of it.

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Reaper Madnes ⛏ A Peek Under the Hood of Life & Death °8° °excellent°

Death is certain. Not everyone will live to see TOMORROW. Some can't bear the thought of it. “Did you think that was the end? NO. Compared to the price you'll have to pay for your sins, this is just the beginning for you.” Grim reapers are pros at delivering grim news. A 2022 release, rated 90 on AWiki, T is 1 season consisting of 16 60-minute episodes. We're following grim reapers around. Ryun is on an experimental team (RM) assigned to reduce the suicide rate, but her team is understaffed. Nobody expects them to be made permanent.

It opens to black, red, and ghostly blue. A woman in a chili red suit (Ryun) stops a van full of people from committing suicide and hurridly drives them to the hospital. Her cargo is frightened as she weaves in and out of lanes and daringly skirts over to the opposite side of the road. She doesn't understand. Why are they valuing their lives NOW? “Didn't you guys get together to die?” She's genuinely curious. They start begging for their lives. “We want to live!” “All humans are faced with choices, and each of those choices comes with consequences,” she'll comment. Too many times, we only get 1 crack at the right choice. Unbearable pain might make a person want to kill h/hself, but suicide is never the right solution to problems.

When a homeless man attempts to jump off of a bridge, Joon stops him, but they both end up going in the water. The RM team really screwed up, which is why the rescue fell on Joon. Now Joon is in a coma, and they're going to have to make it up to him. Right now, he's scheduled to be in that hospital bed for 3 years. BUT, if he'll work for the grim reapers they'll wake him up in 6 months. Oh, that job he hasn't found yet? He'll land the job of his dreams in 6 months, too; only if he helps them.

So Joon becomes temp at the reaper facility. Besides the escorts to the afterlife, there's all kinds of jobs. His assignment isn't set at first as nobody wants him. He ends up at the unit that everyone thinks is useless: RM - Risk Management, or suicide prevention. The unit manager isn't even from Heaven! She's from HELL!

Kim Hee Sun (Woman of Dignity, Remarriage and Desires) is our hellish Goo “Ryun”. Her fashion is outstanding. She must play tough, hurt, vulnerable and strong. She has insurmountable pain that has kept her down for centuries. The actress handily portrays all of this. The full-faced Ro Woon (The King's Affection-8.3, She Would Never Know-7.3) plays Choi “Joon” Woong. He's a good actor but his looks are so other-worldly that it nearly distracts from his performance.

Lee Soo Hyuk (Doom at Your Service) is Park Joong Gil. He has a narrow mindset to go with his narrow face. He hates the RM team and he loathes Ryun. Any feeling that intense isn't simple, is it? She used to work under him but left for the just-formed RM unit. He's a cheerless rule follower and is plagued by nightmares. He asks Ryun why /she/ is always appearing in his nightmares? She deflects and says she has no idea. As the show develops, the last third will be devoted to their past.

Yun Ji On (Love Next Door, Memoris) portrays Im Ryung “Goo”. I wondered about the occasional nose-picking, but that's actually a glitch he picked up from the way he died. Still, I wish they hadn't. Kim Hae Sook gets around. Her first credit is from 1977. In Start-Up she's a sweet grandma. In Hospital Playlist-9, a weary mother and widow who is finding love with her old best friend. In Inspector Koo-8.4, she's a rich dame who is really a thug. In Revenant-7.4 she's a committed rageful villain. She has unlimited range. Here, she's the boss, the Jade Emperor. They have her in protruding shoulder pads that look like wings under wraps. The directors are Kim Tae Yoon (New Trial) and Sung Chi Wook (Kairos). Llama, of Webtoon Singer is the original creator, and this is a first effort for the 3 screenwriters: Park Ran, Park Ja Kyung & Kim Yu Jin.

Joon's start is less than perfect and no team volunteers to take him. Ryun figures she can abuse him as a pawn. Her unit is so understaffed that he's better than nothing, she's thinking. Next (or first, rather) they give him the rules. Here's the code of conduct for Jumadeung Reapers:

⛏ A Reaper may not dress or behave in a way that compromises dignity. We cut to Joon getting fitted for a custom-made suit. He's elated until Ryun says: “You look like a rag doll” 😆

⛏ Complete secrecy. He gets a new resident number. A new name as well. His face will appear differently, so if he runs into any of his acquaintances, they won't recognize him. His body is still in the hospital, afterall.

⛏ Reapers are forbidden from using their powers in front of humans, and they are forbidden from involving themselves in human affairs. They must abandon all ties to the land of the living. This proves to be quite impossible for Joon. When Joon comes across an online troll who assists people in committing suicide he /has/ to take matters into his own hands. That's not the only time. He's not the only one, either, actually. They're actually pretty sloppy with the rules.

⛏ They even make him sign a contract.

The show is about love, loss and acceptance. It's a celebration of life and reinforces that when there is life there is possibility. This isn't a romance. It looks back on love tragically lost and has a promise of potential future romance. There's more loss than love in T: Following a show centered around people who are about to commit suicide is heartbreaking.

Ep2 delves into the life of a women who is being cruelly bullied. It's difficult. “It's like a tunnel that will never end,“ says one victim of bullying. She desperately wants relief but sees no chance of ever experiencing an amelioration of her suffering. “There is no salvation unless you save yourself,” we learn. That is true, in part, but for some to fly they might need a push. Next, they help Joon's friend who failed the civil service exam… again. They make 🍗🍗🍗 in the past and deliver it 20 years into the future! Then, it's helping a deceased woman prevent her widower from self-termination. They break all the rules on that assignment, but they end up doing the RIGHT thing.

Ep6 brings us Jeon Mu-Song (Blues) as Lee Young-Chun, an elderly man who, for a living, collects cardboard to be recycled. There's something sincere and endearing about this actor. I've only seen him in The King: Eternal Monarch-8.3, in which he made a strong impression as the King's elderly uncle. Perhaps it was his performance, or the way I was feeling on the day I watched ep6, but I teared up. Here, he's playing a 91 year old Korean war veteran. As he pushes his loaded handcart down the street while wearing his distinguished service cap, a child asks his mother: ‘Why is he doing that?’ “He didn't work hard enough or study properly. Make sure you study hard so you don't end up like that,” is her cold under-thought response. She probably fashions herself a great mother, but she's going to raise a monster. How difficult is it to teach your children to treat every human with dignity? The evidence is that the idea is incomprehensible for an ever growing number of parents. Anyway, he gets a proper send-off. I had tears welling up during the entire episode.

In ep7 they have to go undercover and work in an office. They're completely miserable clicking on the computer all day and putting up with their obnoxious, harassing, egotistical boss. Since June's been pining for a job in the backstory leading up to the show, it's pretty funny how, when he actually gets to work in an office, he finds it to be a level of hell.

Ep8 is a big moral dilemma. They have to decide whether to save a ruthless scammer or not. What's lacking is whether they'll call the police on this criminal who deserves to be in jail. Saving the person's life is one thing, but the rest of that life should be spent in prison. I had trouble enjoying the episode thinking that if someone doesn't call the cops, Ima be quite displeased. They do get round to it, so the angst was wasted.

In one episode they deal with the doggy who attempts suicide. I rolled my eyes a bit, but that 🐶 is S😍 CUTE.

Ep10 deals with a r@pe and it's very sad. The victim will tearfully recount how, after the attack, everyone in the family blamed /her/. “Why were you out that late at night alone?” ‘Why did you do this, why did you do that, why did you WEAR that?’ It's brutal. Then they get into the online commenters who find fault with the victim. Monday morning quarterbacking is too easy. After going through trauma myself, I've noticed how other people habitually downplay and minimize someone else's pain. Trauma and pain are painful enough, but the reaction of others is what makes a victim feel completely isolated and alone. At some point, every bad experience should be evaluated so that one can learn from it and avoid things like that in the future. However, the time to Monday Morning QB is once the crisis has passed. It's never time to do it in the middle of the crisis. A person traumatized and in pain needs to feel loved, supported, and protected. Period.

From abuse of women in current day, ep13 takes a trip to the past when it dips into World War II and how the Japanese used Koreans as “comfort women”. More tears. T segues into the backstory of one of the team members. As the latter episodes come into play, we'll go more into the past along with mysteries that continue to have an impact on today.

The filming is excellent. The effects are sophisticated and beautiful. They make the city bend in one cool effect. Goo's reincarnated mother from the past is featured in current day. She works at a store called The South Face. It's clearly The North Face, but in Korea they, apparently, must avoid such references to the “North”. That's pretty interesting.

T is funny in spots too. Most of the humor is a contrast of personalities. Imagine Joon’s shock when he learns that his partners have been reapers since the Joseon era. Ryun's been one since the Qing invasion (December 9, 1636). He's at a loss. They don't have honorifics for that!

They do a nice job with the wrap up and send us to tomorrow with a smidge more hope.


QUOTES🗣

You have to be born like that to be that annoying.

My pride made me misunderstand you and do those horrible things.


IMHO〰🖍

📣8.5 📝8 🎭8.4 🎨8 🎵/🔊7 🔚7 🤗4.5 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡6.5 😅3 😭7 😱3.5 😯3 🤢3 🤔5 💤0

Shazams: My Only One by BEN

Age 14+ for heavy and sad material life and death struggles that could be disturbing. Rated: 15+ - Teens 15 or older


Re-📺? The future is unclear


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Mother-8.8

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Just finished Nine Yin True Sutra and honestly, this remake of the Condor Heroes version is amazing. It really digs into the characters like Mei Chaofeng and the Peach Blossom Island crew showing their backstories and their own sense of justice. You can see why they fight, what drives them, and it makes them feel way more human than just “greedy” or “irrational.” Chaofeng finding love and family only to lose it all because of her quest for vengeance? Heartbreaking, but it adds so much depth. Even the Golden Heroes and Yunhai Manor plotlines feel more layered, showing how actions ripple out and blur the lines between hero and villain.

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