Reviews

Definitely one of the best

Story of Kunning Palace succeeds largely because of its strong performances and mature storytelling. The male lead and the second male leads deliver standout acting, each bringing distinct personalities and emotional depth to their roles. Their restrained expressions, calculated dialogue delivery, and shifting loyalties make the political tension feel authentic. The supporting cast also deserves recognition, as even minor characters contribute meaningfully to the palace power struggles rather than feeling like background figures.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story is that both the male lead and the female lead are openly toxic characters. They are manipulative, strategic, and morally ambiguous, which makes their relationship believable and compelling—they truly match each other in ambition and temperament. This dynamic sets the drama apart from more conventional romance narratives.

The theme of second chances in life is central to the plot. The female lead’s rebirth allows the story to explore regret, accountability, and the desire to rewrite one’s fate. Combined with intense political intrigue, shifting alliances, and carefully planned schemes, the narrative remains consistently engaging. Notably, the male lead breaks away from traditional archetypes: he does not rely on martial arts or physical dominance, but instead excels through intelligence, foresight, and political scheming. This emphasis on strategy over force strengthens the drama’s overall realism and depth.

Read More

Was good for like 99% of the series

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

I must say that I enjoyed this series. It was a bit different from the previous seasons, as was seen in some of the cases (which I will not indulge in so that it won't be spoilers). I felt that made it more realistic and heartbreaking. The fighting and driving scenes were exciting to watch, as they usually are. I will say that I was a bit confused about the last episode, but I read about it online, and I will say this – I am a bit disappointed with the last episode of this series, as it carried us on such a wild ride and just ends...so. But I am grateful for going on another journey with the Rainbow Taxi crew. And if we get seasons anymore, I will be there for those, too.

Read More

Almost perfect

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

It has been a while since I have watched a GMMTV series. I think the last one was Memoir of Rati and that ended in early September. I started this series for one of the challenges for the MDL Watch Challenge 2026. And I am glad that I did. I enjoyed this series so much, and I will say that Pond and Phumin did an excellent job, as they as a couple have been getting better and better in their series.

I would have given this series a 10, but unfortunately, there is a small flaw with two supporting characters, Tawan and Aran. I hear that they were better in the book. It was unfortunate that they weren't handled that well here in this series. Everyone and everything else was just perfect. I know that I will miss these characters as this series has come to an end. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone that just wants to watch the blossom of a relationship and how they got there.

Edit on 20/01/2026:

Now I know why this series was enjoyable. It's because it didn't have that annoying troop of misunderstanding. Peach will always explain something to Mr Thee, telling him why it was wrong and how he felt about certain things (example with the all the people helping Peach when ne had to bath). And Mr. Thee always learned from it and improved himself. Heck, he was so transparent with Peach that he made sure that no misunderstading arose from any situation with him even telling Peach to review recordings to see that Tee did not do anything wrong. And I guess that's why I liked it- it was a breath of fresh air filled with the leads always trying to be honest to each other as well as learning from things.

Read More

Great Series with a Horrible Ending!

This was such an enjoyable series from episode 1. I'm a fan of both Go Eun & Jin Young from past performances, so I went into this series knowing this would definitely be a good watch.
The first 13 episodes were fantastic. The Cells were such great entertainment, not to mention so realistic when you realized how they handled each situation Yu Mi put them in. As you get deeper into the series, the chemistry between Yu Mi & Ba Bi really becomes strong. You watch them deal with ups and downs in their relationship, not to mention several antagonists trying to meddle in their lives. They managed to get through it all as we headed for the final episode. which appeared to be setting up for a great happy ending ...
And then the finale. I went from enjoying this series so much, to absolute disgust. I finished episode 14 and thought, this is what I just wasted 14 hours on? I couldn't believe how this wrapped up. It was truly such a disappointment. I wasn't going to even waste my time giving a review on it, but I had to express how this really made me feel. I've left reviews for so many series over time on kisskh and I can honestly say this is the first time I've ever left a review like this.
I see that season 3 is coming out for this series. I will not bring myself to watch it!

Read More

THE PROBLEM ISN'T THE DRAMA (..okay, it is a little) BUT MOSTLY THE EXPECTATIONS

A lot of the negative comments about this drama are… understandable, but also somewhat unfair.

This is a show you should go into expecting a *fun watch*, with cool fight scenes and solid entertainment value.

You should NOT go in expecting airtight logic, deep social commentary, or layers of philosophical nuance.
There is some substance, such as themes like money=power and good vs evil, but they’re handled in a very black-and-white way. The villains are almost pathologically evil... for the crime of being born rich. There’s very little moral nuance there, and if that’s something you’re looking for, you will likely be disappointed.

It’s also worth noting that this is not a romance-driven drama. A lot of criticism focuses on the “main couple” lacking chemistry, but that feels a bit beside the point. The girlfriend character exists mainly to ground the male lead emotionally, so the story isn’t particularly invested in developing their relationship. That said, I personally DID found them kind of cute together.

The pacing is uneven, for sure. Some sections are slow to the point of losing attention, while others move so quickly they barely have time to land. Some of the fight scenes also drag on longer than necessary, which can start to feel repetitive.

I do wish the show had invested more in character relationships and dynamics. But at the same time, this isn’t really a character-driven story. It’s very much plot happening because plot, rather than characters driving events through complex internal motivations. That said, I really enjoyed the “forced friendship” bonds between the heroes.

Where the drama truly shines is in the acting. Lee Jun Ho is excellent (as usual), as is Kim Hyang Gi, and Lee Chae Min delivers a very convincing evil psychopath. Even if I wish we had been given more insight into why his character is the way he is. We get a little bit, but... yeah. I personally love villains but I prefer them with a convincing backstory.

So, is it worth watching?
Yes. It’s watchable, enjoyable, and entertaining. It’s not a masterpiece (aside from some genuinely impressive CGI), and its unique premise could have been executed better. I think a lot of the negative reviews (while obviously still valid) are due to just... mismatched expectations, possibly due to a somewhat misleading Netflix blurb.

Will you enjoy it?
That really depends on what you’re expecting.

Read More

okay drama

I really liked this drama, especially because it wasn't something I saw before but to be honest after some episodes it started to get boring or even repetitive.
At some point it was just them saying i love you's and then saying goodbye's, and then meeting each other and doing it again. When it comes to plot I also felt like sometimes there was too much like plot things, especially when Rami started to show up in Chanhee's body. I feel like her being only visible to Chanhee and being just a voice in her head was a better option. But the plot twist at the end actually was good and that's why I'm kinda mad that instead of other plot informations/scenes we didn't get the one I was super curious about.
I'm not really a big fan of Hiro, I just thought that him explaining everything doesn't change the fact that he's still really I don't know weird? to me. He was there, so fans could be curious with who Chan-hee ends up with but I never felt any chemistry between them, I shipped him with Nanami.
I actually like the second couple which I was surprised to notice because of how the relationship started, in the end it was quite good.
Overall, a good drama that maybe I would re-watch but sometimes it was too much of everything.
Also, it was my first time watching something with Younjung as she's always a background character in dramas I liked, but when she was a main character it was in dramas I wasn't really fond of for example historical ones. And I must say, she's really a good actress only thing that I had problem with was her crying scene on bed (?), it's just sometimes looked/sounded like she was laughing.

Read More

Why a 10 ?

This is one of my favorite japanese BL series, everything about it is just perfect, the way the portraited both characthers pureness and inocence is amazing, the way the characthes comunicate with eachother (how every couple shoud) so that they don't argue over some miscomunication, all characthers ( not only the main coupe) were such well written. And not to mention the casting, OMG, they managed to find actors that are exactly the same as the manga and portrauted the emotions and personalitys so well. Really, it's simply a masterpiece. Totally recommend this BL series if you want a soft and heart-warming school romance.

Read More

Essa é definitivamente a história da Cho Mun Hee

A premissa da história é muito boa porque, como assim um intérprete não consegue traduzir o que a pessoa amada o diz, como assim uma atriz que encarna vários papéis não consegue se livrar de sua própria personagem?

Todos os elementos de boa comédia romântica estão aqui e vou sempre enaltecer o trabalho primoroso da Go Yunjung de não entregar uma típica "mocinha" mas nos mostrar um personagem tridimensional, complexo, cheio de nuances e sabendo dinamizar entre drama, comédia e até thriller. Uma das melhores atrizes da nova geração e ponto alto do drama, não apenas enquanto atriz mas também como personagem, pois o drama tem em sua jornada de dor, insegurança, desejo crônico de validação e amor uma jornada completa com redenção, sofrimento e crescimento.

Read More

Loved the concept and hearing the different languages

I enjoyed this drama. Watched it without reading about it or watching a trailer because I like Seon Ho and Go Youn Jung work.
I really like that this was a mature, grown up setting and all characters did not act childish nor silly.
It was fun watching Cha Mu Hui and Hiro interaction - very funny and how they were have a conversation and not understanding what each other was saying.
I think their shoots should have been more, to me it was lacking and when they showed the rough editing, it still didnt have any "substance" but that's just my take on that. I only wished they wrote her to get more roles.
But either way, it was fun and loved that they incorporated different languages.

Read More

The Tea on Glory

After watching The Unclouded Soul, I got so excited because I didn’t have to wait long for this drama to air. Honestly, my expectations weren’t high since I wasn’t too sure of the FL actress. I first saw her in Weaving a Tale of Love, and I had mixed emotions with her acting there, but with Hou Ming Hao, there wasn’t a doubt that he’ll do great in this drama. And sure enough, I was enthralled. While it was a great drama, the message of the story didn’t sit right with me. I’m all for female empowerment, but the Rong family striking down the male family members if they made a slight wrong move was pretty bad. The grandmother really got under my skin. Her character didn’t earn my sympathy throughout the whole story. The most trusted person in her life was Shan Bao, but just one slight mistake, she wanted to disown her. Like, really? This is the granddaughter that held your tea business successfully and you treat her like this? The sisters Yunxi, Yunyin, and that other one were a couple of spoiled brats here, but we got character development for Yunxi and Yunyin, except for whatshername. She was never nice to Shan Bao, even until the end of the story. Her character was just there to annoy the viewers. And oh, I forgot about Yunshu. Despite of what she did to the grandma, I didn’t expect her to stay around. I did not like her one bit. I knew her family were not treated well by the grandma that’s why she had her grudges, but she didn’t have to treat Shan Bao like that, challenging her position in the family. Now on to the husband selection. OMG. These men just drove me to the wall. I was expecting her cousin, Wen, to be a potential friend by Lu Jiang Lai, who was named Lu Fu Sheng by Shan Bao since he lost his memories after his accident, but NOPE, he decided to be a jerk and backstab the one who saved him all the time. I didn’t understand the part where a man had already been selected to be Shan Bao’s husband, but all the other men still had some time to stay at the Rong mansion, so they had plenty of time to scheme. Like what the heck was that? They should have all gone home once someone had been selected. Anyway, let’s move on to Jiang Lai, the ML of the story. He was a secret imperial inspector who went on investigations. The moment he slit that bad guy’s throat without mercy, I knew the drama was going to be so good. Cunning and ruthless ML’s always have me on a chokehold. He played a funny and cute character when he was Lu Fu Sheng. Originally, he wanted to infiltrate the Rong family to investigate the Wei case from 10 years ago, but came across assassins one day while he was in his sedan. He was saved by Shan Bao. She had him investigated. She found out about his background but still withheld information until he got into serious trouble. They were both at fault, in my opinion. They both had secrets to begin with, and were not always honest with each other. The FL actress only had one facial expression, and that really bothered me. But then again, maybe the cold, stiff part of her character was really needed. She was just too pretty here. And Hou Ming Hao? OMG. His makeup was too thick here. That distracted me too much, to be honest. I had to look past that and focus on his acting chops. He was pretty good here, especially the fight scenes. I love the fight scene with his dad. I love how Lu Jiang Lai wasn’t blinded by riches and titles because he was right, they only bring hatred and agony. I already knew right from the start that he was the son of a high ranking government official. I hate his father. Jiang Lai had a great reason not to accept being the heir. He went ahead and chose Shan Bao instead. I’m just disappointed that the last few minutes ended with him chasing her at the dock when Shan Bao and her sisters were getting ready to leave, but hey, I’ll take it, rather than having an ending with one of them dying, you know. It’s also nice not seeing the usual wedding ceremony between them, because hello, they’ve already done the deed, like twice now. Kissing scenes were scorching hot. *chef’s kiss* Overall, I enjoyed the drama despite some flaws. It was entertaining, especially learning about tea etiquette at the end of each episode. Everyone delivered a great performance.

Read More

Please let this love NOT be translated

Like Sota said "I don't like unremarkable things."

>> If a guy was acting like the FL intruding in the spaces of ML, drugging him and being this clingy and needy we would call him toxic. Just underlying the double standards here at play. Very very badly written role, made me feel like I didn't like the FL and her difficult past did not excuse her behaviour. It could have, if it was better written and executed.

1) Writers and director were not sure if this was a crime series (the FL's family history) / a romantic comedy / a psychological thriller (FL's mental health) / a travel show. Just ah! I don't want to say it's the fault of the script because any story CAN work under the right team.

2) Why the travel show concept? Did it do anything for the story? Because the ML JUST HAD TO BE AN INTERPRETER. This feels like someone came up with a series title first and then tried to incorporate random elements to it to make it into a romantic comedy...if it was one. Still unsure it wasn't the ML as a mental support helper for the FL.

3)I felt like the series tried to imitate elements from "It's ok not to be ok" (the unhinged FL and the slightly rude but kind/supporting ML) but there was a sincerity and a rhythm to that show that was absent here. The scenes changed sloppily, I felt like I actually did not connect with any of the characters, very superficial approach with heavy emphasis on the scenery.

4) Side couple and the Japanese guy/ FL chemistry were FAR superior to the main couple chemistry. Which was just not...happening. Also literally nothing was happening. This was slowwwwwwwww.

5) Also freaky concept cause I didn't like feeling like the FL had no control over her decisions because she was slightly bipolar? Experiencing hallucination? Koreans never actually research what is actually going on with their characters they just add up different issues without medical terms for psychiatric and psychological issues.

6) Everyones weird past (FL's and ML's) started surfacing at like episode 8-10. Drama dumping in a drama is not cool and it was done just to add substance to the characters instead of incorporating throughout the WHOLE story.

==> Dropped at episode 10 where the side couple had exchanged their like 4th kiss while the main was literally lost in translation but for no reason. You cheeky script writers tried to give it explanation like "oh she had a tricky past did not trust anyoneeee". Sure, if you could just have made this believable and connect to your audience. Because otherwise its a cheap soap opera of misunderstandings and it offends our intelligence. I blame the platform of streaming though. Probably rushed everyone up to make a sloppy new product for viewers.

Read More

A Strong Beginning That Loses Some of Its Magic

This had such a strong start, with impactful mini-stories all centered around a main case. The drama spent most of its time solving these smaller cases, each one gradually revealing clues that connected back to the central one. I found many of these stories moving and meaningful, and I was really invested—especially with the supernatural undertones that blurred the line between reality, fiction, and folklore. However, the final episodes and the big twist reveal didn’t land as strongly for me. I ended the drama on a bit of a low note compared to how I felt through most of it. Still, I think it’s a solid mini-drama overall—just not quite as strong as I expected based on the beginning.

Read More

two dramas squeezed into one

I'd rate the first half of the drama a solid 10/10. The yearning was there, the chemistry was there, the beautiful sceneries of Canada paired with even more beautiful actors but then the shift of episode 8 really broke that spell. Not saying that the shift was bad but it just felt abrupt and not very seamlessly done. I think this drama would've been much more elevated if Do Ra Mi taking over was something that happened from the earlier episodes.

I also wished for them to show how/why the FL fell for the ML more. Like in Japan she didn't seem too disappointed when he ran away and even encouraged it but then when the interview happens she says something like "it would've been a cute fantasy to fall from someone you met while travelling," or something along those lines. Needlessly to say I didn't question the logic that much. Kim Seon Ho is attractive af so like I get it. Plus I actually enjoyed her chasing after ML.

The drama really fell for me when Canada arc ended. It just felt like I started watching a different drama after that. There wasn't any lighthearted-ness and the plot suddenly and abruptly got heavier. Her childhood is something that was wrapped up wayy too quickly. There's just so much to unpack there and our FL literally, quite literally had multiple personalities and NO ONE really comments on it?? Especially the ML who encountered Do Ra Mi so much? I mean if someone you love starts switching personalities you would need to be more concerned than that. You need to take them to the hospital ASAP!!! Not just like.. let them...be...

Another thing that bothered me were the english subtitles. GOD THEY WERE SOOO BAD AT SOME POINTS?? Like completely losing the essence of the actual dialogues being spoken. My korean is 50% at best and even I picked up on so many mistakes. I think this is very poorrr and ironic for a drama being literally about translations.

Now I still think Kim Seon Ho and especially Go Youn Jung did a great job with the script they were given and ofc Sota did an amazinggg job! I loved his character and the proper development he went through from a high and mighty complex to actually working hard for what he wants.

They are the reason I gave this drama a 8/10. If it was anyone else, I probably wouldn't be rating this drama as high.

Read More