Funny, hilarious and I needed more

This was such a fun drama. Too bad there were very few scenes of the actual world. I needed more scenes of Xiaomeng with her boss.

Since this is supposed to be in a VR world, I expected a lot of arcs that may be seen as fillers or maybe have no sense. This drama did have that but not to the point that it deviated a lot from the main storyline.

After Love better than Immortality, I really wanted to see if June Wu can give me flutters in another drama. This series proved to me that June Wu had it in him to play the main lead. He was really sweet and romantic in this one and had great chemistry with Lai Mei Yun. He was able to show that he liked Xiaomeng in the very few scenes as Quin Han. I also loved him as Murong Chen, the prince with a secret identity.

This is the first time I've seen Lai Mei Yun and I really would have liked to see more of her as Xiaomeng. I found it funny that her date with her TV was so important to her. I didn't particularly liked her Mengmeng when she just entered the game. She was kind of loud, brassy and boy crazy. It improved when she finally met Yunya, the secret identity of Murong Chen. From hereon, the fluff began.

Hu Wei as the SML Song Che was unexpectedly over the top funny. I initially thought his character stupid but was charmed as the series went on. This bright eyed boy is meant for comedy.

I would not rewatch this anytime soon but yeah this is a good drama.

Read More

First Gao Han Yu drama that I loved

I wanted to love this and I did! I'll admit that Gao Han Yu is one of my biases in CDramaland. He's so sexy, handsome and talented but keeps playing characters with lousy development. A good thing that's not the case for Dine with Love.

What I loved in this drama is that there are no evil villains, just flawed people who needs to make a choice.

The chemistry of all CPs were great, the comedic timing were on point with characters saying hilarious things with a deadpan serious face, banters were funny and some gave me LOL moments (i.e. can people eat cat food?) And since cooking and food are also featured, I can't help but fall in love with this drama.

The story is a classic cold CEO, warm employee trope but done right. The ML was introduced as successful, bossy and arrogant but he was actually sympathetic. The FL was warm and spunky. Even though she tens to follow rules, she's not a yes-man and sometimes she even makes her own rules. All lovelines were pleasantly concluded and characters seemed fully treshed out. The ending was predictable but still lovely. Would definitely rewatch this.

Read More

Unexpectedly good

As a time travel drama, I expected a lot of plot holes but the drama somehow was able to conclude all questions nicely.
The actress who played the FL was really good and gave different vibes for Yu Xuan and Yun Ru, even in the way they cry. My heart broke for Yu Xuan everytime she missed Quan Sheng and especially when she found the engagement ring.
The ML was a saint when I think about how much waiting he had done and will still do.
I felt that the second lead had the most important role since he was that one friend that Yun Ru really needed and it's through his actions that drama was able to turn itself around.
Hopefully more people will be able to watch and appreciate this drama.

Read More

It has everything. My favorite romcom of all time, not just 2024

This has fluffy romance, comedy aplenty and a lot of heart. I can't believe that within 10 minutes into the drama, I was already crying with Im Sol. Kim HyeYoon delivered such a great performance in the first episode that before it ended I was hooked.

The story is about Im Sol (HyeYoon) who was about to give up on life after an accident. Because of the encouragement she got from an idol Ryu SunJae (WooSeok), she decided to live. For more than 10 years, she supported SunJae as a fan and was very shocked when news came out that SunJae died from apparent suicide. A mystic occurrence brought her back in time when both she and SunJae were still in high school. Can she stop SunJae's death? Was it really a suicide?

As of writing this only 2 episodes are out but I am already enjoying this drama. In fact, the last few minutes of Episode 2 gave me overexcited butterflies. Scenes that may seem cringey on paper turned out lovely and sweet because of the music used and the chemistry between HyeYoon and WooSeok. And then there's also GeonHee who's playing the second lead. He also looks good with HyeYoon. But I'm still team SunJae. The scriptwriters so far made somewhat believable scenarios (yeah, I will also run/get scared when a person seems crazy). I am looking forward for the next episodes.

Edit:
I am now at episode 8, my favorite thus far, and this just keeps getting better so I'm changing my review score from 9.5 to 10. This deserves it for making me look forward to Mondays even though it's the start of my work week. Now I'm not just on the Sunjae-Sol ship but also on the WooSeok-HyeYoon ship too. These two are really lovely together.

Edit 2:
After completion, this has become my standard for a romcom and has become my favorite drama of all time. I would rate it more than 10 if I could. This has everything like a mashup of all possible drama tropes (running after a leaving car, time capsules, etc) and settings (jungle scenes, island scenes, school scenes, the ever present airport scene, etc) but still done right. I kept thinking that the writer has a checklist to see which ones she haven't used yet. I love all the OSTs, they are used at the right timing throughout the drama even the BGMs. My favorites are "Gift", "Sudden Shower" and "Run, run". This also has the best pacing among all the dramas I've seen with the focus mostly on the leads. Its romance is satisfying and was not stingy at all with the kiss scenes unlike usual kdramas. Its comedy despite a few misses are ones that remain funny even in a rewatch. Its logic as a time travel drama made sense. There are detail consistencies in the interconnected scenes like scars, head bump, etc which shows that this had been meticulously made (yeah, I had a minor issue with 34 yrs old Sunjae's haircuts but it's negligible cause he looked almost the same anyway). There was a time in Ep13 that this drama broke my heart but immediately fixed it again in the next episode. It is a self-aware romcom and often references itself with parallelism and easter eggs that are spread throughout the entire drama. As such, it makes you want to rewatch previous scenes and episodes. It shows again and again that the leads have an interconnection that time and distance cannot truly sever and how selfless is their love for each other. I'm so glad that I chased this because I was able to discuss theories and ship the lead couple with fellow capellas (eclipse fandom) and subeoms (solseon fandom). I know I'll rewatch this again just for the comfort it brings.

Read More

Misunderstandings galore, unpredictable but crazily good

I must say this is a very nice reunion project for the Go Back Couple leads. A suspense instead of a romcom this time.

At first, it seems to be just another revenge drama which seems to be the kdrama trend nowadays together with previous lives. On further watch, you can see that it also tackles some mental health issues. Just when you think you have everything figured out, drama will turn on its head and show that not everything is at it seems. The good performances of the actors keeps you on the edge to know what will happen next. Everyone just seems to have secrets that needs to be untangled. I usually drop suspense dramas since I usually get bored by Ep3 (as I was with High Cookie and Maestra) but this one is still keeping me interested.

Read More

It crashed as a romance

I expected more from this drama because of the hype it had while airing but sadly, it did not satisfy me. It couldn't seem to decide its genre and tried to include so many subplots that were mostly resolved haphazardly. The drama tried to match up almost everybody but did not really show any buildup so they all felt unrealistic and I just couldn't root for any of the couples. Honestly, even with the two leads, the chemistry was nonexistent despite the use of typical romance tropes. Then they just had to include a thriller arc which I think was not that necessary and felt like a filler to stretch out the drama into 16 episodes. The only saving grace of this drama is the relationship between the FL and her daughter/niece which made this somewhat bearable to watch

Read More

Refreshingly good! Viva la vida!

This is a failure as a time travel drama since its ending has loopholes galore but as a family drama full of heart, this is one of the best. It doesn't have any major mind boggling concepts. You can almost predict the storyline but with cast's solid acting, their on point facial expressions, the simple story was really brought to life.

The main character, Ha Eun Gyeol, is kind, smart and handsome, the perfect son any parent would want to have. As a child of Deaf adults (CODA) with an older brother who was also Deaf, he always felt some guilt for being the only hearing member of the family. He tries to excel in studying so that people wouldn't say that his parents didn't raise him well because they were differently abled. But because of this, he began to feel like he was a trophy. It was only when he time travelled to the past that he was finally able to understand the struggles his parents had in their own youth.

When the MC returned to the future in the end, a lot of logical questions remained with me. Because I mostly enjoyed his journey and I kind of expected the changed future because of his interventions in the past, I chose to let them go and accept the drama logic as is. Everyone received their just ending so I'm good.

My main takeaway from this drama is Viva la vida, long live life. No one can live your life you. Life, like a watermelon, may have many seeds/struggles but it doesn't take away the sweetness that you can experience. Enjoy it, let it twinkle, but always choose to be kind when you can.

Read More

Charming with a very strong female lead

This is the first drama where I wrote a review before I've finished a series. Yes, this series is THAT good. And now that I completed it, I still say that this is a recommended watch. I thought there would be some kind of revenge from the FL to the ML to spice the story up but there was none. I love how grounded this drama world was, introducing us to the world of investment while teasing us with the relationship of the leads. I also admit that I am a fan of go-getter FLs and Seven Tan as Ning Meng doesn't disappoint. The FL has no illusions about herself but was not afraid to test her limits. When she felt that the ML is bullying her, she tried to hold her peace but did not just take it lying down. This girl was no doormat, she gave as good as she got. She's loyal too and never burned any bridges during her career growth. Kenny Lin as Lu Jiming was also great. He played the brilliant but temperamental boss perfectly. His words were sometimes too harsh that I want to slap him myself. His childishness was so much part of his personality base that when he's jealous, he became petty. His micro-expressions ranging from confused to secretly happy/proud were so good that I can believe that he was already in love in the first few episodes but did not know it yet. That he's actually softhearted and caring was teased during the first episodes but was clearly shown in the last episodes.

I also liked that LJM started to encourage NM once he discovered her motivations in becoming an investor. They became the catalyst for growth of the other, without them even trying. I would have liked more scenes of them being a couple but I'm still satisfied with the ending.

Read More

Almost perfect. Deserve to be called best cdrama of 2023

Romance, adventure, brotherhood, sisterhood, love in its many forms, all can be seen in this drama. I really liked that this story does not end when the leads got together but goes beyond and proved again and again that they really are the perfect match for each other. The characters make logical or at least understandable decisions, love is not their end all be all, except maybe for one character, but he moved on from that. My favorite side characters are Yanying and Yuan Lu. Yanying's arc in particular was so satisfying, her growth from a timid princess to an outstanding leader. Yuan Lu always brings freshness whenever he's in a scene. Another unforgettable character who gave me mixed feelings was Li Tongguang. I didn't like him and his shenanigans but he kept mesmerizing me and I keep rooting for his happy ending.

If you want a respite of the many love centric dramas then this one's for you.

Read More

Now that is an interesting adaptation

I have read the webtoon but the drama made it so much better. I am glad that they did not faithfully follow the webtoon but instead changed it a little to make the story flow better. The connection of the reincarnations to one person wasn't in the webtoon but was a welcome inclusion.

As expected, Lee JaeWook and Lee DoHyun slayed in their roles. I was quite surprised that Yoo InSoo would fit and play his character as the weak bully so well since I never imagined he could be like that at all. He really is the kind of actor that embodies the characters he play. I loved him in Alchemy of Souls, love-hate him in The Good Bad Mother, and utterly hated him in this drama.

I never thought that they would release only the first part of the drama so I am quite disappointed right now but still they chose a great cliff hanger. I hope they release the second part soon.

Read More

Great adaptation of the webtoon

Wow. Daebak. I don't know what words could I use to describe my appreciation. The drama's cinematography was top notch. I especially loved the landscape shot after the 12th death. Based on the locations they chose and the actors that were in it, you can tell that the budget for this must be huge.

I have read the webtoon but the drama made it so much better. The connection of the reincarnations to one person and the incident that started it all created an impact that the webtoon somehow lacked. The last reincarnation was expected but that twist for the second to the last (11th) reincarnation wasn't.

Oh Jung Se as the detective was definitely the one that shined the most for me in this 2nd part of the drama but the other actors did so great as well. Kim Jihoon was so convincing that I don't think I want to be close to him no matter how handsome he is, though to be honest I have felt this way about him since I've seen 'Flower of Evil'. The resolution of his arc might be unrealistic but was satisfying.

As an adaptation, this was truly great but it stayed on the limits of the webtoon. Like the original IP, it ended up just moralizing on the effect of suicide, somehow blaming those that killed themselves but did not delve into the how we can address the issues of mental health. But still, this is a show that I can definitely recommend.

Read More

Treat it as a long epilogue

This would make S2 more palatable because it did give the happy ending we all wanted for Jang Uk and Naksu/Choyeong/Mudeok/Buyeon in S1. Frankly, a lot of things in this season felt like fillers like when they showed Park Jin making kimchi.

Some people are saying that Naksu seemed weaker this season. I agree but I understand. This Naksu had already let go of her revenge and need to be powerful in S1. Her time as Mudeok made her more considerate of others, particularly her mother in S2. Still, I would have wanted her to became a sword wielding Naksu again which would have made this season and the overall series epic. I also wish that Jang Uk didn't become so overpowered.

It really would have been better if AoS was made into just 1 season of maybe 25 episodes.

Read More

Great start but turned to meh

If you ask me whether this drama is worth the watch, I'll say yes but stop at Ep 6 because the love between Xioasu and Zhenrong was the only thing that's really good in this drama. The chance encounter, the crushing on stage, the bittersweet parting was executed perfectly. You can maybe extend it up to Ep 10, to have a sense of letting go and expectation of a new love. To go on further will just be torture in boredom because there were only two or three touching scenes when they try to remember Zhenrong.

The synopsis was misleading. There was no one night stand shown in the drama, just a drunken girl who was so wasted that that Yuzheng judged her as 'not a good girl'. If there was in the novel then the ML is a real jerk for taking advantage of a drunk girl. Yuzheng did not forbid the couple's relationship but only warned Zhenrong about the possibility that Xiaosu may not be as good as she seemed. Yuzheng also did not love her from the start but only after Zhenrong's death. The premise of 'Will Xiaosu ever forget Zhenrong and accept Yuzheng's love?' which drew me in to watch this was so misleading. If only they stuck with that, this could have been a very different drama, probably a better one. Xiaosu was never that conflicted, she never closed herself off to love. During the brink of their new love, it was Yuzheng who backed off because of his business issues. The right question is 'Are Yuzheng's feelings strong enough to change his prejudice against love?'

The way the characters navigate their relationship are reactive, repetitive, and inconsistent. The reasons for breakups were weak and sometimes incomprehensible. I was particularly annoyed with the one CP, the money focused Siqi and the wishy washy Qin Fei, the FL's best friend and the ML's assistant. Then most of the episodes focused on the business problems of the ML.

It's really too bad because they've managed to setup this great love that will be hard to replace but forgot that is was supposed to be the main backbone of the drama. So my advice is save yourself the time and only watch the first 6 episodes.

Read More