Reviews

A classic by the Hong Sisters

This is a solid classic. I loved it and stayed up way too late to binge it last Friday night.

Listen to no one, not even me. Proceed with caution, and try this out for yourself. The summaries given out publically before the show aired may have been somewhat misleading.

The frame is that of a crew and actors shooting a romantic dating-reality show. The two stars of this show-within-the-show, the Korean actress, suddenly made famous by a role as an axe-wielding zombie, and the princely Japanese romance lead, have to summon romantic feelings as part of their jobs. The basic genre which develops inside of that frame is that of a psychological thriller, because it turns out that the actress has crazy difficulty with romance. The issue of sincerity -- how do you know if someone means what they say? -- is thus handled very cleverly at both levels.

The misunderstandings of the OTP turn out not to be linguistic, since both the interpreter and the lead actress speak Korean. The ML, played by the legendary Kim Seon Ho, struggles wryly, as will you, to understand the FL. The SML, Hiro, the Japanese co-star of the dating show, also struggles; he doesnt know Korean, she understands neither Japanese nor English, so he ends up learning Korean.

Go Yoon Jung really shines. The actress she plays, MuHui, constantly hallucinates an intensely funny, mischievous and irresponsible alter. She suffers from a classic case of dissociative personality disorder due to a very traumatic childhood. Do-Ra-Mi, the alter, takes over MuHui's personality in her off-hours and meddles with MuHui's love life..

Zombie love. Most of MuHui's energy and joy is captured in her alternate self. She slept in a coma through the growth of her fame. The ML, a classic taciturn lead, is still enraptured by a love he could never achieve. He has a richly difficult family life, swiftly introduced but not given as much visual time as his amazing house full of books tottering on every surface. The house itself is allusive, literary. It is inhabited by a wild-haired author, a family friend; also by the love rival from the frozen past, a bohemian brother. Many more secondary characters are clearly drawn and reflect issues brought up by the OTP. without their own entire arc made visible.

The script and dialogue of Can This Love Be Translated are classic Hong Sisters: heavy on metaphor, difficult to translate into English, thick and rich with all sorts of plot textures. THE HS ARE NEVER EVER PREDICTABLE. HS shows often involve some incredibly creative twists on currently popular genres which put them at the top of the class. Some love the HS, some hate them. Find out who you are.

My favorite visual trick amongst many lovely scenes, shots and sequences, is that the show starts out in the open light of day, in Italy, Japan and most notably in the wide open spaces of the Canadian West. At the end of the Canada episodes the crew chases the spectacle of the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, only to fall asleep exhausted and miss the show. The lovers, up late by chance, do see it. The show, then moving to Italy, dives into darkness psychologically and frequently visually, as the two begin to heal her illness. The show finishes in Korea at a dark sky reserve where the lovers stargaze under the brilliant night sky. Nice, huh?

But before we get there there is a lot of translation to be done by the viewer. Does Hiro fall for MuHui, will MuHui and the interpreter ever wake up and fall in love, why ever does MuHui appear at one point to try to seduce poor Hiro? Why are certain conversations between the ML and FL completely opaque; how do they suddenly turn into fights? (tbh, this is a RL experience for many of us, right?) At some points at the ends of one or two scenes the actors' dialogues are left unsubtitled -- horrifyingly, this may have been deliberate?

The romance is a bit old-school, for my taste. The structures of the 12ep plot may seem old-school too, since the HS wrote that book on 16 episode romcom that you are reading from. The halfway mark is hit at ep6 -- the lovers commit. Troubles and travails begin in episode 7 right on cue. Instant resolutions and sudden wrap-ups are held in the final episodes 11-12, as a vestigial representation of the old scramble of non pre-produced shows. I was actually happy that this took up two episodes instead of the often crazy old-style one episode wrap.

The Hong Sisters have written 14 shows, each distinct, in many genres, It is a mystery how they manage to hit the public sweet spot every time. If you want your favourite romantic recipe, this isnt for you. But this is the real warning: they mostly write smash hits, so you may miss out.

ps. I normally strive for short, somewhat condensed reviews. Apologies for this one. It confuses me that my own view of the show was so different than most others', so I tried to lay out why. Probably not very well, but whatever.

pps. here is another way to look at it. People always contrast the Hong sisters' top shows to those of Kim EunSook, the writer for Goblin and most recently, for Genie Make a Wish. For me the imperfections of even the best of the HS still have more heart and sincerity than the slicker and often more entertaining KES. Both brilliant. Both classic.

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A genuine surprise never expected this

Was waiting for this drama for a long time for kim seon ho after hometown cha cha cha but the real surprising element was the actress and how she pull it off. At some point the drama was slow and feels to be dropped but the story had a few elements that made it feel engaging and the only thing that stands above all was how well the actress had showed the emotions for her both the roles. I am truly not that much happy with the character written for the ML as it feels like he is not commiting enough but still flow of the drama was good due to this. This is not a typical rom com which i expect and want this drama is a psychological mystery drama with few romantic scenes and comedy scenes

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A Brilliant Premise Undone by Disappointing Performances

To My Beloved Thief started with immense promise. I was genuinely impressed by its premise, the story setup, and especially the casting. Moon Sang-min caught my attention immediately, and Nam Ji-hyun—a personal favorite of mine—was a major reason I tuned in. Up until episode 4, the drama was genuinely enjoyable. The storytelling felt engaging, the pacing was decent, and the chemistry between the leads was believable and natural.

Then came the soul swap (or body swap—call it what you want), and everything slowly fell apart.

To be clear, I don’t think the concept itself was bad. In fact, the writers could have taken the story in a fun, emotionally rich direction. On paper, the idea still worked. But in execution, the drama completely failed—and the biggest reason was the acting, direction, and script handling after the swap.

Nam Ji-hyun’s performance was, frankly, shocking.

Once the souls are swapped, Nam Ji-hyun is supposed to portray the male lead’s soul inside her body, effectively becoming the male lead in a female body. However, she utterly fails to sell this transformation. There is no physicality, no change in speech, posture, or emotional rhythm that suggests a man inhabiting a woman’s body. Most of the time, she continues to act exactly like the female lead, making the entire soul-swap concept feel pointless.

It’s impossible not to compare this to Mr. Queen.

Shin Hye-sun’s legendary performance in Mr. Queen set the gold standard for this trope—a male soul convincingly living inside a female body. That drama became a massive commercial and cultural success, breaking records on tvN and Netflix. Shin Hye-sun didn’t just “act”; she transformed. Any drama attempting a similar concept will inevitably be compared to Mr. Queen, and unfortunately, To My Beloved Thief loses that comparison by an overwhelming margin—honestly, a 100-to-1 situation.

That said, the male lead doesn’t escape criticism either. Even after the soul swap, he continues to act like the same male prince as before, despite supposedly having a woman’s soul inside him. His behavior, reactions, and emotional choices don’t reflect the swap at all.

Several scenes make absolutely no sense:

Why does he hug Nam Ji-hyun first when he is now the female lead, who had already rejected him?

Why do the dialogues not reflect even the slightest confusion or internal conflict from the soul swap?

Why do both characters continue behaving exactly as they did before, as if nothing changed?

The result is deeply frustrating. The male lead still acts like the male lead, the female lead still acts like the female lead, and the soul swap becomes nothing more than a lazy plot gimmick. The performances feel mismatched, confused, and emotionally hollow.

What hurts the most is that this drama could have been great.

It had a fun, creative story. It had early momentum. It had chemistry. But all of it was ruined by weak acting choices, poor direction, and a script that failed to commit to its own concept. What should have been an entertaining and memorable drama instead turned into a disappointing mess.

In the end, To My Beloved Thief stands as an example of how even an incredible idea can be completely destroyed by pathetic execution and miserably mishandled performances.

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“everytime you see an aurora, you’ll think of me”

this show was spectacular. i’d been anticipating it’s release and was so excited to watch and it really didn’t disappoint.

it’s definitely not your typical romcom or melodrama, instead it stands out with it’s focus on the insecurities, anxieties and personality disorder of the main character. i’ve never seen a drama that delves into the idea of DID, which is taboo enough in and of itself.

the drama starts light and airy, a typical romcom with an interesting plot—an actress who falls for the interpreter as she films a dating show. meanwhile, his old chrush becomes the producer for said show. it’s a classic trope which i personally adore. but there’s a massive tonal shift in episode 7 when muhee’s DID starts presenting. at first i was quite thrown off and didn’t know exactly how to feel about it, but as i continued watching, it intrigued me more and more.

both leads are incredible actors, but younjung in particular is absolutely astounding. the way that she is able to portray herself as two distinctly unique characters, muhee and rami, in meaningful ways to showcase both the insecurities and strength of them both is incredible.

i also love the aspect of an interpreter who speaks 6 languages still not understanding the language of muhee herself. the way both characters speak so distinctly that they confuse each other and need to literally interpret their love is just amazing.

i would highly recommend this drama, especially for those looking for their next binge. normally a romance show isn’t something people look to binge but this show is just too good not to. it was simply amazing and such a notable drama to start 2026 off with.

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Hater doing what they do best

Trust me, you’re in for a treat with this one. Seriously don’t let all the negative reviews scare you off before you’ve even given it a fair shot. I went in expecting something mid because of all the complaining online, but it ended up being such a fun, satisfying watch. The chemistry between the leads is honestly one of the best parts. It feels natural and easy, like you actually want to keep watching them interact instead of rolling your eyes at forced scenes.

Also, can we talk about the production quality? The background music is so on point. It kicks in at the right moments without being too dramatic or distracting, and it really helps build the mood. The cinematography is gorgeous too, there are so many shots that look clean, intentional, and just aesthetically pleasing. You can tell effort was put into how everything looks and feels, not just the storyline.

And the pacing? Surprisingly solid. It doesn’t drag for no reason, and it doesn’t rush through emotional scenes either. It keeps you interested without making you feel like you’re waiting forever for something to happen. The characters are genuinely lovable as well like, you actually care about them and their growth, and they’re not just there to fill space.

If you enjoyed shows like It’s Okay to Not Be Okay or Kill Me, Heal Me, there’s a really good chance you’ll love this too. It has that same mix of emotion, charm, and addictive “one more episode” energy. So yeah ignore the noise, press play, and enjoy!

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A MASTERPIECE ✨✨✨

This series is really goood.
I rewatched it a couple of times now because I'm running out of stuff to watch this one is just reallly really gooood.

Like the Plot is just chef kiss 💋 I really like how the actors portrayed the emotions and each lines.

It's really coool I've never seen a series that I can rewatch so many times and not get bored. 🥰😍

Much loveeee hope to see more series like this. 😍😍

I like how talented thai actors are. Like how can you become a completely different person from a different series. I first saw P'Poom in lovely writer he was great in portraying Gene and now in this series he portrayed Ming I got back all the excitement I had before it was really awesome 🥰

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Wanna watch again & My heart got stucked.

I CAN'T EXPLAIN IN WORDS HOW MUCH EMOTIONS this drama gave me, from the episode 1 to 28. MY GOD I REALLY LOVE this pair of Sabrina Zhuang and Chen Arthur. Their acting is on TOP, I mean at some point I felt they're having real feelings. I literally cried on many scenes throughout the drama. Especially their interactions after break up gave me CHILLS. I can understand how much pain ding zhi tong must have gone in those 5 years of no contact with gan yang. She had learnt to live alone, cook alone, work alone, cry alone, also lose her mom, and have no one except feng sheng and ming mei by her side. And because of that only she insisted to stay away from gan yang even after they met after 5 years, To protect her heart, The fear of what if she falls again for him. What gan yang did to her is totally wrong. He should have atleast tried to know about her in those 5 years, whether she is really married or how is she. But in the end tong tong made sure in this second time, things between gan yang and her become & develop more stronger and better relationship together. The efforts gan yang put in the end to get her back is worth every penny. Totally loved it. I want an other series with CHEN ARTHUR and SABRINA ZHUANG Together. LOVE LOVE LOVE. MUST WATCH.

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Only 10 Episodes? Criminal. Absolutely Criminal ?

I genuinely don’t understand who decided Me and Thee only needed 10 episodes, because this show was WAY too good to end so soon. It aired for two months and somehow became one of the most satisfying, heart-warming watches ever. I smiled through the entire finale—no exaggeration—my cheeks were literally hurting 😭✨

This drama was soft, cozy, and full of love. Simple, yet beautifully nuanced. Every character felt real and lovable, and the story never relied on unnecessary drama—it just worked. GMMTV truly made a masterpiece here.

Now let’s talk about Khun Thee because HELLO??? This man is not a green flag, he is an entire green forest 🌳💚 His devotion to Peach was pure, gentle, and otherworldly. The way he loved and supported him was everything. And the Lee family?? Supportive, warm, wholesome—watching them felt like a hug.

Pond and Phuwin absolutely nailed their roles. They didn’t just act as Khun Thee and Peach—they became them. I’ve always loved PondPhuwin, but this show single-handedly made them my favorites. I already miss them on screen together 🥲

It was also so good seeing William and Est again after ThamePo. Mok and Rome were charming and fun, and honestly? I wish we got more of them 👀 And Peach’s sister Plub was such a joy—supportive, sweet female characters in BLs are always a blessing ✨

My only real complaint (besides the episode count 💀) was Aran and Tawan. I love Perth and Santa, but their relationship felt unnecessarily toxic and didn’t match the otherwise soft tone of the show.

That aside? Everything was perfection—the cast, the characters, the music, the vibes 💯 My biggest problem is that it ended WAY too fast. I won’t be leaving this show’s dreamland anytime soon.

If you haven’t watched Me and Thee yet… WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? Go watch it. Now. 💚😭

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Surprising in the best way

I loved this, is the plot a bit wild? yes. Are we dealing with a red flag and a black flag and the greenest of green flags? also yes. I fell in love with Daon from the start of the first episode and spent my whole time hoping for him to see that he really did deserve a wholesome love. I just wanted him to be happy. I loved the ending, I felt it was natural and suited the characters well. Although, I would have liked to know what Suhyeon did after - and secretly I loved this red flag man far too much and hope he also got to live happily ever after with someone. I have only just finished it and already can't wait to rewatch it and make my best friend watch it with me.

I have not really watched many BL's that are Korean despite being able to speak Korean. I used to watch anything that came out and was queer, but I grew tired and burnout on the older Korean shows where it had to end unhappily. I am so glad I took a chance to try the more modern Korean BLs and gave this a shot.

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A Refreshing and Youthful Adaptation

I’ve seen the Korean version and parts of the Taiwanese version (though I don’t remember much of it), and I really enjoyed this version. The Korean version is noticeably darker, particularly in the way the female lead is bullied. In the other versions, I found myself rooting for the second male lead, but in this one, I was rooting for the main leads.

Shen Yue and Dylan Wang had undeniable chemistry. Their constant bickering was hilarious and felt very natural. I especially loved how the female lead calls the male lead “Pineapple Head.”

There are a few things I’ve never liked in any version of Meteor Garden, particularly the lack of respect for Dong Shan Cai’s boundaries. Dao Ming Si basically forces his feelings on her in the beginning. However, I understand why this was included, as it is a crucial plot point that leads to major character development for Dao Ming Si.

The character Chen Qing He was especially funny. His bickering with Dao Ming Si was a highlight, and while Chen Qing He is naïve, it only adds to his charm.

I didn’t like the casting choices for F4: Caesar Wu, Darren Chen, and Leon Leong. They didn’t have much chemistry with one another. I also didn’t care for the storylines involving Caesar Wu and Leon Leong, as they lacked chemistry with their respective romantic partners. Leon Leong, in particular, came across as awkward. I often fast-forwarded through majority of all their scenes. In contrast, the actors cast as F4 in the Korean version had great chemistry, and you could really feel the brotherhood they were meant to portray. In this one, it just felt like there were cliques and it felt like they were often doing things on their own.

This version is definitely more lighthearted compared to the other two versions I’ve seen, and it’s clear that the target audience is a younger demographic. The dubbing was extremely distracting, but aside from that, the drama does exactly what it’s supposed to do.

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